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What is it called in basketball when the player with the ball illegally moves one or both feet, usually by moving his pivot foot or taking too many steps without dribbling? | * Traveling (Basketball) - Definition,meaning - Online Encyclopedia
The most common way a player gets called for traveling is when they are holding the ball after picking up their dribble and they move their pivot foot . Another common way a player is called for traveling is when they take three or more steps when not dribbling the ball .
How to Get on a Traveling Soccer Team
How Do Baseball Teams Travel?
Select players. Create the roster by determining the amount of players needed for each position. Conduct open tryouts at a select site or select players participating in leagues or organizations.
Traveling - this violation occurs when the player takes more than one and half step without dribbling while in possession of the ball or when you stop dribbling and change your pivot foot .
Turnover : When possession of the ball changes, other than a rebound or following a scored point . Turnover s include: traveling, stolen ball , charging , etc.
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Traveling: A violation that occurs when the player with the ball takes two many steps without dribbling . This is a common occurrence with young players.
Traveling: To start a dribble , the ball must be release d from a player's hand before his pivot foot leaves the floor or he has committed a traveling violation .
Traveling
Taking more than 1 1/2 steps without dribbling , which results in a penalty free to the opposing team.
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Traveling (or Walking ) - Called when a player with the ball takes too many steps or moves both feet without dribbling . This violation results in a turnover .
Turnover - When possession of the ball switch es from one team to the other.
Traveling: A violation in which a player takes too many steps without dribbling the ball . Also: walking .
Traveling: A violation that occurs when a player holding the ball illegally moves one or both of his feet without dribbling .
Trillion : A stat line in which a player fails to collect either a shot , point , rebound , assist , or foul , thus resulting in a stat line of all zeros.
Traveling: a floor violation when the ball handler takes too many steps without dribbling ; also called walking .
Traveling - Taking more than one and a half steps without dribbling while you have the ball . It's also called traveling when you pick up your dribble and then move or change your pivot foot . Either way, you'll turn the ball over to the other team if you travel, so don't do it! (Also called Walking ).
Traveling:
A violation occurring when a player with the ball takes a step without dribbling (moving the established pivot foot ).
Traveling - When a player on offense takes more than one and a half steps without dribbling while in position of the ball . It's also called traveling when if the player picks up the dribble and then moves or changes their pivot foot .
Traveling halfway across the world to India is not for the frugal. When choosing this exotic locale for your getaway, you should put away any notions of booking a cheap vacati…on.
Triple double : when a player scores double -digits in 3 categories during one game ( points , assists and rebounds -also can be blocks or steals ) ...
Traveling
Trey ...
"The traveling rule has not changed. What has changed is the common use of the jump stop as an offensive move. Officials and coaches are having difficulty determining the difference between a legal and illegal move. The key to making this determination properly is first finding the pivot foot .
Its not traveling until the pivot foot returns to the floor . So it doesn''t matter if they lift the pivot foot before ball leaves hand to dribble . otherwise a post drop step move would be a travel and any jump shot would be a travel.
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Explain what traveling with the ball is and what double dribble is. After this you let them scrimmage for 10 minutes or so. This is just where you let them be kids and let them have fun.
Section XIV-Traveling
a. A player who receives the ball while standing still may pivot , using either foot as the pivot foot .
b. A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble , may use a two-count rhythm in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball .
Traveling: Also known as " walking "; a violation in which the ball handler takes fewer than two steps without dribbling , or holds the ball while changing or moving the pivot foot .
Triple-double : A player achieves double figures in three out of five offensive categories.
Taking two or more steps without dribbling the ball .Traveling
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If a player is not dribbling , that player can move one foot, as long as he keeps the other foot, called his pivot foot , in contact with the floor . The pivot foot must remain constant. If a player moves both feet without dribbling , the referee will call a traveling (or walking ) violation .
Too busy, always traveling? This Manual, in HD, can find its way to your PC, laptop, or a tablet. Practical, at all times! Finally, the experience of personal communication with a top-class athletics trainer is priceless. Conclusion - definitely worth your money, and time!
Summing it up ...
How do you avoid traveling while dribbling ?
Sometimes when I dribble , I accidently touch the ball with both hands. I also stop then accidently dribble again. This happens when I'm usually ...
asked 45 days ago ...
Moving Violation : Basically a traveling violation
N[edit]
NBA The National Basketball Association, the largest professional league in the United States, also with one team in Canada.
Fouls were assessed for using a fist, traveling and physical contact ( holding , pushing, tripping, or striking of an opponent). When a player committed two fouls they were disqualified until a goal was scored. For any flagrant foul s, just as today, players were disqualified for the whole game.
With the basketball flames still burning inside, yours truly accepted the position of traveling agent for Evansville Thunder, then a member of the CBA. Here, the old guy honed his basketball knowledge under the late Roger Brown of Indiana Pacer fame and watching the likes of present NBA coach Phil Jackson.
Carry the ball - similar to traveling. When a basketball player moves with the ball without properly dribbling it.
Charging - an offensive foul which occurs when an offensive basketball player runs into a defender who has established position .
to our attention when the younger brother of one of my players was killed in a car accident while traveling
to a tournament championship game. But it was through this tragic event that I saw how truly special my
players are. The amount of care and concern that they showed for their grieving teammate was ...
Make sure player understands how to pivot without traveling and dragging foot.
Variations:
Have player shoot lane floaters or drive all the way to basket .
Same drill can be completed from the wing area. With the coach as the passer near the sideline .
The trick is to catch a pass and then pass downcourt without dribbling ,traveling,or stopping.All players must hustle or the drill gets out of time.
7
this is a great drill for the kids to learn to pass and replace,and catch a pass and pass on the run and to not travel while doing so.
TOPG
Turnover s per game
The number of time per game a player gives up possession via whistle (traveling, charging ), steals , or simply throwing the ball away. The total is derived from total turnover s divided by games participated in.
When possession of the ball changes, other than a rebound or following a scored point . Turnover s include: traveling, stolen ball , charging , etc.
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Basketball 101 ...
This can be done by placing the ball on the players lap whilst that player takes up to two pushes - they must then bounce the ball before they can push their chair again. A "traveling" foul will be given if a player pushes the ball more than twice without bouncing the ball - the ball will then be given to ...
For example, if you want to shoot a jump hook with your right hand, then establish your left foot as the non- pivot foot . Then, take a step with it, jumping vertically and shooting as you complete the step. To avoid traveling, ...
Traveling - a rule violation involving too many steps with the ball
-46. Turnover - when the offense loses the ball to the defense , usually due to a mistake or a rule violation ; a flaky, fruit filled pastry
-47. Violation - break ing a rule resulting in a turnover
-48.
| Travel |
What former representative from the state of Wyoming, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of Defense, seemed to attain the maximum amount of controversy as his role as Vice President? | Traveling_(basketball) : definition of Traveling_(basketball) and synonyms of Traveling_(basketball) (English)
NCAA
Section 72. Traveling [1]
Art. 1. Traveling occurs when a player holding the ball moves a foot or both feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits described in this rule.
Art. 2. A player who catches the ball with both feet on the playing court may pivot, using either foot. When one foot is lifted, the other is the pivot foot.
Art. 3. A player who catches the ball while moving or dribbling may stop and establish a pivot foot as follows:
a. When both feet are off the playing court and the player lands: 1. Simultaneously on both feet, either may be the pivot foot; 2. On one foot followed by the other, the first foot to touch shall be the pivot foot; 3. On one foot, the player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both; neither foot can be the pivot foot. b. When one foot is on the playing court: 1. That foot shall be the pivot foot when the other foot touches in a step; 2. The player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both; neither foot can then be the pivot foot.
Art. 4. After coming to a stop and establishing the pivot foot:
a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the playing court, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;64 Rule 4 / definitions b. The pivot foot shall not be lifted before the ball is released to start a dribble.
Art. 5. After coming to a stop when neither foot can be the pivot foot:
a. One or both feet may be lifted, but may not be returned to the playing court, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal; b. Neither foot shall be lifted, before the ball is released, to start a dribble.
Art. 6. It is traveling when a player falls to the playing court while holding the ball without maintaining a pivot foot.
NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations)
The NFHS traveling rule is almost identical to the NCAA rule, with an additional article clarifying restrictions regarding a player holding the ball while on the floor.
NBA
For the 2009-10 season, the NBA modified its rule regarding traveling to update antiquated language. [2]
FIBA
The FIBA rule is almost identical to the NCAA rule with minor differences (e.g. for when a player falls to the floor).
Penalty
The ball becomes dead and a throw-in is awarded to the opposing team out of bounds nearest the point where the violation took place under NCAA and NFHS rules. [3] Under NBA rules, the ball is awarded to the opposing team at the nearest spot but no close to the baseline than the free throw line extended. [4]
Examples
Any action where the pivot foot is lifted and returned to the floor, or dragged along the floor.
Lifting the pivot foot, taking multiple steps, or shuffling the feet before starting a dribble. See example videos .
While holding the ball, jumping and returning to the floor without releasing the ball.
While holding the ball on the floor, attempting to roll over or stand up.
NCAA and NFHS only: Falling to the floor while holding the ball, even if it was caught while airborne. [5] [6] [7] [8]
Clarifications
It is impossible to travel while dribbling. [9] The height of the dribble or number of steps taken per dribble is irrelevant. [10]
It is impossible to travel during a throw-in. [11] While there are space restrictions for a throw-in, the thrower is not required to maintain a pivot foot or observe any of the other restrictions of the traveling rule. A referee who signals traveling on a throw-in violation is in error.
A player must have control of the ball to travel. For instance, a player who bobbles a pass may well take several steps legally—the traveling rule is not in effect until he has secured control of the ball. [12]
A player who dives and catches a loose ball on the floor may legally slide as far as his momentum carries him. This is not a travel. [13] [14] [15] However, once he stops he may not roll over or attempt to stand.
Lifting the pivot foot alone does not constitute a travel; a player may pass, shoot, or request a timeout in that position. It is a travel once the foot is returned to the floor, or if a dribble is started.
In the NBA, a player who attempts a field goal may not be the first to touch the ball if it fails to touch the backboard, basket ring or another player. However, according to High School (NFHS) and College (NCAA) rules, there is no traveling violation as long as the official judges it to be an attempted shot. [16]
References
| i don't know |
According to the Jim Croce song, who was the baddest man in the whole damn town? | JIM CROCE LYRICS - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" lyrics
JIM CROCE LYRICS
Well the south side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man name of Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand ‘bout six foot four
All those downtown ladies call him "Treetop Lover"
All the men just call him "Sir"
And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Leroy he a gambler
And he like his fancy clothes
And he like to wave his diamond rings
Under everybody's nose
He got a custom Continental
He got an Eldorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket full a fun
He got a razor in his shoe
And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well Friday 'bout a week ago
Leroy shootin' dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named Doris
And oh that girl looked nice
Well he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
And Leroy Brown had learned a lesson
'Bout a-messin' with the wife of a jealous man
And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than a-old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fighting
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Yeah he was badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog.
| Bad, Bad Leroy Brown |
What company was (more or less) responsible for the creation of the first silicon transistor, first integrated circuit, the first microprocessor, and a host of other firsts? | Bad, Bad Leroy Brown / Jim Croce ~ lyrics and guitar chords
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Jim Croce
G add6 add6 (x3) G add6 add7 G add6 add6 (x3) G add6 D2 G Well, the south side of Chicago A Is the baddest part of town B2 C And if you go down there you better just beware D2 C G D2 Of a man name of Leroy Brown Now Leroy more than trouble You see he stand about six foot four All those downtown ladies call him "Treetop Lover" All the men just call him "Sir" G And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown A The baddest man in the whole damn town B2 C Badder than old King Kong D2 C G D2 And meaner than a junkyard dog Now Leroy he a gambler And he like his fancy clothes And he like to wave his diamond rings Up under everybody's nose He got a custom Continental He got an Eldorado, too He got a 32 gun in his pocket full a fun He got a razor in his shoe And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown The baddest man in the whole damn town Badder than an old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog Well Friday about a week ago Leroy shootin' dice And at the edge of the bar sat a girl name a Doris And oh that girl looked nice Well he cast his eyes upon her And the trouble soon began And Leroy Brown he learned a lesson 'bout a-messin' With the wife of a jealous man And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown The baddest man in the whole damn town Badder than a-old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog Well, the two men took to fighting And when they pulled them from the floor Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle With a couple of pieces gone And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown The baddest man in the whole damn town Badder than a-old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown The baddest man in the whole damn town Badder than an old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog Yeah, he was badder than an old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog...
Copyright 1973
By Jim Croce
Life and Times
Chords: G G6 G7 D2 A B2 C e |-3---------0--0--2--0-- B |-3---------2--2--2--1-- G |-4---------3--2--4--0-- D |-5---------0--2--4--2-- A |-5--7--9---0--0--2--3-- E |-3--3--3------0--------
| i don't know |
Much maligned for his handling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which Tony was the CEO for BP until October 1, 2010? | BP boss Tony Hayward faces Congress - as it happened | Business | The Guardian
Andrew Clark on America
BP boss Tony Hayward faces Congress - as it happened
BP's chief executive Tony Hayward is grilled by a congressional committee. Andrew Clark follows his defence of his company's handling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Protesters stand behind BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, as he arrives on Capitol Hill to testify before the House Oversight and Investigations sub-committee on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Photograph: Haraz Ghanbari/AP
Andrew Clark in New York
Thursday 17 June 2010 09.41 EDT
First published on Thursday 17 June 2010 09.41 EDT
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10.45pm: So, after seven and a half hours, BP's chief executive is leaving Congress. It's been a very testy hearing with a lot of frustration from lawmakers. Tony Hayward's responses have fallen a long way short of informative - he's stuck rigidly to his line of refusing to comment on the precise cause of the Deepwater Horizon disaster until BP's internal investigation is over. But here's a brief summary of some of the key points from today's hearing:
- Hayward says he's "devastated" by the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. But he insists he's seen no evidence of reckless behaviour by BP . He says: "There's nothing I've seen in the evidence so far that suggests that anyone put costs ahead of safety. If there are, then we'll take action."
- BP is stressing the failure of a blowout preventer, which was made by a US company, Cameron, as a central element in the disaster. Hayward said the device was supposed to be "failsafe" and that the industry needs to look at the design of such equipment urgently.
- A Texas Republican, Joe Barton, drew some attention away from Hayward by offering a bizarre apology to BP for the White House's "shakedown" in forcing the company to set up a $20bn "slush fund" for spill victims. After condemnation from both sides of the House, Barton apologised for apologising to BP.
- Hayward admits to being detached from operations on the doomed well - he told lawmakers that his only awareness of the operation of the Macondo well was when he was briefed that the company had struck oil in April.
- The BP boss stonewalled criticism of the design of the well, saying the methods used were common in the Gulf of Mexico. He denied any dispute on the Deepwater Horizon rig between BP staff and those of its contractor, Transocean. But he insisted on waiting for the results of an internal investigation before apportioning any blame.
- Overall, Hayward's appearance can hardly be called a success. The committee's chairman, Bart Stupak, admonished him for evasiveness that "increased the frustration" of the American people over the catastrophic spill.
10.30pm: Finally, we're drawing to an end. Chairman Bart Stupak says he can't allow things to go on until midnight. He thanks Hayward for coming voluntarily but adds that members are "frustrated" by the "evasiveness" of the BP boss's answers with too many answers of the ""I don't know" genre.
Bang, bang goes the gavel. Everybody gets up and Hayward is being guided out by a sizeable posse of security guards.
10.27pm: Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, wants to know if BP is committed to reimbursing long-term healthcare costs accrued by Gulf residents because of the spill. Hayward says the company will do so if the independent adjudicator, Ken Feinberg, rules that it should.
"$20bn is a very large sum of money to pay claims," says Hayward.
DeGette isn't very satisfied. She wants to know whether, in Hayward's opinion, healthcare costs are reasonable. Hayward says he's not going to give an opinion - that's why BP has appointed an independent adjudicator.
10.17pm: Meanwhile, outside the committee room...Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has pondered, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal , whether the Gulf spill will lead to the "annihilation" of BP. He hopes not, saying Russia won't re-evaluate its dealings with BP, but says the disaster will lead to a re-thinking of oil exploration around the world.
This is a wake-up call," Mr. Medvedev told the WSJ. Of BP's fate, he added: "Certainly, we are not indifferent to their future. ... Hopefully, they can absorb the losses."
10.12pm: Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, says Hayward has answered "65 times" to reasonable questions today that he doesn't know the answer. Don't know if he's counted or guessing. Either way, Welch isn't impressed and says Hayward's appearance will only erode confidence in BP that had begun to build following Wednesday's agreement to set up a $20bn compensation fund.
10.10pm: Congressman Peter Welch: "Mr Hayward, can you point to any single bad decision that was made with respect to Deepwater Horizon?"
Hayward: "I'm not prepared to point today, after a half-complete investigation, to what was or was not a bad decision."
The BP boss says there were many components - including the casing, cementing, blow-out preventer - involved in the accident. All involved in the well agreed to continue drilling.
10.05pm: Bruce Braley, an Iowa Democrat, is asking about the bereaved families who lost workers on the Deepwater Horizon. What should widows tell their children about how their fathers died?
Hayward: "Based on what I know, this was a tragic accident involving many failure mechanisms. That is the reality. That is why this happened."
Braley asks if blame is shared by other companies involves. Hayward: "I don't believe now is the time to try and apportion blame. I believe now is the time to try and understand what happened."
The BP boss adds that he doesn't believe it's time for "finger-pointing".
9.55pm: Congressman Michael Burgess wants BP to open up a freephone 1-800 number for ideas on how to clean up the Gulf.
"We have a lot of ingenuity in America," he declares. Burgess says lots of clever people are watching television feed of the leaking underwater pipe: "It's driving people crazy to watch that thing bubbling in the Gulf."
9.52pm: Hayward admits the Macondo drilling operation was running behind schedule. He says operating the Deepwater Horizon well cost about a million dollars a day. But he adds that the "important thing" from an economic point of view was that BP had made an oil discovery in the area and that it wanted to secure the well.
9.50pm: Michael Burgess, a Republican from Texas, is asking about reports of an argument between Transocean engineers and BP's "company man", Donald Vidrine, on the rig.
Hayward denies that there was any such dispute: "It is my understanding that that account has been contradicted under oath at the marine board investigation and that there was no heated discussion or skirmish."
The BP boss says a Transocean tool pusher testified that there was never any row between staff from the two companies in the hours leading up to the disaster.
9.46pm: Committee chairman Bart Stupak is having a rather complicated (and possibly pedantic) argument with Hayward about whether the blowout preventer can be called a "failsafe mechanism" if it isn't failsafe. I'm not sure if this is going to get anywhere.
9.41pm: This morning's "apology" to BP by Joe Barton continues to create uproar - it's been condemned by the White House and by Republican leader John Boehner. Reuters has a story on it here . Barton has truly done BP a favour by stealing some of the heat away from Hayward. The White House press secretary Robert Gibbs just tweeted : "Who would the GOP put in charge of overseeing the energy industry & Big Oil if they won control of Congress? Yup, u guessed it - JOE BARTON"
9.33pm: Joe Barton asks Hayward to offer one or two suggestions of things that can be done to prevent a similar accident in the future.
"I believe the most important one is to take the failsafe mechanism that is the blowout preventer and design it so that it is genuinely failsafe," says Hayward, who says it's "clear" that the current design basis of blowout preventers in deepwater drilling is "not as failsafe as we'd believed it do be".
He says this is an "important lesson for the industry to grasp".
9.31pm: Hayward is asked when BP's internal investigation is likely to be completed. He declines to give even a rough timeframe, saying: "One of the most important elements of this is the blowout preventer. it remains on the seabed and it needs to be examined."
BP has repeatedly stressed the crucial role of the failed blowout preventer in today's hearing. This piece of kit, made by the US firm Cameron, seems to be at the centre of any effort by BP to get other firms to shoulder a portion of the blame for the Gulf disaster.
9.26pm: Henry Waxman's moving in for the kill. He finds it shocking that when the potential consequences of a mistake on a rig are so enormous, Hayward seems so "removed" from the operations on the Deepwater Horizon platform. Where were the best minds in BP paying attention: "You were oblivious and so were other BP officials. I think this was a fundamental mistake in management."
Hayward says the focus of top executives was safety. What his team can do is ensure the right people are in places, the right processes are in place, that proper equipment and safeguards are in place: "I believe the right people were making decisions."
9.24pm: Everybody's had a turn to ask questions now. A few members have quick "follow-ups". So we're nearing the end. Hayward looks doleful, like a dog that's been repeatedly kicked. Deservingly or otherwise.
9.22pm: Hayward says the "integrity rating" of the failed Halliburton blowout preventer in the oil well was "of the order of ten to the minus five, ten to the minus six". He says: "That is to say, it was designed to fail between one in a hundred thousand and one in a million times."
Castor expresses surprise that this is considered an "acceptable risk".
9.18pm: Karhy Castor, a Democrat from Florida, wants to start out by expressing the "anger and frustration" of all the mom and pop businesses of her state at this "sucker punch", which she reckons is a consequence of BP placing "profit over safety". No jumping to conclusions there, then.
9.15pm: The New York Times points out that a satirical website has sprung up, www.joebartonwouldliketoapologize.com , to celebrate Republican congressman Joe Barton's apology to BP for the White House's "shakedown" - and for his subsequent apology for his apology. The site notes that Barton would also like to apologise to Osama bin Laden, Kanye West and to the England football team for depriving them victory last week.
9.11pm: A cheap shot? Congressman Jay Inslee says BP's investment on "safer offshore drilling technology" is about $10m annually - about 0.0033% of BP's revenue: "That doesn't sound like an adequate prioritisation. How does it compare to your compensation?"
Hayward isn't taking this lying down: "In what respect?"
He adds that his comp was $6m.
8.57pm: Hayward is asked if he thinks Obama's six-month moratorium on offshore drilling is reasonable
He replies: "I believe it is prudent for the industry to take stock of what has happened here before it moves forward."
Congressman Charles Gonzalez wants to know when it would be appropriate to lift the moratorium. Hayward vaguely says it should be lifted when everybody understands the causes of the spill.
8.49pm: Scalise is frustrated: "If it's not you that's blocking it, you need to go tell somebody that it's being blocked. Because it's being blocked." He says Louisiana does not have the luxury of time on sand barriers or on things like salvage of seafood.
Hayward: "I understand your concern and your anger."
8.47pm: A Louisiana Republican, Steve Scalise, has a prop - he holds up a picture of an oiled pelican. He wants to know why it's taking so long to enact Bobby Jindal's plan for sand barriers protecting the Louisiana coast.
Hayward blames the federal government, saying "ultimate approval" lies with the administration.
8.44pm: Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, wants to know how the US can be certain that what happened at the Macondo well won't happen at BP's hundreds of other wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
"The other wells have all been completed and are secure," says Hayward.
Engel asks if that's the same type of assurance that Hayward gave when he promised a "laser-like" focus on safety. Much heat, no light. Engel hits out: "I, like everyone else here and everyone else in America, am thoroughly disgusted. I think you're stalling, I think you're insulting our intelligence and I really resent it."
8.39pm: Stearns wants to know if Hayward was briefed about Halliburton warning of gas surges in the Macondo well. Hayward says he wasn't informed of this.
"I had no prior knowledge of this well prior to the incident whatsoever," says the BP boss.
Stearns wonders if Hayward would have been fired if he was the captain of a ship that crashed into New Orleans, killing 11 people and spilling lots of oil. Has anybody at BP been fired as a result of this incident? Hayward: "Not so far."
8.36pm: A comedian. Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida, says Hayward doesn't seem to be able to answer many questions - so he has an easy one: "Is today Thursday?"
Hayward (unamused): "It is Thursday."
Getting serious, Stearns asks if the oil spilt on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico is a consequence of BP's reckless behaviour.
"It is a consequence of a big accident."
Stearns: "Yes or no - reckless behaviour or not?"
Hayward: "There is no evidence of reckless behaviour."
Stearns: "You're saying BP has had no reckless behaviour?"
Hayward: "I have seen no evidence of reckless behaviour."
8.33pm: Welch asks about resignation. He wants to know if Hayward still enjoys the confidence necessary to act as chief exec, given the loss of $100bn in shareholder value, the suspension of BP's dividend and the damage caused to the Gulf.
Hayward replies: "I'm focused on the response. I'm focused on trying to eliminate the leak, trying to contain the oil on the surface, defending the beaches, clean up the spill and restore the lives of people on the Gulf Coast. That's what I intend to do."
8.30pm: BP's boss goes a little further in defending decisions on the Deepwater Horizon. Asked about the small number of centralisers keeping the drilling pipe in place, Hayward says "more doesn't always mean better". And asked by congressman Peter Welch about the use of saltwater, rather than heavier drilling fluid, to flush out the well, Hayward says: "The procedure that was used to displace mud was a procedure not uncommon in the industry. it was a procedure approved by the Mineral Management Service."
8.27pm: Good stuff from Peter Welch, a Democrat, who lists, one by one, all of BP's past accidents in the US. Is it true that BP's Texas City refinery blew up in 2005, killing 15 people? Is it true that BP's pipelines leaked in Alaska the following year? Is it true that BP was fined $370m by the US department of justice?
"That is correct," Hayward glumly replies to each one.
8.24pm: Hayward is accused of a "real detachment, a real disconnect" by Betty Sutton, a Democrat. She says: "When push came to shove on the Deepwater Horizon, the company's concern appeared to be the bottom line."
She wants to know who was responsible for decisions on the rig: "Mr Hayward, as the leader of the company, don't you have to take responsibility?"
Hayward: "I am absolutely responsible for the safety and reliable operations of BP. That is what I have said all along."
8.20pm: Texas Republican Joe Barton asks: "Based on what you now know, do you agree that this accident was preventable?"
Hayward: "I believe that all accidents are preventable, absolutely."
Then, bizarrely, Barton apologises for his earlier apology to BP. Barton, something of a conservative maverick, said at the beginning of the hearing that the oil company was the victim of a White House "shakedown" and had been obliged by the Obama administration to set up a $20bn "slush fund" for compensation. Barton now says he believes BP was responsible and should be brought to account for the accident - and that he apologises if anything he said earlier had been "misconstrued".
8.12pm: Christensen notes that Hayward has described BP as "a responsible party" for the accident, not "the responsible party". Does he think there are others?
Hayward: "The government has named four responsible parties - BP, Transocean, Mitsui and Anadarko."
Mitsui and Anadarko were minority shareholders in the well, where BP had a 65% stake. Transocean owned and managed the rig that was leased for the operation.
8.09pm: A piece of masterly understatement. Donna Christensen, a delegate from the US Virgin Islands, asks Hayward if he surprised somebody didn't take a decision to shut down the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform earlier.
"I think in the light of what we now know, it is perhaps surprising that someone didn't say that they were concerned," replies the BP boss.
8.05pm: Hayward is asked if BP shouldn't have had "failsafe mechanisms" in case of a massive oil leak. He says Halliburton's faulty blowout preventer, which was supposed to cut off oil in the event of the accident, was intended to fill this role.
"We believed that the blow-out preventer was the ultimate failsafe mechanism. That clearly wasn't the case in this instance."
Hayward says blowout preventer failed three times - when it was activated from the drilling rig, when the drilling rig separated from the blowout preventer and when undersea robots tried to activate it a day later. That's another clear signal by BP that it feels contractors share the blame for the accident.
7.59pm: Did BP force Deepwater Horizon rig workers to sign legal disclaimers before allowing them to go home after the explosion on the platform?
Hayward says his company wasn't responsible, appears to blame Transocean: "I think it's inappropriate and it was nothing to do with BP"
7.57pm: Jan Shakowsky, a Democrat, notes that Hayward says he was "personally devastated" by the Deepwater Horizon disaster: "Probably not as devastated as the widows that testified for our committee." Ouch.
She quotes one of the widows, Natalie Roshto, who says two BP execs came to her husband's memorial service and "never extended a hand, a hug, never extended a word of sorrow". Were only interested in where they were sitting.
"I'm devastated by the accident, absolutely devastated," says Hayward. "I feel great sorry for the people who werte impacted by it. But the people who were killed by the accident were not employees of BP, they were employees of Transocean and other contractors."
Hayward says Transocean and the other companies involved made it clear to BP that they wanted to deal with the families themselves.
7.51pm: Hayward says he'd be "very surprised" if his chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, or head of exploration and production, Andy Inglis, were involved in decisions about the design of the leaking Macondo oil well.
The BP boss is playing a dangerous game by declaiming all responsibility for what went on at the rig. He's not exactly inspiring confidence in his senior leadership team.
Mike Doyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, reminds Hayward that he's not running a department store, he's running an oil company with "life or death" decisions. Doyle wonders if running an oil company might be a good career option - it pays better than being a Congressman and doesn't seem to involve much work: "Those of you at the top don't seem to have a clue what was going on at this rig."
7.46pm: Diana DeGette, a Democrat, draws a bit of blood by highlighting an email in which a BP engineer responded to concerns about the design of the Macondo well by glibly remarking: "Who cares, it's done, end of story, it will probably be fine."
Hayward says: "I think that email is a cause for concern. I'd like to understand the context it was sent. As I've said before, if there's any action that people put cost ahead of safety, we will take action."
The BP boss denies being told by lawyers to evade answering Congressional questions.
7.41pm: Did anybody inform Hayward about a now notorious internal BP memo back in April describing the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation as a "nightmare well"?
"They did not," says Hayward, who says the first he knew of it being a "nightmare well" was when investigators from the Congressional committee drew the memo to his attention.
7.37pm: Does Hayward think BP was "shaken down" by the White House to set up its $20bn compensation fund, an Iowa Democrat, Bruce Braley, wants to know.
Hayward doesn't exactly say no, but neither does he say yes. He says of the meeting at the White House: "We came together to figure out a way of working together to figure out a way to resolve a very, very serious situation."
So, Braley asks, is the $20bn pot of money a "slush fund" as Republican Joe Barton has controversially described it?
Hayward says the fund is "a signal of our commitment to do right", to make sure that fishermen, charter boat captains, property owners are made whole. He adds: "I certainly didn't think it was a slush fund, congressman."
7.31pm: Strongest semi-rebuttal from Hayward so far: "There's nothing I've seen in the evidence so far that suggests that anyone put costs ahead of safety. If there are, then we'll take action."
Phil Gingrey, a Republican from Georgia, wonders whether, if Hayward was physically present on the rig, he would have made the same decisions concerning the design and the casing of the well.
Hayward: "I'm not a drilling engineer so I'm not actually qualified to make those judgements. better people than I were involved in those decisions in terms of the judgements that were taken."
Gingrey: "With all due respect, Mr Hayward, I think you're copping out. You were the captain of the ship."
Frustrated, the congressman adds that the buck stops on Hayward's desk: "It seems like your testimony has been way too evasive."
7.28pm: A Democrat, Ed Markey, is tackling Hayward on the contentious issue of underwater plumes of oil. To date, BP has been sceptical about the presence of "plumes", insisting that the spilt oil is largely on the ocean surface. Markey cites BP's own water sampling and asks: "Are you now, once and for all, prepared to conceded that there are subsurface plumes?"
"There's oil in very low concentrations, 0.5 parts per million, distributed throughout the column," says Hayward. "Some of it is related to this spill, other parts are related to other oil in the water."
Markey asks if he's therefore saying that he doesn't recognise the term "plume".
Hayward: "I'm not an oceanographic scientist. What we know is..."
Markey interrupts: "I'm going to take that as a continuing 'no' from you and your testimony continues to be at odds with all known scientists."
7.19pm: under questioning from Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Hayward says BP has sought help from all over the place - both our "immediate peers and competitors in the Gulf of Mexico and globally from around the world and across America". Several hundred organisations are involved - the Brazilian energy firm Petrobras, academic institutions, many of the "greatest minds in this country".
7.16pm: We're off again! And Hayward has just been sternly ticked off by chairman Bart Stupak for his evasive answers. Stupak says Hayward was briefed on the topics he'd be facing and ought to be able to offer much more informative responses.
6.07pm: Key points from the first chunk of questioning:
• Tony Hayward says there are seven areas under investigation in a probe into the cause of the Deepwater Horizon disaster: cementing, the casing of the well, pressure measurements, well-control procedures and three issues surrounding a failed blowout preventer.
• As for decisions taken in the run-up to the accident, Hayward refuses to draw judgement until investigations are complete. He repeatedly declines to answer questions about alleged cost-cutting decisions with the refrain: "I can't answer that question because I wasn't there."
• Congressmen are getting irritated and frustrated with Hayward, who was accused by Henry Waxman of "kicking the can down the road" and acting as if he has nothing to do with the company.
• The BP boss says the only knowledge he had of the Macondo well was in mid-April, when he was informed by the head of the company's exploration division that BP had made an oil discovery. He had no other "prior involvement" until the disaster.
5.58pm: Another break. The committee is adjourned for an hour for a further six congressional votes. Bart Stupak tells us they're the last votes of the day and that when they're done, we'll be able to complete the grilling of Hayward without further interruption. Bang, bang, gavel, gavel.
5.55pm: What about a decision not to fully circulate mud in the well – was that to save money and time?
"I can't answer that question because I wasn't there."
How much money and time was saved by not circulating the mud?
"I'm afraid I can't recall."
Hayward offers the same response to every question: he wasn't party to individual decisions. He doesn't know how much money each alleged corner-cutting saved.
5.53pm: Michigan congressman John Dingell is interested in the decision to use single casing for the well, not a "tie-back" method. Was this decision to save money: yes or no?
Hayward says he wasn't involved in the decision and "can't possibly know" the precise reasoning behind it.
What about the decision to use only six centralisers to keep the bore in the middle of the well, not the 21 recommended by Halliburton?
Hayward: "I was not involved in that decision so it's impossible for me to answer that question."
5.49pm: This is shaping up to be extremely testy. Hayward is rigorously sticking to his line that he isn't going to make judgments on what happened on the Deepwater Horizon platform until investigations are complete.
John Sullivan, a Republican from Oklahoma, suggests that the accident wouldn't have happened if Exxon or Chevron were operating the rig. Don't they have more rigorous procedures?
"I don't think we can make that judgment," says Hayward flatly.
5.44pm: Waxman says it appears to him that BP knowingly risked well failure to save a few million dollars. Doesn't Hayward feel any sense of responsibility for these decisions?
Hayward: "I feel a great sense of responsibility for the accident."
Waxman: "How about for the decisions that made the accident more likely?"
The BP chief executive replies that we still need to determine what were the critical decisions. Says he can't "pass judgment" on these decisions at this stage. He says: "I'm not prepared to draw conclusions about this accident until such time as the investigation is concluded."
Waxman is annoyed. He says this is an "investigative committee". Accuses Hayward of "stonewalling" and of refusing to co-operate: "I'm just amazed at this testimony. Mr Hayward, you're not taking responsibility. You're kicking the can down the road and acting as if you have nothing to do with this company."
5.41pm: Hayward is asked about allegedly risky decisions concerning the cementing design of the well, and whether BP ignored warnings. He replies: "I wasn't involved in any of the decision-making. It's clear that there was some discussion among the engineering team and an engineering decision was taken."
Waxman says it's "clear that you don't want to answer our questions" and asks whether Hayward hasn't been involved in engineering throughout his career. Citing an internal document, he accuses BP of using a more dangerous well design called a "long string" to save $7m.
The BP boss isn't having it. Says the document also says the "long string" design would best serve the long-term integrity of the well and that the "long string" design isn't unusual in the Gulf of Mexico. So far, Hayward is being surprisingly feisty.
5.36pm: Now it's Henry Waxman's turn. He's not taking any nonsense. Wants to know "yes or no" whether Hayward has kept his commitment at the time of his appointment to focus "like a laser" on safety.
Hayward says he's made a lot of progress and starts saying he's "distraught" by the Gulf spill. Waxman snaps: "I don't want to know whether you're distraught. I want to know whether you've kept your commitment."
5.33pm: Hayward: "With respect, sir, we drill hundreds of wells around the world."
Congressman Burgess: "I know, that's what's scaring me."
5.32pm: Under questioning by Texan congressman Michael Burgess, Hayward defends the design of the Macondo well, saying there are "many wells" in the Gulf of Mexico with "the same casing design and the same cementing procedures". First sign that he isn't going to take this lying down.
He's not willing to be pressed further on the cementing: "I'm not prepared to speculate on what may or may not have made a difference until such time as the multiple investigations are concluded."
Asked how much he knew of what was happening on the Deepwater Horizon rig, he continues: "The only knowledge I had of the Macondo well was in mid-April when I was notified that we had made a discovery. That was my only prior involvement in the well."
5.29pm: The BP boss tells the committee that his oversight of safety in the company is through a "group operating risk committee", which meets on a bimonthly basis and which reviews safety throughout the global organisation. He says this arrangement is mirrored lower down the business.
5.27pm: Hayward is asked if he expects to be BP chief executive for much longer.
He replies that he's focused on carrying out his responsibilities – BP's "highest priority" is to stop the leak and clean up the oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
5.26pm: Stupak asks whether should there be a ban on companies operating in the US if they have "miserable" safety and environmental records. He cites BP's Texas City refinery disaster and the Gulf spill.
Hayward doesn't answer directly, just says he's devastated by the accident and that he's focused on "safe, reliable operations". Says he's made progress in changing BP's culture but that there's more work to do.
5.24pm: Stupak: every one of those seven areas dealt with saving money and saving time. Shouldn't leadership at BP be held accountable?
In reply, Hayward keeps repeating vaguely that since he became chief executive, he has focused on "safe, reliable operations" and that investigations are ongoing.
5.22pm: Stupak wants to know if BP managed the risk on the well properly, whether BP cut corners and why rival oil companies said they would have done things differently.
Hayward: We've launched an investigation which has identified seven areas – cement, casing, integrity pressure measurements, well-control procedures and three areas around the failed blowout preventer. That investigation is ongoing.
5.18pm: Stupak bangs his gavel and we're back moving.
5.12pm: Hayward's back in the room and congressmen are beginning to trickle back to their seats, so we'll be up and running again soon.
So a round-up of the main points so far:
• BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, told Congress he was "personally devastated" by the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
• Proceedings were disrupted by a protester smeared with an oil-like substance who yelled that Hayward should "go to hell" and should be "tarred with a brush".
• A Democratic congressman, Peter Welch, called on Hayward to resign.
• Energy committee chairman Henry Waxman said that in 30,000 documents and emails, there was no sign that BP's top brass paid "the slightest attention" to clear safety problems at the Macondo well.
• But a maverick Republican, Joe Barton, broke ranks to declare BP was the victim of a "shakedown" by the White House. He claimed the company had been forced to set up a $20bn "slush fund" to clean up the Gulf and compensate victims.
4.34pm: Hayward says it's simply too early to say what caused the "incident". There are multiple investigations going on. BP will emerge "stronger, smarter and safer".
Still no questions! Bart Stupak is adjourning the hearing until 12 noon (5pm UK time) so members can go and vote. So after two hours, nothing of substance has been extracted from BP's boss.
4.31pm: My colleague Suzanne Goldenberg, who is in the room, tweets that the protester had a black oil-like substance on her hands and appeared to be hurt as she was wrestled to the ground by cops. She was screaming: "You need to be charged with a crime. You need to go to jail."
4.29pm: The protester has been thrown out, amid quite a furore. Scores of photographers descended on her and she didn't go quietly. The chairman, Bart Stupak, bangs his gavel, says he knows that emotions are running high but that the hearing will be conducted with "proper decorum".
Tony Hayward begins to read his pre-prepared statement, which can be found here . He emphasises that he was "personally devastated" by the death of 11 men on the Deepwater Horizon rig.
4.26pm: A furious interruption. A woman dressed in green has stood up and is yelling that Hayward needs to be "tarred with a brush" and should "go to hell". She is shouting very loudly and is being bundled to the ground by Congressional police. It takes about half a dozen officers to subdue her and drag her out of the room.
4.25pm: Opening statements are finally over. Now Hayward is being sworn in. He stands, raises his right hand and swears to tell the truth.
The BP boss is asked if he wants to be represented by a lawyer. He says: "I do not."
4.22pm: Betty Sutton, a Democrat from Ohio, informs us that she feels "physically sick" when she sees pictures of oil gushing into the Gulf.
Before any quizzing of Hayward, she's already decided that the disaster is a result of BP's recklessness and "come what may, cross that bridge when it comes to it" attitude, which is "outrageous and unacceptable".
4.19pm: First demand of the day for Hayward to resign. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, says the Gulf accident is "not an aberration" for BP, it's business as usual: "It's deja vu again and again and again."
Welch wants to know whether a CEO of a company that's incurred $370m in environmental fines and who's presided over the destruction of $100bn of shareholder value and the suspension of a dividend can still command confidence.
He asks: "Is it time, frankly, for that CEO, to consider submitting his resignation?"
Not wishing to nitpick but the $370m in fines imposed by the US department of justice in October 2007 were for the Texas City disaster and Alaska oil spill, which happened under Hayward's predecessor, John Browne.
4.14pm: Hayward looks tired and bored. He's slumped forward with his arms on the table in front of him and he keeps blinking extraordinarily slowly.
4.13pm: A voice from the Caribbean. Donna Christensen, delegate from the US Virgin Islands, says BP aren't the only ones at fault – the company couldn't have cut corners on safety "without the complicity of government agencies and regulators". But she can't ignore the fact that if different decisions had been made by BP, the 11 men who died on the Deepwater Horizon rig might still be alive.
I like her Caribbean accent.
4.03pm: An hour on the clock and Hayward still hasn't been allowed to utter a word. We're still on windy opening statements – members of Congress essentially addressing their constituents on television. Not much seeking-after-truth going on yet.
4.01pm: Parker Griffith, an avuncular-looking Republican from Alabama, offers a quirky bit of philosophy to try to put the oil spill in perspective.
"You're never as good as they say you are or as bad as they say you are, so this hearing will go back and forth," he tells Hayward.
Then Griffith goes off on a rather eccentric tangent, declaring: "The greatest environmental disaster in America is cigarettes. 60,000 Americans this year will die from cigarette-related diseases so if we're talking about the environment, let's not leave that out."
He adds: "This is not going to be the worst thing that ever happens to America."
Hmm.
3.55pm: It's quibbling, really, at this point but several bloggers have pointed out that some of the committee members persist in referring to BP as "British Petroleum" – a name that was dropped after BP merged with the American firm Amoco in 1998. John Sullivan, an Oklahoma Republican, seemed to delight in rolling "British Petroleum" over his tongue. No doubt he picked up the habit from the White House's spokesman, Robert Gibbs.
3.50pm: The committee is playing a video of testimony from the widows of two of the 11 men who died on the Deepwater Horizon platform calling for BP's top brass to be held accountable for their actions.
One of them talks of how her family was destroyed: "My family can never, and will never, be adequately compensated for our loss."
3.45pm: For the record, Hayward was paid £4.01m in salary, bonus and share awards last year, up from £2.85m in 2008.
3.44pm: First mention of Tony Hayward's pay package. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, thinks it's too high.
"Last year, Mr Hayward enjoyed a splendid 41% pay raise even as BP's profits dropped 45%. I just happen to be a poor Polish lawyer from Detroit but it seems to me this is a curious response to a drop in profits. It makes me wonder what the compensation package of our witness will be this year."
3.40pm: A bit of grandstanding from congressman John Sullivan, a Republican from the oil state of Oklahoma. He reckons the government is using the disaster to put oil companies "out of business" as part of a dangerous leftie agenda motivated by global warming.
"The administration is exploiting this disaster to advance its disastrous cap and trade energy policy," says Sullivan, who says carbon trading will "cripple the economy" and make unemployment lines longer. Hayward remains diplomatically expressionless.
3.37pm: Many of the committee members' chairs are still empty. Seems not everybody turns up to listen to opening statements from each lawmaker. Hayward is sitting at a table alone, facing the lawmakers. He looks a tad lonely.
3.33pm: Ed Markey, chairman of the panel's climate change subcommittee, takes issue with Joe Barton for describing BP's $20bn clean-up fund as a "slush fund".
"It was the government of the United States working to protect the most vulnerable citizens that we have in our country right now - the residents of the Gulf. It is BP's spill but it is America's ocean and it is American citizens who are being harmed."
Markey says victims of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska had to wait "years" for compensation, while certain claims from the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India were only settled this week. Markey says people can't wait for things to drag through the courts.
3.26pm: Stupak is picking off some of BP's less admirable public statements – including Hayward's often quoted remark that he wanted the spill halted so he could have his life back.
"We are not small people but we wish to get our lives back," says the Michigan Democrat. "For the Americans who live and work on the Gulf coast, it may be years before they get their lives back."
He adds: "Mr Hayward, I'm sure you'll get your life back and with a golden parachute back to England. But we in America are left with the terrible consequences of BP's reckless disregard for safety."
3.22pm: A Guardian article is being displayed by the committee's chairman, Bart Stupak! The Democrat is interested in a town hall hearing held by Hayward in Houston shortly after he became chief executive in 2007 at which he ordered a streamlining of management to speed up decisions. The Guardian piece, which is here , was subheaded "oil company has become too cautious" and Stupak is worried about BP's corporate culture.
3.15pm: Suddenly a change of tone. BP has a sympathiser in Joe Barton, a Republican from Texas. He says there's a system "built on British traditions" in the US that when people or corporations do bad things, they're held responsible.
However, Barton says he's "ashamed" of what happened in the White House yesterday: "I think it's a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would call a shakedown, in this case a $20bn shakedown."
Barton describes BP's government mandated clean-up fund as a "slush fund" created at the behest of the US attorney general. There's no question BP made mistakes, says Barton, but there's a "due process" system that ought to be followed.
Stressing that he's speaking personally, rather than for the Republican party, Barton offers a rather remarkable apology to BP: "I apologise. I do not want to live in a country where every time a corporation does something wrong, it's subject to a political process that amounts to a shakedown."
3.10pm: Waxman continues: "BP's corporate complacency is astonishing."
One of BP's contractors, Halliburton, warned of gas flow problems, an engineer on the project dubbed it a "nightmare well". Waxman says there's a "complete contradiction between BP's words and deeds". He says "BP cut corner after corner to save a million dollars here, a few hours or days there, and now the whole Gulf of Mexico is paying the price."
Tousle-haired Hayward is looking grim. The smile has disappeared.
3.08pm: Henry Waxman, the moustachioed, bespectacled Californian renowned for taking no prisoners, is giving the first opening statement. He starts by commending BP for setting up its $20bn clean-up fund.
He says that when Hayward became CEO of BP, he promised to focus "like a laser" on safety. But complains that in 30,000 documents, there's no sign that Hayward looked closely at risks on the Deepwater Horizon well: "There's not a single email or document that shows you paid the slightest attention to the dangers at this well."
3.03pm: Stupak is banging his gavel and asking photographers to clear off so looks like we're ready for the off.
3.03pm: Hayward's in the room now, making his way to his seat with the ever-present slight smile that seems to infuriate BP's critics. He's being mobbed by photographers. A few protestors are in the room, holding up pink signs with slogans such as "BP kills".
The session is scheduled to run for five hours so we're potentially in for a bit of a marathon. The hearing is being chaired by Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan, who heads the energy panel's subcommittee on oversight and investigations.
2.57pm: There's no shortage of advice out there for BP. In the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger muses that the company is looking a little "beaten up" by the Obama administration. He says he can't recall a previous president with "this depth of visceral, antibusiness animosity".
A New York Times editorial says BP is "beginning to ante up" and that its $20bn fund is a step in the right direction.
And in Reuters' Breaking Views column, Neil Collins suggests there's only one man up to the job of chairing BP and winning over angry Americans - the former prime minister Tony Blair.
2.51pm: The action kicks off shortly. Henry Waxman and his colleagues will gavel us in at 10am (3pm UK time). Anybody keen to watch the hearing can do so here on CSPAN's website.
2pm: It's showdown time for BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, who faces a public grilling today from 35 members of the House energy and commerce committee. It's set to be an extremely tough session for the BP boss, who has variously been dubbed "toxic Tony" and "wayward Hayward" for his occasionally tone-deaf public statements in response to the company's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Lawmakers are understandably disgusted by the environmental damage wreaked since BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank on April 20. With Congressional elections just five months away, politicians aren't likely to extend much sympathy to BP, despite the company's commitment on Wednesday to set up a $20bn fund for the clean-up and compensation costs.
Hayward's written evidence, which you can read here , seems to strike a suitable contrite note. Hayward says he was "personally devastated" by the oil rig's explosion, which claimed 11 lives. He adds: "I fully grasp the terrible reality of the situation."
| Hayward |
What long running children's TV series, produced by The Children's Television Workshop, was first aired on Nov 10, 1969 and has broadcast 4212 shows to date? | 44 - Barton retracts BP apology, regrets 'shakedown' comment
Barton retracts BP apology, regrets 'shakedown' comment
By Aaron Blake
UPDATED at 4:15 p.m.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) has retracted his apology to BP, under pressure from top House Republicans.
In comments at a House hearing this morning, Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the administration's conduct in securing a $20 billion fund for victims of the Gulf oil spill, calling it a "shakedown."
"I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP," Barton said in a statement. "As I told my colleagues yesterday and said again this morning, BP should bear the full financial responsibility for the accident on their lease in the Gulf of Mexico.
"I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."
It was Barton's second crack at an apology for his initial apology. During the hearing, he returned to say that he was sorry, but only for any "misconstruction" of his comments . His more recent apology differed in that it actually expressed regrets for the content of his remarks.
House GOP leaders put out a statement around the same time as Barton, distancing themselves from his first comments.
(Update 4:50 p.m.: The Washington Post's Paul Kane reports that GOP leadership aides, who asked not to be identified in order to speak candidly, said that House GOP leaders gave Barton an ultimatum -- retract the BP apology or lose his position as ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. They said he will now retain that position unless he causes further controversy.)
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) issued a joint statement. They said Barton's comments that that White House coerced BP into agreeing to a $20 billion fund for claims "were wrong."
"BP itself has acknowledged that responsibility for the economic damages lies with them and has offered an initial pledge of $20 billion dollars for that purpose," the three leaders said.
"The families and businesspeople in the Gulf region want leadership, accountability and action from BP and the Administration," they continued. "It is unacceptable that, 59 days after this crisis began, no solution is forthcoming. Simply put, the American people want all of our resources, time and focus to be directed toward stopping the spill and cleaning up the mess."
The leaders' statement did not mention other members who have offered comments similar to Barton, including Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.). Price has also called the White House's handling of BP a "shakedown."
Barton apologizes for 'misconstruction' of BP apology
3:29 p.m.: Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) is apologizing for any "misconstruction" of his comments this morning, in which he personally apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the White House's "shakedown" of the company.
In Barton's second apology, he said he was sorry if anything he said this morning took the blame for the Gulf oil spill off of BP's shoulders.
"Let the record be clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible, and should in every way to everything possible to make good on the consequences that have resulted from this accident," Barton said. "And if anything I've said this morning has been misconstrued, in opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction."
Barton has been under considerable pressure ever since apologizing to Hayward this morning for the way in which the White House has treated BP. He said the Obama administration used political pressure to force BP into creating a $20 billion escrow account for claims made against the company.
At least one Republican, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), has already called for Barton to step down as ranking Republican of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Barton told Politico that he will stay on in his current post.
Vice President Biden, speaking at the daily White House briefing, called Barton's remarks "outrageous" and "incredibly insensitive, incredibly out of touch."
Hayward: $20 billion escrow account is not a 'slush fund'
2:41 p.m.: BP CEO Tony Hayward said Thursday that he doesn't think the $20 billion escrow account his company has agreed to create for oil spill victims amounts to a "slush fund."
"I certainly didn't think it was a slush fund," Hayward said at a hearing before a House subcommittee.
Hayward was responding to comments by the ranking anking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), who earlier in the hearing accused the White House of a "shakedown" in pressuring BP to open the account. The account will be used to pay claims to those affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Pressed by Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Hayward repeatedly declined to give a yes-or-no answer about whether he thought the situation represented a "shakedown." But he said the result shouldn't be called a slush fund.
Democrats have denounced Barton for his allegation and sought to use his comments against Republicans by tying them to the oil industry.
Hayward declines to apologize for decisions, Waxman accuses him of stonewalling
12:54 p.m.: An exasperated Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Thursday accused BP CEO Tony Hayward of resisting an investigation into his company's role in the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the ensuing spill.
Waxman asked Hayward if, in addition to apologizing for the spill, he apologized for the decisions he made in advance of the spill.
Hayward demurred.
"We need to determine what were the critical decisions," Hayward said. "I can't make the judgment on those decisions."
Hayward then repeated that he was "not prepared to draw such conclusions."
Waxman, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, suggested Hayward was professing ignorance about issues he should either have known about or prepared himself for. The congressman noted Hayward was given questions he would likely be asked, in advance of the hearing.
"It's clear to me that you don't want to answer our questions," Waxman said. "You should have some knowledge of these issues."
Waxman closed his question-and-answer time by saying he was amazed at Hayward's performance.
"You're kicking the can down the road as if you have nothing to do with this," Waxman said.
Barton apology to BP not catching on with fellow Republicans
12:48 p.m.: Not all Republicans appear to be on the same page as Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), who apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward Thursday morning for the way his company has been treated by the White House.
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Tex.) appeared to take direct aim at his colleague's comments during Burgess's question-and-answer time.
"I am not going to apologize to you," Burgess said to Hayward, referring to the many costs of the environmental disaster. "I don't feel that apologies are in order."
Barton apologized to Hayward earlier in the hearing for the $20 billion escrow fund BP was pressured to create. The congressman's remarks have been lighting up the blogosphere ever since.
Hayward: Spill 'never should have happened'
11:36 a.m.: A contrite BP CEO Tony Hayward said in his opening statement Thursday that he has been deeply affected by the fallout from the company's oil spill in the Gulf and said the spill "never should have happened."
Hayward began his remarks by saying that he is "deeply sorry" and that he has been "personally devastated" by the situation.
He said he was "shattered" when he attended a memorial service for those who died in the explosion that preceded the spill. He also said he sympathizes with those who have been affected by event, both personally and financially.
He said he hoped the company's agreement to build a $20 billion fund for claims will earn it the benefit of the doubt with those being affected.
"I understand what they're going through, and I promise them as I promise you, that we will make this right," Hayward said. "After yesterday's announcement, I hope they feel that we are on the right track."
Republicans criticize Obama on oil spill, say BP's Hayward shares blame
11:20 a.m.: While Democrats hammered away at BP and its CEO, Tony Hayward, at a hearing Thursday, Republicans offered divergent reactions to the disaster.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas.), the ranking member on the subcommittee holding the hearing, apologized for the political pressure being applied to BP, but other members were more forceful with Hayward.
"It appears that BP has not learned from its past mistakes," Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said.
"Why is BP's record on safety so spotty?" Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) asked rhetorically.
Several Republicans focused on the role of the Obama administration in the spill, with one of them saying an administration official should have been seated alongside Hayward at the witness table.
Republicans have repeatedly criticized the lack of testimony from officials, including those at the Minerals Management Service (MMS).
The GOP members also said the administration is using the hearing as a means to advance its energy policies.
"Right now the administration and its allies are more focused on politics and putting the oil industry out of business," Sullivan said. "The administration is exploiting this disaster to advance this disastrous cap and trade energy policy."
Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.) used his opening statement to decry the environmental impact and danger of smoking.
Democrats come out swinging against BP's Hayward, while Republican apologizes
10:27 a.m.: House Democrats set a harsh tone for Thursday's hearing featuring BP chief executive Tony Hayward, while a top Republican apologized to Hayward for being forced to create a $20 billion escrow account for claims stemming from the disaster.
The Democrats said in their opening statements that Hayward and his company repeatedly ignored warning signs in advance of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
"BP's corporate complacency is astonishing," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Waxman cited an e-mail from an engineer that dismissed the spill by saying, "We'll probably be fine." Waxman said it was characteristic of the company's response.
"There is a complete contradiction between BP's words and deeds," Waxman said. "Under your leadership, BP has taken the most extreme risks.
"We are seeing the same corporate indifference that cause collapse on Wall Street."
The ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee did provide the CEO some defense. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said the $20 billion the White House forced BP to put into escrow for claims against the company amounts to a "shakedown."
"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton said. "I apologize. I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or corporation does anything wrong," they are subjected to such political pressure.
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), the chairman of the subcommittee holding the hearing, said what congressional investigators have learned so far is "alarming."
"We've learned that time and time again that BP had warning signs that this was a 'nightmare well,'" Stupak said.
Stupak referenced comments by BP executives that some see as dismissive of the impact of the spill. Hayward has said he wants "his life back," while BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said Wednesday that BP is concerned about "the small people."
"We are not 'small people,' but we do want our lives back," Stupak said.
(Update 11:57 a.m.: The White House responds to Barton's statement:
"What is shameful is that Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction. Congressman Barton may think that a fund to compensate these Americans is a 'tragedy', but most Americans know that the real tragedy is what the men and women of the Gulf Coast are going through right now. Members from both parties should repudiate his comments.")
ORIGINAL POST: Live blog: Tony Hayward to appear at House hearing
BP chief executive Tony Hayward will be at the disposal of angry members of Congress Thursday, when he testifies in front of a House subcommittee looking into the environmental disaster on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has promised that Hayward will be "sliced and diced," and other members of the committee are unlikely to be much friendlier.
According to advance remarks of Hayward's testimony obtained by AP, the CEO will say he is "personally devastated" by the disaster.
"To be sure, neither I nor the company is perfect," the remarks say. "But we are unwavering in our commitment to fulfill all our responsibilities."
Check back to this post for regular updates on the goings-on in the Rayburn House office building. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. eastern time.
By Aaron Blake | June 17, 2010; 10:00 AM ET
| i don't know |
According to the nursery rhyme, Monday's child is full of grace. Which child is loving and giving? | Monday's Child (Nursery Rhyme) Poem
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child must work for a living,
But the child that's born on the Sabbath day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay.
Author: Unknown
If you are the copyright holder of this poem and it was submitted by one of our users without your consent, please contact us at http://support.scrapbook.com and we will be happy to remove it.
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For what reason did Old West legend John Henry "Doc" Holliday, friends with Wyatt and Virgil Earp, get his nickname? | Monday's Child is Fair of Face - English Children's Songs - England - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World
Monday's Child is Fair of Face
Monday's Child is Fair of Face
Nursery Rhyme
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Monday's Child is Fair of Face
Nursery Rhyme
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
| i don't know |
The classic Muffuletta sandwich, filled with capicola, salami, provolone cheese and olive salad, originated in what southern U.S. city? | Gallery: The Serious Eats Guide to Sandwiches: Serious Eats | Serious Eats
Email
BLT
Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato. Between two slices of bread—white or wheat, toasted or untoasted, it doesn't matter. It's salty, vegetal, a bit crunchy, and a bit creamy from some mayo that gets in there too.
Is the lettuce superfluous? Ed sure thinks so. "The bacon gives you smoky, porky, slightly sweet flavor, the tomato is sweet, juicy and lends just a touch of needed acid to the sandwich, the Hellman's mayo is creamy and rich, and the Pullman loaf's crusty edge gives you the crisp crunch some would say the lettuce provides."
[ Photograph: Lindsey Becker ]
Breakfast Sandwich
The basic elements of the breakfast sandwich are the basic elements of breakfast: egg, a pork product or two, and some kind of bread (biscuits, toast, English muffins, or some other roll). There's usually cheese, too, and sometimes veggies or condiments.
Club
"I order the club sandwich all the time, but I'm not even a member, man." —Mitch Hedberg
Turkey, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and cheese, divided almost always into two layers by an extra slice of bread, make up this lunch staple. Though most people wouldn't recognize a single-decker Club, culinary icon James Beard called it the "authentic" sandwich and the omnipresent double-decker a "bastardization," writing that "whoever started that horror should be forced to eat three-deckers three times a day the rest of his life." The Club is often cut into quarters and pierced with toothpicks.
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Cold Cut Sandwich
Cold cuts are cheeses or sliced luncheon meats (like ham, turkey breast, salami or bologna) served cold on sandwich bread. Maybe it's nothing special but it usually hits the spot. Condiments are predictable: think mustard and mayo.
[ Photograph: Joe Roy ]
Dagwood
"Is there anything more American than a Dagwood sandwich?" asked Serious Eats Chicago editor Nick Kindelsperger . The Dagwood, named for Blondie protagonist and legendary sandwich-maker Dagwood Bumstead, can be identified by how closely it resembles one of Dagwood's overheaped creations .
Seriously, though, because there's no real definition. The Dagwood is defined by its form, not its filling, and even then loosely. Saveur called it a "catchall for whatever ingredients you might have on hand." Webster's mandates only that it be "many-layered," with multiple meats and a few grab-bag toppings.
The pictured version includes 3 slices of rye, 4 types of meat (ham, bologna, salami, and turkey), 2 types of cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, dill pickles, tomato, and, of course, a couple of toothpicked olives for a garnish. That sounds like a Dagwood to us.
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Elvis
Elvis Presley's swiveling hips met their match in the tasty, caloric sandwich. It's a peanut butter, mashed banana, and white bread sandwich browned in a pool of melted butter. Urban legends do tend to pile up around the King. One of the more prevalent is that he ate this sandwich with bacon. He did not . That's not to say that the sandwich isn't good with bacon, though. We ate it and approve.
[ Photograph: Maria del Mar Sacasa ]
Grilled Cheese
At its simplest, the grilled cheese is comprised of two slices of buttered white bread browned in a skillet with a slice of cheese (American is classic) between them. At its most complicated, it can include almost anything. Ham, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.
But how do you know when your sandwich is no longer a grilled cheese and has become, say, a reuben, or a regular old cheese sandwich? A Grilled Cheese Must...
Be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
Have cheese as the primary ingredient; other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
Be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
Be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
Be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown. In extreme circumstances it may be cooked on an outdoor grill over an open fire. A grilled cheese may never be baked.
Read more: The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich ; 10 Grilled Cheese Recipes We Love ; 8 Grilled Cheeses in America We Love
The Melts
Add too much of a single, non-cheese ingredient to your grilled cheese and it becomes a melt. Tuna, turkey, ham, or the famous Patty (a burger patty topped with with sautéed onions and swiss cheese, griddled between two slices of rye toast).
[Photograph: Carey Jones]
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Like the grilled cheese, the peanut butter and jelly boasts endless variations. Even the basic ingredients—peanut butter, jelly, and bread—invite experimentation. Creamy or chunky? Strawberry or grape? White or wheat? Then there are the add-ins, the substitutions... But why get carried away? While we're all for creative sandwich-making, let's salute the the PB&J at its most basic: on two slices of white bread. Never pretentious, never complicated, always satisfying.
[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]
Pilgrim a.k.a. the Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
It's the morning after Thanksgiving. The leftover turkey's in the fridge, next to the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, and the gravy. Yesterday, you were so full you thought you wouldn't eat for a week. But here you are, and you're hungry.
You put the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on a slice of bread. You pour gravy on everything and add the second slice. And there's your Pilgrim sandwich. The Pilgrim's ingredients can vary as long as it features Thanksgiving leftovers. Here are some of our favorite concoctions .
[ Photograph: James Boo ]
Reuben
The Reuben is corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut topped with either Russian or Thousand Island dressing and griddled between two slices of rye bread. Nick , on why the Reuben works: "Everything has its place. The creamy dressing balances the sharp tang of the sauerkraut, and the the full flavored rye bread accentuates the cured corned beef. And, of course, the melted cheese brings it all together."
What about a Reuben made with pastrami or turkey instead of corned beef, and coleslaw instead of sauerkraut? It's called a "Rachel."
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Egg, Tuna, Chicken Salad
Egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. The idea is to blend your main element with mayonnaise and spread the mixture on bread for a creamy salad-sandwich.
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Sloppy Joe
Maybe you loved this sandwich, maybe you hated it, but there's a good chance that back in school you ate it. The ingredients: ground beef, onions, spices, and ketchup, or another tomato sauce, on a hamburger bun. The Sloppy Joe is a variation on the older "loose-meat" sandwich, which is a bun with ground beef but without sauce.
Sandwich trivia: If you order a "Sloppy Joe" in or around South Orange, New Jersey, you'll get a meat, swiss, slaw, and Russian-dressing sandwich that's pretty much a Reuben.
[Photograph: Bill Milne]
Bagel and Lox
New York City has always been considered the bagel mecca of the United States, but plenty of decent bagel shops have popped up across the country. You can't go into one without finding the classic combo of bagel and lox and a schmear of cream cheese. Fresh lox offers a buttery, fishy flavor, and is right at home with its good friends, bagel and cream cheese.
[Photograph: Ben Fishner]
Beef on Weck
In the western part of New York state, this sandwich is made with thin-cut roast beef served rare on a caraway-and-salt-topped kummelweck roll with horseradish. "The kimmelweck roll, or 'weck for short, should be flecked with enough caraway seeds and salt crystals that you hardly need to season the beef since every bite gets flavor power from the bread. The beef should be juicy and pinkish in the middle, with browned edges. Extra points if a guy in a white butcher's coat is carving it. And the horseradish—fresh, grated into mini shreds, and potent," wrote SE national managing editor Erin.
[Photograph: Carey Jones]
Cheesesteak
Philadelphia's most famous contribution to the sandwich world began life as a steak hoagie but has earned its own name and reputation. While Cheez Wiz is a popular topping, it's just as acceptable in most establishments to ask for provolone, or even American cheese on your steak. The thinly-sliced beef is sometimes garnished with sauteed onions, peppers, or mushrooms. Some people like to add a little ketchup, mayonnaise, or even pizza sauce and mozzarella, which would make the sandwich a "pizza steak." The "real" Philly cheesesteaks come on fresh rolls from local bakery Amoroso's.
[ Photograph: Hawk Krall ]
Falafel
Though falafel hails from the Middle East, the streets of New York wouldnt be the same without it. If you've ever grabbed falafel from a street vendor, you've seen how it's made. First comes the pita. Next is a handful of deep-fried falafel balls, made from chickpeas or fava beans ground and mixed with spices. It's garnished with salad, and, depending on regional and personal tastes, hummus, pickled vegetables, tahini and/or hot sauce.
[ Photograph: Carey Jones ]
Fluffernutter
The Fluffernutter is the unofficial official state sandwich of Massachusetts (a 2009 effort to make it official failed). Peanut butter and Fluff, the marshmallow creme, on untoasted white or wheat bread.
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Hero
In a 2003 New York TImes article , our SE overlord Ed Levine defined the iconic hero this way:
"The hero is a sandwich of cured Italian meats. These are layered into a forearm's length of fresh crusty bread, often with a few slices of Italian cheese and a condiment or two atop them--pepperoncini, yes; roasted peppers, yes; mayonnaise, an emphatic no. Also, perhaps, a splash of vinegar, certainly a drizzle of olive oil. Some ground pepper, a sprinkle of salt. But no more. No sun-dried tomatoes sully the interior of a true hero, no pesto, no Brie, no fancy pants ingredients at all."
[ Photograph: Robyn Lee ]
Hoagie
The hoagie may be nothing more than a Philadelphian sub. While origin stories vary, the hoagie today, much like the submarine, includes an Italian roll filled with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and various condiments. It's different from Italian-roll sandwiches in other parts of the country, some Philly natives argue, because the old-school joints make it using fresh bread from local bakeries.
[ Photograph: Hawk Krall ]
Maine Italian
This Maine version of subs can refer to any variety of fillings (i.e. Roast Beef Italian, Veggie Italian), but the regular Maine Italian gets ham or salami, cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, black olives, sour pickles, oil, salt & pepper, served on a long soft roll (sometimes top-split).
[ Photograph: Dugasj on Flickr ]
Lobster Roll
A toasted, lightly-buttered hot dog bun piled high with lobster meat dressed with drawn butter or mayonnaise. It's found nearly everywhere in New England but varies according to regional and personal tastes. Some are creamier, more of a "lobster salad." Some are warm instead of cold. Some are garnished with chives.
[Photograph: Andrew Strenio]
New Jersey Pork Roll (a.k.a. Taylor Ham)
Popular in Jersey but hard to find out of Jersey, this "ham-like product is made from spiced ground pork emulsified into a log about four inches across, wrapped in cloth, and cooked," describes Kenji. It might be ham-like, but it isn't ham, which is why, since the United States government passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, it's been sold as "pork roll." It's usually sliced and fried on a bread roll. When it's on a sandwich with eggs and American cheese, it makes a sandwich known as the "Jersey breakfast." How does it taste? Take it, Kenji: "Super salty, porky, fatty, and heavily spiced with the somewhat spongy but not unpleasant texture of bologna that's been slightly inflated. I could immediately see the appeal. It's Spam for people who don't want to admit they like Spam, if you know what I mean."
[ Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt ]
New York Deli Sandwich
Perhaps the most classic versions of this sandwich can be found at Katz's or the Carnegie Deli in NYC. Sure, there's rye bread, and there might be mustard, but the sandwich is all about the meat: thick slices of pastrami, brisket, or corned beef carved to order and loaded on the bread in handfuls.
Roast Pork
Roast pork, broccoli rabe, and provolone cheese are a holy trinity of Philly flavors. It really deserves as much attention as the better-known cheesesteak.
[ Photograph: Adam Kuban ]
Shawarma
A close relative of the Greek-American gyro and the doner kebab, the shawarma sandwich is a pita stuffed with shaved, spit-cooked meat. The meat can be lamb, chicken, beef, goat, turkey, or a mixture of any of the above. Like the falafel and sabich sandwiches, the shawarma is often finished with hummus, tahini, hot sauce, and pickled vegetables.
[ Photograph: Max Falkowitz ]
Spiedie
New York's spiedie sandwich was invented for a very practical purpose: to remove steaming hot pieces of meat from a metal skewer. To make a spiedie the traditional way, take an undressed Italian roll, wrap it around a skewer of marinated meat, like a glove (the first spiedies were made with lamb and venision; today's versions are usually chicken, pork, or beef), and remove the skewer. Eat immediately, without condiments or toppings.
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Spuckie
The spuckie is a Boston sandwich that's identical to a sub or hero except it's served on a pointy, top-split Italian roll called a spucadella. Today most Bostonians call their spucadella sandwiches "subs." To find one, you'll have to visit one of the old-school sandwich shops in Boston's historically-Italian North End or the one from Cutty's in Brookline.
[ Photograph: Penny Cherubino ]
Submarine
A sandwich with a definition so broad that it's hard to articulate, but important enough that we have to try, the submarine is a long French or Italian roll filled with meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and topped with spices and dressings; olive oil and vinegar are popular, as are sprinklings of salt, pepper, and oregano.
[ Photograph: Roger Kamholz ]
Barbecue Sandwich
Used here as a catch-all term to cover an array of sandwiches that follow a general set of principles, the "Barbecue Sandwich" is smoked meat on white bread. It may or may not include sauce.
In North Carolina, your barbecue sandwich will probably be made with chopped pork. In Texas, it's sliced beef brisket. In Kansas, you might get burnt ends dripping with a sticky, tomato-based sauce. No matter the meat, it's the star in this sandwich. The bread's just there to get it to your mouth.
[ Photograph: James Boo ]
Cuban
The Cuban sandwich was developed in the cafes of Key West and Tampa at the end of the 19th century to feed an influx of Cuban workers. While not Cuban itself, it directly descends from the sandwiches that Cuban immigrants ate in their home country.
The ingredients: roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickles and mustard on crusty Cuban bread, all toasted in a sandwich press called a plancha. Traditionalists frown upon versions that include ingredients like salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato.
[Photograph: Maria del Mar Sacasa]
Hot Brown
Fred Schmidt—the chef at Louisville, Kentucky's Brown Hotel—invented the Hot Brown in 1926 upon hearing that the Louisville party crowd was tired of the ham and eggs that the hotel served midnight snackers. The sandwich was an instant success with a Prohibition-era crowd that must have been dodging Prohibition. It's a slice of Texas toast topped with roasted turkey breast, creamy Mornay sauce, and cheese, then broiled until the cheese begins to bubble, topped with two slices of bacon, and served open-faced. Some people add chopped tomatoes to the Mornay sauce or ham to the toast.
[ Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt ]
Muffuletta
The muffuletta is the round sesame loaf on which Sicilian immigrants living in New Orleans first made the sandwich that's become, along with the po' boy, one of the Crescent City's best-known lunches. The muffaletta sandwich layers capicola, salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, and a chopped blend of olives and other pickled vegetables known locally as "olive salad." The oil-based spread often includes cauliflower, carrots, onions, celery, and seasonings like oregano, garlic, and black pepper. For optimum flavor, let a fresh muffaletta sit for at least an hour before eating. This allows the juices of the olive salad to soak into the bread.
[Photograph: Andrew Strenio]
Fried Oyster Po' Boy
The magnificent po' boy, toast of the New Orleans sandwich scene, is distinguished from the submarine primarily by the bread on which it's made. The po' boy eschews Italian rolls for light-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside New Orleans French bread. You can stuff this bread with almost anything. New Orleans being a coastal city, fried seafood is a popular filling. Equally big, though, is gravy-drowned roast beef. Get the recipe »
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Pimento Cheese Sandwich
One happy consequence of this decade's southern-food boom has been the migration of pimento cheese across the Mississippi and the Mason-Dixon line. Despite its name, it isn't really cheese. It's a mixture of cheddar, peppers, mayonnaise, and spices that's really a cheese salad.
Grinder
A grinder is a warm sub or hoagie. The label is unnecessary in many parts of the country, where a warm sub is an acceptable thing, but common in parts of New England and the Midwest. Some grinders feature warm ingredients—Iowa's Jennie Grinders contain Italian sausage, ground beef, green peppers, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella—while others are distinguished only by toasted bread.
[ Photograph: Joe Roy ]
Horseshoe
The Horseshoe Sandwich, born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, is a real gut-bomb: a slice or two of thick toast topped with ham or a hamburger, then with cheese sauce, then with a couple of handfuls of french fries.
Related: Video: The Horseshoe Sandwich is a Springfield, Illinois Specialty
Italian Beef
Chicago's classic Italian Beef includes sliced and seasoned beef soaked in beef broth and served on an Italian roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera, an Italian vegetable relish. Here are the three ways to order it by increasing levels of sogginess; mozzarella and provolone cheese are optional additions.
Dry: the beef broth is allowed to drip off the roast beef.
Wet: the roast beef is pulled from the broth and placed directly on the sandwich.
Dipped: the whole sandwich, roll and all, is dunked in the broth.
[ Photograph: Daniel Zemans ]
Jibarito
The Jibarito—invented in 1996 at Chicago's Borinquen Restaurant but inspired by sandwiches like it in Puerto Rico—features meat, cheese, garlic mayonnaise, and lettuce between. And here's what makes it a Jibarito: two fried green plantains. No bread here. But look at it—still a sandwich, right? Regardless, it has spread to restaurants all over Chicago and the surrounding area since its introduction less than two decades ago.
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Loose Meat Sandwich
If you know the Sloppy Joe, then you know the loose meat sandwich (a.k.a. the "Tavern" or "Maid-Rite" sandwich). It's more or less a sauceless Joe: ground beef unseasoned with chopped onions, piled on a hamburger bun, sometimes with cheese, pickles, ketchup or mustard. It's native to Iowa but popular across the central Midwest.
[ Photograph: George Motz ]
Mother-in-Law
A beef tamale on a hot dog bun topped with chili from Chicago. Food writer John T. Edge speculates that it may have originated, like the Chicago blues, with the legions of immigrants who moved north from the Mississippi Delta in the second half of the twentieth century. The tamale was and is a popular snack in the Delta. Here, it's served in a poppy-seeded Chicago-style hot-dog bun with Chicago-style hot-dog condiments (sport peppers, relish), making it a carbtastic mashup of old and new. Why is this sandwich called a Mother-in-Law? Well, it's spicy, hard to handle, and gives you heartburn.
[ Photograph: Southern Foodways Alliance on Flickr ]
Polish Boy
Cleveland's Polish Boy sandwich could also be labeled a hot dog. To make one, stick a link of kielbasa in a bun, top it with a handful of french fries, and dress the whole thing with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and hot sauce.
[Photograph: Ryan Deussing]
Pork Tenderloin
Indiana's famous Pork Tenderloin sandwich doesn't need much explaining. It's two pieces of bread and a hearty slab of pounded, breaded, and deep-fried pork tenderloin. "It's basically a play on Wiener Schnitzel," wrote our own Nick Kindelsperger, "swapping pork for veal."
[ Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger ]
Primanti's Sandwich with Fries
The Primanti is an industrial-sized sandwich for an industrial city. Invented back in the 1930s at Pittsburgh's Primanti Brothers for truckers who needed to be able to hold a full meal in one hand, it's slaw, tomato, meat, and a heap of french fries on sliced Italian bread.
[ Photograph: Carey Jones ]
St. Paul Sandwich
Add another sandwich to the list of St. Louis classics you've never heard of. The St. Paul sandwich, a crispy egg foo young patty served on white bread with mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, and American cheese, was supposedly named for its inventor's hometown. Folks in St. Louis say that the St. Paul, which you can still buy for less than $2, tastes an awful lot like a regular old fried-egg sandwich.
[ Photograph: Adam Michalski via Wikimedia Commons ]
Dutch Crunch
In the Bay Area there's a single bread of choice for sandwiches. No, not San Francisco sourdough; we're talking about Dutch Crunch. So what is Dutch Crunch? It's a dense, doughy bread with a moist crumb, generally sold in sandwich-sized rolls or baguette-shaped loaves. But what sets it apart is the crackly top with crunchy little bits growing from the paler crust underneath.
[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]
French Dip
Thinly-sliced roast beef on a baguette or French roll served with a cup of beef jus (broth) on the side, for dipping. The French Dip first appeared in Los Angeles (at either Cole's or Phillipe's, this is a point of contention) in the early 20th century.
Origin stories for this sandwich vary : maybe the bread on a beef sub was stale, and needed jus for softening. Maybe a customer with sore gums couldn't handle a crusty Italian roll dry. Maybe a server accidentally dropped the sandwich into a pan of drippings and served it anyway, to a police officer who was so delighted by the taste that he came back, with friends, for more. Whatever circumstances birthed this beefy beauty, they were lucky ones for the Los Angeles restaurants soon overrun by customers in search of the soggy, salty satisfaction of the now-classic au jus sandwich.
[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]
Monte Cristo
This American take on the Croque-Monsieur is a mustard, ham, and cheese sandwich dipped in egg batter, fried, french-toast style, in a skillet, then dusted with powdered sugar and served with jam or preserves. It's an unholy combination of flavors that works, somehow.
Though the sandwich most likely originated in Southern California in the 1950s, it really took off, when, in 1966, Disneyland began serving it at the resort's Tahitian Terrace and Blue Bayou restaurants.
| New Orleans |
Robert Ludlum authored a series of best selling books featuring what retrograde amnesia stricken assassin? | Where Y'at NOLA Glossary - Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Where Y’at NOLA Glossary
Where Y’at NOLA Glossary
ALGIERS POINT – You’re likely to hear this pronounced as “Al-jeers Pernt.”
ALLIGATOR PEAR – Avocado.
ANYWAYS – And, then; and, so.
AWRITE – The appropriate response to the greeting “Where y’at?” Also, a greeting in and of itself: “Awrite, Ed!”
AWRITE, HAWT – A female response of agreement.
AX – Ask.
BACKATOWN – (i.e., “back of town”) the section of New Orleans from the River to North Claiborne, popularly used in the 6th and 7th wards.
BANANAS FOSTER – This is a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with the sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur.
BANQUETTE – The sidewalk. Pronounced . Usage fairly rare nowadays.
BARBECUE SHRIMP – Created by Pascale’s Manale, this shrimp dish is served in an herbed butter sauce, not a traditional barbecue sauce.
BERL, BERLED CRAWFISH – “Berl” is the New Orleans pronunciation of the word “boil.” A crawfish boil is a get-together where crawfish are boiled live with seasonings, corn, garlic and red potatoes.
THE BEST BANK – Slang for the West Bank, an area on the Western side of the Mississippi River
THE BIG EASY – Avoid uttering this phrase at all costs. Under almost no circumstances would a native ever refer to the City in this way.
BOO – A term of endearment, frequently used by parents and grandparents for small children, even small children who happen to be 40 years old … Believed to be Cajun in origin.
BOEUF GRAS – Suggests that the day before Lent traces its roots to ancient Greece and Greek mythology. Boeuf Gras or Fat Bull = Fat Tuesday.
BOURRE – A trick-taking gambling card game primarily played in the Acadiana region of Louisiana.
BRAKE TAG – An inspection sticker on your car, proof that you’ve passed the required annual safety inspection. It encompasses several areas of your car (e.g., horn, wipers, etc.) but is primarily concerned with the integrity of your brakes. Given the fact that New Orleans is surrounded by various lakes, rivers and canals, a bad set of brakes could mean that you might end up at the bottom of one of those bodies of water at the very least.
BREAD PUDDING (New Orleans Style) – Lightly spiced bread pudding, flavored with bourbon, bourbon sauce and bourbon-soaked raisins.
BY MY HOUSE, BY YOUR HOUSE, etc. – Analogous to the French terms “chez moi”, “chez toi”, etc. Usage: “He slept by my house last night.” “At” is never used in this sense.
CAFÉ AU LAIT and BEIGNETS – Coffee made with steamed milk and fried dough with powdered sugar on top, served at Café Du Monde in the French Quarter.
CAFÉ BRULOT – A flaming concoction of coffee, brandy, and spices served at Antoines Restaurant in New Orleans.
CAJUN – A member of any of the communities in southern Louisiana formed by descendants of French Canadians, speaking an archaic form of French.
CALAS – Fried balls of rice and dough, covered in powdered sugar.
CAMELBACK – Second floor additions of a shotgun style house.
CAPTAIN – The head of an organization that puts on Mardi Gras parades.
CAP – A form of address for men, usually ones with whom you are not acquainted. Women generally do not use this term.
CARNIVAL – Carnival is the season prior to Lent, where Mardi Gras is celebrated with parades and revelry.
CATLICK – The predominant religion in New Orleans.
CEMENT – A standard English word, but with a special pronunciation. Locals say Locals say “SEE-ment”, not “suh-MENT.”
CHALMETIAN, CHALMATION – Someone from Chalmette, a city in St. Bernard Parish that’s part of the New Orleans metro area, often called “Da Parish.” Out-of-towners often pronounce it with the hard “ch” sound as in “charge”. It’s more like “shall-MAY-shen” or “shall-ME-shen,” and the city is pronounced “shall-MET.”
CHARMER – The quintessential female Yat. Pronounced “CHAW-muh.”
CHER – pronounced “share.” Means “dear,” in French; mostly used in Cajun Country.
CHICKEN CLEMENCEAU – This old Creole dish is kept alive almost single-handedly by Galatoire’s.
CHIEF – A form of address between men, along the lines of “cap” and “podna”.
COARDNER – Corner. As in, “I’m going down to the coardner to get me a shrimp po-boy.”
CREOLE CREAM CHEESE – A farmer style cheese similar in fashion to a combination of cottage cheese and sour cream. Although originally a product of France, many New Orleans dairies such as Goldseal and Bordens supplied the city with the product for many years. Today, Creole cream cheese may be purchased from Dorignac’s on Veterans Hwy in New Orleans.
CUSH-CUSH, KUSH-KUSH, COUCHE-COUCHE – An old French/Cajun breakfast dish my grandmother used to prepare. The words rhyme with “push”, and it is prepared by browning or searing cornmeal in an oil glazed pot till light brown, then served hot with sugar and milk in a bowl, just like cereal.
DA, DAT – The, That.
DAUBE GLACE’ – A cold hors d’oeuvre of gelled beef.
DAWLIN’ – A universal form of address. Women use it to refer to both sexes, men use it toward women.
DEM – Them.
DERE – There. As in “Dere ya go!”, an expression of encouragement or acknowledgement of having done something for someone else.
DESE, DOSE – These, those.
DODO, MAKE DODO – Sleep. From the Cajun French “fais do do”, or “make sleep”. In Acadiana, the term “fais do do” is used for a Cajun dance, and is thought to have originated when the parents would tell their kids to hurry up and “fais do do” so that they could go to the dance; alternately, it’s said that the hosts of the house dances (bals de maison) would have a separate room for parents to put their small children, and the lady watching them would keep singing lullabyes and saying “fais do do” so that they could sleep amidst the din of the dancing Cajuns.
DOUBLOON – Pronounced “da-BLOON.” A coin, approximately the size of a silver dollar, minted on a yearly basis by the various Mardi Gras krewes. The standard type is made of aluminum and they’re thrown from Mardi Gras floats by the parade riders. The distinctive sound of a doubloon hitting da cement is enough to start a mad scramble, where you’re likely to trample on an old lady, or alternately be trampled by an old lady.
DOWN DA ROAD – A staple in the vocabulary of the St. Bernard Parish Yat. This term is travel directions for someone headed to lower St. Bernard Parish traveling on St. Bernard Highway (US Highway 46). You are usually in da parish when you use this phrase with a destination of either Violet or Poydras.
DRESSED – When ordering a po-boy, “dressed” indicates lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and MYNEZ, on it.
EARL, ERL – 1. A vegetable product used for cooking, making roux, etc. 2. A petroleum product used to lubricate the engine of your car. 3. Your Uncle Earl. (Most New Orleanians have an Uncle Earl.)
ELLESHYEW – Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
ERNGE, URNGE – An orange-colored citrus fruit.
ERSTERS, ERSTAS – Oysters.
ESPLANADE – Walkway. The street name is pronounced “es’-pluh-NADE”, and the last syllable rhymes with “raid”, not “rod”.
FAT CITY – An area of Metairie, Louisiana that was commonly associated with its nightlife in the 1970’s and 80’s.
FAUBOURG – A suburb or outlying neighborhood, as in Faubourg Marigny. Usually pronounced “FO-berg” by natives.
FLYIN’ HORSES – A merry-go-round, sometimes specifically describing the merry-go-round in City Park.
GO CUP – A paper or plastic cup for consumption of alcoholic beverages out on the street, as open glass containers are illegal.
GOUT – Pronounced “gooh.” French for “taste.” Usually applied to coffee. As in, “You want a little gout?” Mostly old people are the only ones still saying this.
GRILLADES AND GRITS – (Pronounced “GREE’-ahds”) A hearty dish of round steak, generally eaten for breakfast.
GRIP – A small suitcase, usually not a hard-shell one, more like a schoolbag or an overnight bag. Other locals have used this to refer to all types of suitcases. “Don’t fo’get ya grip!”says ya mamma, as you’re leaving the house.
GRIPPE – The flu.
GRIS-GRIS – Pronounced “GREE-GREE.” A (voodoo) spell. Can be applied for nefarious purposes (“to put a gris-gris on someone”), or as a force to ward off evil, like wearing a gris-gris bag.
GUMBO (SEAFOOD)– A spicy stew that’s a staple in the Cajun and Creole Cultures. Seafood-based gumbo generally has shrimp, crabmeat, and sometimes oysters.
GUMBO YA YA – Everybody talking all at once; i.e., at a loud party.
GUMBO Z’HERBS – A meatless gumbo traditionally made on Holy Thursday to eat the next day on Good Friday.
HAWT – A term of endearment used primarily by local females.
HEY, BAY-BEE! – Pronounced with the “BAY” drawn way out. A greeting between any two people of either gender.
HOUSE COAT ‘N CURLAS – The preferred dress for charmers while shopping at Schwegmann’s.
HUCK-A-BUCKS or HUCKLE-BUCKS – Frozen Kool-Aid in a Dixie cup. A way to keep cool during the summer.
HURRICANE PARTY – A tradition of the south to hold a get-together before or during a hurricane.
I’LL TAKE ME A – A phrase New Orleanians use instead of “I would like a….” “I’ll take me a shrimp poboy, please.”
INDIANS (MARDI GRAS INDIANS) – African-American Carnival revelers who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.
INKPEN – A pen.
IT DON MADDA – Typical of New Orleans accents, this phrase means, “It does not matter.”
JAMBALAYA – A rice-based dish containing meat and seafood, prepared in a nearly infinite variety of ways by Louisianians.
JAWN – This is the pronunciation that many use for the name, “John.”
K & B, K&B PURPLE – Drugstore known in New Orleans for its unique purple color. Used in phrases like, “He was so mad, his face was K&B purple”, or, “I can’t believe ya bought dat ugly car! It’s K&B purple!”
KING CAKE – A New Orleans cake served during Mardi Gras season. A small plastic doll is hidden inside of the cake, and whoever “gets the baby” has to buy the next King Cake.
KREWE – A krewe (pronounced in the same way as “crew”) is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the Carnival season.
LAGNIAPPE – Something given as a bonus or extra gift.
LOCKA – Where you hang your clothes, analogous to the English word “closet”. Example: “Mom-MAH! Where my shoes at?” “Looka in ya locka!”
LOOKIT DA T.V. – To watch T.V. Locals don’t watch T.V., they look at it. Oh, and in proper Localese form, it’s pronounced , emphasis on the first syllable.
LOST BREAD, PAIN PERDU – Cajun style French toast.
LUNDI GRAS – Lundi Gras is “Fat Monday,” the day before Mardi Gras “Fat Tuesday.”
MAKE GROCERIES, MAKIN’ GROCERIES – To do grocery shopping. Thought to have originated with the French expression for grocery shopping, “faire le marché”. The verb “faire” can mean either “to do” or “to make”, and the idiom may have been mistranslated.
MARDI GRAS – This grand pre-Lenten celebration for which New Orleans is famous.
MARRAINE – Pronounced “MAH-ran.” Your godmother. Elsewhere the terms “nanny” and “nanan” (pronounced NAH-nan) are also used for godmother.
MASKER – A person taking part in a masquerade or masked ball.
MAW-MAW – Ya grandma.
METAIRIE, METRY – Standard New Orleanian pronunciation: ”MET-ah-ree.” Hardcore local pronunciation: “MET-tree,” as if it was spelled (and sometimes is spelled), “Metry.”
MIRLITON – A vegetable pear or chayote squash, which grows wild in Louisiana and in backyards throughout New Orleans. Pronounced “MEL-lee-tawn,” and wonderful when stuffed with shrimp and ham.
MUFFULETTA – A quintessential New Orleans Italian sandwich of ham, Genoa salami, mortadella, Provolone cheese and marinated olive salad on a round seeded Italian loaf. Invented at Central Grocery on Decatur in da Quarter.
MYNEZ – Mayonnaise.
NEUTRAL GROUND – The grassy or cement strip in the middle of the road. The terms “median” and/or “island” are NEVER used in New Orleans. If you’re lucky, you live on a street with a neutral ground big enough to play football on.
NUTTINONIT – A po-boy that is not dressed, which only contains the main ingredient(s).
ON DA WES’ BANK, ACROSS DA RIVUH, OVA DA RIVUH – On the West Bank of the Mississippi River, where such places as Algiers, Gretna and Marrero lie. Interestingly, the West Bank is due south of New Orleans (except for Algiers, of course). Make sense? Thought not.
OYSTERS BIENVILLE – This sumptuous dish is served in many New Orleans restaurants. It is said that it invented over 75 years ago at Arnaud’s Restaurant, but Antoine’s Restaurant also claims to have invented it in the 1940s.
OYSTERS (CHARGRILLED) – A dish popularized by Drago’s restaurant, where the oysters are topped with garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese, then cooked in the half-shell on top of a grill.
OYSTERS MOSCA – Signature dish of Restaurant Mosca; typically contains oysters, bread crumbs, fresh parmasean cheese, herbs, garlic, and olive oil.
OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER – Created at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine’s, consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with various other ingredients (often parsley and other green herbs, a rich butter sauce and bread crumbs) and are then baked or broiled.
PAIN PERDU, LOST BREAD – Cajun French toast.
PARISH – A Louisiana state administrative district, analogous to the American “county”. When used by locals in the phrase “da parish”, it generally means St. Bernard Parish specifically, which is suburban to New Orleans.
PARRAINE – Your godfather.
PASS A GOOD TIME – Have a good time.
PASS BY – To stop by.
PASS THE VACUUM – The New Orleans way of saying to quickly vacuum.
PECAN – A nut indigenous to the South, and beloved in New Orleans as an ingredient in pies and pralines. Pronounced “puh-KAWN,” not “PEE-can.”
PICAYUNE – Formerly a Spanish coin, the name is now used as part of the New Orleans newspaper (The Times-Picayune).
PIROGUE – A long narrow canoe made from a single tree trunk.
PO-BOY – The quintessential New Orleans lunch, a sandwich on good, crispy New Orleans French bread.
PODNA – A form of address for men, usually for ones with whom one is not acquainted. Frequently used in the emphatic statement, “I tell you what, podna …”
POMPANO EN PAPILLOTE – Created at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans, this dish is a filet of pompano (fish) that is baked in a sealed parchment paper envelope with a white sauce of wine, shrimp, and crabmeat.
PRALINE – A sugary Creole candy, invented in New Orleans (not the same as the French culinary/confectionery term “praline” or “praliné”) The classic version is made with sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans, and is a flat sugary pecan-filled disk. There are also creamy pralines, chocolate pralines, maple pralines, etc.
RED BEANS AND RICELY – Celebrated jazz trumpeter and New Orleanian Louis Armstrong’s favorite food was red beans and rice. The musician famously signed his name “Red Beans and Ricely Yours, Louis Armstrong.”
REGULAH COFFEE – Not “Black Coffee” as in the rest of the country. “Regular” includes lots of sugar and cream.
SCHWEGMANN’S BAG – Schwegmann’s was a New Orleans grocery store that used its grocery bags for advertising of local businesses. The grocery bags were commonly used to store Mardi Gras beads.
SHOTGUN – A style of house that has one room leading to the next, without hallways.
SHOW, DA SHOW – The cinema. The movie house. The local motion picture emporium. True New Orleanians never say, “I went to the movies”, they say “I went to da show.”
SILVER DIME – A small coin of U.S. currency, worth ten cents. Always pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, even though they haven’t been made of actual silver for over 35 years.
SKEETA HAWK – Or, “mosquito hawk”, the local name for a dragonfly.
SAC AU LAIT – A type of freshwater fish that is popular in South Louisiana.
SHRIMP REMOULADE – (pronounced ruma-lahd) is a cold shrimp appetizer with a pink, creamy sauce flavored with horseradish.
SOSSIDGE – A meat preparation, made of various kinds of ground meats, seafood and spices, stuffed into a casing. Usually spelled “sausage” by English speakers, but pronounced in New Orleans as you see here.
SNOWBALL – Shaved ice with a syrup flavor added to it. Many New Orleanians like to add ice cream and/or condensed milk
STOOP – Usually expressed as “da stoop”. The front steps to your house, particularly if it’s a shotgun duplex. What ya go out and sit on to chat wit’ya neighbas (an’ ta keep an eye on ’em).
SUCK DA HEAD, SQUEEZE DA TAIL – The technique for eating crawfish. If you’ve never done this, have someone demonstrate.
SUG – “Sugar”- A name that local women may call people.
THROW ME SOMETHIN MISTA – This is what New Orleanians yell to Krewe members of parades during Mardi Gras.
TURLET – Ya standard flushable porcelain waste disposal unit found in every bat’troom, referred to by English speakers as a “toilet”.
TURTLE SOUP – This soup is a great delicacy in Louisiana.
TWINSPAN – Parallel bridges that cross the eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana from New Orleans, Louisiana to Slidell, Louisiana.
UPTOWN SIDE, DOWNTOWN SIDE, LAKE SIDE, RIVER SIDE
UP DA ROAD – Same as down da road, only now you are traveling in the opposite direction heading “up da road” to either Chalmette or Arabi
VEDGEATIBBLE – Neither animal nor mineral. What ya mamma used to make ya eat before ya could leave the table when ya were a kid. The word has four syllables.
WHERE YA STAY (AT)? – Where do you live?
WHERE Y’AT! – The traditional New Orleanian greeting that means “What’s up or where are you?” Also the source for the term “Yat,” to describe New Orleanians with the telltale accent. The proper response is, “Awrite.”
WHO DAT? – This phrase is part of the Saints chant that is traditionally started at the beginning of all New Orleans Saints home games in the Superdome. “Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?”
WRENCH – To clean something under running water. “Aw baby, ya hands ‘r filthy! Go wrench ’em off in da zink.” See ZINK.
YAKAMEIN – A spicy beef noodle soup with sliced green onions and a hard-boiled egg half.
Y’ALL – A common New Orleans phrase meaning, “you all.”
YA MAMMA – Your mother. Used in a variety of ways, usually endearing. Also usable as an insult, specifically as a simple retort when one is insulted first; simply say, “Ya mamma.” Be prepared to defend yourself physically at this point. I once saw my classmate Vince G. beat the crap out of someone (and someone a year older, at that) back in high school at Holy Cross for uttering this retort.
YA MAMA’EN’EM– New Orleans slang for,”your mom and them.”
YAT – From the traditional New Orleans greeting “Where y’at?” The term “Yat,” describes New Orleanians with the telltale accent.
YEAH YOU RITE – An emphatic statement of agreement and affirmation, sometimes used as a general exclamation of happiness. The accent is on the first word, and it’s spoken as one word.
ZATARAIN’S – Pronounced “ZAT-uh-rans.” A local manufacturer of spices, seasonings, pickled products and condiments. In context, it’s used by some as a generic term for either crab boil or Creole mustard, as it “Put some Zatarain’s on it,” or “T’row a coupla bags o’ Zatarain’s in da pot.” Context is important here; you don’t want to put Creole mustard in a seafood boil.
ZINK – A receptacle for water with a drain and faucets. Where ya wrench off ya dishes or ya hands. See WRENCH.
| i don't know |
November 7, 1970 saw the birth of Morgan Spurlock, director of the "documentary" Super Size Me, a film about his 30 day diet of food from what fast food restaurant? | Morgan Spurlock biography and filmography | Morgan Spurlock movies
Morgan Spurlock
Date of Birth: November 7, 1970
Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock always wanted to make movies, but the documentary filmmaker struggled through hard times as a young artist.
After being rejected five times by USC film school, Spurlock graduated from NYU in 1993 with a degree in film. His first jobs in the film industry were working as a production assistant on films like Leon: The Professional (1994) and Kiss of Death (1995). Spurlock also spent time as a stand-up comedian in California, but was having a hard time coming up with enough money to pay the bills. At his lowest point Spurlock was homeless, before finding success and acclaim as an award-winning playwright.
But it was a Thanksgiving dinner at his parent's house in 2003 that would lead to Spurlock's big break. While watching a news broadcast after dinner, Spurlock saw a story about two teenage girls who were suing McDonald's for causing them to become obese. The lawsuit inspired Spurlock and led to him creating a documentary film that attacked the quality of the fast-food chain's food.
His film Super Size Me debuted in 2004 at the Sundance film festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury prize and won for Best Documentary director. The documentary followed Spurlock on a 30-day mission to show the effects McDonald's food can have on the human body. Every day for a month, Spurlock would eat food from McDonalds. He ate three full meals daily, and would supersize his fries and drink whenever asked.
The result of the fast-food diet sent Spurlock into mental and physical health problems. After 30 days he had gained 25 pounds and been diagnosed with depression and was suffering from liver dysfunction.
Super Size Me was a massive success and earned Spurlock a 2004 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.
He has since created 30 Days, a reality television series that takes an individual and inserts them into a lifestyle dramatically different from their own for 30 days. Spurlock has inserted himself into episodes of the show by spending a month in jail and making his family live below the poverty line.
Spurlock currently lives in New York City with his wife Alexandra and their young son.
Filmography (director):
| McDonald's |
Born on November 10, 1919, Mikhail Kalashnikov saw his most famous creation, the AK-47, introduced into service in what year? | Man who lost weight eating McDonald's documents experience in new book | Daily Mail Online
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Mr Cisna had his students plan out each of his meals using the fast food franchise's online nutritional information, requiring that they follow the dietary restrictions he set out.
And when he approached his local McDonald's about the experiment, the manager was so interested to see what happened that he agreed to provide the meals at no charge.
Slimmed-down: Mr Cisna, who lives in Colo, Iowa, claims he has lost a total of 21 inches from his waist, hips and chest by sticking to a 2,000 calorie daily diet consisting solely of meals from the fast food chain
Long time coming: Mr Cisna says that while he didn't bore of McDonald's food over the six months, he is looking forward to eating other things when the experiment officially ends on March 15 - particularly seafood
Rather than his body deteriorating like the star of 2004 documentary Super Size Me, Mr Cisna lost an impressive 56lbs and saw his cholesterol drop, improving his health significantly.
And even though health experts were concerned at first about his salt intake, he says his sodium levels and blood pressure are perfectly normal.
'I'm craving seafood. When I am done with this, I'm going to have some shrimp and scallops'
Even Mr Cisna himself was skeptical of his transformation. 'It's kind of scary to realize that in nine days, I'll have spent half a year of my life eating nothing but McDonald's,' he admitted.
And despite the surprising results, Mr Cisna says he has no intention of promoting the McDonald's diet, but merely wants to open people's eyes to the many possibilities of slimming down.
'[The McDonald's diet] is certainly there for the taking if they want to try it,' he said. 'There are many, many avenues - I've just opened up one avenue of a way for people to start to get healthy.'
Anything's possible: Despite the surprising results, Mr Cisna says he has no intention of promoting the McDonald's diet, but merely wants to open people's eyes to the many ways of slimming down
Getting active: Mr Cisna's meals were provided for free by his local McDonald's. He also walked for 45 minutes a day - factor that evidently jump-started his weight loss, since he didn't exercise before
As well as only eating McDonald's, Mr Cisno also walked 45 minutes every day, a factor that evidently jump-started his weight loss, since he admittedly did not exercise or watch his calorie intake before the experiment.
On a typical day, Mr Cisna ate two egg white delights, a bowl of maple oatmeal and one percent milk for breakfast, and lunch would normally be a salad.
But it wasn't just 'healthy' fast food that he ate; for dinner he would indulge in a value meal like a Big Mac or a quarter pounder with cheese, and he'd also sometimes snack on ice cream sundaes.
Mr Cisna confessed that there was one single instance where he strayed from his diet, when he was waiting for a flight at LaGuardia airport and couldn't find a McDonald's.
Fast food favorites: On a typical day, Mr Cisna ate two egg white delights, a bowl of maple oatmeal and one percent milk for breakfast, a salad for lunch and a value meal for dinner
Thinking ahead: He had his students plan out his meals using the fast food franchise's online nutritional information, requiring that they follow the dietary restrictions he set out
'I was starving,' he recalled. 'In front of God and the whole world, I admit that that night, I had a bag of cashews, an apple and a diet Pepsi, so that's the only time that I have broken from the diet.'
In Mr Cisna's upcoming book, he'll discuss the details of his diet, how it worked and why it was successful.
'There are many avenues - I've just opened up one avenue for people to start to get healthy'
And in a video he made back in September before he embarked on the experiment, the teacher hammers home his point that eating McDonald's isn't a miracle diet, but if you watch your calorie intake it can be just as slimming as any other diet.
'The point behind this documentary is - it's choice. We all have choices,' he says. 'It's our choices that make us fat, not McDonald's.'
Opposite effect: In 2004 documentary Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonald's for 30 days. He gains 24lbs, his cholesterol rises to 230 and he experiences a fat accumulation in his liver
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Which cult/religion was formed by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard? | The Scandal of Scientology / Chapter 20: The Truth About L. Ron Hubbard
Actually, most of the "errors" in that biography and others, with the exception of his academic background, were simply sins by omission. Although Hubbard admits he wrote screenplays and westerns, it was in science fiction that he made his mark, a fact he conveniently omitted in his Brief Biography and frequently underplayed elsewhere. This is important because a science fiction background is not considered good preparation for the understanding of true scientific phenomena and also because Hubbard wrote so much science fiction at one time that it would seem almost impossible that he could have carried on the careful research he claimed he did to formulate Dianetics upon which Scientology is based.
Nonetheless, Hubbard says Dianetics was based on his exhaustive research with 270 subjects, {8} and this research formed the basis of his engram and other theories. A recent article in Freedom stated that Hubbard spent thirty-five years researching the mind before Dianetics came out. {9} If this is true, it means that he started researching at the age of three. Generally, Hubbard is content to have people believe he spent twelve years researching Dianetics {10} before coming out with his basic book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
As for the Princeton School of Government that he says he attended, it was the Princeton School of Military Government, {19} and he went there only three months in what was possibly a war service course. {20}
Hubbard also claims to have a Ph.D. from Sequoia University. {21} Sequoia was originally called the College of Drugless Healing, and might have been called the College of Instant Learning, since it has been traced by the United States government to a residential dwelling in Los Angeles which operated through a post office box and delivered mail order doctorates without the formality of exams, or for that matter, of classroom attendance.
In fact, Hubbard didn't even have to pay for that degree -- it was an Honorary Degree {22} for his work in Dianetics. A Harvard student discovered that Hubbard was also on the staff of the school; might Sequoia be another name for one of Hubbard's own establishments? {23} (Hubbard's establishments have variously been called Hubbard College, Hubbard International School for Children, The Apostolic Church of Theological Scientologists, The Academy of Religious Arts and Sciences, Church of American Science, Church of the New Faith, Scientology Consultants for Industrial Efficiency, National Academy for American Psychology. {24} )
Two million traceable dollars were spent to halt this work [Dianetics and Scientology].... All that has survived of this attack by the two A.P.A.'s, the A.M.A. and several universities is a clutter of rumors concerning your sanity and mine -- and rumors no longer financed will some day die. {29}
The Australian Inquiry finally came to the conclusion that Hubbard's "sanity was to be gravely doubted." {30} Certainly some of Hubbard's statements, even coming from a former science fiction writer, do sound rather strange. Hubbard claims to have visited Venus, the Van Allen Radiation belt, {31} and heaven -- twice. The first time in heaven, he said, was from "the moment of the implant to forget ... 43,891,832,611,177 years 344 days, 10 hours, 20 minutes and 40 seconds from 10:02 to 2 P.M. Daylight Greenwich Time, May 9, 1963." {32} The second time was about a trillion years later. Lest anyone doubt he was there, or think that he might have ended up in the wrong place, he described Heaven as follows:
The gates of the first series are well done, well built. An Avenue of statues of saints leads up to them. The gate pillars are surmounted by marble angels. The entering grounds are very well kept, laid out like Bush Gardens in Pasadena, so often seen in the movies.
The second series ... is shabby. The vegetation is gone. The pillars are scruffy. The saints have vanished. So have the angels. A sign on one (the left as you enter) says "This is Heaven." The right one says "Hell."
In addition to having visited Heaven, Hubbard has also rewritten Genesis. {33} "Before the Beginning was a Cause and the entire purpose of the Cause was the creation of effect," etc. He has also rewritten the calendar {34} to read "A.D. 1, A.D. 10," etc., (to stand for "After Dianetics 1951," "After Dianetics 1960"), as if his discoveries were as important as the birth of Christ. When Hubbard first came out with Dianetics he wrote that it was a "milestone for Man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his invention of the wheel and arch." {35} Now he sees Scientology as purer than Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. {36}
| Scientology |
A professional mining engineer, who was the President of the US at the start of the Great Depression? | 1000+ images about Scientology on Pinterest | Religion, Tom cruise and L ron hubbard
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Comparative Idolatry: Scientology has been recognised officially as a “religion” after Britain’s highest court swept aside 158 years of law to rule that worshipping a god is not essential to religion. > > > The worship of false gods such as Yahweh is not only “unworthy but also fatal", with "incalculable harm to human progress."- Einstein http://www.pinterest.com/pin/540924605214987615/
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In the Parker Brothers game Pit, what type of items are featured on the cards that are traded during play? | Parker Brothers PIT Card Game Bull & Bear and 50 similar items
Home » Toys & Hobbies » Games » Card Games & Poker » Other Card Games & Poker » Parker Brothers PIT Card Game Bull & Bear Commodity Party Game 1947 copyright
Parker Brothers PIT Card Game Bull & Bear and 50 similar items
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Parker Brothers PIT Card Game Bull & Bear Commodity Party Game 1947 copyright
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| Commodity |
The time when supernatural creatures, such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful, what hour is known as the witching hour? | Deluxe Pit, Board Games - Amazon Canada
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Get a taste of trading on the commodities market with this Deluxe Pit Game. Shout your deal and trade your cards to try to “corner” the market. Be the first to get all the cards of one commodity and ring the bell to win that hand. You’ll feel like a real trader in the “pits” of the exchange.
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Played by Jack Webb for the 14 year run of the series, who wore badge #714 on the TV show Dragnet? | Dragnet (TV Series 1951–1959) - IMDb
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Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
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Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations. See more awards »
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Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross
Two regular police officers patrol Los Angeles.
Stars: Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Shaaron Claridge
The misadventures of a nun who can fly and her convent and neighbours.
Stars: Sally Field, Marge Redmond, Madeleine Sherwood
The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances.
Stars: Ed Sullivan, Johnny Wayne, Frank Shuster
The misadventures of a bumbling Marine named Gomer Pyle.
Stars: Jim Nabors, Frank Sutton, Ronnie Schell
The misadventures of the family staff of The Shady Rest Hotel and their neighbors of Hooterville.
Stars: Edgar Buchanan, Linda Henning, Bea Benaderet
The misadventures of a struggling rock band.
Stars: Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork
The original rapid fire sketch comedy show.
Stars: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Ruth Buzzi
The exploits of milk-swilling, geriatric private eye Barnaby Jones.
Stars: Buddy Ebsen, Lee Meriwether, Mark Shera
Ann Marie is a struggling actress living in New York City. In between trying to find jobs acting and modeling she has time for her boyfriend, Don Hollinger, and her dad, Lew Marie.
Stars: Marlo Thomas, Ted Bessell, Lew Parker
Dean Martin hosts with several different celebrities that have several sketches of improv that breaks down comedy, race, and sex all at of the same time.
Stars: Dean Martin, Sandahl Bergman, Dom DeLuise
The Smothers Brothers host a comedy variety that would become notorious for its topical satirical humor.
Stars: Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers, Pat Paulsen
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Storyline
"The story you are about to see is true", "Just the facts, ma'am", "We were working the day watch" - phrases which became so popular as to inspire much parody - set the realistic tone of this early police drama. The show emphasized careful police work and the interweaving of policemen's professional and personal lives. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
16 December 1951 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
Did You Know?
Trivia
On 11 August 2009 the US Postal Service issued a pane of twenty 44¢ commemorative postage stamps honoring early USA television programs. A booklet with 20 picture postal cards was also issued. The stamp honoring "Dragnet" has a picture of star Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday. Other shows honored in the Early TV Memories issue were: The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Dinah Shore Show (1951), "The Ed Sullivan Show" (originally titled The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)), The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950), Hopalong Cassidy (1952), The Honeymooners (1955), "The Howdy Doody Show" (original title: The Howdy Doody Show (1947)), I Love Lucy (1951), Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947), Lassie (1954), The Lone Ranger (1949), Perry Mason (1957), The Phil Silvers Show (1955), The Red Skelton Hour (1951), "Texaco Star Theater" (titled Texaco Star Theatre (1948), 1954-1956), The Tonight Show (which began as Tonight! (1953)), The Twilight Zone (1959), and You Bet Your Life (1950). See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Announcer : Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
(United Kingdom) – See all my reviews
I've been watching some older episodes recently, courtesy of a couple of bargain four-episodes DVD I got in a Brighton 99p shop, and my attitude towards the series has changed somewhat from when I first saw Dragnet some decades ago. I now realise that the very tight, plodding format with the story told mostly through voice-over - much satirised, most memorably in Police Squad! and in a classic parody in an early Mad magazine - can somewhat blind the viewer to some of the show's more subtle strengths. The show does seem to make an effort to show the often tedious and legwork-heavy aspects of police work, and avoids violence and gratuitous gunplay as much as possible. But there's often a very sympathetic tone in Dragnet episodes towards the culprit, understanding that crime is often tragedy - such as in an episode called Big Porn, where in the final minutes a pornographer is revealed as a sad, tired old man, reliving his old days as a movie director. I particularly like an episode called Big Shoplift where the criminal turns out to be a lonely woman suffering from kleptomania, for whom even Joe Friday recognises that jail is not the right place. This compassion was a step forward from the efficient but rather cold film that inspired Dragnet, He Walked by Night, in which Webb had a bit part.
When I first saw Dragnet, I think in particular I underestimated the performance of Jack Webb, who seems to approach his suspects with a very human demeanour which is entirely realistic and such an antidote to the overplayed performances of many later TV cops. Webb produced and often wrote and directed the shows, and he displays a sure, experienced touch. Incidentally, the series didn't always take itself that seriously: look out for a wildly campy episode which alters the opening titles to read "Badge 417".
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| sgt joe friday |
November 9, 1967 saw the debut of what iconic magazine, founded by Jann Wenner, which famously provided a roach clip with every paid subscription? | Dragnet | Archive of American Television
from the Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television
From the distinctive four-note opening of its theme music to the raft of catch phrases it produced, no other television cop show has left such an indelible mark on American culture as Dragnet. It was the first successful television crime drama to be shot on film and one of the few prime time series to have returned to production after its initial run. In Dragnet, Jack Webb, who produced, directed, and starred in the program, created the benchmark by which subsequent police shows would be judged. The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film noir, He Walked by Night (1948), in which Webb had a small role. Webb created a radio series for NBC that had many similarities with the film. Not only did both employ the same L.A.P.D. technical advisor, they also made use of actual police cases, narration that provided information about the workings of the police department, and a generally low-key, documentary style. In the radio drama Webb starred as Sgt. Joe Friday and Barton Yarborogh played his partner. The success of the radio show led to a Dragnet television pilot, aired as an episode of Chesterfield Sound Off Time in 1951, and resulted in a permanent slot for the series on NBC Television's Thursday night schedule in early 1952. Yarborogh died suddenly after the pilot aired and was eventually replaced by Ben Alexander, who played Officer Frank Smith from 1953 to the end of the series in 1959. Dragnet was an instant hit on television, maintaining a top 10 position in the ratings through 1956. The series was applauded for its realism--actually a collection of highly stylized conventions which made the show an easy target for parodists and further increased its cultural cachet. Episodes began with a prologue promising that "the story you are about to see is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent," then faded in on a pan across the L.A. sprawl. Webb's mellifluous voice intoned, "This is the city. Los Angeles, California," and usually offered statistics about the city, its population, and institutions. Among the show's other "realistic" elements were constant references to dates, the time, and weather conditions. Producing the series on film permitted the use of stock shots of L.A.P.D. operations and location shooting in Los Angeles. This was a sharp contrast to the stage-bound "live" detective shows of the period. Dragnet emphasized authentic police jargon, the technical aspects of law enforcement, and the drudgery of such work. Rather than engaging in fist fights and gun play, Friday and his partner spent much screen time making phone calls, questioning witness, or following up on dead end leads. Scenes of the detectives simply waiting and engaging in mundane small talk were common. To save on costly rehearsal time Webb had actors read their lines off a TelePrompTer. The result was a clipped, terse style, that conveyed a documentary feel and became a trademark of subsequent series produced by Webb including Adam-12 and Emergency. Dragnet always concluded with an epilogue detailing the criminal's fate accompanied by a shot of the character shifting about uncomfortably before the camera. Dragnet's stories, many written by James Moser, ran the gamut from traffic accidents to homicide. Other stories played on critical middle-class anxieties of the postwar period including juvenile delinquency, teenage drug use, and the distribution of "dirty" pictures in schools. Moral complexity was eschewed for a crime-doesn't-pay message sketched in stark black and white tones. Friday brooked little with lawbreakers, negligent parents, or young troublemakers. Program segments often concluded with the sergeant directing a tight-lipped homily to miscreants coupled with a musical "stinger" and an appreciative nod from his partner. By 1954 Dragnet was watched by over half of America's television households. This success prompted Warner Brothers to finance and distribute a theatrical version of Dragnet (1954), signalling the rise of cross-promotion between film and television (Anderson, 1994). Further evidence of the show's popularity was found in the number of TV series that imitated its style, notably The Lineup, M Squad, and Moser's Medic, based on cases from the files of the Los Angeles County Medical Association. Conversely, other series like 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye, featuring younger, hipper detectives, were developed to provide an antidote to Dragnet's dour approach to crime fighting. As Dragnet neared completion of its initial run in 1959 Friday was promoted to lieutenant and Smith passed his sergeant's exam. Seven years later the show was revived by NBC as Dragnet 1967. Until it was cancelled in 1970, Dragnet was always followed by the year to distinguish the new series from its 1950s counterpart. In the new series Friday was once again a sergeant, now paired with Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan). Though the style and format of the show remained the same, the intervening years and the rise of the counter culture had changed Friday from a crusading cop to a dyspeptic civil servant, alternately disgusted by the behavior of the younger generation and peeved at his partner's prattle about mundane topics. The program's conservatism was all the more apparent in the late 1960s as Friday's terse warnings of the fifties gave way to shrill lectures invoking god and country for the benefit of hippies, drug users, and protestors. Webb's death in 1982 did not prevent another revival of Dragnet from appearing in syndication during the 1989-1990 season. Two younger characters filled in for Friday and his partner but the formula remained the same. This little-seen effort failed quickly in part because series such as Hill Street Blues and COPS had significantly altered the conventions of realistic police dramas. Those programs, and others like NYPD Blue, must be considered the true generic successors to the original Dragnet. As the archetypal television police drama Dragnet has remained a staple in reruns and continues to be an object of both parody and reverent homage. -Eric Schaeffer CAST Sgt. Joe Friday......................................... Jack Webb Sgt. Ben Romero (1951)................. Barton Yarborough Sgt. Ed Jacobs (1952)......................... Barney Phillips Officer Frank Smith (1952)........................... Herb Ellis Officer Frank Smith (1953-1959)........... Ben Alexander Officer Bill Gannon (1967-1970).............. Harry Morgan PRODUCER/CREATOR Jack Webb PROGRAMMING HISTORY 1952-1959 263 Episodes 1967-1970 100 Episodes NBC January 1952-December 1955 Thursday 9:00-9:30 January 1956-September 1958 Thursday 8:30-9:00 September 1958-June 1959 Tuesday 7:30-8:00 July 1959-September 1959 Sunday 8:30-9:00 January 1967-September 1970 Thursday 9:30-10:00 FURTHER READING Anderson, Christopher. Hollywood/TV: The Studio System in the Fifties. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1994. "Detective Story." Newsweek (New York), 14 January 1952. Hubler, Richard G. "Jack Webb: The Man Who Makes Dragnet." Coronet (New York), September 1953. "Jack, Be Nimble!" Time (New York), 15 March 1954. Luciano, Patrick and Gary Coville. "Behind Badge 714: The Story of Jack Webb and Dragnet (Part One)." Filmfax (Evanston, Illinois), August-September 1993. _______________. "Behind Badge 714: The Story of Jack Webb and Dragnet (Part Two)." Filmfax (Evanston, Illinois), October-November 1993. Tregaskis, Richard. "The Cops' Favorite make-Believe Cop." Saturday Evening Post (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 26 September 1953.
Who Talked About This Show
| i don't know |
What animated film character said “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way”? | Jessica Rabbit (Character) - Quotes
Jessica Rabbit (Character)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Jessica Rabbit : You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do.
Eddie Valiant : You don't know how hard it is being a man looking at a woman looking the way you do.
Jessica Rabbit : I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.
Roger Rabbit : [after bursting in through the drain, holding a gun] Okay, nobody move! All right, you weasels, grab some sky or I let the judge have it. You heard me, I said drop it!
Jessica Rabbit : Roger, darling!
Roger Rabbit : That's right, my dear. I'd love to embrace you, but first, I have to satisfy my sense of moral outrage.
Judge Doom : Put that gun down, you buck-toothed fool!
Roger Rabbit : That's it, Doom. Give me another excuse to pump you full of lead. So you thought you could get away with it, didn't you? Ha! We toons may act idiotic, but we're not stupid. We demand justice. Why, the real meaning of the word probably hits you like a ton of bricks.
[a ton of bricks falls on Roger from above]
Jessica Rabbit : Roger! Roger, say something!
Roger Rabbit : [Stars circle around Roger's head] Look, stars! Ready when you are, Raoul.
[Jessica and Roger are tied up together, about to get dipped by Judge Doom's Dip-O-Matic Vehicle]
Jessica Rabbit : Roger, darling. I want you to know I love you. I've loved you more than any woman's ever loved a rabbit.
Judge Doom : Can you guess what this is?
[Turns tap handle, Dip pours out onto a silver plate]
Jessica Rabbit : Oh my God, it's DIP!
Judge Doom : That's right, my dear! Enough to dip Toon Town off the face of the earth!
[Removes the curtain, revealing a vehicle that contains a tonne of dip stored]
Judge Doom : Vehicle of my own design; 5,000 gallons of heated dip, pumped at enormous velocity through a pressurized water cannon. Toon Town will be erased in a matter of minutes.
Eddie Valiant : Seriously, what do you see in that guy?
[Eddie turns around; Jessica slaps him and walks away]
Jessica Rabbit : I hope you're proud of yourself, and those pictures you took.
Eddie Valiant : So, how long have you known it was Doom?
Jessica Rabbit : Before poor Marvin was killed, he confided in me that Judge Doom wanted to get his hands on Toontown, and he wouldn't stop at anything.
Eddie Valiant : So he gave you the will for safe keeping.
Jessica Rabbit : That's what he told me, except when I opened the envelope, there was only a blank piece of paper inside.
Eddie Valiant : Ha! A joker to the end.
Roger Rabbit : Oh, Love Cup.
Jessica Rabbit : [kisses Roger] Oh, Roger! You were a pillar of strength.
Eddie Valiant : Everything's funny to you, ain't it, needlenose?
Smart Ass : You got a problem with that, Valiant?
Eddie Valiant : No, I just want you to know something about the guy you're gonna dip.
[Pulls a lever on a calliope, which plays "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down"]
Eddie Valiant : [singing] Now Roger is his name / Laughter is his game / C'mon you dope, untie his rope / And watch him go insane.
[He starts dancing and tumbling around, as the weasels laugh]
| Jessica Rabbit |
What boxer, nicknamed Boom Boom, faced off against Duk Koo Kim in 1982, earning the TKO in the 14th round, and it ended with Kim lapsing into a coma before dying 4 days later? | Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Quotes - IMDb
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Quotes
Showing all 149 items
Jessica Rabbit : You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do.
Eddie Valiant : You don't know how hard it is being a man looking at a woman looking the way you do.
Jessica Rabbit : I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.
[Judge Doom about to "dip" Roger]
Eddie Valiant : Hey, Judge. Doesn't a dying rabbit deserve a last request?
Roger Rabbit : Yeah, nose plugs would be nice.
Eddie Valiant : I think you want a drink. So, how about it, Judge?
Judge Doom : Well, why not? I don't mind prolonging the execution.
Eddie Valiant : Drink the drink.
Roger Rabbit : But I don't want the drink.
Judge Doom : He doesn't want the drink.
Roger Rabbit : [taking drink] Listen, when I say I do, that means I do.
[Roger smokes up, releasing him self from Judge Doom, and Eddie takes out the Weasels]
Eddie Valiant : You crazy rabbit! I'm out there risking my neck for you, and what are you doing? Singing and dancing!
Roger Rabbit : But I'm a toon. Toons are supposed to make people laugh.
Eddie Valiant : Sit down!
Roger Rabbit : You don't understand. Those people needed to laugh.
Eddie Valiant : Then when they're done laughing, they'll call the cops. That guy Angelo would rat on you for a nickel.
Roger Rabbit : Not Angelo. He'd never turn me in.
Eddie Valiant : Why? Because you made him laugh?
Roger Rabbit : That's right! A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have.
Jessica Rabbit : Roger, darling!
Roger Rabbit : That's right, my dear. I'd love to embrace you, but first, I have to satisfy my sense of moral outrage.
Judge Doom : Put that gun down, you buck-toothed fool!
Roger Rabbit : That's it, Doom. Give me another excuse to pump you full of lead. So you thought you could get away with it, didn't you? Ha! We toons may act idiotic, but we're not stupid. We demand justice. Why, the real meaning of the word probably hits you like a ton of bricks.
[a ton of bricks falls on Roger from above]
Jessica Rabbit : Roger! Roger, say something!
Roger Rabbit : [Stars circle around Roger's head] Look, stars! Ready when you are, Raoul.
Roger Rabbit : Yeah. Check the probate. Why, my Uncle Thumper had a problem with HIS probate, and he had to take these big pills, and drink lots of water.
Eddie Valiant : Not prostate, you idiot, PROBATE!
Judge Doom : Not just ANY Toon...
[Doom wobbles over to an oxygen tank, puts the valve in his mouth and turns it on. He inflates back to his old self. His hat flies off and his prosthetic eyeballs pop out. Then he turns menacingly to Eddie, his eyes glowing a grim Toon red. Eddie gasps in terror]
Judge Doom : [voice getting higher, until it reaches a high-pitched squeak] Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother, I talked... just... like... THIS!
[eyes pop out in the shape of daggers]
[the Toons gather around Judge Doom's remains]
Mickey Mouse : Gosh, I wonder who he really was?
Bugs Bunny : I'll tell you one thing, Doc. He weren't no rabbit.
Daffy Duck : Or a duck.
Goofy : Or a dog.
Woody Woodpecker : Or a woodpecker.
Sylvester : Or a pussy.
Eddie Valiant : Anybody know you're here?
Roger Rabbit : Nobody. Not a soul, except, uh...
Eddie Valiant : Who?
Roger Rabbit : Well, you see, I didn't know where your office was. So I asked the newsboy. He didn't know. So I asked the fireman, the green grocerer, the butcher, the baker, they didn't know! But the liquor store guy... he knew.
Eddie Valiant : [Grabs Roger and sends him to the door] In other words, the whole town knows you're here! Get out!
Roger Rabbit : Gee, I don't know
[sees that they're heading for... ]
Mickey Mouse : Yeah. You could get killed. Heh, heh.
Eddie Valiant : You guys got a spare?
Bugs Bunny : [in a sing-song tone] Yeah, but I don't think you want it.
Eddie Valiant : I do, I do, give it to me!
Mickey Mouse : Gee, uh, better let him have it, Bugs.
Bugs Bunny : Okay, Doc. Whatever you say, here's the spare.
Eddie Valiant : Aw, no! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Mickey Mouse : Aw, poor fella. Ha ha.
Bugs Bunny : Yeah, ain't I a stinker?
Lena Hyena : [Eddie continues falling until Lena Hyena catches him before he hits the ground] My man!
[Gives him a stretching kiss, Eddie tumbles backwards away from her a long way]
Lena Hyena : Come to Lena!
Eddie Valiant : [Starts running towards him, Eddie rips part of a street line and moves it toward a wall which she runs straight into] Toons. Gets 'em every time.
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[first lines]
Mrs. Herman : Mommy's going to the beauty parlor, darling, but I'm leaving you with your favorite friend, Roger. He's going to take very, very good care of you, because if he doesn't... HE'S GOING BACK TO THE SCIENCE LAB.
Eddie Valiant : She's married to Roger Rabbit?
Betty Boop : Yeah. What a lucky girl.
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Roger Rabbit : [as Eddie's attempting to push him out of his office] P-p-please, Eddie! Don't throw me out. Don't you realize you're making a big mistake? I didn't kill anybody. I swear! The whole thing's a set up. A scam, a frame job. Ow! Eddie, I could never hurt anybody. Oow! My whole purpose in life is to make... people... laugh!
Judge Doom : Can you guess what this is?
[Turns tap handle, Dip pours out onto a silver plate]
Jessica Rabbit : Oh my God, it's DIP!
Judge Doom : That's right, my dear! Enough to dip Toon Town off the face of the earth!
[Removes the curtain, revealing a vehicle that contains a tonne of dip stored]
Judge Doom : Vehicle of my own design; 5,000 gallons of heated dip, pumped at enormous velocity through a pressurized water cannon. Toon Town will be erased in a matter of minutes.
[Eddie is hiding Roger in his jacket]
Dolores : Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Eddie Valiant : I'm through with taking falls / And bouncing off the walls / Without that gun, I'd have some fun / I'd kick you in the...
[bottle falls on his head]
Eddie Valiant : No, but this does.
[kicks Smartass in the crotch, propelling him into a vat of Dip]
Roger Rabbit : What could have possibly happen to you to turn you into such a sourpuss?
Eddie Valiant : You really want to know? I'll tell you. A toon killed my brother.
Roger Rabbit : A toon? No!
Eddie Valiant : Yes, a toon. We were investigating a robbery at the First National Bank of Toontown. Back in those days, me and Teddy liked working Toontown, thought it was a lot of laughs. Anyway, this guy got away with a zillion simoleons. We trailed him to a little dive down on Yukster Street. We went in. Only he got the drop on us, literally. Dropped a piano on us from fifteen stories. Broke my arm, Teddy never made it. I never did find out who that guy was. All I remember was him standing over me laughing, with those burning red eyes, and that high, squeaky voice. He disappeared into Toontown after that.
Judge Doom : [Explaining his plan to wipe out Toon Town] A few weeks ago I had the good providence to stumble upon a plan of the city council. A construction plan of epic proportions. We're calling it a freeway.
Eddie Valiant : Freeway? What the hell's a freeway?
Judge Doom : Eight lanes of shimmering cement running from here to Pasadena. Smooth, safe, fast. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past.
Raoul J. Raoul : Cut! Cut, cut, cut, cut, CUT!
Baby Herman : What the hell was wrong with THAT take?
Raoul J. Raoul : Nothing with you, Baby Herman. You were great. You were perfect. You were BETTER than perfect! It's Roger, he keeps BLOWING HIS LINES! Roger, what is this?
Roger Rabbit : A tweeting bird.
Raoul J. Raoul : "A tweeting bird." Roger, read this script. Look what it says. It says, "Rabbit gets klunked, rabbit sees STARS." Not birds, STARS!
Judge Doom : [Tapping his cane against the wall] Shave, and a haircut...
[Roger crashes through the wall]
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[last lines]
Porky Pig : All right. M-m-m-ove along now. Th-th-there's nothing left to see here. That's all folks. Mmm, I like the sound of that.
Porky Pig : [turns to audience; iris closes in on Porky and "Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" plays on soundtrack]
Eddie Valiant : [Roger managed to slip his arm out of the Handcuffs he and Eddie were attached to] You mean you could've taken your hand out of that cuff at any time?
Roger Rabbit : No, not at any time, only when it was funny.
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Eddie Valiant : So that's why you killed Acme and Maroon? For this freeway? I don't get it.
Judge Doom : Of course not. You lack vision, but I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on all day, all night. Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful.
Angelo : So who's your client, Mr. Detective-to-the-Stars? Chilly Willy? Or Screwy Squirrel?
Dolores : What'll it be?
Angelo : I'll have a beer, doll. So what happened, huh? Somebody kidnapped Dinky Doodle?
Dolores : Cut it out, Angelo.
Angelo : No, wait a minute, wait a minute, I've got it. You're working for Little Bo Peep. She's lost her sheep, and you're gonna help her find them, huh?
[Angelo laughs. Eddie kicks Angelo's seat out from under him and grabs him by the neck]
Eddie Valiant : Get this straight, meatball. I... don't... work... for toons.
[Eddie stuff a hard-boiled egg in Angelo's mouth and storms off]
Angelo : [spits out the egg] So, what's his problem?
Dolores : A toon killed his brother
Angelo : Hey, I seen a rabbit.
[Roger gasps]
Angelo : He's right here in the bar.
[puts his arm around Harvey the Invisible Rabbit]
Angelo : Say hello... Harvey.
Eddie Valiant : What's that?
Lt. Santino : Remember how they always thought there wasn't a way to kill a toon? Well, Doom found a way. Turpentine, acetone, benzene. He calls it "The Dip."
Judge Doom : I'll catch the rabbit, Mr. Valiant. And I'll try him, convict him, and execute him.
[dips shoe in poison, and cremation smoke starts sizzling out]
Eddie Valiant : Geez.
Greasy : [laughs] That's one dead shoe, eh, boss?
Judge Doom : They're not kid gloves, Mr. Valiant. This is how we handle things down in Toontown. I would think you of all people would appreciate that.
Eddie Valiant : What's up, Doc?
R.K. Maroon : Valiant, are you trying to give me a heart attack?
Eddie Valiant : You need a heart, before you can have an attack.
R.K. Maroon : Yeah, yeah. You got the will?
Eddie Valiant : Sure. I got the will. Question is, do you have the way? I can tell you now it ain't gonna come cheap.
Daffy Duck : I've worked with a lot of withe-quackerth, but you are dethpicable
Donald F. Duck : Doggone stubborn little- That did it! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Daffy Duck : Thith ith the latht time I work with thomeone with a th-peech impediment.
[Bongo catches Eddie spying on Jessica]
Bongo : What do you think you're doing, chump?
Eddie Valiant : Who are you callin' a chump, chimp?
[Picks up Eddie and carries him to the backstage door]
Bongo : Don't let me catch your peepin' face around here again. Got it? GRR!
[Slams door]
Eddie Valiant : Dolores, you need to find yourself a good man.
Dolores : But I already have a good man.
[they are about to kiss when Roger sighs - they turn to him]
Roger Rabbit : Jeepers, Eddie. That was swell. You saved my life. How can I ever repay ya?
[kisses Eddie, Eddie pulls away]
Eddie Valiant : For starters, don't ever kiss me again.
Roger Rabbit : P-p-please, Raoul. I can give you stars. Just drop the refrigerator on my head one more time!
Raoul J. Raoul : Roger, I've dropped it on your head 23 times already.
Roger Rabbit : I can take it, don't worry about me.
Raoul J. Raoul : I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about the REFRIDGERATOR!
Roger Rabbit : But I can give you stars, Look!
[Raoul storms out, not payimg any attention to Roger slapping a Frying Pan on his head]
Eddie Valiant : A ladies' man, eh?
Baby Herman : The problem is I got a fifty year old lust and a three year old dinky. Look, Valiant, the rabbit didn't kill Acme. He's not a murderer, I should know, he's a dear friend of mine. I tell ya Valiant, the whole thing stinks like yesterday's diapers. Look at this. The papers said Acme left no will.
[Tosses Eddie a Newspaper which shows Marvin Acme with a will in the pocket of his shirt]
Baby Herman : That's a load of succotash. Any toon knows Acme had a will. He promised to leave Toontown to us toons. That will is the real reason he got bumped off.
Eddie Valiant : Has anyone ever seen this will?
Baby Herman : Ah, no. But he gave us his solemn oath.
Eddie Valiant : If you think that guy could do anything solemn, the gag's on you, pal.
Baby Herman : I just thought that since you were the one who got my pal in trouble, you might wanna help get him out. I can pay ya.
Eddie Valiant : [angry] Save your money for a pair of elevator shoes!
[pushes stroller]
Baby Herman : Hey hey hay, Valiant, wait!
[cigar falls to floor as stroller hits woman]
Marvin Acme : It's a panic!
Eddie Valiant : [grabs Acme by the lapels] You won't think it's funny when I stick that pen up your nose!
Marvin Acme : Now, calm down, son, will ya? Look, the stain is gone. It's disappearing ink.
[the stain fades away]
Marvin Acme : No hard feelings, I hope. Listen, I'm...
Eddie Valiant : I know who you are. Marvin Acme, The guy that owns Toontown, the Gag King.
Marvin Acme : If it's Acme, it's a gasser. Put 'er there, pal.
[shakes hands with Eddie, who feels a shock]
Marvin Acme : The hand buzzer. Still our biggest seller.
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R.K. Maroon : [Eddie has him with his tie caught in the Movieola, and is threathening to strangle him unless he tells him about Cloverleaf's involvement in the Acme murder] Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! The truth is, I had a chance to sell my studio. But Cloverleaf wouldn't buy my property unless Acme sold them his. The stubborn bastard wouldn't sell, so I was going to blackmail him with pictures of him and the rabbit's wife. Blackmail, that's all! I've been around toons all my life! I didn't want to see them destroyed!
Eddie Valiant : Toons destroyed? Why?
R.K. Maroon : If I tell you, I'm a dead man.
Eddie Valiant : You're a dead man if you don't tell me.
R.K. Maroon : Unless Acme's will shows by midnight tonight, Toontown's gonna be land for the free...
[is shot in the back by someone outside the window]
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Roger Rabbit : When you called Maroon, you told him you had the will, but you don't. When he finds out, he's gonna be mad! He might try to kill ya.
Eddie Valiant : I can handle a Hollywood cream puff. I just don't want the odds to change. You cover my back. If you hear or see anything, beep the horn twice.
[Eddie goes into Maroon's office]
Roger Rabbit : Yeah, that's it, beep the horn twice. Cover your back. Boy, I'm ready: dukes up, eyes peeled, ears to the ground. Why, nobody gets the drop on Roger Rabbit!
[a frying pan is held above his head from behind; it slams down on his head, knocking the rabbit out cold, after which the assailant drags Roger around behind the wall]
Judge Doom : Then frisk the woman.
Greasy : *I'll* handle this one...
[He puts his hand down her dress and feels around for a beat before screaming in pain and removing his hand which has been caught by a bear trap]
Eddie Valiant : [to Jessica] Nice booby trap.
[the weasels all laugh at Greasy's misfortune, but Doom glares at them and they stop]
Judge Doom : Do they have the will or not?
Smart Ass : Nah, just a stupid love letter.
Judge Doom : No matter. I doubt that will is going to show up in the next fifteen minutes anyway.
Eddie Valiant : What happens in the next fifteen minutes?
Judge Doom : Toontown will be legally mine, lock, stock and barrel.
| i don't know |
I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing was the advertising slogan for what company? | 11 Advertising Slogans That Became Catch-Phrases | Mental Floss
11 Advertising Slogans That Became Catch-Phrases
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Back in the days when there were only three TV channels to choose from and no way to fast-forward through the commercials, advertising slogans stuck with us and were regularly repeated in daily conversation (just like those mad men on Madison Avenue hoped). Today’s rapid-fire special effects-laden spots don’t seem to have the memorability factor of yesteryear’s Clio winners. See how many of these phrases you’ve uttered yourself, even when you no longer remembered the context or product.
1. Try It! You’ll Like It!
This 1971 Alka-Seltzer was one of the first created by the then-new Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency. The tag phrase soon took on a life of its own (how many mothers used it to convince their picky eaters to eat their broccoli?) and helped to get the commercial elected to the Clio Awards Classic Hall of Fame.
2. I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing
A year after their “Try it, you’ll like it” triumph, Wells, Rich, Greene came up with another memorable phrase to promote Alka-Seltzer: “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” The line, moaned in the TV spot by poor, miserable Ralph to his sleepy wife, came to copywriter Howie Cohen after overindulging at a dinner party.
3. Ancient Chinese Secret
Many folks remember the tag line but not the product from this long-running ad that debuted in 1972. The “secret” being hawked was Calgon, a water softening powder that allegedly helped get laundry 30 percent whiter when added to your regular detergent.
4. Calgon, Take Me Away!
Softer bath water apparently was the key to washing away the daily stress of traffic, screaming kids, barking dogs, and cranky husbands. The original Calgon bath powder was just a slightly different version of the softening agent sold for laundry use (the product name is a portmanteau of Calcium Gone), but later the line was expanded to include foaming milk baths and scented salts.
5. You’re Soaking In It
“Dishpan hands” were the bane of every homemaker’s life before automatic dishwashers became standard kitchen equipment (according to the 2010 Census, 65 percent of American kitchens were equipped with a dishwasher). Rubber gloves provide a solid protective barrier between hot water, detergent, and human flesh, but apparently that was just too utilitarian a solution for the manufacturers of dishwashing liquid. Many brands, such as Vel and Ivory Liquid, boasted that their lack of “harsh chemicals” was gentler on hands than other soaps, but Palmolive took it a step further and positioned their dish soap on the same level as pricey moisturizers. Take it from Madge, the all-knowing manicurist: That pretty green stuff softens your hands while you scrub pots and pans.
6. Don’t Leave Home Without It
This catchy phrase was coined in 1975 by the Ogilvy and Mather agency as “Don’t leave home without them.” “Them,” in this case, referred to American Express Traveler’s Checks, and the somber warning was delivered by actor Karl Malden, who was co-starring as a hard-boiled homicide detective on The Streets of San Francisco at the time. Eventually American Express altered the phrase to promote their credit card (using the successful “Do you know me?” campaign).
7. It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature
Stuffing or potatoes? Tastes great/less filling? When it comes to culinary feuds, one of the longest-running and still enduring has to be butter versus margarine. Today, the argument mainly breaks down into a nutritional trans-fat, polyunsaturated technical-type debate. But back in the early 1970s, consumers cared more that their margarine-of-choice tasted like the butter it was 33 percent less expensive than.
8. How Do You Spell Relief?
This tag line was a gold mine for stand-up comedians of the era, who spelled relief from L-I-Q-U-O-R to things we can’t mention here. However, the “relief” sought in this case was for acid indigestion, and Rolaids was the remedy. The minty antacids lost a lot of market share after H2 blockers (such as Pepcid AC) began selling over the counter, so the company recently resurrected their catchiest slogan in a series of commercials featuring Food Network chef Guy Fieri.
9. Does She or Doesn’t She?
This somewhat titillating tease was used for years to sell Miss Clairol hair coloring. (The answer, by the way, was “Only her hairdresser knows for sure.”) It was preferable that laymen (and catty girlfriends) could not tell at a glance that you were touching up the ol’ grey a bit via artificial means.
10. Where’s The Beef?
Retired manicurist-turned-character actress Clara Peller was hard of hearing, which is why she happened to bellow her famous line like a foghorn. A year after filming her first Wendy’s commercial, Peller filmed an ad for Prego pasta sauce, wherein she announced she’d “finally found it” (i.e. the beef). The hamburger chain terminated her contract, leaving Peller (who apparently didn’t thoroughly understand the “non compete” clause she’d signed) to gripe, “I’ve made them millions, and they don’t appreciate me.”
11. Often a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride
The phrase that has entered the lexicon to describe someone who is a perpetual also-ran was actually coined back in 1925 to sell Listerine Mouthwash. There’s an important lesson here: Having camel breath might prevent you from landing a husband, but it won’t prevent your newly-engaged friends from asking you to spend hundreds of dollars on a pink polyester puffy-sleeved dress you’ll only wear once.
| Alka-Seltzer |
Useful while pondering the intricacies of a case, what musical instrument is Sherlock Holmes known to play? | Try It; You Liked It Once, and Alka-Seltzer Hopes You Do Again - The New York Times
The New York Times
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The original commercial, left, and the remake with Kathy Griffin, reviving the catch phrase, "Try it, you'll like it."
THE comedian Kathy Griffin is perhaps best known for her self-mocking reality series "My Life on the D-List." Now, an advertiser is promoting her to the A-list — but as she might be quick to point out, the "A" stands for that most prestigious and glamorous of brands, Alka-Seltzer.
Ms. Griffin appears in a remake of one of Madison Avenue's most popular commercials, a humorous 1971 spot for Alka-Seltzer known as "Try it, you'll like it." The re-created commercial is to begin running today on television as well as on the brand's Web site ( alka-seltzer.com ), where it will be accompanied by features like a "blooper reel" of outtakes.
The new version, by BBDO Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group, is faithful to its predecessor save for some updating. For example, the no-nonsense steakhouse of the original has been supplanted by a chic restaurant.
Unchanged is the line "Try it, you'll like it," still recalled fondly by consumers of a certain age, which became a catch phrase in the same way that "Where's the beef?" did a decade later. Ms. Griffin repeats the phrase often and enthusiastically.
Now, as then, "Try it, you'll like it" is the advice that a well-meaning waiter gives an unfortunate customer who soon urgently needs a certain brand of effervescent tablets.
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The original commercial was among a skein of imaginative spots produced for Alka-Seltzer in the 1960's and 1970's by three New York agencies: Jack Tinker & Partners, Doyle Dane Bernbach and Wells Rich Greene.
•
Other commercials in the series recounted the consequences of a bride’s disastrous first meal, offered a spirited debate between a man and his stomach, parodied a 1930’s gangster movie and presented a peek behind the scenes at a pieeating contest.
“Alka-Seltzer has some of the most familiar advertising in television history,” said Jay Kolpon, vice president for marketing and new business at the Bayer Consumer Care division of Bayer in Morristown, N.J.
“When you have a library like ours to choose from and a brand that’s still relevant, you’re lucky,” he added.
This is the second time that Bayer Consumer Care and BBDO New York have revived a vintage commercial created by Wells Rich Greene. In December, two cast members of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, appeared in a remake of the 1972 Alka- Seltzer spot known as “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”
The first remake was inspired by the 75th anniversary of the Alka-Seltzer brand, which is being commemorated throughout the year with commercials, a retrospective on the Web site, promotions and nostalgic packaging. The heritage pitch was underlined by a theme, “A rich history of relief,” which returns in the spot featuring Ms. Griffin.
Mr. Kolpon said in December that the sales results for “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” would determine if a second remake would be in order. Last week, he said, “It turned out to be a big success.”
“Alka-Seltzer has been a nice but flat business,” Mr. Kolpon said. “After we brought back ‘I can’t believe I ate the whole thing,’ consumption was up about 12 percent versus the four months before we started the retro advertising.”
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The revived commercials are part of ambitious efforts by Bayer to sponsor campaigns that are more creative than is typical for prosaic products like over-thecounter remedies.
Another example is a campaign, also by BBDO New York, for the Aleve analgesic brand. There were 31 commercials — one for each day in May — each featuring a different consumer.
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“So many new products have hit the market that it’s a challenge to keep Alka- Seltzer in the spotlight,” said Ed Maslow, senior vice president and senior creative director at BBDO New York.
“We saw this as an opportunity we didn’t want to lose,” he added.
In reviving both commercials, Mr. Maslow said, the agency and Bayer Consumer Care wanted to make sure they were “making the brand relevant” to consumers too young to recall the original versions as well as pleasing consumers who bought Alka-Seltzer in the 70’s.
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One way to broaden the audience was to cast contemporary comedians like Ms. Griffin in the remade spots. The original commercials used journeymen actors rather than stars.
“We have the retro message for the older consumer and the celebrity to appeal to today’s consumer,” Mr. Kolpon said. “We think we have the best of both.”
Another way to make the commercials more contemporary is to update the references to why consumers take Alka-Seltzer. In the original spots, Alka-Seltzer was presented as a remedy for ailments like acid indigestion and headache. In the new versions, the brand becomes relief for overindulgence.
In the 1971 version of “Try it, you’ll like it,” this is what the actor in the steakhouse says: “Came to this little place. Waiter says, ‘Try this, you’ll like it.’ What’s this? ‘Try it, you’ll like it.’ But what is it? ‘Try it, you’ll like it.’ So I tried it. Thought I was going to die. Took two Alka-Seltzer.” The actor concludes the spot by declaring: “Alka-Seltzer works. Try it, you’ll like it.”
By comparison, here is the dialogue that Ms. Griffin delivers: “So get this. We try this new little place. Say to the waiter, ‘Surprise us.’ He brings this huge platter of food. Says, ‘Try it, you’ll like it.’ I don’t know what it is. ‘Try it, you’ll like it.’ I don’t even recognize it. ‘Just try it, you’ll like it.’ ”
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“So I did more than that; I ate it all,” Ms. Griffin continues. “I thought I was going to die. So I took Alka-Seltzer.”
The new version reiterates the overindulgence idea at the end as a waiter arrives with enough full plates to cover Ms. Griffin’s table. “What?” she says. “I skipped breakfast.”
The commercials from the 60’s and 70’s were ranked No. 13 on a list of the top 100 campaigns of the 20th century compiled by the trade publication Advertising Age. That status was daunting, Mr. Maslow said.
“It is both a risky thing and a joyous opportunity to do something like this,” he said. “You want to be respectful and not destroy what’s wonderful about these special spots, yet also take them to a place that’s relevant for today.”
Mr. Maslow and Mr. Kolpon said that sales results would again be studied before a decision was made on whether to produce another remake.
If another revival is approved, Mr. Maslow said, he would like to remake a 1970 commercial by Doyle Dane Bernbach. It was about the hilariously problematic filming of a make-believe commercial for an imaginary product, Mama Magadini’s Spicy Meatballs.
A line from that spot, too, became a catch phrase of the era: “Mama mia! That’s a spicy meatball!”
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page C8 of the New York edition. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe
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Dogs have sweat glands in their nose and where else? | Why do dogs have no sweat glands? Are there any advantages for not having sweat glands but cooling through panting? - Quora
Quora
Adriana Heguy , biologist, animal lover
The point is not whether it is beneficial not to have sweat glands but why they don't have them yet. Actually, dogs DO have sweat glands under their feet and some glands that can secrete an oily predecessor to actual sweat.
There are a number of problems with sweating and pelt. You may know that wolves, who are the root of all dogness, hunt in summer and winter. They are active in moderate and cold regions and just imagine a wolf sweating during a hunt in winter. All the sweat would make their pelt wet and destroy its insulating properties.
For all we know sweating has been an evolutionary response to life in a shadeless environment. Take us for an example: Humans have lived in the savannah and there's very little shade available, especially when traveling over the great plains. The only way one can travel such lands is by means of self-refrigeration. Self-refrigeration mechanics work without the windchill effect as long as the external temperatures are somewhat lower than the body temperature of an animal, then, just having large contact areas works good enough, but at 35°C+ it's hard without evaporation doing its part.
Now, considering the dog's natural habitat - there hasn't been any major evolutionary driver to shed their pelts in favor of sweating.
Written Jul 29, 2014
Sweating is all about cooling. When you have a nice, large, relatively hairless surface area, such as in a human, sweating works really well, because the evaporation of sweat transfers heat away from the surface. It also takes some electrolytes with it, to help maintain osmotic homeostasis (ratio of solute to water) inside the body. So if you're mostly exposed to high temperatures and/or direct sunlight, this is a good way to go.
A dog's hair (it's technically hair, not fur) coat is designed to maintain core temperature across a broad range of external environments. It helps keep the dog warm in the winter and blocks some of the radiation heat of the sun in the summer. Once the environment exceeds a certain temperature, though, that's not enough, and so the dog will pant and use the inside of its mouth and respiratory tract to get the benefit of evaporative cooling.
Also, it's a myth that dogs don't sweat. They sweat through their paw pads when stressed, just like us.
| Paw |
Today is Veterans Day. It was originally begun to honor veterans of which war? | Do Dogs Sweat? - DogHealth.com
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A dog's body temperature is controlled by her brain. When there are increases in outside temperatures or a dog is excited, stressed, or has been exercising, her body gets a signal from her brain to lose the extra body heat. In humans, this usually results in sweating.
Dogs do have some sweat glands, but they are much fewer than in humans and their skin is covered in fur, so this minimizes the amount of cooling the sweat can provide.
The most sweat glands in a dog are around her paw pads. You may see damp footprints from your dog walking on a hard surface in the summertime.
Panting is the most efficient way dogs have to cool themselves. It works by allowing heat from the hottest part of the body, the inner thorax, to escape through moisture produced by the mucous membranes of the tongue, mouth, and throat. The dog exhales the moist air, and the process of evaporation cools the dog.
Dilated blood vessels in the skin of the face and ears can also help a dog to cool down by bringing warm blood closer to the body's surface.
If these processes cannot be performed or the body is overwhelmed and cannot cool itself enough, heat stroke and death may occur.
What Can Make A Dog Too Hot?
True fever
Being trapped in a car or home that's too hot
Lack of water or other means to cool off
Lack of shade in warm weather
Does My Dog Have a Fever or Is She Just Hot?
A temperature consistently over 102.8˚ F is cause for concern in dogs. Signs of fever include reluctance to move, increased frequency of breathing, depression, anorexia, and lethargy or listlessness.
Hyperthermia is simply an increase in body temperature. This may be due to outside temperatures, excitement, exercise or other causes and is not a true fever.
If you are unsure whether your dog actually has a fever, rest her for 20 minutes, then check the rectal temperature again. If your dog is acting normal other than panting and having an increased temperature, chances are it is hyperthermia rather than a true fever.
What Increases Heat Stroke Risk in Dogs?
Heart or lung disease
Heavy fur such as in sheepdogs
Why Does My Dog Have an Increased Temperature?
As discussed above, body temperature may be increased due to many things. Fever increases the body's set temperature point (the normal temperature range of 100-102.5° F) to assist the immune system by activating immune cells to attack the foreign invader, such as a bacterial infection. With increased environmental temperatures and other causes of hyperthermia, the body's set temperature point is not increased. 1 The body temperature is temporarily increased but can cool off over a short period of time as long as cooling mechanisms are not overwhelmed by too much intense heat.
Emergency Measures for Heat Stroke in Dogs
If your dog seems to be overheated or is not acting normal, contact your veterinarian immediately. Heat stroke is possible in dogs and can be lethal. Organ failure, brain swelling, blood clotting disorders, or death may occur with heat stroke. For a very hot dog, applying cool water to the groin, armpits, and the front of the neck will cool her down. Provide fresh water to drink, and contact your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may give IV fluids and hospitalize your dog for additional treatments and monitoring.
Common sense and thinking ahead will allow you to avoid serious complications from overheating in your dog. Remember, if you are hot, your dog is hot. Dogs are not people—they have their own unique ways of staying cool.
Should you shave your dog in the summer to keep her cool? Take a look at this interesting article to find out.
Resource:
William R. Fenner, Quick Reference to Veterinary Medicine (Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000), 60.
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What is the horse race betting term for picking the first and second place finishers in a race in the correct order? | Betting Types and Terms for Horse Racing
IN THE MONEY : Finishing first, second or third.
INQUIRY : Reviewing the race to check into a possible infraction of the rules. Also, a sign flashed by officials on tote board on such occasions.
LOCK : Slang for a "sure thing" winner.
MINUS POOL : A mutuel pool caused when one horse is so heavily played that, after deductions of state tax and commission, there is not enough money left to pay the legally prescribed minimum on each winning bet. The racing association has to make up the difference to pay the minimums.
OBJECTION : Claim of foul lodged by rider, patrol judge or other official. If lodged by official, it is called an inquiry.
ODDS-ON : Odds of less than even money. In England it is simply called "on," thus a horse "5-4 on" is actually at odds of 4-5.
OFFICIAL : Sign displayed when result is confirmed. Also racing official.
OVERLAY : A horse going off at a higher price than he appears to warrant based on his past performances.
PARLAY : Using the winnings from one bet to place the next bet.
PHOTO FINISH : A result so close it is necessary to use a finish-line camera to determine order of finish. It is worth noting that the finish line is located at the mirror, not the large decorative white post in its vicinity.
PICK THREE (or more) : A type of wager in which the winners of all the included races must be selected. Generally the pick 3-5 bets always pay out the entire pool minus takeout, while the Pick 6 (and its variant the Rainbow 6) involve consolation payouts and carryovers, much like state lotteries.
PLACE : Second position at finish.
PLACE BET : Wager on a horse to finish first or second.
QUINELLA : Wager in which first two finishers must be picked, but payoff is made no matter which of the two wins and which runs second. Some tracks use the Spanish spelling "Quiniela". Not offered at many tracks as the exacta box makes it redundant.
SHOW : Third position at the finish.
SHOW BET : Wager on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
STRAIGHT : Betting to win only.
SUPERFECTA : A wager where you have to pick the first four finishers, representing separate betting interests, in exact order.
TAKE (or TAKEOUT) : Commission deducted from mutuel pools which s shared by the track and local and state governing bodies in the form of tax.
TOUT : Person who professes to have, and sells, advance information on a race.
TRIFECTA (or TRIPLE) : A wager picking the first three finishers, representing separate betting interests, in exact order. Canadian tracks use the term "triactor".
