text:
package ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.interceptor;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Base64;
import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpGet;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.CloseableHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.HttpClientBuilder;
import org.apache.http.impl.conn.PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager;
import org.eclipse.jetty.server.Server;
import org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler;
import org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder;
import org.junit.AfterClass;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.BeforeClass;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.mockito.ArgumentCaptor;

import ca.uhn.fhir.context.FhirContext;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.api.IResource;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.base.composite.BaseCodingDt;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.base.resource.BaseSecurityEvent;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.composite.HumanNameDt;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.composite.IdentifierDt;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.resource.Patient;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.resource.SecurityEvent;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.resource.SecurityEvent.ObjectElement;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.valueset.IdentifierUseEnum;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.valueset.SecurityEventObjectLifecycleEnum;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.valueset.SecurityEventObjectTypeEnum;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.valueset.SecurityEventOutcomeEnum;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.dstu.valueset.SecurityEventSourceTypeEnum;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.primitive.IdDt;
import ca.uhn.fhir.model.primitive.UriDt;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.annotation.IdParam;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.annotation.Read;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.annotation.RequiredParam;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.annotation.Search;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.client.interceptor.UserInfoInterceptor;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.param.TokenOrListParam;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.IResourceProvider;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.RestfulServer;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.audit.IResourceAuditor;
import ca.uhn.fhir.rest.server.audit.PatientAuditor;
import ca.uhn.fhir.store.IAuditDataStore;
import ca.uhn.fhir.util.PortUtil;

public class AuditingInterceptorTest {

	private static CloseableHttpClient ourClient;
	private static int ourPort;
	private static Server ourServer;
	private static RestfulServer servlet;
	private IServerInterceptor myInterceptor;
	private static final FhirContext ourCtx = FhirContext.forDstu1();

	private class MockDataStore implements IAuditDataStore {

		@Override
		public void store(BaseSecurityEvent auditEvent) throws Exception {
			//do nothing
		}

	}

	@Test
	public void testSinglePatient() throws Exception {

		AuditingInterceptor interceptor = new AuditingInterceptor("HAPITEST", false);
		Map<String, Class<? extends IResourceAuditor<? extends IResource>>> auditors = new HashMap<String, Class<? extends IResourceAuditor<? extends IResource>>>();
		auditors.put("Patient", PatientAuditor.class);
		interceptor.setAuditableResources(auditors );
		servlet.setInterceptors(Collections.singletonList((IServerInterceptor)interceptor));

		MockDataStore mockDataStore = mock(MockDataStore.class);
		interceptor.setDataStore(mockDataStore);

		String requestURL = "http://localhost:" + ourPort + "/Patient/1";
		HttpGet httpGet = new HttpGet(requestURL);
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_USER_ID, "hapi-fhir-junit-user");
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_USER_NAME, "HAPI FHIR Junit Test Cases");
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_APPLICATION_NAME, "hapi-fhir-junit");

		HttpResponse status = ourClient.execute(httpGet);
		IOUtils.closeQuietly(status.getEntity().getContent());

		ArgumentCaptor<SecurityEvent> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(SecurityEvent.class);

		verify(mockDataStore, times(1)).store(captor.capture());

		SecurityEvent auditEvent = captor.getValue();
		assertEquals(SecurityEventOutcomeEnum.SUCCESS.getCode(), auditEvent.getEvent().getOutcome().getValue());
		assertEquals("HAPI FHIR Junit Test Cases", auditEvent.getParticipantFirstRep().getName().getValue());
		assertEquals("hapi-fhir-junit-user", auditEvent.getParticipantFirstRep().getUserId().getValue());
		assertEquals("hapi-fhir-junit", auditEvent.getSource().getIdentifier().getValue());
		assertEquals("HAPITEST", auditEvent.getSource().getSite().getValue());
		assertEquals(SecurityEventSourceTypeEnum.USER_DEVICE.getCode(), auditEvent.getSource().getTypeFirstRep().getCode().getValue());

		List<ObjectElement> objects = auditEvent.getObject();
		assertEquals(1, objects.size());
		ObjectElement object = objects.get(0);
		assertEquals("00001", object.getIdentifier().getValue().getValue());
		assertEquals("Patient: PatientOne Test", object.getName().getValue());
		assertEquals(SecurityEventObjectLifecycleEnum.ACCESS_OR_USE, object.getLifecycle().getValueAsEnum());
		assertEquals(SecurityEventObjectTypeEnum.PERSON, object.getType().getValueAsEnum());
		assertEquals(requestURL, new String(Base64.decodeBase64(object.getQuery().getValueAsString())));

	}

	@Test
	public void testBundle() throws Exception {

		AuditingInterceptor interceptor = new AuditingInterceptor("HAPITEST", false);
		Map<String, Class<? extends IResourceAuditor<? extends IResource>>> auditors = new HashMap<String, Class<? extends IResourceAuditor<? extends IResource>>>();
		auditors.put("Patient", PatientAuditor.class);
		interceptor.setAuditableResources(auditors );
		servlet.setInterceptors(Collections.singletonList((IServerInterceptor)interceptor));

		MockDataStore mockDataStore = mock(MockDataStore.class);
		interceptor.setDataStore(mockDataStore);

		String requestURL = "http://localhost:" + ourPort + "/Patient?_id=1,2";
		HttpGet httpGet = new HttpGet(requestURL);
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_USER_ID, "hapi-fhir-junit-user");
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_USER_NAME, "HAPI FHIR Junit Test Cases");
		httpGet.addHeader(UserInfoInterceptor.HEADER_APPLICATION_NAME, "hapi-fhir-junit");

		HttpResponse status = ourClient.execute(httpGet);
		IOUtils.closeQuietly(status.getEntity().getContent());

		ArgumentCaptor<SecurityEvent> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(SecurityEvent.class);

		verify(mockDataStore, times(1)).store(captor.capture());

		SecurityEvent auditEvent = captor.getValue();
		assertEquals(SecurityEventOutcomeEnum.SUCCESS.getCode(), auditEvent.getEvent().getOutcome().getValue());
		assertEquals("HAPI FHIR Junit Test Cases", auditEvent.getParticipantFirstRep().getName().getValue());
		assertEquals("hapi-fhir-junit-user", auditEvent.getParticipantFirstRep().getUserId().getValue());
		assertEquals("hapi-fhir-junit", auditEvent.getSource().getIdentifier().getValue());
		assertEquals("HAPITEST", auditEvent.getSource().getSite().getValue());
		assertEquals(SecurityEventSourceTypeEnum.USER_DEVICE.getCode(), auditEvent.getSource().getTypeFirstRep().getCode().getValue());

		List<ObjectElement> objects = auditEvent.getObject();
		assertEquals(2, objects.size());

		for(ObjectElement object: objects){
			if("00001".equals(object.getIdentifier().getValue().getValue())){
				assertEquals("Patient: PatientOne Test", object.getName().getValue());
			}else if("00002".equals(object.getIdentifier().getValue().getValue())){
				assertEquals("Patient: Ms Laura Elizabeth MacDougall Sookraj B.Sc.", object.getName().getValue());
			}else{
				fail("Unexpected patient identifier being audited: " + object.getIdentifier().getValue().getValue());
			}
			assertEquals(requestURL, new String(Base64.decodeBase64(object.getQuery().getValueAsString())));
			assertEquals(SecurityEventObjectTypeEnum.PERSON, object.getType().getValueAsEnum());
		}

	}

	@AfterClass
	public static void afterClass() throws Exception {
		ourServer.stop();
	}

	@Before
	public void before() {
		myInterceptor = mock(IServerInterceptor.class);
		servlet.setInterceptors(Collections.singletonList(myInterceptor));
	}

	@BeforeClass
	public static void beforeClass() throws Exception {
		ourPort = PortUtil.findFreePort();
		ourServer = new Server(ourPort);

		DummyPatientResourceProvider patientProvider = new DummyPatientResourceProvider();

		ServletHandler proxyHandler = new ServletHandler();
		servlet = new RestfulServer(ourCtx);
		servlet.setResourceProviders(patientProvider);
		ServletHolder servletHolder = new ServletHolder(servlet);
		proxyHandler.addServletWithMapping(servletHolder, "/*");
		ourServer.setHandler(proxyHandler);
		ourServer.start();

		PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager connectionManager = new PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager(5000, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
		HttpClientBuilder builder = HttpClientBuilder.create();
		builder.setConnectionManager(connectionManager);
		ourClient = builder.build();

	}

	public static class DummyPatientResourceProvider implements IResourceProvider {

		public Map<String, Patient> getIdToPatient() {
			Map<String, Patient> idToPatient = new HashMap<String, Patient>();
			{
				Patient patient = createPatient1();
				idToPatient.put("1", patient);
			}
			{
				Patient patient = new Patient();
				patient.getIdentifier().add(new IdentifierDt());
				patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setUse(IdentifierUseEnum.OFFICIAL);
				patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setSystem(new UriDt("urn:hapitest:mrns"));
				patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setValue("00002");
				HumanNameDt name = new HumanNameDt();
				name.addPrefix("Ms");
				name.addGiven("Laura");
				name.addGiven("Elizabeth");
				name.addFamily("MacDougall");
				name.addFamily("Sookraj");
				name.addSuffix("B.Sc.");
				patient.getName().add(name);
				patient.getGender().setText("F");
				patient.getId().setValue("2");
				idToPatient.put("2", patient);
			}
			return idToPatient;
		}

		/**
		 * Retrieve the resource by its identifier
		 *
		 * @param theId
		 *            The resource identity
		 * @return The resource
		 */
		@Read()
		public Patient getResourceById(@IdParam IdDt theId) {
			String key = theId.getIdPart();
			Patient retVal = getIdToPatient().get(key);
			return retVal;
		}

