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Southwest braces for water cutbacks as #drought deepens along the #ColoradoRiver — #Arizona Republic #COriver #aridification #DCP
One of Lake Mead's spillways the last time water lapped at the top of the spillway was 1999.
From The Arizona Republic (Ian James):
Unrelenting drought and years of rising temperatures due to climate change are pushing the long-overallocated Colorado River into new territory, setting the stage for the largest mandatory water cutbacks to date.
Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir on the river, has declined dramatically over the past two decades and now stands at just 40% of its full capacity. This summer, it's projected to fall to the lowest levels since it was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam.
The reservoir near Las Vegas is approaching a threshold that is expected to trigger a first-ever shortage declaration by the federal government for next year, leading to substantial cuts in water deliveries to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.
Arizona is in line for the biggest reductions under a 2019 agreement that aims to reduce the risks of Lake Mead falling to critical lows.
The river has been slipping closer to a shortage for years, and the drought has deepened over the past year, shrinking the flow of streams that feed the river in its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains. The soils across the watershed remain parched and will soak up some of the melting snow this spring and summer. The amount of water that flows into Lake Powell at the Utah-Arizona state line over the next four months is projected to be only about 45% of the long-term average and among the lowest totals in years.
April 1, 2021 streamflow forecast Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.
Legend for streamflow forecast.
With the reservoirs continuing to drop, the expected cuts next year will reduce the Central Arizona Project's water supply by nearly a third…
Managers of Arizona's water agencies say they have detailed plans in place to deal with the reductions in water supplies over the next five years, even if the drought continues to worsen. These initial steps to cope with shortages are playing out while the seven states that depend on the river prepare for difficult talks on post-2026 rules, negotiating a plan for adapting to a river that's yielding less as the watershed grows progressively warmer with climate change…
Officials who manage Arizona's 336-mile Central Arizona Project Canal, which runs from Lake Havasu to Tucson, have known since plans were first drawn up for the system that they hold the lowest priority and could face cuts in a shortage…
Representatives of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin signed the set of agreements known as the Drought Contingency Plan nearly three years ago in a ceremony at Hoover Dam. Under one of the agreements, Arizona and Nevada agreed to take the first cuts to help prop up the level of Lake Mead, while California would participate at lower shortage levels if the reservoir continues to fall.
Under a separate deal, Mexico agreed to help by leaving some of its water in Lake Mead.
The deals lay out shortage tiers based on Mead's levels. The federal government's latest projections show the lake level will sit below the threshold elevation of 1,075 feet at the beginning ofnext year, triggering what's called a Tier One shortage.
For Arizona, that means a cut of 512,000 acre-feet or about a third of the CAP's supply…
The Colorado River's flow has shrunk during one of the driest 22-year periods in centuries. Scientists say the West is experiencing a megadrought and one that's worsened by humanity's heating of the planet.
The drought over the past year has hit especially hard in the Colorado River watershed. Last spring and summer, months of extreme heat combined with the lack of monsoon rains baked the soils dry and shrank the amount of runoff, sapping the river and its tributaries.
Westwide SNOTEL basin-filled map April 6, 2021 via the NRCS.
This winter, the storms that rolled across the Rockies brought some snow, but not nearly enough to brighten the picture. The snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin now stands at 75% of the median for this time of year…
The upshot, as climate researcher Jeff Lukas puts it, is that "the exceptionally low soil moisture will turn a blah snowpack into a terrible runoff year."
The effects will ripple downstream to Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which hold supplies for cities, farming districts and tribes across the Southwest.
The country's two largest reservoirs are both headed for record lows. The last time Lake Mead reached a record low level was in 2016. The latest projections from the federal Bureau of Reclamation show Mead could fall below that mark as soon as July. Lake Powell is now just 36% full, and estimates show it could decline to a record low around March 2022.
Posted on April 7, 2021 by Coyote GulchPosted in 2007 Shortage Sharing Agreement, 2026 Guidelines, Climate Change, Colorado River Basin, Colorado River Compact, Colorado Water, Drought Contingency Plans (DCP), Infrastructure, Instream flow, Water Law
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Scottish artist Sarah Baddon Price graduated from Winchester School of Art in the early nineties.
Her work has been widely exhibited in Edinburgh, Suffolk and London and can be found in private collections over Europe and the US.
Collectors, including Agnes B, Charles Jourdan, French Connection and Esprit, are drawn to her confident abstractions of every day life, which sing with colour.
Drawing a combined inspiration from the Scottish Colourists, Modern British Masters, and her own experiences, Sarah's paintings feel timeless yet fresh.


Pods Swimming, a premiere state-of-the-art aquatics education center, opened it's new facility in January 2017. The 11,000 square foot facility houses two swimming pools, locker and family changing rooms, as well as a snack bar. It was designed to give the parents and students assurance that the swim environment and water quality were best in its class. In May 2018, Team Ruggieri received a call from an architect that explained one of their clients was having issues with people tripping and falling in their facility and asked us to review the situation with the owner and provide feedback. During multiple visits to see the issues first-hand and from collaborating with the owner and staff, Team Ruggieri learned that patrons were constantly slipping. The existing epoxy floor was apparently not handing the usage, as water was puddling excessively, there was very little pitch from the epoxy floor to the drains causing this to happen. The original epoxy contractor had tried to fix once by inserting brims to help, but they were cumbersome, not appealing, and become another trip hazard. The owner discussed her stress everyday coming to work worried about the floors, and the buzz about her clients slipping and not being safe. She covered everything with rubber mats as a temporary fix but needed a permanent solution. Team Ruggieri suggested Protect-All Vinyl Slip Retardant 5' x 8' panels glued with urethane epoxy and rapid welded to waterproof and seal the seams. After a site visit to another job that used Protect-All and an actual mock-up done in the Pods facility, the owners agreed to proceed with the Protect-All installation. Since the job has been completed, there hasn't been one slip or fall, and the owners and patron's can't be any happier.
Pods Swimming had so many unique situations: 1.) Trying to find out why patrons were falling, when the epoxy installation was solid, but also determining how to handle with water that kept puddling 2.) Coordinating a site visit to another project Ruggieri completed (At the Superbowl champions New England Patriots Facility) with Protect-all a couple years before, so the owner and staff could run in it with flip flops and puddled up water 3.) Installation of a mock-up within the existing facility so they owner and staff can do further slip testing and how to maintain the product, as this was very important to management to make a final decision 4.) After the owner had a bad taste with another flooring contractor who did the existing epoxy, it was a challenge to get the owner to trust and work with Team Ruggieri, without backing up every detail of what we were doing. 5.) Time constraints, The majority of the work needed to be completed in 2 days because management did not want to lose any further revenues. Team Ruggieri developed the best approach to repair existing floors to pitch better to the existing drains. They also needed the best approach to install a fast setting patch/leveler that cured quick enough because new linear drains were being installed to help as well with the water build-up, during the only two day shut-down. 6.) Working with Protect-all in the best ways to adhere to the existing epoxy, because removing it was not an option.


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VAT automation elusive as Ctg trader reluctant to e-fiscal devices
Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury
Fire at BSRM factory leaves 3 injured, 2 in critical condition
Bose Brothers: Historic Restaurant of Chittagong
A device generates Tk44,000 in VAT on average in Ctg
Illustration: TBS
As part of the government move to ensure value-added tax at the retail level, the National Board of Revenue is in phases installing electronic fiscal devices in different outlets including restaurants, jewellery, clothing shops, beauty parlour and shops in malls and city corporation areas across the country.
Under the Chattogram's Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, one of the large tax-collecting units, the authorities have so far set up 520 devices at 490 outlets.
However, the initiative apparently fails to become a success due to the reluctance of business owners; they do not use the devices most of the time to receive payments from customers. As a result, realising the actual amount of the indirect tax through digitalisation remains elusive.
The electronic fiscal device, commonly known as EFD, is a machine that can calculate value-added and other taxes, preserve sales records, and send them to the central server of the NBR in real-time in an automated way using the internet. The NBR launched a project titled 'VAT online' in 2012 to automate the VAT system. Apart from EFD, ensuring the use of authorised software at the production and corporate level was one of its main goals.
Visiting several outlets in the port city, many of the businesses having EFDs were found collecting product payments on just paper. Hardly have they used the devices.
Jaman Hotel at Kazir Dewri area is one of the recipients of the devices from the VAT commissionerate. It was found not providing EFD-generated receipts to the customers for several hours on November 9.
Asked about the irregularities, its Manager Md Latif said using EFD was a time-consuming matter. It takes at least 3 to 5 minutes to receive payment using the machine. "It is tough to manage particularly in peak hours. Customers feel bothered by the delay," he said, adding that they, however, received 20-30 payments a day using the machine.
