text:
How girls are lured into prostitution
Sex-trafficking cases lag behind sheer number of victims
By Kristina Davis
She was 14 when she was approached by Tony Brown at a San Diego County mall. Brown, who was 19, lavished attention on the girl, called her his girlfriend, and she quickly believed she was in love.
Two years later, she was in jail in Las Vegas, a 16-year-old runaway dressed provocatively in a low-cut maroon mini dress and heels, arrested after raising suspicions that she was loitering on the Strip for prostitution. How did she get there?
The same way thousands of teenage girls and young women have over the years, authorities say: through coercion, force and fraud, often at the hands of San Diego County gang members looking to build their status and get rich off selling others again and again for sex.
Her story may sound rare, the kind of thing that would happen in someone else's family. But a new sex-trafficking study released Monday challenged many of those notions with staggering implications.
In what was described as the first and most comprehensive study of its kind in the U.S., researchers from the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazerene University estimated there are 8,830 to 11,773 underage and adult sex-trafficking victims in the county per year. They come from all socio-economic and racial backgrounds, and 98 percent are female.
And the vast majority of the business — an underground economy worth an estimated $810 million a year — is believed to be linked to gangs.
"It was more massive in terms of numbers than we even anticipated," said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. "Anecdotally most of the information we knew, but the depth and quantity was startling."
PREVIOUS: Sex trafficking may trap up to 11,700 SD girls
Yet a tally of local prosecutions are nowhere near the numbers suggested in the latest study, something prosecutors, law enforcement and child advocates hope to change as they get better at identifying this hidden population of victims.
"The No. 1 obstacle ... is the fact that victims don't identify themselves as victims," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan. "We knew this was severely underreported."
Trafficking cases
In 2012, the District Attorney's Office prosecuted 48 human trafficking and pimping and pandering cases of adults and minors. (The data may include some adult cases that don't involve coerced prostitution.)That number dropped by almost half last year, with 25 cases.
The study released Monday estimated 8,830 to 11,773 underage and adult sex-trafficking victims in the county. Researchers explain how they got to that number:
"First, we looked at how many people had been arrested for nine crimes — kidnapping minor for prostitution, pimping a minor, human trafficking and others. We removed duplicates, and we did not count the same person twice. We excluded adult pimping and pandering arrests, because we didn't know without looking at the case files whether force, fraud or coercion was used.
We found that 2,645 facilitators of sex trafficking had been arrested since 2007, which is 406 per year. (It was not determined how many arrests turned into prosecutions.)
Then, we also knew from our interviews with facilitators that each (pimp) controls 4.34 girls or women on average. This is also an underestimate, given that prostituted women reported that facilitators controlled eight women on average. But we went with the lower number: 406 facilitators x 4.34 women = 1,766 victims.
1,766 is only the fraction of the total victim population that comes into contact with law enforcement. We don't know what that fraction is. But according to previous studies, the percentage of various illicit trade intercepted by authorities is usually within 15 to 20 percent. So if 406 pimps represents 20 percent of the total pimp population, then that total population is 2,030 pimps. And then, when you multiply again by the 4.34 average number of victims controlled, you get 8,810 victims.
Recalculate that number for 15 percent of the pimp population, then that total victim population is 11,746."
A more detailed version of the study, which is undergoing peer review, is expected to be released in another month. It was funded by the National Institute of Justice
Deputy District Attorney John Rice, chief of the office's human trafficking and sex crimes unit, said there was no obvious explanation for the fluctuation in cases.
The U.S. Attorney's Office also prosecutes a substantial number of human trafficking-related cases, including using the powerful racketeering statute against gangs in a handful of high-profile cases over the past few years. An accurate statistical breakdown of the cases in San Diego was not available because the office includes child pornography cases in its overall exploitation data, due to some overlap between those and gang trafficking cases.
The report released last week reiterated the low number of such cases that appear in the criminal justice system, estimating that only 15 to 20 percent of human trafficking victims in the county come into contact with law enforcement.
How girls are recruited
That 16-year-old girl who was finally noticed by Las Vegas Metropolitan police likely looks back on that moment in her life as a blessing.
