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For decades, people around the world have been fascinated with the legend of bigfoot, sasquatch, yeti. Reports of beastly footprints have been reported from as far afield as the Himalayas. The most famous and influential Bigfoot footage is the 1967 film shot by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in Northern California. The "Bigfoot walk" it depicts has…
Fremantle Roundhouse The Fremantle Roundhouse is the oldest building in Western Australia. Opened in 1831 it was used until 1886 to hold any person convicted of a crime in settlement. A 15 year-old boy, John Gavin, was placed on a farm near Pinjarra – and when the head farmer's son was found murdered, John was incarcerated at…
Power Of Magic
Cases of 'supernormal' powers and 'magic' of all kinds have been reported throughout history, almost until religion was invented and these topics were ushered into the realm of the 'demonic.' A book recently published by the Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Dean Radin, entitled "Real Magic" The main premise is the idea that a hidden power…
Egely Wheel
George Egely's Sponsored by Egely Wheel. George acquired his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering of Heat Engines at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 1974. He was primarily interested in the research of transmission of heat and energy, which continued to his first workplace at the Atomic Energy Research Institute from 1974 to…
The creature has a horse-like face with horns sprouting from the top of its head. It walks on two legs, ending with cloven hooves. The overall body shape resembles a kangaroo, though it also has wings like a bat. Some say it has a tail like a lizard; others say it has no tail at…
Billy Meier
Meier was born to an ordinary family with loving parents, As a small boy, like other children, he would play in the nearby woods. Eduard Albert "Billy" Meier claims he was first contacted by alien figures at the age of five, in 1942, and maintained regular contact throughout his life. deep into the woods of…
The Unlucky Mummy
Was the sinking of Titanic the wonder, a spell of bad luck, poor workmanship, a sleepy captain? Or does the truth lie in a Titanic conspiracy theory? When the most tragic events occur in our lives, we do our best to make sense of them. We might blame God, bad luck, our secret desires, fate,…
Yoga History The origin of yoga and the rich history of this practice will only further our understanding of the depth and breadth of yoga as a whole. We can explore other avenues and other paths and practices simply by learning about its past. By rooting ourselves in the origin of yoga and all of its…
Yogis know that destiny arises from consciousness defining itself in us through seven major energy centers—the chakras. The story of the chakras is the story of how spirit manifests in human form, including our individual variations on the human theme, as well as the story of our spiritual destiny and how we can transform our lives…
free spirit A spiritual awakening is the dissolving of the illusion that you are separate from oneness. a person's energy moves and starts to transform you. It heals old wounds, dissolves false beliefs and illusions, and shifts you towards your truest way of expressing yourself and living your life. A spiritual awakening is realized throughout…
The Orion War Part 1
History of Orion the wars started over over 20 million years ago, in the constellation of Lyra. soon the war spread to Orion, and it became a war of mind-sets and ideologies. there was a group of humanoid races that was committed to the idea of service to others. And the other hand there was a group…
Akashic Records The Akashic Records, is a giant filing cabinet of information. Some people think of the Akashic Records as a library, or a book. Some think of it as a database, according to the Records themselves, they are another dimension called the Akasha. The Akasha is a higher dimension than the dimension we live…
past lives proof Dr. Ian Stevenson was a well-respected psychologist and was the chair of the department of psychology at the University of Virginia. He was given a million-dollar grant to fund research into paranormal psychology, or parapsychology, with the intention of disproving the concept of reincarnation. Ryan Hammons was 5 years old, he began telling…
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Revelation 6:1-2: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals… I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. The White Horse The first…
The Flying Dutchman The Flying Dutchman, is a seventeenth-century merchant ship said to haunt the high seas. the ship, which often appears as a hazy image or a strange light, is said to be a portent of bad luck and doom. The ship and its crew became eternally cursed when its Dutch captain refused to…
Inner Power
Intuition defined as "into the soul" is a natural gift we are all born with. It's an inner guide, gut feeling, or sixth sense. It interacts with us on a daily basis with every experience from making a major life decision to deciding what product is better to purchase. Have you walked into a bookstore…
Before the creation Part 1
Part one In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. The Cherokee Indians…
Before The Creation Part 2 Operation Hihjump Highjump was one of the largest operations ever conducted in Antarctica with over 4,000 men sent to study, map, and reside on the continent for eight months. The expedition included 13 Navy support ships, an aircraft carrier, helicopters, flying boats, and an array of more traditional aircraft. This…
What consciousness is and where it resides is still only theory to date. In the September 2017 issue of NeuroQuantology, a peer-reviewed journal of neuroscience and quantum physics published a groundbreaking paperthat could accelerate science's understanding of consciousness: Our brain is not a "stand alone" information processing organ: it acts as a central part of our integral nervous…
Halloween Halloween draws from a number of festive fall holidays throughout the millennia. It originally came from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Later, in the eighth century, Catholic Pope Gregory III decided to call November 1st All Saints Day. Over time, the two disparate holidays began to coalesce and the foundations of Halloween began…
Bloody Marry Perhaps the most famous modern myth, this tale suggests that if you are to look in the mirror and say "Bloody Mary" a specified number of times, something will happen. It's the what that legend disagrees on. In the earliest versions, an unmarried woman would see the face of her future husband in…
Mythological Creatures
The Kraken According to Scandinavian mythology, the Kraken is a legendary sea monster of gigantic proportions said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. The Kraken is usually described as a giant squid or octopus-like creature, but it has also been described as crab-like. There are various tales of the Kraken attacking and…
Ancient Aliens Part 2
Ancient Aliens Part: Two General Douglas MacArthur, "the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets. The politics of the future will be cosmic, or interplanetary". Vatican Cardinal, Monsignor Corrado Balducci, "Extraterrestrial contact is a real phenomenon. The…
Spiritual Guides Your main spirit guide is a being who is with you from the time you are born until the time you die. Your main spirit guide never leaves your side. You will have other spirit guides in your life also that show up in times of need and when you are going through…
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Robinson Family History
Jessie Robinson Bios
Jessie M Robinson (1941 - 1995)
Jessie M Robinson
Jessie M Robinson was born on December 25, 1941. She died on December 15, 1995 at age 53. We know that Jessie M Robinson had been residing in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90044.
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Jessie M Robinson Biography
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Jessie Robinson was born on December 25, 1941
Jessie Robinson died on December 15, 1995
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Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90044
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Jessie M Robinson lived 15 years shorter than the average Robinson family member when she died at the age of 53.
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Jackie Roosevelt Robinson
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson by Arthur K. Miller
Ralph Coleman. 4 Generations
Aimee Margaret (Flood) Robinson
Henry Reid Robinson
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Jessie M Robinson died on December 15, 1995 at age 53. She was born on December 25, 1941. There is no information about Jessie's family. We know that Jessie M Robinson had been residing in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90044.
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In 1941, in the year that Jessie M Robinson was born, on December 7th, the Japanese attacked the military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The surprise aerial attack damaged 8 U.S. battleships (6 later returned to service), including the USS Arizona, and destroyed 188 aircraft. 2,402 American citizens died and 1,178 wounded were wounded. On December 8th, the U.S. declared war on Japan and on December 11th, Germany and Italy (allies of Japan) declared war on the United States. World War II was in full swing.
In 1954, Jessie was merely 13 years old when from April 22 through June 17th, the Army v. McCarthy hearings were held. The U.S. Army accused Roy Cohn (chief counsel to Senator McCarthy and later trusted mentor of Donald Trump) of blackmail. McCarthy and Cohn accused the U.S. Army of harboring communists. The Army allegations were found to be true. The U.S. Senate later censured McCarthy.
In 1960, at the age of 19 years old, Jessie was alive when on September 26th, the first televised debate for a Presidential campaign in the United States - Kennedy vs Nixon - was held. Seventy million people watched the debate on TV. The debate pre-empted the very popular Andy Griffith Show.
In 1973, at the age of 32 years old, Jessie was alive when in October, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned - President Nixon nominated Gerald Ford for Vice President. Nixon's tax returns came under investigation. Nixon offered the recently discovered Oval Office tapes be heard by one person and summarized - his offer was rejected by the Special Prosecutor. Nixon ordered the Attorney General, then the assistant Attorney General, to fire the Special Prosecutor. Both refused and were fired. The Solicitor General became the acting Attorney General and fired the Special Prosecutor (the Saturday Night Massacre). Nixon releases some of the tapes, under extreme pressure because of the firings.
In 1995, in the year of Jessie M Robinson's passing, on October 16th, the Million Man March took place on the National Mall in Washington DC. The March was organized to address "the ills of black communities and call for unity and revitalization of African American communities". An estimated 850,000 people attended.
Other Jessie Robinsons
Jessie Mae Campbell Robinson
Jessie Robinson
around 1892 - May 9, 1941
Jessie N Robinson
South Carolina, United States
Jessie L Robinson
Jessie W Robinson
Jessie J Robinson
Oklahoma, United States
Jessie E Robinson
Jessie R Robinson
Jessie Walter Robinson
Jessie B Robinson
Other Robinsons
Lucile Robinson
Laurel, Mississippi
Charles E Robinson
Mar 23, 1944 - Sep 18, 1998
Gene C Robinson
Natchez, MS
Edward G Robinson
Feb 10, 1946 - Apr 4, 2002
Leota J Robinson
Oct 26, 1891 - March 1994
Centreville, MS
Frederick Robinson
Jul 3, 1945 - Sep 22, 2010
Calvin Robinson
Apr 23, 1946 - September 1975
Sammie Robinson
Aug 24, 1945 - February 1976
Roosevelt Robinson
Lorena G Robinson
John L Robinson
Jul 25, 1944 - Nov 2, 1996
Sep 30, 1942 - Mar 27, 2007
Jun 10, 1945 - Nov 9, 2007
Eudora, AR
Judy P Robinson
Oct 8, 1946 - Nov 9, 2003
O C Robinson
Feb 6, 1934 - Oct 12, 1990
Mary E Robinson
Hermanville, MS
Gus Robinson
Oct 15, 1882 - November 1972
Patricia D Robinson
Oct 9, 1948 - Apr 29, 2007
Laurel, MS
Selma Robinson
Feb 20, 1945 - Jun 28, 2009
Waynesboro, MS
Gracie Robinson
Mar 17, 1913 - March 1988
Apr 5, 1946 - July 1983
Gulfport, Mississippi
Joan M Williams
Aug 9, 1940 - Nov 6, 2009
Willie G Perryman
Apr 27, 1944 - Apr 4, 2011
Grand Bay, AL
Anna P Bell
Dec 15, 1918 - Feb 5, 1994
Harry D Burney
Dec 9, 1943 - Dec 31, 2002
James D Henry
Dec 31, 1944 - May 8, 2000
Espie Landry
Jun 20, 1889 - January 1978
Jul 19, 1947 - December 1980
Judith A Young
May 30, 1944 - Feb 27, 2001
Edison M Watson
Jul 10, 1946 - Jun 30, 2011
East Liverpool, Ohio
Richard D Benfield
Johnny N Higginbotham
Jul 4, 1944 - Jan 20, 2001
Tressie M Washington
Jun 23, 1946 - Aug 25, 1993
Joseph Wayne Ross
Apr 1, 1944 - Dec 9, 2010
Gautier, Texas
David H Smith
Jul 10, 1945 - Aug 29, 2005
Harry Maloney
Marie K Parenteau
Oct 9, 1932 - Dec 8, 1994
Vineacie H Wood
Sep 3, 1923 - Feb 3, 2006
Betty Bethea
Dec 20, 1947 - Sep 30, 1990
Alberta S Orr
Jackie Kennedy - First Lady of Fashion Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" (Bouvier) Kennedy Onassis, born 7/28/1929, grew up to become First Lady of the United States in January 1961 at the young age of 31. Better known all her life as just...
How to Throw a Party in the 1950s Do you remember watching these films - or sometimes filmstrips - about dating, family life, courtesy, or citizenship on rainy days in school? Or maybe you saw them in home economics or social...
Armistice Day - The End of World War 1 On the 11th day of the 11th month at 11a in 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany in Compiègne, France. The Armistice ended hostilities on the Western Front...
Popular Authors and Journalists From Our Past Reading used to be so formal. When a minority of the populace could read, writers wrote for the "elite". As more people were able to read, comic books, graphic novels, science fiction, bodice...
Success Stories from Biographies like Jessie M Robinson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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(100573) 1997 HR2 es un asteroide perteneciente al cinturón de asteroides, descubierto el 29 de abril de 1997 por el equipo del Spacewatch desde el Observatorio Nacional de Kitt Peak, Arizona, Estados Unidos.