UNDERLAY : A horse racing at longer odds than he should.
WIN : Cross the finish line first.
WIN BET : Wager on a horse to finish first.
| Parimutuel betting |
Known mostly for his invention of the mobile, what American artist, born in 1898, has an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum through April, 2010? | Horseracing Dictionary
Horseracing Dictionary
A
Age - Every horse shares a "birthday" of January first. A horse becomes one year old on the first of January after he or she is born, and turns two, one year later - regardless of the actual date of his or her birth.
Allowance Race - A race other than claiming for which the racing secretary drafts certain conditions to determine weights.
B
Blanket Finish - Or photo-finish in which two or more horses are very close at the finish line (one can "throw a blanket over them"). Very common in American Quarter Horse racing.
Break - When a horse gallops, instead of trotting or pacing, it's on a break. The driver must get the horse out of the way of the others, must not improve his position, and must attempt to get the horse back on its proper gait. A horse is not automatically disqualified by making a break.
Bullring - A racetrack with either a half-mile or 5/8ths mile oval.
C
Claiming Race - Race in which horses are entered subject to claim for a specified price.
Colt - A male horse, age three or under.
D
Daily Double - A type of wager calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races, usually the first and second.
Dead Heat - A tie. Two or more horses finishing equal in a race.
Derby - A stakes event for three-year-olds.
Dividend - The amount that a winning or placed horse returns for every $1 that was bet.
Double Quinella - A wager type that requires the selection of the first two finishers, regardless of order, in each of the two specified contests. This wager type is also known as quinella double.
E
Entry - A horse entered in a race is called an entry. On rare occasions, two or more horses are said to be coupled and run as an entry, comprising a single wagering unit. A wager on one horse of an entry is a wager on both.
Exacta - A wager that picks the first two finishers in a race in the exact order of finish. Also referred to as Perfecta.
Exacta Box - A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are covered.
Exotic - Any wager other than win, place or show.
Exposure - The amount of money one actually stands to lose on a game or race.
Extended - Forced to run at top speed.
F
Filly - A female horse, age three or under.
First-Over - A horse racing on the outside without another horse directly in front of him or her. A foreshortening of the phrase first overland.
Foal - A newly-born horse. (Noun) The act of giving birth. (Verb)
Furlong - One-eighth of a mile or 220 yards. Races are measured in furlongs.
G
Gelding - A castrated animal.
Going - The condition of the racecourse (firm, heavy, soft, etc.). Official Jockey Club going reports progress as follows: Heavy - soft - good to soft - good - good to firm - firm.
Green Horse - A horse that has not raced, or has raced only a few times.
H
Handicap - A race for which a handicapper assigns weights to be carried. Also, to handicap a race, to make selections on the basis of the past performances.
Hand - Four inches. A horse's height is measured in hands and inches from the top of the shoulder (withers) to the ground, e.g., 15.2 hands is 15 hands, 2 inches. Thoroughbreds typically range from 15 to 17 hands.
Horse - A male horse, age four and up.
I
Inquiry - Reviewing the race to check into a possible infraction of the rules. Also, a sign flashed by officials on the tote board on such occasions. If lodged by a jockey, it is called an objection.
In the Money - Describes the horses in a race that finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd (and sometimes 4th) or the horses on which money will be paid to bettors, depending on the place terms.
J
Judge - The official who declares the placing for each race.
Juvenile - A two-year-old horse.
L
Length - A measurement approximating the length of a horse from nose to tail, about 8 feet, used to denote distance between horses in a race.
Long Odds - Odds which are greater than 10:1.
M
Maiden - A horse (male or female) who has never won a racing purse.
Mare - A female horse, age four and up.
Matinee - A program of racing conducted during the daylight hours.
Morning Line - Approximate odds printed in the program and posted before wagering begins. This is a forecast of how the morning line maker believes wagering will occur in a particular race.
N
Neck - Unit of measurement about the length of a horse's neck.
Nose - Smallest advantage a horse can win by.
O
Objection - Claim of foul lodged by rider, patrol judge, or other official after the running of a race. If lodged by an official, it is called an inquiry.
Odds - The sportsbook's or bookmaker's view of the chance of a competitor winning (adjusted to include a profit). The figure or fraction by which a bookmaker or totalisator offers to multiply a bettor's stake, which the bettor is entitled to receive (plus his or her own stake) if their selection wins.
Odds Against - A term to describe that the odds are greater than evens (e.g. 5 to 2), when the bookmaker's or totalisator's stake is greater than the bettor's stake. For example, a horse that is quoted at 4:1 would be odds against, because if it wins a race, the bookmaker or totalisator returns $4 for every dollar a bettor places on that horse, plus his or her original outlay.
Odds Compiler - See Oddsmaker.
Oddsmaker - A person who sets the betting odds. Note that sportsbooks or bookies don't set the odds. Most major sportsbooks use odds set by Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Odds-on - Odds of less than even money. This is a bet where you have to outlay more than you win. For example if a horse is two to one odds-on, you have to outlay two dollars to win one dollar and if the horse wins you collect a total of three dollars (the two dollars you bet and the one dollar you won).
Official - The sign displayed when result is confirmed. Also a racing official.
Off-Track Betting - Wagering at legalized betting outlets.
On the Board - Finishing among the first three.
On the Nose - Betting a horse to win only.
Outlay - The money a bettor wagers is called his or her outlay.
Out of the Money - A horse that finishes worse than third.
Outsider - A horse that is not expected to win. An outsider is usually quoted at the highest odds.
Overbroke - Where the book results in a loss for the bookmaker.
Overlay - A horse going off at higher odds than it appears to warrant, based on its past performances.
Overnight Race - A race in which entries close a specific number of hours before running (such as 48 hours), as opposed to a stakes race for which nominations close weeks and sometimes months in advance.
Over the Top - When a horse is considered to have reached its peak for that season.
Overweight - Surplus weight carried by a horse when the rider cannot make the assigned weight.
P
Parked-out - A horse racing on the outside with at least one horse between him and the inside rail or barrier.
Post position - A horse's position in the starting gate, numbered from the inner rail outward.
Purse - The amount of prize money distributed to the owners of the first five or six finishers in a race (varies by state).
Q
Qualifying Race - A race without a purse or betting used to determine a horse's ability and manners. Horses that have made repeated breaks in stride or have been away from the races for a long period of time must race in a qualifying race before being allowed to race in a betting race.
Quinella Double - A wager type that requires the selection of the first two finishers, regardless of order, in each of the two specified contests. This wager type is also known as double quinella.
R
Register of Merit - A Register of Merit is designed to establish a record of outstanding performance. There are three Registers of Merit- one for racing, one for halter and one for performance events- but not a separate Register of Merit for each performance event. A horse has received at least one official speed index rating of 80 or higher in racing. Qualified horses registered with the Jockey Club of New York City will be listed and treated as racing Register of Merit qualifiers for all purposes, except that they shall not receive a certificate of Register of Merit or year-end awards. Until 1956, a Grade A was a 75 or better speed index. From 1957 to 1975 Grade AA was an 85 or better. From 1976 to 1985 a Register of Merit could be earned by an 80 or better speed index, or by earning 10 racing points. From 1986 to present a Register of Merit could only be earned by a speed index of 80 or better.
S
Schooling Race - A non-pari-mutuel preparatory race, which conforms to requirements adopted by the state racing commission.
Scratch - A horse who is withdrawn before the race starts.
Sire - The male parent of a horse.
Speed Index - An evaluation of a horse's time in a race versus the three fastest winning times for the same distance for the previous year at the same racetrack.
Sprint - A race that is run over five-sixteenths of a mile, or a shorter distance.
Stakes Race - A race for a championship or for a purse larger than those offered for ordinary feature races.
Standardbred - The breed of horse used in harness racing, consisting of trotters and pacers. The term originates from the standard set in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders in America, whereby a horse had to trot a distance of one mile in not more than 2 minutes 30 seconds to qualify for registration in the new breed.
T
Tongue Strap - Strap or tape bandage used to tie down a horse's tongue to prevent choking in a race or workout.
Totalisator - The automated system of betting on races that dispenses and records betting tickets, calculates and displays odds and payoffs, and provides a mechanism for cashing winning tickets, in which the winning bettors share the total amount bet, minus a percentage for the operators of the system, taxes etc. Synonyms include Tote and Pari-mutuel.
Tote Board - The (usually) electronic totalizator display in the infield which reflects up-to-the-minute odds. It may also show the amounts wagered in each mutuel pool, as well as information such as jockey and equipment changes. Also referred to as the Board.
Tote Returns - Returns from a tote pool (also referred to as a Dividend), calculated by taking the total stake in each pool (after the take out) and dividing it by the number of winning tickets. A dividend is declared to a fixed stake, for various win, place and forecast pools.
Trial - A race in which eligible contestants compete to determine the finalists in a nomination race.
Trainer - The person responsible for keeping a race contestant in top racing condition. In Harness racing the trainer is often the driver.
U
Unbackable - A horse which is quoted at short odds that punters decide is too short to return any reasonable amount for the money they outlay.
Underlay - A horse racing at shorter odds than seems warranted by its past performances.
Under Starters Orders - The starting of a race (also referred to as Under Orders).
Under Wraps - A horse under stout restraint in a race or workout.
V
Value - Getting the best odds on a wager.
W
Wager - Another term for a bet.
Walkover - A race in which only one horse competes.
Warming Up - Galloping a horse on the way to post.
Weigh In/Out - The certification, by the clerk of scales, of a rider's weight before/after a race. A jockey weighs in fully dressed with all equipment except for his/her helmet, whip and (in many jurisdictions) flak jacket.
Weight-For-Age - A practice that allows horses of different age and sex to compete on equal terms. The weight a horse carries is allocated on a set scale according to its sex and age.
Wire - The finish line for a race.
Y
Yearling - A horse in its second calendar year of life, beginning January 1st of the year following its birth.
Yielding - Condition of a turf course with a great deal of moisture. Horses sink into it noticeably.
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What 1985 album, by the British rock group Dire Straits, was the first to sell a million copies in CD format? | Dire Straits - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music
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Dire Straits Biography (Wikipedia)
Dire Straits were a British rock band that formed in Deptford, London, in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, and blues, and came closest to beat music within the context of rock and roll. Despite the prominence of punk rock during the band's early years, their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk, demonstrating a more "rootsy" influence that emerged from pub rock. Many of Dire Straits' compositions were melancholic.
Dire Straits' biggest selling album, 1985's Brothers in Arms has sold over 30 million copies, and was the first album to sell a million copies on the then new compact disc (CD) format. They also became one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide record sales of over 100 million. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards—winning Best British Group twice, two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other music awards. The band's songs include "Money for Nothing", "Sultans of Swing", "So Far Away", "Walk of Life", "Brothers in Arms", "Private Investigations", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Telegraph Road", and "Lady Writer".
This entry is from Wikipedia , the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License . If you find the biography content factually incorrect or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia . Find out more about our use of this data.
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| Brothers in Arms |
Voiced by Phil Hartman, before his untimely death, Lionel Hutz is the hapless lawyer on what TV series? | Dire Straits - 1985 - Brothers In Arms [mp3@320] Torrent Download
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Art & Rip log included. All tracks are Properly tagged with art embedded in tag.
Dire Straits - 1985 - Brothers In Arms [mp3@320]
Dire Straits
Dire Straits in in Drammenshallen, Norway, 1985
The original Dire Straits line-up in Hamburg, Germany (1978) L to R: Illsley, Mark Knopfler, Withers, David Knopfler.
Dire Straits performing in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, (now Serbia) on 10 May 1985. L To R: Mark Knopfler, Clark, and Jack Sonni
Wikipedia:
Dire Straits were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, and blues, and came closest to beat music within the context of rock and roll. Despite the prominence of punk rock during the band's early years, the band's stripped-down sound contrasted with punk, demonstrating a more "rootsy" influence that emerged from pub rock. Many of Dire Straits' compositions were melancholic. Dire Straits' biggest selling album, Brothers in Arms, has sold over 30 million copies, and was the first album to sell a million copies on CD.
They also became one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of over 120 million. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards—winning Best British Group twice, two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other music awards. The band's songs include "Money for Nothing", "Sultans of Swing", "So Far Away", "Walk of Life", "Brothers in Arms", "Private Investigations", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", and "Telegraph Road".
According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart, ranking fifth all-time. Their career spanned a combined total of 15 years. They originally split up in 1988, but reformed in 1991, and disbanded for good in 1995 when Mark Knopfler launched his career full-time as a solo artist. There were several changes in personnel over both periods, leaving Mark Knopfler and John Illsley as the only two original bandmates who had remained throughout the band's career.
Brothers in Arms
Recorded: November 1984 – March 1985
Studio AIR Studios, Montserrat
Genre: Progressive Rock, Roots Rock, New Wave
Length: 55:07
Label: Vertigo Records (UK), Warner Bros. Records (US)
Producers: Neil Dorfsmanm Mark Knopfler
Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 13 May 1985 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Brothers in Arms charted at number one worldwide, spending ten weeks at number one on the UK Album Chart (between 18 January and 22 March 1986), nine weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and thirty-four weeks at number one on the Australian Album Chart. The album is the eighth-best-selling album in UK chart history, is certified nine-times platinum in the United States, and is one of the world's best-selling albums, having sold 30 million copies worldwide.
The album won two Grammy Awards in 1986, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards. Q magazine placed the album at number 51 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
01. So Far Away 5:12
02. Money for Nothing 8:26
03. Walk of Life 4:12
04. Your Latest Trick 6:34
05. Why Worry 8:31
06. Ride Across the River 6:58
07. The Man’s Too Strong 4:40
08. One World 3:41
09. Brothers in Arms 7:00
Personnel:
Mark Knopfler – guitars, lead vocals
John Illsley – bass, vocals
Guy Fletcher – synthesizer, backing vocals
Omar Hakim – drums
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What has been on the air longer? Jeopardy? Or Wheel of Fortune? | Wheel of Fortune | Wheel of Fortune History Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Wheel of Fortune History Wiki
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Wheel of Fortune has been on the air in some form since 1975. The current nighttime version, which began in 1983, has accounted for over 30 seasons in its own right. Merv Griffin first conceived Wheel in 1973 while his other major creation, Jeopardy!, was in its tenth year on NBC . He decided to create a game show based on Hangman, and added a wheel to it as a "hook" after being inspired by Roulette (rather than the "Wheel of Fortune" casino game often referred to as the "Big 6").
For more details, see Wheel of Fortune timeline .
Contents
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"You are at the Shopper's Bazaar! And now, here is the host of the Shopper's Bazaar: Chuck Woolery!"
The first pilot, taped in September 1973, put more emphasis on shopping for prizes at the behest of NBC boss Lin Bolen , who had commissioned the pilot to boost network daytime ratings among women 18-34. With Chuck Woolery as host and Mike Lawrence as announcer, the show had contestants (all female) who solved Hangman-style puzzles, but their winnings were determined by a vertical mechanical Wheel stopped by Woolery.
The puzzle board and Wheel were very different: the former used pull cards, while the latter stood in the center of the stage and had no Bankrupts, two (later four) Lose A Turn wedges, and one each of Buy A Vowel and Free Spin. It also had two $0 spaces plus one each of Free Vowel and Your Own Clue, the latter of which gave clues via an on-set telephone to the players.
At the end of each round, the money earned by all three players was applied to prizes they had chosen prior to the taping (denoted by an Accounting Department); if a contestant covered her lowest prize's value, she would win it upon solving a puzzle and subsequent earnings were applied to the next item on her list. The top winner, determined by prizes rather than money, played a Bonus Round called "Shopper's Special" which involved identifying the name of the bonus prize; the contestant was shown all vowels in the puzzle, then had 30 seconds to give one correct consonant and solve the puzzle (in this case, ISLE OF CAPRI) to win a trip there.
Bazaar was, to put it mildly, a disaster. Neither Bolen or Merv liked the pilot, even during the taping: Lin felt there was no real excitement between the players and gameplay, calling the entire thing (especially the set) "old fashioned", while Griffin knew that "Everything about it was wrong." Test audiences were also unenthusiastic, as they could not understand the gameplay (including why players had to buy vowels), were unable to see the puzzle board, and referred to the game as "very slow" and "not challenging". Further, the pilot ran for a staggering 30½ minutes (not including the slate), and there is no indication that Bazaar was intended for anything larger than a half-hour timeslot.
Possibly because of this, or more likely the pilot using instrumental versions of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Spinning Wheel" as the main and commercial themes respectively, no clips ever appeared on specials or retrospectives for nearly 40 years; indeed, it was not until May 30, 2012 that any footage surfaced, when the opening segment was uploaded on YouTube. This was followed by the full pilot just over three months later, on September 8.
It should be noted that several elements of modern-day Wheel have roots in Bazaar: the Toss-Ups bear a resemblance to "Stop the Wheel!" (especially the hand-held device Chuck uses to do so), while Free Vowel is now part of Free Play and the Prize Puzzle derives from the Shopper's Special. In addition, the Merv Griffin Productions logo which debuted on Bazaar used a griffin design that remained a part of the company logo through the late 2000s.
1974: Wheel of Fortune
Edit
"These are just some of the many exciting prizes available, yours to buy today on Wheel of Fortune!"
Over the next year, Bazaar underwent a near-complete overhaul of not only its format, but its audiovisual presentation and staff (nearly all of those involved with the first pilot were replaced, most notably Woolery, Lawrence, and producer/director Bill Carruthers ). In early August, the show's name was changed to Wheel of Fortune.
The second and third pilots were taped on August 28, 1974. Hosted by Edd Byrnes (suggested by NBC despite having no hosting experience) with Charlie O'Donnell announcing, these pilots featured a larger puzzle board and simplified the gameplay: there was now a much larger (horizontal) Wheel spun by the contestants, complete with a Bankrupt wedge that eliminated a contestant's winnings within that round plus whatever had been put "on account" from previous rounds. Whoever solved the puzzle now got to spend his or her money buying prizes from a large "showcase"; both pilots used the same prizes, which totaled $20,130.
The puzzle board was meant to be automatic, but the mechanism was not completed before taping started and Susan Stafford was hired to turn the letters (albeit opposite to how they were turned in the series).
Wheel, like Bazaar, was a mess on both sides of the camera: Merv argued with director Marty Pasetta regarding camera shots, to which Pasetta demanded Griffin be barred from the control room (a move supported by Bolen); the Wheel was extremely loose, requiring a stagehand to be underneath stopping it with his feet; and Byrnes himself was (as he admitted in his 1996 memoir Kookie No More) intoxicated because he was "scared to death" about doing Wheel, a drunken state which clearly manifested itself in a variety of ways. The board, sound, and player display operators were a bit off, mishearing a call of F as S and incorrectly totaling a player's score at least twice. Susan was also a bit out of sorts, forgetting to turn a trilon during the third pilot.
Rumors have circulated for years that Byrnes was caught reciting his vowels backstage by Merv. Regardless of whether this is true, it is known that Susan confronted him after the taping.
Test audiences were against these pilots as well, but in the opposite manner: the set was too busy, the sound effects too noisy, and Byrnes simply did not fit, in spite of some cheerful banter with contestant Tanya in the "happy drunk" pilot. Having gone this far, Bolen convinced her bosses to take a leap of faith and put the show on the air by voluntarily putting her job on the line: if Wheel fails, fire her; if it succeeds, give her a raise. They agreed by November 18, but shortly afterward the decision was made to replace Edd with Chuck, with the announcement made on December 13.
The Jeopardy! contract, subject to end in January 1976, was terminated. The remainder was given to Wheel, which began taping in December. Two promos for the show's debut aired the week of December 30, one for the show itself and another for the new lineup beginning January 6, both showing clips of the premiere.
1975-91: Daytime
Edit
"Look at this studio, filled with glamorous prizes! Fabulous and exciting merchandise, just waiting to be won today on Wheel of Fortune!"
Wheel debuted on January 6, 1975 with Chuck, Susan, and Charlie, replacing Jeopardy! as per contract but taking the 10:30 AM slot of Winning Streak (which had also ended the previous Friday, as did Name That Tune). Chuck plugged the show in a voiceover during the credits of that day's Celebrity Sweepstakes, which aired at 10:00.
"Hello, this is Chuck Woolery. Wheel of Fortune is an exciting new game show where three contestants have a chance to spin the Wheel and win valuable prizes! So join hostess Susan Stafford and me for our new daytime program, Wheel of Fortune: premiering next on NBC."
Wheel had been refined from its third pilot in positive ways: puzzles now came with categories attached (soon expanding from Person, Place, Thing, and Fictional Character into categories such as Landmark, Title, Phrase, and Event), and the prizes were now behind behind a large prop at center stage with doors.
The show drew a 35 share on its first day and an average of 20 million viewers every day of the first week, quickly making Wheel the biggest series in all of daytime and earning Bolen a raise. Buy A Vowel eventually became required for vowel purchases, but remained problematic and was discarded by the end of October.
When The Price Is Right expanded to an hour on November 3, NBC expanded Wheel for that week as part of the network's Daytime Gigantic Game Gala; on December 1, the expansion became permanent through January 16, 1976.
While the show remained successful even during the near-fatal 1978-81 reign of Fred Silverman , he made two attempts to cancel it in 1980:
The first was part of a plan to introduce a 90-minute talk show hosted by David Letterman on June 23, cutting out three games to do so. Among the mock schedules drafted was at least one which removed Wheel, although this was vetoed by May (Chuck and Susan addressed this on May 7, stating that the show had not been cancelled but NBC's schedule would be undergoing changes). The three games which got the axe were Chain Reaction, High Rollers, and The Hollywood Squares.
The second was carried through to the point of a series finale being taped for August 1 while Charlie and several other staffers left for other programs. By July 16, Silverman reversed the decision and opted to cut Letterman's program to 60 minutes; amusingly, the episode aired with cancellation announcement and goodbyes intact, followed by Chuck joking about it the following Monday. Don Morrow filled in as announcer for that week, with Jack Clark taking the reins on the 11th.
Following this, however, the show continued with little to no hiccups...until late 1981.
Woolery leaves Wheel...and so does Susan
In late 1981, Chuck asked Merv for a salary increase from $65,000 to $500,000, in line with what other emcees were making and because Wheel was drawing a 44 share; Merv offered $400,000, and NBC opted to pay the other $100,000 until Griffin threatened to move the show to CBS. In the end, Chuck left on Christmas Day 1981 (only one week after a set overhaul) and was replaced by KNBC weatherman Pat Sajak the next Monday; Silverman originally vetoed the decision, claiming Sajak was "too local", to which Merv ceased production for several days. He eventually got his wish after Silverman was replaced by Grant Tinker, who had previously convinced Mort Werner to pick up Jeopardy! 17 years earlier.
Susan was originally abrasive to the emcee change, but soon warmed up to Pat. However, she clearly seemed distracted during the few circulating Susan/Pat episodes, and following a trip to India, she began reconsidering her career; she ultimately left Wheel on October 22, 1982 to pursue charity work. Summer Bartholomew , Vicki McCarty , and Vanna White filled in through December 10, with Vanna becoming permanent on the 13th.
The show's next big change was on August 8, 1983: the music package used on Wheel for the past eight-and-a-half years, composed by Alan Thicke , was replaced by a new set of cues by Merv; "Big Wheels" was replaced by "Changing Keys", and a new opening was introduced with a "Wheel! Of! Fortune!" chant (still used today) done over a shot of the logo on the spinning Round 1 layout.
Afterward, Wheel continued through the 1980s at a reasonable clip...until Pat made a decision in 1988.
Pat's announcement, Jack's departure
In late February 1988, Pat announced that he was stepping down from daytime to host The Pat Sajak Show, a talk show on CBS . Clark left after the May 6 show, very likely due to declining health and bone cancer, and died on July 21; Charlie returned temporarily, and Johnny Gilbert also filled in, but by mid-August the show's new announcer was M. G. Kelly .
The announcer issue was taken care of, but Wheel still needed a new daytime host...
The search
The audition process, based on extant footage, appears to have consisted of each host being introduced by Kelly, the host introducing Vanna, contestant interviews, the opening spin with daytime rules spiel, a complete round, and a post-game chat. Both the daytime and nighttime sets were used, with the appropriate music for Vanna's entrance depending on the set.
Over 30 candidates had been suggested or tested to replace Pat: Vanna was offered the position by producer Nancy Jones , but turned it down; Kelly did an audition ( alternate copy ), as did Jimmy Connors, Roger Twibell, and John McEnroe (who eventually became a game show host in 2002 with The Chair on ABC and later BBC One).
Likely the least promising candidate was John Gabriel, whose hosting prowess was reportedly worse than Byrnes: Gabriel spun the Wheel the wrong way for the opening spin, read the score on the red player's display no matter whose turn it actually was (and/or called out whatever the red arrow stopped on regardless of whose turn it was), and during his chat with Vanna quickly brought up his prior work and association with the King brothers (who founded King World).
The most promising candidate was Tim Brando of ESPN, who auditioned in August and reportedly did so well that Merv said he "could host the show tomorrow". The cable network supported Brando, believing that it would increase awareness of ESPN and its programming. While Tim remained a possibility through at least mid-November, this was not to be...
"It's a lot different than football..."
While watching KABC's morning show A.M. Los Angeles around November 1988, Griffin noticed guest Rolf Benirschke , a former San Diego Chargers placekicker, discussing healthy habits; Merv quickly sensed that Rolf was a genuine, sincere person who loved people, and asked him to audition for Wheel after doing one for Merv's newest creation Winfall. Merv then selected him for Wheel following a decent audition (according to a UPI article from May 28, 1989, Twibell was the #2 choice).
January 9, 1989 was Pat's last episode, and Rolf's debut (taped December 14, 1988) aired the next day. While Benirschke was clearly nervous and forgot rules at times (most infamously admitting that he did not know what to do in the event of a daytime tie), he remarked in his 1996 autobiography Alive & Kicking that his mindset was to enjoy doing Wheel no matter how long his run may last.
It was early in this period that the staff had finally had enough of Kelly, who often required several retakes for prize copy. At the same time, The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game were winding down their runs, and the announcer they shared became available for Wheel; Kelly's last episode aired February 17, and he was replaced on the 20th by the aforementioned announcer – Charlie O'Donnell.
After six months of The Price Is Right continuing to build its lead while Wheel retained what it had already, NBC ended the show on June 30...only for it to return to CBS on July 17. While Rolf had visibly improved by the end of June and had been told that Merv wanted to retain him as host, CBS had other ideas...
Goen down the drain
"From Hollywood, the famous Wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning, and the players will be winning, winning, winning! Because there's lots of cash and some fabulous prizes just waiting to be won on Wheel of Fortune!"
While it was not yet known just who the host was going to be on CBS, a TV Guide ad at the beginning of July made it clear that it was not going to be Rolf. Possibilities included John Davidson (who had just ended a three-year run on Hollywood Squares), Chuck Henry (host of the 13-week Now You See It revival which Wheel was to replace), Bob Eubanks (who had left The Newlywed Game the previous December and whose Card Sharks ended in March), and Pat Finn (who went on to host The Joker's Wild, Shop 'Til You Drop, and The Big Spin).
On July 7, CBS chose Bob Goen , himself no stranger to the genre. Wheel returned to its original timeslot of 10:30 AM, replacing the aforementioned Now You See It. Now using a scaled-down version of the nighttime format, almost everything was overhauled, generally for the better.
One problem, however, was that the show had become rather cheap: $50 and $75 returned for the first two months (sporting diamonds after the first CBS episode), the top values were $500/$500/$1,000/$1,250, and the Bonus Round offered such prizes as subcompact cars and $5,000 cash while still allowing the player to choose what prize to play for. While the budget improved somewhat over the next two years, October 16 was the last time the Wheel layouts were altered – namely, to replace the Free Spin wedge with $400.
Budget aside, the move to Television City freshened up the show but also set off its downfall: while remaining on the network for 18 months, nothing seemed to keep the ratings from tumbling even after it returned to the NBC schedule on January 14, 1991 (and in the process began offering Bonus Round prizes in the $10,000 range). In a sign that the show was flailing, several play-by-phone contests were held in an attempt to boost ratings; none worked.
Wheel (as well as Classic Concentration) continued to skew older, and as a result advertisers were not particularly stumbling over one another to buy commercial space. The daytime Wheel ended on August 30 after 4,215 episodes, although repeats aired through September 20.
The genre as a whole (at least on a network scale) continued to slide downward until January 1994, when Caesars Challenge was taken off the air and left Price as the only daytime network game for nearly 16 years, when the Wayne Brady revival of Let's Make a Deal debuted on CBS in October 2009.
1983-: Nighttime
| Jeopardy! |
What is the middle name of Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery? | ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ renewed until 2014. What is awesome, Alex? – EW.com
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Image Credit: Carol KaelsonVariety reports that both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have been renewed through the 2013-2014 season. This means two things: 1) I will remain in shape until 2014, since Jeopardy! remains my favorite TV show watch while working out , and 2) We get to watch Alex Trebek’s sheer disgust for underperforming players for four more years. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all.
A_E Y_U EX_IT_D, P_PWAT_HE_S?
| i don't know |
D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad was executed last night for his role in terrorizing the nation's capital in October 2002. In what state was he executed? | Articles about Sniper - schurz-herald-mail
Sniper's lawyers seek to block execution
November 3, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorneys for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to stop next week's execution. Muhammad is scheduled to die by lethal injection Nov. 10 at a Virginia prison. Attorneys for the 48-year-old have said they planned to file the appeal Tuesday. They asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine for clemency last month. Muhammad is to be executed for the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas, Va., gas station during a three-week killing spree in October 2002 that left 10 dead in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
NEWS
Trooper honored for role in capture
by MARLO BARNHART | November 5, 2002
marlob@herald-mail.com Carolyn Smith said she doesn't know half of the things her son is doing until after they're all over. "It's better that way," said the mother of the first law enforcement officer on the scene Oct. 24 when two sniper suspects linked to 10 shooting deaths in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., were taken into custody at a highway rest stop off Interstate 70 near the Myersville, Md., exit. Members of the Smithsburg Volunteer Fire Co. on Monday night honored Carolyn and Steve Smith's son - Maryland State Police Trooper 1st Class D.W. Smith, who is also a 22-year member of the fire company.
NEWS
Top stories for Tuesday, November 10th 2009
November 11, 2009
Nov. 10 execution date set for D.C. sniper Hagerstown man gets 12-plus years for drug trafficking Kellick resigns after 22 years as South High head football coach Fire at Pa. upholstery shop destroys furniture, antiques Sniper's execution scheduled for 9 p.m.
NEWS
Top stories for Wednesday, Sept. 16
September 17, 2009
Civil War soldier's remains head to N.Y. Woman wounded in Martinsburg; police seek man Hagerstown man arrested in home invasion Nov. 10 execution date set for D.C. sniper Stuck truck jams Waynesboro traffic
NEWS
Service news
October 17, 2009
Lance Cpl. Michael W. Cline, son of Tammy and Rick Carter of Maugansville, and Brent and Kimberly Cline of Winchester, Va., recently deployed in support of Operation Freedom. He is assigned to Marine Company Bravo Mojave Viper, 4th LAR, 4th Mar Division. Cline is a 2006 gradaute of North Hagerstown High School and joined the Marine Reserves in July 2006. Pvt. Ricky Burnett, grandson of Brenda Burnett and nephew of Charles Burnett, both of Hagerstown, recently completed Basic/AIT Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., on Sept.
NEWS
Sponaugle assumes district commander post
By CLYDE FORD | June 30, 1998
photo: KEVIN G. GILBERT / staff photographer enlarge MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - As a sniper, Sid Sponaugle learned to take careful aim at his targets. "I can still shoot. My eyesight is starting to go a bit. But I still rank among the top snipers in the state police," said Sponaugle, 40. Today, Sponaugle becomes the district commander of the West Virginia State Police, overseeing Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties. He will give up his position as sniper for the Eastern Panhandle because his new duties will take up too much of his time.
NEWS
Mail Call for 10/18
October 21, 2002
"I am calling on behalf of all the special education children of Washington County and their parents. I am reading in the paper where the school board has OK'd $30,000 for an arts pilot program. I would like to know what the School Board is doing for our children that have special needs in Washington County? My son is 14 years old and so far, they have done absolutely nothing. " "Congratulations to the lady who said she is tired of seeing the dog business being picked up at Fairgrounds Park.
NEWS
Daily-Mail Letters to the editor 10/21
October 22, 2002
State employees should be suspicious To the editor: I would like to inform the state employees, if they don't already know, that their health benefits open enrollment, usually held in October to November, is being delayed until Nov. 11. The reason we're given is that they don't know what the cost will be. Funny, but I have worked for the State of Maryland for 23 years and this has never been the case. It has been said that the increase will be 17 percent, but we don't get any increase in pay. Very odd and coincidental that this is an election year and our lieutenant governor is running for governor, but we will not be getting our health benefits information until after the election.
NEWS
Bitten by the bad news and soothed by the good
by Dee Mayberry | May 27, 2006
There is an old newspaper saying: If a dog bites a man, that's usually not news, but if it's the man who bites the dog, that's a big story. Trouble is, we've had almost too many stories lately that bite into our spirits. Some are heartily sick of bad stuff in print and on TV. We hear about a prosecutor in Montgomery County, Md., trying in a Maryland court the sniper already under a death sentence in Virginia. Our state will pay out a lot of money and require families of Maryland victims to revisit the pain John Allan Muhammad and his friend inflicted.
Retired Maryland state trooper recalls capture of Beltway snipers
By DAN DEARTH | dan.dearth@herald-mail.com | October 23, 2012
The rest stop off Interstate 70 near Myersville, Md., has been renovated since two of this century's most notorious serial killers were captured there 10 years ago Wednesday. Retired Maryland State Trooper 1st Class D. Wayne Smith said the parking area is bigger and larger buildings have been constructed to replace the former welcome center. Despite the changes, Smith said he remembers where the Chevrolet Caprice with New Jersey tags was parked. The car was used by Beltway snipers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, whose shooting spree terrorized the Washington, D.C., area for 21 days in 2002.
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Malvo: Fellow D.C. sniper tried to recruit others for murder spree
July 29, 2010
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Convicted D.C. sniper Lee Boyd Malvo tells actor William Shatner on a cable TV special that he and his partner tried to recruit fellow shooters for their 2002 spree and that his accomplice killed one man for backing out, according to the program set for airing Thursday. In a telephone call from a southwest Virginia prison, Malvo told Shatner two men planned to join in the attacks to make them more deadly but reneged. Malvo said his fellow shooter, John Allen Muhammad, killed one of the men in retaliation.
NEWS
Trooper reminisces about job as he nears retirement
By MARLO BARNHART | May 18, 2010
SMITHSBURG -- A brief moment in time on Oct. 24, 2002, changed the course of Maryland State Police Trooper 1st Class D. Wayne Smith's life forever. On routine patrol in the early-morning hours that day, Smith was called to the westbound Interstate 70 rest area near the Washington-Frederick county line, where he found himself at the center of a nationwide manhunt for two snipers who had been terrorizing the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Smith, 46, positioned himself at the exit, standing alone with a shotgun outside his cruiser in case the occupants of the car tried to leave.
NEWS
Top stories for Tuesday, November 10th 2009
November 11, 2009
Nov. 10 execution date set for D.C. sniper Hagerstown man gets 12-plus years for drug trafficking Kellick resigns after 22 years as South High head football coach Fire at Pa. upholstery shop destroys furniture, antiques Sniper's execution scheduled for 9 p.m.
NEWS
Sniper's execution scheduled for 9 p.m.
November 10, 2009
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The execution was set Tuesday night for John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind three weeks of sniper attacks in 2002 that left 10 dead and beset such fear people were afraid to go shopping, cut grass or pump gas. The killing spree in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., was carried out with a teenage accomplice who is serving life in prison without parole. Muhammad, 48, was to die by injection at 9 p.m. after he exhausted his court appeals and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine denied clemency.
NEWS
Sniper's lawyers seek to block execution
November 3, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorneys for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to stop next week's execution. Muhammad is scheduled to die by lethal injection Nov. 10 at a Virginia prison. Attorneys for the 48-year-old have said they planned to file the appeal Tuesday. They asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine for clemency last month. Muhammad is to be executed for the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas, Va., gas station during a three-week killing spree in October 2002 that left 10 dead in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
NEWS
Service news
October 17, 2009
Lance Cpl. Michael W. Cline, son of Tammy and Rick Carter of Maugansville, and Brent and Kimberly Cline of Winchester, Va., recently deployed in support of Operation Freedom. He is assigned to Marine Company Bravo Mojave Viper, 4th LAR, 4th Mar Division. Cline is a 2006 gradaute of North Hagerstown High School and joined the Marine Reserves in July 2006. Pvt. Ricky Burnett, grandson of Brenda Burnett and nephew of Charles Burnett, both of Hagerstown, recently completed Basic/AIT Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., on Sept.
NEWS
Attorney to seek clemency for D.C. sniper
October 15, 2009
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) -- The attorney for convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad says he plans to ask for clemency for his client, who's scheduled for execution next month. Jonathan Sheldon plans to file the request next Thursday with Gov. Timothy Kaine, according to an announcement on his law firm's Web site. Sheldon also plans to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. Kaine previously has said he's unlikely to grant clemency but would review Muhammad's request. Muhammad was sentenced to death for the October 2002 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a string of shootings that left 10 people dead and three wounded in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
NEWS
Va. governor: No reason to stop sniper's execution
September 29, 2009
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Monday he can't think of any reason he would stop the execution of Washington, D.C.-area sniper John Allen Muhammad. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 killing spree that left 10 dead in the nation's capital, Virginia and Maryland. "I know of nothing in this case now that would suggest that there is any credible claim of innocence or that there was anything procedurally wrong with the prosecution," Kaine said on his monthly call-in radio show on WTOP.
NEWS
Top stories for Wednesday, Sept. 16
September 17, 2009
Civil War soldier's remains head to N.Y. Woman wounded in Martinsburg; police seek man Hagerstown man arrested in home invasion Nov. 10 execution date set for D.C. sniper Stuck truck jams Waynesboro traffic
| Virginia |
The logo for Mack Trucks features what animal? | Some things we are just not meant to understand - The Unz Review
Some Things We Are Just Not Meant to Understand
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November 10, 2009 at 11:31 pm GMT
Steve,
I would like to know whether you think there was a clear reason that the MSM is willfully ignoring or you actually mean that no one really knows why Allen Mohammed went on his rampage?
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November 10, 2009 at 11:51 pm GMT • 100 Words
Oh, by the bye, while we're at it, since it's more or less disappeared down the memory hole, remember that this case more than likely went on longer than it had to, and more victims died, while Chief Charles Moose and his stalwarts of politically correct policing were hunting for Timothy McVeigh-style white nuts in a van. More sacrifices to the strange and blood-hungry gods we worship.
November 11, 2009 at 12:16 am GMT • 100 Words
"Understanding" could lead to a backlash against innocent Muslims. Diversity is America's greatest strength and it would be a shame to see our confidence in that diversity be questioned due to the actions of some nut. Exploiting a tragedy such as this for ideological reasons is shameful. Our time would be better spent exploring the root causes of such actions instead of stereotyping and blaming entire ethnic groups or religions.
Yes, just as Muhammad's motivation remains unclear, the tragedy at Fort Hood is incomprehensible.
How can we hope to understand random outbursts of violence that erupt with no apparent motive?
If only we could locate just one common thread….
November 11, 2009 at 12:41 am GMT • 100 Words
You think someone might have asked him in the intervening seven years what was on his mind. Some insightful, Truman Capote-like writer. Alas, if this was the case, I haven't heard about it.
Charles Manson got endless attention over decades for his deadly escapades. You would think this new, rather spectacular criminal would arouse a little of the same type of curiosity.
I wonder if the Fort Hood killer will be treated a similar hush-hush fashion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/09/AR2009110903616.html?wprss=rss_metro
Detecting glimpses of humanity in D.C. sniper
Most of those who will gather at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt readily see the execution as just punishment for the man who masterminded a wave of random shootings that left 10 people dead and terrorized the Washington region for more than three weeks in October 2002. Then there's Sheldon and co-counsel James G. Connell III, who have been working tirelessly to save Muhammad's life.
They condemn the man's crimes. But during the past three years, they have spent hours talking with him — in person and by phone — and they have come to see some humanity in the man many see only as a monster.
"I perfectly understand the families of the victims want to throttle him. It is hard to get a handle on the amount of damage he has done," Sheldon said. "John Allen Muhammad is absolutely responsible. He's guilty. But there are glimpses of him being thoughtful. People don't want to see that. It's much easier to wrap him up into the thing he did."
The attorneys said they have come to know Muhammad as someone who can be lucid one moment and delusional the next. Even now, they said, Muhammad claims that he is innocent and that there was a plot to frame him because he is black. He recently told his attorneys that he was having dental work done in Germany when one of the killings occurred.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Allen_Muhammad
After his arrest, authorities also claimed that Muhammad admitted that he admired and modeled himself after Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and approved of the September 11 attacks. One of Malvo's psychiatric witnesses testified in his trial that Muhammad had indoctrinated him into believing that the proceeds of the extortion attempt would be used to begin a new nation of only young, "pure" black people somewhere in Canada.
Testimony of Lee Boyd Malvo
In John Allen Muhammad's May 2006 trial in Montgomery County, Maryland, Lee Boyd Malvo, who is serving a sentence of life without parole for his role in the shootings, took the stand and confessed to a more detailed version of the pair's plans.
Malvo, after extensive psychological counseling, admitted that he was lying at the earlier Virginia trial where he had admitted to being the triggerman for every shooting. Malvo claimed that he had said this in order to protect John Allen Muhammad from the potential death penalty, because it was more difficult to achieve the death penalty for a minor. Malvo said that he wanted to do what little he could for the families of the victims by letting the full story be told. In his two days of testimony, Malvo outlined many very detailed aspects of all the shootings.
Part of his testimony concerned John Allen Muhammad's complete multiphase plan. His plan consisted of three phases in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. Phase one consisted of meticulously planning, mapping, and practicing their locations around the DC area. This way after each shooting they would be able to quickly leave the area on a predetermined path, and move on to the next location.
John Allen Muhammad's goal in phase one was to kill 6 white people a day for 30 days (180 per month). Malvo went on to describe how phase one did not go as planned due to heavy traffic and the lack of a clear shot and/or getaway at different locations.
Phase two was meant to be moved up to Baltimore. Malvo described how this phase was close to being implemented, but never was carried out.
Phase Two was intended to begin by killing a pregnant woman by shooting her in the abdomen. The next step would have been to shoot and kill a Baltimore City police officer. Then, at the officer's funeral, they were to create several improvised explosive devices complete with shrapnel. These explosives were intended to kill a large number of police, since many police would attend another officer's funeral. The last phase was to take place very shortly after, if not during, Phase Two.
The third phase was to extort several million dollars from the United States government. This money would be used to finance a larger plan. The plan was to travel north into Canada. Along the way they would stop in YMCAs and orphanages recruiting other impressionable young boys with no parents or guidance. John Allen Muhammad thought he could act as their father figure as he did with Lee Boyd Malvo. Once he recruited a large number of young boys and made his way up to Canada, he would begin their training. Malvo described how John Allen Muhammad intended to train all these boys with weapons and stealth, as he had been taught. Finally, after their training was complete, John Allen Muhammad would send them out across the United States to carry out mass shootings in many different cities, just as he had done in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.[16][17][18]
You lie!
WaPo gave a perfectly plausible explaination for Muhammad systematically terrorizing the area:
"Muhammad's ex-wife, who lived with his children in the Maryland suburbs, where many of the shootings occurred, has speculated that he did it to frighten or even kill her."
Which is odd since she supposedly didn't know it was her husband who was the sniper (or else she would've been charged as an accomplice).
But wikipedia backs up WaPo on the motive :
"Investigators and the prosecution at trial suggested that Muhammad intended to kill his ex-wife Mildred, who had estranged him from his children. According to this theory, she would appear to be just another random victim of the snipers. Muhammad frequented the neighborhood where she lived during the attacks, and some of the incidents occurred nearby. Additionally, he had earlier made threats against her. Mildred herself made the claim that she was his intended target. However Judge LeRoy Millette Jr. prevented prosecutors from presenting that theory during the trial, saying that a link had not been firmly established."
However, in another section on Malvo's testimony , wikipedia gives this away:
"A series of trial exhibits indicated that Malvo and Muhammad were motivated by an affinity for Islamic Jihad.[32]
Exhibit 65-006: A self-portrait of Malvo in the cross hairs of a gun scope shouting, 'ALLAH AKBAR!' The word 'SALAAM' scrawled vertically. A lyric from Bob Marley's Natural Mystic 'Many more will have to suffer. Many more will have to die. Don't ask me why.'
Exhibit 65-016: A portrait of Saddam Hussein with the words 'INSHALLAH' and 'The Protector,' surrounded by rockets labeled 'chem' and 'nuk.'
Exhibit 65-043: Father and son portrait of Malvo and Muhammad. 'We will kill them all. Jihad.'
Exhibit 65-056: A self-portrait of Malvo as sniper, lying in wait, with his rifle. 'JIHAD' written in bold letters.
Exhibit 65-067: A suicide bomber labeled 'Hamas' walking into a McDonald's restaurant. Another drawing of the Twin Towers burning captioned: '85 percent chance Zionists did this.' More scrawls: 'ALLAH AKBAR,' 'JIHAD' and 'Islam will explode.'
Exhibit 65-103: A lion accompanies chapter and verse from the Koran ('Sura 2:190'): 'Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you and slay them wherever ye catch them.'
Exhibit 65-109: Portrait of Osama bin Laden, captioned 'Servant of Allah.'
Exhibit 65-117: The White House drawn in crosshairs, surrounded by missiles, with a warning: 'Sep. 11 we will ensure will look like a picnic to you' and 'you will bleed to death little by little.'
Exhibit 65-101: Malvo's thought for the day: 'Islam the only true guidance, the way of peace.'"
November 11, 2009 at 9:35 am GMT • 200 Words
According to the reigning CW, violence falls into two categories: that which reveals disturbing truths about our society, and that which is random, senseles, incomprehensible.
The first type must be extensively covered, analyzed, and brought up again at every opportunity, such as the murders of Matthew Shepard, and James Byrd; the Oklahoma bombing; the Howard Beach case; the "rapes" of Tawana Brawley and Crystal Gail Mangum; the nooses of Jena, etc. (It is not that important if they turn out to be hoaxes because the greater truth of them is what matters.)
The second type have no discernible pattern and therefore are barely worth covering and should be forgotten about as soon as possible since thinking about them only makes a liberal's head hurt. These include the Wichita torture-rape killing, the zebra killings, the DC sniper, the Colin Ferguson mass murder, the Richmond gang rape, the Fort Hood massacre, and countless others.
November 11, 2009 at 10:34 am GMT • 200 Words
"remember that this case more than likely went on longer than it had to, and more victims died, while Chief Charles Moose and his stalwarts of politically correct policing were hunting for Timothy McVeigh-style white nuts in a van"
Shades of the Atlanta child murders of 1979-early 1980's. When the FBI profiler John Douglas was sent to scope things out, he came up with a profile that said – among many other things – that it was a black man. NoNoNoNoNo, said the locals including the local police. "It's a white guy acting out of pure racism – sort of a modern KKK." Douglas took some heat on this but stuck to his guns, pointing out that a white guy would stand out like a sore thumb in the all black ghetto communities that these children were disappearing from. Somebody would have noticed him. Nobody ever saw a suspicious white man.
It turned out to be Wayne Williams, a middle-class black man who also might have stood out in the affected communities IF the police hadn't been looking for a white man or white men.
November 12, 2009 at 10:00 am GMT • 200 Words
Harry Baldwin, part of the trouble is that every white person was force-fed _To Kill a Mockingbird_ (et al. ad inf.) in school, while no equivalent exists on the non-communist side.
The patterns most people look for are the ones they are taught to look for. Everything depends on who washed their brains between ages 8 and 18. Afterwards they are essentially unteachable and unreachable.
People go by Myth, and the Myth is usually imposed on them from the outside, it's the "given." The American Myth since the 1940s has been: blacks are victims of an evil racist society – this is the pattern to look for, this is what makes sense out of life. Of course it's true, haven't you seen "Mississippi Burning"? Why, I cried for days after I saw it… And my heart went out when my teacher described Emmett Till…
The Myth is not to be updated with contrary information, like the Knoxville torture rape murders. That doesn't fit the Myth – worse, it seems part of a different Myth, an alien Myth, a "Nazi" Myth. Reject it!!! Or if you must acknowledge it, say "it has nothing to do with race." What is meant is: "It has nothing to do with the Myth I was given regarding these matters. Atticus Finch is nowhere in evidence."
We are dealing with the essential boneheadedness and blue-eyed gullibility of the mass white public, eternal suckers for any abstraction taught to them.
| i don't know |
Which studio owns the rights to Bugs Bunny? | Who Owns The Rights To Our Favorite Classic Cartoons
WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO OUR FAVORITE CLASSIC CARTOONS?
WALT DISNEY cartoons (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, et al) are owned by The Walt Disney Co.
TERRYTOONS (Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle, et al) are owned by Viacom (Paramount). (video rights currently sub-licensed to Universal Home Video who have not released any tapes)
WALTER LANTZ CARTUNES (Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, et al.) are owned by Universal Pictures
SCREEN GEMS / COLUMBIA cartoons (Scrappy, Fox & Crow, et al) are owned by Columbia Pictures
WARNER BROS. CARTOONS (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, et al) are owned by Warner Bros.
UPA cartoons (theatrical 1950s Mr. Magoo, Gerald McBoing Boing, et al) are owned by Columbia Pictures.
UPA TV productions (Dick Tracy cartoons, Magoo Specials & TV cartoons, etc.) are owned by CLASSIC MEDIA LLP
MGM CARTOONS (Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery) are owned by Warner Bros.
DePATIE-FRELENG CARTOONS (Pink Panther, Ant & Aardvark, et al) are owned by MGM - which was recently bought by Sony.
MAX FLEISCHER / FAMOUS STUDIOS / PARAMOUNT cartoons are divided all over the place. Here's the breakdown:
POPEYE CARTOONS are owned by Warner Bros. (Character owned by King Features/Hearst Entertainment)
SUPERMAN CARTOONS are owned by Warner Bros. (Although all are in public Domain).
FLEISCHER CARTOONS (includes Betty Boop, Screen Songs, KoKo The Clown (1927-1929), Animated Antics, Stone-Age and Color Classics) are owned by Republic Entertainment (a subsidiary of Viacom). Artisan Entertainment have sub-licensed the video rights.
FAMOUS STUDIOS (1942-1950) (including Noveltoons and Little Lulu) are owned by Republic Entertainment (a subsidiary of Viacom). Artisan Entertainment have sub-licensed the video rights.
FAMOUS STUDIOS (1950-1962) (includes Casper, Herman & Katnip, Noveltoons retitled as Harveytoons, etc) are owned by a company called CLASSIC MEDIA LLP.
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Which two elements make up brass? | Frequently Asked Questions | Cartoon Research
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Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about classic cartoons? Maybe I can answer it. Or maybe not. I don’t know everything, but if I don’t know it, I probably know someone who does.
This page is for “simple questions” What’s a simple question? If I can answer it off the top of my head, or checking a quick reference, it’s a simple question. If you are looking for heavy duty research, that can be arranged for a fee.
First, Some Very Frequently Asked Questions
Do you recall the name of a cartoon that featured a dog, when given a treat, would float up into the air making happy, contented sounds, then slowly drift back down?
“Snuffles” was the name of the hound who went wild for dog biscuits. He was featured on Hanna-Barbera’s Quick Draw McGraw Show, as Quick Draw’s pet hound. Daws Butler voiced his “yummy sounds”. Snuffles snack-loving trait was later incorporated into the personality of Scooby Doo.
WHAT IS THE NAME OF MIGHTY MOUSE’S GIRLFRIEND?
This is the most frequently asked question coming into this website! The girlfriend in the operetta Terrytoons, Filmation TV cartoons or the Bakshi series was Pearl Pureheart. In the comic books her name was Mitzi.
IS TWEETY A BOY OR A GIRL?
A Boy. Tweety is a male canary.
DO YOU KNOW IF THE 1936 WARNER BROS. CARTOON “I LOVE TO SINGA” (by Tex Avery), FEATURING OWL JOLSON SINGING THE TITLE SONG, IS AVAILABLE ON ANY VIDEO COLLECTION?
Yes! It has been released on dvd on the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION, Vol. 2. It is also a bonus feature on the DVD of the Oscar winning animated feature, HAPPY FEET.
Al Jolson introduced the song,I Love To Singa, in the feature film THE SINGING KID (1936). Tommy Bond (“Butch” from the OUR GANG shorts, “Jimmy Olsen” in the SUPERMAN serials) was the voice of “Owl Jolson”.
WHAT WERE THE NAMES OF THE TWO MALE GOPHER CHARACTERS IN LOONEY TUNES WHO WERE ALWAYS POLITE TO EACH OTHER?
They were usually billed as “The Goofy Gophers”. Later, on The Bugs Bunny Show (ABC, 1960) they were named “Mac & Tosh”.
WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO OUR FAVORITE CLASSIC CARTOONS?
WALT DISNEY cartoons (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, et al) are owned by The Walt Disney Co.
TERRYTOONS (Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle, et al) are owned by Viacom (Paramount).
WALTER LANTZ CARTUNES (Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, et al.) are owned by Universal Pictures
SCREEN GEMS / COLUMBIA cartoons (Scrappy, Fox & Crow, et al) are owned by Columbia Pictures
WARNER BROS. CARTOONS (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, et al) are owned by Warner Bros.
UPA cartoons (theatrical 1950s Mr. Magoo, Gerald McBoing Boing, et al) are owned by Columbia Pictures.
UPA TV productions (Dick Tracy cartoons, Magoo Specials & TV cartoons, etc.) are owned by Dreamworks
MGM CARTOONS (Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery) are owned by Warner Bros.
DePATIE-FRELENG CARTOONS (Pink Panther, Ant & Aardvark, et al) are now owned by MGM.
MAX FLEISCHER / FAMOUS STUDIOS / PARAMOUNT cartoons are divided all over the place. Here’s the breakdown:
• POPEYE CARTOONS are owned by Warner Bros. (Character owned by King Features/Hearst Entertainment)
• SUPERMAN CARTOONS are owned by Warner Bros. (Although all are in public Domain).
• FLEISCHER CARTOONS (includes Betty Boop, Screen Songs, KoKo The Clown (1927-1929), Animated Antics, Stone-Age and Color Classics) are owned by Paramount Pictures (Viacom). Olive Films have sub-licensed some Betty Boop cartoons for dvd.
• FAMOUS STUDIOS (1942-1950) (including Noveltoons and Little Lulu) are owned by Republic Entertainment (a subsidiary of Viacom).
• FAMOUS STUDIOS (1950-1962) (includes Casper, Herman & Katnip, Noveltoons retitled as Harveytoons, etc) are owned by a company called Dreamworks.
• PARAMOUNT CARTOONS (1962-1967) (includes Honey Halfwitch, Swifty & Shorty, Noveltoons, etc) are still owned by Paramount Pictures.
WHY AREN’T THE CLASSIC COLOR POPEYE CARTOONS RELEASED ON VIDEO?
Good News! Warner Bros. will release these to DVD and Blu-Ray next year. Restoration is taking place now. The first boxed set should be released in July 2014!
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A “LOONEY TUNES” AND A “MERRIE MELODIES” CARTOON?
After the 1944 releases: nothing. Before that, there was a difference.
First Looney Tunes were established to be the showcase of Warner Bros. latest “star” character – at various times “Bosko” (1930-1933), “Buddy” (1933-1935), “Beans” (1936) and finally “Porky Pig” or “Daffy Duck” (1936-1943). One-shot no-star Looney Tunes were made, but they are rare. The Merrie Melodies were established to feature one-shot characters and miscellaneous stories and settings, particularly themed around a Warner Bros. owned song. In 1934 the studio began producing Merrie Melodies in color while the Looney Tunes remained in black & white. By 1940, stars Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Sniffles and Daffy Duck were regularly appearing in Merrie Melodies. In 1944 the Looney Tunes switched to color and the distinctions between the two series officially ended.
More Urgent Questions from the E-Mail bag:
Claudio Duckardt writes: I enjoy seeing the photos of Fleischer’s Miami Studio. I was hoping you could tell me more or less where the studio was actually located. I live in Miami, and would love to see if the building is still there.
As a matter of fact, the building is still there. Paramount built the Fleischer Studio in Miami in 1938 (photos above from Leslie Cabarga’s THE FLEISCHER STORY).
It was there that GULLIVER’S TRAVELS, MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN and the SUPERMAN cartoons were born. POPEYE, ANIMATED ANTICS, STONE AGE CARTOONS, RAGGEDY ANN and GABBY cartoons were also made there.
Paramount moved Famous Studios from Miami, back to New York in 1943. The Miami building was sold to TWA as a flight training school for pilots and stewardesses. It was later acquired by Dade County as a Family Planning & Youth Center. The building is still there at 1701 NW 30th Avenue (near the corner of NW 17th Street and 29th Ave.).
Cartoon Researcher Ken Layton says, “There is an excellent article (with photos!) detailing both interior and exterior of the Fleischer Miami studios in the January 1939 issue of “Architectural Record” magazine (pages 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37). The article is entitled, “Light, Sound, and Atmosphere Controlled In Studio Design” by C. Sheldon Tucker and John M. Lyell.
“If you don’t have access to a copy of that publication, your local public library may be able to obtain photocopies from: Washington State Library (phone: 360-753-5590) here in Olympia, Wash (catalog info: NA1.A65). They have actual paper originals in their storage dept.”
I visited the location myself in 1986 (see photos below).
The original front entrance, now sealed off.
Below left, the center courtyard where Hal Seegar would play tricks on Joe Oriolo (I would imagine); At right, back of the building, outside the former scoring stage and screening room (now a gymasium).
Me, inside the gymasium which was the scoring stage and screening room. Notice the projection booth windows above the basketball hoop. I went up the staircase to the projection booth in hopes of finding some 35mm nitrate workprint materials or original Superman animation art – but alas, the room was completely empty. The friendly staff there had no idea that this building was originally a cartoon studio – and was grateful that I explained what this little empty room was above the gym.
Andrew L. asks: I know that Bugs Bunny makes a cameo appearence in the Paramount George Pal Puppetoon, JASPER GOES HUNTING (1944). Were there any other crossovers of one character from one studio in another studios cartoons back in the 1930s or 40s?
Here’s a scene from George Pal’s JASPER GOES HUNTING (1944) – As far as I know, the Leon Schlesinger-George Pal crossover was the only “official” one. There were a few “gag” references to other characters that occasionally pop-up.
For example, Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent imitates Bugs Bunny in THE WILD MAN OF WILDSVILLE (1962). In PORKY’S GARDEN (1937) a little spinach-eating chick turns into Popeye the Sailor! (Which reminds me that Homer Simpson did too – and that THE SIMPSONS has had dozens of cartoon character crossover reference gags).
The Crow imitatating Bugs Bunny in Columbia’s Fox & Crow comedy MYSTO FOX (1946) is a strange unauthorized crossover. In that film the Fox is a circus magician who is looking for a rabbit to assist him. The Crow pretends to be a rabbit – particularly Bugs Bunny himself – when he knocks on the Fox’s door and greets him by asking “What’s Up, Doc?”. At the climax of MYSTO FOX, the Fox uses magic to turn the Crow into a real rabbit – one with an eerie resemblance to Bugs Bunny!
Voice expert Keith Scott sends in this example: “In an edition of Paramount’s Speaking of Animals, AIN’T NATURE GRAND? (1947), voice actor Harry Lang not only does a rabbit saying, “Eeeeehhh, what’s up, Doc?,” but he closely imitates Mel when doing the line!”
Matthew Hunter notes the appearence of “Superman” in GOOFY GROCERIES (1941), pre-dating the Fleischer cartoons.
Matthew and Pietro have come up with a few others that are a bit marginal (in my opinion):
SCRAP HAPPY DAFFY (1943/WB) – Daffy asks for an can of Spinach (like Popeye)
GUMSHOE MAGOO (1958/UPA) – A slow-witted characters watches a show called RABBIT (which very closely resembles THE MICKEY MOUSE SHOW)
PORKY’S POOR FISH (1940/WB) – The “Muscle” has muscles like Popeye
PORKY’S HERO AGENCY (1937/WB) – Porky gives Venus De Milo arms like Popeyes.
Matthew Hunter also recently asked: I recently acquired copies of several vintage Bugs Bunny shows, each featuring the original ads and in black and white. However, I have seen some footage from this series in color, and even a color chart in an animation book. Obviously, the prints available now are old TV prints from station that didn’t feature color at the time, I guess…because wasn’t the “Bugs Bunny Show” produced in color? Do you know a good source for digging up some more of these, color or B/W?
No.
THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW (1960-62), the original 52 episodes, are the rarest of all the things listed in my book LOONEY TUNES & MERRIE MELODIES: A COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE WARNER BROS. CARTOONS (co-written with Will Friedwald).
Like THE ADVENTURES OF THE ROAD RUNNER (which was dug up & patched together for my TOONHEADS: THE LOST CARTOONS special), Warner Bros. Animation chopped up the original negatives for the later Saturday morning BUGS BUNNY ROAD RUNNER SHOW broadcasts and subsequent Saturday Morning incarnations (of over 35 years!).
Since the show never went off network broadcast, and never sold in syndication,16mm prints of complete episodes, in color, were never struck. The complete prints that are around (in film collectors circles) are mainly black & white, created, as you point out, for distribution to local stations broadcasting in black & white in 1960-62.
Yes, THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW was produced in color. The few color prints I’ve ever seen are from the later 1960s reruns.
For years Warner Bros. has claimed that the complete original shows do not exist. I know two things, in all my years of research: that Warner Bros. does have black & white negatives of the complete shows – and that color negs may exist in Europe. Until Warner Bros. (or Cartoon Network) decide to revive these classic shows (with fresh bridging animation by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson, voices by Mel Blanc, and additional classic animation footage of their famous characters including the Tasmanian Devil), we will be deprived of these historic episodes.
That the black & white negs exist, it would be a simple (but costly) matter to computer colorize the bridging material and completely restore them.
Recently, due to my involvement with the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION DVD, I was able to dig out one episode – A STAR IS BORED – and cobble together the existing original materials (black & white & color) to recreate a sample of the bridging material. I hope to convince Warner Bros. to someday restore the entire series.
Researching those shows for my LOONEY TUNES book was the hardest thing I ever had to do! Sorry Matthew, I don’t know a source for viewing THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW. I’ve been trying to convince anyone who’d listen for the last 15 years, that these shows are an endangered spieces!
Update: I’ve begun working with Warner Home Video to restore the bridging material for the BUGS BUNNY SHOW. One set of bridges appear on each volume of THE LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION (dvd).
Otterworks (aka Chris G.) asks: It seems like, several times over the years, when someone calls SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS the first animated feature, I’ve heard someone else say, “Actually, that’s not true.” Was there really an animated feature before Snow White? What was it? I’ve always pictured some obscure, black and white, hour long, animated film from Germany or England or something. If anyone knows the answer to this, it ought to be you.
Before Disney’s SNOW WHITE there were indeed several animated feature length releases. My answer is not meant to be a complete listing. Best known is Lotte Reiniger’s THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (1926), produced in Germany, the earliest surviving narrative animated feature film. It was a silent “silhouette film” done with animated cut-outs.
Also of note, Max Fleischer created animation for a one hour educational feature of THE EINSTEIN THEORY OF RELATIVITY in 1923. Argentine animator Quirino Cristiani created the first (black & white) sound feature film, PELUDOPOLIS (1931) which was a satire of Argentine president Hipolito Yrigoyen. (Cristiani also made the first animated feature, the silent El Apostle in 1917. All prints of both films were lost in separate lab fires. Since they satirized local politics they were not widely distributed, so few prints were made).
Back in the U.S. – Did you know Disney put out a feature length release before SNOW WHITE?
THE ACADEMY AWARD REVIEW OF WALT DISNEY CARTOONS was a compilation feature, with new bridging title cards and narrator, released by United Artists on May 19, 1937.
Dewey McGuire asks: Graham Heid seems to have directed only one film, and it’s a good ‘un: Disney’s WYNKEN, BLINKEN & NOD. But he assistant-directed a number of my favorite Disney films under Wilfred Jackson, including MUSIC LAND and MOTHER GOOSE GOES HOLLYWOOD. After his work on FANTASIA, he suddenly turns up missing and is apparently out of the industry altogether. Any idea what happened? The strike? The war? This seems like a brilliant career that ended before it began.
Good question! WYNKEN, BLINKEN & NOD is one of my favorite Silly Symphonies. Heid is rarely mentioned in any animation histories. So I asked Mike Barrier if he knew what happened to Heid – and of course he knew the answer.
Says Barrier, “Graham Heid was at Disney’s for about ten years, until 1945; the last few years, after Bambi, he was involved with live-action military training films. He continued to work in live action after he left Disney, concluding his career as a producer-director of medical teaching films for the U.S. Public Health Service in Atlanta. He retired in 1971 and died in 1976. He told me in a 1975 letter, “I am neither an artist nor a cartoonist, so animation was really not very interesting to me.”
Ben Varkentine asks: I figure this question is going to be maddening either because you’ve answered it a lot or because I don’t have enough information. So I’m sorry in advance. But a couple of friends and I have been trying to find a cartoon we all remember from when we were kids and saw it on television. It’s the story of a man who has a parade pass by the front of his house every day. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the last part of the parade is the sanitation department truck, which always hits a pothole outside his house causing a load of garbage to be dumped outside his house. He goes to see several people to try to get this fixed, explaining the problem in a cod-French accented song. Any ideas? Thank you so much.”
That cartoon is called LA PETITE PARADE and it’s a Paramount Modern Madcap cartoon from 1959. I get asked about this one a lot. It’s a real cult favorite. It was part of the “Harveytoon” package, shown with Casper, Baby Huey, Herman & Katnip, Little Audrey back in the day, on TV. Hard to see these days. Renoir the Matchmaker is the main character in this film and he appeared in a few more Modern Madcap cartoons during 1960-61. Good news, La Petite Parade is available on DVD. It is contained in episode #41 on HARVEYTOONS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION.
LISLE BARTMAN asks: Why is Cartoon Network running the Bugs Bunny cartoon “Prince Violent” as “Prince Varmint,” the title made for network-TV broadcast. Some of us would like to see the original opening titles for this ‘toon. Any idea if it will ever be released on video with original opening titles?
Indeed the title change was made for CBS back in the 1970s and you’re right, the correct title should be restored. Cartoon Network accepts what Warner Bros. hands them off the shelf.
Jon Cooke adds “Warners made a NEW set of titles for this short (along with most of the made-for-TV shorts, like “Soup or Sonic”, etc.) for Fox’s MERRIE MELODIES STARRING BUGS BUNNY & FRIENDS in 1992. The syndicated MERRIE MELODIES STARRING BUGS BUNNY & FRIENDS (1990) did use the CBS-titled version, though. I have provided (below) the modern title card as seen on CN (note the “1961″ copyright on a title card itself!)”.
Original lobby cards (at left); Original title (top right), 1992 re-title (bottom right), courtesy of Jon Cooke.
Carmen Margiatto writes: I’ve stumbled onto your site while trying to find the name of a piece of music used in several Warner Brother’s classic cartoons and hope you can shed some light my way.
Since it’s been used in several shorts, I’ll describe what I believe is the most likely one you will recall hearing it in. The cartoon is the 1944 Buckaroo Bugs, and the piece is a gallop (in two distinctive parts) that is played while Red Hot Ryder is jumping over larger and larger crevasses until he attempts a jump over the Grand Canyon. Once he realizes that he isn’t going to make the jump and will now fall, the gallop goes into its second theme; I’m assuming it’s the same piece, because the two parts are always heard together whenever played.
I have no clue if this is a classical piece, or one dreamed up by Carl Stalling himself (I’m pretty sure it’s not Raymond Scott). Thanks for any information you can pass my way.
Great question! I directed your query to cartoon music historian extrordainaré Daniel Goldmark, and here is his reply:
“That piece of music is called “IN THE STIRRUPS” by J.S. Zamecnik, who was a prolific composer of music for silent movie theatres.
A former music accompanist such as Stalling would be quite familiar with Zamecnik’s work and IN THE STIRRUPS can be heard in a total of 14 Warner Bros. cartoons including Clampett’s DRAFTEE DAFFY, TORTOISE WINS BY A HARE and THE OLD GREY HARE – as well as the race & chase epics BUDDY’S PONY EXPRESS, PORKY & TEABISCUIT and THE GREY HOUNDED HARE.”
tservo2049 asks: Tell me everything about Fred Ladd. Give me the history and chronology of his companies, the information you know now. Were his 4 companies (Delphi Associates, Radio & Television Packagers, Color Systems Inc., and Entercolor Technologies) related in any way? If so, when did they become one of the other companies? I need this info desperately!
“Desparately”?? Fred Ladd certainly holds a special place in animation history. He was the first to bring anime to American TV, produced a few animated features and colorized Porky Pig, Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons. You can read more about Fred Ladd in this AWN INTERVIEW by Harvey Deneroff, and you can see more of his work at the Colorized Cartoons Database.
Here is a timeline of his career, with the emphasis on animation. He has worked on importing and dubbing many live action films, which I skip over in order to concentrate on our interests here. Fred is still working in Encino, California.
1950-60 – Radio & Television Packagers (Cartoon Classics, Space Explorers) Fred is employee of this company, not owner.
1960 – Fred producing/writing PINOCCHIO IN OUTER SPACE
1963 – JOURNEY BACK TO OZ (writing/producing)
1963 – “Little Adam Productions” (The Big World of Little Adam) – also dubbed Toel features for A.I.P. (Little Norse Prince, Puss In Boots, Treasure Island, etc)
March 1963 – began Astro Boy dubbing as work-for-hire, for NBC Enterprises
1964 – “Delphi Associates” starts with GIGANTOR
Oct. 1965 – “Kimba” dubbing work-for-hire
1966 – dubbed pilot of SPACE ACE (RING-O) never sold
1967 – Begins colorizing experiments
1968 – COLOR SYSTEMS, INC. (partnered with Elliot Hyman) begins with 78 Porky Pig cartoon, 100 Betty Boops, 18 Krazy Kats, test of FARMER AL FALFA, Mutt & Jeff cartoons; colorized 43 PD cartoons (including Felix, Bosko & Buddy titles) for former employer Radio & Television Packagers.
1974 – Dissolved COLOR SYSTEMS
1975 – Sets up GREATEST TALES INC. (to dub Japanese animated fairy tales (Snow Queen, Hansel & Gretal) for institutional market)
1974-84 various dubbing projects mainly live action; established PLAID PRODUCTIONS with Graham Place (Fleischer animator) did commercials, TALES OF THE GOOD BOOK (animated Bible stories). Note: Elliot Hyman dies July 23, 1980
1984 – Ladd in Los Angeles starts ENTERCOLOR TECHOLOGIES CORP. Columbia’s Barney Googles, L’iL Abner, Oswald The Rabbit test, ten Mickey Mouse cartoons.
1986-87 – Entercolor colorizes Fleischer POPEYE cartoons for Turner – also 26 Turner Merrie Melodies and MGM Captain & The Kids titles. Ladd re-dubs G-FORCE (a re-do of BATTLE OF THE PLANETS) also for Turner.
1992 – dubbed color GIGANTOR episodes for Sci-Fi Channel
1995 – creative consultant on SAILOR MOON dubbing
PEBYRNE writes:I’m looking for information about a cartoon from my childhood – I think the name is “Snowman in July.” It’s about a snowman who is kept frozen in a freezer so he can see warm weather in July. It might be foreign. Any information you can provide will be appreciated.
The cartoon many know as SNOWMAN IN JULY was originally called THE SNOWMAN (or “Der Schneemann”), which was produced in Nazi Germany in 1943 by Hans Fischerkoesen. Fischerkosen (1896-1973) was a great German cartoonist/producer who produced short color theatrical cartoons during the wartime era. Some of them were acquired, along with many other Europeon cartoons, for U.S. TV distribution in the 1950s in cartoon packages with names like CAPTAIN SAILORBIRD and BOZO’S STORYBOOK.
MATTHEW HUNTER asks: Many Warner animation books (including yours I believe) mention a special from the 1970′s called “Daffy Duck and Porky Pig meet the Groovie Ghoulies.” It was an experiment by Warner Brothers in loaning their characters to another studio, Filmation I think. I think it wound up as a one-shot special with limited TV release. Everything I have heard (which is very little) about this special has been bad, and it is cited as being a worse teamup than Daffy and Speedy Gonzales ever were. Several questions: Whatever happened to it? What is a “Groovie Ghoulie?!” What is the special about?
I am sure there are many WB cartoon fans out there ask themselves the same three questions. Could your page be so kind as to become the first in history to unmask the mystery?
Here’s a “Lost Warner Bros. Cartoon” that should remain lost, forever!
DAFFY DUCK AND PORKY PIG MEET THE GROOVIE GOOLIES (note the spelling of “Goolies”) was first telecast on Dec. 18, 1972 as part of the ABC SATURDAY SUPERSTAR MOVIE, a weekly Saturday morning series that featured special one hour episodes and one-shots, by different animation studios. The “Groovie Goolies” had their own show on CBS the previous season, and were introduced on SABRINA AND THE GROOVIE GOOLIES in 1970. They were a rock group of monsters, an erzatz MUNSTERS (Drac, Frankie, Wolfie, Mummy, Hagatha, etc.)
The Looney Tunes characters involved here were Daffy, Porky, Elmer, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Petunia Pig (voice by Jane Webb), Wile E. Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe LePew, and Sylvester. Mel Blanc provides the Warner character voices and he sounds pretty good here, with the exception of an awful baritone Elmer Fudd, and Daffy & Tweety who are sped up way too much, sounding like they are on helium! The Looney Tunes are drawn reasonably well with the exception of Pepe and Wile E. who look particularly terrible.
Needless to say, this Filmation production is an abominable mess, with limited animation and an annoying laugh track (not to mention the bland stock background muzak). I’d be happy to provide a plot synopsis, but keep in mind, the film sounds better than it is:
PLOT SYNOPSIS: The Groovie Goolies are at home watching a TV interview of Petunia Pig interviewing Daffy Duck about his latest movie “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table”. A clip is shown: Foghorn is King Arthur, Sylvester is his loyal jester. Foggy asks Sylvester to take his new son (an egg) for a walk. While walking, Sylvester decides to eat the egg. Tweety tries to stop him, but the egg hatches. Daffy (as Arthur in a baby bonnet) emerges.
At this point, “The Phantom Of The Flickers” (a Karloffian character) interupts the show and promises to distrupt all of Daffy Duck’s movies. The Goolies decide to go to Hollywood to help save Daffy’s films.
To make a long convoluted story short: The Goolies arrive at “Daffy Duck Studios” where the Toon Squad mistakes the Goolies for stuntmen, then for the Phantom themslves. They chase around the studio, eventually stopping to screen the rest of the “King Arthur” film. In the film within a film, Arthur (Daffy) asks Merlin’s (Porky) help in winning the hand of Lady Guinevere (Petunia). Daffy pulls the sword from the stone, infuriating Mordred (Yosemite Sam) who challenges Daffy to a joust.
The Phantom stops the screening and grabs the film. The Goolies & Looneys chase after him and corner him on a pirate ship set. The Phantom get’s away and disguises as a little boy, hiding the film in his guitar. He runs into “Mad Mirror Land” and he and three of the Goolies become live action (!!). This is the best part of the picture, as the Goolies chase the kid using pixilation techniques. They chase into a western town set, then get distracted and begin to play music. Frankie grabs the guitar and his gigantic sneezes force the whole group through the mirror and back into cartoon land.
(Are you still following this?)
The Phantom is revealed to be Claude Chaney, Drac’s long lost uncle, a formerly famous actor who wanted revenge for movies going to color (??). Daffy gives Chaney a job, “King Arthur” wins an Ozzie Award, and the Goolies go home. The last scenes has some of the Looney Tunes, led by Sam, following the Goolie gang home to their castle.
AVOID THIS STINKER AT ALL COSTS! It is very sad to see our favorite characters this way. If this plot synopsis spares even one of you from ever seeing this cartoon, then I have done my job.
SIMON asks: Some sources list Clampett’s “It’s A Grand Old Nag” (1947) as the only cartoon released by Republic, but I’ve also seen references to a series of travelogue spoofs called “Jerky Journies” that were apparently released in ’49 by Republic. Do you know anything about these cartoons? Were they really released? Are they all lost now? Do you know who worked on them?
The JERKY JOURNEYS were indeed released. There were only four. Republic was a low budget studio and I suspect that they were interested in promoting their “TruColor” process. Cartoons were a great way of doing that. Bob Clampett’s “Charlie Horse” cartoon (released 12/1/47) cost $20,000. to produce. Republic got four JERKY JOURNEYS for a total of $46,787. This was possible because there is almost no animation in these films!
Producer Leonard Lewis Levinson’s Impossible Pictures partnered with Art Heineman to make these gag travelouges which depended on verbal humor and long pan backgrounds. Amid Amidi did an interview with Pete Alvarado in ANIMATION JOURNAL (Vol. 8 #1, Fall 1999 – available from Chapman University) who says he, Paul Julian and Robert Gribbroek moonlighted from Warners painting the backgrounds over Heineman’s layouts. Like Avery’s Travelouge spoofs, but with hardly any action, one was even done in the style of a narrated slide show. Frank Nelson provided most of the voices. Here’s the whole list:
BEYOND CIVILIZATION TO TEXAS (3/15/49)
THE 3 MINNIES: SOTA, TONKA & HA HA! (4/15/49)
BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE (5/15/49)
ROMANTIC RUMBOLIA (6/15/49)
SIMON also asks: A similar question, were Iwerks’ “Granpop Monkey” cartoons ever released? Another case of conflicting sources, I’ve read that they were released through Monogram, but I’ve also read that they were never even completed. If they were completed, do any prints exist?
Three cartoons starring “Three Monkeys” were released in 1940 by Monogram: A BUSY DAY, THE BEAUTY SHOPPE and BABY CHECKERS. I believe these were produced by Ub Iwerks, sponsored by Boots Chemists in England and picked up by B-studio Monogram for U.S. distribution. These films still exist in private collections. There is a VHS tape available from The Whole Toon Catalog called “British and Australian Cartoons” that contains A BUSY DAY and THE BEAUTY SHOPPE.
MOE HARE asks: I would like to know if any of the “Toby The Pup” cartoons survived in any kind of form? I know that Charles Mintz produced the series and was released by RKO/Radio pictures and wouldn’t Turner own the rights to the films today? Do you have any kind of images of Toby? And will any of these cartoons make it to video someday.
Until recently, only a fragment (about half) of TOBY IN THE MUSEUM was the only “Toby” cartoon around. Four prints were discovered in Europe within the last eight years. TOBY IN CIRCUS TIME was preserved by the UCLA FILM ARCHIVE and a great 35mm print exists in their vaults. TOBY THE MILKMAN, DOWN SOUTH and HALLOWEEN all showed up on TV in France (the program CARTOON FACTORY on Arte). The rest are still considered lost. I think they’ve all fallen into the Public Domain. No one has the original negatives, though I suppose RKO had them in the 1930s and they could still be in some RKO storage somewhere, if anyone cared enough to look. Turner’s rights (now Warner Bros.) to RKO films is limited to TV distribution of feature films only. RKO, which still exists, I believe still owns all other rights to their properties. Mike Barrier says in his book, HOLLYWOOD CARTOONS, that Dick Huemer joined the Charles Mintz studio to make the Toby series (in 1930). The following year, Huemer created the Scrappy cartoons for Columbia release (for whom Mintz had already been doing the KRAZY KAT cartoons).
Buzz Dixon asks: Back in the early 60s I saw a “serial” on a local morning kid show in Asheville, N.C. (I say “serial” because they ran other cartoons “serials” that were originally features, such as THE ADVENTURES OF MR. WONDERBIRD and several Russian fairy tale featurettes). The name of the serial was THE SPACE ADVENTURERS or something like that (in the mid-to-late 70s Universal 16 listed a film in their catalog that sounded very close to the cartoon I’d seen; that is the only published reference to it I’ve ever seen).
The plot involved a young boy stowing away on a spaceship that was taking off to rescue his missing father, who had disappeared on an earlier spaceflight. What made the story quite memorable, however, was that the rockets and spaceflight scenes were live action miniatures, not cartoon animation as the rest of the movie. In fact, the live action footage came from an abandoned Barvarian film called ROCKETSHIP ONE TAKES OFF (or some simimlar variant title). Stills from ROCKETSHIP ONE can be found in several sources and a clip (without cartoon animation interior shots) ran on a Discovery channel special on spaceflight last year. My questions are (a) what is the origin of SPACE ADVENTURERS and (b) is it available on tape or disc anywhere?
Well this is quite a mystery, but I do have some of the answers. The film is actually called THE SPACE EXPLORERS. It was put together in 1957 by a small New York company called Radio & Television Packagers, Inc. run by Fred Ladd (who would bring Japan’s ASTRO BOY and GIGANTOR to America in the 1960s – see above). The film takes place in a futuristic “1978″ where a young boy, Jimmy, stows away on a spaceship of Professor Nordheim and his female navigator, Smitty. They are en route to Mars, where Jimmy hopes to find his father, the first astronaut to land there, years earlier.
According to ace cartoon researcher Ray Pointer, the plot goes like this: “Jimmy’s father was “Commander Perry,” and the spaceship that he took to Mars was The Polaris! (You get the picture?) When Jimmy heard that the Polaris was lost, he stowed away in a shipping crate that was loaded onto the rescue ship, The Polaris II, was commanded by the Professor and Smitty, his female assistant.
“When Jimmy is revealed, the journey becomes a “vehicle” to teach astronomy. As it turned out, they stopped at the Moon, and it was there that Jimmy accidentally finds his father who has crash landed there, never landing on Mars. He did manage to bring back a several valuable photographs of the planet taken from outer space.”
According to Fred Ladd, he took a half-hour Eastern Europeon animated short film (he couldn’t remember the original title), and made a two-hour movie of it by reruning and reusing the footage, and padding it with live action spaceship shots from a German film called Weltraumschiff 1 Startet and outer space and planet shots from a Europeon feature called UNIVERSE.
Because the Sputnik craze was so hot, they rushed the first hour of THE SPACE EXPLORERS to television as soon as it was finished. They then released the second hour, a few months later, as THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE SPACE EXPLORERS. In the 1960s, Ladd cut the film into 6 minute episodes for syndication!
According to Ray Pointer, “The sequel, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE SPACE EXPLORERS reused material from the first with a new twist. The professor tricks Jimmy into going with him on a mission to Mars to retrieve a defective data gathering satellite.
“In this one, aspects of Einstein’s Theories are explained along with other interesting scientific information. Thinking back on it, I found that they cleverly integrated film footage with intelligent writing and made an entertaining educational series that keep this five year old excited about the prospects of interplanetary travel.
“There was a similar educational series like this called JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. It was similar in concept to SPACE EXPLORERS, made up of Eastern European animation cut together with live action footage about undersea life. Again, well done, but I liked SPACE EXPLORERS better. There was also another serialized adventure, JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME, but this was entirely live action cut together with the same narrative technique used in the other two series.”
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Nov 11, 1889 saw which state admitted to the union as the 42nd state? | Washington is the 42nd State Admitted to the Union | World History Project
Washington is the 42nd State Admitted to the Union
On November 11, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison declared Washington the forty-second state in the Union.
Less than fifty years after pioneers began entering the Pacific Northwest via the Oregon Trail, the United States borders extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. Spanish and British explorers landed on the Northwest coast in the 1770s; American explorers followed. In 1818, the United States and Britain jointly occupied the "Oregon Country," of which Washington was a part.
In 1844, presidential candidate James K. Polk urged an aggressive stance with regard to ownership of the land below the 54th parallel. The slogan "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" became a rallying cry of the Polk campaign. Two years later, the U.S. and Great Britain signed the Oregon Treaty setting the Canadian-American border at the 49th parallel and granting the United States territory that included present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. In 1848, Congress designated this newly acquired area the "Oregon Territory."
Source: Library of Congress Added by: Aimee Lucido
In 1852, people from all over what was to become Washington state gathered in Monticello (now Longview) to draft a memorial to Congress. The memorial expressed their desire to be granted statehood under the name of Columbia. This meeting came to be known as the Monticello Convention. The desires of the Convention were met favorably in Congress, but it was decided that a state named Columbia might be confused with the preexisting District of Columbia. The state was instead named Washington in honor of our first president. Washington became the 42nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.
Early prominent industries in the state included agriculture and lumber. In eastern Washington, the Yakima Valley became known for its apple orchards, while the growth of wheat using dry-farming techniques became particularly productive. The heavy rainfall to the west of the Cascade Range produced dense forests, and the ports along Puget Sound prospered from the manufacturing and shipping of lumber products, particularly the Douglas fir. Other industries that developed in the state include fishing, salmon canning and mining.
Source: Wikipedia Added by: Aimee Lucido
“
If there is one thing, indeed, more than another, among the facts of civilization, which the Pacific Coast organizes most quickly and completely, it is good eating….When the Puritans settled New England, their first public duty was to build a church with thrifty thought for their souls. Out here, their degenerate sons begin with organizing a restaurant, and supplying Hostetter's stomachic bitters and an European or Asiatic cook. So the seat of empire, in its travel westward, changes its base from soul to stomach, from brains to bowels.”
— Our New West (Hartford, CT: Hartford Publishing, 1869)
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What is tracked by the Web site Where's George? | Washington becoming 42nd state
Brian Zylstra
Courtesy of Washington State Archives
You don’t need to buy a gift or a card, but this Thursday is our state’s 121st birthday. On November 11, 1889, Washington joined the Union as the 42nd state, just three days after Montana was admitted and nine days after North Dakota and South Dakota officially became states.
Above is the Western Union telegram to the state’s first governor, Elisha P. Ferry, letting him know that President Benjamin Harrison signed the proclamation declaring Washington to be a state. The funny part is that the telegraph messenger had to collect 61 cents from the Clerk of the Territorial Legislature before he could hand over the telegram. Just imagine if he didn’t have the money!
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Who is the current vice president of the United States? | Vice President Joe Biden | whitehouse.gov
Vice President Joe Biden
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Vice President Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., represented Delaware for 36 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming the 47th and current Vice President of the United States.
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Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings. In 1953, the Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Claymont, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. Then, at age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate.
Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden family when Biden's wife, Neilia and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons critically injured in an auto accident. Vice President Biden was sworn in to the U.S. Senate at his sons' hospital bedside and began commuting to Washington every day by train, a practice he maintained throughout his career in the Senate.
In 1977, Vice President Biden married Jill Jacobs. Jill Biden, who holds a Ph.D. in Education, is a life-long educator and currently teaches at a community college in Northern Virginia. The Vice President’s son, Beau (1969-2015), was Delaware's Attorney General from 2007-2015 and a Major in the 261st Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009. The Vice President’s other son, Hunter, is an attorney who manages a private equity firm in Washington, D.C. and is Chairman of the World Food Program USA. And his daughter Ashley is a social worker and is Executive Director of the Delaware Center for Justice. Vice President Biden has five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel ("Maisy"), Natalie, and Robert Hunter.
As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, Vice President Biden established himself as a leader in facing some of our nation's most important domestic and international challenges. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, then-Senator Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the landmark 1994 Crime Law and the Violence Against Women Act. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years, then-Senator Biden played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has been at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.
Now, as the 47th Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation. The Vice President was tasked with implementing and overseeing the $840 billion stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , which has helped to rebuild our economy and lay the foundation for a sustainable economic future. The Vice President also leads the Ready to Work Initiative , the Administration’s key effort to identify opportunities to improve our nation’s workforce skills and training systems to help better prepare American workers for the jobs of a 21st century economy.
The Vice President has continued to draw upon his years in the United States Senate to work with Congress on key issues including the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. As a longtime advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence, the Vice President appointed the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women . The Vice President has also been tasked with convening sessions of the President’s Cabinet and leading interagency efforts, particularly to reduce gun violence and raise the living standards of middle class Americans in his role as Chair of the Middle Class Task Force . Vice President Biden has traveled to 48 states as part of the Administration’s continuing efforts to focus key priorities such as college affordability and American manufacturing growth.
With decades of foreign policy experience in the United States Senate, include serving as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Vice President Biden advises President Obama on international issues. The Vice President has been a leading architect of the U.S. strategic vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace. During his time in the Senate, the Vice President led the effort to enlarge NATO to include the former Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern and Central Europe after the collapse of the Iron Curtain. The Vice President’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2015 laid out a vision for how to revitalize NATO, strengthen democratic institutions in Europe, prioritize investments to bolster energy security, and grow trade and investment ties across the Atlantic. The Vice President has been leading the administration’s effort to support a sovereign, democratic Ukraine, visiting the country three times in 2014. In the Middle East, the Vice President has been deeply involved in shaping U.S. policy toward Iraq, visiting the country several times. He has met with the leaders from around the Middle East and has championed Israel’s security. The Vice President has also played an active role in supporting the Administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. He has developed deep relationships with the region’s leaders, demonstrating U.S. commitment to high-level, face-to-face diplomacy. Vice President Biden is the Administration’s point person for diplomacy within the Western Hemisphere. He has worked to realize his vision of a Hemisphere that is “middle class, secure, and democratic, from Canada to Chile and everywhere in between.” In this capacity, the Vice President has led the Administration’s regional efforts to address economic, social, governance, and citizen security challenges.
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Niagara Falls, one of the more popular tourist destinations in North America, consists of Horseshoe Falls and what? | Joe Biden | vice president of United States | Britannica.com
vice president of United States
Written By:
Alternative Title: Joseph Robinette Biden
Joe Biden
Vice president of United States
Also known as
Joe Biden, byname of Joseph Robinette Biden (born Nov. 20, 1942, Scranton , Pa., U.S.), 47th vice president of the United States (2009– ) in the Democratic administration of Pres. Barack Obama .
Joe Biden.
U.S. Senator Joe Biden
Biden, who was raised in Scranton, Pa., and New Castle county, Del., received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware in 1965 and a law degree from Syracuse University in New York in 1968. After graduating from law school, he returned to Delaware to work as an attorney before quickly turning to politics, serving on the New Castle county council from 1970 to 1972. Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the fifth youngest senator in history. He went on to win reelection six times and became Delaware’s longest-serving senator. In addition to his role as U.S. senator, Biden also served as an adjunct professor at the Wilmington , Del., branch of the Widener University School of Law in 1991.
As a senator, Biden focused on foreign relations , criminal justice , and drug policy. He served on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, twice as its chair (2001–03; 2007–09), and on the Committee on the Judiciary, serving as its chair from 1987 to 1995. He was particularly outspoken on issues related to the Kosovo conflict of the late ’90s, urging U.S. action against Serbian forces to protect Kosovars against an offensive by Serbian Pres. Slobodan Milošević . On the Iraq War , Biden proposed a partition plan as a way to maintain a united, peaceful Iraq . Biden also was a member of the International Narcotics Control Caucus and was the lead senator in writing the law that established the office of “drug czar,” a position that oversees the national drug-control policy.
Joe Biden (right) campaigning with Barack Obama, Aug. 23, 2008.
Emmanuel Dunand —AFP/Getty Images
Michelle and Barack Obama (couple at left) and Jill and Joe Biden at Invesco Field on the final …
Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biden pursued the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew after it was revealed that parts of his campaign stump speech had been plagiarized from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock without appropriate attribution . His 2008 presidential campaign never gained momentum, and he withdrew from the race after placing fifth in the Iowa Democratic caucus in January of that year. (For coverage of the 2008 election, see United States Presidential Election of 2008 .) After Barack Obama amassed enough delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden emerged as a front-runner to be Obama’s vice presidential running mate. On August 23 Obama officially announced his selection of Biden as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee, and on August 27 Obama and Biden secured the Democratic Party’s nomination. On November 4 the Obama-Biden ticket defeated John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin , and Biden also easily won reelection to his U.S. Senate seat. He resigned from the Senate post shortly before taking the oath of office as vice president on Jan. 20, 2009. In November 2012 , Obama and Biden were reelected for a second term, defeating the Republican ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan .
U.S. Vice Pres. Joe Biden with Center for American Progress president John Podesta, 2009.
Photograph by Sharon Farmer/The White House
U.S. Vice Pres. Joe Biden (right) with his wife, Jill Biden (second from right); Indian Prime …
U.S. Department of State
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In what reality TV show, recently won by Jordan Lloyd, features group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras? | Learn and talk about Big Brother 3 (U.S.), 2002 American television seasons, Big Brother (U.S.) seasons
Runner-up $50,000
Evicted
Big Brother 3 was the third season of the American reality television series Big Brother . It is based upon the Netherlands series of the same name , which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000. The series premiered on CBS on July 10, 2002 and lasted for a total of 82 days. The series concluded on September 25, 2002 when Lisa Donahue was crowned the winner, and Danielle Reyes the runner-up. The premise of the series remained similar to the previous season. The series revolved around twelve strangers living in a house together with no communication with the outside world. They were constantly filmed during their time in the house, and were not permitted to communicate with those filming them. One HouseGuest, known as the Head of Household, had the task of nominating two of their fellow HouseGuests for eviction. The Power of Veto could be used to safe a nominee. The HouseGuests then voted to evict one of the nominees, with the HouseGuest who received the most votes being evicted from the house. When only two HouseGuests remained, the previously evicted HouseGuests would decide which of them would win the $500,000 grand prize.
Contents
Development[ edit ]
Les Moonves was happy with the series following a "boring" first season.
Talk of a new installment to the series shortly following the conclusion of Big Brother 2 (2001), when CBS chief Les Moonves was quoted as stating he was "happy" with the success of Big Brother and similar reality shows on the network. [1] The third season was officially announced in early 2002, along with plans for a celebrity edition of the series. [2] [3] Arnold Shapiro returned to produce the series, and claimed that production would be much more strict on the HouseGuests; among these new rules, Shapiro stated that HouseGuests who read banners flown above the house could face expulsion. [4] Shapiro later called the series "socially intriguing", commenting "I could say: ‘I’m going to be me. I’m going to be my ethical, honest, low-key self.’ But who knows, after six and seven weeks of having been betrayed by somebody and [having] plots hatched against me and being deprived of food except for peanut butter and jelly? I might become a villain." [5] Allison Grodner also returned as the executive producer to the series. It was revealed before the premiere that numerous changes to the series would occur before its premiere, though these changes were not specified. [6] Allison Grodner later stated "[We] have thrown in just a few twists and turns, just a few new roadblocks in terms of our rules and format so that the people coming into the house who have worked out a perfect strategy—and believe me, all of them think they have—are in for a few surprises." [7]
It was confirmed in May that the series would premiere on July 10. [8] The season aired on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on CBS , [9] with the live eviction episodes occurring on Thursdays. [10] When asked about the authenticity of the story-lines used in the episodes, Shaprio claimed "We're sticklers for maintaining the purity we do have in terms of how little we interfere with the lives of the 12 people in our house. Once they go in, we don't touch 'em. How they behave is entirely up to them." [11] This was the second season that required viewers to pay for the live feeds, which were $9.95 per month following a free two week trial; the feeds were yet again available through RealPlayer . [12] The feeds launched following the premiere episode, with the first few days in the house not being aired. [13] Along with the television series, CBS announced a fantasy game in which players would make a team of HouseGuests and earn points when a member of their time did certain things in the game. [14] [15]
On April 25, Julie Chen confirmed that she would return as host for the series. [16] Casting for the season began in April 2002. [17] Due to controversies surrounding the second season, this round of applications involved more in depth questions about previous arrests or legal troubles. [18] Following the incident that resulted in the expulsion of Justin Sebik the prior year, Arnold Shapiro stated "We're as certain as humanly possible, certain as we can be, that we've got 12 people who understand that the threat of violence, or violence itself, zero tolerance." [19] Thom Bierdz , a cast member of the soap opera The Young and the Restless and Rob Cesternino , who would later appear on Survivor: The Amazon were among the over 5,000 applicants for Big Brother 3. [20] [21] [22] The twelve competing HouseGuests were set to be revealed on July 5, five days before the series premiered. [23] Despite this, Entertainment Weekly leaked the cast the day prior. [24] The HouseGuests entered the house on July 6. [4] On the new cast, Shapiro stated "I don’t want to insult last year’s [cast], but this group is gonna make bathing-suit time worth watching [...] we have some hot single moms [and a gay man who is] not hairy like Bunky." [23] He later elaborated, stating "I would say, speaking of eye candy, I would say everybody's sweet tooth in America will be more than satiated." [19] This season featured a total of six men and six women. [24] Gerry Lancaster was the oldest housemate this season, and was a middle school teacher. [25] Marcellas Reynolds was openly gay, while four HouseGuests this season had children. [24]
House[ edit ]
The house used for the third season was a one story house with four bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room, and one bathroom. It was the same house used for the prior season, which was an estimated 2,400 feet. [26] The lot used for the house was located at the CBS Studio Center in Hollywood. [27] During their stay in the house, the HouseGuests were required to wear microphones at all times, ensuring everything they said in the house was heard. [28] Throughout the house there are two way mirrors lined against the walls, with a production team filming behind them. [29] The bedrooms featured infrared night vision cameras, allowing the cameras to continue filming while the lights were off. The house was re-decorated from the previous season, and featured a "modern Asian influenced" look. [30] The kitchen yet again featured the round table used last year, and featured a camera in the center. [31] The couches in the living room were a light green, while the chairs for the nominees were a bright purple; a fireplace was placed behind these chairs. [32] The bright purple was used throughout the house in the walls and furniture. [33] The "reptile room" featured two bearded dragons in a cage, [34] and required four HouseGuests to sleep in three beds. [35] There was also a beach-themed room with bright blue walls and palm trees. [36] The adjoining room, separated only by a plexi-glass wall, [37] featured only four cots for the HouseGuests to sleep on. [38] One of the cots was made of bamboo, and the room had a brown and light green color scheme. [39] [40] The fourth bedroom is the Head of Household room. [41] The HoH for the week has this room, which features perks such as privacy, laundry service, and pictures from home. [26] The backyard featured a patio area for the HouseGuests to sit, as well as a pool, jacuzzi, and basketball court. [42] The Diary Room featured a light green chair, along with the bright purple walls on display throughout the house. [26]
Format[ edit ]
Big Brother is a game show in which a group of contestants, referred to as HouseGuests, lived in a custom built "house", constantly under video surveillance. [43] While in the house, the contestants were completely isolated from the outside world, meaning no phone, television, internet, magazines, newspaper, or contact with those not in the house. [44] This rule could be broken, however, in the event of a family emergency or passing. [45] At the start of each week in the house, the HouseGuests would compete for the title of Head of Household. [46] The Head of Household for each week would have luxuries such as their own personal bedroom and free laundry service, but was responsible for nominating two HouseGuests for eviction. The Head of Household would not be able to compete in the following week's Head of Household competition, meaning that a HouseGuest could not hold the title for two weeks in a row. [47] [48] The winner of the Power of Veto could choose to save one of the nominated HouseGuests, forcing the Head of Household to nominate someone in their place. [48] [49] All HouseGuests excluding the Head of Household and nominees later vote to determine which of the two nominees should be evicted, and the nominated HouseGuest who received the most votes was evicted during a live episode. [48] If there is a tie in the voting, the reigning Head of Household is required to make the tie-breaker decision. [50] Unlike other versions of Big Brother , the HouseGuests may discuss the nomination and eviction process openly and freely. [48] When only two HouseGuests remained, the previously evicted HouseGuests returned to decide which of the two should win the game. [51]
The HouseGuests also competed in food competitions, in which the losers were required to solely eat peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week. [52] The HouseGuests also participated in weekly luxury competitions, in which those competing could win prizes. [42] The players were competing for a $500,000 prize, [53] though the runner-up would receive a $50,000 prize. [54] The format of the series was mainly seen as a social experiment, and required HouseGuests to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices. [55] [56] HouseGuests were also required to make visits to the Diary Room during their stay in the house, where they were able to share their thoughts and feelings on their fellow HouseGuests and the game. [57] While in the house, the HouseGuests are given no information from the outside world. [58] This includes the families and loved ones of the HouseGuests, whom they are not permitted to see or speak to. [59] The house featured no telephones, televisions, or reading material other than for religious use. [60] HouseGuests could voluntarily leave the house at any time, however, would not be able to return. [61] [62] In addition, a HouseGuest could be removed from the house at any time for breaking the rules; removal from the house meant the HouseGuest would not be eligible to return to the house or appear at the finale. [63] [64]
Future appearance[ edit ]
Danielle Reyes and Marcellas Reynolds returned for Big Brother: All Stars , where Reyes placed 6th and Reynolds placed 9th. Lisa Donahue was also a candidate for Big Brother: All Stars but was not selected to compete. Josh Feinberg made a brief appearance on Big Brother: All Stars for a Head of Household competition. Amy Crews returned for Big Brother 10 to host a food competition along with other Big Brother alumnus. Danielle Reyes also made a brief appearance on Big Brother 11 to share her thoughts on the season.
Summary[ edit ]
On Day 1, the twelve original HouseGuests entered the Big Brother house. That night, the HouseGuests participated in their first food competition, in which they entered the backyard to find a table full of groceries and twelve shopping bags. There were also three trees in the yard, each with two nests on them. HouseGuests were given ninety seconds to fill their bag up with groceries, find a partner, and get into a nest with that partner. If they successfully completed the competition, they would get to keep their groceries for the week; the group won the competition. [65] Upon completing the competition, the HouseGuests learned that there was a second part of the competition. It was revealed that the last pair remaining in their nest with the groceries would win $3,000 for each week that they both remained in the house, giving them a potential total of $30,000. [66] [67] The week that one of them was evicted from the house, the prize would stop growing. The competition lasted more than four and a half hours, with Jason and Lori being the eventual winners. [65] On Day 2, HouseGuests competed in the "Wheel of First Impressions" Head of Household competition, in which HouseGuests were given a stack of cards with descriptions on them and a wheel with the HouseGuests names on it. One at a time, a HouseGuest would take a card and state which HouseGuest they felt the card best described; they would then take another card and do the same. The wheel would then be spun, and the HouseGuest whose name the wheel landed on had to eliminate one of the two selected HouseGuests from the game. When only two HouseGuests remained in the competition, the eliminated players would vote for which of the two they would most like to see win Head of Household. Lisa was the winner of the competition. [68]
On Day 3, the HouseGuests learned that they must compete for the right to use the hot tub in the backyard. For this competition, the HouseGuests were required to put on bathing suits provided by Big Brother, which featured a blue top and red bottoms. The HouseGuests must split up into three groups of four, each with two men and two women. [67] A group must jump into a pool and swap their suits with a member of the opposite sex to ensure that they had the same color of suit, meaning that upon exiting the male team members should have on a female's top and bottom of matching color, and women should have a matching male's top and bottom. Each group must do the same task, and all three groups must be finished within six minutes. [67] The HouseGuests completed the challenge, thus unlocked the hot tub. [69] On Day 4, Lori and Marcellas were nominated for eviction, with Marcellas being the target. [70] [71] HouseGuests later competed in the "Eggs Over Easy" food competition, in which the men and women threw eggs to each other by tossing them over a divide. Each egg had a food written on it, and all of the eggs that did not break were foods that were given to the house. [68] On Day 7, HouseGuests competed in the "Saving Face" Power of Veto competition, in which HouseGuests shot a set of three balls at a cutout representing one HouseGuest. When a HouseGuests cutout got three balls in it, that HouseGuest was eliminated from the competition. Gerry was the winner of the Power of Veto. [72] [73] HouseGuests later competed in the "Luau Luxury" competition, in which the HouseGuests split into two teams and were required to figure out which five items were missing from the house. The winning team earned a dinner, while the losing team had to watch them eat it. [68] Later, Gerry chose to remove Marcellas from the block, as he felt he had been nominated for "racist and homophobic" reasons; Amy was nominated as the replacement nominee. [74] [75] On Day 13, Lori became the first evicted HouseGuest in a vote of five to four. [76] [77]
Following Lori's eviction, HouseGuests participated in the "In the House" Head of Household competition, in which HouseGuests were asked questions regarding which room a certain item in the house was located. They provided answers by picking up an item that symbolized a distinct room in the house. [68] Marcellas was the winner of the competition. [78] [79] On Day 14, HouseGuests competed in the "Architectural Digestion" food competition. Before the competition began, HouseGuests split into two teams of five and weighed themselves. They then had to eat a giant brownie house without using their hands, and the team who gained the most weight would be the winners of the game. [80] Josh was later disqualified from the competition for using his hands when instructed not to; his team still won. This meant that Danielle, Tonya, Eric, Gerry and Chiara were on the peanut butter and jelly diet for the week. [67] That night, Marcellas chose to nominate Josh and Tonya for eviction, stating that he had nominated Josh for personal reasons and that Tonya was only a pawn. [81] The Power of Veto competition this week was the "An Offer You Can't Refuse" competition. Each HouseGuest started the game with one box, and would make deals with one another in an attempt to get their box. When the competition is over, the HouseGuests will open their boxes. The HouseGuest who has the box with the Power of Veto in it would win the power. [68] Danielle was the winner of the competition. [82] That week, the America's Vote was for HouseGuests to participate in a competition pertaining to bowling. HouseGuests had to both roll a ball with a HouseGuest in it, as well as be rolled while in the ball. They got a point for each pin they knocked over, and the HouseGuest with the most points would win. Danielle was the winner, and was given the option to choose which exercise equipment was added to the house; she chose a silent elliptical trainer . During the Power of Veto ceremony, Danielle chose to leave the nominations intact, meaning either Josh or Tonya would be evicted that week. On Day 20, Tonya became the second evicted HouseGuest in a vote of five to three. [83] [84]
Following Tonya's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "One Step Beyond" Head of Household competition. [68] In the competition, the blindfolded HouseGuests were asked eight true-or-false questions. If they believed the answer to a question was true, they would raise their paddle, and would do nothing if they believed the answer was false. The first HouseGuest to reach the end of their rope would win the competition, and if no HouseGuests completed this, then they would be asked a tie-breaker question. [67] Roddy was the winner of the competition during the tie-breaker round. [85] [86] On Day 21, HouseGuests competed in the "Gastronomic Batik" food competition, in which they had to place over-sized game chips into a glass container. Each game piece featured a certain type of food. The food types that the HouseGuests managed to fit into the container were the foods they earned that week. They also won a mystery prize in the game, which later turned out to be a supply of Subway sandwiches for the week. [87] That same day, Roddy chose to nominate Amy and Marcellas for eviction, stating that Amy was his main target. [88] Following this, the two friends debated walking from the game, but after talking in the Diary Room they were eventually convinced to stay. [89] This week, America was asked to select one HouseGuest to earn a dinner in the Diary Room along with a guest of their choice; Marcellas was selected, and he chose to take Amy with him. This week's Power of Veto competition was known as "Pool Sharks." In this competition, HouseGuests were required to play an over-sized version of pool, in which they had to try and knock balls with the face of a HouseGuest on them into the pool, thus eliminating that HouseGuest from the competition. Eric was the winner of the Power of Veto competition. [90] He later chose to leave Amy and Marcellas on the block. [67] On Day 27, Amy became the third HouseGuest to be evicted in a unanimous vote of seven to zero. [91] [92]
Following Amy's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Face Off" Head of Household competition. [68] In this competition, HouseGuests were asked questions pertaining to the evicted HouseGuests and Roddy, the outgoing Head of Household. The HouseGuests were given paddles with the face of each of these HouseGuests on them, and one paddle that stood for "none of the above." The HouseGuests must answer the questions by holding up the paddle with the name of the HouseGuest they believe was the correct answer. If a HouseGuest was incorrect, then they were eliminated from the game, and the last HouseGuest standing was the winner. [68] Gerry was the eventual winner of the competition, after beating out Eric in a tie-breaker. [93] On Day 28, HouseGuests competed in the "I Can Eat Anything Better Than You" food competition. For this, HouseGuests split into two teams of four, and would face off with a member of the other team. They were given a specific amount of time to eat a certain food, and must wager how many bites they can take of the meal in the given time. If they were successful, they earned their team a point, and would give the other team a point if unsuccessful. Ultimately, Chiara, Roddy, Josh, and Danielle were on the peanut butter and jelly diet this week. That same day, Gerry chose to nominate Eric and Lisa for eviction. [94] [95] The HouseGuests later competed in the "Turnover" Power of Veto competition. HouseGuests stood on a square on the board, and would take turns taking one step to another square. Once a square had been stepped on, it was flipped over, thus removing it from the game. When a HouseGuest could make no more moves, they were eliminated from the competition. Chiara was the winner of the competition. [96] This week, America voted for Jason to receive a letter from home. Chiara later chose to leave the nominations intact, ensuring either Eric or Lisa's eviction. On Day 34, the vote came down to a tie, with both Eric and Lisa receiving three eviction votes. [97] Gerry had to break the tie, and cast the deciding vote to evict Eric from the house. [98] That night, the viewers learned Lori, Tonya and Amy were separately sequestered outside of the country and that one of the four evicted HouseGuests would be returning to the house following the next eviction. [99]
Following Eric's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the bowling themed "Gutter Ball" Head of Household competition. [68] For this competition, the HouseGuests had to take a ball and roll it down a runway in an attempt to get their ball closest to the end. If a HouseGuests ball went off the runway, they were eliminated. Chiara was the winner of the competition. [100] On Day 35, HouseGuests competed in the "Ballast" food competition, in which they found a large circle filled with logs, and would be required to take logs out one at a time. Each log had a specific food item on it, and each item they successfully pulled from the pile without collapsing the other logs in the process would be food that the HouseGuests earned for the week. [101] That same day, Josh and Roddy were nominated for eviction. [102] This week's Power of Veto competition was known as "Clockwork." In this competition, HouseGuests were shown snapshots of previous events in the house, and HouseGuests must correctly list the events in order of which they occurred in the house. There were two rounds to the competition, and HouseGuests had to get a perfect score in order to advance to the second round and ultimately win. Lisa was the winner of the Power of Veto, giving Lisa her first PoV win. [103] For the America's Vote this week, America chose to reward the HouseGuests with a microwave for the kitchen. Lisa later chose to leave the nominations intact. On Day 41, Josh became the fifth evicted HouseGuest by a unanimous vote of five to zero. [104] [105] Following this, it was revealed that the four previously evicted HouseGuests had been asked questions about how much they would be willing to give up to re-enter the house. Ultimately, Lori and Tonya failed to give up as much as Amy and Eric, thus were eliminated.(Amy and Eric said they would give up half of the grand prize money should they win and go on the PB&J diet for the remaining 42 days, they were not required to give up what they said they gave up) [106] It was then revealed that the HouseGuests would vote for either Amy or Eric to return to the house. The HouseGuests decided to allow Amy to return in a vote of five to two. [107]
Sheryl Crow entered the house as a guest on Day 42.
Following Josh's eviction and Amy's return to the game, the HouseGuests began competing in the "HouseGuest Soup" endurance competition. [68] During the competition, all competing HouseGuests sat in a large bathtub filled with dirty water. HouseGuests could not stand, get out of the tub, or sleep, otherwise they would be eliminated. Chiara, as the outgoing Head of Household, would dump various buckets filled with items such as dead squids into the pool. Amy was the eventual winner of the competition. [108] On Day 42, HouseGuests participated in the "Whirlwind Booth" food competition. For this, HouseGuests would one at a time get in a booth, and numerous dollars would swirl around them. The white dollars represented money for food, while the green represented actual money for the HouseGuests to keep. The HouseGuests later decided to give all of their money to Gerry, as his wedding anniversary was coming up. The HouseGuests were later given a luxury competition, in which they had to find CD cases throughout the house and combine them to form a message. They were successful, and were rewarded with a concert by singer Sheryl Crow in the backyard. [109] Amy later chose to nominate Chiara and Roddy for eviction. [110] The Power of Veto competition this week was the "Slippery Proposition" competition. HouseGuests were required to put on their bathing suits and slide on their stomach in an attempt to be the closest one to a line at the end. If a HouseGuest went over the line they were eliminated. Gerry was the winner of the Veto, making him the first person to win two Power of Veto competitions. [68] Ultimately, Gerry chose to leave Chiara and Roddy on the block. On Day 48, Chiara became the sixth HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a four to one vote. [111] [112]
Following Chiara's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Who Said It?" Head of Household competition. [68] In this competition, the HouseGuests were given cubes with the faces of the five evicted HouseGuests, and one space that stood for "none of the above." Host Julie Chen gave the HouseGuests quotes made by the evicted HouseGuests, and they had to determine who made the comment. The last HouseGuest standing without getting a question wrong was the winner. Ultimately, Jason was the winner of the competition. [113] On Day 49, HouseGuests participated in the "Making the Donuts" food competition, in which HouseGuests had seven minutes to participate in a relay and get sixteen donuts across the backyard. One of the donuts featured a special prize, later revealed to be a supply of coffee and Dunkin' Donuts for the week. The HouseGuests earned some food for the week, but did win the special prize. That same day, Jason chose to nominate Amy and Gerry for eviction. [114] The Power of Veto competition this week was known as "Gnome Drop," and involved gnomes that the HouseGuests had painted earlier in the week. The gnomes were suspended in the air with three lines attached to it. Each line corresponded to an answer to a multiple choice question. One at a time, HouseGuests answered questions by cutting the rope off of a HouseGuests gnome. If they were correct, then that HouseGuests gnome would fall, and eliminate them from the game. Jason was the winner of the competition. [115] The America's Vote this week allowed one HouseGuest to receive a video message from home; Danielle was selected. Jason later chose to leave his nominations the same, meaning either Amy or Gerry would be evicted from the house. On Day 55, Gerry became the seventh HouseGuest evicted from the house in a four to zero vote. [116] [117]
Following Gerry's eviction, HouseGuests participated in the "Evicted Statements" Head of Household competition. [68] The competing HouseGuests were asked true or false questions based on statements that the previously evicted HouseGuests had made. They would hold up one paddle for true, and the other paddle for false. The last HouseGuest remaining in the game would be the winner. Marcellas was the winner of the competition, making him the first person this season to win the title of Head of Household twice. [118] On Day 56, HouseGuests participated in the "Sweet Surprise" food competition. For this, HouseGuests had ninety seconds to locate seven medallions in the recently closed off bedroom, with the medallions being placed in pies. Each medallion stood for a day of the week, and any medallion not found resulted in the HouseGuests not receiving food that day. They successfully found all seven medallions, thus earned food for the week. That same day, Marcellas chose to nominate Amy and Roddy for eviction. [119] This week's Power of Veto competition, "Big Brother Charm School," required the HouseGuests to complete an obstacle course in the backyard while balancing a Veto on their head. They were given a fifteen-second penalty for touching or dropping their Veto. It was also revealed that the HouseGuests who came in first and second place would receive a massage. Amy won the Power of Veto, and she and Jason won the massages. [120] The America's Vote this week saw the public choosing to give the HouseGuests a shopping spree for clothing, and were only given ninety seconds to do so; they could only keep the clothes that they managed to fit on their body. On Day 62, Roddy was evicted from the house in a unanimous vote of three to zero. [121] [122]
The Golden Power of Veto debuted as the final Power of Veto of the season.
Following Roddy's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Freezeframe" Head of Household competition. [68] HouseGuests were shown clips of previous events in the living room, and had to state what happened next in the situation. They were given three options, one of which was the correct answer. The last HouseGuest remaining without missing a question was the new Head of Household. Jason was the winner of the competition after only two questions, making it the second time he held the title. [123] On Day 63, the HouseGuests learned of the Golden Power of Veto, in which a nominee could save themselves using the power. [124] This week's food competition, "Dinner Party From Hell," saw the HouseGuests having to eat plates of disgusting food in the backyard. The HouseGuests failed this challenge, and had to eat peanut butter and jelly for the week. Jason later chose to nominate Amy and Marcellas for eviction this week. [125] HouseGuests later competed in the "Laser Labyrinth" Golden Power of Veto competition. One at a time, HouseGuests came to the backyard to find that there was a floor with eight rows and three faces in each row. There were also numerous lasers shooting across the backyard, and HouseGuests had to avoid them. The HouseGuest who made it across the floor while stepping on the space of the HouseGuest evicted from each week would win the Power of Veto. Marcellas was the winner of the final Power of Veto. [125] On Day 69, Marcellas infamously decided not to use the Power of Veto, leaving himself and Amy on the block. [126] [127] [128] The HouseGuests then cast their eviction votes live, with the vote ultimately coming to a tie. Jason then cast the deciding vote in favor of evicting Marcellas from the house. [129] [130] [131]
Following Marcellas's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "...And Then There Were Four" Head of Household competition. [68] For this competition, the HouseGuests were asked questions about the remaining four HouseGuests in the game. They would be asked questions, and had to pick a number from zero to four that they felt was the correct answer. The HouseGuest with the most points at the end would be the winner. Ultimately, Danielle was the winner of the competition, giving Danielle her first Head of Household win. [132] HouseGuests were later given a luxury competition, in which four cell phones were placed in different rooms of the house. HouseGuests had two minutes to find one of the phones, which everyone did. They later learned they would be given a three-minute phone call, as well as $1,000 to send to a loved one. HouseGuests were called to the Diary Room one at a time. While there, the HouseGuests were offered $5,000 in addition to the phone call and gift. Taking this prize, however, would result in the other HouseGuests getting nothing. If a HouseGuest declined, then the prize would be increased by $5,000. If more than one HouseGuest accepted the offer, then the winner would be determined by a number placed on the phone at they found. Ultimately, Danielle accepted at $5,000, Amy accepted at $10,000, and Jason accepted at $15,000. Amy's phone had the lowest number, thus she won the prize. [133] HouseGuests later participated in a food competition titled "Surfs Up" which required the HouseGuests to soak up water and transfer it to pools while wearing a sponge suit. On Day 70, Danielle chose to nominate Amy and Lisa for eviction. [134] Due to the fact that there was no Power of Veto this week, it assured Jason a spot in the final three. HouseGuests later participated in the "Surf's Up" luxury competition, in which HouseGuests attempted to stay on a surfboard for the longest time. Amy and Jason were the winners, and won the right to temporarily leave the house and go on a cruise. [135] On Day 76, Jason cast the sole vote to evict Amy from the house. [136] [137]
Following Amy's eviction, the HouseGuests began competing in the first round of the final Head of Household competition. [68] Due to the fact that it is the final HoH, all three HouseGuests are eligible to win. The first round, known as "HoH Lifeboat," saw the HouseGuests sitting in a lifeboat in the center of the pool. In the middle with them was the nomination box, and the HouseGuests were required to hold on to their key without letting go. The HouseGuest who hangs on the longest is the winner of this round, and will automatically advance to the third and final round. [138] Ultimately, Lisa was the winner of this round. On Day 77, Danielle and Jason competed in the "Household Chores" competition. Jason was the winner of the competition, meaning he and Lisa would face off in the final round. [139] On Day 78, Lisa and Jason competed in the live "Jury Statements" competition, in which the two of them had to complete statements made by the previously evicted HouseGuests based on how they believed the evictees had answered. Lisa won the competition, thus became the final Head of Household. She then cast the sole vote to evict Jason from the house, making her and Danielle the Final Two. [140] [141] On Day 82, the Jury voted to reward Lisa with the $500,000 grand prize in a vote of nine to one with Danielle only receiving the vote of Jason. [142] [143] [144] [145]
Notes[ edit ]
^Note 1 : The Power of Veto is introduced. The holder of the Power of Veto has the ability to veto a nomination and force the Head of Household to make another nomination. However, a nominee couldn't save themselves with the veto.
^Note 2 : As Head of Household, Gerry was forced to break the tie on Day 34.
^Note 3 : During week 5, the first four evicted HouseGuests competed in a task to see who wanted to return to the house the most. The two winners of the task would face a house vote to return after the following eviction. After Josh's eviction, it was revealed that Amy and Eric won the task and they faced a live house vote to decide who should return. Amy received the majority of the votes and re-entered the house on Day 41.
^Note 4 : Week 9 introduced the Golden Power of Veto, with the Golden Power of Veto a nominee could use this veto to remove themselves from the block. Marcellas won the Golden Power of Veto but chose not to use it.
^Note 5 : As Head of Household, Jason was forced to break the tie on Day 69.
^Note 6 : Votes in the finale are cast for the HouseGuest's choice to win, not for whom to evict.
Ratings[ edit ]
Big Brother 3 saw an increase in ratings, averaging 8.70 million viewers throughout the season. The season premiered to an audience of 9.2 million viewers, topping shows such as American Idol and claiming the top spot for the night. [146] [147] The two tied in terms of adult viewers under 50, but American Idol later topped Big Brother 3 in terms of viewers between the ages of 18–34. [146] The series continued to have ratings success. Tonya's eviction episode placed first in viewers for the night, with 9.04 million viewers. [148] The August 14 episode of the season garnered 10.58 million viewers, making it the highest viewership the season had earned at the time. [149] This was an increase from the August 7 episode, which had a total of 9.91 million viewers. [149] The August 22 episode of the series saw 9.64 million viewers, and made it the highest rated Thursday episode of the season at that point. [150] The August 24 episode had a total of 5.69 million viewers. [150] The August 25 episode, which featured Sheryl Crow making a guest appearance to perform for the HouseGuests, earned the series its best ratings in the age 18–49 demographic, and had a total of 10.24 million viewers. [151] Big Brother 3 later won all three of its time periods in viewers, households and most key demographics from the week ending September 1, 2002. [152] The September 5 episode of the season, which saw Roddy being evicted from the house, had 9.79 million viewers, making it the highest rated Thursday slot for the season at the time. [153] The online game introduced this season proved to be a success, garnering more than 80,000 players throughout the course of the season. [154]
Public reaction[ edit ]
Big Brother 3 saw controversy during the game, much like the previous two editions. Before entering the house, HouseGuest Chiara Berti was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers earlier that May. She spent about five hours in custody at the Van Nuys jail before being released on bail. That June, Chiara was formally charged with three misdemeanors: driving under the influence, driving with a blood alcohol content above California's .08 limit, and driving without a license. [155] This made it the second season in a row to have HouseGuests with criminal records present, a controversial event that had occurred the previous year. CBS later stated they were aware of her record before selecting her to enter the house, and later stated they may let her temporarily leave the house for the hearing. [156] Chiara's lawyer later stated he would be able to appear on her behalf during her time on the show, including at her September 3, 2002 hearing. [157] Chiara was evicted before the September 3 hearing, and was able to appear on her own behalf. It was later revealed that HouseGuest Amy Crews had a similar background, and was arrested for the same crime in 1999. [158] [159] [160] HouseGuest Tonya Paoni was also due in court in late August, but was evicted from the show before the hearing and was able to attend. [161] More controversy surrounded Amy's return to the game after previously having been evicted. Before her return, the remaining HouseGuests came up with a plan, known as "Operation Revolving Door," in which they would evict Amy the same week that she returned to the house. HouseGuests such as Chiara later speculated that Amy had been warned about the plan before entering the house, and had been told by producers to win the Head of Household competition. [162] Amy was apparently told that it was "in her best interest" to win the Head of Household competition upon her return. [163] CBS later denied these statements, stating they had not informed Amy of any events in the game. [164] Amy later stated that she had been able to talk to some fans of the series following her eviction, which is in violation of the rules of the game. [165]
Big Brother 3 had a huge impact on the dynamics of the Big Brother game, and influenced numerous future seasons. This was the first season to introduce the Power of Veto competition, an addition to the format that would remain for all subsequent seasons. Though the Silver Power of Veto would not make appearances in future seasons, the Golden Veto was adopted by the show. [166] Big Brother 3 was also the first season to feature a theme for a twist when it introduced the "Expect the Unexpected" theme of the season. Following this edition, all future seasons would include a twist that impacted the game. [167] The term "expect the unexpected" later became an infamous Big Brother term, and would be used in numerous editions afterwards. [168] [169] [170] Big Brother 3 is seen as one of the biggest influences in terms of the creation of the sequested Jury of 7 used until season 14, in which the last seven evicted HouseGuests from each season are sequestered outside of the house until after the finale (all seasons from Big Brother 15 onwards still used a sequested Jury but with 9 jurors). This addition to the format came after much controversy surrounded Lisa's win this season. In Big Brother 3, HouseGuests returned home and could watch the show in its entirety after their evictions. This led to the HouseGuests seeing all of Danielle's Diary Room sessions in which she spoke very poorly of them and gloated on how she lied to their faces and betrayed them. This is often credited as the main reason that Danielle lost to Lisa. [171] [172] When asked about the final vote, Danielle stated "I believe during the final vote they forgot it wasn't a game about ethics. It should be about who played the game the best." [173] Despite this, there are many who feel that Lisa did deserve the win. [174] [175] [176]
References[ edit ]
^
| Big Brother |
Opening in 1995, the Rock and Roll hall of fame is located in what major U.S. city? | Big Brother 11 Spoilers - A 1 in 3 chance of a half a million dollars.. pretty good odds!! Who do you think will win BB11? Big Brother 18 Spoilers | OnlineBigBrother Live Feed UpdatesBig Brother 18 Spoilers | OnlineBigBrother Live Feed Updates
START WATCHING the live feeds today! Sign up today for your FREE trial and watch the next 2 parts of the 3 part HOH competition! TRY it FREE for 3 DAYS!
9:30am – 10:45am Big Brother wakes up the house guests. The lights are on and everyone is still sleeping .. I think they are going to be doing a lot of sleeping this week. Not much else for them to do, I can only imagine how sick of each other they are after being locked in a house for the last 2 months.
“According to a person with knowledge of the situation, next Tuesday’s finale will begin with all three current members of the house still in the game. The final two won’t be determined until Tuesday’s live show, just moments before the jury decides the ultimate winner of the show. Part two of the final HOH competition will be seen on Thursday’s show. Sunday’s episode is expected to be a best of and “moments you didn’t see” hour.
Grodner’s only response when asked about the finale shakeup: “Tune in Thursday,” she said. “
Source:
The Wrap.com
So that means Part 2 of the 3 part HOH competition is going to be happening this Thursday. With part 3 happening on the finale night!!
At 10:10am Natalie wakes up from sleeping in the red bedroom and gets up and leaves the room. All four cameras stay on the red bedroom with Kevin fast asleep. At 10:35am Natalie comes back into the red bedroom and climbs back into bed… 11:05am = sleep….
START WATCHING the live feeds today! Sign up today for your FREE trial and watch the next 2 parts of the 3 part HOH competition! Use the FLASHBACK feature to jump back in time to see how the season began…. TRY it FREE for 3 DAYS!
12:45pm All the house guests are still dreaming about how they’re going to spend the half mil’
1:45pm Exciting day in the Big Brother house… three chairs and one small table .. final 3!
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| i don't know |
How many herbs and spices make up the Colonels secret recipe? | An Evening Meal: KFC Secret Recipe Revealed!
KFC Secret Recipe Revealed!
The Secret of KFC's "Eleven Herbs and Spices" have been leaked!
Behold :
Via : http://theinternettoday.net/pics/kfcs-top-secret-11-herbs-and-spices-revealed/
Who needs WikiLeaks,bah.
We've got the KFC Corporation making a BIG boo boo. The Colonel's secret recipe was only the second biggest food secret on the planet, behind Coca Cola's secret formula, until this happened :
After the jump...
"The Colonel's secret flavor recipe of 11 herbs and spices that creates the famous "finger lickin' good" chicken remains a trade secret . [14] [15] Portions of the secret spice mix are made at different locations in the United States, and the only complete, handwritten copy of the recipe is kept in a vault in corporate headquarters. [16]
On September 9, 2008, the one complete copy was temporarily moved to an undisclosed location under extremely tight security while KFC revamped the security at its headquarters. Before the move, KFC disclosed [17] that the recipe, which includes exact amounts of each component, is written in pencil on a single sheet of notebook paper and signed by Sanders. [18] It was locked in a filing cabinet with two separate combination locks. The cabinet also included vials of each of the 11 herbs and spices used. Only two unnamed executives had access to the recipe at any one time. [19] One of the two executives said that no one had come close to guessing the contents of the secret recipe, and added that the actual recipe would include some surprises. On February 9, 2009, the secret recipe returned to KFC's Louisville headquarters in a more secure, computerized vault [20] guarded by motion detectors and security cameras . Reportedly, the paper has yellowed and the handwriting is now faint. [ 18 ] "
Via : WikiPedia
So, the question is, is the above recipe accurate?
I have not tried the blend listed above to test it, but there seems to be some discrepancy in the amounts of the ingredients and the techniques involved.
Another web site claims this :
"KFC is famous world over for the distinct taste of the delicacies served by them. This taste was developed nearly half a century ago by Colonel Harland Sanders. This recipe is a well guarded secret for all restaurants of KFC located all over the world. The magic behind this secret recipe is the mix of eleven herbs mixed together to arrive at the distinct taste developed by the KFC. Till the present day this recipe is a closely guarded secret. We have tried out with the combination of various herbs and at last able to locate the combination of the herbs. For your benefit we are giving below the names and quantity of each herb required for coming to the magic taste developed by KFC:
To prepare this secret recipe you will require following ingredients:
1 tablespoon of dried rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon of dried wild marjoram leaves
1 tablespoon of powdered Kitchen sage leaves
1 teaspoon of dried and powdered ginger
1 teaspoon of dried sweet marjoram leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of dry and minced parsley leaves
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of paprika powder
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons powdered chicken soup cubes
1 package of tomato soup mix
Method
Actually there are 11 spices in the KFC combination, but the additional ingredients were used to derive that special flavor of KFC. After you arrange all of these ingredients, place them in a blender and select the incher setting found on the panel, grind it for 3 to 4 minutes to get the desired texture. After it is done you may store it in an airtight container so it will not lose its effectiveness.
The KFC Chicken is always prepared with the help of this secret spice and all purpose flour and that too in a specific proportion. We should reveal the proportion of the spice for you here. To get the perfect blend and taste use about 30 grams of spice mixture to 100 grams of all purpose flour.
This flour mix is used together with egg whites to coat the chicken pieces and pressure fried to create the famous KFC chickens."
Above image and recipe courtesy : KFC Chicken Recipe
The above description has fourteen (14) different ingredients as opposed to the top one which has eleven (11).
So, who is right??
Well, acording to this guy, Ron Douglas, the author of the book America's Most Wanted Recipes, he is the self professed "copycat" cook who has researched many beloved favorite recipes from numerous "chain restaurants" throughout the "Good 'Ole U.S. of A.". Through years of trial and error with his stalwart crew, with often lethal results, he has created this version of KFC's signature eleven herbs and spices :
1 teaspoon Oregano, dried
1 teaspoon Black Pepper, ground
2 teaspoons Salt
| eleven |
According to the proverb, what is said to be the mother of invention? | KFC - About Us
About Us
About Us
At KFC we pride ourselves on using quality chicken and local ingredients from trusted suppliers.
KFC landed in Australia in 1968 when the first store was opened in Guildford, Sydney NSW.
Today KFC serves 2 million customers every week (that's a lot of chicken) through over 600 stores across Australia. This makes KFC one of the largest fast food chains in the country.
We are passionate about serving our customers freshly prepared, great tasting food with a key part of this being The Colonel's signature blend of 11 herbs and spices. Even today these remain a secret with the original recipe under lock and key in our headquarters in Kentucky, USA.
Is there more?
Sanders turns 40 and starts to serve up his southern fried chicken to the public.
1939
Colonel Sanders develops his fried chicken seasoning from 11 herbs and spices.
1950
Colonel Sanders dons his dapper white suit for the first time.
1956
Colonel Sanders sells his Corbin, Kentucky restaurant and goes on the road to sign up new KFC franchisees.
1968
KFC opens its first Australian restaurant in Guildford, NSW.
1980
Colonel Sanders dies aged 90. His legacy lives on.
1992
KFC announces new KFC name, packaging, product ranges and uniforms.
2006
The KFC logo was redesigned again. To launch it, we spent 24 days building an 87,500 square foot version that's so big, it's visible from space.
2012
KFC Australia switches from using sustainable palm oil to Australian canola oil.
2013
KFC Australia opens its first energy efficient restaurant (LEED Certifiable) in East Maitland, NSW.
now
Over 600 KFC restaurants span across the country.
our history
In 1930, in a humble service station in Corbin, Kentucky, 40-year old Harland Sanders began cooking for hungry travellers who stopped by for gas, serving them his southern-style fried chicken from his very own kitchen table. As word spread and Sanders' fame began to grow people started travelling from far and wide just for a taste of his food. Sanders spent the next nine years perfecting his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, and the basic cooking technique that's still used today.
In 2014, there are more than 18,000 KFC outlets in 115 countries and territories around the world.
fast facts on kfc australia
The first KFC store in Australia opened in 1968 in Guildford, NSW employing 25 people.
Today, KFC has grown to more than 612 stores across the country.
KFC Australia owns and operates 160 stores with the remainder owned by our community of franchisees.
We employ more than 30,000 Australians and serve more than 2 million customers weekly.
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What is the name of the video game that is home to Ralph in the Disney movie Wreck-it Ralph? | Wreck-It Ralph | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
―Wreck-it Ralph
8-bit Wreck-It Ralph during gaming hours.
In the fictional arcade video game, Fix-It Felix, Jr., Ralph, serving as the game's antagonist, is in a rage of his forest home being destroyed by construction of a new apartment building. Ralph shouts out "I'm gonna wreck it!" and begins to demolish the building by destroying the windows, as revenge. As Felix comes in to save the day, Ralph throws down bricks, attempting to stop the hero from undoing his immense damage. However, Felix succeeds in repairing the apartment building and, at the end of the game, the Nicelanders who live in the apartment throw Ralph off the top of the building, sending him falling into a puddle of mud.
Personality
Despite his hulking nature and villainous programming, Ralph is ultimately a sweet, well-meaning character. He is also extremely casual and somewhat laid-back. Though surrounded by over-the-top personalities (such as the excessively gruff Sergeant Calhoun or the magnanimous Felix), Ralph carries himself in a manner that's considerably more human, and less caricatured. However, a direct result of his programming, Ralph is also a destructive bumbler with an admittedly explosive temper. As such, he can occasionally fall into fits of rage, causing him to rampage and cause destruction to objects around him. This is what ultimately motivates Ralph's unpleasant reputation in Niceland, and the arcade as a whole, as well as the reasoning behind the bad-guy's insecurities and antisocial behavior. Even so, Ralph makes earnest efforts (in a rather passive-aggressive manner) to suppress his temper and wrecking habits for the sake of those around him, as well as himself—especially during social events like the 30th-anniversary celebration that took place at the beginning of the film. His programming and constant mistreatment make this a difficult feat to accomplish, however.
Ralph was a fairly selfish character at the start of the film; his goal was to win the respect and hearts of other video game characters by retrieving a medal, but uncaringly causing havoc—including thefts, physical intimidation, and breaking Arcade bylaws by game-jumping along the way. He was also arrogant, blinded by his own self-interest, and had little regret in causing damage during his pursuit for a medal. Nevertheless, his intentions were pure at their core; he did not wish to become a hero for the sake of becoming one. Instead, he spent years living with the belief that only heroes were capable of making friends and garnering appreciation for their work, prompting him to change his reputation in hopes of receiving what he believes to be "good-guy exclusive" luxuries. Being that he spent thirty years facing prejudice and abuse, Ralph's lengths to achieve his goals had few bounds, with his breaking point having been reached.
Upon meeting the young, feisty misfit Vanellope , Ralph learns that having medals and an abundance of praise isn't what makes a good-guy, but showing love and care for others, does. Loving and valiant, Ralph went through great lengths to ensure Vanellope's happiness and safety, ultimately at the expense of his own, thus allowing him to evolve from selfish to selfless over the course of the movie.
He is also shown to be extremely protective through his friendship with Vanellope, as he continuously protected her from various antagonists throughout the film, and was willing to bring legit, physical harm to those who unfairly opposed and discriminated her. This is partially out of relatable sympathy for the young glitch, as she had endured treatment similar to Ralph's own experiences, showing Ralph's desire to help those as unfortunate, or even less so, than himself. This is also seen during the first half of the film, where Ralph charitably bestowed stolen cherries to homeless Q*Bert and his colleagues, as their game was unplugged, leaving them without food and substance. Ralph's care for others was also showcased during the finale, where he invited homeless video game characters to live in Niceland as his neighbors.
Though he doesn't exactly appear to be much of an intellectual, Ralph actually proves to have some intelligence to him, as he has the ability to concoct plans and effective courses of action on the spot, using his brawn to his advantage in creative ways. This is notably seen during his adventures in both Hero's Duty and Sugar Rush, as well as the climax.
Powers and Abilities
Superhuman Strength: Ralph is seen as having immense superhuman strength. He has shown being able to lift objects many times his own size and weight in the film. Ralph has demonstrated his strength multiple times, such as being able to bring down a building by smashing it with his own two hands, being able to lift a car of the ground with no stress, and he was able to smash through the walls of King Candy's "Fungeon" with a single punch. Also, Ralph was able to bring down the Mentos stalactites with a few smashes to the ground, and other feats demonstrating his supernatural strength level.
Superhuman Speed: Ralph can move at speeds greater than what is naturally possible.
Superhuman Durability: Ralph also has seen being superhumanly durable. He was able to withstand a strike from King Candy in his Cy-Bug form (which would have severely injured an ordinary human being), being hit by Venellope's cart multiple times, and even falling many stories from buildings in his game without sustaining damage.
Semi-Immortality: Ralph, being a video game character, also is semi-immortal, meaning that he can never age, but can die from being killed outside of his game, which he would be incapable of regenerating from.
Indomitable Will: Alongside these, Ralph has demonstrated a strong force of willpower that is not commonly seen. Ralph has a sheer will, completely free of evil or lack in belief. Whenever Ralph puts his mind to something, he never gives up no matter how difficult the task at hand seems. For instance, Ralph was able to push himself to get a Hero's Medal even though others said it couldn't be done.
Master-Wrecker: Living up to his name, Ralph is an excellent wrecking man. He is capable of completely obliterating buildings, huge objects, and taking down large structures all with his brute force.
Appearances
| Wreck-It Ralph |
Who led the group of pioneers that left Cherry Grove, Il on April 10, 1851 and made land at Alki point on Nov 13, founding the city of Seattle? | Wreck-It Ralph (Character)
Wreck-It Ralph (Character)
from Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
The content of this page was created by users. It has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff.
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Overview
Ralph is the titular protagonist of Wreck-It Ralph... See more »
Alternate Names:
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Jump to filmography: Video-game
Surge Protector : Step aside, sir. Random security check.
Wreck-It Ralph : Random, my behind. You always stop me.
Surge Protector : I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir. Name?
Surge Protector : You bring any fruit with you?
Wreck-It Ralph : [hides the giant cherries behind his back] No! No, no fruit.
[...]
See more »
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Columbus, Ohio resident Dave Thomas opened the first of what restaurant chain on November 15, 1969? | Dave Thomas - Chef, Television Personality - Biography.com
Dave Thomas - Mini Biography (TV-14; 2:15) Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas found enormous success with his fast food chain, despite coming from humble beginnings.
Synopsis
After complaining that he couldn't find a good hamburger in Columbus, Ohio, Dave Thomas opened his own restaurant on November 15, 1969: Wendy's, named after Thomas's 8-year-old daughter. Wendy's quickly caught on, and within less than a decade, had grown into a 1,000-store franchise. In 1989, Thomas took on the role of television spokesman for the company with a series of hugely successful commercials. He died in Florida in 2002.
Early Life
Dave Thomas, famed founder of the Wendy's restaurant chain and television spokesman, was born Rex David Thomas on July 2, 1932, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Thomas never knew his birth mother, and was adopted by a couple from Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was 6 months old. Thomas's adoptive mother died when he was only five, and by the age of 10 Thomas had lost two stepmothers as well. He spent summers in Maine with his adoptive grandmother, Minnie Thomas, who was his closest relative and a big influence in his life.
When Thomas was still a pre-teen, his family (his father, Rex, had remarried again) moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he worked at such jobs as a paperboy, golf caddy, and at a soda fountain counter in a drugstore. Thomas got his first job at a restaurant when he was 15 years old, and when his family decided to leave Fort Wayne to move again, he refused to leave, dropping out of school in the 10th grade and going to work full time.
Foray into Restaurant Business
Thomas served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as the manager of an enlisted-men's club. Upon returning to Fort Wayne, Thomas found his former boss at the Hobby House restaurant, Phil Clauss, owned some of the first franchises of the budding Kentucky Fried Chicken chain. Clauss offered Thomas the opportunity to move to Columbus, Ohio, to turn around the restaurants, which were failing. Colonel Sanders's signature chicken had been a big hit for the Hobby House and Thomas thought he could sell it in Ohio. By 1968, a few short years later, a 35-year-old Thomas sold the franchises back to the headquarters for $1.5 million.
First Wendy's Opens
After complaining that he couldn't find a good hamburger in Columbus, Thomas decided to open his own restaurant. On November 15, 1969, he opened the first Wendy's restaurant, named for his eight-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou, known as Wendy. She was the youngest of his five children with his wife Lorraine, whom he married in 1956. Known for its square hamburgers and choice of toppings, Wendy's quickly caught on and within less than a decade grew into a franchise of 1,000 stores.
In 1982, Thomas gave up command of day-to-day operations at Wendy's. Four years later, after some business mistakes had hurt sales for Wendy's, the company's new president urged Thomas to take a more active role in the company. Thomas began to visit franchises and espouse his hardworking, so-called "mop-bucket attitude." In 1989, he took on an even more important role, as the television spokesman for the company in a series of fantastically successful commercials.
Success as Pitchman
With his folksy style and his relaxed pitch for his restaurant's, Thomas became a household name. A company survey during the 1990s, a decade during which Thomas starred in every Wendy's commercial that aired, found that 90 percent of Americans knew who Thomas was. After more than 800 commercials, it was clear that Thomas was one of the main reasons behind Wendy's status as the number-three burger restaurant in the country (behind McDonald's and Burger King), with more than 6,000 franchises.
Personal Life
Thomas also worked throughout his life to promote the adoption of foster children. He founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which promoted the creation of an employee benefits program for people who adopt, as well as a number of other groundbreaking initiatives. President George Bush named him a national spokesman on adoption issues. Thomas, who always regretted not finishing high school, hired a tutor and passed the G.E.D. high-school equivalency exam in 1993.
In December 1996, the portly Thomas had quadruple bypass surgery. Though he soon returned to his busy schedule of making commercials, he began undergoing kidney dialysis in early 2001. On January 8, 2002, at the age of 69, Thomas died of liver cancer at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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| Wendy's |
What Latin phrase, which translates as always faithful, is best recognized as the motto of the US Marine Corp? | Dave Thomas - Biography - IMDb
Dave Thomas
Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (13)
Overview (3)
Rex David Thomas
Mini Bio (1)
Born during the Depression to a dirt-poor single mother in Atlantic City. New Jersey, Dave Thomas was adopted as an infant by a traveling construction worker and his wife. Moving out on his own at age 15, Thomas held a succession of jobs in the food industry, starting out as a busboy and working his way up. A fateful meeting in 1956 with Col. Harland Sanders , founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, led to Thomas' investing money in one of Sanders' KFC franchises, which paid off handsomely and made him a millionaire by the time he was 35. In 1969 Thomas decided to strike out on his own and left KFC to start his own chain of fast-food restaurants, Wendy's (named after his daughter, whose name was actually Melinda but whose nickname was Wendy) Hamburgers, in Ohio. Eventually the chain grew to more than 6000 restaurants, with annual sales revenue topping $6 billion. As successful as his business career was, however, Thomas was even more famous for his appearances in the company's commercials, where he came across as just a regular guy next door who got along with everybody and was the kind of grandfather that everyone wished they'd had--which, according to many who knew and worked with him, was exactly how he was in real life. He never forgot how tough it was to be an adopted kid, and founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to help both adopted children and the families who adopt them. He died of liver cancer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2002.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com
Spouse (1)
( 21 May 1954 - 8 January 2002) (his death) (5 children)
Trade Mark (1)
White shirt and red tie, as seen in his commercials
Trivia (13)
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Which country is home to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay? | Guantanamo Bay: A History of How the U.S. Military Got There
MORE New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Planning Trade Mission to Cuba
The story of Guantanamo goes back more than a century, to the time of the Spanish-American War. And, during that time, it’s been, as it is now, a source of controversy.
Until 1898, Cuba had belonged to Spain; as the Spanish empire diminished, Cubans fought for their independence. The U.S. joined in to help its neighbor and, though the Spanish-American War ended up focused mainly on the Spanish presence in the Philippines, Cuba was the site of the sinking of the USS Maine, the event that precipitated American military involvement. (Remember “Remember the Maine“? That’s this.) When the war ended, Spain gave the U.S. control of Cuba — among other territories, like Puerto Rico — and, about three years later, Cuba became an independent nation.
MORE With Cuba, Nothing Can Be Simple
However, that independence was not without a catch: as part of the Platt Amendment , the document that governed the end of the occupation, the new Cuban government was required to lease or sell certain territory to the United States. Here’s how TIME later summarized (with numbers accurate for 1960) what happened next:
The U.S. rights in Guantanamo are clear and indisputable. By a treaty signed in 1903 and reaffirmed in 1934, the U.S. recognized Cuba’s “ultimate sovereignty” over the 45-sq.-mi. enclave in Oriente province near the island’s southeast end. In return, Cuba yielded the U.S. “complete jurisdiction and control” through a perpetual lease that can be voided only by mutual agreement.
For a low rental ($3,386.25 annually), the U.S. Navy gets its best natural harbor south of Charleston, S.C., plus 19,621 acres of land, enough for a complex of 1,400 buildings and two airfields, one of them capable of handling entire squadrons of the Navy’s hottest jets, e.g., 1,000-m.p.h. F8U Crusaders, 700-m.p.h. A4D Skyhawks. In terms of global strategy, Guantanamo has only marginal value. It served as an antisubmarine center in World War II, and could be one again. But its greatest worth is as an isolated, warm-water training base for the fleet. With an anchorage capable of handling 50 warships at once, it is the Navy’s top base for shakedown cruises and refresher training for both sailors and airmen. What Cuba gets out of the deal is 3,700 jobs for the technicians and laborers who help maintain the base, a payroll of $7,000,000 annually for hard-pressed Oriente.
When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba the 1950s, there was briefly a period during which the fate of Guantanamo seemed in question. As TIME reported in the Sept. 12, 1960, issue , Castro threatened to kick the Navy out if the U.S. continued to interfere with the Cuban economy; however, he also said that he knew that, if he did so, the U.S. could take it as a pretext to attack and get rid of him. Castro would continue to bring up his displeasure at the U.S. presence in Cuba — in 1964, he cut off the water supply, to which the Navy responded by building its own water and power plants — but the lease stayed, as did the military families based there.
MORE When Fidel Castro Canceled Santa Claus
Guantanamo returned to the news in the 1990s when it got a new set of residents. In 1991, in the wake of a coup d’état in Haiti, thousands of Haitians fled by sea for the United States. In December of that year, Guantanamo Bay became the site of a refugee camp built to house those who sought asylum while the Bush administration figured out what to do with them. Throughout the years that followed, the camp became home to thousands of native Cubans, too, who had also attempted to flee to the U.S. for political asylum. In the summer of 1994 alone, TIME wrote the following May, “more than 20,000 Haitians and 30,000 Cubans were intercepted at sea and delivered to hastily erected camps in Guantanamo.” In 1999, during conflict in the Balkans (and after the Haitian and Cuban refugees had been sent home or on to the States), the U.S. agreed to put up 20,000 new refugees at Guantanamo, but that plan ended up scrapped for being too far from their European homelands.
The decision to house al-Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo was reached shortly after 9/11 — and, nearly as immediately, the world began to wonder just what their status would be.
A former Pentagon official told TIME’s Mark Thompson last month that some would like the Guantanamo Bay facility to be closed entirely, although that’s very unlikely to happen. If the long history of Guantanamo Bay proves anything, it’s that, though regimes and requirements may change, the U.S. Navy is likely to stay.
| Cuba |
A wah-wah pedal is attached to what instrument in order alter the tone to make it mimic a human voice? | Guantanamo Bay [GTMO] "GITMO"
U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Guantanamo Bay [GTMO] "GITMO"
U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay is the oldest U.S. base overseas and the only one in a Communist country. Located on the southeast corner of Cuba, in the Oriente Province, the base is about 400 air miles from Miami, Florida. The terrain and climate of Guantanamo Bay make it a haven for iguanas and banana rats.
In December 1903, the United States leased the 45 square miles of land and water for use as a coaling station. A treaty reaffirmed the lease in 1934 granting Cuba and her trading partners free access through the bay, payment of $2,000 in gold per year, equating to $4,085 today, and a requirement that both the U.S. and Cuba must mutually consent to terminate the lease.
U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba were cut on January 3, 1961 by President Dwight Eisenhower; shortly prior to John F. Kennedy's inauguration on January 20, 1961. At that time, many Cubans sought refuge on the base. U.S. Marines and Cuban militiamen began patrolling opposite sides of the base's 17.4 mile fenceline. Today, U.S. Marines and Cuba's "Frontier Brigade" still man fenceline posts 24 hours a day.
In October 1962, family members of service people stationed here and many base employees were evacuated to the United States as President John F. Kennedy announced the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba. This was the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis which resulted in a naval quarantine of the island until the Soviet Union removed the missiles. The evacuees were allowed to return to the base by Christmas 1962.
Another crisis arose just 14 months later on Feb. 6, 1964, when Castro cut off water and supplies to the base in retaliation for several incidents in which Cuban fishermen were fined by the U.S. government for fishing in Florida waters. Since then, Guantanamo Bay has been self-sufficient and the Naval Base desalination plant produces 3.4 million gallons of water and more than 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity daily.
The base is divided into two distinct areas by the 2 1/2 mile-wide Guantanamo Bay. The airfield is located on the Leeward side and the main base is on the Windward side. Ferry service provides transportation across the bay. The primary mission of Guantanamo Bay is to serve as a strategic logistics base for the Navy's Atlantic Fleet and to support counter drug operations in the Caribbean.
In 1991, the naval base's mission expanded as some 34,000 Haitian refugees passed through Guantanamo Bay. The refugees fled Haiti after a violent coup brought on by political and social upheaval in their country. The naval base received the Navy Unit Commendation and Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its effort.
In May 1994, Operation Sea Signal began and the naval base was tasked to support Joint Task Force 160, here providing humanitarian assistance to thousands of Haitian and Cuban migrants. In late August and early September 1994, 2,200 family members and civilian employees were evacuated from the base as the migrant population climbed to more than 45,000 and the Pentagon began preparing to house up to 60,000 migrants on the base. The last Haitian migrants departed here Nov. 1, 1995. The last of the Cuban migrants left the base Jan. 31, 1996. In October 1995, family members were authorized to return, marking an end to family separations. An immediate effort began to restore base facilities for family use, including a child development center, a youth center, two schools and Sunday school. Additionally, the revitalization of Boy and Girl Scout Camps and the Guantanamo Bay Youth Activities (a free sports program for children) was enacted.
During the Haitian migrant operation "Operation Sea Signal" at Guantanamo Bay, a number of migrant camps were set-up at "Radio Range" the site of the Naval Base's radio antennas on the south side of the base, and the future site of the more permanent detainee facility. To identify the camps, a name was designated to each to correspond with the phonetic alphabet used for official military "radio" communication (Camp Alpha, Camp Bravo up to Camp Golf). When additional sites were established on the north side of the base, camp names were designated using the opposite end of the alphabet, to include Camp X-Ray. Camp X-Ray is the only camp site on the northern side of the base and is currently used as a temporary detention facility.
Since Sea Signal, Guantanamo Bay has retained a migrant operations mission with an ongoing steady state migrant population of approximately 40. The base has also conducted two contingency migrant operations: Operation Marathon in October 1996 and Present Haven in February 1997. Both of these short-fused events involved the interception of Chinese migrants being smuggled into the United States.
After 52 years of service, Guantanamo's Fleet Training Group relocated to Mayport, Florida, in July 1995. One month later, the naval base lost another major tenant command when the base's Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity disestablished after 92 years of service.
On 13 June 2003 Brown & Root Services, a division of Kellogg Brown & Root, Arlington, Va., was awarded a $12,495,601 modification to Task Order 0038 at under a cost-reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity construction contract for various facilities, Radio Range, U.S. Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay. The work to be performed included new facilities for traffic control checkpoints (main and secondary checkpoints), troop bed-down facility, troop dining facility and destructive weather improvements to detention facility structures. The project was to also include site work, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, plumbing and electrical work, as required for the various facilities. Work was to be performed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was expected to be completed by June 2004. Contract funds wouldnot expire at the end of the fiscal year. The basic contract was competitively procured with 44 proposals solicited, three offers received and award made on June 29, 2000. The total contract amount was not to exceed $300,000,000, which included the base period and four option years. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic Division, Norfolk, Va., was the contracting activity (N62470-00-D-0005).
The Naval Base includes, as separate commands, a Naval Hospital and Branch Dental Clinic, detachments of the Personnel Support Activity, Naval Atlantic Meteorologic and Oceanographic Command, Naval Media Center, Naval Communications Station, Department of Defense Dependent Schools and a Navy Brig. Directly supporting the base as departments of Naval Station are Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Resident Officer in Charge of Construction, Human Resources Office, Family Support and Service Center, Red Cross, Security and Navy Exchange/Commissary.
Guantanamo Bay, located on the southeast coast of the island of Cuba about 500 statute miles southeast of Miami, Florida, is approached via the Windward Passage from the north or the Caribbean Sea from the south . Guantanamo Bay is the largest bay on the extreme south coast of Cuba, and affords anchorage for deep-draft ships. The bay is a pouch-shaped indentation about 12 miles long in a northeast-southwest direction and about 6 miles across at its greatest width. Guantanamo Valley, a low, hilly district, extends westward from the bay along the Sierra Maestra. The deep bay is sheltered by the nearby Cuzco Hills (elevations to 495 ft) to the south and east and by mountains to the north.
Entrance into the bay, between Leeward Point and Windward Point, is made through a 1 1/4 mile-wide channel with 42 ft least dredged depth up to a point westward of Fisherman Point. From there to a point southwestward of Caravela Point, the least dredged depth is 32 ft.
The bay complex is divided into an Outer Harbor and an Inner Harbor. The Outer Harbor stretches from the entrance to the Naval Reservation Boundary about 5 miles northeastward. The channel narrows to 250 yards here, at Palma Point, then widens into two separate bays whose total width is about 5 miles; the upper half, known as Ensenada de Joa, forms the Inner Harbor in which commercial ports are located. The naval base and the main anchorage area are contained within the Outer Harbor area.
The naval complex is located on the east side of the harbor between Fisherman Point (1 3/4 miles north of Windward Point) and Granadillo Point, abut 2 3/4 miles northeastward. The area contains many coves and peninsulas and a few islands. Much of the land here is elevated well above water level. The western side of Guantanamo Bay, generally low and mangrove-covered, contains many mud flats.
The more important coves, located between Corinaso Point and Deer Point, contain the pier and wharf facilities of the naval base. The land is lower and flatter here for a few hundred yards inland. Two airfields are located within the naval complex: McCalla Airfield, on the east side of the harbor entrance, is inactive; Leeward Point Field on the west side is an active naval air station.