Bangladesh Shop Owners Association Chattogram District General-Secretary Sayed Khurshid Alam told The Business Standard that there were some discriminations in the provision of using EFDs.
Only some shopping mall outlets are being forced to use EFD for ensuring fair VAT collection. On the other hand, there are many shops that were not provided EFDs yet.
"Besides, many large-scale online businesses are selling a huge number of products every day, they even arrange fairs in five-star hotels in the city. But the businesses were not brought under VAT and EFD coverage," he said.
So, EFD users are being losers in terms of business competitiveness, added Khurshid, saying that the VAT authorities, besides, did not arrange proper training for the shop-owners.
Observing several EFD-equipped outlets, customers were also found avoiding EFD receipts to evade VAT. Some were seen requesting managers not to issue VAT receipts or EFD-generated documents.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh President SM Nazer Hossain said customers were still unaware of VAT payment. Besides, the authorities needed to encourage customers and businesses for the automated VAT.
He suggested that the authorities should be more active to ensure the EFD uses.
Commissioner of the Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate Mohammad Akbar Hossain said, "We have set up some EFDs in the cities. The number of the machines will be increased in phases."
The machines confirm depositing VAT to the government exchequer. Besides, customers can win the lottery which the NBR draws in every month.
EFD coverage
The Commissionerate, divided into 8 divisions – Agrabad, Chandgaon, Chattala, Rangamati, Patiya, Cox's Bazar, Khagrachari, and Bandarban, enlisted 900 outlets to install the devices in the primary phase. It will increase the shop number in phases, according to the Commissionarate.
The authorities have installed 400 devices in the ongoing year, and 120 the previous year.
Out of 520, 393 were set up in Chattogram city, and 127 were in Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati.
According to the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, businesses having an annual turnover of Tk50 lakh or more, have to pay VAT.
However, the VAT authorities declined to disclose the number of total outlets that should mandatorily use EFDs. They said it would take time to cover all of the shops.
Business insiders there said the current number EFD users is just a nominal. The majority outlets did not receive EFD yet.
For example, as of Thursday, 34,289 businesses registered them with the Commissionerate, and received Business Identification Numbers or BIN that is used for VAT payment. According to the law, one-third of the number is supposed to use the devices, said officials.
VAT collection through EFD
Last September, the authorities bagged Tk2.26 crores in value-added tax, which means that per EFD generated around Tk44,000 on an average. The average sale per machine was Tk4.24 lakh in the month.
However, the actual amount of sales of the outlets were much higher from the figures, according to the Shop owners' body. It said the outlets sold Tk10-30 lakh in the month.
vat / VAT automation / VAT e-Payment System / Chattogram / e-payment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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NWSL Week 7 Preview: Midwest Melee returns
Dan Lauletta
Week 7 kicks off Friday night in Boston and continues with three staggered starts on Saturday. The Reign are idle for the second straight week but will host China in a friendly Friday night at Memorial Stadium. That match will not be live streamed.
Sky Blue FC (1-3-2) at Boston Breakers (2-3-0)
7:00 p.m. EDT, Soldiers Field
Watch: Youtube
Series: Sky Blue lead, 3-2-2
Points of Interest: Sky Blue have still yet to score twice in a game and are approaching 300 minutes without a goal in the run of play. The Breakers were the antithesis having surrendered at least two goals in every match—until last week when their defense suddenly clicked in a 1-0 victory over the Thorns. Sky Blue did control play last week in Washington despite losing late so perhaps that is the first step in breaking out of their scoring funk. The Breakers will retire Leslie Osborne's No. 12 at halftime.
Washington Spirit (3-2-1) at Western New York Flash (1-3-1)
7:00 p.m. EDT, Sahlen's Stadium
Series: Flash lead, 4-2-1
Points of Interest: The story line in Rochester is the home side being down two goalkeepers after Sabrina D'Angelo was injured last week and her replacement Chantel Jones, shoved Shea Groom from behind, drawing a suspension. The lucky call-up is Robyn Horner, who was Robyn Jones when she played at Michigan State and was on the Philadelphia Independence depth chart in WPS. Homer will have to deal with the Sprit's active forwards, though Francisca Ordega has left to join Nigeria head of the World Cup.
Chicago Red Stars (3-0-2) at FC Kansas City (3-2-1)
8:00 p.m. EDT, Swope Soccer Village
Series: tied, 3-3-1
Points of Interest: For the first time the Midwest Melee sees both clubs battling for the top spot on the table. The Red Stars are the league's last unbeaten and the Blues have not conceded during a four match unbeaten streak. Red Stars' rookie forward Sofia Huerta has emerged as one of the league's best stories with two-goal games and Player of the Week honors two weeks running. Despite the streak FC Kansas City have not generated much offense yet this season and that could be a problem against the counterattacking Red Stars.
Houston Dash (2-2-2) at Portland Thorns FC (2-1-2)
10:00 p.m. EDT, Providence Park
Series: Thorns lead, 3-0-0
Points of Interest: This was not a favorable matchup for the Dash in their expansion year but there could be a glimmer of hope. The Thorns' back line is riddled with injuries. Rachel Van Hollebeke and Emily Menges spent the week trying to get fit enough for the match. Both are officially questionable as is midfielder McCall Zerboni. The Dash have their own issues in back and their new signings will not be available yet, but they are strong up top with Kealia Ohai playing well and Tiffany McCarty and Jess McDonald also capable of filling the net.
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PHOTOS: Breakers officially retire Osborne's jersey


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Home » Authors » Jerome Norris » The FBI in Peace and War
The FBI in Peace and War
by Jerome Norris
Copyright© 2010 by Jerome Norris
Historical Story: In the 1960s, FBI agents sometimes were called upon to help enforce the nation's civil rights laws. This was often thankless and unglamorous work, and wasn't generally as popular with the agents as -- say -- investigating bank robberies.
Tags: Historical Vignettes
Growing up in the '50s, I'd always been taught that FBI agents were heroes of law enforcement. They were lawyers, trained after law school to be intrepid investigators. They were the personification of Truth and Justice — not to mention The American Way.
Like a lot of things, the real-world version didn't quite live up to the legend. First of all, there wasn't a lawyer in a carload. Not back in the 1960s, when I was myself a lawyer, working with FBI agents all the time. The oft-repeated story that "most" agents were trained in the law was just that — a story.
No matter. A well-trained agent didn't need a law degree to be a competent investigator. I met plenty of able FBI agents in my time at the Justice Department. The Bureau's competency quotient was no worse (and probably no better) than that of any other group — for example, my fellow lawyers in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
But the agents were a fascinating lot. I worked with one older agent who lived near Selma, Alabama. He shared all the values of his white Alabama neighbors, and he openly and loudly objected to what he regarded as the disruptive work of the Civil Rights Division.
This man was my official link to the county school systems we were investigating in south Alabama. The idea that I'd have to get my facts about a school system's segregationist practices from this extraordinarily conservative man gave me serious heartburn.
But — surprise! His reports were objective, complete, and frequently damning of the local school systems. Perhaps my agent was not "all eaten up with the Cause," but he was a professional investigator first.
Many of the younger agents I met had a strong cowboy streak and were fully invested in the Ephram Zimbalist Junior-G-Man image of the job. Their attitude toward the Civil Rights Division was simple: Voting rights investigations were boring. They ought to be out working bank robberies.
But their duty sometimes required that they work with Civil Rights Division lawyers in the field, and robbed banks might have to be investigated by someone else. For a period of weeks, five agents accompanied me, the lone Division lawyer, on a county-by-county investigation of voter registration practices all through Alabama.
It was 1965, and a statewide lawsuit, United States v. Alabama, was in progress, seeking a far-reaching court ruling to require county voting officials to register Negro voters.
Evidence-gathering for that lawsuit required that each county's Voter Registration Board be visited so that tens of thousands of past voter registration applications and literacy tests could be photographed on microfilm.
Later, back in Washington, there would be hundreds of hours devoted to painstaking inspection of these microfilm tapes -- looking for evidence of disparate treatment of black and white citizens attempting to register to vote.
The Xerox Corporation had not yet brought simplicity and convenience to the world of copying pieces of paper. My FBI contingent and I traveled with a large, cumbersome camera, built to be assembled and dismantled time after time, so that the lens was suspended, pointing downward, over a portable platform.
One FBI agent would spread page after page of voter registration forms, a single page at a time, under that camera while another agent snapped the picture.
On a good day, we could do the records of two small counties. I would identify the records to be photographed, and the team of agents would snap the pictures. I didn't blame the FBI agents for being bored. The work was tedious and resembled the factory assembly line work that some of them, probably, had struggled through college to avoid.