Designación y nombre
Designado provisionalmente como 1997 HR2.

Características orbitales
1997 HR2 está situado a una distancia media del Sol de 2,398 ua, pudiendo alejarse hasta 2,960 ua y acercarse hasta 1,837 ua. Su excentricidad es 0,234 y la inclinación orbital 3,066 grados. Emplea 1357,06 días en completar una órbita alrededor del Sol.

El próximo acercamiento a la órbita terrestre se producirá el 8 de octubre de 2195.

Características físicas
La magnitud absoluta de 1997 HR2 es 16,9.

Véase también
 Lista de asteroides del (100501) al (100600)
 Cuerpo menor del sistema solar

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Circunstancias de Descubrimiento: Planetas Menores Numerados

Asteroides del cinturón principal
Objetos astronómicos descubiertos por el Spacewatch
Objetos astronómicos descubiertos desde el Observatorio Nacional de Kitt Peak
Objetos astronómicos descubiertos en 1997
Wikiproyecto:Asteroides/Artículos de asteroides

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This was my first Rainbow Rowell book so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Attachments is a contemporary romance, which is not the genre I usually go for, but I have to say I was happily surprised with this one.
Beth and Jennifer are great characters too. Their banter is realistic and inviting. Who wouldn't want to be friends with those two?!
Overall, Attachments is a cute office romance, with great characters and a nice flow to the story. It does have a bit of a slow start, but stick to it and you'll be rewarded at the end.
Yes, Eleanor & Park sounds promising but I've already bought Fangirl so I might read that one first… 🙂 Let me know what you think of Eleanor & Park if you decide to read it!
This is my favorite novel by Rainbow Rowell – and all the credit goes to the characters.
Even though we only read about Beth & Jennifer through e-mails, I couldn't help but laugh everytime! They're so funny and witty. Plus, I loved all the 90s references. It makes things more realistic!
And I agree about Lincoln – he wasn't the typical male lead, but he was absolutely adorable!