		/**
		 * Retrieve the resource by its identifier
		 *
		 * @param theId
		 *            The resource identity
		 * @return The resource
		 */
		@Search()
		public List<Patient> getResourceById(@RequiredParam(name = "_id") TokenOrListParam theIds) {
			List<Patient> patients = new ArrayList<Patient>();
			for(BaseCodingDt id: theIds.getListAsCodings()){
				Patient patient = getIdToPatient().get(id.getCodeElement().getValue());
				if (patient != null) {
					patients.add(patient);
				}
			}
			return patients;
		}

		@Override
		public Class<Patient> getResourceType() {
			return Patient.class;
		}

		private Patient createPatient1() {
			Patient patient = new Patient();
			patient.addIdentifier();
			patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setUse(IdentifierUseEnum.OFFICIAL);
			patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setSystem(new UriDt("urn:hapitest:mrns"));
			patient.getIdentifier().get(0).setValue("00001");
			patient.addName();
			patient.getName().get(0).addFamily("Test");
			patient.getName().get(0).addGiven("PatientOne");
			patient.getGender().setText("M");
			patient.getId().setValue("1");
			return patient;
		}

	}

}


text:
Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region
Yosuke Nakagawa, Masanao Minato, Kumi Sumiyoshi, Aya Maeda, Chikako Hara, Yurika Murase, Takashi Nishida, Satoshi Kubota, Masaharu Takigawa
The 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is known to be a critical regulator of post-transcriptional events that determine the gene expression at the RNA level. The gene CCN1 is one of the classical members of the matricellular CCN family and is involved in a number of biological processes during mammalian development. In the present study, the 600-bp 3′-UTR of CCN1 was functionally characterized. Reporter gene analysis revealed that the entire 3′-UTR profoundly repressed gene expression in cis in different types of the cells, to which both the proximal and distal-halves of the 3′-UTR segments contributed almost equally. Deletion analysis of the 3′-UTR indicated a distinct functional element in the proximal half, whereas a putative target for microRNA-181s was predicted in silico in the distal half. Of note, the repressive RNA element in the proximal half was shown to be capable of forming a stable secondary structure. However, unexpectedly, a reporter construct with a tandem repeat of the predicted miR-181 targets failed to respond to miR-181a. In addition, the other major structured element predicted in the distal half was similarly characterized. To our surprise, the second element rather enhanced the reporter gene expression in cis. These results indicate the involvement of multiple regulatory elements in the CCN1 3′-UTR and suggest the complexity of the miRNA action as well as the 3′-UTR-mediated gene regulation.
Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling
3′-UTR
CCN family
CCN1
Cyr61
Post-transcriptional regulation
10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
Dive into the research topics of 'Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
MicroRNA Chemical Compounds 100%
3' Untranslated Regions Medicine & Life Sciences 84%
Secondary Structure Chemical Compounds 71%
Reporter Genes Medicine & Life Sciences 23%
MicroRNAs Medicine & Life Sciences 19%
RNA Medicine & Life Sciences 16%
Tandem Repeat Sequences Medicine & Life Sciences 14%
Nakagawa, Y., Minato, M., Sumiyoshi, K., Maeda, A., Hara, C., Murase, Y., Nishida, T., Kubota, S., & Takigawa, M. (2013). Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region. Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling, 7(3), 207-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region. / Nakagawa, Yosuke; Minato, Masanao; Sumiyoshi, Kumi et al.
In: Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling, Vol. 7, No. 3, 08.2013, p. 207-217.
Nakagawa, Y, Minato, M, Sumiyoshi, K, Maeda, A, Hara, C, Murase, Y, Nishida, T, Kubota, S & Takigawa, M 2013, 'Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region', Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 207-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
Nakagawa Y, Minato M, Sumiyoshi K, Maeda A, Hara C, Murase Y et al. Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region. Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling. 2013 Aug;7(3):207-217. doi: 10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
Nakagawa, Yosuke ; Minato, Masanao ; Sumiyoshi, Kumi et al. / Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region. In: Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling. 2013 ; Vol. 7, No. 3. pp. 207-217.
@article{c1010a35de634a5f85de2e0a726aeb96,
title = "Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region",
abstract = "The 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is known to be a critical regulator of post-transcriptional events that determine the gene expression at the RNA level. The gene CCN1 is one of the classical members of the matricellular CCN family and is involved in a number of biological processes during mammalian development. In the present study, the 600-bp 3′-UTR of CCN1 was functionally characterized. Reporter gene analysis revealed that the entire 3′-UTR profoundly repressed gene expression in cis in different types of the cells, to which both the proximal and distal-halves of the 3′-UTR segments contributed almost equally. Deletion analysis of the 3′-UTR indicated a distinct functional element in the proximal half, whereas a putative target for microRNA-181s was predicted in silico in the distal half. Of note, the repressive RNA element in the proximal half was shown to be capable of forming a stable secondary structure. However, unexpectedly, a reporter construct with a tandem repeat of the predicted miR-181 targets failed to respond to miR-181a. In addition, the other major structured element predicted in the distal half was similarly characterized. To our surprise, the second element rather enhanced the reporter gene expression in cis. These results indicate the involvement of multiple regulatory elements in the CCN1 3′-UTR and suggest the complexity of the miRNA action as well as the 3′-UTR-mediated gene regulation.",
keywords = "3′-UTR, CCN family, CCN1, Cyr61, Post-transcriptional regulation, miRNA",
author = "Yosuke Nakagawa and Masanao Minato and Kumi Sumiyoshi and Aya Maeda and Chikako Hara and Yurika Murase and Takashi Nishida and Satoshi Kubota and Masaharu Takigawa",
note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments This study was supported by the program Grants-in-aid for Scientific Research (S) [to M.T.], (B) [to M.T.] and (C) [to S.K.] from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and by a grant from the Terumo Life Science Foundation [to S.K.]. We thank Ms. Yoko Tada and Ms. Eri Yashiro for their secretarial assistance.",
doi = "10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x",
journal = "Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling",
T1 - Regulation of CCN1 via the 3′-untranslated region
AU - Nakagawa, Yosuke
AU - Minato, Masanao
AU - Sumiyoshi, Kumi
AU - Maeda, Aya
AU - Hara, Chikako
AU - Murase, Yurika
AU - Nishida, Takashi
AU - Kubota, Satoshi
AU - Takigawa, Masaharu
N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments This study was supported by the program Grants-in-aid for Scientific Research (S) [to M.T.], (B) [to M.T.] and (C) [to S.K.] from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and by a grant from the Terumo Life Science Foundation [to S.K.]. We thank Ms. Yoko Tada and Ms. Eri Yashiro for their secretarial assistance.
N2 - The 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is known to be a critical regulator of post-transcriptional events that determine the gene expression at the RNA level. The gene CCN1 is one of the classical members of the matricellular CCN family and is involved in a number of biological processes during mammalian development. In the present study, the 600-bp 3′-UTR of CCN1 was functionally characterized. Reporter gene analysis revealed that the entire 3′-UTR profoundly repressed gene expression in cis in different types of the cells, to which both the proximal and distal-halves of the 3′-UTR segments contributed almost equally. Deletion analysis of the 3′-UTR indicated a distinct functional element in the proximal half, whereas a putative target for microRNA-181s was predicted in silico in the distal half. Of note, the repressive RNA element in the proximal half was shown to be capable of forming a stable secondary structure. However, unexpectedly, a reporter construct with a tandem repeat of the predicted miR-181 targets failed to respond to miR-181a. In addition, the other major structured element predicted in the distal half was similarly characterized. To our surprise, the second element rather enhanced the reporter gene expression in cis. These results indicate the involvement of multiple regulatory elements in the CCN1 3′-UTR and suggest the complexity of the miRNA action as well as the 3′-UTR-mediated gene regulation.
AB - The 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is known to be a critical regulator of post-transcriptional events that determine the gene expression at the RNA level. The gene CCN1 is one of the classical members of the matricellular CCN family and is involved in a number of biological processes during mammalian development. In the present study, the 600-bp 3′-UTR of CCN1 was functionally characterized. Reporter gene analysis revealed that the entire 3′-UTR profoundly repressed gene expression in cis in different types of the cells, to which both the proximal and distal-halves of the 3′-UTR segments contributed almost equally. Deletion analysis of the 3′-UTR indicated a distinct functional element in the proximal half, whereas a putative target for microRNA-181s was predicted in silico in the distal half. Of note, the repressive RNA element in the proximal half was shown to be capable of forming a stable secondary structure. However, unexpectedly, a reporter construct with a tandem repeat of the predicted miR-181 targets failed to respond to miR-181a. In addition, the other major structured element predicted in the distal half was similarly characterized. To our surprise, the second element rather enhanced the reporter gene expression in cis. These results indicate the involvement of multiple regulatory elements in the CCN1 3′-UTR and suggest the complexity of the miRNA action as well as the 3′-UTR-mediated gene regulation.
KW - 3′-UTR
KW - CCN family
KW - CCN1
KW - Cyr61
KW - Post-transcriptional regulation
KW - miRNA
U2 - 10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
DO - 10.1007/s12079-013-0202-x
JO - Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling
JF - Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The seven best players in 2018.
CUT Camps are headed to Canada!
A look at the favorites to win this year's Player of the Year awards in each of the three club divisions.
Can Toronto keep it competitive this year?
The best of the best face off in Minneapolis.