It was difficult to relate to these young men. They were J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, and I was a Presumed Bleeding Heart Liberal. They were young, but I was even younger, and yet here I was the one calling the shots. The work was repetitious and the list of counties to be visited seemed unending. The motels we stayed in night after night were mostly second-rate and located in no-name towns buried deep in the piney woods.
Home Top Jerome Norris's Page


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Controversial New Video of Obama's Pastor
by Cliff Kincaid on November 1, 2009
*Editor's Note: The Wright video linked to in Cliff Kincaid's column, Controversial New Video of Obama's Pastor, has been deleted. But the same video can still be viewed on YouTube in three parts. Here are part one, part two, and part three. We do not know why the original video was taken down, but have our suspicions.
A new video of Jeremiah Wright has surfaced, showing Barack Obama's pastor of 20 years praising Marxism and discussing his ties to communists in El Salvador and Nicaragua and the Libyan government. Equally important, Wright is being introduced in the video by Robert W. McChesney, co-founder of Free Press, an organization which has come under scrutiny for its links to the Obama Administration and dedication to the transformation and control of the private media in the U.S.
In an article in the socialist Monthly Review, "Journalism, Democracy, and Class Struggle," McChesney declared, "Our job is to make media reform part of our broader struggle for democracy, social justice, and, dare we say it, socialism."
In the video, which captures Wright's appearance at a September 17, 2009, anniversary celebration of Monthly Review, Wright said that while the "corporate media" provide a "binary lens" of the world, in such terms as "communist versus Christian," Monthly Review offers what it calls "no-nonsense Marxism."
He added: "You dispel all the negative images we have been programmed to conjure up with just the mention of that word socialism or Marxism."
He called America "land of the greed and home of the slave."
During the 2008 presidential campaign, as Obama was trying to distance himself from figures such as Wright and Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers, Wright gave a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and repeated a discredited Soviet propaganda claim that the U.S. Government had manufactured the AIDS virus to kill black people.
The McChesney introduction of Wright provides more insight into the political network, based largely in Chicago, that launched Obama's political career and still influences him.
A professor at the University of Illinois, where Bill Ayers is also employed, McChesney was an editor of Monthly Review but now serves as a contributor to the publication and a director of the Monthly Review Foundation.
Fox News' Glenn Beck, who has focused critical public attention on McChesney's influence in the "media reform" movement and on the Obama Administration, has noted that McChesney co-authored another piece for Monthly Review, "A New New Deal Under Obama?," in which he said, "In the end, there is no real answer but to remove brick by brick the capitalist system itself, rebuilding the entire society on socialist principles."
Ironically, McChesney's Free Press organization has received at least $1 million from the Open Society Institute of billionaire George Soros, a mega-capitalist who seems to have dedicated his life to overturning the system that made him wealthy.
At the 2007 Free Press "National Conference for Media Reform," Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) launched a vicious attack on conservative talk radio, saying that the survival of America was itself at stake because of "neo-fascist" and "neo-con" talk-show hosts led by Rush Limbaugh.
Accuracy in Media's coverage of various Free Press conferences led us to publish the book The Death of Talk Radio?, recognizing the dangers to a truly free press that were being assembled by forces on the political left. But rather than pursue the destruction of conservative media through such measures as the Fairness Doctrine, it appears that "diversity" in media, "localism," and "Internet neutrality" are becoming the main methods for media manipulation and control.
Dropping any pretense of objectivity and non-partisanship, the 2008 "National Conference for Media Reform" turned into a Barack Obama-for-President rally, as left-wing media figure Arianna Huffington denounced John McCain as a "Trojan horse for the right" who had "sold his soul" to become president. Several speakers, including Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps, used the Obama campaign slogan, "Yes, we can," as they urged the thousands of "progressives" in the audience to bring "change" to Washington, D.C.
The change can now be seen in the main agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with jurisdiction over the media as well as the Internet. A major figure in Free Press conferences, Mark Lloyd, is now the Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer at the FCC. But he has gotten critical attention from Glenn Beck and others for praising the Marxist revolution in Venezuela, where the regime has attempted to control or even eliminate private media sources. Lloyd also has defended Paul Robeson, the famous singer and actor who tried to conceal his involvement in Communist Party activities from congressional investigators.
A former Free Press official, Jen Howard, is now the press secretary for the Federal Communications Commission.
As for Wright, he received some unwanted attention for saying earlier this year that he blamed "them Jews" for keeping him away from President Obama.
At the Monthly Review celebration, however, he went into more detail about his own personal and political philosophy. He said that "My work with liberation theology, with Latin American theologians, with the Black Theology Project and with the Cuban Council of Churches taught me 30 years ago the importance of Marx and the Marxist analysis of the social realities of the vulnerable and the oppressed who were trying desperately to break free of the political economics undergirded by this country that were choking them and cutting off any hope of a possible future where all of the people would benefit."
He said that his "exposure to the FMLN in El Salvador, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and my presence at the 15th Jamahiriya in Libya taught me what I have read in the pages of the Monthly Review which is, as Joshua Stanton says, though we need not always agree with one another we must do the work necessary to at least understand one another."
The FMLN was the armed wing of the communist movement in El Salvador, while the Sandinistas are the communist movement in Nicaragua. The Cuban Council of Churches is controlled by the Castro regime.
Interestingly, Wright used his appearance at the Monthly Review event to quote Frantz Fanon, the revolutionary also cited in Obama's book, Dreams from My Father.
However, his only reference to Obama in the speech came when he complained about Obama going to "beg the big fat cats" on Wall Street to stop irresponsible financial practices.
In a recap of the celebration, the Monthly Review editors declared, "We would like to thank all those who participated in this extraordinary event. Dr. Wright captured the tone of the evening, declaring that: 'Militarism, capitalism and racism, domestic oppression, foreign military aggression, victims of neo-colonialism, victims of community and national racism, and the Cold War days in its infancy to the needless war in Vietnam in its [MR's] second decade, through wars of greed in Afghanistan and Iraq in [its] sixth decade' were all incisively covered by the magazine. He spoke of Monthly Review's indefatigable insistence on the need to put 'people before profits,' and its unflinching criticisms of inequality, injustice, and the realities of capitalism."
It is not clear what kind of personal relationship that McChesney, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has with Obama. But his influence on the Obama Administration, as reflected in the FCC appointments, seems to be significant.
When he recently staged an on-air fundraising drive for his "Media Matters" radio show, McChesney included John Nichols, a co-founder of Free Press; Ben Scott of Free Press; Norman Solomon of the Institute for Public Accuracy; and Noam Chomsky of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, a Communist Party spin-off group. Nichols was a speaker at a 2002 CCDS conference in San Francisco.
Ben Scott was a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when he co-authored a piece with McChesney for the Monthly Review on the problems of "capitalist journalism." He and McChesney also co-authored Our Unfree Press: 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism.
Scott would go on to serve as a legislative fellow for then-Representative and open socialist Bernie Sanders and then become the policy director for Free Press.
The contributors to Monthly Review include former Weather Underground terrorist Bernardine Dohrn; Marilyn Buck, another former Weather Underground member; convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal; Bill Fletcher, Jr., a founder of Progressives for Obama; and Chomsky.
In a piece titled, "Homeland Imperialism: Fear and Resistance," Dohrn wrote of the "robust and unified resistance to imperialism" after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Fletcher, a former assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO, wondered, "Can U.S. Workers Embrace Anti-Imperialism?"
That particular cause had been led and managed by Van Jones, the "Green Jobs Czar" in the Obama Administration who was ousted after his history of deep involvement in communist and extremist causes threatened to implicate White House official Valerie Jarrett and Obama himself in his recruitment to his White House job.
An Accuracy in Media investigation determined that, like Free Press, Van Jones' career was carefully assisted by a lot of George Soros cash.
Cliff Kincaid
Cliff Kincaid is the Director of the AIM Center for Investigative Journalism and can be contacted at cliff.kincaid@aim.org. View the complete archives from Cliff Kincaid.


2. Power: single phase 220V/110V.Format of the designs: DSB, DST, FDR.
5. Dimension: 762 x 782 x 871MM.
6. Memory stock: 10,000,000 stitches.
7. Compact embroidery machine with table, small and exquisite, easy for transit.
8. Big emb.area, flat emb.area can reach up to 350450mm.
9. High speed, the max speed can reach up to 1000rpm. High precision in driving, imported liner guide used in the frame drive guide.
10. Light in weight. The whole machine only has 120kgs. Tubes preventing thread, let the embroider out of the interference, and work smooth.


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The Freeze
This article is about the American band. For the Scottish band, see The Freeze (Scottish band). For other uses, see Freeze.