TouchPoint makes it very easy for you to find an individual by using a simple search process that is anything but simple behind the scenes. Notice the various criteria by which you can search when you go to People > Find .
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← Explore London's art exhibitions and museums online during the lockdown
Ultimate London quiz Part 1 | Test your knowledge of the Big Smoke with 20 questions and answers →
The forgotten milkmaids and cows of St James's and Green Park
Cattle used to graze in these central London parks in the 18th and 19th century.
Milkmaids' Passage
Today, the neighbouring St James's and Green Park are small pockets of green in the centre of bustling Westminster. Dwarfed in comparison to other royal parks, the pair are a popular cut-through for tourists going between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. Standing in either park in the 21st century, you would be hard pressed to imagine of them covered in grazing cows. However, as little as 115 years ago, cows in the park were used to provide fresh milk for Londoners.
St James's Park is the oldest of the two and was the first royal park in London. Originally set out as a deer park by King Henry VIII (1491-1547) in 1532, it was later landscaped by King James I of England (1566-1625). Meanwhile, Green Park originally started life as Upper St James's Park when the land was surrendered to King Charles II (1630-1685) in 1668, who was also restoring nearby St James's Palace. By 1746, the park was renamed The Green Park. Queen's Walk, a pathway along the eastern fringes of the park (leading from Piccadilly to The Mall), was laid out by King George II (1683-1760) for his wife, Caroline of Ansbach (1683-1737). Walking down Queen's Walk, you may notice a small alley off to the east, in between Lancaster House and Stornoway House. Named Milkmaids' Passage and leading to the Stable Yard of St James's Palace, the small lane gives a clue to the park's former life.
Up until the Georgian housing boom, the western fringes of the capital were incredibly rural, covered in fields and dotted with farms. As the London population grew throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th century, so did the number of dairies in the city. In an era before mass transport could bring in milk from the countryside, cows were required to live in and by the city so Londoners could access the calcium-rich drink. Two of these nearby rural-esque areas were St James's and Green Park, which had grazing cows, accompanied by milkmaids to milk them. As early as 1710, buying milk from the cows at the 'Lactarian' in St James's Park was documented by German traveller Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach (1683-1734). The main area for buying milk was the Whitehall end of St James's Park. Milkmaids paid half a crown a week for the right to feed and milk the cattle, rising to three shilling a week in 1772. Generally, the milkmaids tended to be servants of cow-keepers and were given permission to trade in the park by the Home Secretary. The cows would be driven twice a day – at noon and in the evening – towards the Whitehall corner of St James's, where they would tied up and milked for a penny for a mug. Many of the customers were parents or nannies, buying milk for babies and children, as well as the sick, who had been recommended to get a calcium boost (see this 1790 print of a milkmaid in the park from the V&A collection). Some adults ordered a 'Syllabub', milk mixed with wine, sugar and spice. By 1794, the Board of Agriculture estimated there were 8,500 cows being milked in London. This 1801 painting by American artist Benjamin West (1738-1820) gives an idyllic depiction of milkmaid life in St James's Park.
The Milk Fair in St. James's Park in the 19th century.
© Wellcome Library, London.
Between the 17th and 19th century, a host of new roads and large houses were built in the district of St James, which is now a conservation area. Lancaster House (previously known as York House and Stafford House) was completed in 1840, with its neighbour Bridgewater House (now known as Stornoway) following in 1872. With a Portland stone wall separating it from Lancaster House and old paving stones, Milkmaids' Passage likely dates back to the 18th or 19th century. While not dated exactly, it is recognised as one of the surviving alleys or lanes which are "an integral part of the historic fabric of the area" by Westminster Council. The passage would have provided the perfect access for maids to carry fresh milk from the park's cows to the dairy of St James's Palace and the other aristocratic homes of the district.
A Portland stone wall separates Milkmaids' Passage from Lancaster House
While milkmaids and cows all seem quite quaint to our 21st century selves, the truth was St James's and Green Park were pretty dangerous places to be, especially at night. The parks provided the perfect cover for escaping robbers and highwaymen fleeing the wealthy districts of St James and Mayfair after committing their crimes. In 1797, John Briant was sentenced to death after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of abducting and raping a 14-year-old milkmaid named Jane Bell from Green Park.
By the 1830s, there were 12,000 cows being milked in London, rising to 20,000 in 1850. American writer James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) describes Green Park as "nothing but a large field, cropped down like velvet, irregularly dotted with trees… Paths wind naturally across it, cows graze before the eye, and nursery maids and children sprinkle its uneven surface", in his 1837 publication, 'England, with Sketches of Society in the Metropolis'. A couple of decades later, journalist Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) describes the milk set-up in St James's Park in his 1861 series 'London Labour and the London Poor'. He wrote: "There are eight stands in the summer, and as many cows, but in the winter there are only four cows. The milk-vendors sell upon an average, in the summer, from 18 to 20 quarts per day; in the winter, not more than a third of that quantity." Mayhew suggested the city's cows' milk was not as good quality as it would be in the countryside, and noted milkmaids struggled to sell any milk at all on a rainy day.
While demand for milk was generally high, the cattle industry took several beatings by disease during the 19th century, as detailed in Hannah Velten's 2013 book 'Beastly London: A History of Animals in the City'. Pneumonia was imported from Dutch cattle in 1842, followed by a foot and mouth outbreak the same decade, and cattle plaques from Russia in 1865 and 1866-7, all which had devastating results on the city's cattle population.
By the Victorian era, the royal parks' cow stalls had expanded to selling gingerbread and other sweet treats. Charles Dickens Jr. (1837-1896) wrote in his 1879 'Dictionary of London: "There is a large consumption of curds and whey, and of milk fresh from the cow, at these primitive restaurants, and the cows which are tethered to the stalls give an air of reality to the promises of their proprietors."
(Mrs Emma Elizabeth Kitchen in St James's Park, 1904.
Shared by Leonard Bentley on Flickr)
One of the parks' most famous milkmaids was Mrs Emma Elizabeth Kitchen (1835-1915), mother of Victorian Music Hall performer Fred Kitchen (1872-1951). Mrs Kitchen had a kiosk on The Mall side of St James's Park. The Kitchen family claimed their milk business had been in the family for generations and had been passed down mother to daughter since the time of James I. Fred's memoirs 'Meredith, We're In!', published in 2013, details the family legend. King James was said to have discovered one of Mrs Kitchen's milkmaid ancestors milking her cows in his royal park and asked her for a cup, to which she obliged, back in 1623. The monarch then promised the milkmaid that she and her heirs would always have the right to sell milk on the site. In his memoirs, Fred recalls driving the cows to and from the park and delivering milk to the wealthy tenants of nearby Carlton House Terrace as a young boy. Mrs Kitchen wrote to King Edward VII (1841-1910) in 1905 after finding out construction of The Mall would require her kiosk to be demolished. The monarch gave permission for her stall to be re-sited in Horse Guards, although cows were no longer allowed in the park. When Mrs Kitchen died in 1915, her kiosk was inherited by her sister Caroline Orford. Although the cattle were gone, the family business still sold milk, as well as soft drinks and buns, at 'The Tin Cow'. However, in 1922, Orford's campaign to save the stall failed as the site was needed for the new Guards Memorial. Orford's departure from the park meant the royal parks' milk association had finished forever. These days, the only milk you're likely to find in the parks is a splash to accompany your tea in the St James's Park café.
Green Park and St James's Park can be accessed from The Mall in St James, SW1A. Nearest stations: Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, Charing Cross or St James. For opening hours, visit the Royal Parks website.
Discover the history of Chelsea's dairies, and clues left behind.
For more of Metro Girl's history posts, click here.
Green Park, London SW1A 1AA, UK
Posted on 2 May 2020, in History, London, Tourist Attractions and tagged King James I of England, St James, Westminster. Bookmark the permalink.	5 Comments.
diaryofagaydad.net | 2 May 2020 at 9:48 am
Some really interesting facts. Thank you u for sharing 🙂
Metro Girl | 2 May 2020 at 5:28 pm
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History of London shopping arcades and department stores