She was one of the lucky ones able to escape the life. She moved away, got married and had three children.
A federal racketeering prosecution was building against Brown and 23 others as alleged members of a North Park gang specializing in prostituting girls and young women, and her case was among those included — even though her trip to Vegas happened in 2000.
A look at her experience, detailed in police reports, reveals how similar gang members' recruiting techniques were then as they are now, and how a girl at the mall had her childhood stolen from her, as she later recalled to a detective.
Sometime after she met Brown at the mall at age 14, he was arrested and would write to her from custody, she told police. Her mother found some of those notes in her backpack, messages that tried to persuade her daughter to work as a prostitute for him.
"I want nothing but the best. I got the gold the cars and the girls you know. I telling you stop hatin and gettin mad when my other set of girl give me money because it benefits you to," read one letter.
Another: "$ Stop saying what you ain't gonna do. Those are the guys who pay hundreds of dollar for just your attention."
And: "Baby don't think when I ask you to sell your body I don't care cause I do. You know what I think of that. It's nothing wrong with it. A matter of fact I got more respect for that person because it takes pride joy comes along whin money being made to make me happy."
The teen told police that Brown eventually got her out on El Cajon Boulevard in an area known for prostitution. She gave all her proceeds to Brown, she said, and also cashed her college savings bonds for him.
Before the Vegas trip, she told her mom she wanted to go to Magic Mountain with her high school friends for a few days. Her mother said no. The teen left anyway, ending up instead with Brown dropping her off on the Strip, which was buzzing due to an Evander Holyfield heavyweight championship fight.
She wasn't out long before being arrested by police while she was talking to a group of guys. She gave police a fake name at first, but after some coaxing she broke down sobbing, saying she didn't want to do this anymore, according to the police report.
She didn't talk to Brown after that, she said.
Brown is also accused of taking underage girls to Los Angeles for prostitution in 2001, and trying to entice a girl into his car with marijuana and money in 2006 near El Cajon Boulevard, according to the indictment. He and several other defendants are headed to trial in the case, in which authorities identified 60 victims.
Researchers describe similar tactics to recruit teenage girls happening today, although now Facebook and other social platforms have replaced notes in backpacks.
Take the recent case involving a 15-year-old girl from Hemet. She posted an ad on a website last fall looking for babysitting or housecleaning work and was contacted by a man who had prostitution in mind instead, said Rice.
She was observed by police soliciting on an Oceanside street. The pimp eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for crimes against her and a second girl.
Schools have also turned into rich recruiting grounds, researchers found.
Girls are wooed by charming guys, or promised designer clothing, purses and iPhones, authorities said. They are plied with alcohol and drugs. Isolated from their friends and families. Some are already loners, kids who don't fit in or suffer from mental disabilities.
"They are made to believe in the beginning that they are cared for, and by then it's too late," Dumanis said.
Recent prosecutions and information gleaned from the study also uncovered the increased use of a different kind of recruiter: the experienced prostitute. Such girls are sometimes referred to as "bottoms" by their gang.
"It's a much softer sell, not stranger danger," said the DA chief, Rice. "Sometimes it's other girls sitting in class next to them."
Researchers who interviewed San Diego County educators for the study were told that these girl recruiters were considered to be the most dangerous because they could be most convincing, said Ami Carpenter, who co-authored the study with Jamie Gates.
During one federal investigation, authorities were told of a suspected pimp who tried to enroll an experienced prostitute into a high school, likely for recruitment purposes, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said during a news briefing last year.
There are several examples in recent court cases of female recruiters.
In one, a woman who called herself "Cash Crystal" boasted on Facebook about her gang membership and the money she earned in prostitution, court records show. She is accused of recruiting an underage girl in Vista in 2013 and taking her from Los Angeles to Las Vegas the next day for sex work, according to the federal indictment.
In one post, she claimed the gang targets "Minors Cuz They Are Easy To Knock!"
How to deal with such female recruiters has become a bit of a flashpoint between prosecutors and recovery service providers. What's the line between victim and victimizer?