Perfect Christmas setting with pieces you can buy and treasure.
Regular readers will know that, when it comes to table-setting, we are maximalists. Needless to say (but we will), at Christmas we tend to go all out. We love clashing colours, anything that sparkles, holly everywhere and even a few decorative birds if the mood strikes. The crackers need to be colourful and loaded with decent tat, paper crowns and good jokes. Below are some of our favourites for the table, which you can either use as statements or pile together to create a chaotic, sparkling, festive setting.


by David Andersonat11:20 am on April 3, 2019 . It has 6 Comments.
Insurers are preparing the 2020 plans for the ACA exchanges. They are looking at their networks, tweaking their benefit designs and trying to figure out their pricing strategy. This is a tough problem because the ACA has price linked subsidies that invite a lot of game playing. A good chunk of my work at Balloon-Juice and elsewhere over the past four years has been about the pricing games that can be played.
I need to speculate about the challenge of optimal pricing for on-Exchange subsidy eligible folks. This is about half of the individual market. They have special conditions that create, in my opinion, very different pricing strategies that I'll think about some other time.
Any policy offered on Exchange will, on aggregate, be actuarial sound and profitable in normal circumstances.
This gets rid of invest and harvest incentives.
The ACA subsidy regime is a price linked scheme where the benchmark silver plan has the same premium paid by an individual buyer at the same family size and income measured by federal poverty level (FPL). The subsidy size is the gap between the individual premium paid and the benchmark premium. If an individual buys a plan more expensive than the benchmark, they pay the benchmark personal premium plus the entire incremental cost of the more expensive premium. If an individual buys a plan cheaper than the benchmark, they save dollar for dollar the incremental difference with a lower bound of no negative personal premiums are allowed.
Working from my assumptions, insurers would love to offer plans to healthy folks that minimizes the personal contribution while maximizing the federal premium tax credit revenue. Federal premium tax credits have the advantage of being paid in a timely manner and in bulk so administrative costs are low and there is no worry about non-payment.
It is not hard for an insurer to create a policy array that can provide a no personal cost plan to any given individual. The challenge is minimizing the wasted premium tax credit. Right now, most ACA plans allow a 64 year old to be charged three times as much as a 21 year old. For subsidized folks, this means the gap between the benchmark and any other plan increases at a much faster rate for older buyers than it does for a younger buyers. Younger buyers are less likely to see cheap plans net of subsidy at any given income level.
Insurers can design plan arrays that may offer low or no cost plans to 64 year olds. That leaves the healthier group of 22 year olds still paying cash every month. Some of those 22 year olds will opt out of enrollment.
Insurers can offer plans that have no premiums for a 22 year old. But that "wastes" a lot of premium tax credits for older folks as any plan that is precisely zero premium for a single 22 year old is priced too high for any multi-member families of the same income level or older people.
This is a tough problem that has me scratching my head right now.
Insurers can design plan arrays that may offer low or no cost plans to 64 year olds. That leaves the healthier group of 22 year olds still paying cash every month.
@JaySinWA: Silver plan where the cheapest Silver is $5 less per month for a single 21 year old non-smoker than the benchmark. For someone earning $24,000, the cheapest Bronze plan in zip code 15217 (Pittsburgh PA) is $68/month while the cheapest Bronze plan for the 64 year old is $1/month.
We had coverage under my wife's job, but she's been let go.
Can you recommend a good buyer's guide to health insurance?
(She has Medicare. We're looking for coverage for me and our custodial grandson, age 9.
@Sheldon Vogt: I'm about to run out the door, but I think that if you search among David's posts over the past few years, there have been at least a couple that talk about the things to keep in mind (the variables to consider, and how you might want to weight them depending on your situation). Not exactly a buyer's guide, but good solid advice nonetheless!


text:
Q: Permutation: Push function not working, JavaScript O(n*n!) runtime The problem at hand is :
Given an array nums of distinct integers, return all the possible permutations. You can return the answer in any order.
I have this code with an ok run time but it seems that the push function is not working, I am not sure why bc it all makes sense in general
Example 1:
Input: nums = [1,2,3]
Output: [[1,2,3],[1,3,2],[2,1,3],[2,3,1],[3,1,2],[3,2,1]]

Constraints:
1 <= nums.length <= 6
-10 <= nums[i] <= 10
All the integers of nums are unique.

var permute = function(nums) {
    if (nums == null) {
        return []
    }
    return getPermutations(nums);
};

function getPermutations(arr) {
    var set = {}
    var size = factorial(arr.length)
        var result = []
    while (Object.keys(set).length < size) {
        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length && result.length < size; i++) {
            for (var j = arr.length - 1; j >= 0 && result.length < size; j--) {
                if (!set[arr]) {
                    set[arr] = 1
                    console.log(arr) //clearly see the permutations printed
                    result.push(arr) //why is this not working...
                }
                arr = swap(arr,i,j)
            }
        }
    }
    return result
}

function swap(arr,i,j) {
    var tmp = arr[i];
    arr[i] = arr[j];
    arr[j] = tmp;
    return arr
}

function factorial(n) {
    if (n == 0 || n == 1) {
        return 1
    }
    return n*factorial(n-1)
}

A: You're pushing the same array multiple times into the result array.
You can fix this by creating a copy of the arr array before pushing it.
(So the code after it can't mutate the array again)
So instead of result.push(arr) you could use one of those examples:
// using splash operator
result.push([...arr]);

// Array#slice()
result.push(arr.slice());

// Array.from()
result.push(Array.from(arr));

// etc...

Working Example:

var permute = function(nums) {
    if (nums == null) {
        return []
    }
    return getPermutations(nums);
};

function getPermutations(arr) {
    var set = {}
    var size = factorial(arr.length)
        var result = []
    while (Object.keys(set).length < size) {
        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length && result.length < size; i++) {
            for (var j = arr.length - 1; j >= 0 && result.length < size; j--) {
                if (!set[arr]) {
                    set[arr] = 1
                    console.log(arr) //clearly see the permutations printed
                    result.push([...arr]) //why is this not working...
                }
                arr = swap(arr,i,j)
            }
        }
    }
    return result
}

function swap(arr,i,j) {
    var tmp = arr[i];
    arr[i] = arr[j];
    arr[j] = tmp;
    return arr
}

function factorial(n) {
    if (n == 0 || n == 1) {
        return 1
    }
    return n*factorial(n-1)
}

console.log(permute([1,2,3]));

This question could also be a good read, it contains a lot of examples for how to efficiently calculate permutations in javascript.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Situated just a breath away from one of Bali's best surf beaches Echo Beach, these Villas are nestled amongst local rice paddies with walking distance to all the new trendy restaurants, boutique bars and Echo beach. This Freehold property sits on 500m2 of land size and comprises of 2 units 2 bedrooms villa with private pool on each villa. On the ground floor of the main 2 storey villa there are open close plan living, dining, kitchen area, storage and also a spacious bedroom completed with bath tub and rain shower which all overlooking to the garden and 4mx10m pool completed with a Bale and outside coffee table. And on the upper floor you will find the master bedroom with balcony overlooking to the rice field and ocean view and also completed with bathroom comprises of bath tub, shower and wardrobe. On the 2nd villa, you will have a single level villa comprising of an additional of 2 bedrooms ensuite, completed with open close living, dining and kitchen area which overlooking to the small garden and 3mx7m swimming pool. This property is an excellent opportunity to earn some healthy rental income plus capital gains, you can also live in one villa and rent the other out to pay for your lifestyle here in Bali. Offered for sale fully furnished and asking for a very reasonable IDR 6.5 Billion which is approximately US$490,000 at the time if writing. Priced to sell Quickly!
I am interested in "Echo Beach Freehold Property". Please contact me.


You are here: Home › General › Why does Hamas-supporting CAIR Executive Director have a problem with 'DJesus Uncrossed' Skit on SNL?
Nihad Awad, the founder and Executive Director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), has publicly denounced a Saturday Night Live skit that portrayed Jesus in a spoof of the Django Unchained movie.
Awad's support for Hamas would seem to belie any honest attempt to defend Christians, which should then lead one to ask about actual motive. Is Awad going after the first amendment by getting its Christian defenders to agree with him on this issue? Winning their favor would be more in line with what Muslim Brotherhood groups in America attempt to do. What was the outcry over the anti-Muhammad video last fall about?
Answer: Going after free speech rights.
If folks like Awad get traction with respect to taking away free speech rights when it comes to depictions of Jesus, it will be easier to do similar things with the likes of that anti-Muhammad video.
"Such misrepresentation of what Jesus, peace be upon him, stands for is extremely offensive to Muslims and to all those who believe in his message. While we understand the use of shocking imagery and bizarre juxtapositions to provoke a humorous response, we believe such a distasteful portrayal of a religious figure revered by billions of Muslims and Christians worldwide crosses the comedic line.
Jesus is the slave of Allah?
This is why those who are offended by things like the SNL skit should not go down the road of censorship. The first amendment is there for a reason. It's one thing to denounce the producers of the skit and point out their shameful double standards (someone would likely be fired on the spot for even suggesting a similar skit be made about Muhammad) but it's another to institutionalize censorship of things we don't like.
Awad may be outwardly attempting to ingratiate himself to Christians who were offended by the skit but his support for Hamas should cause suspicion about his inward motivations.
Besides, perhaps the idea of an angry Jesus scares him a bit.