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Not All Fungi Are Fun Guys
Trees can stand up to a lot of things. They can recover from being burned. Even if you shoot a tree, it will survive. You can also cut off parts of a tree and it will still keep growing. Trying to remove a tree and miss some roots? That tree is going to come back to haunt you. Like all living things, however, even trees have weaknesses:
Dying willows in Escondido Creek appear to be victims of fungus, rather than a beetle infestation, the Escondido Creek Conservancy announced on its website Wednesday.
The problem began over the summer, when the conservancy learned that trees in Elfin Forest were wilting and dying, Executive Director Ann Van Leer said. Withered branches lined the creek bed, and blackened leaves drooped from nearby trees.
Conservancy officials temporarily closed trails in the area in August, and enlisted Riverside plant pathologist Akif Eskalen to study the die-off, hoping to pinpoint the cause.
After testing samples from the willows, he found four different types of fungus that can attack trees.
Conservancy officials plan to take a wait and see approach to the problem, monitoring whether the infestation worsens in the spring and discouraging hikers and visitors from moving any wood from the area.
"These fungi are known to cause wood canker and dieback on a wide variety host trees worldwide," Eskalen wrote in a report to the conservancy. "They are also known to produce overwintering structures where they release spores the following spring to "reinfect" its host plant and possibly spread to others."
Eskalen included a photo of a tree from the watershed, showing a grayish patch of fungal spores on tree and the damaged wood tissue beneath. And he sent photos of willows with dried out, dying branches, indicating that the infestation is still ongoing and could continue in the spring. Officials warn that transporting wood could also spread pests between woodland areas.
The collapse of willow groves can devastate habitat for the least Bell's vireo, an endangered songbird that lives along streams, and the stands of dead wood could pose fire hazards to surrounding communities.
Via: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-no-dying-willows-20170201-story.html
With warmer weather comes the desire to camp. Camping brings about the need for firewood. You've got to be careful where you get your wood from. Using the infected logs from a tree can transport the disease to a new area. For some tree borne diseases, burning the wood causes the spores to be released over a huge area. With a puff of smoke you could be infecting an entire forest. It sounds a little ridiculous but it's serious business. Do you have willow trees on your property? It's best to get them inspected to see if they are carrying the disease. There may be other trees at risk as well, so stay informed. If you have infected trees, proper removal will ensure that the trees are looked after properly and disposed of properly. We provide tree removal service that can help you out: http://www.allcleartree.com/removal. Don't leave things up to chance: let us do the hard work.
The following post Not All Fungi Are Fun Guys is courtesy of ACTS
source http://www.allcleartree.com/removal/not-fungi-fun-guys
A Future With No Trees
Time to Deport To the Down Under
The Shocking Tree Revolt
Blow Me Down: Winter Storms and Falling Trees
Hey, You, Get Off of My Lawn!
What The World Would Be Like Without Messy Trees


Patriotic spa set is both useful and versatile! Instructions included for hand towel, star shaped washcloth, soap saver bag, bath pouf, and loofa (back scrubber).
Originally intended as a spa set, the hand towel, washcloth, and soap bag could easily do double duty as a placemat, coaster or hot pad, and a silverware caddy… Simple color changes make it versatile to fit any season or décor!


text:
Q: I am planning to use GetFieldValueAsHtml in CSOM world and I am not able to find that method for FieldMultiLineText class I am planning to use GetFieldValueAsHtml in CSOM world and I am not able to find that method for FieldMultiLineText class
Let us know how to get this method in the CSOM world.
But that method is available for SPFieldMultiLineText and not for FieldMultiLineText

A: List Item class exposes ListItem.FieldValuesAsHtml Property, the following example demonstrates how to retrieve FieldValuesAsHtml property for a List Item:
using (var ctx = new ClientContext(url))
{
     var web = ctx.Web;
     var file = web.GetFileByServerRelativeUrl("/Shared Documents/SharePoint User Guide.docx");
     var listItem = file.ListItemAllFields;
     ctx.Load(listItem, i=>i.FieldValuesAsHtml);
     ctx.ExecuteQuery();