Prosecutors say they evaluate those cases carefully to see whether criminal charges are appropriate — even as they recognize that these women were probably recruited at a young age and victimized, too — but often give them a chance at probation and recovery rather than prison, as the pimps would get.
Rice said victim advocates have called him out on prosecuting such women before. "Still, some mother's child is being recruited for human trafficking," he said. "I can't just let that go."
Susan Munsey, executive director of GenerateHope, a safehouse and recovery program for sex-trafficking victims, acknowledges the challenge but leans toward recognizing female recruiters as victims.
"These guys distance themselves as much from the crime as possible," she said, and oftentimes the sex worker takes the fall. "They're in a very difficult situation and they're finding a way to survive it."
She recalled the case of one trafficker who used a young woman's phone to contact a minor, and then sent the woman to the bus stop to pick her up. The minor turned out to be an undercover officer, and the woman was arrested and charged. As part of her sentence, she was ordered to be registered as a sex offender.
"I have a problem with that," Munsey said.
Co-dependence
The single greatest challenge to bringing a human-trafficking case to prosecution is not only finding the victim, but getting the victim to participate in the case.
"It's critical," Dumanis said.
Prosecutors and investigators run into similar difficulties with domestic violence victims — the dependency on their abuser, the isolation from family, the emotional and physical abuse and the threat to not only their own safety, but their family's.
"What we're seeing is each case is equally difficult to investigate and do than any homicide because of the complexity of the cases and the ability to keep victims safe," said Stephan, the chief deputy DA. "Because of gang involvement, there are a lot of witness relocations. The trauma is so resistant and long lasting, we end up having to make sure services are provided for years and years and years to our victims."
Munsey at GenerateHope described their condition as similar to the Stockholm Syndrome.
"They've bonded with their captors, and they started in adolescence, when their brains aren't fully developed yet," she said. "It's usually a year of going through therapy before they figure out that they've been duped. It's only then they are able to say, 'That jerk, this is what he did to me.'"
Of the women GenerateHope sees each year, she estimates only 10 to 20 percent are involved in the prosecution of their pimps. "That's low," Munsey acknowledged.
The county has successfully prosecuted pimps without a victim's cooperation or testimony, usually with solid evidence taken during an undercover sting and with complete cellphone or Facebook communications between victim and pimp, Rice said. Still, he said, juries typically want to hear from the victim herself.
Getting the victims out of their environments and into a safe space is also critical for getting a victim on the path to testifying and turning her life around.
A lack of bedspace in the county has proved challenging. Of the mere 25 beds in the county, GenerateHope has eight.
"We have nowhere near enough beds," Munsey said. "I turn away 10 to 20 women each month. That is just the hardest part of my job. ... The funding is not there."
And none of those 25 beds is for juvenile victims. If they don't have family to go back to, they can be sent to Juvenile Hall or put in group homes or foster care — places that make them especially vulnerable to further recruitment.
Investigations have also become trickier as traffickers adapt.
"It's a constantly changing playing field," Rice said. "Once we get a successful method, there seems to be a shift." For instance, he said some sex trafficking websites are using the hard-to-track Bitcoin as currency now instead of cash.
Another surprising factor that may play a role is race.
While the majority of gang-related sex trafficking cases being prosecuted in the county are of black gangs, the study found that Hispanic and white gangs are equally involved. This information was learned through nearly 160 interviews with gang-affiliated people in prison for various crimes, said one of the study's authors, Carpenter.
"Black gangs are very outspoken and flashy about their pimping identity," she said, noting how the lifestyle is glamorized in pop culture and rap music, and openly boasted about on social media.
She said Hispanic and white gangs admitted to the same behavior, only they conducted it more under the cloak of darkness, for different reasons.
"Hispanic guys reject that label pimp. They say we are their protectors, bodyguards. They are contracted by women to drive them around," Carpenter said.
"The Mexican Mafia does not formally approve of prostitution, and a lot of guys we talked to have to keep it on the down-low because they don't want to have a hit out on them, or if they start making too much money at it they start getting taxed," she said. "They're not Facebooking this stuff."