Find sources: "The Freeze" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States
Hardcore punk, punk rock
Modern Method, Taang! Records, Lost And Found, Doctor Strange, Schizophrenic, Gummopunx Records
Clif "Hanger" Croce
Bill Close
Zack Carmichael
Johnny Justice
Aaron Hjalmarson
Numerous (see 'Former members' section below)
The Freeze are an American punk rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States, formed by a group of teenagers in 1978.[1][2] They released the first single, "I Hate Tourists" in 1980 and contributed eight songs, including the title track to the 1982 hardcore punk compilation This Is Boston, Not L.A.
The band is known for their dark lyrics, original punk rock melodies, and their longevity. A lot of their early lyrics deal with alienation, drug-use/abuse and paranoia (especially of the church, government and those exercising authority over others in general). A constant theme or thread regarding apathetic observers or people willing to give up their freedoms for fear of losing their "security" is also apparent in their work.
2 Discography
2.1 Studio albums
2.2 Singles and EPs
2.3 Split releases
2.4 Compilation appearances
2.5 Live recordings
2.6 Collections and reprints
3.1 Current members
3.2 Former members
Influenced by The Ramones, The Clash and other early punk bands, Clif "Hanger" Croce put together The Freeze in 1978. A friend scraped up enough cash the next year to make 2,000 copies of the band's debut single, "I Hate Tourists". According to a band history, "A Christian group tried to ban it. The Boston Phoenix voted it one of the top 10 local singles of the year. It was fun."[citation needed] "I Hate Tourists" was released in 1980. The Freeze's music was picked by Newbury Comics' in-house label, Modern Method Records, which released several of the Freeze's songs on the Boston hardcore compilation albums Unsafe at Any Speed and This Is Boston, Not L.A. in 1982.[3] The Freeze's title track for that album was used in a television commercial for Newbury Comics on local UHF music video station V66, with the song's penultimate word bleeped out. The band also re-recorded "No One's Ever Coming Home" for Flipside Vinyl Fanzine, Vol. 1, released by Gasatanka Records in 1984.[4]
The 1983 album Land of the Lost and 1985's Rabid Reaction followed before Modern Method folded. The group was picked up by Taang! Records for their 1991 album, Misery Loves Company. Their 1999 album, One False Move, featured cover fellow Cape Cod artist and author Edward Gorey.[5]
Crawling Blind, an album released in 1994, told tales about people who were slaves to addiction. In 1996, Freakshow, "continued a downhill lyrical theme," stated frontman Croce. He explored mental illness on songs such as "Creeping Psychosis" and "Suspended Heaven".[citation needed]
One False Move was released in March 1999. Their latest album, Calling All Creatures was released on Slope Records in 2019.
This October,[when?] The Freeze will have another new song on a Halloween themed compilation album, on Cleopatra Records, which will also feature Iggy Pop, The Damned, T.S.O.L. and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles.[citation needed]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
Rabid Reaction (1985)
Misery Loves Company (1991)
Crawling Blind (1994)
Freakshow (1996)
One False Move (1999)
Calling All Creatures (2019)[6]
Singles and EPs[edit]
"I Hate Tourists" (1980)
"Guilty Face EP" (1982)
"PTP" (1991)
"Bloodlights" (1991)
"Welcome to Planet Earth" (1999)
"Blood Flows Home" CD-EP (2011)
"Someone's Bleeding" CD-EP (2015)
Split releases[edit]
The Freeze and the Killrays CD (1995)
A Deadly Duo 10" (w/ the Bollweevils) (1996)
Compilation appearances[edit]
A Wicked Good Time: Vol. 2 (1981)
This Is Boston, Not L.A. (1982)
Unsafe at Any Speed (1983)
Life is a Joke vol. 3 (1987)
Revenge of the Kamikaze Stegosaurus From Outer Space (1988)
Boston Wolfpack (1999)
Live recordings[edit]
Five Way Fury LP (1992)
The Freeze 11/2/96 7" (1996)
Live at the Mill Hill Club in 1980 LP (2007)
Collections and reprints[edit]
Guilty Face + 3 10" EP (1991)
Double Dosed LP (1992)
Token Bones LP (1997)
Crawling Blind / Freakshow LP (2013)
Members[edit]
Band founder, songwriter, and vocalist Clif "Hanger" Croce is the only member that has been in every incarnation of the band, which has seen many line-up changes.
Current members[edit]
Clif "Hanger" Croce – Vocals
Bill Close – Guitar, Vocals, Bass
Zack Carmichael – Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Justice – Bass, Vocals
Aaron Hjalmarson – Drums, Vocals
Former members[edit]
Dave (DB) Barbee – Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Baxter – Drums
Rob (DeCradle) Rosenthal – Guitar
Pat Leonard – Bass
Eric Dewolf – Bass
Pat Brady – Drums
Paul Delano – Guitar
Scott Moulaison – Drums, Vocals
Steve Wood – Guitar
Shane Mackie – Guitar
Rick Andrews – Bass
Marc Thalasitas – Guitar, Vocals
Daniella Thalasitas – Bass
Craig Adams – Bass
Eric Short – Guitar
Joe Koonz – Guitar and Vocals
Ronald Cormier – Guitar
Kevin Vicha ("Kev") – Drums
Lou "Chip" Cataldo – Drums
Walter Gustafson – Drums
Chuck Stilphen – Guitar
Zack Carmichael – Bass
Mark Leonard – Bass
Chris Barone – Drums
Mikey Jak – Bass
Anthony Pizzo – Guitar
Patrick "Swedish" Souza – Drums
Slade Anderson – Guitar
John – Guitar
Molusk – Bass Guitar
Jason Stone – Drums
Joshy Wastrel – Guitar, Vocals
Gizz Lazlo – Drums, Vocals
David Diamond – Guitar
Arvin Mani – Bass
Frank Anderson – Drums
Anthony Barbaria – Drums
Nick Govoni – Bass
^ Hanger, Clif (2005). "I Hate Tourists, Tourists SUCK, It's only their daughters I wanna fuck" in "I Hate Tourists" [Record Liner Notes]. Hamilton: Schizophrenic Records.
^ Blush, Steven (2001). ""The Kids Will Have Their Say"". In George Petros (ed.). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. New York: Feral House. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0-922915-71-7.
^ Henderson, Alex. "This Is Boston, Not L.A.: AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
^ "Various - Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Vol. 1". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
^ "One False Move - The Freeze | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^ "The Freeze | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
The official website of the Freeze on Myspace
The official website of Clif Hanger on Myspace
Scannerzine interview with Clif Hanger from August 2005
Schizophrenic records re-issued "I Hate Tourists" 7", the Guilty Face EP (with bonus tracks), and release the LP Live from Cape Cod 1980
"Drink, Fight, and Fuck!" – A interview with the Freeze which will be part of the liner notes for the Live from Cape Cod 1980 LP
MusicBrainz artist
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Freeze&oldid=994966227"
Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts
Articles needing additional references from September 2020
Vague or ambiguous time from November 2020
Articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
Articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers
This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 13:52 (UTC).


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Nov 13 2017 November 13, 2017 November 13, 2017 NoComment	by Administrator
Army camps won't be removed endangering national security – President
President Maithripala Sirisena says that the army camps have not been removed in a way which will weaken the national security or will have an impact on the security forces.
The President said that the government has taken steps to release the lands, which were acquired during the war period for army camps, but lands not needed for the three Armed forces at present, we're returned to the people in the North and East, and he also said that in the future too lands in that conditions will be released to those people.
President Sirisena made these remarks addressing the officers of the Sri Lanka Army at the auditorium of Army Hospital in Narahenpita recently.
It is significant that the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces addressed a representative gathering of more than 350 Commanding Officers (COs), Adjutants and Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) of the Army, for the first time in the annals of the history of army.
Speaking further, the President said that not any type of investigation has been conducted by the present government regarding any of the war heroes who have involved in the war, and not any such investigation initiated in a way which will dishonour the war heroes.
However, the President said that currently investigations are being carried out regarding certain allegations after concluding the war, against certain army officers about some incidents taken place according to the needs of some politicians and on some incidents occurred as a result of personal relations. He also said that not a single allegation was leveled against the war heroes for doing the war, and emphasized that he will not allow any room to level allegations against the war heroes.
President Sirisena further said that if the officers who are in custody regarding the incident occurred as for the needs of the politicians going against the law of the country, moral values, freedom and democracy, proven before the court that they are not involved in those incidents they will be released by the courts and said that he vehemently rejected the allegation made by some section of the society in the political stage as there is a hunting of war heroes, and said that such war hero hunting will never done in the country.