     var fieldVals = listItem.FieldValuesAsHtml;
 }

A: Just using ListItem.get_item("richTextField") will return the value of your field as HTML -- that is how sharepoint stores multiline values.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Could the former St. Thomas psychiatric hospital go from movie set to front-line player in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Let's pray it never reaches this stage – and to date, there is no indication St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is about to be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients – however, the president of OPSEU is urging the province "to look for creative ways to combat the spread of the coronavirus."
Warren 'Smokey' Thomas is urging the Doug Ford government to consider opening portions of previously shuttered regional mental health centres including the facility south of St. Thomas and the Rideau Regional Centre in Smiths Falls to ease a potential capacity crisis in the healthcare system.
In a media release issued last month, Thomas noted, "They can be used for currently hospitalized alternative care patients or as dedicated COVID-19 centres to relieve pressure on our hospitals. Let's be proactive. Now is the time for action."
We caught up with Thomas earlier this week (April 6) and he indicated he had spoken to government officials about the vacant complexes.
"They said they thought it was a great idea. And they were looking, but I don't know the outcome." He continued, "Sometimes if they've been mothballed too long . . . I don't know what kind of shape it's in. But I know they're looking.
"Other people in the government had already been thinking the same thing. So I know they're scouring lots of places for a lot of options."
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek confirmed there have been discussions regarding these mothballed centres, including talks with St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.
"He reached out to me a few weeks ago about possibly accessing part of the site for part of their emergency plans and I connected with the government. So the Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark has approved access to the building."
Yurek added, "The government's working with St. Thomas for further emergency plans at this point, and I think they're getting ready just in case."
"I think at this point it remains a viable part of dealing with the pandemic and that we have this option to use it if necessary."
He indicated a certain amount of investment would be required to bring a portion of the facility up to a workable standard.
"There are certain parts of it that they maintain better than others. You know, those details have been worked out with St. Thomas to see what the cost would be and what the government would be wanting to put into that as well."
Of late the centre has seen service as a movie and television backdrop and earned some dollars for the province.
And Yurek confirmed, "I do know people have been kicking the tires prior to purchasing that property. So there is interest in that down the road, but I think at this point it remains a viable part of dealing with the pandemic and that we have this option to use it if necessary."
COUNCIL VACANCY
With the recent death of Coun. Linda Stevenson, city council at its Tuesday (April 14) meeting will officially declare her seat to be vacant.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act, the city now has 60 days to appoint an individual to fill the vacancy for the rest of the term or hold a by-election.
The cost of holding a by-election – estimated at $95,000 – plus the current COVID-19 state of emergency and lack of facilities available as polling stations mean this option is a non-starter.
Council then has the option of appointing an eligible individual to fill the post.
In the past, a vacancy has been filled by former members of council, mayoral/councillor candidates or any qualified elector.
That councillor candidate could be the next highest polling individual in the previous municipal election. If such is the case, that would be John Laverty who finished less than 400 votes behind Coun. Jim Herbert.
During his campaign, Laverty stressed the city needs to focus on affordable housing, jobs and mental health issues.
Tuesday's council meeting will be live-streamed beginning at 5 p.m.
https://ianscityscope.com/2013/05/11/filling-vacant-council-seat-akin-to-musical-chairs/
https://ianscityscope.com/2013/04/20/filling-vacant-seat-will-be-a-true-test-of-this-council/
DISAPPEARING RAILWAY BLUES
Another vital reminder of the significant role railways played in St. Thomas and Elgin county appears set to vanish in the not-to-distant future.
CN has filed notice it is putting its Cayuga Subdivision – that stretch of track east from St. Thomas to Tillsonburg and Delhi – up for sale at the end of the month.
Until recently the Ontario Southland Railway – which leased the line from CN starting in 2013 – had been operating limited service over the Cayuga Sub.
But the OSR, likewise, has filed notice it will discontinue service on the line as of the end of this month.
There are few customers on the line, however, the ethanol plant in Aylmer will now have to rely solely on trucks.
The OSR will continue to run a service into St. Thomas along the 32-mile CP St. Thomas Subdivision to Woodstock. Customers in the city include Messenger Freight and Factor Gas and the OSR will serve the Element 5 plant now under construction in the city's industrial park.
In a release, CN indicated "it has reviewed the volumes of traffic moving on this Line and based on traffic volumes and needed investments, decided not to resume operations and proceed with the discontinuance process."
The next step is to advertise the line is for sale for any parties wishing to continue operating a service. If there are no offers, CN will offer the line to all levels of government at net salvage value.
It's been a difficult couple of decades for the former high-speed line cutting through southern Ontario.
The former St. Thomas and Eastern Railway operated the Cayuga Sub. from 1998 to 2013 before turning it back to CN because the "required investments would not permit the continued operation."
As was the case with the line running west out of St. Thomas, no operator or municipal government was interested in the CN cast off.
That right-of-way is now owned by Entegrus as a possible utility corridor, with a short stretch from the west end of the St. Thomas Elevated Park re-purposed as a trail.
Making the city's new branding, The Railway City, more a tribute to the past than a milepost to the future.
https://ianscityscope.com/2017/11/18/so-this-guy-comes-up-to-me-and-asks-when-is-the-next-bus-to-st-thomas/
WE'RE DEPENDING ON YA
There are countless heroes out there battling the COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines. And, in the last week, we've seen emergency personnel and, most recently, farmers pay tribute to the doctors, nurses and support staff at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital with colourful convoys circling the hospital.
Another group of heroes – Premier Doug Ford calls them extraordinary – are starting to get a share of recognition in an entirely different fashion.
In many instances, they are shunned here and across North America when stopping to rest, get gas and food or use washrooms, truckers got a break on the basic necessities when earlier this month Ford promised to keep all 23 ONroute travel plazas open for their use.
This including washrooms with enhanced cleaning. Portable washrooms will also be provided at 32 truck inspection stations.
(Full disclosure, one of my sons hauls for Grace Transport out of Strathroy).
The move comes after a conference call with trucking organizations like the Women's Trucking Federation, drew attention to the difficulties drivers are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federation CEO Shelley Uvanile-Hesch says truckers do not need the added stress of finding washrooms, showers and food outlets that are open to them.
We talked at length with Uvanile-Hesch about the desperate situation many truckers are facing.
A trucker herself, she pulls no punches.
"People as a general rule, don't realize that 98 per cent of the time, I find myself in an 80-square- foot box, right. I don't come into contact with people. No, you know, you have more chances of getting COVID-19 going to the grocery store than you do from me in a truck."
She continued, "So now drivers are being extra cautious. They've got extra things they are carrying, you know, spraying everything down before they used it."
Not all truck stops and hotels are giving truckers the cold shoulder, stressed Uvanile-Hesch.
"So much that's coming out is all negative and then it stops. It's like, mainstream media isn't giving the whole story. Right. We have some places that are going above and beyond. We've got hotel chains that are saying, 'Hey, come here for 30 minutes. Use our showers. It's clean.'
"Some of them have food. They're feeding drivers for free. So, maybe by promoting some of the companies that are actually doing some good, yeah, it'll get other ones to come on board."
Those outlets that are going above and beyond for truckers are getting recognition on the Women's Trucking Federation Facebook page.
If that's not bad enough, Uvanile-Hesch listed cases of price gouging taking place at some truck stops.
"Look at a personalized bottle of hand sanitizer for $16. Up to $40 for a bigger-sized bottle.
"I think their message is getting out there and stores are recanting and I think the fact that Premier Ford actually outed a company by name."
"Everybody's depending on me, I have to keep going. You know, I'm gonna be safe."
"Because when times are good, they're sure quick to take their money. And, you know, now that the times are a little bit tougher, and these are the people that are delivering the goods, you know, how dare they say, 'Hey, you're not wanted here'"
But then there are the displays of support from people along the road giving the thumbs up to truckers in appreciation of their efforts in keeping shelves stocked and plants and factories supplied with the parts and raw materials required to produce goods.
"The drivers are reporting and sharing pictures of Bristol board signs kids have made up, 'Thank you, drivers.' You know, things like that are really uplifting to the drivers."
The job is stressful enough at the best of times, reminds Uvanile-Hesch.
"Now we have all these added things to worry about with the COVID-19. You have your family at home that is calling you because they're worried.
"Wives or husbands saying, 'You know, I don't want you out there anymore. I want you to come home.
"Well, you're a driver saying, 'I can't honey. Everybody's depending on me, I have to keep going. You know, I'm gonna be safe.'
"But imagine constantly getting that from your family on a daily basis now."
She had to cut the conversation off at that point with another government call to deal with.
But not before throwing this out there to ponder.
"What do we do as a nation to keep the trucks moving? Because we need them. And as this gets farther along, you're going to need them more."
Yes, there are some bad actors out there and no shortage of horror stories.
But when it comes to delivering all those goods the last mile of the way, you best thank a trucker for ensuring those items are there when you need them.
Oh, and if you know of businesses that are rolling out the carpet for truckers, let us know here and we'll pass along the info.
Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope
This entry was posted in 2018 municipal election, City of St. Thomas, City Scope, COVID-19, Health Care, Railway heritage, St. Thomas elevated park, St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital, Trucking industry and tagged Cayuga Subdivision, City of St. Thomas, City Scope, CN Rail, council structure, COVID-19, Doug Ford, Jeff Yurek, Joe Preston, John Laverty, Linda Stevenson, Ontario Southland Railway, OPSEU, Shelley Uvanile-Hesch, St. Thomas and Eastern Railway, St. Thomas elevated park, St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital, Trucking industry, Warren 'Smokey' Thomas, Women's Trucking Federation. Bookmark the permalink.
← COVID-19: St. Thomas EDC is there with support for businesses, albeit it's more emotional in nature right now
Yes, St. Thomas Transit buses are being cleaned and sanitized. But, in a COVID-19 world, when did this begin? →
RT @ChrchCurmudgeon: One of the symptoms of COVID is the loss of the sense of taste. Apparently I had it in 1973. https://t.co/ftf8adX8GC 2 hours ago