Water depths vary from about 60 ft just inside the harbor entrance to approximately 30 ft in Granadillo Bay (on the east side of the Outer Harbor) and at the entrance to Eagle Channel. Many of the coves are only 25 ft deep. The mean tide range is 1.0 ft and the spring tide range is 1.3 ft. Periodic tidal variations as great as 4-5 ft have been observed, but these probably were meteorological versus astronomical phenomena. Harbor tidal currents in Guantanamo Bay are estimated to be about .25 kt on the flood to .50 kt on the ebb. Locally at the river mouth, stronger currents are observed periodically. Swells ranging 3-5 ft are common during the afternoons and nights, extending upbay from the harbor entrance to Fisherman Point. During an extended period of fresh southerly winds from a recent winter storm on the Gulf of Mexico (Apr 83), waves up to 10-12 ft were observed in the outer harbor; these disrupted the lifeline ferry service from Leeward Point for two days.
At Guantanamo Bay, the Outer Harbor is used by the US Navy and the Inner Harbor serves as a commercial (Cuban) port. This evaluation deals with the facilities of the Outer Harbor only, although the climatology section is appropriate for both harbors. The Outer Harbor includes that portion of Guantanamo Bay from the entrance north to Palma Point (approximately 19� 58' 24"N). The major naval facilities are contained within Corinaso Cove from Corinaso Point to Radio Point. There are five piers available, varying in length from 180-900 ft with depths alongside from 20 to 35 ft. Three wharves provide accommodations up to 1065 ft with depths to 38 ft. Piers and wharves range from 6 to 10 ft in height above MSL. It should be noted that dredge depths decrease along some piers (see Pier B) and also that dredge width may be minimal and maneuvering is consequently difficult. Berths and anchorages in Guantanamo Bay are assigned by the Port Services Officer. The naval anchorage areas for deep-draft vessels are in the Outer Harbor. Pilots are available and required for ships engaged in commercial trade, but are not compulsory for ships of the US Navy. Tugs (normally two available) and other harbor services may be arranged through Port Control. Emergency harbor services are available 24 hours a day.
In early 2005, four white wind turbines began operating John Paul Jones Hill, the base's highest point, named after the Revolutionary War naval hero. The turbines, standing at 80 meters (262 feet) high, feature three-blade turbines. The four turbines were estimated to provide as much as a quarter of the base's power generation during the high-wind months of late summer and fall; an appreciable fact given that Guantanamo Bay is completely self-sustaining, generating its own power and water without having to rely on Cuban municipal sources. In addition to generating power, the turbines have significantly cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases created through burning diesel fuel. Black clouds containing carbon dioxide can routinely be seen pouring from the diesel generators supplying power to the base's energy grid. Each turbine is anchored in a giant block of concrete, through which 22 soil anchors are drilled into the mountain to a depth of 30 to 40 feet deep. These are then sealed with grout. The automated turbines are rated to withstand winds of up to 140 miles per hour.
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Which animal answers the question "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?" | Tootsie > Candy
Fan Fun: How Many Licks?
The Quest for the Answer
How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
Since Mr. Owl first dared to unravel one of the confectionary world's most puzzling secrets in the classic 1970 TV commercial, dedicated Tootsie Pop fans everywhere have tried to provide a definitive answer.
Many have attempted, and failed, to lick their way to the center of the Tootsie Pop. The temptation to bite and reach the embedded Tootsie Roll prize has proven too great... just like it was for Mr. Owl.
For the truly disciplined who have made it successfully to the center, Tootsie places them in its highest regard. And the pages linked below are dedicated to their valiant struggle.
Have You Made It to the Center?
If so, download your certificate of achievement in the Clean Stick Award !
Meticulous Methodologies:
Scientific studies address Tootsie Pop's great mystery.
Tootsie Pop Videos:
| Owl |
The famous sign on Harry S Truman’s desk read what on the front, while the back said “I’m from Missouri”? | How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? A lot more than 3 - TODAY.com
Today.com
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? A lot more than 3
2015-02-11T20:02:02.000Z
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Mr. Owl was wrong.
In a classic animated commercial for Tootsie Pops, which first aired in 1969, a little boy famously poses a tough question: "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?"
The inquiry stumps a cow, a fox and a turtle, but the aforementioned bird claims that the answer is three.
Closed Captioning
Study finds how many licks to center of Tootsie Pop
Play Video - 1:23
Study finds how many licks to center of Tootsie Pop
Play Video - 1:23
Watch Neil Patrick Harris crack up KLG, Hoda by doing ‘Lemony Snicket’ voices
While the ad concludes that "the world may never know" the magic number, a new study published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics has arrived at an estimate.
Researchers at New York University and Florida State University have investigated the "complex process by which materials are shaped and ultimately dissolved by surrounding water currents," according to a press release.
After developing a theory for how flowing water causes dissolving and shrinking, the scientists concluded that it takes about 1,000 licks to get to the center of an average lollipop.
And Tootsie Pops? Doctoral student Jinzi Huang told the New York Post that the number is closer to 2,500.
And just like that, the age-old question is solved.
| i don't know |
What did noted asshat Charles Manson carve into his forehead when he got bored with the x? | Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog: August 2009
Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog
...Truth has not special time of its own. Its hour is now — always and indeed then most truly when it seems unsuitable to actual circumstances. (Albert Schweitzer).....the truth about these murders has not been uncovered, but we believe the time for the truth is now. Join us, won't you?
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wow- what an awful documentary. They actually made the story boring. It takes real skill to do that.
Random Thoughts
- how seriously can we take you when you state on a fucking title card that Spahn Ranch is in Benedict Canyon which is 20 miles away?
- I know you couldn't afford to license Beatles songs, but do you really expect anyone to believe Charlie listened to the WHITE ALBUM on fucking HEADPHONES?
- Gypsy is back to tell us her lies...she was lying in all that Henrickson footage and News footage then but she is telling the truth now- or something. I love Charlie kicking her though- such BS but I was cheering HIM on.
- Who is that one tooth freak that keeps appearing? No one in the Family was inbred.
- Jakobsen is now called Shapiro? Because any Jew will do?
- They are using the Tate Home Movies that I posted before YOUTUBE scum (Thanks Savage) took them down.
- Debra is there but doesn't get the chance to make too much up.
- Who knew that Linda Kasabian had become a transexual? I missed that part. She sounds like she is reading a script. No mention of her continued legal troubles, or of Tanya growing up to become Lady Dangerous. Of course.
This played in the UK and Canada and will play in USA in a month. And still suck.
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Debra Pimps
Restoring Sharon Tate
'ICON: Life Style Love Sharon Tate' celebrates the actress as 'a style icon, not a tragic headline,' according to artist Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell.
By Steffie Nelson
Her closet may have been full of designer dresses, but Sharon Tate was a flower child all the way down to her toes. Most comfortable barefoot, she used to skirt the "shoes required" laws in snooty late '60s Beverly Hills by looping leather string around her toes and across the tops of her feet, and then tying the ends around her ankles. Voila: sandals. Even the Malibu Barbie doll, said to be inspired by the actress and her bikini-clad character, Malibu, from the 1967 beach comedy "Don't Make Waves," was barefoot in her box.
Details like these seem trivial when held up against the events of Aug. 9, 1969, when Tate, 26 years old and eight months pregnant with her husband Roman Polanski's child, was murdered by Charles Manson's followers in her Benedict Canyon home. Indeed, it's difficult to utter Tate's name without Manson's following close behind, and it will be even more so on this 40th anniversary weekend, as the face of the cult leader, now 74, looms large in the media.
Is it possible to remember her now as the free-spirited natural beauty who prided herself on wearing the shortest miniskirts in town, instead of as the victim of a horrific crime? Santa Monica artist Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell is attempting to tease apart the intertwined images with the exhibition "ICON: Life Style Love Sharon Tate," which celebrates, in his words, "a style icon, not a tragic headline." Taking over an 8,000-square-foot space in Culver City this weekend, the multimedia show expands upon a series of photographs Corbell shot last year of up-and-comer Lauren Hastings modeling pieces from Tate's wardrobe.
The clothes came courtesy of Tate's sister Debra, who shared them with the public for the first time on a 2008 episode of "Inside Edition." "No one ever really, in her opinion, cared to know about this other part of [Sharon's] life, her passion for clothing and her sense of style," explains the program's producer Esmeralda Servin, who had come to know Debra, now 56, through other stories (most related to Manson family parole hearings). Debra, she says, was immediately receptive to the idea of focusing on the clothes, with Servin and in the Corbell project that flowed from it.
For the cameras, Debra pulled plastic-wrapped pieces from a cedar hope chest, including the high-necked, puff-sleeved, micro-mini wedding dress that Sharon designed for her 1968 marriage to Polanski. News footage from the couple's reception at the Playboy Club in London -- attended by L.A. pals including Warren Beatty, Candice Bergen, Mia Farrow and many others -- shows them looking like some kind of mod fairy-tale prince and princess; the diminutive auteur (only 5 foot 5 to her 5 foot 6) in a frock coat and cravat, feeding cake to his bride, fresh white flowers woven into her elaborate do. Her beauty -- which her husband claimed she was "embarrassed by" -- is timeless, yet she effortlessly embodied her time: glamorous starlet in heavy false eyelashes and fur one moment, haute hippie with beach-blond hair and languid gaze the next.
It's that image that still resonates powerfully in the design world, where, at least in some quarters, she seems to survive in memory more as muse than martyr. "It wasn't only her looks, it was the way she carried herself," says Dear Creatures' Bianca Benitez, who invokes the "Valley of the Dolls" ingenue in her spring 2009 collection. There's even a pair of high-waisted denim "Sharon Shorts," although Tate herself was partial to dresses.
Each piece worn by Hastings captures a different side of Tate, and of the '60s: There's a short, black mink coat with the name "Sharon Tate" embroidered inside; an Ossie Clark tunic worn with an op-art Yves Saint Laurent scarf; a full-sleeved paisley minidress by British hippie chic designer Thea Porter (who famously put Talitha Getty in a caftan); the black lace, strapless Christian Dior gown Tate wore to the premiere of "Rosemary's Baby"; and the simple, flowered sundresses she wore around the house that fateful summer at 10050 Cielo Drive.
Resurrection Vintage owner and designer Katy Rodriguez, who lives nearby, has visited that address "many times." "She is a huge inspiration to me," says the designer, who has played with '60s silhouettes in several collections. "She is the ultimate L.A. woman. There is no other."
Rodriguez tells a story about visiting her friend Nils Stevenson in London. "He was the Sex Pistols' PR person in the '70s and his brother is the rock photographer Ray Stevenson. Nils had a black-and-white image that Ray shot of Sharon at a party in the '60s. She looked so glamorous in something shimmery with that big hair. We had more than a few drunken nights staring at the photo and saying the same thing: They just don't make girls like that anymore. Everyone loved her, even the punks."
Undeniably, the darkness of Tate's fate somehow throws her into brighter relief. But, Rodriguez asserts, "The Manson connection is only one part of her story. Her life and her promise was as compelling as her death. She traveled between light and dark. . . . It's what makes her so interesting. Other people died that night, but we gravitate toward Sharon."
Tate's path certainly didn't follow the storybook fantasy of her wedding. By 1969 she was considering divorcing the womanizing Polanski, according to author Greg King, and lamented the direction her film career had taken. To her friends, Sharon disparaged her media image as "sexy little me."
"She did these movies that critics like Pauline Kael and others made fun of," notes Adam Parfrey, a book publisher whose catalog encompasses Hollywood history as well as the Manson Family. "She wasn't a star; she was a starlet. She never had a chance to demonstrate much acting prowess."
Star billing came only after her death, when "Valley of the Dolls" and the Polanski-directed horror spoof "The Fearless Vampire Killers" were rereleased within days of the murders, preserving her image in the bloom of youth and possibility.
Corbell spent more than a year pondering Tate's story as he reworked the photographs he'd shot with an old press Polaroid camera: enlarging them, painting on them, and embedding them in antique window frames. He believes our fascination goes deep, to a subconscious level. "Is she an icon just because of her death," he asks, "or is she an icon because she represented something -- some spirit of purity or love -- that was brought to light by the way she died?"
The 32-year-old, self-described "accidental artist" freely admits that when he was first approached by Servin about doing the shoot, he found the concept a little creepy. "I made that same equation, Sharon = Manson." But as he grew to understand Debra Tate's situation -- robbed of almost every positive memory of her sister -- Corbell "saw the potential to tell a story that was bigger. That's what I care about as an artist."
Asked why he chose the anniversary of Tate's death to celebrate her life, Corbell says that he'd actually considered having the show on her birthday, "but what I'm trying to do is change the equation on a day that acts as this launchpad to repeat the negative mantra of fear. I'm trying to turn fear into hope."
ICON is open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. today at High Profile Productions, 5896 Smiley Drive, Culver City.
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By Tony Castro, Staff Writer
Forty years ago on Aug. 8, from his ranch in the San Fernando Valley, Charles Manson dispatched a band of devoted fanatics on a high-profile killing spree that shocked the world and terrified Angelenos, who never left their doors and windows unlocked again.
"It was a scary thing back then and it continues to this day," says Vincent Bugliosi, who successfully prosecuted the Manson "family" for one of the city's most notorious murder binges.
Among the seven victims of the two-day murder spree was actress Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.
As details of the crimes emerged, fear spread in a city that simply could not comprehend the sheer brutality of the murderers, many of whom were long-haired young women who could be mistaken for peaceniks.
Six of the seven victims were stabbed a total of 169 times and the seventh was shot dead.
"It had a definite effect throughout L.A., and it did induce fear throughout the city," Bugliosi said.
In the early hours of Aug. 9, 1969, the Manson family killed Tate, 26, and four others in Benedict Canyon - coffee fortune heiress Abigail Folger, 25; celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, 35; Polish film director Voyteck Frykowski, 32; and Steven Parent, 18, friend of the caretaker at Tate's home.
Manson stayed at the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth while his devotees committed the Tate murders. The following night, Manson went
with the group, but stayed in the car while his followers murdered wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca, 44, and wife Rosemary, 38, in Los Feliz.
The killers also scrawled "Healter Skelter" and "Pigs" in the victims' blood at both murder scenes - references to the Beatles song "Helter Skelter" released the year before, which the killers misspelled, and a slur directed at police and the white establishment.
"There were people in L.A. back then, in 1969, who didn't lock their doors," says Bugliosi. "It was a certain period of innocence to a certain degree and that all stopped with the Tate-LaBianca murders."
James Schamus, screenwriter and producer of the upcoming film "Taking Woodstock," grew up in North Hollywood, in the hills right off Mulholland Drive, and remembers the fear that overtook the city.
"I was under lockdown, as were all of my friends because just a few days before, the Manson family went on a rampage in the neighborhood," he recalls. "My parents were like, `You're not going out!'
"They didn't know it was the Manson family until they were arrested a couple of months later. But they knew that they were hippies who did it, because they used the blood to scrawl `pig' on the wall."
Four decades after what Bugliosi calls an "orgy of murder," the legacy of Manson looms disturbingly over pop culture and an entertainment capital that still seems to be coming to grips with the madness of the convicted mass murderer.
Manson was given the death penalty along with Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. When the courts overturned the death penalty, their sentences were commuted to life in prison.
Another family member, Linda Kasabian, who stood watch at the Tate murder site, turned state's evidence. She served no time.
Today, Manson, 74, short and balding, bears little resemblance to the long-haired, bearded menace whose likeness became a pop culture icon. What does remain is the devilish stare and the swastika, which he carved on his forehead while on trial.
"But the shadow of Charles Manson continues to haunt our nation's psyche, especially in Los Angeles," says Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist on the clinical faculty at UCLA who specializes in violence and terrorism.
"Why? First, the scattered contamination of spots in Los Angeles where the Manson family lived and killed. From Malibu to Los Feliz, the San Fernando Valley to Venice, and numerous places in between.
"Secondly, the randomness or `helter skelter' aspect to the crimes, which causes us to realize that we are not safe, even within our fancy homes."
Though America has seen dozens of notorious serial killers since Manson, the fascination with this Ohio-born drifter who spent most of his life in reform schools and behind bars persists.
"The main reason for the continued fascination at such a late date (is) the murders were probably the most bizarre in the recorded annals of American crime," says Bugliosi, who later authored a best-selling book about the crimes - "Helter Skelter."
Manson construed the expression as the harbinger of an apocalyptic race war he hoped the murders would trigger.
"For whatever reason," says Bugliosi, "people are fascinated by things that are strange and bizarre. Manson himself. Just how many Charles Mansons are out there?
"The incredible motive: To ignite a war between blacks and whites, an Armageddon. The killers printed words from Beatles songs in blood, mind you, at the murder scene. The fact that these kids (Manson's killers) came from average American homes. Who would ever dream that, of all people, they would be mass murderers?"
Today, dozens of bands, especially in Europe, play songs penned by Manson or that were written in support of the mass murderer. The Internet has millions of pages devoted to him. Manson cult groups abound throughout the world.
At the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth where Manson and his followers lived while in the Valley, locals say they occasionally see visitors searching for the Santa Susana Mountain location, once a western movie set and now fenced off and owned by the state of California.
"Some people don't think Manson was crazy but a genius to be able to manipulate people like he did," says horse trainer Candy Cooper who lives not far from the ranch. "People were horrified by the killings and the way they were done, and they come here, I guess, looking for where the man who masterminded that lived."
Holly Huff, who lived in Box Canyon where the ranch was and had just graduated from high school when the murders took place, remembers that Manson and his clan had taken control of George Spahn's movie ranch, over the objection of the ranch's caretaker.
"George was blind, and the story was that they had seduced him by having the girls have sex (with him)," says Huff, who remembers that the caretaker soon mysteriously disappeared.
"I don't think anyone ever heard from him again."
Huff also recalled that in the months before the murders, many residents of the Box Canyon area complained of returning to their homes and finding their furniture and furnishings moved around - though nothing was taken.
"I think they called it `creepy crawling,' and many thought (the Manson family) was responsible," she says.
Then, just days before the killings, Huff said, a friend found his garage looted of equipment used to cut steel. It was common knowledge the Manson family was converting old cars into dune buggies.
"He was gonna go up to the ranch and confront them, but didn't," said Huff. "And it's probably good that he didn't."
Others with an interest in Manson also look for the former site of a two-story house at 20910 Gresham St. in Canoga Park, not far from the Spahn Ranch, where the Manson family lived in late 1968 and early 1969.
That house was known to Manson's followers as "The Yellow Submarine," referring to another Beatles song.
"It was like a submarine in that when you were in it, you weren't allowed to go out," Watson tells Bugliosi in his book. "You could only peek out of the windows."
Today, the house is gone. The former single-family home neighborhood has been converted to apartment buildings - but memories of Manson and his family remain.
Longtime Chatsworth resident Virginia Watson remembers that the Manson family became a fixture in the area in the months leading up to the murders.
"They weren't here long, but they made a big impression," says Watson, who is now curator of the Chatsworth Historical Museum. "They were like a gang, and they would come in to shop at the Hughes Market or the Arco gas station.
"They would steal things from the market, and you would see them scavenge through trash cans, and everyone would stay away from them as much as possible."
But it was not until Manson and the family were linked to the killings, says Watson, that local residents realized how close they had been to potential harm.
"Before they had just seemed like renegades," says Watson. "But when we found out what they did, I think we realized we had been right in avoiding them as much as we could."
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No Show Without Punch
Taking on Charles Manson
No matter what else he does, the lawyer and author will always be known for prosecuting the infamous murder case.
August 8, 2009
Vincent Bugliosi has moved on, but the world hasn't. Forty years after the impossibly grisly Tate-LaBianca murders, he is still "the Manson prosecutor." This, in spite of his many books since, arguing with magisterial fury about the JFK assassination, the O.J. Simpson trial, the Bush vs. Gore case and now the Iraq war.
His book about the murders masterminded by Charles Manson, "Helter Skelter," written with coauthor Curt Gentry, hasn't been out of print since it appeared in 1974. It's blurbed as the bestselling true-crime book of all time, at what Bugliosi figures is about 7 million copies. His 2007 JFK book, "Reclaiming History," got its start in a 1986 mock trial on television, in which Bugliosi prosecuted Lee Harvey Oswald, using actual assassination witnesses, and proved that Oswald alone killed the president. It has sold considerably fewer copies than "Helter Skelter," but, as he says, "if you want to make money, you don't put out a book that weighs 7 1/2 pounds and costs $57 and has over 10,000 citations and a million and a half words."
Bugliosi still writes voluminously -- and without a computer -- but he's had to put down his pen for the moment because journalists like me are swarming around, asking for his insights, 40 years on, about the 1969 slaughters, now known the world over as the Manson murders, and their chief instigator, the hideously and evidently perpetually fascinating Charles Manson.
Aren't you tired of people asking about Manson?
I've actually had a copilot come out of the cockpit on a trip from L.A. to New York and ask me about Charles Manson. I was at a book convention, in a cab -- on one side of me was Arthur Schlesinger, on the other side was William Manchester, real heavyweights. All they were doing was asking me about Charles Manson. The only thing that enables me not to be bored is the people talking about it -- they're so interested. The durability of this case is just incredible.
Why? There have been more prolific murderers and gorier killings since then.
Many factors. The single most important is that the murders were probably the most bizarre in American crime, and people are fascinated by things that are strange and bizarre. It's not the brutality -- they were extremely brutal murders, but like you say, there have been more brutal murders. Not the prominence of the victims. Another reason -- the very name "Manson" has become a metaphor for evil, and evil has its allure.
So he's become the Hitler of murderers, by which all other murderers are measured?
You said it -- I can't say that. Just one [example] among many: Mike Tyson's applying for renewing his boxing license before the boxing commission in Nevada. He says, "Look, I'm a bad guy, but I'm not Charles Manson." His name is used in that context. Now [O.J.] Simpson -- you don't hear [that] about the Simpson case. It was kind of a garden-variety case. The Manson case just never ends.
What do you make of the enduring cottage industry of Manson shirts, music, posters?
He's got this image, almost a glamorous outlaw type, an anti-establishment figure, like Dillinger or Jesse James, but [kids] really don't know who he is. They don't know how evil he is. I think if they really knew who Manson was, they would not be wearing those shirts.
In 1972, the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty, including those in the Manson case. Are you sorry he and the others weren't executed?
Well, that would have been the proper sentence. The execution of a condemned man is a terrible thing, but murder is an even more terrible thing. They deserved to die, these people, and I asked for the death penalty and I would do so again. I don't know if "sorry" is a good word -- I'm disappointed, of course, particularly with respect to Manson.
Yet you also supported Manson family member Susan Atkins' parole request not long ago, and got a lot of grief for it.
The visceral response would be, "Well, she showed no mercy so she gets no mercy." But there are several things which militate against that easy conclusion. She's already paid substantially for her crime, close to 40 years behind bars. She has terminal cancer. The mercy she was asking for is so minuscule. She's about to die. It's not like we're going to see her down at Disneyland.
If you were writing your own Wikipedia entry, what would you put first?
I guess it would be [Manson]. It's a shorthand way of defining me, no matter what else I do. I can no more separate myself than I can jump away from my own shadow, and it tends to dominate the other things I've done.
What are you proudest of?
Certainly my magnum opus, "Reclaiming History." It's the most important murder case in American history. I put the best of what I know as a prosecutor into that book. It was just moonshine, these conspiracies. All these allegations made no sense whatsoever, so I decided to set the record straight. Oswald killed Kennedy. He acted alone. Because of these conspiracy theorists who split hairs and proceeded to split the split hairs, this case has been transformed into the most complex murder case in world history. But, at its core, it's a simple case.
"The Betrayal of America," attacking the 5-4 Supreme Court decision in the disputed 2000 presidential election -- not at first blush a case for a criminal prosecutor.
I'm not a political activist. But whenever something is so egregious, I jump in. Even many Republican scholars [said], "The court should be ashamed of itself; we've lost respect for the court." And I kept saying, "That's all? You lost respect?" These five [justices] are among the biggest criminals in American history. How dare these people have the audacity to do what they did? I think I made my case pretty well that these people deliberately tried to steal the election.
And now your latest book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," published in May, makes a murder case against Bush for waging war unnecessarily and shows how he could be prosecuted for it.
Bush [told] unsuspecting Americans the exact opposite of what his own federal intelligence agencies told him. What could be more criminal than the Bush administration keeping the all-important conclusion from Congress and the American people, with the lives of millions in the balance?
Every day, I think of those people in their graves now -- no one is fighting for them. You can see that I'm upset. I don't like to see anyone get away with murder. O.J. Simpson got away with two, and I wrote the book "Outrage." If I can get that angry over one or two murders, you can imagine the way I feel about Bush.
Some people must have said, "Bugliosi's gone off the deep end on this one."
Jerry Brown called me: "I understand you have a book out about Bush, about impeachment," and I said, "No, Jerry, it's about murder."
My first challenge was to see if a president taking the nation to war on a lie fell within the conventional principles of criminal law, and I've come up with very solid evidence that it does. There are many sophisticated issues, but here's the main issue. I've established jurisdiction, federal and local. If a prosecutor could prove that Bush took this nation to war under false pretenses, then these killings of American soldiers in Iraq would become unlawful and therefore murder.
I get the feeling you wish reporters were coming to your door to talk about your Bush book instead of Manson.
Oh, absolutely. I would much prefer to talk about this, but people don't want to.
You have a theory about why the book didn't get much press.
I had a very difficult time getting this book published, and I've never had trouble getting a book published. I couldn't get on any networks, no cable. Everyone has been terrified to talk about this. My only master, my only mistress, is the facts. If a Democratic president had done this, I would have written the same identical book, so it has nothing to do with politics. I'm 95% sure the left in this country is terrified of the right. The right has no fear of the left -- the left is terrified of the right.
What do you think of televising trials?
We should not televise trials. There's only one purpose for a criminal trial. It's to determine whether or not the defendant committed the crime. Anything that interferes or has the potential of interfering with that should automatically be prohibited. The idea of education is nonsense. Televise an automobile-collision case or breach-of-contract case and see how many people watch. It's all about entertainmen
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Murray Whyte
Toronto Star
There's no use going looking for 10050 Cielo Dr. any more. It's gone, razed more than a decade ago. On the rough, tumbling northern slope of the San Fernando Valley's western edge, north of Beverly Hills, the house that stands there now shows a different address.
But that hasn't stopped legions of gawkers from rubbernecking their way up the scrubby valley wall along Cielo Dr., spectrally still and remote. It is a macabre pilgrimage, to the place where, 40 years ago tomorrow, a generation's defining criminal atrocity took place.
Four decades later, the multiple murders of actress Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant at the time; her former fiancé, hairstylist Jay Sebring; Voytek Frykowski, a friend of Tate's husband, director Roman Polanski; and Abigail Folger, the Folger's Coffee heiress, still resonate with a grim, consuming clarity.
Feel-good nostalgia tells us that 1969 was the height of the hippie, warm-fuzzy era of peace and love, and that this week's other 40th anniversary, of the Woodstock music festival, was its pinnacle: A moment where individualism, non-conformity and the creative impulse reigned, where repression was challenged and, in many ways, fell.
But that's rose-coloured hindsight of a fractious time that unleashed demons as much as it seeded naïve idealism. The Cielo Dr. killings, and the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Feliz a day later, were as much a product of those times. No one embodies this dark flowering more than the murderers' puppetmaster, Charles Manson. And his stamp on the culture is arguably deeper and more lasting than Woodstock's.
Part of it, surely, is the extremeness of the violence, executed with a cool sense of purpose – 102 stab wounds inflicted on the four victims in the house plus Steven Parent, an 18-year-old delivery boy shot dead in the driveway on his way home as the killers made their way to the house.
The next night, the killing continued, this time in the hills of Los Feliz, where Leon and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in much the same way, stabbed with a knife and fork. Leon's stomach had carved on it the word "WAR."
But just as horrifying as the brutal nature of the crimes were the killers themselves: Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins – long-haired flower children, and proverbial "good kids," for the most part; Watson was an A student and high-school star athlete; Krenwinkel the daughter of an insurance executive and an actual choirgirl.
But Manson, their patriarch and orchestrator of the murders, looms huge over them all, and the entire counterculture generation.
The killings were a perplexing infusion of revulsion in what was, by now, a waning countercultural movement: The Manson "family," as they called themselves, were hippies, for all appearances – charter members of the peace and love generation, which met violence with sit-ins, and guns with flowers. They were political and anti-establishment, as were so many of their generation. They were indulgent users of drugs like marijuana and LSD. They lived on a commune, the Spahn Ranch, and were, by many eyewitness accounts, practitioners of "free love."
But when their time came in court, the world was shocked to see the women, in hippie garb, holding hands and singing, ridiculing prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, laughing at his accounts of their crimes.
"The mantra of the era was `peace, love and sharing,'" says Bugliosi. "Prior to (the Manson case), people just didn't identify hippies with violence. Then the Manson family comes along, looking like hippies, but being mass murderers. And that shocked America: How could this be?"
Trying to derive meaning from seemingly random acts orchestrated by a pyschopath is dangerous territory. But there's little question that the murders, both at the time and in hindsight, cast a pall over the counterculture. Violence in America was nothing new; neither was murder, nor were high-profile cases. But brutal, unjustifiable violence from within, committed in its name? This was something new.
A week after the murders, Woodstock took place in upstate New York, swelling spontaneously to a half-million kids listening to acts like Country Joe and the Fish, Santana and Jimi Hendrix. But it was revelry cast in dark shadow.
"The first thing to recognize is that the past and history are different," says John Storey, a cultural historian in the U.K. and the author of Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. "The struggle over the meaning of the '60s, for example, changes on whether we highlight Woodstock or Manson. This, in simplified form, could be said to be the difference between those who view the '60s and its legacy as positive or negative."
Meanwhile, the counterculture – to the conservative establishment at the time, not much more threatening than a bunch of lazy, misguided kids who needed to grow up – was morphing quickly from social revolution into fashion trend and marketing opportunity.
Earlier festivals, like The Human Be-In in San Francisco in 1967, were free; later that year, the Monterey Pop Festival was intended to raise money for free clinics (though the $500,000 it raised mysteriously disappeared).
By Woodstock, the naive sheen had dulled. "The real thing Woodstock accomplished," Bill Graham, the former manager of Jefferson Airplane, told Storey, "was that it told people rock was big business."
If Woodstock was the beginning of the end, then the murder indictments on Dec. 8, 1969, of Manson, Watson, Atkins, Krenwinkel and two other family members, Linda Kasabian and Leslie Van Houten, were to many its grim, undeniable conclusion.
"Is Charles Manson a hippie?" asked Rolling Stone in one cover story. "The '60s abruptly ended on August 9, 1969," the date of the murders on Cielo Dr., wrote Joan Didion in her 1979 collection of personal essays on life in the '60s, The White Album.
That was a philosophical take. At the time, others were more practical, driven by fear. In the October 1969 issue of Los Angeles magazine, spurred by the Manson family murders, Myron Roberts wrote an alarmist indictment of a generation run wild, fuelled by drugs, lax morals and a loss of standards.
He chided Life magazine's special edition on Woodstock for making it "a cultural event of monumental import, just behind Genesis and landing on the moon." Woodstock was lauded for being civil, to which Roberts wrote that "no one stopped to ask why the absence of violence at a large, public gathering of the young should be considered more remarkable than the fact that the fans who go to football games ... do not customarily tear up the stadium or attack one another."
He then compared Woodstock to "another youth festival – the Nuremberg Rallies – where Hitler, Goebbels & Co. were the featured group and the multitudes of fans were stoned on slogans, not grass." Not finished yet, he concluded the article with a practical guide to "protecting yourself from `freaky' crime" – meaning drug-induced, of course, perpetuated by a darkening culture of hippiedom.
And this was before any of the Manson crew had been caught. When Manson, looking beatific, long hair and beard flowing, was arrested, the dark side of the era had a face. And when the grisly details of the murders came out, the death knell for the counterculture was sounding loud and clear.
It is, by now, a gruesome litany: Manson was obsessed with the Beatles, who were central to the countercultural movement. The White Album in particular. He believed they were sending him messages, enlisting him to start a revolution. The song "Helter Skelter" became, for him, a command to start a race war between blacks and whites; "Piggies," ridiculing the British upper classes eating "with forks and knives," was for Manson an invitation to wipe out the wealthy ("what they need's a damn good whacking," the song went).
The Tate house was chosen over an old grudge that had nothing to do with Tate or any of the other victims. Manson, an aspiring songwriter, had auditioned there for producer Terry Melcher when he lived there with his then-girlfriend, Candice Bergen. Melcher, after witnessing Manson in a frenzied fight one night, broke off ties, which infuriated Manson.
The night of the murders, when the family members arrived, Parent was rolling down the driveway. Watson shot him dead at the wheel. He then cut the phone line, and the three made for the house.
Slitting a screen, the threesome slipped inside. Tate, Sebring and Folger, thinking they were being robbed, were tied by the neck with a rope, which was flung over a support beam in the living room. They asked what would happen to them. "You're all going to die," Watson said calmly. Panic took hold.
Frykowski got loose and burst outside, screaming for help. Watson stabbed him 51 times. Inside, Tate, Sebring and Folger struggled to get free. The stabbing, 102 wounds altogether, came in a flurry. Tate, who was eight months pregnant, begged to be allowed to have her baby. Atkins stabbed her 16 times. In custody, she told Bugliosi that she told Tate, before she killed her: "Bitch, you're going to die. I don't have any mercy on you." When she was done, she wrote "PIG" in Tate's blood, before taking a shower and leaving the scene.
The next night, the Manson family, this time joined by Kasabian, Van Houten and Manson himself, went looking for more victims. They chose the LaBianca house at random.
"If you were white and appeared financially well-off, you qualified to be murdered," Bugliosi said. The killers used knives and forks – an apparent reference to the Beatles song – and left the LaBiancas butchered in their home, but not before raiding their refrigerator and showering.The fallout was severe. Once the Manson family was revealed, the establishment's dim view of counterculture turned rabid and extreme. Even Polanski himself was implicated.
"In their rush to assess what had happened, some of the mainstream press brought the nature of Roman Polanski's movies into the nature of the crime and held (his) movies responsible," Warren Beatty told Los Angeles magazine recently. "Roman was a total innocent. Neither his life nor his movies had anything to do with this. But because he'd made Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby he was made to seem responsible."
For some, the counterculture was already teetering under the weight of its own portent. Indulgent and hedonistic, it had become bloated and without focus – a set of superficial trends, not a social revolution. The Manson crimes represented a shocking extreme to a culture that was becoming increasingly incoherent.
"What struck me about the Manson murders was how at the moment they happened, it seemed as if they were inevitable," Didion said, during an interview at the National Book Awards. "It seemed as if we had been moving toward that moment for about a year."
Bugliosi had no such sense at the time. "I'm not a sociologist. I was just trying one murder case after another," he says. "But looking back, it seems to be the consensus of many that the Manson case sounded a death knell for hippies and everything they symbolically represented."
High above the San Fernando Valley, on Cielo Dr., the quiet absence of No. 10050 says much the same thing.
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Questions for the Bug
So this radio station is interviewing Bug. Click here.
It will probably be the same old shit. In the remote chance they have testes, we have sent in these questions to be asked.
1- Why do you still put forward your theory of Helter Skelter as the main motive for the killings? Your predecessor Aaron Stovitz has publicly called it bullshit, the killers themselves have dismissed it yet you persist in this fairy tale. Why?
2- Do you still worry that Herbert Weisel might be the father of your eldest son?
3- Why is it that after 40 years you still show up on almost any program involving Manson? Is this your primary legacy?
4- Whatever happened to Virginia Cardwell, the mistress that you beat up when she lied to you about getting an abortion in 1973
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| Swastika |
What celebrity TV chef, who currently hosts Iron Chef America, got his start as the genius behind the show Good Eats!, which ran for 14 season? | Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog: August 2009
Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog
...Truth has not special time of its own. Its hour is now — always and indeed then most truly when it seems unsuitable to actual circumstances. (Albert Schweitzer).....the truth about these murders has not been uncovered, but we believe the time for the truth is now. Join us, won't you?
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wow- what an awful documentary. They actually made the story boring. It takes real skill to do that.
Random Thoughts
- how seriously can we take you when you state on a fucking title card that Spahn Ranch is in Benedict Canyon which is 20 miles away?
- I know you couldn't afford to license Beatles songs, but do you really expect anyone to believe Charlie listened to the WHITE ALBUM on fucking HEADPHONES?
- Gypsy is back to tell us her lies...she was lying in all that Henrickson footage and News footage then but she is telling the truth now- or something. I love Charlie kicking her though- such BS but I was cheering HIM on.
- Who is that one tooth freak that keeps appearing? No one in the Family was inbred.
- Jakobsen is now called Shapiro? Because any Jew will do?
- They are using the Tate Home Movies that I posted before YOUTUBE scum (Thanks Savage) took them down.
- Debra is there but doesn't get the chance to make too much up.
- Who knew that Linda Kasabian had become a transexual? I missed that part. She sounds like she is reading a script. No mention of her continued legal troubles, or of Tanya growing up to become Lady Dangerous. Of course.
This played in the UK and Canada and will play in USA in a month. And still suck.
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Debra Pimps
Restoring Sharon Tate
'ICON: Life Style Love Sharon Tate' celebrates the actress as 'a style icon, not a tragic headline,' according to artist Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell.
By Steffie Nelson
Her closet may have been full of designer dresses, but Sharon Tate was a flower child all the way down to her toes. Most comfortable barefoot, she used to skirt the "shoes required" laws in snooty late '60s Beverly Hills by looping leather string around her toes and across the tops of her feet, and then tying the ends around her ankles. Voila: sandals. Even the Malibu Barbie doll, said to be inspired by the actress and her bikini-clad character, Malibu, from the 1967 beach comedy "Don't Make Waves," was barefoot in her box.
Details like these seem trivial when held up against the events of Aug. 9, 1969, when Tate, 26 years old and eight months pregnant with her husband Roman Polanski's child, was murdered by Charles Manson's followers in her Benedict Canyon home. Indeed, it's difficult to utter Tate's name without Manson's following close behind, and it will be even more so on this 40th anniversary weekend, as the face of the cult leader, now 74, looms large in the media.
Is it possible to remember her now as the free-spirited natural beauty who prided herself on wearing the shortest miniskirts in town, instead of as the victim of a horrific crime? Santa Monica artist Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell is attempting to tease apart the intertwined images with the exhibition "ICON: Life Style Love Sharon Tate," which celebrates, in his words, "a style icon, not a tragic headline." Taking over an 8,000-square-foot space in Culver City this weekend, the multimedia show expands upon a series of photographs Corbell shot last year of up-and-comer Lauren Hastings modeling pieces from Tate's wardrobe.
The clothes came courtesy of Tate's sister Debra, who shared them with the public for the first time on a 2008 episode of "Inside Edition." "No one ever really, in her opinion, cared to know about this other part of [Sharon's] life, her passion for clothing and her sense of style," explains the program's producer Esmeralda Servin, who had come to know Debra, now 56, through other stories (most related to Manson family parole hearings). Debra, she says, was immediately receptive to the idea of focusing on the clothes, with Servin and in the Corbell project that flowed from it.
For the cameras, Debra pulled plastic-wrapped pieces from a cedar hope chest, including the high-necked, puff-sleeved, micro-mini wedding dress that Sharon designed for her 1968 marriage to Polanski. News footage from the couple's reception at the Playboy Club in London -- attended by L.A. pals including Warren Beatty, Candice Bergen, Mia Farrow and many others -- shows them looking like some kind of mod fairy-tale prince and princess; the diminutive auteur (only 5 foot 5 to her 5 foot 6) in a frock coat and cravat, feeding cake to his bride, fresh white flowers woven into her elaborate do. Her beauty -- which her husband claimed she was "embarrassed by" -- is timeless, yet she effortlessly embodied her time: glamorous starlet in heavy false eyelashes and fur one moment, haute hippie with beach-blond hair and languid gaze the next.
It's that image that still resonates powerfully in the design world, where, at least in some quarters, she seems to survive in memory more as muse than martyr. "It wasn't only her looks, it was the way she carried herself," says Dear Creatures' Bianca Benitez, who invokes the "Valley of the Dolls" ingenue in her spring 2009 collection. There's even a pair of high-waisted denim "Sharon Shorts," although Tate herself was partial to dresses.
Each piece worn by Hastings captures a different side of Tate, and of the '60s: There's a short, black mink coat with the name "Sharon Tate" embroidered inside; an Ossie Clark tunic worn with an op-art Yves Saint Laurent scarf; a full-sleeved paisley minidress by British hippie chic designer Thea Porter (who famously put Talitha Getty in a caftan); the black lace, strapless Christian Dior gown Tate wore to the premiere of "Rosemary's Baby"; and the simple, flowered sundresses she wore around the house that fateful summer at 10050 Cielo Drive.
Resurrection Vintage owner and designer Katy Rodriguez, who lives nearby, has visited that address "many times." "She is a huge inspiration to me," says the designer, who has played with '60s silhouettes in several collections. "She is the ultimate L.A. woman. There is no other."
Rodriguez tells a story about visiting her friend Nils Stevenson in London. "He was the Sex Pistols' PR person in the '70s and his brother is the rock photographer Ray Stevenson. Nils had a black-and-white image that Ray shot of Sharon at a party in the '60s. She looked so glamorous in something shimmery with that big hair. We had more than a few drunken nights staring at the photo and saying the same thing: They just don't make girls like that anymore. Everyone loved her, even the punks."
Undeniably, the darkness of Tate's fate somehow throws her into brighter relief. But, Rodriguez asserts, "The Manson connection is only one part of her story. Her life and her promise was as compelling as her death. She traveled between light and dark. . . . It's what makes her so interesting. Other people died that night, but we gravitate toward Sharon."
Tate's path certainly didn't follow the storybook fantasy of her wedding. By 1969 she was considering divorcing the womanizing Polanski, according to author Greg King, and lamented the direction her film career had taken. To her friends, Sharon disparaged her media image as "sexy little me."
"She did these movies that critics like Pauline Kael and others made fun of," notes Adam Parfrey, a book publisher whose catalog encompasses Hollywood history as well as the Manson Family. "She wasn't a star; she was a starlet. She never had a chance to demonstrate much acting prowess."
Star billing came only after her death, when "Valley of the Dolls" and the Polanski-directed horror spoof "The Fearless Vampire Killers" were rereleased within days of the murders, preserving her image in the bloom of youth and possibility.
Corbell spent more than a year pondering Tate's story as he reworked the photographs he'd shot with an old press Polaroid camera: enlarging them, painting on them, and embedding them in antique window frames. He believes our fascination goes deep, to a subconscious level. "Is she an icon just because of her death," he asks, "or is she an icon because she represented something -- some spirit of purity or love -- that was brought to light by the way she died?"
The 32-year-old, self-described "accidental artist" freely admits that when he was first approached by Servin about doing the shoot, he found the concept a little creepy. "I made that same equation, Sharon = Manson." But as he grew to understand Debra Tate's situation -- robbed of almost every positive memory of her sister -- Corbell "saw the potential to tell a story that was bigger. That's what I care about as an artist."
Asked why he chose the anniversary of Tate's death to celebrate her life, Corbell says that he'd actually considered having the show on her birthday, "but what I'm trying to do is change the equation on a day that acts as this launchpad to repeat the negative mantra of fear. I'm trying to turn fear into hope."
ICON is open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. today at High Profile Productions, 5896 Smiley Drive, Culver City.
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By Tony Castro, Staff Writer
Forty years ago on Aug. 8, from his ranch in the San Fernando Valley, Charles Manson dispatched a band of devoted fanatics on a high-profile killing spree that shocked the world and terrified Angelenos, who never left their doors and windows unlocked again.
"It was a scary thing back then and it continues to this day," says Vincent Bugliosi, who successfully prosecuted the Manson "family" for one of the city's most notorious murder binges.
Among the seven victims of the two-day murder spree was actress Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.
As details of the crimes emerged, fear spread in a city that simply could not comprehend the sheer brutality of the murderers, many of whom were long-haired young women who could be mistaken for peaceniks.
Six of the seven victims were stabbed a total of 169 times and the seventh was shot dead.
"It had a definite effect throughout L.A., and it did induce fear throughout the city," Bugliosi said.
In the early hours of Aug. 9, 1969, the Manson family killed Tate, 26, and four others in Benedict Canyon - coffee fortune heiress Abigail Folger, 25; celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, 35; Polish film director Voyteck Frykowski, 32; and Steven Parent, 18, friend of the caretaker at Tate's home.
Manson stayed at the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth while his devotees committed the Tate murders. The following night, Manson went
with the group, but stayed in the car while his followers murdered wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca, 44, and wife Rosemary, 38, in Los Feliz.
The killers also scrawled "Healter Skelter" and "Pigs" in the victims' blood at both murder scenes - references to the Beatles song "Helter Skelter" released the year before, which the killers misspelled, and a slur directed at police and the white establishment.
"There were people in L.A. back then, in 1969, who didn't lock their doors," says Bugliosi. "It was a certain period of innocence to a certain degree and that all stopped with the Tate-LaBianca murders."
James Schamus, screenwriter and producer of the upcoming film "Taking Woodstock," grew up in North Hollywood, in the hills right off Mulholland Drive, and remembers the fear that overtook the city.
"I was under lockdown, as were all of my friends because just a few days before, the Manson family went on a rampage in the neighborhood," he recalls. "My parents were like, `You're not going out!'
"They didn't know it was the Manson family until they were arrested a couple of months later. But they knew that they were hippies who did it, because they used the blood to scrawl `pig' on the wall."
Four decades after what Bugliosi calls an "orgy of murder," the legacy of Manson looms disturbingly over pop culture and an entertainment capital that still seems to be coming to grips with the madness of the convicted mass murderer.
Manson was given the death penalty along with Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. When the courts overturned the death penalty, their sentences were commuted to life in prison.
Another family member, Linda Kasabian, who stood watch at the Tate murder site, turned state's evidence. She served no time.
Today, Manson, 74, short and balding, bears little resemblance to the long-haired, bearded menace whose likeness became a pop culture icon. What does remain is the devilish stare and the swastika, which he carved on his forehead while on trial.
"But the shadow of Charles Manson continues to haunt our nation's psyche, especially in Los Angeles," says Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist on the clinical faculty at UCLA who specializes in violence and terrorism.
"Why? First, the scattered contamination of spots in Los Angeles where the Manson family lived and killed. From Malibu to Los Feliz, the San Fernando Valley to Venice, and numerous places in between.
"Secondly, the randomness or `helter skelter' aspect to the crimes, which causes us to realize that we are not safe, even within our fancy homes."
Though America has seen dozens of notorious serial killers since Manson, the fascination with this Ohio-born drifter who spent most of his life in reform schools and behind bars persists.
"The main reason for the continued fascination at such a late date (is) the murders were probably the most bizarre in the recorded annals of American crime," says Bugliosi, who later authored a best-selling book about the crimes - "Helter Skelter."
Manson construed the expression as the harbinger of an apocalyptic race war he hoped the murders would trigger.
"For whatever reason," says Bugliosi, "people are fascinated by things that are strange and bizarre. Manson himself. Just how many Charles Mansons are out there?
"The incredible motive: To ignite a war between blacks and whites, an Armageddon. The killers printed words from Beatles songs in blood, mind you, at the murder scene. The fact that these kids (Manson's killers) came from average American homes. Who would ever dream that, of all people, they would be mass murderers?"
Today, dozens of bands, especially in Europe, play songs penned by Manson or that were written in support of the mass murderer. The Internet has millions of pages devoted to him. Manson cult groups abound throughout the world.
At the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth where Manson and his followers lived while in the Valley, locals say they occasionally see visitors searching for the Santa Susana Mountain location, once a western movie set and now fenced off and owned by the state of California.
"Some people don't think Manson was crazy but a genius to be able to manipulate people like he did," says horse trainer Candy Cooper who lives not far from the ranch. "People were horrified by the killings and the way they were done, and they come here, I guess, looking for where the man who masterminded that lived."
Holly Huff, who lived in Box Canyon where the ranch was and had just graduated from high school when the murders took place, remembers that Manson and his clan had taken control of George Spahn's movie ranch, over the objection of the ranch's caretaker.
"George was blind, and the story was that they had seduced him by having the girls have sex (with him)," says Huff, who remembers that the caretaker soon mysteriously disappeared.
"I don't think anyone ever heard from him again."
Huff also recalled that in the months before the murders, many residents of the Box Canyon area complained of returning to their homes and finding their furniture and furnishings moved around - though nothing was taken.
"I think they called it `creepy crawling,' and many thought (the Manson family) was responsible," she says.
Then, just days before the killings, Huff said, a friend found his garage looted of equipment used to cut steel. It was common knowledge the Manson family was converting old cars into dune buggies.
"He was gonna go up to the ranch and confront them, but didn't," said Huff. "And it's probably good that he didn't."
Others with an interest in Manson also look for the former site of a two-story house at 20910 Gresham St. in Canoga Park, not far from the Spahn Ranch, where the Manson family lived in late 1968 and early 1969.
That house was known to Manson's followers as "The Yellow Submarine," referring to another Beatles song.
"It was like a submarine in that when you were in it, you weren't allowed to go out," Watson tells Bugliosi in his book. "You could only peek out of the windows."
Today, the house is gone. The former single-family home neighborhood has been converted to apartment buildings - but memories of Manson and his family remain.
Longtime Chatsworth resident Virginia Watson remembers that the Manson family became a fixture in the area in the months leading up to the murders.
"They weren't here long, but they made a big impression," says Watson, who is now curator of the Chatsworth Historical Museum. "They were like a gang, and they would come in to shop at the Hughes Market or the Arco gas station.
"They would steal things from the market, and you would see them scavenge through trash cans, and everyone would stay away from them as much as possible."
But it was not until Manson and the family were linked to the killings, says Watson, that local residents realized how close they had been to potential harm.
"Before they had just seemed like renegades," says Watson. "But when we found out what they did, I think we realized we had been right in avoiding them as much as we could."
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No Show Without Punch
Taking on Charles Manson
No matter what else he does, the lawyer and author will always be known for prosecuting the infamous murder case.
August 8, 2009
Vincent Bugliosi has moved on, but the world hasn't. Forty years after the impossibly grisly Tate-LaBianca murders, he is still "the Manson prosecutor." This, in spite of his many books since, arguing with magisterial fury about the JFK assassination, the O.J. Simpson trial, the Bush vs. Gore case and now the Iraq war.
His book about the murders masterminded by Charles Manson, "Helter Skelter," written with coauthor Curt Gentry, hasn't been out of print since it appeared in 1974. It's blurbed as the bestselling true-crime book of all time, at what Bugliosi figures is about 7 million copies. His 2007 JFK book, "Reclaiming History," got its start in a 1986 mock trial on television, in which Bugliosi prosecuted Lee Harvey Oswald, using actual assassination witnesses, and proved that Oswald alone killed the president. It has sold considerably fewer copies than "Helter Skelter," but, as he says, "if you want to make money, you don't put out a book that weighs 7 1/2 pounds and costs $57 and has over 10,000 citations and a million and a half words."
Bugliosi still writes voluminously -- and without a computer -- but he's had to put down his pen for the moment because journalists like me are swarming around, asking for his insights, 40 years on, about the 1969 slaughters, now known the world over as the Manson murders, and their chief instigator, the hideously and evidently perpetually fascinating Charles Manson.
Aren't you tired of people asking about Manson?
I've actually had a copilot come out of the cockpit on a trip from L.A. to New York and ask me about Charles Manson. I was at a book convention, in a cab -- on one side of me was Arthur Schlesinger, on the other side was William Manchester, real heavyweights. All they were doing was asking me about Charles Manson. The only thing that enables me not to be bored is the people talking about it -- they're so interested. The durability of this case is just incredible.
Why? There have been more prolific murderers and gorier killings since then.
Many factors. The single most important is that the murders were probably the most bizarre in American crime, and people are fascinated by things that are strange and bizarre. It's not the brutality -- they were extremely brutal murders, but like you say, there have been more brutal murders. Not the prominence of the victims. Another reason -- the very name "Manson" has become a metaphor for evil, and evil has its allure.
So he's become the Hitler of murderers, by which all other murderers are measured?
You said it -- I can't say that. Just one [example] among many: Mike Tyson's applying for renewing his boxing license before the boxing commission in Nevada. He says, "Look, I'm a bad guy, but I'm not Charles Manson." His name is used in that context. Now [O.J.] Simpson -- you don't hear [that] about the Simpson case. It was kind of a garden-variety case. The Manson case just never ends.
What do you make of the enduring cottage industry of Manson shirts, music, posters?
He's got this image, almost a glamorous outlaw type, an anti-establishment figure, like Dillinger or Jesse James, but [kids] really don't know who he is. They don't know how evil he is. I think if they really knew who Manson was, they would not be wearing those shirts.
In 1972, the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty, including those in the Manson case. Are you sorry he and the others weren't executed?
Well, that would have been the proper sentence. The execution of a condemned man is a terrible thing, but murder is an even more terrible thing. They deserved to die, these people, and I asked for the death penalty and I would do so again. I don't know if "sorry" is a good word -- I'm disappointed, of course, particularly with respect to Manson.
Yet you also supported Manson family member Susan Atkins' parole request not long ago, and got a lot of grief for it.
The visceral response would be, "Well, she showed no mercy so she gets no mercy." But there are several things which militate against that easy conclusion. She's already paid substantially for her crime, close to 40 years behind bars. She has terminal cancer. The mercy she was asking for is so minuscule. She's about to die. It's not like we're going to see her down at Disneyland.
If you were writing your own Wikipedia entry, what would you put first?
I guess it would be [Manson]. It's a shorthand way of defining me, no matter what else I do. I can no more separate myself than I can jump away from my own shadow, and it tends to dominate the other things I've done.
What are you proudest of?
Certainly my magnum opus, "Reclaiming History." It's the most important murder case in American history. I put the best of what I know as a prosecutor into that book. It was just moonshine, these conspiracies. All these allegations made no sense whatsoever, so I decided to set the record straight. Oswald killed Kennedy. He acted alone. Because of these conspiracy theorists who split hairs and proceeded to split the split hairs, this case has been transformed into the most complex murder case in world history. But, at its core, it's a simple case.
"The Betrayal of America," attacking the 5-4 Supreme Court decision in the disputed 2000 presidential election -- not at first blush a case for a criminal prosecutor.
I'm not a political activist. But whenever something is so egregious, I jump in. Even many Republican scholars [said], "The court should be ashamed of itself; we've lost respect for the court." And I kept saying, "That's all? You lost respect?" These five [justices] are among the biggest criminals in American history. How dare these people have the audacity to do what they did? I think I made my case pretty well that these people deliberately tried to steal the election.
And now your latest book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," published in May, makes a murder case against Bush for waging war unnecessarily and shows how he could be prosecuted for it.
Bush [told] unsuspecting Americans the exact opposite of what his own federal intelligence agencies told him. What could be more criminal than the Bush administration keeping the all-important conclusion from Congress and the American people, with the lives of millions in the balance?
Every day, I think of those people in their graves now -- no one is fighting for them. You can see that I'm upset. I don't like to see anyone get away with murder. O.J. Simpson got away with two, and I wrote the book "Outrage." If I can get that angry over one or two murders, you can imagine the way I feel about Bush.
Some people must have said, "Bugliosi's gone off the deep end on this one."
Jerry Brown called me: "I understand you have a book out about Bush, about impeachment," and I said, "No, Jerry, it's about murder."
My first challenge was to see if a president taking the nation to war on a lie fell within the conventional principles of criminal law, and I've come up with very solid evidence that it does. There are many sophisticated issues, but here's the main issue. I've established jurisdiction, federal and local. If a prosecutor could prove that Bush took this nation to war under false pretenses, then these killings of American soldiers in Iraq would become unlawful and therefore murder.
I get the feeling you wish reporters were coming to your door to talk about your Bush book instead of Manson.
Oh, absolutely. I would much prefer to talk about this, but people don't want to.
You have a theory about why the book didn't get much press.
I had a very difficult time getting this book published, and I've never had trouble getting a book published. I couldn't get on any networks, no cable. Everyone has been terrified to talk about this. My only master, my only mistress, is the facts. If a Democratic president had done this, I would have written the same identical book, so it has nothing to do with politics. I'm 95% sure the left in this country is terrified of the right. The right has no fear of the left -- the left is terrified of the right.
What do you think of televising trials?
We should not televise trials. There's only one purpose for a criminal trial. It's to determine whether or not the defendant committed the crime. Anything that interferes or has the potential of interfering with that should automatically be prohibited. The idea of education is nonsense. Televise an automobile-collision case or breach-of-contract case and see how many people watch. It's all about entertainmen
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Murray Whyte
Toronto Star
There's no use going looking for 10050 Cielo Dr. any more. It's gone, razed more than a decade ago. On the rough, tumbling northern slope of the San Fernando Valley's western edge, north of Beverly Hills, the house that stands there now shows a different address.
But that hasn't stopped legions of gawkers from rubbernecking their way up the scrubby valley wall along Cielo Dr., spectrally still and remote. It is a macabre pilgrimage, to the place where, 40 years ago tomorrow, a generation's defining criminal atrocity took place.
Four decades later, the multiple murders of actress Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant at the time; her former fiancé, hairstylist Jay Sebring; Voytek Frykowski, a friend of Tate's husband, director Roman Polanski; and Abigail Folger, the Folger's Coffee heiress, still resonate with a grim, consuming clarity.
Feel-good nostalgia tells us that 1969 was the height of the hippie, warm-fuzzy era of peace and love, and that this week's other 40th anniversary, of the Woodstock music festival, was its pinnacle: A moment where individualism, non-conformity and the creative impulse reigned, where repression was challenged and, in many ways, fell.
But that's rose-coloured hindsight of a fractious time that unleashed demons as much as it seeded naïve idealism. The Cielo Dr. killings, and the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Feliz a day later, were as much a product of those times. No one embodies this dark flowering more than the murderers' puppetmaster, Charles Manson. And his stamp on the culture is arguably deeper and more lasting than Woodstock's.
Part of it, surely, is the extremeness of the violence, executed with a cool sense of purpose – 102 stab wounds inflicted on the four victims in the house plus Steven Parent, an 18-year-old delivery boy shot dead in the driveway on his way home as the killers made their way to the house.
The next night, the killing continued, this time in the hills of Los Feliz, where Leon and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in much the same way, stabbed with a knife and fork. Leon's stomach had carved on it the word "WAR."
But just as horrifying as the brutal nature of the crimes were the killers themselves: Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins – long-haired flower children, and proverbial "good kids," for the most part; Watson was an A student and high-school star athlete; Krenwinkel the daughter of an insurance executive and an actual choirgirl.
But Manson, their patriarch and orchestrator of the murders, looms huge over them all, and the entire counterculture generation.
The killings were a perplexing infusion of revulsion in what was, by now, a waning countercultural movement: The Manson "family," as they called themselves, were hippies, for all appearances – charter members of the peace and love generation, which met violence with sit-ins, and guns with flowers. They were political and anti-establishment, as were so many of their generation. They were indulgent users of drugs like marijuana and LSD. They lived on a commune, the Spahn Ranch, and were, by many eyewitness accounts, practitioners of "free love."
But when their time came in court, the world was shocked to see the women, in hippie garb, holding hands and singing, ridiculing prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, laughing at his accounts of their crimes.
"The mantra of the era was `peace, love and sharing,'" says Bugliosi. "Prior to (the Manson case), people just didn't identify hippies with violence. Then the Manson family comes along, looking like hippies, but being mass murderers. And that shocked America: How could this be?"
Trying to derive meaning from seemingly random acts orchestrated by a pyschopath is dangerous territory. But there's little question that the murders, both at the time and in hindsight, cast a pall over the counterculture. Violence in America was nothing new; neither was murder, nor were high-profile cases. But brutal, unjustifiable violence from within, committed in its name? This was something new.
A week after the murders, Woodstock took place in upstate New York, swelling spontaneously to a half-million kids listening to acts like Country Joe and the Fish, Santana and Jimi Hendrix. But it was revelry cast in dark shadow.
"The first thing to recognize is that the past and history are different," says John Storey, a cultural historian in the U.K. and the author of Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. "The struggle over the meaning of the '60s, for example, changes on whether we highlight Woodstock or Manson. This, in simplified form, could be said to be the difference between those who view the '60s and its legacy as positive or negative."
Meanwhile, the counterculture – to the conservative establishment at the time, not much more threatening than a bunch of lazy, misguided kids who needed to grow up – was morphing quickly from social revolution into fashion trend and marketing opportunity.
Earlier festivals, like The Human Be-In in San Francisco in 1967, were free; later that year, the Monterey Pop Festival was intended to raise money for free clinics (though the $500,000 it raised mysteriously disappeared).
By Woodstock, the naive sheen had dulled. "The real thing Woodstock accomplished," Bill Graham, the former manager of Jefferson Airplane, told Storey, "was that it told people rock was big business."
If Woodstock was the beginning of the end, then the murder indictments on Dec. 8, 1969, of Manson, Watson, Atkins, Krenwinkel and two other family members, Linda Kasabian and Leslie Van Houten, were to many its grim, undeniable conclusion.
"Is Charles Manson a hippie?" asked Rolling Stone in one cover story. "The '60s abruptly ended on August 9, 1969," the date of the murders on Cielo Dr., wrote Joan Didion in her 1979 collection of personal essays on life in the '60s, The White Album.
That was a philosophical take. At the time, others were more practical, driven by fear. In the October 1969 issue of Los Angeles magazine, spurred by the Manson family murders, Myron Roberts wrote an alarmist indictment of a generation run wild, fuelled by drugs, lax morals and a loss of standards.
He chided Life magazine's special edition on Woodstock for making it "a cultural event of monumental import, just behind Genesis and landing on the moon." Woodstock was lauded for being civil, to which Roberts wrote that "no one stopped to ask why the absence of violence at a large, public gathering of the young should be considered more remarkable than the fact that the fans who go to football games ... do not customarily tear up the stadium or attack one another."
He then compared Woodstock to "another youth festival – the Nuremberg Rallies – where Hitler, Goebbels & Co. were the featured group and the multitudes of fans were stoned on slogans, not grass." Not finished yet, he concluded the article with a practical guide to "protecting yourself from `freaky' crime" – meaning drug-induced, of course, perpetuated by a darkening culture of hippiedom.
And this was before any of the Manson crew had been caught. When Manson, looking beatific, long hair and beard flowing, was arrested, the dark side of the era had a face. And when the grisly details of the murders came out, the death knell for the counterculture was sounding loud and clear.
It is, by now, a gruesome litany: Manson was obsessed with the Beatles, who were central to the countercultural movement. The White Album in particular. He believed they were sending him messages, enlisting him to start a revolution. The song "Helter Skelter" became, for him, a command to start a race war between blacks and whites; "Piggies," ridiculing the British upper classes eating "with forks and knives," was for Manson an invitation to wipe out the wealthy ("what they need's a damn good whacking," the song went).
The Tate house was chosen over an old grudge that had nothing to do with Tate or any of the other victims. Manson, an aspiring songwriter, had auditioned there for producer Terry Melcher when he lived there with his then-girlfriend, Candice Bergen. Melcher, after witnessing Manson in a frenzied fight one night, broke off ties, which infuriated Manson.
The night of the murders, when the family members arrived, Parent was rolling down the driveway. Watson shot him dead at the wheel. He then cut the phone line, and the three made for the house.
Slitting a screen, the threesome slipped inside. Tate, Sebring and Folger, thinking they were being robbed, were tied by the neck with a rope, which was flung over a support beam in the living room. They asked what would happen to them. "You're all going to die," Watson said calmly. Panic took hold.
Frykowski got loose and burst outside, screaming for help. Watson stabbed him 51 times. Inside, Tate, Sebring and Folger struggled to get free. The stabbing, 102 wounds altogether, came in a flurry. Tate, who was eight months pregnant, begged to be allowed to have her baby. Atkins stabbed her 16 times. In custody, she told Bugliosi that she told Tate, before she killed her: "Bitch, you're going to die. I don't have any mercy on you." When she was done, she wrote "PIG" in Tate's blood, before taking a shower and leaving the scene.
The next night, the Manson family, this time joined by Kasabian, Van Houten and Manson himself, went looking for more victims. They chose the LaBianca house at random.
"If you were white and appeared financially well-off, you qualified to be murdered," Bugliosi said. The killers used knives and forks – an apparent reference to the Beatles song – and left the LaBiancas butchered in their home, but not before raiding their refrigerator and showering.The fallout was severe. Once the Manson family was revealed, the establishment's dim view of counterculture turned rabid and extreme. Even Polanski himself was implicated.
"In their rush to assess what had happened, some of the mainstream press brought the nature of Roman Polanski's movies into the nature of the crime and held (his) movies responsible," Warren Beatty told Los Angeles magazine recently. "Roman was a total innocent. Neither his life nor his movies had anything to do with this. But because he'd made Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby he was made to seem responsible."
For some, the counterculture was already teetering under the weight of its own portent. Indulgent and hedonistic, it had become bloated and without focus – a set of superficial trends, not a social revolution. The Manson crimes represented a shocking extreme to a culture that was becoming increasingly incoherent.
"What struck me about the Manson murders was how at the moment they happened, it seemed as if they were inevitable," Didion said, during an interview at the National Book Awards. "It seemed as if we had been moving toward that moment for about a year."
Bugliosi had no such sense at the time. "I'm not a sociologist. I was just trying one murder case after another," he says. "But looking back, it seems to be the consensus of many that the Manson case sounded a death knell for hippies and everything they symbolically represented."
High above the San Fernando Valley, on Cielo Dr., the quiet absence of No. 10050 says much the same thing.
Posted by
Questions for the Bug
So this radio station is interviewing Bug. Click here.
It will probably be the same old shit. In the remote chance they have testes, we have sent in these questions to be asked.
1- Why do you still put forward your theory of Helter Skelter as the main motive for the killings? Your predecessor Aaron Stovitz has publicly called it bullshit, the killers themselves have dismissed it yet you persist in this fairy tale. Why?
2- Do you still worry that Herbert Weisel might be the father of your eldest son?
3- Why is it that after 40 years you still show up on almost any program involving Manson? Is this your primary legacy?
4- Whatever happened to Virginia Cardwell, the mistress that you beat up when she lied to you about getting an abortion in 1973
Posted by
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Jacob Black, Edward Cullen, and Bella Swan are characters in what fictional book series? | Edward Cullen vs Jacob Black - Difference and Comparison | Diffen
Edward Cullen vs. Jacob Black
Edward Cullen and Jacob Black are fictional characters from the Twilight series who compete for the love of Bella Swan . While Edward Cullen is a vampire, Jacob Black is a werewolf.
Comparison chart
Edward Cullen versus Jacob Black comparison chart
Edward Cullen
Jasper Cullen, Alice Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Rosalie Cullen, Tanya, Kate, Irina, Eleazar, Carmen,Bella
Bella Swan, Embry Call, Seth Clearwater, Quil ateara
Enemies
The Volturi, James in first movie/ Victoriai first second and third movie, Jacob Black (somewhat),
The Volturi, James/Victoria, Edward Cullen (somewhat)
Introduction (from Wikipedia)
Edward Cullen-(né Edward Anthony Masen) a fictional character from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. He features in the Twilight book and film series as well as the unpublished Midnight Sun.
Jacob Black-fictional character in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Described as Native American of the Quileute tribe in La Push, Washington. In the second book of the series, he undergoes a transformations that allows him become a werewolf.
Country
Fantasy, young-adult fiction, romance , paranormal romance, mystery
Fantasy, young-adult fiction, romance, paranormal romance, mystery
Portrayed by
Student
Family
Edward Masen Sr. (biological father) Elizabeth Masen (biological mother) Esme Platt (adoptive mother) Carlisle Cullen (adoptive father) Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale (adoptive sisters) Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarty (adoptive brothers)
Billy Black (father), Sarah Black (mother, deceased), Rachel and Rebecca (older twin sisters), Ephraim Black (great-grandfather, deceased)
Date of birth
Human. Later: shape-shifter (or "werewolf")
Love interests
17 (biological) 104 (Twilight novel, chronological) 108 (Twilight movie, chronological)
15 (Twilight) 16 (New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn)
Personality
Romantic, self-loathing, cynical, competitive, caring, melodramatic, jealous, observant, mind-reader
Tempermental, kind, support system, focused
Spouse(s)
Current residence of the Cullen's
La Push
Edward Cullen (at the moment)
N/A
Beta (New Moon and Eclipse), Alpha (Breaking Dawn)
Address
7 References
Jacob Black vs Edward Cullen in Twilight (the book)
In Twilight, Edward meets Bella Swan, a human girl whose thoughts he is unable to read, and whose blood smells overwhelmingly sweet to him. He fights a growing attraction to her, but after saving her life on several occasions, he succumbs and eventually falls in love with her. However, Edward constantly warns Bella against being with him, perceiving her life to be at risk if she continues to associate with him.
Jacob has a small role in the first book of the series. He is the son of Billy Black, an old Swan family friend. When Bella uses him to get information on Edward Cullen and his family, Jacob tells her Quileute legends and introduces her to the idea that Edward is a vampire. Bella comes to like Jacob, and he develops a crush on her.
Edward Cullen and Jacob Black in New Moon
In New Moon, Edward's fears for Bella's safety intensify when she cuts her finger and is almost attacked by his brother Jasper. In an attempt to protect her, he convinces her that he no longer loves her, and moves away with his family, leaving Bella heartbroken. Edward finds it difficult to live without Bella, and becomes severely depressed at the prospect of an infinitely long and meaningless life. After he mistakenly learns from his sister Rosalie that Bella has committed suicide, Edward attempts to convince a group of Italian vampires, the Volturi, to kill him.
Meanwhile after months of depression over Edward's leaving in New Moon, Bella finds friendship with Jacob and slowly begins to come out of her depression. Their friendship becomes very strong, but Jacob also develops romantic feelings for Bella that she does not reciprocate. Jacob is also one of an ancient line of "shape shifters" or "werewolves", a member of the Quileute tribe that has forever been the mortal enemy of vampires. Jacob undergoes his first transformation into a wolf in response to a new vampire threat, and he becomes busy patrolling the forest with his pack, searching for vampires in the area. When Bella is caught by the vampire Laurent alone in a clearing, she is saved by Jacob and the pack, who manage to kill Laurent.
Bella, who has been taking risks to feel closer to Edward, impulsively jumps off a cliff and almost drowns, but Jacob saves her life. After Edward mistakenly believes Bella to have died, she and Edward's sister, Alice, rush to Italy to stop Edward from killing himself, leaving Jacob hurt and angry. Jacob is disgusted by Edward's return and by Bella's willingness to take him back after he left her. Jacob reminds Edward of his tribe's treaty with the Cullen family, which states that the Cullens are not allowed to bite humans.
Edward and Jacob in Eclipse
In Eclipse, Bella agrees to marry Edward on the condition he will make love to her while she is still human. Edward eventually relents and agrees, on the stipulation it will only occur after they are married. The plot is driven by the machinations of the vampire Victoria, who, seeking revenge for the death of her mate James, is hunting Bella and creating new vampires to build an army.
Meanwhile Jacob attempts to distance himself from Bella by not returning her phone calls and refusing to see her, enraged by the fact that Bella plans to become a vampire. Later, Jacob visits Bella and Edward to discuss the vampire Victoria's return, and he tells Bella that he misses her and wishes that they could remain friends. With Edward's approval, Bella begins to visit Jacob on a regular basis. On one of these visits, Jacob tells Bella that he is in love with her and that he wants her to choose him over Edward. Bella is caught off guard by his confession and tells him she only thinks of him as a friend. He forcibly kisses her, much to her displeasure, and she reacts by punching him in the face - breaking her hand and not leaving a scratch on him.
A grudging truce is made between the Cullens and the Native-American werewolf pack led by Sam Uley and Jacob Black. However, the truce is endangered when Bella realizes Jacob means more to her than she thought. Before the battle, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement, angering him greatly. Jacob threatens suicide and Bella, in an attempt to stop him, kisses him passionately. Afterward, she comes to the realization that she is in love with Jacob, but her love for Edward is greater.
Ultimately, Edward accepts that Bella cares for Jacob and successfully destroys Victoria, and Bella acknowledges that Edward is the most important person in her life.
The epilogue is written from Jacob's point of view; angry and hurt at Bella's decision to become a vampire, he runs away in his wolf form to escape his pain.
Edward and Jacob in Breaking Dawn
Jacob returns after an absence to attend Bella and Edward's wedding in Breaking Dawn; though still visibly pained by her decisions, he tells Bella that he wants her to be happy. He is outraged when Bella inadvertently informs him that she and Edward plan to have sex before she becomes a vampire, because he knows that Edward's strength could kill her.
When Bella and Edward return from their honeymoon, Jacob becomes the narrator of the story for the next several chapters as he learns that she is pregnant with her and Edward's half-vampire, half-human child and that she has become desperately weak. Edward tries to coerce her into having an abortion in order to save her own life. However, Bella feels a bond with her unborn child and insists on giving birth. Edward comes to feel love for the baby as well, after he hears its thoughts and learns that the baby loves Bella in return.
Bella nearly dies giving birth in an emergency c-section, but Edward successfully delivers his daughter and then injects Bella's heart with his venom, healing her wounds by turning her into an immortal vampire.
When Jacob informs the pack of Bella's pregnancy, their leader Sam plans an attack on the Cullens, the point of which is to kill Bella and the baby because of the threat he believes the child presents. Jacob, who feels that the Cullens are innocent, disobeys Sam's command and separates himself from the pack, fulfilling his birthright as an Alpha wolf . He is joined in his new pack by Seth and Leah Clearwater, and they aid Jacob and the Cullens in protecting Bella.
During Bella's painful transformation into a vampire, Jacob imprints on Renesmee, Bella and Edward's daughter. The enmity between Jacob and the Cullens is dispelled, and he and Edward come to view each other as brothers.
Reception for Edward Cullen
Since the release of the Twilight series, the character of Edward has developed somewhat of a cult following, with millions of devoted, mostly female, fans worldwide. However, while the character has been overwhelmingly well-received by readers and has been called the "obsession of teen girls", several criticisms of his character, in particular accusations of sexism, have emerged. Gina R. Dalfonzo of the National Review Online described Edward's character as mentally unstable and a "predator", using behavioural examples such as spying on Bella while she sleeps, eavesdropping on her conversations, dictating her choice of friends, and encouraging her to deceive her father as reasons why she believes he is "one of modern fiction's best candidates for a restraining order."
Edward vs Jacob - Who would you date?
References
| Twilight |
1965 saw the debut of Poppin Fresh, who along with his extended family Poppie Fresh, GrandPopper and GranMommer, Biscuit, Flapjack, Popper, Bun-Bun, and Rollie, is the advertising mascot for what company? | Edward, Bella and Jacob wallpaper - Movie wallpapers - #104
Edward, Bella and Jacob wallpaper
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Edward, Bella and Jacob Movie desktop wallpaper, Kristen Stewart wallpaper, Jacob Black wallpaper, Twilight wallpaper, Taylor Lautner wallpaper, Edward Cullen wallpaper, Bella Swan wallpaper, Robert Pattinson wallpaper, Movie wallpaper - Movies no. 104. Download this Edward, Bella and Jacob Kristen Stewart Jacob Black Twilight Taylor Lautner Edward Cullen Bella Swan Robert Pattinson desktop wallpaper in multiple resolutions for free.
Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga.
Jacob "Jake" Black is a fictional character in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. He is described as a Native American of the Quileute tribe in La Push, near Forks, Washington. In the second book of the series, he undergoes a transformation that allows him to morph into a wolf. For the majority of the series, Jacob competes with Edward Cullen for Bella Swan's love. In the films Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, Jacob is played by Taylor Lautner.
Twilight (stylized as twilight) is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series. This film focuses on the development of the relationship between Bella Swan (a teenage girl) and Edward Cullen (a vampire), and the subsequent efforts of Cullen and his family to keep Swan safe from a coven of evil vampires.
Taylor Daniel Lautner (born February 11, 1992) is an American actor, voice actor, model, and martial artist. As a child, Lautner took up martial arts and was ranked number one in his category by the American Sports Karate Association. Lautner soon thereafter began his acting career, appearing in bit roles in comedy series such as The Bernie Mac Show (2003) and My Wife and Kids (2004), before having voice roles in television series like What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2005) and Danny Phantom (2005). In 2005, he appeared in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and starred in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.
Edward Cullen is a fictional character in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. He is featured in the books Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, as well as the Twilight film, and the as yet unfinished novel Midnight Sun - a re-telling of the events of Twilight from Edward's perspective. Edward is a vampire who, over the course of the series, falls in love with, marries, and has a child with Bella Swan, a human teenager who later chooses to become a vampire as well. In the Twilight film series, Edward is played by actor Robert Pattinson.
Isabella Marie "Bella" Swan (later Bella Cullen) is the fictional protagonist of the Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight series, consisting of the novels Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, is primarily narrated from Bella's point of view. In the film series, Bella is portrayed by actress Kristen Stewart.
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Later, he landed the leading role of Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and came to worldwide international fame. Pattinson was ranked as one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood based on 2009 earnings. In 2010, Pattinson was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, and also in the same year Forbes ranked him as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world in the Celebrity 100. His upcoming films include Bel Ami, Water For Elephants, Unbound Captives, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Parts I and II.
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What is the common name for your coccyx? | See Normal Spinal Anatomy
Depending on an individual’s development, the coccyx may consist of three to five different bones connected by fused—or semi-fused—joints and/or disc-like ligaments. While it was originally thought that the coccyx is always fused together, it is now known that the coccyx is not one solid bone, but there is some limited movement between the bones permitted by fibrous joints and ligaments.
See Sacrum (Sacral Region)
The coccyx connects with the sacrum through the sacrococcygeal joint, and there is normally limited movement between the coccyx and the sacrum. The coccyx usually moves slightly forward or backward as the pelvis, hips, and legs move. When a person sits or stands, the bones that make up the pelvis (including the coccyx) rotate outward and inward slightly to better support and balance the body.
See Sacroiliac Joint Anatomy
Function of the Coccyx
Although the tailbone is considered vestigial (or no longer necessary) in the human body, it does have some function in the pelvis. For instance, the coccyx is one part of a three-part support for a person in the seated position. Weight is distributed between the bottom portions of the two hip bones (or ischium) and the tailbone, providing balance and stability when a person is seated.
The tailbone is the connecting point for many pelvic floor muscles. These muscles help support the anus and aid in defecation, support the vagina in females, and assist in walking, running, and moving the legs.
In This Article:
Coccydynia (Tailbone Pain) Video
Why Do More Coccyx Injuries Occur in Women Than Men?
Coccydynia is generally much more common in women; some sources from the medical literature find that women are five times more likely to develop coccydynia than men.2
The majority of coccyx injuries occur in women because:
A broader pelvic structure, which may decrease the amount of pelvic rotation and leave the coccyx more exposed to injury.
Women tend to place more weight on the coccyx when sitting, which leaves it more susceptible to injury.
Childbirth, which may cause acute damage as the baby moves over the tailbone
| Coccyx |
Mountain, touring, and BMX are all types of what? | Common Bone Names | Effortless Movement
Effortless Movement
Pilates Training in Portland Oregon's Pearl District
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September 20, 2010
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As often as possible, I use Common Names for bones when teaching. Of course there is nothing wrong with learning the Anatomical Names that are often used by doctors and physical therapists. But, here’s the thing – why make learning a new movement pattern more difficult by learning new terminology at the same time? I want your brain to be focused on the movement and the experience, not on translating what I’m saying.
With that end in mind, here is a chart of the names that I use on this site and when I’m teaching.
Common Use Bone Names
Breastbone
Sternum
The boney piece running from the notch at the base of the neck to the opening of the ribcage.
Collarbone
Clavicle
Locate the notch at the base of the neck. The boney ridges extending 3-4” on either side are the collarbones.
Forearm
The two bones that run from your wrist to your elbow.
Front Hip Bones
Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS)
Sit your hands on your hips, find the little bones that point forward on the front of your lower torso.
Kneecap
The hard point on the front of your knee.
Pelvis aka ‘hips’
Pelvis
Sit your hands on your hips. The basin shaped pelvis is everything from here to your public bone in front, and from here to your sit bones in back.
Ribcage
Thoracic Cavity
Shaped like a cylinder, the ribcage is made up the breastbone, 12 pairs of ribs, and 12 thoracic vertebrae.
Tail triangle, aka Sacrum
The boney triangle, about the size of a palm, just above your tailbone.
Shin
The flat front of your lower leg, below the knee and above the ankle.
Shoulder Blade
Scapula
Sometimes referred to as the ‘wingbones,’ the triangular, flat shoulder blades sit on either side of the upper back.
Sit Bones
Ischial Tuberosity
Sit tall on a hard chair. The bones that you feel hitting the chair are the Ischial Tuberosity.
Spine, aka ‘back bones’
Vertebral Column
Also known as your backbone, the spine is made up of 24 small bones called vertebrae, plus the sacrum and tailbone. The 7 neck bones are referred to as cervical vertebrae. A pair of ribs attaches to each of the 12 mid-back bones, known as thoracic vertebrae. The 5 bones that make up the curve of the low back are called the lumbar vertebrae.
Tailbone
The last bone at the end of the spine.
Thigh Bone
Femur
The meaty part of your thigh houses the longest and strongest bone in your body, the femur, which runs from the hip to the knee.
Upper Arm
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Originating in China, a sampan is a type of what? | Chinese Sampan
Chinese Sampan Teaches Much to Designers
C. Andrade, Jr The RUDDER, July 1917
C. Andrade, Jr., recently came across an old model of a Chinese sampan. It is an odd piece of work, full of interest and instructive, too. Mr. Andrade lent the model to George B. Douglas, who has taken off the lines, and these lines, pictures of the model and an article written by Mr. Andrade, are given herewith in THE RUDDER.
THE accompanying lines and sail plan illustrate a very interesting model of Chinese sampan. The model from which this was taken is an authentic piece of work, evidently made by a Chinese shipbuilder, as it contains all the peculiarities of design and construction that belong to the Chinese system of naval architecture. It is a fact not generally known that the Chinese are, and for many centuries have been, very successful sailors, and the model shown herewith is a good illustration of their ability as designers. It will be noted that the lines embody many of the refinements which are found in the most up-to-date boats in the United States. For example, the wetted surface of this model is reduced almost to the theoretical minimum for the displacement shown. There is not a single square inch of surface wasted in any projecting keel or skeg or deadwood.
The sheer line of the bottom of the boat also illustrates a peculiarity which naval architects in this country have just begun to appreciate, and that is, that the run can be carried out quite full, almost to the stern, and then come up, with a sharp turn, without hurting the boat's speed in any way. This fact has been known for a number of years to the torpedo-boat builders of England, who carry their displacement curve very full, almost to the stern. The same thing is shown on the Herreshoff small steamers of the type of the Mirage, and other boats of that class, where the keel line is carried out with an easy curve, about to the point where the shaft leaves the hull, and then turns up rather sharply to the stern. This same feature accounts for the very short overhang, with strong upturned buttock lines that are found in the last two or three years' designs of the Herreshoff sailing yachts.
There is no planking across the stern of the boat, but there is a big open space somewhat like a well all the way from the transom to the heavy after bulkhead, which is shown in the sail plan and also in one of the photographs.
I have known of this peculiarity of Chinese construction for many years, but only recently have I been able to evolve any theory which would account for it. This method of construction must have some great advantage, or the Chinese would not have adopted it originally, or having adopted it, would not have adhered to it for centuries, as they have. It is my belief that the purpose of this stern construction is this:
It will be observed that the stern of this model is very full. The half-breadth plan shows that the waterlines are carried out to their full beam, almost to the transom. This, of course, gives the model great stability, and also great ease in driving, but it has the disadvantage of making a stern with too great buoyancy, that is to say, if this boat were planked solid across the transom, and were driven off in a heavy following sea, the enormous surplus buoyancy of the stern would make her pitch to a dangerous degree, and would tend to bury her head. It is at this point that the reason for the peculiar stern construction becomes apparent, for it is obvious that if this boat is running off with a heavy following sea, the instant that a wave strikes her stern, a very large volume of water will be momentarily held in the space between the stern proper and the after bulkhead. In a large boat, this weight of water would probably amount to a ton or more, and the weight of this water momentarily holds down the stern and prevents it from lifting unduly on a following sea.
The effect is just exactly as though a very large weight of ballast were placed in the stem of the boat. Every one knows that this is the only proper and safe way to trim a small boat when running off in a heavy following sea. But the Chinese stern has this advantage over the permanent ballast, and that is, that the moment the sea has passed the water runs out of the space at the stern, and the boat is left light and free to travel with much greater speed than if she were loaded down with a ton or so of ballast at the stern.
There is quite a marked flat portion on the bottom of the hull, so that she can go aground and rest at low tide without heeling over. Indeed, the whole boat appears to be designed for this contingency, because it will be noted that she depends for lateral plane on two features; first, a dagger-board forward, which can be lifted, and, second, a very large rudder aft, which also can be housed entirely within the hull, when not in use. It will be observed that the daggerboard contains the great essential which is necessary in a member of this type, i.e., narrow width with great depth.
It is well known that the former edge of the keel, or centerboard, is what does most of the work, and the Chinese apparently have grasped this fundamental principle. Therefore, while the daggerboard seems to have a very small lateral area, it will be noted that its area is of very high efficiency, particularly as the board is located right under the fore-foot, where it works in solid water, which is undisturbed by any portion of the hull, and which is not affected by any lateral movement that would be gathered by the hull further aft. This daggerboard has two different holes and a stop, so there are three different adjustments at which it could be carried, thus changing the balance of the boat very materially, as desired.
The rudder, as is common with Chinese rudders, has five diamond-shaped holes in the blade, and the blade itself is of very thin wood. The purpose of these diamond-shaped holes is undoubtedly to permit dead water to run through to the back of the rudder blade and prevent the accumulation of dead water along the after edge of the rudder. As already stated, the rudder can be completely housed in the hull, simply by setting it straight fore-and-aft, and then drawing it up through a slot, which is cut for the purpose in the deck. This construction is shown in detail at the stern of the hull in the sail plan.
"Transom" timbers removed for clarity to show end of planks. The grey bulkhead is partially hidden behind the ends of the planks since it is located at the second section line in from the stern. A sampan will typically have a flat bow timber, often tapering from small at bottom to wider at the top - COD
It will be observed, on reference to the buttock lines, that the boat carries a long and very efficient floor practically from station No.2 to the very stern of the boat. This feature will, of course, make the boat very fast on a reach, and will make her very easy to drive.
It is quite apparent from a glance at the body plan that the boat will have to be weighted with a generous amount of inside ballast before she will acquire much stability, but as she is built for carrying weight, that feature is really an excellent one.
The anchor is an interesting detail, as it will be noted that it is quite large, in comparison with the rest of the boat, and is made entirely of wood, the only metal being on the single fluke. It will also be noted that the stock is placed at the end of the anchor, next to the fluke, and not at the cable end. As soon as the anchor strikes the bottom, the weight of the metal fluke brings it down, and as soon as it takes hold, the stock lies flush with the bottom, and makes an anti-fouling anchor.
There are a couple of little hand windlasses of primitive type, one on each side of the mast, as shown in the half-deck plan. The mast is set in a tabernacle, so that it can be lowered when going under bridges, etc.
Fig. 5:
Sail Plan
It will be noted that the rig is very simple, and very efficient. The mainsheet rigging is quite interesting, consisting of a single length of sheet, which is rove in an unusual manner, as will be noted from the sail plan. The wooden block through which all the parts of the sheet run has a little becket at its lower end, and this becket runs along the wooden traveler on the extreme stern.
I believe that a boat built exactly on these lines, including the unusual stern construction, would make a very comfortable and useful small boat for cruising. I can see no objection to building such a small cruiser with a jib set on a stay running to the stem-head, and a mainsail which might hang over the stern a foot or so, so as to be easily reefed.
As the lines are drawn, it shows the stern a little higher than the bow. This is a peculiarity of Chinese construction, and is a feature that was common on ail old types of sailing ships, as it will be recalled that Columbus's ships, and the Half Moon, and all the sailing vessels of that time had the stern considerably higher than the bow. Many theories have been advanced for this, but modern practice, of course, has gone the other way. I suppose one reason for making the stern higher was so as to give the steersman a better view;
second, so that the vessel would ride head to the wind, in case she was left to drift in a gale; and, third, to avoid the danger of being swamped by overtaking waves in a heavy sea. With this high stern, and the daggerboard down all the way, this sampan should lie head to the wind in any kind of a gale, without any sail at all. I will be glad to hear of any boat built to these lines.
Multipart Sheeting
| Boat |
Representing the date of admission to the Union, what is the number on the flag of the great State of Washington? | Kids History: Glossary and Terms of Ancient China
History for Kids >> Ancient China
Acupuncture - An ancient Chinese treatment for healing that uses needles placed in various areas of the skin.
Bamboo - A fast growing grass that grows very tall and with hollow stems like a tube. The Chinese found numerous uses for bamboo including paper, buildings, furniture, and musical instruments.
Buddhism - One of the three major religions of China, Buddhism originated in India.
Calligraphy - A style of writing that was considered an art form using brushes to paint the characters.
Civil service - The group of people who worked for the government. People had to pass a difficult examination to earn a job in the civil service.
Cocoon - A protective covering made by silkworms before they transform into moths. The fibers from silkworm cocoons are used to make silk.
Confucianism - A religion or philosophy based on the teaching of Confucius.
Dragon - A revered mythical creature that has the long body of a serpent, sharp teeth, four legs with sharp talons, and can fly.
Dynasty - When the rule of a country is passed down to family members over a long period of time.
Five Elements - The five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy are wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. They are also called the Wu Xing.
Forbidden City - A giant palace built in the center of Beijing city by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Great Wall - A 5500 mile long wall built along the northern border of China. It was built to keep out the Mongol invaders.
Gunpowder - An important invention that was used for fireworks and weapons such as bombs and guns.
Junk - A type of Chinese sailboat that is typically flat bottomed and uses fully battened sails.
Lacquer - A type of varnish used to protect items and make them more beautiful.
Minister - A government official of high rank in the civil service.
Mongols - The nomadic peoples of the north who often raided China. Under Genghis and Kublai Khan they captured much of China for a period of time.
Nian - A legendary monster that terrorized a Chinese village until they used fireworks and noise to scare it off. Their victory over Nian is celebrated on Chinese New Year.
Pagoda - A religious temple that is built as a tower with many tiers and roofs.
Porcelain - A type of ceramic invented by the Chinese. It is thin, strong, and beautiful. It is often called "china" in the west.
Qin Shi Huang - The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang united China under one rule and began the Qin dynasty.
Sampan - A small narrow boat with a flat bottom that is usually 10 to 15 feet long.
Silk - A luxurious material made from the cocoons of silkworms. Silk was highly prized in ancient China and was only worn by wealthy nobles.
Silk Road - A trade route that ran from northern China to Europe.
Taoism - One of the three major religions or philosophies of Ancient China, Taoism follows the teachings of Lao-Tzu.
Terracotta - A type of baked clay ceramic. It was used in building the 8,000 life size terracotta soldiers that were buried with Emperor Qin.
Three Perfections - The Three Perfections were the three most important art forms of Ancient China: painting, poetry, and calligraphy.
Three Ways - Refers to the three major philosophies of Ancient China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Yin and Yang - A part of the philosophy of Taoism, the yin and yang are opposites that balance each other throughout nature such as "light and dark", "hot and cold", and "male and female".
Zheng He - A Chinese explorer during the Ming Dynasty. He established trade with India and Africa.
For more information on the civilization of Ancient China:
Overview
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What is the name for sugar containing between 3.5% and 6.5% molasses? | Where Does the Brown in Brown Sugar Come From? — Ingredient Intelligence | The Kitchn
(Image credit: Christine Gallary )
I love baking and cooking with a freshly opened package of brown sugar. I love packing it tightly into a measuring up and that oh-so-satisfying feeling I get when it flips out, perfectly molded, like sand for a sand castle.
So how is brown sugar made, and what's the difference between light brown and dark brown sugar?
How Brown Sugar Is Made
Brown sugar is a bit of a generic term — it's simply sugar that contains molasses, with the molasses giving it that distinctive brown color and flavor. There are two ways that brown sugar can be made:
Unrefined or partially refined brown sugar is sugar that still contains some molasses from the original sugar refining process. It can be labeled factory, raw, natural, turbinado, demerara, and muscavado, among other names, depending on origin and the refining process. These sugars may not be as soft and moist as more refined brown sugars.
Refined brown sugar is made by adding molasses back to refined white sugar. This is the commercial brown sugar that is soft and moist and what is commonly thought of as brown sugar, so we'll focus in on this type and how it's used.
(Image credit: Christine Gallary )
Light vs. Dark Brown Sugar
Recipes will sometimes specify dark brown or light brown sugar, so what's the difference? It's simply the amount of molasses in it:
Dark brown sugar contains about 6.5% molasses.
Light brown (or sometimes labeled golden brown) sugar contains about 3.5% molasses.
How Moisture Affects the Texture of Refined Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is naturally moist and soft because of the thin film of molasses that covers each sugar crystal. If the moisture in the molasses evaporates, however, the sugar hardens into one mass, so it should always be sealed in an airtight container to prevent moisture loss.
But the nice thing is that molasses is also hygroscopic, which means that it readily absorbs moisture. This means that if your brown sugar has hardened, you can seal it with bread or an apple so the molasses can steal and suck up its moisture to soften the brown sugar again!
Brown Sugar Softening Tips
A Simple Way to Soften Hard Brown Sugar in a Hurry
Cooking and Baking with Brown Sugar
Molasses is the key flavor in brown sugar, so dark brown sugar has a richer, more caramel-y flavor than light brown. If your recipe does not specify which kind of brown sugar to use, you can probably use whatever you have on hand, but pick the one you think is better suited to the recipe. If you want deeper flavors, go with dark brown, but if you don't want the molasses to overpower the other flavors in the recipe, go with light.
More on Brown Sugar
| Brown sugar |
What is the tallest mountain on the African continent? | The Perfect Pantry®: Brown sugar (Recipe: Irish soda bread)
The Perfect Pantry®
Brown sugar (Recipe: Irish soda bread)
We have an elementary school science teacher in the family, so there is no excuse for the ignorance I am about to confess to you.
A few months ago, Ted and I found a jar of hard-as-a-rock brown sugar on the shelves of The Perfect Pantry. (This is not the embarrassing part. Well, okay, it is embarrassing, but not from a science point of view.)
How could we get that solid sugar out of the jar? Chip away at it with a knife? Dangerous. Melt it in the microwave? Hot sugar — very dangerous.
And then I remembered that there was something which, when placed in a jar of hardened sugar, would restore the sugar's moisture and fluffiness.
Eureka! I put a slice of whole wheat bread into the jar, sealed the top, and left it overnight. In the morning, the bread was hard as a rock, but the brown sugar was light and fluffy, completely restored to health. To me, this was a miracle. How did the moisture pass from the bread to the sugar? Would something else (an apple? a damp paper towel?) do just as well? I can't explain how or why, but I can tell you that the bread trick really works. (Science teachers and other readers, please help!)
Brown sugar — the type we buy in the supermarket — is nothing more than granulated, usually refined, white sugar with molasses added (or containing residual molasses from the refining process). Light brown sugar contains 3.5 percent molasses; dark brown has up to 6.5 percent. The darker the color, the stronger the taste. You can substitute one cup of firmly packed brown sugar for one cup of granulated sugar in most recipes.
In my pantry I keep three types of brown sugar: light and dark (Domino or no-name store brand), from my local market, and turbinado , a chunkier raw sugar which has been partially processed, where only the surface molasses has been washed off. It has a blond color and mild brown sugar flavor, and is often used in tea and other beverages, and as a crunchy topping for cookies. In England we've been served demerara sugar, a light brown crystal, with tea and on oatmeal.
Use the light brown for s'mores cupcakes and flourless banana cake ; dark brown for balsamic fudge drops and fruitcake ; and whatever you've got for glazed fish , barbecue sauce , and muffins . And do keep a slice of bread handy, just in case your carefully stored leftover brown sugar decides to turn to stone.
Irish soda bread
My cooking friend Pauline, a faithful Pantry reader, came to visit last week and brought The Book Club Cook Book, by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp. Each suggested book group reading is matched with a recipe. This one accompanied Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, a powerful book about growing up poor in Ireland. Add half a cup of currants, if you wish. Makes 2 loaves.
Ingredients
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For a point each, name the 2 countries that share a physical border with the Democratic Republic of Nepal. | India and Nepal: Neighbours Trapped by Apprehensions | The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy
The Arena << Current Issues
Maanvender Singh
Maanvender Singh is a Public Policy Scholar at The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy. He is a doctoral student at Sikkim University, Gangtok. His research at The Hindu Centre attempts to analyse the current scheme of reservation in Tamil Nadu with special focus on OBCs. Maanvender holds an undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Biotechnology and Mass Communication, respectively.
maanvenders08@gmail.com
India and Nepal: Neighbours Trapped by Apprehensions
Maanvender Singh Jun 30, 2016
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The Hindu A transit point on the India-Nepal border viewed from Nepal. File photo: R.V. Moorthy
India's relationship with its neighbours is often a point of passionate discussion. In this article, The Hindu Centre's Public Policy Scholar, Maanvender Singh, places the bilateral ties between India and Nepal in context. Highlighting the reasons for a trust deficit between Indian and Nepal, he says that India needs to understand that Nepal is in the phase of transition from a feudal autocracy and monarchy to a democratic republic, and holds out a note of caution against attempting to build bilateral ties based on a religious identity.
Nothing illustrates the current nature of Indo-Nepal relationship more vividly than the latter’s response to the European Union (EU)-India joint statement, which urged Nepal to build an “inclusive constitution” in a “time-bound manner”. The statement was issued on March 30, 2016, to which Nepal responded: “The constitution making and its promulgation are essentially internal matters of a country. Nepal has now moved along the path of political stability and economic development. Against this backdrop, the EU-India Joint Statement not only hurts the sentiments of the people of Nepal but also defies the fundamental principle of non–interference in internal affairs of a country in breach of the UN Charter and norms of international law” 1 .
The message was clear to the Indian state that it cannot dictate democratic norms and procedures to Nepal. In fact, over the last eight months, Nepal has maintained a similar tone, accusing India of ‘interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign nation’. The following two politically significant events place the bilateral relations in perspective.
1. In September, 2015, when the Nepali constitution was passed with a resounding majority and celebrated worldwide, the Indian government criticised the document by expressing its concerns over tensions in border region 2 . Indian concerns were mostly in relation to the issue of the Madhesi residing in the Terai region and their inclusion and representation in the new constitution 3 . [Madhesis are persons of Indian origin settled in Nepal 4 .]
Unimpressed by the constitution, political leaders in Madhes went on to impose a four-month long blockade. The perception in Nepal was that the blockade was backed by India, even though India denied any role-play. Soon matters were taken to UN with both nations exchanging charges 5 .
2. To make things worse, in May 2016, a political crisis in Nepal, when the attempt by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda 6 ) to topple the Oli government was linked to India. As the suspicion grew on Indian intervention, the envoy to India, who was charged with the allegations of backing Indian interferences in internal matters of Nepal 7 , was recalled.
These events not only illustrate the fact that there is a deep antipathy against the Indian state but also strengthen perceptions of India as ‘a bully’ in the South Asian region.
What went wrong?
While it is true that the Nepali constitution did ignore some of the genuine concerns of Tharu and Madhes people resulting in tension in the border areas, the Indian mistake was to believe that it still holds a position of privilege in political matters of Nepal
9
. However, the inability of the Indian state to understand its role and limitations in Nepal has affected bilateral ties. The first set of differences appeared in 2008 when Indian intervention in the constitution-making process was questioned by the Maoist leadership in Nepal
10
.
This was to repeat itself in 2015. When the situation required patience and precision, the Indian state acted in haste by asking a sovereign nation to roll back a constitution it had produced after years of political turbulence.
As all this was going on, back in India, it was difficult for Indians to understand why Nepal stood in opposition to India. Why are a large number of Indians distraught over Nepal’s actions and fail to admit India’s lapses in maintaining a smooth relation with its northern neighbour? Clearly, such perceptions persist in India due to lack of information and knowledge among the general public about India’s intervention in Nepal. Therefore, it is important to approach this debate by recognising a few unpublicised facts before arriving at conclusions.
One is the proactive and partisan role of Indian state in Nepali politics, most dubious being the role played by the Indian agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)
11
. The Indian strategy right from the rule of the monarch has always been two-fold: to identify such political groups in the country that are willing to produce changes that are suitable to Indian interests, or to side with political elite in the Himalayan nation. In both cases, India had shown little trust on the capability of political leaders in Nepal. In such an arrangement, whenever there is a change in political actors on either side, it opens up the possibility of conflict. This is what has happened this time, with an Indian Prime Minister who wants total control over foreign policy matters proving disastrous to Indo-Nepal ties.
Second is the timely attempts made by the Hindutva forces to declare Nepal a Hindu state
20
.
This proposition helps us to understand the consistency of conflict between Indian and Nepal. The dependency-dominance attitude originates from at least three basic variables: Nepal’s location between India and China, which has military-strategic implications (Thapliyal: 2009) and signifies an obvious limitation for the smaller nation; power asymmetry, which signifies that Nepal is weaker partner in the relationship (Kumar: 1992); and the historical dependence of Nepal on India in terms of trade and commerce and dominance of Delhi in these key areas.
This sense of dependence on the one side and dominance on the other generates polar opposite perceptions, which ultimately affects the pattern of negotiation on various issues. The contesting perceptions between two neighbours are operated mainly in the areas of security, trade, energy, border, water sharing and migration. As Weintraub points out:
“On a larger canvas the dependency-dominance outcome of the two countries have shaped the attitudes and behaviour of not only of governments, but also of the populations of each country towards each other 21 .”
This in a sense also explains the behaviour of a Nepali citizen towards the Indian state as suspicious and cynical. In Nepal, India is perceived to have acquired an advantageous position in bilateral ties, and in India the actions of the Indian government are seen as some sort of help to the disadvantageous nation. Take, for instance, the case of hydropower generation in Nepal. The common perception is that not only it benefits India disproportionately as compared with Nepal but also that it will enable India to control Nepal’s water resources
22
. The problem is that instead of acknowledging that there is a knowledge-gap between the two nations, leaders on both sides had tried to further deepen bilateral ties on the rhetoric of commonality and shared culture. In fact, the idea that the two countries share common culture itself is mythical, as Nepal has its own distinctive culture, and such an assertion only leads Nepal to be perceived in the Indian public mind as a cultural extension of India.
However, the major issue between India and Nepal is the security dialogue that has hardly played to the tune of shared strategic interest. Historically, the two neighbours entered into the treaty of Peace and Friendship (1950) over the mutual security concerns, against the aggressive neighbour China
. Nepal, which was under the rule of the monarch, was anxious over the Chinese expansion towards Tibet and, therefore, agreed to continue with the colonial arrangement, binding the security concerns of Nepal with India.
In spite of the agreement, by early 1960s, Nepal had shifted its foreign policy towards China
24
. The traditional scepticism towards Beijing was replaced by pragmatism. On the other side, the military defeat of India at the hand of China brushed away the idealism of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) (Ganguly: 2010). The design of Indian foreign policy became more pre-occupied with the security concerns in the South East Asian region, expecting more “obedience” from Nepal. Indian paranoia against China has resulted in ugly confrontation with Nepal.
The fault lies in the historical understanding that treats Nepal more as ‘buffer state’ to protect Indian security concern in the Himalayan region. In fact, overt security concern is one of the reasons that Indian state can use to explain away any interference in the domestic affairs of Nepal. For instance, in 2009 when the Prime Minister of Nepal, Prachanda, sacked Army Chief General Rukmangad Katuwal for gross subordination, India intervened to revert the decision. The stated reason to do so was simple: that Maoists had plans to capture army by collaborating with China. This story that China has pushed Prachanda into sacking of army chief was carried in a leading English daily
. This was a sovereign government that was taken down, once again, over the allegation that it has shown proximity with China.
Is there a solution?
There is no quick fix to the age-old trust deficit between Indian and Nepal. There are certain dos and don’ts for India. First, India would do well to stop patronising political leaders in Nepal by not being tempted by any faction in Nepal that might seek Indian intervention. Second, Delhi needs to understand that Nepal is in the phase of transition from a feudal autocracy and monarchy to democratic and republic institution. Such transition is never smooth and there is every possibility that in future more assertive voices will be raised against the Bahun–Chhetri dominance in Nepali politics
. Yet, it is for the democratic nation to decide their future course of action. There is an important role India can play, not as superior counterpart, but as an ally that stands with the spirit of this new republic.
References:
Kumar, Dhruba (1992): Asymmetric Neighbours, in Dhruba Kumar (ed). Nepal’s India Policy, Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies.
Sumit, Ganguly (2010): India’s Foreign Policy: Retrospect and Prospect, Oxford University, New Delhi.
Thapliyal, Sangeeta (1998): Mutual Security: The case of India Nepal. Spantech & Lancer, New Delhi London.
Weintraub, Sidney (2010): Unequal partners: The United States and Mexico, University of Pittsburg Press.
Notes:
1. ^ The Hindu (2016). “India-EU statement hurts Nepali Sentiments”, April 2. Last accessed June 25, 2016.
2. ^ The Hindu (2015). “Nepal adopts first democratic Constitution”, September 30. Last accessed June 25, 2016.
3. ^ Chenoy, K. M. (2016). “Modi government has seriously bungled India’s ties with Nepal”, Daily O, May 5. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
4. ^ Ghimire, Y. (2015). “Who are the Madhesis, why are they angry”, The Indian Express, October 5. Last accessed July 27, 2016.
5. ^ Firstpost (2015). “No international dimension to stand on Nepal at the UN: India”, Nov 5. Last accessed June 23, 2016.
6. ^ The Guardian (2006). “After a decade of fighting, Nepal’s Maoist rebels embrace government”. June 17. Last accessed June 27, 2016.
7. ^ Bhattacherjee, K. (2015). “Kathmandu accuses Delhi of backing plot to topple government”, The Hindu, May 8. Last accessed June 25, 2016.
8. ^ Madhesis, who constitute one third of country’s population have following objection with the constitution of Nepal. First and major disagreement is with the seven province federal structure that proposes to divide the Madhes region and is bound to have effect on their political representation. Second, issue is the delineation of electoral constituencies and proportional representation in constituent assembly that has not been done in proportion to Madhesi population. Third is the discriminatory citizenship law. According to which, if a Nepali women marries a man from foreign country, their children can become Nepali only if father takes Nepali citizenship; whereas if father is Nepali his children’s will be treated Nepali regardless of the wife’s nationality. For, Madhesis, who share a cultural proximity with India and cross- border marriages are very regular, this provision is discriminatory. While, Nepal did try to address some of these concerns with two key constitutional amendment bill in Jan, 2016, issue of provincial demarcation and citizenship law were left out. See, Ranjan, Pratim (2016). ”Constitution changes in Nepal leaves out key issue of demarcation of provinces”, Business Line, Jan 24. Last accessed June 27, 2016.
9. ^ Ojha Hemant (2016). “India- Nepal Crisis”, The Diplomat, November 27, 2015. Last accessed June 20, 2016.
10. ^ Cherain John (2009). “State of Ferment”, Frontline, Vol 26- Issue 11, May 23 - June 05. Last accessed June 20, 2016.
11. ^ The critical role of RAW and how it operates in Nepal, See, Jha Prashant (2014). “Battles of The New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal”, Hurst & Company, London, pp67-154.
12. ^ Muni S.D. (2016). “India’s Nepal Policy Needs Caution, Not Grandstanding”, The Wire. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
13. ^ Jha Prashant (2007). “Royal Hindutva”, Himal Southasian, October. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
14. ^ Quoted in Subash Gatade (2008). “End of Hindu Rashtra: Nepalese People Have Finally Stood Up!”, Mainstream Weekly, July 22. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
15. ^ Kathmandu Post (2013). “Modi for Nepal Hindu State: Thapa” October 19. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
16. ^ Arora, Vishal (2015). “R.I.P., India’s Influence in Nepal”, The Diplomat, November 25. Last accessed June 23, 2016.
17. ^ Destrad,i Sandra (2012). "Indian Foreign and Security Polciy in South Asia: Regional Power strategies", Routledge pp 96-111
18. ^ See Dominguez I. Jorge and Castro De Fernandez Rafeal (2001). United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict, Routledge, New York p17.
19. ^ Weintraub, Sidney (2010). Unequal partners: The United States and Mexico, University of Pittsburg Press, p-ix.
20. ^ Ibid pp 1-5.
21. ^ Ibid p1.
22. ^ Upadhya, Sanjya (2012). Nepal and the Geo-strategic Rivalry between China and India Routledge, New York, p167.
23. ^ Thapliyal, Sangeeta (2003). “Contesting Mutual Security: India- Nepal Relations”, Observer Research Foundation, June 26. Last accessed June 22, 2016.
24. ^ Ibid.
25. ^ Times of India (2009). “China Pushed Prachanda into sacking army chief: Sources”, May 9. Last accessed June 27, 2016.
26. ^ Bidwai, Praful (2009). “Blundering in Nepal”, Frontline, Vol 26- Issue 11, May 23- Jun 05. Last accessed June 26, 2016.
27. ^ The dominance of Bahun and Chetri is not limited to the domain of politics they scores better on socio-economic indicators. See Lawoti, M and Pahari Anup. K. (2010). The Maoist Insurgency in Nepal: Revolution in the Twenty- first Century ed. Routledge pp10-11.
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(Maanvender Singh is a Public Policy Scholar at The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy. He is a doctoral student at Sikkim University, Gangtok. His research at The Hindu Centre attempts to analyse the current scheme of reservation in Tamil Nadu with special focus on OBCs. Maanvender holds an undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Biotechnology and Mass Communication, respectively.)
| Chindia |
Today is World Diabetes day, designed to bring awareness of the disease, which is caused by a shortage of what hormone? | Nepal-India Open Border: Prospects, Problems and Challenges
�Source: Department of Customs, HMG/Nepal
There are all together main customs posts along Nepal India and Nepal China borders with the additional of 143 Choti Bhabsar (sub-customs posts). Nepal has transit treaty with India only. .Nepal has established 3 dry ports on the Nepalese side for the transport of goods directly to and from Calcutta port. They are in Biratnagar, Sirshiya east of Birgung and Bhairahawa, and the dry port of Sirshiya Hs provision of railway connection via Raxaul to Calcutta port.
Immigration Points
The immigration points along the Indo Nepal border for the entry and exit of nationals from the third countries are:
Banbasa
Birhanj
Kakarbhita
There are only two immigration points along the Nepal China border. They are Kodari with road connections from Kathmandu and Nara Nangla in Humla with mule track from Simikot. The border checkpost of Nara Nangla, however, lies several kilometres south inside Humla. As for the immigration points along Nepal India border, they are connected by road. Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu is the only immigration point for foreingn nationals coming by air.
Socio-Cultural Implications of the Open Border
Socio-cultural similarities on either side of the international border, a universal phenomenon, are more pronounced in the case of Nepal-India border, because such ties have been enhanced by open border with no restrictions on the movement of people on either side. Social and cultural similarities do exist along the Nepal China boundary as well but more so in the case of Nepal India border where people have easier access and interaction. Ethnic and linguistic similarities exist along the Nepal-India border both in the south plains and hills in the east and west. The open border has naturally promoted social and cultural interaction among the nationals of both sides through matrimonial relationship as well.
The role of religious centres of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists in both countries has been responsible for strengthening the social and cultural bonds between the two countries. Nepal as the abode of Pashupatinath, and the birth place of Sita and Buddha has been the holiest place for both Hindus and Buddhists. Regular visits of pilgrims from India to the holiest places like Lumbini, Janakpur, Kathmandu Valley, Muktinath, Swargadwari, Barahakshetra, etc.have contributed to enhancing and strengthening the cultural relations between the two countries. Likewise, Nepalese pilgrims visit the holiest Hindu places of Kedarnath, Kashi, Gaya, Jagannath, Haridwar, Allahabad and holiest Buddhist places like Buddhagaya, Rajgir, Sarnath, Nalanda, Kushinagar. People's visits from both countries to places of tourist attraction as well as to important cities have contributed to strengthening friendship, mutual understanding as well as trade and cultural relations.
When health infrastructures in Nepal were not developed, a large number of people from the Tarai as well as from the hills used to go to hospitals in India across the border. During the last few decades, Nepal has been able to develop health facilities in the country, particularly in the Tarai, with the establishment of regional, zonal and district hospitals with modern medical facilities. This has resulted in the large-scale flow of patients from India into these hospitals. One noteworthy development of medical facilities in the Tarai has been the opening of the modern eye hospitals and opthalmology units in zonal and regional hospitals. These facilities have resulted in the large scale inflow of eye patients from the bordering states of India because of quality and cheap services. A medical institution that has attracted a large number of cancer patients from India is the cancer hospital in Bharatpur with ultra modern cancer treatment facilities. The flow of Nepalese cancer patients to Mumbai is still continuing. Another important development in the medical sector is the opening of a number of medical colleges in Nepal. There are 10 medical colleges in Nepal, most of them in the private sector. Three medical colleges are located in Kathmandu, one in Pokhara and 6 in the Tarai: Dharan, Birgunj, Bharatpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalganj and Chisapani. These medical colleges have attracted a large number of Indians including non-resident Indians seeking medical education and also patients seeking medical services in these hospitals. The flow of Nepalese students seeking medical education in India is also continuing. But gradually decreasing in number.
The legacy of ancient civilisation that existed along the entire length of Nepal-India border has been relegated to historical ruins and archaeological remains. How the ancient civilisations of Mithila, Birat, Koshala, Shakyas, etc., in the Tarai region perished has still remained an engima. It has been argued that the bad drainage system converted ancient towns and villages into malarial places and people deserted them; they were reverted to natural state as dense forest infested with wild animals and, above all, malaria. The Tharus, the Kumhals, the Dhimals, the Rajbanshis, the Dunwars, etc., are considered to be the ancient people of these civilisations. They were malaria immune ethnic groups living in the isolated patches of dense forests in the Inner Tarai in the past. The migrants from India as well as from the hills and mountain areas of Nepal squeezed them. They were gradually displaced from their traditional tribal lands, and most of them were relegated to the status of marginal and landless peasants. The existence of Kamaiya or bonded labour among the Tharus numbering some 8000 families is an instance in point. The Kamaiya system has been abolished in the country recently without any arrangement for the rehabilitation of the freed Kamaiyas.
The open border has economically benefited the nationals inhabiting both sides of the border. Those engaged in agriculture have economically benefited from the sale and purchase of agriculture and livestock products in hat bazaars taking place regularly in different places on either side. The increasing urbanisation and growth of towns in the Tarai and along the border inside Nepal has resulted in large inflow of goods from Indian side into Nepal. The open border has provided employment to the people on both sides in the transport sector as well.
Migration into Tarai prior to1860 was constrained by restriction on the purchase of land by Indian nationals in Nepal. When the Far Western Tarai was restored to Nepal in 1860, the legal codes formulated by Prime Minister Jung Bahadur made provision for the allotment of land to Indian nationals through sale and purchase so as to appropriate income from the restored territory for himself, his families and favourites. This resulted in the large-scale migration of the Indian people from the adjoining border areas of India. Similarly Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher also initiated reclamation of the forest areas of the Tarai for agricultural purpose on the advice of J.V. Collier, an Indian Forest Officer. Collier himself became a contractor to clear the forest in Kailali district by extending railway line up to Godawari near the Siwalik foothills. Collier cleared the forest so rapidly that it alarmed the Government of Nepal which had to cancel the contract. It may also be noted that the sal forest of Nepal Tarai provided the timber for much needed railway sleepers for the expansion of Indian railways. Forests also provided the largest source of revenue to the government, even after the installation of democracy in 1951. The reclamation of the Tarai not only attracted the immigrants from India but also the hill people who were employed in government services in the Tarai. They purchased land in the Tarai and became Zamindar, the big landlords.
The installation of democracy in 1951 marked the unrestricted movement of the hill people in the Tarai as well as from India. It was further accelerated by malaria eradication programme launched in the Tarai in the late 1950s. This brought about a drastic change in the regional redistribution of population in Nepal. Malaria eradication programme was accompanied by land resettlement programmes for diverse target groups, such as landless people mostly from the hills; political sufferers; Gurkha ex-servicemen both of Nepalese, Indian and British armies; victims of natural disaster; Nepalese refugees from Burma; Tibetan refugees, and so on. The Tarai which accounted for only 35.2 percent of the total population of Nepal in 1952/54 had 46.7 percent of the total population of Nepal in 1991 (Table 1)
Regional Distribution of Population in
Nepal
Nepal
, 1991.
Population growth in the Tarai has shown the highest trend since 1961. It has been estimated that in the census of 2001 that has yet to be finalised, the Tarai only with 23.1 percent of the total land area of the country will have more than 50 percent of total population of Nepal.
The density of population in the adjoining districts of India is higher than in the adjoining areas of Nepal. However, development activities in the Tarai districts of Nepal have been responsible for migration of Indians into the Tarai. The division of Bihar state with the detachment of mineral wealth rich and industrial belt going to Jharkhand and the creation of Uttrakhand with the detachment of fertile Ganga plain in Uttar Pradesh might inevitably aggravate further the poverty of the districts of Bihar and Uttarkhand bordering Nepal and might increase immigration of Indians into Nepal. In view of the dearth of different skills among the Nepalese, the skilled manpower required for different development service activities comes from India and the process of replacing these migrant workers by Nepalese has been very slow due to strong competition from the most skilled migrant workers on the one hand and the lack of government policy and programmes to train Nepalese in these skills on the other hand. The failure of the country's education programme to produce manpower with different technical skills has resulted in the production of educated mass with limited demand base in the country's economy. The large number of unemployed educated youth in the country is creating serious social, economic and political problems for the family, society and the nation. There is no denying of the fact that the emerging Maoist problem of the country is related to this reality.
The socio-cultural aspect of migration involving migration of family members, kith and kin, relatives, local communities, is notable in the case of Indian migrants into Nepal Tarai from across the adjoining districts of India. One of the important socio-cultural aspects of migration on either side of the Nepal-India border is marriage migration. Usually age and sex selectivity of migration is characterised by predominance of able-bodied males. But in the case of migration on either side of the Nepal-India border, it is characterised by predominance of females over males. The 1991 census of Nepal revealed 378, 692 Indian born population in the Tarai, of which only 93,345 persons or 24.7 percent were males and 285, 347 persons or 75.3 percent were females. The available figure of Nepal born population in the four States of Bihar, Sikkim, U.P. and West Bengal, according to the 1981 census of India, recorded higher proportion of females in Bihar (39.0 %), Sikkim (52.7 %) and U.P. (56.5 %), while West Bengal had only 41.1 percent. In India as a whole the proportion of Nepal born females constituted 52.3 percent of the total, while in Nepal the India born females constituted 71.9 percent of the total. The India born population in Nepal accounted for 2.4 percent of the total population of Nepal, while the Nepal born population in India constituted 0.07 percent only. In the Tarai districts, the India born population represented 4.4 percent of the total population of Tarai. In the States of Bihar, West Bengal and U.P., Nepal born population accounted for 0.21, 0.001 and 0.09 percent respectively, while it was 6.84 percent of the total population in Sikkim. This clearly indicates the impact of India born population in Nepal compared to that of Nepal born population in India.
Communal disturbances in India have a direct bearing upon the increase in the magnitude of Indian immigrants into the Tarai. The sudden spurt in the increase of Muslim population in Nepal between 1981 and 1991 is a clear-cut instance. The Muslim population increased from 399,197 persons in 1981 to 653,218 persons in 1991, which means an increase of 38.9 percent over a decade. 96.7 percent of the Muslim population confined to the Tarai constitute 7.32 percent of the total population of the Tarai. The sudden increase in Muslim population may be attributed to the growth of garment industry in Nepal to a greater extent and to other activities to a certain extent, because the Muslim community possesses diverse occupational skills which other communities usually lack. Similarly, since 1984 the number of Sikh immigrants into Nepal has considerably increased. At present, there are six Gurudwaras in Nepal, namely, in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Birganj, Nepalganj, Butwal and Dhangadhi of which the latter four are in the Tarai.
Quite obviously, development of agriculture, industry, commerce, transportation and other related activities in the Nepal Tarai has been attracting Indian immigrants from across the border. The very high growth of population in the Tarai has resulted in a growing demand for employment within the Tarai region itself. The population living on either side of the Nepal-India border is overwhelmingly dependent on agriculture, and seasonal employment was open to them in the past in the agricultural sector in Punjab. With increased disturbances in Punjab, migration of population to this region virtually stopped. The ever-increasing immigrants from across the border into the Tarai have displaced the local population from their employment opportunities and they are migrating to the urban areas from the hills, particularly the Kathmandu Valley, and also to the urban areas of the Tarai. It is a universal phenomenon that migrants are hard working people and they can devote more time to their work because they are free from the day to day obligations of their families and society. This has indeed resulted in hatred among the local people towards the immigrants as they find it difficult to compete with the outsiders. The eagerness of the immigrants to secure citizenship certificate by hook or by crook has rather delayed the process of distribution of citizenship certificates to the bonafide population under constitutional provisions. Large-scale migration of the outsiders in Northeastern India, Kashmir and Punjab has actually displaced migrants who have settled in these areas for generations, giving rise to the movement for 'sons of the soil'. There is every danger of this situation cropping up in Nepal as well, if efforts are not made to regulate migration. Indians of Nepalese origin being driven away from Northeastern states of India is a glaring instance. Nepal-India migration in the real sense represents the mutual exchange of poverty rather than prosperity.
The most serious and adverse impact of open and uncontrolled Nepal-India border has been in the form of growing and anti-social and lawless activities. The ever increasing crimes along the border has been a major concern for both governments since early nineteenth century, and the Treaty of 1855 was aimed at controlling these problems. However, the policy of open border has rather enhanced such activities. The unrestricted movement across the border has indeed been responsible for all sorts of criminal, anti-social and illegal activities such as robbery, theft, murder, smuggling of goods to evade custom duties, narcotic drugs trafficking, trafficking of girls, arms smuggling, smuggling of archaeological arts and artifacts and manuscripts, kidnapping for rnsoms, etc. Since 1980s, Nepal-India border has developed into a thorough passage for the cross border movement of terrorists. In view of growing terrorism in Uttar Pradesh-Tarai border in Nepal, members of the Lok Sabha demanded the sealing of the Nepal India border. When Nepali political leaders and intellectuals raised their voice for controlling and regulating the movement of people across the border, their counterparts in India termed the Nepalese concern as an anti-Indian stand.
The use of muscle men for booth capturing and for electoral manipulations on either side of the border during elections is also not uncommon. Complete sealing of the major entry points to control such practices a day or two before elections has not been so effective as there are no provisions for patrolling along the border. It has been alleged that criminal elements have been harboured and provided protection by the political leaders and influential persons on either side of the border. This sort of activities also exists along the Nepal-China border. It is alleged that some of the influential political leaders on the Nepalese side in collaboration with the border customs officials are involved in smuggling of the Tibetans to the monasteries in Kathmandu, for which they are paid handsome amounts. The Tibetans who illegally cross the Nepal-China border are handed over by the Home Ministry to the UNHCR representative in Kathmandu, who in turn hands over them to the office of the Dalai Lama in India. It is said that Tibetans in the rural areas who intended to raise their children as monks and nuns on account of their cultural tradition or for monetary gain are smuggled into Nepal as refugees. Nepalese professing Tibetan Buddhism and living along the Nepal-China border also get their children admitted to the monasteries in Kathmandu or in the monasteries run by the Dalai Lama. Most of the religious institutions in which there is manpower shortage to run temples, monasteries, churches, mosques, etc. are facing difficulty because men and women from the urban and developed rural areas have access to education, social awareness and modern amenities and way of life. So these religious institutions are attracting people from the backward and poor rural areas. The monk and nuns in numerous Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the Kathmandu Valley and in other parts of the country can be cited as an instance in point. Similar situation exists in Sanskrit Pathshalas and Vedic Pathashalas and also in the religious Islamic Madrashas in the country.
In recent years, there has been sudden spurt in crimes such as theft, robbery, kidnapping and murder on both sides of the border as well as increase in terrorist activities on the Indian side. Open border has provided safe passage to criminals and terrorists. The incursion of Indian police inside Nepal without permission in search of criminals who fled into Nepal has hurt the sentiments of the Nepalese and is reported to have generated hatred against India. There has been a number of intrusions/hot pursuits by Indian police- Manebhanjyang in December 1987, Delhi police raid in March 1994 and several other incidents near Nepalganj, Bhairahawa and Birganj, 90 per cent of these cases are of Indian origin (Mehata, 2001:21). The incursion of Indian police without permission of the Nepalese authorities in connection with manhunt in Baneswaor, Kathmandu is still fresh in the mind of the Nepalese. Such unauthorised incursions by the Indian police with blatant violation of international law and code of conduct need to be avoided.
Apart from tampering with the Nepal India border by the local people in the Indian side, the Indian government itself has been involved in the violating the norms of international boundary treaty. The construction of dams on the rivers flowing from Nepal just across the Nepal India boundary on Indian side has resulted in flooding and submergence of large tracts of Nepalese territories. It started with the Bagmati river. Recently, the construction of dm over the Mirchiya river in India has submerged a large tract of Nepalese territory and threatened the submergence of the international heritage site of Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha.
The recent deployment of the Nepalese army in the border customs checkposts needs serious reconsideration because of its sensitive nature and role in the national defence It has demoralised the customs personnel, and police already working in these checkposts are indirectly branded as corrupt. There is no guarantee that army personnel also might not follow the suit of corrupt customs personnel and police deployed in the border check-posts. The deployment of army in the border customs check-posts might cause unforeseen and unwarranted incidents. The recent sad incident along the disputed India -Bangladesh border is a glaring example of how hostility may arise between the two friendly countries. Considering the unresolved boundary demarcation along Nepal-India border, such army deployment needs serious consideration. Recently, clash between the local Indian and the Nepalese people regarding the Nepal-India border occurred in Kakarbhitta in the Mechi River.
There is a general feeling in Nepal that the Indian leaders and diplomatic personnel have a tendency to look upon Nepal with suspicion and distrust, particularly regarding Nepal's relations with China and Pakistan. This attitude reminds one of the British colonial legacy. During the exile of King Rana Bahadur Shah to Benares, the British East India Company became successful in exploiting the situation by entering into a treaty with the Nepalese King in 1801. One of the clauses of the treaty states, "The principals and officers of both Governments will cordially consider the friends and enemies of either State to be the friends and enemies of the other; and this consideration must ever remain permanent and in force, from generation to generation". (Aitchison, 1863:196). Though the treaty was abrogated by the treaty of 1804, most of the Indian leaders and diplomatic personnel as well as news media have not given up this colonial legacy from their mind. Regarding the purchase of arms and ammunitions by Nepal from other countries, Nepal was required to have permission to import them via Indian territories from the Government of India. This preconditions envisaged by the British (Husain, 1970:170-9) was followed by the independent Government of India as it was incorporated in the letter of exchange of 1950 treaty. According to the 1965 Nepal-India Agreement on Arms Assistance, Nepal's response was rather lukewarm, because it was having arms assistance and purchase from other countries. In view of Nepal's confrontation against the rebel Khampas among the Tibetan refugees in Nepal who made forays in Chinese territories from across the Nepal-China border and the need for training the Nepalese army in modern weaponry and warfare so as to make them competent enough to work in the UN Peacekeeping Force, importation of arms, ammunition and vehicles by Nepal in 1989 became a pretext for India to impose economic blockade on Nepal which, however, hurt the Indian traders and businessmen rather than the Nepalese majority of whom live in the rural areas. During the 1950 -51 revolution against the Rana regime, the Nepali Congress had to purchase arms from Burma because of India's unwillingness. After the installation of democracy, during the period of Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala, those arms and ammunition in the hand of the Mukti Sena (who were posted in Nepal as para-military force) were destroyed in Khumaltar, Lalitpur under the supervision and presence of the Chief of the Indian Military Mission in Nepal. During this period Indian military check-posts were established along the important border posts along the Nepal-China border.
The attitude of Indian politicians and news media to view with suspicion any assistance Nepal gets from China and the debate in both Houses of Indian Parliament on Kathmandu-Kodari Highway linking Kathmandu with Lhasa and terming them as "military road capable of moving tanks" bear ample testimony to this fact. However, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to say, "China is a neighbour of Nepal and naturally they would like to remain friendly with China also. But I do not think it is in no way interference with the very close friendship and close cultural link which we have with them" (Bhasin, ed., 1970:116). When the Chinese constructed a ring road around Kathmandu and Lalitpur, some Indian papers carried the news that the road is wide enough to land jet fighters. Frequent strains in relations between Nepal and India at the government level are not due to political, geographical, economic or cultural reasons, but due to the amateurish handling of some of the issues by Indian politicians (Sharma, 1970:2). Recently the statement of Mr. K. R. Malkani of the Bharatiya Janata Party questioning the sovereignty and independence of Nepal and the statement of Mr. Thakerey. President of Shiva Sena in favour of Indian military intervention following the Royal Palace massacre are instances in point to hurt the sentiments of Nepalese and the friendly relations between Nepal and India. Indian news media are also responsible for spreading false news. The exaggerated and false news telecast through Indian televisions relating to the incidents and disturbances in Kathmandu in the aftermath of the Royal Palace massacre have been largely responsible for the drastic decline in the tourist flow from India and other countries. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India who aspireed for and established cordial relations between Nepal and India, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi on 18 January 1961, had said, "Broadly speaking, our relations depend not really on any person's goodwill, on Nepal's goodwill, on that government or this government
They depend on geography and history, which cannot be easily done away with" (Bhasin, 1970:55). The concept of territory and boundary is imbedded in the animal kingdom and mankind cannot be an exception. Many wars and battles have been fought over territorial and boundary dispute and are still continuing in the absence of mutual rapprochement over the demarcation of boundary between the two States. One must not forget the Nehru-Zhou-en Lai concept of Hindi_Chini Bhai Bhai turning into Sino-Indian war of 1962 over the border dispute. .So Nepal and India must not overlook the issue of undefined border between the two countries. It is quite disheartening to note that both countries have not been able to resolve the boundary issue even during time span of two decades since the formation of a Joint Boundary Commission in 1981. The recent understanding reached between the two governments during the meeting between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to complete the boundary demarcation within three years is praiseworthy. However, seriousness and an action plan required for its completion are still lacking.
There is a need of revision of the border treaty maps regularly at least every 5 year, because Nepal India boundary run through the inhabited area as well as along the rivers. Man made features are naturally appearing on both sides of the border with possibility of tampering the boundary and the no man's land as well as changes in the natural course of the rivers. This will certainly avoid misunderstanding and dispute that might arise, if the status of border is no monitored.
An uncontrolled and open border, as stated earlier, constitutes the breeding ground for anti-social, criminal and illegal activities. Regulation of the Nepal-India border had become urgent. In both Nepal and India, voter's identify card has become compulsory for the voters, and this will facilitate, to some extent, the task of regulating the movement of population on either side of the Nepal-India border. The need for both Nepal and India to provide employment to their citizens in their respective territories has become urgent in view of the growing xenophobia against immigrant workers. There is no denying the fact that Maoist insurgency in Nepal is basically related to the problem of growing unemployment. The unrestricted flow of migrant workers might further aggravate this problem. Similarly, India must have faced the same problem to a certain extent due to the migrant workers from Nepal. Both Nepal and India must realise the urgency of exploring an effective and pragmatic mechanism for the benefit of both countries and people. Therefore, keeping in view the welfare and development of people of the two countries, there is an urgent need to check and regulate the free as well as illegal movement of people and goods across the unpatrolled open border through intensive research, joint reviews and fruitful dialogues on diverse aspects of Nepal-India open border so that Nepal-India friendship can be further strengthened.
Annex
Delineation of Nepal-China Boundary, Problem and Solution of Demarcation
The border areas between Nepal and China represent one of the least known areas of the world. The first regular survey of Nepal was conducted by the Survey of India in 1926-27 and that resulted in the actual demarcation of Nepal-India boundary with 10yard no man's land on either side of the land boundary. However, the demarcation of Nepal-China boundary was made through a survey from a much lower altitude. The topographical survey of 1956-58, which covered the whole of Nepal, was also conducted by the Survey of India. But this survey also could not properly delineate the boundary between Nepal and China because of the lack of proper and sophisticated instruments and equipment as well as the trained personnel to conduct survey in the high altitudes and rugged terrain. Because of the strategic importance of the Himalayas and boundary dispute between India and China as far back as 1950, when India insisted on Mc Mahon line as Sino-Indian boundary which was rejected by China (See Annex 4 and Foreign Language Press, 1973:1-33). India did not provide topographical maps for a large section of the Nepal Himalayas as the aerial photographs of these regions had been damaged. When boundary talks between Nepal and China were initiated for a Boundary Agreement on March 21, 1960, its basis was the maps submitted by both countries. However, these maps were not based on proper surveys. The boundaries were drawn on sketch maps, or represented simply by a boundary line on plain paper or cloth. In order to solve the dispute resulting from such unscientific maps, the Joint Boundary Commission was constituted to survey the entire length of Nepal-China boundary as well as to resolve the territorial dispute through on-the-spot visit and assessment of the problem.
The acceptance of traditional customary boundary by both sides was the major reason for conclusion of a border agreement on as October 5, 1961. Nepal and China established diplomatic relations for the first time on August 1, 1955, that is, six years after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and four years after the installation of democracy in Nepal in 1951. In the Agreement designed to maintain friendly relations between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal and in the Agreement on trade between the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and Nepal the customary movement of people and goods along the border has been accepted. (Foreign Language Press, 1960:1-6).
It is to be noted that the survey for the delineation of Nepal-China boundary in 1960-61 had to be carried out with several constraints. Firstly, the survey had to be carried out from lower altitude and there was no aerial survey. Secondly, the instruments and equipment for the survey, manpower as well as proper training for high altitude survey were completely lacking. Moreover, in the absence of on-the-spot survey of high altitude areas, the drawing of the boundary line through the survey was done by recording actual location of important peaks and then drawing boundary line tentatively between the two surveyed peaks. This mainly accounts for change in position and alignment of Nepal-China boundary between 1961 and 1982 as well as change in the total length of boundary between 1961 and 1982. A glance at the maps of 1961 and 1982 shows a major change in Humla and Mustang. The 1982 boundary maps had been prepared through ground survey on higher altitude than in 1961 and was supported by aerial survey and satellite imageries. As compared to 1961, the length of Nepal-China boundary in 1982 increased to 303 kilometres and the area has increased by 1.876 sq. km. for Nepal.
The Nepal-China border extends along the whole length of northern border of Nepal and the starting and ending point of Nepal-China boundary is the tri-junction of the boundary between Nepal, China and India. However, because of the Sino-Indian boundary dispute as well as Nepal-India dispute over the Kalapani on the source of the Mahakali River, the demarcation started 5 kilometers ahead of the tri-junction in the west and 5 kilometres behind the tri-junction in the east. There is no man-made boundary demarcation on land as indicated in the boundary treaty maps, except for the boundary pillars. Along the whole length of Nepal China boundary, there are 79 boundary pillars, only as against more than 1000 boundary pillars along Nepal India border with 10 yards no-man, land on either side of Nepal India boundary. Under the protocol signed and exchanged between Nepal and China on January 20,1963, the contracting parties agreed to maintain and adopt necessary measures to prevent the removal, damage or destruction of boundary pillars as far as possible, to prevent the boundary rivers from changing their course and to make a joint inspection of the entire boundary every five years. Accordingly, in 1979 a new agreement was signed between the two countries after detailed mapping and demarcation of the boundary.
The Entry and Exit Points along the Nepal China Boundary
The Nepal-China border is almost marked by the absence of settlement on either side. The number of settlements along the proximity of border is 10 in Nepal and 18 in China. The border settlements in Nepal are located in the districts of Humla, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha and Sankhuwasabha, and the settlements on the other side of these districts also are located on Chinese side. The Gorkha district has no border settlement, but has two settlements across its border with China.
One notable feature of Nepal-China boundary is the complete absence of border check posts, except at the Kodari border. Most of the border check posts are located at a distance of more than one day's walk from the actual border on either side. The movement of the border people living within a distance of 30 kilometres on either side of the border has been regulated with the provision of multiple entry permits. However, this provision has not been able to serve the need and purpose of the border people who wish to pursue trade or visit relatives on the other side. Most of the places intended for visit for trade and social relations lie far ahead of the limit of 30 kilometres. In order to tackle this problem, the Agreement on Trade, Intercourse and Related Questions between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous region of China was concluded on 2nd May 1966, and renewed for the third time on 2nd May 1986. In the revised Agreement, emphasis was laid on identifying areas of movement and fixing of the exact settlements rather than the 30-kilometre distance on either side. However, the survey for the identification of the specified locations of movement for the border people has not yet been initiated.
It is to be noted that on 7 November 1950, according to a letter from India ambassador to China, India's Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in his letter to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, stated that Chinese Government has declined to accept the boundary treaty entered into between India and Tibet in 1914, and the McMahon line demarcated as the boundary between India and China in the North Eastern Frontier of India between Bhutan and Burma (Day, 1982:252-56 and also see Appendix IV). He emphasised the need of controlling the bordering countries like Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan as well as India's northern areas bordering China. The main purpose of India's motive behind imposing the 1950 treaty on Nepal has been guided by this concern. On the basis of this motive, during the period of Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala, India sent Military mission, and the Indian army was posted at the Nepal-China border check-posts, which were removed during the period of Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista.
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Calcutta, KP Bagchi & Company.
Shrestha, Buddhi Narayan (2000), Boundary of Nepal (in Nepali), Kathmandu, Bhumichitra.
(Mapping) Co. P. Ltd
Sriman Narayan (1970), Nepal and India: An Exercise in Open Diplomacy,
Tyagi, Sushila (1974), Indo-Nepalese Relations 1858-1914, Delhi, D.K. Publishing House.
APPENDIX - I
Text of the Tripartite Agreement Between the Government
of the United Kingdom, the Government of Dominion
of India and the Government of Nepal
Memorandum of Agreement
At a meeting held at Kathmandu on 1st May 1947 between representatives of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, the Government of India and Government of Nepal, His Highness the Prime Minister and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Nepal stated that he welcomed the proposals to maintain the Gurkha connection with the armies of the United Kingdom and India on the following basis "If the terms and conditions at the final stage do not prove detrimental to the interest or dignity of the Nepalese Government, my Government will be happy to maintain connections with both armies, provided men of the Gurkha regiments are willing so to serve (if they will not be looked upon as distinctly mercenary)."
Discussions have taken place in Delhi between representatives of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and of the Government of the Dominion of India and the points of agreement are embodied in the Memorandum dated 7th November 1947 a copy of which forms Annexture I of this document. Necessary financial adjustments between the two Governments are still under consideration.
Further discussions between the representatives of the three Governments have taken place at Kathmandu during which the Government of Nepal have put forward certain pertinent observation on the memorandum of agreement referred to in the preceeding paragraphs which are set out in Annexture II. In regard to these points, the representatives of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and of the Government of the Dominion of India have replied as follows:
a. Location of the Recruiting Depots
The use of the existing depots at Gorakhpur and Ghum has been sought by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom for a temporary period only pending establishment of their own depots in Nepal. The wishes of the Government of Nepal have been noted and arrangements for the establishment in India of the Recruiting Depots required to meet the needs of the Gurkha units of the British Army will be settled between the United Kingdom and Indian Governments.
b. Desire of the Government of Nepal that the total number of Gurkha Units to be employed in the Armies of the United Kingdom and of India shall be limited and brought down to the peace-time strength of 20 Battalions out of which 8 Battalions will be alloted to the British Army.
The representatives of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and of the Government of Dominion of India have taken note of the wishes of the Government of Nepal.
The representative of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom has explained that the long term planning of the British Post-War Army has proceeded on the assumption that the Government of Nepal would be prepared to furnish sufficient men to establish the equivalent of and Infantry Division in South-East Asia and he has received an assurance from the Government of Nepal that final decision on the question of recruitment of Gurkhas in excess of 8 Battalions at peace-time strength shall be left open until Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom have had an opportunity of considering the view of the existing political situation in India.
Arrangement for the import of foreign currency belonging to the Gurkha units of the 8 Battalions serving overseas.
It is noted that the Government of the Dominion of India has agreed to afford all normal facilities in regard to the import of foreign currency belonging to these men (Annexture I, Item 10). A reply to the specific points raised in this connection will be sent to the Government of Nepal in due course.
The Government of Nepal being generally satisfied in regard to the terms and taking note of the agreement dated 7th November 1947 reached between Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and of the Government of Dominion of India hereby signify their agreement to the employment of Gurkha troops in the armies of the United Kingdom and of India.
In addition to the observations referred to above the Government of Nepal have put forward certain suggestions connected with the employment of Gurkhas in the armies of the United Kingdom and of India. These suggestions are contained in Annexture II of this document and the views of the two Governments thereon will be communicated to the Government of Nepal in due course.
Note has been taken of the desire of Her Majesty's Government in United Kingdom that prompt action be taken to ascertain the wishes of the personnel of the 8 Battalions concerned as to whether they desire to be transferred for service under the United Kingdom Government. With this objective in view a questionnaire and a memorandum embodying terms and conditions of service have been prepared by the representatives of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. These documents are acceptible to the Governments of India and Nepal. They will be issued to the personnel of the 8 units concerned as soon as possible. In accordance with the wishes of the Government of Nepal as well as those of the Government of India it is agreed that their representatives will be present with the 8 units while the referendum is being taken.
The representatives of the three governments desire to place on record that their deliberations have been conducted in an atmosphere of cordiality and goodwill and are confident that the friendly relations which have existed in the past will be further cemented as a result of the arrangements which have been agreed for the continued employment of Gurkha soldiers in the armies of the United Kingdom and of India.
Signed in Triplicate at Kathmandu this 9th day of November 1947.
Sd/-
For the Government of the United Kingdom
Sd/-
For the Government of Dominion of India
Sd/-
For the Government of Nepal
Appendix -II
Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Kathmandu, July 31, 1950
THE government of India and the Government of Nepal, recognising the ancient ties which have happily existed between the two countries for centuries;
Desiring still further to strengthen and develop these ties and to perpetuate peace between the two countries;
Have resolved therefore to enter into a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with each other and have, for this purpose, appointed as their plenipotentiaries the following persons, namely,
The Government of India:
His Excellency Shri Chandreshwar Prasad Narain Singh, Ambassador of India in Nepal.
The Government of Nepal:
Maharaja Mohun Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Prime Minister and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Nepal,
who, having examined each other's credentials and found them good and in due form have agreed as follows:
Article I
There shall be everlasting peace and friendship between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal. The two Governments agree mutually to acknowledge and respect the complete sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of each other.
Article II
The two Governments hereby undertake to inform each other of any serious friction or misunderstanding with any neighbouring state likely to cause any breach in the friendly relations subsisting between the two Governments.
Article III
In order to establish and maintain the relations referred to in Article I the two Governments agree to continue diplomatic relations with each other by means of representatives with such staff as is necessary for the due performance of their functions.
The representatives and such of their staff as may be agreed upon shall enjoy such diplomatic privileges and immunities as are customarily granted by international law on a reciprocal basis:
Provided that in no case shall these be less than those granted to persons of a similar status of any other State having diplomatic relations with either Government.
Article IV
The two Governments agree to appoint Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and other consular agents, who shall reside in towns, ports and other places in each other's territory as may be agreed to.
Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls and consular agents shall be provided with exequaturs or other valid authorisation of their appointment. Such exequatur or authorisation is liable to be withdrawn by the country which issued it, if considered necessary. The reasons for the withdrawal shall be indicated wherever possible.
The persons mentioned above shall enjoy on a reciprocal basis all the rights, privileges, exemptions and immunities that are accorded to persons of corresponding status of any other State.
Article V
The Government of Nepal shall be free to import, from or through the territory of India, arms, ammunition or warlike material and equipment necessary for the security of Nepal. The procedure for giving effect to this arrangement shall be worked out by the two Governments acting in consultation.
Article VI
Each Government undertakes, in token of the neighbourly friendship between India and Nepal, to give to the nationals of the other, in its territory, national treatment with regard to participation in industrial and economic development of such territory and to the grant of concessions and contracts relating to such development.
Article VII
The Governments of India and Nepal agree to grant, on a reciprocal basis, to the nationals of one country in the territories of the other the same privileges in the matter of residence, ownership of property, participation in trade and commerce, movement and other privileges of a similar nature.
Article VIII
So far as matters dealt with herein are concerned, this Treaty cancels all previous treaties, agreements and arrangements entered into on behalf of India between the British Government and the Government of Nepal.
Article IX
This treaty shall come into force from the date of signature by both Governments.
Article X
This Treaty shall remain in force until it is terminated by either party by giving one year's notice.
(At a Press Conference in New Delhi on 3rd December 1959 Prime Minister Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru disclosed that letters were exchanged along with the signing of the Treaty which have been kept secret - Editor)
(Foreign Policy of India, Text of Documents; Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi: 1966: 56-58)
Letter exchanged with the Treaty
KATHMANDU
Dated the 31st July 1950
EXCELLENCY,
In the course of our discussion of the Treaties of Peace and Friendship and of Trade and Commerce which have been happily concluded between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal, we agreed that certain matters of details be regulated by an exchange of letters. In pursuance of this understanding, it is hereby agreed between the two Governments:
(1) Neither Government shall tolerate any threat to the security of the other by a foreign aggressor. To deal with any such threat, the two Governments shall consult with each other and devise effective counter-measures.
Any arms, ammunition or warlike material and equipment necessary for the security of Nepal that the Government of Nepal may import through the territory of India shall be so imported with the assistance and agreement of the Government of India. The Government of India will take steps for the smooth and expeditious transport of such arms and ammunition through India.
In regard to Article 6 of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship which provides for national treatment, the Government of India recognize that it may be necessary for some time come to afford the Nepalese nationals in Nepal protection from unrestricted competition. The nature and extent to this protection will be determined as and when required by mutual agreement between the two Governments.
If the Government of Nepal should decide to seek foreign assistance in regard to the development of the natural resources of, or of any industrial project in Nepal, the Government of Nepal shall give first preference to the Government or the nationals of India, as the case may be, provided that the terms offered by the Government of India or Indian nationals, as the case may be, are not less favourable to Nepal than the terms offered by any other Foreign Government or by other foreign nationals.
Nothing in the foregoing provision shall apply to assistance that the Government of Nepal may seek from the United Nations Organisation or any of its specialized agencies.
Both Governments agree not to employ any foreigners whose activity may be prejudicial to the security of the other. Either Government may make representations to the other in this behalf, as and when occasion requires.
Please accept Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
(Sd.) MOHUN SHAMSHER JANG
Shri Chandreshwar Pasad Narain Singh
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India
at the Court of Nepal, Indian Embassy
Kathmandu
APPENDIX III
Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal
(April 28, 1960)
The Chairman of the People's Republic of China and His Majesty the King of Nepal,
Desiring to maintain and further develop peace and friendship between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal,
Convinced that the strengthening of good-neighbourly relations and friendly co-operation between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal is in accordance with the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries and conducive to the consolidation of people in Asia and the world,
Have decided for this purpose to conclude the present treaty in accordance with the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence jointly affirmed by the two countries, and have appointed as their respective plenipotentiaries:
The Chairman of the People's Republic of China:
Premier Chou En-lai of the State Council,
His Majesty the King of Nepal:
Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala.
The above-mentioned plenipotentiaries, having examined each other's credentials and found them in good and due form, have agreed upon the following:
ARTICLE 1
The Contracting Parties recognize and respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other.
ARTICLE 2
The Contracting Parties will maintain and develop peaceful and friendly relations between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal. They undertake to settle all disputes between them by means of peaceful negotiation.
ARTICLE 3
The Contracting Parties agree to develop and further strengthen the economic and cultural ties between the two countries in a spirit of friendship and co-operation, in accordance with the principles of equality and mutual benefit and of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
ARTICLE 4
Any difference or dispute arising out of the interpretation of application of the present treaty shall be settled by negotiation through normal diplomatic channels.
ARTICLE 5
This present treaty is subject to ratification and the instruments of ratification will be exchanged in Peking as soon as possible.
The present treaty will come into force immediately on the exchange of the instruments of ratification and will remain in force for a period of ten years.
Unless either of the Contracting Parties gives to the other notice in writing to terminate the treaty at least one year before the expiration of this period, it will remain in force without any specified time limit, subject to the right of either of the Contracting Parties to terminate it by giving to the other in writing a year's notice of its intention to do so.
Done in duplicate in Kathmandu on the twenty-eighth day of April 1960, in the Chinese, Nepali and English languages, all texts being equally authentic.
(Sd.) CHOU EN-LAI (Sd.) B. P. KOIRALA
Plenipotentiary of the People's Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom
Republic of China of Nepal
Appendix IV
Sardar Patel's letter to Jawaharlal Nehru on 7-November, 1950
D.O. No. 821-DPM/50
New Delhi, 7th Nov., 1950
My dear Jawaharlal,
Ever since my return from Ahmedabad and after the Cabinet meeting the same day which I had to attend at practically fifteen minutes' notice and for which I regret I was not able to read all the papers, I have been anxiously thinking over the problem of Tibet and I thought I should share with you what is passing through my mind.
2. I have carefully gone through the correspondence between the External Affairs Ministry and our Ambassador in Peking and through him the Chinese Government. I have tried to peruse this correspondence as favourably to our Ambassador and the Chinese Government as possible, but, I regret to say that neither of them comes out well as a result of this study. The Chinese Government have tried to delude us by professions of peaceful intentions. My own feeling is that at a crucial period they managed to to instil into our Ambassador a false sense of confidence in their so-called desire to settle the Tibetan problem by peaceful means. There can be no doubt that, during the period covered by this correspondence, the Chinese must have been concentrating for an onslaught on Tibet. The final action of the Chinese, in my judgement, is little short of perfidy. The tragedy of it is that the Tibetans put faith in us; they chose to be guided by us; and we have been unable to get them out of the meshes of Chinese diplomacy or Chinese malevolence. From the latest position, it appears that we shall not be able to rescue the Dalai Lama. Our Ambassador has been at great pains to find an explanation or justification for Chinese policy and actions. As the External Affairs Ministry remarked in one of their telegrams, there was a lack of firmness and unnecessary apology in one or two representations that he made to the Chinese Government on our behalf. It is impossible to imagine any sensible person believing in the so-called threat to China from Anglo-American machination in Tibet. Therefore, if the Chinese put faith in this, they must have distrusted us so completely as to have taken us as tools or stooges of Anglo-American diplomacy or strategy. This feeling, if genuinely entertained by the Chinese in spite of your direct approaches to them, indicates that, even though we regard ourselves as the friends of China, the Chinese do not regard us as their friends. With the Communist mentality of "Whoever is not with them being against them," this is a significant pointer, of which we have to take due note. During the last several months, outside the Russian Camp, we have practically been alone in championing the cause of Chinese entry into the UNO and in securing from the Americans assurances on the question of Formosa. We have done everything we could to assuage Chinese feelings, to allay its apprehensions and to defend its legitimate claims, in our discussions and correspondence with America and Britain and in the UNO. In spite of this, China is not convinced about our disinterestedness; it continues to regard us with suspicion and the whole psychology is one, at least outwardly, of scepticism, perhaps mixed with a little hostility. I doubt if we can go any further than we have done already to convince China of our good intentions, friendliness and goodwill. In Peking we have an Ambassador who is eminently suitable for putting across the friendly point of view. Even he seems to have failed to convert the Chinese. Their last telegram to us is an ac of gross discourtesy not only in the summary way it disposes of our protest against the entry of Chinese forces into Tibet but also in wild insinuation that our attitude is determined by foreign influences. It looks as though it is not a friend speaking in that language but a potential enemy.
In the background of this, we have to consider what new situation now faces us as a result of the disappearance of Tibet, as we know it, and the expansion of China almost up to our gates. Throughout history, we have seldom been worried about our north-east frontier. The Himalaya has been regarded as an impenetrable barrier against any threat from the north. We had a friendly Tibet which gave us no trouble. The Chinese were divided. They had their own domestic problems and never bothered us about our frontier. In 1914, we entered into a convention with Tibet which was not endorsed by the Chinese. We seem to have regarded Tibetan autonomy as extending to independent treaty relationship. Presumably, all that we required was Chinese counter-signature. The Chinese interpretation of suzerainty seems to be different. We can, therefore, safely assume that very soon they will disown all the stipulations which Tibet has entered into with us in the past. That throws into the melting pot all frontier and commercial settlements with Tibet on which we have been functioning and acting during the last half a century. China is no longer divided. It is united and strong. All along the Himalayas in the north and north-east, we have, on our side of the frontier, a population ethnologically and culturally not different from Tibetans or Mongoloids. The undefined state of the frontier and the existence on our side of a population with its affinities to Tibetans or Chinese have all the elements of potential trouble between China and ourselves. Recent and bitter history also tells us that Communism is no shield against imperialism and that Communists are as good or as bas as imperialists as any other. Chinese ambitions in this respect not only cover the Himalayan slopes on our side but also include important parts of Assam. They have their ambitions in Burma also. Burma has the added difficulty that it has no McMahon Line round which to build up even the semblance of an agreement. Chinese irredentism and Communist imperialism are different from the expansionism or imperialism of the Western Powers. The former has a cloak of ideology which makes it ten times more dangerous. In the guise of ideological expansion lie concealed racial, national and historical claims. The danger from the north and north-east, therefore, becomes both communist and imperialist. While our western and north-eastern threats to security are still as prominent as before, a new threat has developed from the north and north-east. Thus, for the first time, after centuries, India's defence has to concentrate itself on tow fronts simultaneously. Our defence measures have so far been based on the calculations of a superiority over Pakistan. In our calculations we shall now have to reckon with Communist China in the north and north-east-a communist China which has definite ambitions and aims and which does not, in any way, seem friendly towards us.
4. Let me also consider the political considerations on this potentially troublesome frontier. Our northern or north-eastern approaches consist of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling and the Tribal Areas in Assam. From the point of view of communications they are weak spots. Continuous defensive lines do not exist. There is almost an unlimited scope for infiltration. Police protection is limited to a very small number of passes. There too, our outposts do not seem to be fully manned. The contact of these areas with us, is, by no means, close and intimate. The people inhabiting these portions have no established loyalty or devotion to India. Even Darjeeling and Kalimpong areas are not free from pro-Mongoloid prejudices. During the last three years, we have not been able to make any appreciable approaches to the Nagas and to the hill tribes in Assam. European missionaries and other visitors had been in touch with them, but their influence was, in no way, friendly to India or Indians. In Sikkim, there was political ferment some time ago. It is quite possible that discontent is smouldering there. Bhutan is comparatively quite, but its affinity with Tibetans would be a handicap. Nepal has a weak oligarchic regime based almost entirely on force; it is in conflict with a turbulent element of the population as well as with enlightened ideas of the modern age. In these circumstances, to make people alive to the new danger or to make them defensively strong is a very difficult task indeed, and that difficulty can be got over only by enlightened firmness, strength and a clear line of policy. I am sure the Chinese and their source of inspirations, Soviet Russia, would not miss any opportunity of exploiting these weak spots, partly in support of their ideology and partly in support of their ambitions. In my judgement, therefore, the situation is one in which we cannot afford either to be complacent or to be vacillating. We must have a clear idea of what we wish to achieve and also of the methods by which we should achieve it. Any faltering or lack of decisiveness in formulating out objectives or in pursuing our policy to attain those objectives is bound to weaken us and increase the threats which are so evident.