White biker gangs also keep it quiet, sometimes to protect their club membership and also because they have become more savvy about how prosecutors are going after human trafficking under organized crime statutes, she said.
She said there was also evidence of human trafficking by Native American groups in casinos, a Somali gang and a Chaldean gang, according to information learned through interviews and local prosecutions.
In January, 15 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies formed The San Diego Violent Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force to attack the issue.
The effort has expanded statewide with the creation of the Human Exploitation and Trafficking — or HEAT — Institute. Founded this year by Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley, the group is bringing others into the fold, including education officials, foster care advocates, child welfare leaders, attorneys, physicians and other service providers.
The commission held its first summit in San Diego Thursday, one of six information-sharing sessions with key stakeholders to be held throughout California. The information is to be gathered in a report and analyzed for recommendations and an action plan.
"We can't fight this battle ourselves," Imperial County District Attorney Gilbert Otero implored the roomful of advocates Thursday. "This is about getting everyone together and on the same page when it comes to human trafficking."
Kristina Davis
Fire crews making good progress on blaze burning along U.S.-Mexico border
Vegetation fire burning south of Dulzura expected to be fully contained by Saturday evening
Families part of separation litigation feared to be targets of coming ICE sweeps
Trump administration assures that arrested migrant families who are under a court-ordered settlement agreement that offers a new chance at asylum would still be afforded that right
Pence praises Coast Guard drug seizure efforts and criticizes immigration system during San Diego visit
Vice president highlighted the guard's seizure of 39,000 pounds of cocaine in combating the drug trade
Pastor sues DHS over government surveillance program targeting migrant advocates
Kaji Dousa, a former La Mesa minister now in New York, accuses Homeland Security of retaliating against her for providing pastoral care to Central American migrants in Tijuana
North Carolina sheriff unveils new policy on police chases
A North Carolina sheriff has developed a new policy for handing police chases.
Judge orders W.Va. gov to provide docs in residency case
A judge has ordered lawyers for the governor of West Virginia to hand over documents requested in an ongoing lawsuit over his residency.
2 West Virginia airports receiving $4.1M for improvements
Two West Virginia airports are receiving more than $4.1 million from the federal government to make improvements.
Asheville works on plan to develop Thomas Wolfe cabin site
A North Carolina mountain city is asking for the public's help as it works on a plan to incorporate a famous author's cabin into its park system.
Prosecutor: Dealer called 'Cookie Man' sentenced to 10 years
Federal prosecutors say a North Carolina drug dealer known as the "Cookie Man" has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on drug charges.
A limited-edition license plate is being offered to celebrate the University of Virginia men's basketball team's 2019 national championship.
Retail giant Amazon is planning to open a new warehouse and delivery center in Virginia. Gov.
Inmate deaths lead to probation, audits for Virginia jail
The Virginia Board of Corrections has placed a jail under closer state supervision after it found facility shortcomings directly or indirectly contributed to the deaths of two inmates.
New York State Fair runs contest to pick 13 anthem singers
The New York State Fair is running a contest online to pick performers to sing the national anthem each morning of the fair's 13 days.
50 Shades of Comic-Con: What we've gained and lost in five decades of pop culture celebrations
From its tiny infancy (attendance the first year: 300) Comic-Con has grown to become the Godzilla of pop culture gatherings. Massive and exhausting, it somehow retains an aura of manic magic.
Beach Boys' 'California Girls' too offensive? One university says so


text:
Southwest Florida Caterer, Crave Culinaire, Announces Promotion of Sam Sorenson to Executive Sous Chef
By Crave Culinaire November 19, 2020 Press Releases
Bonita Springs, Florida, November 19th, 2020– Crave Culinaire, a prominent Southwest Florida caterer, announces that Chef Sam Sorenson has been promoted to Executive Sous Chef this month. The caterer has been wowing crowds with expertly-prepared cuisine, lavish presentation and a superb attention to detail for over seven years and works alongside its event planning company, Virtual Venue Naples to provide the ultimate small gathering, virtual and hybrid experiences in Southwest Florida.