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EnergyComment.co.nz: Is there a free rider problem in New Zealand's retail electricity market?
Meeting New Zealand's energy needs isn't as simple as most people seem to think. Consuming energy means making trade offs. Even conserving energy means making trade offs. Some are economic but some come down to physics.
Is there a free rider problem in New Zealand's retail electricity market?
I think there are problems in New Zealand's retail electricity market but the focus is always on the wholesale market. (see http://www.energycomment.co.nz/2009/10/what-is-problem-with-retail-competition.html) Obviously many people are upset at the significant increases in retail prices over recent years. The Electricity Commission's own analysis shows the issue quite well (see Chapter 2 of http://www.electricitycommission.govt.nz/pdfs/opdev/wholesale/market-design/Market-Design-Review.pdf) Although, unfortunately, the analysis doesn't go as far as to compare industrial, commercial and retail margins, only prices, therefore there is a degree of comparing apples and oranges. This is compounded because prices include both energy costs and lines costs. Nevertheless, it is clear that industrial prices have been quite flat (in real terms), commercial prices have dropped markedly and retail prices have gone up markedly. Interestingly the national average end use purchaser price has also remained relatively flat.
For most of New Zealand's history there have been significant cross-subsidies in the retail prices. Traditionally residential prices were arbitrarily low and commercial prices were arbitrarily high. Industrial prices have always been, effectively, wholesale prices. The reason for the historical cross subsidy from commercial to residential is easily explained. This occurred because electricity was delivered by monopolies with elected governors, and businesses don't vote. A simple case of responding to the incentives of the day.
It is clear that these historical cross subsidies have been removed and this is one reason why residential electricity prices have increased in excess of inflation. Now, though, the situation seems to have reversed with residential prices being significantly higher than commercial, but this may not be a cross subsidy. It may just be economic reality.
And what of industrial prices. To a degree the industrial price is lower because it is generally a wholesale price. But is there a degree of cross subsidisation here? There isn't really enough analysis to be able to conclude much at all. Let's instead consider a 'first principles' debate around allocative efficiency.
Allocative efficiency is that economic principle that says that resources should be allocated to their most valuable use. This roughly translates to - those that are willing to pay more should get all they want and people who are willing to pay the least should get less. It can also be translated into saying that those that get the most should pay the most and the those that get the least should pay the least. If we hold off for a moment on the distinction between commercial and residential (and treat them as one retail customer bloc) then let's compare them (together) to the industrial segment.
The situation seems more clear when it comes to commercial and residential comparisons. Neither responds strongly to price signals and yet each pays significantly different prices. A cross subsidy seems most likely here.
So why might cross subsidies exist? Prevailing opinion would probably suggest that it is the evil retailers that are price gouging, but this does not make sense. As mentioned the national average end user purchase price is relatively constant over time in real terms. There is no obvious price gouging in end user prices. Maybe one could argue that retailers (or lines companies) are forcing cross subsidies - but why would they? There is no obvious financial benefit to a power company in forcing an unbalanced price structure. It is more likely that power companies (as with previous cross subsidies) are just responding to the incentives that they have.
There are two reasons I can currently think of why these incentives might exist. Both are a form of free rider problem. One potentially explains why there might exist a cross subsidy from retail customers to industry.
E Grant Read in his 2009 paper (http://www.mightyriverpower.co.nz/content/1798/Electricity%20Market%20Economics-%2090302.pdf) explains the relationship between contract prices and wholesale prices in electricity markets. Over time electricity generators must recover their fixed costs (costs that are incurred irrespective of how much they generate - plant costs, most labour, infrastructure, capital, etc) and variable costs (costs that are incurred when they generate - fuel, some maintenance, opportunity costs, etc), otherwise they would not invest. In the absence of any contracts then usually (during normal times and especially during times of surplus) the generators will only get variable costs paid out of the market. Only during times of shortage will generators be able to get a contribution to fixed costs. An unhedged electricity market should be highly volatile and have a high total price (high enough to cover all fixed and variable costs). If generators are highly hedged at the total price of generation then the electricity market should be far less volatile and have a lower price (equal to the average of variable costs only as settlements to hedge contracts will pay the fixed costs).
This is where a cross subsidy may, unwittingly, occur. If a retail market design problem meant that retail consumers are making a large contribution to fixed costs then those retail contracts would help stabilise the wholesale price and tend to clear a lower wholesale price. This would enable industrial customers to free ride in the sense that they could take the lower volatility and lower price in the wholesale market and, potentially, avoid some contribution to the fixed costs of generation. Although they would continue to be able to complain about the wholesale price and volatility.
If we look at the relationship between residential and commercial customers then another free riding problem may exist. I suspect that the commercial electricity price is dominated (by volume) by national scale business. These businesses tend to tender for their (relatively large) electricity supply whereas retail customers tend to either be approached or infrequently consider their suppliers (for relatively small load on an individual basis). This means that the larger businesses tend to offer retailers a single shot bid on a lucrative volume (large commercial businesses also tend to be low engagement and good payers). This design is likely to inherently mean that commercial (and possibly industrial) customers are likely to get offered average prices while residential customers will tend to get marginal prices (the full cost of continuing to supply energy at that time at that level). In fact residential customers may pay in excess of the marginal cost, to the extent that commercial (and industrial) customers might avoid fixed costs. Pure allocative efficiency suggests that everyone should face the marginal price.
Some people have argued that the problems with the retail electricity market are structural (relating to the number and type of competitors) and, often, that it is a problem with the wholesale market. I don't think that either proposition is correct. I think that the problem is fundamentally one of retail electricity market design; and let's face it the retail electricity market was never designed - it coalesced over time. Fixing the retail market design may have implications for both the electricity market structure and the wholesale electricity market but these outcomes shouldn't be the objective of fixing the retail market.
Obviously the arguments above are purely anecdotal . The analysis required to properly assess the efficacy and efficiency of the retail electricity market is complex and requires information not readily available; and, perhaps, this is part of the problem. Nevertheless, I don't believe that the electricity market in New Zealand (or any alternative) is ever going to work properly unless every part of it is considered as a policy whole. At the moment the retail component is a significant missing link in the policy debate in anything other than an anecdotal discussion.
Have you thought of putting a synopsis in, either for the whole article or for the individual points you are making.
My apologies Anonymous of November 5, 2:26pm but I don't quite understsnd your comment.
What do you mean by put in a synopsis?
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To transmit or not to transmit?
I've never been a particularly open person, perhaps even a bit reserved. I have only a few friends (but good friends they are). I think a lot and I read a lot. I have a reputation for knowing too much, but I don't think I know enough (except electricity - I know way too much about electricity). I probably don't have enough fun but I'm getting better.