text:
The Best Foods to Support Your Cycle
What and how much you eat can impact your hormonal health and menstrual cycle. Learn about the best foods to eat to support a healthy cycle as well as which foods may be better at different times of the month.
Sarah Anzlovar Headshot
Sarah Anzlovar, M.S., RDN, LDN Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD June 21, 2021
Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD
When it comes to the female cycle, most women think most about what happens around "that time of the month" and all of the symptoms that may come along with it. Unless you're trying to conceive (or using the fertility awareness method as an approach to avoid conception), you may not have ever thought about the other parts of your cycle and what your cycle says about your health.
But here's the thing, ladies: your cycle (and any symptoms that come along with it) may actually tell you a lot more than you think. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists even refer to the female menstrual cycle as a vital sign and use it to assess overall health in adolescents. And what and how much you eat can impact both the regularity of your cycle and the symptoms you experience throughout it.
How to Know if Your Cycle is Normal
A normal cycle is anywhere from 21-35 days and consists of 4 phases:
Menstrual phase (your period): Your body is shedding the lining of your uterus called the endometrium, which leads to bleeding.
Follicular phase: Right after your period, both estrogen and progesterone begin to rise.
Ovulatory phase: Estrogen peaks and at the end of this (short) phase, one of your ovaries releases an egg, and progesterone and testosterone rise.
Luteal phase: A mature egg is released and if not fertilized by sperm hormone levels decrease and start the cycle again.
"Ovulation is not just about having a baby," says Jillian Graves, M.P.H., RD, LDN, dietitian at Jillian Greaves Functional Nutrition and Wellness. "Ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone may support many aspects of a woman's health including bone health, cardiovascular health, thyroid function, breast health, mood, cognition, and more," she adds. "One of my biggest concerns if you're not ovulating is that your body is only getting exposed to estrogen with no progesterone to balance it out. This can increase risk for estrogen-dependent cancers like breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers," notes Melissa Groves Azzaro, RDN, LD, owner of The Hormone Dietitian.
Don't worry too much about the occasional off cycle. "Most women will have an occasional cycle that's out of whack, especially if stress is high. If you've had 3 cycles in a row that have been out of the norm, that's a good indication that it's time to get checked out," says Azzaro.
Even if you have a regular cycle, it's still helpful to monitor any symptoms that you experience throughout your cycle. "I think we've been led to believe that PMS symptoms and painful periods are normal, but just because they're common, it doesn't make them normal," says Azzaro. Symptoms like acne, bloating, mood changes, significant energy changes, heavy bleeding, and debilitating pain can be a sign of hormone imbalance. These may be related to "nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, poor gut health, inflammation, stress, lack of sleep, or too much exercise," notes Greaves. With some nutrition and lifestyle changes, it is possible to have symptom-free cycles!
Related: What You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting for Women
ovaries with a hand painted circle of arrows on a designed background of food
Credit: Getty Images / Fourleaflover / Maria Nechaeva / Ma-lina / Daria Bayandina / amtitus
The Best Foods for a Regular, Healthy Cycle
Emphasizing whole foods is a great place to start. Greaves recommends "incorporating a mix of fiber-rich carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats at all meals." Eating enough is just as, if not more, important than what you eat. "Under eating is closely linked to cycle disturbances," says Greaves. Eating too few carbs can negatively impact your cycle too. While low-carb diets may be popular, they could actually be doing more harm than good. One small study found that 45% of female adolescents following a ketogenic diet for six months experienced disturbances in their menstrual cycles. (Here are some other not-so-sexy keto side effects.)
Once you've set a strong foundation with a balanced diet, emphasize these foods for additional support:
Colorful Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can support hormonal health. They are also a good source of fiber, which plays an important role in digestive health and the gut microbiome is closely linked to estrogen levels in women. "The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in hormone balance including removing excess hormones from the body, regulating estrogen levels and more," says Greaves. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts may be particularly beneficial. (Here are 10 more health benefits of vegetables, according to a dietitian.)
Fatty fish
Fat and cholesterol are essential for sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone — both of which play a role in the menstrual cycle. Azzaro recommends adding "fatty fish for omega-3s, which can combat inflammation may help with some hormonal symptoms." Along with salmon, albacore tuna, and sardines, eating plant-based sources of omega-3s like ground flax, chia seeds, and walnuts may also be beneficial. Try these healthy salmon recipes for dinner inspiration.
Fermented foods contain probiotics that help support a healthy gut, and in turn, hormonal health. Aim to incorporate foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt that contains live and active cultures (check the label!), kefir, and miso. Try these 7 healthy fermented foods.
What to Limit for a Healthy Cycle
While all foods can be part of a healthy diet, Azzaro does recommend limiting processed foods and added sugars. These foods provide few beneficial nutrients and may crowd out fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, all of which can all have a positive impact on your gut and hormones. But don't let following a healthy diet become stressful since stress can negatively impact your hormones, too. (Learn more about hormone-balancing foods and how your diet impacts your hormones.)
Can Specific Foods Impact Hormones Throughout Your Cycle?
If you've ever felt like you can't stop eating in the days leading up to your period or crave certain foods at different times of the month, you're not crazy! Hormonal shifts throughout the month can influence your body's needs. For example, "in the one to two weeks leading up to your period (luteal phase), your energy needs are higher and you may notice an increase in hunger," says Greaves. Additionally, "sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone can play a role in insulin sensitivity, which fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle." This can affect how your body responds to certain foods, especially carbohydrates.
Some functional medicine practitioners recommend a concept known as cycle synching. It's meant to "optimize hormone balance for improved mood, better energy and digestion, and overall health," says Greaves.
The Best Foods to Eat for Each Cycle Phase
During the menstrual phase, Greaves recommends "focusing on replacing nutrients lost during menstruation and lowering inflammation." This may include iron-rich foods like beef, turkey, beans, and dark leafy greens. Omega-3-rich fatty fish is linked to lower inflammation and, along with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, may be helpful during this time of the month.
Follicular Phase
"Estrogen levels rise and the body is preparing for ovulation," notes Greaves. She recommends incorporating foods to support healthy estrogen metabolism such as ground flaxseed and pumpkin seeds as well as fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Ovulatory phase
"Estrogen levels peak and energy levels are generally high around days 15-17," says Greaves. Similar to the follicular phase, emphasizing foods to support gut health and therefore estrogen metabolism can be beneficial. Cruciferous vegetables as well as fiber-rich plant foods like berries, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, and legumes all support regular elimination and therefore a healthy gut.
"Progesterone rises and PMS symptoms are most likely to develop during this time," notes Greaves. She also adds that "energy needs increase and changes in progesterone cause the body to me more sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar." The fluctuation in hormones, including changes in serotonin, that occur during the luteal phase may be why you crave carbs and sugar right before you get your period.
"One of the biggest things I see women doing wrong is going too low carb during the luteal phase," says Greaves. Instead, she recommends incorporating fiber-rich carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, quinoa, and squash. Azzaro also suggests adding "more healthy carbs the week before your period (like sweet potato, quinoa, or oats) to help you avoid the processed carbs like chips and ice cream," that you may be craving.
Does this Actually Work?
If this sounds complicated and a little out there to you, you're not alone. Azzaro notes that there really is "no scientific evidence that eating specific foods at specific points in your cycle makes any difference, and it's difficult to follow." But some people like Greaves are seeing some benefit with clients. "I've seen tremendous benefits with my clients in-terms of how they feel, their sleep, mood, energy, digestion, and PMS symptoms when they make supportive changes throughout their cycle. But cycle synching should never be treated like a rigid diet," notes Greaves. That's why seeking help from a dietitian who specializes in hormones can be helpful, instead of following generic guidelines.
Hormonal health is closely linked to what and how much we eat. While there may be some benefits to eating certain foods during specific phases of your cycle, eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods, balanced meals that support stable blood sugar, and enough energy will make the most difference in your hormonal health.


A government report on the baby boom echo focuses on the growing number of children -- grandchildren of the baby boomers -- heading back to school.
This week, the U.S. Department of Education warned that the historic growth that crowds our nation's classrooms is here to stay and will continue throughout the next century. The report Growing Pains: The Challenge of Overcrowded Schools Is Here to Stay predicts that by the end of this century, 94 million students will attend the country's schools and colleges.
As children head back to school this fall in unprecedented numbers -- 53 million -- portable classrooms are cropping up across the nation. Some school districts are unable to build new schools fast enough to meet the growing demand for new classrooms. During the past 15 years, enrollment increased by 8 million children.
"During the 21st century, we will never go back to a time when we are free of growing pains," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said when he released the report this week. "We have a century of growth ahead of us -- a crescendo of children. Growth is a new and unwavering demographic constant."
* The greatest number of children in history -- 53 million -- will enter public and private schools this September.
* In 100 years, the report predicts, 94 million children and young adults will attend our nation's schools.
* College enrollment, estimated to be 16.1 million within five years, will reach record highs.
* Diversity will increase; the number of Hispanic children in schools will increase by 60 percent within 20 years.
* Seventy-eight percent of all schools in rural America need repair and modernization.
Jam-packed classrooms are reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s, when the nation's baby boomers crowded into the nation's schools. School districts coped with the population surge. Many districts split school days into double sessions and struggled to pay for an explosion of school construction.
The scenario of the 1960s classroom crunch is similar to today, but this time, the drop in student population that closed countless schools after the boomers graduated isn't expected to happen. Instead, the growth is expected to stay at record levels over the next ten years and then begin to increase through the rest of the century.
"We cannot continue to apply temporary solutions to permanent, ongoing challenges," Riley said. "The fact that many schools have been using portable classrooms for some years now makes clear that we are not prepared for the kinds of constant growth the future will bring."
The boom in education isn't only at the K-12 levels. College enrollment is also at a record high, up 2.9 million during the past 15 years. Over the next five years, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) expects college enrollment to grow to 16.1 million students.
In addition to the growth of the student population, the government report predicts that the student population will become more racially and ethnically diverse. During the next 20 years, the NCES report estimates, the number of white, non-ethnic students will decrease while the number of Hispanic, Asian, and African American families will rise significantly. For example, the number of Hispanic children in schools is expected to increase by 60 percent, from 7.9 million to 12.7 million.
Riley called for the passage of HR 4094, America's Better Classroom Act of 2000, a bipartisan bill that would allocate $25 billion in school construction bonds. The bill was proposed by U.S. Representatives Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) and has the support of 226 members of the House of Representatives.
Rangel renewed his request for legislative support to pass the bill when the baby boom report was released this week. "Just as kids across this nation are going to school and working as hard as they can for their own futures, we in Congress must go back to Washington and work as hard as we can to improve schools," Rangel said in a written statement. "I call on the Congressional leadership to hold a vote ASAP on the Johnson-Rangel legislation."
"This [bill] has a strong possibility to get passed before the election," said Dan Maffei, press secretary for the House of Representatives Ways and Means Democrats. "Any bill that has the support of the majority of the House and is strongly bipartisan has a good chance to pass."
Money for Class Size Reduction Is on Its Way!