Sorenson began cooking at the age of 21 after an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist. Being a visual arts major, he developed a love for creativity and that love manifested its way into creating exceptional cuisine in one of New York City's most popular restaurants, Buddakan. Perfecting the craft, he began to establish an understanding and a deep appreciation for cooking, allowing for more spontaneity, more creativity and more delectable dishes to arise. Aside from being in the kitchen, Sorenson enjoys exploring the local wildlife, chasing waterfalls and spending time with his wife.
Crave Culinaire (www.craveculinaire.com) pairs beautifully-crafted cuisine with elegant and upscale presentation to create a moment for guests that is unforgettable. Together with its sister company, Virtual Venue Naples, Crave Culinaire designs the perfect menu for any type of event. Most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has extended their reach to help aid fundraising committees, individuals and businesses in their quest for planning the perfect, COVID-friendly events, whether they are in-person small gatherings, virtual or combination hybrid events.
Chef Brian and Nicole Roland, Owners of Crave Culinaire, speak about Sorenson's new position and what the future holds.
"Sam [Sorenson] has an exceptional work ethic and is dedicated to the art of cooking and creating. We are looking forward to a bright future and appreciate the loyalty, passion and professionalism that he brings to the table each and every day," they explain.
Sorenson is also excited for this chance of stepping into the new role.
"Chef Brian and Nicole are remarkable to work with, and I am so grateful and thrilled to continue to grow and be inspired by this team," he says.
About Crave Culinaire
Crave Culinaire is a luxury catering company driven by the pursuit of excellence, immaculate presentation, and breaking boundaries to create the ultimate dining experience by igniting their passion for food in others. Founded by Chef Brian Roland and co-owned by Nicole Roland, their philosophy is simple: Give guests an experience that will heighten their senses, provoke their emotions, tease their palates, and make them smile. Crave Culinaire specializes in in-home dining, private and public events, cooking classes, customized catering, food and wine pairings, and more. Crave Culinaire works hand in hand with its sister company, Virtual Venue Naples, to create unforgettable events for charity organizations, businesses, and individuals. Crave Culinaire is part of the Crave Companies family of five-star culinary brands. For more information, visit craveculinaire.com.
catering service in Naplesfort myers cateringnaples cateringtop Naples caterer
The History of Charcuterie Boards & Why We Love Them December 13, 2022
Smart Tips to Elevate Your Online Food Ordering Experience October 13, 2022
Crave Culinaire Prepares Thousands of Meals Daily for American Red Cross Hurricane Ian Relief Efforts October 10, 2022
Cater to Your Guests' Healthy Eating Habits August 16, 2022
Hosting a Hollywood-Style At-Home Movie Night June 8, 2022
Crave2Go Prepared Meal Service
Underground Pop Up Dinner Series
Archives Select Month December 2022 October 2022 August 2022 June 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 March 2014 January 2014 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 March 2013 October 2012
Previous PostMangia! A Taste of Italy: How to Host an Italian-Themed Dinner Party
Next PostUpscale Caterer, Crave Culinaire, Announces Promotion of David Orochena to Executive Chef

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Board index General THE FLAME - news and information
THE FLAME: FOREWORD by Adam Cohen
Everything about Leonard Cohen's new book
In honour and in celebration of his father's 84th birthday, Adam shares with Leonard's friends the Foreword he wrote to his father's last work, The Flame:
This volume contains my father's final efforts as a poet. I wish he had seen it to completion—not because it would have been a better book in his hands, more realized and more generous and more shapely, or because it would have more closely resembled him and the form he had in mind for this offering to his readers, but because it was what he was staying alive to do, his sole breathing purpose at the end. In the difficult period in which he was composing it, he would send "do not disturb" e-mails to the few of us who would regularly drop by. He renewed his commitment to rigorous meditation so as to focus his mind through the acute pain of multiple compression fractures and the weakening of his body. He often remarked to me that, through all the strategies of art and living that he had employed during his rich and complicated life, he wished that he had more completely stayed steadfast to the recognition that writing was his only solace, his truest purpose.