The President appreciated the great service rendered by the Security Forces in the process of building reconciliation in the country and commended all the members of the Security Forces for their unlimited service in national disastrous situations of the country, even by endangering their lives.
He also pointed out the importance of national reconciliation policy in taking the country to prosperity under the concept of sustainable development. The President said that he expects the support of everybody to develop our country.
Similarly, the government worked with commitment during the past two and half years to provide all the benefits and facilities to the members of the security forces. Further, the government in the future too will work with commitment to provide benefits and ensure the welfare of the members of the security forces as well as the family members of the retired and disabled war heroes.
The President also joined with the military personnel in a cordial discussion.
An Army live telecast of the President's speech was transmitted to all Security Force Headquarters, Divisions and other formations simultaneously covering more than 30,000 members of the Army across the country.
Kapila Waidyaratne, Secretary of Defence and the Commander of the Army Lieutenant, General Mahesh Senanayake were also present on this occasion.
(Government News Portal)


On August 7, 1942, badly wounded Japanese ace Saburo Sakai disengages from his American adversaries and embarks on an epic 640-mile flight back to his base at Rabaul, New Britain.
Saburo Sakai is probably Japan's best-known pilot of World War II, with the possible exception of Captain Mitsuo Fuchida of Pearl Harbor infamy. In a seven-year combat career, Sakai survived horrible injuries and impossible odds, and almost got a chance to kill Lyndon Baines Johnson. The fact that Sakai never made a combat launch from an aircraft carrier in no way detracts from his significance as a naval aviator and Japan's third-ranking fighter ace.
Sakai came to prominence in 1957 when his memoir, Samurai!, was published in English, with Japanese journalist Fred Saito and American Martin Caidin as coauthors. It became an instant classic and is still in print today, well after his death. Yet the man behind the legend remains little known, and his career deserves a reappraisal.
Sakai Saburo (to render his name in proper Japanese order) was born to an impoverished Kyushu farming family in 1916. Sakai admitted that he was a poor student and, lacking other options, enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in 1933. Upon completion of harsh recruit training, he reported aboard the battleship Kirishima. Over the next three years the young sailor demonstrated the persistence that would come to characterize his combat career. He passed the entrance exam for flight school on the third try.
IJN pilot training was the most rigorous in the world at the time. Attempting to compensate for centuries of isolation, Japan rushed to catch up with the West in a few decades—and succeeded. But the price was brutally steep by Western standards, as "attrition" had a literal meaning in prewar training. All-or-nothing wrestling matches, acrobatics without a net and prolonged swimming tests were just part of the regimen. While the success ratio was small (35 percent in Sakai's class), the resultant airmen were at least as good as any in the United States or Europe.
The hard work paid off. Sakai graduated in his enlisted pilot training class late in 1937, receiving a silver watch from the emperor as the outstanding trainee of the year.
Asked about his carrier training, Sakai produced a pad and pencil. Speaking through an interpreter, he sketched a flight deck with notations of 17 meters (about 56 feet) wide with six arresting wires. The glide slope for IJN tailhookers was 5 to 5½ degrees, depending upon aircraft type, with a light landing system similar to today's visual approach slope indicator (VASI) arrangement. The Japanese used no landing signal officers other than a sailor stationed aft with a red flag in the event of a waveoff. Because of the light weight of IJN aircraft, catapults were deemed unnecessary.
In the summer of 1938, Sakai was assigned to the 12th Kokutai (air group), flying Mitsubishi A5M fighters from Formosa (now Taiwan). The trim little fixed-gear monoplanes, later codenamed "Claude" by the Allies, were delightful to fly, and Sakai made his mark in them. On October 5, his flight was intercepted by Chinese-flown, Soviet-built Polikarpov I-16s near Hankow. In the ensuing air battle, Sakai broke formation, flamed an I-16 and was nearly downed himself. His flight leader was not pleased; the lieutenant did all the talking while Sakai did all the listening.
A year later Sakai was wounded in a Chinese bombing raid and returned to Japan for treatment. However, by 1941 he was well established as a petty officer, flying A6M2 Zeros with the Tainan Kokutai, still based on Formosa. He came to know the legendary fighter intimately, logging some 1,500 hours in the type.
Sakai and 43 other pilots of the Tainan Kokutai made aviation history on December 8, 1941, taking off from Formosa and flying 1,100 miles round trip to Clark Field in the Philippines—at the time the longest fighter mission ever attempted. After peeling off from the Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" bombers they had escorted, the Zeros attacked targets of opportunity. Sakai claimed a P-40 Warhawk shot down and two B-17s strafed on the ground.
The record-setting missions required extreme fuel economy, and Sakai was proud of his reputation as a gas miser. In remaining airborne for 10 hours or more he explained, "I personally established the record low consumption of less than 17 gallons per hour; on average our pilots reduced their consumption from 35 gallons per hour to only 18.
Two days later Sakai and squadron mates attacked a B-17 over Clark Field and shot it down. Though he described the combat in detail, Sakai was not among the five pilots credited with the victory. The bomber pilot was Captain Colin Kelley Jr., who remained at the controls so his crew could bail out. Posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Kelly became one of America's earliest WWII aviation heroes.
From that point on, Sakai was engaged in near-continuous combat. After returning from the Philippines, he flew in the East Indies and New Guinea, fighting Dutch, Australian and American aircraft. For Sakai, it was the best period of the war. With his wingmen and fellow aces, he went from success to success, once even looping in formation over an Allied airfield. His tally of enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged climbed toward 50.
On June 9, 1942—five days after the Pacific turning point at Midway—Sakai intercepted a dual-axis American attack on his base at Lae, New Guinea. The combat turned to hash on both sides, owing to poor timing by the Americans and confused intercepts by the Japanese. After the optimistic claims were sorted out, a Zero was confirmed downed for two B-26 Marauders destroyed or crashed and one crew lost.
Representative Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas) should have been in one of the missing Marauders. Granted a short-term commission as a Reserve lieutenant commander, Johnson was on a tour of the Southwest Pacific, gaining political points for the 1942 election before President Franklin D. Roosevelt "recalled" uniformed congressmen.
Trading places with an Army Air Forces colonel at the last minute, Johnson missed the Lae combat when his B-26 turned back due to a generator failure. However, the politically attuned General Douglas MacArthur awarded the congressman a Silver Star for "coolness under fire" and "returning with valuable information." According to Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Robert Caro, LBJ had the medal presented repeatedly on the campaign trail, regaling voters with eyewitness accounts of 14 Zeros shot down over Lae. In truth, Johnson probably never got within 80 miles of the target.
By early August, Sakai and the Tainan Kokutai were based at Rabaul, New Britain. On the 7th, U.S. Marines landed at Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the southern Solomon Islands, and Rabaul launched an immediate counterattack. Again demonstrating the Zero's exceptional reach, Sakai flew nearly 650 miles southeast to engage American carrier pilots for the first time.
Unlike many of his previous opponents, Sakai found U.S. naval aviators consistently competent and aggressive. In one of the best-documented dogfights of the Pacific War, he jumped into an uneven combat between his wingmen and an F4F-4 Wildcat. Sakai tangled with Lieutenant James J. Southerland of Fighting Squadron 5 (VF-5) off the carrier Saratoga. Sighting the lopsided contest, Sakai gaped as the Grumman seemed to outmaneuver the Zeros. "There was a terrific man behind that stick," he said.
Actually, Sakai's eager friends made high-speed passes at the Wildcat, overshooting with excess momentum. It was a common mistake that U.S. pilots often exploited. But Sakai chose his time and rolled into an effective gunnery pass. Badly hit, the F4F streamed smoke and leveled out. Sakai briefly flew next to Southerland, able to describe his features. When Southerland bailed out of his riddled, smoking Wildcat, the Japanese ace felt a rare emotion—gratitude that a skillful enemy had survived.
Moments later Sakai attacked an SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber from USS Wasp and shot it down. That pilot also parachuted to safety, though his radioman-gunner died.
Running low on fuel, Sakai gathered his two wingmen and was preparing to return to Rabaul when he spotted a formation of carrier bombers. Though author Martin Caidin described them as TBF-1 Avengers, they were in fact SBD-3s from Enterprise. Setting up a 6 o'clock low approach, thinking the airplanes were fighters, Sakai had just tripped his triggers when the sky exploded.
The Dauntless gunners had seen him coming.
Caught in a crossfire, Sakai's Zero took several hits. His windscreen was holed and a .30-caliber round clipped the top of his head. Stunned and disoriented, he instinctively pulled back on the stick and was lost to sight by friend and foe.
Thus began an epic of aviation survival. With blood covering his face, unable to see from his right eye and in constant pain, Sakai fought a grimly determined battle to remain conscious. His first-aid efforts were useless in the windswept cockpit, and eventually he tore off part of his scarf to use as a bandage.