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Tag: George Harrison
January 13 – A Meanie of a Soundtrack
The Beatles – Yellow Submarine (soundtrack)
To anyone who may scoff at the notion that what the Beatles pulled off during their relatively short existence was anything less than miraculous, and that they were under constant pressure to produce more, more, and more, I offer the example of the sometimes unfairly disregarded soundtrack to the animated film, Yellow Submarine, released this day 50 years ago (January 17 in the UK).
The soundtrack contained four "new" songs, two previously released tracks (the title track had been around for almost three years), plus George Martin's orchestral score on side two. Its release was delayed so that it wouldn't interfere with their double album release in November of '68. The film and album were considered a contract obligation, hence the Beatles didn't give it the full studio treatment after spending many contentious hours in the studio over the previous two years. Negative to ambivalent critical assessments of the album are a reflection of the group's attitude toward the project. But is it really an album to be dismissed? Personally, I feel the four previously unreleased songs alone make it worthwhile.
George Harrison's much-maligned Only a Northern Song had been rejected for inclusion on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This turned out to be a good decision, as its replacement was the slightly less-disparaged Harrison track, Within You Without You (as fun as it can be to play the Beatles revisionist "what-if" game, I would never remove Within You Without You from Pepper!). As will surprise nobody who knows my music tastes, I love both of those songs. Yes, Only a Northern Song is cranky George complaining about his place on the group's songwriting ladder, but it's a trippy number with a cool organ and sound effects. It fit in well at the time it was recorded, but was already somewhat outdated (by late 60's standards) by the time the soundtrack was released. McCartney's All Together Now, written with old dance hall calls for a singalong in mind, may not have been his most creative songwriting effort, but again, look at the standard he had set for himself. Paul considered it a throwaway, but if ever one needs a peppy tune to get a jump-start out of a malaise, this is it.
George's It's All Too Much was inspired by the Summer of Love vibe, and is one of my favorite Beatles songs of all time. To me, it's a perfect combination of grungy guitar, flower power, and a typically positive Beatles message. In my mind, the song's psychedelic musical soul mate is the Byrds' Eight Miles High. I only wish they were both ten-plus minutes long.* George's song was originally eight minutes long but trimmed to a still lengthy for the era 6:25. Only a Northern Song, All Together Now, and It's All Too Much were all recorded in early 1967. Only John's Hey Bulldog, which he liked but said was about nothing, was recorded in 1968. Anyone want to remove this song from the Beatles canon? Not I.
It's hard to get too worked up over contemporary critics' dismissive attitudes toward this record since the Beatles themselves mostly mailed it in, though they were reportedly more enthusiastic about it after previewing the film. John was vocally opposed to the inclusion of George Martin's orchestral score, but judging by Lennon's lackluster participation on the Get Back sessions concurrently taking place at the time of this soundtrack's release, I don't know that he had much to offer that would've been an improvement in his mind. An EP was considered which would've included Across the Universe, but was ditched. With 1999's reissue of the film came the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, which includes all the Beatles songs used in the film and excludes Martin's score. I never bothered to pick it up, I guess confirming I'm not the completist I once considered myself to be. Occasionally I let the soundtrack CD play out and find myself enjoying the orchestral tracks. Perhaps I should paint big black holes on my walls for a fuller effect.
*In later incarnations, the Byrds would stretch Eight Miles High into a nearly twenty minute jam session on stage, but Roger McGuinn would only sing the first verse for some reason. I digress.
It's All Too Much
Pepperland
Sea of Time
Sea of Holes
Sea of Monsters
March of the Meanies
Pepperland Laid Waste
Yellow Submarine in Pepperland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Submarine_(album)
Album Review: The Beatles – Yellow Submarine [Remastered]
https://www.allmusic.com/album/yellow-submarine-mw0000668441
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Submarine_Songtrack
Author introgroovePosted on January 13, 2019 January 11, 2019 Categories UncategorizedTags 1969 albums, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles, Yellow Submarine5 Comments on January 13 – A Meanie of a Soundtrack
November 22 – Thoughts on the White Album
The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album)
We've finally arrived at the Big Anniversary of the Beatles' sprawling, self-titled 1968 double album. It's the first Beatles album to be covered in this unabashed fanboy's blog which I started at the beginning of the year. Many of us have already greedily consumed the 50th anniversary release of the album, complete with the Esher Demos, session goodies, the famous individual portraits and lyrics poster, and a hardcover book. Some have already published nice reviews in the blogosphere and elsewhere. Somehow today feels a bit anticlimactic, though I'll probably give it a spin before stuffing my face with turkey later in the day.
It's not that the anniversary hasn't re-sparked my enthusiasm for the White Album, released this day in 1968. It has. It isn't that I'm not thrilled with everything to do with the deluxe edition which I've been poring over these past couple of weeks. I am. But if you'll excuse a bit of hyperbole, when I think about it, this entire year has been about the White Album as pertains to my perception of the Beatles, the music scene in general, and to some extent the year 1968 itself.
The Mad Day Out. (Stephen Goldblatt photo)
Looking back over the first eleven months of my blog, this record looms throughout. The seed is probably found as far back as August of 1967 with the death of Brian Epstein. The Magical Mystery Tour project in the immediate aftermath of his passing may have been their first attempt to carry on managing themselves, but with the White Album we see the fissures within the group and their individual future directions in full light. Many of these songs were written in February during the Rishikesh retreat, and most of the band's activities the rest of the year from that trip-onward led to this album or were an offshoot of it.
We had the single, Lady Madonna/The Inner Light, released in March. In May, the establishment of Apple Corps, Ltd. was announced. This was to be the band's business and musical apparatus, as well as a vehicle for them as individual artists – and isn't that really what the White Album is, some group work but a lot of individual effort? May was also the month sessions for the album began in earnest. With the release of the stunning Hey Jude/Revolution single in August, they showed the world that the Beatles were still the Beatles despite the turmoil they always seemed to find themselves in. Although those tracks were not included on the album, they are White Album session tracks.
The Mad Day Out. (Don McCullin photo)
Group and individual burnout is evident on this album. Even Ringo walked out during his well-documented "I thought it was YOU three?" moment. John's behavior became predictably unpredictable, and the sad state of affairs (no pun intended, but yeah) surrounding his marriage to Cynthia finally came to an end as he officially transitioned to Yoko. They immediately created their first vinyl baby, Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, under the Apple umbrella, and she would be a permanent fixture within the group dynamic from that point on.
Ringo's personal copy of the White Album, edition numero uno, sold at auction in 2015 for $790,000.
George finally found his own creative outlet with Wonderwall Music (the inaugural release on the Apple label), the score to the Wonderwall movie which included Indian musicians who also performed on the Inner Light, as well as his buddy Eric Clapton, who participated on both the movie score and the White Album. All of these factors – from India to Apple, from recording the demos at George's house in Esher to the singles releases, from the "Mad Day Out" photo session in July to the individual side projects and contentious group studio sessions – all of them are woven into the double album we're celebrating today, and all were played out over the course of the year leading up to its release.
Some random personal thoughts about the record:
In 2018, if there's any one member of the band I associate with the album more than the others, it's George. I freely admit this is due in large part to Hari gradually becoming my "favorite" Beatle over the years. The White Album was perhaps his final chance to exert serious influence on the direction the Beatles would take, both musically and spiritually. His creative input could no longer be ignored by John and Paul if he was going to remain in the group long-term. It may not have gone as he had hoped, but his spirit is everywhere in these songs, including the ones which didn't make the final cut. As he mentioned in interviews, he tried to enter the studio the following January for the Get Back sessions with a positive mindset, but it was too late. The Beatles were, for all intents and purposes, done, despite there being two albums yet to record. Amazingly to me, George was only 25 when the White Album was released.
As a child, even though I always loved most of its tracks, the White Album kind of creeped me out. First, the "Paul is dead 'clues'" in the grooves and album artwork were both fascinating and, to 9 or 10-year-old me, frightening. My brother Paul would spin the vinyl backwards for me to hear voices supposedly saying "Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him," and "Turn me on, dead man." In that dimly lit basement I was glad not to be alone when listening. To this day, Revolution 9 still gives me the heebie jeebies, and Good Night which follows sounds more funereal than lullaby because of it. Then there was the unfortunate, unintended connection to the Manson murders. Even that shoddy collage of photos which makes up the poster insert was at best confusing to me. But it's So White Album, no?
Their individual appearances fascinated me, as they did many others. Overnight they transformed from the psychedelic, flower power Sgt. Pepper look to their disheveled appearances of '68. John looked tired and bitter, and it wasn't until my teen years that I understood why that was.
Yoko. Yoko, Yoko, Yoko. Yoko Ono… Because I was born the year after the Beatles broke up, as a younger person I always accepted everything I saw, heard, and read as just part of the narrative of the group. But wow, what an unforeseen shock her emergence in all their lives must have been! Whether he's simply taking the high road or being sincere, Paul made peace with Yoko in recent years as well as declared his perhaps overdue respect for John for making his stand with her. I believe Paul is sincere. It's past time to remove those "I still blame Yoko" bumper stickers, folks. There were plenty of other factors contributing to the split.
And lastly, as for the great debate about whether or not it should've been condensed down to a single LP, my answer is a resounding HELL NO! It's great just the way it is, but if anything could've improved it, it wouldn't have been making it a single album or two separate releases (the White and Whiter Album as Ringo quipped in the Anthology). In my mind, this could easily have been a triple album. I think it's a crime that George's Sour Milk Sea wasn't properly recorded and included (nothing against Jackie Lomax's version). The same goes for Not Guilty. Sprinkle those tracks, plus Hey Jude, Revolution, and Circles throughout Sides 1-5, and make Side 6 all about John and Yoko's madness with What's the New Mary Jane and Revolution 9, and presto!, The Grand and Mega-Blindingly White Album! It was all free-form craziness anyway, and we'd be celebrating it the same as we are today. That still would've left Lady Madonna/The Inner Light as the non-album single between Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album.
But I'll defer to Sir Paul for the final word on the matter:
I'm So Tired
Don't Pass Me By
Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
Side Three:
Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except Me and My Monkey)
Sexie Sadie
Side Four:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ringo-starrs-personal-white-album-sells-for-world-record-790000-62410/