Pianist Di Wu performing at the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition.
From May 22 to June 7, the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition took place in Texas. Started in 1962 by Van Cliburn himself, who stunned the Cold War world of 1958 by becoming the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Cliburn has become a major event in the world of classical music. The participants are chosen through an exhaustive process, and the winners receive enormous media exposure, professional management, and up to three years of worldwide concert engagements. Its prestige is increased by the fact that it happens only once every four years. Extraordinarily, this year, the entire competition was broadcast live on the internet. I watched a lot of the coverage, becoming more and more obsessed as it came down to the finals.
Every performance was archived and is still available for viewers to watch and hear - with headphones the sound quality is excellent - and in addition there are video portraits of the performers, a lot of other background material, and an official competition blog for information and discussion of the competition.
That's where I met Brad Hill, who seemed to be a like-minded avid observer and classical music lover. After the award announcement, which was definitely controversial, I wrote to Brad and asked if he'd like to discuss the Cliburn with me here, and he graciously agreed. Over the next few days I'll be posting our conversation. We tried to talk about the competition and related topics in a personal way that both musicians and non-musicians would find interesting. In particular, we both felt that the Cliburn's innovative and generous webcast format bodes well for the future of music and the other arts that so many of us are worried about, and toward the end of the conversation we talk about that some more. We'd both love to hear your thoughts, and are happy to try to answer any questions you might have!
Beth: Brad, I liked your comments on the competition thread and appreciated the fact that you had tracked me down on Twitter! Some of the topics I thought we might talk about are why the Cliburn is exciting, why we both watched it, what it means in classical music today, and how we felt about the vote. But what do you think people would find interesting? And are you a pianist yourself?
Brad: Most people would probably wonder why anyone would get obsessed with a piano competition online. I went to a music school and have done a bit of competing myself, so I have an endless appetite for piano music -- especially live piano concerts. And this one is like the Olympics. The foundation scours the globe for the 30 best pianists; each one must prepare five hours of music; and there is intense unfolding drama over about three weeks. They hold it every four years. I dug in last time (2005), and this year the webcasts were really well done.
What attracts you to the Cliburn? Do you have a musical background, or do you simply love piano music?
Beth: I've played since I was five, but not on anything like this level. I'm more of an all-around, avid amateur musician - I've studied piano, flute, and voice and sing now in a semi-professional choir. My piano playing is mostly classical and for pleasure, but I do practice! My hat's off to you for competing - you must be pretty good. Do you play a lot now?
Brad: I make some time to practice, and wish I could do more. I started when I was six, and went to the Manhattan School of Music. Garrick Ohlssoh, William Wolfram and I grew up near each other, at roughly the same time. They both took the piano a lot further than I did. :) In fact, I first got interested in piano competitions when Garrick won the Warsaw Chopin, in 1970. I was still in high school. I did some studying with the teacher who prepared him for the Chopin, then it was off to conservatory.
Beth: I admire that tremendously, and I'm glad you still find time to play and still enjoy it; I know some people who were very very good but somehow lost the love. Maybe they were pushed too much; in one case it was because of severe stage fright. For me, music is very personal but it's also a bit like doing a sport with people who are better - they spur you on and help you progress. I've always been around musicians; my aunt is a professional, my father is a good natural musician who plays and sings, so there was always music in our house; my college roommate and several close friends were piano majors. I was always trying to keep up, at least to some degree, and maybe that's still true. Even though I'm 56 now, I'm still working on it, and improving. Not many things in life give you that kind of pleasure and absorption all the way through.
I first got interested in the Cliburn when I saw the documentary from the year that Olga Kern won, and also from reading a great article in the NY Times a while ago about the associated amateur competition. Last year in Montreal I got very wrapped up in the international organ competition and went to a number of the live sessions. There was also a piano competition with the symphony, and I listened on the radio and went to the finals. But this was the first time I've gotten into an online experience of a competition. The webcast coverage was excellent, I thought, and I have to admit I'm sorry it's only once in four years! What did you think about the coverage? Did you really watch ALL of it?
Brad: I did watch all of it until the final weekend, when I left town for a wedding. One great aspect of the online presentation is the archive. I was able to catch up when I got back. Anyone can go there now and watch all the performances. It's an amazing body of recorded music,free of charge.
I love the community feeling fostered by the Cliburn Foundation. In 2005 and this year they put up a blog on which anyone could leave comments. That place got more populated as the contest went on. It also got pretty fierce in there, with plenty of arguments about the performances, who should win, etc.. At least two concert pianists that I know of were in the thick of it, and dozens of other people were expert listeners and lifelong lovers of classical music. The blog, by itself, was great theater even as the competition drama was unfolding on stage!
Beth: So let's talk about the performances a little. What are the judges looking for in the early rounds? Do you think some very good players failed to make it into the semis and finals this time?
Brad: There is always lots of speculation, in piano competitions, about what the judges are looking for. At the Cliburn, the official line is that they are searching for mature performers who can step into a concertizing career immediately. It might be ironic, then, that the two winners this year were the two youngest competitors.
There were two players from the preliminary round that I wanted to hear again: Spencer Myer and Zhang Zuo. Going into the event, I was familiar with only one pianist, Stephen Beus, who has done some recording. I was rooting for him based only on familiarity, but he banged a bit in his preliminary recital and was eliminated. and we should always remember that everyone who gets to the competition is spectacularly accomplished -- the Cliburn Foundation has already winnowed down from hundreds of auditions around the world. And each of those applicants is excellent, too! There is a lot of talent out there.
We must talk about the final decisions. What did you think of the medalist choices? In 2005 I predicted the placement of the six finalists perfectly. This year I couldn't have been more wrong! My two favorites placed fifth and sixth. I think the silver medalist is unequipped for a major career. Then there is Nobuyuki Tsujii, the blind pianist who shared the gold medal and will probably get most of the headlines. What an amazing and inspiring display of human achievement. But (here it comes!) as a pianist, I honestly don't believe he should have won, or even been in the finals. He played very difficult programs almost flawlessly, but also, to my ear, without much dynamic range or special musical insight. It seems churlish to complain at all about that amazing young man (he is only 20!). But on the blog there was a wide range of opinion about him. Some people thought he was a gift from heaven, and others thought he should have been excused after the first round.
Beth: I would have picked Vacatello for the gold, Bozhanov for the silver (I think those were your picks too, but in the other order) and Di Wu for third place. I wasn't impressed with the silver medalist at all and don't understand why some people felt she was the standout competitor, so that was one major disagreement. I do recognize what is extraordinary about both of the gold medalists - the enormous human achievement of Nobuyuki Tsujii, and the prodigy-like virtuosity of Zhang - but neither one moved me in their performances.
What I was looking for, I guess, is that elusive quality we call "musicality." Vacatello has it in spades; no matter what period of music she was playing, she inhabited it and gave it to us; I would happily go and hear her perform anywhere. Bozharov was the risk-taker and the most original of the finalists, and I admire that and wish it were more often rewarded in competitions. Di Wu played extremely well, I think, and I felt there is evidence of a real musical intelligence at work; she's just young still. After four more years of maturing I bet she will be fantastic.
Brad: Yes, you and I are on the same page. In addition to Vacatello's ferocious technical command and unstoppable musicality (her Italian Concerto of Bach was to die for!), I like her intense concentration at the piano. Bozhanov was the most polarizing figure in this event. Wasn't it fun watching people argue about him on the blog? He stood out because of his individuality, which is rare in classical music. Casual concert-goers might not realize it, but their favorite pianist probably sounds very much like all the other touring stars. The modern recording era has established standard playing styles for different composers, and to win a big contest you can't play outside that mold. Bozhanov broke the mold! I thought he was sensational, and I'd rather listen to an unsuccessful performance that flies too close to the sun, than a safe performance that stays in the shadows. Bozhanov burned himself in the Cliburn, but many people will remember him and follow his career.