My father, before he was anything else, was a poet. He regarded this vocation, as he records in the notebooks, as some "mission from G-d." (The hyphen indicated his reverence to the deity; his reluctance to write out the divine name, even in English, is an old Jewish custom and is further evidence of the fidelity that he mixed with his freedom.) "Religion, teachers, women, drugs, the road, fame, money... nothing gets me high and offers relief from the suffering like blackening pages, writing." This statement of purpose was also a statement of regret: he offered his literary consecration as an explanation for what he felt was poor fatherhood, failed relationships, and inattention to his finances and health. I am reminded of one of his lesser-known songs (and one of my favorites): "I came so far for beauty, I left so much behind." But not far enough, apparently: in his view he hadn't left enough. And this book, he knew, was to be his last offering.
As a kid, when I would ask my dad for money to buy sweets at the corner store, he'd often tell me to search the pockets of his blazer for loose bills or change. Invariably, I would find a notebook while going through his pockets. Later in life, when I would ask him if he had a lighter or matches, I would open drawers and find pads of paper and notebooks. Once, when I asked him if he had any tequila, I was directed to the freezer, where I found a frosty, misplaced notebook. Indeed, to know my father was (among many other wondrous things) to know a man with papers, notebooks, and cocktail napkins—a distinguished handwriting on each—scattered (neatly) everywhere. They came from nightstands in hotels, or from 99-cent stores; the ones that were gilded, leather-bound, fancy, or otherwise had a look of importance were never used. My father preferred humble vessels. By the early 1990s, there were storage lockers filled with boxes of his notebooks, notebooks containing a life of dedication to the thing that most defined the man. Writing was his reason for being. It was the fire he was tending to, the most significant flame he fueled. It was never extinguished.
There are many themes and words that repeat throughout my father's work: frozen, broken, naked, fire, and flame. On the back of the first album cover are (as he put it in a later song) the "flames that follow Joan of Arc." "Who by fire?" he famously asked, in a song about fate that wickedly made use of a Jewish prayer. "I lit a thin green candle to make you jealous of me." That candle was only the first of many kindlings. There are fires and flames, for creation and destruction, for heat and light, for desire and consummation, throughout his work. He lit the flames and he tended to them diligently. He studied and recorded their consequences. He was stimulated by their danger—he often spoke of other people's art as not having enough "danger," and he praised the "excitement of a thought that was in flames."
This fiery preoccupation lasted until the very end. "You want it darker, we kill the flame," he intoned on his last album, his parting album. He died on November 7, 2016. It feels darker now, but the flame was not killed. Each page of paper that he blackened was lasting evidence of a burning soul.
-Adam Cohen, February 2018
Re: THE FLAME: FOREWORD by Adam Cohen
Post by HugoD » Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:07 pm
Thank you for sharing, this is so beautiful!
holydove
Post by holydove » Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:48 pm
Thank you, Jarkko, for posting & thank you to Adam for honoring your beloved father by sharing your wonderful insights & very touching memories in this beautifully written foreword. Your words are greatly appreciated & will be cherished.
B4real
Location: Q'ld, Australia
Post by B4real » Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:12 am
I too will add a thank you to Jarkko for posting this. Also many thanks to Adam for his words dedicated to his father and his father's utmost efforts to complete this last offering for all of us.
As I was reading, these words came instantly to my mind:
"and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word."
Also a bit of kismet happenstance here - Adam says one of his favourite songs is Came So Far For Beauty and that was the line we choose to write on LC's memorial bench plaque at Hydra.
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
John K.
Contact John K.
Post by John K. » Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:19 am
This is beautifully written. I am especially taken by this passage:
he wished that he had more completely stayed steadfast to the recognition that writing was his only solace, his truest purpose.
I find it remarkable that Leonard Cohen, who has left a body of work in the English language that stands up to anything written by anyone, ever, would have regrets around not embracing it enough. What more could he have given to the world?