5. Side by side with these external dangers we shall now have to face serious internal problems as well. I have already asked Iengar to send to the External Affairs Ministry a copy of the Intelligence Bureau's appreciation of these matters. Hitherto, the Communist Party of India has found some difficulty in contacting Communists abroad, our in getting supplies of arms, literature, etc., from them. They had to contend with difficult Burmese and Pakistan frontiers on the east or with the long seaboard. They shall now have a comparatively easy means of access to Chinese Communists, and through them to other foreign Communists. Infiltration of spies, fifth columnists and Communists would not be easier. Instead of having to deal with isolated communist pockets in Telengana and Warrangal we may have to deal with Communist threats to our security along our northern and north-eastern frontiers where, for supplies of arms and ammunition, they can safely depend on Communist arsenals in China. The whole situation thus raises a number of problems on which we must come to an early decision os that we can as said earlier, formulate the objectives of our policy and decide the methods by which those actions will have to be fairly comprehensive involving not only our defence strategy and state of preparation but also problems of internal security to deal with which we have not a moment to lose. We shall also have to deal with administrative and political problems in the weak spots along the frontier to which I have already referred.
6. It is, of course, impossible for me to be exhaustive in setting out all these problems. am, however, giving below some of the problems, which in my opinion, require early solution and round which we have to build our administrative or military policies and measures to implement them:
a. A military and intelligence appreciation of the Chinese threat to India both on the frontier and to internal security.
b. An examination of our military position and such redisposition of our force as might be necessary, particularly with the idea of guarding important routes or areas which are likely to be the subject of dispute.
c. The question of Chinese entry into U.N.O. In view of the rebuff which China has given us and the method which it has followed in dealing with Tibet, I am doubtful whether we can advocate its claims any longer.
There would probably be a threat in the U.N.O. virtually to outlaw China, in view of its active participation in the Korean War. We must determine our attitude on this question also.
f. The political and administrative steps which we should take to strengthen our northern and north-eastern frontiers. This would include the whole of the border i.e. Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling and the Tribal Territory in Assam.
g. Measures of internal security in the border areas as well as the States flanking those areas such as U.P., Bihar Bengal and Assam.
h. Improvement of our communications, road rail, air and wireless in these areas, and intelligence of frontier outposts.
i. Policing and intelligence of frontier posts.
j. The future of our mission at Lhasa and the trade posts at Gyangtse and Yatung and the force which we have in operation in Tibet to guard the trade routes.
k. The policy in regard to McMahon line.
7. These are some of the questions which occur to my mind. It is possible that a consideration of these matters may lead us into wider questions of our relationship with China, Russia, America, Britain and Burma. This, however, would be of a general nature, though some might be basically very important, e.g., we might have to consider whether we should not enter into closer association with Burma in order to strengthen the latter in this dealings with China. I do not rule out the possibility that, before applying pressure on us , China might apply pressure on Burma. With Burma, the frontier is entirely undefined and the Chinese territorial claims are more substantial. In its present position, Burma might offer an easier problem for China, and therefore, might claim its first attention.
8. I suggest that we meet early to have a general discussion on these problems and decide on such steps as we might thinks to be immediately necessary and direct quick examination of other problems with a view to taking early measures to deal with them.
Yours
The Hon'ble Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru,
Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi India's Ambassador in Peking at the time was K. M. Pannikar
Appendix-V
TREATY OF TITALIYA
10 February 1817
Treaty, Covenant or Agreement entered into by Captain Barre Latter, Agent on the part of His Excellency the Right Honourable the Earl of Moira, K.G., Governor-General & C., & C., and by Nazir Chaina Tenjin and Macha Teinbah and Lama Duchim Longdoo, Deputies on the part of the Rajah of Sikkimputtee, being severely authorised and duly appointed for the above purpose- 1817.
Article 1
The Honourable East India Company cedes, transfers, and makes over in full sovereignty to the Sikkimputtee Rajah, his heirs or successors, all the hilly or mountainous country situated to the eastward of the Mechi River and to the westward of the Teesta River, formerly possessed and occupied by the Rajah of Nepaul, but ceded to the Honourable East India Company by the Treaty of Peace signed at Segoulee.
Article 2
The Sikkimputtee Rajah engages for himself and successors to abstain from any acts of aggression or hostility against the Gorkhas or any other State.
Article 3
That he will refer to the arbitration of the British Government any disputes or questions that may arise between his subjects and those of Nepaul or any other neighbouring State, and to abide by the decision of the British Government.
Article 4
He engages for himself and successors to join the British Troops with the whole of his Military Force when employed within the Hills, and in general to afford the British Troops every aid and facility in his power.
Article 5
That he will not permit any British subject, nor the subject of any European and American State to reside within his dominions, without the permission of the English Government.
Article 6
That he will immediately seize and deliver up any docoits or other notorious offenders that may take refuge within his territories.
Article 7
That he will not afford protection to any defaulters of revenue or other delinquents when demanded by the British Government through their accredited Agents.
Article 8
That he will afford protection to merchants and traders from the Company's Provinces, and he engages that no duties shall be levied on the transit of merchandise beyond the established customs at the several golas or marts.
Article 9
Te Honourable East India Company guarantees to the Sikkimputtee Rajah and his successors the full an d peaceable possession of the tract of hilly country specified in the first Article of the present Agreement.
Article10
This Treaty will be ratified and exchanged by the Sikkimputtee Rajah within one month from the present date, and the counterpart, when confirmed by His Excellency the Right Honourable the Governor General, shall be transmitted to the Rajah.
Done at Titaliya, this 10th day of February 1817, answering to the 9th of Phagoon 1973 Sambat, and to the 30th Maugh 1223 Bengallie.
BARRE LATTER
ARCHD SETON
GEO DOWDESWELL
Ratified by the Governor Genera, in Council, at Fort William, this fifteenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen.
J. Adams
Acting Chief Secretary to Government.
Appendix VI
Copy of A Sunnad granted to the Rajah of Sikkim
Dated 7th April 1817
The Honourable East India Company, in consideration of the services performed by the Hill tribes under the control of the British Government, grants to the Sikkimputtee Rajah, his heirs and successors, all that portion of low land situated eastward of the Meitchie River, and westward of the Maha Nuddee, formerly possessed by the Rajah of Nepaul, but ceded to the Honourable East India company by the Treaty of Segoulee, to be held Sikkimputtee Rajah as a feudatory, or as acknowledging the supremacy of the British Government over the said lands, subject to the following Conditions:-
The British laws and regulations will not be introduced into the territories in question, but the Sikkimputtee Rajah is authorised to make such laws and regulations for their internal government, as are suited to the habits and customs of the inhabitants, or that may be in force in his other dominions.
The Articles or Provisions of the Treaty signed at Titalya on the 10th February 1817, and ratified by His Excellency the Right Honorable Governor-General in Council on the 15th March following, are to be in force with regard to the lands hereby assigned to the Sikkimputtee Rajah, as far as they are applicable to the circumstances of those lands.
It will be especially incumbent on the Sikkimputtee Rajah and his officers to surrender, on application from the officers of the Honourable Company, all persons charged with criminal offencs, and all public defaulters who may take refuge in the lands now assigned to him, and to allow the police officers of he British Government to pursue into those lands and apprehend all such persons.
In consideration of the distance of the Sikkimputtee Rajah's residence from the Company's Provinces, such orders as the Governor-General in council, may upon any sudden emergency, find it necessary to transmit to the local authorities in the lands now assigned, for the security or protection of those lands, are to be immediately obeyed and carried into execution in the same manner as coming from the Sikkimputte Rajah.
In order to prevent all disputes with regard to the boundaries of the low lands granted to the Sikkimputtee Rajah, they will be surveyed by a British Officer, and their limits accurately laid down and defined.
Appendix VII
1st November 1860
Boundary Treaty with Nipal, 1st November 1860
During the disturbances which followed the mutiny of the Native army of Bengal in 1857, the Maharajah of Nipal not only faithfully maintained the relations of peace and friendship established between the British Government and the State of Nipal by the Treaty of Segowlee, but freely placed troops at the disposal of the British authorities for the preservation of order in the Frontier Districts, and subsequently sent a force to co-operate with the British Army in the re-capture of Lucknow and the final defeat of the rebels. On the conclusion of these operations, the Viceroy and Governor-General in recognition of the eminent services rendered to the British Government by the State of Nipal, declared his intention to restore to the Maharajah the whole of the lowlands lying between the River Kali and the District of Goruckpore, which belonged to the State of Nipal in 1815, and were ceded to the British Government in that year by the aforesaid treaty. These lands have now been identified by Commissioners appointed for the purpose by the British Government, in the presence of Commissioners deputed by the Nipal Darbar, masonry pillars have been erected to mark the future boundary of the two States, and the territory has been formally delivered over to the Nipalese Authorities. In order the more firmly to secure the State of Nipal in the perpetual possession of this territory, and to mark in a solemn way the occasion of its restoration, the following Treaty has been concluded between the two States:
Article 1st
All Treaties and Engagements now in force between the British Government and the Maharajah of Nipal, except in so far as they may be altered by this Treaty, are hereby confirmed.
Article 2nd
The British Government hereby bestows on the Maharajah of Nipal in full sovereignty, the whole of the lowlands between the Rivers Kali and Raptee, and the whole of the lowlands lying between the River Raptee and the District of Goruckpore, which were in the possession of the Nipal State in the year 1815, and were ceded to the British Government by Article III of the Treaty concluded at Segowlee on the 2nd of December in that year.
Article 3rd
The boundary line surveyed by the British Commissioners appointed for the purpose extending eastward from the River Kali or Sarada to the foot of the hills north of Bagowra Tal, and marked by the pillars, shall henceforth be the boundary between the British Province of Oudha and the Territories of the Maharajah of Nipal.
This Treaty, signed by Lieutenant-Colonel George Ramsay, on the part of His Excellency the Right Honourable Charles John, Earl Canning, G.C.B., Viceroy and Governor-General of India, and by Maharajah Jung Bahadoor Rana, G.C.B., on the part of Maharajah Dheraj Soorinder Vikram Shah Bahadoor Shumshere Jung, shall be ratified, and the ratification shall be exchanged at Khatmandoo within thirty days of the date of signature.
Signed and sealed at Khatmandoo, this First day of November, A.D., one thousand eight hundred and sixty corresponding to the third day of Kartick Budee, sumbut nineteen hundred and seventeen.
G. Ramsay, Lieut, Col,
CANNING
Viceroy and Governor-General.
This Treaty was ratified by His Excellency the Governor-General, at Calcutta, on the 15th November 1860.
A.R. Young,
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.
| i don't know |
In a traditional suit of armor, where on the body was a greave worn? | Parts of a Suit of Armor
Medieval Sword
Suit of Armor Close-Up: The Medieval Harness
The battle-ready medieval knight was attired in a suit of armor referred to as a "body harness." A common construction technique utilized "lames" or strips of metal which overlapped, somewhat like the shingles on a roof. These laminations were often used in the collar, shoulder, and abdominal areas to facilitate movement.
Underneath the suit of armor a cushioning gambeson may have been worn, a quilted jacket stuffed with tow (short flax fibers), wool, grass, or horse hair.
Some of the basic elements of the plate harness are illustrated below:
Parts of a Suit of Armor
Head and Shoulder Armor
Comb
— An extension from front to back across the top of the helmet which helps strengthen the helm’s structure. During the Renaissance period this helmet component could be very large and ornate.
Helm
— Vest-like shoulder armor which added some protection over the breastplate and across the upper back.
Torso Armor
— As its name implies, this plate protected the upper chest area.
Plackart
— An armored reinforcement covering the lower half of the breastplate. Depending upon the design, the plackart might cover nearly the entire breastplate.
Fauld
— Armor, usually composed of lames, which attached to the breastplat> (and plackart), serving to protect the abdomen.
Tasset
(TAS-et) — Solid Armor plates or a skirt of lames hung from the fauld to cover the gap between the fauld and the thigh armor.
Arm and Leg Armor
Rerebrace
(REER-brase) — Armor shielding of the upper arm. The rerebrace is also referred to as the upper cannon.
Couter
| Leg |
Miso, tofu, and shoyu all come from what legume? | Functional Steel Armour Packages by Medieval Collectibles
15th Century Foot Soldier Half Armour
Item #: AH-3896N
As weapons of the middle ages became more advanced and armor became more common, armies began fielding soldiers that wore this 15th Century Foot Soldier Half Armour, instead of the once-typical padded and chainmail protections.
Price: $639.00
Black Ice Arm Bracer and Greave Set
Item #: MCI-2653
Become a fierce warrior of the Black Ice infantry from the ConQuest universe by entrusting your forearms and shins to the Black Ice Arm Bracer and Greave Set. Join their mighty ranks the next time you step onto the LARP battlefield.
Price: $86.00
Black Ice Armour Package 1
Item #: MCI-2652
The Black Ice Armour Package 1 includes stylized armour pieces suitable for a Rakh of the Black Ice NPC army from the ConQuest universe. With this licensed armour set, you get the tabard, leather belt, arm bracers, and greaves.
Price: $137.00
Black Ice Armour Package 2
Item #: MCI-2651
For the LARP warrior who wishes to become a rakh of the Black Ice Essence, the Black Ice Armour Package 2 is the perfect fit. This ConQuest armour set includes the tabard, leather belt, arm bracers, greaves, pauldrons, and gorget.
Price: $315.00
Black Ice Complete Armour Set
Item #: MCI-2650
Gird yourself with armour fashioned from the Essence of Black Ice. Become an efficient, unyielding soldier of the Rakh from the ConQuest universe. Enter your next LARP battle fully suited with the Black Ice Complete Armour Set. This stylized armour package includes the cuirass, tabard, pauldrons, tasset belt, full leg armour, and bracers.
Price: $660.00
Blond Plumed Roman Centurion Armour Set
Item #: ED8157
A select number of distinguished Roman officers known as Centurions were so-named because they originally were in control of units of 100 men. The historical Roman Centurion Armour Display comes complete with stand, helm, and segmentata.
Price: $589.00
Chariot Armour Set
Item #: ED8152
A charioteer of Julius Caesars time would have worn armour like this. The Chariot Armour Set includes cuirass, helmet with plume, and wooden armor stand. The Helm and Cuirass are made of polished brass and both are wearable.
Price: $471.20
Complete Gothic Armour Package
Item #: MCI-2630
The Complete Gothic Armour Package is a stunning set of armor that includes almost every piece of armour that you could need. It provides almost complete protection, wrapping your chest, arms, and legs in layers of protective steel.
Price: $985.00
Complete Merc Armour Package
Item #: MCI-2631
The Complete Merc Armour Package will go a long way to making you look like a warrior fit for battle. Less of a traditional suit of armor, this plate is more for the warrior who is willing to go anywhere and fight anything.
Price: $286.00
ConQuest Undead Armour Package 1
Item #: MCI-2643
Shout out the words, For the Bone Queen, as you charge into LARP battle with the ConQuest Undead Armour Package 1. This officially licensed ConQuest armour set includes the arm bracers, greaves, studded belt, and stylized tabard.
Price: $137.00
ConQuest Undead Armour Package 2
Item #: MCI-2642
Become a loyal warrior of the Undead Flesh in service to the Bone Queen with the ConQuest Undead Armour Package 2. This set includes the gorget, pauldrons, arm bracers, greaves, as well as the stylized tabard with matching belt.
Price: $330.00
ConQuest Undead Complete Armour Set
Item #: MCI-2641
Enjoy your next LARP role to the fullest as an eternal warrior of the Bone Queen with the ConQuest Undead Complete Armour Set. This officially licensed set includes all the body armour needed to join the ranks of the Undead Flesh.
Price: $660.00
ConQuest Warcrafted Armour
Item #: MCI-2640
Join the Great Host in battling the unnatural beings that threaten not only the Mirror World, but your realm as well. Become an Angel of Death before the Undead, no Ratio, and Black Ice armies with the ConQuest Warcrafted Armour.
Price: $772.00
Dark Drake Complete Armour Package - Size Large
Item #: MCI-2628-L
Step into your next LARP battle full of confidence, certain that evil forces will prevail. The Dark Drake Complete Armour Package – Size Large includes all you need to create an intimidating guise and guard against needless injury.
Price: $573.00
Dark Drake Complete Armour Package - Size Medium
Item #: MCI-2628-M
Reveal your ill intent and a crafty, cold-hearted nature while LARPing with the Dark Drake Complete Armour Package – Size Medium. The breastplate, Dark Warrior Backplate, pauldrons, bracers, tassets, and greaves are all included.
Price: $518.00
Dark Drake Complete Armour Package - Size Small
Item #: MCI-2628-S
Instill terror in the hearts of your foes at the next LARP event while donning the Dark Drake Complete Armour Package – Size Small. This set includes the breastplate, Dark Warrior Backplate, pauldrons, bracers, tassets, and greaves.
Price: $477.00
Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package - Size Large
Item #: MCI-2626-L
Be prepared for every situation while LARPing. Perhaps a battlemage seeks to invade your kingdom, or a band of orcs threatens your village, regardless, the Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package – Size Large provides a strong defense.
Price: $548.00
Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package - Size Medium
Item #: MCI-2626-M
For the medieval fighter who never knows where the next adventure will lead, the Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package – Size Medium raises your defense during combat. Face the unexpected, while under the protection of this set.
Price: $490.00
Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package - Size Small
Item #: MCI-2626-S
When journeying into a LARP realm, whether one inspired by history or fashioned from legends of high fantasy, the Dark Warrior Complete Armour Package – Size Small is the perfect defense for whatever dangers may come your way.
Price: $463.00
Early Roman Officers Armour Set
Item #: ED8155
Early armor of Rome was influenced heavily by earlier Greek armour, and it would not be unusual to see early Roman armies wearing armour and helmets similar to those worn by the soldiers of Greece and Gaul.
Price: $537.70
Epic Warrior Complete Armour Package - Size Small
Item #: MCI-2629-S
Enter the LARP battleground fully suited with the Epic Warriors Complete Armour Package – Size Small. This suit of armour includes the Epic Warrior breastplate, backplate, pauldrons with besagues, tasset belt, bracers, and greaves.
Price: $548.00
Galahad Paladin Armour Set
Item #: MY100221
Ever the brave and gallant knight, you have become the right hand of your monarch. Tales of your heroic exploits fill the land. The noble beauty and strength of the Galahad Paladin Armour Set shields one worthy of its protection.
Price: $418.00
King Complete Armour Package - Size Large
Item #: MCI-2627-L
Gather your forces, and prepare for the battle of the century. Raise your defense with the King Complete Armour Package – Size Large. Whether you march by foot, or sit upon a mighty steed, pave the way to victory in full style.
Price: $543.00
King Complete Armour Package - Size Medium
Item #: MCI-2627-M
Lead your crusaders to victory in battle gear that is worthy of a noble commander. With the King Complete Armour Package – Size Medium you will raise the morale of your troops, while strengthening your defense on the LARP battlefield.
Price: $497.00
King Complete Armour Package - Size Small
Item #: MCI-2627-S
Mock the enemy and rally your soldiers with this stunning set of battle gear. Strengthen your defense with the King Complete Armour Package – Size Small, and leave no room for fear when battling for the sake of your LARP kingdom.
Price: $450.00
Medieval Infantry Half-Plate Armour
Item #: AH-6134
Full plate armor can be cumbersome, enough to slow any warrior down a bit. This Medieval Infantry Half-Plate Armour offers a solution to that issue, by equipping a warrior with plenty of protection, while leaving the legs free to move!
Price: $1,411.00
Ork Armour - Rust Patina - Size Large
Item #: MCI-2492-L
Our Ork Armour set consists of a steel breastplate, leather backplate, and steel pauldrons made from 18 gauge steel that has a rust patina finish perfect for any Ork character. Great for LARP, Theater, Movies, Costumes and the SCA.
Price: $274.00
Ork Armour - Rust Patina - Size Medium
Item #: MCI-2492-M
Our Ork Armour set consists of a steel breastplate, leather backplate, and steel pauldrons made from 18 gauge steel that has a rust patina finish perfect for any Ork character. Great for LARP, Theater, Movies, Costumes and the SCA.
Price: $241.00
Ork Armour - Rust Patina - Size Small
Item #: MCI-2492-S
Our Ork Armour set consists of a steel breastplate, leather backplate, and steel pauldrons made from 18 gauge steel that has a rust patina finish perfect for any Ork character. Great for LARP, Theater, Movies, Costumes and the SCA.
Price: $206.00
Pikemans Partial Plate Armour
Item #: AH-A031
Based on the plate armor favored by foot soldiers in the medieval era, this Pikemans Partial Plate Armour combines a few pieces of plate armor that offer excellent protection, without hindering the wearer in any drastic way.
Price: $565.00
Ratio Armour Package 1
Item #: MCI-3079
Start your warrior look off with the strong base pieces included in this excellent LARP armor package. The Ratio Armour Package 1 includes a vibrant red and black tunic and helmet for an appearance that is stylish and functional.
Price: $203.00
Ratio Armour Package 2
Item #: MCI-3078
When you need to supplement your current roleplaying armor with new pieces, be sure to check out the Ratio Armour Package 2. This armor package finds the happy middle between our heavy and light Ratio armor deals.
Price: $467.00
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Which part of the body does a reflexologist primarily deal with? | Reflexology Bali - Frequently Asked Questions
CONTACT US
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is the science or method of stimulating reflexes of the foot, hand or ear that correspond to each gland, organ and part of the body. Stimulation of these reflexes serves to relax and normalize all functions of the body in order to promote a natural balance and revitalization. In ancient times, walking barefoot over rocks and hard ground naturally stimulated these reflexes every day.
Does Reflexology cure diseases or ailments?
Reflexology is not intended to cure diseases or ailments. Reflexologists are not medical practitioners and are not allowed to diagnose ailments or treat disease. Reflexology can be a valuable way of indicating areas where higher stress or tension is present in the body and can assist to relieve that stress or tension which can promote or encourage the natural healing process.
What does Reflexology do?
Reflexology can relieve tension and promote relaxation. Medical studies show that over 75% of all health problems can be linked to tension and stress. Our modern lifestyles not only cause a great deal of this stress, but also do nothing to relieve it. In ancient times, we had stress of a different nature, and due to the ancient lifestyle, were able to naturally treat tension and stress without even realizing it.
How does it work?
There are many theories about how Reflexology works, but the most commonly held belief is that Reflexology acts to relax those reflexes that in turn are connected to various parts of the body, improving lymphatic drainage and circulation as well as relaxing muscles and stimulating nerve connections. Reflexology is primarily a relaxation technique, and while research clearly indicates that Reflexology benefits patients health in both chronic and other ailments, it is not a substitute for medical treatment, and should be considered as complementary to any type of medical treatment. Extensive research on reflexology has validated the effectiveness of Reflexology.
Is Reflexology new?
Although recently becoming much more popular and accepted in Western society, Reflexology has been practiced for thousands of years by Egyptians, Native American cultures and Mayan and Incan civilizations. It is widely accepted in many European countries as an accepted therapy. Modern Reflexology has its origins in the late 1930's, thanks to Eunice Ingham.
Is Reflexology the same as Massage, Acupuncture, Acupressure or Shiatsu?
Reflexology is not the same as massage, which involves tissue and muscle therapy to promote relaxation. Acupuncture, Acupressure and Shiatsu are similar in some respects to reflexology in their use of reflexes or meridians of the body as they relate to the gland, organs and parts of the body, however Reflexology focuses on relaxation of those reflexes through manipulation to reduce stress and tension. The other therapies are based on the belief that 'Chi' or energy flows through the meridians and that the therapy improves the flow of 'Chi' by reducing or eliminating blockages.
What are the benefits of Reflexology?
Reflexology primarily eases stress and tension, which in turn can improve blood circulation, lymph drainage, assist in the elimination of toxins, and strengthening of the immune system. It enables the body's natural healing processes to promote wellness.
Can Reflexology make a condition worse?
No. Reflexology is a non-invasive natural therapy that relaxes the body and is essentially harmless. On rare occasions, release of toxins as a result of the body's natural healing process may result in symptoms such as perspiration, nausea or headaches, however these symptoms are not directly related to Reflexology, and are temporary and not serious.
How can I become a Reflexologist?
The regulations regarding practicing Reflexology vary from country to country and within countries can also vary by state or province. In some cases municipal or city licenses may be required to practice natural health care. The best way to investigate becoming a Reflexologist is to contact your closest Reflexology Association. (Click on our Associations tab at the top of the page.) The amount of classroom and practical training as well as written examinations also varies greatly. although Reflexology Associations are striving to ensure that all practitioners are well trained and certified in most regions. Using a well trained Reflexologist who is certified by an accredited school and/or Association is recommended.
(by AboutReflexology.com)
| Foot |
Awake and The Watchtower are two magazines distributed by what religious group in the door-to-door ministries business? | R & R
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is the method of bringing about relaxation by stimulating reflex points on the feet, hands and ears, thus promoting balance and healing in our lives. It is based on the theory that every part of the body is connected through energy pathways and reflex points. Reflexology encourages the body to achieve its own natural balance and good health. In ancient times, walking barefoot over rocks and hard ground naturally stimulated these reflexes every day.
What are the benefits of Reflexology?
Reflexology primarily eases stress and tension, which in turn can improve blood circulation, lymph drainage, assist in the elimination of toxins, strengthen the immune system, and promote relaxation. It enables the body's natural healing processes to promote wellness. Medical studies show that over 75% of all health problems can be linked to tension and stress. Modern living with all its pressures and deadlines, creates a great deal of stress, but does little or nothing to relieve it.
How does it work?
Reflexology is based on the belief that there are zones and reflex areas in the feet, hands and ears, that in turn are connected to all parts of the body. Reflexology works through the nervous system and subtle energy pathways, as well as relaxing muscles and stimulating nerve connections. Reflexology is primarily a relaxation technique, and while research clearly indicates that reflexology benefits health in a wide variety of conditions, it is not a substitute for medical treatment, and should be viewed as complementary, working along-side medical treatment. Extensive research on reflexology has validated the effectiveness of this complementary therapy. The results can be amazing!!!
Can Reflexology make a condition worse?
No. Reflexology is a non-invasive, natural therapy, that relaxes the body and is essentially harmless. On rare occasions, release of toxins, as a result of the body's natural healing process, may result in symptoms such as perspiration, nausea or headaches. However, these symptoms are not directly related to reflexology, and are temporary and not serious. These minor discomforts are evidence of your body's healing process in action.
Does a Reflexologist diagnose?
No. Reflexology merely identifies where stress and tension is located in the body. This can be valuable in assisting your G.P. in the diagnosis process. Reflexologists are legally not permitted to diagnose any condition.
The Holistic approach to better health and happiness in our lives
Come with an open mind - our thoughts shape our lives
Open your heart, unto thy self be true
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Monday marked the birth of what total asshat, the "pastor" behind Topeka, KS based Westboro Baptist Church? | Baptist preacher Fred Phelps: Anti-LDS and anti-GLBT activist
IMPORTANT NOTES FROM
THE ANTI-PHELPS UNDERGROUND
PLEASE MAKE 10 COPIES OF THIS FILE AND GIVE THEM TO THOSE WHO FIND THE ACTIVITIES OF FRED PHELPS UNCONSCIONABLE.
On June 29, 1994 Jon Michael Bell, a former reporter hired to investigate Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church by Stauffer Communications, Inc., filed a lawsuit in Shawnee County District Court in Topeka, Kansas against Stauffer Communications alleging the Topeka Capital-Journal owed him compensation for overtime and to clarify ownership of his notes and work product. The work product in question, "Addicted to Hate" chronicling the life and times of Fred Phelps, was attached to the lawsuit as Exhibit A making it, therefore, a public document. Learning of the suit, members of Topeka's anti-Phelps underground delivered a certified copy of the lawsuit to a copy shop near the courthouse.
Within 48 hours, Stauffer Communications had written all area media outlets and issued veiled warnings about using the information contained in "Addicted to Hate". A rival Topeka newspaper, the Metro News, announced it was considering publishing the lawsuit in it entirety. The Kansas City Star abided by Stauffer Communication's wishes, but several other media outlets aired or printed portions of the manuscript. Within 48 hours of the filing, Stauffer Communications persuaded a judge to seal the suit so the Clerk of the District Court could no longer make copies for the public. No matter - no such order was issued to the copy shop or to the hundreds of citizens that already had copies.
On July 8 the Capital-Journal, which had deep-sixed the Phelps project and fired the publisher who authorized it when it was completed last fall, suddenly began its watered-down, copyrighted series on Phelps that they had earlier claimed they wouldn't print. Bell also withdrew his suit the same day. By this time, however, TV networks, wire services, and eastern newspapers had obtained copies of the manuscript, and Stauffer's unprecedented attempt to suppress media discussion of the document attracted the interest of several major East Coast newspapers on First Amendment grounds.
Phelps, a self-proclaimed advocate of the First Amendment, whose 'free speech activities include libel, slander defamation of character, intimidation, obscene language, battery, promptly denounced Stauffer Communications and denied the allegations of child abuse, spouse abuse, and other illegal activities. Anyone familiar with Phelps and his children who remain loyal to him, however, can clearly see these adult children and his wife suffer from the grotesque and obvious behaviors symptomatic of severe, long-term abuse. Where and how the twisted saga of Fred Phelps will end is anyone's guess.
DISCLAIMER
The volunteer distributors of this file wish to emphatically state that Jon Michael Bell did not suggest, encourage, or take part in the transfer or distribution of his typewritten manuscript (Exhibit A) to ASCII format. Volunteer distributors make no guarantees either expressed or implied and cannot be responsible in the use of this file.
Jon Michael Bell, one of the authors of "Addicted to Hate", seeks no compensation for his work. If, however, after reading "Addicted to Hate", you would like to make a contribution in his name to organizations in Topeka assisting AIDS victims, abused children and battered women, please send your donations to:
1. Hospice for AIDS Victims c/o Topeka AIDS Project 1915 S. W. 6th Street Topeka, Kansas 66606 2. Project Safe Talk 200 S.E. 7th Street Topeka, Kansas 66603 3. Battered Women Task Force 225 S.W. 12th Street Topeka, Kansas 66612
Let the word go forth that the overwhelmingly vast majority of Topekans and Kansans DO NOT support Westboro Baptist Cult and Fred Phelps' hate campaigns against all who disagree with him. The District Attorney in Shawnee County (Topeka) has filed several criminal cases against members of the Westboro Cult ranging from disorderly conduct and battery to felony charges of aggravated intimidations of victims and witnesses. Prosecution of these cases are delayed pending the outcome of the second of the lawsuits filed in federal court by Phelps Chartered. There will probably be more. Fred and his lawyer offspring and in-laws continue to abuse the judicial system much as Fred did before his state and federal disbarments. The case is expected to be heard in federal court in early fall, but few expect that this will be the end.
Please let Topeka officials and Federal Judge Sam Crow know that many of Fred Phelps' and WBC activities (as outlined in the above paragraph and documented by both "Addicted to Hate" and the Capital-Journal series) are NOT protected by the First Amendment and encourage them to take whatever steps are necessary to prosecute Phelps for those activities which are clearly crimes to the fullest extent of the law. Please do it today!
The Hon. Sam A. Crow Frank Carlson Federal Courthouse 444 S.E. Quincy Topeka, Kansas 66603 (913) 295-2626 Joan M. Hamilton Shawnee County District Attorney 200 S.E. 7th Street Suite 214 Topeka, Kansas 66603 (913) 233-8200 Ext. 4330 Commissioner Don Cooper Chairman, Board of Commissioners 200 S.E. 7th Street Topeka, Kansas 66603 (913) 233-8200 Ext. 4040 The Hon. Butch Felker Office of the Mayor 215 S.E. 7th Street Topeka, Kansas 66603 (913) 295-3895 Chief Gerald Beavers Topeka Police Department 204 S.W. 5th Street Topeka, Kansas 66603 (913) 354-9551
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS DIVISION 7 JON BELL, Plaintiff, vs. Case No. 94CV766 STAUFFER COMMUNICATIONS, INC., Defendant.
PETITION FOR DECLARATORY RELIEF (Pursuant to K.S.A. Chapter 60-1701 et. seq.)
COMES NOW the Plaintiff Jon Bell and states:
1.Plaintiff is a resident of Kansas.
2.Defendant Stauffer Communications, Inc. is a corporation organized under the laws of Kansas and may be served by serving its resident agent The Corporation Company, Inc., 515 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka, Kansas 66603.
3.Plaintiff was an intern and employed by Defendant to work for its newspaper Topeka Capital Journal, in Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.
4. As part of his work he was assigned by the managing editor to prepare stories and/or manuscripts concerning one Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, Inc.
5. That Plaintiff's employment was originally undertaken for compensation of $1300 per month (37 hours per week at $8.00/hour). As the scope of the Phelps project expanded to book length, Plaintiff indicated his willingness to do a book for the compensation he was being paid. It was represented to him by the managing editor, Mr. Sullivan, that the publication of the book would have such value to Plaintiff's reputation as an author that the publication plus the salary was just compensation. In reliance upon the representation that the book would be published by Defendant, he continued with the project to the point of final manuscript and dedicated overtime hours (for which he was not separately compensated) having a reasonable value in excess of $10,000.
6. Plaintiff has been advised by Mr. Hively, the publisher of the Topeka Capital Journal that Defendant does not intend to publish the book or any portion of it.
7. Plaintiff has been separately advised by the defendant's attorney that Defendant does not grant Plaintiff permission to publish the book (Ex. B attached).
8. Plaintiff claims that he has intellectual property rights in the manuscript and desires to publish it and that in the absence of compensation for his overtime or because of his reliance on Mr. Sullivan's representation if Defendant chooses to waste the work that he has the right to publish the book.
9. In that Defendant has asserted superior rights to the manuscript, but, has likewise has declared an intent not to publish and the fact that the material may become dated, or alternatively, lose its timelessness (the subject of the manuscript is currently running for the Democratic nomination for Governor of the State of Kansas), it is important to resolve the rights of the parties in and to the manuscript as it relates to the contract of employment which previously existed between Plaintiff and Defendant, and terminate the controversy over rights to the manuscript which gives rise to these proceedings.
10. Plaintiff feels uncertain and insecure of his legal position in the absence of a judicial declaration of his rights, and for that reason, brings this action.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays that the Court construe the terms of his employment and his rights to publish the manuscript marked as Ex. A and attached hereto, and permit the Plaintiff the right without restriction, and subject to any fair accounting to Defendant, to publish the manuscript.
(Signature of Jon Bell) Jon Bell, pro s 82 (Home address intentionally omitted) Lawrence, KS 66044
(Document contains the seal of the District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas and the signature of Leslie Miller, Deputy Clerk of the District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas and dated 6-29-94.)
(Letterhead of the law firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer) 515 South Kansas Avenue Topeka, Kansas 66603-3999 913-233-0593 Telecopier: 913-233-8870)
June 2, 1994
Mr. Jon Bell (Home Address Intentionally Omitted) Shawnee, Kansas 66216
In re: Topeka Capital-Journal Our file: 31143
Dear Jon:
I understand that you are in some way marketing or trying to develop an interest in the Capital-Journal's investigatory work on Fred Phelps.
Be advised that you are not authorized to engage in this activity. This work is the property of The Topeka Capital-Journal, and does not belong to you. My client will make all decisions regarding the piece. You are not authorized to speak on behalf of The Capital-Journal regarding this work, or even to reveal its existence for that matter. If you are taking any steps to develop a market or other interest in this work, you are required to cease immediately.
Meanwhile, please advise Pete Goering at The Capital-Journal of any steps you have taken in this regard.
Very truly yours, (Signature of Michael W. Merriam) Michael W. Merriam
MWM:ah cc: Mr. Pete Goering
(Note: This document contains the time stamp of the Clerk of the District Court, Shawnee County, Kansas showing the document was filed with the Clerk at 1:05 p.m. of June 29, 1994.)
with Joe Taschler
and Steve Fry
(Note: The contents of the following document shows the time stamp of the Clerk of the District Court, Shawnee County, Kansas and shows that the document was filed at 1:05 p.m. on June 29, 1994.)
"And be sure your sin will find you out." (Num. 32:23)
A frequent quote of Pastor Fred Phelps
CAST OF CHARACTERS AND PHELPS FAMILY TREE
Reverend Fred Phelps: lawyer and Baptist minister; head of the Westboro Baptist Church; 64 years old. Disbarred.
Marge Phelps: wife of Fred; mother of his 13 children; 68 years old. WBC member.
1. Fred Phelps, Jr.: lawyer and employee at the Kansas Department of Corrections; 40 years old. Oldest son. WBC member.
Betty Phelps (Schurle): wife of Fred, Jr.; lawyer and owner-operator of a day-care home; 41 years old. WBC member.
2. ***Mark Phelps: businessman in Southern California; estranged from the family cult; 39 years old. 2nd son.
Luava Phelps (Sundgren): wife of Mark; childhood sweetheart; 36 years old.
3. ***Katherine Phelps: lawyer; suspended from the bar; living on welfare; 38 years-old; oldest daughter. Not in WBC.
4. Margie Phelps: lawyer and employee of the Kansas Department of Corrections; 37 years old; 2nd daughter. WBC member.
5. Shirley Phelps-Roper: lawyer at Phelps Chartered; 36 years old; 3rd daughter. WBC member.
Brent Roper: husband of Shirley; lawyer and businessman in Topeka; 30 years old; WBC member.
6. ***Nate Phelps: businessman in Southern California; estranged from family cult; 35 years old. 3rd son.
7. Jonathon Phelps: lawyer; 4th son; 34 years old; WBC member. Paulette Phelps (Ossiander): wife of Jonathon; 33 years old; high school graduate; WBC member.
8. Rebekah Phelps-Davis: lawyer at Phelps Chartered; 32 years old; 4th daughter; WBC member.
Chris Davis: husband to Rebekah; 38 years old; raised from childhood in the WBC.
9. Elizabeth Phelps: lawyer at Phelps Chartered; night house manager staff at Sheltered Living, Inc. Topeka; 31 years old; 5th daughter; WBC member. Former counsel for the Shawnee County Sheriff's Department.
10. Timothy Phelps: lawyer and employee of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections; 30 years old; 5th son; WBC member.
Lee Ann Phelps (Brown): wife of Timothy; lawyer and employee of Shawnee County Sheriff's Department; 27 years old; WBC member.
11.***Dorotha Bird (Phelps): lawyer practicing independently in Topeka; 6th daughter; not a WBC member; changed her last name to avoid family's notoriety. 29 years old.
12. Rachel Phelps: lawyer at Phelps Chartered; YMCA fitness instructor; 28 years old; 7th daughter; WBC member.
13. Abigail Phelps: lawyer and employee at SRS-Youth and Adult Services, Juvenile Offender Program; 25 years old; 8th daughter; WBC member.
OTHERS
Fred Wade Phelps: the Rev. Phelps' father; he lived in Meridian, Mississippi. He was a railroad bull.
Catherine Idalette Phelps (Johnson): the Rev. Phelps' mother; she died when he was a small child.
Martha Jean Capron (Phelps): the Rev. Phelps' only sibling; a former missionary to Indonesia, she now lives in Pennsylvania; the brother and sister have not spoken for years.
***Denotes a Phelps child who has left the family cult.
(Note: The next portion of Exhibit A contains some handwritten notes denoting ages of the Phelps' children, some names of some of the non-Phelps WBC members (George Stutzman, Charles Hockenbarger, Jennifer Hockenbarger, and Charles Hockenbarger), names of some of the Phelps' grandchildren (Benjamin, Sharon, Sara, Libby, Jacob, Sam, and Josh), and 2 items pasted onto the document which are published documents showing the Phelps family tree and a map of the area surrounding Meridian, Mississippi.)
He rang the doorbell. It was winter, and with his thick gloves he could barely feel the button.
No answer.
He waited. A cat, caught like him on this cold night outside, walked along the porch rail. Toward him.
He watched it.
In the street behind them a solitary car passed. Like urban sleigh bells, the chains on its tires chimed rhythmic into the pounded street snow.
No one was home. The cat. Was rubbing against his leg.
He set the candy down and picked it up. It purred. And purred more when he tucked it under his warm arm. Like a football. Against his thick coat.
He could see into its eyes. Up close. He liked it that way.
When he wrapped his thick fingers round its tiny neck...
Pinning its legs against his side, he slowly squeezed, watching the eyes widen in alarm. Feeling it push against him. Desperately struggle. For a long time struggle.
Watching.
The lids droop slowly down. The light pass from the eyes.
He let go. Another car rattled metal links by in the snow.
Watching the light return. The animal terror that followed. Flooding the look in those helpless eyes. It pierced his soul.
A shock wave of remorse flamed hot. In all his cells he could feel it.
Guilt.
Or was it love. Yes, warm love for this tiny being.
But...
I want to do it. Again. Now.
Yes, I want to know what it's like once more.
He squeezed the cat's thin neck. And when it has succumbed, he felt the same pity again warm flooding him.
And only horror at himself. As he did it once more.
And when it was over he...
But this time the cat mustered the last of its tiny animal ferocity and writhed free.
He felt...watching it streak away...he felt jarred awake somehow...as it ran from him...yes, he was awake now...
And terrified
Had anyone seen him? Would they know?
In a panic he ran
Home to his father's house...
CHAPTER ONE
"Introductions All Around"
A TIME magazine article from 1950 hangs framed on the wall. It's about a college student's crusade against necking on a campus in Southern California.
That student's office in Kansas today is aclack with fax machines and ringing phones, but the chair behind the great mahogany desk is empty.
When the former campus evangelist finally bursts in, he is trailed by grandchildren-so many sixth-grade secretaries-gophering, sending faxes, fetching papers-and a glass of water for the reporter.
Thoughtful. It's 93 outside.
"Sit down," says Fred Phelps, rumored ogre, with an effusive Southern graciousness. "But I got to tell you, you know we're going to preach the word, the same thing I've been preaching for 46 years, and it's supremely, supremely irrelevant to us what anybody thinks or says. "You get a little bit of this message I'm preaching, you can't ask for anything more. God hates fags-that's a synopsis."
Phelps, 63, a disbarred lawyer and Baptist preacher from Mississippi, is on a mission from God. His face lights up like a kid's on Christmas morning when he talks about how the nation is reacting to his anti- homosexual campaign. He contends the Bible supports the death penalty for sodomy:
"I'm not urging anybody to kill anybody," he adds, then matter-of-factly explains how his interpretation of the Bible calls for precisely that:
"The death penalty was violently carried out by God on a massive scale when the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone," says Phelps. "I am inclined to the view that the closer man's laws come to God's laws, the better off our race will be."
Phelps has found the national spotlight by disrupting the mourners' grieving at the funerals of AIDS victims. His followers carry picket signs outside the services with such stone-hearted messages as GOD HATES FAGS and FAGS 3DDEATH.
Last spring, he and his tiny band traveled to Washington, D.C., to taunt the gay parade, creating a near-riot. Since then, Phelps has been the subject of a 20-20 segment, appeared on the Jane Whitney Show twice to mock homosexuals, and is now regularly interviewed on both Christian and secular radio across America.
Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in the Kansas capital of Topeka, since 1990 has also been an unsuccessful candidate for mayor, governor, and United States Senator. Currently he is negotiating his own radio show-one that will be heard throughout the Midwest.
His message is simple: God hates most everybody and He's sending them all to hell. Makes no difference how they lived their life.
For the Pastor Phelps, except for a handful of 'elect', the human race is composed of depraved beasts. God hates these creatures and so do His favored few. The world is divided sharply and irreversibly between the multitude of the already-damned (called the reprobate or the Adamic Race) and those chosen by God to attend Him in heaven. Those selected to be elect were tapped, not for the rectitude of their lives, but by what could best be described as the Supreme Whim of the Deity.
While this is the theology of predestination, one that in less vengeful minds is a mainstay of many Protestant sects, in Fred Phelps' mind it has become a green light to hatred and cruelty.
Recently, Pastor Phelps has added a corollary to this thesis that God hates the human race: God reserves His most pure and profound hatred for the homosexuals among the Adamic race.
At 63, Phelps is a triathlon competitor who bikes or runs every day. The strongest thing he drinks is what he calls his 'vitamin C cocktail', consisting of Vitamin C, Diet Pepsi, and water.
The pastor basks in the heat of the outrage triggered by his campaign against homosexuals.
"If you're preaching the truth of God, people are going to hate you," he grins. "Nobody has the right to think he's preaching the truth of God unless people hate him for it. All the prophets were treated that way."
Phelps delivers this with all the drama, fire, and brimstone of a man who used to be a trial lawyer and is still a preacher. His voice and tone are spellbinding and chilling. He doesn't stumble over his words. Clearly, he believes he is a modern day prophet.
Phelps says he and his family have been hated and persecuted almost from the time they arrived in Topeka in 1954. "The more opposition we get, the more committed we get," says Liz Phelps, one of the pastor's daughters. "Nothing, short of the elimination of homosexuality in the world, will make us stop," announces the pastor. In an unexpected reprieve from the anticipated 'sodomite' label pasted on all who disagree-especially the press-the former vacuum cleaner salesman gives his visitor a warm smile and immediately takes to calling him warmly by his first name. He leads a brief tour through his church. It adjoins his office: a long room, with a low ceiling and a rusty red carpet and dark, oaken pews. It has enough seating for twice the current congregation of 51.
The reporter asks to go to the bathroom. A stocky teenage grandson with training in judo is sent along. He waits outside, no dummy, for the reporter to finish. Then it's upstairs to the study, a high, spacious room filled with books of biblical exegesis dating back to the Reformation. Fred is eager to prove his Bible scholarship, and perhaps frustrated, even contemptuous, when he realizes he is talking to a Bible-ho-hum humanist. Downstairs, the pastor leads to the garage where their wardrobe of picket signs is kept. Stacked high against the walls are messages for every occasion-all of them gloomy. No good news here.
Outside, one would never guess they were at a church. Westboro Baptist is actually a large home in a comfortable Topeka neighborhood. In fact, Phelps and his wife have lived in the house for almost 40 years, and raised their 13 children within its walls. For many years, his law office was also located in the residence Fred Phelps insists is still his 'church'. The pastor's large family has always composed nearly all of his congregation and loyal following. As his children grew up, they bought the adjoining houses on the block, creating a tight compound around the church. Today, one finds a citadel of modest homes joined by fences, sharing a common backyard.
In a small revolution in urban design, the space behind their houses has not been sub-divided, but made into a wide grass park, complete with swimming pool, ball court, and trampoline. The grandchildren wander from their separate houses to play together. The effect on the nervous reprobates outside the walls is a sense of Waco in the air.
>From his compound, like a knight sallying forth from the Crusaders' citadel of Krak, Pastor Phelps and his child band make war on the Adamic race. When not doing TV talk shows, radio interviews, or appearing on the cover of the national gay magazine, The Advocate, Phelps lays siege to his hometown, nearby Kansas City, and local universities.
The Westboro congregation pickets public officials, private businesses, and other churches, many of whom have had only tenuous connection to some form of anti-Phelps criticism. Until a city ordinance was passed against it, the Westboro warriors even picketed their opponents' homes. For the last two years, this tiny group, by virtue of their tactics, dedication, and discipline, have held the Kansas capital hostage. Fred Phelps has been able to intimidate most of the residents of Topeka into a fearful silence, though he himself is a shrill and vigorous defender of his own First Amendment rights. Those who would disagree with his brutal remedies to his perception of social ills face a three-fold attack: Lawsuits: If the rest of America has justly come to fear the anonymous lone nut with a gun, it has yet to experience a community of eccentrics stockpiling law degrees. Picketing: One prominent restaurant in Topeka is now failing after being picketed daily for almost a year. "Patrons just got tired of the harassment," sighs the owner. The cause of the pickets? One of the restaurant's employees is a lesbian.
Faxes: Phelps has gone to court and won on his right to fax daily almost 300 public officials, private offices, and the media with damaging and embarrassing information from the private lives of his opponents-most of it false, wild, and unsubstantiated. One city councilwoman was called a "Jezebelian, switch-hitting whore" who had sex with several men at once. A police officer saw his name faxed all over town as a child molester, one who had lured young boys to a park outside the city and had sex with them in his patrol car. Despite his daughter Margie's assertions that Phelps has the evidence to prove such accusations 'big time', no such proof has ever emerged. Over the weeks, one learns about the family. Of Fred's 13 children, nine remain in the community. Five of them are married and raising 24 grandchildren. All of the members of Westboro Baptist-children, in-laws, and grandchildren- participate in the pastor's anti-gay campaign. Despite their image from the pickets, most of the adults are friendly and socially accomplished. Each of them has a law degree, and some have additional postgraduate degrees in business or public administration. The adults pay taxes, meet bills, and obey the laws. The grandchildren are perhaps less demonstrative than most children, but in an earlier day that was called well-behaved. Many of their parents hold or have held important jobs in local and state agencies. The pastor's first-born, Fred, Jr., and his wife, Betty, were guests at the Clinton inauguration. The former northeast Kansas campaign manager for Al Gore in 1988 has a stack of VIP photos, such as the one of him, Betty, Al and Tipper, and even soon-to- be Kansas governor Joan Finney smiling and yucking it up at the Phelps' place just a few years ago. Clearly these are not street corner flakes taken to carrying signs. The only discordant note here is the Pastor Phelps, pacing about in his lycra shorts and windbreaker, looking like a triathlon competitor who made a wrong turn, ended in a bad neighborhood, and had his bike stolen. But he can easily be discounted while listening to his wife reveal just exactly how she managed to raise those thirteen kids. How? Well, for starters, the woman born Margie Simms of Carrollton, Missouri, had nine brothers and sisters herself. Her own tribe she raised by the same five rules she grew up under: keep their faces clean, their hands clean, and their clothes clean; keep the house clean and keep 'em fed. No Game Boys, college funds, and cars on sixteenth birthdays. She did most of the cooking at first, and her grocery bill, she estimates, would be over two thousand a month today. Many of the 24 grandchildren still spend time at Gramp's house, she said, and their food costs are over a thousand a month, even now.
Mrs. Phelps smiles. Before the kids got old enough to be finicky, she could fill one tub and bathe them all, then line them up to brush their teeth and clean their fingernails. They had six bedrooms furnished with bunkbeds, and everyone wore hand-me-downs. Her laundry pile was so huge, she needed two washers and two dryers: "I'm afraid that Maytag repairman wasn't lonely with us. He was always out at our house. We went through washers and dryers every three years. They worked all day long. "The part I dreaded most about raising so many children? When they were sick. Then you had to pay all your attention to that one-and hope the others would make out all right." Later, she adds, the older kids took over most of the chores and her job became considerably easier.
The children used to listen to their father preach twice on Sunday, says daughter Margie. Once at eleven and again at seven that evening. "But there's too many conflicting schedules now. So we only have the one sermon at eleven-thirty," Margie tells how their household was abuzz with political bull sessions. All the candidates and wannabes came through there: "My dad was complete activity and whirlwind. My mom was the calm at the center of the storm. She's the one who inspired our closeness. Getting us to look out for our brothers and sisters; bond with each other." Mrs. Phelps describes how everyone had to take piano lessons. They had two pianos in the garage and three in the house. (Chopsticks in fugue-five as a backdrop to any childhood might explain why the adults seem so tense today.) Margie tells of their family choir. How they practiced a cappella and harmony. Even today, their counter-protestors grudgingly admit the Phelps sound good when they raise their collective voice in hymn from across the street. Once for their father's birthday, says Margie, the children learned to harmonize "One Tin Soldier", the theme song from the film, "Billy Jack". She laughs at the memory. "He was of two minds about that: flattered that we'd done it. And not too pleased by the lyrics. ("...go ahead and hate your neighbor...go ahead and cheat a friend...do it in the name of heaven...you'll be justified in the end... ") "We had good times...lots of good times," says Mrs. Phelps. "I would not have had any other childhood but that one," adds her daughter. If they're not holding harassing signs saying, 'God Hates Fags', calling deaf old dowagers 'sodomite whores', or bristling at startled churchgoers, Fred's kids are back at home being model parents and neighbors, attending PTOs and Clinton coronations. The stark contrast of the two masks-decent and repulsive, hateful and considerate, forthright and devious, stupid and clever-creates a polarity that begins to weigh on the observer. Contrasts frequently are the visible edge of contradiction. And contradictions sometimes arise from very deep and secret undercurrents. Currents of pain. One day in the pickup with the pastor and his wife, driving the signs to the picket line, Fred suddenly jams on the brakes and pulls over.
"Why'd you do that?" asks the mother of 13. "We're gonna make sure those kids are safe," the pastor replies. The objects of his concern are in the yard across the street. There is absolutely no chance he could have hit them. It's odd and unnecessary and exaggerated behavior.
His wife knows it; even the children know it-they've pulled back and are watching the truck suspiciously. Mrs. Phelps gives her husband a strange look. As if she had some secret knowledge. It's obvious Fred intended this as an awkward display of altruism for the press. The message is: "The pastor loves kids". But the message one gets is a warning from Hamlet: "The play's the thing wherein we'll catch the conscience of the king." Because that boy, now a man, ran home to his father's house. The house of Fred Phelps. Where all good things end.
Where any family counselor will assert that a child who strangles pets has almost certainly been brutalized as well.
CHAPTER TWO
"Daddy's Hands"
Mark Phelps feels nauseated whenever he remembers that night. He was hit over 60 times and his brother, Nate, over 200 with a mattock handle. Nate went into shock. Mark didn't. A boy who became a compulsive counter to handle the stress, Mark counted every stroke. His and Nate's. While their father screamed obscenities and his brother screamed in pain. Every 20 strokes, their mother wiped their faces off in the tub. Nate passed out anyway. That was Christmas Day.
Though he believes he should be the next governor of Kansas, Pastor Phelps has never believed in Christmas. A mattock is a pick-hoe using a wooden handle heavier than a bat. Fred swung it with both hands like a ballplayer and with all his might. "The first blow stunned your whole body," says Mark. "By the third blow, your backside was so tender, even the lightest strike was agonizing, but he'd still hit you like he wanted to put it over the fence. By 20, though, you'd have grown numb with pain. That was when my father would quit and start on my brother. Later, when the feeling had returned and it hurt worse than before, he'd do it again. "After 40 strokes, I was weak and nauseous and very pale. My body hurt terribly. Then it was Nate's turn. He got 40 each time. "I staggered to the bathtub where my mom was wetting a towel to swab my face. Behind me, I could hear the mattock and my brother was choking and moaning. He was crying and he wouldn't stop." The voice in the phone halts. After an awkward moment, clearing of throats, it continues: "Then I heard my father shouting my name. My mom was right there, but she wouldn't help me. It hurt so badly during the third beating that I kept wanting to drop so he would hit me in the head. I was hoping I'd be knocked out, or killed...anything to end the pain. "After that...it was waiting that was terrible. You didn't know if, when he was done with Nate, he'd hurt you again. I was shaking in a cold panic. Twenty-five years since it happened, and the same sick feeling in my stomach comes back now..." Did he? Come back to you?
"No. He just kept beating Nate. It went on and on and on. I remember the sharp sound of the blows and how finally my brother stopped screaming... "It was very quiet. All I could think of was would he do that to me now. I could see my brother lying there in shock, and I knew in a moment it would be my turn. "I can't describe the basic animal fear you have in your gut at a time like that. Where someone has complete power over you. And they're hurting you. And there is no escape. No way out. If your mom couldn't help you...I can't explain it to anyone except perhaps a survivor from a POW camp." Last year, Nate Phelps, sixth of Pastor Phelps' 13 children, accused his father of child abuse in the national media. The information was presented as a footnote to the larger story of Fred Phelps' anti-gay campaign. But the deep currents that lie beneath the apparent apple-cheeks of the Phelps' clan were stirring. A series of interviews with Nate resulted in an eyewitness account of life growing up in the Phelps camp. These reports contained allegations of persistent and poisonous child abuse, wife-beating, drug addiction, kidnapping, terrorism, wholesale tax fraud, and business fraud. In addition, Nate described the cult-like disassembly of young adult identities into shadow-souls, using physical and emotional coercion- coercion which may have been a leading factor in the suicide of an emotionally troubled teenage girl.
The second son, Mark Phelps, who according to his sisters was at one time heir to the throne of Fred, had refused comment during the earlier spate of news coverage. He and Nate have both left the Westboro congregation and now live within four blocks of each other on the West Coast. But, like the icy water that waits off sunny California beaches, the deepest currents sometimes rise and now Mark has surfaced with a decision.
"My father," says the 39 year-old, now a parent himself, "is addicted to hate. Why? I can't say. But I know he has to let it out. As rage. In doing so, he has violated the sacred trust of a parent and a pastor. "I'm not trying to hurt my father. And I'm not trying to save him. I'm going to tell what happened because I've decided it's the only way I can overcome my past: to drag it into the light and break its chains."
Mark believes that Fred Phelps, no longer able to hate and abuse his adult children if he hopes to keep them near, by necessity now must turn all his protean anger outward against his community. Mark has decided to tell the truth about his father so that others will be warned. He and his brother have now come forward with specific and detailed stories, alarming tales, ones that could be checked and have been verified. Mark's testimony supports Nate's previously, and both men's statements have been confirmed by a third Phelps' child. In addition, the Capital- Journal has uncovered documents which substantiate this testimony, and interviewed dozens of relevant witnesses who have confirmed much of this information. "One of my earliest memories...," the voice in the phone pauses, painful to remember: "was the big ol' German shepherd that belonged to our neighbors. One day it was in our yard and my father went out and blew it apart with his shotgun."
Mark says he has no memories prior to age five. "Living in that house was like being in a war zone, where things were unpredictable and things were very violent. And there was a person who was violent who did what he wanted to do. And that was to hurt people, or break things, or throw a fit, or whatever he wanted to do, that's what he did. And there was nobody there to say different."
One day when Mark was a teenager, he came home to find his mom sitting on the lip of the tub, blue towel on her head, her lips pursed with anger and hurt. "Do you know what your father did today?" she asked. To Mark, it felt surreal. His mother never spoke out nor vented her emotions. She seemed quite different just then.
He looked at his father. Pastor Phelps was standing across the room with his arms folded, smiling (the bathtub was in the parents' bedroom). "No," said Mark. "I don't know." His mother stood up and whipped the towel down her side. "He chopped my hair off," she announced, tears coming to her eyes. The son stood aghast at the grotesque head before him. His mother's former waist-length hair had been shorn to two inches- and even that showed ragged gouges down to the white of the scalp. "Why?" he asked. "Your father says I wasn't in subjection today," she replied. According to Mark and Nate, all of the Phelps children were terrified of their father: "Usually we had to worry what mood we'd find him in after school. You didn't make any noise or racket, or cut- up; you had to walk on eggshells, tiptoe around him; you didn't fight with your siblings; you did your jobs, performed your assigned tasks, and hoped not to draw his attention." If you did draw it and he was in a foul mood, say the boys, summary punishment at the hands of the dour pastor involved being beaten with fists, kicked in the stomach, or having one's arm twisted up and behind one's back till it nearly dislocated.
Sometimes Pastor Phelps preferred to grab one child by their little hands and haul them into the air. Then he would repeatedly smash his knee into their groin and stomach while walking across the room and laughing. The boys remember this happening to Nate when he was only seven, and to Margie and Kathy even after they were sexually developed teenagers. Nate recalls being taken into the church once where his father, a former golden gloves boxer, bent him backwards over a pew, body-punched him, spit in his face, and told him he hated him. Mark's very first memory in this life is an emotional scar: their mom had gone to the hospital to give birth to Jonathon. Mark remembers being very upset, since now they would be alone in the house with their father, his threatening presence left unmitigated by her maternal concern. Though only five, already Mark could use the phone and, one day while his father was out he dialed the number she'd left.
When he heard her voice, he told her, "Mom, I'm scared. I need you." But before she could respond, the Pastor Phelps came on. He had gone to visit the new mother. "What the hell are you doing calling here?" the father shouted into the phone. "Don't you ever call here and bother her again!" That is Mark Phelps' earliest memory. That, and the feeling, when his father hung up, that there would be no rescue and no escape from the fear and pain contained in the word, 'daddy'. When Fred Phelps came home, he beat the little boy's first memory of the world in to stay. From that moment, Mark whispers softly in the phone, "I resolved to be a total yes-man to my father. If I couldn't escape his violence, then I'd get so close to him he wouldn't see me. I'd survive that way."
"We had clothes and food," adds Nate. "What we didn't have was safety. He could throw fits and rages at any moment. When he did, the kids would respond by turning pale and shaking, standing there shivering and listening-Mark would pace and count the squares in the floor." "But I learned exactly what I had to do...to stay safe around him," continues Mark. I did a good job of it." He admits he used to beat his brothers and sisters if his father ordered
him: "If you fell asleep in church, you got hit in the face. Once I hit Nate so hard, it knocked over the pew and blood splurt across the floor." After a moment, he tells us quietly: "My brothers and sisters are entitled to hate me." Physical abuse? Nonsense, say sisters Margie and Shirley. They laugh.
Well, maybe during their father's period of preoccupation with health food. Every morning they were required to eat nuts and vitamins, curds and whey. "I hate nuts," says Margie "We'd take the vitamins and drop them in our pockets. Throw them out later." She adds: "Little Abby was the only one who liked curds and whey. Poor kid. She'd have to eat every bowl on the table when my dad wasn't looking."
Against this charming story is set another. For all her reputation as a minotaur of the Kansas courtrooms, Margie Phelps was like a second mom to the younger children. Today, she remains well-liked by her siblings, including Mark and Nate. When her father was beating someone and screaming at the top of his lungs, frequently Margie would take her terrified younger brothers and sisters away for several hours. When they thought it was over, they'd come back like cautious house cats, sneaking in softly, Margie on point, to see if the coast was clear. The boys tell how one day their father was in a barbershop and noticed the leather strap used to sharpen razors. It struck his fancy as a backup to the mattock handle, so he had one custom-made at a leatherworker's shop near Lane and Huntoon.
"It was about two feet long and four inches wide. It left oval circles- red, yellow, and blue," says Mark. "Usually the circles would be where it would snap the tip-on the outside of your right leg and hip...because he was righthanded." According to Mark and Nate, their father wore out several of the leathermaker's straps while they were growing up. As Mark Phelps became the angel-appointed in Fred's family cult, Nate was assigned the role of sinner. For Mark, his brother was the needed scapegoat. For the rest of the family, Nate was a problem child, the delinquent of the brood. Brilliant like his dad (Nate's IQ has been measured at 150), the middle son followed another drummer from the time he was a toddler. When he was five, he remembers his father telling him, 'I'm going to keep a special eye on you'. The regular beatings started shortly thereafter.
Nate endured literally hundreds of such brutalities before walking out at one minute after midnight on his eighteenth birthday. His siblings both inside and outside the church agree that Nate got the lion's share of the 'discipline'. "Nate was a very tough kid," says Mark. "I don't know how he endured it, but he did. He'd get 40 blows at a time from the mattock handle. He was just tougher than the rest of us and my father adjusted for that."
Today, raising his family in California, Nate is a devout Christian and a warm, friendly, considerate, mountain of a man. But at 6'4" and 280 pounds, it would be...instructive...to see father and son in the same room today with one mattock stick between them. "I sensed early on this man had no love for us," says Nate. "He was using us. I knew it. And I always made sure he knew I did."
in fact, Mark adds, Nate's obstinate resistance so angered his father that, by age nine, when a family outing had been planned, frequently Nate not only missed it, but Fred would remain behind with him. "And during the course of the day, my father would beat Nate whenever the spirit moved him. " Mark remembers the family coming back once to find Pastor Phelps jogging around the dining room table, beating the sobbing boy with a broom handle; while doing so, he was alternately spitting on the frightened child and chuckling the same sinecure laugh so disturbing to those who've seen him on television. When he wasn't allowed to go along, says Mark, "Nate would literally scream and chase mom as she drove off with us kids in the car. He knew what was coming after we left." The older brother remembers the little one racing alongside the windows, begging for them not to leave him until, like a dog, he could no longer keep up. Mark sorrowfully admits he felt no empathy for him, only relief it wasn't happening to himself. "I just stared straight ahead. I didn't know what he was yelling about. I was just glad to get the hell out of there." But how could their mom tolerate that? Wouldn't the maternal instinct cut in at some point? Wouldn't the lioness turn in fury to protect her cub?
It turns out Mrs. Phelps was herself an abused child, according to her sons. "The only thing she ever told us about her dad was that he was a drunkard who beat them. She said she'd always run and hide in the watermelon patch when he was raging." Though most of her nine brothers and sisters either settled in Kansas City or remained in rural Missouri, Mrs. Phelps has had virtually no contact with them during the last 40 years. Not since she married Fred. "My father was very effective at jamming Bible verses down her throat about wives being in subjection to their husbands," Nate says. "She was a small woman and very gentle. She felt God had put her with Fred and she had to endure." "Oh, mom would try to interfere," adds Mark. "She'd come running out, finally, into the church auditorium as the beating would escalate, and yell wildly, 'Fred, stop it!" You're going to kill him!' "And then my father would turn on her. I remember him screaming, 'Oh, so you want me to just let them go, huh? You don't believe in discipline, huh? Why don't you just shut your goddam mouth before I slap you? Get your fat hussy ass out of here! I'm warning you, goddamit, you either shut up or I'm going to beat you!' "And then," Mark continues, "she'd shut up till she couldn't take it anymore, then she'd start again. When she did, he'd start beating her and hitting her with his fist, and sometimes she'd just come up and grab him. Sometimes she'd run out the front door, and sometimes he'd just slap her and beat her until she'd shut up. "I can remember times when she'd get hit so hard, it looked like she'd be knocked out, and she'd stagger and almost fall. She would give out this desperate scream right at the moment when he would hit her.
"Sometimes, after he'd get done beating her, he'd have forgotten about the kid. Sometimes he'd go back to the kids and beat even harder. Then he'd blame the kid for what had happened." The phone line falls silent. "Out in public," recalls Nate, "she wore sunglasses a lot." Mrs. Phelps was beaten even when she wasn't interfering. After Nate and Kathy, the boys figure their mom was victimized the most. They remember their father finishing one session by throwing her down the stairs from the second floor. "It had 16 steps," says Mark. "And no rail," continues Nate. "Mom grabbed at the stairs going over and tore the ligaments and cartilage in her right shoulder. The doctor said she needed surgery, but my father refused. We had no medical insurance back then. She's had a bad shoulder ever since. My father often chose that same shoulder to re-injure when he was beating mom. He'd grab her right arm and jerk it. She'd yelp." The voice in the phone sighs: "But...I guess I do still feel that very deeply...that she betrayed a gut, primitive bond when she drove off and left me. I do love my mom. But I wish she'd put a stop to it. She could have and she didn't." Pastor Phelps denies beating his children or his wife. "Hardly a word of truth to that stuff. You know, it's amazing to me that even one of them stayed." He grins, referring to the nine daughters and sons who remain loyal to him. Why?
"Because teachers have the kids from age five. And children are besieged by their own lusts and foreign ideas. "Those boys (Mark and Nate) didn't want to stay in this church. It was too hard. They took up with girls they liked, and the last thing them girls was gonna do was come into this church. "Those boys wanted to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. I can't blame them. I just feel sorry for them that they're not bound for the promised land." Margie is the second-oldest daughter and the fourth Phelps child. Her mom goes by 'Marge", so she is 'Margie'. Some say Margie is the de facto head of operations for her father's war on the community. Anticipating bad reviews from Nate, at least, she explained: "My brother is furious with his father because he (Nate) is married to another man's wife. My dad and our whole family do not accept that." On the abuse issue, her denials take a softer tone: "There were times in our childhood when each of us had bruises on our behinds. My dad had a capacity to go too far. In what he said even more than what he did...yet, as obnoxious as he can be one minute, he's the most kind, caring person another minute. "I have a marvellous relationship with my father as an adult. He respects me. He listens to me. And he helps me. Most people, when they get older, they don't have that kind of relationship with their parents." Margie, as a single woman, adopted a new-born infant boy nine years ago. "Jacob doesn't have a father," she says, "and my dad fills in there. He's one of Jacob's best friends. He's just a wonderful grandfather to him." For his part, Nate remembers Marge bringing home bad grades one day and going running to avoid a beating. When she got back, she was in an exhausted state. Fred beat her anyway. So badly, she lost consciousness and lay in a heap on the floor. The Pastor Phelps kicked his daughter repeatedly in the head and stomach while she out. "I saw her interviewed on television," adds Nate. "And she said we weren't abused, just strictly brought up." He was concerned when he heard her say that: "If she remembers that as a 'strict upbringing', then there's no moral suasion there for her not to 'strictly bring up' her own child, the adopted Jacob. "Nate would have ended in the penitentiary without his father's discipline," says his mother. "I believe it's him who's the bitter one. He needed a lot of discipline." That's fair. All large families have a black sheep. But this one has four: Nate and Mark rebelled, accepting they'd be turned back from the gates of heaven by their father who was acting as St. Peter's proxy. They later received an official letter from the Westboro Baptist Church, informing them they had been 'voted out of the church and delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh'. Katherine and Dottie suffered the same fate but continue to reside in Topeka. "Dottie only cares about her career," says her mom. "Family is an embarrassment." And Kathy? "She's been a bitch since high school," says Margie.
"Mark," reflects Mrs. Phelps, "was always well-behaved. Of the ones who left, he was a surprise." According to Mark and Nate, fathering to Pastor Phelps meant the rod and the pulpit. "My dad never once stood with me, or sat with me, or worked with me to teach me anything about the practical life of a Christian," says Mark. "It was just preach on Sunday. There was no focus on the human heart or being a human-you know, how we were supposed to do that."
When it came to their formal education as well, Fred's input to the curriculum was limited to the rod and the wrath of God. "Our dad had no use for education. He wanted us all to be lawyers, and for that we needed good grades. But he would sneer at our subjects, never helped us with our homework, never went to any school meetings and skipped our graduations. All he cared about were the grades. On the day they arrived, that was the one day he got involved in our education-usually with the mattock." "The only time he met our teachers," adds Nate, "was when he was suing them ." Mark remembers a day when the boys had gathered in one room to do their homework. They'd been working quietly for some time when the dour pastor walked in.
After staring in simmering malevolence at each of them, he intoned: "You guys think you may be foolin' me. But on a cold snowy day, the snow will be crunchin' under the mailman's tires, and under his boots, when he puts that letter in our box. Your grades. And that's when the meat's gonna get separated from the coconut..." When the report cards arrived from Landon Middle School one day in January, 1972, it wasn't snowing. But Jonathon and Nate's grades were poor and the meat got separated from the coconut. The beatings were so severe, the boys were covered with massive, broken, purple bruising extending from their buttocks to below their knees. Neither Jonathon or Nate were able to sit down, and the blows to the backs of their legs had caused so much swelling they were unable to bend them. Today, Nate has chronic knee complaints whose origin may lie in early trauma to the cartilage. And after the beatings came the shaming. It was 1972-the age of shoulder locks. Both boys had begged their father not to have crewcuts. They already felt exposed to enough ridicule as the odd ducks whose father didn't believe in Christmas, whose home no one was allowed to visit, and who were forbidden to visit others' homes. Jonathon and Nate had a teenage dread of braving the corridors with flesh-heads in an era of long manes, and their father had relented. Their hair had been allowed to touch their collars. But when the grades turned bad, out came the clippers. No attachments. Brutally short. Shaved bald. "It was not a haircut," says Nate. "It was a penalty. And a further way of cutting us off from the outside world."
On the following day-a Thursday-the boys came to school wearing red stocking caps. When asked to remove them in class, they declined. This upset their teachers almost as much as their refusal to take their seats. One instructor demanded Nate remove his headgear. Finally, Nate did. The teacher stared at his bald head. So did his classmates. "On second thought," said the charitable man, "put it back on."
For gym class that Friday, the boys had a note from their mom excusing them all week. By now, the faculty had a pretty good idea what the clothes, notes, and funny hats were covering, and Principal Dittemore asked Jonathon to come into his office. Waiting for him were the school nurse and a doctor from the community.
They asked the 13 year-old to show them his bruises. He refused. Feeling their hands were tied, the staff released Jonathon, only to have the pastor himself show up a few hours later. During a stormy second meeting, Phelps accused the school, first of slackness and poor discipline, then, paradoxically, of beating his sons and causing the bruising themselves. He threatened to slap a lawsuit on anyone who pursued the matter.
Not a man to be intimidated, Dittemore reported the suspected child abuse to an officer of the Juvenile Court. On Monday, the same routine occurred-unable to sit down and insisting on the stocking caps. Until it came time for gym once more. The note had excused them for a week, but now the coach demanded they show it again, saying he'd thought it was only for a day. The boys had left their note at home.
The coach took Nate into the locker room and stood there, waiting for him to get undressed. Nate refused. At that point, the faculty relented, and Jonathon and Nate thought they were off the hook. But, as they walked out of Landon to their mom's station wagon after school, they saw two police cars waiting. One of the teachers pointed the boys out to the officers. Before he knew it, Nate was in a squad car on his way downtown. "I was terrified. Not because I was afraid of the police. I was afraid of my dad. I kept thinking it was all over but the funeral. What would my old man do? This was my fault and he was going to beat the daylight out of me and I could still barely walk from the last one." At the station, Nate remembers everyone was very kind to him. They spent an enormous amount of time and energy trying to allay his fears and coax him to allow them to photograph his naked backside. Finally he did. When the police allowed Mrs. Phelps to take her boys home, Nate's worst nightmare came true. After nearly getting arrested for delivering a tirade of obscenities and threats to the juvenile detectives, the dour pastor rushed back to the house and delivered a fresh beating to his exhausted sons.
For the moment, however, it had gone beyond the pastor's control. Police detectives investigated the matter, and it was filed as juvenile abuse cases #13119 and #13120. Jonathon and Nate were assigned a court- appointed lawyer, as a guardian-ad-litem, to protect their interests. The assistant county attorney took charge of the cases, and juvenile officers were assigned to the boys.
In his motion to dismiss, the ever-resourceful Phelps filed a pontifically sobering sermon on the value of strict discipline and corporal punishment in a good Christian upbringing. "When he beat us, he told us if it became a legal case, we'd pay hell," says Nate. "And we believed him. At that time, there was nothing we wanted to see more than those charges dropped. When the guardian ad litem came to interview us, we lied through our teeth."
Principals involved in the case speculate the boys' statements, along with superiors' reluctance to tangle with the litigious pastor, caused the charges to be dropped. The last reason is not academic speculation. The Capital-Journal has learned through several sources that the Topeka Police Department's attitude toward the Phelps' family in the '70s and '80s was hands off-this guy's more trouble than it's worth'.
Three months later, the case was dismissed upon the motion of the state. The reason given by the prosecutor was "no case sufficient to go to trial in opinion of state". The boys were selling candy in Highland Park when they learned from their mom during a rest break the Pastor Phelps would not go on trial for beating his children. "I felt elated," remembers Nate. "It meant at least I wouldn't get beaten for that."
But if Nate's life was so full of pain and fear, why didn't he speak up when he was at the police station and everyone was being so nice to him? Nate laughs. It's the veteran's tolerant amusement at the novice's question. "We'll do anything not to have to give up our parents," he answers. "That's just the way kids are. That's the way we were." "Besides, when it (abuse) occurs since birth, it never even crosses your mind to fight back," interrupts Mark. "You know how they train elephants?
They raise them tied to a chain in the ground. Later, it's replaced by a rope and a stick. But the elephant never stops thinking it's a chain." The loyal Phelps family are of two minds on the case. Margie admitted it had occurred. Jonathon denied it. The pastor never decided. Instead, he launched into a lecture on the value of tough love in raising good Christians.
Since their juvenile files were destroyed when the boys reached eighteen, but for their father's vindictiveness, there might have been no record of this case. As it was, he sued the school. This caused the school's insurance company to request a statement from Principal Dittemore, who complied, describing the events which led to the faculty's concern the boys were being abused. The suit was dropped.
When contacted in retirement, Dittemore confirmed he'd written the letter and acknowledged its contents. The family now accuses Nate of fabricating his stories of child abuse. They claim he is spinning these lies out of the malice he has over their opposition to his marriage (Nate's wife is divorced). But Nate was married in 1986. The described case of abuse was a matter of record 14 years earlier-and 21 years prior to Pastor Phelps' controversial debut on national television. The Phelps family has since maintained that, while the case did exist, the charges were invented by the school to harass their family. They say they were raised under loving but strict discipline, and that is how they're raising their children. Jonathon Phelps, who admits he beats his wife and four children, for emphasis reads from Proverbs, 13:24: "He that spareth his rod, hateth his son. But he that loveth him, chasteneth him betimes." Yes...but...where does it say the purple child is a child much-loved? Betty Phelps, wife of Fred, Jr., glowers at the questions. Anytime you spank a child, you're going to cause bruising, she explains. And sneers: "I'll bet your parents put a pillow in your pants." Jonathon, staring straight ahead and not looking at the reporter, states in a barely controlled voice of malevolent threat that, should the reporter tell it differently than just heard, said scribbler is evil and going to hell. Assuming there'll be space, the doomed dromedary of capital muckraking must tell it differently.
To begin with, the reporters on this story were raised in the same era and locale as the Phelps boys. They also grew up under strict discipline, and one of their fathers was, at one time, a professional boxer. Daddy's hands sometimes swung a mean leather belt, but only a few strokes, and it left no bruises. After a few minutes, one could sit down again. The moving force behind the pastor's hands was not 'tough love', as he so often claims, but malice aforethought. The Capital- Journal has established from numerous sources conversant with the case that the injuries to Nate and Jonathon Phelps in January of 1972 went far beyond the bounds of a 'strict upbringing'-even by the standards of the strictest disciplinarian. Those injuries would have been seen as torture and abuse in any era, at any age, in any culture.
Mark's front porch tale is instructive. Any psychologist hearing the story about choking that cat today would know immediately to investigate the child's home life for abuse. Back then it was not the case. That child would have been left to find his own way out of the terrible subterranean world another had made for him. Most don't. Research shows nine out of twelve die down there.
In their heart. When the light in their soul goes out. If their bodies live on, they grow up mangled and mangle those closest to them. And it all takes shape down there. In the dark new universe of a young child's mind. Mark Phelps escaped.
His father did not. That man came to the Kansas capital instead. And, after 40 years, he still haunts its porches, tormenting its innocents. The Capital-Journal went south...Mississippi...to see if it could learn where and when...perhaps how...the light went out for Fred Phelps.
It followed him to Colorado and California, Canada and New Mexico. For three months, it turned every stone in Topeka, seeking the truth about this man. What follows is the monster behind the clown, the street corner malevolence mocking the cameras.
CHAPTER THREE
"God's Left Hook"
The air hangs heavy, torpid, and hot. Pulling the warm steam into one's lungs leaves only a disturbing sense of slow suffocation. Under the harsh subtropic sun, the magnolia blossoms slip from the black-green leaves, falling like wet snow-petals to perfume the red-clay earth. In the heat, it leaves a heavy, hanging smell...the wealth of Dixie. Fred Phelps spent his first years here.
Outside the courthouse, flags sag limp and breezeless. Above the doors are cut the words: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor It's Meridian, Mississippi, town of old store fronts, mouthwatering cornbread, and 40,000 people. Surrounded by 100-foot pine forests, its business is lumber. Trucks and flatbed railcars loaded with freshly cut logs rolls slowly by. To the sensual fragrance of the magnolias is added the sweet aroma of pine. While great pyramids of logs await processing into lumber at the plant on the west side, Navy jets roar overhead...the other source of revenue. The federal government threatens to close the base down; the locals fight to keep it. Meridian was sacked by General Sheridan during the Civil War. The implacable bluecoat burned the town and tore up what, till then, had been a rail hub of the South. The town has since recovered. The railroad did not. In the cemeteries can be found gravestones of the Confederate dead. Among them, a more recent marker reads: Catherine Idalette Phelps, Age 28 Fred's mother used to open all the windows in the house and play the piano, according to Thetis Grace Hudson, former librarian in Meridian and a neighbor of the Phelps family during the Depression. The other households on her street were too poor to afford any entertainment, she says, so everyone remembered Catherine Phelps for her kindness.
Apparently she played well. Whenever she was at their house, Hudson remembers she used to ask Mrs. Phelps to play the hymn "Love Lifted Me" on the piano. Fred's mother always obliged, even if she was busy. But, after an illness of several months-those who still remember the family say it was throat cancer-Catherine Phelps died on September 3, 1935. Fred was only five years old. Since the little boy's uncle was the mayor of nearby Pascagoula, and his father was prominent in Meridian, the honorary pallbearers at her funeral included the local mayor, a city councilman, two judges, and every member of the police department. Ms. Hudson says young Fred was bewildered at the loss. After his mother's death, a maternal great aunt, Irene Jordan, helped care for Fred and his younger sister, Martha Jean. "She kept house for the daddy," adds a distant relative who declined to be identified. At times, work caused the boy's father to be away from home and Jordan raised the children. The woman Fred Phelps has referred to as 'his dear old aunt' died in a head-on collision in 1951 as she was driving back to Meridian from a nearby town. The boy had lost two mothers before he'd turned 21.
Family friends remember Fred's father was a tall, stately man. A true Southern gentlemen, they say. And a fine Christian. But the elder Phelps also had a hot temper, according to Jack Webb, 81, of Porterville, Miss. Webb owns a general store, the only business in Porterville, a town of about 45 elderly people. "If he got mad, he was mad all over," said Webb. He was ready to fight right quick. He was mad, mad, mad." Webb is a frail man, slightly hard of hearing. Walking into his general store is like stepping back into the 19th century. The shelves, all located behind a 100-foot wooden counter, are stocked with weary tins of Vienna sausage and dusty bottles of aspirin. Coke goes for 30 cents. Glass. No twist-off.
Despite the temper, Webb adds, the elder Phelps was an honorable man. In Meridian, he had been an object of great respect. Fred's father was a veteran of World War One, and throughout his life suffered from the effects of a mustard gassing he'd taken in France. He found work as a detective for the Southern Railroad to support his family. The railroad security force or "bulls", as they were called, had a reputation for brutality when they patrolled the yards to prevent the itinerant laborers, washed out of their hometowns by the Depression, from riding the freights. "My father," says Pastor Phelps, "oft-times came home with blood all over him." Suddenly he stands up, turning his face away, and exits. Several minutes later he returns, smiling, apologizing: "You got me thinking about those days," he offers, then bravely charges into a round of the town's official song: "Meridian, Meridian... a city set upon a hill; Meridian, Meridian... that radiates the South's good will."
The elder Phelps was a "bull" throughout the Depression, says Thetis Hudson, and the pay was good. The family lived comfortably at a time when the other families in town were being ravaged by hardship. What was the son like? "Fred Phelps had as normal and beautiful a home life as anyone ever wanted," commented a relative who didn't want their name used. "His childhood was very good," says Hudson. "There was nothing in his family out of the ordinary." "All I know is it's a tragedy, and it stems from within Fred Phelps," adds the anonymous relative, referring to the homosexual picketing. "It has nothing to do with his upbringing."
As a teenager. Fred was tall and thin and sported a crewcut. He was extraordinarily smart, but thought to be a bit overbearing about it at times. A reserved and serious high school student, he never dated anyone while there. "He was not a real socializer, but he knew a lot of people. Everyone had the greatest respect for him," says Joe Clay Hamilton, former high-school classmate, now a Meridian lawyer. The future Pastor Phelps earned the rank of Eagle Scout with Palms, played coronet and base horn in the high school band, was a high hurdler on the track team, and worked as a reporter on the school's newspaper. In a class of 213 graduates, he ranked sixth. When he was voted class orator for commencement of May, 1946, received the American Legion Award for courage, leadership, scholarship, and service, then honored as his congressman's choice for West Point, Fred Phelps was only 16 years old. A year later this young man, touted as the quiet achiever, had turned his back on West Point, his former life, and his future promise. The summer of '47 would find him a belligerent and eccentric zealot, antagonizing the Mormons in the mountains of Utah. Because of his age, Phelps had to wait one fateful year before entering the military academy. During that time he attended the local junior college. While waiting for his life to start, Fred, along with his best friend, John Capron, went to a revival meeting at the local Methodist church. It was there the budding pastor felt the 'call', and the dreams of going north to West Point melted like the river ice washed down and marooned on the hot mud of the Mississippi banks.
Fred Phelps, by his own description, "went to a little Methodist revival meeting and had what I think was an experience of grace, they call it down there. I felt the call, as they say, and it was powerful. The God of glory appeared. It doesn't mean a vision or anything, but it means an impulse on the heart, as the old preachers say." The revival had a profound effect on both Phelps and Capron. "The two of them 'got religion'," said Joe Hamilton. Friends and relatives claim the two boys became so excited, they were unable to distinguish reality from idealism-they were going off to conquer the world. One relative still in Meridian described it this way: "Fred, bless his heart, just went overboard. If you didn't accept it, he was going to cram it down your throat."
Was this radical change in behavior a characteristic of the conversion experience? Or was there something hidden in the young man's character that drew him to the experience and its consequent license for loud and abusive behavior? If the latter, then some heart should be heard pounding beneath the floorboards in the old Phelps' house. Yet, there is little to be heard.
Fletcher Rosenbaum, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force who lives in Meridian, went to high school with Phelps. "He was good at whatever he tried," Rosenbaum says. "He was a first-class individual. I would be surprised if he wasn't a top-notch citizen in Topeka." Picketing AIDS funerals and the fax attacks on members of his community by Phelps surprised Rosenbaum: "He was very reserved in high school. Very quiet. I'm surprised he would be involved in aggressive activities. To me, it would be out of character for him." This observation may not be entirely accurate. One woman, a librarian at the Meridian Public Library, said she remembers Phelps and went to school and church with him. "He doesn't bend," she observed. "He never did." She also described him as "spooky", "different", and "a preacher prodigy." "You tell him not to do it, and he'll do it," said another Meridian woman. "He was a very determined person. That's to be admired, but it can be taken too far." Even Fred himself remembers differently. He was a boxer throughout high school and, reminiscing briefly about his days in Meridian, he chuckles to himself. If any of the other boys came to class with a puffy face or shiner, their friends would ask if they'd been sparring with Phelps. He always left his mark on them, he tells me proudly.
Sid Curtis, a grade-school classmate of Fred's, remembers the future pastor drew well, even then. What did he draw? Boxers.
A golden glove contender in high school, Fred fought twice in state meets, winning matches which, according to him, were head-on slugfests. Not aggressive? Not the Bull of Topeka yet, but clearly it was in his character. A story in the high-school paper, predicting the futures of Phelps and his classmates, reads: "Fred Phelps will box in Madison Square Garden next June, 1954. Young Phelps will fight for the world championship." One can only wonder what deep currents rose in the teenager whenever he climbed into the ring. Recalling the earlier testimony of his sons, Nate and Mark, and remembering that research has proven abusive behavior is passed with high probability from one generation to the next, the question must be raised: Was the Pastor Phelps equally abused as a child? In the South, there is an unwritten code you don't bad-mouth one of your own. Strangers are welcome unless they ask too many questions, or speak ill of Southern folks and ways. In fact, if ET had come down in Meridian instead of Southern California, and a yankee inquired about that today, folks would probably scratch their chins, figure the carpet-baggers with a knowing eye, and say he was a quiet boy, little short for his age...but had good hands for the piano... If the stories his sons have told are true, the outside observer has two choices in understanding Fred Phelps: either there's a pounding heart under the floor in that old house or the teenager's Saul- into-Paul experience produced the character change. However, many Christians might find it difficult to believe that discovering Jesus would render a good-natured, quiet lad into the bullying hostile whose trail we will shortly follow from Vernal, Utah to Topeka, Kansas. If something did happen to throw Fred Waldron Phelps off track, something that mangled him for life, no one in Meridian wanted to say. Doing that no doubt would be to speak ill of the dead-something Pastor Phelps also was taught to avoid.
Yet, suddenly at 16, the child has become the man: fanatic, unempathic, combative, and vindictive. If there is an answer to the question, 'why does Fred hate us all so much?', perhaps it lies in those years, age five to 15, when his father was largely absent and Fred and his sister were cared for by Irene Jordan.
"If he were dead, I'd talk," says Fred's sister, Martha Jean Capron, now residing in Pennsylvania. "But as long as he's alive...that's up to him..." Following the revival experience, Phelps abandoned plans for West Point. He moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he attended Bob Jones College, a non-denominational Christian academy.
John Capron went with him. While Fred and his boyhood chum would eventually separate over religion, Martha Jean and Capron never would: they were married and moved to Indonesia as missionaries. John was a minister there for ten years. Later he would smuggle Bibles into Communist China. Pastor Phelps' brother-in-law died of a heart attack in 1982.
Perhaps it's a shame Phelps didn't go to West Point. An army career could have provided a healthy outlet for his aggression, been more compatible with his demanding and commanding nature, while his strong body, mind, and will would have been an asset to the service and his country. If he'd survived Korea as a 2nd lieutenant, probably he'd have been a lieutenant colonel by Vietnam. There he'd almost certainly have chipped his Manichaean mandibles of dualism on that war's hard bone of moral ambiguity. Either he'd have ended on a river somewhere, whispering "the horror...the horror..." to bewildered junior officers, or gained a wider horizon and returned home to retire an urbane cynic and Southern gentleman. But in 1946, Fred Phelps had a year to kill instead of Nazis or North Koreans. The revival took him from Meridian to Bob Jones; from there the future pastor found another outlet for his anger. This one gave instant gratification and conferred adult license to abuse almost overnight: lip-shooting preacher; revivalist minister. And, unlike Vietnam, here God was unequivocally on his side...
As part of a Rocky Mountain mission assignment in summer, 1947, Phelps and two other students from Bob Jones were to seek out a fundamentalist church, convert non-believers to Christianity and steer the converts to that church. The three men chose Vernal, a town in northeast Utah. They would be working to convert, not secular hedonists, but a population that was predominantly and staunchly Mormon. When Fred and his friends got there, they set up a meeting tent brought from Bob Jones in the city park. A local Baptist minister provided them food and lodging (B.H. McAlister, who would later ordain Phelps). During the day the do-it- yourself apostles went door-to-door, seeking converts to the good news. At night, they conducted revival meetings in the tent. Only no one came.
So Ed Nelson, one of the trio, had an idea. He went to a local radio station and asked if he might buy a block of time. Nope, was the reply. Not if you're going to attack the Mormon church. Ok, said Ed, can I announce I'll be giving an address tonight at the tent?
Sure. So Ed Nelson announced on the radio he'd be doing just that. And the title of the speech? 'What's Wrong with the Mormon Church?' says Ed, over the air. That night, continues Nelson, now 69 and a traveling Baptist evangelist based in Denver, a huge crowd arrived. It was so large, the trip had to roll up the sides of the tent. Ed was nervous, but he gave his speech. The crowd listened politely. When the young evangelist was finished, a man in the crowd asked would there be questions. Sure, said Ed.
But the very first one stumped him, Nelson confesses disarmingly, and he panicked. Flustered, he announced there would be no more questions. Several in the throng protested, saying that, after sitting in courtesy, listening to their religion attacked, they weren't going to let the young men off so easily-that they should be willing to answer the crowd's questions.
At that, Fred rushed one of the men speaking and started to throw a punch, but Ed grabbed his arm and shouted: "Fred! Fred! No! Don't you do it!" "And," Nelson recounts, "Fred looked at that guy and he said, 'you shut your mouth, you dirty...' something or other."
Which, to Ed, only compounded their troubles. Fred's companion then raised his arms and shouted, "Folks, the meeting's over! It's over!" And he rushed out and killed the lights inside the tent. This discouraged any further theological discussion.
It would seem this format-speak one's mind, then take violent offense at anything less than complete agreement, and suppress all opposing views by any means handy-was the major life lesson learned by Fred Phelps during his sojourn among the Vernal heathen. "He was hot-headed and peculiar," remembers Nelson about Fred then. Eventually the minister decided to cease his association with Phelps because of his hostility and aggressiveness. "The last time I saw him, he was traveling through (on the road preaching). My wife and I gave them a hundred dollars and a bunch of handkerchiefs." When told of what Phelps was doing today, Ed said: "I'm not surprised. He was heading that way. He was so brilliant, he was dangerous. He was getting involved in the idea that only he was saved...going into heresy..." Though vandals damaged the tent, the boys from Bob Jones continued to hold nightly meetings there during the rest of their vacation. No one came, but Nelson reports they did manage to convert two teenage girls-at least for the summer.
At the end of their stay, Fred got ordained. Ordained? At 17? Isn't that too young? "No, it isn't," replies B.H. McAlister, who did the ordaining. "If he can pass the test, he is eligible. I don't think the word of God is bound by age."
Phelps was at least three years younger than most when they become ministers. Southern Baptists do not require a candidate for the ministry be a graduate of seminary. McAlister, who has helped ordain hundreds of ministers, said an examination board of 10 to 20 ministers would ask a candidate questions about doctrines and scriptures. Not everyone passed. Fred Phelps did-but only after McAlister and a missionary convinced the teenager he was wrong on a scriptural fine point. Which point was that? According to McAlister, Phelps considered the local church to be more than a place of fellowship-for him, membership in the local congregation directly corresponded to membership in the Body of Christ. Phelps may have conceded the point to be ordained, but, for 40 years, his family and church members in Topeka have been controlled by his threat that, if they depart his congregation, they must carry a letter of permission from him. In addition, they must join a congregation that he approves. Otherwise, as with Mark and Nate, the pastor Phelps draws up the dreaded missive ordering the straying sheep to be 'delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.' "We barely knew him," admits McAlister, who settled upon Fred the distinction of having been both baptized and ordained in a single eventful summer.
Phelps returned that autumn to Bob Jones, but left after a year without graduating. Later he would say he did so because the school was racist. In 1983, the IRS revoked the tax exemption of Bob Jones, accusing it of practicing racial discrimination. From there, Fred went north to the Prairie Bible Institute near Calgary, Alberta. But after two semesters he moved on.
Sources have disclosed the head of the college felt pastor Phelps might be clinically disturbed. Compatible with that diagnosis, Fred's next stop was Southern California. There he enrolled at John Muir College in Pasadena.
Campaigning to change community sexual mores with a sign and a sidewalk harangue has been a four-decade effort for Fred. His implacable efforts at John Muir to root out necking and petting on campus and dirty jokes in the classroom reached the pages of TIME magazine (11 June 1951). After being forbidden to preach on campus and getting removed at least once by police from college property, Fred finally found a following that cheered his defiance of authority when he returned to harangue from a sympathizer's lawn across the street. TIME speculated it might presage a movement back to more solid values by the younger generation. Phelps cashed in on the notoriety of the TIME article to become a traveling evangelist again-this time with more success than in Vernal.
In return for spending a week or two preaching at an established church or giving a revival, he would receive a bed, his meals, and a small stipend for gas to the next assignment. It was during one such ministry in Phoenix that he met his wife, Marge. She was a student at Arizona Bible School and an au-pair with the family that took in the itinerant evangelist. Today's Mrs. Phelps remembers being curious about the minister who'd been in TIME magazine. Laura Woods, the mistress of the house who gave voice lessons during the day, remembers Fred was the perfect guest. He helped build a room, mowed the lawn, made the beds, and washed the dishes, she said. When the couple decided to get married, Mrs. Woods made Marge Simms two dresses-a wedding gown and an outfit to travel in. They were married May 15, 1952. Laura and her husband, Arthur, remain friends today with Fred and Marge Phelps. The couple moved to Albuquerque for a year, where Marge kept house while Fred traveled a circuit around the Southwest-one that took him from Durango, Colorado to Tucson, Arizona. Fred Jr., the first of their thirteen children, was born May 4, 1953.
The family then lived in Sunnyslope, Arizona for a year while pastor Phelps continued his itinerant ministry. Mrs. Phelps was eight months pregnant with Mark when Pastor Leaford Cavin at the Eastside Baptist Church in Topeka invited Fred to come and preach.
On Fred Jr.'s first birthday, the family arrived in the Kansas capital to find it an auspicious day indeed: May 4, 1954 was the day the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic decision, Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, the landfall desegregation case which ruled separate but equal schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. The Pastor Phelps saw the coincidence of the Brown decision -just as he was deciding where to settle-as a sign telling him that Topeka was The Place. On that watershed day for America, if the new arrivals visited the state capitol building, perhaps Phelps was struck by the dramatic mural of the raging giant on the burning prairie, rifle in one hand, Bible (law book) in the other. Perhaps, as he has hinted, Pastor Phelps came to Topeka, saw it had become a national forum on black civil rights, saw the power of the legal profession, and decided it had fallen to him: Kansas would have a new John Brown.
CHAPTER FOUR
"Dog Days for the Pastor"
Before greatness could be thrust upon him, however, this new John Brown would suffer his dog days. At first, the new arrivals sailed smoothly into the Eastside Baptist community. Fred was roundly admired for his thunderous preaching, and was quickly hired an associate pastor. The ladies at Eastside all liked Marge and made the young mother welcome in their circles.
Things went swimmingly. The Eastside congregation was planning to open a new church across town, and it seemed natural when their pastor, Leaford Cavin, asked Fred to fill the job. The Eastside church issued bonds to purchase the property at 3701 12th Street. To help Brother Phelps get underway, the congregation re-roofed the building, painted it, and bought the songbooks necessary. A start-up group of about 50 former members of Eastside volunteered to attend services at Westboro. The church formally opened on May 20, 1956. Fred had it all. A fine church and a congregation of his own. What went wrong?
What did provides an insight into the man who craves a greater and greater role as a moral arbiter of our times. "We gave him his church; painted; roofed it; even bought his songbooks; and after only a few weeks, he turned on us," says a long-time member of Eastside. Apparently not everyone in Leaford Cavin's church was enthusiastic about Phelps. One from that time recalls Fred, Marge, 2 year-old Fred, Jr., and 10 month-old Mark were in the pews one Sunday with the rest of the congregation, listening to Cavin preach. Mark began squirming suddenly. To the appalled amazement of his fellow worshipers nearby, the junior pastor repeatedly slapped the infant across the face with an open palm and backhand, snapping Mark's tiny head to and fro. Afterwards, several of the men in the congregation confronted Fred and told him never to do that again. Mark Phelps laughs to hear that story relayed: "My mom once told me-proudly, as if she'd effected a big change in his behavior-that my father had beaten my older brother when he was only five months old. She said she'd argued with him about it and he'd agreed to hold off beating the kids till they were a year old." "Phelps was wrapped pretty tight, even back then," recalls an old member of Eastside. "He was very severe with his children and a lot of people didn't care for him. But we all thought he was a man of God."
Within weeks after receiving his new status, building, and congregation, Fred Phelps warmed on the hearth of Eastside's hospitality and but the hands that had helped him. He and Leaford Cavin had an almost immediate falling-out over whether God hated the sinner as well as the sin. "Today, Fred will tell you it was theological differences," says an acquaintance of Cavin, "but those differences didn't seem to bother him when he needed out help." Adds another: "Theological differences? Brother Cavin was a very staunch Baptist." But not staunch enough for Fred?
"I don't know if there ever was a man more strict than Leaford Cavin. Really, it was the anger in Fred, not doctrine, that caused him to act the way he did." When a man in Fred's new congregation came to him for marital counseling, the pastor recommended a good beating for the wife. The man followed his spiritual guide's advice.
Later, he called the pastor to ask for bail: apparently separation of church and state didn't apply to assault and battery. Phelps paid the confused Christian's bail, but stuck to his guns: a former members of the early Westboro community remembers the following Sunday Pastor Fred was fiery in his message that a good left hook makes for a right fine wife: "Brethren," preached Phelps, "they can lock us up, but we'll still do what the Bible tells us to do. Either our wives are going to obey, or we're going to beat them!" "Leaders," observes B.H. McAlister, the minister who ordained Fred, "break down into shepherd and sheep-herders. The first lead, the second drive the sheep. If love is absent, the pastor is one who drives the flock; with love, he leads it."
Mark remembers his father used to frequently tell of the time he purified the flock and paid the price for his courage. Apparently a female member of that early Westboro congregation was discovered having an affair with a soldier from Ft. Riley. Only the males in the congregation were allowed to vote, and the pastor prevailed upon them to cast the Madeleine from the midst. Away from the effects of his heated rhetoric, however, many of those swayed felt first remorse, then disgust at their part in the moral lynching. Mark remembers his father always referred to this incident to explain why his congregation had deserted him.
In later years, Phelps was convinced he was alone in his church with only his children to listen because those who'd opened Westboro were too weak for the harsh truth of God: that He hated sinners as well as the sin; and therefore His elect must also hate the sinners-even those who might be assembled with them. If the local Baptist churches were still unsure about the new fire and brimstone brother from Arizona, shooting his neighbor's dog didn't help. Aside from etching one of his children's earliest memories, shotgun-blasting the large German shepherd that had wandered into his unfenced yard quickly got the novice pastor notice in his community. The incident was discussed in the papers, and the dog's owner sued the arrogant minister. Fred defended himself and won, an action his son Mark believes may have encouraged his father's turn to the law.
But the irrationality and violence of the act sent the last of his congregation scurrying back to Eastside. For weeks after the shooting, one church member recalls, someone placed signs on the lawn in front of Westboro at night that declared prophetically: "Anyone who'd stoop to killing a dog someday will mistake a child for a dog." Soon it was clear no one wanted any part of Fred's god not if he hated like Fred. And that posed a problem for the Pastor Phelps: he still owed 32 dollars a week on the bonds for the church, and no one was paying for his hate show on Sundays.
To cover his mortgage and support his family, the failed pastor turned his pitch from God to vacuum cleaners. During the following five years, he went door-to-door in Topeka, selling those and baby carriages and, finally, insurance. In a pattern that held ominous overtones for the future, Phelps at some point sued almost everyone who employed him during that period.
He also carried on a running feud with Leaford Cavin at Eastside Baptist. Cavin spent several years trying to discover how to repair his mistake and stop the nightmare unfolding at the Westboro church. "Eastside held the mortgage on Westboro," remembers one churchgoer who was involved in the finances there, "and we always hoped Fred would miss a payment so we could foreclose. But he never did."
To save money, the pastor moved his wife and children into the church. Since the congregation at Westboro was essentially the Phelps family, Cavin convinced John Towle, county assessor, that Westboro should be taxed as private residence. The controversy was covered in the media, and the exemption for 3701 West 12th was lifted. But again the fighting Pastor Phelps taught himself enough about the law to successfully contest the decision before the Board of Tax Appeals. For good measure, he sued Cavin and Stauffer Communications for libel. He lost the suit, but the lines of his future had now been drawn: Fred Phelps had his castle and his church and he'd learned how to defend them.
His chosen community detested him, but that was to be expected when one was elect and immersed in a world of damned souls. Fred was content that his god hated those who questioned him. And he was content to remain in his private La Rochelle and sally forth occasionally to smite the reprobate. One old member of Eastside is philosophical about the feud with Pastor
Fred: "I'll tell you one thing, we can feel awfully lucky he turned down that slot at West Point. Right now, he'd probably be a general-with his finger on the button." It was during this period that the Pastor Phelps cut the final ties with his original family.
When talking with friends, Fred's father never discussed the son he had in Topeka, says Fred Stokes, a retired army officer who lives outside Meridian. Stokes was a close friend of the elder Phelps and a pallbearer at his funeral in 1977: "He had some fundamental beliefs that were unshakeable, but he didn't force them on anyone." In his later years, Stokes says, Fred's father was active in the Methodist Church. "He was a very kind, grand fatherly person. He was at peace with himself and didn't have any rancor toward anybody at the time of his death." Marks tells how his grandfather, Fred, (whose name he learned only recently from Capital-Journal reporters) once came to visit them in Topeka when Mark was a child. What he recalls most vividly is standing on the platform at the railroad station with his father and grandfather. As they waited to put him on the train back to Meridian, the preacher told the weeping old man never to come back, not to call, nor to write. "I remember my grandfather was crying. He told my father to get back in the Methodist Church and stop all this nonsense."
Pastor Phelps admits there was a rift between him and his father. "He was disappointed when I didn't go to West Point, which is understandable. He worked hard to get that appointment for me, and he was a very active Methodist, so he was disappointed in that. But my dad was a super guy that I loved deeply and I miss him." Relatives in Mississippi said the elder Phelps never really got over his abandonment by his son. "It grieved him a lot," remembers one.
When Pastor Phelps was 15 and in his last year of high school his father, 51, married a 39 year-old divorcee named Olive Briggs. The son would leave home soon after and grow up to be a fierce critic of divorce. Olive's sister, who didn't want her name used, said Olive was a kind Southern lady who never had children and treated Fred and his sister, Martha Jean, as if they were her own. The new Mrs. Phelps often talked to her sister about the trouble between the former railroad detective and his son, the Baptist preacher. "Olive would say he grieved over that every day of his life. That he never would have parted ways. It was his son who parted ways."
Other relatives recalled that, each year, the grandparents sent birthday and Christmas presents to their grandchildren in Topeka. Each year they were returned unopened. Photos of grandpa and grandma the pastor gave his extra touch: "When they once sent him pictures of themselves for us kids to have, I remember watching my dad cutting them meticulously into little pieces with a pair of scissors. Then he placed them in an envelope and mailed them back."
When the elder Phelps died in 1977, and Olive Briggs in 1985, of the two not inconsiderable wills, Fred's father left him one-eighth and his sister, seven-eighths. Fred's stepmother left her entire estate to Martha Jean. There would be no relatives dropping by from mother's side either. Though Marge Phelps had nine brothers and sisters still living in rural Missouri or nearby Kansas City, with one notable exception, her own children never met them or so much as knew their names. And the firm pastor forbade his children to play or talk with the rest of the youngsters in the neighborhood. Says Mark: "I wanted friends to share with and talk to, but felt it was the wrong thing and felt guilty. They would initiate conversation or want to play, and I would feel real scared and not know what to do or say. Sometimes I couldn't avoid talking, and it made me feel real uneasy and scared that I would get caught. "My dad used to make me go and tell the neighbor kids they couldn't play by the fence, or talk to us, or come in the yard. He'd say, "I'm tellin' you, if those f---ing kids are in this yard again and I catch them, it's you I'm going to beat!"
"I used to have to fight the kids sometimes, or yell at them, or push them out of the yard; or I'd turn my back and ignore them so they wouldn't want to talk or be friendly and get me in trouble." While this is in keeping with the 'fortress Phelps' mentality the pastor embarked on shortly after opening Westboro, it is interesting to speculate how much of the strange goings-on within the fortress the pastor feared his children might reveal had they been allowed outside confidants. When Fred's sister, Martha Jean, and her husband, Fred's teenage best-buddy, John Capron, returned to the U.S. on a year sabbatical from their Indonesian mission, they came to see Fred. In part, they'd come to arrange a reconciliation between the brittle pastor and his devastated father.
They never got started. "He wouldn't even talk to me," Fred's sister told her nephew, Mark. The good pastor bid her also leave and never return. Mark remembers riding his bike along in the street, both curious and embarrassed, watching his aunt go weeping down the sidewalk for three blocks from their house.
With that, the vengeful minister had succeeded in cutting all lines leading to his captive congregation. Anyone in the outside world who might know of their existence or be concerned for their welfare had been driven off. After he had sold insurance for several years, Phelps had amassed enough commissions off the yearly premiums to allow him to stop working and go to law school. He had already transferred credits from Bob Jones and John Muir to Washburn, then taken course work there to receive his degree. Fred Phelps had guts. When he entered Washburn Law School, he had a wife and seven children. When he graduated, his family had grown by three.
Phelps was editor of the Law Review and star of the school's moot court. He is remembered by some of the faculty as perhaps the most brilliant student ever to pass through Washburn Law. If the public performance was impressive, however, the private life grew even more dark.
"It was a very rare occasion," says Mark, "when he would come anywhere in the house that the kids were. While he was studying the law, he'd fly into rages because we were making noise. Mom would hide us-for the good of all." In fact, Phelps began to spend more and more time in his bedroom, cut off from his family except when they were needed to run errands for him; cut off except for his wife, whom he forced to remain with him in his bedroom for days at a time. Apparently the pastor's sexual appetites were voracious, and his emotional dependency even greater: Says Mark, "Mom had to spend the major portion of her day sitting next to him in bed, trying to say the right things to keep him calm, while he bitched and moaned and complained and railed and carried on. "He left the older children to take care of the younger ones while he monopolized our mother's time and attention. We were literally left on our own for the major portion of our childhoods." While the pastor lolled now grossly overweight in his bed like some Ottoman pasha, rolling in his law books and 100 pounds of excess blubber, lecturing the wife and walls on the evils of the reprobate, wallowing in gluttony and goat-like sexual appetites, he resembled, not so much the John Brown of his earlier ambitions, as he did an esquired Jabba the Hut.
"The kids would sit in grime and scum and filth for hours at a time," says Mark, "tied into their high chairs or strollers by mom, for their safety, until she could sneak away from him to give them a diaper change, redo their ties, and set it up for the older kids to feed them, so she could get back to him.
"I remember when she'd come downstairs, all the kids would cluster around her like a swarm of bees, just to touch her and talk to her." Mark goes on: "I started doing most of the grocery shopping, by bike, with my brother Fred when I was only seven or eight, because our mom had such a hard time getting away. We had baskets on our bikes. We were given money but it was never enough. It was humiliating because we would hold up the line at the checkout while the cashiers would ask us what we wanted to keep or take back, and then they'd do the figuring for us," Mark sighs in the phone: "When he wanted a chicken dinner, he'd stay in bed and have me ride my bike two miles each way to get him one. He never thanked me. "We'd run errands for that, or he'd send us out for a piece of apple pie with cheese on it. And we had to get back fast. Damn fast, or he'd complain his apple pie wasn't hot enough. "It was a mile or two back, the pie riding in a mesh basket, and we had to get it to him hot." Mark pauses. "It's pretty unbelievable when I think about it. At breakfast, my father got bacon and eggs; the kids got oatmeal and grits. At dinner we'd have beans and rice while he ate chicken or hamburger. Now that I'm a father myself, that just seems incomprehensible to me. "My father had to take care of us each year when my mom went into the hospital to give birth. Whatever he had to do, he'd always lose his temper and start screaming.
"We'd be too scared of him to eat-and then he'd beat us for not eating. My saliva would not work when he was in the room and mom was gone, so, to clean our plates, we'd throw our food under the table or into our laps and flush it down the toilet later. "When he took care of us, I tried to stay out of the same room with him at all times. He would be real hard on the little ones when he dressed them. He'd push and jerk and tug real hard. My father was so impatient and unpredictable. You never knew what to expect or how to act." When the children did run into Jabba-the-Dad out of his bed, it was usually unpleasant. Mark tells of one such time: "The day my brother, Tim, was born, Fred, Jr., and I were in the dining room fooling around and Fred started to chase me out the back door. I ran right into my dad."
According to Mark, the pastor started screaming at them not to horse around. He punched both boys several times and ordered them outside to work in the yard. On his way out, Mark rounded a corner and inadvertently stumbled into his father a second time. Enraged, the pastor connected with a hook to the side of his son's head. Mark fell down dazed and stunned. The pastor began to kick him, and kept kicking him, but Mark couldn't get up. His father screamed at him to go out in the yard, but the boy's legs felt like jello and "the room was rolling in vertigo". Finally, his father left him there, sprawled and dazed like a defeated boxer. When Mark could stand up, he joined his older brother already at work.
Three hours later, their dad called them in. "He told us to get into bed and not to move. He told me to turn my face to the wall. For hours I lay like that, too scared to roll over because I thought he might still be standing there, watching me. Finally, I fell asleep.
"When we woke up the next day, we found he'd been at the hospital with mom the night before. And we had a new baby brother." Their father often slept all day and got up in the afternoon, remembers another Phelps child. "And then everyone would hide because 'daddy was up'. "He habitually had violent rages that included profane cursing, beyond any sailor's ability to curse, where he threw and broke anything he could get his hands on," states Mark. "My father routinely demolished the kitchen and dining room areas, as well as his bedroom. He would not only beat mom and the kids, he would smash dishes, glasses, anything breakable in sight; he'd even throw everything out of the refrigerator.
"He'd literally cover the floor with debris. I remember seeing so much broken crockery once it looked like an archeologists's dig. There was ketchup and mustard and mayonnaise splashed across the walls, cupboards, and floor like a paint bomb had gone off in there. "Afterwards he'd go upstairs to the bedroom-and force mom to go with him. It would take hours for us kids to clean up after his rages. He never helped-he'd just dump on us and leave.
"But he wouldn't stop raging. While we were cleaning the mess downstairs, he'd force mom to sit at his bedside upstairs while he continued to curse and complain to her about whatever had gotten his goat." Nate and Mark confirm the pastor's dish tantrums occurred regularly, usually once or twice a month. Sometimes there'd be several in one week.
"It established a life habit for me," says Mark. "Even today, the moment I get home, I'm thinking 'Is Daddy mad?' "Our walls were stained with food," he continues. "And my mom used to cry because she couldn't keep good dishes. My father would also bust holes in the walls and doors. If they were on the outside, he'd fix them quickly. On the inside, he'd leave them unrepaired for months...
The voice pauses. "Still, he'd wake us up at night with mom screaming from fear as he threw his fits. I'd come awake and lie there feeling afraid and upset. "I wasn't worried about being woken up, that he was upset, or even that he was hurting mom. I was worried about survival. About what could happen if it got worse. I was thinking about lying still in case he came in, so he wouldn't know I was awake. "Because, he was so crazy, we didn't know that someday he wouldn't kill us all." Back in those days, during the '60s, when Fred was in law school and then a young lawyer, the neighbors would often see Marge on the porch.
"She'd just be sitting out there, crying her heart out," remembers one former neighbor. "We all felt so sorry for her. But none of us ever went over there to comfort her. Her husband had us all intimidated." But if life with father was bad already-it was about to get worse. According to Mark, who was 10 when his father graduated, Fred Phelps became heavily dependent on amphetamines and barbituates while in law school. Every week for 6 years, from 1962-1967, their mother would give Mark a 20 dollar bill and ask him to go down and pick up his father's 'allergy medicine'. Mark always got the bottle of little red pills from 'the tall blond man' at the nearby pharmacy. He was told they were to 'help daddy wake up'.
He also picked up bottles of little yellow pills that were to 'help daddy get to sleep'. But the beast already so poorly penned within Fred now came out. Under the conflicting tug of speed that wouldn't wear off and the Darvon he'd taken to sleep, the Pastor Phelps would often wake his family in the middle of the night while doing his imitation of a whirling dervish whose shoes were tied together: "With all the drugs, he had very little body control," remembers Mark, "so we weren't really scared of him then. But he would fall and break the bed apart; get up and knock over all the bedroom furniture. "Mom would start screaming and call Freddy and me to help her get him under control and put the bed together.
"My dad's face would look totally stoned, and he couldn't focus his eyes. He couldn't walk in a straight line, and sometimes he couldn't even get up off the floor." Adds Nate: "Another time when he was stoned on drugs, my dad started going after my mom. She was yelling for help. My two older brothers, probably 12 and 13 at the time, went running upstairs and tried to force my dad back into his bedroom. He was ranting and raving like a lunatic. "They managed to get him inside his room and slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. He started pounding on the door and screaming incoherently. "Finally, he actually broke the door down. That seemed to calm him a bit, and he fell back on the bed and passed out."
Without referring to his records, the pharmacist named by Mark immediately denied he had ever filled any kind of prescription for the Pastor Phelps-except once. Blessed with preternaturally accurate recall, the pharmacist claimed that, since 1962, he'd only filled one order for the pastor-a skin cream several years ago.
Questioned again later, the pharmacist admitted he'd been filling prescriptions written to Mrs. Phelps for decades. But he denied ever selling her amphetamines. According to Mark, the physician who wrote those prescriptions delivered all or most of the Phelps children, and was their family doctor when they were growing up. During the period in question, he at least twice reported his doctor bag stolen and its narcotics missing. The thieves were never caught. When this physician shot himself in a Topeka parking lot in 1979, he was under investigation for providing drugs illegally to his female patients in exchange for sexual favors. What kind of drugs?
Amphetamines. "There was fighting one night," Mark recalls. "In the middle of the night. Dad was stoned on drugs again. He shot the 12-gauge into a roll of insulation.
"It was probably a suicide attempt. Only my mom and he were in the bedroom, and it was during the middle of the night. "What I think happened was, he was so under the influence, he was so screwed up, and he was so mad that he was doing one of those things...you know...I'll show all of you...I'll just get rid of this whole problem by killing myself.
"And I think he just did it. I think he did it for the dramatics of it- of course, he missed. "After the incident, that roll of insulation sat in their bedroom for almost a year. "Our mom tried to keep things quiet and keep things contained," says Mark. "She acted as a mother to him as well as us. Having him in our family was like having a little 2 year-old in an adult's body-with an adult intellect. But it's a 2 year- old that can do whatever it wants, because there's no adult discipline, instruction, or correction involved. My father does not subject himself to accountability of any kind. "He didn't care about our mom, except for how she could meet his needs. He treated her like an animal.
"We had two dogs-Ahab and Jezebel. I used to throw rocks on top of their dog house and Ahab would viciously attack Jezebel. I thought it was funny. "That was the way my dad treated my mom. If anything would happen that my dad didn't like, he would beat on her, blame her, make her life miserable, and take it out on her-even if it was out of her control.
Mark remembers one morning when he was downstairs and heard a tremendous racket coming from their bedroom above. Furniture crashing. Fred screaming. Their mother begging him to stop. Then her screaming too. This went on for 20 minutes until finally his father stormed out. All quiet.
Mark stole up the stairs, afraid his father would come back. He peeked in. (At this point, Mark's voice breaks. It takes him a long time to describe this, speaking in short phrases, interrupted by long pauses to control his emotions.) The mattress was thrown from the bed. Sheets were ripped away. Drawers were flung out of the dresser, and the dresser kicked over. Lamps and tables, everything was smashed and strewn about the room.
"Mom?" he called. He couldn't see her. "Mom?" Mark heard a sob. Then a long, low agony moan. He walked stiffly into the mess. Picked his way across the floor. In the corner, behind an open closet door, he found his mother cowering. Her face in her hands as the sobs wracked her body, she told her frightened child over and over: "I can't take this anymore...I can't take this anymore...I can't take it...I don't know what I'm going to do..." For awhile she did nothing.
Mark remembers there were times when his mother would get out and go to the store, especially when his father was asleep: "She'd go to Butler's IGA. And after she'd go to the bowling alley and the little coffee shop there. Four or five times I saw her in there when she didn't know I did. It made me feel sad, because it was such a lonely thing to see her, sitting with that coffee and donut, and know it was her safe harbor, the only time she had alone. She looked so unhappy and despairing, sitting there staring at nothing, the coffee getting cold and the donut untouched." Then one winter Saturday afternoon when Mark was 9 years old, his mother called him over to her. She whispered: "I've had it. I can't take it. Would you get the children's clothes and load as much as you can in the trunk and the back seat?"
Mark packed the clothes in the old white Fairlane 4-door. When the pastor, luxuriating in his bed upstairs, fell asleep around 4 p.m., their mother came down softly. She had Mark gather the rest of the kids. "We're leaving," she told them. Somehow they all fit inside the car, the mother behind the wheel, and the 9 kids wherever they could find space.
"We looked ridiculous," admits Mark. "And I remember the toll-takers at the turnpike laughed at us. But I'll never forget that day...the feeling I got as we drove away from that house. "It was a cloudy day, and cold, but I remember feeling hopeful. Thinking we were headed to a new life. And it was going to be better than the one behind us."
Marge fled the good Pastor Phelps with her flock to Kansas City. She went to her sister Dorotha's apartment. Most of her original family hadn't seen Marge in 15 years, not since she'd left for school in Arizona. Dorotha's Profitt's husband drove a truck for a renderer, a business that collected dead animals for glue. Marge Phelps' sister no doubt gave her the bad news: driving for a rendering company didn't bring in enough to feed 10 extra mouths; and the apartment couldn't possibly hold them all; she couldn't stay there... In fact, there was no place for a pregnant woman with 9 children to run except back to the man who beat her, but paid the bills. Mark remembers his mother stoically dialing the number for the Westboro church. Silently, the children crawled back into their niches among the clothes-filled car. When they arrived home that night, the pastor was waiting for them. His son recalls he had arms folded and he was smiling. It was a cold leer that Mark will never forget: "It was smug, it was cruel; and it said, 'there is no escape'."
CHAPTER FIVE
"The Children's Crusade"
The pastor's heavy drug use continued from 1962 until late 1967 or early 1968, according to Mark Phelps. Confined to itself and tormented by an increasingly explosive, abusive, and erratic father, the family hung on day-to-day. Finally, Fred's system could no longer withstand being wrenched up by reds in the morning and jerked down by barbituates at night. One day, he didn't wake up. Mark remembers seeing the long, gray ambulance in the driveway. His father had slipped into a coma from toxic drug abuse. Fred Phelps remained in the hospital for a week, while Mrs. Phelps told the children he had suffered an adverse reaction to an 'allergy medicine'.
When he emerged, Phelps was drug-free and powerfully resolved to regain control of his body. If it was the temple to his soul, he had neglected it. With an astounding strength of will, he immediately plunged into a water-only fast, dropping from 265 to 135 in 47 days. During the fast, "he looked like a scarecrow," says Mark. "He stalked about the house with a scarf around his head, clutching a bible to his chest." But the Pastor Phelps broke his addiction and never relapsed. To keep his weight down, he turned first to health foods and then to running. Emaciated at 135, Phelps today is a trim 185 on a 6'3" frame. One day, after he had been running for some time, the pastor read about the new science of aerobics on the back of a Wheaties box and decided the entire family should join him. Fred loaded the ten oldest children in the station wagon, drove them to the Topeka High track, and, not unlike Fred's Foreign Legion, ordered them to march or die. Actually, they were told to run or get beaten. Their ages when this concurred were 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16. Of the three youngest, two were little girls. They were forced to run five miles a day-sun, rain, or snow-and then the pastor upped it to ten. By the summer of 1970 a year later, Phelps decided they were ready for the marathon. Every weeknight the 10 children, now aged 6 through 17, ran 10 miles around the track. On Saturdays they ran a marathon. Only on Sundays were they allowed to rest. "We'd run from the courthouse in Topeka, down Highway 40 to the courthouse in Lawrence," says Mark. "Or from Topeka to Valley Falls or St. Mary's. My mom would follow with the three toddlers in the station wagon, going up to the lead, and coming back to the stragglers." According to Mark, that lead runner was usually him, with the pastor a distant second. "I was the ultimate yes-man all the time I was growing up," he confides, "but not that. I decided every time we ran I was going to beat him-do it bad." And run he did. Mark reports that, by the time the family entered the Heart of America marathon in Columbia, Missouri, he was climbing off his daily 10-mile training runs in 60 minutes. He placed 17th overall in the Columbia race. He was only 16 years old. Tim, the six year-old who'd turned seven a few weeks before the race, finished last behind his father and nine siblings. It took him seven hours to complete the course. "It's one of the more difficult runs in the U.S.," observes Mark Thomas, owner of Tri-Tech Sports in Lenexa, Kansas. He has spent over 20 years as an athlete and sports consultant. On his staff are current and former members of the U.S. National Biathlon and Triathlon Teams.
He remembers the 1970 Heart of America race. A runner's club he had organized in Sedalia, Missouri competed there. "I remember several in our group came back disgusted as what they had seen. Apparently some of the smaller Phelps children had told them they weren't running voluntarily." In general, says Mark Thomas, experts don't recommend running marathons under age 16. (Prominent sports physicians contacted by the Capital-Journal concur, but they declined to be named in an article on Fred Phelps.) "It's just not a wise idea, especially for a six year-old," continues Thomas. "Even without medical advice, common sense and a minimum of parental concern is all you need to see the stupidity of that,"
Among the potential negatives reviewed were soft tissue damage; developmental problems in the knee joints; high vulnerability to fatal heat stroke; and hitting the 'wall' (running out of glycogen) long before the adult limit at 20 miles. The last is important, advise sports doctors. A small child forced to run through the physical agony of their 'wall' can be emotionally damaged by the experience. To put it simply, forcing six, seven, and eight year-old children to run 26 miles is nothing short of brutally abusive. However, Runner's World found the running Phelps newsworthy, not once-but twice. They were featured in an article about the Columbia marathon in the November, 1970 issue, and again in November, 1988. Though Pastor Phelps had given up speed and downers, ate healthy, and ran daily, the radical mood swings, rages, and aggression remained "One day my father and I were running down at the track inside the YMCA. There was an old blind man who always jogged on the inside lane because he could feel the edge of the track with his cane. "My father was in a sour mood that day, and the old man was weaving a bit as he worked his way around the track with his stick to guide him. My father began to threaten him each time he lapped him, telling the blind jogger if he didn't stay out of my father's way, my father would knock him out of the way. "Finally, the old man started crying. He left the track and stood there crying-I guess what were tears of frustration-and then he left. "I never saw him back there again."
Phelps was also a poor loser, according to his sons. Sometimes Mark and the pastor would go on long runs around the town. They started to race on the home-stretch once, and Mark beat him back by several blocks. At first his father took it with grace, says Mark, observing his son 'has really shifted gears and left him behind'. Minutes later however, when were standing in the kitchen, each with a large glass of icewater, suddenly the elder Phelps flung his hard fist into his son's face. And stalked out.
If his body was healthy, Pastor Phelps had yet to achieve wealthy and wise. More trouble was ahead for him-money trouble. According to Mark, in 1968 their finances were still very tight, even though Fred had passed the bar. The son remembers his mother opening the mail one day and showing him a $100 check. "It's all we have for a month," she told him, and she started crying.
Later, the pastor was melting some World's Finest Chocolate to make chocolate milk. In the midst of stirring it, he suggested someone should take the rest of the candy and see if they couldn't sell it around the neighborhood. Mark jumped at the chance "I watched my mom cry and cry when the checking and savings accounts were empty. I watched her cry when the mail box didn't have a check in it because dad hadn't worked in so long. "So I worked. I worked so my dad would like me. I worked so mom would love me. I worked so dad wouldn't beat me. I worked so I would feel like I was on the team. I worked when dad was throwing his rages. I worked when I saw mom crying. I worked because mom said, 'you're my good little helper, and I need you to do this because I have to be with him'. I worked because mom would cozy up to me and ask me to work, like a confidant and partner would ask another close partner to stand with them to get through a tough circumstance. But it was never enough." Not long after, Fred Phelps was suspended from the bar two years for cheating and exploiting his clients. During that period, the candy sales would be the family's only source of income.
The Phelps children were up to the challenge "Basically, we had to raise ourselves," says Mark. "It would have been a lot easier if we'd just been left alone to do our own parenting, but we also had to look out for a crazy father. I mentioned Fred Jr. and I began doing all the grocery shopping when we were only six and seven years-old? And the kids did all the household chores? So, working for a living we just took in stride with the rest of our adult responsibilities."
During the school year, Mrs. Phelps would pick the children up after class and take them directly to that day's targeted area. The vertically challenged sales staff would then divide into teams of two or three for safety, canvassing neighborhood homes and businesses. Every hour, they would rendezvous back at the LZ for resupply from mom at the station wagon. Workshifts on weeknights went from 3 30 to 8 p.m. On weekends and during the summer, the candykrieg blitzed major metropoles within a 4-hour drive of Topeka Kansas City, Lawrence, Wichita, Omaha, and St. Joseph. Hours, including wake-up, preparations, and transport, stretched from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. "There were a lot of times when we would be out there well after dark, and snow was on the ground," says Nate. The Phelps family selling candy door-to-door at night and in the snow attracted the attention of Topeka police, who received occasional queries about the welfare of the children, a law enforcement source recalls. But detectives found no violation of the law, and no charges were ever filed. "We sold candy, and we sold candy," observes Mark.
"It was an art," agrees Nate. Family loyalists Margie, Jonathon, and Shirley are quick to defend their memories. Public sales taught them a lot about the world outside their church, they insist. And they learned a good deal about human nature, adds Margie. Today, the Phelps children are full of stories about their adventures on candy crusade.
Jonathon and Rachel tell of selling in a bad part of Kansas City one night and realizing the women on the sidewalks around them were actually men. The boy is father to the man, and Jonathon immediately held forth with the latest 'fag' joke making the rounds at his junior high. One transvestite pulled a switchblade and gave chase. Jonathon grabbed little Rachel (age 8) and, clutching their boxes under their arms, they fled down an alley pursued by the man in high heels.
Jonathon, say Shirley and Margie, laughing till tears come to their eyes, can still remember the sound of the candy rattling inside his boxes and the click of high heels on pavement behind him. The end of the tale? It was a blind alley. Jonathon Phelps got 'bitch-slapped' by a guy in a dress to teach him a lesson, chokes Margie. Many of the stories center around Tim, the youngest Phelps son-the tough little kid who spent his sixth year training for the marathon. According to the Phelps sisters, 9 year-old Tim was slightly built, with red hair, a freckled face, and big blue eyes. But he had a booming voice that belied his frail size and innocent appearance. "He sold the most candy, by far," says Margie. "He did it on cute." Once, giving his carnival pitch in his King Kong voice on a crowded elevator at the Merchants' Bank in Topeka, Tim overwhelmed a modeling scout who happened to be riding down with him. The scout got him a job in a television ad for Payless Shoes. On another occasion, the host of a radio show in Wichita heard Tim hawking his Coco Clusters one night, and invited the lad to open the show. So Tim did, bellowing out "It's Diiiiiiick Riiiiiiipy!" The owner of a restaurant in North Topeka felt sorry for Tim, his sisters report. Whenever Tim went there, the man always bought all of his candy, then gave him a coke and let him sit at a table to rest his feet and daydream. One night when he was doing just that, Tim overhead a diner speaking ill of his father. Up popped the little boy, gripping his ice-cold glass. Determinedly, he marched over the offending table and flung the Coke in the surprised man's face. If the diner was outraged, he was in for another surprise the restaurant's owner kicked him out and let Tim stay.
"During those years," Margie observes, "we learned more about dealing with people than most learn during their entire lifetime." While Mark and Nate also have funny stories to tell from their time on the candyblitz, according to them, the Phelps' sisters are selective in their recollections.
At first, say the brothers outcast, their father asked them to sell on commission. "That didn't last very long," adds Mark. "One night we came home and he said he'd changed his mind-he wanted us to hand over our share. We kids were reluctant at first. We'd worked hard for it and now he was going back on his word. Then he went into a rage and-believe me-we turned it over real quick." From there, things went from bad to worse. The former door-to-door vendor of baby carriages and vacuum cleaners knew about sales quotas and target volumes. "If we sold enough candy that day, my fatherwould be in a good mood that evening and everyone could relax. But if we came back not having generated the amount expected, my father would take it and then get real moody. Sooner or later, he'd find something to get mad about and one of us would get a beating that night." Mark goes on to explain how he became the 'bull' in charge of motivation in the field. If one of his siblings hadn't sold their share of the candy, in the car on the way home suffered the 'chin- chin'. The offender, sitting in back, had to lean forward and rest their chin on the front seat. Mark, sitting in front, would then slug them in the face. The laggard peddler was called to justice by the harsh command (So-and-so) Chin-chin! "We never celebrated the holidays." Mark's voice is sad with memory. "We sold candy instead. You know the only Christmas cheer I ever saw as a kid? Sometimes I'd ring the bell and there'd be a big gathering inside for Christmas dinner and they'd invite me in and give me pie or a plate of food. I'd sit there and eat and watch everyone and wish it were my family and that I never had to leave." Sources connected to law enforcement assure the Capital- Journal that Margie's glowing memories of the candy campaign are indeed selective. Because of the mounting pressure from their father to return with larger cash sums, the children allegedly began to steal from purses and unwatched registers in the offices and businesses they frequented to sell their sweets. In many of the cases, complaints were filed with statements from eyewitnesses. Nate Phelps admits he was one of the thieves. He seems ashamed, though he never spent the money on himself-although in a way he did When the day's take was disappointing, it was often Nate who drew the black ball in the pastor's secret lottery for violent retribution. Among police sources, another Phelps child is remembered as having the hottest hands. That child was allegedly connected to purse pilfering in a legion of stores. On one occasion, the culprit was questioned by juvenile officers concerning cash theft from the old historical museum on 10th and Jackson in Topeka. Allegedly the child then confessed to a string of similar crimes. Charges were never filed, say law enforcement sources, not even in the museum case. Apparently no one in the D.A.'s office wanted to tangle with Fred Phelps or his children unless the crime was serious and the evidence airtight.
But if the Westboro Baptist Church's gang of urchin vendors is remembered for anything by law enforcement officials, it is their alleged raid on the general offices of the Santa Fe Railroad. There, on three separate floors, witnesses observed one child allegedly distracting employees while other Phelps children allegedly rifled those employees' purses. Nate Phelps states he knew nothing about that caper.
According to sources, the reports of theft grew so numerous that Topeka police suspected the Pastor Phelps of running a 'Fagin operation' (from the character of that name in the film "Oliver" an older man provides food and shelter to a horde of orphans and street urchins in return for their working as pickpockets).
Both Nate and Mark Phelps insist this was not the case. The stealing was strictly the kids' idea, they say. But it was usually done to top off the kitty so they wouldn't get beaten. "My family sold candy from 1968 until 1975," says Nate, "and some of those places we'd gone into a hundred times. By then, everyone knew the candy sale was a scam. But, even if I'd been told 'no' a hundred times, I still had to go back eventually for the 101st. And, if they said 'no', I still had to bring home cash to show my dad. So..." In the evenings, reports the boys, if their father didn't fall into a rage and select one of his children out for a beating, then he usually remained upstairs in bed-and demanded his wife stay with him. Whether it was to listen to his tirades or 'comfort' him (Fred's biblical euphemism for, one trusts, the missionary position exclusively), the result was the children were left nightly to their own resources.
Since most of them were unable to care for themselves, and Mrs. Phelps no longer tied the younger ones in their high chairs while she was gone, the older kids had their hands full downstairs. "Just trying to control the younger ones, and get them down for the night without any noise to piss the old man off was task," says Nate.
As a consequence, the house was frequently left uncleaned. Then, in the middle of the night, the Pastor Phelps would "wake us screaming and cursing and raging," says Mark, "hollering we had all gone to bed without properly cleaning everything. He would have us do a thorough cleaning of the house then, between 2 30 and 4 00 a.m. While that was going on, he would come up behind and kick us, push us into walls, hit us with hand and fist on the head, beat us.
"He would make us vacuum around the edges and cracks, wash dishes, etc. I would get up shaking physically from the sudden awakening, and from getting out of bed so quickly in such a frightening situation. "I would be real scared and try to work hard and fast, so he wouldn't do any more than he'd already done. I'd try to appease him quickly so he'd calm down and stop his violence.
"It's weird how you can feel secure in a situation like that. I'd work hard to get warm, and the concentration and physical work would help me get through the fear and back to a point where I felt relief from the intense anxiety and shaking." Mark continues "My father would usually quiet down before the cleaning was done. He'd go back to doing what he wanted watching television and eating in bed. It was such a relief when he'd gone back upstairs, that a lot of my siblings would knock off and stop working. "I was too mad and upset to do that. I would keep working a lot longer. I was real mad, and I was going to work and work and work until he apologized, or at least until I showed him that I could take whatever he did to me."
Even after a night like that, reveille was always at 5 a.m. in the Phelps household, adds Mark. "He'd take his big brass bell and go through the house ringing it with a great big grin on his face." Five a.m. brought more chores and errands before going off to school, say the boys. After class their mom would pick them up for candy sales until 8 p.m. As soon as they got home, they'd have to change into their running clothes, drive to the Topeka High track, and stride out 10 miles.
The runner would not return home and clean up before 10 or 10 30. After that came dinner. "Our family never ate together," says Nate. "Mom or one of our sisters usually made something and left it on the stove for people to eat when they got the chance."
Sometime after dinner and before they fell asleep, the children were expected to cover their homework. Trying to stay awake for that, after having run 10 miles, humped over suburban hill and dale selling peanut brittle, and spent a day at school, was frequently physically impossible. Yet, if they brought home bad grades, they were beaten and savage abandon.
In addition, it was usually during the homework period from 10 30 to 1 a.m. that their father would go on a rampage, or their mom would be called up to him and leave the babies with the older kids. With this as their daily schedule, Fred Phelps allowed his young family an average of only four to six hours of sleep each night. "In general, he was happy to keep us busy or gone," observes Nate.
Mark agrees "My father could tolerate no human needs outside his own. If you had a problem, it was not appropriate to turn to a parent for comfort, advice, or a solution. He would get outraged whenever one of us had some difficulty that focused attention off himself. To have a problem was to get a beating, regardless of what kind of a problem it was, or even if it wasn't your fault.
And if it was? Mark takes a deep breath. He recalls one time very clearly when he drew attention to himself. "One night, Nate and I were out selling candy together. We were in a residential area, and while we were selling, we'd unscrew a tiny Christmas light from the evergreens outside people's houses. One of those tiny bulbs on a string? "We were only doing it occasionally for kicks. We'd 'launch' them over the street and listen to them pop on the pavement. We didn't think anything about it. Nate was 10 and I was 14. "Well, I remember very clearly when we got home. I walked into the dining room where the bottom of the stairs were, going up to his bedroom. He was coming down those stairs just as I came in. "Mainly I remember the look on his face. He said, 'Who was selling on Prairie Road tonight?' "It took me a few seconds to register that, first of all, he was really angry, and secondly, it was Nate and me who had been selling on Prairie Road that night. I got sick to my stomach immediately. I remember the intense fear that came over me. I didn't know much yet, but between the look on his face and the questions, I knew something was wrong." Nate Phelps "Nobody answered. He asked again. By that time, Mom had come in. Her face was white. She said, 'Why?'" Mark Phelps "He said, 'I got a call from some guy who told me that there were two boys that had come by his house tonight, and that he was a retired police detective. Was this the church that the boys were selling candy for. I told them it was, and asked why. He told me that, he was sorry to have to report it, but that I should know the boys were stealing light bulbs from Christmas trees and then trying to sell them door-to-door. Who was it?' (The truth was, we were at the time also selling 'Paul Revere' light bulbs that had a lifetime guarantee). Before I could say a word, someone told him that it was Nate and I. He said, 'Let's go.'"
Mark Phelps "We went upstairs. He never asked me or Nate one word about whether it was true. He never asked us for our side of the story. All he said, after we got upstairs was, 'How could you endanger the church like that, after all the problems we have? How could you do it, bring reproach on the church like that?'" Nate Phelps "By that time, I was so scared, all I can remember saying was, 'I'm sorry, Daddy. We didn't mean it. We're so sorry'." What followed was the brutal, 200- stroke beating with the mattock handle described at the beginning of Chapter Two. Nate proceeds to describe more of life in the house of Fagin. His father would pass through periods of manic, frenetic activity and bombast, then spend days in bed, watching television and eating as he had in his days of obesity. Despite their full schedules of school, running, and child labor, the pastor had yet one more task for his offspring during his days abed he kept a bell on his headboard to ring for service. "For food, or drink, or Mom, or even the tiniest thing," remembers Nate.
"He just wouldn't get out of bed. And we'd all try to avoid going up there. Eventually, he'd get really mad and ring and ring and one of us would have to go. It would usually turn out he wanted a glass of water or something like that-only a few steps away." It would seem to be reminiscent of their father's Jabba-the-Hut days, when the fat pastor sent his eight and nine year-old sons out, four miles round-trip on their bicycles, to fetch him a chicken dinner or a piece of hot apple pie while he wallowed in bed-except Fred Phelps no longer ate those kind of things with a newly experimental palate, he was in hot pursuit of his fading youth. His eye on Methuselah, he was searching out new foods that, paradoxically, might postpone his assured arrival among the elect in the heaven of his hating god. If the children living in the house of Fagin already performed the functions of domestic servants, financial underwriters, and kickbags, now they also had to endure the role of lab rats for Fred's eccentric diets a-la-Ponce-de-Leon. Returning from their 10-mile runs after 10 p.m. each night, not having eaten since noon lunch at school and having paced the pavements for five hours selling candy, the starving children of the earnest Pastor Phelps frequently faced such enticing entrees and one-half head of steamed cabbage and a handful of brewer's yeast tablets. Nate remembers
"He'd read a book and one month we'd get nothing but raw eggs in a glass twice a day. Then he'd read another book and we weren't to eat eggs, period." Nate has a different perspective on Margie's charming tale about the curds and whey
"My father would buy a sack of powered milk and mix it with water in a five gallon stainless steel pot. Then he'd leave it uncovered for a week beneath the stairs. After it smelled enough to make you throw up, he'd skim the curds off the top and make us eat it in bowls. It smelled so horrible, some of the kids would have to go in the bathroom and vomit." Given the massive caloric cost of being teenagers, walking a sales route, and running 10 miles each day, it's no surprise the Phelps children turned to the nearest, richest source of calories to satisfy their needs the candy they carried at work and which was stored in their very bedrooms. For a period of about six years, the brothers report, the sweets they sold were also the principal element in their diet. So principal, that some of the children began to gain weight. This visible development, particularly in Nate and his sister, Katherine, caused the pastor great upset, says Nate. First, after his own successful battle against obesity, Fred Phelps had little patience for it elsewhere in the family; second, the Captain suspected some of the crew might be eating the strawberries. Jonathon Phelps admits he was of them "You don't muzzle the oxen when you want them to tread the grain," he remembers with a laugh. It is difficult to imagine anyone who runs 10 miles a day becoming obese. In fact, Nate reports that, at the time his father imposed his Nazi Weight Loss program, the teenager was 5'10" and 185. Not leathery and lean, but not worthy of comment on a large-boned male. But to the pastor Phelps, that extra thickness on his son meant thinner profits from the children's crusade. So, in what, for those who didn't have to endure it, may begin to read like a Marx Brothers script, Fred Phelps took steps. He designed a weight-loss regimen for Nate and Kathy. "We were required to weigh ourselves in front of him each night," says Nate. "On his doctor's scales sitting outside his bedroom. If we didn't weigh less than we had the day before, we got beat." Sometimes the two were beaten every night of the week with the mattock.
"I'd eat lunch," Nate says, "but I'd throw up before going home. Or take Ex-Lax. So would Kathy. His expectations were impossible, so we learned to manipulate the scales. "We'd place a small piece of tape with several metal nuts attached in the palm of our hand. As we stepped onto the scales, we'd stick the tape to the backside of the balance beam. This would show our weight to be lower than it actually was. "Unfortunately, one day the tape wouldn't stick properly and fell down. The old man didn't see it fall, but he did see that my weight was eight pounds higher than expected. "'You've been eatin' my goddamed candy again!' he yelled.
"This led to an 10 hour ordeal of beatings, followed by marathon running sessions, followed by more beatings, followed by running. "The net result was that, at the end of the day, I'd lost 14 pounds and seriously injured my hip. The irony is that, since that weight loss was all fluid dehydration, when I replaced the fluids, I regained the weight. But I didn't know that, and neither did my father."
The next day, when Nate had mysteriously shot up 14 pounds, the vexed pastor fell into the frustrated fury reserved for benighted reformers, and son Nate got beaten once more. The incident manifests Pastor Phelps' trademark career combination of ignorance and violence. Afterwards, the teenager was literally forbidden to eat until he lost those extra pounds. Breakfast, Nate never got after that. And when the family lined up for the food cooked in the great pots, Nate wasn't allowed to eat with them. If the menu called for cabbage, curds, or liver pills, his siblings would envy him. But if Fred relented, and something tasty awaited the hungry children-chicken spaghetti, or stew- Nate was never given any.
Today, the man is philosophical about the trials of the boy "I'd just sneak food from the fridge later, or eat candy from the boxes," he observes. Incredibly, this father-enforced fast went on for five years. All the while, Nate's weight continued the same, and the pastor continued to accuse him of eating candy.
"Well...duh!" laughs Nate today. "If, after five years, I was still alive, I must have been eating something, right?" On his daughter, Kathy, the good pastor imposed an even harsher solution she was locked in her room for the biblical 40 days, given only water to drink, and allowed exit only to the bathroom.
Kathy is the oldest daughter and the third-oldest child. She shared a bedroom with Shirley and Margie, the fourth and fifth of the Phelps kids. All three were close at the time. Both Nate and Mark remember that either Margie or Shirley once smuggled Kathy a glass of tomato juice. Fred caught his eldest daughter with it after she'd taken it to her room.
When Kathy refused to tell who'd given her the tomato juice, the boys report their father yelled and swore and beat her for nearly two hours. They remark it was one of the worst beatings she ever received. It was delivered by both fist and mattock handle to what was, literally, a starving teenage girl. Even Mrs. Phelps was not immune to the weight- watcher from hell.
"He got mad at her once. Said she was getting too fat," remembers Mark. "Right in front of me, he beat her with the mattock. I mean...it was a real...real degrading, humiliating kind of experience to watch your mother treated like that." Fred Phelps wears a bullet-proof vest to all his pickets yet his new-found notoriety may not hit him in the chest, as he fears.
No, if fame hath its costs, the pastor may need a padlock for his checkbook, for ancient creditors do stir. The man who stands so self- righteously on streetcorners daily, denouncing the sins of others, it seems forgot to pay for a lot of candy. When sued for payment by his suppliers, the spiritual leader of the Westboro Baptist Church claimed under oath that the candy received was broken, stale, and melted; consequently, it was unsuitable for sale. The fact that his children had already sold it was considered a testimony to their upbringing. However, since it had been sold and there was none to return, the court decided the pastor should pay for the 'melted' candy, irrespective of whether Topekans in the gallery were eating peanut brittle or peanut puddles. Joe Sanders, of the Money Tree Candy Co., in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to whom alone Fred still owes $20,000, including simple interest, has retained a lawyer to resuscitate the debt. "Back in '72, we got a court lien, but we could never find his account," Sanders explains.
Mr. Sanders may find Mark and Nate Phelps willing to testify how their father coached them perjury, suggesting the impressionable teenagers state under oath that the candy, which was fresh and good, was in fact stale and melted. This litany of greed is not yet done.
After two years of the candy sales, the house of Fagin diversified. A notice was placed in the paper asking for pianos to be donated to an unspecified church. Another notice was placed in the sales' column, advertising pianos. According to Mark and Nate, this arrangement flourished from 1971 through 1972, until someone in the Attorney General's office connected the two ads. Fred was ordered to stop. And did.
"But we moved a lot of pianos before then. And we made 150 to 200 bucks each from them," says Mark. Also, starting in 1970, for three summers, Mark and his older brother, Fred, Jr., were cut loose from the candy sales to run a new Phelps enterprise, a lawn care/trash hauling general clean-up business. Mark describes it
"At age 16, I had a pick-up and my brother had a pick-up, and we had three lawn mowers. My dad paid for these items from our work selling candy. "He was dispatcher and the scheduler. We were the ones that did the work. He arranged things so tightly, we just plain worked our butts off from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"He'd rush us out before dawn, no showers, no breakfast, and we'd be out to the dump to empty our trucks and begin our first job. "He wouldn't budget us money, nor schedule us time for lunch. My dad had me so intimidated, I would have gone along with it, but Fred Jr. usually said otherwise. He'd insist we take time and dollars to go to McDonald's. Then I'd have to overbid the next job, and we'd have to finish early so our dad wouldn't catch us."
The children's candy crusade at Westboro Baptist carried on for seven years, from 1968 to 1975. Its stated purpose was to raise money for a new organ in the church. The one finally purchased had two keyboards and nine to twelve foot pedals, say Mark, who, along with Fred, Jr., played it at church services. "It was a Baldwin."
The equivalent organ today sells for around $4,000, far more than it did 20 years ago. During the later years of the fundraising campaign, Pastor Phelps claimed the church needed the money for a new carpet. At, say, 100 square yards, it would cost $3,000 to lay a moderately priced carpet in the present church, far more again than in 1973.
The target goal of the fundraising could then be safely placed at $7,000. Mark and Nate Phelps have submitted their estimates of the daily cash flow volumes during the candy sales from 1968-1975. These are not wild guesses, as Mark was the accountant for the operation he collected the money and counted it at the end of each day.
Candy that was sold to our best recollections estimated dollars
half the year, 1968 $22,710
The entire year, 1969$45,420
Estimated total dollars from candy sales:$317,940.
We estimate the average dollar amount sold for the specified days:
Weeknights during the school year$75/night
Saturdays during school year$300/Saturday
Six days a week during the summer$220/day
Based on this, you can follow the figuring below:
Nine months of the school year, approximately would be:
Five week night x $75/night = $375
Saturdays$300
675 x 36 weeks, approximately $24,300
Three months of summer months, approximately would be:
$220 x six days = $1,320 per week
$1320 x 16 weeks = $21,120
$24,300+$21,120 = $45,420/year
As one can see, $318,000 does significantly overshoot the stated goal's estimated cost of $7,000. Which leaves $311,000 unaccounted for, plus the income from the piano sales.
The candy was marked up 100 to 200 percent from the suppliers' price. Assuming an average 150 percent markup, $191,000 went to the Phelpses and $127,000 to their suppliers. But a cursory search of local court records for the years 1971 to 1974 alone turned up almost $11,000 in unpaid debt to three separate candy companies.
According to Joe Sanders at the Money Tree Candy Co., the Pastor Phelps placed an order with them in 1971. The company first sent him only a small order to determine if he was trustworthy. When they received payment, they were happy to fill a much larger order, one amounting to thousands of dollars. They never got their money.
Sanders believes the Pastor Phelps may have been running a scam where he paid for the first order and stiffed the suppliers on a much larger second one. "There were so many candy distributors back then, it would have taken him years to work through the list," observes Sanders. Most of those suppliers have long since gone out of business. Their records disappeared with them. But, if a cursory local spot check can show that almost 10 percent of Fred Phelps' debt to his suppliers went unpaid, the inquiring mind might ask how many other companies never went to court, but accepted partial payment or wrote it off as a bad debt. Assuming the boys' estimates upon which these figures are based are correct-and that as equal a portion of unpaid debts were written off as went to court-a very rough guess of the income off candy sales for the seven years, 1968-1975, would be $210,000-or $30,000 a year. Twenty-five years ago, that was nearly three times the annual salary of the average Topekan. Some organ. Some rug.
What happened to the rest? "It's obvious isn't it? says Nate. "We used it to live on." In fact, Pastor Phelps defrauded his community of over $200,000 earmarked for a non-profit religious enterprise. It was instead consumed as personal income without paying a single rusty penny in taxes.
While a church must originally file an exemption from income tax as a non-profit organization, separation of church and state mean that, unlike other non-profit groups, a church is not required to file the annual form 990-a yearly accounting of its cash income and outlay. Nevertheless, a church is required to keep books and records and be able to demonstrate to IRS auditors that all income has been properly outlaid.
The burden of proof lies on the church audited. When Westboro Baptist was incorporated in May of 1967, ominously close to the start of the candy crusade, the church was to be used for religious purposes only- including weekly public services, public prayers, singing of gospel songs and hymns, receiving of tithes and offerings, and observance of baptism and communion. 'Receiving of tithes and offerings' might well have meant legal fees in the pastor's mind. For 11 years, his law offices were located in the building on which he paid no taxes because it was a church. So, too, was his domicile: In 1960, the Eastside Baptist Church, holder of the original lien on the property at Westboro, attempted to foreclose and evict Phelps. The cause, as discussed in Chapter Four, was his altering the function of the property from a public congregation to a private residence. Indeed, with only a few exceptions, since 1958, the 'congregation' at Westboro has been just the Phelps family. The benefits of calling one's own family a church?
First, one can go into fundraising for oneself instead of gainful employment. Each of us can at last be our own favorite charity. Second, banco to those pasty property taxes. Third, if one owns a business, they can operate it from within their church at a fraction of the honest overhead.
To an observer, it seems remarkable that someone who has paid no personal, property, or corporate taxes for a profitable operation-a.k.a. "religion"-would have the inaccuracy to lecture his community ad nauseam about its misuse of taxes. Mark Phelps estimates the summer lawn and hauling enterprise of 1970, 1971, and 1972 netted between eight to ten thousand a season. Since it was turned over to their father, no doubt it was declared by him as taxable personal income for those years. After the pastor was reinstated to the bar in 1971, the older children were required to put in long hours assisting at the law office. By 1975 and the end of the candy sales, they were coming out of law school, ready to take their place in the trenches against the Adamic race, and willing to underwrite their dad's fantasies with an estimated 10 to 25 percent tithe on their personal incomes. The final irony of all this? In the actual Children's Crusade of 1212, fervent Christian children from all over France were inspired to free Jerusalem from the Moslems. Over 20,000 youths, most of them between the ages of seven and twelve, marched across France to the port of Marseille, where they hoped the pope would provide them ships to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, the ship captains were mostly pirates. When the fleet sailed, it wasn't to Jerusalem, but to the slave ports of North Africa. A generation of child idealists were sold into chains and never heard from again. Of course, the pirates probably weren't ever heard from either. Certainly they never became moral commentators or social reformers. But, back then, pirates had more grace and self-knowledge. That is, if Gilbert and Sullivan can be trusted.
CHAPTER SIX
"The Law of Wrath"
Nowhere was the volatile and abusive nature of Fred Phelps more visible than in the law courts. Six years before the bar, the ill-tempered reverend had already discovered the law was a perfect mattock-handle to punish the world outside his walls. Between 1958 and 1964, Phelps filed 14 lawsuits against his employers, his customers, Leaford Cavin (the Baptist minister who'd given him his new church), the radio station TOP (Phelps had paid to broadcast for 15 minutes each Sunday morning, but then had his show terminated as too inflammatory), Stauffer Communications, former friends, and public officials. In addition, according to a local attorney who recalls those early days when Fred sold baby carriages and cribs door-to-door, Phelps flooded the equivalent of the small claims courts with requests to garnish the wages of young couples who'd missed their payments-however briefly.
In one case, Fred Phelps vs. Rattus Lewis, which reached the District Court in 1961, Phelps was accused by Lewis and his wife of tricking them with lies: when they thought they were signing a note vouching for the good credit of another couple, they were actually buying a baby-stroller for a baby they didn't have. The Laces were an uneducated black couple.
Phelps was just entering law school seeking, in his words, "to relieve the oppressed" and to achieve social justice via the courtroom-or what he called "the judicial remedy". There seemed, even then, no limit to the pastor's greed and no grasp of decency in his actions: "I remember we were amazed," one member of the court recalls, "that anyone who hadn't been to law school could be so robustly treacherous." One of those must have been Judge Beryl Johnson, who threw more than one of Fred's cases out of court. And, apparently, the judge would remember the pastor's avarice and utter lack of ethics. To be admitted to the bar, Phelps needed a judge to swear to his good character. The process is usually routine. Not for Fred. No judge was willing to do that. Phelps claims it was the same Beryl Johnson, now deceased, who lobbied the other judges not to sign the young graduate off. Eventually, the pastor was able to gain entry after providing numerous affidavits from other character witnesses.
Phelps is still bitter about that today. He claims 'they' were closing ranks against his Bible message and against his stated intent to use the courtroom to attack social injustice. In a 1983 interview with the Wichita Eagle- Beacon, Fred defined the 'they' who tried to keep him from the bar as "the leading lights of the Jim Crow Topeka community...the presidents of the First National Bank, Merchants National Bank, Capitol Federal Savings and Loan, and the Kansas Power and Light Company..."
The pastor states that, though 'they' tried to stop him, he knew what he had to do: "I was raised in Mississippi. I knew it was wrong the way those black people were treated," he says. He also accuses Lou Eisenbarth, a Topeka lawyer, of having led a delegation of attorneys who tried to block Phelps' admission to Washburn Law School.