For four hours and 45 minutes Sakai navigated homeward, lapsing in and out of consciousness. Lucidity ebbed and flowed—at some point his mother's voice came to him, scolding him for a growing urge to give up. At length he forced himself to ignore the pain and dizziness of blood loss, fighting partial blindness and paralysis in an effort to concentrate on landing.
Sakai was lifted from the cockpit with bullet or fragment wounds in the left arm, leg and chest. He was sent to Yokosuka Naval Hospital, where doctors solemnly informed him that he was permanently blind in his right eye and would never fly again.
Sakai not only flew again, however, he returned to combat. Nearly two years after his epic escape over Guadalcanal, he was based on Iwo Jima, still flying Zeros but now as a warrant officer in the Yokosuka Kokutai. On June 24, 1944, his was one of 57 Zeros that intercepted three squadrons of carrier-based F6F-3 Hellcats. Separated from his inexperienced wingmen, Sakai found himself trapped at low level by Hellcats from Hornet and Bataan. Despite the odds and his visual handicap, Sakai timed his breaks to perfection, rolling and skidding to avoid pass after gunnery pass. When lowering clouds afforded a chance, he broke off and returned to base. Ground personnel who witnessed part of the uneven combat were astounded to find no bullet holes in his fighter.
Others were not so skillful or fortunate. Between the American strikes of June 25 and July 5, Iwo's fighter garrison was annihilated. Sakai himself led a suicide mission on the latter date, but failed to find the reported American task force in worsening weather and darkness. Rather than follow orders, he led his small formation back to the sulfurous island, preserving planes and pilots for another day.
For the final 12 months of the war, Sakai served in various home establishment units. He checked out in the IJN's ultimate fighter, the Kawanishi N1K2-J "George," but saw very little additional combat. In August 1944, he was promoted to ensign—a record-breaking 11 years from enlistment to commissioning. He made lieutenant (junior grade) a year later, just before the war ended.
Yet Sakai did fly an additional mission that remains controversial even today. On August 17, two days after the emperor's capitulation, Sakai and other IJN pilots intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft near Tokyo. The fighters attacked the Consolidated B-32 Dominator, new to combat with the 386th Bomb Squadron, and inflicted damage. Sakai was later quoted as saying that the B-32 mission was a provocation, and the Americans should have allowed the situation to settle down.
Sakai faced an uncertain future in the fall of 1945. As a "militarist" he was barred from government employment, and in any case his partial blindness would have prevented a return to military service.
Sakai had married late in the war, his bride keeping a dagger in case her husband was killed. After a period as a Buddhist acolyte (during which he reputedly adopted a pacifist philosophy), he established a printing business. His wife died after the war, leaving two stepchildren. Sakai remarried and with his wife Haru had a daughter, Michiko, who was educated in America and married a U.S. Army officer.
Meanwhile, Sakai spoke out against Japanese militarism. He wrote numerous books that were controversial in Japan owing to his criticism of Emperor Hirohito, who cooperated with the militarists, and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, for flawed strategy in dispersing his forces. Sakai also decried the kamikaze program as brutally wasteful of young lives. In Japanese culture, that was risky business, since criticism of superiors is seldom condoned.
Ironically, for much of his life Sakai was better known in the U.S. than in Japan, thanks to the enduring success of Samurai! That it contained numerous errors has not distracted from its appeal.
Martin Caidin copyrighted the English-language version in his name, rather than jointly with Sakai. Consequently, Sakai confided late in life that he never received any U.S. royalties. However, he considered the arrangement worthwhile owing to the many friendships and contacts he made in America. Top Marine Corps ace Joe Foss noted with pride that he became Sakai's most valued American friend.
While touring the U.S., Sakai was surprised to learn that his hosts believed he was credited with 64 victories. He never claimed a specific figure, though his logbook showed that he engaged more than 70 Allied aircraft. The Japanese military typically made extravagant claims, and while the IJN stopped crediting individual victories in 1943, some diligent historians have estimated that Sakai's actual tally probably was more like 15.
Another reunion of sorts was arranged by Henry Sakaida, who identified the SBD gunners who had nearly killed Sakai over Guadalcanal. One of them, Harold Jones, exchanged gifts and recollections with the Japanese ace near Los Angeles in 1983. Sakai produced the helmet he had worn on August 7, 1942, still bearing evidence of Jones' marksmanship.
A recurring topic in Sakai's conversations was leadership. The IJN relied heavily upon noncommissioned aircrew, often commanded by relatively inexperienced officers. Japanese aces took pains to look out for the good leaders while sometimes ignoring the other kind.
Sakai also found opportunities to fly. In 1991 he participated in a symposium hosted by the Champlin Fighter Museum in Arizona with translator Jim Crossley. I had just arrived with them from Sky Harbor Airport when warbird owner Bill Hane rolled out his P-51D, Ho Hun! Doug Champlin offered to spring for the gas if Sakai would like a ride. Moments later, wearing an oversized flight suit, the Zero ace launched on a memorable flight. Hane gave him a fine ride with low-level passes and aerobatics.
Inevitably Sakai drew attention whenever he interacted with American military men. In September 2000, he was invited to a formal dinner at Atsugi Naval Air Station, courtesy of the U.S. Navy, prepared to make a presentation. There he collapsed from a heart attack and died at 84. Only a handful of fellow Zero pilots attended the funeral at Sagami Memorial Park in Kanagawa, as many veterans resented Sakai's public statements.
Author Barrett Tillman has more than 40 books and 750 articles to his credit. He interviewed Saburo Sakai three times between 1970 and 1991. Additional reading: Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, by Mark Pattie; and Zero!, by Jiro Horikoshi and Masatake Okumiya.
Samurai of the Air originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Aviation History. Subscribe today!


Genesee County had the highest rate of Legionnaires' disease cases and fatalities among Michigan counties in 2014 and 2015.
In light of the recent outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New York City, here are five facts you need to know about the disease.
Genesee County had the highest rate of Legionnaires' disease cases and total fatalities among Michigan counties in 2014 and 2015. Statewide, there were a total of 485 cases a rate of 4.9 cases per 100,000 residents and 43 deaths, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Genesee's rate was more than four times higher at 22.1 per 100,000 residents. The rate of cases per 100,000 residents in Macomb and Oakland County was 5.6 and 2.9, respectively.
State health officials say it's highly unlikely they'll ever be able to determine what caused the spike in Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County.
Can't see the database? Click here to view.
Note: County Legionnaires' disease case data based on the latest available report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Jan. 14, 2016.
Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Census Bureau.
Editor's note: The database and story have been updated to reflect new Legionnaires' disease cases and fatalities in Genesee County reported by the state health department on April 11.


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Top Five Maple Body Dreadnought Guitars for Serious Amateurs or Professionals
Wesman Todd Shaw
Wesman Todd Shaw started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. He loves nothing more than to pick one up and pluck some strings.
Maple As A Tonewood
Maple is one of the traditional tonewoods for acoustic instruments. Right there with maple are rosewood, mahogany, spruce, ebony, and all the varieties of species of those trees. Maple as a tonewood for bodies or backs and sides of a guitar can sometimes be described as a transparent tonewood. What is meant by "transparent?" Well, with a maple body, the maple provides less in the way of its own tone, and instead, accentuates the tone of the wood used on the top of the instrument. For this reason, maple bodies guitars should feature the best soundboards available.
The other major factor coming into play with maple bodied guitars is the density of the wood used. The harder or denser the wood, the more the tonal characteristics of the maple in use will resemble mahogany, the softer - more tonal transparency. For all intents and practical purposes all characteristics of maple as a tonewood also apply to walnut as a tonewood, however, we will only be discussing maple with the instruments below.
Now obviously, maple isn't so often used in a dreadnought guitar as either mahogany or rosewood, and it looks very different, being nearly as light in color as the normal spruce soundboard. Maple, however, makes for an outstanding guitar, and especially for someone who is looking for something that might look and sound just different enough to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack.
The Martin D-40QM "Quilted Maple"
Now I have certainly had my hands on a Martin D-40QM, and I loved the thing. My suspicions were up, as when I played it at the North Dallas Guitar Center on Central Expressway, I thought it odd I'd never seen or heard of the model prior to that, especially after seeing how beautiful were its quilted maple back and sides, and how its tone was that of a Martin guitar in every way, as was its play-ability, of course.
Why had I never heard of these guitars? Well, they just aren't made too often. Why Martin would produce this specific guitar for a few years, and then stop, another mystery altogether. Style 40 appointments aren't common at all, and neither is a maple bodied Martin dreadnought. All in all, the D-40QM is a rare bird that isn't going to be found or seen often. Martin does have a custom shop, and so maple body Martin dreadnoughts can be had from there anytime a player wants one.