I love to speak with John
He's a pundit and a fraud
He's a lazy banker living in a suit
http://www.johnkloberdanz.com
Frank Van Dael
Location: Herentals (Belgium)
Post by Frank Van Dael » Thu Sep 27, 2018 12:22 pm
Kiitos, Jarkko. And thank you, Mr. Adam Cohen. Thank you so much for sharing.
Contact Mary72
Post by Mary72 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:02 pm
I have just finished reading The Flame. I prefer the canadian cover version published by McClelland & Stewart, is definitely the most loyal to the content of the book.
sebmelmoth2003
Post by sebmelmoth2003 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:19 am
adam cohen talks to will gompertz about the flame - 07.55 hours approx as broadcast.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172w1fqmrzlc88
baronvonbaron
Post by baronvonbaron » Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:46 pm
Adam is as eloquent in writing as he is in real life.
Last edited by baronvonbaron on Thu Jan 16, 2020 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Leorphane
Post by Leorphane » Sat Nov 24, 2018 8:05 pm
Chimney flames
November again
I feel like a Leorphan
lizzytysh
Location: Florida, U.S.A.
Post by lizzytysh » Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:31 am
Now I have read through this thread, and am feeling a searing, poignant sadness in reading especially Adam's words about Leonard, sharing his private insights into his father, and various means of finding them. We have lost Leonard and Marianne and Esther and Irving Layton and Judith Fitzgerald and more. We are privileged to still have Adam.
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
Post by lizzytysh » Sat Dec 29, 2018 1:58 am
I have yet to begin reading this book in my hands.
What I resent in reviews is people's tendency to speak of it as pedestrian, uneven, and banal. I remember when I first looked at the photo collection of US here, in the section Jarkko created, Beautiful Losers. Throughout those pages are exceedingly unflattering photos of Leonard, a kind of implicit acknowledgement for everyone's benefit that not all photographs of us are good ones... which, in turn, served as implicit permission and encouragement for us to post a photo of ourself.
From what I've read in comments and reviews, Leonard appears to have done a 'show and tell' for everyone through this book. He KNEW all its entries were not perfect. He knew that he did not have the time to make them so. We have regularly credited him with being brilliant. He has steadfastly and in humility tried to tell us, to impart to us, how much work he had to put into his songs and his poems, his struggles with every word. That these great works did not just 'happen'!!
So, now, we get to see for ourselves what he has shared with us, his vulnerability, as he included so many UNfinished works!! Hard wrought final pieces they would have ended up had he the time.
To me, this serves as ENCOURAGEMENT to all who would write poems, songs, books, showing us that even the brilliant Leonard Cohen sometimes started out with trite phrasing, mundane ideas and words, as he wrestled with them word by word, and line by line, to get to the finished product. And never did find a word that adequately rhymes with orange. He shares with us the process of that most meaningful exercise and enterprise. Kudos to you, Leonard, for your humility, your caring, and your willingness to make yourself vulnerable, when you're not even around any longer to respond, at all.. an act of generousity for the ages. Thank you, Leonard, for your unfailing encouragement of all people.
Return to "THE FLAME - news and information"


text:
Energy efficient home, easy to maintain — and no mortgage | McClatchy Washington Bureau
Energy efficient home, easy to maintain — and no mortgage
Tim Johnson - McClatchy Newspapers
A few decades ago, cave homes in China were simple dark affairs with tiny doors like this one. Tim Johnson / MCT
MIAOGOU VILLAGE, China — Like millions of other Chinese, Li Zhanjun lives in a dwelling that is fireproof, noise proof, warm in winter, cool in summer and the epitome of an eco-friendly design. Moreover, it's cheap.
Li lives in a cave.
About 20 million Chinese still reside in caves and dirt-covered dwellings on the Loess Plateau that straddles the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in China's northwest.
Some of the caves have been passed down for generations, with hard-packed earthen walls, electrical wiring, piped-in plumbing and other modern conveniences, including cable television.
Just a few decades ago, as many as 40 million Chinese lived in caves. Back then, many caves had small doors and windows, making them dark and dank. The numbers of cave dwellers has dropped as living standards improved in China, even as cave designs have gotten more comfortable, with bigger doors and windows and better ventilation systems.