Eisenbarth just shakes his head in quiet surprise. "Not me." He remembers beating Phelps in one of the pastor's law school civil rights suits, but says there was no delegation to block Phelps going to Washburn. And the judges unanimously refusing to sign off? "If that did happen, it was Phelps' bad temperament and poor judgement that had alarmed community members enough to strenuously object to him practicing the law. It was his litigious and malicious behavior-not fear of any future civil rights work." A few months after Phelps told Capital- Journal reporters, 'I was raised in Mississippi; I knew it was wrong the way those black people were treated', the following incident occurred: A black woman, having to walk through the anti-gay pickets outside the courthouse and minding her own business utterly, politely asked Jonathon not to thrust the camera in her face. Pastor Phelps, unaware a member of the press had come up behind him, screamed at the black woman so loud the pavement should have cracked: "YOU FILTHY NIGGER BITCH!" Once inside the bar, within two years, the young esquire provided his elders' fears were not unfounded. As the court-appointed attorney from October to December, 1966, for a man arrested in a forgery case, Phelps received $200 from the defendant's ex-wife to bond the man from jail. Several days later, the ex-wife hired Phelps to handle a divorce she now sought from her current husband. She paid the pastor $50 to do the legal work. The divorce was granted. Phelps kept the $200 for himself, preparing court records to show he had been paid $250 for the divorce. Meanwhile, the lady's ex-husband remained in jail. In the year prior, there had been more unethical conduct. Phelps had been hired to represent another woman seeking a divorce in March, 1965.
Before firing him as her attorney a month later, the woman had paid the pastor $1,000 of the $2,500 fee he was charging her. Phelps had filed an attorney's lien for the balance of the unpaid bill. But a Shawnee County District Court judge had ruled Phelps' services weren't worth more than the $1,000 already paid by the woman, and disallowed the $1,500 lien. So Phelps had filed a lawsuit against the woman in the same court, seeking the $1,500.
The Kansas Supreme Court said that amounted to harassment of his client. It stated Phelps' conduct in the case "demonstrates a lack of professional self-restraint in matters of compensation." Assistant Attorney General Richard Seaton would later observe that Phelps had shown a pattern of conduct illustrating "an uncontrollable appetite for money-especially the money of his client."
The pastor didn't agree. In May, 1966, he filed for the Democratic nomination to the Kansas House, 45th District. "As a Democrat, I am liberal in my thinking," he announced, "but conservative in spending the people's money." Meanwhile, behind the walls of Westboro, the pastor lay up for days in bed, addicted to drugs, beating his wife and helpless toddlers, and sending seven year-olds to fetch his hot apple pie. A potential public servant perhaps-but one straight out of ancient Rome. In l969, Phelps was brought before the State Board of Law Examiners on seven counts of professional misconduct.
Seaton and then Attorney General Kent Frizzell argued that the Westboro minister's conduct as an attorney "is one of total disregard for the duties and the respect and consideration owed by an attorney to his clients. Where money is concerned, the accused simply lacks any sense of balance and proportion. Whatever the reason for this, it appears to me a permanent condition."
Frizzell and Seaton wanted Phelps disbarred. Instead, State Supreme Court Justices chose in 1969 to suspend the pastor for two years. Phelps landed on his feet however: the children's candy sales took up the slack in family income-and then some. But the court's sanction did trouble him. It was on the first anniversary of his suspension that Phelps decided his wife wasn't in proper subjection to him and shaved her long hair down to a bad crewcut. Mrs. Phelps later told the children: "He's just upset; it's been one year today since he was suspended." Nine months after he was released from the penalty box for cheating and exploiting his clients, Phelps had the temerity to place his name on the ballot for District Attorney of Shawnee County.
At the same time, not only had he just been disciplined for his lack of professional ethics, but he was also being sued by three different candy companies, having stiffed them for almost $11,000. To make matters worse, he had also just eluded criminal charges for beating Nate and Jonathon, and danced in front of his children at the news his oldest son's fiancee had committed suicide.
One can only imagine what new turns the pastor's hate would have taken, invested with the power of the D.A.'s office. Because no one else had filed in a race against a popular Republican D.A., Phelps ran unopposed in the August Democratic primary. However, the D.A. was required to have practiced law in the county for five years prior to holding office. As a result of his suspension, Phelps had those years cumulatively but not consecutively. He held he qualified. The State Contest Board held he did not. Phelps appealed first to the District Court, then to the Kansas Supreme Court. He lost. He was disqualified September 28, 1972, leaving the Democrats only five weeks to find another candidate. They lost.
Since then, the pastor has maintained bitter relations with a succession of D.A.s-none of them Fred Phelps. Having stumbled at the start of his public career, Phelps returned to private practice and quickly confirmed his colleagues' fears: the angry reverend's working preference was for largely unfounded lawsuits which the defendants would settle out of court to avoid the nuisance of litigation.
"I was waiting in the Denver airport with him. We were working a civil rights case," remembers Bob Tilton, a former Democratic state chairman and an acquaintance of Phelps. "He told me had to file 20 lawsuits to get one judgement. I said to him, "But what about the other 19 people you sue? It costs them a lot of money and heartache to defend themselves.' He just laughed at me." Phelps sued Kentucky Fried Chicken for $60,000 when a female client claimed she'd discovered a 'bug' in her breadroll; at the same time, he sued a restaurant owned by Harkies Inc. for $30,000 because the same woman claimed to have dined there and found abone in her barbecue. The client admitted she hadn't eaten either the bug or the bone, and that she'd sought no medical treatment, yet she claimed personal damages totaling $10,000 and punitive damages of $80,000.
KFC settled out of court for $600. Harkies likewise for $1,000. In a third case (all three of which were first described in the 1983 expose of Phelps by Steve Tompkins of the Wichita- Eagle Beacon), Fred sued a Denny's restaurant for $110,000. He claimed slander against his client when the man was accused of palming a dollar bill lying beside a register.
The restaurant settled out of court for $750. For the most authentic taste of the law according to Pastor Fred, however, one must turn to Sylvester Smith, Jr. versus Kevin P. Marshall. Excerpts from the opinion of the court, delivered by Judge J. McFarland, tell all: "On May 30, 1975, the plaintiff was a passenger in a car driven by the defendant. The defendant drove his vehicle to the left curb of a one-way street in Topeka, Kansas. Plaintiff exited the vehicle from the passenger side and walked in front of the vehicle. Defendant attempted to put the vehicle in reverse, but instead put it in neutral or drive. The defendant's vehicle moved forward. The plaintiff's lower right leg was caught between defendant's vehicle and a parked automobile. These facts are not in dispute. The residual effect of plaintiff's injury was a discoloration of a small area of skin on his leg."
The discoloration was the size of a quarter, and the plaintiff's skin was black. A chiropractor, called by the plaintiff to testify, made a gallant attempt: "That is a scar right here. If you hold it just right, you can pull it and see a scar."
In effect, Phelps had tied up first the District Court, then the Court of Appeals, and here, the Supreme Court of Kansas over a bruised shin-a quarter-sized scar the pastor insisted constituted a $100,000 disfigurement. To garner the real flavor of civil litigation behind the looking-glass, the lay reader is invited to listen in on the court's discussion of the point at issue: "The record should show that the Court did observe the right leg of Mr. Smith. The parties should also note the Court's observations, the Court did run his finger on the leg in the area that Dr. Counselman described. And the Court's observation, from just a visual and from a touch indication, was that there was no scarring as we understand broken skin with a lesion over the scarring. In other words, it was a smooth feeling.
"That area that the Court did observe was ascertainable, discernible, it being more of a, at least to the visual view of the Court, it was more of a discoloration of Mr. Smith's leg. "The record should show Mr. Smith is black. The area in question was darker. It was more of a dark brown area. It was about an inch and a quarter in length and in the middle point running North and South on the leg toward the center, as Dr. Counselman indicated, and toward the center of the area. It extended to, perhaps, about a half an inch. But I would say it would be East and West across the leg and about an inch and a quarter long. Now that is what the visual observation indicates..." That Phelps could get a bruised shin all the way to the Supreme Court certainly testifies to his persistence. It also reveals the predatory, surreal and parasitic nature of civil litigation in our society.
However, before the reader loses all faith in a fast-fading institution, we hasten to point out that reason did prevail. The Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and affirmed the decision of the trial court which had found in favor of the defendant: "Assuming it to be permanent, I cannot believe it is the type of 'disfigurement' intended by the Legislature to support this plaintiff's claim for $100,000 in damages. It seems to me this is a prime example of those 'exaggerated claims for pain and suffering in instances of relatively minor injury' the Court recognized in Manzanares, and just the type of 'minor nuisance' claim the Legislature intended to eliminate." The appellation of 'minor nuisance' may, in the end, sum up the life, law, and ministry of Fred Waldron Phelps.
Perhaps the most ridiculous example of the pastor's apparent obsessive need to chisel for chump-change is the $50,000,000 lawsuit filed against Sears and Co. When Mark and Fred, Jr. placed a color television on Christmas layaway in September of 1973, they didn't realize it had been set aside on paper, not actually taken off the shelf and held in the stockroom. When they paid the balance in November, they were told their TV would be ready at Christmas-as they had originally contracted. Three days later, the pastor filed suit in his sons' names and those of 1,000,000 other Sears' layaway customers. "We didn't have anything to do with it," says Mark. It was strictly his idea. In fact, when I left home that year right after Christmas, it put him in a bind. He had a case that was missing a plaintiff."
Court documents show Sears called the Phelpses and told them the television would be available later in November. The two Freds chose not to accept it. Instead, they pressed their suit. Nearly six years of litigation followed. Motions and counter motions were filed. Lawyers argued aspects of the case in front of judges. A judge threw out the class action section of the suit.
Finally, after countless hours of legal work and an original request for $50,000,000, the case was settled in favor of the Phelpses for $126.34. The boys had originally paid $184.59 for the set, but they never received it. These are not the files that will one day inspire a new Earl Stanley Gardner. By 1983, according to the Wichita Eagle- Beacon, there had been "more complaints filed against Phelps, and more formal hearings into his conduct, than any other Kansas attorney since records have been kept." If in fact he did lead the judges' conspiracy to block Fred Phelps from the bar, few would fault old Beryl Johnson today.
In 1976, the reverend-esquired was investigated by the Kansas Attorney General's office. In 73 percent of the pastor's lawsuits, the inquiry discovered the defendants had settled or agreed to settle out of court. In the 57 cases already settled, Phelps had demanded a total of $75,200.00-but then taken an average of only $1,500 per case to walk away. Litigation would have cost his adversaries far more. It was naked extortion, nothing more. Phil Harley, the Assistant Attorney General who led the investigation, now an attorney in San Francisco, confirmed to the Capital-Journal a statement he made to the press 10 years ago: "Based on my experience with him, I reached the personal conclusion that Mr. Phelps used the legal system to coerce settlements and abuse other people." In an opinion filed in a 1979 civil rights case, Federal Judge Richard Rogers-no stranger to the pastor's ways, a significant portion of his docket was taken up by Fred's lawsuits- supported Harley's conclusions: "I feel Mr. Phelps files 'strike suits' of little merit in the expectation of securing settlements by defendants anxious to avoid the inconvenience and expense of litigation." In fact, when those sued by Phelps did not blink, but forced him into court, the angry pastor lost 75 percent of the time-an astonishing record that explodes the myth of the invincible Fred Phelps, a myth which intimidates his community even today.
On November 8, 1977, the state filed a complaint seeking to have Phelps disbarred in its courts. The complaint centered on the pastor's behavior in a lawsuit filed against Carolene Brady, a court reporter in Shawnee County District Court. Phelps sought $2,000 in actual damages and $20,000 punitive damages, alleging Brady had failed to have a court transcript ready when he'd asked for it.
According to court documents, prior to filing the lawsuit, Phelps allegedly told Brady "he had wanted to sue her for a long time". During the trial, the pastor called Brady to the stand, had her declared a hostile witness, and cross-examined her for several days. Phelps not only attacked Brady's competence and honesty, he also attempted to introduce testimony about her sex life.
The Kansas Supreme Court would later observe: "The trial became an exhibition of a personal vendetta by Phelps against Carolene Brady. His examination was replete with repetition, badgering, innuendo, belligerence, irrelevant and immaterial matter, evidencing only a desire to hurt and destroy the defendant." The Supreme Court went on to comment, after the jury had found for Brady and Phelps sought a new trial: "The jury verdict didn't stop the onslaught of Phelps. He was not satisfied with the hurt, pain, and damage he had visited on Carolene Brady." In asking for a new trial, Phelps prepared affidavits swearing to the court he had new witnesses whose testimony would weigh in dramatically on his side. Brady obtained affidavits from eight of those witnesses, showing they would not testify as the pastor had claimed, that, in fact, Phelps had lied to the court.
The formal complaint against Phelps would not be for harassing Brady, but that he had "clearly misrepresented the truth to the court". Phil Harley, the same Assistant Attorney General who had investigated Phelps in 1976, represented the state in the 1979 disbarment proceedings. Harley wrote:
"When the attorneys engage in conduct such as Phelps has done, they do serious injury to the workings of our judicial system. Even the lay person could see how serious Phelps' infractions are. To allow this type of conduct to go essentially unpunished is being disrespectful to our entire judicial system. It confirms the layman's suspicion that attorneys are 'above the law' and can do anything they please with impunity." Harley continued: "Phelps has now been given two chances to show that he is capable of conducting himself in a manner that is expected of an attorney. On both occasions, he has flagrantly violated the oath he swore to uphold. He should not be given a third opportunity to harm the public or the judicial system. Fred W. Phelps should be disbarred." The Kansas Supreme Court agreed, adding: "The seriousness of the present case, coupled with his previous record, leads this court to the conclusion that respondent has little regard for the ethics of his profession."
The date was July 20, 1979. Even so, the vindictive pastor would have his revenge cold, however small the portion: When Mark Bennett, the attorney chairing the state grievance committee originally recommending Phelps be disbarred died, the aggrieved Fred came to the wake and signed the guestbook. Beside his name, Phelps wrote the numbers of a chapter and verse from the Bible.
When the shattered widow looked it up, it said 'vengeance is mine'. Based on his state court disbarment, Phelps was banned from practicing law in federal courts from October, 1980 until October, 1982. Amazingly, the pastor was back in trouble almost immediately following his return. Demand letters sent in 1983 to people Phelps planned to sue brought him right back up for disciplinary charges in federal court. Initiated by Wichita lawyer Robert Howard, the complaint charged that Phelps sent letters to businesses and individuals he intended to sue, informing them of litigation unless they paid money to the pastor's client.
Called before a panel of three federal judges barely two years after he had returned to the law, nonetheless Fred and his family of flyspeckers had been busy: Phelps Chartered had almost 200 lawsuits pending in the U.S. courts. In one, the pastor was suing Ronald Reagan for appointing an ambassador to the Vatican. In others, he was demanding an injunction against moments of silence in schools; suing a local teacher who had criticized the doctrine of predestination' and asking $5,000,000 in damages for libel from the Wichita Eagle-Beacon for the story it ran in 1983. All of these suits would come to nothing. The sheer number of cases generated out of Phelps Chartered, and the family's genius for antagonization set the stage for the next conflict:
Fred on the deserted platform, waiting to stare down the federal judges arriving on the noon train. Too late, Phelps would learn that, in a staring contest with a federal judge, one should be a fish if they expect him to blink first. The hard lesson would soon take the 'esquire' out of the irascible pastor. Of the five active federal judges in Kansas, two of them, Earl O'Connor of Kansas City and Patrick Kelly of Wichita, had already voluntarily removed themselves from hearing any cases involving Phelps Chartered. Lawyers from the family had filed motions accusing them of racial prejudice, religious prejudice, and conspiring to violate the civil rights of the seven Phelps attorneys. At first, the judges were only too happy to comply: they were as eager to be rid of the Phelps brand of tawdry courtroom hysteria as the pastor and company wanted to be done with them. Kelly, in fact, even told the pastor "good riddance" to his face during a special hearing the judge had called to upbraid Phelps-a hearing for which Kelly would later be reprimanded. Believing he had intimidated them, Fred made his fatal, final mistake as the bad boy of the Kansas courts: he went for a third judge. The pastor publicly accused Richard Rogers of the U.S. District Court in Topeka of racial prejudice, dislike of civil rights cases, engaging in a racially motivated vendetta against the seven Phelpses, and conspiring against them with Judge O'Connor. Rogers counter- charged the Phelpses had launched a campaign to disqualify him from hearing Phelps litigation in an attempt to go 'judge shopping'. Even if Rogers had wanted to remove himself, his hands were tied. Almost 90 of those 200 lawsuits generated by Phelps Chartered had been assigned to Rogers; court-approximately one-fifth of his entire caseload. If Rogers bowed out, it would leave only two federal judges, Dale Saffels of Kansas City and Sam Crow of Wichita, to handle the swarm of 200 Phelps suits, as well as their dockets from the rest of the state. "I'll grant you it creates a logistics problem," admitted Margie Phelps at the time, "but I didn't create the problem. If it takes going to the other end of the United States...to get another judge and bring him in to hear our cases, that's what the law requires." When Rogers refused to acquiesce to the pastor's demands, Phelps began a campaign of innuendo and wild accusations that Topekans today will recognize as pure Fred. An article in the Capital-Journal, January 16 of 1986, describes this early forerunner of the Phelps' fax campaign:
"The judge has disputed affidavits filed by Phelps clients who say he has made derogatory comments about the Phelpses at the Topeka County Club, the YMCA, in an elevator at the First National Bank, and at a judicial conference last September in Tulsa. "For example, the Phelpses accuse Rogers of telling Chris Davis, a Topeka man who attended the Tulsa conference, "You had better not plan on practicing law with the Phelps firm in my court, because I intend putting them out of business before much longer'. "They also quote an affidavit given by Brent Roper, a Topeka man who said Rogers became angry at the conference banquet when a band leader drew attention to the Phelps attorneys. Rogers is said to 'stalked from the ballroom', saying, 'Those - - Phelpses, they're everywhere showing off,' and 'It will be harder now, but I will destroy them.'" The irony here is that both 'Topeka' men quoted as apparent uninvolved bystanders were, in fact, Fred Phelps' sons-in-laws, or soon to be. Chris Davis was one of two families, the Hockenbargers and the Davises, that remained in the Westboro Church. He married the seventh Phelps child, Rebekah, in 1991. The other "Topeka man", Brent Roper, joined the Westboro community as a homeless teenager, was put through law school by the pastor, and married Shirley Phelps. The image of a federal judge stalking from a ballroom uttering darkly, "it will be harder now, but I will destroy them," it seems, on its face, a rather amateurish dip in slander. These are lines from the movies, from a Lex Luthor, and not a Richard Rogers.
It is noteworthy here to mention that Roper is also the author of a privately published book that argues AIDS was first introduced to the United States by Truman Capote, following a book promotion in South Africa. According to Roper, both JFK and Marilyn Monroe contracted the disease simultaneously from Capote during a touch football game in the White House Rose Garden. The CIA was forced to kill the fab couple, he says, to keep them from spreading the deadly virus to the rest of the nation.
Copies may be difficult to find. After Rogers remained stubborn despite the slanderous attacks, he claimed the Phelpses threatened to sue him on behalf of a client Rogers didn't know. It was not an empty threat. In August, 1985, the pastor Phelps and his daughter, Margie, had brought a suit against Judge O'Connor on behalf of a former federal probation officer. Though the man had been removed from his position by a vote of the full court of federal judges, the suit named O'Connor. At the time, O'Connor was under pressure from the Phelpses to disqualify himself (and did) from a 30-judge panel that would rule on the pastor's 1983 demand letters. The family Phelps had started a shooting war in the wrong neighborhood.
On December 16, 1985, a complaint signed by every federal judge in Kansas was lodged against the Phelps lawyers. It called for the disbarment of the seven family attorneys-Fred, Fred, Jr., Jonathon, Margie, Shirley, Elizabeth, and Fred's daughter-in-law, Betty, and the revocation of their corporate charter. The 9 angry judges accused the Phelpses of asserting "claims and positions lacking any grounding in fact", making "false and intemperate accusations" against the judges, and undertaking a "vicious pattern of intimidation" against the court. "Time and time again," says Mark Phelps, "I can remember something would happen in the way of actions or lawsuits being filed against him or one of his clients. He would fume and cuss and strain and spew and carry on. Then, he would come up with his plan of attack.
"He'd get real excited after his deep depression, and he'd carry on around the law office crowing about the cunning, brilliant strategy he had come up with. He'd put it into action, and he'd just thrill over it. "He'd say: 'Do we know how to deal with these types? You bet we do. We goin' to sue the pants off of them. We goin' to slap them with the fattest lawsuit they ever did see. We goin' to frizzle they fricuss and burn all the lent right out of they navel. When they get this, they goin' think twice about messin' with ol' Fred Phelps.' "He'd have a ball thinking about how he was going to get even-and even better than even-and then he'd go into action. "Next thing you knew, they'd respond with some action. And I guess he always thought they'd be like his won family-willing to take anything he dished out. I guess he just naturally expects people to roll over and play dead. So, when they'd come back with a logical, predictable response to his behavior, he'd go crazy: "'These heathen! These Sons of Belial! These enemies of God and His Church! God's gonna get them! He won't let them (get) by with this!' "My father would complain and yell at God, and throw a fit at Mom, and carry on at the kids."
In September of 1987, the federal judicial panel investigating the demand letters sent by Phelps found evidence to sustain two of the four charges against him. The pastor had been accused of demanding money and other relief for claims he knew to be false. The panel of judges issued a public censure of him.
In layman's terms, Pastor Phelps had attempted to strong-arm money from the innocent and been caught. And, come high noon, there would be one less Phelps at the bar. When the nine judges first entered their complaint in 1985, Margie, the spokeswoman and courtroom representative for the family in the matter, said: "The bottom line is we will fight every charge, every way."
But, upon hearing the extent of the evidence collected against them, the Phelpses asked the judges and investigator to find a way to end the case without resorting to litigation. They agreed to the punishment specified in the consent order. Margie signed the order, acknowledging her family accepted it voluntarily and waived any right to appeal.
The resulting compromise singled out those who, according to the investigator, were the three worst offenders: Fred, Jr. was suspended six months from practicing in federal courts. Margie received a one-year suspension, in part because she had maliciously misrepresented a conversation she'd had with Judge O'Connor. Having been suspended from the state courts for cheating his clients, and then barred from them for lying to a trial judge, having been censured in federal courts for pursuing claims he knew to be false, the angry pastor was now barred from them forever because he had lied about the judges in an attempt to impugn the integrity of the court. The leopard may be older, but it still has its spots.
The federal disbarment deprived Fred Phelps of his last arena of legal abuse. Unless he could find a new outlet for his hate, the defrocked esquire from Mississippi was now just an angry eccentric, no lawyer, not even a pastor-except in the fear-conditioned eyes of his family. Nonetheless, Fred Phelps has always held that all the bad things happened in his law career because he was a tireless Christian soldier, battling for black civil rights. A careful examination of his more salient cases, however, reveals once again how, with such odd regularity, some men of the cloth seem to confuse community service with lip and self-service. The hallmark of a devoted civil rights reformer who is also a lawyer ought to be a record of court decisions that, taken together, create legal precedents influencing future cases and, therefore, future society. Sadly, close inspection of Phelps' civil rights record shows he followed the same greedy star he did in the rest of his cases. Lawsuits were filed, but rarely went to trial-and even more rarely reached a decision. Instead, Phelps practiced what he always had: 'take-the-money-and run'. A settlement out-of-court has zero impact on legal precedent. Both sides continue to maintain they were right, only one party pays the other a little money to shut up and go away. In what are probably Fred Phelps' three most famous civil rights cases, he did exactly that each time. In the multi-million dollar Kansas Power and Light case, Phelps filed a class-action on behalf of 2,000 blacks who had accused the utility of discrimination in their hiring and promotion practices.
Fred settled out of court for the following: *Two black employees received $12,000 each. *$100,000 was paid out to the other plaintiffs. If one counts the original 2,000, that made for 50 bucks each.
*Phelps scooped $85,000 in attorney's fees and expenses. *KP&L admitted no wrongdoing and suffered no coercion to alter its allegedly racist policies. KP&L officials claimed they'd settled to avoid an expensive legal battle. "It's unprecedented what we just did," the pastor crowed.
Certainly it left no precedent. In the American Legion suit, which stemmed from a police raid on a Topeka post with a largely black membership, again Phelps settled for small cash outside of court.
Perhaps his most publicized case was the Evelyn Johnson suit, touted as son of Brown vs. Board of Education, the landmark school desegregation case filed against another Topeka USD 501 school in 1955. Brown vs. Board of Education, along with the Selma bus case, became the basis for the civil rights movement in the sixties. In 1973, Evelyn Johnson's aunt and legal guardian, Marlene Miller, sue the Unified School District, number 501, a state entity which contained the Topeka area public schools. Miller, represented by Fred Phelps, claimed the district had failed to comply with the ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education. It had not provided the same educational opportunities and environments to the black neighborhoods as it had to the white areas of the city. Phelps boosted Miller's complaint into a 200 million dollar class action suit. When that was tossed out, he pressed on with the individual action on behalf of Mrs. Johnson. In 1979, the pastor agreed to settle out of court with the district's insurance company. Phelps accepted the company's condition the settlement be sealed from public scrutiny to discourage others who might have been inclined to sue for the same reasons. Hardly the act of a hard-knuckled civil rights reformer. When the contents of the settlement were revealed later, it turned out the pastor had collected $19,500 from the insurance company- $10,600 himself, and $8,900 in a trust for Johnson. If the attorneys for Brown had settled for cash outside the courtroom instead of a decision, there would have been no legal grounds for the federal government to pressure a segregated America to conform to the new social standards, and quite possibly no civil rights movement. In light of that, it is difficult to understand how $8,900 in trust to a 15 year- old, uneducated girl was going to remedy either her or her school-mates' problem. After the settlement, Evelyn Johnson attended Topeka High School, rated one of the best in the nation. She performed poorly and dropped out without graduating. Certainly her life and prospects, and those of her peers, remained generally unchanged by the out of court pay-off. Since no ruling was made and no precedent established to reinforce Brown vs. Board of Education, nothing came from six years of Phelps' litigation except $10,600 for himself and a reputation, however undeserved, as a civil rights hero.
In other instances, the issue of civil rights was so flimsily connected, and the case so absurd, that any serious interest in social change on Phelps' part has to be questioned: In 1979, the pastor sued Stauffer Communications, owner of WIBW-TV, for over $1,000,000 on behalf of a 23 year-old black man, Jetson Booth, who had appeared in footage aired by the station. Booth was shown surrounded by police during camera coverage of a shoot-out involving the officers and two unidentified men. "If plaintiff had been a white man, defendants (WIBW-TV) would not have treated him in this fashion," Phelps asserted in the suit. The case was dismissed for lack of cause shown. In 1985, Phelps Chartered was order to pay attorney's fees amounting to $7,800 for police officer Dean Forster after the firm had sued him for civil rights violations of a client. It turned out Forster had no connection to the incident in question, and, furthermore, the Phelps lawyers had known that from the beginning of their litigation. In an astonishing number of his cases, it would seem the pastor thought 'civil rights' was an open sesame to the good life-for himself. In 1979, Phelps was sued by a Wichita law firm that claimed he had "tortuously interfered in the lawyer-client relationship". Three black women and two of their children had been grievously injured in an auto accident. One of the women was in a coma for years. Allegedly, Pastor Phelps learned about the case through local black ministers. He also somehow discovered that the liable insurance company's coverage was not the $100,000 they were claiming-but 1.1 million, of which the lucky attorney representing the victims would scoop up 35 percent . The aggrieved law firm protested Phelps had wooed the clients with his erstwhile reputation as a civil rights advocate. Because of his interference, they asserted, the goose of the golden eggs had fired its midwife attorneys and taken their 35 percent to Phelps Chartered. Phelps responded the other law firm was "all white", and that, in part, they'd lost their clients because of their "racially biased and overbearing treatment of said black people." In the final settlement, however, the judge awarded $644,000 to the victim and $366,000 to the lawyers-of which only $122,000 went to Fred.
Disappointing work for one who'd chased his ambulance with such laudable ethnic sensitivity. Probably the most bizarre and ludicrous example of Fred Phelps exploiting the title of 'civil rights crusader' was in 1983, when three of his children failed to make the cut for Washburn School of Law.
The pastor filed suit in federal court on behalf of Tim, Kathy, and Rebekah, claiming his children should be granted minority status because of his civil rights work. Furthermore, Phelps argued, Washburn Law's record on affirmative action was inadequate. They needed to accept more blacks into their freshman class each year.
"It is important to note this case is brought by white applicants who are asking to be treated as blacks," observed Carl Monk, dean of the law school. "They would not be asking to be treated as blacks unless they felt such treatment would help them." That case was still in court the following year when Washburn allowed Timothy in but again denied admission to Kathy and Rebekah.
The reverend filed suit once more, but this time with a twist. In the second suit, he offered his children were the victims of reverse discrimination because they were white. He complained the law school had admitted blacks in 1984 who were far less qualified than his own offspring. So much for the family commitment to affirmative action. U.S. District Judge, Frank Theis, was not amused. Ruling on the 1983 case, he stated first that, "the plaintiffs simply were not qualified for admission to law school," and second, that the new 1984 case weakened the case before him from 1983. The judge told Phelps he could not argue the school discriminated against blacks, and then sue again, saying it preferred blacks over whites, and be taken seriously. Katherine and Rebekah eventually got their law degrees down at Oklahoma City University. Phelps Chartered got spanked with a $55,000 assessment by the court to pay Washburn's attorneys' fees. It was negotiated down, and Pastor Fred signed the check over at $12,000 in restitution for bringing a 'frivolous suit of no merit' against the college. In Phelps' eyes, it had been another blow against empire for the bold pastor. There is an interesting sidebar to this story. When the Phelps children were first turned down by Washburn in 1983, they appealed to the law school's internal grievance committee. It found no race-based discrimination in the rejection of the three Phelps. However, one of the panel members, Karl Hockenbarger, a Washburn University employee, filed a dissent, stating it was clear to him the three had been "denied admission to the law school because of their identification with Fred Phelps Sr., and the cause of civil rights for blacks." Hockenbarger went on to add: "Blacks in Kansas generally depend on the Phelps family and firm as their last and best hope for attaining equal justice." He is, of course, the same Karl Hockenbarger who daily pickets with the Phelpses, and one of the few non-family members who still attends the pastor's church at Westboro.
Mr. Hockenbarger's shared concern with his pastor for the plight of Kansas blacks may not be as deep as it appears: Police surveillance of the Westboro community has allegedly tied Hockenbarger to white supremacist groups like the Posse Comitatus and the Ku Klux Klan. "Civil rights lawsuits presented a vast opportunity to make money back then," says Nate Phelps. "My father used to say he had a huge target and all he had to do was shoot. I don't blame him for choosing a lucrative area of the law, it's just that he was not motivated by some noble, altruistic desire "to champion the case of the downtrodden." Asked if he filed "nuisance lawsuits" once, Pastor Phelps replied: "They think it's a nuisance if you call a black man a nigger. That's just trivial to them, bit it's not trivial to him, and it's not trivial to his children."
During their teenage years, both Mark and Nate worked as law clerks in their father's office. "When a black client was in there," recalls Nate, "my father would play the 'DN' game with us. It stands for 'dumb nigger'. We would all try to use the acronym as often as possible in the presence of the person involved." In the 1983 interview with the Wichita Eagle-Beacon, Phelps intoned, echoing Abraham Lincoln: "The air of the United States is too pure for racial prejudice to keep going, and the nation can't long endure half-slave and half-free. There is not any doubt that the problems of this country derive, in my humble opinion, from the way this country continues to treat black people." But according to his sons in California, part of the theology of the Old Calvinism Fred taught held that blacks were a subservient race because they were the sons of Ham, the son of Noah. Cursed for ridiculing Noah's nakedness, Ham's children were born black, according to the Bible. Some scholars attribute apartheid in South Africa to the fact that the white minority is predominantly Calvinist and takes the Ham story to heart.
Mark definitely recalls that his father taught the Ham story and took it to its Calvinist conclusions: the black race was cursed and meant to be the "servants of servants" - i.e., subservient to whites. Nate agrees. "He taught that in Sunday sermon many times while we were growing up." Both boys recall their father used to tell black jokes.
"And he'd imitate them after they'd left our office," remembers Mark. However, the piece-de-resistance in the ongoing saga of Phelps hypocrisy is the pastor's relationship with the Reverend Pete Peters of La Porte, Colorado.
Peters is the guru-philosopher of the Christian Identity Movement. Known simply as "Identity", the movement believes the white race is God's true Chosen People. They assert the Jews are animal souls that rewrote the Old Testament to give themselves the Chosen's birthright. Blacks are "mud people" who also possess animal souls-meaning they are not immortal and cannot go to heaven. According to Identity, blacks and Jews want to eliminate the white race and rule the earth.
Randy Weaver, the man arrested in the Idaho mountaintop shout-out with F.B.I., was a member of the Posse Comitatus and a follower of Identity. Peters broadcasts his shortwave radio program, "Scriptures for America", around the world, calling for death to homosexuals and warning against the international Jewish conspiracy. Fred Phelps has done broadcasts on "Scriptures for America", and tapes of his anti-gay message and offered for sale in Peters' mail order catalogues. When asked about it, Pastor Phelps only smiles enigmatically and offers that Pete Peters owns the rights to those broadcasts and can sell them if he wants. But Peters, reached by phone at his church in La Porte, says: "If he (Fred Phelps) didn't want them out, even if I had a right, I wouldn't put them out. I have the greatest respect for him." The militant white supremacist then adds ominously, "He's got the support of god-fearing people across this country that are not afraid to back a man who tells it like it is. "And he's got my support if he needs help-whenever he needs help." Not empty words.
Though Peters himself was cleared, it is still widely believed by Klanwatch and other groups monitoring extremist activity that the right- wing hit team that killed Alan Berg, the Denver talk radio host, came from or were associated with Peters' congregation. Reverend Fred Phelps, friend of the struggling black?
Listed next to one of Fred's tapes in Pete Peters' catalogue is one by Jack Mohr, a man who describes himself as the "Brigadier General of the Christian Patriot Defense League", but whom the F.B.I. has identified as a weapons instructor for the Ku Klux Klan. Why in the world would a person with these associations proclaim himself a civil rights' crusader?
In the words of 'Deep Throat', "follow the money." And in those of Richard Seaton, the Assistant Attorney General who led the first attempt to disbar Phelps back in 1969, the pastor had "an uncontrollable appetite for money-especially the money of his clients."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Nightmare of Twelfth Street"
"Since no one else would join, my father sired us for congregations," observes Mark. "We were the only members because we had no choice. When we got old enough to make our own decisions, choose our life's work, and our life's mates, did you think he'd permit that?
"Without his children, my father had no church and he has no income."
Fred Phelps' bizarre behavior toward his children as struggled to become adults is as disturbing as it is revealing.
Growing up in the pastor's family meant going from door-to-door sales, domestics, and wage earners to lawyers and tithe payers. To Phelps, adulthood for his children meant soldiers for his wars. To accomplish this, he would attempt to arrest and redirect each child's path to fulfillment. They were not to leave his nest, nor learn to fly: "The Bible may say you're gonna be the head of your house. But I'm tellin' you right now, goddammit, that ain't gonna happen! I'm gonna be the head of your house! And you better start gettin' that through your head right now!" Mark pauses at the memory. "You know, he couldn't say, I desperately need you; please don't leave me." His heart was too closed off by some devastating unknown injury, and his mind was so sophisticated, so intelligent, he could weave a steel cape around us we couldn't get out of.
It was emotional. And it was the use of religion." But how could Fred Phelps maintain control of the lives and dreams of his children? Against his desire for a family that would be an extension of himself were arrayed some formidable forces: the adolescent's yearning for independence was one; the pull of hormones and the heart of another. In addition, the harshness of the children's upbringing left them with little genuine respect or love for their father. Then what wrought such conformity? Two obstacles, both too high for 9 of the 13 to surmount. They are the twin secrets of Pastor Phelps' sway over his troubled flock. First, and most important, while they may not be overly enthusiastic about his job as a father, the Phelps' children still accept, respect, and obey him as the head of their church. Since, in their belief, the Elect may reach heaven only through the portal of The Place, he who runs The Place holds the keys to the gates of Paradise. The children weren't afraid to disobey or argue with their father when, in later adolescence, they didn't seize the hand beating them or leave the place holding them. Rather, they were terrified to oppose the will of heaven's gatekeeper and imperil their souls. Literally, to was the fires of hell and not the mattock whose heat they felt in all their choices. "My father established early on the expectations of each child in the family for their entire life," says Nate, "and the consequences if those expectations weren't met. According to him, each of us would finish college, get your law degree, work for him, and marry whom he chose, when he chose. By no means were we allowed to leave that situation, or it would be seen as 'abandoning the church'. If we did that, we'd be excommunicated." Besides being groomed as lawyers, Mark says he and his siblings were constantly told they were different. "We were taught we were abnormal from the time we were able to learn," he says. "That the rest of the world out there was evil. That we The Place. And inside The Place, people were good and going to heaven. "Outside The Place they were all damned and going to hell. And, if that other world ever got us down, we were taught to find strength by imagining the terrible horrors that would happen soon to everyone outside The Place."
'The Place' was how his father referred to the church, add Nate. "If you left, you were forsaking the assembly and you were delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. He had his repertoire down. "Of course, he justified it by manipulating various passages in the Bible. "One passage refers to a child 'leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife'. He interpreted this to mean a child was not to leave his parents until he was married. But, since he decided who and when we were to marry, he controlled this. "Another passage mentions 'not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together'. Since he had long ago established in our minds that his church was where the Elect came to assemble, that it was 'The Place', he could lead us easily to the belief that to leave home was to 'leave' the company of the Elect, to join the innumerable multitude of the damned." And the second of the twin secrets? "To cast the world beyond The Place as evil and fatal to the soul. Then manipulate the local community so they would react with hostility and aggression whenever a kid would venture out. It's why my father insisted we go to public school, you know. Thanks to him, we were hated before we even got there on Day One. And people were so mean to us, that, when we came home, Fred could say, 'See, I told you so. They're evil and reprobate. They're not like us.'" The family does not believe in Christmas, states the Pastor Phelps, because there is no mention of it in the Bible; nowhere does it say Jesus Christ was born on December 25. (The date for many Christian holidays, in fact, derive from pre-Christian Europe: Christmas from the winter solstice on December 21; Easter from the vernal equinox on March 21; All Souls for Halloween from the Feast of the Samhain or the Day of the Dead, on October 31.) While accurate, if somewhat unnecessary theology (since Christmas in America is really a shopping, not a religious, holiday), as sociology, Fred's 'bah-humbug' to the season of comfort and joy did significantly add to the burden of 'otherness' that caused the world outside to repel his children and grandchildren back to The Place.
"From kindergarten, we were not allowed to stay in the classroom if there were Christmas activities going on,: says Nate. "We always had to go to another room, usually the library. My father threatened to sue the schools if they did not remove us during those times." The man pauses, remembering the sorrows of the boy: "Our humiliation was constant."
Even so, from suing the schools to shooting his neighbor's dog, Fred Phelps' personal and litigious behavior would have ensured his children a cool reception in their community-without an encore as the pastor who stole Christmas. "We weren't allowed to participate in any activities at school," adds Nate. "Not through most of our childhoods."
"No sports, not even track," says Mark. "Until my senior year. "And no outside friends. No one was allowed to visit, and we weren't allowed to go anywhere. To birthday parties or anything. Then, shave our heads. My father wanted the world to reject us. It would drive us right back to him. To the Place. The world-within-a-world. The one that was Fredcentric." Spouses were not welcome in such a world-except as a last resort to hold the child. There were to be no girls for the boys. And no boys for the girls. "If my dad had his way," confesses Shirley, "none of us would have gotten married. He'd just as soon keep everyone away, thanks."
"Kathy's was my father's favorite," remembers Margie. "She had blue eyes and dark hair. She was very pretty and he would spoil her. He used to bounce her on his knee and sing 'The Yellow Rose of Texas' to her. But after she was about 15 or 16, they had nothing to say to each other. She'd be home, but she kept her distance from him. "And she was a bitch throughout her teen years. She was very mean to the rest of the kids. Kathy became very self-destructive back then, and she's stayed that way since." Concludes Margie: "I never understood why." Perhaps her brothers on the West Coast have a clue: "Then came a time when suddenly Kathy got in my dad's doghouse," relates Mark. "A boy had called once or something. From that time on, he commenced to beating her, and he stayed on her and stayed on her rear end that wouldn't l; because of how often and how severely she got beat. "He'd beat her routinely in the church, against the foundation pole. He'd beat her with mattock and then twist her arm behind her back. She'd be screaming- bloodcurdling screams-and all because someone had called her up on the telephone.
"Later, it got so if the phone rang and they hung up, he'd assume it was a boy looking for Kathy, and that she was 'doing' him, and then she'd get beaten for that. "And, on top of that, she and Nate were getting beaten several times a week for their weight. "Later, when Mark and Fred were in college," says Nate, "Mom would take everyone out to sell candy, but she'd leave Kathy home alone with Fred. She'd get beaten during those times, just like I had." Kathy tried to escape the nightmare called 'home' at the Westboro Baptist Church at least three times between the age of 17 and 18. Each time, the pastor found out where she was living and led a Phelps' quick-reaction team to literally snatch her away from her life and bring her back. In one incident, Kathy was living in a quiet Topeka neighborhood and dating a boy Mark knew from high school. "It was the summertime, about 6:30 in the evening," Nate recalls. "Her boyfriend pulled in to pick her up on a date. We'd been waiting for her to come out of the house, and when she did, we just swooped in. We had two cars. Mark was driving one and my dad the other. It was real 'Starsky and Hutch'. We blocked off the departing vehicle, and pulled her out of the car while her date just sat there stunned." "At home my father beat her terribly," says Mark. "It was then she was locked in her room for 40 days on nothing but water." Mark remembers one of the 'parental intercessions' was actually a kidnapping: Kathy was 18 when it occurred. Though she eventually finished college and graduated law school, according to some of her siblings, Kathy has yet to find resolution to her anger and self- destruction. In recent years, she has allowed her active status at the bar to lapse, waitressed at Topeka's Ramada Inn, been laid off, gone of public assistance, and been convicted on passing bad checks.
"My sister, Kathy...," reflects Mark, "...everything my father's done to her...she's just been so deeply hurt as a human being, I don't think she can cope out there..." Nate has one memory that sticks in his mind. Once, while she was going to college and living in the compound, Kathy went jogging late one night, as was her habit. But, this time, the sight of a woman running through a darkened residential neighborhood after 1 a.m. caught the attention of a patrol car. When the officer tried to question her from the rolling vehicle, Kathy turned and ran the other way. When he overtook her on foot, humped ahead of her and tried to block her passage, she kept on him like a wild animal. Other officers were called and Kathy fought them with the same grim ferocity. She was finally subdued and arrested. When the case went to court, Nate was there: "The judge asked why she fought when the officer tried to stop her. She turned to him-and I was shocked by how hate was in her face-and she almost spit out the words: 'I can't stand for a man to touch me!'" Continues Nate: "That face full of hate I'll never forget. My sister was very, very angry about something."
In high school, says Mark, "I couldn't grasp the concept of career day." The only one he and his brothers and sisters were told they could consider was the law. Says the pastor with a groan: "Hell, I think everybody today should have a law degree. You need one to defend yourself. Yeh, got to have one now or you can't take care of yourself or family."
Adds Mark: "His attitude was always that school was bullsh--, but you had to get As and get out so you could have the law degree. With that you could support and defend the church. "To say 'no' would have been the same as drafting-dodging during WWII: it was every kid's duty to enlist in the bar and protect our homeland against the evil that threatened from without."
But Fred Jr. wanted to be a history teacher. "Ever since he'd been a kid, he wanted to do that," Mark says. "At Washburn he was a masterful history student. He wanted to teach it, and he held on to that. He'd say: 'I have that right', and my dad would try to beat it out of him. My father would make it clear to Fred Jr. that he wasn't going to teach history. He'd yell: 'You guys are mine and you're never gonna leave me!'" "Then always follow with: 'And you better start gettin' it through your head right now!' "I can remember my father beating Fred when he was 19 or 20 about that. I couldn't believe my brother would even try to argue with him! My father wouldn't hear of it. Fred Jr. was going to be a lawyer. "Eventually, I think, my brother's spirit was broken and he became one. But it wasn't the beatings that caused him to lose heart-it was Debbie Valgos." What follows may be the saddest tale found during this investigation. It is a profound and tragic example of the fruits of hatred when it is directed by the angry against the innocent. Says Mark: "He was deeply in love with her, a girl from St. Vincent's Orphanage several blocks from our house. They were just crazy in love... "She was a free spirit. And a great looker. Noisy. Loud, hearty laugh. She was very warm, and friendly, and loving."
"She was cute, thin, blonde, and sexy," laughs Nate. "That name...," sighs one of the nuns from the orphanage, "is like a punch in the stomach..." Debbie was not an orphan. She lived with her mother, Della A., and her stepfather, Paul A., on Lincoln Street in Topeka.
When she was 11 years old, for reasons undisclosed, Debbie was placed in St. Vincent's. She went to Capper Junior High and later attended Topeka West High School. When she was 14, Debbie sent this poem to her mom: I settled down west from town, though no one knew I was a clown, My face was clean, and all around were children, though I heard no sound. She signed it, 'Mom, I love you very much!' with seven asterisks for emphasis. Bernadette, an older sister who still lives in town recalls: "She sang. She had a beautiful voice. And she played the guitar. She was a pretty little thing." Debbie's mom has an album of photos taken by the nuns of her daughter while she lived at the orphanage. Pictures of her as a cheerleader at Capper; smiling on a dock at the Lake of the Ozarks with some other girls from St. Vincent's; clutching her pom-poms, watching the players; pictures of her 15th birthday party at the orphanage.
They met at the skating rink. Sometimes Fred and Mark would trick their father. When he thought they'd gone out on their obligatory 10 mile run, instead they'd go skating. Or if they'd had a good night on candy sales, Jonathon, Nate, Mark, and Fred would knock off early and hit the rink before going home. "Debbie was a good skater," remembers Mark. "She came to the rink with other kids from the orphanage. She skated fast and reckless." The voice over the phone sounds as if it's smiling at the memory. "At first my brother saw her secretly, during stolen moments. Then he'd go by the orphanage when the four of us boys were out selling candy."
Mark stops. "You should know, when I was 9 and Fred 10, we began to hear degrading, insulting sermons from my father about how no good it is for boys to have girl friends: "You'll meet a girl someday and she'll start saying things like, "Aren't you cute; aren't you handsome; ooooooh, you're really something", and like some kind of ignorant, stupid lamb being led to slaughter, you'll fall for it, and the next thing you know, she'll want to kiss you or some bullsh-- like that. I'm telling you now, I'm not going to put up with it. If you think you're going to have some whore coming around sniffing after you, you better know right now that I'm not going to put up with it. You better start gettin' it through your head right now. You just have to trust the Lord to provide you a good woman who will subject herself to the authority of the church...'" Mark clears his throat. "They met, I think, in the fall of 1970. On the candy sales, Fred would drive and I'd ride shotgun, with Jon and Nate in back. We'd pick Debbie up on the way out and she'd sit between us. "When we got there, the rest of us would sell candy, and Fred and Debbie would stay behind in the car. "Boy, did they kiss. Every time was for the last time. Like Bogart and Bergman at the Paris train station.
"She was cute, but it wasn't only sexual. Those two were very, very much in love. I was there. I saw it. I watched them together-kissing, walking, being together. Fred and I shared the same bedroom and I knew my brother. "It was obvious they were meant for each other. That romance had so much voltage, it could have lit the city."
Fred and Debbie's special song was "Close to You", by the Carpenters, but that didn't keep them from fighting. Says Mark: "Debbie had a hot temper. She was very intense and dramatic. So they kissed and fought, kissed and fought. But they loved each other terribly hard-none of us doubted that." Debbie also got a kick out of hanging around with all of Fred's brothers, remembers Mark. "She used to say it was her instant family." Many of Debbie's teachers still remember her vividly. And they remember her long-lasting romance with Fred Phelps. "She was craving a family environment, with all the emotional outlet and loving she imagined went with it," recalls one. "When she was dating Fred, she thought she'd become an adjunct member of his family and she wanted to be a part. When she thought she was, she was very happy."
"She was such a warm, sweet girl," remembers another, "it's just a shame what happened to her." "In the car on candy sales and at the skating rink was the only time they could see each other," says Mark. Apparently Debbie was either narcoleptic or suffered from epilepsy.
"Periodically she'd pass out. I saw it happen 10 to 12 times. Suddenly she'd stop talking and when you looked, she'd be limp, her head back and eyes closed, though still breathing." Debbie told Fred what it was, but Mark's brother never revealed it. After they'd been stealing time together for several months, Fred Jr. somehow found the resources to buy Debbie a gold band with a tiny diamond.
Mark remembers her showing it off proudly in the car that day. Fred was 17, she was still 16. They began to talk of getting married. "Before you jump to conclusions about another teenage marriage," Mark observes, "remember my family didn't believe in dating around. We believed God would send us our mates. That it would just happen one day, and we would know it in our hearts. When it happened, that was it-whether you were 16 or 66. "Of course, my dad thought he was the god in charge of that. But I wouldn't assume Fred and Debbie's union would have been another miscast teenage marriage-and therefore my dad was right to do what he did." Why not?
"Because my wife of 17 years, and my best friend for 22, is the same Luava Sundgren I met at the rink that May of '71. We've been together since I was 16 and she, 13, and we're still totally nuts about each other. "You see, I think God has a hand in these things. And maybe it's naive of me, but I think all that we went through as kids made us a lot wiser about people than most grownups."
Mark estimates the passionate romance was kept from their father through the New Year of 1971. Sometime shortly after, however, the Pastor Phelps caught wind of his son's happiness. "After that, my father forbade Fred to see her. He tried everything to get Fred to stop."
Though Mark's brother was only a few months shy of 18, the pastor regularly took the mattock to him to stop his 'slinkin' with that whore'. In February of that year, Debbie left the orphanage and moved back in with her mother and stepfather in the house on Lincoln Street.
The boys would swing by and pick her up there. Shortly after she moved, Fred and Debbie moved again: they made their bid for a life together free of their burdened pasts. They eloped. Mark remembers they took one of the family cars, a '66 Impala wagon. "And I had a pair of top-notch skates. They cost me a hundred bucks. I was a serious skater back then, and I carried them around in a slick black case and felt very professional. But my brother Fred took them along for gas money. He sold them at a rink in Kansas City for ten bucks. Fred's next younger sibling sighs. "I missed my skates, but I wasn't mad at him. Back then, we had no sense of personal boundaries. If you needed something, you just took it. Besides, I wanted them to get away." He laughs: "Just wish he'd gotten more for those skates. Ten bucks was insulting." With a borrowed car and a tank full of gas, the intrepid couple hit the great American highways-though not with that era's open agenda of 'wherever you go-there you are!' To Fred Jr., the available universe consisted of two addresses and the highway that connected them. One was on 12th Street in Topeka, the other was the home and church of Forrest Judd in Indianapolis. "My dad and Judd met at a Bible conference. Forrest was a Baptist preacher and they hit it off. They used to come to Topeka and visit a lot. He and my dad were doctrinally alike, but Forrest was a very different personality. He was a jolly fat Santa type of guy-a factory worker and a really neat fella. He had three sons of his own, but he'd become sort of a 'good' father figure to a lot of us kids.
"His church was the only one my dad approved of-and the reason that was important to Fred Jr. is the same reason he's-they all-have been unable to escape. "You see, no matter what differences we had with him as the head of our house, none of us questioned his authority as head of our church. It was a certified gathering of the elect, remember. And the only way to get to heaven was to do that, to assemble with the elect. "My dad interpreted that, and we accepted it, as membership in a physical congregation certified by him as elect...The Place... "And there was only one Place besides his-Forrest Judd's. "So my brother had nowhere to run, you see. Not if he wanted to get to heaven. To a believer, even the most wonderful love in this world isn't worth an eternity in the fires of hell. "As long as we accepted my father had the power to so that-send us all to hell-he had the trump card in any showdown over our choices." After Judd and the Pastor Phelps conferred by phone, the father figure convinced Fred Jr. there'd be no room on the Indy bus to heaven. If he wanted to get there, he'd have to go back to Kansas. A member of the staff at Topeka West remembers the pastor called the school to rage at them, holding them responsible and threatening to sue: "As I recall, the father stopped the marriage; and he was demanding the school go and get them. He wanted returned separately so they wouldn't 'fornicate' on the way home.
"School officials tried to point out to him that Fred and Debbie were teenagers, and they'd been alone together for over a week-the damage was done." From the moment the disappointed lovers started down the road they had came, the clock began to tick toward tragedy.
Back in Topeka, Debbie moved in with her mom again, and Fred counted the weeks till his 18th birthday. Though his father did everything in his power to separate them, "those afternoon candy sessions went on just as they had before," says Mark. In May of 1971, the pastor changed his strategy. It would be OK for Fred Jr. to see Debbie, but only when she came to services on Sunday.
By this time, Mark had met his future spouse, also at the skating rink, and Luava was convinced to come to church as well. "The only way we could see his sons officially," says Luava, "was if we came to his church for Sunday service. They had no social life; they weren't allowed to date." So they came to service. Luava remembers that first Sunday: "When I arrived, Debbie was already there, sitting in one of the pews, waiting for it to begin. She looked back at me and smiled. I was nervous and her warmth touched me. She was quite radiant and seemed very happy that day." Luava fared better than Debbie under the pale-hearted pastor's basilisk eye. She had long hair and was shy-a quality the pastor mistook for subjection to her man.
"My father took an instant dislike to Debbie," Mark recalls. "She had all her signals wrong: she had short hair; she was vivacious, passionate, and fiery; she was direct; and she had an open, honest laugh." That day, and forever after, the good pastor called her a 'whore' from the pulpit, in person, to Fred, and the family. "She didn't argue," says Mark. "She looked shell-shocked. She started to cry, but did it quietly. After the service, she disappeared. "After that, he preached to Freddy she was a whore from pulpit every Sunday. "Then one day," says Mark, "my father announced that the entire family was going roller skating. Even mom. He said we'd have some 'fun' together."
The voice on the phone laughs. "It was a very peculiar experience. You have to realize, in all the time we were growing up, our family never did that. We never, not once, went on an outing together. We'd go sell candy, or to run. but never to have fun. He never took us to the zoo, the movies, out to eat, to the park, on a picnic, vacation, Thanksgiving at the relatives, to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July-none of these things.
"Now you can begin to understand what a selfish man our dad was. We spent our entire childhoods and adolescence waiting on him and working for him and getting beaten up by him. The idea of parenthood or fatherhood is an alien concept to that man. "So we were suspicious when he announced he was taking us all skating. Sure enough, it turned out he'd caught wind of what was going on down at the rink." Fred and Mark had made plans to meet Debbie and Luava there that day, and now the pressure had the drop on them. Though she'd already been to services at their church, Mark only nodded to Luava as if she were a passing acquaintance. When the pastor made fun of her parents within earshot of Luava, Mark felt forced to laugh.
Fred and Debbie skated together briefly, but they didn't hold hands. Everyone was watching the good Pastor Phelps. Fred Sr. strapped on a pair of skates and storked out on the floor looking like a new-born calf on ice. "I wanted to show off for him," Mark recalls, "so I started skating backwards and doing jumps when I knew he was watching. Do you think he liked it? No way. My father went into a seething rage. He said he could see I'd been spending all my goddam time down there, trying to get my... wet. What a guy-by the way, both Luava and I were virgins when we were married...five years after we met." Possibly due to the stress of the unexpected confrontation, Debbie had another seizure. In a gloomy portent of what was to come, none of the Phelps boys dared go to her aid. She lay unconscious and abandoned by the good Christians of Westboro Baptist before 13 year-old Luava noticed and rushed to her side. At that, the pastor glared at Mark. "Someone should tell that girl we don't associate with whores," he glowered. Then, as the steadfast teenager revived her friend, Good Samaritan Phelps wobbled past on his skates and muttered, "whore" at Debbie while she was recovering her feet.
The charitable timing of his comment caused Fred Jr.'s girl to burst into tears. Luava helped her off the floor and into the ladies' room. "I don't know why Fred's old man hates me so much," Debbie sobbed. "You're lucky that he likes you." Luava never forgot the bitterness of those sobs: SOS from the threshold of a soul's despair. Debbie went to services at the Westboro Church several times after that, and, each time, she was called a whore from the pulpit. Then why did she go? "The hope of having Fred Jr. was greater than the pain of his father's words," says Mark. "She even came over once and asked my father what it was he wanted her to be. He told her she'd have to get an education and amount to something if she wanted his son. That she'd have to go to college and law school first, and, while she was doing it, she'd have to stay away from Fred Jr. 'But right now,' he told her, 'you're just a whore'. "Debbie said she could do it-she just needed a chance to prove it. I remember my father laughed in her face and said she'd always be a whore. "Another time, Debbie had been riding along with us on the candy sales, and afterward she and Fred intended to sneak out to a movie. Fred Jr. asked her to wait in the candy room while he changed clothes. You see, my dad never went in there." The pastor chose that time to fly into one of his rages with Fred Jr.
"Of course, whenever my father started beating someone, the rest of the kids would run into the candy room. It was sort of our bomb shelter. They'd be pacing nervously, waiting for it to end, like a herd of cows from the candy boxes to the laundry dryers and back. "My father was beating on Fred and screaming things like, 'You son-of-a-bitch! You got your... wet! And now you're sniffin' after that whore!' It made them both feel dirty for what was really the best thing that had happened to them so far in their lives-their first love. "Debbie got hysterical when she heard those things. She ran out crying." Mark pauses. "And we were very nervous because she wasn't supposed to be in there. I remember several of us followed her out to ensure she didn't make a scene. That's where we were back then: nothing mattered except keeping my dad cooled off.
"Outside in the street, Debbie was crying her heart out. She kept asking, 'why does he say those things about me?'" Mark isn't sure of the timing, but he believes shortly after is when Fred, how 18, decided to move out. The pastor vehemently opposed it, but Fred stood up for himself.
Finally they compromised: the son would go and live with one of his father's business associates. Bob Martin was a retired army officer who ran Bo-Mar Investigations, a private detective agency. After Fred, Jr. had been staying with Martin for a week in his house, Mark remembers his father got a phone call. It was Martin.
"Let's go," said the pastor to Mark, who'd become the squad leader in his father's schemes. While they drove to the detective's place, the pastor explained the plan he and Martin had for Fred Jr.: wait till he was in the shower and then confront him; a naked man feels vulnerable and powerless.
Mark's father told him Fred Jr. had just come in from work and gone into the bathroom. "When he comes out, we'll be waiting," chuckled the guardian of one of the two portals to the Kingdom of Heaven. And so they were. As Fred Jr. came out, towel around his waist, he was confronted by his father, by Mark, and a suddenly hostile Bob Martin.
"Get your clothes! You're going home!" snapped the pastor. The eldest son complied without argument. "The next part I'll never forget," says Mark. "When we got out to the car, I was in the back, my father was behind the wheel, and Fred was in the front passenger seat. Bob had followed us and he opened the door on my brother's side. "Through the space between the front seat and the door, I could see him place a revolver against my brother's knee. And he said: "If you run away again, I have orders to come after you. And when I catch you, I'm going to shoot you right here." At the time, 'knee-capping' had spread to the United States from Italy and France as the preferred punishment in underworld circles. It left its victim crippled for life. This article does not imply Fred Phelps Sr. has underworld ties. It only remarks that anyone who dresses badly, who lives handsomely off the work of urchins hustling in the streets, who disciplines subordinates by beating them senseless, who fosters filiar piety by threats of knee-capping, who knocks his wife around regularly, who surrounds himself with lawyers, and who is apparently beyond the long arm of the law could have made a very respectable gangster. Certainly not a pastor. Fred Jr. enrolled at Washburn University that fall and Debbie returned to Topeka West. Though the pastor had forbidden them to see each other outside church, they continued to do so.
"My brother was struggling with his love for Debbie and his very real fear of hell. A lot of non-Christians might find that hard to believe. But if you grew up with your imagination open to Fred Phelps, believe me, hell was a concrete reality." The battle inside Fred Jr. would last until the following spring, but the war had been lost when he turned back from Indiana.
In late September, Debbie dropped out of high school and moved in with girlfriends at a house on Central Park Avenue. It was just a few blocks from the Washburn campus. "We went there a lot when we were out selling candy," says Mark. "That lasted into December, probably, because I remember being there when it was very cold and we were wearing winter coats."
But the pastor was relentless. And not only with the mattock. "He knew Fred Jr. was still seeing Debbie, and he hit heavy, heavy on him from the Bible. From things they said, I think my brother and Debbie had probably become lovers at some time in the relationship, and I'm sure Fred Jr. felt guilty about that.
"So, he was vulnerable to my father's framing of the situation as 'Debbie the Whore...the Agent of Satan sent to lure him into temptation and directly down into the gaping jaws of hell'." Says Mark: "He'd spend time with her, then try to avoid her. In addition to the guilt he was getting some pretty bad beatings. While Fred Jr. drifted in fear, Debbie fought to hand on to the man she cherished and the only person who'd ever cherished her. Margie Phelps remembers Debbie would wait for her brother outside after his classes on the Washburn campus. She would beg him to come back to her in Play-Misty-for-Me scenarios, where a mentally ill woman stalks her former lover. "If she did do that," says Luava, "it was in hurt and frustration that he would betray the love we all knew he felt." "And, besides, it always worked," Mark adds. "He always went back to her, at least while he was at Washburn." "I don't think he ever stopped loving her," agrees Luava. "He was just more scared of hell than he was of losing her."
Sometimes in December, 1971, events turned murky, fast. and fatal. Apparently willing now to give Debbie up, but afraid he wouldn't be able to do it while they lived in the same town, and also furious at his father for forcing him to leave her, Fred Jr. ran away again, despite Bob Martin's threat to find him and kneecap him if he did so. From late December till mid-February, the following events are known:
Fred Jr. disappeared and no one in the family knew his whereabouts. One night in January, shortly after Nate and Jonathon had been shaved and beaten and the school had notified the police, Fred Jr. stopped by the house without his father knowing. Nate remembers he asked to see their heads and then commiserated with them about their embarrassment at the police station.
About the same time, Luava's father saw Fred Jr. at a Washburn basketball game. He had a K-State jacket and a rash on both arms. The other man became concerned about Fred's welfare, and, with nothing to go on but the jacket and the rash, he was able to track the troubled youth down working at a produce business in Manhattan, where the state college was situated.
Fred Jr. turned down all offers of money or help. At the time, he was living in the basement of a young married couple. Whether Debbie visited him or even joined him up there is unknown. What is known us that, on Valentine's Day, Fred Jr. showed up in Topeka with a new girl for his father to meet.
"Betty," says Mark, "was a lot closer to what my father demanded. She was another Luava-or at least who my dad originally thought Luava was- she had long hair, and she was very quiet and submissive. She had also been raised Methodist. A lot of Baptists started out as Methodists, you know. "Debbie...was a Catholic."
A few weeks after Valentine's, Debbie came to see her mom. Della A. remembers they went for a walk in the small park near where Debbie had lived with her friends. Her daughter's spirits were very low, she recalls. Debbie confessed Fred had given her an engagement ring and they had eloped, but that Fred's dad had made them come back. She admitted bitterly that his father had told her she wasn't good enough for his son, and the younger Phelps had been forced to obey him. "Now Fred's found another girl," she told her mother. As they walked, Della remembers her daughter took off the ring and threw it in the bushes. "He's never going to marry me, Mama," she said, "but I know I'll never love anyone else."
The mother says she tried to cheer her up, and later, thinking Debbie might regret it, she returned to search for the ring in the grass. She never found it, and even if she had, Debbie never would have received it. The mother and daughter's walk in the park that afternoon would be their last time together. The remainder of Debbie's hopeful life can be found, not in the memories of those who knew her, but in the dusty, impersonal files of the U.S. Army Intelligence Criminal Investigations Division. After seeing her mother that day, Debbie went up to Junction City, an army town that served nearby Ft. Riley. It was also only a 20 minute drive from Manhattan, where Fred was living. Whether they saw each other during that time is not known. From the part of her life that has been documented in the Army's investigation of her death, it seems unlikely. During her final days, Debbie Valgos touched a match to her longing soul. She flamed up in a white-hot blaze of self-directed violence, anonymous sex, amphetamines, heroin, and rock and roll. All the things Pastor Phelps said she was, she'd be.
She moved in with a soldier. She shot smack. She partied for days without sleep. The speed she was constantly on burned through her body till she'd gone from 130 to 87 pounds. In less than a month the 5'7" girl had become a walking corpse with the wide, burning eyes of the starved. Perhaps that is when her face could at last reflect her heart: faltering into despair after a lifetime without sustenance.
Because the effect was so striking, Debbie's new acquaintance nicknamed here 'Eyes'. But 'Eyes' had stared into her abyss, and she knew. At the end of all worlds. Was a single lost soul. The last days of Debbie Valgos' life, those few weeks in Junction City, were one long suicide...a death dance through the Army bars...a soul signing off. When she lost Fred Phelps, Debbie must have felt she had forever lost her way...that she was never coming back...and so she touched a match to her despair. Her new friends told CID agents she had tried to commit suicide four times in the weeks prior to her death: by jumping out a window, rolling off a roof; and twice by drug overdose.
Each time they had stopped her or brought her through it. The came the night of April 17, 1972. Debbie was in the Blue Light, a soldier's bar. Though she had a soldier waiting at home, that hardly mattered. She let two more pick her up. When they invited her back to their barracks to 'party', she said 'yes'.
As they left, a girl who lived in Debbie's house insisted that she come along. She'd been there during Debbie's earlier attempted suicides, and she worried that the frail runaway might try it again. They were spirited past the gates of the fort, hiding on the floor of the car. The soldiers parked in an alley and had the girls crawl through a window into their barracks room. Once inside, one of them offered Debbie some speed. It was a bottle of crushed mini-bennies, according to CID reports. Debbie took it, and the soldier turned to put on a record. When she gave it back, the boy was amazed. "You took way too much!" he said. "You'll be up three or four days!"
Debbie only smiled at him. What might have been a four-day problem for a 180 pound man, Debbie undoubtedly hoped would solve all her problems at 87 pounds, less than half the other's body weight. Shortly after, "Eye started to have a 'body trip'," states the girl who had accompanied her. "She shut her eyes and just started moving with the music. She did that for awhile and then she started to act dingy. She called me over and said she felt like little needles were poking her all over her whole body and she was tingling. I told her I would stay with her and not to make any noise in the barracks." When Debbie started rolling around on the floor and mumbling, her friend worried she might hurt herself, and so she sat on her.
The other girl, who apparently was quite obese, continued drinking and talking while she kept Debbie pinned beneath her. The party went on. Debbie was babbling incoherently. After almost another hour, everyone became alarmed at Eye's grotesque physical contortions. They pulled her back through the window, loaded her in the car, and smuggled her off base. Returning to her new boyfriend's house, they woke him and ran the tub full of cold water. By then, Debbie had passed into coma. She would not be taken to Irwin Army Hospital At Ft. Riley until 5 a.m., nearly five hours after she'd ingested almost half a bottle of crushed benzedrine. Debbie lasted 20 hours unconscious in ICU, just long enough for her sister, Bernadette, to find her. At 1 a.m., her heart stopped. Her spirit had flamed up and was gone. She was 17. She was sunny and loving and only wanted to be loved. After all she'd been through, Debbie Valgos thought she'd found safe haven with the family Phelps. She died for her mistake. In that spring of 1972, one of the Top 40 songs playing on the rock and roll radios Debbie no doubt listened to while riding her dark current of heroin, amphetamines, and despair was a tribute to Janis Joplin, sung by Joan Baez: "She once walked right by my side I know she walked by yours, Her striding steps could not deny Torment from a child who knew, That in the quiet morning There would be despair, And in the hours that followed No one could repair... That poor girl... Barely here to tell her tale, Rode in on a tide of misfortune Rode out on a mainline rail... But the Pastor Phelps, devotee of a hateful god, had made up a song of his own: "I remember getting home from school the day it appeared in the papers," says Mark, "and my dad came dancing down the stairs, swaying from the knees and clapping his hands, singing: 'The whore is dead! The whore is dead!' "He paraded around the house, singing and laughing with that maniacal giggle he has, 'the whore is dead!'" Mark pauses to let the horror of the scene settle in. One is reminded of the warning from the first epistle of John: "He who has no love for the brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen..." Margie Phelps remembers shortly after Debbie's death Fred Jr. came to visit their mom secretly. Margie says she didn't know he was in the house. She came into a room inadvertently and saw Fred Jr. and her mother sitting in chairs, facing each other. The eldest son had his head in her lap and she was stroking his hair.
"Fred was crying," says Margie. "I heard afterward it was for Debbie." "There's no question that my brother wanted to spend his life with Debbie," says Mark. "She was who he loved. And I knew her well enough to say my brother was the first light of hope she'd had in her life. When he left her, that light went out."
The phone voices, bouncing along microwave relays from California, cease. The ghostly dishes wait, sentinels in the wheat fields, the mountain passes, the desert, and the ancient western forests beyond. "We think of Debbie sometimes," says Luava softly. "We know Fred does too." "She'd had a hard life before, but all she really needed was someone who would value her," Mark observes. "If my dad had allowed that, Debbie and Fred would have really blossomed. "You know in Matthew 12:20? Where Jesus says, 'the bruised reed I will not break; the flickering candle I won't snuff out; instead I will be your hope'? With the evil and the hurt he's caused during his life, my father has no right to the name of 'pastor'-nevermind 'guardian of The Place."
Della A. is more direct. She has a message for the pastor: "You tell Fred Phelps I'll wait in hell for him." Margie remembers Debbie's sister, Bernadette, knocked on their door one day. "She went on about how we were responsible for Debbie's death." Bernadette admits doing that. "I do blame them," she says. "My sister had a tough enough time without those people. If she hadn't met them, she'd probably be alive today." "We thought she was really coming along," reflects a former staff member at Topeka West. "Of all the kids there who had difficult backgrounds to overcome, we felt sure she'd be one of those who would." No one who knew her has forgotten her. Not the sisters at St. Vincent's, not her teachers, not even her dentist when she was a child. "I was just thinking of her," admitted one. You were? Why? "Oh...your thoughts return to someone like that...so young and full of promise...a really sweet girl...and then to die before her life ever had a chance to start...yes...Debbie comes to mind from time to time." "Valgos?" Fred Jr.'s voice sounds eerie and distant over the phone. "That name isn't familiar." Silence. "But then I had lots of girlfriends. At least five or six in high school."
No one else remembers that. "Oh...oh, I remember now. The little girl at the orphanage?" Two years later, Fred Jr. married Betty, the woman he'd brought home that Valentine's Day. Betty was approved by his father.
She was the second woman he'd ever dated. For the moment, this article shall abandon cynicism and consider beginner's luck in the search for mates. After all, Mark Phelps is quite happy with his first date of 22 years ago. So is Luava. And, if Fred Jr. and Debbie were destined for each other, what happy chance they met on his first date. However, the odds that Fred would then meet Miss Right directly after he met Debbie begin to gnaw at the suspension of disbelief in this fire and brimstone fiction of predestined characters. "I think not being able to have Debbie, and her committing suicide, I think that just broke my brother," observes Mark. "After that, he submitted totally. He'd lost his thrill for life. He went to law school, like his dad wanted; he married a girl his dad approved; and he shouldered a role in The Place. "And that's where he is today. He just turned 40." Betty was a music major at K-State when she met Fred Jr. She had perfect pitch and played between eight and ten instruments. However, she transferred to Washburn for her last two years of college, and went to law school on command. Mark remembers a time in 1973, when Betty was visiting Fred Jr. in the kitchen and the pastor started beating Nate savagely with the mattock in an adjoining room. Betty had been eating a cantaloupe and she shoved her spoon all the way through it and screamed: Stop it!" Says Mark: "The old man came in from the church where he'd been beating Nate, and he said to Betty: 'You got a problem with this?' Then he turned to Fred Jr.: "If that girl has a problem with this, then I'm not going to put up with it! You better get her under subjection, or you're not gonna be marryin' her!"
In one of his fax missives, the pastor has stated: "Wives who have strayed too far traditional family values of home and children need to be whipped into godly obedience. Sparing the rod and sparing either the children or the women is a strategy that fundamentalist Christians reject. Complacency and misplaced 'equality' notions produce tormented, social misfits like (here Phelps names several female city officials) who are hormonally and intellectually incapable of rational thought. Like the termite, these so-called modern ideas promulgated by Satan's servants are destroying the studs of the family unit." Nate remembers: "Betty was put in her place, both by the old man and Freddy. And she was the butt of numerous comments from the pulpit over the following months until she finally displayed the 'proper spirit of obedience'.
Luava recalls that, some time after Debbie's death, Betty and she were talking when suddenly Fred's new girl started crying. "He still carries her picture in his wallet," she sobbed. "He's in love with a dead girl." The Phelps family forbade reporters from asking Fred Jr. about Debbie Valgos during interviews, and threatened to sue the paper if it printed the story of the couple's broken dreams.
"That child was very precious to us," says the former director of St. Vincent's, Sister Frances Russell, who refused to give an interview, "and all my instincts are to protect her-even in death." Sister Therese Bangert came to the orphanage the year after Debbie died, "so I didn't know her," she says. "But I remember her because of the impact her death had on everyone who was there. Even today, mentioned the name of Debbie Valgos around some of the sisters would be like knocking the wind out of them." Just as he threatened to shove the blind runner off the track when the old man was in his way, charitable Fred Phelps toppled Debbie Valgos into her abyss when she threatened to lure one of his Chosen from The Place. "He was scared of her He knew she'd take Fred Jr. from him," says Mark. "My father saw Debbie's weak spot-her self-esteem-and he did everything in his power to drive a sword through it...right into her heart. "Debbie didn't hate life like my father. She loved it. He knew she'd never fit in there. Eventually she'd leave and pull Freddy with her." The pastor's second son adds: "If, during the course of your investigation, you'd discovered my father had something to do with Debbie's death, I would not have been surprised. That's how far I think he was willing to go to keep us on as adult servants to his ego." This chapter focused on the torture, kidnapping, and later troubles of Kathy Phelps and the tragedy of Fred Jr. and Debbie Valgos because these facts provide a clear insight into the horror coming of age held in the house of the good pastor Phelps. It has been an inquiry into a man who gathers a following wherever souls are writhing in agony from the evil done to them. It is a look behind the veil of a false prophet who, with investigation, appears more and more as a new type of serial killer: Pastor Phelps is too clever, too cowardly, and too lawyerly to kill the bodies. His life is a trail of murdered souls. And his worst victims have been his own family.
No man or woman living on the Phelps block has been allowed to become the plant foreshadowed by the seed. This chapter has revealed the betrayal and murder of three spirits by Phelps, would-be prophet of the subdivided prairie, hopeful John Brown of religious radio.
Kathy Phelps' life remains at the level of subsistence and self- destruction. Her brother, Nate, has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is quite likely that Kathy suffers from it also. Today, but for the statute of limitations, the brutal beatings and torture this pretty teenager experienced would bring a long jail sentence to their perpetrator.
Fred Jr. never became a history teacher. Recently, he left the law profession and works for the Kansas Department of Corrections. Debbie Valgos died of a broken heart. A quick survey of the curricula vitae of the Phelps children shows his astonishing success in their conforming to his wishes. In fact, the Phelps Plan because a sausage factory for loyal and legal support of one man's ambitions: *Of the 13 children, 11 got law degrees-nine of those from Washburn University *Of the nine loyal offspring and four approved spouses, all but one took law degrees; eight have undergraduate degrees in Corrections or Criminal Justice. One can only wonder why the pandemic fascination for prison among the Phelps loyalists. For the nine kids who stayed with Fred, God provided only three spouses from within the church. Fred Jr. and brother Jonathon had to provide for themselves. They became Westboro outlaws to find mates among the damned.
When they eventually returned to the fold, these 'tainted women' were only accepted after a long probation and apprenticeship at being a wife- in-subjection. Six of the Phelps daughters remain the compound. Two of the, were betrothed to Chosen already residing in The Place. The rest grow old. Perhaps bitter. Alternately resentful and desperately dependent on the one man in their life. To chronicle the failures of others among the loyal Phelps children in their youthful attempts to escape over the wall of their father's fear and ego is to compose a litany of unhappy and sordid tales, ones that would burn the ears of the listener. "You know she's admitted she's a whore," says Phelps of Shawnee County D.A., Joan Hamilton. "She hasn't admitted she's a whore," replies ABC's John Stossell. They're taping for 20/20: "She admitted she had a one night stand." "Then, if you believe the Bible, she's a whore," insists Phelps. "Shackin' up with some guy one night or a thousand nights, she meets the Bible definition of a depraved, adulterous, whorish woman."
Pastor Phelps would be wise to take a quick poll of the home team, especially his daughters. He might find his glass house full of mischief. The misadventures of the clan Phelps can be pursued into allegations of adultery, fornication, illegitimacy, and abortion without fear of libel.
However, since it is also the thesis of this article that his children are actually the principal victims of Pastor Phelps, it is not appropriate to expose the rest of these embarrassing stories in detail. Despite their strident condemnation of others' equal and lesser sins, it will suffice to point out the foibles of his children would make as interesting reading for the pastor's fax gossip as anything he's printed. If those without sin shall toss the first stones, the grim clan at
Westboro will have to keep a tight grip on theirs. With his private genetic following, Pastor Phelps has found a world perhaps he's always sought. One where they care for him and do his bidding and never leave him. To make that happen required the promise of their youth be devoted to the unsettled scores of his past. Fred Phelps crushed the innocence and joy, the dreams of all but three of his children. His reputation as a civil rights advocate is perhaps ironic. The pastor's chains are subtle, but stronger than the iron ones worn by the ancestors of those he often brags he's helped free. The children who were raised in the nightmare of 12th Street carry their shackles in their hearts. It is their fear of their father's key to hell, and their view that the world is hateful and hates them, that, like the elephants in India, keeps them serving the will of a man who, by now they must realize, is much smaller than themselves. The vulnerable pastor hoards his hell- stunned flock close around his own flickering candle. He pulls them like a threadbare cloak about his old wounds, huddling against the cutting hawk of a cold soul wind blowing from somewhere out of his past.
Sitting in her mother's house, the sinking afternoon sun pours through the screen door, casting its soft gold across the widow's tattered carpet. Della A. offers, a little reluctantly and her eyes bright with guilt, the last moments of her daughter: a First Communion veil; a dried corsage from an Easter Sunday get-to-together, and the photo album Debbie kept at the orphanage. On its cover, printed in the awkward, block letters of a bruised but hopeful new reed, a flickering candle not yet quenched, are the words:
I LOVE FRED PHELPS
"Debbie Valgos was a whore extraordinaire," snaps Margie. But the father's words sound empty and formulaic on the daughter's tongue.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Over the Wall at Westboro"
Listening to Fred Jr. pretend he doesn't remember a girl named Debbie Valgos is an eerie experience. It's as if one were listening to a teenager deny he borrowed the car while his parents were gone. "They're all still children," observes Mark. "Still trying to please their father because they're afraid of him." What are they afraid of?
"They've been conditioned all their lives to cringe at his anger or disapproval. Even now, with families of their own, they'll conform. In fact, a lot of what your article reveals about my siblings that my dad didn't know-my sisters taking lovers, the details of Debbie and Fred, and Jonathon stealing on candy sales-my brothers and sisters are going to panic at that. Even today, they're still frightened of his judgements."
Research indicates that three out of four children in criminally abusive families will be unable to surmount their experience. As adults, they will rationalize their past and will accept abusive behavior as the norm in both the outside world and their personal lives. As adults, they will rationalize their past and will accept abusive behavior as the norm in both the outside world and their personal lives.
It is instructive that nine of the 13 Phelps children, almost exactly the predicted ratio, continue to embrace the pastor's abusive world and ways. But this chapter is not about the ones who tried to climb their father's barrier and slipped back. It's about two who made it over the wall at Westboro; who went on to lives that are beacons of hope to others who have survived abusive families.
Mark Phelps might be his father's pointman today but for a pretty 13 year-old named Luava Sundgren. In May of 1971, a few months after Fred and Debbie had been dragged back from their aborted elopement, Fred and Mark met Debbie at the skating rink. His brother and Debbie paired off, and Mark remembers he was rolling along alone on his rented skates, wishing for his hundred dollar pros his brother had sold, when suddenly a petite girl, slim and shapely, with long dark hair hanging halfway down her back sailed by, fixed her beautiful blue eyes on him, and smiled. "You're a good skater," she said. And she pulled Mark's heart right off his sleeve. He was only 16, and she, 13, but for Mark the search for his life's mate was over. Only two months after rescuing his eldest for the moment from the charms of the 'whore-extraordinaire', the Pastor Phelps found another wily ally of the serpent threatening his second son. Except this girl was no fragile psyche, vulnerable and clueless, as Debbie Valgos would be. Raised Catholic, Debbie had no criteria by which to identify Protestant heresies, and, coming from a broken home, she had no expectations of esteem or consideration from the outside world. Luava Sundgren came from a conservative Lutheran family firmly grounded in unconditional love. "Even as a young teenager," says Mark, "my wife had high self-esteem and a very clear idea of right from wrong. Her parents were as firm about their god of love and their love for her as my father was about his hateful god and his hate for all." The pastor had met his match. This girl, though slight and shy, was not going to accept the pastor's interpretation of the Bible as his personal myth; nor would she take to being called a 'whore'. But, at first, things went well between the two.
A few weeks after the teenage couple had met to skate again and Mark had been calling her secretly by phone, Luava came to church. It was on that Sunday in early June that Debbie first came as well. Things went better for Luava because the pastor believed her long hair showed her subjection to God and man. And her naturally shy and quiet way belied the stout heart within her.
If his boys had to have mates, here was a good example of the kind of girl Fred Phelps wanted to see joining his church. Not the sassy, rebellious, Catholic, blonde sex-rocket with the page boy cut Fred Jr. had brought home. In high school, the disfavor of their family name, combined with the pastor's refusal to allow his children any participation in extracurricular activities, assured the Phelps kids were the pariahs of Topeka West. Across town under the gothic vaults of Topeka High, Luava was quite the opposite. She had many friends and became one of the school's cheerleaders. It was a mystery to everyone why she insisted on dating a member of the Addams family over on 12th Street. Luava remembers the curious questions and the biting comments she got.
So why did she? She laughs: "At first? Because he was a good skater, and he was cute-but remember, I was only 13. That's what 13 year-olds notice. Later, it's not so important if they skate or not-" she laughs again. "Seriously though, he had so much energy and he was very smart and he was really sweet to me. What chance did I have? Even my dad told me I wouldn't find a better one!" Because she was just 13, Luava's parents at first would only allow Mark to visit her at their home. He would sneak out whenever he could, or drop by while on candy sales. After a year and a half, her father agreed to let them date. He even offered to give Mark enough for dinner and a movie out. (Luava had been attending services every Sunday at the pastor's lonely keep, and she had invited her parents several times-enough for her dad to feel sorry for Mark.) The Pastor Phelps knew nothing about Mark's home courting advantage, nor the teenager's plans to date. Mark refused Mr. Sundgren's offer to pay for their date and instead found a weekend job as a busboy in a steakhouse. That lasted one shift. His father found out about Mark's endeavor to expand his independence and promptly beat him. After, he forced Mark to quit the job and forbade him to take another. As was shown in Chapter Five, it wasn't his son's study hours the pastor was concerned about; rather, any time spent working elsewhere was time one could be working for 'The Place'.
So, Mark had to shave a dollar here and there off his candy sales and summer yard work to court Luava. When his dad shut himself in the master bedroom for days, eating and watching television, Mark would sneak the car for a few hours and take Luava to a movie or dinner at a fast food restaurant. Once, they were in the Taco-Tico at 15th and Lane around 9 p.m. when the place was robbed. Two men ski masks came in, and the young teenagers ducked under the table. "After the hold-up," says Mark, with Luava laughing in the background, "we ran out too. We didn't want our names involved as witnesses because my dad would have heard about it and the jig would have been up-my secret life of dating."
Luava is still laughing. "Trouble was, after we hit the sidewalk running, only then did it occur to us everyone would think we were the ones who'd just robbed Taco-Tico." Despite Luava's quiet demeanor and biblical mane, Mark soon realized she was not plugged in to the world according to Fred.
For example, one day after Debbie had died, Mark, Nate, and Jonathon were out in the car selling candy. After his older brother's habit, Mark had brought Luava along with them, and they sat and smooched while the two younger boys worked in the neighborhood. When Nate came back to report scant sales for that day, Mark gave the command by reflex: "Chin- chin!" And Nate put his chin on the back of the front seat.
With Luava sitting beside him, Mark punched his little brother painfully in the face. In equal reflex, one from another moral world, Luava immediately slapped her boyfriend hard enough to bring stars. "Why did you..." he asked in stunned bewilderment.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded. Soon the esteem Mark had for this petite firecracker-five-two, eyes of blue, and with a fist like his father-caused him to begin opening his heart to her radically different view of human relationships. For several years before he met Luava, Mark had been his father's assistant master-at-arms: when there was a whipping due one of his siblings, sometimes the pastor would order Mark to do it. "At first I thought it was a great idea," says Nate, who received most of his elder brother's ministrations, "because he didn't have my father's violent spirit when he swung the mattock. However, that was short-lived. After a few less than satisfactory beatings-from my father's viewpoint-he threatened to beat Mark instead. Suffice it to say that afterwards I couldn't tell the difference between one of my dad's and one of my brother's beatings-except maybe in their angle of attack." "My dad would tell me to do it," agrees Mark, "and then he'd go upstairs and yell down to us in the church: 'If I don't hear it up here, it's you who'll get the beating!'" Now, however, confused by his new feelings for this remarkable girl, Mark began to slam the mattock onto the pew cushions instead. "It sounded exactly the same as it did when I hot Nate," he recalls, with what must be a smile at his end of the line. "And Nate would just howl in pain every time I hit the pew. It worked perfectly. "But it wasn't until Luava that it would have ever occurred to me to do that. I've been told children from abusive homes never develop empathy.
Boy, that was us. It was survival...period. Save yourself. "Remember how I said I felt when Mom used to drive off with everyone in the car, and Nate would get left behind, running alongside my window, begging not to be left alone with my dad? I literally could not feel for him. I didn't even know how to consider what he might be going through. I was just glad I was getting out, and that was all that mattered.
"But, after I'd been around Luava, what was going on inside other people suddenly started to matter. I guess you could say she kissed me and changed me from the frightened little frog my father had made me..." They laugh. "But after I fell in love with her, it made me want to care about others."
Little wonder Mark's wife is Nate's favorite sister-in-law still today. Though Luava refused to join the pastor's church, she continued to attend Sunday services there for nearly two years. "I knew if I didn't, Mark's father would make it even harder, if not impossible for me to see him," she says.
"During that time, I learned things about Fred Sr. I didn't like." Such as? "That God hates. It seemed to me he was putting his own words in God's mouth. I mean, Mark's father was a pretty disturbed guy. I could see that and I was only 15. It's just sad he didn't have the self- knowledge to leave religion out of it and get some help. "Also I didn't like his attitude toward family. His belief in beating children and that women were servants to men. As a future wife and mother, that left me little motivation to join his claustrophobic community." Toward the end of Luava's two-year ceasefire with the pale-hearted pastor, she arrived for services early one Sunday-too early. Kathy Phelps was getting beaten with a mattock upstairs. In shock, Mark's girl listened to his sister's screams of pain and sobbing pleas for the good minister to stop. He didn't. Luava turned on her heel and walked out. Shirley Phelps, who always wept hysterically whenever her father went into his whipping mode, ran after Luava. At the door she grabbed her arm.
"Please...please...," she sobbed. "He doesn't mean it...he doesn't know what he's doing..." Mark, who was there, remembers Luava "stopped and looked Shirl dead in the eye. 'No, Shirl,' she said, 'you're wrong. He does mean it.' And she left." Shortly after, the pastor decided to dish Luava some of the abuse he'd used on Debbie Valgos. Following Sunday services, while Luava waited within earshot in the church, the pastor collared Mark for a 'talk' in the law offices adjoining. "He was punching and kicking me," remembers Mark. "And yelling in crude anatomical detail everything he said he bet I was doing to her when we were alone. He knew she would hear, that's why he did it."
And that was Luava's last Sunday at the Westboro Church. She walked out and down to the shopping center on Gage Boulevard where she called her father to come pick her up. When she told Mark it was over, Luava says she never asked him to leave the church. She didn't believe he could. She knew he had been taught that, if he left, he would be taken by God during the first night while he slept and that he would wake up in hell.
Mark, for his part, was in despair. The 19 year-old flung himself face down in Luava's yard and cried. And there he remained for two hours, embarrassing her parents in front of the neighbors. Luava's dad even came to her and told her, "I didn't realize you were so hard-hearted,"
Such emotional firmness in a 16 year-old was remarkable. But Luava didn't know what else to do. She had no intention of joining the Westboro family cult and raising children in that kind of environment, she says. And she Mark wouldn't leave. Meanwhile, one can only imagine the kind of talk this generated among the deeper keels in Luava's cheerleading set. She was certainly a girl with a foot in both worlds.
After the break-up, reportedly neither Mark nor Luava slept or ate for days. "I walked around in a fog," says Mark. Then he found out he would get a 'B' instead of an 'A' in one of his courses at Washburn. "That meant I was in for more trouble," he adds. "Somehow, the idea my father might now hurt my body after making my heart so miserable...it just seemed insane and ridiculous...and if all this misery was to please God, I was beginning to think it was awfully mean and petty for a Being that had created such a majestic universe... "And that's when I began to hope Luava might be right. That God was a loving God, and not full of hate like my father...and that if He was made of love...then he wouldn't send me to hell for loving her so much, would He? "So I did it. "I just grabbed some clothes and went to a friend's house. He'd told me if I ever wanted to leave, I'd be welcome to stay with his family the first few days. I just showed up on their doorstep and they took me in."
Mark pauses. "It might seem funny now, but those were the most terrifying hours of my life. I lay awake most of the night in their guest room, in cold, absolutely cold terror. Waiting for God to take me. Afraid if I fell asleep, I'd wake up in hell. Literally. The ultimate nightmare. "But I didn't. I woke up in the same bed the next morning. It was then I realized God might be nicer and the world bigger than my father had taught." Mark landed on his feet, renting a room from a retired couple and working, first as a busboy, then as a salesman in a downtown shoestore. He and Luava were re-united, dating on weekend and talking every night on the phone.
However, Mark was in a serious car accident six weeks later and miraculously escaped injury. "That shook me up," he says. "I thought God was giving me one last chance before He did what my father said He'd do. So I high-tailed it back home." And Luava broke it off again. "This time I wasn't so strong," she recalls. "I was totally miserable. I almost went over there many times."
By this time Fred had taken to calling her 'the Philistine whore', so life with father and a broken heart soon had Mark willing to play tennis with death once more. After a few weeks, he returned to his new life. Only to have the pastor swoop in to snatch him back, as he had with Kathy.
"That time, however," says Mark, "I was lucky. Just as we pulled up to the church on 12th, some of my dad's law clients pulled up too. "It was like a Hitchcock film: my father couldn't do anything in front of them, so I just got out, walked through the front door, and out the back. Nobody stopped me."
After that, Mark held on to his independence and his dreams with an impressive tenacity. "I knew I made enough money for only two of the following," he says: "an apartment; a car; and college tuition. I needed the car; and-now that it was for me and not my father-I wanted to finish college."
For two years, Mark slept in his car or in the backroom of the print shop where he worked all day. In the evenings he took classes, and on weekends he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant. He took his showers at the gym. Luava completed her junior year and senior years at Topeka High, dating Mark on weekends.
Despite the pastor's curiously vivid and explicit imagination, the young couple's relationship remained chaste and unconsummated. When his brother Fred asked Mark to be his best man at his wedding, Mark was thrilled and agreed. But when he showed up at the Westboro church for the ceremony, the pastor demanded Mark recant or depart before they went forward.
"It was a trap," says Mark wearily. "If he ever missed a beat at being a jerk-he did it before I was born." Mark departed. He has never been back. Nor did the pastor miss his beat damning his second son to the fires of hell. When Mark refused to die in his sleep, Phelps sent him his notice of eviction from the assembled elect of The Place: Mark was cast out and "delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh". The pastor then tore up both Mark and Kathy's pictures in front of the rest of the family. (Kathy was also gone by then: she was working as a waitress and living with a soldier on 12th and Topeka; apparently the GI took a dim view of anyone kidnapping his girlfriend, and the Phelps quick-reaction team left her unmolested.)
Mark did see his father again however. At the YMCA gym one day, the pastor took the time to stalk up to Mark, close so no one else could hear, and whisper, his glittering with hatred: "I hope God kills you." God didn't.
In May, 1976, Mark graduated from Washburn University with a business degree. In August of that year, he married his childhood sweetheart after a courtship that had lasted since 1971. He was 22. She was 19. Though the family Phelps were all invited, none of them came. Many of them might have wanted to be there, but they had been forbidden to attend. Pastor Phelps had threatened anyone who did with being "delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh".
If Fred Phelps is ever granted the preponderance of his wishes, old Satan will be burning the midnight oil, destroying all that flesh. But, devil knows, weddings are a lot work. The newlyweds cramped apartment on 15th and Lane quickly became the headquarters for Phelps exiles. At one point, both Nate and Margie were living within its tiny confines alongside Mark and Luava.
"We didn't have much time to ourselves," laughs Mark's wife. "He brought half his family out with him. Fortunately, Nate and I have always been friends. And, back then at least, Margie and I were too." Later the dissident couple would be the consolation and support for Paulette, Jonathon's mistress driven from Westboro when she became pregnant by him. Abandoned by Jonathon and rejected by his family, "she went through some pretty tough times," remembers Mark. Nate's departure was more dramatic. Inclined towards the freethinker and sceptic, and long the family's designated scapegoat, Nate was initially not so torn about leaving the assembly of the elect. "He constantly told me I was worthless," says Nate about his father. "That I was a son of Belial (Satan); I was going to end up in prison; I was evil. That message came through loud and clear. For years since, I have had to struggle to achieve any sense of worthiness in the eyes of God or man. "My father often opined I was such a loser, I'd never even make it through high school. Two weeks before the end of my senior year, when it was apparent I would, he decided my weight needed constant watching. Instead of being allowed to take my final exams. I was pulled out of school and made to ride a stationary bicycle six hours a day. Now...there's a rational act...a real daddy-non-compis-mentis. "So I didn't graduate. I had to take the GED later for my high school diploma." Nate clears his throat.: "A few weeks before my 18th birthday, I bought an old Rambler for $350. I parked it down the street and I didn't tell anyone I had it. I took my things out to the garage a little at a time, and I hid them amid the mess out there." On the night before his birthday, around 15 minutes to midnight on November 21, 1976, Nate pulled his car into the drive, opened the garage, and loaded his few personal belongings in the back. Leaving his keys in the ignition, the black sheep walked into his childhood house of fear and pain. He climbed the stairs to the room where his father slept and he...screamed. At the top of his lungs. And left. That night, Nate slept in the men's room of an APCO gas station because it was heated. He found work and eventually ended up living with Mark, Luava, and Margie (who was also experimenting with adult independence).
When the couple moved to St. Louis, Margie and Nate took an apartment and jobs in Kansas City. The Nate went to work and for Mark at a print shop in St. Louis, and Margie returned to the Westboro community. She would become one of Pastor Phelps' staunchest defenders. In 1978, Mark, Luava, and Nate returned and opened their first copy shop in Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City. It was a success. In 1979, the couple opened another shop in Topeka, and Nate stayed in Kansas City to manage the first. At that point, says Nate, "it hit me." It was the first time he'd ever been totally separated from all of his family. Though he held no illusions about his father, deep down Nate had always wanted to be a part of the rest-his mother and brothers and sisters-in some other capacity than the bad seed. Now, he felt cut off and alone. It was exactly then that his sisters began calling him, pressing him to return, saying they could call be one family again, and that their father had stopped his beatings.
So, three years after his Jim-Morrison-exit, the prodigal returned. However, the pastor's idea of a welcome was to draw up, not a feast, but a document. Nate remembers they had him sit down and pen a letter to Mark-which they dictated. It was left on Nate's desk at the shop in Kansas City, and it informed Mark he had lost his manager without notice due to Mark's serving as ballast for that manager's slide into hell. In August of 1993, in a desperate attempt to discredit what she must have imagined was going to be devastating testimony from the 'bad' son (as much or more of the evidence against the pastor came from the 'good' son), Margie Phelps announced to Capital-Journal investigators she had "the smoking gun to prove Nate is lying".
It was a copy of Nate's sign-off to Mark of 14 years before. The letter, she said, proved Nate was on good terms with his family three years after he'd claimed he'd cut his ties to them. Curious as to why the copy of a letter written by Nate and delivered to Mark would find its way into Margie's possession so long after the fact, investigators then heard from Nate how Shirley and Margie had given him the paper and dictated the letter to Mark as one of the terms for Nate's return. The fact that the Westboro Church kept it on file, as a potential lever on Nate at some point in the future-even if that future came nearly in the next generation-can only finds its parallel in the handbooks of the KGB.
The Phelps family congregation may not be able to place the name or face of the girl the pastor drove to suicide, but they never misplace a letter-even if that letter was never addressed to them. For Nate, rebirth into his family came with the pastor's umbilical drawn tight around his neck. He was hazed like a plebe at Fred's West Point.
Though he got his meals now, Nate was expected to work in the law office full-time for that and a room. He was also expected to complete college and attend law school. "And, in return for my work, my father would pay my tuition," says Nate. "But I had no desire for law school, and I had debts to pay. I needed a cash income-not just room and board." Nate declined the work in the law offices and found employment outside the compound.
In the meantime, his father refused to talk to him, handling any business through intermediaries. Nate attended services, but was excluded from the adult male congregation. Instead, he worshiped with the women and children. "Every Sunday, just prior to services, all the men in the church would congregate in the old man's office to sit and chat. When they filed out and took their seats in the auditorium, it signaled services were beginning. It was a rite of passage for the older boys when they were allowed to join. You know, then or before, I was never included." During the ensuing months, his father still refused to speak to him. Instead, envoys were sent to inform Nate the pastor was displeased he was working 'outside'. Again and again, it was suggested to Nate he ought to give up the 'outside' job and work in the law office; that his father would pay him for this by sending him to law school. Nate always refused. He didn't want to go to law school. And he needed cash to pay his debts. He was 21 at the time. "If my dad had paid a wage, even a small one, it would have been OK. But money in your pocket, to him, meant less control over you. It implied mobility and independence, something he was not going to tolerate."
All of the loyal Phelps children and their approved spouses followed the pastor's formula: they worked as law clerks, legal secretaries, and gophers for Fred as he churned out lawsuits. In return, the pastor took care of what he had decided were their needs. Finally, one Sunday their father devoted his entire sermon to denouncing the reprobate in the midst: Nate was not of The Place, not one of the elect, or he would be happy to join in the toils of the family enterprise. The pastor announced there would be a meeting after the service where the family would 'decide' whether Nate should stay or go. "I started packing my bag," says Nate. "Family councils never contradicted my dad. He just called them when he wanted everyone else to feel responsible for something he had every intention of doing, regardless."
After he'd thrown his few belongings together, Nate remembers he dozed off on his bed, waiting for the verdict. He was awakened by a fist pounding on his door. It was Jonathon. The two brothers were less than a year apart. "You have to go,: Jonathon told his older brother. "You have to go tonight." The Phelps family scapegoat nodded stoically. He hoisted his bag and stepped through the door. His younger brother gave him no hand to shake, no pat on the back, no words of farewell-only silence. Nate has not seen his father since. Once, he went back to visit his mom: "It had been years since I'd talked to her," he relates bitterly. "She'd only see me for two minutes at the back door. And she kept looking over her shoulder the entire time. I felt like a hobo asking for a meal." But Nate, who, like Kathy, had taken the brunt of his father's cruelty and abuse, would find he could not leave his past behind so easily. When he drove away that night after his family council, rejected, wounded, and now self-destructive, Nate Phelps-gratis the pastor-had become dangerous to himself and his community. Like Debbie Valgos, Nate would now be all the bad things his father had said he was.
Unlike Debbie, Nate was 6'4" and 280 pounds. And, unlike her, he was just as inclined to violence against others as he was against himself. He plunged into a world of drugs, drink, violence, and hooligan friends, and very nearly accomplished his parents' self-fulfilling prophesy that he would be the convict of the family. "When I first left," says Nate, "right away I moved in with some wild boys living above the VW shop on 6th Street. They had a perpetual party going there for almost four months. A keg was permanently on tap. "When I hit that, boy, did I have an attitude. I remember I was real belligerent and anti-authority." Ten months later, addicted to speed and crystal meth, without shoes, penniless, and desperate, the prodigal giant appeared on Mark and Luava's doorstep only a few days before the couple moved to California. Haunted by ghosts of his father's hatred, enraged by the memories of his physical abuse, and emotionally disemboweled by the knowledge his mother and his siblings had offered him up, an entire childhood sacrificed, to save themselves, Nate Phelps had become a rider on the storm. Soon the pastor might have had reason for dancing and clapping his hands again. But the pastor's appointed angel and his projected devil knew instantly they were veterans from the same war. They needed each other. Each sensed he might be able to redeem his brother: the one of his guilt; the other from a coffin void of love or self-esteem. Thus, the former favorite of Fred and back-up mattock-beater was the only Phelps who could understand and forgive the rage of the family's designated criminal and black sheep. The 'good' Phelps boy forgave the 'evil' one his impulsive betrayal of the year before, and he invited his little brother to come to California with them. Today, Mark Phelps owns a successful chain of copy stores in Southern California. He and Luava have two children.
Nate manages the largest in the chain. He is happily married, drug- free, and content. He and his wife, Tammi, are raising four children. Nate still receives treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and, ironically, some of the Vietnam vets who receive the same therapy say their year in hell sounds preferable to his 18 inside the walls of Westboro. Both brothers say they cringe at the thought of anyone touching their kids. They know what darkness may yet linger in their souls from their father's nightmare, and they daily guard against it emerging in their behavior toward their own children. Mark and Nate live four blocks from each other in an upscale Orange County community surrounded by pine forest. Both couples are devout Christians-though the god the boys worship is now a loving one. And, after growing up with the Pastor Phelps, not much can rattle them"
Recently, after answering some questions concerning minor details for the story, Nate announced calmly, "Well, I should get off. I have to pack now." Were they going somewhere? "Yes. For now. The fire is coming down the mountain. It's only two miles from here,"
"Fire? That's terrible! What about Mark and Luava?" "Oh, she was packed three hours ago." The racing blaze missed their homes, (Not the kind of punishment predicted by the pastor for those he feels have 'gone against' his assembled elect at the compound in Topeka.)
While the emotional cocktail mixed at the Phelps of Westboro seems perpetually one part cruelty, one part anger, one part hysteria, and one part maudlin self-pity, the lasting impression left after hours of phone conversations with Nate and Mark is one of serenity. They have the calm wisdom of mariners who have been rescued from a wild sea. The one saved by a brother's love; the other buoyed up by a teenage girl's moral courage. Mark and Nate Phelps have found their peace and happiness. They would like to help their brothers and sisters do the same, but they have not yet discovered how to reach them. And the two brothers, survivors, themselves are not unscathed.
"I'm OK during the day," says Nate. "It's late at night when it all comes back. I sometimes just sit and there after my family is asleep. You know, and it comes back. All the feelings of pain, and violation, and outrage. And I try to deal with it. Then I'm OK again." Mark laughs. "I've had a recurring dream for years now. I'm out driving around and I turn up a street and it looks familiar. I can't place it so I keep driving. Then I see the church and realize where I am. I hot the gas to get out of there, but the car suddenly dies.
Then my father and my brothers and sisters start coming out. But I can't start the car. I'm cranking the engine for dear life and it's not catching. "As they come out in the street, I'm trying to lock all the doors and roll up the windows...but I forget the driver's door... "They pull me out.
And Daddy says: 'What the hell do you think you're doing? Were you selling on Prairie Road tonight?'"
CHAPTER NINE
"The False Prophet"
Sometime around 1975, Phelps began to find his option to beat his family restricted. By then, Mark and Kathy had already rebelled and left, and the other children were fast becoming adults of not inconsiderable size. About a year before Nate left, he remembers an incident which must have put the abusive pastor on notice to find new outlets for his hate. "One day he was beating mom upstairs," Nate recalls. "He'd been doing it for some time. Shirley and Margie and I were in the dining room downstairs, and Margie and I were getting madder and madder. Shirl wouldn't get mad-she'd always start crying and pacing around whenever anyone was getting beaten. "Margie finally went and got a butcher knife from the kitchen. The three of us went to the bottom of the stairs. But our voices stuck in our throats. We couldn't call out. None of us. We were so scared."
When the raging reverend chased his wife out onto the landing, he saw them. Fred stared down at them: "Get the hell outta here." Margie held the knife up where he could see it. "You've got to stop this," she told him.
The pastor slowly descended the steps. His children backed up but didn't leave. For a long moment he glared at them. Then he said quietly: "Fine, you SOBs." And he turned and went back to his bedroom. For three weeks after that, Fred Phelps had no contact with his family except at church. He stayed in his room until it was time to give his sermon. After Nate departed the fold in 1976, apparently the pastor began to worry about the success of his methods. He'd raised a congregation from his loins, and now they were bailing out at the first opportunity. Fred Jr., Mark, Nate, Kathy, Dorotha, Margie, Rebekah, and Jonathon would all leave home at some point. It was at this point that his wife and daughters apparently convinced Phelps that, if he wanted his family, he'd have to stay his hand. From then on, it was the outside community which more and more would become the outlet for the pastor's rage. Nate was coaxed back to the family compound three years later by his sisters' assurances 'the old man' had changed, that things were better now, and he wasn't beating anymore. But, as Nate quickly found out, the pastor still sought total control over his children's private and emotional lives. He left for good. Nate's younger brother, Jonathon, met Paulette when he was still in law school. She joined the Westboro church and was highly cooperative, though the pastor frowned on her for not following his path (Paulette has no law degree.). Later, when it was discovered they were fornicating, Paulette was driven from The Place. Jon was allowed to stay. Though by this time he was a practicing lawyer, all of Jon's adult privileges were taken away by his father. Members of the church were assigned to accompany him 24 hours a day to guard against his backsliding with Paulette. As a hedge against his leaving, each day he was given only enough money from the common family finances to buy his lunch. But the damage had already been done. Paulette had conceived. Living with her parents, abandoned by Jonathan, an object of contempt to his family, Paulette turned in desperation to the Phelps boys who'd moved to California. Mark and Luava say they had many a late-night counseling session over the phone with Paulette while she carried her baby to term. After their child was born, apparently Jon's girl wanted nothing more to do with him. But Jon was having second thoughts. Six months after he'd become a father, he petitioned the court for joint custody and visitation rights.
According to court records, Jon claimed Paulette would not accept payments of support, that she had refused him visitation rights, and that she would not allow him to take their child from her parents' home. When the couple actually confronted each other before a judge, however, Paulette saw only Jon, and he only had eyes for the woman he loved and their tiny daughter. And Fred Phelps with his threats of hell and hatred of Christmas must suddenly have seemed so very far from the god who had given them their little girl. Jonathon deserted the Westboro church and moved in with Paulette's family. They were married soon after. By now, it was apparent to the pastor that Mark and Nate's move to California in 1981 was going to be permanent.
"So, when Jonathon left, my father had lost three sons," says Marks. "At that point," he adds, referring to his and Luava's long conversations with Paulette at the time, "my dad decided it might be better to relax his rules and keep his family than end with an empty church." Jonathon and Paulette were allowed to return to the congregation with their illegitimate child in 1988.
Unable since then to either beat and browbeat his family, the Pastor Phelps seems to have focused instead on his therapeutically malicious law practice. This is the period, 1983-1989, when he is reprimanded for this unchecked spate of extortional demand letters, when he eventually federally disbarred for his wild and vitriolic attacks on three judges, and when he sues Ronald Reagan over appointing an ambassador to the Vatican.
Fred's swan song in the federal courts in February, 1989 left him unable to express his most persistent of urges: to hurt and humiliate other human beings. Already prevented from punching up his grandchildren, and now banned from the barrister's ring, the old pugilist took stock and realized he still had his fists and his faithful urge to abuse.
Buffalo Fred took his wild ego show out of his house, out of the courtroom, and into the streets. Within months, he was running for governor, tramping importantly about the state and churning out position papers on the general corruption of the Adamic race. The spotlight, so comforting and necessary to prankster pastor, had returned.
He only garnered six percent of the vote. No matter. Nine months after losing the election, Fred Phelps unveiled his next therapeutic crusade: his left hooks rained on same comparatively helpless and unsuspecting heads when he opened the "Great Gage Park Decency Drive"-which quickly escalated into his current death-to-fags campaign.
To hear the pastor describe his new venture, one feels in the presence of a Napoleon crossing the river Neiman to invade Russia-two great empires, the one good, the other evil, about to clash, finally, and to the death. To read his crusading literature, however, leaves a different impression: The "Great Gage Park Decency Drive" hovers between vaudeville and the bizarre. One campaign fax churned out during November of 1993 would seem to cover both choices.
For vaudeville, the pastor poses a question: can God-fearing Christian families picnic or play touch football there (Gage Park) without fear of contradicting AIDS? HELL, NO!" He then describes the enemy activity in suspicious detail: "Open fag rectal intercourse in public restrooms, in the rose garden, in the rock garden, in the theater, in the rainforest, in the swimming pool, on the softball fields, on the swing sets, or the train-it's everywhere..." And for the bizarre: In the same fact epistle, Fred to the Sodomites, the pastor reviews his son-in- law's opus of investigative endeavor, The Conspiracy within a Conspiracy. For those arriving late, Conspiracy is the privately published book by Brent Roper, who made the "it will be harder now, but I will destroy them" attribution to Judge Rogers in Chapter Six. In the fax, Fred defends Roper's thesis that Truman Capote passed AIDS simultaneously to both Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe during a touch football game in the Rose Garden "when a gang tackle went awry". According to the fax, the CIA later killed both the president and Marilyn to keep them from infecting the country-Capote's own longevity notwithstanding. In any case, touch football seems to be the one thing consistently on Fred's mind here. In the midst of his anti-gay campaign, the pastor also ran for the U.S. Senate in 1992 for Topeka mayor in 1993. He lost both races. Of the two, his Senate bid will likely be the better-remembered: Phelps, in a great plains parody of the late senator from Wisconsin, warned the voters darkly that homosexuals were taking over America, and accused Gloria O'Dell, his opponent for the Democratic, of being a lesbian. Unelected after three races, the angry pastor maneuvered to advance his hate-gays crusade from local TV spots and neighborhood pickets to the national media. The Westboro congregation traveled to Washington, D.C. to taunt the Gay Pride March in the spring of 1993. It was red meat for a sensation-hungry press. Fred and found his rhythm. Even before then, however, the nine children still loyal to him had campaigned enthusiastically alongside, picketing in rain, snow, or sun. Why?
Says Nate: "You known that Lite beer commercial where the guy goes up to the two other guys and gets them to fight over his comparison of two incomparable issues ('Tastes great!/Nope, less Filling!)? My dad does that. "Deep down, my brothers and sisters know they've been denied the right to be themselves-free adults-and that combines with all of his abuse and anger toward them until their rage is uncontrollable inside. He helps them find a focus to vent that out. And then he steps aside." Mark agrees: "Everyone is very angry there. That's why they overeat. It's a very charged atmosphere. All that frustrated energy needs to be discharged in some form of conflict." Though this latter observation is almost 13 years old, it still provides an accurate summation of one reporter's experience who spent six weeks in daily contact with the family Phelps in the fall of 1993. Fred has a captive family congregation: their fear of hell and fear of him still control them, like the elephant's rope. His loyal children have fulfilled his ambitions rather than their own. They live at his side and do his work. And since his rage has become their outrage, a wrath they dare not turn back on him, Fred's kids have eagerly joined in whenever he has sallied forth from Westboro to smite the Adamic race. Margie Phelps admits many in her family have become emotionally dependent on the death-to- gays crusade: "A lot of us have been able to work through emotional problems because of the picketing," she says. She explains the bonding and the sense of goals have brought them closer and taken each person's focus off their own personal difficulties. "It would be very hard for them to give up the picketing now," she observes, and quotes with some apparent relief the circumstances outlined by her father for an end to his grim campaign: the return of Jesus; the capitulation of all homosexuals; "or they kill us. Otherwise it will go on."
What's important here is the Phelps family has found something they can all enjoy doing together. And it's helping them to grow and realize more about themselves. All except one. Dorotha, on of the youngest Phelps children, left the compound in 1990.
She was 25 at the time and already an established attorney. "We were all supposed to get law degrees, stay home, and live happily every after," she says. "The problem was, I wasn't happy. "My father's operating mode is one of perpetual warfare. I thought once he'd been disbarred, it would die down, and he would stop-you know-being so aggressive. He wrote that book (still an unpublished manuscript) comparing the courts to the Corsican Mafia...but I guess it didn't go anywhere. "And then he started all these other things... "It's just not going to die down. It's not going to quit. He's such an egomaniac. He liked to keep things stirred up because he likes attention. He likes to be center stage. It just wore me out. The constant pressure there was just too much. "But," adds Dorotha, who goes by 'Dottie', "despite all his flaws, he's the leader of the church as well as a father. If they (her family back at the compound) believe, they also accept him." The pastor is enthusiastic about his new therapy: "The Bible approves only of sex within marriage," he insists. "But whore mongers and adulterers God will damn to hell! "No premarital sex! No extramarital sex! No divorces, no remarriages-and for God's sakes-NO ANAL COPULATING!" (In which case, come the Rapture, Westboro Baptist will still be holding services.)
Fred continues: "Anytime a famous fag dies of AIDS, we're going to picket his funeral, wherever it is." He adds he subscribes to the New York Times because it identifies gays who've died of AIDS. Phelps is literally giggling now, able to appear on shows like Jane Whitney, Ricki Lake, and 20/20 and talk dirty to gays. On top of the verbal abuse the pastor heaps from the television screen, he claims he's doing gays a favor by disrupting their funerals, outraging their mourners, and picketing the businesses that employ them. Raising this kind of ruckus is...well...a bit of necessary bad taste to get the "good word" out. Interviewed on KBRT radio in Los Angeles, Phelps was asked: "What about the Bible advice that Christians are to have the wisdom of serpents and the meekness of doves?"
To which he responded: "The next to last verse in Jude says we were to make to a sharp difference in how we are to approach people to win them. On some, have compassion, making a difference. Others you should save with fear. "That means using the authority of terrorizing people about the coming fires of God's judgement and wrath, as opposed to approaching them with compassion." Trouble is, Phelps may have yet to meet the sinner he deems worthy of the compassionate path. The pastor has generated most of his notoriety from public outrage at his desecration of funeral and burial rites. To this, he has a formulaic response, most recently offered to Chris Bull of The Advocate in defense of emotionally brutalizing the mourners for Kevin Oldham, a native of Kansas City who had found success in New York as a composer: "Compared to hell and eternal punishment, their (the mourners) suffering is trivial. If Kevin could come back, he would ask me to please preach at his funeral, and he say, 'For God's sake, listen to Fred Phelps.' Dying time is truth time. These poor homosexual creatures live lives predicated on a fundamental lie, and they die engrossed in the lie. It seems to me to be the cruelest thing of all to stand over their dead, filthy bodies keeping the lies going." Yet Phelps doesn't believe homosexuals can be redeemed, an attitude which cast his actions, not as salvation-through-fear, but as pointless and abusive. Almost any day on the picket line in Topeka, he can be heard announcing to the occasional passerby who stops to talk: "Deep-dyed fags cannot be saved. God has given them up." The pastor seems uninterested when other Christian ministers attempt to show him differently. One the same KBRT talk show, Phelps intoned: "It's my position that they (gays) fit in that category of the most depraved and degenerate of Adam's race. And probably these guys are past hope for salvation.
"And it was a long time coming to that. I've never seen one such person converted in 46 years of preaching this Bible." "I've seen a number of homosexuals come to Christ," protests the announcer, up to now quite warn to Fred's message. "I'd like to meet one," says Fred.
The announcer mentions a young man, a reformed homosexual, who, after 'coming to Christ', has established an AIDS ministry that is now nationwide. "Herb Hall," says the how's host, "is one of the most solid soul winners I've seen in decades." They reach Hall by phone at his home in Garden Grove, New Jersey. He invites Fred to come and see, that there's plenty of gays who turned to Christ and ceased their sodomy. "I think it's a put-on," says Fred. He resists the suggestion that Phelps and Hall confer on what they've learned during their separate campaigns against homosexuality. "I'd love to sit down and talk with you, and meet with you," begins Hall.
"We'll have to do that," responds Phelps, "because your story so far is not convincing, and it sounds very canned and put on to me." When the announcer again vouches for Hall, Phelps says reluctantly: "I gotta talk to him first, and I gotta know more..." Then to Hall: "Are you gonna call me?"
Announcer: "Oh! We've just hung up on him. But we have his number, and we'll give that to you, OK?" Phelps: "OK. Thank you. I'm very interested." But Preacher Phelps never called. So Hall called him. He remembers their conversation below:
"Pastor Phelps, when Jesus approached the prostitute, all the people who had surrounded her, He wrote their sins in the dirt. That's why they left her alone. Unless we show them (homosexuals), love and compassion, and really comfort them, we'll never be able to reach them." Hall says Phelps told him he'd never seen a homosexual that had ever changed, and he doubted that Hall had.
"Pastor, I am a homosexual. I've changed. And I will be in heaven someday." According to Hall, Phelps doubted that also. "So you think it (homosexuality) is the one unforgivable sin?" Yes, said Phelps.
In an interview with Jim Doblin, a television reporter for WIBW-TV, Channel 13 in Topeka, Phelps shared a bit more. If everyone was predestined from the womb, regardless of what they did in life, asked Doblin, wouldn't there be a homosexual or two among the Elect?
No, Phelps insisted. "Three times within eight verses in Romans, Chapter 1, it says God has given these people up. If the only power in the universe that can call you to Jesus Christ has given you up, how you gonna get there?" In fact, Phelps has shown little interest in getting the "good word" out at all. His record in this new campaign shows his focus is on ego dominance, insult, and therapeutic lashing out.
Offers Phelps from the same interview with Doblin: "My ol' dad used to say, 'you're gettin' people mad at you, bubba! An' if you're determined to get 'em mad at you, I recommend you just walk up and kick 'em in the shins-it won't take so long!' "I believe I finally took my ol' dad's advice: just walk up and kick 'em in the shins!" The pastor breaks into a big grin: "God hates fags!"
He's obviously enjoying himself. But why kick them in the shins if they can't be saved? Fred can't answer that. Because she knows he's not trying to save anyone. For his own secret reasons, he needs to hurt people, and he's chosen homosexuals. Reacting to a joint statement condemning his anti-gay activities that was signed by 47 Topeka area religious leaders, Phelps, in a letter to The Advocate wrote: "I love it. I'm a Baptist preacher, and that means I'm a hate preacher." When it comes to any serious attempt to explore a religious issue via considered argument and fair rebuttal, however, Pastor Phelps has proved a no-show, On August 23, 1993, Dick Snider, a columnist for the Capital-Journal, printed part of the letter from an English professor at Spoon River College in Canton, Illinois. Farrell Till was a Bible debater, and he wanted a chance to debate Fred on God's hatred of homosexuals. By midmorning, the faxes came rolling in at the newsroom and offices all over the capital: a photo of the pastor, looking pensive and studious at his desk, and the words emblazoned:
I ACCEPT!
LET'S DEBATE!
Followed by the missive: "Not since two of my heroes (Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan) slugged it out at the famous Scopes Monkey Trial at Dayton, Tennessee in July, 1925, has the issue of the inerrancy of the Bible been properly debated. If Farrell Till is for real, let's get it on. "Your newspaper can work out the details and send circulation off the charts. And your own involvement to date in this historic event will more than justify your otherwise pitiful existence on this earth as a wayward son of Adam. Kindest regards. Fred Phelps." Farrell Till was notified his challenge had been accepted. He immediately sent the pastor a courteous letter, via the Capital-Journal, outlining his qualifications to engage in a serious scholarly exchange and requesting Phelps contact him to work out a compatible date. Fred forgot. Though he was reminded several times by both the paper and Till, the impulsive pastor never remembered to set that date.
By Christmas, Till reported he had inquired by phone or letter five times and received no response. Coincidentally, during the same time period, the Capital-Journal had arranged for a round-table exchange in print: participating with Phelps would have been Tex Sample, a liberal minister from St. Paul's School of Theology in Kansas City; Rabbi Lawrence Karol, an old testament scholar in Topeka; and Scott Clark, a primitive Baptist (old Calvinist) minister from Fred's own sect, now working on his doctorate in theology at Oxford University. Fred would exchange views in print with clergymen of three differing faiths to avoid the discussion becoming mired in minor sectarian conflicts.
All four agreed to participate, and all agreed to the tennis format: Phelps would serve by responding to three questions; the others would return with comment, and Phelps would bat it back. To the three questions-Does God hate? Does God hate gays? By what authority do you judge?-Phelps submitted a brief response. His turbid theology was quickly returned to him, analyzed as unfounded and unbiblical-even by the Oxford Calvinist of his own sect. Now here was a battle of the Titans! Let's get it on! But again the would-be William Jennings Bryan fled the field, muttering he'd heard all those false arguments before and couldn't be bothered refuting them again.
Pity. All those reprobates out there who've never heard his refutations...it would be like water to parched souls... Twice turning tail at the opportunity for his truth to confront publicly the world's falsehoods...a very odd response indeed for someone who claims his only aim in his crude, cruel, and vindictive behavior is to get the "good word" out to a world of stubborn reprobates. Each time has been offered the chance to present his message in a fair and sober forum-sans shin-kicking and street theater-the earnest pastor has passed. In fairness, it would be observed that, since his tent emptied that night in Vernal, Utah, Phelps has preached almost entirely to the converted and the blood-related. He may find an opinion differing from his own to be a frightening and flight-triggering experience. Or perhaps the amateur Biblical erudition gained during that long, arduous summer Phelps spent between his baptism and ordination failed him when he entered the arena of professional scholarship. Whatever the cause, the pastor appears long on antics, insults, and threats-short on good news the reprobates can use. Of the 12 abominations listed in the Old Testament, pride in one-homosexuality is not. "His dad couldn't care less about God or the Bible," says Luava. "He just happened to embrace that structure to create a framework for himself as god. What he says, goes. In his mind, and in his life, he is god." "He's not for anything but Fred," adds Nate. "Whatever it is he has to do to get attention, he'll do it."
Mark interrupts: "...He helped himself to any behavior he ever wanted to have and then left it for others to clean up. He's operating at the level of a two year-old. My little girl just goes up and shoves someone sometimes, but she's two. He does not hesitate to do what my little Becky does, but he does it in adult ways. "He's completely out-focused and totally high right now. He's got the best fix: drugs, beatings, all the raging and abusing he's done, all the political stirring-up he's caused, nothing compares to what he's doing now." Nate adds: "And each time it seems he has to ratchet it a little higher. Eventually it could end in tragedy for a lot of people." He shakes his head. "My father likes to hurt people. And he needs to hate them. Why, I don't know. But you can be sure of one thing: he'll always do it with the Bible. "They'll give us the fags," says Margie, referring to Topeka's generally hostile response to the pastor's message, "it's the 'God hates' part they can't stand. The notion that God hates humans is rejected so deeply by most people-that's what everyone is so angry about." If the strange case of Fred Phelps were, in fact, a doctrinal and not a mental health phenomenon, it would revolve on two issues: whether God hates some souls regardless of their character or actions and whether he hates homosexuals most of all. Absolute predestination-the theory that some people are bound for heaven before they are born, while others have a one-way ticket to hell-best focuses the beliefs of Westboro Baptist and its basilisk leader.
"It goes like this," says Fred, shifting into his preacher voice, talking slowly and emphasizing every syllable, "the everlasting love of God for some men and the everlasting hatred of God for other men is the grand doctrine that razes free will to the ground. "Hate in the deity is not a passion like it is with humans, you know. It is a purpose that is part of His nature and His essential attributes."
The Bible is chock full of hate, says the pastor. "From all eternal ages past, God has loved some of Adam's race and purposed to do them good, and he's hated the rest and purposed to punish them for their sins." Attributes of God linked to hate, anger, wrath and punishment are used two-thirds more often in the Bible than attributes linked to love, mercy, pity, long-suffering, gentleness and goodness, he claims
"You can't be a Bible preacher without preaching the hatred of God, the wrath of God. It is a fabrication, this modern Christianity, that says good old God loves everybody." Implicit in all this talk of predestination is the assumption that Fred, at last, is going to heaven. Yet the Bible, as it interpreted by predestinists, says the elect will not be revealed until the Judgement Day. Tacitly, the pastor's congregation counts him early in that tiny group and looks to him for a sign they'll be a part too. Not only is Phelps without Bible authority to designate them elect, he may not be elect himself. His ministry could be that of a reprobate. A summary of some of the objections raised to the pastor's philosophy of hate by Sample, Clark, and Karol is listed below. The text of the original exchange is contained in the appendix.
1) It rejects a 3000 year-old rabbinical interpretation of the Jacob and Esau story in favor of one of his own.
2) It mistranslates and falsely equates the words for the anger and wrath of God that so often occur in the Old Testament with a divine hatred of mankind.
3) When the Bible does speak of God hating, God is described as hating the act or the sin-not the sinner.
4) The speaker in the book of Psalms does profess hatred for the sinner- but the voice is that of the psalmist, not of God.
5) Phelps pointedly ignores the emphasis in the New Testament on love and forgiveness. One may find lichen growing on the floor of a redwood forest-but that does not make it a moor, not so long as the landscape is dominated by the giant trees.
The prophet of hate grins broadly when asked how it feels being the target of so much hatred himself now:
"You guys don't seem to understand what motivates me." He chuckles. As usual, a Bible verse serves as his answer. "Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven." Phelps seems giddy, His words roll off his tongue in a Mississippi drawl tinged with excitement. "I love them to death," he says of those who criticize him. "If they weren't doing that, how am I going to get all that 'great is your reward in heaven'? If you are preaching the truth of God, people are going to hate you. And they can't often or always articulate why, and so they fall back on specious, insincere and false reasons for why they hate you. And you swim in a sea of lies. And I love it!"
Phelps seems to lead a euphoric life, Today he is wearing his trademark running shoes, running shorts, and shirt and tie with a nylon running jacket, sleeves rolled up to his biceps. He has just returned from a noontime picket in downtown Topeka. "If the call was good, it never goes away," he chirps, referring to the 1946 revival that called him to preaching. "I have a hard time getting to sleep some nights from pure happiness." A wide smile blossoms on his windburned face. His eyes gleam and glitter. It's hard to imagine so much happiness taking root and growing out of so much hate. "If my father's going to become a spokesman for the Christian Reform Movement, it's important Christians realize who he really is," states Mark. "What worries me most is my brothers and sisters may see him as a Christ-like figure. "He has nothing to do with Christ. He is a sad, sick man who likes to hurt people. For a long as I've known him, he has been addicted to hate." Even a cursory glance at the pastor's most recent published material would seem to beat this out. The following random excerpts from his faxes can't be defended as "scaring 'em to salvation". They are mean and hateful and nothing more:
(December 2, 1993) Next to the headline, "FAGS: GOD'S HATE SPEAKS LOUDEST", is the text: "Fag Bishop Fritz Mutti...confessed his sins to ANTICHRIST CLINTON: He raised 2 fag sons for the Devil; they died of AIDS. GOOD RIDDANCE!"
(December 9, 1993) "Court Clerk JOYCE REEVES dying of cancer? Couldn't happen to a better dyke...May explain why she's super bitchy to the help. N.Y. Fag Son TODD's arrived, looking like AIDS on a stick. Patronize his Westboro Shop and go home with AIDS?"
(December 16, 1993) [When Topeka Police Sergeant, Dave Landis, only 45 years-old and with a wife and children, was suddenly paralyzed by a stroke, Phelps found time to gloat.] "You don't scare us, Officer Landis! Not even before the Lord turned you into a limp vegetable! "Westboro Baptist will picket fag cop Landis fundraiser...Fag cop John Sams and his FOP (Phaternal Order of Phags) will try to raise $12,500 to unscramble the brain of fag cop Dave Landis...Forget it, guys! When God scrambles eggs, man can't unscramble 'em. Westboro Baptist has picketed this evil Son of Belial at the VA hospital for 4 months now; Westboro Baptist will picket his funeral to give him a proper send-off to hell..."
Many of Fred Phelps' former adversaries and law school classmates have gone on to become luminaries, while he has slowly dissolved into a disbarred lawyer and failed preacher, supported by his abused children.
The more his own life slips into the periphery, the more stridently abusive he becomes. Pastor Phelps is one of many false prophets to come who will seek to exploit the loss of faith, soul, and identity in North America. As a society that has lost its path in a steaming, sensual, violent marsh of mindless, me-first, frantic consumerism, America is entering its dark middle age stupified by television and content to let its values be formed, not by saints, heroes, and visionaries, but by default, by advertising and market forces appealing to the basest urges in each of us. Our culture has grown childish and narcissistic, slothful and irrational. With the winter of our nation will soon follow the wolves-fierce white toothed beasts come to trip the flesh of our indolence.
Fred Phelps is one of them. And in our chaos and confusion, the false prophets will claim to lead us into a new day. But by this mark we shall know them: no matter how bright their vision, always it will demand someone or group be punished before a new day can come.
The dark angels will promise a bright tomorrow but ask for blood today.
Fifty years ago, looking ahead to our time, the poet, Yates, would lament:
"The best lack all conviction and the worst are filled with a passionate intensity."
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Category Archives: Rumour
. By T.V. Antony Raj
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The American news satire website NATIONAL REPORT claim and labels itself as “America’s #1 Independent News Team”. But it is better known for pushing the boundaries of good taste than making its readers laugh. On November 2, 2013, it published a post titled “ The Assam Rape Festival In India Begins This Week .“
Earlier on January 8, 2013, the SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS posted the article titled “ The Punjab Rape Festival In India Begins This Week “. The NATIONAL REPORT just copied that article word-for-word. The only change was in the title – the Indian state “Assam” was substituted in lieu of “Punjab” to read: “The Assam Rape Festival In India Begins This Week.“
The article claiming a non-existent, wishful (in the mind of the author) vulgar event taking place in India was a spoof by a person writing under the pseudonym Jimmy Rustling.
The social media was abuzz with reactions to the article. So far, it has been shared more than 312,000 times on Facebook and around 3,000 times on Twitter. It has besmirched the image of Assam and has sparked widespread protests in the state.
The article does not display any disclaimer saying it is a spoof. However, there is a general Disclaimer page on the NATIONAL REPORT website:
DISCLAIMER: National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental . The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report. Advice given is NOT to be construed as professional. If you are in need of professional help (and you may be if you are on this page), please consult a professional. National Report is intended for a mature audience and not for children under the age of 18.
Linked to the “Rape Festival” articles in SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS and NATIONAL REPORT is a common website Giveindia.org that looks like a genuine Indian website seeking donations for the welfare of Indian women.
At the end of the article there is the following statement:
For more information about the festival or if you would like to participate, please call the 24-hour India Rape Festival hotline at (785) 273-0325.
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr.
I googled and found that the given hot line number (785) 273-0325 belongs to Fred W. Phelps Sr., an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas in 1955. Address: Westboro Baptist Church, Address: 3701 SW 12th St, Topeka, KS 66604, United States.
According to Phelps, basically everyone, who isn’t a part of their “religion” and “church” is doomed and will go to hell.
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Phelps’ group protests all over the United States at Gay funerals and Soldiers funerals. The first Amendment under the U.S. Constitution protects them to do these despicable hate acts.
Although the “church” started as only hating “fags” they have now moved on to hate Australians, Canadians, Jews, Swedish, and even the Amish. To picket hey use signs such as: “God Hates Fags“, “Fags Hate God“, “America Is Doomed“, “Soldiers Die God Laughs“, “Thank God for 9/11“, etc.
Many people in USA, India and other countries believed the contents of the article as a true fact even though no such festival exists or existed in any part of India. And the article was widely shared even now via social media. It has been blindly copied and posted in sundry websites around the world without verifying the facts, thereby tarnishing the image of India.
Here is an example of this spurious, apocryphal copying:
On November 6, 2013, Patricia Kahill, posted the article verbatim without verifying facts in UGOnews with the following introduction:
Reports from National Report say that this week in Indian men readied themselves to begin celebrating the annual Assam Rape festival. This festival sees that every unmarried girl between the age of 7-16 who has not been hidden is raped. (sic)
This article published in UGOnews evoked many scathing comments. I have reproduced some of them here:
Prashant Moni · Textiles
It is very sad that some mentally sick peoples are publishing the scenario of a region in a very bad manner. To be make clear that there is NO ANY SUCH FESTIVAL in Assam or even in any other region in India. This is nothing but an output of mentally sick person (s). (sic)
Rajeev Gohain · J.B College, Jorhat
What a rubbish story. The picture is from a festival from Uttar Pradesh, Tamilnadu is lakhs km far. The names are not Assamese. The creator of this story is that the psychic who is dreaming about this type of festival , so that he also can go and participate it.. I am requesting to whole the world not to believe this type of fake story, but come and enjoy a beautiful green Assam famous for One horned Rhino and Tea.
Ashish Das · Online Entrepreneur and Blogger
Stupid website… research before publishing.
Manashwi Sharma · Student
This is absolutely NOT TRUE. There is no such freaking festival celebrated in Assam or in any part of India. I Request everyone NOT TO BELIEVE whatever is written on this website. This is totally a FALSE NEWS.
Prasanta Dutta · Guwahati College
I am from Assam and 33 year’s old, Its a is totally a Stupid news. Women is always respected in Assam more than other part of the world. (sic)
Sukanya Goswami · Dibrugarh University
this is unacceptable!!! shame on your mentality!!! u people published such a wrong thing about a region without knowing any thing!!! shame on u!!!! go and research before doing such stupid things!!!! u people dont knw any thing ,never heard about assam and but ready to publish nonsense about it!!! stupid website!!!! (sic)
Shreeja V Shetty · Software Tester at GlowTouch Technologies
Well this news is surely not true. India is a lovely country. But action should be taken on the one who wrote this! So that nobody repeats such nonsense again!
Lekha Borah · Works at Working as a Freelance Photographer
Want to make it clear that there is no this kind of \\”DIRTY FESTIVAL IN ASSAM”// or in INDIA. This is nothing but a fake RUMOUR of some mentally sick persons.Very sad and very shameful thing happened made by psycho people. (sic)
Slickèr Qalie Ndlovu · Member, Organisation of African Youth (Zimbabwe)
people stop lying please (sic)
On November 12, 2013, Patricia Kahill posted another article in UGOnews titled “ The Controversial Assam Rape Festival ” in which she says:
Last week we reported about the Assam rape festival a controversial and satire story that was first published by National Report a USA based website, lead to a number of comments on our site from the Indian community.
According to Lets Gist the point of the story was activism, to educate people about what is going on in India on a daily basis, because a lot of people don’t know.
Hindustan Times received a statement from Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Assam immediately that said:
“the fraudulent and extremely unethical article about the completely fictitious festival is an act of serious disrespect and total disregard shown towards the humble and unsuspecting people of our beautiful state of Assam. The writer of such a piece of pure evil is not fit for human society.”
Bharat Narah, press adviser to Gogoi, told Gulf News :
“The Assam Rape Festival article is not at all humorous. It is distasteful, unethical, abominable, despicable and must be abhorred by all sections of society. We have taken up a suo moto case against the website and the author of the piece. It is a highly sensitive matter which cannot be ignored. We are assessing all our options and are in touch with the Cyber Cell of the Police Department.
Regardless of race, culture, or nationality, any decent and moral person should be offended by this filth. Media plays a very critical role in forming opinions. If media will start acting so naively, then the responsibility of spreading information through media should be taken away. We Indians know that this news is totally fake, but people in other parts of the world are getting the wrong message about our nation. This mischief by the media should be dealt with very strictly.“
The comment by Nancy Powell, US ambassador to India, when she addressed the students of Xavier Institute of Social Science (XISS) in Ranchi, on November 19, 2013, is an epiphany for the state of affairs now prevailing in India.
When a student asked: “Why aren’t American students coming to India for studies?”
She replied: “The concern for personal security and perceived increased danger to women as a result of the rape cases was perhaps a factor in US students’ decision regarding study in India.”
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. By T.V. Antony Raj
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On January 8, 2013, an American website SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS posted an article titled: “ The Punjab Rape Festival In India Begins This Week, ” written by a person using the pseudonym ‘Jimmy Rustling‘.
Since January 2013, this article, camouflaged as a news item, circulated through blogs, email, and social media. Its claim that the tradition of the Punjab Rape Festival dates back to 43 BC is utter nonsense. Factually, there is no such event as the Punjab Rape Festival. The story was simply concocted by the psychotic Jimmy Rustling.
This obviously false story caused a great deal of apprehension and dismay after it spread through the media. Not realizing that there is no such event and never ever was, many decried the imaginary event and wanted it stopped.
Here is an example of one such silly call titled “ HELP ME STOP’The Punjabi Rape Festival in India“ by Neil Padayachee posted on January 16, 2013.
The comments for the post “The Punjab Rape Festival In India Begins This Week” show that the average follower of SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS is an ignoramus who could be manipulated to believe any unauthenticated absurd news, as he would when he reads the religious scriptures, mainly because it is in print.
As usual, pranksters too joined in and added fuel by defending the festival and stating they were looking forward to participating in the hypothetical event.
Sarab H:
This is so messed up! I demand justice!
M Shelat: I agree. Something needs to be done to stop this!
Mark Dauglas Znenitz: I would go to this festival. Probably not participate but I would go
Eva Monreli: They are not even considering that one can get viral diseases (Like AIDS)from these people. This should be stopped!
Holly Marys: I have many many many MANY demons in me that need uncorking. May I, as an American and not Punjabi, participate so that I may perhaps be rid of my demons once and for all?
Catherine: Sick people! This is 2013 for God’s sake. Stop these archaic Men form doing injustice to the girl child.
Naga sadhus who had gathered at the Allahabad Maha Kumbh Mela 2013.
The above photo of Naga sadhus at the Kumbh mela was used along with the ‘rape festival’ story. This photo of Naga sadhus gathered at the Allahabad Maha Kumbh Mela 2013 , deceives readers into believing that the Hindu sadhus were rushing to rape unmarried girls in the age group 7 to 16 years.
Sharell Cook
Sharell Cook, an Australian traveller researching distinctive cultures from her early 20s, initially visited India in the year 2000 and found it a total assault on her senses, confronting, but then oddly inspiring and captivating. Even today, this impression about India has not changed. Even now, Sharell is residing in cosmopolitan Mumbai where she writes full-time while learning Hindi. This is her impression about the Allahabad Maha Kumbh Mela:
“The Kumbh Mela in India is as mesmerizing as it is spiritual. This ancient northern Indian festival is a meeting of mystical minds. The largest religious gathering in the world, the Kumbh Mela brings Hindu holy men together to discuss their faith and disseminate information about their religion. It’s attended by millions of people each day.”
Many Indians living in the United States called for the removal of the article from the website and wanted authorities to take punitive action against the author and the website that published it.
In late January 2013, the writer responding to the angry calls posted the following message on his Facebook Page:
Paul Horner alias Jimmy Rustling
I’ve been getting emails from people saying that I should remove my story entitled, “The Punjab Rape Festival In India Begins This Week.”
The point of the story was an activism piece to educate people about what is going on over there on a daily basis, because a lot of people don’t know. I read everything I can get my hands on and every day there’s another story about another horrible rape or murder of a young girl in India…. usually where the guy gets off, not being punished, or worse, where the victim is forced to marry her attacker.
So I wrote up the most exaggerated, ridiculous thing I could think of… it gets people to pass around the story and then question what’s going on over there if they didn’t already know. A simple Google search of “Punjab rape” brings up 100+ different stories of young girls getting raped, murdered, forced to marry the man who raped them… it’s disgusting.
Anyway, that’s the point of the story and I’m not pulling the article.
In an email to hoax-slayer.com the author wrote:
One of the other MAJOR factors for doing the story was collecting money for the women of India for schooling, clothes, help in leaving abusive situations. So, a few months ago I added this to the bottom of the story:
WANT TO HELP THE WOMEN IN INDIA? THEN DO SOMETHING!
Click here to learn more.
I checked out that charity thoroughly. They are 100% legit giving 90-95% of collected funds to the cause.
To keep the controversial “Rape Festival” spark alive, SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS on May 7, 2013, posted yet another spoof story in bad taste written by Jimmy Rustling titled: “ Surprise Winner At This Years Punjab Rape Festival .“
Once again the stupid readers of this post came out with absurdities:
Sarah H: They give awards to men in India for raping woman? WOW.
Samantha: This is just disgusting! They don’t arrest them for rape but they give them awards??? SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS!
Lena: Govt must come forward to support RAPE FESTIVAL. This is the only world class entertainment ,where every one love to participate. Tourist visits to India ,will generate collosal amount for the nation. Allow everyone to participate,give them FREE CHANCE to win award. GOVT must provide FREE VISA Access. Let people of the world to enjoy and feel free to taste of RAPE. RAPE reduces heat,its good for health and for the growth of man kind. C.M needs to be changed,since he wants to snatch this freedom from people of punjab, which is against the will of the nation. Democracy in India should not tarnished at any cost.
Readers of SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS made these comments despite the following image posted proudly on its site on the page “ Super Official Awards .”
The name Jim Rustling is the pseudonym of an author named Paul Horner, a Staff Writer for NATIONAL REPORT who claims to have won numerous awards for journalism including a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize.
How authentic are the writings of Jimmy Rustling a.k.a. Paul Horner?
You will find the answer if you read the article titled “ President Obama Presents Paul Horner With Super Universe Ultimate Award For Excellence In Winning The Game ” posted on November 5, 2012 in SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS.
I understand that “Fred Dursk” is another pseudonym of Paul Horner. Now, I wonder how many other pseudonyms this person has, and whether the name “Paul Horner” itself is real, or is it another pseudonym of some other person hiding behind these names.
A disclaimer right at the bottom of the posts in SUPER OFFICIAL NEWS reads as follows:
Disclaimer: Lulz killing of any kind will not be tolerated. If you are being a buzzkill, your comment can be altered or deleted. This entire site is pretty much just a resume containing a collection of my writings and such for the off chance that someone like The Onion or The Daily Show ever happens to stop by. Until then just remember, if it’s on the internet it must be true.
Image courtesy IronKite
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The above image of a giant’s skeleton is in fact a digital collage of three different photos created by a Canadian illustrator using the alias IronKite. It was placed third in a 2002 competition titled “Archaeological Anomalies 2,” run by Worth1000, a website that hosts contests for digital artists. The website asked contestants to create a hoax archaeological discovery.
Blogs, emails, and even a newspaper have used the above “photograph” to give credence and to substantiate their so-called reports that the National Geographic Society had discovered an ancient race of human giants in India.
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Recently, I came across the above image of a news item included in a YouTube video titled “RACE OF GIANTS found in India” uploaded by YTABUSESusers on December 15, 2008. This news, submitted by G. Subramaniam of Chennai, in a less known Indian newspaper called “Hindu Voice” looked dubious. It does not carry the date of publication.
In the article titled “ Skeleton of Giant” Is Internet Photo Hoax ” in National Geographic News, James Owen wrote: “An often cited March 2007 article in India’s Hindu Voice monthly, for example, claimed that a National Geographic Society team, in collaboration with the Indian Army, had dug up a giant human skeleton in India.”
Subramaniam reported:
“Recent exploration activity in the northern region of India uncovered a skeletal remains of a human of phenomenal size.” The story went on to say “The discovery was made by National Geographic Team (India Division) with support from the Indian Army since the area comes under jurisdiction of the Army.”
However, the monthly, “Hindu Voice,” based in Mumbai (Bombay), published a retraction after readers alerted its editor P. Deivamuthu to the hoax. The editor said: “We are against spreading lies and canards,” and he added “Moreover, our readers are a highly intellectual class and will not brook any nonsense.”
On December 14, 2007, James Owen for National Geographic News wrote: “The National Geographic Society has not discovered ancient giant humans, despite rampant reports and pictures.”
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IronKite used the above photo taken in 2000 of a mastodon-excavation in Hyde Park, New York as the basis for his photo-manipulation.
In December 2007, he told National Geographic News that he digitally superimposed a human skeleton over the mastodon-dig photo. Later on, he added a man holding a shovel and re-colored his clothing to match that of the man in the above, authentic picture. The goal was to make the shoveler appear to be part of the excavation team. “To create the photo collage, I kept most of the wood frame from the dig site and replaced most of the muddy dirt with ground from the skeleton picture, using a fuzzy ‘brush’ to fade the two so no hard lines would be visible,” IronKite said.
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Though the above authentic photograph of the New York State mastodon excavation was not used to create the completed ‘giant’ skeleton image, it served as the foundation for the digital artwork.
Since 2004, this digitally manipulated artwork inspired unfounded reports of archaeologists unearthing a skeleton of an ancient human giant in India. IronKite, the Canadian digital artist, had nothing to do with the subsequent hoax.
Avi Muchnick who runs Worth1000, the web site that sponsored the photo-manipulation contests that inspired this fake photo said: “We have thousands of people who regularly create images like these in image-editing tools like Phoenix and Photoshop. So, it’s no surprise to us when some of these images get passed around the web as authentic depictions of actual events.”
James Owen wrote: “Variations of the giant photo hoax include alleged discovery of a 60- to 80-foot long (18- to 24-meter) human skeleton in Saudi Arabia. In one popular take, which likewise first surfaced in 2004, an oil-exploration team is said to have made the find. Here the skeleton is held up as evidence of giants mentioned in Islamic, rather than Hindu, scriptures.”
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The astronomical event known as the solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion point relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere . This event occurs twice a year.
On the day of the solstice, at local solar noon, the Sun appears to have reached its highest or lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon.
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For any place other than the tropics the solstice day in summer is the longest day of the year , and the solstice day in winter is the shortest day of the year.
During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Southern solstice that occurs on December 21st to 22nd, the Sun at noon would appear at its lowest altitude above the horizon, namely, at its southernmost point in the sky. On the other hand, in the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice also known as the Northern solstice occurs on June 20th to 21st each year. On this day, the Sun appears at its northernmost point in the sky.
The axis of rotation of the earth directed towards the same point in the heavens is the result of its axial tilt and the gyroscopic influences of its daily rotation. As the Earth orbits around the Sun, the polar hemisphere facing the Sun encountering summer would after six months face away from the Sun to endure the winter.
The solstices last only a moment in time. This year, winter solstice would occur today, December 21, 2012 at 11:12 AM UTC (6:12 AM EST; 4:42 PM IST).
Worldwide, interpretation of the winter solstice varies from culture to culture. However, all recognize the rebirth of the Earth that involves religious festivals, rituals, and other celebrations. The following lists a few observance believed to be directly linked to the winter solstice.
Zagmuk, Sacaea (Ancient Mesopotamia, Sumeria, Babylonia)
Ziemassvētki (Latvia, Baltic states, Romuva)
This brings us to the Doomsday Prophecy attributed by some to the Mayan Calendar. Though the Mayans never predicted that the world would end today, December 21, 2012, some doomsday soothsayers have been touting all these days that around 80 percent of the world population would be wiped out on this fateful day. Many who believe these scare mongers have left their homes; they have traveled to places where they think their chances of survival will be better.
Ten hours ago, I read an article titled “ Global doomsday hot spots draw believers, revelers ” by Vanessa Gera where she describes some of the world’s key doomsday destinations and other places marked by fear and fascination.
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North East Support Centre and Helpline Team has been receiving calls from different areas in Delhi. The callers claimed that some people from the Northeast were killed last night in some areas of Delhi. North East Helpline Team checked with the Delhi Police, Media and friends and none of them is confirmed.
So, once again, invisible communal forces are trying to mislead the nation by such rumours. It is our duty to stop them immediately.
We appeal to all sections of society, particularly to the people from Northeastern states of India not to believe any information that may be passed on to you. Please confirm whether it is true or not. You may call the Police Helpline No. 100, or contact your responsible community and student leaders. Rumours will only add more fuel to the present uneasy situation prevailing in our beloved country.
North East Support Centre and Helpline Team have appealed to the Delhi Police to arrange special patrolling in areas where people from the Northeast are predominantly present. These areas are: Murnika, Mukherjee Nagar, Moti Bagh, Khanpur, Safdarjung Enclave, Defence Colony, Gandhi Vihar, Nehru Vihar, Vijay Nagar, Double Storey, Delhi University Campus, JNU Campus and Sikanderpur in Gurgaon.
For further clarification, the North East Support Centre and Helpline Team can be contacted at 9774303076, 9968291645, 9811535563
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At Guwahati Railway Station on August 20, 2012
Since last week, as many as 30,000 people from the northeast have fled from Bangalore. The exodus was triggered by rumours of attacks. The city is now under heavy security. To instill trust in the minds of the panic-stricken Northeasterners, as many as 17,000 police force, supported by Rapid Action Force are standing by. The Karnataka State Reserve Police, has been recalled for active duty.
A few days ago, Indian Railways, ran additional train services to Guwahati to meet the sudden onrush of fleeing Northeasterners. However, for the past two days, they did not operate any special services. Travelers from Bangalore are now being told to board the Yeshwanthpur – Howrah Express from Yeshwanthpur and then proceed to Guwahati from Howrah.
On Sunday night, Mr. R. Ashoka, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of Karnataka went on rounds with top police officials. He visited places largely populated by people from the northeastern states. He said that he would work incessantly to ensure their safety.
On Monday August 20, the police and the railway authorities in Bangalore said that the exodus of North-easterners back to their home-states seemed to have ended. This they believed was due to the scaled-up security along with measures implemented to create confidence.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Suneel Kumar told PTI, “The situation is absolutely peaceful and normal with people observing the Ramzan festival with usual bonhomie. People from the northeast are going about their chores without any disturbance, and the exodus has completely stopped. People from the northeastern states are safe and secure.”
Related articles
. By T.V. Antony Raj
Assam burning
In July 2012, ethnic violence in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam erupted between the Bengali-speaking Muslim immigrants and the indigenous Bodos. Nearly 80 people died during last month alone. 400,000 people have been displaced from almost 400 villages, and are sheltered in 270 relief camps.
The Muslim population in the North-East consists of refugees who migrated before the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 from the erstwhile East Pakistan. Currently, Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh, are infiltrating into the region. This violent outbreak is due in part to the rising ethnic nationalism (most notably Bodo nationalism) and diaspora politics
On 27 July 2012, Assam’s Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the national government for its delay in sending the army to riot-hit areas. The following day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the relief camps in Kokrajhar and said the recent violence is a blot on the face of India.
Desecration of Amar Jawan Jyoti
On 11 August 2012, a protest was organised by the Raza Academy against the attacks on Muslims in Assam and in Myanmar was held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The protest was attended by two other groups, Sunni Jamaitul Ulma and Jamate Raza-e-Mustafa. It ended in violence, leading to two deaths and 54 injured including 45 policemen. The most disturbing images were those of miscreants demolishing the “Amar Jawan Jyoti” a symbol of Indian Valour.
Now, the people from the North-East living in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune are on their guard against aftershocks and repercussions. Thousands of people are fleeing the southern city of Bangalore amid rumours. They said that text messages were circulating, which warned of attacks by Muslims in retaliation for communal violence in their home state.
However, leaders from the Bangalore’s Muslim community assured students from the North-East with regard to their personal safety in Bangalore. Because panic-stricken men and women from the North-East continue to get out of Bangalore, leaders of the local Muslim community talked with student representatives and assured them that there would be almost nothing to be worried. Akbar Ali, convener of the Muslim welfare association said those people who seriously feel quite unsafe in their home are welcome to come to the homes of Muslims and to the mosques to take shelter. Ali also told the students that there was no need to worry. “We will protect you, but please do not leave the city. It is your city as much as ours,” reassured Ali.
Hundreds of students and workers from Assam thronged Bangalore’s main railway station on Thursday to try to board trains leaving the city, while officials tried to assure them of their safety.
The Central government and the Karnataka State government say emphatically that there is no need for the people from the North-East living in Bangalore to return to their homes as there is no imminent threat to them in the City.
The police are monitoring social-networking sites to find those creating this panic. Though the level of panic has come down as compared to Wednesday, people continue to leave the city. People from the North-East say that as per the messages or rumours being circulated, the attacks could come after the 20th of this month; hence, they did not want to be here at that time. However, the Bangalore police say that no incidents have been reported on any attack on citizens from the North-East in the city. Their message says, “Do not panic or heed to rumours. In case you need help, please call the control room.”
The state administration, on the other hand, is doing all it can to assure the panic-stricken people that they were safe within the city. Law Minister, Suresh Kumar, when contacted informed that he met with most of the people at the railway station and assured them of their safety. Most of the people want to go home to their parents as there have been incidents that prompted them to leave the city.The latest developments:
The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered monitoring of social networking and online community websites to identify those who are misreporting facts and throe spreading rumours through email messages to trigger communal violence.
Acknowledging that rumours and threatening text messages are fuelling tension, the Prime Minister said, “We must work together to ensure that all people from other states do not feel threatened by rumour-mongering and SMSes. We have to maintain peace at any cost.” He also urged all political parties to “work together to give a feeling of confidence” to all people affected in the recent violence in Assam.
In Bangalore, for the second night in a row, two special trains departed for Guwahati, in addition to the regular train that runs every evening. Officials say the rush is partly because of the long weekend. But some students from states like Assam and Manipur say their parents are worried about their safety and want them back at home.
Bangalore Police Commissioner Jyothiprakash Mirji visited the railway station to reiterate, “No incidents have been reported of attack on North-Eastern citizens in Bangalore. Do not panic or pay heed to rumour.”
Student representatives of Bangalore’s north-eastern community met on Thursday morning with Muslim leaders who have said they will continue to disseminate messages of peace. “Those feeling unsafe may take shelter in our homes and mosques. But please do not leave the city. It is yours as much as it is mine,” said Akbar Ali, Convenor, Bangalore’s Muslim Welfare Association.
Jagadish Shettar, who heads the BJP government in Karnataka, met students from the North-East on Thursday and said, “We are all with you…there is nothing to worry (about).” He also reassured them that nobody has been attacked in the state as a result of the ethnic violence in Assam. A helpline has been set up for the north-eastern community in the city.
Indians from the North-East, living in cities like Bangalore, should stay where they are, said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday afternoon. He phoned the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday and asked that his administration ensure the safety of students and young professionals in Bangalore.
After reports of new ethnic violence in Assam, the Army will be deployed in the state to help maintain law and order; the state government has formally sought its assistance today. Nine columns of the Army (about 600 personnel) will be stationed in Nalbari, an important town in Lower Assam which has been hit by ethnic violence.