If you see one of these on consignment or for sale used from having been traded on something else, sit down and play it, then compare it to a Martin D-18 and decide what you like best.
Nice Song Done With A Martin Maple Dreadnought Guitar
The Breedlove Focus Dreadnought Guitar - Maple and Spruce
The Breedlove Focus
Now I'm a big fan of Breedlove guitars, and it would be very hard for me not to be. I adore traditional guitars, but Breedlove's offerings are anything BUT traditional. They are totally alternative in design, feature sharp edges, and all sorts of design elements that the folks down at Gibson, or Martin would never much care to put their names on. Guess what? Breedlove guitars are every bit as nice as a Martin, Gibson, Taylor, or "insert traditional manufacturer of choice."
The Breedlove focus is an acoustic electric guitar with a soft cutaway, or Venetian cutaway - whichever way you wish to describe it. It is built with curly maple for it's back and sides, and Sitka spruce for its soundboard. Now, please do take note: Not all Breedlove Focus guitars have maple backs and sides, some are rosewood, and probably, the majority are rosewood.
All Breedlove Focus guitars are acoustic electric, with an easily accessible L.R. Baggs Dual Element pickup via the soundhole surrounded by abalone rosette. The pre-amp, of course, is located on the top side of the instrument, as is usual. Breedlove offers outstanding quality, alternative styling, excellent play-ability, and terrific sound in all models, not just this one. This guitar isn't cheap, and neither should anyone think it would be. I've priced it at four thousand dollars, about what one would pay for a brand new Martin D-40QM, but the Martin wouldn't have the electronics on it unless those were also ordered, or you happened to luck into seeing one at your guitar dealership.
The Taylor 610Ce
Now the Taylor 610Ce differs from the Martin and the Breedlove instruments mentioned in that it is, in fact, a standard production instrument. Taylor produces these guitars regularly, yearly, and every Taylor 600 series instrument is a maple and spruce all solid wood guitar. With Taylor instruments, the first number denotes the series, and the second the body style. So, "600" means maple and spruce, and "610" means maple and spruce dreadnought. "Ce," with Taylor, means "cutaway electric." So what we have here is a dreadnought with pre-amp and pickup with a cutaway and it is made with maple back and sides, and a spruce top.
Make no mistake when shopping for this fine Taylor guitar, it was created to be LOUD with or without it being plugged into anything. Taylor guitars are rather bright and loud already, but with the Big Leaf Maple back and sides and spruce top, this combination of woods and Taylor's terrific building and bracing will make this guitar really project, and especially should the player have a strong pick hand attack, and use a heavy pick. Fingerstylist? Hey, this might be just what you are looking for too. Check them out, they go for around three grand.
Don't want electronics or a cutaway? The standard Taylor 610 is out there built just that way as well. Never settle for something that isn't exactly what you want, the model with the exact specifications you desire is out there, and especially with all the options offered by Taylor guitars.
Taylor 610ce guitar features:
Type/Shape: 6-String Dreadnought
Back & Sides: Big Leaf Maple
Top: Sitka Spruce
Soundhole Rosette: Abalone
Neck: Hard Rock Maple
Fretboard Inlay: Pearl "Leaf" Pattern
Headstock Overlay: Ebony
Binding White Plastic
Bridge Ebony
Nut & Saddle: Tusq
Tuning Machines: Gold-plated Taylor Tuners
Scale Length: 25 1/2 Inches
Neck Width at Nut: 1 3/4 Inches
Fretboard Radius: 15 Inches
Bracing: Standard II (Forward Shifted Pattern W/Relief Rout)
Color Options: Natural
Sunburst Options: Tobacco, Honey (Top Only)
Cutaway: Venetian
Electronics: Taylor Expression System"¢
Body Width: 16 Inches
Body Depth: 4 5/8 Inches
Body Length: 20 Inches
Taylor 600 Series 2015 610ce Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Gibson Dove Featuring Beautiful Quilted Maple
The Gibson Dove
Now the Gibson Dove guitar is a standard production instrument as is the Taylor guitar. Gibson Dove guitars have a very interesting history, and are altogether beautiful from any angle one is viewed. Now, before my reader gets extremely perturbed by the extreme beauty of the figured maple example of the Gibson Dove to the right, I should point out that because the Dove has been in production since the 1960s, and early on in that time period, there are quite a lot of these out there, and there are several different standard production models offered now.
Simply put, the guitar to the right is a Dove, and it is an exceedingly beautiful one. There are lots of species of maple, and it should be obvious the figured maple on the image I've provided from Ebay, is not the norm, but rather, an example that is used, and more costly than some less stunning cuts of wood. Don't get me wrong, visually beautiful guitars are wonderful, but I myself am into guitar tone very heavily, and so I must point out the fact the most beautiful to the eye guitars might not be the ones that sound best - but likely, are the ones that cost the most.
So far as the current market for Gibson Dove guitars, I'm seeing a lot of variables and variations. There is the Gibson Modern Classics version of the Dove,, something called the "Super Dove," and then there are Doves with different finishes available. Most impressive (and expensive) of all, there is the Doves In Flight, model.
There are also used models of the Gibson Dove available from the 60's to present. You're looking at a wide array of options, and some are acoustic electric, some are not.
Gibson Dove guitar specifications:
Body Body type: Jumbo Cutaway: Non-cutaway
Top wood: Solid Sitka Spruce
Back & sides: Maple
Bracing pattern: Traditional scalloped X
Body finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer Ebony
Orientation: Right handed
Neck Neck shape: Round
Nut width: 1.725 in. (43.8 mm)
Neck wood: Maple
Scale length: 25.5 in.
Neck finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer Ebony<
"Since its introduction in 1962, the Dove has gained a reputation as the guitar for players looking for a bold, unique look with great rhythm capabilites and tonal qualities
Designed for backing vocals, the Dove has a warm, smooth sound that compliments the voice
The long scale, combined with maple back and sides
yields a loud, crisp sound
The Guild D-30
The Guild D-30 Maple, Spruce, and Tradition
When thinking of traditional guitars, it is unwise to ever overlook Guild's offering. The Guild D-30, however, isn't a standard production instrument either. It may, or may not be more common on the used market than the Martin D-40QM, but the Guild D-30 guitar is something that competes directly with the Martin in a way that none of the other guitars listed compete with the Martin, or any other instrument.
Yes, Gibson, of course, is a traditional manufacturer of American acoustic guitars, and most of their models are trend setters or classics, but Gibson acoustic guitars are not so often built for the fleet fingered flatpicker, those are what Martin,Taylor, and Guild are there to do - provide solid wood performance guitars for persons that want to be a country boy Django Reinhardt, or maybe the next Clarence White. Gibson guitars are country blues and rhythm kings.
Anyway, Guild guitars are often forgotten in the mix, and they shouldn't be - they are only a late commer to the game, and a defector from Gibson/Epiphone guitars - and they are built for traditional style players, and to traditional style specifications.
The Guild D-30 is bound to be a cannon of a guitar, and an instrument for all styles of music.
I'm Spotting these American Classic acoustic guitars of maple and spruce on the used market for between six hundred and one thousand dollars, I just want to jump up and scream AWESOME DEAL!!!!!!
A Guild D-30 Dreadnought, and Some Nice Fingerstyle Playing.
Maple Body Dreadnought Guitars - Conclusion
With only one standard production instrument in the list of five from five different manufacturers(Gibson produces several different productions of it's Gibson Dove) something is said by default, and that something is that maple body guitars aren't in huge demand. While maple is a traditional tonewood for acoustic guitars, it is most often found in the jumbo guitars produced. Perhaps people think maple sounds too similar to mahogany in the manifestation of the dreadnought sized instrument? I'm not sure, and I don't truly think it sounds so very similar to mahogany, but it is somewhat similar, and besides that, the physical looks of it are obviously very different.
While I hope I've not bound you up in consternation for having mentioned several models not in production, and models that only have a maple option, I do hope you've enjoyed this, and I hope that if you are a player, that you'll take some time next stop in a guitar store, and play any maple body acoustics there, even if you are just window shopping, or looking for strings, or something else entirely. The great Stradivari violins were made of maple back and sides, now those are another animal entirely, but maple ought not to be so rare in what is the most common size of the most common solo instrument in most forms of music nowadays. Yes, electric guitars are often of maple too, and yes, when I said "solo instrument," I wasn't just referring to acoustic guitar. As always, if I can be of assistance, feel free to contact me.
Question: What do you think of the Guild Jumbo Maple?