Author introgroovePosted on November 22, 2018 November 22, 2018 Categories UncategorizedTags 1968 Albums, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles, The White Album4 Comments on November 22 – Thoughts on the White Album
November 1 – George Harrison Steps Out
In the world of film scores, some rather clearly need to be heard while watching the film in order to appreciate them. Some are enjoyable regardless of the context in which they're being listened to. One such example for me is the Eurythmics soundtrack to the film 1984. I also find the soundtracks to Wes Anderson's films to be eclectic and enjoyable. But a case where I can see how it could go either way for the listener is George Harrison's score to the Joe Massot movie Wonderwall, titled Wonderwall Music, released this day 50 years ago. It was the first solo album by a member of the Beatles, and the first recording released on their Apple label.
Harrison viewed Massot's work, a movie full of psychedelic pop art (with sets created by the Fool) and dream sequences starring Jane Birkin and Jack MacGowran, at Twickenham Studios. He took notes on the timing of its scenes, and then composed the music to fit accordingly. That music would include Hindustani classical, psychedelic rock, cowboy western movie theme music, and even Ragtime. The film itself is a metaphor for the generation gap as experienced in Swinging London, and Harrison saw it as an opportunity to examine through his compositions the gap between the West and the East, between materialism and spirituality. As described by AllMusic's Richard S. Ginell, the album was "a minor eruption of the pent-up energies of George Harrison."
Harrison, who along with the other three Beatles was experiencing newfound creative independence after the death of manager Brian Epstein in late August of 1967, was given full artistic control by Massot. He composed the music on piano and organ, and played guitar on much of the album, though on the original release he was only credited as producer, writer, and arranger. He also collaborated with top Indian musicians as well as classical pianist and arranger, John Barham, a fellow classical Indian music enthusiast.
Harrison wanted to expand upon the Indian instrumentation that he'd utilized with the Beatles already. In addition to the sitar and tabla, he now employed the oboe-like shehnai, the sarod, and the hammered dulcimer-like santoor, among others. The Western tracks utilized tape loops, backward guitar sound, and wah-wah effects in addition to the more straight forward instrumentation.
Some of both the Western and Indian portions were recorded in London at EMI and De Lane Lea Studios from November '67 to January '68. These sessions included Liverpool band the Remo Four, as well as Ringo and Eric Clapton (credited under the pseudonym "Eddie Clayton"). Peter Tork played banjo on a track which was not included on the soundtrack.
Harrison and Tork, with Remo Four guitarist Colin Manley at left and Mal Evans behind Tork
The rest of the Indian sections were recorded in Bombay at HMV Studios from January 9-13, 1968. It was in Bombay that the instrumental track to George's future B-side The Inner Light was recorded. The majority of the Western music was recorded upon Harrison's return to London in January. Final mixing with Ken Scott began on January 31, and two weeks later George returned to India with the Beatles, their wives and significant others for their retreat with the Maharishi in Rishikesh.
Harrison in Bombay, January 1968
The album would mark the end of Harrison's immersion in Indian music as a composer and musician. After spending time with Ravi Shankar in L.A. a few months later, he decided to concentrate on the guitar and Western music. This period did inspire him later in his work with Ravi Shankar on the latter's Music Festival from India and the East/West fusion of Harrison's 1974 North American Tour, where he worked again with some of the musicians from the January '68 sessions.
Contemporary reviews of the score were favorable. There are sequences in the film with little to no dialogue, and it's been noted that the music effectively takes the place of speaking parts. Retrospective reviews also find much merit in Harrison's efforts on the album. It's been described as a stew of music that's altogether "spacey," "esoteric," "rollicking," and "a beguiling tapestry of sound." Of course, there are different strokes for different folks. Rolling Stone lazily included it in its "20 Terrible Debut Albums by Great Artists" issue. RS writer Keith Harris: "The best thing you can say about Wonderwall Music is that it's probably more historically significant than the LP of experimental twaddle John Lennon released a month later – after all, Oasis never wrote a hit song called 'Two Virgins.'" The reality is, there are just many westerners who don't care for Indian music. And that's o.k., because there are many of us who do. And for many if not most of us, it's due to George Harrison introducing us to it.
Harrison, Jane Birkin, and Ringo at the debut of Wonderwall in Cannes
Short and sweet, but great: Ski-ing, featuring Eddie Clayton, a.k.a., Eric Clapton –
On the Bed: probably my favorite track from the album –
Left off the original release, but fortunately added later: In the First Place, featuring the Remo Four –
An alternate take of the instrumental track to The Inner Light, which George produced while in Bombay in January of 1968 –
Red Lady Too
Tabla and Pakavaj
Drilling a Home
Guru Vandana
Greasy Legs
Gat Kirwani
Dream Scene
Party Seacombe
Love Scene
Cowboy Music
Wonderwall to Be Here
Singing Om
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderwall_Music
https://www.allmusic.com/album/wonderwall-music-mw0000676515
http://magnetmagazine.com/2012/01/05/hidden-gems-george-harrisons-wonderwall-music/#more-120818
Author introgroovePosted on November 1, 2018 November 1, 2018 Categories UncategorizedTags 1968 Albums, George Harrison, Hindustani classical music, Jack MacGowran, Jane Birkin, soundtracks, Wonderwall, Wonderwall Music6 Comments on November 1 – George Harrison Steps Out
October '68 – Donovan, Paul Horn, and Echoes of India
1968 saw four album releases from attendees of that well-known spiritual retreat which took place in Rishikesh, India at the beginning of the year. The Beach Boys released their album Friends in June, and in October Donovan released his classic ode to time spent with the Maharishi. Perhaps lesser known (even though it sold a million copies) but still very significant is the work of jazz flautist Paul Horn, who recorded his album in April while still in India, although the exact release date other than the year 1968 seems to have been lost. Today I'm celebrating these second two releases.
Donovan – The Hurdy Gurdy Man
Donovan Leitch is a bit of a mysterious figure to me in the world of music. He isn't nearly the self-promoter that many of his peers are/were, and it's never really occurred to me to learn much about him (his autobiography is now on my reading list). Without looking it up, I have no idea when the last time was he toured the US or what he's done in recent years.
Is he considered an influential "heavy," as evidenced by his participation alongside the Beatles at the famed retreat with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India in 1968 where he shared guitar techniques with the Fabs, or is he a "lightweight" Dylan wannabe hanging onto Bob's coattails as depicted in the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back? Fifty-plus years on it doesn't really matter, if it ever did. As with any artist, you either like their work or you don't, and I like Donovan's music, especially The Hurdy Gurdy Man, released 50 years ago this month.
Donovan's record, an interesting mix of folk, pop, eastern influences, and jazz, gave us two singles in Hurdy Gurdy Man and Jennifer Juniper. The album's tone is set by Donovan's tremolo voice in the title track, and by use of the tambura which was given to Donovan by George Harrison while in India. Harrison also contributed a line which was unfortunately removed to shorten the song for the radio. It went:
When the truth gets buried deep
Beneath the thousand years asleep
Time demands a turnaround
And once again the truth is found
The Hurdy Gurdy Man is an enlightened teacher – in this case the Maharishi – who helps seekers awaken from their thousand years sleep to find the truth. The song is a testament to the freewheelin' and, uh, foggy nature of how recording sessions unfolded back then, as there were session musicians used who went on to become quite famous, though other than John Paul Jones as the arranger and bass player it's not entirely clear who. According to Donovan, Jimmy Page and Allan Holdsworth played electric guitar and John Bonham and Clem Cattini played drums. Page and engineer Eddie Kramer claim Page played, though Kramer says Bonham did not. Anyhoo…
Other than the two singles, favorites for me include the tambura drone-drenched Peregrine and Tangier, the dreamy and brief The Entertaining of a Shy Girl, and the jazz influenced Get Thy Bearings. The Hurdy Gurdy Man is a rather tidy collection of songs which hold up well to my ears.
Hurdy Gurdy Man
The Entertaining of a Shy Girl
As I Recall It
Get Thy Bearings
Hi It's Been a Long Time
West Indian Lady
Jennifer Juniper
The River Song
The Sun is a Very Magic Fellow
Paul Horn – Inside the Taj Mahal
Jazz flautist Paul Horn was a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation who joined the Beatles, Donovan, Mike Love, Mia Farrow and others at the Maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh in February 1968. He had previously worked with Chico Hamilton, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, and Cal Tjader when he recorded Paul Horn in India and Paul Horn in Kashmir in 1967 (now both available on one disc). Then, upon leaving Maharishi's ashram after the retreat, he snuck a tape recorder into the Taj Mahal on April 25, 1968 and began playing his flute. The guerrilla recording which resulted from it is titled Inside the Taj Mahal, or simply Inside.
The album has been described as Horn playing not only his flute, but the building itself with its long sound delay creating a type of ethereal echo which couldn't be created in studios at that time. A security guard was about to ask him to cease playing, but was so moved by what he was hearing that he allowed Horn to continue. The haunting vocal on the album was improvised by a complete stranger who happened to be under the massive marble dome at the same time. Unfortunately, he was not credited.
Paul Horn and George Harrison at Rishikesh
Inside the Taj Mahal is considered a pioneering album in the realm of "world" or "new age" music. It's a good choice for drifting into or out of meditation, or for the spiritually disinclined, for sinking back into a comfortable chair late at night with a snifter of brandy. In my case, it's both. Paul Horn was nominated for a Grammy five times during his career. He passed away at the age of 84 in 2014.
Prologue/Inside
Mantra I/Meditation
Mumtaz Mahal
Jumna
Mantra II/Duality
Ustad Isa/Mantra III
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hurdy_Gurdy_Man
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hurdy-gurdy-man-mw0000203921
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_(Paul_Horn_album)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/jul/03/101-strangest-spotify-paul-horn
Author introgroovePosted on October 1, 2018 October 4, 2019 Categories UncategorizedTags Donovan, George Harrison, India, Inside the Taj Mahal, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Paul Horn, Rishikesh, The Hurdy Gurdy Man, TM, Transcendental Meditation2 Comments on October '68 – Donovan, Paul Horn, and Echoes of India
My Album Rankings – Solo Beatles Top 25
I'll wrap up my solo Beatles album rankings by putting it together in a tidy and very scientific Top 25 list. My thoughts on each album can be found in my individual posts for George, Paul, John, and Ringo. Other than my choice for #1, this is a rather absurd exercise to undertake, but what the hey. It's got me thinking of some mighty good albums I haven't listened to in a while. Just a reminder: the only reason choices such as #'s 25 and 22 aren't rated higher is because John and George, respectively, are featured on only half the album or less.
25. Double Fantasy
24. Ringo
23. Wonderwall Music
22. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
21. Brainwashed
20. Dark Horse
19. Tug of War
18. Flaming Pie
17. Shaved Fish
16. Wings Over America
15. Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard
14. Thirty-Three and 1/3
13. Imagine
12. Red Rose Speedway
11. Band on the Run
10. George Harrison
9. Cloud Nine
8. Mind Games
7. Back to the Egg
6. McCartney
5. Plastic Ono Band
4. Living in the Material World
3. Walls and Bridges
1. All Things Must Pass
Alright, now you can let me have it!
Author introgroovePosted on June 10, 2018 July 26, 2018 Categories UncategorizedTags George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles11 Comments on My Album Rankings – Solo Beatles Top 25