A car was set ablaze on Wednesday night in Baksa, which is in lower Assam, and was one of the districts affected in the recent clashes between Bodo tribal and Bengali-speaking Muslims. Angry locals, in response, torched a bus and a bridge on Thursday morning. Nearly 80 people have died in the last month in the ethnic clashes. Till recently, four lakh people were packed into relief camps.
In New Delhi, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, “Panic due to rumours in Karnataka is a very serious issue. The Karnataka government will do everything to protect the people from the North-East. It is a case of concerted effort to create a divide among people.” She also urged the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to build confidence among people from the North-East who study or work in cities like Hyderabad and Pune.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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Based on his nickname, what is the name of the next installment of the Superman movie series, staring Henry Cavill, slated to hit the theaters next year? | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - IMDb
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ( 2016 )
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From $9.99 (SD) on Amazon Video
ON TV
Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.
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Title: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
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View photos of Batman and Superman through the years and learn more about Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot . Plus, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck sit down with IMDb to talk about how the iconic characters have changed.
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Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
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The general public is concerned over having Superman on their planet and letting the "Dark Knight" - Batman - pursue the streets of Gotham. While this is happening, a power-phobic Batman tries to attack Superman.,Meanwhile Superman tries to settle on a decision, and Lex Luthor, the criminal mastermind and millionaire, tries to use his own advantages to fight the "Man of Steel". Written by Mine Turtle
Motion Picture Rating ( MPAA )
Rated PG - 13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality | See all certifications »
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25 March 2016 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice See more »
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$166,007,347 (USA) (25 March 2016)
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The first appearance of Batman is Detective Comics 27. The Gotham squad car in the scene just before Batman appears is Delta Charlie 27 or DC27, much like the CW shows See more »
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When Diana is watching the footage sent to her by Bruce Wayne, she slides her finger to the left on the touchpad but the cursor moves to the right. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Batman : There was a time above... a time before... there were perfect things... diamond absolutes. But things fall... things on earth. And what falls... is fallen. In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie.
The Warner Bros, Ratpac Entertainment and DC Comics logos have autumn leaves falling. See more »
Connections
– See all my reviews
Well, the wait is finally over. Batman and Superman are in a big screen film together for the first time in history. The result? A sloppy attempt at setting up the DC Universe. Batman v Superman has its moments though with great performances from almost every one and action that could rival Man of Steel, but it was difficult to not walk out of this film and feel overwhelmingly disappointed. For a film that finished filming over a year ago, you would think Zack Snyder and Warner Bros would make all the effort in the world to edit in and out the stuff that's important and tighten the movie, but that isn't the case.
It's directed by the aforementioned Snyder and stars almost the entire Man of Steel cast along with Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons as Batman and Alfred respectively. The performances are mostly great all around, including Amy Adams, who unfortunately felt out of place for most of the film. I have no problem with Adams' portrayal or the character of Lois Lane being in the film, but she was misused and overused here. She and General Swanwick from the first film have several small scenes that are used for us to find out more about Lex Luthor. But the problem is, it's a good 15 minutes of the film that could have shaved down to 3 or 4 minutes worth of scenes.
Speaking of Lex Luthor, the casting of Jesse Eisenberg caused a big stew of controversy when it was first announced, and I think it was warranted. I've seen the film twice now and had different opinions both times. The first time I was entertained by Lex but also confused as to why they went the route they did with the character. The second time, I was annoyed by the performance and the over the top portrayal of what should be a menacing villain. A few scenes here and there had those classic Luthor aspects that I've loved from the animated series and films, but the tone they went with for Eisenberg's performance just doesn't work. There's little humor in an incredibly dark film, and Lex seems like he's from a completely different film.
The other big problem the film unfortunately has is its title and marketing. Most of the marketing material was well done and proposed "the greatest gladiator match in the history of man", but the reality is that it's merely 10 minutes of a 2 and a half hour film. The fight itself is phenomenal. It doesn't hold a candle to the fight in the comic book/film "The Dark Knight Returns", but it's probably the best part of Batman v Superman. The focus was all over the place though. Everything from the fight onto the ending is good cinema, but man does it take a long time to get there. I actually sat in the theater saying to myself "I'm kind of bored right now". How in the world does that happen in a superhero film, let alone a Batman film?
There are still plenty of great aspects to this film, however. Diane Lane has a few heart-warming and gut-wrenching scenes. Laurence Fishburne provides some good comic relief as the head of the Daily Planet, Perry White. Jeremy Irons gives us our most involved and bada** Alfred to date. Even Gal Gadot, another questionable casting choice, showed acting chops that I didn't think she had here and got me excited for the Wonder Woman film next year. Which brings me to the weirdest part about my feelings about this film. As many problems as there are, it didn't get me any less enthused for the future of the DCEU. Some few surprises in the film, tease Justice League which was neat. And I'm incredibly stoked for Ben Affleck's solo Batman film. With that said, I don't think I can get that excited for Justice League if Snyder still directs. I have to believe many of the directing and editing mistakes came from him. But perhaps even Warner Bros themselves needs to take some of the fault for giving Snyder too much reign? Another positive though was Hans Zimmer's score, unsurprisingly. I loved the way him and Junkie XL managed to weave in Superman's theme with the new haunting Batman theme.
Ben Affleck may very well be the definitive Batman. Everyone knew his Bruce Wayne would be great but his Batman does not disappoint. There are scenes which rival the action in the Arkham video games in terms of style, creativity, and fluidity. I couldn't be more excited for Affleck to write, direct, and star in the solo film whenever it may come out.
I honestly can't believe I'm sitting here typing an average review for a film that's one of my most anticipated of all time, but I am. There are plenty moments of pure greatness here, but for every incredible scene, there's an unnecessary or strange scene out of place. Sure, I enjoyed the film more the second time I saw it, but I just can't believe how sloppy of a filmmaking job this was. A missed opportunity for Warner Bros for sure.
+Affleck
| Man of Steel |
Toasted Marshmallow, Pina Colada, Crushed Pineapple and Buttered Popcorn are among the 50 official flavors of what candy? | Superman » SciFi Diner Podcast
by Scott
In this episode of the SciFi Diner Podcast, we interview Robert Greenberger, author of Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History. We also give you a chance to win some Secret Circle memorabilia. We cover the following news: Blood and Chrome; Farscape and SG1 Alumni Joins CW’s The Arrow; Man of Steel – NOW IN 3D!; (And Superman Quits His Day Job); Mark Wahlberg in T4? That’s Transformer 4); Howard Shore and The Hobbit; and Princess Leia Wants In The Sequels. Miles gives us This Week In Star Trek: The Only REAL Star Trek Captains and ST:NG Season Two on Bluray. We end with our SciFi 5 in 5 : Great Serenity Quotes.
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Sep 03
by Scott
Tonight on the SciFi Diner Podcast, we’re serving up tons of Science Fiction goodness. We bring you an awesome interview with Chris Preksta of the Mercury Men and also announce our 100th episode prize giveaways: a $100 Think Geek Gift Certificate, a Bonita Friedericy Signed Print, and Mercury Men Posters. In news, we here that Dr. Horrible 2 is near completion, BBC Co-Produces Three Sci-Fi shows, Supernatural and Vampire Diaries are Renewed, the Avengers’ Script for Sale, A Twilight/Ender’s Game Mashup, Karl Urban Claims to know when Star Trek 12 begins filming, Original Terminator Cast to return for a fifth installment of the franchise, iO9’s 10 Greatest hand guns in SciFi and Fantasy, Superman No Longer Proud…, and A Peter David Interview. Miles brings you a DVD Review of Inception and also brings you the TWIST (Remembering William Campbell and the Shatner Scene that was cut from the 2009 movie). We wrap up the show with Miles sharing his top five podiobooks in the SciFi Five in Five.
by Scott
Tonight on the SciFi Diner Podcast devoted to all things science fiction, we interview with Ivan Doan, creator of the Overturn Web Series. We reveal our Batman Trivia winner and talk about guests at Shore Leave and Farpoint Cons. In news: Think Nimoy is retired? Think again…., a supernatural Cop pilot from Ron D. Moore, Adama has been cast, SyFy snags The Mercury Men web series, We have a new Superman, Miles thoughts on the Battle Los Angeles, Ender’s Game has been scripted, what is this Endhiran Raduz is talking about?, release dates for Avatar 2 & 3, Leviathan Chronicle News, Lucas’s Leia hologram becomes a reality, All-Star Superman, and the Human Torch dies. Miles brings us This Week In Star Trek: Shatner Sings Black Sabbath. Colin brings us the SciFi Five in Five: his favorite SciFi Ships.
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Jan 17
by Scott
Tonight on this Science Fiction Podcast, we bring you an interview with Bob Greenberger, Star Trek author and Wonder Woman and Batman Aficionado. We announce the Think Geek trivia winners and bring you a new trivia in which you can win The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. In news, we bring you an update to Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome, Being Human, Season 3 of Dollhouse, Game of Thrones, Hobbit News: Gandalf, Gollum, and Frodo are back, Ultramarines, Top Movies Fans are looking forward to, Voyager 1 Enters Interstellar Space, and a lightsaber Battle you won’t want to miss. Miles brings you This Week In Star Trek and Bob Greenberger and I bring you the SciFi Five In Five.
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Dec 03
by Scott
Tonight at the SciFi Diner, we interview Larry Blamire, best known for his 1950s SciFi Spoofs. We announce the winners of our Superman Trivia and give you our new Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back Trivia and a chance to win a Think Geek Gift certificate. We share news on Young Justice, Riese coming to Canada, Fringe moving to Friday, Marc Singer returns to V, Irvin Kershner is dead, The Hobbit is Racist, Catwoman joins the Wachowski’s latest effort, Buffy’s being rebooted; Joss Whedon’s response, Cowboys and Aliens Trailer, Source Code Trailer, Christian Bale Bails on Batman, and a public service announcement about talking to your kids about Star Wars. In the TWIST we talk about an interview with Borg Queen and Walter Koenig. The SciFi Five in Five this week covers the five Best Empire Strikes Back Moments.
by Scott
Here at the SciFi Diner Podcast tonight, Miles and Scott interview Kevin Sorbo from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and the Gene Roddenberry show Andromeda (He also recently appeared in the Hawaii 5O reboot). We reveal the answer of our Caprica trivia contest and the winner of the $100 Thinkgeek Gift Certificate. We have new Superman trivia and a Kevin Sorbo signed Andromeda to boot. We want to know what is on your SciFi Christmas List. In news we discuss whether this is Fringe’s last season, report that Caprica DVDs are a coming, The Event relaunches in February, Smallville still surprises while Supernatural sputters, the Incredible Hulk is coming BACK to TV as is Batman, The Cape has a new trailer, and it looks Friggen AWESOME, and there is some Blood and Chrome gossip and a bit on Human Target as well. In movie news, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 teases us, Wolverine gets titled and rebooted, Harrison Ford thinks Hans Solo should have died (Is Harrison Ford trying to commit suicide?), we talk about the Green Lantern clip, and discuss the ten SciFi movies you should watch if you want to go green. In This Week in Star Trek, Miles brings us a first look: The Edge from the Starfleet Academy book series and in the SciFi Five in Five, we discuss the five best actors to have guest appear on your show.
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Oct 22
by Scott
In our discussion of all sorts of Science Fiction at the SciFi Diner tonight, we have an interview with bestselling author Graham Hancock, author of Entangled: Eater of Dead Souls. You can win a copy of the book by answering our Smallville/Stargate Trivia. We also cover Shatner reading “The Raven”, More Transformers 3 News, who will play Superman, Rendezvous with Rama, Dollhouse Comic news, and a StarWars music video. Miles bring us new on Virgins in This Week in Star Trek and in the SciFi Five in Five: Jay from Atlanta covers the top five classic horror films.
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What candy company is responsible for M&Ms, Milky Way, Snickers, and Twix bars, among others? | Electrifying Liquid Milk Chocolate May Reduce Fat Content By 20%; Healthier Options On The Horizon
Electrifying Liquid Milk Chocolate May Reduce Fat Content By 20%; Healthier Options On The Horizon
Jun 28, 2016 05:52 PM By Stephanie Castillo
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Low-fat chocolate that actually tastes good? Thanks, science. We’re not talking about the dark variety either, the kind most often associated with health benefits . But instead, researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia have found a way to reduce milk chocolate’s fat content by 20 percent.
Cocoa solids are one of the richest sources of antioxidant flavonoids , but unfortunately, most chocolate products are high in cocoa butter, oils, and other fatty ingredients. This is because when liquid chocolate flows through factory pipes , the step before it’s solidified and wrapped in foil, cocoa tends to pack together and get jammed — butter keeps everything moving. The researchers reported that fats make up to 40 percent of a typical molding, 25 to 30 percent of which are cocoa butter. The rest are other oils and fats. “Because children are the leading chocolate consumers, reducing the fat level in chocolate to make them healthier is important and urgent,” they wrote.
So when a consulting firm working for Mars Inc. — the manufacturer responsible for M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix bars among others — contacted the Temple team for help, they agreed. According to NPR , the company got in touch with lead study author Rongjia Tao specifically because he specializes in electrorheology, a type of science that’s dedicated to a deep understanding of liquid suspensions.
Scientists believe they've made a new class of healthier and tastier milk chocolate. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
“Most people think of chocolate as solid because this is how they buy and eat it,” he and his team explained. “To the chocolate maker, however, chocolate is a liquid for the whole process of production and only solidified just before it is ready to be packed and sent to the warehouse or store."
Tao’s team stepped away from traditional electrorheology to make their own device, a sort of electrified pipe, to better measure chocolate’s thickness. When researchers poured in the liquid chocolate, they could see the particles consisting of cocoa, sugar, and milk solids cluster in a line along the pipe as it flowed through. When they sent in electric shocks, the chocolate’s viscosity dropped. The thickness of liquid chocolate consisting of 60 percent cocoa solids and 40 percent melted fat was around 84 percent pre-electric shock — afterward it dropped down to about 15 percent.In this state, the researchers can reduce fat by 20.5 percent without it clogging factory pipes.
This is the lowest scientists have been able to get milk chocolate’s fat level, and Tao saw similar results when he treated Hershey and Blommer products. What’s more, the “new class” of healthy chocolate tastes good too. Or at least researchers claim that it has a “slightly stronger cocoa solid flavor, better than the original chocolate.”
Overall, the experiment went better than expected, researchers wrote. But scientists not involved with the study aren’t sold on the idea just yet.
"Part of what makes chocolate so unique is the melting properties of the cocoa butter," John Hayes, a food scientist and the director of the Sensory Evaluation Center at Penn State University, told NPR. "It just melts exactly at body temperature. … Less butter would mean more powdery, more brittle, more stringent chocolate.”
The public may soon be able to taste for themselves. Tao is reportedly working with “a major chocolate company” to get his electric chocolate into the hands of its loyal consumers very soon.
Source: Tao R, et al. Electrorheology Leads to Healthier and Tastier Chocolate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2016.
| Mars |
Sonic, the mascot for Sega corporation, is what type of animal? | The Color Mixture in an M&Ms Bag Is a Precise Science, and Other Candy Facts
The Color Mixture in an M&Ms Bag Is a Precise Science, and Other Candy Facts
Published
October 23, 2012
By Evan Dashevsky, guest contributor from Bundle.com
Here at dealnews, we of course like good prices, but we also love everyday data that sheds light on what Americans like to indulge in. As we come closer to the spookiest of holidays, we turned to our friends at Bundle for a look at the real sweetness behind Halloween candy .
How sweet? We're talkin' 600 million tons of candy purchased every Halloween, which accounts for a $1.9 billion haul, or $44 per household! So, double bag those pillowcases for the customary Halloween candy binge and take a moment to review the facts and figures behind the hidden world of candy. (We won't tell your dentist if you don't.)
There's a Lot of Candy Corn Out There
Candy corn is, by volume, America's most popular candy (followed by Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kats, and M&Ms, in that order). Halloween accounts for 75% of all candy corn's annual production. About 35 million pounds of the stuff — or roughly nine billion pieces — are produced each year, which translates to about 27 individual corns for each and every American. In fact, if you laid each little candy out end-to-end, they would circle the Moon four times.
The Color Mixture in Your Bag of M&Ms Is a Science
While some folks claim to be able to taste the difference between red and blue M&Ms, the good people at M&Ms attempt to give the rest of us ample opportunity to just choose our favorites to eat first from the bag. But, there is a science behind the color mix in your favorite bag of M&Ms, and its based on "consumer preference tests." On average, the mix of each variety of M&Ms follows these color percentage breakdown:
M&M'S Milk Chocolate: 30% brown, 20% yellow, 20% red, 10% orange, 10% green, and 10% blue.
M&M'S Peanut: 20% brown, 20% yellow, 20% blue, and 20% red, 10% orange, and 10% green.
M&M'S Peanut Butter and Almond: 20% brown, 20% yellow, 20% green, 20% blue, and 20% red.
Mr. Goodbar Is No Good for You
Of all the common individual candies handed out at Halloween, Mr. Goodbar is the least healthy of the chocolate bunch. A 49-gram Mr. Goodbar has 250 calories, 17 grams of fat, and 23 grams of sugar. According to myhealthnewsdaily.com, who rated the sweets, the next least-healthy candies are Nutrageous, Snickers, Baby Ruth, and Mounds. Meanwhile, the (relatively) "healthiest" candies were Jolly Ranchers (70 calories, no fat, 11 grams of sugar), followed by Blow Pops; Gobstoppers; Pixy Stix; and our old standby, candy corn.
America Hearts Chocolate
Chocolate is, by far, America's preferred Halloween candy. Of the nearly $2 billion that Americans spend on Halloween candy each year, about $1.2 billion goes to the cocoa kind; only $680 million is spent on sugary candy. The average American consumes 24 pounds of chocolate every year — that amounts to almost 284 Hershey bars per person.
Parents Are Candy Thieves
According to a survey from the National Confectioners Association, 90% of parents admit to sneaking candy from their kids' trick-or-treat bags. The favorite treats to be stolen from their own children are snack-sized chocolate bars (70%), candy-coated chocolate pieces (40%), caramels (37%), and gum (26%). The candy least worthy of violating parent-child trust: licorice (18%).
We May Be Seeing the End of Super-Sized Candy
As America turns its attention to the obesity epidemic, many candy manufacturers are sensing that they may be seen as the next "Big Tobacco." Before proactive government regulations are placed on top of their business, the industry has begun enacting certain self-regulations. Mars, Inc. (the company that manufactures M&Ms, Twix, Milky Way, and 3 Musketeers, among others) has pledged to only sell products that are less than 250 calories. For the record, the average Snickers bar has 280 calories and the company has not explicitly stated how it will reach all its caloric goals.
OK! Enough of all this talking about candy, and let's start doing some eating! Check out our food and drink deals to see if any candy offers pop up, or set up an email alert to be notified via your inbox. You can also check out our Halloween sales page for general seasonal merriment.
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From the Persian for "yellow orpiment", what element, with an atomic number of 33, uses the symbol As? | Arsenic Facts
Arsenic Facts
Arsenic Facts
Arsenic is a chemical that has been in use since ancient Greece, Egypt, and China, to strengthen alloys. It is poisonous and so is its compounds but has been used for many purposes in manufacturing and agriculture, and is also being looked at for medicinal use today despite its toxicity. Arsenic's atomic number is 33 and its symbol is As. The word Arsenic is derived from the Persian word 'Zarnikh' which means 'yellow orpiment.' The arsenic element was isolated for the first time in 1250 by Albertus Magnus, a German philosopher. While arsenic is usually gray and brittle there are also yellow, and black allotropes (different modified types).
Interesting Arsenic Facts:
Arsenic is a poison and should not be handled by anyone but chemists or other professionals in the scientific field.
In the past arsenic has been used as a wood preservative. It has also been used as an insecticide.
As a wood preservative, arsenic not only stops the wood from rotting but it also deters insects such as termites from destroying the wood.
Arsenic use has been decreased by many industries because of its impact on the environment. Arsenic is absorbed by plants and other farm produce and can lead to food poisoning by those who consume it in the plant.
Because of arsenic's toxicity it can kill a person very quickly. It has been used throughout history in many assassination attempts. Yellow arsenic is the most deadly form. Even small amounts over time will lead to health problems and possibly death if not discontinued.
Arsenic is used to harden lead and copper alloys today.
Arsenic was used in the chemical Agent Blue, a form of chemical warfare used in the Vietnam War.
Some of the medicinal uses of arsenic include being a skin bleaching agent, a treatment for some forms of cancer and leukemia, and as an indicator for PET cancer scans.
Arsenic is solid at room temperature, boils as 1137 degrees Fahrenheit, and melts at 1503 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arsenic can be found in the crust of the earth, and the type used for industrial use is usually the byproduct of mining for copper, silver, and gold.
Small amounts of arsenic are important for animal health, despite its toxicity.
The arsenic contamination in the environment can come from a variety of sources including mining, coal-fired power plants, smelting, agriculture, and from volcanoes, and the small amounts found in the environment.
Humans come into contact with arsenic in a variety of ways. It can be present in food, water, in the air, and in cigarette smoke.
In the early 1800s a copper arsenate called Scheele's Green, was used to color sweets.
The lead alloys used for bullets and lead shot include as much as 2% arsenic.
Arsenic has been used in glass production but because of concerns of environmental contamination it has been discontinued by a lot of manufacturers.
Long term exposure can result in many human health issues, but treatment for chronic exposure is possible with anti-lewisite for 10 days once poisoning has been established.
Related Links:
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Presentation on theme: "Arsenic By Brandon and Nick. History The word arsenic is dirived from the Persian word Zarnikh which means "yellow orpiment". Albertus Magnus is reported."— Presentation transcript:
1 Arsenic By Brandon and Nick
2 History The word arsenic is dirived from the Persian word Zarnikh which means "yellow orpiment". Albertus Magnus is reported that in the 13th century to be the discoverer of metallic arsenic. However, his report is considered vague. It was not until 1649 that J. Schroder clearly documented the preparation of metallic arsenic by reducing arsenic trioxide with charcoal
3 History con. Arsenic has been known and used in Persia and elsewhere since ancient times. As the symptoms of arsenic poisoning were somewhat ill-defined, it was frequently used for murder until the advent of the Marsh test, a sensitive chemical test for its presence. During the Bronze Age, arsenic was often included in the bronze (mostly as an impurity), which made the alloy harder
4 History cont. Due to its use by the ruling class to murder one another and its incredible potency and discreetness, arsenic has been called the Poison of Kings and the King of Poisons. Arsenic became a favorite murder weapon of the Middle Ages, particularly among ruling classes in Italy.
5 Uses of Arsenic For many years, the greatest use of arsenic was for poisons, and in particular, pesticides. Another use of arsenic is that it can be used as a weapon of war and terror. The last use of arsenic is bronzing A cancer-causing metal.
6 Famous victims of Arsenic Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco and his wife were poisoned possibly by his brother and successor Fernando. George III of Great Britain A 2004 study of samples of the King's hair revealed extremely high levels of arsenic, which is a possible trigger of disease symptoms.
7 Victoms of Arsenic con. Napoleon Bonaparte Forensic samples of his hair did show high levels, 13 times the normal amount, of the element. Charles Francis Hall The american explorer died unexpectedly during his third Arctic expedition aboard the ship Polaris.
8 Arsenic Victoms con. Huo Yuan Jia There was rumor that he was poisoned in 1910 during his fight with the Japanese, who accused China and the Chinese of being the "sick man of Asia". Clare Boothe Luce Although she did not die from her poisoning, she suffered an increasing variety of physical and psychological symptoms until arsenic poisoning was diagnosed, and its source traced to the old, arsenic-laden flaking paint on the ceiling of her bedroom.
9 Arsenic Trioxide Arsenic trioxide interferes with the growth of cancer cells, allowing the body to grow an immunity to the cancer cells and destroy them
10 Reactions Reaction with air: mild’ Reaction with 15 M HNO 3 : mild,
11 Arsenic Compounds Arsenic Formula: As (metal) Arsenic acid, sodium salt Formula: AsH3O4.xNa Arsenic trioxide Formula: As2O3 Arsenic trioxide Formula: As4O6 Arsine Formula: AsH3 Calcium arsenate Formula: Ca3(AsO4)2 Copper Acetoarsenite Formula: (Cu)3As2O3Cu(C2H2)2 Copper Arsenate Formula: CuHAsO3
12 Boiling and Melting Point Boiling=613 o C Melting Point=817 o C Freezing Point: -53°C
13 Physical Properties When heated, arsenic does not melt, as most solids do, instead it changes directly into a gas. The more common form of arsenic is a shiny, gray, brittle, metallic-looking solid. The less common form is a yellow crystalline solid. Under high pressure, arsenic can be forced to melt at about 814°C. Arsenic has a density of 5.72 grams per cubic centimeter.
14 Chemical Properties Arsenic is a metalloid, a metalloid is an element that has properties of both metals and non-metals. The thin coating of arsenic oxide that forms on the element prevents it from reacting further. Arsenic does not dissolve in water or most cold acids. When heated in air, arsenic combines with oxygen to form arsenic oxide It does react with some hot acids to form arsenous acid
15 Atomic Structure Atomic Mass: amu Atomic Number: 33 Symbol: As Protons=33 Neutrons: 42 Electrons: 33 Electron shell: 2,8,18,5
16 References ml ml orarsenic_ html orarsenic_ html 33.htm 33.htm
17 The End
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A hero to the Swiss, William Tell supposedly shot what from the head of his son in a feat of crossbow marksmanship? | Did William Tell really shoot an apple off his son’s head? | HowStuffWorks
Did William Tell really shoot an apple off his son’s head?
A sculpture of legendary Swiss hero William Tell and his trusty crossbow looks out over Lausanne, Switzerland, at sunset.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Generations can recognize the "William Tell Overture" within a few notes of its launch, thanks to its lasting association with vintage Lone Ranger reruns and a 2013 cinematic remake of the same name. But who was William Tell, and did he really shoot an apple off his son's head?
Tell was a farmer and Swiss folk hero. He literally stands as a symbol of political freedom; there is a bronze statue of him in Uri, a mountain village that is the birthplace of modern Switzerland . As the country's founding father, Tell is both legend and legendary. As the story goes, in 1307, an agent of the Hapsburg duke of Austria placed a Hapsburg hat on a pole and ordered passersby to remove their caps. Tell refused and was then ordered to shoot an apple off his son's head with an arrow at 120 paces or he and his son would both be killed. Tell obliged and succeeded in hitting the apple off his son's head in a single shot.
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What happened next kicked off a revolution among the poor, medieval inhabitants and led to an overthrow of capricious foreign rule. The agent asked Tell why he had a second arrow in his jacket, to which Tell replied, "If the first arrow had killed my son, I would have shot the second at you, and I would not have missed."
Tell was promptly detained and deported by boat, bound for a dungeon in a neighboring castle. He escaped, galvanized others in an uprising and the rest is a proud part of Swiss history.
Unfortunately, many scholars doubt that Tell was actually a real person. There's no evidence that he ever existed or that anyone in Uri shot an arrow off a child's head. More likely, the tale is amalgamation of events real and imagined.
While the uprising against Austria is steeped in reality, the addition of Tell's daring feat probably comes from a remarkably similar story originating in 18th-century Denmark. In it, a Viking chief boasting of his marksmanship to a king, who promptly ordered the Viking to prove it. The king placed an apple on the Viking man's son and ordered the Viking to shoot it off his head with a single arrow. The Viking did so, and when asked why he had another arrow in his vest, replied, "To kill you, sire, had I killed my son" [source: Wernick ]
Even the first written account of Tell's exploits -- appearing 250 years after the supposed events occurred -- had to be revised to match other accounts of Switzerland's budding independence, adding even more weight to the fact that Tell's life may have been a tall tale after all [sources: Wernick , Britannica ].
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Known as The Gem State, what was the 43rd state to join the Union on Jul 3, 1890? | Pro Libertate: Beware William Tell's Second Arrow
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Beware William Tell's Second Arrow
That was indeed a man: William Tell, seen here immortalized in bronze next to a likeness of his son, is a hero not just to Swiss patriots, but to all those in whom the desire for freedom is irrepressible.
"You Swiss are so proud of your 500,000-man citizen militia.... But what will you do if a 1,000,000-man German Army comes marching across your border?"
"That's easy. Each of us will shoot twice, and go home." --
A reported conversation between a German and a Swiss diplomat, circa 1939.
Seven hundred years ago, when Switzerland was under the domination of the Hapsburgs, a dissolute colonial overlord named Hermann Gessler sought to humiliate the residents of Altdorf, the capital of the central Swiss canton of Uri.
Gessler instructed his minions to erect a tall pole in the town square, at the top of which would be displayed his cap. Every Swiss man who entered the square would be required to pay fealty to Gessler, and the foreign imperial power he represented, by bowing before his cap.
One local resident was a man who distinguished himself by both his virtuosity with a crossbow and his contemptuous hostility toward bullies. Trying to force him to genuflect before another man, let alone his empty cap, would be a bit like trying to relocate the Matterhorn one shovel-full at a time. So while others prostrated themselves before Gessler's headwear, William Tell stood erect, burly arms folded across his broad chest, slowly shaking his head as his derisive laughter echoed through the town square.
Tell's defiance became known to Gessler, as did his reputation as a marksman. The Hapsburg stooge was worried about the possibility of Tell's rebellion becoming contagious. Endowed with the vicious creativity that so often replaces character in creatures of his kind, Gessler abducted Tell's young son, forcing William to leave his mountain home and stand before him.
Gessler told Tell that his son would be placed in the town square with an apple atop his head. Tell was placed at a considerable distance from his son and told that he was to shoot the apple from his child's head; failure to do so on his first shot would bring about the death of his son at the hands of Gessler's soldiers.
According to the legend, Tell hesitated not at all in fitting an arrow to his crossbow and letting fly, cleaving the apple without harming his child.
Tell's feat, and the composure with which he carried it off, were sufficient to impress even the porcine, self-enraptured Gessler.
As Tell collected his son and turned to leave, a second arrow fell from his coat. Noticing this, a puzzled Gessler asked Tell why he'd bothered to grab a second arrow, since the first shot would either have succeeded or brought about the death of his son.
Fixing the despot with an unflinching stare, Tell replied: "That second arrow was for you, if the first had wounded my boy."
Not long afterward, Tell's second arrow found its intended destination as Tell and his countrymen rose up against the foreign occupation, leading to the eventual creation of the Swiss Confederacy in the late 13th Century.
A true citizens' militia and its leader: Henri Guisan, appointed commander-in-chief of the Swiss militia during WWII, inspects the troops. Thanks to Guisan's leadership and strategic vision, Switzerland deterred a planned Axis invasion and was able to remain independent during the European bloodletting.
Owing to its tradition of resolute individualism, the unexcelled marksmanship of its citizen militia, and its decentralized political system, the Swiss have managed to avoid entanglement in the affairs of other nations and preserve their independence from foreign domination.
Efforts have been made to break Switzerland to the saddle of "internationalism": In 1798, the French revolutionary army invaded and occupied Switzerland, inflicting on it a centralized "Helvetic Republic" that lasted five years.
In 1939, as recounted in Stephen P. Halbrook's book Target: Switzerland , the German military drew up plans to invade and occupy Switzerland in the mistaken belief that its citizen militia would be no match for the Wehrmacht.
Under the leadership of Colonel Henri Guisan (at the time, it was the tradition that no officer would be appointed "general" unless the country actually went to war), the militia prepared a strategy called the "national redoubt": In the event of a German invasion, the militia would retreat into a series of fortified installations in the Alps and wage unremitting guerrilla war for as long as it took to drive the invaders from their land.
Confronting the prospect of fighting an entire country under arms, and horrified by the price that would be paid to pry the Swiss militia from its Alpine redoubts, the German High Command decided to leave Switzerland alone. What this means, of course, is that Switzerland actually won its war without suffering the hideous losses inflicted on any of the combatant nations.
A decade ago , another campaign -- this one more subtle than threats of military occupation -- was mounted to destroy Swiss independence. Beginning in 1997, Switzerland, which rescued tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was besieged by spurious claims that its renowned banking system was hoarding gold stolen from victims of the Nazis.
Stories were put into circulation describing the cynical heartlessness of banking officials in turning away aging survivors of Nazi cruelty; those stories invariably proved to be as substantial as cotton candy and as reliable as Jim Cramer's investment advice .
Nonetheless, a global campaign of defamation and invective, spearheaded by the coprogenetic Edgar Bronfman Sr. and eagerly abetted by the Clinton administration, indelibly branded the Swiss as Holocaust profiteers, thereby setting the stage for a shake-down that continues to this day.
No matter that on three prior occasions -- in 1946, as a result of the post-WWII Washington Accord; in the mid-1950s; and in 1962 -- the Swiss banking industry had conducted comprehensive, diligent, and transparent investigations regarding its wartime gold holdings.
Nor did it matter that the Clinton administration's inquiry actually exonerated the Swiss of claims that they had hoarded "victim gold" stolen from Jews who suffered and perished at the hands of the Nazis. The defamation campaign succeeded in prying some $14 billion worth of gold from the Swiss treasury and -- more importantly -- inducing the Swiss electorate to enact a new constitution that (among other dreadful features) repudiated the link between the Swiss franc and gold.
The Imperial Regime in Washington apparently believes it has reduced the heroic Swiss to a state of subservience, because its most recent demands savor of the same arrogant, unwarranted self-assurance that led Herr Gessler to place his hat atop the pole in Altdorf's town square.
This is the ugliest spot in Switzerland. I'm kidding, sort of.
Last year, Washington tried to impose a $780 million fine on the Swiss for their refusal to enforce U.S. tax laws within their own country.
Next week, the Regime intends to press its claims in court -- that is, in its own courts -- in the hope of forcing the Swiss to turn over confidential information on some 52,000 Americans who have private accounts protected by Swiss law.
To their eternal credit, and the benefit of those who cherish freedom everywhere, the Swiss are responding to Washington's imperial bullying with the equivalent of William Tell's laughter, augmented by an upraised middle digit.
Earlier this year, the Swiss People's Party (SVP) began a campaign urging their fellow citizens and elected leaders to resist Washington's imperial blackmail . After the Swiss government capitulated in late February to Washington's demand to pay a $780 million fine and disgorge the names of Americans who had opened private banking accounts, the SVP -- the nation's largest political party, which combines tradtionalist populism with enticing hints of libertarianism -- angrily demanded the repatriation of Swiss gold stored in the Swiss National Bank in the U.S.
The party also demanded a ban on the sale of U.S. commercial and government bonds in Switzerland (a sound proposal, if only because the sale of fraudulent financial instruments is a crime), an end to the Swiss government's role as a diplomatic intermediary between Washington and various national governments disinclined to act as U.S. colonies, and a refusal by Geneva to help Washington free itself from the tarbaby it created at Gitmo by taking in detainees freed from the detention facility.
Not everything about the SVP is entirely commendable, but in mounting this pressure campaign it was acting squarely in the noble tradition of William Tell and Henri Guisan. And the party's efforts may have helped the Swiss political class regain its backbone and virility: The Swiss government has announced that it will forbid UBS AG to comply with any order from the US central government requiring it to surrender confidential banking information -- and that Swiss authorities would seize that information, if necessary.
Already, major Swiss banks have announced that, of necessity, they will no longer accept American clients because of disclosure and paperwork requirements being pressed on them by Washington's commissars for international wealth extraction.
These extraordinary measures, notes Bill Bonner, are being undertaken by Swiss officials in order to preserve their country's traditional role "as a protector of foreigners' money." To that end, as well as the protection of its own citizenry and their economic interests, the Swiss are "sharpening their knives and tightening their borders," Bonner writes. That is to say, they seem to be recovering a hint of the intransigent patriotism that led them to evict the Hapsburgs, throw off Bonaparte's yoke, and stare down the Wehrmacht.
Washington, the focus of evil in the modern world, is displaying the behavior we would expect terminally corrupt collectivist kleptocracy: It needs revenue to satisfy its retinue of parasitic constituencies, has the power to seize it in defiance of the law, and believes that all people everywhere should genuflect before its demands. It is behaving pretty much the way Gessler did before he was brought down by Tell's second arrow.
Wouldn't it be delicious if Switzerland's resistance proved to be the precipitating event that brought down Washington's wretched empire of debt and deceit?
Video Extra:
From about twenty years ago, a Canadian comedy troupe anticipates the anti-Swiss defamation campaign:
Don't forget to tune in to Pro Libertate Radio, weeknights at 6:00 PM Central on the Liberty News Radio Network .
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Acorn, spaghetti, and butternut are all types of what? | Winter Squash Visual Guide | Epicurious.com | Epicurious.com
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T he cooler months are prime time for winter squash. Pumpkins may get all the glory at Halloween, but there are many other versatile, vividly colored, flavorful, and nutrient-packed varieties to brighten up fall and winter meals. Sweeter, denser, and more firm in texture than summer squash or zucchini, winter squash take well to a wide spectrum of seasonings and can be true crowd-pleasers in warming soups , casseroles , risotto , lasagna , and even desserts .
The term winter squash is a bit of a misnomer: Harvested in the fall, these hardy vegetables will keep well through the cold winter months for which they're named. Chances are that sugar pumpkins, acorn squash, and butternut squash are the most readily available types at local supermarkets. Others, such as spaghetti, buttercup, and red kuri, are worth seeking out at farmers' markets, health food stores, or specialty shops. Regardless of the type, to get the best quality, select winter squash that are blemish- and bruise-free, with an intact stem and heavy feeling for their size.
Naturally low in fat and calories, the winter squash family delivers significant nutritional benefits. For example, one cup of baked butternut squash is rich in vitamins A (from beta carotene), B6, C, and E, as well as magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Flavors are generally mild-to-sweet, so squash won't overwhelm other ingredients and can easily be incorporated into your seasonal cooking. The orange and yellow flesh helps brighten dishes—a definite bonus, especially in the colder months, when variety and color can be hard to come by in seasonal produce. And don't be daunted by winter squash's size, heft, and tough exterior; in fact, you can sometimes find popular varieties like butternut in stores already peeled and cubed. Use our recipes to transform the flesh into something sweet or savory, and you'll know that it's well worth the effort!
Kabocha Squash
Characteristics: The squat, green kabocha—the Japanese word for squash—has a nutty, earthy flavor with just a touch of sweetness. It's similar in shape and size to a buttercup squash, but the base points out and not in.
Recipes to try:
| Squash |
The winner of Sundays matches between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions will meet on Nov 27 in Vancouver to vie for what trophy? | Winter Squash - Vegetable Directory - Watch Your Garden Grow - University of Illinois Extension
University of Illinois Extension
Alert: Making Pesticide Applications in School/Community Gardens
Winter Squash
Winter squash is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown in most of the country. It differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage, when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. When ripened to this stage, fruits of most varieties can be stored for use throughout the winter.
Recommended Varieties
The following varieties of squash are adapted to a wide variety of conditions. They are vining types unless otherwise indicated. Vining squash plants require considerable growing space and are best suited for large gardens. The bush and semi-vining types can be grown in smaller gardens. Occasionally, some of these varieties may be listed as pumpkins by certain seed companies. The distinction between squash and pumpkins is mainly in what you choose to call them. Here, open-pollinated varieties are identified as OP.
Acorn (C. Pepo)â80 to 100 days to harvest.
Cream of the Crop (hybrid - All America Selection winner; uniform white acorn type; creamy smooth, tasty flesh)
Ebony (early; glossy dark green; flaky flesh texture)
Swan White (OP-creamy white skin; pale yellow flesh; smooth, delicate, sweet flesh)
Table Ace (hybrid-semi-bush; uniform, near black fruit; excellent, low-fiber flesh)
Table Gold (OP-compact bush habit, attractive bright golden yellow, may also be harvested as summer squash when light yellow)
Table King (OP-compact bush; dark green, color holds well)
Table Queen (OP-standard dark green acorn type)
Tay-Belle (OP-semi-bush, dark green)
Delicata (C. Pepo)
Delicata (also known as sweet potato squash; long cylindrical shape; cream color with dark green stripes)
Honey Boat (shaped like Delicata, tan background with dark green stripes, very sweet flesh)
Sugar Loaf (tan background, dark green stripes, elongated oval, very sweet)
Sweet Dumpling (flattened round, fluted; light cream to white background, with dark green stripes)
Spaghetti (C. Pepo)
Orangetti (hybrid-semi-bush plant, orange version of spaghetti, high in carotene)
Pasta (yellowish cream fruit, improved flavor)
Stripetti (hybrid of Spaghetti and Delicata, great taste, stores better)
Tivoli (hybrid-bush habit; All America Selection winner; light yellow, uniform fruit, 3 to 4 pounds)
Vegetable Spaghetti (OP-good keeper; light yellow, oblong fruit)
Butternut (C. Mopschata)
Butterbush (bush habit; early, 1 to 2 pound fruit)
Early Butternut (hybrid-All America Selection winner, early, medium size, high yield)
Ponca (extra early, small seed cavity, stores well)
Puritan (OP-uniform, blocky, smooth, slightly smaller than Waltham)
Supreme (hybrid-thick neck; early, uniform, sweet)
Ultra (largest fruit 6 to 10 pounds; good leaf canopy)
Waltham (OP-uniform, thick-necked, 10 to 12 inch fruits)
Zenith (hybrid; smooth, attractive fruit; high yield)
True Winter Squash (C. Maxima)
All Season (bush; orange skin, flesh; 8 or more small fruit per plant)
Banana (pink, blue or gray; long, slim, pointed at the ends; 10 to 30 pounds)
Buttercup (dark green fruit with distinct gray cap at blossom end; the standard for fine-grained, sweet flesh; 3 to 4 pounds)
Delicious (5 to 12 pounds; large, top-shaped, green or gold fruit, smoother than Hubbard)
Emerald Bush Buttercup (bush habit)
Honey Delight (hybrid 3 to 4 pounds; buttonless buttercup type; excellent flesh quality)
Gold Nuggett (5 inch, flattened round; 1 to 2 pounds; orange skin, flesh; bush habit)
Baby, Blue, Chicago, Golden, Green and Warted Hubbard (large teardrop shape, pointed at ends; warted skin; 8 to 25 pounds)
Mooregold (bright orange skin, flesh; excellent keeper with tough rind; buttercup type; 2 to 3 pounds)
Sweet Mama (hybrid-All America Selection winner; semi-vining, buttercup type; uniform; tasty; 2 to 3 pounds)
Sweet Meat (OP-old time favorite; flattened; slate gray skin; 10 to 15 pounds)
Red Kuri (OP-bright red- orange; teardrop-shaped; smooth-textured flesh; 3 to 5 pounds)
For giant varieties, see pumpkin.
When to Plant
Squash is a tender vegetable. The seeds do not germinate in cold soil, and the seedlings are injured by frost. Do not plant until all danger of frost is past and soil is thoroughly warmed.
Spacing & Depth
The vining types of squash require at least 50 to 100 square feet per hill. Plant seeds one inch deep (four or five seeds per hill). Allow 5 to 6 feet between hills. When the young plants are well-established, thin each hill to the best two or three plants. Allow 7 to 12 feet between rows.
Plant semi-vining varieties one inch deep (four or five seeds per hill) and thin to the best two plants per hill. Allow 8 feet between rows.
Plant bush varieties one inch deep (1 or 2 seeds per foot of row) and thin to a single plant every three feet. Allow five feet between rows.
Care
Squash plants should be kept free from weeds by hoeing and shallow cultivation. Irrigate if an extended dry period occurs in early summer. Squash requires minimal care after the vines cover the ground.
Bees are necessary for pollinating squash and pumpkins and are killed by insecticides. If insecticides are used, they should be applied in late afternoon or early evening after the bees stop visiting blossoms for the day.
Harvesting
Winter squash can be harvested whenever the fruits have turned a deep, solid color and the rind is hard. Harvest the main part of the crop in September or October, before heavy frosts hit your area. Cut squash from the vines carefully, leaving two inches of stem attached if possible. Avoid cuts and bruises when handling. Fruits that are not fully mature, have been injured, have had their stems knocked off, or have been subjected to heavy frost do not keep and should be used as soon as possible or be composted (watch for seedlings in the compost).
Store in a dry building where the temperature is between 50 and 55°F. For prolonged storage, do not pile squash more than two fruits deep. It is preferable, where space allows, to place the fruits in a single layer so that they do not touch each other. This arrangement minimizes the potential spread of rots.
Common Problems
Cucumber beetlesattack seedlings, vines and both immature and mature fruits. They can be controlled with a suggested insecticide applied weekly either as a spray or dust. Be alert for an infestation of cucumber beetles in early September because these beetles can damage the mature fruits.
For more information on cucumber beetles, see our feature in the Bug Review.
Squash bugsattack vines as the fruit begin to set and increase in numbers through the late summer, when they can be quite damaging to maturing fruit. They hatch and travel in groups, which seem to travel in herds until they reach maturity. Using the proper insecticide when the numbers of this pest are still small minimizes damage.
Vitamin A 7,291.85
Preparation & Serving
Peeling winter squash can be a challenge to the novice. The thin-skinned varieties (acorn, butternut, delicata and sweet dumpling) can be peeled with a paring knife or vegetable peeler.
Most recipes using these varieties call for cutting the squash in half. Position the squash on a cutting board, stem end facing you. Place the blade of a heavy chef's knife horizontally along the length of the squash. With a hammer or mallet, repeatedly hit the back of the blade near the handle to drive it into the squash until it breaks in half.
Place the larger varieties (Hubbard and Turk's Turban) on newspaper and use a sharp cleaver to split the hard-rind open. Or use the chef's knife method described above. Once you have a slit cut, bang on a hard surface and pull apart. Pieces are easier to peel. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and strings and discard, or set aside if you plan to roast the seeds. For instructions on roasting seeds, visit our website Pumpkins and More and substitute squash seeds in the recipe.
To cook winter squash, place unpeeled pieces cut sides down on a shallow baking dish and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or longer. Check for doneness by piercing with a fork or skewer. When tender, remove from the oven and allow the pieces to cool. Spoon out the soft flesh and mash with a fork or process in a blender or food processor. Peeled pieces can be cut into cubes and boiled until tender. Use with any recipe calling for cooked mashed or pureed squash. Or microwave the squash pieces on high for 15 minutes or longer.
Small acorn squash and spaghetti squash can be pierced in several places with a long-tined fork or metal skewer and baked whole. Piercing prevents the shell from bursting during cooking. Place the squash on a baking dish and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 325°F. Test for doneness by squeezing the shell. When it gives a bit with pressure, it is done.
Home Preservation
Store whole winter squash in an area where temperatures range from 45 to 50°F for three to six months. At room temperature reduce storage time to one and a half to three months depending on variety. See the selection and storage information above.
Cooked squash freezes well. Pack into freezer containers or freezer bags leaving 1/2 inch head space and freeze for up to one year. Canning is not recommended unless the squash is cut into cubes.
Mashed squash is too dense and heat penetration is uneven. Because spaghetti squash does not stay cubed on heating, it should be frozen instead of canned. For all other varieties, follow the procedure and processing times outlined in canning pumpkin.
Recipes
Herbs and spices used to enhance the flavor of winter squash include garlic, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, basil, parsley and a pinch of ground cloves. Sweeten squash pulp with maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, or orange juice concentrate.
Squash Bread
Equally delicious for breakfast, snack or as a light dessert, this honey sweetened loaf can be spread with low-fat cream cheese or whipped butter. To warm: Wrap thick slices in a paper towel and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds on high.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1 1/4 cup pureed cooked winter squash*
On a plate, sift together first six ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix oil, sugar and honey together until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and egg white. Add squash puree and beat until smooth.
Fold in dry ingredients. Turn into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. Remove from the oven, let stand in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack or cake plate to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Variation:
Squash Bread with Nut Topping
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
After Step 4, pour melted butter over the top and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake as directed above. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.
Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Cheese
One 4 to 5 pound spaghetti squash
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or parsley
Additional parmesan cheese for passing
Pierce squash in several places with a long-tined fork or metal skewer. Place on baking pan and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using potholders, squeeze squash to test for doneness. It is ready when it gives slightly under pressure. Remove and cool.
Heat a saucepan over heat, pour in olive oil. Add garlic and cook until tender but not browned for about 5 minutes.
When squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Using a fork, pull pulp from the shell in long strands and add them to the warm garlic oil.
Toss squash strands gently with pepper, salt and cheese. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with basil or parsley. Serve immediately. Pass additional cheese at the table. Serves 6.
Variations
Strains of cooked spaghetti squash can be tossed with your favorite marinara sauce, mushroom sauce or pesto. The empty shell halves are nice to use as a serving bowl.
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Appointed by G. W. Bush in 2005, who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? | Biographies of Current Justices of the Supreme Court
Biographies of Current Justices of the Supreme Court
John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States,
was born in Buffalo, New York, January 27, 1955. He married Jane Marie Sullivan in 1996 and they have two children - Josephine and Jack. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1976 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. He served as a law clerk for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1979–1980 and as a law clerk for then-Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1980 Term. He was Special Assistant to the Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1981–1982, Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, White House Counsel’s Office from 1982–1986, and Principal Deputy Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1989–1993. From 1986–1989 and 1993–2003, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2003. President George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat September 29, 2005.
Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice,
was born in Sacramento, California, July 23, 1936. He married Mary Davis and has three children. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and the London School of Economics, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He was in private practice in San Francisco, California from 1961–1963, as well as in Sacramento, California from 1963–1975. From 1965 to 1988, he was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. He has served in numerous positions during his career, including a member of the California Army National Guard in 1961, the board of the Federal Judicial Center from 1987–1988, and two committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States: the Advisory Panel on Financial Disclosure Reports and Judicial Activities, subsequently renamed the Advisory Committee on Codes of Conduct, from 1979–1987, and the Committee on Pacific Territories from 1979–1990, which he chaired from 1982–1990. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1975. President Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat February 18, 1988.
Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice,
was born in the Pinpoint community near Savannah, Georgia on June 23, 1948. He attended Conception Seminary from 1967-1968 and received an A.B., cum laude, from Holy Cross College in 1971 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1974. He was admitted to law practice in Missouri in 1974, and served as an Assistant Attorney General of Missouri, 1974-1977; an attorney with the Monsanto Company, 1977-1979; and Legislative Assistant to Senator John Danforth, 1979-1981. From 1981-1982 he served as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, and as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1982-1990. From 1990-1991, he served as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. President Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and he took his seat October 23, 1991. He married Virginia Lamp on May 30, 1987 and has one child, Jamal Adeen by a previous marriage.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice,
was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961. From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and Columbia Law School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978. In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993.
Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice,
was born in San Francisco, California, August 15, 1938. He married Joanna Hare in 1967, and has three children - Chloe, Nell, and Michael. He received an A.B. from Stanford University, a B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to Justice Arthur Goldberg of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1964 Term, as a Special Assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Antitrust, 1965–1967, as an Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, 1973, as Special Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, 1974–1975, and as Chief Counsel of the committee, 1979–1980. He was an Assistant Professor, Professor of Law, and Lecturer at Harvard Law School, 1967–1994, a Professor at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 1977–1980, and a Visiting Professor at the College of Law, Sydney, Australia and at the University of Rome. From 1980–1990, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as its Chief Judge, 1990–1994. He also served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1990–1994, and of the United States Sentencing Commission, 1985–1989. President Clinton nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat August 3, 1994.
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Associate Justice,
was born in Trenton, New Jersey, April 1, 1950. He married Martha-Ann Bomgardner in 1985, and has two children - Philip and Laura. He served as a law clerk for Leonard I. Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1976–1977. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1977–1981, Assistant to the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1981–1985, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1985–1987, and U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1987–1990. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990. President George W. Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat January 31, 2006.
Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice,
was born in Bronx, New York, on June 25, 1954. She earned a B.A. in 1976 from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the university's highest academic honor. In 1979, she earned a J.D. from Yale Law School where she served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. She served as Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office from 1979–1984. She then litigated international commercial matters in New York City at Pavia & Harcourt, where she served as an associate and then partner from 1984–1992. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and she served in that role from 1992–1998. She served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998–2009. President Barack Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role August 8, 2009.
Elena Kagan, Associate Justice,
was born in New York, New York, on April 28, 1960. She received an A.B. from Princeton in 1981, an M. Phil. from Oxford in 1983, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1986. She clerked for Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1986-1987 and for Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1987 Term. After briefly practicing law at a Washington, D.C. law firm, she became a law professor, first at the University of Chicago Law School and later at Harvard Law School. She also served for four years in the Clinton Administration, as Associate Counsel to the President and then as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Between 2003 and 2009, she served as the Dean of Harvard Law School. In 2009, President Obama nominated her as the Solicitor General of the United States. A year later, the President nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 10, 2010. She took her seat on August 7, 2010.
Sandra Day O’Connor (Retired), Associate Justice,
was born in El Paso, Texas, March 26, 1930. She married John Jay O’Connor III in 1952 and has three sons - Scott, Brian, and Jay. She received her B.A. and LL.B. from Stanford University. She served as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California from 1952–1953 and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany from 1954–1957. From 1958–1960, she practiced law in Maryvale, Arizona, and served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965–1969. She was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in1969 and was subsequently reelected to two two-year terms. In 1975 she was elected Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. President Reagan nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat September 25, 1981. Justice O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court on January 31, 2006.
David H. Souter (Retired), Associate Justice,
was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, September 17, 1939. He graduated from Harvard College, from which he received his A.B. After two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, he received an A.B. in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and an M.A. in 1989. After receiving an LL.B. from Harvard Law School, he was an associate at Orr and Reno in Concord, New Hampshire from 1966 to 1968, when he became an Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1971, he became Deputy Attorney General and in 1976, Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1978, he was named an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, and was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire as an Associate Justice in 1983. He became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on May 25, 1990. President Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat October 9, 1990. Justice Souter retired from the Supreme Court on June 29, 2009.
John Paul Stevens (Retired), Associate Justice,
was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 20, 1920. He married Maryan Mulholland (deceased), and has four children - John Joseph, Kathryn, Elizabeth Jane, and Susan Roberta. He received an A.B. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. He served in the United States Navy from 1942–1945, and was a law clerk to Justice Wiley Rutledge of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1947 Term. He was admitted to law practice in Illinois in 1949. He was Associate Counsel to the Subcommittee on the Study of Monopoly Power of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1951–1952, and a member of the Attorney General’s National Committee to Study Antitrust Law, 1953–1955. He was Second Vice President of the Chicago Bar Association in 1970. From 1970–1975, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. President Ford nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat December 19, 1975. Justice Stevens retired from the Supreme Court on June 29, 2010.
January 05, 2017 | Version 2014.2
| John Roberts |
What cocktail, first written about in 1876, consists of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water, and is served in a namesake glass? | Supreme Court divided in Texas affirmative action case - CNNPolitics.com
Read: Supreme Court declines to take up ban on assault weapons
It's the second time, Abigail Fisher, a white woman from Texas, has come to the court. In 2012, the justices heard arguments and then said nothing for eight months. Ultimately, they issued a narrow opinion sending the case back down to a lower court for another look. The short opinion was indicative that the justices are deeply divided on the issue.
The lower court once again ruled in favor of UT and on Wednesday, eight justices (Justice Elena Kagan recused herself because she dealt with the case in her previous job as solicitor general) sat for another hour-and-a-half of arguments.
Eight states currently have banned the use of race in admissions policy all together, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures: Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington.
Read: Supreme Court takes up 'one person, one vote'
The Top Ten Percent program
Back in 2008 Fisher was denied admission and sued, claiming discrimination based on race. In Texas, high school seniors who graduate at the top 10% of their class are automatically admitted to the public university of their choice. On top of that program, UT also considers race and other factors for admission.
Since Fisher did not qualify for the program, she applied with other applicants -- some of whom were entitled to racial preferences. She was denied admission.
Photos: Photos: Supreme Court cases that changed America
Supreme Court cases that changed America – Hollingsworth v. Perry (2013): The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal over California's Proposition 8 on jurisdictional grounds. The voter-approved ballot measure barring same-sex marriage was not defended by state officials, but rather a private party. This ruling cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California to resume, but left open-ended the legal language of 35 other states barring same-sex marriage. Take a look at other important cases decided by the high court.
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Photos: Photos: Supreme Court cases that changed America
Supreme Court cases that changed America – Marbury v. Madison (1803): When Secretary of State James Madison, seen here, tried to stop Federal loyalists from being appointed to judicial positions, he was sued by William Marbury. Marbury was one of former President John Adams' appointees, and the court decided that although he had a right to the position, the court couldn't enforce his appointment. The case defined the boundaries of the executive and judicial branches of government.
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Lawyers for Fisher say in court papers that since UT already had a race-neutral plan in place they shouldn't have layered on another program that takes race into consideration.
Alito pointed to the Top Ten Percent program and suggested that it had been successful in increasing the diversity of the school. He said to Gregory Garre, a lawyer for the university, that he found "troubling" a suggestion "that there is something deficient about the African-American students and the Hispanic students" in the top 10% already. Alito suggested that the school in some way thought the students coming from the Top Ten percent were "not dynamic, They're not leaders. They're not change agents." He added: "I don't know what the basis for that is."
Speaking more broadly, Chief Justice John Roberts underlined his concern that the use of race by the school must pass a stringent standard of review from the Court. He told Garre, "We're talking about giving you the extraordinary power to consider race in making important decisions," he said.
Roberts noted that court precedent from a 2003 case called Grutter v. Bollinger upheld an affirmative action plan at the University of Michigan law school, but suggested an end date in 25 years.
"Grutter said that we did not expect these sort of problems to be around for 25 years, and that was 12 years ago. Are we going to hit that deadline?" Roberts asked.
Controversial language from Scalia
Justice Antonin Scalia pushed a point that had been made in some friend of the court briefs filed in the case. It concerns a theory called "Mismatch" popularized by authors Stuart Taylor Jr. and Richard Sander that suggests affirmative action programs don't always benefit minorities.
Although Roberts had mentioned the theory in a different case in 2013, Scalia's language was blunt.
"There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well," he said.
"One of the briefs pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don't come from schools like the University of Texas," he said.
Read: Scalia questions place of some black students in elite colleges
The conservatives on the bench were well aware that the case probably comes down to Justice Kennedy. Although early on he suggested the case might need to be sent back down to the lower court, by the end he seemed to move away from that notion.
Garre noted that there had not been a full trial, and Kennedy asked "if you had a remand, you would not have put in much different or much more evidence than we have in the record right now."
Sotomayor, Ginsberg
The liberal justices indicated they saw no constitutional problems with the plan and were much more receptive to arguments made in favor of the University of Texas.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke up repeatedly. Once she was cut off and she said with irritation, "Let me finish my point."
She said that even without the Top Ten Percent program, the program put forward by the university complied with court precedent. She said that if a school isn't allowed to consider race as a part of a holistic review of a student, "then the holistic percentage, whatever it is, is going to be virtually all white."
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg questioned whether the Top Ten Percent program was race neutral as Fisher's lawyers contend. She called it "so obviously driven by one thing only, and that thing is race."
She suggested she thought it wasn't a good substitute for an admissions program that allows race to be taken into consideration as one factor. "It's totally dependent upon having racially segregated neighborhoods, racially segregated schools, and it operates as a disincentive for a minority student to step out of that segregated community and attempt to get an integrated education."
Fisher's case is being supported by the Project on Fair Representation, a conservative group also behind a case in 2013 that invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The group also backed a case heard at the court Tuesday challenging how states draw their legislative lines.
"UT failed to show that its pre-existing race-neutral admissions program could not achieve the desired level of diversity," her lawyers argued in court papers. "By holding that UT discriminated against Ms. Fisher and reversing the judgment below, the Court will not only vindicate her equal-protection rights, it will remind universities that the use of race in admissions must be a last resort -- not the rule."
Fisher is not asking the court to forbid race-conscious programs all together, but if the court rules in her favor, it could make it so difficult for schools going forward that they may abandon attempts to consider race as one of many factors.
Outside of the court on Wednesday, Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said, "Conservative activist Ed Blum, who is behind this suit and similar ones, never questions the right of colleges to consider anything other than race -- like hobbies, gender, age or hometown." She added: "To say to a student that everything about you is relevant except for your race, strips away a part of that student's identity."
Lawyers for the University say that the Top Ten Percent Program alone isn't enough because it is based on "just a single criteria" and it excludes consideration of "the broad array of factors that contribute to a genuinely diverse student body."
They say the current program looks at each applicant as a whole person, "thus offsetting the one-dimensional aspect of the Top Ten Percent Law," and considers the applicant's race only as one factor among many to examine the student.
They point out that in the past, attempts to use race-neutral efforts to achieve diversity including scholarships aimed at recruiting qualified students of all races from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have failed. "Nevertheless, UT experienced an immediate, and glaring, decline in enrollment among underrepresented minorities," the UT lawyers wrote.
According to the University, back in 1998, before it could take race into consideration as a factor for admissions, UT had 199 African American enrollees in a class of 6,744 (3% of the incoming class). By 2008, under the race-conscious policy at issue, that number nearly doubled. For Hispanics, the numbers grew to 20% in 2008.
UT also says there is a major procedural issue that should block the justices from even reaching the merits of the case. They say that because Fisher graduated from LSU in 2008, she lacks the necessary injury -- or standing -- to bring the case before the justices. Although the issue of standing did not stop the court from hearing and deciding the case before, it was the first question asked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during oral arguments three years ago.
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Which cereal grain tails only corn and wheat in worldwide production? | Corn: Canada's third most valuable crop
Corn: Canada's third most valuable crop
By Marie-Andrée Hamel and Erik Dorff
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Text begins
Corn for grain: the world’s top cereal crop
When it comes to cereal crop production around the world, corn is king. This may come as a surprise to many. Anyone who has ever seen the endless seas of golden wheat on the Canadian Prairies might think that this lynchpin of Canadian agriculture is the number one cereal crop.
The same might be thought of rice and the landscape of paddies stretching as far as the eye can see across Asia. But instead, the most produced cereal crop worldwide is actually corn (also known as maize), a cereal native to the Americas. It outstrips both rice and wheat in terms of global production (Table 1).
Table 1
World and Canadian production of major grains and oilseeds, 2011
Table summary
This table displays the results of World and Canadian production of major grains and oilseeds. The information is grouped by Commodity (appearing as row headers), World, Canada, Share of total and World position, calculated using Metric tonnes, Percent and Rank units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Commodity
... not applicable
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Maize or corn for grain Note1 is the number one cereal crop worldwide with 885.3 million tonnes produced in 2011 according to the FAO Note2 . The top producer was the United States with 313.9 million tonnes or 35.5% of global production. The U.S. was followed by China which produced 192.8 million tonnes (21.8% of world production). Canada placed 11th in world production of corn with 10.7 million tonnes of grain corn produced in 2011 (Table 2).
Table 2
Top grain corn producing nations, 2011
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top grain corn producing nations. The information is grouped by Rank (appearing as row headers), Country, Production and Share of world production, calculated using Metric tonnes and Percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Rank
0.7
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, data accessed February 13, 2014.
In Canada, over 32,300 farms reported planting 1.63 million hectares of corn (corn for grain, corn for silage and sweet corn) according to the 2011 Census of Agriculture. The value of farm cash receipts for grain corn alone reached $2.08 billion in 2011, ranking it as the third most valuable crop in Canada, after canola and wheat. Note3
One plant with many specialized varieties
Farmers and corn breeders have developed multiple varieties suited to particular uses and adapted to distinct environments. In Canada, three broad types of corn dominate farmers’ fields: corn for grain, corn for silage, and sweet corn. In 2011, 23,472 farms reported growing corn for grain, a 17.7% decrease since 1971. During the same period, the number of farms reporting corn for silage Note4 declined by 65.0% to reach 13,184 farms in 2011.The number of farms reporting sweet corn Note5 area declined by 46.6% from 1971 to 2,997 farms in 2011.
Chart1 shows that more than 1.3 million hectares of corn for grain was reported in the 2011 Census of Agriculture, more than double the 573,039 hectares (Chart 1) reported in 1971. The 2011 total represented 81.8% of the total corn area reported.
Description for chart 1
Canadian grain-corn production is located in central Canada
Ontario and Quebec form the backbone of corn for grain production in Canada. According to the Census of Agriculture, Ontario accounted for 61.7% of seeded area in 2011, with Quebec following at 30.2% and Manitoba at 6.4% (Chart 2). While corn for grain is the third largest grain crop in Canada (after wheat and canola), it ranks as the number one crop in Ontario in terms of production Note6 and farm cash receipts.
Description for chart 2
Climate is a decisive factor in determining the areas of the country where corn for grain can be a viable crop. In general, the longer and warmer the growing season, the greater the possible harvest. Corn Heat Units (CHUs) are used to measure the average number of summer days that exceed a certain temperature. While corn breeders have developed corn varieties that are adapted to local environmental conditions, the greatest production usually occurs in the warmest regions of the country— primarily in southern, central and eastern Ontario, as well as in southern Quebec— since these areas have the highest CHUs (Map 1). Regions where the growing season is cooler or shorter are more suitable for growing other grains, especially wheat and barley.
Map 1 Principal production regions of corn for grain area, Canada, 2011
Description for map 1
Table 3 shows how corn for grain production changed between 1971 and 2011. At the national level, there were fewer farms reporting corn for grain. However, there were some interesting regional differences. In Ontario, the number of farms reporting corn for grain decreased by almost one-third, while the seeded area increased by 311,272 hectares. The remaining corn for grain farms are producing on a larger scale. The average size per farm more than doubled from 21.3 to 50.8 hectares.
In Quebec, the second largest corn for grain producing province, both the number of farms and the seeded area increased during this period. In 2011, the average corn for grain area per farm was almost five times greater than in 1971. The Quebec average at 65.3 hectares per farm even surpassed Ontario average at 50.8 hectares per farm reporting corn for grain.
In Manitoba, corn for grain acreage increased significantly with the development of earlier maturing varieties which expanded areas suitable for corn production. The largest market for Manitoba corn is livestock feed, followed by processing in the ethanol production plant which opened in 2008. The number of farms reporting corn for grain increased to 713 in 2011 compared to 152 farms in 1971. During the same period, the seeded area jumped by more than 20 fold from 3,678 to 85,449 hectares. Average area of 119.8 hectares per farm was almost twice as big as the national average of 56.8 hectares per farm reporting corn for grain (Table 3).
Table 3
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 1971 and 2011
Who’s producing corn?
Farms reporting seeded corn were classified using the 2012 North American Industry Classification System. The subsector is determined on the commodity that accounts for 50% or more of the farm production. Chart 3 shows that in 2011 more than one-third of the corn for grain seeded area was on farms specialized in corn production. This was followed closely by other grain and oilseed farms at 27.1% and dairy farms with 13.5% of the corn for grain seeded area.
More than half of the corn for silage was on specialized dairy farms, followed by 26.9% of area on beef cattle farms. Corn for silage is harvested as a whole plant ( i.e. , the cob, grain, stem and leaves) when still green and is used as feed for ruminant animals such as dairy and beef cattle. As expected, 54.3% of the seeded area of sweet corn was on specialized vegetable farms.
Description for chart 3
The structure of the agriculture industry has changed significantly over the last decades. Overall, there are fewer but larger farms contributing to a significant portion of Canadian agriculture production. Corn production was no exception to this trend. The total corn for grain seeded area more than doubled between 1971 and 2011.
The top 5% corn growers also operated on a much larger scale. During this period, their average seeded area almost tripled from 347.2 to 935.0 hectares per farm (Chart 4). Only 2.4% (or 561) of all corn for grain growers were responsible for 20% of all corn seeded area in 2011. For wheat and canola, the proportion of growers responsible for 20% of all seeded area was quite similar with, respectively, 2.4% and 3.0% of all wheat and canola growers. The number of growers responsible for the 5% of all national area declined sharply between 1971 and 2011. The average seeded area of the top 5% wheat producers grew by almost six times, while the top 5% of canola producers increased 10.5 times (Table 4).
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 1971 and 2011
How is corn produced?
To obtain good yield, corn requires more nutrient additions from fertilizer, manure, or other soil amendments compared to other crops to prevent soil depletion. Legumes, such as peas, beans, soybeans, clover and alfalfa, are able to “fix” nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form absorbed by the plant. Corn grown as a single crop could increase the risk of soil erosion. Corn grown in a rotation with beans (often soybeans), cereal or hay improves soil fertility and structure, reduces fertilizer application, diminishes the prevalence of weed, and also breaks disease and pest cycles. This section looks at cropping patterns that were the most prevalent in 2011.
According to the 2011 Census of Agriculture, 5.0% of the total corn for grain area was reported by growers who reported corn for grain as their only field crop. The most prevalent cropping pattern Note7 was ‘corn for grain-soybeans-wheat’. Almost 20% of all corn for grain seeded area was reported by growers who had these three crops. The second most prevalent cropping pattern was ‘corn for grain-soybeans’. Growers who reported these two field crops accounted for 17.9% of all corn for grain area. The third most prevalent cropping pattern was ‘corn for grain-hay-soybeans-wheat’ reported by growers who seeded 6.2% of all corn for grain area. Overall, 95.0% of all corn for grain and 97.9% of corn for silage seeded area were grown in a rotation with hay or another field crop like a cereal or a legume.
Table 5
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2011
To be or not to be organic
Organic operations are certified through certifying bodies accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. According to the new regulations Note8 , producers can be either "certified organic" or "transitional". Transitional producers are those who were in the process of undertaking the three-year process of having all or part of their operations certified organic at the time of the 2011 Census of Agriculture. In 2011, certified organic operations represented 1.8% of all farms in Canada. The proportion of corn for grain growers was slightly below this national average at 1.1% of all farms reporting corn for grain. They accounted for 0.8% of all corn for grain seeded area (Table 7). The prevalence of genetically modified corn somewhat reduced the likelihood of producers seeking organic certification. In Ontario, the largest corn for grain producing province, 71.3% of the total corn area was seeded with genetically modified corn. In Quebec, 73.8% of corn for grain was genetically modified. Note9
For sweet corn, 6.5% of farms reported being certified organic. They accounted for 1.7% of sweet corn seeded area. Strong consumer demand has probably driven more sweet corn growers to offer organic products.
Table 6
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2011
How sweet it is!
A signature dish of summer BBQs is fresh corn on the cob, yet this product was not always the succulent and sweet treat it is today. The gene responsible for high sugar levels can be traced to a genetic mutation in grain corn originating in the U.S. in the mid-1700s. Prior to this, fresh corn was starchier and less sweet. The genetic mutation presented disadvantages, however, since it reduced the storability of corn grain and hindered soil germination in colder regions. But with time, further breeding produced corn varieties with higher sugar levels ( i.e. , sugar enhanced and super sweet varieties), while also maintaining these sugar levels over time. In addition, growers began to plant sweet corn in black plastic mulch to help it mature earlier, thereby extending the length of the growing season. As a result of these developments, fresh sweet corn evolved from being a localized product – i.e. , harvested and consumed in the same day – to one that was transported long distances without spoiling. This evolution would have contributed significantly to increasing imports of fresh sweet corn (Chart 5).
Description for chart 5
Sweet corn is not solely consumed as corn on the cob. Since 1971, consumption of fresh corn more than doubled to reach 0.79 kilogram per capita in 2011. During the same period, consumption of canned corn declined from 1.83 kilogram to 0.79 kilogram per capita. Consumption of frozen corn increased from 0.28 kilogram to 0.41 kilogram per person (Chart 7).
Although corn is often enjoyed as sweet corn on the cob, it is an important ingredient in many foods. For instance, on any given day a person might eat a breakfast cereal made of corn flakes, use corn syrup to bake a cake, and enjoy corn bread or corn tortillas with their supper. In 2011, Canadians consumed, on average, 0.52 kg of corn flour and meal (Chart 6). Corn is also consumed indirectly as corn is used to feed livestock, which provide the meat, milk and eggs purchased at grocery stores. Almost half of all domestic consumption went to feed livestock. Note10
Description for chart 6
The future of corn
Corn is one of Canada’s traditional crops. It was first grown by First Nations’ farmers, then by European settlers, and, today, by farmers across the country. This crop’s story continues to unfold. Foremost, corn’s productivity has increased significantly with the evolution of agricultural practices, the development of hybrid varieties, and new advancements in the field of biotechnology that transfer a gene from one organism to another ( e.g. , technologies using recombinant DNA ). The versatility of this crop, combined with the breeding advances made by plant scientists, make it a popular commodity for the feed, livestock, and industrial sectors. Thus, the future of corn appears to be sweet, and with ongoing research and development it seems that the sky – or rather, the farm field – is the limit.
Start of text box
Corn: A jack of all trades
Corn grain is used as human food, animal feed, and feedstock for industrial products. Different processing methods produce the variety of corn products available. For instance,
Whole corn grains intended for livestock feed are ground or ‘cracked.’
In contrast, corn destined for human consumption is progressively ground into a fine powder to make corn grits, hominy, corn meal and corn flour.
Masa, the corn flour used for tortillas, is produced when whole corn kernels are cooked in an alkali water solution to render the corn more nutritious. The process converts the protein niacin into a form that can be absorbed by the body and avoids beriberi disease, a condition that afflicted early Western settlers to the Americas.
While some products are made from the whole corn kernel, other products use only one component of the whole grain illustrated in the following table. Specifically, the kernel can be broken down into four components: bran, gluten, starch, and germ. Through specialized processing, the kernel’s individual parts can be separated and used in different commodities. Flaked corn cereal, for example, is produced by putting the high starch cap of the corn kernel through rollers which flatten and stretch it, after which point it is toasted.
Component fractions of a kernel of corn
Table summary
This table displays the results of Component fractions of a kernel of corn. The information is grouped by Components of kernel (appearing as row headers), Proportion of the grain (varies according to variety) (appearing as column headers).
Components of kernel
8 to 14
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2008
Corn starch, the component that comprises the bulk of the kernel, is used for both human consumption and industrial purposes including as a thickening, gelling, and binding agent for a variety of products, including puddings and pie fillings, wallpaper paste, aspirin, chalk, drywall panelling, and biodegradable plastics.
It can be used to produce a range of sweeteners including corn syrup (or glucose) as a substitute for white sugar produced from sugar cane or sugar beets. The syrup is found in a variety of foods because it holds moisture, prevents crystallization, adds texture, and can serve as a thickener in food products. Its ability to hold moisture prevents breads, bakery products, and confections such as marshmallows from becoming stale and it also can be found in lollipops and hard candies and frozen desserts.
Corn is also used to produce vegetable oil—specifically, corn oil—and can be further transformed into margarine and other food oils. The oil originates from the germ portion of the corn kernel. Gluten is the main protein in corn and can be transformed into a product that is used in the feed of beef and dairy cattle, poultry and hogs.
End of text box
Notes
Grain corn is grown for the corn kernels which are ground to produce both human food and animal feed, in addition to being used as industrial feedstock.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 002-0001
Corn for silage is harvested as a whole plant ( i.e. , the cob, grain, stem and leaves) when still green and is used as feed for ruminant animals, namely dairy and beef cattle, and sheep, as well as pigs and poultry. In general, the harvested plant material is chopped and stored in airless vertical silos, bunker silos, or wrapped bales. The plant material is preserved by a process of bacterial fermentation that produces lactic acid. Of interest is the fact that lactic acid is also used as a preservative in human foods, and it is responsible for the distinctive taste of a variety of products, such as yogurt, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, some pickles, and kimchi.
Sweet corn has high sugar content and is the variety known to consumers as corn on the cob, canned corn, and frozen corn.
Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 001-0010
The assumption was made that if producers reported more than one field crop, they should grow them in a rotation due to all benefits that a rotation can provide.
In 2009, the Organic Products Regulations came into effect in Canada, which require mandatory certification to revised Canadian Organic Standards in order to claim agricultural products as being organic.
Statistics Canada, Field Crop Survey, data available upon request. Genetically modified seed cannot meet standards for organic production.
Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 001-0042
| Rice |
Which chain of ice-cream parlors, the world's largest, is known for their little pink spoons which are used to offer a taste of any of the available flavors? | Grain Harvest Sets Record, But Supplies Still Tight | Worldwatch Institute
Grain Harvest Sets Record, But Supplies Still Tight
Product Number:
VST101
Following several years of declining harvests, the world’s farmers reaped a record 2.316 billion tons of grain in 2007. 1 (See Figure 1.) Despite this jump of 95 million tons, or about 4 percent, over the previous year, commodity analysts estimate that voracious global demand will consume all of this increase and prevent governments from replenishing cereal stocks that are at their lowest level in 30 years. 2
The global grain harvest has nearly tripled since 1961, during a time when world population doubled. 3 As a result, the amount of grain produced per person grew from 285 kilograms in 1961 to a peak of 376 kilograms in 1986. 4 (See Figure 2.) In recent decades, as the growth in grain production has matched population growth, per capita production has hovered around 350 kilograms. 5
But output per person varies dramatically by region. For instance, it stands at roughly 1,230 kilograms per year in the United States, most of which is fed to livestock, compared with 325 kilograms in China and just 90 kilograms in Zimbabwe. 6
Economists, hunger activists, and agricultural researchers track world grain production because people still primarily eat foods made from grain. On average, humans get about 48 percent of their calories from grains, a share that has declined just slightly, from 50 percent, over the last four decades. 7 Grains, particularly corn, in conjunction with soybeans, also form the primary feedstock for industrial livestock production.
People consume a little less than half (48 percent) of the world’s grain directly—as steamed rice, bread, tortillas, or millet cakes, for instance. 8 Roughly one third (35 percent) becomes livestock feed. 9 And a growing share, 17 percent, is used to make ethanol and other fuels. 10
Although high crop prices have been pushing farmers around the world to plant more land in grains in recent years, a more powerful engine for the record output was a boost in average yields, the amount of grain harvested per hectare. For the last decade, grain yields have surpassed 3 tons—nearly three times the level in 1960. 11 Near-perfect weather in major growing areas as well as an estimated 5 percent jump in world fertilizer use helped farmers increase yields. 12
World grain production is concentrated in a number of ways—in terms of the species produced, where the crops are raised, and the major exporters. Corn, wheat, and rice account for about 85 percent of the global grain harvest (in terms of weight), with sorghum, millet, barley, oats, and other less common grains rounding out the total. 13
China, India, and the United States alone account for 46 percent of global grain production; Europe, including the former Soviet states, grows another 21 percent. 14 Argentina, Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), and the United States account for 80 percent of wheat exports, while just three nations— Argentina, the EU, and the United States— account for 80 percent of corn exports. 15
In 2007, a 200-million-ton jump in the global coarse grain harvest was responsible for nearly all of the increase in the total grain harvest. 16 Production of coarse grains—a group that includes corn, barley, sorghum, and other grains fed mainly to animals—increased 10 percent, from 985 million tons in 2006 to 1,080 million tons in 2007. 17 At 784 million tons, the record harvest of corn was buoyed by the growing use of this grain to produce biofuels, which prompted farmers in the United States (responsible for over 40 percent of the global harvest and half of world exports), Brazil, and Argentina to plant more land to corn. 18 Production in China, the world’s second largest corn producer, inched beyond the previous year’s record. 19
Worldwide, the amount of coarse grains converted to energy jumped 15 percent to 255 million tons, although this is still small compared with the 627 million tons devoted to another relatively inefficient use—livestock feed. 20
Wheat harvests increased modestly, by 2 percent, to 605 million tons, with near perfect weather nurturing strong harvests in India, the EU, and the United States. 21 Australia, however, normally the source of one third of world exports, faced lower crop prospects and depleted exportable supplies. 22 And unfavorable weather meant a reduced harvest in China, the world’s second largest producer. 23
The global rice harvest was up slightly to 633 million tons, matching the record 2005 harvest, as conditions returned to normal in China, India, and across Asia, which accounts for 90 percent of world production. 24
The amount of grain stored by governments— a good measure of the global cushion against poor harvests and rising prices—continues to decline. Global cereal stocks were expected to stand at 318 million tons by the close of the 2007 season, equivalent to about 14 percent of annual consumption. 25 (See Figure 3.) These stocks, and the stock-to-use ratio, built up by bumper crops in the 1980s and the late 1990s, are now substantially below their all-time high. 26
Despite the record harvest, the low stocks and strong demand combined to push prices of all cereals to new highs. 27 At harvest time, the U.S. corn export price was up about 70 percent from the previous year, while the American hard wheat price averaged 65 percent more than a year earlier. 28 Wheat prices in Argentina, another major exporter, doubled since 2006. 29 Important wheat exporters like Ukraine and Russia have imposed export restrictions to ensure a sufficient domestic supply. 30 Major importers, like Egypt, the European Union, Yemen, and Iraq, have reacted to high prices by purchasing grain early, which has further tightened supplies and boosted prices. 31
As such increases ripple through the food chain, people around the world have been greeted with higher prices for bread, beer, corn flour, and other basic foods. Developing countries are likely to spend a record $52 billion on imports of cereals in 2007, up 10 percent from 2006. 32 This follows a 36-percent hike in the previous season. 33
Even international food aid programs, which also purchase their supplies on the world market, have been forced to scale back. 34 The volume of aid provided through the largest assistance program in the United States, Food for Peace, dropped by nearly half since 2005, to 2.4 million tons, in response to a 35-percent increase in the cost of agricultural commodities as well as the rising costs of fuel for shipping. 35 The combination of rising food costs and declining aid can be fatal for the estimated 854 million people worldwide who experience hunger on a regular basis. 36
Notes:
1. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), FAOSTAT Statistical Database, at faostat.fao.org, updated 30 June 2007; FAO, Crop Prospects and Food Situation, No. 5 (Rome: October 2007). Harvest in 2007 is an estimate. This figure includes rice measured as “paddy” rather than the smaller “milled” figure in order to correspond with international convention.
2. FAO, Crop Prospects and Food Situation, op. cit. note 1; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Grain: World Markets and Trade, October 2007 (Washington, DC: 2007).
3. FAO, FAOSTAT, op. cit. note 1.
4. Ibid.; U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base, electronic database, Suitland, MD: updated 16 July 2007.
5. FAO, FAOSTAT, op. cit. note 1; Census Bureau, op. cit. note 4.
6. FAO, FAOSTAT, op. cit. note 1.
7. Ibid.
| i don't know |
Which animated Disney classic features a mandrill named Rafiki, a warthog named Pumbaa, and Timon the meerkat? | Rafiki | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
―Rafiki to Simba
Rafiki is a mandrill who is a supporting character in Disney 's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King .
Contents
[ show ]
Background
It is revealed in the storybook A Tale of Two Brothers that Rafiki wasn't always a resident of the Pride Lands. Years before Simba and Mufasa 's reign, Rafiki was a traveler studying the African lands who eventually stumbled upon the Pride Lands, where he was attacked by a young Shenzi, Banzai and Ed . The mandrill was saved by Ahadi , the former ruler of the Pride Lands and father of Mufasa and Scar (then known as Taka).
Eventually taking residence in the vast lands, Rafiki would soon become close companions with Mufasa and one day overheard Taka's plot to sabotage his brother's reputation, only to be foiled by the mandrill. The end results in Taka falling injured, with Rafiki using his abilities to tend to his wounds and heal him, though one mark remains on the lion's body - his scar, thus becoming the dangerously-envious Prince Scar.
Rafiki's heroic performance throughout the event leads to Ahadi requesting that the mandrill serves as the adviser to all future kings, which Rafiki accepts.
By the time of The Lion King, Rafiki lives in an ancient baobab tree, where he regularly performs shamanistic activities.
Personality
Rafiki is extremely sagacious and wise. His way of exploiting his intelligence, however, is highly irregular; he prefers to teach his pupils (such as Simba) by bombarding them with cryptic metaphors, and typically in a way that purposely annoys them. He takes great joy in this, and although unconventional, the methods of his teaching have proven to be effective time and time again. It should be noted that part of the reason Rafiki's teachings are rather eccentric is the fact that Rafiki, himself, is fairly eccentric. He is excitable, energetic in spite of his age, and tends to fall into fits of hysterical laughter when something amuses him. He also tends to speak in third-person when speaking of himself.
Nevertheless, much as his reputation would conceive, Rafiki does have a tamer side. He takes his role as sage of the Pride Lands somberly and will act diligently to ensure the balance of the "Circle of Life" remains intact. He is also deeply connected to the spiritual world, as he is seen communicating (both professionally and casually) with Mufasa's spirit in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Appearances
The Lion King
Rafiki in The Lion King.
Rafiki's character often serves as the visual narrator of the story of The Lion King. He is shown to be a dear friend to Mufasa . He presents newborn cubs to all the animals gathered at Pride Rock, and draws a stylized lion cub on the walls of his treehouse home to represent Simba 's birth. When Simba runs away and his family believes him dead, Rafiki draws his paw across the Simba drawing, obscuring it in grief. Later, after picking up Simba's scent in the dust and pollen in the air, Rafiki determines that Simba is still alive and restores the drawing, adding the full mane of an adult lion as a sign to seek out this young deliverer from Scar 's tyranny. Journeying to the jungle where Simba lives with Timon and Pumbaa , Rafiki observes Simba and recognizes, at least in principle, that he is suffering from a ponderous emotional burden.
To treat it, he approaches the young lion and teaches him a few playful (and sometimes painful) lessons about learning from the past, not running from it. He also points out that the spirit and values of Simba's late father Mufasa continue to live in Simba himself. During this scene, Rafiki incessantly repeats the Swahili phrase "Asante sana, squash banana, we we nugu, mi mi apana", which roughly translates to "Thank you very much, squash banana, you are a baboon, and I am not." When Simba decides to return to Pride Rock and fight Scar for the kingship, Rafiki accompanies him, demonstrating his kung fu skills in battle against the hyenas and saves him from a hyena who tried to attack him by bashing the hyena in head hard with his stick. At the end of the film, Rafiki raises Simba and Nala 's new-born cub atop Pride Rock for everyone to see, echoing the beginning of the film.
Judging by their meeting at Timon and Pumbaa's home, it would seem that Simba had not met Rafiki before that point or at the very least does not remember him.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Rafiki in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Rafiki is more closely involved with the affairs and politics of the prides and is often seen with the lions. When the balance of the Circle of life is thrown off on account of the rivalry between Simba's pride, and Zira (a rogue lioness who along with her children and several other lionesses, was banished from The Pride Lands for being loyal to Scar), Mufasa's spirit persuades Rafiki to bring Simba's daughter Kiara and Zira's son Kovu together as a way of uniting the prides. He then asks if Mufasa is crazy and doubts that the plan will work, and is then immediately buffeted by a strong gust of wind from Mufasa's spirit, immediately convincing the mandrill to carry out the deceased king's idea.
From that point, Rafiki assists Kovu (who apparently hopes of joining Simba's pride) in earning Simba's trust and eventually tries to have the male lion and Kiara fall in love by singing to them about a place called "Upendi", which means "love" in Swahili. However, it is soon revealed that Kovu was working for Zira to kill Simba, and although he tried to abolish the plot on account of his love for Kiara, Simba exiles Kovu, blaming him for the attack. Rafiki sighs sadly on seeing Kovu leave, knowing he is not part of the attack and Simba is defying his father's goals, which completely failed and leaves the Circle of Life broken.
In the end, however, after Kovu proves his worth and works with Kiara to fix the broken circle, Rafiki blesses the union of Kovu and Kiara, and celebrates the newfound unity between the prides.
The Lion King 1½
Rafiki in The Lion King 1½.
Rafiki appears briefly in the midquel The Lion King 1½, and is referred to by Timon simply as "The Monkey".
He is first seen briefly after Timon leaves his meerkat colony in search of a better life away from predators and free of tunnel digging. After explaining this to Rafiki, the mandrill openly realizes Timon seeks "Hakuna Matata", meaning "No worries", and thus introduces the meerkat to the problem-free philosophy. Rafiki then explains that, in order to find Hakuna Matata, one must look beyond what they see, setting Timon's journey in motion.
Later on, Rafiki is seen speaking with Timon's mother about his meeting with her son. Believing Rafiki sent Timon out to find a life nonexistent, resulting in him finding danger instead, Ma scolds the mandrill and heads out to find Timon with her uncle Max. Years later, Rafiki is seen visiting Timon at the latter's jungle oasis, where he (somewhat) enlightens Timon on what it is to be a true friend and the true power of Hakuna Matata.
During the film's finale, Rafiki is lastly seen attending the theater viewing of the film, alongside the other characters from the film, as well as a large amount of Disney characters .
Timon & Pumbaa
Rafiki in The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa.
Rafiki appears in a few episodes of the Timon & Pumbaa TV series and also has his own series of episodes called "Rafiki Fables" in the same show. In the episode " Rafiki's Apprentice ", Rafiki is shown to have a nephew named Nefu and, at the same time, Rafiki is portrayed as being a sorcerer/shaman and his walking stick is his magic staff, which Nefu messes with and ends up causing trouble (a plot somewhat similar to The Sorcerer's Apprentice ).
He makes occasional appearances outside of his own stories in Timon and Pumbaa's stories, acting as a therapist during times of stress within their friendship. It is also shown that Rafiki can grant wishes (or as he calls them, "Rafiki Wishes", with his policy being only one wish per animal) and can also take back wishes as well.
House of Mouse
Rafiki holding Scar in House of Mouse.
Rafiki is a recurring guest in the TV series House of Mouse . His most memorable scene was in the episode " The Stolen Cartoons ", where Timon yelled that there was a fly in Pumbaa's soup and that he wanted one as well. Timon then asks what's in Simba's soup and he replies that it is Rafiki, who is bathing in his soup.
He was given his own advertisement at the end of " King Larry Swings In ", which promoted Rafiki's Royal Treatment—a service in which Rafiki could be hired to partake in special events like birthdays, tea parties, holidays and puppet shows.
In " Jiminy Cricket ", the camera panned to Rafiki, sitting alongside King Triton , Merlin , and Grandmother Willow , when Jiminy advised the audience to always respect their elders.
Rafiki returns in the animated series, first appearing in the pilot film, The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar .
In the film, Rafiki is first seen during the opening song, "A Brand New Day", joyously popping out of his tree as Kion and Bunga pass by. Later on, he discovers that Kion has been chosen to become the leader of the new Lion Guard. Though Simba is against the idea, feeling Kion is not ready, Rafiki is an avid supporter, believing it to be fate. The mandrill is able to quickly convince Simba to go along with informing his son of his destiny, and in order to do so, he and Rafiki take the young cub to a hidden area of Pride Rock, where paintings on the stone walls tell the story of the previous Lion Guard. Rafiki is seen again during the climax, where Rafiki, Simba, and Nala are able to witness a Kion-led Lion Guard successfully defending the land from a pack of hyenas. With this, Kion has proven himself to be worthy of the responsibility, though Rafiki is unsurprised.
Other appearances
In a parody trailer for the film Lilo & Stitch , Rafiki is seen showcasing the iconic "Circle of Life" scene from the film, only to find that baby Simba has been replaced with the film's protagonist, Stitch .
In the animated blooper reel featured in the The Lion King: Diamond Edition special features, Rafiki is seen twice; first seen falling asleep during a scene with Simba, while another shows him accidentally tripping over something and dropping Simba off the ledge of Pride Rock, in the middle of " Circle of Life ".
In Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety , Rafiki is seen in the form of a trophy in the episode Honest and Real!.
Video games
Along with having a stationary role in the film's video game adaptation , Rafiki also plays a rather major role in The Lion King 1½ , and has an add-on costume in the Disney Universe game.
Kingdom Hearts II
Rafiki is first mentioned by Nala after begin rescued by the valiant Sora and his friends, Donald Duck and Goofy . Sora's bravery leads Nala to believe he may have a chance at saving the Pride Lands from the tyrannical Scar and become the new king. She escorts them to Pride Rock where a brief meeting with Rafiki is held. Unfortunately, Rafiki denies Nala's expectations, claiming Sora lacks the right attributes needed to be the ruler of the land.
He isn't seen again until later on, after Sora, Nala, Donald, and Goofy make way for the jungle oasis to find Simba, who was believed to be dead until Sora revealed otherwise. Rafiki learns of Simba's fate (much like in the film) and celebrates. Rafiki is last seen, during the first visit, inducting Simba into the throne.
Rafiki returns during the second visit where an army of Scar's ghost begins haunting the Pride Lands. Simba asks Rafiki for guidance, only to be told the ghosts thrive off of Simba's insecure heart, much to the king's dismay. In the end, after the ghosts are defeated, Rafiki is there to see Sora and friends off, bestowing a few wise words for their travels before they depart.
Musical
Rafiki in the musical adaptation of the film.
In the musical based on the film, the character of Rafiki went through a minor change. Because director Julie Taymor felt that the story lacked the presence of a strong female, Rafiki was changed into a female mandrill. The role was originated on Broadway by Tsidii Le Loka, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for her performance.
Rafiki's role is expanded in the musical. She sings the song Circle of Life and her painting scene is extended. She also sings a song called "Rafiki Mourns", in which she mourns Mufasa's death. She also has a brief role in Nala 's song "Shadowland", blessing Nala for her journey to find help. Instead of finding Simba's scent on dust, Rafiki hears Simba's song "Endless Night" on the wind. Rafiki meets Simba and shows him that his father lives on inside him through the song "He Lives in You" (it should be noted that Rafiki's "Asante Sana" chant is completely changed). She is present during the battle, fighting a hyena using hand-to-hand combat.
Lastly, she appears adorning Simba with the king's mantle and then presents his newborn cub at the end of the play.
Rafiki posing for a photo at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Rafiki appears at the Disney theme parks around the world as a meet-and-greet character.
Walt Disney World Resort
He hosts the Rafiki's Planet Watch area of Disney's Animal Kingdom , an area that hosts various conservation education programs and the park's veterinary facilities. One of the various shows inside the pavilion has Rafiki profiling different endangered species and telling guests how they can help them.
In the former show The Legend of the Lion King at the Magic Kingdom , Rafiki was a costumed character with an articulated head as the narrator.
In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom , Rafiki notices a disturbance in the Circle of Life when he is informed that Scar has been revived from the dead by Hades . He also has a spell card called "Rafiki's Wisdom Stick".
Disney Cruise Line
Rafiki can be seen in Disney Believe aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship. Rafiki is one of the "magic makers" to help an uptight father believe in magic. Rafiki is seen right after Grandmother Willow 's sequence and uses the mystery of the animal kingdom to aid the father's imagination. But much like the Broadway version of The Lion King, Rafiki is portrayed by a woman.
Gallery
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Rafiki .
Trivia
No one in any of the films, other than himself, refers to Rafiki by his name. They either call him "the monkey" or "the baboon". His name is only used in Timon & Pumbaa and The Lion Guard .
Rafiki's species, the mandrill, is one of the few species that aren't native to Sub-Saharan Africa. While other baboons do, the mandrill is native to the central African rainforest.
Rafiki is drawn with a pronounced tail, a contrast to the most diminished tails of real mandrills.
In the earliest drafts of The Lion King , Rafiki was not a baboon, but a cheetah. Instead, Scar was a baboon.
In the The Lion King 1½ , he knows Timon and Pumbaa, ignoring the fact they didn't know who he was when first seeing him in the jungle with Nala.
The song Rafiki sings to himself, "Asante sana, squash banana, we we nugu, mi mi apana," is Swahili for "Thank you very much, squash banana, you are a baboon and I am not."
According to Robert Guillaume , Rafiki's voice was partially created via a failed attempt at a Jamaican accent. [1]
In D3: The Mighty Ducks , the giant stuffed baboon that a child wins at a carnival bears a striking resemblance to Rafiki.
References
| The Lion King |
What is the name of alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight? | The Lion King WWW Archive: The Lion King FAQ
3. Rafiki's Chant
One of TLK's most frequently asked questions is "What does Rafiki's 'squash banana' chant mean?" Well, here it is:
Asante sana! [Thank you very much!] Squash banana! [...Squash banana.] Wewe nugu, [You're a baboon,] Mimi hapana! [And I'm not.]
So Rafiki is correct in his explanation of what the chant means, at least for the last two lines; surely we could expect no less.
Again, this is in Swahili, except for "nugu" (which is Kikuyu, the most common native language in Kenya, rather than Swahili, which is more of a regional lingua franca). As to the history of the chant's usage: when the production team was in Kenya to research story elements and study lion and other animal behavior, Brenda Chapman (who worked on storyboards) heard their guide singing it to himself, and wrote it down. The guide told her it was well known as a meaningless local schoolyard chant, and she felt it would work well as a part of Rafiki's character.
4. What Language Is It on the Soundtrack?
Listeners to the soundtrack, both to "Circle of Life" and the instrumental score, will hear a large amount of African vocal material used. This is a result of the majority of the music being arranged by Hans Zimmer, who incorporates a lot of such material into his scores (such as "The Power of One") through his collaborator and lyricist, Lebo M.
The vocals are in Zulu, not Swahili. This observation is supported by several points:
On the "Rhythm of the Pride Lands" CD, the word "Bayede" is given as "a royal salute" in the lyric book; James Michener's The Covenant makes the same claim ("Bayete").
The chant in CoL, "Ingonyama nengw'enamabala," which means "Here is a lion and a tiger," would probably contain the word "simba" if it were Swahili.
Lebo M. is South African, and Zulu is a much more common language than Swahili among speakers and songwriters of that area.
3. The Art of The Lion King
A valuable resource for fans of TLK and its wonderful artwork is available in Hyperion Press' The Art of The Lion King. It is somewhat rare, but indispensable. TLK was the first film with which Disney (through its Hyperion publishing arm) produced an accompanying Art book; those for more recent movies have been larger and crisper in layout, but for a first outing, TAoTLK is stunning. Following is a set of information provided by Matt Robinson:
The only two versions are the "standard" edition and the "limited edition". The standard is US$50, CA$60, or 35 UK pounds depending on your country. The limited edition seems only to be available on the other side of the pond from me and is $250. It is signed by the producers/directors and other people from the TLK production team. There's also a sericel included.
Hyperion Press publishes both books, both are hardcovers, both should be virtually identical save for the autographs and sericel.
The ISBN of the standard edition is 0-7868-6028-6
You can't miss it among the other books, it's bigger than A4 paper (at least 35cm x 25cm) and the cover sticks out like a diamond in the rough (oops, thats Aladdin - and The Sword in the Stone =)
The book is also almost an inch thick, with a bold blue dust jacket with gold lettering. It's hard to miss if it's on the shelf; if it isn't, ask the clerk to order it.
4. The TLK Mailing List
A mailing list keeps the Lion King fandom together in a tight-knit, good-natured discussion community which grows continually. It has taken over from alt.fan.lion-king as the standard forum for mature discussion of the movie, with a great many posted messages per day about ongoing topics on and related to the movie. To join, simply send an e-mail to majordomo@lionking.org , with no subject, and put the following in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE TLK-L
http://bronze.ucs.indiana.edu/~tanaka/Tezuka_Disney/Tezuka_Disney.html
Yet, as Matt Robinson points out to me, Tezuka's team has admitted that many of these visuals and concepts, for instance the lion on a rock and the monkey in a tree, are stereotypical enough for a coincidence to be conceivable, and for these parallels to be inevitable.
The storyline of JE, however, is refreshingly different from TLK's, enough so to render any claims on that front of plagiarism by Disney ludicrous.
Following is some information brought to my attention, once again, by Matt, which sheds some light on the respective attitudes of the Tezuka and Disney Companies, as well as the storyline of JE.
But, while some see obvious references and influences to Tezuka's work in "Lion King," the story itself is quite different.
In "Kimba," the cub's mother dies aboard a ship and Kimba escapes, swimming back to shore. While trying to go home, he visits cities and realizes that mankind has created a wonderful civilization of laws--quite different from the law of the jungle.
In "Lion King," Simba leaves the pride after mistakenly believing that he had a role in his father's death.
In "Kimba," the hero battles poachers and trappers, a magic serpent and even the monster of Petrified Valley. He defends his domain against "the insect invasion," "the red menace" and "the gigantic grasshopper." Aiding his efforts are his animal friends, Dan'l Baboon, Pauley Cracker, Tadpole, Samson and Roger Ranger, who is a human.
In "Lion King," however, there are no human beings and Simba fights hyenas and Scar.
The character of Scar, the power hungry "black sheep" brother of Mufasa, is particularly intriguing to some observers. In the TV series, the villian Claw, who has a scar above his eye, takes over the throne in Kimba's abscence.
Takayuki Matsutani, president of Tezuka Productions in Tokyo, said there is some similarity between the animated creations on two counts: the son grows up to be the king's successor after his father's death, and the symbolic scene where Simba stands on a rock in "The Lion King," whereas in the Japanese version, the opening scene has Kimba standing on a rock. He also agreed there were similarities in the baboon, the bird, the hyenas and te evil lion.
"However, quite a few staff of our company saw a preview of 'The Lion King,' discussed this subject and came to the conclusion that you cannot avoid having these similarities as long as you use animals as characters and try to draw images out of them," Matsutani said.
"If the Disney Co. had gotten a hint from 'The Jungle Emperor,' Osamu Tezuka, a founder of our company, would have been pleased," he continued. "And, we feel the same way, rather than making a claim."
"Therefore, our company's general opinion is 'The Lion King' is a totally different piece from 'The Jungle Emperor' and is an original work completed by the Disney production's long-lasting excellent production technique."
Asked about the apparent similarities, Minkoff said that whenever a story is based in Africa, it is "not unusual to have characters like a baboon, a bird or hyenas."
A further reference for those interested in the debate is offered by Marc Hairston:
For the Lion King/Tezuka debate, you should also refer folks to the chapter: "Jungle Emperor: A Tale of Two Lions" in Frederik Schodt's new book "Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga" (Stonebridge Press www.stonebridge.com) 1996. He worked as a personal translator for Tezuka and this is part of his section on Tezuka's contribution to manga (comic books) and anime. They *used to* (I haven't checked recently) have this chapter up on the Stonebridge website. Anyway, it's a well written and accurate summary of the controversy and some speculations on what Tezuka himself might have thought about it.
2. The Songs are Substandard
Another common complaint about TLK is that its songs are not up to the standards set in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. This is not surprising. Howard Ashman, the extraordinarily gifted lyricist who worked with Alan Menken (the composer) in the three above-mentioned films, passed away before the completion of Aladdin, and Tim Rice, who is in the opinion of a great many fans a decidedly less-talented artist than Ashman, had to take over. Rice was responsible for some of the songs in Aladdin, and stayed on to write the lyrics for the TLK songs.
Disney also hired Elton John to write the music for the songs in TLK, which was a move many regret, since the style John uses is considerably more geared toward pop music than Broadway musical numbers, which TLK and most previous Disney films have looked for.
In synopsis, the musical combination in TLK, for the songs, was an experiment, one that perhaps did not work as expected. Moviegoers expecting to hear songs like the ones they enjoyed in the past few movies were in many cases disappointed.
pepollar@jmu.edu )
Here are a few more errors not included in the list above:
When Mufasa shows Simba the extent of the kingdom ("Everything the light touches"), the camera shows very clearly the sun in the middle of the screen, rising, as it tends to do, in the east. Then Simba notices, to the right of the sun, and thus to the south, the Elephant Graveyard. Later, Scar refers to it as being "on the northern border."
And, of course, this might not be actually a mistake-- just discussion fodder. But in the very beginning, Rafiki enters on the ground in front of Pride Rock, and then evidently levitates to the tip where Mufasa is sitting. We don't see him between his entry and his arrival at the top, though his feet are shown climbing some gently sloping rocks. Since Pride Rock is so precipitous and outthrust, this doesn't quite make sense. How does Rafiki DO that? (The obvious answer: he's a very resourceful mandrill, is Rafiki.)
The "I Just Can't Wait to be King" sequence ends in a voluminous pyramid of animals, made up of giraffes, hippos, elephants, an ostrich-- and several giant anteaters. Well, while there's nothing wrong with the others being there in the pyramid (aside from the obvious), giant anteaters are native only to South America, and not to Africa...
During the Stampede sequence, as Mufasa is running through the herd of wildebeests as he tries to rescue Simba, we get a brief shot of Scar pacing along a ledge above and watching the scene intently. For some reason, his large black shadow is cast up on the wall behind him-- as though lit from the valley floor.
(Submitted by Alma Baratta - baratta@intrnet.net )
In the pyramid in "I Just Can't Wait to be King", when the pyramid topples, an elephant lands on the horns of a gazelle. But, in an earlier shot of the full pyramid, we clearly see that the elephants are below the gazelle.
Pegasuss ( bovidaeloony@hotmail.com ) notes that the "gazelle" is actually a sable antelope. Also she points out that the antelope is incorrectly drawn as having upper front teeth, which all antelope are missing.
(Submitted by Paul F. Ginnetty Jr. - pauly@capecod.net )
Observing Scar, you will notice the pads on his paws are either one pad or five pads. They change back and forth, depending on the scene.
(Submitted by Rat Terier - ratterier@cmpnetmail.com )
We know that when Simba and Nala are climbing up the pile of bones, nala slips and is about to become food for the hyenas. Simba runs down and slashes Shenzi across her left cheek, leaving a quite noticable slash. However, when Simba and Nala are trapped in the ribcage, and the three hyenas are approaching, we notice that there is no slash on Shenzi's face.
(Submitted by Petros Markou - markou@edlit.auth.gr )
The first mistake is in the song "I just can't wait to be king" in the scene where Zazu is on the river between Simba and Nala. Notice that Nala has her legs in the water but right in the next scene the legs are outside the water.
The second was difficult to find. It was in the ending scene of the movie where Rafiki holds the cub between Simba and Nala. When you watch Simba who is still you'll see a slightly change in his position which shows that another frame is missed.
(Submitted by Thorn - RoryLStanley@email.msn.com )
In the first sequence of "The Circle of Life" there is a problem with baby Simba's tail. when the monkeys are jumping up and down with Pride Rock in the back his tail is that of young Simba. This is also shown in the screen pics in The Art of the Lion King book.
(Submitted by Bonete - bonete@hotmail.com )
After Simba asks his mom if he and Nala may go to the waterhole, there is an above shot of Nala, Simba, and Zazu, who is flying above them. Zazu flaps his wings about 3 times in this scene. The first time he flaps his wings, his shadow dosen't flap. But, his shadow flaps for the last 2 times.
And:
I've known this for a while and am suprised that no one else posted this mistake: During the stampede Simba's eye color changes dramatically. His eyes are a reddish-brown, but, in the stampede they're a very pale color. It's very noticeable in the close-up shots.
LK Rendevour ( soulsisterniconero@hotmail.com ) notes: "I must point out that the red-goldish tone is due to fear. His eyes have paled with fear and it's to convay (especially in the very close up shots when he watches for Mufasa coming out of the stampede) his pure fear at the whole situation."
(Submitted by Tiger - Tiger.m@t-online.de )
when the hyenas chase Simba and Nala, just after the 'birdie-boiler', we see very well, that Shenzi is the first behind the cubs. She follows them to this skull. Then the camera changes the position to the top of the skull - and suddenly it's Banzai who's first behind the cubs.
in the 'Be Prepared' scene, at the end, we all can see the moon very well, it's a crescent. The 'hole' is to the right. But in Africa, near the equator, the moon rounds from bottom to top, or the other way round. However, I think the 'normal' moon fits better in the scene.
when Simba and Mufasa are going for a walk in the Pride Lands, there comes this little animal, called 'gopher'. Well...a gopher is a rat, but this species lives exclusively in north America...oops.
(Submitted by Marc Christoffersen - zentrix@f2s.com )
In one of the first scenes you see a bunch of ants, all carrying small pieces of a leaf and i'm pretty sure that this perticular species does not live Africa... [Confirmed: Leaf Cutter Ants are native to the Americas. (bovidaeloony@comcast.net)]
(Submitted by Babs Fiala - piccolowolf37@hotmail.com )
In the 'pouncing' scene, Simba clearly pounces on Zazu's back, but when they are on the groud, Simba's paws are on Zazu's front. Zazu flipped around in mid-air while being pounced!
(Submitted by Molly - mgriffin1@adelphia.net )
The rush of the stampede was apparently too much for James Earl Jones. As Mufasa is hanging from the cliff looking up at Scar, he slips. Listen careful when his claw digs into the rock. It says "Brother", and immediately after, Mufasa says "Brother! Did someone forget their line, Mr. Jones?
this one is a little rough, but when Pumbaa is hunting for bugs (right before Nala comes) he struggles to get over a log. He grunts quite a bit, and when his stomach rubs up against the log, you can hear a Pumbaa sound. Maybe it's just me, but I distinctly heard the log say Pumbaa!
(Submitted by AshNumbr24@aol.com )
During "be prepared", and the hyenas are marching in rows as scar sings on a ledge, look at their feet. they clearly step off on either their right/left foot (i cant remember which). the scene changes to a closeup in the rows of hyenas facing upward toward scar. their step off has switched to the other foot.
Submitted by Michael Urban ( murban@tznet.com ):
Lions don't roar with their mouths fully open as depicted on the Lion King. Roaring is actually done with the mouth almost closed, but open just slightly. At maximum, a roar will be done with the mouth half open. They got it right when Simba growed at Scar after he swatted Sarabi, but they got it wrong at the end when Simba roars and the lionesses roar in response.
The "mouth open, teeth bared" response is a defensive reaction. It is used when a lion attacks something defensively (lions attack other lions and also humans with their mouth open and their teeth bared). It is not used for offensive reactions or hunting. Therefore, the depiction of Nala's chase on Pumba is innacurate. The mouth open, teeth bared response indicates fear. It will sometimes be used when a prey animal attacks after being caught, but it is not used during the chase.
Lions don't purr like house cats. Although they do make purring sounds, the sound is only made on the exhale. Lions do not purr continously like house cats do. Another blunder on Disney's part.
During the presentation of Simba, he has yellow eyes. Problem is that lion cubs are not born with yellow eyes. The eyes are grey or blue at birth and change to yellow as the cub enters the adolescent stage.
(Submitted by Eva - 6917994@tal.is )
A coloring error is present on Sarafina's feet when Scar is announcing the deaths of Mufasa and Simba. See Http://members.tripod.com/FunaATM/SarafinaMistake.jpg for comparative screen shots.
(Submitted by Loa - maggie.oneill@ic24.net )
When Shenzi gets swiped by Simba in the Elephant Graveyard, the scar is gone (video) seconds later. But, I noticed, if you look hard, when Shenzi, Banzai and Ed enter the dead end, ("Here, kitty kitty, kitty")??you can see a red scar??still there on Shenzi's cheek??in the few??seconds before Simba trys to roar.
Note: Ash De Brie says, "Loa's scar scene where she says you can see it during "Here Kitty Kitty" is actually wrong. It's just Shenzi's mouth going up to it's full grin as a thin line."
(Submitted by Bonete - bonete@earthlink.net )
When Scar strikes Sarabi down, look at the way her front paws are laying. It changes in the next shot or two.
When Mufasa's ghost first walks up to Simba, watch the tip of his front right paw. There is a pop that happens. It's just one frame, but noticeable if you're looking at that area. Believe it or not, this pop was NOT in the original movie/vhs release. It is in the IMAX/special edition release.
When Scar pounces on Simba for the last time, Simba looks at him and grits his teeth. In the very next shot Simba's mouth is open considerably. You can see this if you use slow motion. There is a reason for this mistake and it's mentioned in the commentary. The shot where Simba grits his teeth was the very last shot added to the movie before it was released. Other than that, his mouth was open in the previous shot and remained open in the next shot and made perfect sense.
(Submitted by The Funmaster)
In the 'Be Prepared' scene, when the hyenas sing "Its great that we'll soon be connected to the king who'll be all time adored", there are no shadows on the wall, except for Scar's. However, during the next six lines when Scar sings, you clearly see the moving shadows.
(Submitted by Amber)
In the circle of life scene, when Rafiki holds up Simba and the camera moves around him, he moves a finger...And Simba's skin underneath hasn't been colored!
When adult Simba takes a breath and begins to approach the reflection pool...His ear pops!
When Nala is stalking Pumbaa, her eyebrows pop! It was very noticable in the VHS version, but in the DVD version, it was at least smoothed out.
(Submitted by Stephanie)
(Funny nobody mentioned this before.)Cats usually have their claws sheathed (meaning, you can't see them) and lions are no exception. Only, in the scene when Nala is chasing Pumbaa in the jungle, her claws are clearly visible. The only cats known to run with claws unsheathed are cheetahs.
2. (I'm not too sure about this one, but anyway...) When falling from heights, cats twist in midair, landing on their feet on the ground. In the scene where Mufasa falls from the gorge, I don't remember him twisting; he was facing upwards all the way. (same problem in Simba's Pride, when Zira falls from the cliff and into the river).
(Submitted by Hermione)
When Mufasa's ghost is talking to Simba, and the camera shows Simba saying, "How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be," for a second or two Simba's usually yellow eyes turn white. If you have a VCR with which you can go frame-by-frame, you can see that for four frames, the animators forgot to color in Simba's eyes.
(Submitted by Shoka)
I've noticed in Be Prepared, right at the beginning, we see Scar walking towards the camera, with the green gas at either side. Well, some of the gas flows along the floor and scar just steps on it as if he's just pasted on the background. I know that's what is done, but it's still interesting to see evidence of it.
(Submitted by Brenna Tereck)
After Musafa tells Simba about the past Kings in Heaven, the scene moves to Banzai complaining to Ed about the claw marks on his derriere. Banzai yells at Ed to shut up, and in these next few scenes, the claw marks have disappeared.
At the very end of the movie, (when Scar gets up and sees the angry hyenas closing in around him, he puts his paw up to shield his face. But watch! put your DVD/ VCR on slow motion to watch that again. We can see that Scar and his shadow are doing 2 completely different things... Scar shields his face with his paw, but his shadow is doing something completely different. (This is happening just as the camera moves up)
(Submitted by Agus)
hi, i'm agus, and i found a mistake in the song can't wait to be king
i saw it a long time ago, but i wasn't totally sure
i the part when simba and nala pass thru the zebras and zazu pass behind them, when the zebras turn the back on him, before the scene changes, zazu's shadow totally disappeares...
(Submitted by Patrick L.)
I found a shadow mistake in the beginning of the stampede scene, when Scar talks to Simba. Here is a comparison picture: http://www.lionking.org/images/lionkingmistake90309.jpg Also the small vegetation changes from pic 2 to 3.
(Submitted by Vadercat)
Lion cubs, until they reach near maturity, do NOT have tail tassels. Yet throughout the entire movie, the cubs are shown with them!
A self-doubting, sorrowful hero
The hero's father, the rightful king, murdered by the hero's evil brother, who then usurps the throne
Exile of the hero when he realizes his life is in danger (from his uncle in one case, from the pride in the other)
Company for the hero in exile in the form of two comic, buffoonish characters
The ghost of the hero's father appears to him and commands him to take back what is rightfully his Understandably, though, the parallels end at many key spots. In TLK:
Scar does not marry Sarabi
Timon and Pumbaa are not agents of Scar
The end is a triumphant one, not one in which the entire cast dies
Also, as noted by Gregory Gietzen, there is a similarity to "King Henry IV, Part I"; in that play, young Prince Hal shirks his duties hanging out with two buffoonish friends, who parallel Timon and Pumbaa quite strikingly.
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How to Can Food
Seven Parts: Choosing what Food to Can Preparing the Food for Canning Sterilizing the Jars Canning your Chosen Food Using a Canner Handling Processed jars Printable Food Labels Community Q&A
Before refrigeration was common, people evened out the ebbs and floods of harvests by preserving excess for later use. One of the ways that food was preserved was through canning. While most food can only be canned safely under high temperature and high pressure conditions that will require a pressure canner, acidic foods (pH less than 4.6) can be preserved in jars by using a boiling water bath.
The basic principle of canning is to kill all the microorganisms that spoil food, then to seal the jar tight to keep them out. That's why canning places such emphasis on sterilization, cleanliness and hygiene.
Steps
Choosing what Food to Can
1
Choose what food you will can. It’s best to can food that you like. There's no point in canning gallons of something you don't like or your family won't eat, unless you plan on giving your canned goods as gifts or selling them.
If you grow your own fruits and vegetables, choose a food you have a lot of. If your peach tree has been particularly fruitful this year, can your peaches rather than the two strawberries your plant produced this season. Canning is a great way to preserve those extra tomatoes or apples at their peak.
2
Start with something fairly simple if you've never canned before. Some foods require more handling, time, and processing than others.
If you're just beginning to can, start with one batch of tomatoes or jam, not 40 pounds of apples. You can always do more as you grow comfortable with the process and decide you like it. Remember that while cherries can be canned, you'll have to take out every pit first.
3
Choose food in good condition. Fruits and vegetables should be firm and ripe, free of bad spots and mold. Foods need not be beautiful to can them. If you are growing or buying tomatoes, you may find yourself with "process tomatoes" (tomatoes with more bulges and seams than might sell well in the supermarket) or pickling cucumbers .
Part 2
Preparing the Food for Canning
1
Consult a recipe and a current canning guide (see tips and sources) for the specific times and techniques for the foods you choose to can. Different foods require different processing. It's perfectly alright to use a favorite old family recipe, but compare it to a similar recipe in a modern guide and adjust the processing time and technique accordingly. The basics for safety may have changed since an old recipe was written.
Consult the latest USDA guidelines or Ball or Kerr books for process times according to jar contents and size, especially if you use an old recipe. Processing times have changed over the years because we have learned more about food safety and, in some cases, because foods are being bred differently. Tomatoes, for example, may be considerably less acidic than they used to be.
2
Wash your hands thoroughly and keep them clean throughout the process. You want to reduce the amount of bacteria that could contaminate your canned food as much as possible. Wash them again before resuming work if you sneeze , visit the bathroom , or handle non-food items during the process.
3
Prepare the food according to the recipe. Most food will need to be cut up so that it can fit more easily into the jars.
Peel and cut up fruits or vegetables. Note that you can "slip" certain fruits. Peel peaches, nectarines, and tomatoes by dipping them briefly in boiling water until the skins split open. Then, use a strainer to remove them and place them in cool water. When they are cool enough to handle, slip the skins right off them.
Remove pits, stems, cores, and any other part you don't eat. Note that freestone peaches are those that readily relinquish their pits, whereas cling peaches tend to cling. Choose your fruit accordingly.
Sterilizing the Jars
1
Sterilize mason jars by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. It is important to sterilize the jars because if there is any bacteria in the jars when you put the food in and seal them, your canned food can go bad. If you are at high altitude, add an additional minute for each 1,000 feet (304.8 m) above sea level. Then, place them upside-down on a clean towel and drape another towel over them until you are ready to use them.
You can also sterilize your jars by placing them in the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher for a whole cycle.
2
Boil about an inch (2.5cm) of water in the bottom of a medium saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the jar seals into the water. Push them down so that they sink, and try not to stack them on each other, so that they heat evenly. Allow them to soften for a minute or two. You can start this step while you fill jars and wipe rims, if you time it right.
Part 4
Canning your Chosen Food
1
Fill the jars. This step is also called packing the jars. Foods are said to be "hot-packed" or "cold-packed" depending on whether they are cooked and packed into jars hot or simply cut up and packed into jars cold. This difference may affect your cooking time for the same food, so be sure to read the recipe carefully.
A canning funnel will make the job easier, especially for small pieces and liquid or semi-liquid foods.
For items in individual pieces, such as string beans, arrange them in the jar. Do this as neatly as you wish. If you'll be showing the jars in a fair, you may wish to pack very neatly. On the other hand, if you'll just dump them in soup someday, it may not be worth the bother to line them all up perfectly.
2
Leave a little bit of space at the top, called "head space". The head space is necessary The head space varies between about an eighth of an inch (3mm) and an inch (25mm) depending on the food, so check instructions specific to whatever you are canning.
3
Add preservatives according to the recipe. Preservatives used in home canning include sugar, salt, and acids such as lemon juice and ascorbic acid (better known as Vitamin C) sold in powder form with other canning supplies. Add the preservative before adding the liquid, so that pouring the liquid over it mixes it in.
4
Pour the syrup or preserving liquid into the jar. Leave a ½-inch of space at the top of the jar.
5
Remove air bubbles. When you pour liquid over loose pieces, you'll leave air bubbles. Remove them by running a long, plastic knife (also available with canning supplies) down along the sides and jiggling or gently pressing the food.
6
Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue or drips. Make especially sure to clean the top surface where the seal will sit.
7
Place a softened seal on each jar. A magnetic lid wand will help you get them safely out of the boiling water. To release the seal, set it on a jar and tilt the wand.
If you don't have a lid wand, you can use a small pair of tongs. Just don't touch the lids with your hands.
8
Screw a clean ring down over the seal and tighten it with snug hand pressure. Don't tighten so much that you press all the seal material off of the rim.
Part 5
Using a Canner
1
Use a water bath canner if your canning recipe calls for it. Water bath canning works for many cooked foods (relish, pickles, jam) and acid fruits (applesauce, peaches, pears, apricots). Check a current recipe to be sure water bath canning is adequate for your food.
Lower the jars onto a rack in a water-bath canner or large stock pot. Add enough water to cover them by 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm). Remember to add hot water if the jars are hot-packed and cold water if the jars are cold-packed. Avoid subjecting jars to sudden, drastic changes in temperatures. You can measure it to the first knuckle, as shown. Don't stack jars in a water-bath canner.
2
If you use a large stock pot, place a rack or other spacer (such as a small towel) on the bottom of the pot so that the jars do not rest directly on the bottom of the pot.
Cover the canner and bring the water to a gentle boil. Boil for the specified time, adding to the processing time if you're more than 3,000 feet (914.4 m) above sea level.
3
Use a pressure canner if your recipe calls for it. Pressure canning is necessary for meats and most vegetables because they do not have enough acid in them. Pressure canning can also reduce the processing time for foods like peaches and tomatoes, compared to water bath canning. To prevent certain harmful bacteria from forming, it is necessary to process low-acid foods at a higher pressure. Pressure canners raise the temperature by building up pressure inside. Typically, it is necessary to raise the temperature to 240F (116C) to kill these bacteria.
Arrange the jars in the pressure canner. For smaller jars, you may be able to stack them, as long as you offset them. That is, instead of putting a jar bottom directly on a jar lid so it nests, straddle a jar bottom across the rims of other jars.
Check your gasket before you begin pressure canning each year. They tend to dry out when they sit on a shelf. It must be able to form a seal. You may be able to revive a somewhat dry gasket by soaking it in just-boiled water. If your gasket is too old or cracked, replace it. You'll need to replace your gasket every year or two.
Place the lid on the pressure canner and twist it firmly closed. Often the handle position will indicate what is closed. Remove the rocker from the lid of the canner.
Bring the pressure canner to a boil. Watch the steam coming out of the opening where the rocker will go. There is usually also an indicator pin in the center. This pin will pop up as steam builds inside the canner.
Allow the steam to vent for a period of time. When it is rushing out of the vent in a strong, even stream, it is called a "full head of steam". Let the canner vent with a full head of steam for seven minutes or as specified in your recipe or canner's instructions.
Place the rocker on the vent and start timing the specified process time. The needle on the pressure gauge will begin to rise.
Adjust the temperature on the stove so that the pressure in the canner is what is specified in your recipe, adjusted for altitude. This pressure is typically 10psi (gauge pressure) at sea level. You'll generally have to make multiple small adjustments to get the pressure right. It will take a few moments to see the effects of each adjustment, since a large pot full of water and jars needs to change before your needle shows the change.
Attend pressure canners for the entire cooking duration, adjusting the temperature as necessary. Drafts and other variations will cause it to continue to shift. Lower the heat slightly if the pressure is too high and raise it if the pressure drops. Don't assume that you have reached the balance point, since drafts and other variations can disrupt the pressure fairly quickly. A pressure that is too low could fail to cook sufficiently hot; one that is too high could run the risk of breakage.
Process the jars for the full time stated in the recipe then Turn off the heat, leaving the rocker on until the indicator pin drops. When the pin drops, remove the rocker and allow the canner to vent for a few minutes.
Open the lid slowly and hold it between yourself and the jars for a few moments. You can even rest the lid loosely open on the pot rim for a minute or so. It doesn't happen very often (especially if you're careful to relieve the pressure gradually), but pressure canned jars occasionally break when the pressure is released.
Part 6
Handling Processed jars
1
Remove the jars from the canner. Jar tongs are a secure and safe way to do this, or you may be able to raise the entire basket in a water-bath canner. Place the jars on a clean towel to cool.
2
Allow the full jars to cool for 24 hours in a place free from drafts. You may hear the metal lids make a loud plinking sound. That is simply the contents cooling and creating a partial vacuum in the jar. Don't touch the lids yet. Let them seal on their own.
3
Check to make sure that the jars have sealed after several hours have passed. The vacuum created when the contents cooled should have pulled the "dome" lid down very tightly. If you can press the center of the lid down, it did not seal. It should not spring back. If any jars have not sealed, you can place a fresh lid on them and process them again or refrigerate those jars and use the contents soon.
4
Wash the jars in room-temperature, soapy water to remove any residue on the outsides. You can remove the rings at this point, since the seals should be holding themselves on securely. Allow the rings and jars to dry thoroughly before replacing the rings, to prevent rust.
5
Label your canned goods with the year, at least. Also consider writing the contents, since apple and peach can be hard to tell apart a month later. Write your name, too, if you are giving the jars as gifts. You can use a sticker or a permanent marker.
Mark your jars on the seals rather than the glass if you want to reuse the jars easily. Store sealed jars on a shelf, avoiding excessive exposure to heat or light. Refrigerate after opening.
Printable Food Labels
How many years will the canned food last?
wikiHow Contributor
It depends on which food and preservatives you've added and where you've stored it. A factory standard can last up to three years, and may still be edible for up to ten.
There is corrosion on the inside of the lid of canned sauerkraut. Is it spoiled? The lid was tightly sealed.
wikiHow Contributor
Corrosion means that moisture was inside the can, and for a long time. That means that the food is also not healthy to eat.
Do I need to keep the jars hot when I put the jam in them?
wikiHow Contributor
Yes, boil the jars and then when you are ready to can, put them on the counter, put the food inside and then put the lid on. As the jar cools, the lid will suction inward and create a vacuum that keeps your food sealed in and fresh until you open it (up to a year). You should see an indent on the top of the Mason jar if you did it correctly.
If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.
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Tips
Eat what you can. Don't just leave it on the shelf, admiring how much work you have done. Home-canned items have a limited shelf life, so eat them within the first few years. Otherwise, what's the point?
Take notes. You might not remember well from one year to the next what you did and what you discovered. An inexpensive notebook kept with your canning supplies will remind you. Write down the following:
How much you started with and how many jars of each size it yielded.
How many jars you canned and how many jars your family used each year.
Any techniques or recipes you discover.
Where you got any food you purchased and how much you paid.
Rings and jars may be reused. Sealing lids must be replaced since the soft sealing compound deforms with use. Discard any rings that are dented or overly rusty.
Depending on your stove, you may wish to look into getting a special canning burner. Canning burners stand up a little higher off the surface of the stove to prevent too much heat from building up under very large pots.
If you're reusing older jars, visually inspect them for cracks or chips. Run a finger gently around the rim to make sure it is smooth and undamaged.
If you are left with a partial jar at the end of a batch, you can either add it to the next batch (place it in with the fruit at the beginning), place it in a smaller jar, or refrigerate that portion and use it immediately. It's a great opportunity to sample your hard work.
If you'll be buying a larger quantity of something to can, ask at a fruit stand or farmer's market whether you can put an order in and get a better price.
Warnings
Home-canned foods can harbor deadly diseases if they spoil or are mishandled. Always process foods for the recommended duration, clean and sterilize jars properly before use, and discard any jar of food that is not sealed. Also discard any jar with contents that smell wrong or appear moldy or discolored.
"Open-kettle canning," a once-popular method of sealing jars by inverting them so that the hot contents create the seal, is not considered safe. Paraffin methods are also questionable. It is best to use metal lids and process the jars for the recommended amount of time in a boiling water bath.
While you might save jars from purchased products that fit a canning jar ring, real canning jars are best. They are designed with thick enough glass to withstand repeated processing and home canning. Use those saved jars to store dry goods or your penny collection, instead.
Never use mayonnaise jars or other jars that aren't mason jars to pressure can.
Avoid placing cold glass into hot water or vice versa. Sudden temperature changes can shatter the glass.
Things You'll Need
Get the right equipment. Some things can be improvised and others can't. Don't let the length of this list scare you. These things should be in a well-stocked kitchen, anyway:
Large saucepans, stock pot(s)
Basic canning needs:
Mason jars
Choose an appropriate selection of sizes: half-pint, 12 oz, pint, 20 or 26-oz, and quart. Half-gallon and half-cup jars exist, but they're not good for beginners. Half-gallon jars may call for extremely long processing times if they are listed at all. Half-cup jars may be difficult to seal consistently.
Distinguish between wide-mouth and regular-mouth mason jars. These are simply two sizes for lids and seals. Wide mouth jars are easier to pack with foods in large pieces, such as pear halves.
Mason jar rings and seals. New jars come with these, or they may be purchased separately.
Jar tongs (to remove hot jars from boiling water securely).
Magnetic lid wand or small tongs.
Water bath canner or large stock pot.
Get these items if and when you need them:
Pressure canner
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What boxer, ranked number 8 on The Ring's list of greatest punchers, was nicknamed The Manassa Mauler or Kid Blackie, during his 7 years of holding the World Heavyweight title, starting in 1919? | The Enron of Sports: FIFA's Upheaval, from Corruption Arrests to Rising Death Toll in Qatar | Democracy Now!
The Enron of Sports: FIFA's Upheaval, from Corruption Arrests to Rising Death Toll in Qatar
StoryMay 29, 2015
Dave Zirin
sports columnist for The Nation magazine and host of Edge of Sports Radio on SiriusXM. Zirin is the author of several books on sports. His latest is Brazil’s Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy.
Jules Boykoff
teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon. He is the author of Activism and the Olympics: Dissent at the Games in Vancouver and London and Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games. In the 1980s and 1990s, he represented the U.S. Olympic soccer team in international competition.
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Edge of Sports
In what’s been described as the largest scandal in modern sports history, nine high-ranking soccer officials, including two current vice presidents of soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, were indicted along with five sports marketing executives on federal corruption charges by the U.S. Justice Department. Among those arrested in connection with the probe is Jack Warner, former vice president of FIFA, who is accused of taking a $10 million bribe to cast his ballot for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. Despite the arrests, FIFA is holding an election today to pick the next president of the organization. FIFA President Sepp Blatter is seeking re-election for the post he has held since 1998. Many commentators have predicted he will be re-elected, though some nations, including the United States, have vowed to vote against him. We speak to sportswriter Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff, former professional soccer player who represented the U.S. Olympic soccer team.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to what some have described as the largest scandal in modern sports history. Earlier this week, nine high-ranking soccer officials, including two current vice presidents of soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, were indicted along with five sports marketing executives on federal corruption charges by the U.S. Justice Department. Early on Wednesday, Swiss authorities made a series of arrests at a five-star hotel at the request of the the U.S. authorities.
AMY GOODMAN: Among those arrested in connection with the probe is Jack Warner, former vice president of FIFA, who is accused of taking a $10 million bribe to cast his ballot for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the corruption dates back to at least 1991.
ATTORNEY GENERAL LORETTA LYNCH: The 14 defendants charged in the indictment we are unsealing today include high-ranking officials of FIFA, the international organization responsible for regulating and promoting soccer, leaders of regional and other governing bodies under the FIFA umbrella and sports marketing executives who, according to the indictment, paid millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments. The 47-count indictment against these individuals includes charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies spanning two decades.
AMY GOODMAN: On Thursday, the chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation [unit], Richard Weber, described the corruption within FIFA.
RICHARD WEBER: As the best financial investigators in the world, IRS-CI special agents exposed complex money-laundering schemes, uncovered millions of dollars in untaxed income, and discovered tens of millions of dollars hidden away in offshore accounts in countries like Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. This really is the World Cup of fraud. And today we are issuing FIFA a red card.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Despite the arrests, FIFA is holding an election today to pick the next president of the organization. FIFA President Sepp Blatter is seeking re-election for the post he has held since 1998. Many commentators have predicted he will be re-elected, though some nations, including the United States, have vowed to vote against him. Earlier today, protesters in Zurich called for Blatter to step down. This is Alaphia Zoyab of the group Avaaz.
ALAPHIA ZOYAB: If Blatter doesn’t go despite giving the World Cup to a country that has slave labor, if Blatter doesn’t go despite the fact that his sponsors are starting to wobble, and if Blatter doesn’t go despite the fact that half his board has been arrested, it’s not just Blatter that needs to be axed, the FIFA Congress itself needs to be questioned.
AMY GOODMAN: This week’s FIFA arrests are just the latest scandal within the international soccer community. FIFA has also come under criticism for selecting Qatar to host the 2022 games despite the country’s poor human rights record. According to the International Trade Union Confederation, 1,200 migrant workers have died since the World Cup was awarded in 2010.
To talk more about FIFA and the soccer scandals, we’re joined by two guests. Jules Boykoff is with us, former professional soccer player who represented the U.S. Olympic soccer team. He now teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon, joining us from Portland. And in Washington, D.C., sportswriter Dave Zirin. His latest book, Brazil’s Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy.
Well, Dave, you’ve been covering this for a long time. We were interviewing you in Brazil when the World Cup was there. Are you surprised?
DAVE ZIRIN: Not surprised at all, about as surprised as I’d be if I fell in a pool and emerged wet. The only thing that is surprising here is that we’re now dealing with charges that have actual teeth. That’s the only surprise. I mean, we are talking about the Enron of sports and a hubris and arrogance that is bringing down a multibillion-dollar corporation. The only difference between FIFA and Enron is that FIFA has been designated a nonprofit by the Swiss government, which makes looking at its books and finding the extent of the corruption all the more difficult.
Now, for Democracy Now! listeners and viewers, I could understand why people would look at the U.S. Justice Department and say, "Why can’t they be this aggressive towards the Wall Street bankers? Why can’t they be this aggressive towards police brutality?" And those viewers are absolutely correct. But people should also realize that this is a day that people should celebrate, because it is crippling one of the most corrupt multinationals that we have, sports or otherwise.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Dave, could you tell us a little bit about Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA? He wasn’t among those who was indicted, and today he’s running for president, for re-election for president of FIFA.
DAVE ZIRIN: Yes, Sepp Blatter, as you said, he has been in charge of FIFA for 17 years. The thing about Sepp Blatter that distinguishes him from the people who were indicted is that Sepp Blatter uses his power and influence to attain more power. He’s less interested in personal enrichment than he is in influence, and this is what has allowed him to remain free of prison these last many years. Although Sepp Blatter is also—he will not get off a plane in the United States, for fear that he will be arrested. That is true. There are also people saying that he might not attend the Women’s World Cup in Canada, for fear that he might be arrested. So, you’re talking about somebody who is effectively a stateless actor, somebody who is under investigation, who will probably be re-elected for a fifth term to head FIFA.
AMY GOODMAN: Are there any U.S. Justice Department Blatter leaks? What will happen to Blatter next, Dave?
DAVE ZIRIN: That’s a terrific question. What is very clear is that Lorreta Lynch has Blatter in her sights. That’s why she said she wanted to uproot corruption going back 20 years. That’s Blatter’s term. And let’s be clear about this, too: The U.S. Justice Department is going after FIFA very simply because the U.S. was not awarded the 2022 World Cup. If they had been, I don’t think this investigation would be taking place. And also let’s keep in mind that the Justice Department has only gone after, at this point, a small part of the world—North America, Central America, these confederations. What it says to us is that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and if some of these FIFA vice presidents begin to talk, begin to flip, if you will, to use Mafia parlance, what we could be looking at is the bringing down of Sepp Blatter and perhaps the beginning of the end of FIFA itself.
AMY GOODMAN: Could you talk about the revelations regarding the Clinton Foundation—
DAVE ZIRIN: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: —having received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Qatari World Cup Committee—
DAVE ZIRIN: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: —when Bill Clinton was serving as the U.S. World Cup delegate with the U.S. cup world delegation—the World Cup delegation?
DAVE ZIRIN: Yes. Not only has the Clinton Foundation received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Qatar World Cup Committee, it has also received millions of dollars from the Qatari government over the last several years. And the Clintons are going to have to answer this question, because, as you said in the intro, the Qatari World Cup construction has an absolutely monstrous body count—1,200 deaths—slavery, and even the prevention of Nepalese migrant workers of going home to Nepal after the recent earthquake to go to funerals for members of their family. Now, there is this lore that’s out there in the media that Bill Clinton was so angry after the U.S. did not get the World Cup bid for 2022, he broke a mirror, and that signaled that the United States was going to get serious about corruption in the World Cup. This is mainstream media hooey. What you see much more clearly is a very bizarre, very unexplained connection between the Qatari royal family, the Qatari World Cup bid and the Clinton Foundation, which allegedly was to facilitate less labor abuses, when in reality we have not seen that at all.
AMY GOODMAN: The Guardian has an amazing figure: Despite Qatar’s promises to improve conditions, Nepali migrants have died at a rate of one every two days in 2014 in Qatar.
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah, and that blood is on Sepp Blatter’s hands, as well. Even though, ironically, Sepp Blatter was not in favor of the Qatari bid, he has said that this World Cup will go on in 2022, quote-unquote, "over his dead body"—that’s his words—even though it’s 125 degrees during the summer in Qatar, even though they’re going to have to have the World Cup in 2022 in the fall, which will effectively cut into, if not completely reorganize, the European soccer leagues, which are the world’s most popular. And that’s why I think 2022, if Blatter is re-elected and if we have a situation where he’s not imprisoned, where we could be looking at the crack-up of FIFA in the years to come, because the splits are really profound. And the splits are unclear. Voting against Blatter today will not only be the United States, as you mentioned, but also the Palestinian Football Association. So, if Blatter and FIFA have done nothing else, they have brought the interests of Palestine and the interests of the United States together for once.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, could you talk about that, Dave? Your recent piece talks about the Palestinian Football Association’s bid to have the Israeli Football Association, you know, somehow sanctioned for the way it treats Palestinian football players. Could you talk about that?
DAVE ZIRIN: Yes, sanctioned or expelled. It would be the first time since apartheid South Africa that a country was asked to leave FIFA because of its practices. But this news is changing as I’m speaking to you. There are negotiations going on. Israel, from what I hear from news reports, is already relenting on what has been a blockade preventing players in Gaza from traveling freely to the West Bank. And that’s what the Palestinian Football Association is charging Israel with. They’re saying they are choking out their ability to develop soccer because of the way that they get in the way of free movement of players, free movement of coaches. And perhaps the most damning accusation towards the Israeli Football Association is that they have created and formed five or six, depending on reports, clubs in the Occupied Territories, in the settlements of the West Bank, so it’s Israeli Football Association using soccer as a way to take land that should rightfully be part of a possible Palestinian state. And they’re saying that the Israeli Football Association should be removed from FIFA unless they agree to cease these practices. And there are furious negotiations going on, as we speak, to try to head that off.
AMY GOODMAN: Russian President Vladimir Putin has come out in defense of the embattled FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. Russia is due to host the World Cup in 2018. Putin drew comparisons between the alleged attempt to oust Blatter and the charges brought against National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, who’s got political asylum in Russia, and WikiLeaks founder and editor Julian Assange. He accused the U.S. of meddling outside its jurisdiction.
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: [translated] With regard to the arrests that have been made, it looks very strange, to say the least, because the arrests have been made at the request of the American side on charges of corruption. And who were charged? International officials. We can assume that some of them may have violated something. I don’t know. But it’s clear that the U.S. has nothing to do with that anyway. Those officials are not U.S. citizens. And if some event indeed happened, and it happened not on the United States territory, and the U.S. has nothing to do with that, this is yet another blatant attempt to extend its jurisdiction to other states.
AMY GOODMAN: Dave Zirin, your response?
DAVE ZIRIN: Well—
AMY GOODMAN: That was, of course, Vladimir Putin.
DAVE ZIRIN: Well, I mean, Vladimir Putin will also be having to answer, in the weeks and months to come, new allegations about the use of prison labor to create World Cup facilities in Russia. But that being said, one thing that Putin is saying which is true is that the United States Justice Department is using statutes that they—that was granted to it by law after 9/11 as a way to conduct international antiterror arrests in other countries that they have extradition agreements with. So this was a post-9/11 arrest using antiterror statutes as a way to arrest foreign officials and bring them to the United States for trial. And these antiterror statutes are so broad that if someone even tries to send money through a computer server in the United States, it dings off a server in the U.S., then the U.S. Justice Department has jurisdiction to go into another country, conduct an arrest and bring people back to the U.S. for trial. So this is the United States playing globocop. That is irrefutable.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Jules Boykoff, I want to ask you—you’ve played competitively for the U.S. in international soccer tournaments. What was your response when this scandal broke with FIFA? And can you say a little about the way in which soccer has changed from the time that you played to now?
JULES BOYKOFF: Absolutely. Well, corruption in FIFA has been an open secret for a long time. I actually was a little bit surprised when the allegations came out, and I was surprised that the Justice Department would pursue this using the legal means at its disposal. Soccer has changed a lot over the years, and it’s become a big-time money enterprise, and there’s a whole lot at stake. FIFA is supposedly a nonprofit organization, yet it sure is profitable. It has holdings of about $1.5 billion. It made nearly $5 billion off the Brazil World Cup. And so, when you have that kind of money floating around, we shouldn’t be surprised about stories regarding envelopes full of tens of thousands of dollars, or we shouldn’t be surprised by stories like Chuck Blazer, the U.S. soccer honcho, who was renting an apartment at Trump Tower, not too far from you, at $18,000 a month. In fact, the guy had an apartment for his cats at $6,000 a month. So when you have that kind of money floating around, we shouldn’t be surprised that we see these kind of corrupt activities.
What’s interesting to me, too, though, beyond that, beyond the actual illegal corruption, is the corruption that’s sort of imbedded in everyday practice for FIFA. So, for example, since 1999, under Sepp Blatter, he’s distributed funds through various programs, including the Goal Project, Football for Hope, to various small countries, and that’s how he’s gained their allegiance. So your listeners and viewers might be wondering how the heck is this guy going to possibly get re-elected shortly. Therein lies the answer. He’s distributed money, he’s farmed it out, and he’s gained the allegiance from people across the world this way. So he may well get the two-thirds he needs in the first vote today. That’s 140 votes. And if he doesn’t, he may well get the majority required in the second round of voting.
AMY GOODMAN: Dave Zirin, before you go, I wanted to ask you about, you know, what’s being said is Loretta Lynch’s first big move as U.S. attorney general. Now, she took this with her from being U.S. attorney here in New York. But before this, of course, the indictments against the banks were announced, or the settlement. Now, that was banks, not individuals. What about that comparison, that you see all these people hauled off, but when it comes to the banks, no one is named?
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah, I think it’s disturbing. And another one is the real timidity to go after local police departments, as well, by the Justice Department, given some of the cases like, for example, the one that you discussed at the top of the show that’s so horrifying, about the woman who was pregnant and brought to the ground. I think this is something that people need to demand and press the Justice Department about. And frankly, I think it is happening because FIFA is such low-hanging fruit. I mean, if you think about it, it’s not people from the United States. It looks extremely aggressive. And FIFA’s reputation has been terrible for about 20, 25 years. And so, this idea of, oh, people are actually doing something about FIFA, especially at a time when soccer is growing in popularity in the United States, this is a very, very popular, bipartisan move for the United States to do. And for the right wing, it also looks very muscular, because it’s going overseas to play globocop and make an arrest and bring people then back to the United States for trial. Yet lost in all of this is the precedent, first of all, that the U.S. is setting by going overseas on a non-terror case to make an arrest and bring people back. And what’s being lost is that you have bankers in this country who facilitated the largest theft in the history of thieves back in 2008, and yet they remain free. I think that’s something people need to continue to press and ask this Justice Department: If they’re this muscular with FIFA, why not with the Wall Street bankers?
AMY GOODMAN: Jules Boykoff, talk about the women’s cup.
JULES BOYKOFF: Well, that’s one of the sad facts of all this, is that the Women’s World Cup is going to start on June 6, and it’s getting totally overshadowed by this FIFA corruption scandal. It’s going to be a terrific tournament. Canada is hosting it. We’re going to see women from across the world play some terrific soccer in front of us. Unfortunately, they’re going to be playing on artificial turf fields, which has been a point of major disagreement from the women players who will be coming to Canada, because of the possibility of injury increasing and because it changes the game, makes it a bit faster and different than it is on grass.
But certainly, FIFA has a long history of flinging misogyny in every direction. Back in 2004, Sepp Blatter stated quite clearly, when asked how we could make the women’s game more popular in the world, he suggested that they wear tighter shorts. For real. Ten years later, he didn’t even recognize Alex Morgan, one of the top three players in the world, up for the FIFA Player of the Year award. He didn’t even recognize her at the gala banquet dinner. A couple—also, beyond that, he walked up to Abby Wambach’s wife, Sarah Huffman, and thought she was Marta, the Brazilian star who had won the FIFA award five times. So, misogyny in FIFA, sexism in FIFA runs deep. And this has been one of the sad side effects, is that we’re not talking about what’s going to be a terrific tournament.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you both for being with us. Jules Boykoff teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon, author of Activism and the Olympics: Dissent at the Games in Vancouver and London, as well as Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games. In the ’80s and ’90s, he represented the U.S. Olympic soccer team in international competition. And thanks to Dave Zirin, sports columnist for The Nation.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we go to Texas, where floods have killed many people. We’ll talk about climate change, from Texas to India. Stay with us.
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What "tastes so good, cats ask for it by name"? | Adslogans - A fast, efficient bespoke search service for advertisers on slogans, endlines, straplines, taglines etc. - HALL OF FAME
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Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame
The Advertising Slogan Hall Of Fame recognises excellence and best practice in advertising, benchmarking creativity - identifying the best in branding. The Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame now recognizes 125 lines as members, ranging from ‘Let your fingers do the walking’ to ‘Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach,’ to ‘We try harder,’ to ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it.’
Tastes so good cats ask for it by name.
Tastes so good cats ask for it by name.
Advertiser: Meow Mix
Ad agency: Della Femina Travisano
Year: 1976
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What is the name of the street, in the fictional town of Fairview, where TV's Desperate Housewives live? | 22 Companies With Really Catchy Slogans & Brand Taglines
July 20, 2016 // 8:00 AM
22 Companies With Really Catchy Slogans & Brand Taglines
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You know what's really difficult?
Being succinct. Seriously ... it's ridiculously hard. If you don't believe me, just grab your favorite copywriter and ask them.
It's especially difficult to express a complex emotional concept in just a couple of words -- which is exactly what a slogan does.
That's why we have a lot of respect for the brands that have done it right. The ones that have figured out how to convey their value proposition to their buyer persona in just one, short sentence -- and a quippy one, at that.
So if you're looking to get a little slogan inspiration of your own, take a look at some of our favorite company slogans from both past and present. (Note: We've updated this post to include some suggestions from the comment section.)
Before we get into specific examples, let's quickly go over what a slogan is and what makes one stand out.
What is a Slogan?
In business, a slogan or tagline is "a catchphrase or small group of words that are combined in a special way to identify a product or company," according to Entrepreneur.com's small business encyclopedia .
In many ways, they're like mini mission statements .
Companies have slogans for the same reason they have logos: advertising. While logos are visual representations of a brand, slogans are audible representations of a brand. Both formats grab consumers' attention more readily than the name a company or product might. Plus, they're simpler to understand and remember.
The goal? To leave a key brand message in consumers' minds so that, if they remember nothing else from an advertisement, they'll remember the slogan.
What Makes a Great Slogan?
According to HowStuffWorks , a great slogan has most or all of the following characteristics:
It's memorable.
Is the slogan quickly recognizable? Will people only have to spend a second or two thinking about it? A brief, catchy few words can go a long way in advertisements, videos, posters, business cards, swag, and other places. ( Take this quiz to see if you can guess the brands behind 16 memorable slogans.)
It includes a key benefit.
Ever heard the marketing advice, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak"? It means sell the benefits, not the features -- which applies perfectly to slogans. A great slogan makes a company or product's benefits clear to the audience.
It differentiates the brand.
Does your light beer have the fullest flavor? Or maybe the fewest calories? What is it about your product or brand that sets it apart from competitors? ( Check out our essential branding guide here. )
It imparts positive feelings about the brand.
The best taglines use words that are positive and upbeat. For example, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups' slogan, "Two great tastes that taste great together," gives the audience good feelings about Reese's, whereas a slogan like Lea & Perrins', "Steak sauce only a cow could hate," uses negative words. The former leaves a better impression on the audience.
Now that we've covered what a slogan is and what makes one great, here are examples of the best brand slogans of all time. If we missed any of your favorites, share them with us in the comment section. (Note: We've updated this post with several ideas folks have shared with us in the comments.)
22 Companies With Really Catchy Taglines & Slogans
1) Nike: "Just Do It"
It didn't take long for Nike's message to resonate. The brand became more than just athletic apparel -- it began to embody a state of mind. It encourages you to think that you don't have to be an athlete to be in shape or tackle an obstacle. If you want to do it, just do it. That's all it takes.
But it's unlikely Kennedy + Weiden, the agency behind this tagline, knew from the start that Nike would brand itself in this way. In fact, Nike's product used to cater almost exclusively to marathon runners, which are among the most hardcore athletes out there. The "Just Do It" campaign widened the funnel, and it's proof positive that some brands need to take their time coming up with a slogan that reflects their message and resonates with their target audience.
Source: brandchannel
2) Apple: "Think Different"
This slogan was first released in the Apple commercial called "Here's to the Crazy Ones, Think Different" -- a tribute to all the time-honored visionaries who challenged the status quo and changed the world. The phrase itself is a bold nod to IBM's campaign "Think IBM," which was used at the time to advertise its ThinkPad.
Soon after, the slogan "Think Different" accompanied Apple advertisements all over the place, even though Apple hadn't released any significant new products at the time. All of a sudden, people began to realize that Apple wasn't just any old computer; it was so powerful and so simple to use that it made the average computer user feel innovative and tech-savvy.
According to Forbes , Apple's stock price tripled within a year of the commercial's release. Although the slogan has been since retired, many Apple users still feel a sense of entitlement for being among those who "think different."
Source: Blue Fin Group
3) Dollar Shave Club: "Shave Time. Shave Money."
The folks at Dollar Shave Club have made their way onto quite a few of our lists here on the blog -- like this one on promotional product videos and this one on holiday marketing campaigns . In other words, it's safe to say that when it comes to marketing and advertising, they know what they are doing. And their slogan -- "Shave Time. Shave Money." -- is an excellent reflection of their expertise.
This little quip cleverly incorporates two of the service's benefits: cost and convenience. It's punny, to the point, and it perfectly represents the overall tone of the brand.
Source: TheStephenHarvey.com
4) L'Oréal: "Because You're Worth It"
Who doesn't want to feel like they're worth it? The folks at L'Oréal know that women wear makeup in order to make themselves appear "beautiful" so they feel desirable, wanted, and worth it. The tagline isn't about the product -- it's about the image the product can get you. This message allowed L'Oréal to push its brand further than just utility so as to give the entire concept of makeup a much more powerful message.
Source: Farah Khan
5) California Milk Processor Board: "Got Milk?"
While most people are familiar with the "Got Milk?" campaign, not everyone remembers that it was launched by the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB). What's interesting about this campaign is that it was initially launched to combat the rapid increase in fast food and soft beverages: The CMPB wanted people to revert to milk as their drink of choice in order to sustain a healthier life. The campaign was meant to bring some life to a "boring" product, ad executives told TIME Magazine .
The simple words "Got Milk?" scribbled above celebrities, animals, and children with milk mustaches, which ran from 2003 until 2014 , became one of the longest-lasting campaigns ever. The CMPB wasn't determined to make its brand known with this one -- they were determined to infiltrate the idea of drinking milk across the nation. And these two simple words sure as heck did.
Source: Broward Palm Beach News Times
6) MasterCard: "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."
MasterCard's two-sentence slogan was created in 1997 as a part of an award-winning advertising campaign that ran in 98 countries and in 46 languages . The very first iteration of the campaign was a TV commercial that aired in 1997: "A dad takes his son to a baseball game and pays for a hot dog and a drink, but the conversation between the two is priceless," writes Avi Dan for Forbes . "In a sense, 'Priceless' became a viral, social campaign years before there was a social media."
One key to this campaign's success? Each commercial elicits an emotional response from the audience. That first TV commercial might remind you of sports games you went to with your dad, for example. Each advertisement attempted to trigger a different memory or feeling. "You have to create a cultural phenomenon and then constantly nurture it to keep it fresh," MasterCard CMO Raja Rajamannar told Dan. And nostalgia marketing like that can be a powerful tool .
7) BMW: "The Ultimate Driving Machine"
BMW sells cars all over the world, but in North America, it's known by its slogan: "The Ultimate Driving Machine." This slogan was created in the 1970s by a relatively unknown ad agency named Ammirati & Puris and was, according to BMW's blog , directed at Baby Boomers who were "out of college, making money and ready to spend their hard earned dollars. What better way to reflect your success than on a premium automobile?"
The goal? To reinforce the message that its cars' biggest selling point is that they are performance vehicles that are thrilling to drive. That message is an emotional one, and one that consumers can buy into to pay the high price point.
Source: BMW
8) Tesco: "Every Little Helps"
"Every little helps" is the kind of catchy tagline that can make sense in many different contexts -- and it's flexible enough to fit in with any one of Tesco's messages. It can refer to value, quality, service, and even environmental responsibility -- which the company practices by addressing the impacts in their operations and supply chain .
It's also, as Naresh Ramchandani wrote for The Guardian , "perhaps the most ingeniously modest slogan ever written." Tesco markets themselves as a brand for the people, and a flexible, modest far-reaching slogan like this one reflects that beautifully.
Source: The Drum
9) M&M: "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands"
Here's one brand that didn't need much time before realizing its core value proposition. At the end of the day, chocolate is chocolate. How can one piece of chocolate truly stand out from another? By bringing in the convenience factor, of course. This particular example highlights the importance of finding something that makes your brand different from the others -- in this case, the hard shell that keeps chocolate from melting all over you.
Source: Platform Magazine
10) Bounty: "The Quicker Picker Upper"
Bounty paper towels, made by Procter & Gamble, has used its catchy slogan "The Quicker Picker Upper" for almost 50 years now. If it sounds like one of those sing-songy word plays you learned as a kid, that's because it is one: The slogan uses what's called consonance -- a poetic device characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession (think: "pitter patter").
Over the years, Bounty has moved away from this slogan in full, replacing "Quicker" with other adjectives, depending on the brand's current marketing campaign -- like "The Quilted Picker Upper" and "The Clean Picker Upper." At the same time, the brand's main web address went from quickerpickerupper.com to bountytowels.com . But although the brand is branching out into other campaigns, they've kept the theme of their original, catchy slogan.
Source: Bounty
11) De Beers: "A Diamond is Forever"
Diamonds aren't worth much inherently. In fact, a diamond is worth at least 50% less than you paid for it the moment you left the jewelry store. So how did they become the symbol of wealth, power, and romance they are in America today? It was all because of a brilliant, multifaceted marketing strategy designed and executed by ad agency N.W. Ayer in the early 1900s for their client, De Beers.
You can read all about the strategy here . The four, iconic words "A Diamond is Forever" have appeared in every single De Beers advertisement since 1948, and AdAge named it the #1 slogan of the century in 1999. It perfectly captures the sentiment De Beers was going for: that a diamond, like your relationship, is eternal. It also helped discourage people from ever reselling their diamonds. (Mass re-selling would disrupt the market and reveal the alarmingly low intrinsic value of the stones themselves.) Brilliant.
Source: Sydney Merritt
12) Lay's: "Betcha Can't Eat Just One"
Seriously, who here has ever had just one chip? While this tagline might stand true for other snack companies, Lay's was clever to pick up on it straight away. The company tapped into our truly human incapability to ignore crispy, salty goodness when it's staring us in the face. Carbs, what a tangled web you weave.