Wang is trying to convince authorities to promote cave living, designing greenhouse fronts that allow them to trap solar heat more efficiently in winter. He said caves are far more energy efficient than freestanding buildings.
"If you cook just a little food over a fire, it heats up the whole cave. A house isn't so efficient," he said.
One American who spent five months with Chairman Mao in the caves around Yanan, his revolutionary headquarters here in Shaanxi Province, recalled the caves as "a great way to live."
"My cave was very easy to heat — just a little square stone charcoal brazier . . . with a few sticks of charcoal glowing would warm the place during the day. When you went to sleep, on your little cot, you'd bank the fire by raking the ashes over the embers and then puff them back to glowing in the morning," said Sidney Rittenberg, who spent some three decades in China before returning to the U.S.
"Life in the cave was quite clean," Rittenberg added in an e-mail. "After boring a new cave out of the hillside, they would leave it unoccupied for the first year to let it dry out, so that by the time someone moved in it was both clean and dry."
Cave living holds less appeal to young Chinese.
"They think it's rustic," said Li, who along with his wife Wang raised two sons in their cave, which was dug out by his grandfather. "They (the caves) are so comfortable, but the young people think it's primitive."
In addition to caves, many Chinese in this region live in hillside housing with earthen berms for walls and earth on the rooftop. Many are built with local stones from a quarry, with an arch facade. Standing outside his earthen home, Sheng Xiaolong noted the stonework on the facade, comprising large slabs.
"Actually, we pay more for this than for a regular building," Sheng said. "People are not allowed to use explosives anymore to get their own stone slabs. . . . Stones are heavy and require a lot of labor."
Cave designs have changed over the years. As rural incomes rise, cave dwellers bring more furniture home. They've built walls that go straight up to about six feet, allowing for wardrobes to be placed flush against walls. Ventilation systems have improved, and Wang said some 80 percent have indoor plumbing.
They remain largely impervious to natural disaster.
"They are safe in earthquakes. Only landslides can damage them," Wang said. "They can't burn down."
One of the biggest advantages remains economic, he added.
"You can live there forever. You don't pay anybody," Wang said.
MORE FROM MCCLATCHY:
Venezuela's 'rock star' maestro brings China to its feet
U.S. grant will help China's new buildings go green
China's anger at France unravels relations with Europe
China calls Tibet youth group 'worse than bin Laden'
Meet a living Buddha: young, handsome, with an old soul
China's coal fires belch fumes, worsening global warming
Some Chinese call caves home sweet home


text:
Arctic Trucks Works Their Magic On The 2022 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Arctic Trucks has just worked their wonders on the Mitsubishi Montero Sport. The aftermarket company which specializes in re-engineering vehicles so that they can be used in extreme conditions has just unleashed the Montero Sport (Pajero Sport) AT35.
As its name suggests, the Montero Sport AT35 dons massive 35-inch tires measuring 315/70R17. These are then mounted to 17x10ET-25 wheels. In order to fit the ginormous wheels and tires, Arctic Trucks had to fit wider tracks (1,645 mm from 1,520 mm at the front, and 1,640 mm from 1,515 mm at the back). Naturally, this necessitated them to replace the factory shocks and springs for OME heavy-duty suspension as well, while the wheel arches had to be extended.
The modifications result in a massive increase in ground clearance (270 mm from 218 mm). In addition, key off-roading specs have also been improved with approach angle going up to 34.5 degrees from 30 degrees, while departure angle set at 28.8 degrees from 24.2 degrees.
Surprisingly, Arctic Trucks did no modifications to the powertrain. This means, it can be had with the 4N15 2.4-liter MIVEC diesel engine with 181 horsepower mated to an 8-speed automatic. With a curb weight jumping around 100 kilograms (2,195 kg from 2,095 kg) it'll no doubt result in slower off the line acceleration.
However, quoting 0 to 100 km/h times would be besides the point for a vehicle like the Montero Sport AT35. With the Super Select 4WD-II all-wheel drive system coupled with these mods, it's all about tackling any road surface with confidence.
Filed Under: Mid-sized SUV, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, News