text:
For more than twenty years I've been wandering the woods and waterways of Saratoga County, New York, looking closely, listening carefully. We are blessed in this county with an amazing amount of wilderness right at hand. With this blog I will share a year of adventuring here, seeking out what wonders await in my own Madagascar close to home.
Rare and Protected Plants of Moreau Lake State Park
Every February, the Friends of Moreau Lake State Park hold a chili dinner to raise funds to support the park. This year, when we met to discuss a speaker for this year's event, it was decided that there was so much good news to convey about the park, we should have our own people talk about it, instead of hiring an outside speaker. So Alan Trepper, our new park supervisor, and Rebecca Mullins, the park's nature educator, volunteered to report on some of the many amazing park programs and additions. Then they said to me, Jackie, could you maybe talk for about 10 minutes on the plants that grow in the park? Ten MINUTES!!!? Man, I've been wandering this park for more than 25 years, documenting every plant I could find, which now add up to about 400 species – and that's just wildflowers, not counting trees, mosses, ferns, lichens, liverworts, etc., etc., etc. Heck, I could talk for ten HOURS and still not shut up! (As some of my friends already know.) But then I relented. How about I talk about just the rare and protected plants I've found in the park? So that's what I did at the chili dinner.
Here's the text of my talk, along with the photos I shared.
Moreau Lake State Park really IS a treasure house of native and rare species. When I visit nature preserves in other parts of our state, I feel lucky if I can find any native plants besides Skunk Cabbage and Poison Ivy, due to deer overpopulation and rampant invasive species. But Moreau is remarkable for offering within its nearly 6,000 acres many different, virtually pristine habitats that support a huge variety of native plant species. Among those native plants are three that are classified by our state as Endangered, one that is rated as Threatened, two that are rated as Rare. And we also can find in this park a dozen orchids, all of them protected species and included in the classification of Exploitably Vulnerable.
Many folks, when they think of Moreau Lake State Park, think the park consists of the beach and the campgrounds and that's about all. But the park contains a heck of a lot more than that! Here's a recent map of the park that reveals its extensive holdings. (And doesn't yet show the thousand MORE acres the park is due to acquire, thanks to recent acquisitions.)
We have a big chunk of a the Palmertown mountain range and miles of both banks of the Hudson River banks. Here's a view from one of our mountain heights, looking over the Hudson River and including some of the park's forested acreage across the river into Warren County.
We have pine woods and hardwood forests; lakeshore, streambanks, swamp and bog; soils that are basic and others that are acidic; rocky heights and soggy lowlands. We even have THREE lakes: Lake Moreau, of course, but also Lake Ann way up in the mountains, as well as the beautiful Lake Bonita, shown below, which we acquired along with the former Mt. McGregor Prison lands.
So it's really not too surprising that I've found some really rare species here, and I'm here to tell you about them.
Three ENDANGERED Species
Keep in mind, now, that rare doesn't necessarily mean gorgeous. This rather weedy- looking Whorled Mountain Mint, for example, is among the rarest plants in the state.
In fact, Whorled Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. verticillatum) is classified by the New York Natural Heritage Program as an ENDANGERED plant (meaning it occurs in no more than 5 sites throughout the state). Well, Moreau Park has the healthiest and most abundant population of all, almost 300 flowering plants concentrated on one sandy shore of a cove.
Now, I think you'd agree that a bouquet of these probably wouldn't impress a lady on your first date -- unless she was maybe a rare-plant botanist! Or if she had a magnifier and could get a really close look at the tiny white, purple polka-dotted florets.
(Of course, if she really WERE a rare-plant botanist, she' be pretty irked with you for picking this endangered plant!)
Which reminds me to advise you here: ALL plants in the park, whether rare or common, are NOT to be picked, EVER!
Here's another flower that thrives at Moreau but almost nowhere else in the state, the Large-leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum var. macrophyllum).
Although it may look like just another weed, the Large-leaved Avens is actually an ENDANGERED species in our state, according to the New York Natural Heritage Program. Well, it sure isn't endangered here in THIS park!
When the Natural Heritage Program's rare-plant monitor Rich Ring (above, left) joined park staff member Maranda Welch and our former park manager Peter Iskenderian to search for more Large-leaved Avens after my pal Sue Pierce and I had found a few specimens, we stopped counting after we'd found over a hundred healthy specimens along one of the park's sunny trails.
Here's one more plant Rich Ring and I found at Moreau that is classified as ENDANGERED in the state, and I still can't believe we managed to find it, it's so tiny. Called Small-flowered Dwarf Bulrush (Cyperus subsquarrosus), it's so small we could have covered this entire plant with a single 50-cent piece!
But we found THOUSANDS of this wee little flatsedge, all along the sandy or pebbly shore of the lake. I was told this plant hadn't been reported at Moreau since 1961 – that's 57 years ago! And we wouldn't have found it now, if the lake level hadn't fallen so low. These plants were growing on shores that had been underwater until about 3 or 4 years ago. Apparently, the seeds had survived underwater all those years and only now, exposed to the air, did they grow and bloom once more. We were really lucky we went looking for them this past early September. After all the rain we've had since then, the shore where we found them is once again under water. It may take another 50-plus years before we find them again.
One THREATENED Species
So. That's THREE Endangered species we have, the rarest category of all. And we also have at least one plant that's classified as THREATENED, the next rarest class of plants, known to exist in more than 6 and up to 20 sites in New York State. This is the Small Floating Bladderwort (Utricularia radiata).
You won't find this plant while hiking the trails or walking the beach, but you might if you paddle the river,where this plant goes floating along on the river's current. It's held erect in the water by those swollen "pontoons" that radiate from its leafless stem. Because it has no green leaves to photosynthesize, this plant has to obtain its nutrients by other means, which it does through the masses of tiny bladders that it trails along underwater. Each of those tiny sacs can suck in even tinier aquatic animals, which the plant then digests and feeds on.
Two RARE Species
The next, still rare but somewhat more abundant category of unusual plants is called, simply, RARE. Plants in this category are known to exist in between 21 to 100 extant sites. One of those sites is our own Moreau Lake State Park, where I have found two species that fall within that classification. First is the spectacularly beautiful Great St. John's Wort (Hypericum ascyron ssp. pyramidatum).
Of all the state-listed plants we have in the park, this is perhaps the showiest, with blooms as big as two inches across, and standing on stems almost 4 feet high. I'd found a few of these plants for years on one of the Hudson islands, but the biggest patch I've ever seen is one I found in the property that's soon to be among the park's newest land acquisitions, the Smith Farm Parcel.
A second plant we have in the RARE category is this pretty little thing called Small-flowered Gerardia (Agalinis paupercula).
Actually, when you see how abundantly this flower grows on the sandy shores of Moreau Lake, it's hard to believe it could ever have been considered a rare plant, but that's how it had been listed in the New York Flora Association's Plant Atlas. I did learn that it was recently moved from the RARE to the WATCH list, which means it's becoming more abundant in the state, but its populations will still be monitored. At any rate, it's certainly not a rare plant in Moreau Lake State Park and hasn't been for many years! Start looking for it along the lakeshore in early September.
The Orchids of Moreau Lake State Park
OK, those are all the plants I have found in the park (so far!) that are classified by the state as truly rare species. But we have another category of protected plants that are classified as EXPLOITABLY VULNERABLE. These are plants that, even if they're abundant now, are likely to become threatened in the future and so are protected by law. Within that category are many of our state's native orchids – all those that aren't already classified as Endangered, Threatened, or Rare -- and Moreau Lake State Park has LOTS of orchids. Many folks are surprised to learn that New York is home to at least 60 species of native orchid. And 12 of those species grow right here in our favorite park.
The Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is probably our showiest – and certainly the most abundant – of all our orchids in the park.
When this lovely orchid finds a habitat it likes, it can thrive by dozens at a site. It is happiest in sandy soil under pines, a habitat that is quite common at Moreau.