But seriously, notice how the emphasis isn't on the taste of the product. There are plenty of other delicious chips out there. But what Lay's was able to bring forth with its tagline is that totally human, uncontrollable nature of snacking until the cows come home.
Source: Amazon
13) Audi: "Vorsprung durch technik" ("Advancement Through Technology")
"Vorsprung durch technik" has been Audi's main slogan everywhere in the world since 1971 (except for the United States, where the slogan is "Truth in Engineering"). While the phrase has been translated in several ways, the online dictionary LEO translates "Vorsprung" as "advance" or "lead" as in "distance, amount by which someone is ahead in a competition." Audi roughly translates it as: "Advancement through technology."
The first-generation Audio 80 (B1 series) was launched a year after the slogan in 1972, and the new car was a brilliant reflection of that slogan with many impressive new technical features. It was throughout the 1970s that the Audi brand established itself as an innovative car manufacturer, such as with the five-cylinder engine (1976), turbocharging (1979), and the quattro four-wheel drive (1980). This is still reflective of the Audi brand today.
Source: Cars and Coffee Chat
14) Dunkin' Donuts: "America Runs on Dunkin"
In April 2006, Dunkin' Donuts launched the most significant repositioning effort in the company's history by unveiling a brand new, multi-million dollar advertising campaign under the slogan "America Runs on Dunkin." The campaign revolves around Dunkin' Donuts coffee keeping busy Americans fueled while they are on the go.
"The new campaign is a fun and often quirky celebration of life, showing Americans embracing their work, their play and everything in between -- accompanied every step of the way by Dunkin' Donuts," read the official press release from the campaign's official launch.
Ten years later, what the folks at Dunkin Donuts' realized they were missing was their celebration of and honoring their actual customers. That's why, in 2016, they launched the "Keep On" campaign, which they call their modern interpretation of the ten-year slogan.
"It's the idea that we're your partner in crime, or we're like your wingman, your buddy in your daily struggle and we give you the positive energy through both food and beverage but also emotionally, we believe in you and we believe in the consumer," said Chris D'Amico , SVP and Group Creative Director at Hill Holiday.
Source: Lane Printing & Advertising
15) Meow Mix: "Tastes So Good, Cats Ask for It by Name"
Meow meow meow meow ... who remembers this catchy tune sung by cats, for cats, in Meow Mix's television commercials? The brand released a simple but telling tagline: "Tastes So Good, Cats Ask For It By Name."
This slogan plays off the fact that every time a cat meows, s/he is actually asking for Meow Mix. It was not only clever, but it also successfully planted Meow Mix as a standout brand in a cluttered market.
Source: Walgreens
16) McDonald's: "I'm Lovin' It"
The "I'm Lovin' It" campaign was launched way back in 2003 and still stands strong today. This is a great example of a slogan that resonates with the brand's target audience. McDonald's food might not be your healthiest choice, but being healthy isn't the benefit McDonald's is promising -- it's that you'll love the taste and the convenience.
(Fun fact: The jingle's infamous hook -- "ba da ba ba ba" -- was originally sung by Justin Timberlake.)
Source: McDonald's
17) The New York Times: "All the News That's Fit to Print"
This one is my personal favorite. The tagline was created in the late 1890s as a movement of opposition against other news publications printing lurid journalism. The New York Times didn't stand for sensationalism. Instead, it focused on important facts and stories that would educate its audience. It literally deemed its content all the real "news fit to print."
This helped the paper become more than just a news outlet, but a company that paved the way for creditable news. The company didn't force a tagline upon people when it first was founded, but rather, it created one in a time where it was needed most.
Source: 4th St8 Blog
18) General Electric: "Imagination at Work"
You may remember General Electric's former slogan, "We Bring Good Things to Life," which they initiated in 1979. Although this tagline was well-known and well-received, the new slogan -- "Imagination at Work" -- shows how a company's internal culture can revolutionize how they see their own brand.
"'Imagination at Work' began as an internal theme at GE," recalled Tim McCleary , GE's manager of corporate identity. When Jeff Immelt became CEO of GE in 2001, he announced that his goal was to reconnect with GE's roots as a company defined by innovation.
This culture and theme resulted in a rebranding with the new tagline "Imagination at Work," which embodies the idea that imagination inspires the human initiative to thrive at what we do.
19) Verizon: "Can You Hear Me Now? Good."
Here's another brand that took its time coming up with something that truly resonated with its audience . This tagline was created in 2002 under the umbrella of "We never stop working for you."
While Verizon was founded in 1983, they continued to battle against various phone companies like AT&T and T-Mobile, still two of its strongest competitors. But what makes Verizon stand out? No matter where you are, you have service. You may not have the greatest texting options, or the best cellphone options, but you will always have service.
(Fun fact: The actor behind this campaign -- Paul Marcarelli -- recently began appearing in new advertisements for Sprint .)
Source: MS Lumia Blog
20) State Farm: "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There
The insurance company State Farm has a number of slogans, including "Get to a better State" and "No one serves you better than State Farm." But its most famous one is the jingle "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there," which you're likely familiar with if you live in the United States and watch television.
These words emphasize State Farm's "community-first" value proposition -- which sets them apart from the huge, bureaucratic feel of most insurance companies. And it quickly establishes a close relationship with the consumer.
Often, customers need insurance when they least expect it -- and in those situations, State Farm is responding in friendly, neighborly language.
Source: StateFarm
21) Maybelline: "Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline."
Can you sing this jingle in your head? Maybelline's former slogan, created in the 1990s, is one of the most famous in the world. It makes you think of glossy magazine pages featuring strong, beautiful women with long lashes staring straight down the lens. It's that confidence that Maybelline's makeup brand is all about -- specifically, the transformation into a confident woman through makeup.
Maybelline changed their slogan to "Make IT Happen" in February 2016 , inspiring women to "express their beauty in their own way." Despite this change, their former slogan remains powerful and ubiquitous, especially among the many generations that grew up with it.
Source: FunnyJunk
22) The U.S. Marine Corps: "The Few. The Proud. The Marines."
The U.S. Marine Corps has had a handful of top-notch recruiting slogans over the decades, from "First to fight" starting in World War I to "We're looking for a few good men" from the 1980s. However, we'd argue that "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." is among the best organization slogans out there.
This slogan "underscores the high caliber of those who join and serve their country as Marines," said Maj. Gen. Richard T. Tryon , former commanding general of Marine Corps Recruiting Command. In 2007, it even earned a spot in Madison Avenue's Advertising Walk of Fame.
Source: Marines.com
Do you have your own tagline? What other brands' taglines do you love?
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in August 2012 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
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Which Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, OH? | Welcome to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard,
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
| Rock and roll |
November 18, 1869 saw the opening of what lockless waterway, which connects Port Said to Port Tawfik? | About The Rock Hall | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
About The Rock Hall
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's mission is to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock & roll.
Learn about our history, building, economic impact, green initiatives and (of course) careers.
History & Overview
To the top
In 1985, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was deciding where to open its physical museum, Cleveland threw its hat into the ring for consideration. Thanks to a groundswell of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning site, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago. Needless to say, the Rock Hall's construction was cooler than most. On June 7, 1993, the Who's Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, and Ruth Brown (to name a few) attended the Cleveland groundbreaking ceremony, while Jerry Lee Lewis performed a year later when the building was finished off with the placement of one last steel beam.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame threw open its doors on September 2, 1995, and celebrated with a blockbuster benefit concert at nearby Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This marathon show featured once-in-a-lifetime pairings (for example, Chuck Berry's mischievous onstage collaboration with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band ) and performances by greats such as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.s. Besides the Municipal Stadium concert, the Rock Hall's festive opening weekend featured a downtown Cleveland parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Little Richard and Yoko Ono.
Bruce Springsteen & Chuck Berry perform together at the 1995 Rock Hall opening concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Economic Impact
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Since opening in 1995, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has welcomed more than 10 million visitors from around the globe and generated more than $2 billion in economic impact for Northeast Ohio. In 2015, 500,000 people visited the Rock Hall, a figure which represents a 15% attendance bump from the year before. These visitors—90% of whom live outside of Cleveland—help the Rock Hall contribute $107 million in annual economic impact to the region.
Besides being Cleveland's musical mecca, the Rock Hall is also the city's most unique, welcoming and inclusive cultural asset. In fact, in 2015, the Rock Hall was one of just 25 nonprofits designated a member of the “Commission 50" by a Greater Cleveland Partnership program called the Commission on Economic Inclusion. This honor recognizes the organization's significant accomplishments regarding diversity and inclusion.
To the top
In 1983, Atlantic Records co-founder/chairman Ahmet Ertegun spearheaded the formation of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Ertegun enlisted a group of music industry lifers—including Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, Bruce Springsteen manager Jon Landau, attorney Suzan Evans, and record executives Seymour Stein and Bob Krasnow—and together the organization set out to celebrate the musicians who founded, changed and revolutionized rock & roll.
The nonprofit Foundation's first goal was establishing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In January 1986, the first class of inductees were honored at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom. A few months later, Cleveland was selected as the permanent home of the brick-and-mortar Rock Hall.
In the ensuing decades, the Foundation has continued its support of the Rock Hall. Each year, its nominating committee gathers to choose the artists comprising the performer category ballot. The Foundation also holds special fundraising events (such as 2009's star-studded 25th anniversary concerts, which helped fund the Rock Hall's first endowment) and provides ongoing funding for capital projects. In fact, it remains the largest single contributing donor to the Rock Hall.
Community Outreach
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Designed by internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is one of Cleveland's most striking (and recognizable) pieces of architecture. The 150,000-square-foot building has a glass-enclosed, double pyramid adjacent to a 162-foot tower, both of which soar above the shores of Lake Erie. Upside-down cars from U2's Zoo TV tour greet visitors in the sun-filled lobby atrium, which often hosts concerts and other special events, while a nosh-worthy café and the museum store offer plenty of dining and shopping options.
The Rock Hall's exhibition space stretches over 55,000 square feet and seven levels, and features plenty of nooks and crannies filled with multimedia goodies to explore. In the coming years, the building's already-bustling, brick-lined, 65,000 square-foot outdoor plaza will become a community gathering place filled with the sound of frequent live performances.
Green Initiatives
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At the Rock Hall, being kind to the planet is built into our DNA. Remnants from closed exhibits or old fixtures are sent to a reclamation facility to be reused and recycled, while the building itself has environment-conscious touches such as motion-activated washroom faucets and recycling bins. Rock Hall staff members are also committed to being environmentally friendly—among other things, we sip fair trade coffee from stoneware mugs in the employee kitchen—and our on-site caterers and events professionals also strive to be eco-aware. Plus, we have an ongoing partnership with Baldwin Wallace University's Sustainability Program to make sure we stay on the right track.
In recent years, the Rock Hall has installed more energy-efficient electronics and LEDs in place of standard electric and sodium light bulbs. Opened in 2012, the nearby Library and Archives was also specifically designed with the environment in mind. Both the interior and exterior was constructed using materials from sustainable sources, and the water, heating and cooling systems meet or exceed standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, which awarded the building with the LEED Silver Certification status.
Careers/Volunteers
Rock Hall employees work hard and play hard. But at heart, we're all music fans eager to share our knowledge and passion with everyone who comes through our doors. Learn about our open jobs .
Annual Reports
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Which wood is traditionally used to make the black keys on a piano? | Wood from old Piano - Good or Not?
General Woodworking and Power Tools
Wood from old Piano - Good or Not?
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Wood from old Piano - Good or Not?
Hi,
Not sure if this is the correct forum to post this in, so here goes:
I have a chance to pick up an old piano (aka FREE Lumber). I have not seen it yet, so I'm not sure exactly type of wood it is.
But, not everything Free is good.
Like pallets (last one I tried to use had twist nails in it. And over 50% broke off when I tried to pull them. I had to make small drill holes next to the nails and pull them out, one by one. Luckily that did not impact the project that I was using the oak for.
If I had to pay for my labor, it would have been alot cheaper to go to the local store and pay full freight for the wood.
Has anyone ever tried to reuse an old piano for the wood?
What woods are most common?
Is it good quality wood (furniture grade) or just low grade, or?
Is there that much good, usable wood (this one is an upright)?
Anything to watch out for?
What does one do with the metal guts (any use or just scrap)?
Are there any hazardous material in old Pianos?
Any pit falls, other than breaking your back moving it?
Or is this another FREE, but NOT worth it ideas?
Thanks,
705
Dan,
You might be able to cash the metal in but be extremely careful with removing the strings. There is a TREMENDOUS amount of tension in the strings and they can cause serious injury. I would suggest getting a tuning wrnech off of ebay and loosen the strings significantly prior to cutting them. And keep your face/body as fas back as you can when you do this. Having said that, if it look like there is some good wood, I'd go for it. You might want to call some scrap yards and see what you can get for the metal frame/strings/parts.
Posts
12
I have taken apart an old piano. I used a grinder to cut the strings along the top while standing behind. With some care it isn't so hard to do safely. Great sound, boing, boing, boing.
The sound board was very thin, 1/4 to 3/8 inch, but nice looking wood, spruce, very straight grain. The structure behind the harp (the metal part) seems to be maple in the critical places and a mix of hard and soft wood in the bulkier areas. I still have the larger pieces of maple. The outside of the piano was veneered. the wood behind the veneer was strange, looked like wormy chestnut. Definitely cheap wood.
The harp itself was cast iron painted gold. I broke it up with a big hammer without much trouble (it was very heavy) and threw the pieces in the dumpster.
There were very many screws holding everything together, slotted screws, a pain to remove. I had to do this to get rid of the thing. I am not sure it would have been worth it for the wood. If it is a grand and a nice brand it might be different.
Posts
3,072
I think a piano has to be fairly old to have genuine ivory coverings on the keys, but that's one of the few places someone not in the know can get the real stuff. Great for key hole escutcheons and small inlays, but it can be tricky to cut so gluing it to a backer before sawing might a good idea. I don't know about the ebony, and when they might have stopped using it for the black keys.
I'd think reclaiming any useful and/or valuable wood from the average piano might run close to the break even point, if that; there are some great curves and shapes, but they're pretty specific to a piano and you'd have a hard time converting them to another use.
12,070
Knowing the make of the piano,and if it is real old would help.
Kohler and Campbell pianos had a soundboard of spruce veneers with a poplar core in their 1960's era uprights. Hopefully solid spruce in their grands.
Chickering pianos,old ones,had the most choice black ebony on their sharps. The best ebony has the smallest pores.
I am afraid just about all were veneered,though I did own an 18th.C. Astor that was solid Cuban mahogany.
I took apart an 1830's piano that had been out in the rain for many years,and was ruined. It was a horizontal rectangular shape. Must have been English,because the bottom was made of about 3 layers of Scotch pine 1" thick,each. I was a teenager,and used the wood to make guitars (that was any good!).
3,072
Dan
Real ivory, from tusks that grew with the animal, has "grain", visible striations in it's surface appearance indicative of the layering process of its growth; the replacement materials, celluloid (?) and now plastic (?) don't have that distinctive feature. Another test is to put a lit match to a corner of the material once you've gotten it off; real ivory will scorch (and maybe smell a bit like burning hair), but plastic will just melt.
The ivory scales I've seen are fairly thin, maybe a strong 1/16"; some might be thicker but I've never seen any that even approached 1/8". They're glued on and you can usually remove them by sliding a thin chisel underneath them. If the glue is really stubborn and the ivory is breaking on you, try some heat to soften the glue, which is probably hide glue.
The only thing I could say about identifying the black keys is that any dyed imitation ebony won't be anywhere near as hard or dense as real ebony; your chisel will probably be able to tell you if you've got the real thing.
| Ebony |
What is the chosen profession of serial comic hero Tintin? | PIANO KEYTOPS- Piano Keytops for Restoration
PIANO KEYTOPS
Your restoration is not finished without new key coverings. Unless you really have to
have the feel of ivory, new plastic looks so much more clean and bright. Don't leave old
sharps either. It will surprise you how shabby they look after doing the whites.
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Some of them are items we have discovered over the years and are exclusive to us.
We have marked these products Only available from us in the item listings below.
BUY FROM PROFESSIONALS WHO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK.
We have free piano key top installation instructions here:
KEY TOP RESTORATION KITS Back to CONTENTS
Complete Piano Key Top Restoration Kit
The kit is designed to restore both the naturals (white keys) and sharps (black keys).
We have included everything you need to do the job. You get professional items we
use in our shop and are not available elsewhere.
Here is what is in the kit:
1. SH1396 -- A set of 52 Natural White or Off White Key tops
We supply only the one piece tops with fronts molded to the top. If you would like to substitute
SH1496 or SH1497 keytops, you may do so for $10 more.
2. SH384H or D or SH385H or D-- A set of 36 Sharps (Black)
Be sure to measure your old sharp ALONG THE BOTTOM so we can match the length. More
information is found below about these part numbers.
Substitutions:
PRICE: $ 70.00-- This is a savings of $ 12.00
KEY TOPS AND IVORIES-- a la carte . . . Back to CONTENTS
Part Description: Part Number Price
See Section 36 of Chap. 7 for instructions to install these parts.
Standard White "Natural" Keytops-
A soft white best for wood-grain piano cabinets. Not "off white".
Molded high quality plastic WITH FRONT ATTACHED- Set of 52- SH1396 $ 36.00
These key tops are a bit thicker than old era plastic, so they cover imperfections
in the wood better. Many times there is no filing needed, but if needed, it is easily
accomplished with a fine file. Made in the USA of acrylic plastic, these key tops
do not easily scratch, and they will raise the value of any piano, especially if you are
doing a restoration for sale. I have restored a number of pianos and sold them.
Frankly, in spite of my fussy protocols for refinishing the wood, the most startling
thing about a restored piano is the new white and black shining keys smiling up at
the potential buyer. Would you remember Teddy Roosevelt's picture if it were not
for his white teeth and big grin?
The key tops with fronts attached stay on better because the front molded to the top
helps anchor the whole top on better.
Caution: You can NOT put the new key tops on over the old ones.
Also, the fronts may need to be removed if using the key tops with
molded on fronts. See Section 36 of Chap. 7
White "Natural" Keytops- Available in two sizes; with or without attached fronts
German one piece keytops WITHOUT fronts attached- Set of 52- 50 mm heads SH1491W $ 46.00
52 mm heads SH1492W $ 48.00
German one piece keytops WITH fronts attached - Set of 52 - 50 mm heads SH1496W $ 46.00
52 mm heads SH1497W $ 48.00
Light Cream "Natural" Keytops- Available in two sizss; with or without attached fronts
German one piece keytops WITHOUT fronts attached- Set of 52- 50 mm heads SH1491 $ 46.00
52 mm heads SH1492 $ 48.00
German one piece keytops WITH fronts attached - Set of 52 - 50 mm heads SH1496 $ 46.00
52 mm heads SH1497 $ 48.00
Black "Sharp" Keytop- Molded high quality plastic-
Set of 36- 3 1/2"- High Gloss finish as in modern pianos SH385H $ 36.00
Set of 36- 3 1/2"- Satin dull finish to look like ebony SH385D $ 46.00
Set of 36- 3 3/4"- High Gloss finish as in modern pianos SH384H $ 36.00
Set of 36- 3 3/4"- Satin dull finish to look like ebony SH384D $ 46.00
Set of 36 3 3/4"-Satin finish; .555" height SH1493 $ 45.00
Set of 36 3 3/4"-Satin finish; .595" height SH1494 $ 45.00
See Section 36 of Chap. 7 for instructions to install these parts.
You may feel your sharps look just fine. Only white natural key tops are needed.
Over and over we have customers only buy white tops, only to return later and
buy the sharps. The bright shining new white key tops make the old sharps look
tacky, even though they seemed OK at first. We strongly encourage you to get
both white and sharp key tops.
The following single key tops and sharps are ONLY for OUR customers
who have purchased sets of key tops and ruined more than one.
[ We will replace one ruined one free plus postage.]
Single "Natural" keytop with molded front attached (Specify key, such as D or C) $ 4.00 ea.
Single "Sharp" plastic $ 4.00 ea.
REAL EBONY AND IVORY PIANO KEY COVERINGS
Ebony Sharps- NEW Set of 36 3 3/4" long, .550" (14 mm) high, for grand pianos SH386 $ 300.00
NEW Set of 36 3 3/4" long, .595" (15 mm) high, for grand pianos SH386A $ 350.00
Used real ebony sharps-- Standard dimensions
when available-- $ 5.00 each
Extremely rare real ebony sharps-- 3-5/8 inches long, 13/32 inch high
These are refurbished, and they are in immaculate condition $ 7.20 each
Used Ivories--
Heads (Cleaned and ready to install) $ 6.00 each
Tails $ 4.00 each
Tails (Unique extra wide tails on the extreme right and left keys) $ 8.00 each
These one piece molded keytops have become very
popular over the past few years. The satin ivory tops
have a translucent nature just like real ivory. So, you
need to use an opaque white glue. Use our glue tape
to attach. Or, GE White Silicone Sealant at your local hardware.
Overall length- 6 inches.
NOTE: The Vagias Full Keytops (1321, 1321, 1322, & 1323) are one piece tops only; they do NOT have attached front .
Also, the 1328 & 1329 Tails do not come in a set. They are only available in one width--there are no wider ones available
for the two end keys.
VAGIAS KEY TOP CHOICES
1 7/8 inch Head- Set of 52 - - - - - - - $ 29.40
Satin Ivory- Light Color- Each - - - - - $ 0.65
Satin Ivory- Medium Color- Each - - - - - $ 0.65
Satin Ivory- Light Color- Set of 52 - - - - - $ 29.40
Satin Ivory- Medium Color- Set of 52 - - $ 29.40
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES Back to CONTENTS
Ivory-Fil -- Be a "Keyboard Dentist". Fill the chips in your piano's "teeth" instead.
With this kit you can repair of chips in genuine ivory that blend in almost
perfectly. One kit will fill about 30 chips. The answer for those who want
to preserve their existing ivory keyboard. Only available from us. IVFIL $ 35.00
Keytop Bar Polish- A block of buffing wheel compound used to polish plastic or ivory
For genuine ivory-- 2 lbs SH425 $ 15.00
For Pyralin or Ivorine Plastic-- 2 lbs SH426 $ 15.00
Go to Section 39 of Chapter 7 to learn how to use Bar Polish.
Buffing Wheel-- For buffing plastic or old ivory keytops with buffing compound
1/2" hole-- Can be mounted on a bench grinder arbor- Useful for other
polishing jobs also, such as brass and nickel parts- Can mount more than one-
10 inch diameter -- 60 ply SH466 $ 32.50
8 inch diameter -- 60 ply SH465 $ 24.00
Ultra-Fine Abrasive Paper-- This extremely fine grit is not available in hardware stores
1000 grit- per sheet SH455 $ 3.60 ea.
1500 grit- per sheet- May help polish old ugly ivory key tops SH456 $ 3.60 ea.
Glue Tape -- Our new product dispenses a perfect film of glue from a roll.
We use this in our own shop. Good for gluing plastic and ivory key coverings
as well as veneer and other flat surface mounting tasks. Items being joined can
be repositioned but after 8 hour cure the joint is solid. One roll of tape easily
does an entire set of black and white key tops. No mess! No clamping needed!
50 ft. Roll Includes Trimming knife. Only available from us. FC001 $ 15.00
PVC-E Glue for Key Tops-- Not as prone to spoil key tops when you blunder
Excellent for pump organ and player pneumatics bellows material to wood.
Use also to glue felt and leather in place. Can be thinned 20% with water.
4 oz. bottle PVC-4 $ 5.00
8 oz. bottle PVC-8 $ 8.00
Pint SH387-16 $ 12.00
Ebony Stain - Our professional black dye stain. Provides a deep black finish for
ebony sharps. Also used for staining the wood of the keystick under the sharp that
shows when the adjacent white key is played. Same function as the Aniline Stain
Powder below but easier to use.
4 oz. bottle. With brush. Only available from us. SM4236 $ 16.25
Aniline Stain Powder-- 2 oz. Mix with denatured alcohol to blacken the key
lever wood under the sharps. Caution when opening as it can cause trouble in carpets
etc. The black stained wood at the front of the sharp key levers has likely dulled to
gray over the years. It will look very ugly if it is not restored to total black.
This wood is easily seen when the natural white keys are depressed.
Black SH450-330 $ 15.85
Key Spring Clamps--
Use two per key to hold while drying.
Comes with a 1" by 6" wood block to use between the clamps and the key top.
HINT: Glue a piece of thin felt or cloth to the wood block to avoid scratching
the new key top. SH247 $ 12.25 per pair
Four clamps to do two key top applications at a time SH247 $ 23.00
Key Front Spring Clamp--
One jaw of the clamp inserts in the front pin hole while the other jaw of the clamp
holds the key front. A square 1 inch brass block is supplied to use between the
clamp and the key front.
HINT: Again, add a thin piece of felt or cloth to the block to avoid scratching
the key front. Position the front first, and then clamp the key top for a very tight
and square fit. Do not wait for the top or front to dry before finishing.
Do all gluing in one operation. SH248 $ 12.90 each
SHOP SERVICES Back to CONTENTS
Let us restore your keyboard to like-new appearance. We have over 30 years experience and can replace your white and black key coverings to bring a new "smile" to your piano. We provide routine services like piano key top replacement and key rebushing as well as specialized procedures like replacing the wood where someone has done a bad job of sanding during a previous key replacement job. Contact us for a quote for your needs. Sample prices for common procedures are below:
New White Keytops $ 425.00
New Black Keytops (add-on with whites) $ 225.00
New Front & Balance Keybushings $ 325.00
New Genuine Ivory Key Coverings (set of 52) $ 4,990.00
New White Key Coverings from Bone (like Ivory) $ 3,250.00
| i don't know |
November 18, 1928 saw the introduction of first fully synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie, which featured what iconic cartoon character? | The Walt Disney Company - The History of The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company Is Born
Alice Comedies
After returning from war in France, Walt Disney decided to go into a career in commercial art. This lead Walt into using animation for the first time. He started to make short animated films called The Alice Comedies for a local business in Kansas City. The Alice Comedies told the story of a real girl in a cartoon world. Unfortunately, Walt soon ran out of money and his company, Laugh-O-Grams, went bankrupt.
Walt did not give up on his short films. He left for California in the summer of 1923 with his unfinished print of The Alice Comedies to sell as a pilot film to sell a series of The Alice Comedies to a distributor. Soon after arriving in California, Walt met M.J. Winkler, a distributor in New York, to Distribute The Alice Comedies on October 16, 1923. This date became the official start of the Disney company. It was originally known as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and had Walt and his brother, Roy, as partners. Roy suggested to renaming it the Walt Disney Studio, and so it was.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Walt continued to work on The Alice Comedies for 4 years. In 1927, he decided to move on to something new. Walt created a new character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He made 26 of these cartoons in one year, but when he requested to get more money for a second year, he found out that his distributor had gone behind his back and signed up almost all of Walt's animators in order to continue making the Oswald cartoons for less money without Walt. When he reread his contract, Walt found out that he did not own the rights to Oswald- The distributor did. This valuable lesson taught Walt to make sure he owned everything that he made.
Mickey Mouse's Debut
Mickey Mouse's First Appearance Ever
With Oswald gone, Walt Disney had to create a brand new character. That character's name was Mickey Mouse. Along with his chief animator Ub Iwerks, Walt designed Mickey and gave him a personality that everyone would love. Walt and Ub created two Mickey short films, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, but since they were silent films, they were undistributed due to sound revolutionizing the movie industry. Walt decided to add fully synchronized sound to Mickey's third film, and Steamboat Willie opened at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18, 1928. The audience loved what they saw and heard. Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse became an instant hit in the animation business.
The Silly Symphonies
Flowers and Trees, the first Silly Symphony
Walt Disney didn't wait long to make another series to go along with his Mickey Mouse series, and he created the Silly Symphonies. It featured different characters and each story focused on mood, musical themes, and emotion rather than gags and humor of the Mickey cartoons. Flowers and Trees, the first Silly Sympony and first full-color cartoon, won the Academy Award for Best Cartoon in 1932, the first year that the Academy offered such a category. For the rest of the decade, a Disney cartoon won the Oscar every year. In June of 1934, The Wise Little Hen released, debuting Donald Duck.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Walt Disney informed his animators one night in 1934 that they were going to make an animated feature film, and then told them the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Although the crew was skeptic at first, they soon became serious after catching on to Walt's enthusiasm. The process of making the film took three years. On December 21, 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre. It became an amazing hit. Snow White soon became the highest grossing film of all time, until it was surpassed by Gone With the Wind.
World War II
1942's Bambi
After the success of Snow White, work immediately started on more feature projects. The next two features, Pinocchio and Fantasia, were released in 1940. Although they were technical masterpieces, their cost was too high for a company losing most of its foreign markets because of World War II. On a limited budget, Dumbo was made in 1941. Bambi, another expensive film, was made in 1942 and caused the company to retrench. Animated films of the highest caliber would not be produced for many years.
Disneyland
Front Entrance to Disneyland
The 1950's were huge for the Disney Company. In 1950,Treasure Island, Disney's first completely live action film. 1950 also saw the return of Disney's full length feature animated films with the release of Cinderella. In 1955, The Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television, and became one of television's most popular children series. Walt always aimed higher than his goals, and one thing that interested him were amusement parks. He felt there should be a place where both parents and children could go and have a good time together. After several years of planning and construction, Disneyland opened its park gates for the first time on July 17 1955 and changed amusement parks forever. Ever since then, Disneyland has been the pattern of every amusement park built since its opening.
Walt Disney's Death
Walt Disney along with his beloved characters.
In 1963, the Enchanted Tiki Room opened in Disneyland, making the first use of Audio-Animatronics. In 1964, Mary Poppins was released and became hugely popular. But on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney died from lung cancer in Burbank, California. Walt was and still is missed by millions of people. The projects that Walt had been working on before his death still went into production and were finished. The Jungle Book was released in 1967, along with The Aristocats in 1970.
Create a free website
| Mickey Mouse |
Which of the 6 simple machines requires the use of a fulcrum? | Example Essays: Mickey Mouse
1. The Evolution Of Mickey Mouse
The original Mickey, however, was not the same mouse that today"s children adore. ... Mickey is a lovable and sweet mouse. ... Mickey Mouse is an every-man image, one that shows up in our everyday lives now. ... Mickey"s reach around the globe helped to form the icon that we know today, even Teddy Roosevelt "insisted that all film showings they attended include a dose of Mickey Mouse," showing the complete universality that Disney had captured in Mickey Mouse. ... Mickey becomes more and more popular even though there are no new Mickey Mouse movies made. ...
Word Count: 1259
2. The Evolution of Mickey Mouse
In his eighty-five years of existence, Mickey Mouse has gone through many changes. ... To honor everyone's favorite mouse, we'll take a look at how Mickey has evolved over time. ... By 1955 Mickey had evolved to a TV show named "The Mickey Mouse Club." The series was a variety show that consisted of live action, newsreel and classic Mickey cartoons. ... Unlike the original "Mickey Mouse Club this series does not have any classic Mickey cartoons and is primarily educational. ... With continued adjustments, Mickey Mouse should last at least another eighty-five years....
Word Count: 986
3. Fifteen Million Plastic Bags Poetry Analysis
This is shown through the description that "[five] million bags were six feet long, [five] million bags were five foot five, [and] [five] million were stamped with Mickey Mouse.aE The largest bags are for the men, the next size down is for the women, and the ones with Mickey Mouse are the children. ... A common symbol, in a way, among children is Mickey Mouse, the average height for women is "five foot five,aE and a common height for men is six feet. ...
Word Count: 616
4. The High Price of the Magic Kingdom
IntroductionSince the introduction of Mickey Mouse in the late 1920s, the world has been enthralled by the creations that began with the imagination of Walt Disney (Stein, 2011, p. 1). Today, Mickey Mouse is recognized internationally as the symbol of a company equated with family entertainment (Stein, 2011, p. 1). ... After the debut of Mickey Mouse in 1928, Walt Disney and his associates formed the Walt Disney Studio and began creating what was ultimately to become a legacy of animated characters featured in charming, uplifting, stories (Stein, 2011, p. 2). ...
Word Count: 2435
5. Cartoons And Violence
That"s All FolksWhen cartoons initially appeared on television, they were simple animations targeted towards the younger generations as a form of entertainment. As the world has evolved, so had the development of cartoons. They have become much more graphic and instead of Sunday morning cartoons, ma...
Word Count: 654
6. Disney and Fairytales
He created Mickey Mouse and produced the first full-length animated movie. He invented the theme park and originated the modern multimedia corporation. For better or worse, Walt Disney"s innovations have shaped our world of fairy tales and characters, and the way we experience them. Jack Zipes, who...
Word Count: 1360
7. Case Reaction: Euro Disney (A)
Disney"s mascot, Mickey Mouse, has become more than just a symbol of American culture, in the hearts of children (ages 0 to 90, as Disney Co. would put it). ... It has strong brand equity with Mickey Mouse and Disneyland (and World) which have become symbols of American culture. ...
Word Count: 2063
8. Vacation
VacationIt was the summer of 1997, and my family was planning for our first out of state vacation. We were going to Disneyworld. Everyone was filled with excitement as we loaded our car and made our way to the airport.When we got to the airport, we quickly checked our bags and boarded the plane. ...
Word Count: 590
9. About Disney
One Mouse, One Man and Lots of Toilet PaperAs tinkerbell flies across the magic kingdom castle, all one can feel is child-likeinnocence. ... Instead, Disney simply created Mickey and Minnie, the Adam and Eve ofmodern animation. ... (Chuck Jones - History and Profile, 2000) Disney"sMickey Mouse was created in 1928 (TUDLP- Walt Disney Biography, 2000) and SnowWhite touched hearts in 1937. ... But Goof Troop, The Debbie Barrera 4Mickey Mouse Show, or Winnie the Pooh? ... Walt Disneyrepresents the side of life that spat in his face and only he could waltz back into the gameand deal a royal flush w...
Word Count: 1340
10. Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was starting to get to me and then, when I finally saw the great silkscreen of Mickey Mouse, I immediately went to look at it because I am a Disney fanatic and my favorite is Mickey Mouse. ... Therefore, in 1981, Warhol created what he called a mythical Mickey, and thus put it with the other "mythaE paintings of Superman and Santa Claus. ... Warhol also did other prints of Mickey Mouse and painted him in sets of two and four, or all alone, as in the one that I viewed. In the Portrait, Mickey Mouse is isolated and frozen, but still sweet and wholesome (Marling). Andy was intri...
Word Count: 769
11. Walt Disney
In 1920, he created and sold his first original animated cartoons, and later perfected a new method for combining live-action and animation.In 1928 Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in the silent film Plane Crazy. That same year Mickey Mouse appeared in Steamboat Willy, a short film that initiated the idea of making a separate cartoon for each animated movement. ... That same film was also Walt Disney"s first attempt to use sound where he used his own voice for Mickey mouse. ... The Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro were popular favorites in the 1950s.During his lifetime, Walt Disney and his produ...
Word Count: 817
In today"s world however, courts not only have to deal with the "Mickey mouseaE crimes executed by rambunctious youths, but cold-blooded, violent crimes that may even be deserving of capital punishment in the adult court system. ...
Word Count: 1248
13. Building Disney's Kingdom
Soon after, America witnessed the birth of Mickey Mouse on the big screen.Mickey was originally supposed to debut without sound, but before it made the big screen, sound was incorporated into movies. ... The movie grossed $8 million ("A Mouse Started...aE). ... This also allowed for the introduction of the "Mickey Mouse ClubaE into American"s homes. ... He was also introduced into millions of American homes with the "Mickey Mouse Club.aEIn the late 1930"s, Disney acquired the patent to Technicolor. ... He educated the masses of soldiers and captured the hearts of Americans wi...
Word Count: 1325
14. Walt Disney
His first successful cartoon was called Steamboat Willie, starring Mortimer Mouse, which we now know better as Mickey Mouse. ... She thought Mickey sounded better.Walt continued to reinvest his profits into his animations to make them better. He then invented other characters, like Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy. ... He will, however, always be remembered as the man who created Mickey Mouse....
Word Count: 535
15. Walt Disney22
His wife thought the name Mickey Mouse would be better. ... On May 15, 1928, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon was previewed at a Hollywood movie house. ... Walt Disney once said, "When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it"s because he"s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.aE By the end of 1929, Mickey Mouse was famous. He loved Mickey Mouse and used his own voice for Mickey"s voice. ... On January 13, 1930 Mickey Mouse appeared in his first comic strip.Wa...
Word Count: 2420
16. Disneyfication and Convergence
(pg. 69) While reading this part of the article one may realize that Disney's most iconic character Mickey Mouse has probably created a large amount of consumers for their products. Mickey mouse being one of Disney's first characters has been able to turn the children that watch Disney into buyers of their products especially with the amount of products that are only "Mickey Mouse . Mickey Mouse has appeared in many movies, TV shows, video games, and many other forms of media. Because of the way Mickey was shown and able to relieve a sense of happiness or fun to children; hi...
Word Count: 1508
17. This boy
In this passage, Toby and his friends who normally act tough are suddenly tamed and open to their feelings when a program called "The Mickey Mouse ClubaE comes on the television. ... What was also interesting is how one of the boys was so indulged in the program that he "sucked his thumb, and [Toby and Silver] let him get away with it.aE Not only did one of the boys succumb to the "Mickey Mouse ClubaE and childishly suck his thumb, but the other boys allowed him to do it, possibly because they both felt the same way. ...
Word Count: 600
18. Walt Disney and Steamboat Willie
This was also the first cartoon released starring the Iconic Mickey and Minnie Mouse. ... Reactions to the Work Walt Disney's Innovative idea to synchronize a soundtrack to his first Mickey Mouse movie "Steamboat Willie" was a huge success and loved by people of all ages. ... Convinced that sound movies were here to stay - The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson, had premiered in late 1927 - Walt decided to proceed with a Mickey film that would be synchronized to sound" (Watts S. #30). ...
Word Count: 708
20. The Successful Life of Walt Disney
After Laugh-O-Grams, Disney took a bold leap and tried to put faint sound in the background of a Mickey Mouse film called Steamboat Willie. ... Steamboat Willie was the main source of income for Walt to make other productions with Mickey Mouse and other characters. ... The first full-length film Disney ever created with dual sound and animated images was Fantasia; everyone remembers watching this film and making Mickey say things even though there was not any words. ... According to cartoonresearch.com, Flowers and Trees got as many bookings as Mickey Mouse did and all because the Disney a...
Word Count: 1566
21. How Britney Spears manipulates her image to make money
Image in the music industryI'm looking at the way that the singer Britney Spears exploits her image to appeal to a specific target audience. When I was researching Britney, where ever I looked she was plastered on magazine covers and constantly in the newspapers. My information is mainly from teen ...
Word Count: 357
| i don't know |
The State Department of Health recently announced the top baby names for the year 2009. Isabella was the top girls name. What named topped the list for boys? | Oregon State Library eClips | Highlighting Oregon State Government in the News
Oregon State Library eClips
* Revenue rumble: Republicans and business group set tough terms for tax deal
* Lawmakers to debate hard limits on greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon
* Gillnets on Columbia River: The long-standing debate roars back
* Feds extend for five years Oregon’s healthcare program for poor
* Trans-Pacific Partnership or not, Oregon must advance trade with Asia — Guest Opinion
* Oregon transportation department investigating after MAX train derailment
* David Sarasohn: Phil Knight shouldn’t be on his own in supporting U of O — Opinion
* Reactions to expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou Nat’l Monument — Guest Opinions
* Third bridge gets new life, casts a shadow over community
* Reports: Obama won’t designate Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument
* Hundreds rally for immigrant rights at Oregon State Capitol
* Oregon bans weapons in state workplaces
* Federal government approves continued Oregon Health Plan reforms, but no extra money
* An expanded monument — Opinion
* OTC chair seeks greater oversight of ODOT
* Pro-immigration rally marchers ‘stand united against hateful rhetoric’
* Obama administration approves Oregon Health Plan rule renewal before leaving office
* Deadline looms Jan. 25 for timber lawsuit participation
* Editorial: Sen. Tim Knopp right to increase hurdle for tax hikes — Opinion
* Federal Government Gives Oregon New Health Care Waiver
* Feds Block Mining In 100K Acres of Southwest Oregon
* Timber Group Says Oregon Monument Expansion Is Illegal
* Ag in the Classroom spreads the word
* Worker protection standards highlight seminars
* Timber industry may challenge Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion
* Governors plan to close mental hospital brings deja vu
* Klavins: Predator poachers must be held responsible — Guest Opinion
* Lawmakers have busy agenda when next session begins
* Commissioners ask Brown to reconsider vet proposal
* Double vision: Plans to upgrade BPA radio network spark debate over Marys Peak
* Local legislator proposes PERS changes
* Where should the Port of Portland go from here?
* Oregon’s 2016 venture activity has mixed results
* Scenes from this week’s kickoff of the 2017 Oregon Legislature – Photos
* Why an Oregon wave energy device is being tested in Colorado
* Gov. Brown says state needs to do more to prep for storms
* Businesses with liquor licenses warned about fake OLCC agents
* Flood threat looms: agencies move snow, prep sandbags
* Merkley: Obama Won’t Designate Owyhee Canyonlands As A National Monument
* Western Dems look to climate to revitalize jobs messages
* Federal Waiver Comes Without New Money
* Red Justice in a Blue State
____________________
Two weeks before this year’s legislative session, Oregon Republicans and a leading business group have laid down difficult terms for a deal on tax revenue that could save the state from slashing programs by hundreds of millions of dollars.
_________________________________________
LAWMAKERS TO DEBATE HARD LIMITS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN OREGON (Portland Oregonian)
Environmental activists are hoping Oregon lawmakers will act this session to put the third and what could be the most important plank of the state’s climate change action plan in place: hard limits on greenhouse emissions and a market-based price to enforce them.
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GILLNETS ON COLUMBIA RIVER: THE LONG-STANDING DEBATE ROARS BACK (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon and Washington’s plans for regulating commercial fishing on the lower Columbia River appear to be drifting apart, like an unmoored boat bobbing away from a dock.
Since 1915, the states have agreed on how to manage the salmon industry on more than 145 shared miles of the river – from the mouth to Bonneville Dam.
_________________________________________
In the final week of the Obama administration, the federal government gave the state permission for what officials claim will be five more years of stability in how health care is delivered to Oregon’s poor.
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TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP OR NOT, OREGON MUST ADVANCE TRADE WITH ASIA — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
In early November, we had the honor of being part of a group of business and government leaders on a Portland Business Alliance trade mission to Vietnam. We had a clear mission: Learn how to support existing business relationships and expand job development and education opportunities for both Oregon and Vietnam.
_________________________________________
The Oregon Department of Transportation is investigating a MAX train derailment near the Rose Quarter that caused in no injuries but disrupted transit throughout the metro area Friday morning.
_________________________________________
The highlight of Oregon higher education in 2016 – especially when you consider the football season – was Nike founder Phil Knight’s 10-year gift of $500 million to the University of Oregon for a science research complex.
_________________________________________
-Obama expands Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument-
Merkley, Wyden Applaud Expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Monument Expansion Violates O&C Act, Undermines Federal Land Management
Trout Unlimited applauds expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
AFRC Responds to Controversial Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Expansion _________________________________________
THIRD BRIDGE GETS NEW LIFE, CASTS A SHADOW OVER COMMUNITY (Salem Statesman Journal)
A longstanding fight over a contentious – and yet unrealized – third bridge in Oregon’s capital is getting new life.
Loreen Wells, 74, tells her story from the seat of a power chair in a house that’s been hers for four decades. Polio put her in the chair, and the neighbor’s daughter, Nohelani Judkins, works in the next room to help out.
_________________________________________
REPORTS: OBAMA WON’T DESIGNATE OWYHEE CANYONLANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT (Salem Statesman Journal)
The expansion of one national monument in Oregon appears to be enough for President Barack Obama.
The outgoing president used the federal Antiquities Act to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon last week by 48,000 acres.
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HUNDREDS RALLY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AT OREGON STATE CAPITOL (Salem Statesman Journal)
Roughly 400 people converged at the Oregon State Capitol steps to support immigrant rights Saturday.
The rally, part of a national day of demonstrations against President-Elect Donald Trump’s proposed policies relating to immigration, was comprised of dozens of state-wide organizations in the One Oregon coalition.
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OREGON BANS WEAPONS IN STATE WORKPLACES (Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon officials banned state employees from carrying weapons in the workplace unless they’re needed for their jobs, causing consternation Thursday among Republican leaders in the Legislature.
The Oregon Department of Administrative Services said it imposed the ban, which became effective on Jan. 6, in hopes of “providing a safe and secure environment for employees and visitors.”
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The federal government has approved Oregon’s request to continue innovating the Oregon Health Plan for the next five years, but its not giving any extra money to further advance the reforms, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Friday.
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AN EXPANDED MONUMENT — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Obama ensures designations purpose is fulfilled-
As the clock ticks down on President Obamas time in office, concern began to grow that he would overlook a proposal to enlarge the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon. The monument is small, remote and already in existence, having been designated by President Clinton in 2000. It would have been easy to focus on other matters, including additional monument designations.
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OTC CHAIR SEEKS GREATER OVERSIGHT OF ODOT (Portland Tribune)
In a letter to the governor, Oregon Transportation Commission Chairwoman Tammy Baney asked for independent staff person, involvement in ODOT director’s performance review.
In a highly unusual letter, the head of the Oregon Transportation Commission has asked Gov. Kate Brown to personally engage in beefed-up oversight of the Department of Transportation.
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PRO-IMMIGRATION RALLY MARCHERS ‘STAND UNITED AGAINST HATEFUL RHETORIC’ (Portland Tribune)
Rally and march at the Oregon Capitol in Salem opposed President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on immigration.
About 1,000 demonstrators marched around the Oregon Capitol Saturday, Jan. 14, in a show of protest against President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on immigration.
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Federal health officials Friday renewed the exemption letting Oregon pursue its own Medicaid reforms. But the nod won’t include $1.25 billion the state initially hoped for.
The outgoing Obama administration has renewed federal approval of the Oregon Health Plan.
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DEADLINE LOOMS JAN. 25 FOR TIMBER LAWSUIT PARTICIPATION (Portland Tribune)
Washington, Clackamas among the 15 counties in a group seeking $1.4 billion from the state in past losses and future proceeds.
Commissioners in Washington and Clackamas counties may soon get caught up in the political tug-of-war over state forests between advocates of timber production and supporters of outdoor recreation and environmental protection.
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EDITORIAL: SEN. TIM KNOPP RIGHT TO INCREASE HURDLE FOR TAX HIKES — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The 2017 Legislature will feature another battle between those devoted to adding new taxes and regulations and those fighting back.
Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, will be one of those fighting back. One of his first efforts to put on the brakes is Senate Joint Resolution 32, which would make it harder for the Legislature to increase taxes. Knopp has the right idea.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVES OREGON NEW HEALTH CARE WAIVER (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon has been granted a new waiver from the federal government to continue transforming its health care system.
Back in 2012, Oregon was given a five year waiver and almost $2 billion to improve health care and reduce rising costs.
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Opponents of proposed mining projects in the Klamath Mountains in the southwest corner of Oregon are praising a federal order withdrawing more than 100-thousand acres in the area from mining activity.
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TIMBER GROUP SAYS OREGON MONUMENT EXPANSION IS ILLEGAL (Northwest Public Radio)
The timber industry may go to court to try to reverse President Obama’s expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
The presidents decision to nearly double the size of the national monument was praised by environmentalists and Oregon’s two senators.
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AG IN THE CLASSROOM SPREADS THE WORD (Capital Press)
-In addition to educating kids and families on Ag in the Classroom, Jessica Jansen hopes to enlist more members of the ag community to share their knowledge with school-age kids.-
Jessica Jansen fell in love with agriculture during her high school FFA years. Its broad range of disciplines led her to earn degrees in agricultural sciences and communications at Oregon State University
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WORKER PROTECTION STANDARDS HIGHLIGHT SEMINARS (Capital Press)
-A full line-up of seminars awaits attendees of this years Northwest Ag Show.-
New federal Worker Protection Standards for pesticide application training are in effect and will be a major topic for this years seminars at the Northwest Ag Show.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulations require those who train farmworkers and pesticide handlers to hold a certified applicator license or complete an EPA-approved Train the Trainer course.
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TIMBER INDUSTRY MAY CHALLENGE CASCADE-SISKIYOU MONUMENT EXPANSION (Capital Press)
-Travis Joseph, president of the Portland-based American Forest Resource Council, said Friday the expansion improperly included several thousand acres of federal land that Congress has prioritized for logging.-
The timber industry thinks it may able to reverse President Barack Obamas expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
The presidents decision to add 48,000 acres to the 65,000-acre national monument was praised by environmentalists and Oregon’s two senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
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GOVERNORS PLAN TO CLOSE MENTAL HOSPITAL BRINGS DEJA VU (East Oregonian)
When Gov. Kate Brown released her $20.8 billion budget for the next biennium, one item on the chopping block shocked some eastside Oregonians.
There, on page 60, was something that caused jaws to drop the proposed closure of the state mental health hospital in Junction City. To understand the consternation, one must go back to 2014. That year, Pendleton lost the Blue Mountain Recovery Center, one of three state mental health facilities in the Oregon State Hospital system, shut down along with the Portland campus.
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KLAVINS: PREDATOR POACHERS MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
Appreciation for native wildlife is something nearly all Americans share. Wildlife bring value and belong to all of us not just those of us lucky enough to live near our states big wild places or those who shoot them with cameras rather than rifles.
Some animals challenge us, but poaching is a crime against us all. Recent efforts to address the problem are welcome, but show just how far we have to go.
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LAWMAKERS HAVE BUSY AGENDA WHEN NEXT SESSION BEGINS (The World)
The Oregon State Legislature convenes on Feb. 1, and lawmakers will have their work cut out for them.
With 17 bills pre-filed pertaining the state’s Public Employees Retirement System, the multi-billion-dollar financial liability to the state is likely to take up a considerable amount of lawmakers’ time.
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COMMISSIONERS ASK BROWN TO RECONSIDER VET PROPOSAL (Albany Democrat Herald)
Linn County Commissioner John Lindsey and seven other commissioners from around the state are asking Gov. Kate Brown to reconsider her plan to cut $10 million from the proposed state budget for veterans programs.
The commissioners, members of the Veterans Steering Committee of the Association of Oregon Counties, say the proposal flies in the face of Ballot Measure 96, which was passed by Oregon voters in November.
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DOUBLE VISION: PLANS TO UPGRADE BPA RADIO NETWORK SPARK DEBATE OVER MARYS PEAK (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Marys Peak has seen a lot of changes since tectonic forces raised it from the ocean floor 30 million years ago, but a decision-making process launched this fall could have a major impact on the mountains future.
Located 15 miles west of Corvallis and standing 4,097 feet above sea level, its the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range. With charming wildflower meadows, towering stands of noble fir and views that stretch from the Cascades to the Pacific, the peak is a major outdoor recreation destination. It also has ecological significance, with a unique assemblage of plants, animals and insects.
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LOCAL LEGISLATOR PROPOSES PERS CHANGES (Douglas County News-Review)
Shortly after entering his legislative office Monday, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, wasted no time in introducing a bill battling the controversial state pension system.
Kruse and Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, introduced two bills limiting public employee pension benefits. Kruse hopes their proposed changes will help the state save money, particularly as it faces a $1.7 billion budget deficit and $22 billion of unfunded pension liability.
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Click through to read five opinions from business and environmental leaders on the post-Bill Wyatt era.
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OREGON’S 2016 VENTURE ACTIVITY HAS MIXED RESULTS (Oregon Business Journal)
Depending on the data you want to look at, venture capital investment activity in Oregon last year was either starkly down or in-line with 2015.
Dueling reports are out this week from the National Venture Capital Association and Pitchbook, and CB Insights and PricewaterhouseCoopers examining investment activity nationwide. On a national level, the two reports trend the same way: Both deal volume and deal amounts fell.
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SCENES FROM THIS WEEK’S KICKOFF OF THE 2017 OREGON LEGISLATURE – PHOTOS (Oregon Business Journal)
This week’s snow storm may have grabbed most of the headlines, but there was also a pretty big event that kicked off the week before the flakes began to fall: the swearing in of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the opening of the 2017 session of the Oregon Legislature.
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WHY AN OREGON WAVE ENERGY DEVICE IS BEING TESTED IN COLORADO (Oregon Business Journal)
Wave energy technology born in ocean-facing Oregon is undergoing validation testing in landlocked Colorado.
It sounds incongruous, but the testing at the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder reflects the design and scale of the generator developed by Corvallis-based Columbia Power Technologies for the company’s StingRAY wave energy converter.
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GOV. BROWN SAYS STATE NEEDS TO DO MORE TO PREP FOR STORMS (KATU)
Gov. Kate Brown praised plow truck drivers for their tireless work in clearing snow from state highways, while saying the state needs to do more to prepare for future storms.
“We obviously needed more assistance within the city of Portland and Seattle came down to help,” said Brown.
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BUSINESSES WITH LIQUOR LICENSES WARNED ABOUT FAKE OLCC AGENTS (KPTV)
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is warning businesses about fake OLCC agents showing up and demanding access to files.
OLCC has received multiple reports from businesses with liquor licenses who have been called or visited by someone claiming to be an OLCC agent.
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FLOOD THREAT LOOMS: AGENCIES MOVE SNOW, PREP SANDBAGS (KTVZ Bend)
-Tips to avoid trouble; info hotline moves to 211-
With so much snow accumulating in Central Oregon due to the recent storms, and a forecast of rain and warmer temperatures, regional officials, including ODOT, warned everyone Friday to be prepared for potential flooding in coming days.
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MERKLEY: OBAMA WON’T DESIGNATE OWYHEE CANYONLANDS AS A NATIONAL MONUMENT (KUOW)
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley says he does not believe President Obama will designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument before leaving office on Friday.
Merkley said Interior Secretary Sally Jewel told him a monument designation for the eastern Oregon lands has been shelved.
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WESTERN DEMS LOOK TO CLIMATE TO REVITALIZE JOBS MESSAGES (The Hill)
Western states run by Democrats are aiming to use government responses to climate change as the basis for a new economic pitch to show voters the party can manage a transitioning economy.
State leaders are plotting aggressive new measures to tackle carbon emissions and promote renewable energy, in the face of an incoming administration that takes a skeptical view of climate change.
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FEDERAL WAIVER COMES WITHOUT NEW MONEY (The Lund Report)
-But state officials are optimistic about continuing their healthcare reform efforts.-
There’s excitement by Governor Kate Brown and other officials after the federal government approved Oregon’s Medicaid waiver for another five years. But that doesnt mean Oregon’s home free.
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RED JUSTICE IN A BLUE STATE (Slate.com)
-Oregon has one of the worst criminal justice systems in the country. These prosecutors are largely to blame.-
Here’s a riddle: What state incarcerates a higher percentage of its black population than Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana?
I’ll bet you didn’t guess Oregon.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 17, 2017 Weekend Edition
* Oregon’s new concealed handgun policy raises Republican hackles
* Transportation officials: Avoid travel if freezing rain arrives
* Proposal to transfer federal land to states worries outdoor enthusiasts
* Portland needs better than a strategy of ‘let it melt’: Editorial Agenda 2017 — Opinion
* Genetically modified pest — Opinion
* Anti-terrorism bill more threatening than ever — Guest Opinion
* What’s next for the Superfund cleanup?
* Officials reviewing winter storm strategies
* Landlords not tenants are responsible for clearing snow from roofs
* Cascade-Siskiyou Monument expansion fosters praise, fear
* Prineville power needs spur meeting with Rep. Greg Walden
* Small companies have big retirement problem
* Editorial: Require warrant for cellphone monitoring — Opinion
* Editorial: Monument designation should be up to Congress — Opinion
* Icy Weather Expected Tuesday Morning, Followed By Posssible Flooding
* Community Health Workers To Help Mentally Ill In Oregon, Washington Find Housing
* Transgender Oregonians Hurry To Update Documents Before Trump Takes Office
* Merkley: Owyhee Canyonland monument designation unlikely
* Editorial: Rent control for Oregon is a fools bargain — Opinion
* BLM allocates timber payment funds
* OUR VIEW: Browns speech a mixed bag — Opinion
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Oregon Republicans are criticizing a new policy that forbids most state employees with licenses to carry concealed handguns from bringing guns to work, except for state police and others whose jobs require it.
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TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS: AVOID TRAVEL IF FREEZING RAIN ARRIVES (Portland Oregonian)
With many Portland-area roads still frozen over from last week’s storm, freezing rain in the forecast for Tuesday could result in even slicker roads.
Ice could also bring down tree limbs and power lines, blocking roads and public transportation. An early December storm similarly started with snow and followed up with freezing rain, causing widespread traffic and transit delays.
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PROPOSAL TO TRANSFER FEDERAL LAND TO STATES WORRIES OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS (Portland Oregonian)
A change in U.S. House rules making it easier to transfer millions of acres of federal public lands to states is worrying hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts across the West who fear losing access.
Lawmakers earlier this month passed a rule eliminating a significant budget hurdle and written so broadly that it includes national parks.
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In Seattle, the transportation department aims “to achieve bare and wet pavement on specified streets within twelve hours after a significant lull in the storm,” according to that city’s winter-weather site.
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GENETICALLY MODIFIED PEST — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
ou have to say this for Scotts Miracle-Gro, the mega lawn and garden company: It managed to unite Oregon farmers, grass seed dealers, environmentalists, scientists and regulators groups that are rarely unanimous on anything.
Scotts did this by, first, partnering with Monsanto to develop a genetically modified grass seed that is resistant to herbicide, specifically the widely used multipurpose Roundup. It turned out this also made the grass impervious to darned near everything else, with the possible exception of neutron bombs.
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ANTI-TERRORISM BILL MORE THREATENING THAN EVER — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Five years ago, President Obama signed a bill into law that expanded the federal governments ability to fight terrorism around the world and inside the United States a worthy cause. But this same legislation is now a threat to Americans basic civil liberties. How can this be?
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SUPERFUND CLEANUP? (Portland Tribune)
-Over 150 different businesses and governments might be liable for a share of the Portland Harbor cleanup bill. Now comes the hard part – getting them to pay.-
After 17 years of study and research, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally approved its cleanup plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund site.
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OFFICIALS REVIEWING WINTER STORM STRATEGIES (Portland Tribune)
-Regional leaders have promised changes to better handle such storms in the past, with mixed results. The last one to shut down the Portland region hit in December 2008, just as Sam Adams was about to become mayor.-
Although the last traces of the most recent snow storm are finally melting away, memories of lengthy traffic jams, disrupted transit service, and impassible residential streets are still fresh. Local leaders and transportation officials say they already have changed the way they respond to such severe winter events, however, and are considering additional changes in the future.
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LANDLORDS NOT TENANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEARING SNOW FROM ROOFS (Bend Bulletin)
-In Bend, many residents are shoveling roofs-
Dozens of Bend property owners scrambled to clear snow off roofs after several buildings collapsed across town last week.
But some property owners didnt take action, leaving some Bend tenants wondering what to do when snow piles up dangerously on roofs and what steps to take when landlords dont help.
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CASCADE-SISKIYOU MONUMENT EXPANSION FOSTERS PRAISE, FEAR (Bend Bulletin)
-Boost for biodiversity prompts concern for ranchers, calls for reversal –
Proponents are cheering President Barack Obamas expansion of a national monument in Southern Oregon as a step toward further protecting an ecological wonder.
The presidents proclamation has also prompted loud calls for the incoming administration to reverse the expansion.
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-Not enough power in Crook County to lure big businesses-
A misunderstanding about how much electricity Prineville had access to has stymied the regions economic development efforts.
Now, Prineville city leaders and electrical utilities are pledging to improve their lines of communication, following a meeting arranged by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River.
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SMALL COMPANIES HAVE BIG RETIREMENT PROBLEM (Bend Bulletin)
Thinking about taking a job at a small company? Dont expect a good retirement plan.
At companies with fewer than 50 workers, not even half the employees have access to a 401k or pension, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At companies with 500 workers or more, 90 percent of employees have access to a retirement plan.
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EDITORIAL: REQUIRE WARRANT FOR CELLPHONE MONITORING — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
People take their cellphones everywhere with them. That can come in handy for the police when they want to track criminals.
Technology called Stingrays, or more generically cell site simulators, can be used to track a persons cellphone. The privacy laws in Oregon have some needed catching up to do on this technology.
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EDITORIAL: MONUMENT DESIGNATION SHOULD BE UP TO CONGRESS — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Late last week, President Barack Obama nearly doubled the size of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument with the stroke of a pen. Fortunately, he did nothing about the proposed Owyhee monument in far eastern Oregon, and its status remains unchanged.
Though the privilege to create national monuments belongs to the president, that can and should be changed. Locking up public land, whether for wilderness or a national monument, should be done at the behest of both houses of Congress, not by presidential fiat.
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ICY WEATHER EXPECTED TUESDAY MORNING, FOLLOWED BY POSSSIBLE FLOODING (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Winter weather may get a little icier across the region before warming up Tuesday.
The National Weather Service in Portland issued an ice storm warning for the greater Portland metro area, the Columbia River Gorge, the Hood River and Wind River valleys as well as most valleys within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest early Tuesday. The warning calls for freezing rain Tuesday and Wednesday for most areas below 1500 feet east of the Coast Range.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TO HELP MENTALLY ILL IN OREGON, WASHINGTON FIND HOUSING (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Earlier this winter, Kaiser Permanente and several other local health care providers got together to build 380 new housing units in the Portland area.
The trouble is, many homeless people suffer from severe mental illnesses or have addiction issues and are reluctant to move in. They dont trust the system.
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TRANSGENDER OREGONIANS HURRY TO UPDATE DOCUMENTS BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Alexander Clarke-Ritter sits facing his attorney in a conference room on the 34th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Portland. On the table between them sits a small stack of personal documents.
Oregon and Washington have been leaders in providing new rights to LGBTQ men and women. Now advocates in the Pacific Northwest are encouraging transgender men and women to update their federal documents before the Trump administration takes over.
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MERKLEY: OWYHEE CANYONLAND MONUMENT DESIGNATION UNLIKELY (Capital Press)
-Southeast Oregon residents bitterly oppose designation of a national monument, saying it would cut off grazing and other activity.-
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley said hes been told there are no plans to designate an Owyhee Canyonlands national monument in the remaining days of the Obama administration.
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EDITORIAL: RENT CONTROL FOR OREGON IS A FOOLS BARGAIN — OPINION (East Oregonian)
-It creates bureaucracy with unintended consequences.-
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek threw red meat to her Portland constituents by proposing legislation to create rent control. Portland rents have escalated as the city has become one of the nations most desirable locations. Kotek extended her rent control proposal beyond Portlands boundaries, to all Oregon communities.
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The Bureau of Land Management has distributed more than $19 million to 18 counties, including Douglas, in western Oregon.
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OUR VIEW: BROWNS SPEECH A MIXED BAG — OPINION (LaGrande Observer)
Voters secured the opportunity to hear from Oregons newly elected governor last week regarding some of her goals for the future. While there was a general feeling of optimism around her words there didnt appear to be a lot of substance.
At least not regarding some of the key problems the state now faces.
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Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 17, 2017 OSL eClips
* House Democrats need Republicans for solutions to Oregon’s problems — Opinion
* Pay gap between college grads, everyone else at a record
* Clatsop County withdraws from $1.4 billion lawsuit over logging harvests
* Obama administration blocks mining on 100,000 acres in Southern Oregon
* Pacific Seafood fined for polluting Yaquina Bay
* UO student files $3 million lawsuit over delayed meningitis diagnosis during 2015 outbreak
* Flu continues to spread across Lane County with hundreds of confirmed cases
* Oregon bans state employees from bringing weapons into workplaces
* State bans weapons in the workplace
* Elizabeth Woody to read poetry at Marylhurst
* State government at the starting gate
* Snow threatens five more Bend-La Pine buildings
* Oregon lawmakers ask for clemency
* Obama Announces Cascade-Siskiyou Monument Expansion
* Opponents Call Foul On Mega-Dairy Construction
* OHSU Stops New Hires Ahead Of Potential Obamacare Cuts
* Ranchers dread effects of Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion
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Democratic legislators in the lopsided House of Representatives don’t need Republican votes to get what they want this session.
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Americans with no more than a high school diploma have fallen so far behind college graduates in their economic lives that the earnings gap between college grads and everyone else has reached its widest point on record.
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Oregon’s Clatsop County has dropped out of a class-action lawsuit involving more than a dozen counties seeking $1.4 billion from the state over logging harvests on state-managed lands.
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A long-running effort to block mining in the watersheds of several iconic rivers in southwest Oregon scored a major victory Thursday.
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State environmental regulators have fined Pacific Seafood, doing business as Pacific Shrimp Company, $1,540 for violating its wastewater discharge permit at its seafood processing facility at 617 SW Bay Boulevard in Newport.
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A University of Oregon student who was hospitalized for two weeks with meningococcal disease in 2015 has sued medical providers for $3 million for negligence for allegedly failing to properly diagnose her illness.
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FLU CONTINUES TO SPREAD ACROSS LANE COUNTY WITH HUNDREDS OF CONFIRMED CASES (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Officials pinpoint 15 specific outbreaks, many in Eugene and Springfield-
If youre missing another day of work with a hacking cough, fever and body aches, youre far from alone.
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Oregon officials banned state employees from carrying weapons in the workplace unless they’re needed for their jobs, causing consternation Thursday among Republican leaders in the Legislature.
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STATE BANS WEAPONS IN THE WORKPLACE (Portland Tribune)
-The new HR policy narrows a preexisting policy that bans weapons in most state agency buildings.-
The state has adopted a new policy that prohibits state employees from having weapons in their workplace as a condition of employment, narrowing a preexisting policy that banned weapons in most state agency buildings.
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ELIZABETH WOODY TO READ POETRY AT MARYLHURST (Portland Tribune)
-Elizabeth Woody, Oregon’s eighth poet laureate, will read her poetry Jan. 20 at Marylhurst University.-
Everyone is invited to attend an evening with poet Elizabeth Woody, hosted by the Marylhurst Writers Club on Jan. 20 at Marylhurst University.
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STATE GOVERNMENT AT THE STARTING GATE (Portland Tribune)
-We take a look at the leaders, the issues, and the challenges facing Oregon in 2017.-
Everyone is sworn in. Now, the Oregon Legislature and statewide officeholders get ready to tackle a budget deficit, much-needed transportation repairs and a vastly altered political landscape in Washington, D.C.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS ASK FOR CLEMENCY (Bend Bulletin)
-Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer ask Obama to review Oregon prison sentences-
Some of Oregon’s most influential voices have asked President Barack Obama to extend leniency toward nonviolent offenders serving long prison sentences in the state of Oregon.
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President Obama on Thursday announced an anticipated expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
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While it remains unclear whether state agencies will sign off on a controversial 30,000-cow dairy farm in Morrow County, that hasn’t stopped construction from moving quickly ahead.
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The president of Oregon Health And Science University isn’t waiting to see what Republicans do with the Affordable Care Act.
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Cattle groups reacted with dread at the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon and California, which they fear will gradually eradicate ranching in the area.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 13, 2017 OSL eClips
* Heavy snow starts to damage roofs in Oregon
* Gov. Kate Brown declares state of emergency in Oregon due to snow
* Oregon schools must make up lost school days — or get a waiver
* Explosives considered for removing dangerous ice floe in far-eastern Oregon
* Feds take a stand for insurers over vulnerable patients — Guest Opinion
* Those who call for transparency should be transparent themselves — Guest Opinion
* Karen Lee Batts, whose death signals a cold reality — Opinion
* History revealed during renovation of rail station
* As snow melts in Salem, emergency declared statewide
* Public pension debate returns to Oregon Legislature
* Rescue dogs, border collies nominated for Oregon state dog
* Expanded monument could benefit economy — Guest Opinion
* Senate leader sees new revenue, transportation top agenda for 2017
* Inclusionary housing policy has skeptics
* Commuters fume, but politicos ignore I-5 bridge
* Brown, Wheeler declare state of emergencies because of winter storm
* Two proposals take aim at reducing PERS liabilities
* EPA grants help replace diesel-spewing trucks, school buses in Oregon
* Crook County emergency request granted by the state for a price
* Hop convention coming to Bend
* Editorial: Gov. Kate Brown and Legislature neglect PERS — Opinion
* Editorial: Poor fixes for affordable housing problem — Opinion
* Gov. Kate Brown Declares State Of Emergency
* AFBF optimistic despite challenging politics, economy landscape
* Grants available through State Historic Preservation Office
* Pendleton on board with Boutique
* Opponents call foul on mega-dairy construction
* Water official: Snowpack is looking pretty good
* Old Camp White building goes on historic register
* Medical pot grows denied
* Klamath County to receive $450,000 in federal funds
* USDA gearing up for agriculture census
* Wave energy earns praise, not certain — Guest Opinion
* USDA grants fuel ongoing forest projects
* Bonamici reintroduces tsunami bill
* Dam will not be used for mitigation
* Editorial: Crab season isn’t ill fated, but needs attention — Opinion
* Editorial: Its time for public records reform — Opinion
* Putting the brakes on predatory towing — Opinion
* H&V woos angry neighbors
* Wyden objects to Forest Service decision
* Student Success
* Let locals manage campsites — Opinion
* BLM to pay $4.7M in timber payments to Douglas County
* Editorial: Homeless, not hopeless — Opinion
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Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency in Oregon due to severe winter storm conditions.
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OREGON SCHOOLS MUST MAKE UP LOST SCHOOL DAYS — OR GET A WAIVER (Portland Oregonian)
Given the spate of snow days they’ve called in December and January, Oregon schools are almost certain to have to tack more days onto the school year, which could mean eating into planned breaks, extending classes well into June, or both.
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Officials in Oregon’s far-east Malheur County are asking the National Guard to consider using explosives to blast away a mile-long ice floe blocking parts of the Snake River, according to an emergency proclamation obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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FEDS TAKE A STAND FOR INSURERS OVER VULNERABLE PATIENTS — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Big insurance company CEOs must love Andy Slavitt. Why wouldn’t they? After all, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS, under Slavitt’s leadership, is providing a legal loophole that will free America’s big health insurance companies from having to cover America’s sickest and most expensive patients.
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THOSE WHO CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY SHOULD BE TRANSPARENT THEMSELVES — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregonian/OregonLive recently published a column by someone named Adam Andrzejewski – an out-of-state, right wing activist who is using false information in an effort to smear our state leaders for his own political purposes “In Oregon, the battle against transparency is bipartisan,” Oct. 30.
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KAREN LEE BATTS, WHOSE DEATH SIGNALS A COLD REALITY — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
There seems nothing crueler than dying alone in the cold in a dank parking garage. But that’s what happened last Saturday in downtown Portland, where Karen Batts, homeless at 52, succumbed to hypothermia only blocks away from a warming shelter. She was the third of four people in Portland this winter to die from the cold.
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HISTORY REVEALED DURING RENOVATION OF RAIL STATION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Robert Melbo is not one to be derailed, even when faced with the daunting task of correcting history.
After months of research on Salem’s historic train station, including the nearly renovated baggage depot, he has uncovered some significant inaccuracies.
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While the Portland Metro area got covered with up to a foot of snow, the Mid-Willamette Valley got a mixture of snow and rain as a weather system made its way through Oregon this week.
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Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, teed up what could be the most contentious debate of the upcoming legislative session by introducing two bills to make money-saving changes to Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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Two resolutions in the Oregon State Legislature are proposing two different candidates for Oregon’s top dog.
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EXPANDED MONUMENT COULD BENEFIT ECONOMY — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
First the Hudsons Bay Co. came for the fur. Then miners arrived looking for gold, followed by timber barons drawn by trees. Throughout our history, we Oregonians have taken wealth from nature.
But times change, and so does the definition of wealth. In todays dollars, what is the value of fur, gold and logs compared to clean water, fresh air, intact ecosystems or a stable climate?
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SENATE LEADER SEES NEW REVENUE, TRANSPORTATION TOP AGENDA FOR 2017 (Portland Tribune)
-Ginny Burdick, whose district includes Tigard, is Washington County’s highest ranking lawmaker.-
Oregon Sen. Ginny Burdick’s demeanor going into the next legislative session can best be described as “cautiously optimistic.”
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INCLUSIONARY HOUSING POLICY HAS SKEPTICS (Portland Tribune)
Although every state but Texas has long allowed local inclusionary housing or zoning policies, some developers said Portland’s policy is much broader than those in other cities, which have exemptions intended to accommodate different kinds of projects at various locations.
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COMMUTERS FUME, BUT POLITICOS IGNORE I-5 BRIDGE (Portland Tribune)
-Governors of Oregon and Washington don’t even plan to talk about replacing the aging bridge between the two states.-
Although the 2017 Washington Legislature began on Monday and Oregon lawmakers are scheduled to convene in Salem on Feb. 1, one mutual project not on either agenda is replacing the Interstate 5 bridge between the two states. In fact, media representatives for the governors in both states recently told KOIN 6 News they don’t even plan to discuss it.
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Declarations authorize deployment and use of the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon State Police, and the Oregon National Guard to Oregon to support local communities needing assistance.
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TWO PROPOSALS TAKE AIM AT REDUCING PERS LIABILITIES (Portland Tribune)
-Legislators are mulling ways to reduce the public retirement system’s unfunded mandate.-
Two proposals take aim at reducing PERS liabilities. As lawmakers head into the 2017 legislative session, at least two proposed bills plan to address oft-tread territory: the state’s pension system.
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-Funds will help replace 10 freight trucks in Portland and 10 school buses-
EPA grants help replace diesel-spewing trucks, school buses in Oregon _________________________________________
CROOK COUNTY EMERGENCY REQUEST GRANTED BY THE STATE FOR A PRICE (Bend Bulletin)
-County declines offer; stranded rural residents look to neighbors for help –
State officials rejected Crook County’s emergency request for money and manpower to help dig stranded people out of snowed-in rural neighborhoods after concluding Wednesday that the county hadn’t used all of its resources.
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HOP CONVENTION COMING TO BEND (Bend Bulletin)
-500 attendees expected for three-day event-
Andrew Bloo will be present, he said, when the 61st annual American Hop Convention opens for the first time in Bend next week at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes.
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Gov. Kate Brown gave her inaugural address this week. Oregonians should be used to her approach by now. Another speech, another turn of her back to the $22 billion unfunded liability of the states pension fund.
Brown has a plate full of challenges.
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EDITORIAL: POOR FIXES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROBLEM — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The affordable housing crunch exists pretty much statewide.
Yet a statewide problem does not necessarily need a statewide solution, no matter what Democrats in Salem seem to think. From the governor on down, theyve proposed a series of so-called fixes to the housing crunch that would, in fact, serve only to make it worse.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency due to severe winter storm conditions.
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AFBF OPTIMISTIC DESPITE CHALLENGING POLITICS, ECONOMY LANDSCAPE (Capital Press)
-Farm Bureau wraps up annual convention on optimistic note despite changing political, economic landscape-
Zippy Duvall was fighting a cold and sore throat all during the American Farm Bureau Federations annual convention here, but the Georgian had enough voice left Tuesday to say he was feeling good about things.
Duvall, the Farm Bureau president, said the voting delegates gave him a clear vision of what they want in the coming year, including guidance to hit regulatory reform real hard.
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-A variety of grants for preserving historic buildings, cemeteries and museums are open for applications.-
Thousands of dollars in state grants are up for grabs for qualifying historic and Main Street projects.
The State Historic Preservation Office is offering up to $20,000 matching grants for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The register lists 42 sites in Umatilla County, ranging from Weston School to portions of Pendletons and Echos downtowns.
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PENDLETON ON BOARD WITH BOUTIQUE (East Oregonian) -Pendleton holds ribbon cutting for city’s new air service provider-
It might have been one of the biggest welcoming parties for a commercial flight in Pendleton airport history.
A few dozen local officials and members of the public crammed into the former Transportation Security Administration screening room to greet the mid-afternoon flight on Wednesday.
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OPPONENTS CALL FOUL ON MEGA-DAIRY CONSTRUCTION (East Oregonian)
-A coalition of health and environmental groups are asking the state to investigate construction of an as yet permitted mega-dairy.-
While it remains unclear whether state agencies will sign off on a controversial 30,000-cow dairy farm in Morrow County, that hasn’t stopped construction from moving quickly ahead.
The question now is whether Lost Valley Ranch broke the law by breaking ground well before it secured the necessary permits.
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WATER OFFICIAL: SNOWPACK IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD (Argus Observer)
It is no secret the water year has gotten off to a good start, but the first water supply outlook reports from the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Oregon and Idaho confirm that.
Based on information from automated weather data collection sites, or SNOTEL network, both the Owyhee and Malheur basins are above 100 percent of normal for the amount of water measured in the snowpack.
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The Camp White Station Hospital Administration Building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
White City’s first individually listed National Register property is the 154th in Jackson County.
Local historian and author George Kramer was approached by the Department of Veterans Affairs to nominate Building 200 for listing and happily championed the cause.
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MEDICAL POT GROWS DENIED (Medford Mail Tribune)
Pot growers are crying foul because Jackson County so far is refusing to grandfather in existing medical marijuana grows on rural-residential land.
A spring 2016 change to state law made medical marijuana grows illegal on rural-residential land in the county. Recreational marijuana grows were already illegal on the land zoned for country living.
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KLAMATH COUNTY TO RECEIVE $450,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDS (Herald and News)
Klamath County will receive roughly $450,000 in federal funds to compensate for property tax not paid on federal land, which officials said is more than was expected but still less than they should receive.
The Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday they were prepared to disburse $19 million to 18 counties in Oregon, including Klamath.
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USDA GEARING UP FOR AGRICULTURE CENSUS (Herald and News)
The nations most ambitious and important agricultural survey will go out to farm operators in December.
Right now, we are building our lists, says Dave Losh, Oregons state statistician with the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA-NASS. We know that list is incomplete because people are coming into agriculture and leaving it all the time. Thats why we are currently doing what we can to make our list the most complete it can be prior to mailing out the census survey at the end of the year.
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WAVE ENERGY EARNS PRAISE, NOT CERTAIN — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
Making electricity from the oceans always undulating waves has been a dream for decades. The European Marine Energy Centre lists 256 companies and other entities working on various wave power concepts.
Wave-energy converter machines run the gamut of human ingenuity. They depend on varying levels of complexity its possible to conceive of some being relatively straightforward to maintain, while others seem unlikely to survive for long.
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USDA GRANTS FUEL ONGOING FOREST PROJECTS (Herald and News)
Two recent grant approvals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture will aid in Klamath County forest health, totaling more than $3 million in funding awarded to the U.S. Forest Service USFS and National Resource Conservation Services NRCS.
The grants apply to two collaborative projects between USFS and NRCS focused on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and Deschutes National Forest, one of which is already underway.
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-The congresswomans tsunami bill is once again moving through Congress.-
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici on Tuesday reintroduced the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act.
The legislation would strengthen tsunami detection and warning systems, improve response and resiliency and better protect communities vulnerable to a tsunami.
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COLLEGE WEIGHS TIMBER LAWSUIT (Daily Astorian)
-Clatsop Community College will decide later this month on whether to be a plaintiff in the timber lawsuit against the state.-
Clatsop Community Colleges board of directors met in executive session Tuesday with lawyers representing Linn County in the $1.4 billion class action timber lawsuit against the state. The college will hold a special meeting Jan. 24 to decide whether the school should remain involved.
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Mayor Mark Kujala and Commissioner Rick Newton said Tuesday night that the Eighth Street Dam would be used for flood control, not as wetlands mitigation for a future development project, if the city takes control.
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EDITORIAL: CRAB SEASON ISN’T ILL FATED, BUT NEEDS ATTENTION — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-Todays crabbers and fishermen have to be smart and rational to survive literally and economically.-
Some may wonder if the 2017 Dungeness crab season is ill-fated: First delayed by weeks to make certain crab were free of domoic acid toxin, delayed again after processors proposed lowering the price paid to crabbers, and then it started with a capsizing that could have cost five lives except for quick intervention by the Ballad.
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EDITORIAL: ITS TIME FOR PUBLIC RECORDS REFORM — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
If Oregonians have a shared self-image, its that we may see inside our state and local governments. These days that expectation is often thwarted, if not challenged.
We on the Lower Columbia River got an education in how a misguided governor could assume a proprietary attitude toward his office. At the close of Gov. John Kitzhabers third term, he unilaterally moved to ban gillnet fishing on the Columbia. It was an opaque process that defied logical, scientific explanation.
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PUTTING THE BRAKES ON PREDATORY TOWING — OPINION (Albany Democrat Herald)
Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa and a state legislator are exploring ways to rein in predatory towing practices on the part of companies, often from out of town, that travel to Albany under the cover of darkness and tow away vehicles for various and sundry parking violations.
Konopa and the legislator, Sen. Chuck Riley of Hillsboro, are on the right track. Riley says he plans to introduce a bill in this year’s legislative session to place additional restrictions on how these towing companies do business.
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H&V WOOS ANGRY NEIGHBORS (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
After enduring months of negative comments in a bruising series of public meetings, Hollingsworth & Vose is hoping to win over critics of its south Corvallis glass fiber plant by aggressively reducing the amount of particulates and other pollutants coming out of its stacks.
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WYDEN OBJECTS TO FOREST SERVICE DECISION (Baker City Herald)
-Agency wants to hire Utah firm to manage campgrounds-
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is urging a U.S. Forest Service official to reverse the agencys December decision to hire a Utah company rather than a Baker County nonprofit to operate several campgrounds and rental cabins in the Anthony Lakes and Phillips Reservoir areas.
The Baker County Development Corporation, which owns and runs the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort ski area, was one of three groups that applied for a five-year permit to run the campgrounds, which are open during the summer.
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STUDENT SUCCESS (Baker City Herald)
-State Deputy Superintendent Of Public Instruction Visits Baker City-
Fifty-seven people, including a handful of parents, braved single-digit temperatures Wednesday night to share their thoughts about Oregon education with the states deputy superintendent of public instruction.
Salam Noor traveled to Baker City with Meg Boyd, strategic communications specialist.
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LET LOCALS MANAGE CAMPSITES — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
Were not so provincial as to insist that a local outfit always is best-suited to doing a job.
But in the case of managing several campgrounds and rental cabins on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, proximity ought to count for something.
So should a proven ability to oversee a recreation business thats more complicated than a campground or a cabin.
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BLM TO PAY $4.7M IN TIMBER PAYMENTS TO DOUGLAS COUNTY (Douglas County News-Review)
The Bureau of Land Management plans to distribute about $19 million from timber sales to the 18 western Oregon counties covered under the 1937 Oregon and California O&C Lands and the Coos Bay Wagon Road Acts, the agency announced Tuesday.
As far as the BLMs concerned, were happy to be able to provide these payments to the counties from the harvest activities that have occurred this past year, Roseburg District BLM spokesperson Cheyne Rossbach said.
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EDITORIAL: HOMELESS, NOT HOPELESS — OPINION (Douglas County News-Review)
The Oregon Department of Education released the number of homeless students for the 2015-2016 school year in late 2016 and an astonishing 21,352 are considered homeless in the state of Oregon.
Douglas County was home to 472 students who were living in a residence considered not fixed, regular and/or adequate by the federal government.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 12, 2017 OSL eClips
* Oregon senator introduces legislation to ban Sharia law
* Venture capital activity down sharply in Oregon, nationally
* Oregon mega-dairy construction raises questions about legality
* Oregon snowpack above normal; more wintry weather forecast
* The value of vaccine — Opinion
* One-fifth of Oregon legislators will be new in 2017 session
* My View: Time for Portland Harbor renaissance — Guest Opinion
* Central Oregon snowpack looking good
* Wolves in Oregon are not native, agriculture groups contend
* State comes through with housing funds
* Rural residents in Crook County snowed in and low on supplies
* Layoffs coming to Prineville data center
* Railroad sues to force approval of track expansion along gorge
* Editorial: Legislature should stop meddling in Oregon business — Opinion
* Editorial: Bill would penalize companies for fighting in court over taxes — Opinion
* Editorial: Data behind vacancy rate is weak — Opinion
* Northwest Mumps Outbreak Puzzles Health Officials
* Oregon Lawmakers Will Try Again On Oil Train Safety Bill
* New Oregon Coalition Forms To Try To Control Prescription Drug Costs
* Final Superfund Cleanup Plan – OPB Think Out Loud
* Cold weather may help farmers battle destructive bugs
* WSDA director: We have a plan for wheat woes
* Researchers find jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide
* Our view: Research helps better understand grazing near streams — Opinion
* Local transportation projects total $50 million
* Our View: The dilemma of meth psychosis — Opinion
* Our View: Bipartisanship is easier said than done — Opinion
* Don’t give up public land — Guest Opinion
* Forestland on Elk River preserved for public access
* Congressional delegation urges Trump to fund Hanford work
* Time to pay the piper — Opinion
* Debate spills over the dams
* Judge to allow expert witness in sick leave lawsuit
* First Loan From New Fund Will Support Eastern Oregon Mills, Create Jobs
* Obamacare repeal in Oregon: Huge job losses, more charity care
* City Club of Portland – Video and Research Links
* We Used a New App to Compare Portland’s Health Risks Against Three Other Western Cities
* Oregon officials optimistic FEMA will provide storm reimbursement
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A Salem-area Republican has introduced legislation that would ban Oregon courts from considering Sharia law, the set of religious customs followed by some Muslims, when issuing rulings.
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Oregon startup activity fell sharply last year, even as the state’s tech sector and broader economy continued their rapid expansion.
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Is a controversial mega-dairy proposed for Oregon’s eastern Columbia Gorge breaking the law by proceeding with construction before getting any water quality permits or even registering as a business?
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Unless it melts too quickly, mountain snows will provide water through summer
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THE VALUE OF VACCINE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Immunization has tamed the influenza monster-
The facts are bad enough: Eight elderly Lane County residents have died from influenza in less than a month. Thirteen influenza outbreaks have been reported in the past 30 days, most of them involving 40 to 60 people, although one outbreak, in the Florence school system, includes nearly 800. PeaceHealth alone treated 146 patients with confirmed influenza in one week at its Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove and Florence hospitals, Register-Guard reporter Elon Glucklich found.
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ONE-FIFTH OF OREGON LEGISLATORS WILL BE NEW IN 2017 SESSION (Portland Tribune)
-Group could help shape policy on revenue, transportation, affordable housing, PERS reform-
When the Oregon legislative session kicks off in February, more than one-fifth of legislators will be new, including one who represents parts of Yamhill and Washington counties.
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MY VIEW: TIME FOR PORTLAND HARBOR RENAISSANCE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Tribune)
There’s little doubt that cleanup of the contaminated sediment and upland properties will bring clear and significant benefits to the Portland area. The economic opportunity that awaits the region when the river is transformed back to the crown jewel that it once was cannot be overstated. Even during the cleanup, with careful planning and execution, there will be opportunities for job training and local employment to benefit communities disproportionately affected by the river’s poor condition.
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CENTRAL OREGON SNOWPACK LOOKING GOOD (Bend Bulletin)
-Early snapshot of snow, water levels show promise for Oregon-
Drivers and parents may be cursing Central Oregon’s heavy recent snowfall by now, but federal and state officials call it a good start of the season for snowpack and water supply.
Theyre hoping it continues, at least in the mountains.
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WOLVES IN OREGON ARE NOT NATIVE, AGRICULTURE GROUPS CONTEND (Bend Bulletin)
-Conservation groups discount debunked argument-
Oregon had to remove the gray wolf from the states endangered species list because that protection only applies to native species and Oregon’s wolves originally came from Canada, cattle and farm groups argued in a court filing this week.
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STATE COMES THROUGH WITH HOUSING FUNDS (Bend Bulletin)
-LIFT program boosts 90-unit build-
Housing Works, the public housing authority for Central Oregon, plans to build 90 apartment and townhome units for low-income households in Sisters and La Pine.
Oregon Housing and Community Services awarded the housing authority $3.6 million in state funding to underwrite construction, which also relies on low-income housing tax credits. The total cost to build the two projects comes to about $14.5 million. The state share is part of the Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program.
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RURAL RESIDENTS IN CROOK COUNTY SNOWED IN AND LOW ON SUPPLIES (Bend Bulletin)
-County declares emergency to ask state for help-
Some residents in Crook County’s rural neighborhoods are snowed in and running low on food and heat, and while private citizens use their own snowmobiles to help stranded neighbors, county officials have requested help from the state to dig them out.
Crook County Court members signed off on declaring a local emergency Tuesday, asking the state for money, equipment and manpower to help plow rural roads that the county doesnt maintain.
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LAYOFFS COMING TO PRINEVILLE DATA CENTER (Bend Bulletin)
-Facebook shifting security contractors-
The contractor responsible for providing security at Facebook’s data centers in Prineville will be laying off 85 employees at the end of the month, as the internet giant switches security companies.
Lee Weinstein, president of Weinstein PR, which represents Facebook, wrote in an email that Facebook is changing security providers at all of its U.S. data centers, including those in Prineville.
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RAILROAD SUES TO FORCE APPROVAL OF TRACK EXPANSION ALONG GORGE (Bend Bulletin)
Union Pacific on Tuesday asked a federal judge to reject local rules that threaten to derail its plans to add a second main track along the Columbia River Gorge where a crude oil train derailed last June.
The railroad filed the lawsuit in federal court in Portland against Wasco County and the Columbia River Gorge Commission.
Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific says federal laws govern railroads, so local restrictions like the ones Wasco County approved don’t apply to the project.
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The Oregon Legislature must not have many public-sector problems to solve. You know, like addressing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall of controlling PERS costs. How else to explain the eagerness of some lawmakers to further micromanage private businesses?
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EDITORIAL: BILL WOULD PENALIZE COMPANIES FOR FIGHTING IN COURT OVER TAXES — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The Oregon Legislature should hang a sign on the front door of the Capitol: Home of messed-up legislation.
The latest example comes in the contorted tale behind new draft legislation. In this tale, Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, chairman of the House Revenue Committee, seems to see himself as the hero and Comcast as the villain. The true villain is legislative ineptitude and a thirst for revenge. And heroes? Well, good luck finding one.
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EDITORIAL: DATA BEHIND VACANCY RATE IS WEAK — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
You’ve heard it dozens of times: The rental vacancy rate in Bend is around 1 percent and has been less than 2 percent since 2012.
Its been referenced in city of Bend reports, cited by city officials and quoted in news stories in The Bulletin, The Oregonian and elsewhere.
But it turns out, as Bulletin reporter Stephen Hamway reported Sunday, its not well-supported. It might be right, but the underlying information doesnt even come close to proving it.
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Health officials in Washington state said there have been 151 cases of mumps have been reported statewide since the end of October. Only 46 were reported in the four years prior. Mumps has also been reported in Oregon this year.
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Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney introduced a bill Tuesday that would increase regulations for railroads carrying crude oil and other hazardous materials through the state.
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An Epipen is a lifesaving device used to treat allergic reactions.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has released its final plan for cleaning up the polluted 10-mile stretch of the Willamette river known as the Portland Harbor Superfund site. We get the context and the latest details from Earthfix reporter Cassandra Profita.
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COLD WEATHER MAY HELP FARMERS BATTLE DESTRUCTIVE BUGS (Capital Press)
-Freezing temperatures warm the hearts of pest specialists, because the cold may reduce the number of pests that eat berries and other crops.-
Your frozen fingertips may not appreciate it, but the extended cold snap gripping the Pacific Northwest through the first week of January may actually do some good.
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WSDA DIRECTOR: WE HAVE A PLAN FOR WHEAT WOES (Capital Press)
-Washington State Department of Agriculture director describes what state is doing about the wheat industry’s falling numbers problem-
Washingtons agriculture Director Derek Sandison outlined for lawmakers Tuesday his plan to help the states export-dependent wheat farmers meet a key international benchmark for quality, though none of the measures appear to be quick or easy.
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-Researchers have found jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide in Eastern Washington.-
Jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide has been found in Eastern Washington, according to researchers.
BASFs Clearfield technology allows farmers to use imidazolinone herbicides, marketed under the Beyond trade name, to combat weeds such as jointed goatgrass.
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-Now we know that cattle probably don’t cause as much damage to streams and riparian areas as popularly thought.-
Environmental groups say cattle grazing on public rangeland trample and erode streambanks and pollute water.
But a five-year study of cattle grazing conducted by Oregon State University shows cattle spend only 1 to 2.5 percent of their time in streams or buffer areas. And rather than ranging up and down the length of steams in allotments, cattle used only 10 to 25 percent of the available stream area.
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LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS TOTAL $50 MILLION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Nearly $50 million worth of transportation projects in Jackson and Josephine counties will be reviewed by a regional panel Tuesday.
Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation will take comment on 21 improvement projects ticketed for 2018-21, including a pair of $7-million-plus enhancements and a game-changing roundabout tying Highway 140 and Foothill Road together.
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OUR VIEW: THE DILEMMA OF METH PSYCHOSIS — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Drug addiction costs society dearly, from crime committed by addicts seeking to support their habits to child neglect and abandonment to lost productivity. But one aspect of chronic methamphetamine use is making an impact on violent crime statistics, and posing a dilemma for the criminal justice system.
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OUR VIEW: BIPARTISANSHIP IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown invoked iconic Republican leaders Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall in her inaugural address Monday, pledging, in McCall’s words, “to work not in partisanship, but in partnership.” But Republican leaders weren’t buying it, and Brown must be prepared to offer more than platitudes if she hopes to win their cooperation.
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DON’T GIVE UP PUBLIC LAND — GUEST OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
The Republican Party platform has supported liquidation of federal land by giving it away, and on the opening day of the new Congress, the House of Representatives began paving the way to do just that.
Buried in a package of House rule changes on Jan. 3, an obscure provision banned the Congressional Budget Office from considering lost federal revenue if public land is transferred to other entities. In other words, Congress and we taxpayers are blocked from knowing the values of what we would lose.
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FORESTLAND ON ELK RIVER PRESERVED FOR PUBLIC ACCESS (The World)
A 210-acre parcel of land on the Elk River near Humbug Mountain has been preserved and is now open to the public after a recent purchase by the U.S. Forest Service from the Wild Rivers Land Trust.
The Bear Creek Natural Area, formerly known as the McGribble Tract, now serves as a conservation area for steelhead and other coastal fish species.
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CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION URGES TRUMP TO FUND HANFORD WORK (The World) h
The entire congressional delegation from Washington is asking President-elect Donald Trump to make environmental cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation a priority.
Hanford for years made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and now is engaged in a multi-decade cleanup of the resulting waste at a cost of some $2 billion per year.
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If there was one telling quote from Saturdays legislative town hall in Florence held by Oregon Sen. Arnie Roblan and Rep. Caddy McKeown, it was when Sen. Roblan suggested to constituents a permanent solution to the public employee retirement system.
“Everyone has to keep praying that those of us in tier one die soon,” he said.
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DEBATE SPILLS OVER THE DAMS (Daily Astorian)
-Locals got their chance to comment on the future of dams-
Supporters of the removal of four dams on the Snake River rallied at Astorias Suomi Hall Monday before attending the last of 16 public scoping meetings organized by federal agencies to gather public comment on the future operation of the Columbia and Snake Rivers hydroelectric dam system.
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JUDGE TO ALLOW EXPERT WITNESS IN SICK LEAVE LAWSUIT (Albany Democrat Herald)
The state of Oregon will have the opportunity to use an expert witness to research the financial records of counties involved in a lawsuit challenging the states paid sick leave law, Linn County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy has ruled.
In December, Murphy ruled in favor of eight counties seeking a summary judgment that paid sick leave is an unfunded mandate and a new program.
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The Western Juniper Industry Fund WJIF was established by the Oregon Legislature in 2015 to provide economic assistance to wood processors in Central and Eastern Oregon in order to speed the harvesting and processing of Western Juniper.
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OBAMACARE REPEAL IN OREGON: HUGE JOB LOSSES, MORE CHARITY CARE (Oregon Business Journal)
Affordable Care Act repeal could cost Oregon 45,000 public and private sector jobs in 2019, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The lost jobs would come as a result of the loss of premium tax credits and the potential retraction of the Medicaid expansion. All told, 550,000 Oregonians either receive subsidies or gained Medicaid coverage under the ACA.
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Last Friday, January 6th, 2016, Mark was the guest for the City Club of Portlands Friday Forum. The event was titled Recovery for some? Oregon Economic Review & Forecast.
OSL ed. note – Mark McMullen, Director of Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis _________________________________________
WE USED A NEW APP TO COMPARE PORTLAND’S HEALTH RISKS AGAINST THREE OTHER WESTERN CITIES (Willamette Week)
-The results from Upstream Reports? Not great news.-
People moving into a neighborhood tend to ask the same questions. Is it friendly? How are the schools? Is there much crime?
Upstream Research wants to help people add some new criteria: Will the local air hurt my health? How’s the water? Can you get cancer here?
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After meeting with FEMA officials Tuesday, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management feels confident they will receive reimbursement for the December, 2016 ice storm.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 11, 2017 OSL eClips
* Pension reforms back on the table for 2017 legislative session
* 7 transportation bills proposed in the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
* Let’s preserve our state’s common ground: outside — Guest Opinion
* Sen. Peter Courtney wants community colleges and universities to merge – if they want to
* Killer algae blooms linked to El Nino, Oregon State researchers find
* Big change: Medical marijuana dispensaries no longer selling rec pot
* Gov. Kate Brown talks gun-control, pensions, budget and more
* Kate Brown sworn in for first elected term
* Teresa Alonso Leon blazes path for future leaders
* Organizational Days kicks off at the Capitol
* Lane County may seek state money to buy Eugene’s City Hall block
* Unity needs a purpose — Opinion
* Gratitude to many — Opinion
* House convenes, disagrees over committee appointments
* Counties pressured to exit $1.4 billion forest lawsuit
* Brown wants state to ‘move forward’ in spirit of bipartisanship
* Oregon gets C- in nationwide education report
* Before Bend expands, it needs money for roads, sewers
* Plan for housing on mine near Terrebonne could return
* Deschutes River Woods group seeks stricter rules for dirt removal
* Taking the measure of Bend rental vacancies
* Editorial: Use audits to improve state programs — Opinion
* Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Takes Oath And Calls For Tax, Pension Reform
* Gov. Kate Brown Signals Strong Push For Transportation Funding Package
* Oregon Lawmakers Gather In Salem To Take The Oath Of Office
* Kate Brown Takes Office & Death Penalty: Murder Victim’s Mother – Think Out Loud
* Ag labor shortages defy easy fixes
* Environmental groups want work halted on Snake River dams
* Industry to air concerns about herbicide-resistant weeds
* Environmentalists win $60,000 for blocking motorized juniper removal
* U.S. had near record heat, costly weather disasters in 2016
* Flu widespread in Oregon, expected to get worse
* Water outlook looking good as snow keeps falling
* Our view: Brown sets priorities in inaugural speech
* Invasive plants taking over Gearhart dunes
* Study documents tree species decline due to climate warming
* Oregon dispensary sales shrink as fewer products reach shelves
* Home Business Coast River Business Journal Online course provides safety training for young Oregon workers
* Editorial: County, others should opt out of timber lawsuit — Opinion
* Local soldiers deploy for desert warfare training
* Foster child respite care program launched here
* Legislative pay won’t deepen budget woes — Opinion
* Climate cycles drive shellfish toxins
* Gov. Kate Brown’s Inaugural Speech Pledges Pork for Rural Oregon But No Plan on PERS
* For the Poorest and Sickest, Librarians Often Play Doctor
* CCO Surveys Show Member Satisfaction, Access to Care
* CCOs Ranked: Members Rate Jackson Care Connect Best Medicaid Plan
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Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, teed up what could be the most contentious debate of the upcoming legislative session by introducing two bills to make money-saving changes to Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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7 transportation bills proposed in the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
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SEN. PETER COURTNEY WANTS COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO MERGE – IF THEY WANT TO (Portland Oregonian)
Senate President Peter Courtney introduced a controversial bill Monday that would allow Oregon community colleges and public universities to voluntarily merge, a proposal that nobody in higher education circles was clamoring for but Courtney said could potentially mean big savings for cash-strapped students.
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KILLER ALGAE BLOOMS LINKED TO EL NINO, OREGON STATE RESEARCHERS FIND (Portland Oregonian)
Researchers from Oregon State University have found a strong link between the circulation of warm water in the Pacific Ocean and the devastating toxic algae blooms that have wreaked havoc on wildlife and shellfisheries along the west coast in recent years.
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Oregon this month passed the latest marijuana milestone: the end of recreational sales at medical marijuana dispensaries.
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Gov. Kate Brown on Monday held her first press conference of 2017, taking questions on a wide range of topics including gun control, education, transportation and Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was sworn in for her first elected term Monday.
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Only minutes after she had been sworn in as a state Representative in the Oregon Legislature, Teresa Alonso Leon had a special guest.
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The Oregon Legislature meets today to swear in members, adopt rules and read bills.
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LANE COUNTY MAY SEEK STATE MONEY TO BUY EUGENE’S CITY HALL BLOCK (Eugene Register-Guard)
-County commissioners are looking at $8 million that Tillamook County didn’t use after it abandoned its own courthouse project-
Last month, the Tillamook County commissioners pulled the plug on their proposal for a new courthouse annex, because of a lack of money.
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UNITY NEEDS A PURPOSE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Gov. Brown opens door to Republican ideas-
Unity is a common theme of inaugural addresses. What the speaker often means is that everyone ought to fall in line behind the person being inaugurated. The word unity is used as a substitute for obedience. Only winners, after all, get to deliver inaugurals. A person taking the oath of office can claim vindication in victory, and ask that vanquished opponents accept their mandate.
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GRATITUDE TO MANY — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Storm and its aftermath test workers mettle-
As the snow-covered ice blanketing much of Lane County slowly melts, spare a thought and some gratitude for the people performing the jobs needed to keep the area functioning.
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HOUSE CONVENES, DISAGREES OVER COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS (Portland Tribune)
-The 60 members of the house, including 14 new state representatives, took the oath of office Monday morning.-
In the year’s first meeting of the Oregon House of Representatives Monday, members of both parties acknowledged the legislative session’s imminent hurdles and called for communication across party lines, despite a disagreement over Oregon House rules regarding committee assignments.
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COUNTIES PRESSURED TO EXIT $1.4 BILLION FOREST LAWSUIT (Portland Tribune)
-Environmental groups press case that forests have value beyond their timber.-
Fifteen Oregon counties must soon decide whether to opt out of a class action lawsuit seeking $1.4 billion for allegedly insufficient logging in state forests.
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BROWN WANTS STATE TO ‘MOVE FORWARD’ IN SPIRIT OF BIPARTISANSHIP (Portland Tribune)
-Oregon’s 38th governor tells lawmakers she wants to tackle graduation rates, transportation funding and gun loopholes as top legislative priorities.-
Gov. Kate Brown was sworn in for the first time as elected governor Monday, Jan. 9, after serving in the position for nearly two years.
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The national average was a C
Education in Oregon received a grade of C-minus from data collected in a recent nationwide report.
Factors including students chance for success, K-12 achievement and school finance contributed to Oregon’s overall grade of 70.4 out of 100 points.
Oregon fell 40th, just behind North Carolina, in a ranking of the 50 states and District of Columbia.
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BEFORE BEND EXPANDS, IT NEEDS MONEY FOR ROADS, SEWERS (Bend Bulletin)
-City councilors must make a plan to pay for new development-
Last month, the state gave Bend permission to expand outward by 2,380 acres space that’s desperately needed in a city facing a severe housing shortage. There’s only one problem nothing can be built there until the city finds a way to pay for new sewers, waterlines and roads.
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PLAN FOR HOUSING ON MINE NEAR TERREBONNE COULD RETURN (Bend Bulletin)
-Developer must complete environmental review for proposal to go forward-
Controversial plans for a subdivision to be built on a potentially hazardous former mining site near Terrebonne were withdrawn by the developer last summer, but a new proposal could come up for county approval again this year.
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DESCHUTES RIVER WOODS GROUP SEEKS STRICTER RULES FOR DIRT REMOVAL (Bend Bulletin)
-Residents want a permit requirement to take more than necessary for homebuilding-
Worried about the prospect of a rock quarry opening nearby, a coalition of Deschutes River Woods residents wants Deschutes County to require a permit to remove more earth than needed for building on residential properties. The group will make its case to the county planning commission Thursday.
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TAKING THE MEASURE OF BEND RENTAL VACANCIES (Bend Bulletin)
-COROA survey stands alone, with gaps-
Its hard to spend much time looking for a home or apartment for rent in Bend without hearing about the city’s vacancy rate, but there’s more to the persistently low figure than meets the eye.
Spurred by thousands of new arrivals and a shortage of multifamily housing, the vacancy rate for units in Bend and throughout Central Oregon has stayed below 2 percent since 2012, according to the annual rental survey produced by the Central Oregon Rental Owners Association.
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Dennis Richardson, Oregon’s first Republican statewide office holder in years already is making news. He hopes to expand the secretary of states auditing role, something thats sure to draw attention to the office and the man who fills it.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown took the oath of office Monday and delivered her State of the State address.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signaled Monday that shell make a strong push toward getting a transportation funding package through the state legislature.
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Members of the 2017 Oregon legislature gathered in Salem Monday to take the oath of office.
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KATE BROWN TAKES OFFICE & DEATH PENALTY: MURDER VICTIM’S MOTHER – THINK OUT LOUD (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Governor Kate Brown is inaugurated and delivers an inaugural speech, which doubles as a State of the State address. We talk to OPB reporter Jeff Mapes.
For the next installment in our series on capital punishment in Oregon, Mary Elledge joins us to share her perspective on the death penalty. Elledges son Rob was murdered 30 years ago, and she has served as the chapter leader for the Portland-area chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.
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AG LABOR SHORTAGES DEFY EASY FIXES (Capital Press)
-At the annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention, Washington vegetable growers ask why immigration reform has to be so complicated.-
Washington state vegetable farmers Burr and Rosella Mosby shifted in their seats and furrowed their brows as they listened to a panel discuss immigration issues during a session at the American Farm Bureau Federations annual convention.
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WANT WORK HALTED ON SNAKE RIVER DAMS (Capital Press)
-Kevin Lewis of Idaho Rivers United says suspending the infrastructure work is needed to ensure a level playing field while agencies consider potential removal.-
Environmental groups are asking a federal court to halt 11 infrastructure projects on four lower Snake River dams in Washington state that could ultimately be removed if a pending review determines the dams need to come out to help salmon.
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INDUSTRY TO AIR CONCERNS ABOUT HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS (Capital Press)
-The Pacific Northwest agricultural industry will discuss herbicide resistance developing in weeds at a Jan. 24 listening session in Pasco, Wash.-
Concerns about the increasing number of cases of herbicide-resistant weeds have prompted the industry to hold seven listening sessions across the country to look for answers.
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS WIN $60,000 FOR BLOCKING MOTORIZED JUNIPER REMOVAL (Capital Press)
-Judge finds groups efforts to block BLM actions as reasonable, and demand for fees justified.-
An environmentalist group has won more than $60,000 in attorney fees for blocking juniper removal with motorized vehicles on 80,000 acres in Eastern Oregon.
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U.S. HAD NEAR RECORD HEAT, COSTLY WEATHER DISASTERS IN 2016 (Capital Press)
-The average temperature last year in the Lower 48 states was 54.9 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above the 20th Century average of 52.-
With steamy nights, sticky days and torrential downpours, last year went down as one of the warmest and wildest weather years on record in the United States.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Monday that 2016 was the second hottest year in the U.S. as Alaska warmed dramatically and nighttime temperatures set a record.
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-Getting flu shot lowers misery quotient, helps protect more vulnerable people-
You might want to get that flu shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Oregon is one of eight states where flu is considered widespread. Flu Bites, Oregons public health flu tracker, shows a steep spike in cases over the last two weeks in December. Lane Countys Health and Human Services reported seven deaths in the Eugene-Springfield area, all elderly.
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WATER OUTLOOK LOOKING GOOD AS SNOW KEEPS FALLING (East Oregonian)
-The Natural Resource Conservation Service has issued its Jan. 1 streamflow forecast for Oregon basins.-
Water supplies for farms and fish could be well above average across the Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow Creek basins this summer if winter continues its cold and snowy ways.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service published its Oregon Basin Outlook Report for Jan. 1, and signs point to a strong water year ahead assuming Mother Nature cooperates.
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Gov. Kate Brown outlined three priorities in her inaugural speech Monday, which if she and the 2017 Legislature achieve them could dramatically improve Oregon:
Create more and better jobs in rural Oregon.
Expand health insurance so all Oregon children are covered.
Improve Oregon’s dismal rate of high school graduation.
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INVASIVE PLANTS TAKING OVER GEARHART DUNES (Daily Astorian)
-Safety, fire and invasive species among panelists concerns-
Residents have seen vegetation on Gearhart dunes west of Ocean Avenue and south of E Street multiply over the last two decades. The city now grapples with whether to address the noxious weeds, shore pine trees and other species covering the dunes with a management plan or continue to let the vegetation grow in the city park area.
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STUDY DOCUMENTS TREE SPECIES DECLINE DUE TO CLIMATE WARMING (Daily Astorian)
-A casualty of global warming-
A type of tree that thrives in soggy soil from Alaska to Northern California and is valued for its commercial and cultural uses could become a noticeable casualty of climate warming over the next 50 years, an independent study has concluded.
Yellow cedar, named for its distinctive yellow wood, already is under consideration for federal listing as a threatened or endangered species.
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OREGON DISPENSARY SALES SHRINK AS FEWER PRODUCTS REACH SHELVES (Daily Astorian)
Oregon marijuana dispensaries have been reeling since October, when increased testing standards became required by at certified labs. The result has been an immense backlog of extracts and edibles being delayed in distribution and dispensaries around Clatsop County have been directly impacted by the bottleneck.
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HOME BUSINESS COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL ONLINE COURSE PROVIDES SAFETY TRAINING FOR YOUNG OREGON WORKERS (Daily Astorian)
Young workers across Oregon have a new tool to stay safe while on the job: online safety awareness training.
Created by the nonprofit Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition, the interactive training program accessible by smartphone and tablet covers everything from finding and controlling hazards, and young worker rights and responsibilities to how to speak up for safety and how to prepare for emergencies at work.
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EDITORIAL: COUNTY, OTHERS SHOULD OPT OUT OF TIMBER LAWSUIT — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-We believe the best course for the county and other entities is to opt out.-
Clatsop County commissioners face a tough, potentially divisive meeting Wednesday when they are scheduled to decide whether to stay in or exit a $1.4 billion class-action timber-management lawsuit against the state.
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Eighty-five soldiers from the 224th Engineer Company in Albany will spend 21 days at the National Training Center in the Mojave Desert. The soldiers drew their weapons, gas masks and rucks and boarded a charter bus in Albany Monday morning.
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FOSTER CHILD RESPITE CARE PROGRAM LAUNCHED HERE (Albany Democrat Herald)
Morrison Child & Family Services based in Portland plans to expand its Planned and Crisis Respite Care for foster care children into Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.
Shaun Matthias, a recruiter for Morrison, said the program matches families that are willing to take foster children with behavioral issues for a day or a weekend, to allow foster families some respite time.
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A pair of legislators from central Oregon recently made a bit of news when they said they would not accept the pay raises for legislators that were included in Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed budget.
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CLIMATE CYCLES DRIVE SHELLFISH TOXINS (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
A new study by Oregon State University researchers and others could help predict the spikes in toxic algae that have led to periodic closures of shellfish harvests on the West Coast.
The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds a strong connection between warm ocean conditions caused by two major climatic cycles El Nino and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO and periodic increases in domoic acid in shellfish.
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GOV. KATE BROWN’S INAUGURAL SPEECH PLEDGES PORK FOR RURAL OREGONBUT NO PLAN ON PERS (Willamette Week)
-Oregon’s 38th governor details a legislative agenda that almost makes up in brevity what it lacks in ambition.-
Gov. Kate Brown, sworn in today as Oregon’s 38th governor, gave her inaugural speech to a joint session of the Legislature today and offered a mish-mash of ideassome specific, some vague, but few bold or surprising.
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FOR THE POOREST AND SICKEST, LIBRARIANS OFTEN PLAY DOCTOR (Governing)
-Libraries are frequently forced to deal with people’s health problems. That’s why some are adding medical professionals to their staff.-
I’m always surprised by how many health questions I get, said Renee Pokorny, branch supervisor at the Philadelphia Free Library.
It’s no surprise that she’s surprised. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, 73 percent of people who visit a public library in America go looking for answers about their health.
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CCO SURVEYS SHOW MEMBER SATISFACTION, ACCESS TO CARE (The Lund Report)
Please contact the State Library of access to this premium story from the Lund Report. library.help@state.or.us , 503-378-8800
-In-depth look at Western Oregon Advanced Health shows CCO lagging statewide averages, while Willamette Valley Community Health performs better than most CCOs on many metrics-
In this sixth story of a seven-part Lund Report examination of Oregon’s coordinated care organizations, we are looking at two smaller CCOs whose members report very different experiences.
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CCOS RANKED: MEMBERS RATE JACKSON CARE CONNECT BEST MEDICAID PLAN (The Lund Report)
Please contact the State Library of access to this premium story from the Lund Report. library.help@state.or.us , 503-378-8800
-An analysis by The Lund Report of thousands of responses to 29 questions about doctors, administrators, access to specialty services and other aspects of care yields insight into CCO member experiences-
Members of Jackson Care Connect are happier with their healthcare than any other CCO in the state. At Umpqua Health Alliance, CCO members are far less satisfied.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 10, 2016 OSL eClips
* Oregon throws lifeline to districts worst at helping students learning English
* Oregon lawmakers craft bill targeting Comcast’s unpaid taxes
* Oregon lawmakers’ multimillion-dollar transportation dream meets reality: how to pay for it?
* Lead found on Oregon armory floor where loophole lets kids play
* Final Portland Superfund plan: $1.05 billion cleanup over 13 years
* Willamette Superfund cleanup plan is finished, now it’s time to get to work — Guest Opinion
* Hazelnuts from McMinnville farm stand linked to salmonella
* Backers of Longview coal terminal insist project will go forward despite state denial of sublease
* Federal judge dismisses Idaho governor’s lawsuit challenging sage grouse protections
* Jeanne Atkins: What I learned as secretary of state — Guest Opinion
* Many lives of Jordan Cove may have come to an end — Guest Opinion
* Portland’s work on homelessness is failing — Guest Opinion
* Budget, transportation funding top issues for legislature
* Salem, Oregon hospitals see surge in ER visits
* Salmonella linked to hazelnuts from McMinnville farm
* Snow across Oregon causes crashes, closures
* Districts debate adding days to current school year
* Public damage from last months ice storm tops $9.4 million, estimates show
* Concealed gun permit filings climb
* Read sworn in as treasurer
* Roadside stand hazelnuts linked to salmonellosis
* Richardson presses for audits of ‘controversial’ topics
* State economist: No tax reform from 2017 Oregon Legislature
* EPA bows to public pressure, adopts more rigorous cleanup plan for Portland Harbor Superfund site
* Port sues Monsanto for PCB contamination in rivers, slough
* Former Oregon Legislator Points Finger at Congress for $18K Annual Insurance Bill
* Council to consider federal, state legislative agendas Thursday
* Paid cash to delay retirement: How much would it take? — Guest Opinion
* Editorial: New regulations for ranchers take some important steps — Opinion
* Full employment in Bend and its challenges
* A lot of pot was bought in 2016
* Commentary: Another U.S. baby boom may be needed to prevent economic decline — Guest Opinion
* West Coast Crabbers Strike Ends After 11 Days
* Kate Brown To Take Oath, Deliver Inaugural Address Monday
* Flu Season Kicks Into Gear In Oregon
* West Coast Lawmakers Seek Ban On Offshore Drilling
* Idaho irrigators oppose Oregon endangered fish reintroduction effort
* Other views: Improving health care in Oregon — Guest Opinion
* Making records law work — Opinion
* State budget takes center stage
* State seeking rivers to include in waterways program
* The case for hospital rate setting commissions
* The Worst of Portland’s Housing Crunch May Be Over
* Walden backs moves to cut ‘costly, overreaching’ federal rules
* NeighborImpact’s food recovery program gets DEQ grant
* She Became A Citizen Five Years Ago. Now She’s A State Lawmaker
* A Fragile Year: Portland Art Glass Maker Uroboros’ Founder On Selling His Business
* After Flint, are schools being more vigilant about tainted water?
* Hayden Criticizes Bureaucratic Hurdles to Get Dental Care for Poor Women
* Brown’s Effort to Cover Immigrant Children May Depend on Healthcare Industry
* Its Time for Lower Prescription Drug Prices in Oregon
* Former Oregon Legislator Points Finger at Congress for $18K Annual Insurance Bill
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OREGON THROWS LIFELINE TO DISTRICTS WORST AT HELPING STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH (Portland Oregonian)
A huge share of students who need to learn English as a second language are let down by Oregon’s public schools.
Three-fourths of those students aren’t proficient in math, 60 percent can’t read well by the end of middle school and one third never graduate from high school, according to the most recent graduation and test results, from 2015 and 2016.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS CRAFT BILL TARGETING COMCAST’S UNPAID TAXES (Portland Oregonian)
Comcast has spent years fighting its Oregon property taxes in court, in the process amassing a tax bill that could be well over $100 million.
As the legal fight enters its eighth year the bill remains unpaid, Oregon lawmakers are preparing legislation that would charge interest on large, deferred corporate tax bills.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS’ MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR TRANSPORTATION DREAM MEETS REALITY: HOW TO PAY FOR IT? (Portland Oregonian)
Weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for what’s shaping up as a difficult 2017 session, one of their signature goals is facing serious challenges.
A special committee that toured the state for months to craft plans for shoring up Oregon’s transportation system has yet to agree on what a multimillion-dollar proposal should look like.
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A new inspection has found lead on the floor of the old Oregon National Guard armory in Ontario, in a room where young children continue to attend tumbling classes despite a halt in events at contaminated Guard buildings nationwide.
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FINAL PORTLAND SUPERFUND PLAN: $1.05 BILLION CLEANUP OVER 13 YEARS (Portland Oregonian)
At long last, federal officials released the final plan to clean up thousands of acres of contaminated soil and toxic materials along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River in Portland.
A $746 million draft plan unveiled last June prompted outcry from conservation groups and neighborhood associations that the federal government wasn’t going far enough to remove dangerous materials from the river and address decades of industrial pollution.
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WILLAMETTE SUPERFUND CLEANUP PLAN IS FINISHED, NOW IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
On Friday, 16 years after Portland Harbor was first listed as a federal Superfund site, the Environmental Protection Agency released its “record of decision.” In essence, it’s the cleanup plan for a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River that extends from the Fremont Bridge almost to the Columbia River. Over many decades, this portion of river was polluted by toxic chemicals, which remain today on the river bottom as well much of the riverbank.
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HAZELNUTS FROM MCMINNVILLE FARM STAND LINKED TO SALMONELLA (Portland Oregonian)
People with hazelnuts from the Schmidt Farm and Nursery farm stand in McMinnville should get rid of them because the nuts have been linked to salmonellosis with five people, the Oregon Health Authority said Friday.
The five became ill with a specific strain of Salmonella Typhimurium between Oct. 15 and Dec. 13, the health authority said in a news release.
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BACKERS OF LONGVIEW COAL TERMINAL INSIST PROJECT WILL GO FORWARD DESPITE STATE DENIAL OF SUBLEASE (Portland Oregonian)
Backers of a proposed coal export terminal west of Longview are at loggerheads with Washington’s outgoing commissioner of public lands after he rejected a request to sublease state-owned land along the Columbia River necessary for a loading dock.
The aquatic lands are currently leased to a subsidiary of Alcoa, Northwest Alloys, which previously operated an aluminum smelter at the site.
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A judge has rejected Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s lawsuit contending the Obama administration acted illegally by imposing federal land-use restrictions intended to protect the sage grouse in Idaho and southwestern Montana.
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JEANNE ATKINS: WHAT I LEARNED AS SECRETARY OF STATE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
When Gov. Kate Brown first took office in February 2015, I had just retired and was looking forward to reading books and traveling. I offered my congratulations but also, rather casually, offered to help in any way I could.
I ended up serving 22 months as the head of a 200-employee agency, with a bonus opportunity to serve as chief elections officer during the most contentious presidential race in history.
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MANY LIVES OF JORDAN COVE MAY HAVE COME TO AN END — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Liquefied Natural Gas LNG facilities, like cats, are known to have many lives. They also have a tendency to land on their feet after a fall. The announcement last week that the proposal for Jordan Cove’s LNG export terminal will be altered and resubmitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC is a case in point. The Jordan Cove proposal has survived many regulatory and market setbacks in its thirteen-year life. However, the question remains: Can it survive a dour market and more efficient competitors?
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PORTLAND’S WORK ON HOMELESSNESS IS FAILING — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
On Jan. 2, just two days after Mayor Ted Wheeler was sworn in, a homeless man named Mark Elliot Johnson died of hypothermia on East Burnside and 99th Avenue. This will be the first of many homeless people who die in Portland this year – 88 died in 2015.
What we are doing as a city to address homelessness is not working, and it is actually harming people’s efforts to give and get help.
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The Oregon Legislature will meet Monday to swear in newly elected members, adopt rules, and officially read bills lots of bills.
The Senate has set a record for the number of presession-filed bills, with 738 this year.
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SALEM, OREGON HOSPITALS SEE SURGE IN ER VISITS (Salem Statesman Journal) With flu season gaining steam and the state’s population continuing to grow, hospitals across Oregon are facing surges in emergency room and hospital visits.
At the Salem Health emergency department the busiest ER in the state patient visits are up by over 20 percent in the past week, said the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, Sarah Horn.
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SALMONELLA LINKED TO HAZELNUTS FROM MCMINNVILLE FARM (Salem Statesman Journal)
Hazelnuts sold from a roadside farm stand in McMinnville have been identified as the source of a salmonella outbreak.
Oregon health officials are urging anyone who bought hazelnuts from Schmidt Farm and Nursery, at 13940 SW Hwy 18, to throw them away.
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SNOW ACROSS OREGON CAUSES CRASHES, CLOSURES (Salem Statesman Journal)
Roadways were blanketed with snow, businesses closed their doors, and some drivers spun out of control Saturday as a winter storm made its way through northwest Oregon.
Roughly three inches of snow and a third of an inch of ice activated a storm warning for the Central Willamette Valley Saturday going into Sunday, but drivers still hit the roads, causing multiple crashes on Interstate 5.
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DISTRICTS DEBATE ADDING DAYS TO CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR (Salem Statesman Journal)
Students and teachers shouldn’t start counting down the days until summer vacation at least, not yet.
With multiple snow days and delays in the past few weeks, and the potential for more to come, districts have already used some of their extra instructional hours and may have to add days to meet state requirements.
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PUBLIC DAMAGE FROM LAST MONTHS ICE STORM TOPS $9.4 MILLION, ESTIMATES SHOW (Eugene Register-Guard)
Local public agencies and utilities reported more than $9.4 million in damage, labor costs and other expenses from last months devastating ice storm, according to preliminary estimates.
The damage is the most incurred from bad weather in recent memory, Lane County Emergency Manager Linda Cook said.
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Danette Olsen, a records officer with the Lane County Sheriffs Office, says concealed handgun license applicants offer her a variety of reasons for wanting a permit allowing them to legally carry a hidden pistol in public.
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He served as a state representative from Beaverton since 2007.
Tobias Read of Beaverton was sworn in today as Oregon’s new treasurer.
He replaces Ted Wheeler, who has been elected mayor of Portland.
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ROADSIDE STAND HAZELNUTS LINKED TO SALMONELLOSIS (Portland Tribune)
State said anyone who bought nuts sold by Schmidt Farm and Nursery at the stand on Highway 18 near McMinnville should discard them.
The Oregon Health Authority is warning that hazelnuts sold at a roadside stand on Highway 18 near McMinnville could be linked to recent cases of salmonellosis.
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RICHARDSON PRESSES FOR AUDITS OF ‘CONTROVERSIAL’ TOPICS (Portland Tribune)
Republican’s audit choices could get more scrutiny from Democrats who control most offices.
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson said this week he wants his office to pursue audits on controversial topics.
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STATE ECONOMIST: NO TAX REFORM FROM 2017 OREGON LEGISLATURE (Portland Tribune)
Office of Economic Analysis Director Mark McMullen predicts no alternative to the defeated corporate sales tax will pass the upcoming session.
Although Oregon is facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, state economist Mark McMullen does not expect the 2017 Oregon Legislature to pass any tax reform measures that would raise significant amounts of new revenue.
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EPA BOWS TO PUBLIC PRESSURE, ADOPTS MORE RIGOROUS CLEANUP PLAN FOR PORTLAND HARBOR SUPERFUND SITE (Portland Tribune)
-Agency’s official Record of Decision is released, requiring cleanup that will take 13 years, cost more than $1 billion-
Responding to overwhelming public sentiment from Portland residents, the EPA on Friday afternoon released a final cleanup order for the Portland Harbor Superfund site that is significantly more aggressive than the draft plan it proposed in June.
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PORT SUES MONSANTO FOR PCB CONTAMINATION IN RIVERS, SLOUGH (Portland Tribune)
-Local agency is the 10th public entity in the West to sue the company for PCB contamination. Monsanto says the lawsuit ‘lacks merit and conflicts with the ongoing Portland Harbor case.’-
The Port of Portland is suing Monsanto Co. and companies Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC for PCB contamination of the Willamette River, the Columbia River and McBride Slough.
Attorneys representing the port filed the 29-page lawsuit Wednesday, Jan. 4, in U.S. District Court.
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FORMER OREGON LEGISLATOR POINTS FINGER AT CONGRESS FOR $18K ANNUAL INSURANCE BILL (Portland Tribune)
-Chip Shields cites Republican-backed cuts to federal risk corridor program in criticism of high marketplace premiums-
A former Oregon state senator who was a vocal advocate of health insurance reform before leaving the Senate last year says his own family faces premiums of over $18,000 per year and hes blaming Republicans in Congress who, unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act during Barack Obamas administration, slashed funding for a critical part of that law.
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COUNCIL TO CONSIDER FEDERAL, STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS THURSDAY (Portland Tribune)
-Rent control, just-cause evictions, sanctuary city protections, funding requests among proposed priorities-
The City Council will consider adopting its priorities for the new sessions of Congress and the Oregon Legislature on Thursday.
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PAID CASH TO DELAY RETIREMENT: HOW MUCH WOULD IT TAKE? — GUEST OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
One reason Olivia Mitchell wants to save Social Security is to avoid the reduction in benefits she expects from the ailing program just when she wants to retire.
But Mitchell spends a lot more time worrying about retirement professionally, as an economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Social Security as a program is facing insolvency and will not be able to pay the full promised benefits in about 16 years from now, she said. It concerns me that nobody’s really talking seriously about fixing it.
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EDITORIAL: NEW REGULATIONS FOR RANCHERS TAKE SOME IMPORTANT STEPS — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Starting Jan. 1, the federal Food and Drug Administration tightened the rules about using antibiotics on feed animals. When the Oregon Legislature convenes Feb. 1, it will consider a state measure that would further tighten rules governing antibiotic use.
The changes could help combat the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bugs, but there are legitimate concerns from ranchers.
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FULL EMPLOYMENT IN BEND AND ITS CHALLENGES (Bend Bulletin)
-High employment brings higher wages, risk of inflation-
Almost two years into Bends economic expansion, the rate of job growth has yet to slow down. As a result, the unemployment rate in Bend has slid below the natural rate of unemployment in the city, an economic condition known as full employment.
I think, with a straight face, were probably at full employment, said Damon Runberg, regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department.
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A LOT OF POT WAS BOUGHT IN 2016 (Bend Bulletin)
While some activists are planning to give away marijuana on Inauguration Day, other entrepreneurs are taking a different approach: making a ton of money from it.
According to Governing.com, 29 states and the District of Columbia have or will soon have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Use of recreational marijuana is legal in eight states.
As its popularity has grown, so have profits.
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COMMENTARY: ANOTHER U.S. BABY BOOM MAY BE NEEDED TO PREVENT ECONOMIC DECLINE — GUEST OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Shortly before Christmas, the U.S. Census Bureau put some coal in the nations holiday stocking. It released data highlighting a worrisome trend: The population grew a subdued 0.7 percent, the lowest rate of growth since the Great Depression years of 1936 and 1937. Declines in the birth rate and the slowing pace of immigration are to blame.
Ask an economist why this matters and youll get a welter of contradictory answers. But if you sift through the historical data on the subject, its hard to deny that the demographic slowdown, should it continue, likely puts a damper on future economic growth.
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WEST COAST CRABBERS STRIKE ENDS AFTER 11 DAYS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
An 11-day strike by thousands of West Coast crab fishermen has ended after a successful negotiation of prices with seafood processors.
The agreement reached late Friday will restart the sputtering season for much-sought-after Dungeness crabs in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
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KATE BROWN TO TAKE OATH, DELIVER INAUGURAL ADDRESS MONDAY (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown will take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address Monday.
Brown, a Democrat, became governor when John Kitzhaber resigned in February 2015. She was elected in November to serve the remaining two years of Kitzhabers term.
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FLU SEASON KICKS INTO GEAR IN OREGON (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Flu season appears to be taking hold in Oregon.
The number of outbreaks around Portland climbed from four a couple of weeks ago to 13 last week.
Tri-County health officer doctor Paul Lewis said hospitalizations are increasing.
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WEST COAST LAWMAKERS SEEK BAN ON OFFSHORE DRILLING (Jefferson Public Radio)
West Coast lawmakers are seeking a permanent ban on offshore drilling along the coast of Washington, Oregon and California. Democrat-sponsored bills have been introduced into both the Senate and House of Representatives.
There have been no oil and gas lease sales off the West Coast since 1984. But as the Trump administration prepares to take office, concerns are growing that could change.
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IDAHO IRRIGATORS OPPOSE OREGON ENDANGERED FISH REINTRODUCTION EFFORT (Capital Press)
-Irrigators in Idaho are fighting an effort by the State of Oregon to reintroduce endangered steelhead trout and chinook salmon to the Snake River above Hells Canyon.-
Idaho irrigators fear theyll be hurt financially if the State of Oregon prevails in a legal battle to force the reintroduction of endangered fish to the Snake River upstream of the Hells Canyon Complex of dams.
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OTHER VIEWS: IMPROVING HEALTH CARE IN OREGON — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
Oregon got both some good news and a pat on the back when the federal government recently announced the state is one of a handful chosen for a pilot program to provide better behavioral health care in areas that are currently under-served.
The two-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic project is part of a bigger effort to coordinate behavioral health care with other health care. It aims to improve access to high-quality care for people with mental health and substance abuse issues in both rural and urban areas through community clinics and make this part of their overall health care.
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MAKING RECORDS LAW WORK — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wants to hire a state employee who would mediate cases involving requests that the state release public records.
This is a good idea.
Alas, its also one that shouldn’t be necessary.
We applaud Browns proposal because we favor any effort to make it more likely that the public will have timely access to the records they are legally entitled to view and to possess.
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STATE BUDGET TAKES CENTER STAGE (The Dalles Chronicle)
In October, Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, expressed concern that state officials would divert general fund dollars from veterans programs if Measure 96 was approved by voters on Nov. 8.
He said that concern became reality when Gov. Kate Brown proposed a $10 million cut in regular funding for veteran services in her 2017-19 budget plan.
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STATE SEEKING RIVERS TO INCLUDE IN WATERWAYS PROGRAM (Douglas County News-Review)
The public has a chance to add its favorite Oregon rivers to the State Scenic Waterways program.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department invites the public to help prioritize river segments for an ongoing study of candidates for the program, which protects a lake or rivers natural resources, scenic values and recreation.
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THE CASE FOR HOSPITAL RATE SETTING COMMISSIONS (OregonBusiness)
-City Club State of Reform panelists make the case for setting hospital rates to control costs and improve quality.-
The fate of health care reform is one of many uncertainties emerging in the wake of a Donald Trump presidency. A forum at the Portland City Club forum this morning filled the Multnomah Athletic Club ballroom. The speakers, former Gov. John Kitzhaber and Maryland governor Martin OMalley, were part of the draw.
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-State economist says developers are producing more units in response to higher prices and consumers finally have more money to spend.-
Josh Lehner is not given to flights of fancy or wild speculation.
A state economist who writes a blog when he’s not crunching numbers, Lehner declared this week with the caveats characteristic of his professionthat the worst of Portland’s housing crisis may be over.
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WALDEN BACKS MOVES TO CUT ‘COSTLY, OVERREACHING’ FEDERAL RULES (KTVZ Bend)
-‘Unelected bureaucrats have to follow the law’-
Saying he is committed to growing the economy and protecting small businesses in Oregon, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said Thursday he supported bills passed by the House this week to rein in costly, burdensome and overreaching federal regulations.
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NEIGHBORIMPACT’S FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM GETS DEQ GRANT (KTVZ Bend)
Late last month, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced a Materials Management Projects grant award of $50,000 to NeighborImpact’s Food Bank, specifically the food recovery program.
The food recovery program recovers produce, dairy products, bread and meat from 18 grocery partners, transporting the food in refrigerated trucks to NeighborImpact’s warehouse for distribution to 42 emergency food sites, i.e. partner agencies, in Central Oregon.
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This year’s state legislature will be among the most diverse in Oregon history. Among the new crop of lawmakers is Teresa Alonso Leon, who immigrated from Mexico as a child and became a U.S. citizen just five years ago.
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A FRAGILE YEAR: PORTLAND ART GLASS MAKER UROBOROS’ FOUNDER ON SELLING HIS BUSINESS (KUOW)
2016 was the year one modest Forest Service research project turned the Northwests storied art glass industry upside down.
Samples taken near two Portland art glass factories were shown to carry dangerously high concentrations of heavy metals. These companies make supplies for glass artists all over the world, from stained glass church windows to fancy light fixtures in big hotels even most the blown glass holiday ornaments you might have had hanging around the house last month.
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-A number of schools and states have taken fresh steps to test for lead in water at schools. But parental pressure is still crucial to further action.-
From Oregon to Maine, the Flint, Mich., water crisis is leading to action in the nations schools.
Massachusetts expects to complete testing of about 930 schools by January and is making results available online.
Chicago Public Schools plans to test all its facilities and post the results online.
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HAYDEN CRITICIZES BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES TO GET DENTAL CARE FOR POOR WOMEN (The Lund Report)
The ranking Republican on the House Health Committee has grown impatient with the Health Authority’s protracted response to his queries about poor dental care access for women who receive Medicaid because of pregnancy. This may be the only time these women can afford to see a dentist, and fix oral health problems that are critical for the health of their babies.
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BROWN’S EFFORT TO COVER IMMIGRANT CHILDREN MAY DEPEND ON HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY (The Lund Report)
-Studies show that children with health insurance do better in school, are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, but nearly 18,000 Oregon children do not have access to healthcare because of their immigration status.-
Gov. Kate Brown has proposed an agenda for the 2017 session that’s high on difficult cuts, but also perhaps surprisingly has a heavy lift for a big wish — spending $57 million to expand healthcare coverage to all of Oregon’s children, even those without legal permission to live in the United States.
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ITS TIME FOR LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES IN OREGON (The Lund Report)
-New coalition calls for state lawmakers to take action-
An Oregon coalition launched today wants immediate relief from pharmaceutical industry price gouging. Oregonians for Affordable Drug Prices Now is calling on state lawmakers to hold drug companies accountable and ensure people have access to the medicines they need at affordable prices.
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FORMER OREGON LEGISLATOR POINTS FINGER AT CONGRESS FOR $18K ANNUAL INSURANCE BILL (The Lund Report)
-Chip Shields cites Republican-backed cuts to federal risk corridor program in criticism of high marketplace premiums-
A former Oregon state senator who was a vocal advocate of health insurance reform before leaving the Senate last year says his own family faces premiums of over $18,000 per year and hes blaming Republicans in Congress who, unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act during Barack Obama’s administration, slashed funding for a critical part of that law.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
State Library eClips
* GMO grass that ‘escaped’ defies eradication, divides grass seed industry
* Southern Oregon company plans west Eugene industrial complex that could accommodate dozens of pot growers, processors
* Parks under pressure — Opinion
* Forest policy requires a balanced approach — Guest Opinion
* Avalanche risk may rise in Central Oregon
* New website illustrates section of the Oregon Trail
* COIC buys property for new Redmond bus station
* Final Willamette River Cleanup Plan
* Kate Brown To Take Oath, Deliver Inaugural Address
* USDA may decide this week on GMO bentgrass deregulation
* Legislators need to find out why state lacks data on groundwater — Opinion
* Oregonians already said no to additional corporate income tax — Guest Opinion
* Roblan, McKeown offer 2017 legislative session preview at Florence town hall
* Last of Oregon Coast King Tides Tomorrow, Your Help Needed
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After more than a decade of unsuccessful efforts to eradicate the genetically modified grass it created and allowed to escape, lawn and garden giant Scotts Miracle-Gro now wants to step back and shift the burden to Oregonians.
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SOUTHERN OREGON COMPANY PLANS WEST EUGENE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX THAT COULD ACCOMMODATE DOZENS OF POT GROWERS, PROCESSORS (Eugene Register-Guard)
The latest sign of the marijuana industry’s move into the mainstream: a multimillion-dollar growing and processing complex planned for west Eugene by a publicly traded real estate company.
The project would have room for more than 30 pot ventures in steel buildings that would resemble tall storage units.
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PARKS UNDER PRESSURE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Oregonians accustomed to having Crater Lake National Park pretty much to themselves were greeted by unfamiliar sights last summer: long lines at the south entrance gate, and full-to-capacity parking lots at some of the most popular viewpoints along the rim drive. Three quarters of a million people visited Crater Lake last year, a record. The numbers were up 23 percent over the year before, the biggest annual increase in 40 years. And Crater Lake is not alone. The national park system as a whole is drawing record numbers of visitors, and the parks are feeling the strain.
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FOREST POLICY REQUIRES A BALANCED APPROACH — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
As the 40-year timber veteran cited in Andy Kerrs Jan. 3 guest viewpoint, I am cautiously optimistic the next two years will offer new opportunities to bring balance to federal forest management.
With better management and proactive policy changes, our leaders have the ability to create and support family-wage jobs, conserve natural resources, maintain access to public lands, restore forest health and protect our drinking water. We believe its better to actively manage our forests for the future, for multiple uses and benefits, rather than locking them up and walking away.
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AVALANCHE RISK MAY RISE IN CENTRAL OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
With roughly 3 feet of light, dry snow in the Cascades over the past week, backcountry skiers and snowboarders are heading for the hills. But warmer temperatures and additional snow in the forecast over the next week will increase the potential for avalanches
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A new interactive website can help fourth-graders learning about the Oregon Trail take a deeper dive into the Barlow Road, a crucial part of the trail.
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COIC BUYS PROPERTY FOR NEW REDMOND BUS STATION (Bend Bulletin)
A new transit hub is coming to Redmond.
The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, which oversees regional transit provider Cascades East Transit, purchased property for a new transit hub last month for $788,891, according to COIC Senior Transit Planner Jackson Lester.
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EPA CALLS FOR $1 BILLION PORTLAND HARBOR SUPERFUND CLEANUP (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is raising the price of cleaning up the Portland Harbor Superfund Site from $746 million to $1.05 billion in a final plan that calls for more dredging and capping of contaminated soil along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River.
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Oregon Governor Kate Brown will take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address Monday.
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Federal agriculture officials could decide this week to give up its oversight of a spreading grass that was engineered to resist an herbicide.
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Water’s a conflict-ridden subject in much of Eastern Oregon, especially the Klamath Basin. Anything that even faintly smells like it might restrict water rights, especially in rural agricultural areas, is in for a fight.
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OREGONIANS ALREADY SAID NO TO ADDITIONAL CORPORATE INCOME TAX — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
On the heels of Oregon’s most expensive campaign for a ballot measure last fall, Measure 97 was handily defeated 59 to almost 41 percent.
This should have been a loud and clear message to the states legislators that Oregonians are not supportive of additional corporate income tax as a way to bolster state revenue. Apparently and regrettably this is not the case.
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ROBLAN, MCKEOWN OFFER 2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW AT FLORENCE TOWN HALL (The World)
With another legislative session just around the corner, two of the South Coast’s elected representatives to the Oregon Legislature, Sen. Arnie Roblan D-5th District and Rep. Caddy McKeown D-9th District, met Saturday with a roomful of concerned constituents where they answered questions and offered a preview of what to expect in the coming months.
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LAST OF OREGON COAST KING TIDES TOMORROW, YOUR HELP NEEDED (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)
The final round of this year’s king tides occur tomorrow through Thursday January 10 12, and those in charge of the King Tides Project are looking to recruit an army of photographers to help capture how high these enormous tides reach.
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The next session of the Oregon Legislature doesn’t begin until Feb. 1, but Sen. Bill Hansell R-Athena says a big part of it starts today as newly-elected lawmakers take their oath of office.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
* Port of Portland sues Monsanto for ‘widespread’ contamination costs
* Steve Duin: Obama’s moment at the Owyhee — Opinion
* Portland OK to spend millions of utility ratepayer money on Superfund cleanup
* Top bad idea of 2016 campaign season: rent control — Guest Opinion
* Oregonians need more transparency about potential conflicts of interest: Editorial agenda 2017 — Opinion
* Jefferson Park permit system fails to stop damaging camping
* Former Oregon prison nurse convicted of tampering, drug charges
* This one looks easy — Opinion
* State approves plan for PCC to take on ITT Tech students
* Oversight, state agency culture faulted as manager broke rules
* Rents are high in Portland, but increasing faster statewide
* Sources: Partisanship in Salem? Say it ain’t so
* Editorial: Oregon should get real on ID — Opinion
* District Attorneys Office selected for national training program
* Short commutes still the norm in Bend
* Season not easy on deer, but theyve adapted
* Janet Stevens column: Affordable housing is out of whack with need
* ODOT Clears Homeless Camp In Portland During Freezing Temperatures
* Union Behind Oregon Measure 97 Wants More Money For Caregivers
* Port Of Portland Files Lawsuit Against Monsanto
* After Pushback, Oregon Scraps Report Linking Private Forests To Water Quality Risks
* Healthy economy more important than minimum wage — Opinion
* Water, taxes and regulations dominate state legislatures
* Applications being accepted for Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program
* Other views: So far, so good for Oregon snowpack — Guest Opinion
* Opt out available for Ore. parents
* Deadline nears to report 2016 hunts
* Rail safe alternative to use instead of pipelines for oil — Guest Opinion
* Commission works on long-range plan
* Douglas County business owners oppose proposed price hike on liquor
* New future planned for Industrial Paper site
* Solar makes gains as energy choice
* New Oregon coalition to fight rising drug prices
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In the aggressive campaign against national-monument designation in the remote Owyhee Canyonlands, ranchers and their publicists have insisted nothing should change or evolve in Oregon without “a vote of Congress.”
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Portland was free to spend tens of millions of dollars in sewer revenue on addressing pollution in the Willamette River’s Portland Harbor, a Multnomah County judge ruled Thursday, following years of mixed-bag rulings in a lawsuit dating to 2011.
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TOP BAD IDEA OF 2016 CAMPAIGN SEASON: RENT CONTROL — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
As we enter the season where lawmakers start to turn the poetry of their campaigns into the prose of policy-making, there is one idea that deserves a rapid dispatch as the top bad idea of the 2016 campaign season: rent control. Speaker Tina Kotek and recently elected Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly have made this a focus of their policy agenda. Both are well intentioned, but such intentions will pave the road to considerable despair, dislocation and disproportionately hurt for some of the most vulnerable people in our state.
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OREGONIANS NEED MORE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: EDITORIAL AGENDA 2017 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Two of Gov. Kate Brown’s top staffers stepped down this week following news reports that employment they held outside of her office could compromise their work for the government.
The governor’s spokespeople argued the assertions were baseless as the story played out. And since the resignations were confirmed, they haven’t acknowledged what might have been learned. What’s so dismaying is how familiar it feels.
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JEFFERSON PARK PERMIT SYSTEM FAILS TO STOP DAMAGING CAMPING (Salem Statesman Journal)
The best laid plans sometimes go awry, especially in Oregons most beautiful places.
Last summer, a new permit system was launched for the 30 designated campsites in Jefferson Park, one of the most popular backpacking spots in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
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FORMER OREGON PRISON NURSE CONVICTED OF TAMPERING, DRUG CHARGES (Salem Statesman Journal)
A former Oregon State Penitentiary nurse has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to surrender his nursing license after being convicted of tampering with drug records.
Jason Hofmann, 44, of Stayton, pleaded no contest to two counts of tampering with drug records. In a petition filed in Marion County, he stated he made false entries on drug records at the prison infirmary.
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THIS ONE LOOKS EASY — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Oregon monument not as controversial as others-
President Obama shows no signs of timidity in designating national monuments at the end of his tenure. Last week. he designated two national monuments, both of them big, both of them new and both of them centers of intense dispute. The president should have no qualms about adding to the list by approving an expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
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STATE APPROVES PLAN FOR PCC TO TAKE ON ITT TECH STUDENTS (Portland Tribune)
-Former ITT Tech students begin taking classes at PCC this month to finish the degrees that they started at the failed private school.-
Michael Seelye has been in limbo since Sept. 6 of this year not knowing if his career as a nurse was over before it began.
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OVERSIGHT, STATE AGENCY CULTURE FAULTED AS MANAGER BROKE RULES (Portland Tribune)
-Raussen repeatedly bent or broke state rules pertaining to spending, use of state cars, awarding contracts and being wined and dined by contractors, according to documents from the Oregon Department of Justice investigation launched in September.-
State benefits manager Heidi Jean Williams just wanted to be supportive, she told state Justice Department investigators. But her support of a boss who wanted to go on workday wine tastings and accept pricey free meals from contractors has put a crimp in her career.
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RENTS ARE HIGH IN PORTLAND, BUT INCREASING FASTER STATEWIDE (Portland Tribune)
-A new report by the ABODO real estate company also found the rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Portland is $353 higher than the national average.-
It’s no secret that rents are skyrocketing in Portland. But a new report by the ABODO online rental company found that rents actually increased faster in the rest of the state last year.
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SOURCES: PARTISANSHIP IN SALEM? SAY IT AIN’T SO (Portland Tribune)
-2017 Oregon Legislature already shaping up to be rocky, and the latest from City Hall-
Although editorial boards across the state are calling on Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and legislative leaders to put aside partisanship and work together following the defeat of the corporate sales tax measure, Republicans already are accusing Brown and other Democrats of playing politics ahead of the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
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EDITORIAL: OREGON SHOULD GET REAL ON ID — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon does not comply with the federal Real ID Act. Its time that changed. The Real ID Act, adopted by Congress in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, beefs up the states identification requirements when issuing drivers licenses or state identification cards. At least two of the 9/11 hijackers possessed fake drivers licenses.
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DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE SELECTED FOR NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM (Bend Bulletin)
The Deschutes County District Attorneys Office was selected Thursday to participate in a national training and technical assistance program for its work in developing the diversion program, DeschutesSafe.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, selected the district attorneys office for the program.
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SHORT COMMUTES STILL THE NORM IN BEND (Bend Bulletin)
-Traffic patterns suggest that wont last-
Traffic in Bend is heavier than during the last economic boom a decade ago, but according to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the average residents commute is still around 15 minutes.
That probably feels like a relief to people who recently moved from Portland or San Francisco, but traffic counts suggest the good times wont last.
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-Deer eat less, conserve energy-
Deer have it rough during the winter in Central Oregon.
Basically, theyre starving to death, said Corey Heath, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. And thats normal.
One vital survival factor for deer is access to areas where they wont be disturbed.
Its absolutely critical, Heath said.
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JANET STEVENS COLUMN: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS OUT OF WHACK WITH NEED (Bend Bulletin)
When Bend developer Bill Smith moved to town in 1970, he and his wife didnt have to worry about what home to rent. There was but a single rental in town, and they took it before theyd even looked at it.
Sounds familiar, doesnt it? It should. For as long as I can remember, and no doubt for years before that, Bend has swung from recession and plenty of vacant rentals and homes for sale to prosperity, which often has been marked by a shortage of both, at least for a time.
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ODOT CLEARS HOMELESS CAMP IN PORTLAND DURING FREEZING TEMPERATURES (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Amid freezing temperatures Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Transportation asked a small group of homeless people in Portland to move their camp.
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About 70,000, Oregonians spend much of their time caring for other people, according to a new report by Family Forward Oregon and the Service Employees International Union. Thats the equivalent of the population of Medford.
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PORT OF PORTLAND FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MONSANTO (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Port of Portland is suing agriculture giant Monsanto Corp. for widespread PCB contamination on port property, the Port announced Thursday.
The lawsuit doesnt state a dollar amount, but wants the company to pay for its portion of the clean up in the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
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Oregons Department of Environmental Quality drafted a report that identified logging as a contributor to known risks for drinking water quality in communities up and down the Oregon coast.
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HEALTHY ECONOMY MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINIMUM WAGE — OPINION (Capital Press)
-The reality is that Idaho workers are doing quite well without a higher minimum wage.-
Proponents of higher minimum wages may be disappointed to find out that a robust economy, not governmental fiat, benefits workers most.
Those state legislators and initiative sponsors who supported minimum wage increases in states such as Washington, Oregon and California believed they were helping workers.
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WATER, TAXES AND REGULATIONS DOMINATE STATE LEGISLATURES (Capital Press)
-Western state governments face many issues as lawmakers go to work.-
In Oregon, a $1.8 billion budget gap will force legislators to look for more revenue taxes and fees or cut services. The gap, caused by runaway state employee health care and retirement costs, will force lawmakers to make hard choices as the administration of Gov. Kate Brown settles in for the next two years.
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APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR OREGON CENTURY FARM & RANCH PROGRAM (East Oregonian)
-Applications for the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program are being accepted through May 1-
The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is now accepting applications for 2017 to honor farms and ranches in continuous family operation for 100 years.
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OTHER VIEWS: SO FAR, SO GOOD FOR OREGON SNOWPACK — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
The snow just keeps coming to the Cascade Mountains, and while that can cause headaches for travelers, its good news for skiers and other folks who enjoy winter recreation.
It might also be good news for farmers, who rely on a supply of water from the melting snow to keep their fields irrigated, and for those of us who worry about the prospect of summertime fires in our forests. But we wont know for sure about that until later next year.
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OPT OUT AVAILABLE FOR ORE. PARENTS (Argus Observer)
The time is coming for the upcoming Smarter Balanced English Language Arts and Math SBAC tests.
The statewide tests are designed to evaluate student knowledge and skills necessary for success beyond high school, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
Two statewide testing windows will open.
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Nearly 21,700 Oregon hunters who failed to report their 2014 hunting successes paid the $25 penalty when buying licenses last year, generating $541,700 in the mandatory-reporting program created by the Oregon Legislature.
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RAIL SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO USE INSTEAD OF PIPELINES FOR OIL — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
A controversial decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preventing completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline continues to spur debate about U.S. infrastructure projects and the movement of crude oil. Regardless of the outcome of that debate, in the short term railroads will continue to transport Bakken crude oil in specially designed tank cars.
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COMMISSION WORKS ON LONG-RANGE PLAN (The Dalles Chronicle)
The Columbia River Gorge Commission will soon be asking for public input on the agencys long-range management plan at a series of meetings held throughout the gorge in early 2017.
The CRGC will hold its first public event on Jan. 17 in The Dalles, at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center. Subsequent meetings will be in Hood River and North Bonneville, Wash.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESS OWNERS OPPOSE PROPOSED PRICE HIKE ON LIQUOR (Douglas County News-Review)
In her proposed state budget, Gov. Kate Brown recommends doubling a surcharge on distilled spirits for two years beginning July 1. The surcharge price per bottle would go from 50 cents to $1, while alcohol licensing fees would also increase and cigarette taxes would rise by 85 cents to $2.18.
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NEW FUTURE PLANNED FOR INDUSTRIAL PAPER SITE (Douglas County News-Review)
The old International Paper site has a new name, and may soon find new purpose now that it’s under new ownership.
Barramundi, a whitefish popular in Asian cuisine, will likely soon be raised in a sterile aquaculture plant at what’s now being called the Reedsport Commerce Park. That’s just one of the unique ideas that the new owner, Industrial Harbor USA, has for the future of this 427-acre property. The developers want to fill the site with an array of businesses that make use of the available resources there, like marine access, water rights and a rail line. They hope businesses on the site will ultimately employ at least 200 to 250 people.
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SOLAR MAKES GAINS AS ENERGY CHOICE (OregonBusiness)
-A Q&A with Maria Pope, senior vice president of power supply & operations, and resource strategy at Oregons largest utility, Portland General Electric.-
Solar energy could soon be a bright spot for Oregons rural economy. Over the next five years, 1,500MW of solar electric capacity is expected to be installed in the state, much of it in rural counties east of the Cascades. Plummeting costs for solar panels and the states 50% by 2040 renewable portfolio standard will kick start development of the renewable resource. Several new large projects, such as the 56MW Gala Solar project from Avangrid Renewables under construction near Prineville, are testament to the sectors recent growth.
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Some of Oregons most influential political, consumer and labor groups are taking a stand against prescription drug costs.
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HANSELL WILL PAY HIS RAISE FORWARD (My Columbia Basin)
While Gov. Kate Browns budget slashes services throughout the state, it also includes a 2.75 percent raise for legislators. Sen. Bill Hansell R-Athena says the raise cant be turned down because it is not part of any package that goes through the Oregon Legislature. Since he has to take it, he plans to give it away.
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* Two of Kate Brown’s staffers resign following conflict of interest questions
* Independence a must for a public-records ombudsman: Editorial Agenda 2017 — Opinion
* New year presents tremendous bipartisan opportunity — Guest Opinion
* Washington to reject coal export terminal near Longview
* PGE delays biomass test burn at Boardman coal plant
* More people are arriving: Oregon remains a top relocation spot, study finds
* Oregon is one of top moving destinations in U.S.
* Local group revitalizes mountain bike trails at Shellburg Falls
* Mortgage rates, home sales and prices seen rising in 2017
* Dungeness crabbers continue strike from California to Canada
* Radioactive contamination spreading in Hanford plant
* Governor’s chief of staff resigns
* Post checks in with council before session
* Richardson will press for ‘transparency, accountability’
* New year brings jump in cost of filling up
* State, public update Smith Rock State Parks master plan
* Change in Oregon construction safety rules
* Home prices rise quickly in Bend, rest of Oregon
* Editorial: A bill worth considering on deer population — Opinion
* Oregon Supreme Court Ruling Prompts Families To Try To Recoup Medicaid Payments
* John Kitzhaber On The Death Penalty – Think Out Loud
* Threatening Tuition Hike, Oregon Universities Demand Funding Increase
* Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Chief Of Staff Resigns
* Oregon Governor’s Chief Of Staff Resigns
* Washington states snowpack looks good
* Washington works on smoother response to next drought
* Rail cars proposed to haul away toxic Ashland soil
* Our View: Public records reform falls short — Opinion
* Nothing should obstruct expression of ideas — Guest Opinion
* Western US sagebrush defense plan will endure, official says
* Comment deadline on Columbia River dam review extended
* Researchers explore sea lion feast at Bonneville dam
* Judge Nelson steps down from the bench
* Editorial: Richardson will help influence decision-making — Opinion
* Lamenting the loss of an elk herd — Opinion
* Full-feathered season
* Oregon explores ways to protect electric grid on coast from catastrophe
* County targets affordable housing with construction tax
* Agriculture in Transition — Opinion
* Secretary of State Dennis Richardson Offers Praise to outgoing Secretary Atkins
* A Federal Lawsuit Shows New Trouble Looming for Oregon’s Greater Sage Grouse
* Kristen Leonard is Out as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Chief of Staff
* Re-elected governors have no plans for new I-5 bridge
* Oregon DHS Could Owe Relatives Of Deceased Medicaid Patients Thousands
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TWO OF KATE BROWN’S STAFFERS RESIGN FOLLOWING CONFLICT OF INTEREST QUESTIONS (Portland Oregonian)
Gov. Kate Brown is heading into this year’s high-stakes legislative session without permanent appointees in two key jobs in her administration.