Beth: I'm glad you mentioned Vacatello's Italian Concerto - it was stunning. What I felt in her playing, and in Bozhanov's, was their own depth as musicians and, frankly, as people. I simply don't think this is possible until one has grown up a bit and lived for a while as an adult. The video "performer portraits" included in the competition coverage were very good, I thought, and also revealing. When young Zhang, for instance, said "I feel safest at the piano, I was a very quiet child, I still don't like to talk much," and then we see him at the awards ceremony, in a tuxedo with his white ear buds on, completely in his own world, that says something. Meanwhile Vacatello and Bozhanov were laughing, talking, interacting with friends and colleagues. I'm not saying that a quiet introverted person can't be a great musician -- of course they can, there are many examples, and it goes without saying that one has to enter deeply into one's self to be great. But I didn't find the same depth or maturity in Zhang's playing, or Nobu's, as in these two older competitors, and I also worry about how the two gold medalists will hold up under a grueling three-year concert and travel schedule. I wish them the absolute best, of course!
--the conversation continues tomorrow, about how coverage like this might help classical music in the future.
Van Cliburn presents the gold medal to Nobuyuki Tsujii. Official photo c 2009 Altre Media.
Brad: The Cliburn requires chamber music performances in the semifinal round. I don't have much chamber experience, so I have trouble evaluating those performances. Have you played much chamber music?
Beth: I've never played chamber music for piano and strings but I've done lots of ensemble work, on flute as a younger person in bands, orchestras, and woodwind quintets, and then for many years singing with other people and various instruments, so I do feel fairly comfortable evaluating that category. However I didn't watch much of it - I need to go back and see more of the performances. I saw Son's semifinal chamber performance, and thought it was good but I just wasn't...captivated. Moved. Her manner at the piano is also too affected for me to really warm up to her. What did you think about this category?
though I understand why they don't. They are searching for well rounded musicians. I thought Edouard Kunz looked about as comfortable as I would be during his quintet -- he appeared almost to be sight-reading!
I agree with you about age, and seasoning, and maturity. I was hoping the jury would give Zhang a discretionary award, then bring him back in four years to conquer the world. He hasn't figured out what type of musician he's going to be. Or, if he has, then his spectacular technical ability isn't being put to much purpose.
Beth: We should touch on the question of the future of classical music, and how competitions like the Cliburn fit into that - any comments?
to be growing ambitiously. They seem to be assuming that if they put the music out there in new media (internet streaming), the audience will appear. Sort of "If you build it, they will come." And apparently they had hundreds of thousands of people viewing the competition online. I love their approach!
Music contests are hundreds of years old. Mozart competed with his rival Clementi. Liszt was staged in a playoff against Thalberg. In more modern times, the Tschaikovsky Competition (the one Van Cliburn won in 1958), the Chopin Competition (Argerich, Ashkenazy, Ohlsson, Li), and others have trained the classical marketplace to expect superhero pianists, launched every few years. As music education has diminished in the U.S., audiences rely on juries to determine who is good, and provide them with instant careers. Much as I love competitions, that is a disturbing trend.
Beth: I thought the coverage was fantastic. If the arts are going to survive, the web will play a critical role, and I agree completely: this is a brilliant example of what can be done!
We've already established the fact that the Cliburn's web format, generosity, and open accessibility are tailor-made for classical music geeks like you and me, but what about those elusive "new" audience members? Can enough excitement be generated to make non-pianists want to watch piano competitions, the way non-athletes get excited about Olympic figure skating? And can events like this help inspire little Zhangs and Bozhanovs to take up the piano and practice long hours - or just learn enough to enjoy music all their lives?
Brad: Those are great questions, and probably unanswerable. Little Zhangs and Bozhanovs are born all the time, and if they get motivation and support at a young age, the practicing happens naturally.
As to attracting audiences, there are many parts to that puzzle in my opinion. I was exposed to classical music while growing up, which I think is increasingly unusual. Were you? And my school had a pretty big music department with an orchestra, band, and choir. I don't have kids, but I gather that's less common now, too. A piano competition like the Cliburn is a piece of dramatic storytelling like the Olympics, but if you have no background, and no context, and don't know the music, it loses meaning.
devices. The Cliburn Foundation seems to really get this.
Beth: There was always music in my home, and in my school, there was a big music program like yours: every kid learned to read music in elementary school, and we started on recorders in 3rd grade and could take an instrument in the 4th. Our marching band was one of the best in New York State and we competed all summer, and the town took as much pride in it as in sports. But you're right - there are so many other interests competing for kid's time, so much less funding for art education and appreciation, and so much less exposure as classical music has become expensive and perceived to be elitist. This seems like a huge step in the right direction.
Here in Montreal, the new orchestra conductor, Kent Nagano, is trying all sorts of new initiatives - last season they MSO played a concert above the ice in the Bell Center, in honor of the Montreal Canadiens and hockey! He took the orchestra on a Canada-wide tour, has a lot of family-oriented (and priced) programs - and has become quite a hero in the city. It's possible -- but takes work and creativity and an openness to change and experimentation and the possibility of failure - exactly the qualities you like in Bozhanov!
Brad, we've covered a lot of ground, and I want to thank you so much! It was a pleasure and I hope we'll stay in touch. Enjoy your playing and listening!
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Implementing Large-Scale Change in a Midsize Urban District
This program helped in the development of a high-quality, districtwide professional development plan for pre-K oral language development in St. Louis Public Schools, building on a unique labor-management partnership and a joint commitment to increasing both the quantity and quality of pre-K classrooms in this midsized urban school system.
It has been well established that high-quality, language-rich preschool experiences can make a huge difference, especially for children living in poverty, who typically start school already behind. But research also shows that many early childhood programs, although otherwise well run, lack a clear, intentional focus on the kind of content-rich, age-appropriate instruction that children need to develop a broad vocabulary and acquire deep knowledge about the world.
In response to this need, the Albert Shanker Institute developed a series of professional development trainings that are designed to help early childhood educator explore (1) concepts of language development, (2) language diversity and bilingualism, and (3) organizing successful, content-rich oral language instruction.
Although these trainings have been used by teacher educators and peer trainers in various districts across the nation, the Institute's most intensive work has been in partnership with the early childhood educators of St. Louis, MO – a district in which over 80% of students are minority and 85% qualify for free or reduced price lunch, and where expanded access to high-quality public preschools had long been advocated as a means to improve student outcomes.
In 2011, an American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Innovation Fund grant helped to launch the work of a labor-management team, which had been given the mission of upgrading the professional development being offered to the district's rapidly growing cadre of preschool teachers and paraprofessionals. Given its importance, oral language and early literacy were established as priority areas and the Shanker Institute's Modules were selected as key materials.
Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, some 65 early childhood educators (about a third of all preschool staff) were provided with this training directly by the Shanker Institute and its partners at the University of Michigan and New York University. Twenty of these educators were subsequently identified to receive additional training during the 2013-14 school year, enabling the school system to build its own capacity to offer training and in-class coaching support to all remaining staff. In all, approximately 185 teachers and paraprofessionals, serving over 2,000 preschool students every year, are expected to benefit. A descriptive evaluation of this districtwide intervention and dissemination plan from New York University can be found here.
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