Answer: I like the Jumbo Junior models. Because they're shaped like jumbos, but are actually closer to dreadnought size, I quite like them for their original body design/size, but I am hesitant to consider them jumbos in the traditional sense. The great big Guild jumbo guitars I've got to see were all 12 string guitars, and so that is another subject altogether. The Guild Junior Jumbo with the maple back and sides is very comparable to the guitars mentioned on this page.
Question: Do you have any insights regarding the Larrivee L-09 made with the maple body?
Answer: First of all, with a maple body, you have a tonewood which is somewhat "transparent." What I mean by that is the body wood does not color the tone so much as it would with something like rosewood or with mahogany. Whenever you have a maple body, what becomes most important, besides the general build quality, is the soundboard, or top. You're usually going to get Sitka spruce for the top on that guitar, and Sitka can be fantastic. Of course, there are different grades of Sitka spruce top, as with any. Larrivee is probably using extremely good tops. I've had a huge lot of respect for that great Canadian make since the very first time I ever got to see one, and not too far away, there is a store which is a Larrivee distributor. I must confess here every L-09 I've seen was of rosewood back and sides. It's the binding and heel caps which were maple. That ebony fingerboard is something I sure love, and definitely, prefer over a rosewood board too.
© 2012 Wesman Todd Shaw
Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on January 18, 2018:
No, I dare not speculate. I've certainly been to Boulder, but not in long years. This is the golden age of fine guitar building, and knowledge and skill abound. Wish I had some of either, but I do not.
Sometimes a fine guitar is made and the thing, when fresh, doesn't doesn't do much. Sometimes it takes a few years for an acoustic to get broke in, and then it is like the change from a child to an adult - vast differences in character.
John McMillin on January 18, 2018:
Speaking of Maple, last month I was out prowling the pawns, looking for "something a little better." And there it was, hanging there, right at the top of my price range. A beautiful electro-acoustic, single cutaway Jumbo... what? The headstock was mute, with nothing but quilted Maple veneer over the Mahogany neck. In the middle of that Spruce top, no label was seen, not even any initials in pencil. Just the back side of the back, gleaming with the same quilted Maple pattern visible on the outside. No clues to the maker, no papers, no pedigree. Only one oddity- the first fingerboard dot at the third fret is missing, though it's present in the second octave series up the neck.
Included was a three-way Artek pickup system and a hard case. For $600, I was defenseless- there was no way not to buy this guitar! It's a keeper. Notes seem to leap from it "like the cliff divers at Acapulco," as Dr. Oz once said about his good bowel habits. When I use a hard pick like my cocoanut shell or V-Pick, it's like plugging in! I just wish I didn't live in such a dry climate, so I could leave it hanging on the wall, maple side outwards.
Who would make such a fine instrument and not leave a trace? The shop thought is was "some luthier up in Boulder." Some day I'll take it up there and show it around. I'd invite your speculations, or proposed nicknames. It's awkward without one. For now, it's my Whatchamacallit.
DoItForHer on August 07, 2012:
I meant the D-40 QM, the others are quite impressive, too. The Dove is so elaborate it doesn't look natural!
Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on August 07, 2012:
Hey Willie, did you mean the red and black on that Gibson Dove?
I'd guess that the one you were referring to - that is some gorgeous stuff, but (I'm guessing....strong guess) the red and black in it...is a custom finish to make the exact instrument shown....a total work of art.
Gibson Doves...my photo on this page doesn't show it so much, but the Dove models all have a lot of precision abalone inlay on them too...they are very pretty, and usually very pricey, but they also make some less expensive ones too.
That "flamed" pattern....I only see that in reference to maple....but it looks like about the same thing as "bearclaw" to me...but what do I know?
Paraglider, thanks very much for the visit!!!!!!!
When I was younger and forever working, and living still with my parents....I ought to have been slapped upside the head for the way I spent money...I wasted tons of it, but renting some place would have been a waste too in some ways - but anyway, in those years I did play guitar a lot more than I currently do, and I could and did afford some very expensive guitars.
I've just always had a fetish for really really nice acoustic guitars, it runs in my Mother's side of the family, really, and that is where I got it.
Yamaha makes damn fine guitars - and for all intents and practical purposes...most of us don't play well enough or have the spare money to buy a high end all solid wood acoustic costing in the thousand bucks or much much more range.
When a guitar has a solid top or soundboard - it is going to be a good guitar so long as it is cared for, and Yamaha makes some great playing guitars on ever price level - I've played unknown but huge numbers of them.
My late maternal grandfather made dealing used guitars his personal hobby....and I spent lots of time at it with him...
Also, great guitars make good investments!!!!!! The downside is...they are fragile!!!
The quilted maple is possibly the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen.
Dave McClure from Kyle, Scotland on August 05, 2012:
These are all beautiful instruments. I can only rise to a Yamaha APX 900 electro-acoustic. Not in the same league, but it still does have the qualities of the maple back & sides and spruce table. Maybe if I win the lottery. . .
Suzie from Carson City on August 04, 2012:
Well, change that down to up....quick. It can "happen" for you at any moment. and I believe it will. Nuff said!
Well, best wishes on the longevity, and thanks for the compliment.....but I sure hope to not live so long....oh hell no, they can keep this shit, I'm hoping for something better when my due date is up.
....but guitars, yeah - Love them sons of bucks!
Nothing I do here seems to increase my earnings by much....I might ought to try on some other sites, as this one seems to have me pegged as "worth this much, and no more," or maybe it is Google that does that.
I'm a downer...but this gig ain't happening so well as it ought to.
Oh...I didn't tell you? I plan on living til I'm 150.......you will have made it by then....but you'll be too damned old to be getting married!!!LOL
Well....it is said..."write what you love and what you know about!!!!" Problem with you is you know so much about everything!!
LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!! You best get on one helluva health plan, Paula, if you're waiting to hear about that million dollars!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL! YES! This is what *might be thought to be* "evergreen," but, as it goes - I friggin' love guitars, and especially acoustic steel string gee tars, so it ain't no nevuh mind to me to spend some time producing yet another page about them :)
Wes....When I read your title in small print, I thought it said....."For Seniors and Amateurs.......and I said, "Look at this...Wesman wants me to know I'm not too old to learn how to play the GEE-tar!! Woo-EEE!
I was wrong.......but of course, I read your hub anyway because you're such a damned great writer.
These guitar hubs you write are what's known as "evergreen," right? Because people will always and forever be googling for info on guitars.?.......so you must pull in a good deal of $$ on your hubs....especially since word gets around that you give the best info and facts...........Good for you.
When you hit a million $$, let me know. I'll pay for the wedding between you and my granddaughter......don't forget! Hey, What would be better than having Effer as a Grand-Mother-in-law!!!
UP +++
Top Five Best Small Body Acoustic Guitars for Serious Amateurs or Professionals
By Wesman Todd Shaw
The Five Finest Mahogany Body Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars for Amateurs or Professionals
5 Best Mahogany Top and Body Dreadnought Guitars
The Five Best Brazilian Rosewood Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars
The Five Best Jumbo-Sized Acoustic Guitars for Serious Musicians
Top Five Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars for Under Five Hundred Dollars
5 Best Mahogany Body Acoustic/Electric Dreadnought Guitars
5 Best Mahogany-Top Small-Body Acoustic Guitars
5 Best Madagascar Rosewood Dreadnought Guitars
5 of the Best Cedar-Top Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars
5 of the Best Small-Body Cedar Top Steel String Acoustic Guitars
Top Five Vintage Recreations of the Martin D 28 Acoustic Guitar
Five Great Inexpensive Solid-Wood Alternatives to the Martin D-18
5 Best New Small Body Acoustic/Electric Guitars
5 Best Telecaster Guitars With Maple Tops
Five Less-Expensive Alternatives to the Martin D-28


Volvo FLL Pump, Tyne and Wear. Volvo FLL JCD Pump. NK10DHF Photo taken at Gosforth Station, Newcastle North. 2010.
Volvo FLL Pump, Northumberland Fire & Rescue. Volvo FLL JCD Pump NK59EXN. Stationed at Blyth, Northumberland. Photo taken in 2010.
Austrian Unimog Hi Seen this at Preston Hall Fire Engine Rally Ex Austrian FB now with Dutch Reg Number.


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Q: Checking If Any WPF DataGrid Cell Has Error I have validation set up on the cells and it works as expected (placing a red highlight around the textbox and adding a tooltip with the error). However, If I try to access Validation.GetHasError(TheGrid) where TheGrid is my DataGrid, it is always false. Does anyone know how to check if ANY cells in the DataGrid have errors?
I want to do this so I can disable saving if there are errors.

A: You might run into problems with virtualization with this but you probably do have to look at the containers:
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