Our next two orchids are among our least showy, requiring a close look at their blooms to appreciate their "orchid-ness." I'm talking about our two Rattlesnake Plantains (Goodyera spp.), both of which bear tiny white florets along an erect central stalk. The florets of both species look very much alike, and here is a close-up photo of one of them. (I believe this floret belongs to the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, due to its furry hairs.)
What really sets these two species apart are their leaves, which lie in basal rosettes close to the ground. Here are the dark-green, boldly patterned, curvaceous leaves of the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens).
And here are the paler, more subtly patterned leaves of the Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain (G. tesselata).
And here's a photo of the entire plant.
As the leaves reveal, this happens to be the Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain, but the Downy ones look very similar.
Our next two orchid species – the Ladies' Tresses Orchids -- are not very showy either, although their flowers are marginally larger. Much like the Rattlesnake Plantains, the Ladies' Tresses bear spikes of small white flowers on erect central stalks. Of the two, our more abundant species is the Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua), with pure white florets that have gracefully downward-curving lower lips.
I find abundant numbers of these pretty orchids along the lake shore in early September.
A much earlier bloomer, the Shining Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes lucida) is a somewhat smaller plant with florets that have a distinctly yellow lower lip.
I find the Shining Ladies' Tresses much less frequently. If I'm lucky, I might find one or two plants along the Hudson riverbanks in June.
Speaking of yellow, this next orchid has a scientific name (Platanthera flava) that translates as "yellow orchid."
And yes, this orchid is rather yellowish, but its common name, Tubercled Orchid, is descriptive of another aspect of the plant. Note the little bump (called a tubercle) on the floret's lower lip. Again, not a very showy orchid, but an orchid, nonetheless. This orchid likes its feet wet, so look for it along the river. I have found a large patch of 20 or more on one of the river islands.
At last, here's a really flashy-looking orchid, the Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid (Platanthera psycodes)!
Not only is the Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid a gorgeous flower, it's also relatively common orchid. Sometimes, that is. Orchids can be frustratingly fickle, failing to bloom where you found them last year. Sometimes, if their flowers get pollinated and they set seed, they may not re-bloom for many years. But happily, if you keep looking around the same area, you might find some blooming near where you found them before. I often find this Purple Fringed Orchid while paddling the Hudson in July (but rarely in the exact same location).
Ah, here's another lovely one, an orchid that almost looks like the kind our moms pinned to their prom dresses back in their high school days. This is the Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides).
Rose Pogonia is a wetland orchid that prefers an acidic habitat. Happily, Moreau Park acquired just such a habitat when the park gained ownership of Lake Bonita. If you go looking for it there in early July, better bring your binoculars, since it grows most abundantly out on the little islands that boaters are not allowed to approach, since paddling is forbidden on this little pristine lake.
Here's one more rather showy orchid that grows in Moreau Lake State Park. In fact, its name is actually Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis).
I don't find the Showy Orchis very often though, because to look for it again, I would have to risk scraping the undercarriage off my car on the rocky Hawk Road lane that leads to the parking area for our Warren County holdings on the other side of the Hudson. The soil over there is calcareous (limey), which is what this orchid requires. At least I did find it once, or I wouldn't have this photo to prove it.
I'm really lucky to have this clear a photo of my next orchid, the Green Wood Orchid (Platanthera clavellata).
This little orchid is not only very small, it is also very greenish -- the same color as its swampy surroundings -- and it also grows in deep shade. All factors my camera hates! Trying to focus under these conditions can be quite frustrating. And I also have to squat in the mud to photograph it, which can make my camera hand shake. (Not to mention, making my fanny damp, as well!)
Those same factors also made it hard to photograph this Early Coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida), which is only a little less greenish than the Green Wood Orchid and not any bigger, either.
Those two orchids actually grow in the very same swamp, within a few yards of each other. But because the Early Coralroot blooms earlier in the year before the tree canopy closes in completely, a bit more daylight penetrated the swampy gloom when I took this shot, so it was easier to get a focused photo.
OK, here's the last flower of this presentation, the Autumn Coralroot Orchid (Corallorhiza odontorhiza var. odontorhiza).
I'm guessing this photo might offer a hint as to how I got to be called a total wildflower nerd. Who else but an absolutely obsessed wildflower hunter would look hard enough to discover this almost invisible plant? Not only is it very small and skinny, but also its reddish stems and yellowish bracts are almost exactly the same colors as the forest floor in autumn.
Even when it's in full bloom, it's not much easier to see! That single wee little purple-dotted petal is all you get with this orchid, if indeed you even get that!
The Autumn Coralroot is actually a rather abundant orchid of the autumn woods at Moreau, especially along the Red Oak Ridge Trail. A whole bunch of them used to grow in a wooded area by the beach parking lot, but then the park's grounds crews blew several feet of fallen leaves over them. I haven't found them there again for a couple of years. But you can bet I'll still keep searching for them.
And if anyone wants to come along as I search for plants, I'd be happy to have you join me. Just be aware, though, that it sometimes takes me an hour or more to cover a hundred yards! But who knows? We might just find some more rare species. I hope it's obvious, from what we've seen here, that Moreau lake State Park sure is a great place to look for them.
Posted by Jacqueline Donnelly at 5:21 PM
Woody Meristem said...
Very nice presentation -- congratulations and you obviously kept it under ten hours.
Thank you for sharing your botanizing! From a Skidmore biology graduate.
"I wish to live ever as to derive my satisfactions and inspirations from the commonest events. . . so that my daily walk, the conversation of my neighbors may inspire me, and I may dream of no heaven but that which lies about me." -- Henry Thoreau: Mar. 11, 1856
Narrow-Leaved Gentian
Bittersweet Nightshade berries
Come go through the woods and along the river with me:
A selection of photos, using either a Canon PowerShot G7 or, more recently, a Canon PowerShot S95. All photos and text of this blog are copyrighted by Jacqueline Donnelly. Those embedded in the text can be enlarged with a click of the mouse. The ones in this sidebar cannot.
Mountain azalea scents the air in spring
Autumn reflections on the Hudson
The Hudson River bank in summer bloom
Snow on winterberries
Jacqueline Donnelly
Walking Man 24 7
Breakneck Ridge to South Beacon Mountain(Hudson Highlands State Park)
The Adirondack Almanack
Adirondack Harvest: Farmers Markets Support Local Growers
Naturally Curious with Mary Holland
Common Loon Chicks Riding High
greentangle
Stranger Angels
Natural Mid-Atlantic
Well Done, Faithful Hound
Curious By Nature
One Beautiful Canuck
Starts Today
Bryan Pfeiffer
Messin' With Texas
In Forest and Field
On the Log Again
Nooks and Vales
Two New Nearby Trails
The voices of birds
Woods Walks and Wildlife
June Families and More
Eat The Weeds and other things, too
Bunya Pine
Raining Iguanas
A Little Magic
wash wild
Kane if you're Able
Ask a Naturalist.com
Will robins reuse this nest?
First Person Naturalist | Taking the Outdoors In
The Joy of Nature Epistling
The Ohio Nature Blog
Is Anybody Out there?
The Natural Treasures of Ohio
Top Ten Life Plants of 2018
Cornell Mushroom Blog
Flying fungi
Bee Balm Gal
A Day Away: Labor Day Saturday in Spencertown and West Stockbridge
An Adirondack Naturalist in Michigan
I've Moved Again
New York Flora Association Blog
Climate change and native plant restoration
Paradise From My Porch.
An Open Letter to the Butte County Democratic Central Committee regarding Measure L
Stephen Puliafico Photography
Naturespeak
A Magnificent Specimen
A few words on Little Wren
Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens
Adding Conifers
Thoreau's Birthday
Unmowed
A Sea Change
Bumblebee explores live-forever bloom
Pale jewelweed sheds a crystal drop
Wood frog is hard to find among dead leaves
Buttonbush bursts out in the marsh
Marsh St. Johnswort is pretty in pink
Just a Nice Walk Along the Road
Back to Bonita (for Ed)
Rare and Protected Plants of Moreau Lake State Par...
Through the Woods, Down to the River
Pearl crescent butterfly
American red admiral butterfly
Spicebush swallowtail
American painted lady on heal-all
Blue Dasher dragonfly sits for his portrait
Blueberries ripen in June
Wood sorrel carpets the woods
Red maple baby leaves
Hepatica lights up the forest floor
Cardinal flower glows on the rocky Hudson bank
Orange fungus, green moss
A fungus called "Dead Man's Fingers" -- or is Mickey Mouse reaching up from his grave?
Eight-spotted Forester moth
A sleepy snapper emerges from winter's mud
Russula fungus
Eyelash Cup fungus
Birdsnest fungus
Lacquered shelf fungus
Swallowtail butterfly on wild iris
A study in pink and green
A Baltimore butterfly on yarrow
Frog lands on a floating leaf