The governor’s office announced Tuesday that chief of staff Kristen Leonard resigned her job effective no later than Jan. 31. And Abby Tibbs, who was scheduled to start as Brown’s deputy chief of staff on Jan. 23, also resigned, according to spokesman Chris Pair.
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INDEPENDENCE A MUST FOR A PUBLIC-RECORDS OMBUDSMAN: EDITORIAL AGENDA 2017 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
One moment, Gov. Kate Brown wants to put a “public-records ombudsman” in the office of the independently-elected secretary of state, which oversees state records and archives. The next moment, Brown decides that the proposed new position is best housed in an agency under her control.
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NEW YEAR PRESENTS TREMENDOUS BIPARTISAN OPPORTUNITY — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Early in December, I met with Senate President Peter Courtney to recap a conversation I had with Gov. Kate Brown. I wanted to be sure these powerful Democratic political leaders understand that the upcoming legislative session presents an opportunity to work together on the important issues facing both urban and rural Oregonians.
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WASHINGTON TO REJECT COAL EXPORT TERMINAL NEAR LONGVIEW (Portland Oregonian)
The state of Washington may have killed a controversial plan to build a coal export terminal on the Columbia River west of Longview.
Outgoing Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark said Tuesday he will reject a request by Millennium Bulk Terminals to sublease state-owned land that once housed an aluminum smelter.
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PGE DELAYS BIOMASS TEST BURN AT BOARDMAN COAL PLANT (Portland Oregonian)
Portland General Electric says it was forced to delay the much-anticipated, daylong biomass test burn at its coal-fired plant in Boardman due to weather and technical reasons.
The utility is using the test burn to evaluate the economic, environmental and technical feasibility of fueling the plant using wood waste and other biomass instead of coal after its scheduled closure in 2020.
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MORE PEOPLE ARE ARRIVING: OREGON REMAINS A TOP RELOCATION SPOT, STUDY FINDS (Portland Oregonian)
Moving vans are on the roll and many continue to head to Oregon, according to a migration study released by Atlas Van Lines.
The moving company found that Oregon continues to be a top relocation spot, ranking second in inbound moves, percentage-wise.
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OREGON IS ONE OF TOP MOVING DESTINATIONS IN U.S. (Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon is one of the top moving destinations in the United States, according to recent migration studies.
Oregon had the second-highest percentage of inbound moves, with 957 shipments moving into the state and 590 moving out of the state, according to Atlas Van Lines, a household goods mover agency.
The agency released data collected based on national migration patterns in and out of states from January 1, 2016 through December 15, 2016.
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LOCAL GROUP REVITALIZES MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS AT SHELLBURG FALLS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Ever so slowly, the dream of a top-level mountain biking system is coming together at Silver Falls State Park and Shellburg Falls Recreation Area.
The creation of Catamount Trail at Silver Falls, built by a group of volunteers in the Salem Area Trail Alliance, has gotten most of the publicity so far.
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MORTGAGE RATES, HOME SALES AND PRICES SEEN RISING IN 2017 (Salem Statesman Journal)
Nate Lowenstein has been shopping for a home in Los Angeles, on and off, for more than a year.
His search has been stymied by a stubbornly low roster of homes on the market and the hurdles that come with it: multiple competing bids and higher prices.
“It’s not a great market, from a buyer’s perspective,” said Lowenstein, a lawyer. “The one good thing is that interest rates were quite low.”
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DUNGENESS CRABBERS CONTINUE STRIKE FROM CALIFORNIA TO CANADA (Salem Statesman Journal)
Some consumers may have to settle for not-as-fresh Dungeness crab and others could wait a little longer for their first taste of the season as fishermen from Northern California to the Canadian border strike after wholesale buyers sought to lower the purchase price.
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RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION SPREADING IN HANFORD PLANT (Salem Statesman Journal)
Radioactive contamination is spreading inside a deteriorating processing plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state that was last used in the 1950s and 1960s to process plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program.
The Tri-City Herald newspaper reported Monday that the facility is known as REDOX. It is located deep within the sprawling and heavily guarded Hanford site, which is half the size of Rhode Island, and the contamination poses no threat to the general public.
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GOVERNOR’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS (Portland Tribune)
-Resignation comes after news reports of Kristen Leonard’s undisclosed conflicts of interest.-
Kristen Leonard has resigned as Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff after 14 months on the job.
The resignation, effective Jan. 31, follows a series of articles by Willamette Week revealing that Leonard had failed to disclose at least two actual or potential conflicts of interest with the governor’s office.
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POST CHECKS IN WITH COUNCIL BEFORE SESSION (Portland Tribune)
-Councilors, mayor ask state representative to push for funding for the Newberg-Dundee bypass-
In less than a month representatives from around the state will convene in Salem for the 2017 regular legislative session. Newberg’s local representatives, state Rep. Bill Post and state Sen. Kim Thatcher, recently updated the City Council on what they anticipate and plan to accomplish during the lawmaking session.
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-New secretary of state takes office this week, promises nonpartisan administration-
Dennis Richardson says he is accustomed to adversity. After all, he raised eight daughters.
“Five of whom were teenagers at the same time,” he joked to a crowd of Washington County residents Dec. 13. “I’ll be fine.”
Last month Richardson was sworn in as Oregon’s secretary of state. Speaking before the Washington County Business Council in December, Richardson said his goals as the state’s No. 2 elected official will be to ensure that Oregonians get what they have been asking for: a fair, transparent government.
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-Oregon has the 10th highest gasoline prices in the nation. The No. 1 slot is held by Hawaii.-
Happy new year. Here’s your gasoline price increase.
Oregon’s average cost for a gallon of gasoline increased a nickel in the past week, to $2.49. AAA Oregon/Idaho said Tuesday, Jan. 3, that the national average jumped 6 cents to $2.35 a gallon.
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STATE, PUBLIC UPDATE SMITH ROCK STATE PARKS MASTER PLAN (Bend Bulletin)
-Mecca for wildlife, people plan its future-
When the towering rocks at Smith Rock State Park glow with the red-orange light of sunrise, nearby resident Marcia Volk often runs out to take yet another picture of them.
Theres so much beauty here, said Volk, who runs a website with information on the park. It takes me five minutes to get out of any negative state of mind by just walking into that park.
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CHANGE IN OREGON CONSTRUCTION SAFETY RULES (Bend Bulletin)
-Homebuilders affected by lower limit-
Two new safety regulations that affect the construction industry take effect this year in Oregon, according to the state Department of Consumer and Business Services.
A change to the trigger height, the minimum height at which workers must be protected from falls, was lowered from 10 feet to 6 feet, according to the department. A related change takes effect Oct. 1, when slide guards will no longer suffice as a method of protecting workers from falling off of sloped roofs.
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HOME PRICES RISE QUICKLY IN BEND, REST OF OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon saw the largest increase to its home prices of any state in the country over a 12-month period ending in November, according to a report released Tuesday by the real estate analysis firm CoreLogic.
CoreLogic has created a proprietary index, known as the Home Price Index, to track single-family home prices, according to the companys news release. In Oregon, the November index increased by 10.3 percent since November 2015, the largest increase in the nation during that period.
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EDITORIAL: A BILL WORTH CONSIDERING ON DEER POPULATION — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
State Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, apparently will introduce a bill during the 2017 Legislature that would give communities a way to control exploding deer populations. Despite loud objections from members of the community that brought the problem to his attention, the idea makes sense.
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OREGON SUPREME COURT RULING PROMPTS FAMILIES TO TRY TO RECOUP MEDICAID PAYMENTS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
When a couple grows old, one spouse often gets sick and needs long-term care like a nursing home. That can cost $6,000 a month.
To qualify for Medicaid, couples often transfer the title for an asset, like a home, to the other spouse.
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JOHN KITZHABER ON THE DEATH PENALTY – THINK OUT LOUD (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
For the next installment in our death penalty series, we talk to former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber oversaw two death sentences carried out in his first two terms as governor before instituting a moratorium on the death penalty that still holds today.
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The presidents of Oregons seven public universities are telling legislative leaders they need a big funding increase to keep tuition down. Thats the main message in a letter the university presidents intend to send to legislative leaders this week.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is looking for a new chief of staff heading into the 2017 legislative session.
The governors office announced Tuesday that Kristen Leonard will resign at the end of January.
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OREGON GOVERNOR’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS (Northwest Public Radio)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is looking for a new chief of staff heading into the 2017 legislative session. The governor’s office announced Tuesday that Kristen Leonard will resign at the end of January.
Leonard has served in the role for just over a year. She came to the governor’s office from the Port of Portland, where she held a public affairs position.
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WASHINGTON STATES SNOWPACK LOOKS GOOD (Capital Press)
-The water outlook is good as snow and moisture accumulate across Washington state.-
Washington state is starting the new year with healthy mountain snowpack and above average water storage in critical Yakima Basin reservoirs.
The mountain snowpack is at 117 percent of normal, and Yakima Basin reservoir storage is 109 percent of average.
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WASHINGTON WORKS ON SMOOTHER RESPONSE TO NEXT DROUGHT (Capital Press)
-Washington Department of Ecology planning now to avoid the rush the next time drought strikes-
Washington state agencies are crafting a drought-response plan, hoping to react sooner and more effectively to the next water shortage.
The state scrambled in 2015 to catch-up with rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. A low snowpack caused the state to declare some watersheds in a drought in mid-March The spring was hot and dry, and Gov. Jay Inslee declared the entire state in a drought emergency on May 15, well after farmers had made plans.
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RAIL CARS PROPOSED TO HAUL AWAY TOXIC ASHLAND SOIL (Medford Mail Tribune)
Union Pacific plans to use rail cars, not dump trucks, to haul away 18,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil as part of its long-awaited cleanup of its old railroad yard in Ashland.
The railroad announced its shift in how it plans to remove the contaminated soil Tuesday as part of its new proposal to clean up the 20-acre plot that was a railroad yard for 100 years and prepare it for potential sale over the next two years, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality, which is considering the proposal.
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After winning election to the final two years of former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s term, Gov. Kate Brown is finally getting serious about the public records reforms she promised in the wake of Kitzhaber’s resignation. Just not serious enough.
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NOTHING SHOULD OBSTRUCT EXPRESSION OF IDEAS — GUEST OPINION (The World)
Political discourse before, during and following the recent elections seems to have been more divisive than usual. The rhetoric has often been inaccurate, sometimes intentionally misleading, or otherwise just plain malicious.
During the past several months, such dialogue was commonly employed at the national, state and local levels. Citizens have protested in the streets carrying acrimonious signage and chanting slogans that many find offensive.
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WESTERN US SAGEBRUSH DEFENSE PLAN WILL ENDURE, OFFICIAL SAYS (The World)
A new wildfire-fighting plan to protect a wide swath of sagebrush country in the Western U.S. that supports cattle ranching and is home to an imperiled bird will likely continue after the Obama administration ends, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Tuesday.
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COMMENT DEADLINE ON COLUMBIA RIVER DAM REVIEW EXTENDED (Daily Astorian)
Federal agencies have extended the public comment period on an environmental impact statement for Columbia River dam operations.
The Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation will take comments until Feb. 7. The comment period had been scheduled to end Jan. 17.
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RESEARCHERS EXPLORE SEA LION FEAST AT BONNEVILLE DAM (Daily Astorian)
-Sea lions transmit salmon-eating behaviors like a disease-
A new study used the same kind of models that scientists use to track disease to instead examine how some California sea lions have learned to prey on salmon gathering to ascend fish ladders at Bonneville Dam.
Although sea lions commonly feast on fish, their predation on salmon at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River poses wildlife management challenges.
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-Judge Nelson officially retires on Jan. 2 after 23 years on the bench-
The man pleaded No contest to the charges against him. He stood up.
Thank you, judge, he said politely, nodding his head at Clatsop County District Court Judge Phil Nelson. Enjoy your retirement.
As two deputies escorted the man out of Courtroom 200 Thursday afternoon, Nelson watched with a sort of bemused, half-smile on his face.
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EDITORIAL: RICHARDSON WILL HELP INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-New secretary of state takes office-
Republicans dominated Oregon politics for much of our states history. That one-party rule was not good for Oregon, and neither is the Democrats one-party rule that persists today.
As of the new year, that domination was broken a bit.
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The elk is a majestic symbol of Baker Countys wealth of wild country, and we cringe whenever one of these animals is wasted, wherever it happens.
Earlier this year poachers killed two fine bull elk near Elgin.
Earlier this week, in an altogether different scenario, a herd of 41 elk died when the ice on Brownlee Reservoir broke while the animals were crossing the Powder River arm near Richland.
That the elk died was of course a matter of fate rather than anybodys fault.
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FULL-FEATHERED SEASON (LaGrande Observer)
-Upland bird-hunting seasons not scheduled to end early in Baker County-
State biologists dont plan to impose an early end to the hunting season for chukars and Hungarian partridges despite this being the snowiest December in more than a decade in parts of Northeastern Oregon.
Deep snow can prompt the upland game birds to congregate along low-elevation roads, where theyre much more vulnerable to hunters.
The hunting season usually continues through Jan. 31.
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OREGON EXPLORES WAYS TO PROTECT ELECTRIC GRID ON COAST FROM CATASTROPHE (LaGrande Observer)
Oregon will be getting some help in preparing its energy grid for natural disasters such as the large Cascadia earthquake scientists believe could devastate the Northwest.
The state has been chosen by the National Governors Association for a policy academy, which will include workshops that provide technical policy and regulatory assistance. Adam Schultz, senior policy analyst at the Oregon Department of Energy, said Oregon has a particular interest in making sure its coastal areas are prepared.
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COUNTY TARGETS AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH CONSTRUCTION TAX (Hood River News)
Hood River County Board of Commissioners last week asked staff to write up an ordinance creating a new construction tax devoted to funding affordable housing programs.
#The excise tax, created by Senate Bill 1533, allows local governments to impose taxes on residential and commercial development via building permits, with revenue destined for housing initiatives.
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AGRICULTURE IN TRANSITION — OPINION (OregonBusiness)
-Roughly 64% of Oregons farmland will change hands in the next 20 years. Who will inherit the earth?-
The average Oregon farmer is 60-years old. Over the next twenty years, many farmers will retire, and their land will transition but to whom?
Every family-owned business faces this challenge eventually, but the family farm is exposed to unique pressures and circumstances. Farms dont exist without farmland, and that same land has become the target of investment companies and housing developers, with 25%-40% of farmland sales now going to investment and development companies in four Willamette Valley counties.
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Secretary of State Dennis Richardson today offered a statement about his predecessor, Secretary Jeanne Atkins, thanking her for stepping up to lead the Secretary of States office after being appointed to the position in 2015.
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A FEDERAL LAWSUIT SHOWS NEW TROUBLE LOOMING FOR OREGON’S GREATER SAGE GROUSE (Willamette Week)
-One of the states iconic species is at the center of the latest battle over who should control federal lands.-
No story dominated Oregon news in 2016 quite like the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by Ammon Bundy and his anti-government militants.
A new lawsuit shows that another battle over federal control of land and animals in Eastern Oregon is heating up.
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KRISTEN LEONARD IS OUT AS OREGON GOV. KATE BROWN’S CHIEF OF STAFF (Willamette Week)
-Abrupt decision comes after conflict of interest reports and less than a month before Legislature convenes.-
For the second time in just over a year, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has abruptly changed her chief of staff.
This morning, Brown announced that her current chief of staff, Kristen Leonard, will leave her $185,510-a-year post on Jan. 31.
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RE-ELECTED GOVERNORS HAVE NO PLANS FOR NEW I-5 BRIDGE (KOIN)
-Reps for both Gov. Brown and Gov. Inslee told KOIN 6 News on Tuesday there are no plans underway for a new bridge-
Its a new year, and both Oregon and Washington have newly re-elected governors, but there are no plans for a new Interstate 5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland, officials say.
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OREGON DHS COULD OWE RELATIVES OF DECEASED MEDICAID PATIENTS THOUSANDS (KXL)
An Oregon Supreme court ruling turns the table on Oregon Department of Human Services telling it money is owed to families whose parents may have had Medicaid pay for nursing home care. often times families are getting billed for services amounting to well over $100,000.00.
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2016 IN REVIEW: ANOTHER WINNING YEAR OF JOB GROWTH IN OREGON — BLOG (Oregon Employment Department – Research Div)
Oregons job growth started 2016 with a sprint and finished the year strong, if not quite at a sprints pace. Early in the year, the state reached a personal record of 64,200 jobs added in the 12 months through April, before slowing down later in the year. The 49,500 new jobs added from November 2015 to November 2016 was enough to earn bronze as the third fastest November-to-November jobs gain since 2000, drafting behind 2015 and 2014 which came in first and second.
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WORKER ACCESS TO PAID LEAVE BENEFITS — BLOG (Oregon Employment Department – Research Div)
In the United States, 68 percent of workers have access to paid sick leave through their employers. A slightly higher share has access to paid vacation 73% and paid holidays 75%. This access varies between the public and private sectors. In private industry, about two-thirds of workers have access to paid sick leave and just over three-quarters of workers have access to paid vacation and paid holidays. Among state and local government employees, access to paid sick leave 90% far outweighs access to paid vacation and holidays 59% and 67%, respectively.
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| Alexander |
Draining into the Atlantic, what is the largest river in the world BY VOLUME, exceeding the next 8 rivers combined? | Oregon State Library eClips | Highlighting Oregon State Government in the News
Oregon State Library eClips
* Revenue rumble: Republicans and business group set tough terms for tax deal
* Lawmakers to debate hard limits on greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon
* Gillnets on Columbia River: The long-standing debate roars back
* Feds extend for five years Oregon’s healthcare program for poor
* Trans-Pacific Partnership or not, Oregon must advance trade with Asia — Guest Opinion
* Oregon transportation department investigating after MAX train derailment
* David Sarasohn: Phil Knight shouldn’t be on his own in supporting U of O — Opinion
* Reactions to expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou Nat’l Monument — Guest Opinions
* Third bridge gets new life, casts a shadow over community
* Reports: Obama won’t designate Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument
* Hundreds rally for immigrant rights at Oregon State Capitol
* Oregon bans weapons in state workplaces
* Federal government approves continued Oregon Health Plan reforms, but no extra money
* An expanded monument — Opinion
* OTC chair seeks greater oversight of ODOT
* Pro-immigration rally marchers ‘stand united against hateful rhetoric’
* Obama administration approves Oregon Health Plan rule renewal before leaving office
* Deadline looms Jan. 25 for timber lawsuit participation
* Editorial: Sen. Tim Knopp right to increase hurdle for tax hikes — Opinion
* Federal Government Gives Oregon New Health Care Waiver
* Feds Block Mining In 100K Acres of Southwest Oregon
* Timber Group Says Oregon Monument Expansion Is Illegal
* Ag in the Classroom spreads the word
* Worker protection standards highlight seminars
* Timber industry may challenge Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion
* Governors plan to close mental hospital brings deja vu
* Klavins: Predator poachers must be held responsible — Guest Opinion
* Lawmakers have busy agenda when next session begins
* Commissioners ask Brown to reconsider vet proposal
* Double vision: Plans to upgrade BPA radio network spark debate over Marys Peak
* Local legislator proposes PERS changes
* Where should the Port of Portland go from here?
* Oregon’s 2016 venture activity has mixed results
* Scenes from this week’s kickoff of the 2017 Oregon Legislature – Photos
* Why an Oregon wave energy device is being tested in Colorado
* Gov. Brown says state needs to do more to prep for storms
* Businesses with liquor licenses warned about fake OLCC agents
* Flood threat looms: agencies move snow, prep sandbags
* Merkley: Obama Won’t Designate Owyhee Canyonlands As A National Monument
* Western Dems look to climate to revitalize jobs messages
* Federal Waiver Comes Without New Money
* Red Justice in a Blue State
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Two weeks before this year’s legislative session, Oregon Republicans and a leading business group have laid down difficult terms for a deal on tax revenue that could save the state from slashing programs by hundreds of millions of dollars.
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LAWMAKERS TO DEBATE HARD LIMITS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN OREGON (Portland Oregonian)
Environmental activists are hoping Oregon lawmakers will act this session to put the third and what could be the most important plank of the state’s climate change action plan in place: hard limits on greenhouse emissions and a market-based price to enforce them.
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GILLNETS ON COLUMBIA RIVER: THE LONG-STANDING DEBATE ROARS BACK (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon and Washington’s plans for regulating commercial fishing on the lower Columbia River appear to be drifting apart, like an unmoored boat bobbing away from a dock.
Since 1915, the states have agreed on how to manage the salmon industry on more than 145 shared miles of the river – from the mouth to Bonneville Dam.
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In the final week of the Obama administration, the federal government gave the state permission for what officials claim will be five more years of stability in how health care is delivered to Oregon’s poor.
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TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP OR NOT, OREGON MUST ADVANCE TRADE WITH ASIA — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
In early November, we had the honor of being part of a group of business and government leaders on a Portland Business Alliance trade mission to Vietnam. We had a clear mission: Learn how to support existing business relationships and expand job development and education opportunities for both Oregon and Vietnam.
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The Oregon Department of Transportation is investigating a MAX train derailment near the Rose Quarter that caused in no injuries but disrupted transit throughout the metro area Friday morning.
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The highlight of Oregon higher education in 2016 – especially when you consider the football season – was Nike founder Phil Knight’s 10-year gift of $500 million to the University of Oregon for a science research complex.
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-Obama expands Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument-
Merkley, Wyden Applaud Expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Monument Expansion Violates O&C Act, Undermines Federal Land Management
Trout Unlimited applauds expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
AFRC Responds to Controversial Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Expansion _________________________________________
THIRD BRIDGE GETS NEW LIFE, CASTS A SHADOW OVER COMMUNITY (Salem Statesman Journal)
A longstanding fight over a contentious – and yet unrealized – third bridge in Oregon’s capital is getting new life.
Loreen Wells, 74, tells her story from the seat of a power chair in a house that’s been hers for four decades. Polio put her in the chair, and the neighbor’s daughter, Nohelani Judkins, works in the next room to help out.
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REPORTS: OBAMA WON’T DESIGNATE OWYHEE CANYONLANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT (Salem Statesman Journal)
The expansion of one national monument in Oregon appears to be enough for President Barack Obama.
The outgoing president used the federal Antiquities Act to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon last week by 48,000 acres.
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HUNDREDS RALLY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AT OREGON STATE CAPITOL (Salem Statesman Journal)
Roughly 400 people converged at the Oregon State Capitol steps to support immigrant rights Saturday.
The rally, part of a national day of demonstrations against President-Elect Donald Trump’s proposed policies relating to immigration, was comprised of dozens of state-wide organizations in the One Oregon coalition.
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OREGON BANS WEAPONS IN STATE WORKPLACES (Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon officials banned state employees from carrying weapons in the workplace unless they’re needed for their jobs, causing consternation Thursday among Republican leaders in the Legislature.
The Oregon Department of Administrative Services said it imposed the ban, which became effective on Jan. 6, in hopes of “providing a safe and secure environment for employees and visitors.”
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The federal government has approved Oregon’s request to continue innovating the Oregon Health Plan for the next five years, but its not giving any extra money to further advance the reforms, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Friday.
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AN EXPANDED MONUMENT — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Obama ensures designations purpose is fulfilled-
As the clock ticks down on President Obamas time in office, concern began to grow that he would overlook a proposal to enlarge the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon. The monument is small, remote and already in existence, having been designated by President Clinton in 2000. It would have been easy to focus on other matters, including additional monument designations.
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OTC CHAIR SEEKS GREATER OVERSIGHT OF ODOT (Portland Tribune)
In a letter to the governor, Oregon Transportation Commission Chairwoman Tammy Baney asked for independent staff person, involvement in ODOT director’s performance review.
In a highly unusual letter, the head of the Oregon Transportation Commission has asked Gov. Kate Brown to personally engage in beefed-up oversight of the Department of Transportation.
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PRO-IMMIGRATION RALLY MARCHERS ‘STAND UNITED AGAINST HATEFUL RHETORIC’ (Portland Tribune)
Rally and march at the Oregon Capitol in Salem opposed President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on immigration.
About 1,000 demonstrators marched around the Oregon Capitol Saturday, Jan. 14, in a show of protest against President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on immigration.
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Federal health officials Friday renewed the exemption letting Oregon pursue its own Medicaid reforms. But the nod won’t include $1.25 billion the state initially hoped for.
The outgoing Obama administration has renewed federal approval of the Oregon Health Plan.
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DEADLINE LOOMS JAN. 25 FOR TIMBER LAWSUIT PARTICIPATION (Portland Tribune)
Washington, Clackamas among the 15 counties in a group seeking $1.4 billion from the state in past losses and future proceeds.
Commissioners in Washington and Clackamas counties may soon get caught up in the political tug-of-war over state forests between advocates of timber production and supporters of outdoor recreation and environmental protection.
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EDITORIAL: SEN. TIM KNOPP RIGHT TO INCREASE HURDLE FOR TAX HIKES — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The 2017 Legislature will feature another battle between those devoted to adding new taxes and regulations and those fighting back.
Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, will be one of those fighting back. One of his first efforts to put on the brakes is Senate Joint Resolution 32, which would make it harder for the Legislature to increase taxes. Knopp has the right idea.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVES OREGON NEW HEALTH CARE WAIVER (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon has been granted a new waiver from the federal government to continue transforming its health care system.
Back in 2012, Oregon was given a five year waiver and almost $2 billion to improve health care and reduce rising costs.
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Opponents of proposed mining projects in the Klamath Mountains in the southwest corner of Oregon are praising a federal order withdrawing more than 100-thousand acres in the area from mining activity.
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TIMBER GROUP SAYS OREGON MONUMENT EXPANSION IS ILLEGAL (Northwest Public Radio)
The timber industry may go to court to try to reverse President Obama’s expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
The presidents decision to nearly double the size of the national monument was praised by environmentalists and Oregon’s two senators.
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AG IN THE CLASSROOM SPREADS THE WORD (Capital Press)
-In addition to educating kids and families on Ag in the Classroom, Jessica Jansen hopes to enlist more members of the ag community to share their knowledge with school-age kids.-
Jessica Jansen fell in love with agriculture during her high school FFA years. Its broad range of disciplines led her to earn degrees in agricultural sciences and communications at Oregon State University
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WORKER PROTECTION STANDARDS HIGHLIGHT SEMINARS (Capital Press)
-A full line-up of seminars awaits attendees of this years Northwest Ag Show.-
New federal Worker Protection Standards for pesticide application training are in effect and will be a major topic for this years seminars at the Northwest Ag Show.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulations require those who train farmworkers and pesticide handlers to hold a certified applicator license or complete an EPA-approved Train the Trainer course.
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TIMBER INDUSTRY MAY CHALLENGE CASCADE-SISKIYOU MONUMENT EXPANSION (Capital Press)
-Travis Joseph, president of the Portland-based American Forest Resource Council, said Friday the expansion improperly included several thousand acres of federal land that Congress has prioritized for logging.-
The timber industry thinks it may able to reverse President Barack Obamas expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
The presidents decision to add 48,000 acres to the 65,000-acre national monument was praised by environmentalists and Oregon’s two senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
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GOVERNORS PLAN TO CLOSE MENTAL HOSPITAL BRINGS DEJA VU (East Oregonian)
When Gov. Kate Brown released her $20.8 billion budget for the next biennium, one item on the chopping block shocked some eastside Oregonians.
There, on page 60, was something that caused jaws to drop the proposed closure of the state mental health hospital in Junction City. To understand the consternation, one must go back to 2014. That year, Pendleton lost the Blue Mountain Recovery Center, one of three state mental health facilities in the Oregon State Hospital system, shut down along with the Portland campus.
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KLAVINS: PREDATOR POACHERS MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
Appreciation for native wildlife is something nearly all Americans share. Wildlife bring value and belong to all of us not just those of us lucky enough to live near our states big wild places or those who shoot them with cameras rather than rifles.
Some animals challenge us, but poaching is a crime against us all. Recent efforts to address the problem are welcome, but show just how far we have to go.
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LAWMAKERS HAVE BUSY AGENDA WHEN NEXT SESSION BEGINS (The World)
The Oregon State Legislature convenes on Feb. 1, and lawmakers will have their work cut out for them.
With 17 bills pre-filed pertaining the state’s Public Employees Retirement System, the multi-billion-dollar financial liability to the state is likely to take up a considerable amount of lawmakers’ time.
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COMMISSIONERS ASK BROWN TO RECONSIDER VET PROPOSAL (Albany Democrat Herald)
Linn County Commissioner John Lindsey and seven other commissioners from around the state are asking Gov. Kate Brown to reconsider her plan to cut $10 million from the proposed state budget for veterans programs.
The commissioners, members of the Veterans Steering Committee of the Association of Oregon Counties, say the proposal flies in the face of Ballot Measure 96, which was passed by Oregon voters in November.
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DOUBLE VISION: PLANS TO UPGRADE BPA RADIO NETWORK SPARK DEBATE OVER MARYS PEAK (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Marys Peak has seen a lot of changes since tectonic forces raised it from the ocean floor 30 million years ago, but a decision-making process launched this fall could have a major impact on the mountains future.
Located 15 miles west of Corvallis and standing 4,097 feet above sea level, its the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range. With charming wildflower meadows, towering stands of noble fir and views that stretch from the Cascades to the Pacific, the peak is a major outdoor recreation destination. It also has ecological significance, with a unique assemblage of plants, animals and insects.
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LOCAL LEGISLATOR PROPOSES PERS CHANGES (Douglas County News-Review)
Shortly after entering his legislative office Monday, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, wasted no time in introducing a bill battling the controversial state pension system.
Kruse and Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, introduced two bills limiting public employee pension benefits. Kruse hopes their proposed changes will help the state save money, particularly as it faces a $1.7 billion budget deficit and $22 billion of unfunded pension liability.
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Click through to read five opinions from business and environmental leaders on the post-Bill Wyatt era.
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OREGON’S 2016 VENTURE ACTIVITY HAS MIXED RESULTS (Oregon Business Journal)
Depending on the data you want to look at, venture capital investment activity in Oregon last year was either starkly down or in-line with 2015.
Dueling reports are out this week from the National Venture Capital Association and Pitchbook, and CB Insights and PricewaterhouseCoopers examining investment activity nationwide. On a national level, the two reports trend the same way: Both deal volume and deal amounts fell.
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SCENES FROM THIS WEEK’S KICKOFF OF THE 2017 OREGON LEGISLATURE – PHOTOS (Oregon Business Journal)
This week’s snow storm may have grabbed most of the headlines, but there was also a pretty big event that kicked off the week before the flakes began to fall: the swearing in of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the opening of the 2017 session of the Oregon Legislature.
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WHY AN OREGON WAVE ENERGY DEVICE IS BEING TESTED IN COLORADO (Oregon Business Journal)
Wave energy technology born in ocean-facing Oregon is undergoing validation testing in landlocked Colorado.
It sounds incongruous, but the testing at the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder reflects the design and scale of the generator developed by Corvallis-based Columbia Power Technologies for the company’s StingRAY wave energy converter.
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GOV. BROWN SAYS STATE NEEDS TO DO MORE TO PREP FOR STORMS (KATU)
Gov. Kate Brown praised plow truck drivers for their tireless work in clearing snow from state highways, while saying the state needs to do more to prepare for future storms.
“We obviously needed more assistance within the city of Portland and Seattle came down to help,” said Brown.
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BUSINESSES WITH LIQUOR LICENSES WARNED ABOUT FAKE OLCC AGENTS (KPTV)
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is warning businesses about fake OLCC agents showing up and demanding access to files.
OLCC has received multiple reports from businesses with liquor licenses who have been called or visited by someone claiming to be an OLCC agent.
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FLOOD THREAT LOOMS: AGENCIES MOVE SNOW, PREP SANDBAGS (KTVZ Bend)
-Tips to avoid trouble; info hotline moves to 211-
With so much snow accumulating in Central Oregon due to the recent storms, and a forecast of rain and warmer temperatures, regional officials, including ODOT, warned everyone Friday to be prepared for potential flooding in coming days.
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MERKLEY: OBAMA WON’T DESIGNATE OWYHEE CANYONLANDS AS A NATIONAL MONUMENT (KUOW)
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley says he does not believe President Obama will designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument before leaving office on Friday.
Merkley said Interior Secretary Sally Jewel told him a monument designation for the eastern Oregon lands has been shelved.
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WESTERN DEMS LOOK TO CLIMATE TO REVITALIZE JOBS MESSAGES (The Hill)
Western states run by Democrats are aiming to use government responses to climate change as the basis for a new economic pitch to show voters the party can manage a transitioning economy.
State leaders are plotting aggressive new measures to tackle carbon emissions and promote renewable energy, in the face of an incoming administration that takes a skeptical view of climate change.
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FEDERAL WAIVER COMES WITHOUT NEW MONEY (The Lund Report)
-But state officials are optimistic about continuing their healthcare reform efforts.-
There’s excitement by Governor Kate Brown and other officials after the federal government approved Oregon’s Medicaid waiver for another five years. But that doesnt mean Oregon’s home free.
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RED JUSTICE IN A BLUE STATE (Slate.com)
-Oregon has one of the worst criminal justice systems in the country. These prosecutors are largely to blame.-
Here’s a riddle: What state incarcerates a higher percentage of its black population than Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana?
I’ll bet you didn’t guess Oregon.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 17, 2017 Weekend Edition
* Oregon’s new concealed handgun policy raises Republican hackles
* Transportation officials: Avoid travel if freezing rain arrives
* Proposal to transfer federal land to states worries outdoor enthusiasts
* Portland needs better than a strategy of ‘let it melt’: Editorial Agenda 2017 — Opinion
* Genetically modified pest — Opinion
* Anti-terrorism bill more threatening than ever — Guest Opinion
* What’s next for the Superfund cleanup?
* Officials reviewing winter storm strategies
* Landlords not tenants are responsible for clearing snow from roofs
* Cascade-Siskiyou Monument expansion fosters praise, fear
* Prineville power needs spur meeting with Rep. Greg Walden
* Small companies have big retirement problem
* Editorial: Require warrant for cellphone monitoring — Opinion
* Editorial: Monument designation should be up to Congress — Opinion
* Icy Weather Expected Tuesday Morning, Followed By Posssible Flooding
* Community Health Workers To Help Mentally Ill In Oregon, Washington Find Housing
* Transgender Oregonians Hurry To Update Documents Before Trump Takes Office
* Merkley: Owyhee Canyonland monument designation unlikely
* Editorial: Rent control for Oregon is a fools bargain — Opinion
* BLM allocates timber payment funds
* OUR VIEW: Browns speech a mixed bag — Opinion
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Oregon Republicans are criticizing a new policy that forbids most state employees with licenses to carry concealed handguns from bringing guns to work, except for state police and others whose jobs require it.
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TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS: AVOID TRAVEL IF FREEZING RAIN ARRIVES (Portland Oregonian)
With many Portland-area roads still frozen over from last week’s storm, freezing rain in the forecast for Tuesday could result in even slicker roads.
Ice could also bring down tree limbs and power lines, blocking roads and public transportation. An early December storm similarly started with snow and followed up with freezing rain, causing widespread traffic and transit delays.
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PROPOSAL TO TRANSFER FEDERAL LAND TO STATES WORRIES OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS (Portland Oregonian)
A change in U.S. House rules making it easier to transfer millions of acres of federal public lands to states is worrying hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts across the West who fear losing access.
Lawmakers earlier this month passed a rule eliminating a significant budget hurdle and written so broadly that it includes national parks.
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In Seattle, the transportation department aims “to achieve bare and wet pavement on specified streets within twelve hours after a significant lull in the storm,” according to that city’s winter-weather site.
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GENETICALLY MODIFIED PEST — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
ou have to say this for Scotts Miracle-Gro, the mega lawn and garden company: It managed to unite Oregon farmers, grass seed dealers, environmentalists, scientists and regulators groups that are rarely unanimous on anything.
Scotts did this by, first, partnering with Monsanto to develop a genetically modified grass seed that is resistant to herbicide, specifically the widely used multipurpose Roundup. It turned out this also made the grass impervious to darned near everything else, with the possible exception of neutron bombs.
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ANTI-TERRORISM BILL MORE THREATENING THAN EVER — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Five years ago, President Obama signed a bill into law that expanded the federal governments ability to fight terrorism around the world and inside the United States a worthy cause. But this same legislation is now a threat to Americans basic civil liberties. How can this be?
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SUPERFUND CLEANUP? (Portland Tribune)
-Over 150 different businesses and governments might be liable for a share of the Portland Harbor cleanup bill. Now comes the hard part – getting them to pay.-
After 17 years of study and research, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally approved its cleanup plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund site.
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OFFICIALS REVIEWING WINTER STORM STRATEGIES (Portland Tribune)
-Regional leaders have promised changes to better handle such storms in the past, with mixed results. The last one to shut down the Portland region hit in December 2008, just as Sam Adams was about to become mayor.-
Although the last traces of the most recent snow storm are finally melting away, memories of lengthy traffic jams, disrupted transit service, and impassible residential streets are still fresh. Local leaders and transportation officials say they already have changed the way they respond to such severe winter events, however, and are considering additional changes in the future.
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LANDLORDS NOT TENANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEARING SNOW FROM ROOFS (Bend Bulletin)
-In Bend, many residents are shoveling roofs-
Dozens of Bend property owners scrambled to clear snow off roofs after several buildings collapsed across town last week.
But some property owners didnt take action, leaving some Bend tenants wondering what to do when snow piles up dangerously on roofs and what steps to take when landlords dont help.
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CASCADE-SISKIYOU MONUMENT EXPANSION FOSTERS PRAISE, FEAR (Bend Bulletin)
-Boost for biodiversity prompts concern for ranchers, calls for reversal –
Proponents are cheering President Barack Obamas expansion of a national monument in Southern Oregon as a step toward further protecting an ecological wonder.
The presidents proclamation has also prompted loud calls for the incoming administration to reverse the expansion.
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-Not enough power in Crook County to lure big businesses-
A misunderstanding about how much electricity Prineville had access to has stymied the regions economic development efforts.
Now, Prineville city leaders and electrical utilities are pledging to improve their lines of communication, following a meeting arranged by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River.
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SMALL COMPANIES HAVE BIG RETIREMENT PROBLEM (Bend Bulletin)
Thinking about taking a job at a small company? Dont expect a good retirement plan.
At companies with fewer than 50 workers, not even half the employees have access to a 401k or pension, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At companies with 500 workers or more, 90 percent of employees have access to a retirement plan.
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EDITORIAL: REQUIRE WARRANT FOR CELLPHONE MONITORING — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
People take their cellphones everywhere with them. That can come in handy for the police when they want to track criminals.
Technology called Stingrays, or more generically cell site simulators, can be used to track a persons cellphone. The privacy laws in Oregon have some needed catching up to do on this technology.
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EDITORIAL: MONUMENT DESIGNATION SHOULD BE UP TO CONGRESS — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Late last week, President Barack Obama nearly doubled the size of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument with the stroke of a pen. Fortunately, he did nothing about the proposed Owyhee monument in far eastern Oregon, and its status remains unchanged.
Though the privilege to create national monuments belongs to the president, that can and should be changed. Locking up public land, whether for wilderness or a national monument, should be done at the behest of both houses of Congress, not by presidential fiat.
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ICY WEATHER EXPECTED TUESDAY MORNING, FOLLOWED BY POSSSIBLE FLOODING (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Winter weather may get a little icier across the region before warming up Tuesday.
The National Weather Service in Portland issued an ice storm warning for the greater Portland metro area, the Columbia River Gorge, the Hood River and Wind River valleys as well as most valleys within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest early Tuesday. The warning calls for freezing rain Tuesday and Wednesday for most areas below 1500 feet east of the Coast Range.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TO HELP MENTALLY ILL IN OREGON, WASHINGTON FIND HOUSING (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Earlier this winter, Kaiser Permanente and several other local health care providers got together to build 380 new housing units in the Portland area.
The trouble is, many homeless people suffer from severe mental illnesses or have addiction issues and are reluctant to move in. They dont trust the system.
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TRANSGENDER OREGONIANS HURRY TO UPDATE DOCUMENTS BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Alexander Clarke-Ritter sits facing his attorney in a conference room on the 34th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Portland. On the table between them sits a small stack of personal documents.
Oregon and Washington have been leaders in providing new rights to LGBTQ men and women. Now advocates in the Pacific Northwest are encouraging transgender men and women to update their federal documents before the Trump administration takes over.
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MERKLEY: OWYHEE CANYONLAND MONUMENT DESIGNATION UNLIKELY (Capital Press)
-Southeast Oregon residents bitterly oppose designation of a national monument, saying it would cut off grazing and other activity.-
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley said hes been told there are no plans to designate an Owyhee Canyonlands national monument in the remaining days of the Obama administration.
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EDITORIAL: RENT CONTROL FOR OREGON IS A FOOLS BARGAIN — OPINION (East Oregonian)
-It creates bureaucracy with unintended consequences.-
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek threw red meat to her Portland constituents by proposing legislation to create rent control. Portland rents have escalated as the city has become one of the nations most desirable locations. Kotek extended her rent control proposal beyond Portlands boundaries, to all Oregon communities.
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The Bureau of Land Management has distributed more than $19 million to 18 counties, including Douglas, in western Oregon.
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OUR VIEW: BROWNS SPEECH A MIXED BAG — OPINION (LaGrande Observer)
Voters secured the opportunity to hear from Oregons newly elected governor last week regarding some of her goals for the future. While there was a general feeling of optimism around her words there didnt appear to be a lot of substance.
At least not regarding some of the key problems the state now faces.
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Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 17, 2017 OSL eClips
* House Democrats need Republicans for solutions to Oregon’s problems — Opinion
* Pay gap between college grads, everyone else at a record
* Clatsop County withdraws from $1.4 billion lawsuit over logging harvests
* Obama administration blocks mining on 100,000 acres in Southern Oregon
* Pacific Seafood fined for polluting Yaquina Bay
* UO student files $3 million lawsuit over delayed meningitis diagnosis during 2015 outbreak
* Flu continues to spread across Lane County with hundreds of confirmed cases
* Oregon bans state employees from bringing weapons into workplaces
* State bans weapons in the workplace
* Elizabeth Woody to read poetry at Marylhurst
* State government at the starting gate
* Snow threatens five more Bend-La Pine buildings
* Oregon lawmakers ask for clemency
* Obama Announces Cascade-Siskiyou Monument Expansion
* Opponents Call Foul On Mega-Dairy Construction
* OHSU Stops New Hires Ahead Of Potential Obamacare Cuts
* Ranchers dread effects of Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion
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Democratic legislators in the lopsided House of Representatives don’t need Republican votes to get what they want this session.
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Americans with no more than a high school diploma have fallen so far behind college graduates in their economic lives that the earnings gap between college grads and everyone else has reached its widest point on record.
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Oregon’s Clatsop County has dropped out of a class-action lawsuit involving more than a dozen counties seeking $1.4 billion from the state over logging harvests on state-managed lands.
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A long-running effort to block mining in the watersheds of several iconic rivers in southwest Oregon scored a major victory Thursday.
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State environmental regulators have fined Pacific Seafood, doing business as Pacific Shrimp Company, $1,540 for violating its wastewater discharge permit at its seafood processing facility at 617 SW Bay Boulevard in Newport.
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A University of Oregon student who was hospitalized for two weeks with meningococcal disease in 2015 has sued medical providers for $3 million for negligence for allegedly failing to properly diagnose her illness.
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FLU CONTINUES TO SPREAD ACROSS LANE COUNTY WITH HUNDREDS OF CONFIRMED CASES (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Officials pinpoint 15 specific outbreaks, many in Eugene and Springfield-
If youre missing another day of work with a hacking cough, fever and body aches, youre far from alone.
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Oregon officials banned state employees from carrying weapons in the workplace unless they’re needed for their jobs, causing consternation Thursday among Republican leaders in the Legislature.
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STATE BANS WEAPONS IN THE WORKPLACE (Portland Tribune)
-The new HR policy narrows a preexisting policy that bans weapons in most state agency buildings.-
The state has adopted a new policy that prohibits state employees from having weapons in their workplace as a condition of employment, narrowing a preexisting policy that banned weapons in most state agency buildings.
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ELIZABETH WOODY TO READ POETRY AT MARYLHURST (Portland Tribune)
-Elizabeth Woody, Oregon’s eighth poet laureate, will read her poetry Jan. 20 at Marylhurst University.-
Everyone is invited to attend an evening with poet Elizabeth Woody, hosted by the Marylhurst Writers Club on Jan. 20 at Marylhurst University.
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STATE GOVERNMENT AT THE STARTING GATE (Portland Tribune)
-We take a look at the leaders, the issues, and the challenges facing Oregon in 2017.-
Everyone is sworn in. Now, the Oregon Legislature and statewide officeholders get ready to tackle a budget deficit, much-needed transportation repairs and a vastly altered political landscape in Washington, D.C.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS ASK FOR CLEMENCY (Bend Bulletin)
-Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer ask Obama to review Oregon prison sentences-
Some of Oregon’s most influential voices have asked President Barack Obama to extend leniency toward nonviolent offenders serving long prison sentences in the state of Oregon.
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President Obama on Thursday announced an anticipated expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
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While it remains unclear whether state agencies will sign off on a controversial 30,000-cow dairy farm in Morrow County, that hasn’t stopped construction from moving quickly ahead.
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The president of Oregon Health And Science University isn’t waiting to see what Republicans do with the Affordable Care Act.
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Cattle groups reacted with dread at the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon and California, which they fear will gradually eradicate ranching in the area.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
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Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 13, 2017 OSL eClips
* Heavy snow starts to damage roofs in Oregon
* Gov. Kate Brown declares state of emergency in Oregon due to snow
* Oregon schools must make up lost school days — or get a waiver
* Explosives considered for removing dangerous ice floe in far-eastern Oregon
* Feds take a stand for insurers over vulnerable patients — Guest Opinion
* Those who call for transparency should be transparent themselves — Guest Opinion
* Karen Lee Batts, whose death signals a cold reality — Opinion
* History revealed during renovation of rail station
* As snow melts in Salem, emergency declared statewide
* Public pension debate returns to Oregon Legislature
* Rescue dogs, border collies nominated for Oregon state dog
* Expanded monument could benefit economy — Guest Opinion
* Senate leader sees new revenue, transportation top agenda for 2017
* Inclusionary housing policy has skeptics
* Commuters fume, but politicos ignore I-5 bridge
* Brown, Wheeler declare state of emergencies because of winter storm
* Two proposals take aim at reducing PERS liabilities
* EPA grants help replace diesel-spewing trucks, school buses in Oregon
* Crook County emergency request granted by the state for a price
* Hop convention coming to Bend
* Editorial: Gov. Kate Brown and Legislature neglect PERS — Opinion
* Editorial: Poor fixes for affordable housing problem — Opinion
* Gov. Kate Brown Declares State Of Emergency
* AFBF optimistic despite challenging politics, economy landscape
* Grants available through State Historic Preservation Office
* Pendleton on board with Boutique
* Opponents call foul on mega-dairy construction
* Water official: Snowpack is looking pretty good
* Old Camp White building goes on historic register
* Medical pot grows denied
* Klamath County to receive $450,000 in federal funds
* USDA gearing up for agriculture census
* Wave energy earns praise, not certain — Guest Opinion
* USDA grants fuel ongoing forest projects
* Bonamici reintroduces tsunami bill
* Dam will not be used for mitigation
* Editorial: Crab season isn’t ill fated, but needs attention — Opinion
* Editorial: Its time for public records reform — Opinion
* Putting the brakes on predatory towing — Opinion
* H&V woos angry neighbors
* Wyden objects to Forest Service decision
* Student Success
* Let locals manage campsites — Opinion
* BLM to pay $4.7M in timber payments to Douglas County
* Editorial: Homeless, not hopeless — Opinion
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Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency in Oregon due to severe winter storm conditions.
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OREGON SCHOOLS MUST MAKE UP LOST SCHOOL DAYS — OR GET A WAIVER (Portland Oregonian)
Given the spate of snow days they’ve called in December and January, Oregon schools are almost certain to have to tack more days onto the school year, which could mean eating into planned breaks, extending classes well into June, or both.
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Officials in Oregon’s far-east Malheur County are asking the National Guard to consider using explosives to blast away a mile-long ice floe blocking parts of the Snake River, according to an emergency proclamation obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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FEDS TAKE A STAND FOR INSURERS OVER VULNERABLE PATIENTS — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Big insurance company CEOs must love Andy Slavitt. Why wouldn’t they? After all, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS, under Slavitt’s leadership, is providing a legal loophole that will free America’s big health insurance companies from having to cover America’s sickest and most expensive patients.
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THOSE WHO CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY SHOULD BE TRANSPARENT THEMSELVES — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregonian/OregonLive recently published a column by someone named Adam Andrzejewski – an out-of-state, right wing activist who is using false information in an effort to smear our state leaders for his own political purposes “In Oregon, the battle against transparency is bipartisan,” Oct. 30.
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KAREN LEE BATTS, WHOSE DEATH SIGNALS A COLD REALITY — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
There seems nothing crueler than dying alone in the cold in a dank parking garage. But that’s what happened last Saturday in downtown Portland, where Karen Batts, homeless at 52, succumbed to hypothermia only blocks away from a warming shelter. She was the third of four people in Portland this winter to die from the cold.
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HISTORY REVEALED DURING RENOVATION OF RAIL STATION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Robert Melbo is not one to be derailed, even when faced with the daunting task of correcting history.
After months of research on Salem’s historic train station, including the nearly renovated baggage depot, he has uncovered some significant inaccuracies.
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While the Portland Metro area got covered with up to a foot of snow, the Mid-Willamette Valley got a mixture of snow and rain as a weather system made its way through Oregon this week.
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Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, teed up what could be the most contentious debate of the upcoming legislative session by introducing two bills to make money-saving changes to Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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Two resolutions in the Oregon State Legislature are proposing two different candidates for Oregon’s top dog.
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EXPANDED MONUMENT COULD BENEFIT ECONOMY — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
First the Hudsons Bay Co. came for the fur. Then miners arrived looking for gold, followed by timber barons drawn by trees. Throughout our history, we Oregonians have taken wealth from nature.
But times change, and so does the definition of wealth. In todays dollars, what is the value of fur, gold and logs compared to clean water, fresh air, intact ecosystems or a stable climate?
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SENATE LEADER SEES NEW REVENUE, TRANSPORTATION TOP AGENDA FOR 2017 (Portland Tribune)
-Ginny Burdick, whose district includes Tigard, is Washington County’s highest ranking lawmaker.-
Oregon Sen. Ginny Burdick’s demeanor going into the next legislative session can best be described as “cautiously optimistic.”
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INCLUSIONARY HOUSING POLICY HAS SKEPTICS (Portland Tribune)
Although every state but Texas has long allowed local inclusionary housing or zoning policies, some developers said Portland’s policy is much broader than those in other cities, which have exemptions intended to accommodate different kinds of projects at various locations.
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COMMUTERS FUME, BUT POLITICOS IGNORE I-5 BRIDGE (Portland Tribune)
-Governors of Oregon and Washington don’t even plan to talk about replacing the aging bridge between the two states.-
Although the 2017 Washington Legislature began on Monday and Oregon lawmakers are scheduled to convene in Salem on Feb. 1, one mutual project not on either agenda is replacing the Interstate 5 bridge between the two states. In fact, media representatives for the governors in both states recently told KOIN 6 News they don’t even plan to discuss it.
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Declarations authorize deployment and use of the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon State Police, and the Oregon National Guard to Oregon to support local communities needing assistance.
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TWO PROPOSALS TAKE AIM AT REDUCING PERS LIABILITIES (Portland Tribune)
-Legislators are mulling ways to reduce the public retirement system’s unfunded mandate.-
Two proposals take aim at reducing PERS liabilities. As lawmakers head into the 2017 legislative session, at least two proposed bills plan to address oft-tread territory: the state’s pension system.
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-Funds will help replace 10 freight trucks in Portland and 10 school buses-
EPA grants help replace diesel-spewing trucks, school buses in Oregon _________________________________________
CROOK COUNTY EMERGENCY REQUEST GRANTED BY THE STATE FOR A PRICE (Bend Bulletin)
-County declines offer; stranded rural residents look to neighbors for help –
State officials rejected Crook County’s emergency request for money and manpower to help dig stranded people out of snowed-in rural neighborhoods after concluding Wednesday that the county hadn’t used all of its resources.
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HOP CONVENTION COMING TO BEND (Bend Bulletin)
-500 attendees expected for three-day event-
Andrew Bloo will be present, he said, when the 61st annual American Hop Convention opens for the first time in Bend next week at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes.
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Gov. Kate Brown gave her inaugural address this week. Oregonians should be used to her approach by now. Another speech, another turn of her back to the $22 billion unfunded liability of the states pension fund.
Brown has a plate full of challenges.
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EDITORIAL: POOR FIXES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROBLEM — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The affordable housing crunch exists pretty much statewide.
Yet a statewide problem does not necessarily need a statewide solution, no matter what Democrats in Salem seem to think. From the governor on down, theyve proposed a series of so-called fixes to the housing crunch that would, in fact, serve only to make it worse.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency due to severe winter storm conditions.
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AFBF OPTIMISTIC DESPITE CHALLENGING POLITICS, ECONOMY LANDSCAPE (Capital Press)
-Farm Bureau wraps up annual convention on optimistic note despite changing political, economic landscape-
Zippy Duvall was fighting a cold and sore throat all during the American Farm Bureau Federations annual convention here, but the Georgian had enough voice left Tuesday to say he was feeling good about things.
Duvall, the Farm Bureau president, said the voting delegates gave him a clear vision of what they want in the coming year, including guidance to hit regulatory reform real hard.
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-A variety of grants for preserving historic buildings, cemeteries and museums are open for applications.-
Thousands of dollars in state grants are up for grabs for qualifying historic and Main Street projects.
The State Historic Preservation Office is offering up to $20,000 matching grants for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The register lists 42 sites in Umatilla County, ranging from Weston School to portions of Pendletons and Echos downtowns.
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PENDLETON ON BOARD WITH BOUTIQUE (East Oregonian) -Pendleton holds ribbon cutting for city’s new air service provider-
It might have been one of the biggest welcoming parties for a commercial flight in Pendleton airport history.
A few dozen local officials and members of the public crammed into the former Transportation Security Administration screening room to greet the mid-afternoon flight on Wednesday.
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OPPONENTS CALL FOUL ON MEGA-DAIRY CONSTRUCTION (East Oregonian)
-A coalition of health and environmental groups are asking the state to investigate construction of an as yet permitted mega-dairy.-
While it remains unclear whether state agencies will sign off on a controversial 30,000-cow dairy farm in Morrow County, that hasn’t stopped construction from moving quickly ahead.
The question now is whether Lost Valley Ranch broke the law by breaking ground well before it secured the necessary permits.
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WATER OFFICIAL: SNOWPACK IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD (Argus Observer)
It is no secret the water year has gotten off to a good start, but the first water supply outlook reports from the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Oregon and Idaho confirm that.
Based on information from automated weather data collection sites, or SNOTEL network, both the Owyhee and Malheur basins are above 100 percent of normal for the amount of water measured in the snowpack.
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The Camp White Station Hospital Administration Building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
White City’s first individually listed National Register property is the 154th in Jackson County.
Local historian and author George Kramer was approached by the Department of Veterans Affairs to nominate Building 200 for listing and happily championed the cause.
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MEDICAL POT GROWS DENIED (Medford Mail Tribune)
Pot growers are crying foul because Jackson County so far is refusing to grandfather in existing medical marijuana grows on rural-residential land.
A spring 2016 change to state law made medical marijuana grows illegal on rural-residential land in the county. Recreational marijuana grows were already illegal on the land zoned for country living.
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KLAMATH COUNTY TO RECEIVE $450,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDS (Herald and News)
Klamath County will receive roughly $450,000 in federal funds to compensate for property tax not paid on federal land, which officials said is more than was expected but still less than they should receive.
The Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday they were prepared to disburse $19 million to 18 counties in Oregon, including Klamath.
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USDA GEARING UP FOR AGRICULTURE CENSUS (Herald and News)
The nations most ambitious and important agricultural survey will go out to farm operators in December.
Right now, we are building our lists, says Dave Losh, Oregons state statistician with the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA-NASS. We know that list is incomplete because people are coming into agriculture and leaving it all the time. Thats why we are currently doing what we can to make our list the most complete it can be prior to mailing out the census survey at the end of the year.
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WAVE ENERGY EARNS PRAISE, NOT CERTAIN — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
Making electricity from the oceans always undulating waves has been a dream for decades. The European Marine Energy Centre lists 256 companies and other entities working on various wave power concepts.
Wave-energy converter machines run the gamut of human ingenuity. They depend on varying levels of complexity its possible to conceive of some being relatively straightforward to maintain, while others seem unlikely to survive for long.
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USDA GRANTS FUEL ONGOING FOREST PROJECTS (Herald and News)
Two recent grant approvals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture will aid in Klamath County forest health, totaling more than $3 million in funding awarded to the U.S. Forest Service USFS and National Resource Conservation Services NRCS.
The grants apply to two collaborative projects between USFS and NRCS focused on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and Deschutes National Forest, one of which is already underway.
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-The congresswomans tsunami bill is once again moving through Congress.-
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici on Tuesday reintroduced the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act.
The legislation would strengthen tsunami detection and warning systems, improve response and resiliency and better protect communities vulnerable to a tsunami.
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COLLEGE WEIGHS TIMBER LAWSUIT (Daily Astorian)
-Clatsop Community College will decide later this month on whether to be a plaintiff in the timber lawsuit against the state.-
Clatsop Community Colleges board of directors met in executive session Tuesday with lawyers representing Linn County in the $1.4 billion class action timber lawsuit against the state. The college will hold a special meeting Jan. 24 to decide whether the school should remain involved.
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Mayor Mark Kujala and Commissioner Rick Newton said Tuesday night that the Eighth Street Dam would be used for flood control, not as wetlands mitigation for a future development project, if the city takes control.
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EDITORIAL: CRAB SEASON ISN’T ILL FATED, BUT NEEDS ATTENTION — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-Todays crabbers and fishermen have to be smart and rational to survive literally and economically.-
Some may wonder if the 2017 Dungeness crab season is ill-fated: First delayed by weeks to make certain crab were free of domoic acid toxin, delayed again after processors proposed lowering the price paid to crabbers, and then it started with a capsizing that could have cost five lives except for quick intervention by the Ballad.
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EDITORIAL: ITS TIME FOR PUBLIC RECORDS REFORM — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
If Oregonians have a shared self-image, its that we may see inside our state and local governments. These days that expectation is often thwarted, if not challenged.
We on the Lower Columbia River got an education in how a misguided governor could assume a proprietary attitude toward his office. At the close of Gov. John Kitzhabers third term, he unilaterally moved to ban gillnet fishing on the Columbia. It was an opaque process that defied logical, scientific explanation.
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PUTTING THE BRAKES ON PREDATORY TOWING — OPINION (Albany Democrat Herald)
Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa and a state legislator are exploring ways to rein in predatory towing practices on the part of companies, often from out of town, that travel to Albany under the cover of darkness and tow away vehicles for various and sundry parking violations.
Konopa and the legislator, Sen. Chuck Riley of Hillsboro, are on the right track. Riley says he plans to introduce a bill in this year’s legislative session to place additional restrictions on how these towing companies do business.
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H&V WOOS ANGRY NEIGHBORS (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
After enduring months of negative comments in a bruising series of public meetings, Hollingsworth & Vose is hoping to win over critics of its south Corvallis glass fiber plant by aggressively reducing the amount of particulates and other pollutants coming out of its stacks.
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WYDEN OBJECTS TO FOREST SERVICE DECISION (Baker City Herald)
-Agency wants to hire Utah firm to manage campgrounds-
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is urging a U.S. Forest Service official to reverse the agencys December decision to hire a Utah company rather than a Baker County nonprofit to operate several campgrounds and rental cabins in the Anthony Lakes and Phillips Reservoir areas.
The Baker County Development Corporation, which owns and runs the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort ski area, was one of three groups that applied for a five-year permit to run the campgrounds, which are open during the summer.
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STUDENT SUCCESS (Baker City Herald)
-State Deputy Superintendent Of Public Instruction Visits Baker City-
Fifty-seven people, including a handful of parents, braved single-digit temperatures Wednesday night to share their thoughts about Oregon education with the states deputy superintendent of public instruction.
Salam Noor traveled to Baker City with Meg Boyd, strategic communications specialist.
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LET LOCALS MANAGE CAMPSITES — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
Were not so provincial as to insist that a local outfit always is best-suited to doing a job.
But in the case of managing several campgrounds and rental cabins on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, proximity ought to count for something.
So should a proven ability to oversee a recreation business thats more complicated than a campground or a cabin.
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BLM TO PAY $4.7M IN TIMBER PAYMENTS TO DOUGLAS COUNTY (Douglas County News-Review)
The Bureau of Land Management plans to distribute about $19 million from timber sales to the 18 western Oregon counties covered under the 1937 Oregon and California O&C Lands and the Coos Bay Wagon Road Acts, the agency announced Tuesday.
As far as the BLMs concerned, were happy to be able to provide these payments to the counties from the harvest activities that have occurred this past year, Roseburg District BLM spokesperson Cheyne Rossbach said.
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EDITORIAL: HOMELESS, NOT HOPELESS — OPINION (Douglas County News-Review)
The Oregon Department of Education released the number of homeless students for the 2015-2016 school year in late 2016 and an astonishing 21,352 are considered homeless in the state of Oregon.
Douglas County was home to 472 students who were living in a residence considered not fixed, regular and/or adequate by the federal government.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 12, 2017 OSL eClips
* Oregon senator introduces legislation to ban Sharia law
* Venture capital activity down sharply in Oregon, nationally
* Oregon mega-dairy construction raises questions about legality
* Oregon snowpack above normal; more wintry weather forecast
* The value of vaccine — Opinion
* One-fifth of Oregon legislators will be new in 2017 session
* My View: Time for Portland Harbor renaissance — Guest Opinion
* Central Oregon snowpack looking good
* Wolves in Oregon are not native, agriculture groups contend
* State comes through with housing funds
* Rural residents in Crook County snowed in and low on supplies
* Layoffs coming to Prineville data center
* Railroad sues to force approval of track expansion along gorge
* Editorial: Legislature should stop meddling in Oregon business — Opinion
* Editorial: Bill would penalize companies for fighting in court over taxes — Opinion
* Editorial: Data behind vacancy rate is weak — Opinion
* Northwest Mumps Outbreak Puzzles Health Officials
* Oregon Lawmakers Will Try Again On Oil Train Safety Bill
* New Oregon Coalition Forms To Try To Control Prescription Drug Costs
* Final Superfund Cleanup Plan – OPB Think Out Loud
* Cold weather may help farmers battle destructive bugs
* WSDA director: We have a plan for wheat woes
* Researchers find jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide
* Our view: Research helps better understand grazing near streams — Opinion
* Local transportation projects total $50 million
* Our View: The dilemma of meth psychosis — Opinion
* Our View: Bipartisanship is easier said than done — Opinion
* Don’t give up public land — Guest Opinion
* Forestland on Elk River preserved for public access
* Congressional delegation urges Trump to fund Hanford work
* Time to pay the piper — Opinion
* Debate spills over the dams
* Judge to allow expert witness in sick leave lawsuit
* First Loan From New Fund Will Support Eastern Oregon Mills, Create Jobs
* Obamacare repeal in Oregon: Huge job losses, more charity care
* City Club of Portland – Video and Research Links
* We Used a New App to Compare Portland’s Health Risks Against Three Other Western Cities
* Oregon officials optimistic FEMA will provide storm reimbursement
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A Salem-area Republican has introduced legislation that would ban Oregon courts from considering Sharia law, the set of religious customs followed by some Muslims, when issuing rulings.
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Oregon startup activity fell sharply last year, even as the state’s tech sector and broader economy continued their rapid expansion.
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Is a controversial mega-dairy proposed for Oregon’s eastern Columbia Gorge breaking the law by proceeding with construction before getting any water quality permits or even registering as a business?
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Unless it melts too quickly, mountain snows will provide water through summer
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THE VALUE OF VACCINE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Immunization has tamed the influenza monster-
The facts are bad enough: Eight elderly Lane County residents have died from influenza in less than a month. Thirteen influenza outbreaks have been reported in the past 30 days, most of them involving 40 to 60 people, although one outbreak, in the Florence school system, includes nearly 800. PeaceHealth alone treated 146 patients with confirmed influenza in one week at its Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove and Florence hospitals, Register-Guard reporter Elon Glucklich found.
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ONE-FIFTH OF OREGON LEGISLATORS WILL BE NEW IN 2017 SESSION (Portland Tribune)
-Group could help shape policy on revenue, transportation, affordable housing, PERS reform-
When the Oregon legislative session kicks off in February, more than one-fifth of legislators will be new, including one who represents parts of Yamhill and Washington counties.
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MY VIEW: TIME FOR PORTLAND HARBOR RENAISSANCE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Tribune)
There’s little doubt that cleanup of the contaminated sediment and upland properties will bring clear and significant benefits to the Portland area. The economic opportunity that awaits the region when the river is transformed back to the crown jewel that it once was cannot be overstated. Even during the cleanup, with careful planning and execution, there will be opportunities for job training and local employment to benefit communities disproportionately affected by the river’s poor condition.
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CENTRAL OREGON SNOWPACK LOOKING GOOD (Bend Bulletin)
-Early snapshot of snow, water levels show promise for Oregon-
Drivers and parents may be cursing Central Oregon’s heavy recent snowfall by now, but federal and state officials call it a good start of the season for snowpack and water supply.
Theyre hoping it continues, at least in the mountains.
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WOLVES IN OREGON ARE NOT NATIVE, AGRICULTURE GROUPS CONTEND (Bend Bulletin)
-Conservation groups discount debunked argument-
Oregon had to remove the gray wolf from the states endangered species list because that protection only applies to native species and Oregon’s wolves originally came from Canada, cattle and farm groups argued in a court filing this week.
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STATE COMES THROUGH WITH HOUSING FUNDS (Bend Bulletin)
-LIFT program boosts 90-unit build-
Housing Works, the public housing authority for Central Oregon, plans to build 90 apartment and townhome units for low-income households in Sisters and La Pine.
Oregon Housing and Community Services awarded the housing authority $3.6 million in state funding to underwrite construction, which also relies on low-income housing tax credits. The total cost to build the two projects comes to about $14.5 million. The state share is part of the Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program.
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RURAL RESIDENTS IN CROOK COUNTY SNOWED IN AND LOW ON SUPPLIES (Bend Bulletin)
-County declares emergency to ask state for help-
Some residents in Crook County’s rural neighborhoods are snowed in and running low on food and heat, and while private citizens use their own snowmobiles to help stranded neighbors, county officials have requested help from the state to dig them out.
Crook County Court members signed off on declaring a local emergency Tuesday, asking the state for money, equipment and manpower to help plow rural roads that the county doesnt maintain.
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LAYOFFS COMING TO PRINEVILLE DATA CENTER (Bend Bulletin)
-Facebook shifting security contractors-
The contractor responsible for providing security at Facebook’s data centers in Prineville will be laying off 85 employees at the end of the month, as the internet giant switches security companies.
Lee Weinstein, president of Weinstein PR, which represents Facebook, wrote in an email that Facebook is changing security providers at all of its U.S. data centers, including those in Prineville.
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RAILROAD SUES TO FORCE APPROVAL OF TRACK EXPANSION ALONG GORGE (Bend Bulletin)
Union Pacific on Tuesday asked a federal judge to reject local rules that threaten to derail its plans to add a second main track along the Columbia River Gorge where a crude oil train derailed last June.
The railroad filed the lawsuit in federal court in Portland against Wasco County and the Columbia River Gorge Commission.
Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific says federal laws govern railroads, so local restrictions like the ones Wasco County approved don’t apply to the project.
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The Oregon Legislature must not have many public-sector problems to solve. You know, like addressing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall of controlling PERS costs. How else to explain the eagerness of some lawmakers to further micromanage private businesses?
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EDITORIAL: BILL WOULD PENALIZE COMPANIES FOR FIGHTING IN COURT OVER TAXES — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The Oregon Legislature should hang a sign on the front door of the Capitol: Home of messed-up legislation.
The latest example comes in the contorted tale behind new draft legislation. In this tale, Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, chairman of the House Revenue Committee, seems to see himself as the hero and Comcast as the villain. The true villain is legislative ineptitude and a thirst for revenge. And heroes? Well, good luck finding one.
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EDITORIAL: DATA BEHIND VACANCY RATE IS WEAK — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
You’ve heard it dozens of times: The rental vacancy rate in Bend is around 1 percent and has been less than 2 percent since 2012.
Its been referenced in city of Bend reports, cited by city officials and quoted in news stories in The Bulletin, The Oregonian and elsewhere.
But it turns out, as Bulletin reporter Stephen Hamway reported Sunday, its not well-supported. It might be right, but the underlying information doesnt even come close to proving it.
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Health officials in Washington state said there have been 151 cases of mumps have been reported statewide since the end of October. Only 46 were reported in the four years prior. Mumps has also been reported in Oregon this year.
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Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney introduced a bill Tuesday that would increase regulations for railroads carrying crude oil and other hazardous materials through the state.
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An Epipen is a lifesaving device used to treat allergic reactions.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has released its final plan for cleaning up the polluted 10-mile stretch of the Willamette river known as the Portland Harbor Superfund site. We get the context and the latest details from Earthfix reporter Cassandra Profita.
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COLD WEATHER MAY HELP FARMERS BATTLE DESTRUCTIVE BUGS (Capital Press)
-Freezing temperatures warm the hearts of pest specialists, because the cold may reduce the number of pests that eat berries and other crops.-
Your frozen fingertips may not appreciate it, but the extended cold snap gripping the Pacific Northwest through the first week of January may actually do some good.
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WSDA DIRECTOR: WE HAVE A PLAN FOR WHEAT WOES (Capital Press)
-Washington State Department of Agriculture director describes what state is doing about the wheat industry’s falling numbers problem-
Washingtons agriculture Director Derek Sandison outlined for lawmakers Tuesday his plan to help the states export-dependent wheat farmers meet a key international benchmark for quality, though none of the measures appear to be quick or easy.
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-Researchers have found jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide in Eastern Washington.-
Jointed goatgrass resistant to Beyond herbicide has been found in Eastern Washington, according to researchers.
BASFs Clearfield technology allows farmers to use imidazolinone herbicides, marketed under the Beyond trade name, to combat weeds such as jointed goatgrass.
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-Now we know that cattle probably don’t cause as much damage to streams and riparian areas as popularly thought.-
Environmental groups say cattle grazing on public rangeland trample and erode streambanks and pollute water.
But a five-year study of cattle grazing conducted by Oregon State University shows cattle spend only 1 to 2.5 percent of their time in streams or buffer areas. And rather than ranging up and down the length of steams in allotments, cattle used only 10 to 25 percent of the available stream area.
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LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS TOTAL $50 MILLION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Nearly $50 million worth of transportation projects in Jackson and Josephine counties will be reviewed by a regional panel Tuesday.
Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation will take comment on 21 improvement projects ticketed for 2018-21, including a pair of $7-million-plus enhancements and a game-changing roundabout tying Highway 140 and Foothill Road together.
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OUR VIEW: THE DILEMMA OF METH PSYCHOSIS — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Drug addiction costs society dearly, from crime committed by addicts seeking to support their habits to child neglect and abandonment to lost productivity. But one aspect of chronic methamphetamine use is making an impact on violent crime statistics, and posing a dilemma for the criminal justice system.
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OUR VIEW: BIPARTISANSHIP IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown invoked iconic Republican leaders Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall in her inaugural address Monday, pledging, in McCall’s words, “to work not in partisanship, but in partnership.” But Republican leaders weren’t buying it, and Brown must be prepared to offer more than platitudes if she hopes to win their cooperation.
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DON’T GIVE UP PUBLIC LAND — GUEST OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
The Republican Party platform has supported liquidation of federal land by giving it away, and on the opening day of the new Congress, the House of Representatives began paving the way to do just that.
Buried in a package of House rule changes on Jan. 3, an obscure provision banned the Congressional Budget Office from considering lost federal revenue if public land is transferred to other entities. In other words, Congress and we taxpayers are blocked from knowing the values of what we would lose.
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FORESTLAND ON ELK RIVER PRESERVED FOR PUBLIC ACCESS (The World)
A 210-acre parcel of land on the Elk River near Humbug Mountain has been preserved and is now open to the public after a recent purchase by the U.S. Forest Service from the Wild Rivers Land Trust.
The Bear Creek Natural Area, formerly known as the McGribble Tract, now serves as a conservation area for steelhead and other coastal fish species.
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CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION URGES TRUMP TO FUND HANFORD WORK (The World) h
The entire congressional delegation from Washington is asking President-elect Donald Trump to make environmental cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation a priority.
Hanford for years made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and now is engaged in a multi-decade cleanup of the resulting waste at a cost of some $2 billion per year.
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If there was one telling quote from Saturdays legislative town hall in Florence held by Oregon Sen. Arnie Roblan and Rep. Caddy McKeown, it was when Sen. Roblan suggested to constituents a permanent solution to the public employee retirement system.
“Everyone has to keep praying that those of us in tier one die soon,” he said.
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DEBATE SPILLS OVER THE DAMS (Daily Astorian)
-Locals got their chance to comment on the future of dams-
Supporters of the removal of four dams on the Snake River rallied at Astorias Suomi Hall Monday before attending the last of 16 public scoping meetings organized by federal agencies to gather public comment on the future operation of the Columbia and Snake Rivers hydroelectric dam system.
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JUDGE TO ALLOW EXPERT WITNESS IN SICK LEAVE LAWSUIT (Albany Democrat Herald)
The state of Oregon will have the opportunity to use an expert witness to research the financial records of counties involved in a lawsuit challenging the states paid sick leave law, Linn County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy has ruled.
In December, Murphy ruled in favor of eight counties seeking a summary judgment that paid sick leave is an unfunded mandate and a new program.
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The Western Juniper Industry Fund WJIF was established by the Oregon Legislature in 2015 to provide economic assistance to wood processors in Central and Eastern Oregon in order to speed the harvesting and processing of Western Juniper.
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OBAMACARE REPEAL IN OREGON: HUGE JOB LOSSES, MORE CHARITY CARE (Oregon Business Journal)
Affordable Care Act repeal could cost Oregon 45,000 public and private sector jobs in 2019, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The lost jobs would come as a result of the loss of premium tax credits and the potential retraction of the Medicaid expansion. All told, 550,000 Oregonians either receive subsidies or gained Medicaid coverage under the ACA.
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Last Friday, January 6th, 2016, Mark was the guest for the City Club of Portlands Friday Forum. The event was titled Recovery for some? Oregon Economic Review & Forecast.
OSL ed. note – Mark McMullen, Director of Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis _________________________________________
WE USED A NEW APP TO COMPARE PORTLAND’S HEALTH RISKS AGAINST THREE OTHER WESTERN CITIES (Willamette Week)
-The results from Upstream Reports? Not great news.-
People moving into a neighborhood tend to ask the same questions. Is it friendly? How are the schools? Is there much crime?
Upstream Research wants to help people add some new criteria: Will the local air hurt my health? How’s the water? Can you get cancer here?
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After meeting with FEMA officials Tuesday, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management feels confident they will receive reimbursement for the December, 2016 ice storm.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
Hosted by the Oregon State Library – (503)378-8800
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 11, 2017 OSL eClips
* Pension reforms back on the table for 2017 legislative session
* 7 transportation bills proposed in the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
* Let’s preserve our state’s common ground: outside — Guest Opinion
* Sen. Peter Courtney wants community colleges and universities to merge – if they want to
* Killer algae blooms linked to El Nino, Oregon State researchers find
* Big change: Medical marijuana dispensaries no longer selling rec pot
* Gov. Kate Brown talks gun-control, pensions, budget and more
* Kate Brown sworn in for first elected term
* Teresa Alonso Leon blazes path for future leaders
* Organizational Days kicks off at the Capitol
* Lane County may seek state money to buy Eugene’s City Hall block
* Unity needs a purpose — Opinion
* Gratitude to many — Opinion
* House convenes, disagrees over committee appointments
* Counties pressured to exit $1.4 billion forest lawsuit
* Brown wants state to ‘move forward’ in spirit of bipartisanship
* Oregon gets C- in nationwide education report
* Before Bend expands, it needs money for roads, sewers
* Plan for housing on mine near Terrebonne could return
* Deschutes River Woods group seeks stricter rules for dirt removal
* Taking the measure of Bend rental vacancies
* Editorial: Use audits to improve state programs — Opinion
* Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Takes Oath And Calls For Tax, Pension Reform
* Gov. Kate Brown Signals Strong Push For Transportation Funding Package
* Oregon Lawmakers Gather In Salem To Take The Oath Of Office
* Kate Brown Takes Office & Death Penalty: Murder Victim’s Mother – Think Out Loud
* Ag labor shortages defy easy fixes
* Environmental groups want work halted on Snake River dams
* Industry to air concerns about herbicide-resistant weeds
* Environmentalists win $60,000 for blocking motorized juniper removal
* U.S. had near record heat, costly weather disasters in 2016
* Flu widespread in Oregon, expected to get worse
* Water outlook looking good as snow keeps falling
* Our view: Brown sets priorities in inaugural speech
* Invasive plants taking over Gearhart dunes
* Study documents tree species decline due to climate warming
* Oregon dispensary sales shrink as fewer products reach shelves
* Home Business Coast River Business Journal Online course provides safety training for young Oregon workers
* Editorial: County, others should opt out of timber lawsuit — Opinion
* Local soldiers deploy for desert warfare training
* Foster child respite care program launched here
* Legislative pay won’t deepen budget woes — Opinion
* Climate cycles drive shellfish toxins
* Gov. Kate Brown’s Inaugural Speech Pledges Pork for Rural Oregon But No Plan on PERS
* For the Poorest and Sickest, Librarians Often Play Doctor
* CCO Surveys Show Member Satisfaction, Access to Care
* CCOs Ranked: Members Rate Jackson Care Connect Best Medicaid Plan
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Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, teed up what could be the most contentious debate of the upcoming legislative session by introducing two bills to make money-saving changes to Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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7 transportation bills proposed in the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
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SEN. PETER COURTNEY WANTS COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO MERGE – IF THEY WANT TO (Portland Oregonian)
Senate President Peter Courtney introduced a controversial bill Monday that would allow Oregon community colleges and public universities to voluntarily merge, a proposal that nobody in higher education circles was clamoring for but Courtney said could potentially mean big savings for cash-strapped students.
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KILLER ALGAE BLOOMS LINKED TO EL NINO, OREGON STATE RESEARCHERS FIND (Portland Oregonian)
Researchers from Oregon State University have found a strong link between the circulation of warm water in the Pacific Ocean and the devastating toxic algae blooms that have wreaked havoc on wildlife and shellfisheries along the west coast in recent years.
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Oregon this month passed the latest marijuana milestone: the end of recreational sales at medical marijuana dispensaries.
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Gov. Kate Brown on Monday held her first press conference of 2017, taking questions on a wide range of topics including gun control, education, transportation and Oregon’s public employee retirement system.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was sworn in for her first elected term Monday.
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Only minutes after she had been sworn in as a state Representative in the Oregon Legislature, Teresa Alonso Leon had a special guest.
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The Oregon Legislature meets today to swear in members, adopt rules and read bills.
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LANE COUNTY MAY SEEK STATE MONEY TO BUY EUGENE’S CITY HALL BLOCK (Eugene Register-Guard)
-County commissioners are looking at $8 million that Tillamook County didn’t use after it abandoned its own courthouse project-
Last month, the Tillamook County commissioners pulled the plug on their proposal for a new courthouse annex, because of a lack of money.
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UNITY NEEDS A PURPOSE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Gov. Brown opens door to Republican ideas-
Unity is a common theme of inaugural addresses. What the speaker often means is that everyone ought to fall in line behind the person being inaugurated. The word unity is used as a substitute for obedience. Only winners, after all, get to deliver inaugurals. A person taking the oath of office can claim vindication in victory, and ask that vanquished opponents accept their mandate.
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GRATITUDE TO MANY — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Storm and its aftermath test workers mettle-
As the snow-covered ice blanketing much of Lane County slowly melts, spare a thought and some gratitude for the people performing the jobs needed to keep the area functioning.
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HOUSE CONVENES, DISAGREES OVER COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS (Portland Tribune)
-The 60 members of the house, including 14 new state representatives, took the oath of office Monday morning.-
In the year’s first meeting of the Oregon House of Representatives Monday, members of both parties acknowledged the legislative session’s imminent hurdles and called for communication across party lines, despite a disagreement over Oregon House rules regarding committee assignments.
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COUNTIES PRESSURED TO EXIT $1.4 BILLION FOREST LAWSUIT (Portland Tribune)
-Environmental groups press case that forests have value beyond their timber.-
Fifteen Oregon counties must soon decide whether to opt out of a class action lawsuit seeking $1.4 billion for allegedly insufficient logging in state forests.
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BROWN WANTS STATE TO ‘MOVE FORWARD’ IN SPIRIT OF BIPARTISANSHIP (Portland Tribune)
-Oregon’s 38th governor tells lawmakers she wants to tackle graduation rates, transportation funding and gun loopholes as top legislative priorities.-
Gov. Kate Brown was sworn in for the first time as elected governor Monday, Jan. 9, after serving in the position for nearly two years.
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The national average was a C
Education in Oregon received a grade of C-minus from data collected in a recent nationwide report.
Factors including students chance for success, K-12 achievement and school finance contributed to Oregon’s overall grade of 70.4 out of 100 points.
Oregon fell 40th, just behind North Carolina, in a ranking of the 50 states and District of Columbia.
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BEFORE BEND EXPANDS, IT NEEDS MONEY FOR ROADS, SEWERS (Bend Bulletin)
-City councilors must make a plan to pay for new development-
Last month, the state gave Bend permission to expand outward by 2,380 acres space that’s desperately needed in a city facing a severe housing shortage. There’s only one problem nothing can be built there until the city finds a way to pay for new sewers, waterlines and roads.
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PLAN FOR HOUSING ON MINE NEAR TERREBONNE COULD RETURN (Bend Bulletin)
-Developer must complete environmental review for proposal to go forward-
Controversial plans for a subdivision to be built on a potentially hazardous former mining site near Terrebonne were withdrawn by the developer last summer, but a new proposal could come up for county approval again this year.
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DESCHUTES RIVER WOODS GROUP SEEKS STRICTER RULES FOR DIRT REMOVAL (Bend Bulletin)
-Residents want a permit requirement to take more than necessary for homebuilding-
Worried about the prospect of a rock quarry opening nearby, a coalition of Deschutes River Woods residents wants Deschutes County to require a permit to remove more earth than needed for building on residential properties. The group will make its case to the county planning commission Thursday.
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TAKING THE MEASURE OF BEND RENTAL VACANCIES (Bend Bulletin)
-COROA survey stands alone, with gaps-
Its hard to spend much time looking for a home or apartment for rent in Bend without hearing about the city’s vacancy rate, but there’s more to the persistently low figure than meets the eye.
Spurred by thousands of new arrivals and a shortage of multifamily housing, the vacancy rate for units in Bend and throughout Central Oregon has stayed below 2 percent since 2012, according to the annual rental survey produced by the Central Oregon Rental Owners Association.
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Dennis Richardson, Oregon’s first Republican statewide office holder in years already is making news. He hopes to expand the secretary of states auditing role, something thats sure to draw attention to the office and the man who fills it.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown took the oath of office Monday and delivered her State of the State address.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signaled Monday that shell make a strong push toward getting a transportation funding package through the state legislature.
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Members of the 2017 Oregon legislature gathered in Salem Monday to take the oath of office.
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KATE BROWN TAKES OFFICE & DEATH PENALTY: MURDER VICTIM’S MOTHER – THINK OUT LOUD (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Governor Kate Brown is inaugurated and delivers an inaugural speech, which doubles as a State of the State address. We talk to OPB reporter Jeff Mapes.
For the next installment in our series on capital punishment in Oregon, Mary Elledge joins us to share her perspective on the death penalty. Elledges son Rob was murdered 30 years ago, and she has served as the chapter leader for the Portland-area chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.
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AG LABOR SHORTAGES DEFY EASY FIXES (Capital Press)
-At the annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention, Washington vegetable growers ask why immigration reform has to be so complicated.-
Washington state vegetable farmers Burr and Rosella Mosby shifted in their seats and furrowed their brows as they listened to a panel discuss immigration issues during a session at the American Farm Bureau Federations annual convention.
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WANT WORK HALTED ON SNAKE RIVER DAMS (Capital Press)
-Kevin Lewis of Idaho Rivers United says suspending the infrastructure work is needed to ensure a level playing field while agencies consider potential removal.-
Environmental groups are asking a federal court to halt 11 infrastructure projects on four lower Snake River dams in Washington state that could ultimately be removed if a pending review determines the dams need to come out to help salmon.
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INDUSTRY TO AIR CONCERNS ABOUT HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS (Capital Press)
-The Pacific Northwest agricultural industry will discuss herbicide resistance developing in weeds at a Jan. 24 listening session in Pasco, Wash.-
Concerns about the increasing number of cases of herbicide-resistant weeds have prompted the industry to hold seven listening sessions across the country to look for answers.
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS WIN $60,000 FOR BLOCKING MOTORIZED JUNIPER REMOVAL (Capital Press)
-Judge finds groups efforts to block BLM actions as reasonable, and demand for fees justified.-
An environmentalist group has won more than $60,000 in attorney fees for blocking juniper removal with motorized vehicles on 80,000 acres in Eastern Oregon.
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U.S. HAD NEAR RECORD HEAT, COSTLY WEATHER DISASTERS IN 2016 (Capital Press)
-The average temperature last year in the Lower 48 states was 54.9 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above the 20th Century average of 52.-
With steamy nights, sticky days and torrential downpours, last year went down as one of the warmest and wildest weather years on record in the United States.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Monday that 2016 was the second hottest year in the U.S. as Alaska warmed dramatically and nighttime temperatures set a record.
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-Getting flu shot lowers misery quotient, helps protect more vulnerable people-
You might want to get that flu shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Oregon is one of eight states where flu is considered widespread. Flu Bites, Oregons public health flu tracker, shows a steep spike in cases over the last two weeks in December. Lane Countys Health and Human Services reported seven deaths in the Eugene-Springfield area, all elderly.
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WATER OUTLOOK LOOKING GOOD AS SNOW KEEPS FALLING (East Oregonian)
-The Natural Resource Conservation Service has issued its Jan. 1 streamflow forecast for Oregon basins.-
Water supplies for farms and fish could be well above average across the Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow Creek basins this summer if winter continues its cold and snowy ways.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service published its Oregon Basin Outlook Report for Jan. 1, and signs point to a strong water year ahead assuming Mother Nature cooperates.
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Gov. Kate Brown outlined three priorities in her inaugural speech Monday, which if she and the 2017 Legislature achieve them could dramatically improve Oregon:
Create more and better jobs in rural Oregon.
Expand health insurance so all Oregon children are covered.
Improve Oregon’s dismal rate of high school graduation.
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INVASIVE PLANTS TAKING OVER GEARHART DUNES (Daily Astorian)
-Safety, fire and invasive species among panelists concerns-
Residents have seen vegetation on Gearhart dunes west of Ocean Avenue and south of E Street multiply over the last two decades. The city now grapples with whether to address the noxious weeds, shore pine trees and other species covering the dunes with a management plan or continue to let the vegetation grow in the city park area.
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STUDY DOCUMENTS TREE SPECIES DECLINE DUE TO CLIMATE WARMING (Daily Astorian)
-A casualty of global warming-
A type of tree that thrives in soggy soil from Alaska to Northern California and is valued for its commercial and cultural uses could become a noticeable casualty of climate warming over the next 50 years, an independent study has concluded.
Yellow cedar, named for its distinctive yellow wood, already is under consideration for federal listing as a threatened or endangered species.
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OREGON DISPENSARY SALES SHRINK AS FEWER PRODUCTS REACH SHELVES (Daily Astorian)
Oregon marijuana dispensaries have been reeling since October, when increased testing standards became required by at certified labs. The result has been an immense backlog of extracts and edibles being delayed in distribution and dispensaries around Clatsop County have been directly impacted by the bottleneck.
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HOME BUSINESS COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL ONLINE COURSE PROVIDES SAFETY TRAINING FOR YOUNG OREGON WORKERS (Daily Astorian)
Young workers across Oregon have a new tool to stay safe while on the job: online safety awareness training.
Created by the nonprofit Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition, the interactive training program accessible by smartphone and tablet covers everything from finding and controlling hazards, and young worker rights and responsibilities to how to speak up for safety and how to prepare for emergencies at work.
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EDITORIAL: COUNTY, OTHERS SHOULD OPT OUT OF TIMBER LAWSUIT — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-We believe the best course for the county and other entities is to opt out.-
Clatsop County commissioners face a tough, potentially divisive meeting Wednesday when they are scheduled to decide whether to stay in or exit a $1.4 billion class-action timber-management lawsuit against the state.
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Eighty-five soldiers from the 224th Engineer Company in Albany will spend 21 days at the National Training Center in the Mojave Desert. The soldiers drew their weapons, gas masks and rucks and boarded a charter bus in Albany Monday morning.
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FOSTER CHILD RESPITE CARE PROGRAM LAUNCHED HERE (Albany Democrat Herald)
Morrison Child & Family Services based in Portland plans to expand its Planned and Crisis Respite Care for foster care children into Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.
Shaun Matthias, a recruiter for Morrison, said the program matches families that are willing to take foster children with behavioral issues for a day or a weekend, to allow foster families some respite time.
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A pair of legislators from central Oregon recently made a bit of news when they said they would not accept the pay raises for legislators that were included in Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed budget.
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CLIMATE CYCLES DRIVE SHELLFISH TOXINS (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
A new study by Oregon State University researchers and others could help predict the spikes in toxic algae that have led to periodic closures of shellfish harvests on the West Coast.
The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds a strong connection between warm ocean conditions caused by two major climatic cycles El Nino and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO and periodic increases in domoic acid in shellfish.
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GOV. KATE BROWN’S INAUGURAL SPEECH PLEDGES PORK FOR RURAL OREGONBUT NO PLAN ON PERS (Willamette Week)
-Oregon’s 38th governor details a legislative agenda that almost makes up in brevity what it lacks in ambition.-
Gov. Kate Brown, sworn in today as Oregon’s 38th governor, gave her inaugural speech to a joint session of the Legislature today and offered a mish-mash of ideassome specific, some vague, but few bold or surprising.
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FOR THE POOREST AND SICKEST, LIBRARIANS OFTEN PLAY DOCTOR (Governing)
-Libraries are frequently forced to deal with people’s health problems. That’s why some are adding medical professionals to their staff.-
I’m always surprised by how many health questions I get, said Renee Pokorny, branch supervisor at the Philadelphia Free Library.
It’s no surprise that she’s surprised. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, 73 percent of people who visit a public library in America go looking for answers about their health.
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CCO SURVEYS SHOW MEMBER SATISFACTION, ACCESS TO CARE (The Lund Report)
Please contact the State Library of access to this premium story from the Lund Report. library.help@state.or.us , 503-378-8800
-In-depth look at Western Oregon Advanced Health shows CCO lagging statewide averages, while Willamette Valley Community Health performs better than most CCOs on many metrics-
In this sixth story of a seven-part Lund Report examination of Oregon’s coordinated care organizations, we are looking at two smaller CCOs whose members report very different experiences.
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CCOS RANKED: MEMBERS RATE JACKSON CARE CONNECT BEST MEDICAID PLAN (The Lund Report)
Please contact the State Library of access to this premium story from the Lund Report. library.help@state.or.us , 503-378-8800
-An analysis by The Lund Report of thousands of responses to 29 questions about doctors, administrators, access to specialty services and other aspects of care yields insight into CCO member experiences-
Members of Jackson Care Connect are happier with their healthcare than any other CCO in the state. At Umpqua Health Alliance, CCO members are far less satisfied.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on January 10, 2016 OSL eClips
* Oregon throws lifeline to districts worst at helping students learning English
* Oregon lawmakers craft bill targeting Comcast’s unpaid taxes
* Oregon lawmakers’ multimillion-dollar transportation dream meets reality: how to pay for it?
* Lead found on Oregon armory floor where loophole lets kids play
* Final Portland Superfund plan: $1.05 billion cleanup over 13 years
* Willamette Superfund cleanup plan is finished, now it’s time to get to work — Guest Opinion
* Hazelnuts from McMinnville farm stand linked to salmonella
* Backers of Longview coal terminal insist project will go forward despite state denial of sublease
* Federal judge dismisses Idaho governor’s lawsuit challenging sage grouse protections
* Jeanne Atkins: What I learned as secretary of state — Guest Opinion
* Many lives of Jordan Cove may have come to an end — Guest Opinion
* Portland’s work on homelessness is failing — Guest Opinion
* Budget, transportation funding top issues for legislature
* Salem, Oregon hospitals see surge in ER visits
* Salmonella linked to hazelnuts from McMinnville farm
* Snow across Oregon causes crashes, closures
* Districts debate adding days to current school year
* Public damage from last months ice storm tops $9.4 million, estimates show
* Concealed gun permit filings climb
* Read sworn in as treasurer
* Roadside stand hazelnuts linked to salmonellosis
* Richardson presses for audits of ‘controversial’ topics
* State economist: No tax reform from 2017 Oregon Legislature
* EPA bows to public pressure, adopts more rigorous cleanup plan for Portland Harbor Superfund site
* Port sues Monsanto for PCB contamination in rivers, slough
* Former Oregon Legislator Points Finger at Congress for $18K Annual Insurance Bill
* Council to consider federal, state legislative agendas Thursday
* Paid cash to delay retirement: How much would it take? — Guest Opinion
* Editorial: New regulations for ranchers take some important steps — Opinion
* Full employment in Bend and its challenges
* A lot of pot was bought in 2016
* Commentary: Another U.S. baby boom may be needed to prevent economic decline — Guest Opinion
* West Coast Crabbers Strike Ends After 11 Days
* Kate Brown To Take Oath, Deliver Inaugural Address Monday
* Flu Season Kicks Into Gear In Oregon
* West Coast Lawmakers Seek Ban On Offshore Drilling
* Idaho irrigators oppose Oregon endangered fish reintroduction effort
* Other views: Improving health care in Oregon — Guest Opinion
* Making records law work — Opinion
* State budget takes center stage
* State seeking rivers to include in waterways program
* The case for hospital rate setting commissions
* The Worst of Portland’s Housing Crunch May Be Over
* Walden backs moves to cut ‘costly, overreaching’ federal rules
* NeighborImpact’s food recovery program gets DEQ grant
* She Became A Citizen Five Years Ago. Now She’s A State Lawmaker
* A Fragile Year: Portland Art Glass Maker Uroboros’ Founder On Selling His Business
* After Flint, are schools being more vigilant about tainted water?
* Hayden Criticizes Bureaucratic Hurdles to Get Dental Care for Poor Women
* Brown’s Effort to Cover Immigrant Children May Depend on Healthcare Industry
* Its Time for Lower Prescription Drug Prices in Oregon
* Former Oregon Legislator Points Finger at Congress for $18K Annual Insurance Bill
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OREGON THROWS LIFELINE TO DISTRICTS WORST AT HELPING STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH (Portland Oregonian)
A huge share of students who need to learn English as a second language are let down by Oregon’s public schools.
Three-fourths of those students aren’t proficient in math, 60 percent can’t read well by the end of middle school and one third never graduate from high school, according to the most recent graduation and test results, from 2015 and 2016.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS CRAFT BILL TARGETING COMCAST’S UNPAID TAXES (Portland Oregonian)
Comcast has spent years fighting its Oregon property taxes in court, in the process amassing a tax bill that could be well over $100 million.
As the legal fight enters its eighth year the bill remains unpaid, Oregon lawmakers are preparing legislation that would charge interest on large, deferred corporate tax bills.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS’ MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR TRANSPORTATION DREAM MEETS REALITY: HOW TO PAY FOR IT? (Portland Oregonian)
Weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for what’s shaping up as a difficult 2017 session, one of their signature goals is facing serious challenges.
A special committee that toured the state for months to craft plans for shoring up Oregon’s transportation system has yet to agree on what a multimillion-dollar proposal should look like.
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A new inspection has found lead on the floor of the old Oregon National Guard armory in Ontario, in a room where young children continue to attend tumbling classes despite a halt in events at contaminated Guard buildings nationwide.
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FINAL PORTLAND SUPERFUND PLAN: $1.05 BILLION CLEANUP OVER 13 YEARS (Portland Oregonian)
At long last, federal officials released the final plan to clean up thousands of acres of contaminated soil and toxic materials along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River in Portland.
A $746 million draft plan unveiled last June prompted outcry from conservation groups and neighborhood associations that the federal government wasn’t going far enough to remove dangerous materials from the river and address decades of industrial pollution.
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WILLAMETTE SUPERFUND CLEANUP PLAN IS FINISHED, NOW IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
On Friday, 16 years after Portland Harbor was first listed as a federal Superfund site, the Environmental Protection Agency released its “record of decision.” In essence, it’s the cleanup plan for a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River that extends from the Fremont Bridge almost to the Columbia River. Over many decades, this portion of river was polluted by toxic chemicals, which remain today on the river bottom as well much of the riverbank.
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HAZELNUTS FROM MCMINNVILLE FARM STAND LINKED TO SALMONELLA (Portland Oregonian)
People with hazelnuts from the Schmidt Farm and Nursery farm stand in McMinnville should get rid of them because the nuts have been linked to salmonellosis with five people, the Oregon Health Authority said Friday.
The five became ill with a specific strain of Salmonella Typhimurium between Oct. 15 and Dec. 13, the health authority said in a news release.
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BACKERS OF LONGVIEW COAL TERMINAL INSIST PROJECT WILL GO FORWARD DESPITE STATE DENIAL OF SUBLEASE (Portland Oregonian)
Backers of a proposed coal export terminal west of Longview are at loggerheads with Washington’s outgoing commissioner of public lands after he rejected a request to sublease state-owned land along the Columbia River necessary for a loading dock.
The aquatic lands are currently leased to a subsidiary of Alcoa, Northwest Alloys, which previously operated an aluminum smelter at the site.
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A judge has rejected Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s lawsuit contending the Obama administration acted illegally by imposing federal land-use restrictions intended to protect the sage grouse in Idaho and southwestern Montana.
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JEANNE ATKINS: WHAT I LEARNED AS SECRETARY OF STATE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
When Gov. Kate Brown first took office in February 2015, I had just retired and was looking forward to reading books and traveling. I offered my congratulations but also, rather casually, offered to help in any way I could.
I ended up serving 22 months as the head of a 200-employee agency, with a bonus opportunity to serve as chief elections officer during the most contentious presidential race in history.
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MANY LIVES OF JORDAN COVE MAY HAVE COME TO AN END — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Liquefied Natural Gas LNG facilities, like cats, are known to have many lives. They also have a tendency to land on their feet after a fall. The announcement last week that the proposal for Jordan Cove’s LNG export terminal will be altered and resubmitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC is a case in point. The Jordan Cove proposal has survived many regulatory and market setbacks in its thirteen-year life. However, the question remains: Can it survive a dour market and more efficient competitors?
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PORTLAND’S WORK ON HOMELESSNESS IS FAILING — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
On Jan. 2, just two days after Mayor Ted Wheeler was sworn in, a homeless man named Mark Elliot Johnson died of hypothermia on East Burnside and 99th Avenue. This will be the first of many homeless people who die in Portland this year – 88 died in 2015.
What we are doing as a city to address homelessness is not working, and it is actually harming people’s efforts to give and get help.
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The Oregon Legislature will meet Monday to swear in newly elected members, adopt rules, and officially read bills lots of bills.
The Senate has set a record for the number of presession-filed bills, with 738 this year.
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SALEM, OREGON HOSPITALS SEE SURGE IN ER VISITS (Salem Statesman Journal) With flu season gaining steam and the state’s population continuing to grow, hospitals across Oregon are facing surges in emergency room and hospital visits.
At the Salem Health emergency department the busiest ER in the state patient visits are up by over 20 percent in the past week, said the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, Sarah Horn.
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SALMONELLA LINKED TO HAZELNUTS FROM MCMINNVILLE FARM (Salem Statesman Journal)
Hazelnuts sold from a roadside farm stand in McMinnville have been identified as the source of a salmonella outbreak.
Oregon health officials are urging anyone who bought hazelnuts from Schmidt Farm and Nursery, at 13940 SW Hwy 18, to throw them away.
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SNOW ACROSS OREGON CAUSES CRASHES, CLOSURES (Salem Statesman Journal)
Roadways were blanketed with snow, businesses closed their doors, and some drivers spun out of control Saturday as a winter storm made its way through northwest Oregon.
Roughly three inches of snow and a third of an inch of ice activated a storm warning for the Central Willamette Valley Saturday going into Sunday, but drivers still hit the roads, causing multiple crashes on Interstate 5.
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DISTRICTS DEBATE ADDING DAYS TO CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR (Salem Statesman Journal)
Students and teachers shouldn’t start counting down the days until summer vacation at least, not yet.
With multiple snow days and delays in the past few weeks, and the potential for more to come, districts have already used some of their extra instructional hours and may have to add days to meet state requirements.
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PUBLIC DAMAGE FROM LAST MONTHS ICE STORM TOPS $9.4 MILLION, ESTIMATES SHOW (Eugene Register-Guard)
Local public agencies and utilities reported more than $9.4 million in damage, labor costs and other expenses from last months devastating ice storm, according to preliminary estimates.
The damage is the most incurred from bad weather in recent memory, Lane County Emergency Manager Linda Cook said.
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Danette Olsen, a records officer with the Lane County Sheriffs Office, says concealed handgun license applicants offer her a variety of reasons for wanting a permit allowing them to legally carry a hidden pistol in public.
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He served as a state representative from Beaverton since 2007.
Tobias Read of Beaverton was sworn in today as Oregon’s new treasurer.
He replaces Ted Wheeler, who has been elected mayor of Portland.
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ROADSIDE STAND HAZELNUTS LINKED TO SALMONELLOSIS (Portland Tribune)
State said anyone who bought nuts sold by Schmidt Farm and Nursery at the stand on Highway 18 near McMinnville should discard them.
The Oregon Health Authority is warning that hazelnuts sold at a roadside stand on Highway 18 near McMinnville could be linked to recent cases of salmonellosis.
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RICHARDSON PRESSES FOR AUDITS OF ‘CONTROVERSIAL’ TOPICS (Portland Tribune)
Republican’s audit choices could get more scrutiny from Democrats who control most offices.
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson said this week he wants his office to pursue audits on controversial topics.
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STATE ECONOMIST: NO TAX REFORM FROM 2017 OREGON LEGISLATURE (Portland Tribune)
Office of Economic Analysis Director Mark McMullen predicts no alternative to the defeated corporate sales tax will pass the upcoming session.
Although Oregon is facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, state economist Mark McMullen does not expect the 2017 Oregon Legislature to pass any tax reform measures that would raise significant amounts of new revenue.
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EPA BOWS TO PUBLIC PRESSURE, ADOPTS MORE RIGOROUS CLEANUP PLAN FOR PORTLAND HARBOR SUPERFUND SITE (Portland Tribune)
-Agency’s official Record of Decision is released, requiring cleanup that will take 13 years, cost more than $1 billion-
Responding to overwhelming public sentiment from Portland residents, the EPA on Friday afternoon released a final cleanup order for the Portland Harbor Superfund site that is significantly more aggressive than the draft plan it proposed in June.
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PORT SUES MONSANTO FOR PCB CONTAMINATION IN RIVERS, SLOUGH (Portland Tribune)
-Local agency is the 10th public entity in the West to sue the company for PCB contamination. Monsanto says the lawsuit ‘lacks merit and conflicts with the ongoing Portland Harbor case.’-
The Port of Portland is suing Monsanto Co. and companies Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC for PCB contamination of the Willamette River, the Columbia River and McBride Slough.
Attorneys representing the port filed the 29-page lawsuit Wednesday, Jan. 4, in U.S. District Court.
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FORMER OREGON LEGISLATOR POINTS FINGER AT CONGRESS FOR $18K ANNUAL INSURANCE BILL (Portland Tribune)
-Chip Shields cites Republican-backed cuts to federal risk corridor program in criticism of high marketplace premiums-
A former Oregon state senator who was a vocal advocate of health insurance reform before leaving the Senate last year says his own family faces premiums of over $18,000 per year and hes blaming Republicans in Congress who, unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act during Barack Obamas administration, slashed funding for a critical part of that law.
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COUNCIL TO CONSIDER FEDERAL, STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS THURSDAY (Portland Tribune)
-Rent control, just-cause evictions, sanctuary city protections, funding requests among proposed priorities-
The City Council will consider adopting its priorities for the new sessions of Congress and the Oregon Legislature on Thursday.
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PAID CASH TO DELAY RETIREMENT: HOW MUCH WOULD IT TAKE? — GUEST OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
One reason Olivia Mitchell wants to save Social Security is to avoid the reduction in benefits she expects from the ailing program just when she wants to retire.
But Mitchell spends a lot more time worrying about retirement professionally, as an economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Social Security as a program is facing insolvency and will not be able to pay the full promised benefits in about 16 years from now, she said. It concerns me that nobody’s really talking seriously about fixing it.
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EDITORIAL: NEW REGULATIONS FOR RANCHERS TAKE SOME IMPORTANT STEPS — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Starting Jan. 1, the federal Food and Drug Administration tightened the rules about using antibiotics on feed animals. When the Oregon Legislature convenes Feb. 1, it will consider a state measure that would further tighten rules governing antibiotic use.
The changes could help combat the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bugs, but there are legitimate concerns from ranchers.
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FULL EMPLOYMENT IN BEND AND ITS CHALLENGES (Bend Bulletin)
-High employment brings higher wages, risk of inflation-
Almost two years into Bends economic expansion, the rate of job growth has yet to slow down. As a result, the unemployment rate in Bend has slid below the natural rate of unemployment in the city, an economic condition known as full employment.
I think, with a straight face, were probably at full employment, said Damon Runberg, regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department.
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A LOT OF POT WAS BOUGHT IN 2016 (Bend Bulletin)
While some activists are planning to give away marijuana on Inauguration Day, other entrepreneurs are taking a different approach: making a ton of money from it.
According to Governing.com, 29 states and the District of Columbia have or will soon have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Use of recreational marijuana is legal in eight states.
As its popularity has grown, so have profits.
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COMMENTARY: ANOTHER U.S. BABY BOOM MAY BE NEEDED TO PREVENT ECONOMIC DECLINE — GUEST OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Shortly before Christmas, the U.S. Census Bureau put some coal in the nations holiday stocking. It released data highlighting a worrisome trend: The population grew a subdued 0.7 percent, the lowest rate of growth since the Great Depression years of 1936 and 1937. Declines in the birth rate and the slowing pace of immigration are to blame.
Ask an economist why this matters and youll get a welter of contradictory answers. But if you sift through the historical data on the subject, its hard to deny that the demographic slowdown, should it continue, likely puts a damper on future economic growth.
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WEST COAST CRABBERS STRIKE ENDS AFTER 11 DAYS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
An 11-day strike by thousands of West Coast crab fishermen has ended after a successful negotiation of prices with seafood processors.
The agreement reached late Friday will restart the sputtering season for much-sought-after Dungeness crabs in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
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KATE BROWN TO TAKE OATH, DELIVER INAUGURAL ADDRESS MONDAY (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown will take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address Monday.
Brown, a Democrat, became governor when John Kitzhaber resigned in February 2015. She was elected in November to serve the remaining two years of Kitzhabers term.
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FLU SEASON KICKS INTO GEAR IN OREGON (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Flu season appears to be taking hold in Oregon.
The number of outbreaks around Portland climbed from four a couple of weeks ago to 13 last week.
Tri-County health officer doctor Paul Lewis said hospitalizations are increasing.
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WEST COAST LAWMAKERS SEEK BAN ON OFFSHORE DRILLING (Jefferson Public Radio)
West Coast lawmakers are seeking a permanent ban on offshore drilling along the coast of Washington, Oregon and California. Democrat-sponsored bills have been introduced into both the Senate and House of Representatives.
There have been no oil and gas lease sales off the West Coast since 1984. But as the Trump administration prepares to take office, concerns are growing that could change.
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IDAHO IRRIGATORS OPPOSE OREGON ENDANGERED FISH REINTRODUCTION EFFORT (Capital Press)
-Irrigators in Idaho are fighting an effort by the State of Oregon to reintroduce endangered steelhead trout and chinook salmon to the Snake River above Hells Canyon.-
Idaho irrigators fear theyll be hurt financially if the State of Oregon prevails in a legal battle to force the reintroduction of endangered fish to the Snake River upstream of the Hells Canyon Complex of dams.
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OTHER VIEWS: IMPROVING HEALTH CARE IN OREGON — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
Oregon got both some good news and a pat on the back when the federal government recently announced the state is one of a handful chosen for a pilot program to provide better behavioral health care in areas that are currently under-served.
The two-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic project is part of a bigger effort to coordinate behavioral health care with other health care. It aims to improve access to high-quality care for people with mental health and substance abuse issues in both rural and urban areas through community clinics and make this part of their overall health care.
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MAKING RECORDS LAW WORK — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wants to hire a state employee who would mediate cases involving requests that the state release public records.
This is a good idea.
Alas, its also one that shouldn’t be necessary.
We applaud Browns proposal because we favor any effort to make it more likely that the public will have timely access to the records they are legally entitled to view and to possess.
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STATE BUDGET TAKES CENTER STAGE (The Dalles Chronicle)
In October, Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, expressed concern that state officials would divert general fund dollars from veterans programs if Measure 96 was approved by voters on Nov. 8.
He said that concern became reality when Gov. Kate Brown proposed a $10 million cut in regular funding for veteran services in her 2017-19 budget plan.
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STATE SEEKING RIVERS TO INCLUDE IN WATERWAYS PROGRAM (Douglas County News-Review)
The public has a chance to add its favorite Oregon rivers to the State Scenic Waterways program.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department invites the public to help prioritize river segments for an ongoing study of candidates for the program, which protects a lake or rivers natural resources, scenic values and recreation.
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THE CASE FOR HOSPITAL RATE SETTING COMMISSIONS (OregonBusiness)
-City Club State of Reform panelists make the case for setting hospital rates to control costs and improve quality.-
The fate of health care reform is one of many uncertainties emerging in the wake of a Donald Trump presidency. A forum at the Portland City Club forum this morning filled the Multnomah Athletic Club ballroom. The speakers, former Gov. John Kitzhaber and Maryland governor Martin OMalley, were part of the draw.
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-State economist says developers are producing more units in response to higher prices and consumers finally have more money to spend.-
Josh Lehner is not given to flights of fancy or wild speculation.
A state economist who writes a blog when he’s not crunching numbers, Lehner declared this week with the caveats characteristic of his professionthat the worst of Portland’s housing crisis may be over.
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WALDEN BACKS MOVES TO CUT ‘COSTLY, OVERREACHING’ FEDERAL RULES (KTVZ Bend)
-‘Unelected bureaucrats have to follow the law’-
Saying he is committed to growing the economy and protecting small businesses in Oregon, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said Thursday he supported bills passed by the House this week to rein in costly, burdensome and overreaching federal regulations.
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NEIGHBORIMPACT’S FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM GETS DEQ GRANT (KTVZ Bend)
Late last month, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced a Materials Management Projects grant award of $50,000 to NeighborImpact’s Food Bank, specifically the food recovery program.
The food recovery program recovers produce, dairy products, bread and meat from 18 grocery partners, transporting the food in refrigerated trucks to NeighborImpact’s warehouse for distribution to 42 emergency food sites, i.e. partner agencies, in Central Oregon.
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This year’s state legislature will be among the most diverse in Oregon history. Among the new crop of lawmakers is Teresa Alonso Leon, who immigrated from Mexico as a child and became a U.S. citizen just five years ago.
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A FRAGILE YEAR: PORTLAND ART GLASS MAKER UROBOROS’ FOUNDER ON SELLING HIS BUSINESS (KUOW)
2016 was the year one modest Forest Service research project turned the Northwests storied art glass industry upside down.
Samples taken near two Portland art glass factories were shown to carry dangerously high concentrations of heavy metals. These companies make supplies for glass artists all over the world, from stained glass church windows to fancy light fixtures in big hotels even most the blown glass holiday ornaments you might have had hanging around the house last month.
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-A number of schools and states have taken fresh steps to test for lead in water at schools. But parental pressure is still crucial to further action.-
From Oregon to Maine, the Flint, Mich., water crisis is leading to action in the nations schools.
Massachusetts expects to complete testing of about 930 schools by January and is making results available online.
Chicago Public Schools plans to test all its facilities and post the results online.
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HAYDEN CRITICIZES BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES TO GET DENTAL CARE FOR POOR WOMEN (The Lund Report)
The ranking Republican on the House Health Committee has grown impatient with the Health Authority’s protracted response to his queries about poor dental care access for women who receive Medicaid because of pregnancy. This may be the only time these women can afford to see a dentist, and fix oral health problems that are critical for the health of their babies.
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BROWN’S EFFORT TO COVER IMMIGRANT CHILDREN MAY DEPEND ON HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY (The Lund Report)
-Studies show that children with health insurance do better in school, are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, but nearly 18,000 Oregon children do not have access to healthcare because of their immigration status.-
Gov. Kate Brown has proposed an agenda for the 2017 session that’s high on difficult cuts, but also perhaps surprisingly has a heavy lift for a big wish — spending $57 million to expand healthcare coverage to all of Oregon’s children, even those without legal permission to live in the United States.
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ITS TIME FOR LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES IN OREGON (The Lund Report)
-New coalition calls for state lawmakers to take action-
An Oregon coalition launched today wants immediate relief from pharmaceutical industry price gouging. Oregonians for Affordable Drug Prices Now is calling on state lawmakers to hold drug companies accountable and ensure people have access to the medicines they need at affordable prices.
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FORMER OREGON LEGISLATOR POINTS FINGER AT CONGRESS FOR $18K ANNUAL INSURANCE BILL (The Lund Report)
-Chip Shields cites Republican-backed cuts to federal risk corridor program in criticism of high marketplace premiums-
A former Oregon state senator who was a vocal advocate of health insurance reform before leaving the Senate last year says his own family faces premiums of over $18,000 per year and hes blaming Republicans in Congress who, unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act during Barack Obama’s administration, slashed funding for a critical part of that law.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
State Library eClips
* GMO grass that ‘escaped’ defies eradication, divides grass seed industry
* Southern Oregon company plans west Eugene industrial complex that could accommodate dozens of pot growers, processors
* Parks under pressure — Opinion
* Forest policy requires a balanced approach — Guest Opinion
* Avalanche risk may rise in Central Oregon
* New website illustrates section of the Oregon Trail
* COIC buys property for new Redmond bus station
* Final Willamette River Cleanup Plan
* Kate Brown To Take Oath, Deliver Inaugural Address
* USDA may decide this week on GMO bentgrass deregulation
* Legislators need to find out why state lacks data on groundwater — Opinion
* Oregonians already said no to additional corporate income tax — Guest Opinion
* Roblan, McKeown offer 2017 legislative session preview at Florence town hall
* Last of Oregon Coast King Tides Tomorrow, Your Help Needed
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After more than a decade of unsuccessful efforts to eradicate the genetically modified grass it created and allowed to escape, lawn and garden giant Scotts Miracle-Gro now wants to step back and shift the burden to Oregonians.
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SOUTHERN OREGON COMPANY PLANS WEST EUGENE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX THAT COULD ACCOMMODATE DOZENS OF POT GROWERS, PROCESSORS (Eugene Register-Guard)
The latest sign of the marijuana industry’s move into the mainstream: a multimillion-dollar growing and processing complex planned for west Eugene by a publicly traded real estate company.
The project would have room for more than 30 pot ventures in steel buildings that would resemble tall storage units.
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PARKS UNDER PRESSURE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Oregonians accustomed to having Crater Lake National Park pretty much to themselves were greeted by unfamiliar sights last summer: long lines at the south entrance gate, and full-to-capacity parking lots at some of the most popular viewpoints along the rim drive. Three quarters of a million people visited Crater Lake last year, a record. The numbers were up 23 percent over the year before, the biggest annual increase in 40 years. And Crater Lake is not alone. The national park system as a whole is drawing record numbers of visitors, and the parks are feeling the strain.
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FOREST POLICY REQUIRES A BALANCED APPROACH — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
As the 40-year timber veteran cited in Andy Kerrs Jan. 3 guest viewpoint, I am cautiously optimistic the next two years will offer new opportunities to bring balance to federal forest management.
With better management and proactive policy changes, our leaders have the ability to create and support family-wage jobs, conserve natural resources, maintain access to public lands, restore forest health and protect our drinking water. We believe its better to actively manage our forests for the future, for multiple uses and benefits, rather than locking them up and walking away.
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AVALANCHE RISK MAY RISE IN CENTRAL OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
With roughly 3 feet of light, dry snow in the Cascades over the past week, backcountry skiers and snowboarders are heading for the hills. But warmer temperatures and additional snow in the forecast over the next week will increase the potential for avalanches
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A new interactive website can help fourth-graders learning about the Oregon Trail take a deeper dive into the Barlow Road, a crucial part of the trail.
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COIC BUYS PROPERTY FOR NEW REDMOND BUS STATION (Bend Bulletin)
A new transit hub is coming to Redmond.
The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, which oversees regional transit provider Cascades East Transit, purchased property for a new transit hub last month for $788,891, according to COIC Senior Transit Planner Jackson Lester.
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EPA CALLS FOR $1 BILLION PORTLAND HARBOR SUPERFUND CLEANUP (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is raising the price of cleaning up the Portland Harbor Superfund Site from $746 million to $1.05 billion in a final plan that calls for more dredging and capping of contaminated soil along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River.
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Oregon Governor Kate Brown will take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address Monday.
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Federal agriculture officials could decide this week to give up its oversight of a spreading grass that was engineered to resist an herbicide.
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Water’s a conflict-ridden subject in much of Eastern Oregon, especially the Klamath Basin. Anything that even faintly smells like it might restrict water rights, especially in rural agricultural areas, is in for a fight.
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OREGONIANS ALREADY SAID NO TO ADDITIONAL CORPORATE INCOME TAX — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
On the heels of Oregon’s most expensive campaign for a ballot measure last fall, Measure 97 was handily defeated 59 to almost 41 percent.
This should have been a loud and clear message to the states legislators that Oregonians are not supportive of additional corporate income tax as a way to bolster state revenue. Apparently and regrettably this is not the case.
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ROBLAN, MCKEOWN OFFER 2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW AT FLORENCE TOWN HALL (The World)
With another legislative session just around the corner, two of the South Coast’s elected representatives to the Oregon Legislature, Sen. Arnie Roblan D-5th District and Rep. Caddy McKeown D-9th District, met Saturday with a roomful of concerned constituents where they answered questions and offered a preview of what to expect in the coming months.
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LAST OF OREGON COAST KING TIDES TOMORROW, YOUR HELP NEEDED (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)
The final round of this year’s king tides occur tomorrow through Thursday January 10 12, and those in charge of the King Tides Project are looking to recruit an army of photographers to help capture how high these enormous tides reach.
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The next session of the Oregon Legislature doesn’t begin until Feb. 1, but Sen. Bill Hansell R-Athena says a big part of it starts today as newly-elected lawmakers take their oath of office.
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State Library eClips Blog & Disclaimer: http://library.state.or.us/blogs/eClips/wordpress
For State Library Patron access to Statesman Journal Articles & other Oregon
* Port of Portland sues Monsanto for ‘widespread’ contamination costs
* Steve Duin: Obama’s moment at the Owyhee — Opinion
* Portland OK to spend millions of utility ratepayer money on Superfund cleanup
* Top bad idea of 2016 campaign season: rent control — Guest Opinion
* Oregonians need more transparency about potential conflicts of interest: Editorial agenda 2017 — Opinion
* Jefferson Park permit system fails to stop damaging camping
* Former Oregon prison nurse convicted of tampering, drug charges
* This one looks easy — Opinion
* State approves plan for PCC to take on ITT Tech students
* Oversight, state agency culture faulted as manager broke rules
* Rents are high in Portland, but increasing faster statewide
* Sources: Partisanship in Salem? Say it ain’t so
* Editorial: Oregon should get real on ID — Opinion
* District Attorneys Office selected for national training program
* Short commutes still the norm in Bend
* Season not easy on deer, but theyve adapted
* Janet Stevens column: Affordable housing is out of whack with need
* ODOT Clears Homeless Camp In Portland During Freezing Temperatures
* Union Behind Oregon Measure 97 Wants More Money For Caregivers
* Port Of Portland Files Lawsuit Against Monsanto
* After Pushback, Oregon Scraps Report Linking Private Forests To Water Quality Risks
* Healthy economy more important than minimum wage — Opinion
* Water, taxes and regulations dominate state legislatures
* Applications being accepted for Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program
* Other views: So far, so good for Oregon snowpack — Guest Opinion
* Opt out available for Ore. parents
* Deadline nears to report 2016 hunts
* Rail safe alternative to use instead of pipelines for oil — Guest Opinion
* Commission works on long-range plan
* Douglas County business owners oppose proposed price hike on liquor
* New future planned for Industrial Paper site
* Solar makes gains as energy choice
* New Oregon coalition to fight rising drug prices
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In the aggressive campaign against national-monument designation in the remote Owyhee Canyonlands, ranchers and their publicists have insisted nothing should change or evolve in Oregon without “a vote of Congress.”
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Portland was free to spend tens of millions of dollars in sewer revenue on addressing pollution in the Willamette River’s Portland Harbor, a Multnomah County judge ruled Thursday, following years of mixed-bag rulings in a lawsuit dating to 2011.
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TOP BAD IDEA OF 2016 CAMPAIGN SEASON: RENT CONTROL — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
As we enter the season where lawmakers start to turn the poetry of their campaigns into the prose of policy-making, there is one idea that deserves a rapid dispatch as the top bad idea of the 2016 campaign season: rent control. Speaker Tina Kotek and recently elected Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly have made this a focus of their policy agenda. Both are well intentioned, but such intentions will pave the road to considerable despair, dislocation and disproportionately hurt for some of the most vulnerable people in our state.
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OREGONIANS NEED MORE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: EDITORIAL AGENDA 2017 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Two of Gov. Kate Brown’s top staffers stepped down this week following news reports that employment they held outside of her office could compromise their work for the government.
The governor’s spokespeople argued the assertions were baseless as the story played out. And since the resignations were confirmed, they haven’t acknowledged what might have been learned. What’s so dismaying is how familiar it feels.
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JEFFERSON PARK PERMIT SYSTEM FAILS TO STOP DAMAGING CAMPING (Salem Statesman Journal)
The best laid plans sometimes go awry, especially in Oregons most beautiful places.
Last summer, a new permit system was launched for the 30 designated campsites in Jefferson Park, one of the most popular backpacking spots in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
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FORMER OREGON PRISON NURSE CONVICTED OF TAMPERING, DRUG CHARGES (Salem Statesman Journal)
A former Oregon State Penitentiary nurse has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to surrender his nursing license after being convicted of tampering with drug records.
Jason Hofmann, 44, of Stayton, pleaded no contest to two counts of tampering with drug records. In a petition filed in Marion County, he stated he made false entries on drug records at the prison infirmary.
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THIS ONE LOOKS EASY — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Oregon monument not as controversial as others-
President Obama shows no signs of timidity in designating national monuments at the end of his tenure. Last week. he designated two national monuments, both of them big, both of them new and both of them centers of intense dispute. The president should have no qualms about adding to the list by approving an expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
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STATE APPROVES PLAN FOR PCC TO TAKE ON ITT TECH STUDENTS (Portland Tribune)
-Former ITT Tech students begin taking classes at PCC this month to finish the degrees that they started at the failed private school.-
Michael Seelye has been in limbo since Sept. 6 of this year not knowing if his career as a nurse was over before it began.
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OVERSIGHT, STATE AGENCY CULTURE FAULTED AS MANAGER BROKE RULES (Portland Tribune)
-Raussen repeatedly bent or broke state rules pertaining to spending, use of state cars, awarding contracts and being wined and dined by contractors, according to documents from the Oregon Department of Justice investigation launched in September.-
State benefits manager Heidi Jean Williams just wanted to be supportive, she told state Justice Department investigators. But her support of a boss who wanted to go on workday wine tastings and accept pricey free meals from contractors has put a crimp in her career.
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RENTS ARE HIGH IN PORTLAND, BUT INCREASING FASTER STATEWIDE (Portland Tribune)
-A new report by the ABODO real estate company also found the rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Portland is $353 higher than the national average.-
It’s no secret that rents are skyrocketing in Portland. But a new report by the ABODO online rental company found that rents actually increased faster in the rest of the state last year.
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SOURCES: PARTISANSHIP IN SALEM? SAY IT AIN’T SO (Portland Tribune)
-2017 Oregon Legislature already shaping up to be rocky, and the latest from City Hall-
Although editorial boards across the state are calling on Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and legislative leaders to put aside partisanship and work together following the defeat of the corporate sales tax measure, Republicans already are accusing Brown and other Democrats of playing politics ahead of the 2017 Oregon Legislature.
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EDITORIAL: OREGON SHOULD GET REAL ON ID — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon does not comply with the federal Real ID Act. Its time that changed. The Real ID Act, adopted by Congress in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, beefs up the states identification requirements when issuing drivers licenses or state identification cards. At least two of the 9/11 hijackers possessed fake drivers licenses.
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DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE SELECTED FOR NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM (Bend Bulletin)
The Deschutes County District Attorneys Office was selected Thursday to participate in a national training and technical assistance program for its work in developing the diversion program, DeschutesSafe.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, selected the district attorneys office for the program.
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SHORT COMMUTES STILL THE NORM IN BEND (Bend Bulletin)
-Traffic patterns suggest that wont last-
Traffic in Bend is heavier than during the last economic boom a decade ago, but according to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the average residents commute is still around 15 minutes.
That probably feels like a relief to people who recently moved from Portland or San Francisco, but traffic counts suggest the good times wont last.
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-Deer eat less, conserve energy-
Deer have it rough during the winter in Central Oregon.
Basically, theyre starving to death, said Corey Heath, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. And thats normal.
One vital survival factor for deer is access to areas where they wont be disturbed.
Its absolutely critical, Heath said.
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JANET STEVENS COLUMN: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS OUT OF WHACK WITH NEED (Bend Bulletin)
When Bend developer Bill Smith moved to town in 1970, he and his wife didnt have to worry about what home to rent. There was but a single rental in town, and they took it before theyd even looked at it.
Sounds familiar, doesnt it? It should. For as long as I can remember, and no doubt for years before that, Bend has swung from recession and plenty of vacant rentals and homes for sale to prosperity, which often has been marked by a shortage of both, at least for a time.
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ODOT CLEARS HOMELESS CAMP IN PORTLAND DURING FREEZING TEMPERATURES (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Amid freezing temperatures Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Transportation asked a small group of homeless people in Portland to move their camp.
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About 70,000, Oregonians spend much of their time caring for other people, according to a new report by Family Forward Oregon and the Service Employees International Union. Thats the equivalent of the population of Medford.
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PORT OF PORTLAND FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MONSANTO (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Port of Portland is suing agriculture giant Monsanto Corp. for widespread PCB contamination on port property, the Port announced Thursday.
The lawsuit doesnt state a dollar amount, but wants the company to pay for its portion of the clean up in the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
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Oregons Department of Environmental Quality drafted a report that identified logging as a contributor to known risks for drinking water quality in communities up and down the Oregon coast.
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HEALTHY ECONOMY MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINIMUM WAGE — OPINION (Capital Press)
-The reality is that Idaho workers are doing quite well without a higher minimum wage.-
Proponents of higher minimum wages may be disappointed to find out that a robust economy, not governmental fiat, benefits workers most.
Those state legislators and initiative sponsors who supported minimum wage increases in states such as Washington, Oregon and California believed they were helping workers.
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WATER, TAXES AND REGULATIONS DOMINATE STATE LEGISLATURES (Capital Press)
-Western state governments face many issues as lawmakers go to work.-
In Oregon, a $1.8 billion budget gap will force legislators to look for more revenue taxes and fees or cut services. The gap, caused by runaway state employee health care and retirement costs, will force lawmakers to make hard choices as the administration of Gov. Kate Brown settles in for the next two years.
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APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR OREGON CENTURY FARM & RANCH PROGRAM (East Oregonian)
-Applications for the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program are being accepted through May 1-
The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is now accepting applications for 2017 to honor farms and ranches in continuous family operation for 100 years.
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OTHER VIEWS: SO FAR, SO GOOD FOR OREGON SNOWPACK — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
The snow just keeps coming to the Cascade Mountains, and while that can cause headaches for travelers, its good news for skiers and other folks who enjoy winter recreation.
It might also be good news for farmers, who rely on a supply of water from the melting snow to keep their fields irrigated, and for those of us who worry about the prospect of summertime fires in our forests. But we wont know for sure about that until later next year.
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OPT OUT AVAILABLE FOR ORE. PARENTS (Argus Observer)
The time is coming for the upcoming Smarter Balanced English Language Arts and Math SBAC tests.
The statewide tests are designed to evaluate student knowledge and skills necessary for success beyond high school, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
Two statewide testing windows will open.
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Nearly 21,700 Oregon hunters who failed to report their 2014 hunting successes paid the $25 penalty when buying licenses last year, generating $541,700 in the mandatory-reporting program created by the Oregon Legislature.
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RAIL SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO USE INSTEAD OF PIPELINES FOR OIL — GUEST OPINION (Herald and News)
A controversial decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preventing completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline continues to spur debate about U.S. infrastructure projects and the movement of crude oil. Regardless of the outcome of that debate, in the short term railroads will continue to transport Bakken crude oil in specially designed tank cars.
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COMMISSION WORKS ON LONG-RANGE PLAN (The Dalles Chronicle)
The Columbia River Gorge Commission will soon be asking for public input on the agencys long-range management plan at a series of meetings held throughout the gorge in early 2017.
The CRGC will hold its first public event on Jan. 17 in The Dalles, at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center. Subsequent meetings will be in Hood River and North Bonneville, Wash.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESS OWNERS OPPOSE PROPOSED PRICE HIKE ON LIQUOR (Douglas County News-Review)
In her proposed state budget, Gov. Kate Brown recommends doubling a surcharge on distilled spirits for two years beginning July 1. The surcharge price per bottle would go from 50 cents to $1, while alcohol licensing fees would also increase and cigarette taxes would rise by 85 cents to $2.18.
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NEW FUTURE PLANNED FOR INDUSTRIAL PAPER SITE (Douglas County News-Review)
The old International Paper site has a new name, and may soon find new purpose now that it’s under new ownership.
Barramundi, a whitefish popular in Asian cuisine, will likely soon be raised in a sterile aquaculture plant at what’s now being called the Reedsport Commerce Park. That’s just one of the unique ideas that the new owner, Industrial Harbor USA, has for the future of this 427-acre property. The developers want to fill the site with an array of businesses that make use of the available resources there, like marine access, water rights and a rail line. They hope businesses on the site will ultimately employ at least 200 to 250 people.
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SOLAR MAKES GAINS AS ENERGY CHOICE (OregonBusiness)
-A Q&A with Maria Pope, senior vice president of power supply & operations, and resource strategy at Oregons largest utility, Portland General Electric.-
Solar energy could soon be a bright spot for Oregons rural economy. Over the next five years, 1,500MW of solar electric capacity is expected to be installed in the state, much of it in rural counties east of the Cascades. Plummeting costs for solar panels and the states 50% by 2040 renewable portfolio standard will kick start development of the renewable resource. Several new large projects, such as the 56MW Gala Solar project from Avangrid Renewables under construction near Prineville, are testament to the sectors recent growth.
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Some of Oregons most influential political, consumer and labor groups are taking a stand against prescription drug costs.
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HANSELL WILL PAY HIS RAISE FORWARD (My Columbia Basin)
While Gov. Kate Browns budget slashes services throughout the state, it also includes a 2.75 percent raise for legislators. Sen. Bill Hansell R-Athena says the raise cant be turned down because it is not part of any package that goes through the Oregon Legislature. Since he has to take it, he plans to give it away.
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* Two of Kate Brown’s staffers resign following conflict of interest questions
* Independence a must for a public-records ombudsman: Editorial Agenda 2017 — Opinion
* New year presents tremendous bipartisan opportunity — Guest Opinion
* Washington to reject coal export terminal near Longview
* PGE delays biomass test burn at Boardman coal plant
* More people are arriving: Oregon remains a top relocation spot, study finds
* Oregon is one of top moving destinations in U.S.
* Local group revitalizes mountain bike trails at Shellburg Falls
* Mortgage rates, home sales and prices seen rising in 2017
* Dungeness crabbers continue strike from California to Canada
* Radioactive contamination spreading in Hanford plant
* Governor’s chief of staff resigns
* Post checks in with council before session
* Richardson will press for ‘transparency, accountability’
* New year brings jump in cost of filling up
* State, public update Smith Rock State Parks master plan
* Change in Oregon construction safety rules
* Home prices rise quickly in Bend, rest of Oregon
* Editorial: A bill worth considering on deer population — Opinion
* Oregon Supreme Court Ruling Prompts Families To Try To Recoup Medicaid Payments
* John Kitzhaber On The Death Penalty – Think Out Loud
* Threatening Tuition Hike, Oregon Universities Demand Funding Increase
* Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Chief Of Staff Resigns
* Oregon Governor’s Chief Of Staff Resigns
* Washington states snowpack looks good
* Washington works on smoother response to next drought
* Rail cars proposed to haul away toxic Ashland soil
* Our View: Public records reform falls short — Opinion
* Nothing should obstruct expression of ideas — Guest Opinion
* Western US sagebrush defense plan will endure, official says
* Comment deadline on Columbia River dam review extended
* Researchers explore sea lion feast at Bonneville dam
* Judge Nelson steps down from the bench
* Editorial: Richardson will help influence decision-making — Opinion
* Lamenting the loss of an elk herd — Opinion
* Full-feathered season
* Oregon explores ways to protect electric grid on coast from catastrophe
* County targets affordable housing with construction tax
* Agriculture in Transition — Opinion
* Secretary of State Dennis Richardson Offers Praise to outgoing Secretary Atkins
* A Federal Lawsuit Shows New Trouble Looming for Oregon’s Greater Sage Grouse
* Kristen Leonard is Out as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Chief of Staff
* Re-elected governors have no plans for new I-5 bridge
* Oregon DHS Could Owe Relatives Of Deceased Medicaid Patients Thousands
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TWO OF KATE BROWN’S STAFFERS RESIGN FOLLOWING CONFLICT OF INTEREST QUESTIONS (Portland Oregonian)
Gov. Kate Brown is heading into this year’s high-stakes legislative session without permanent appointees in two key jobs in her administration.
The governor’s office announced Tuesday that chief of staff Kristen Leonard resigned her job effective no later than Jan. 31. And Abby Tibbs, who was scheduled to start as Brown’s deputy chief of staff on Jan. 23, also resigned, according to spokesman Chris Pair.
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INDEPENDENCE A MUST FOR A PUBLIC-RECORDS OMBUDSMAN: EDITORIAL AGENDA 2017 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
One moment, Gov. Kate Brown wants to put a “public-records ombudsman” in the office of the independently-elected secretary of state, which oversees state records and archives. The next moment, Brown decides that the proposed new position is best housed in an agency under her control.
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NEW YEAR PRESENTS TREMENDOUS BIPARTISAN OPPORTUNITY — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Early in December, I met with Senate President Peter Courtney to recap a conversation I had with Gov. Kate Brown. I wanted to be sure these powerful Democratic political leaders understand that the upcoming legislative session presents an opportunity to work together on the important issues facing both urban and rural Oregonians.
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WASHINGTON TO REJECT COAL EXPORT TERMINAL NEAR LONGVIEW (Portland Oregonian)
The state of Washington may have killed a controversial plan to build a coal export terminal on the Columbia River west of Longview.
Outgoing Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark said Tuesday he will reject a request by Millennium Bulk Terminals to sublease state-owned land that once housed an aluminum smelter.
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PGE DELAYS BIOMASS TEST BURN AT BOARDMAN COAL PLANT (Portland Oregonian)
Portland General Electric says it was forced to delay the much-anticipated, daylong biomass test burn at its coal-fired plant in Boardman due to weather and technical reasons.
The utility is using the test burn to evaluate the economic, environmental and technical feasibility of fueling the plant using wood waste and other biomass instead of coal after its scheduled closure in 2020.
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MORE PEOPLE ARE ARRIVING: OREGON REMAINS A TOP RELOCATION SPOT, STUDY FINDS (Portland Oregonian)
Moving vans are on the roll and many continue to head to Oregon, according to a migration study released by Atlas Van Lines.
The moving company found that Oregon continues to be a top relocation spot, ranking second in inbound moves, percentage-wise.
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OREGON IS ONE OF TOP MOVING DESTINATIONS IN U.S. (Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon is one of the top moving destinations in the United States, according to recent migration studies.
Oregon had the second-highest percentage of inbound moves, with 957 shipments moving into the state and 590 moving out of the state, according to Atlas Van Lines, a household goods mover agency.
The agency released data collected based on national migration patterns in and out of states from January 1, 2016 through December 15, 2016.
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LOCAL GROUP REVITALIZES MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS AT SHELLBURG FALLS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Ever so slowly, the dream of a top-level mountain biking system is coming together at Silver Falls State Park and Shellburg Falls Recreation Area.
The creation of Catamount Trail at Silver Falls, built by a group of volunteers in the Salem Area Trail Alliance, has gotten most of the publicity so far.
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MORTGAGE RATES, HOME SALES AND PRICES SEEN RISING IN 2017 (Salem Statesman Journal)
Nate Lowenstein has been shopping for a home in Los Angeles, on and off, for more than a year.
His search has been stymied by a stubbornly low roster of homes on the market and the hurdles that come with it: multiple competing bids and higher prices.
“It’s not a great market, from a buyer’s perspective,” said Lowenstein, a lawyer. “The one good thing is that interest rates were quite low.”
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DUNGENESS CRABBERS CONTINUE STRIKE FROM CALIFORNIA TO CANADA (Salem Statesman Journal)
Some consumers may have to settle for not-as-fresh Dungeness crab and others could wait a little longer for their first taste of the season as fishermen from Northern California to the Canadian border strike after wholesale buyers sought to lower the purchase price.
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RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION SPREADING IN HANFORD PLANT (Salem Statesman Journal)
Radioactive contamination is spreading inside a deteriorating processing plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state that was last used in the 1950s and 1960s to process plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program.
The Tri-City Herald newspaper reported Monday that the facility is known as REDOX. It is located deep within the sprawling and heavily guarded Hanford site, which is half the size of Rhode Island, and the contamination poses no threat to the general public.
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GOVERNOR’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS (Portland Tribune)
-Resignation comes after news reports of Kristen Leonard’s undisclosed conflicts of interest.-
Kristen Leonard has resigned as Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff after 14 months on the job.
The resignation, effective Jan. 31, follows a series of articles by Willamette Week revealing that Leonard had failed to disclose at least two actual or potential conflicts of interest with the governor’s office.
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POST CHECKS IN WITH COUNCIL BEFORE SESSION (Portland Tribune)
-Councilors, mayor ask state representative to push for funding for the Newberg-Dundee bypass-
In less than a month representatives from around the state will convene in Salem for the 2017 regular legislative session. Newberg’s local representatives, state Rep. Bill Post and state Sen. Kim Thatcher, recently updated the City Council on what they anticipate and plan to accomplish during the lawmaking session.
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-New secretary of state takes office this week, promises nonpartisan administration-
Dennis Richardson says he is accustomed to adversity. After all, he raised eight daughters.
“Five of whom were teenagers at the same time,” he joked to a crowd of Washington County residents Dec. 13. “I’ll be fine.”
Last month Richardson was sworn in as Oregon’s secretary of state. Speaking before the Washington County Business Council in December, Richardson said his goals as the state’s No. 2 elected official will be to ensure that Oregonians get what they have been asking for: a fair, transparent government.
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-Oregon has the 10th highest gasoline prices in the nation. The No. 1 slot is held by Hawaii.-
Happy new year. Here’s your gasoline price increase.
Oregon’s average cost for a gallon of gasoline increased a nickel in the past week, to $2.49. AAA Oregon/Idaho said Tuesday, Jan. 3, that the national average jumped 6 cents to $2.35 a gallon.
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STATE, PUBLIC UPDATE SMITH ROCK STATE PARKS MASTER PLAN (Bend Bulletin)
-Mecca for wildlife, people plan its future-
When the towering rocks at Smith Rock State Park glow with the red-orange light of sunrise, nearby resident Marcia Volk often runs out to take yet another picture of them.
Theres so much beauty here, said Volk, who runs a website with information on the park. It takes me five minutes to get out of any negative state of mind by just walking into that park.
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CHANGE IN OREGON CONSTRUCTION SAFETY RULES (Bend Bulletin)
-Homebuilders affected by lower limit-
Two new safety regulations that affect the construction industry take effect this year in Oregon, according to the state Department of Consumer and Business Services.
A change to the trigger height, the minimum height at which workers must be protected from falls, was lowered from 10 feet to 6 feet, according to the department. A related change takes effect Oct. 1, when slide guards will no longer suffice as a method of protecting workers from falling off of sloped roofs.
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HOME PRICES RISE QUICKLY IN BEND, REST OF OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon saw the largest increase to its home prices of any state in the country over a 12-month period ending in November, according to a report released Tuesday by the real estate analysis firm CoreLogic.
CoreLogic has created a proprietary index, known as the Home Price Index, to track single-family home prices, according to the companys news release. In Oregon, the November index increased by 10.3 percent since November 2015, the largest increase in the nation during that period.
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EDITORIAL: A BILL WORTH CONSIDERING ON DEER POPULATION — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
State Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, apparently will introduce a bill during the 2017 Legislature that would give communities a way to control exploding deer populations. Despite loud objections from members of the community that brought the problem to his attention, the idea makes sense.
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OREGON SUPREME COURT RULING PROMPTS FAMILIES TO TRY TO RECOUP MEDICAID PAYMENTS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
When a couple grows old, one spouse often gets sick and needs long-term care like a nursing home. That can cost $6,000 a month.
To qualify for Medicaid, couples often transfer the title for an asset, like a home, to the other spouse.
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JOHN KITZHABER ON THE DEATH PENALTY – THINK OUT LOUD (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
For the next installment in our death penalty series, we talk to former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber oversaw two death sentences carried out in his first two terms as governor before instituting a moratorium on the death penalty that still holds today.
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The presidents of Oregons seven public universities are telling legislative leaders they need a big funding increase to keep tuition down. Thats the main message in a letter the university presidents intend to send to legislative leaders this week.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is looking for a new chief of staff heading into the 2017 legislative session.
The governors office announced Tuesday that Kristen Leonard will resign at the end of January.
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OREGON GOVERNOR’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS (Northwest Public Radio)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is looking for a new chief of staff heading into the 2017 legislative session. The governor’s office announced Tuesday that Kristen Leonard will resign at the end of January.
Leonard has served in the role for just over a year. She came to the governor’s office from the Port of Portland, where she held a public affairs position.
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WASHINGTON STATES SNOWPACK LOOKS GOOD (Capital Press)
-The water outlook is good as snow and moisture accumulate across Washington state.-
Washington state is starting the new year with healthy mountain snowpack and above average water storage in critical Yakima Basin reservoirs.
The mountain snowpack is at 117 percent of normal, and Yakima Basin reservoir storage is 109 percent of average.
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WASHINGTON WORKS ON SMOOTHER RESPONSE TO NEXT DROUGHT (Capital Press)
-Washington Department of Ecology planning now to avoid the rush the next time drought strikes-
Washington state agencies are crafting a drought-response plan, hoping to react sooner and more effectively to the next water shortage.
The state scrambled in 2015 to catch-up with rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. A low snowpack caused the state to declare some watersheds in a drought in mid-March The spring was hot and dry, and Gov. Jay Inslee declared the entire state in a drought emergency on May 15, well after farmers had made plans.
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RAIL CARS PROPOSED TO HAUL AWAY TOXIC ASHLAND SOIL (Medford Mail Tribune)
Union Pacific plans to use rail cars, not dump trucks, to haul away 18,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil as part of its long-awaited cleanup of its old railroad yard in Ashland.
The railroad announced its shift in how it plans to remove the contaminated soil Tuesday as part of its new proposal to clean up the 20-acre plot that was a railroad yard for 100 years and prepare it for potential sale over the next two years, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality, which is considering the proposal.
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After winning election to the final two years of former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s term, Gov. Kate Brown is finally getting serious about the public records reforms she promised in the wake of Kitzhaber’s resignation. Just not serious enough.
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NOTHING SHOULD OBSTRUCT EXPRESSION OF IDEAS — GUEST OPINION (The World)
Political discourse before, during and following the recent elections seems to have been more divisive than usual. The rhetoric has often been inaccurate, sometimes intentionally misleading, or otherwise just plain malicious.
During the past several months, such dialogue was commonly employed at the national, state and local levels. Citizens have protested in the streets carrying acrimonious signage and chanting slogans that many find offensive.
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WESTERN US SAGEBRUSH DEFENSE PLAN WILL ENDURE, OFFICIAL SAYS (The World)
A new wildfire-fighting plan to protect a wide swath of sagebrush country in the Western U.S. that supports cattle ranching and is home to an imperiled bird will likely continue after the Obama administration ends, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Tuesday.
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COMMENT DEADLINE ON COLUMBIA RIVER DAM REVIEW EXTENDED (Daily Astorian)
Federal agencies have extended the public comment period on an environmental impact statement for Columbia River dam operations.
The Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation will take comments until Feb. 7. The comment period had been scheduled to end Jan. 17.
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RESEARCHERS EXPLORE SEA LION FEAST AT BONNEVILLE DAM (Daily Astorian)
-Sea lions transmit salmon-eating behaviors like a disease-
A new study used the same kind of models that scientists use to track disease to instead examine how some California sea lions have learned to prey on salmon gathering to ascend fish ladders at Bonneville Dam.
Although sea lions commonly feast on fish, their predation on salmon at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River poses wildlife management challenges.
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-Judge Nelson officially retires on Jan. 2 after 23 years on the bench-
The man pleaded No contest to the charges against him. He stood up.
Thank you, judge, he said politely, nodding his head at Clatsop County District Court Judge Phil Nelson. Enjoy your retirement.
As two deputies escorted the man out of Courtroom 200 Thursday afternoon, Nelson watched with a sort of bemused, half-smile on his face.
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EDITORIAL: RICHARDSON WILL HELP INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-New secretary of state takes office-
Republicans dominated Oregon politics for much of our states history. That one-party rule was not good for Oregon, and neither is the Democrats one-party rule that persists today.
As of the new year, that domination was broken a bit.
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The elk is a majestic symbol of Baker Countys wealth of wild country, and we cringe whenever one of these animals is wasted, wherever it happens.
Earlier this year poachers killed two fine bull elk near Elgin.
Earlier this week, in an altogether different scenario, a herd of 41 elk died when the ice on Brownlee Reservoir broke while the animals were crossing the Powder River arm near Richland.
That the elk died was of course a matter of fate rather than anybodys fault.
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FULL-FEATHERED SEASON (LaGrande Observer)
-Upland bird-hunting seasons not scheduled to end early in Baker County-
State biologists dont plan to impose an early end to the hunting season for chukars and Hungarian partridges despite this being the snowiest December in more than a decade in parts of Northeastern Oregon.
Deep snow can prompt the upland game birds to congregate along low-elevation roads, where theyre much more vulnerable to hunters.
The hunting season usually continues through Jan. 31.
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OREGON EXPLORES WAYS TO PROTECT ELECTRIC GRID ON COAST FROM CATASTROPHE (LaGrande Observer)
Oregon will be getting some help in preparing its energy grid for natural disasters such as the large Cascadia earthquake scientists believe could devastate the Northwest.
The state has been chosen by the National Governors Association for a policy academy, which will include workshops that provide technical policy and regulatory assistance. Adam Schultz, senior policy analyst at the Oregon Department of Energy, said Oregon has a particular interest in making sure its coastal areas are prepared.
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COUNTY TARGETS AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH CONSTRUCTION TAX (Hood River News)
Hood River County Board of Commissioners last week asked staff to write up an ordinance creating a new construction tax devoted to funding affordable housing programs.
#The excise tax, created by Senate Bill 1533, allows local governments to impose taxes on residential and commercial development via building permits, with revenue destined for housing initiatives.
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AGRICULTURE IN TRANSITION — OPINION (OregonBusiness)
-Roughly 64% of Oregons farmland will change hands in the next 20 years. Who will inherit the earth?-
The average Oregon farmer is 60-years old. Over the next twenty years, many farmers will retire, and their land will transition but to whom?
Every family-owned business faces this challenge eventually, but the family farm is exposed to unique pressures and circumstances. Farms dont exist without farmland, and that same land has become the target of investment companies and housing developers, with 25%-40% of farmland sales now going to investment and development companies in four Willamette Valley counties.
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Secretary of State Dennis Richardson today offered a statement about his predecessor, Secretary Jeanne Atkins, thanking her for stepping up to lead the Secretary of States office after being appointed to the position in 2015.
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A FEDERAL LAWSUIT SHOWS NEW TROUBLE LOOMING FOR OREGON’S GREATER SAGE GROUSE (Willamette Week)
-One of the states iconic species is at the center of the latest battle over who should control federal lands.-
No story dominated Oregon news in 2016 quite like the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by Ammon Bundy and his anti-government militants.
A new lawsuit shows that another battle over federal control of land and animals in Eastern Oregon is heating up.
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KRISTEN LEONARD IS OUT AS OREGON GOV. KATE BROWN’S CHIEF OF STAFF (Willamette Week)
-Abrupt decision comes after conflict of interest reports and less than a month before Legislature convenes.-
For the second time in just over a year, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has abruptly changed her chief of staff.
This morning, Brown announced that her current chief of staff, Kristen Leonard, will leave her $185,510-a-year post on Jan. 31.
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RE-ELECTED GOVERNORS HAVE NO PLANS FOR NEW I-5 BRIDGE (KOIN)
-Reps for both Gov. Brown and Gov. Inslee told KOIN 6 News on Tuesday there are no plans underway for a new bridge-
Its a new year, and both Oregon and Washington have newly re-elected governors, but there are no plans for a new Interstate 5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland, officials say.
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OREGON DHS COULD OWE RELATIVES OF DECEASED MEDICAID PATIENTS THOUSANDS (KXL)
An Oregon Supreme court ruling turns the table on Oregon Department of Human Services telling it money is owed to families whose parents may have had Medicaid pay for nursing home care. often times families are getting billed for services amounting to well over $100,000.00.
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2016 IN REVIEW: ANOTHER WINNING YEAR OF JOB GROWTH IN OREGON — BLOG (Oregon Employment Department – Research Div)
Oregons job growth started 2016 with a sprint and finished the year strong, if not quite at a sprints pace. Early in the year, the state reached a personal record of 64,200 jobs added in the 12 months through April, before slowing down later in the year. The 49,500 new jobs added from November 2015 to November 2016 was enough to earn bronze as the third fastest November-to-November jobs gain since 2000, drafting behind 2015 and 2014 which came in first and second.
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WORKER ACCESS TO PAID LEAVE BENEFITS — BLOG (Oregon Employment Department – Research Div)
In the United States, 68 percent of workers have access to paid sick leave through their employers. A slightly higher share has access to paid vacation 73% and paid holidays 75%. This access varies between the public and private sectors. In private industry, about two-thirds of workers have access to paid sick leave and just over three-quarters of workers have access to paid vacation and paid holidays. Among state and local government employees, access to paid sick leave 90% far outweighs access to paid vacation and holidays 59% and 67%, respectively.
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| i don't know |
With a top wind speed of 380 mph, the Fujita scale is used to measure what? | Tornado Damage Levels: F0 - F5 - YouTube
Tornado Damage Levels: F0 - F5
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Published on Jun 4, 2012
In the US, tornadoes were classified according to the Fujita scale from a F0 to an F5. There was also room for an F6, yet we've never had one that destructive.
In 2007 the US converted over to a slightly different scale, the Enhanced Fujita scale. It's pretty similar. The scale was revised to reflect better examinations of tornado damage surveys, so as to align wind speeds more closely with associated storm damage. It allowed for better standardizing of what was previously subjective and ambiguous. It also adds more types of structures and vegetation, expands degrees of damage, and better accounts for variables such as differences in construction quality. The old scale lists an F5 tornado as wind speeds of 261--318 mph (420--512 km/h), while the new scale lists an EF5 as a tornado with winds above 200 mph (322 km/h), found to be sufficient to cause the damage previously ascribed to the F5 range of wind speeds.
In any case, I made this video about the original Fujita Scale. Just remember that tornados damage is what is used to ESTIMATE wind speed. It's the same with the EF scale.
Thanks to the storm chasers in Oklahoma we went out with!
To watch the unedited tornado adventure we had ... visit this link: http://www.untamedscience.com/DFWstorm
Category
| Tornado (disambiguation) |
According to the proverb, in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is what? | Tornado Damage Levels: F0 - F5 - YouTube
Tornado Damage Levels: F0 - F5
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Published on Jun 4, 2012
In the US, tornadoes were classified according to the Fujita scale from a F0 to an F5. There was also room for an F6, yet we've never had one that destructive.
In 2007 the US converted over to a slightly different scale, the Enhanced Fujita scale. It's pretty similar. The scale was revised to reflect better examinations of tornado damage surveys, so as to align wind speeds more closely with associated storm damage. It allowed for better standardizing of what was previously subjective and ambiguous. It also adds more types of structures and vegetation, expands degrees of damage, and better accounts for variables such as differences in construction quality. The old scale lists an F5 tornado as wind speeds of 261--318 mph (420--512 km/h), while the new scale lists an EF5 as a tornado with winds above 200 mph (322 km/h), found to be sufficient to cause the damage previously ascribed to the F5 range of wind speeds.
In any case, I made this video about the original Fujita Scale. Just remember that tornados damage is what is used to ESTIMATE wind speed. It's the same with the EF scale.
Thanks to the storm chasers in Oklahoma we went out with!
To watch the unedited tornado adventure we had ... visit this link: http://www.untamedscience.com/DFWstorm
Category
| i don't know |