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Liberty's Torch
The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty
by Elizabeth Mitchell
"Journalist Elizabeth Mitchell recounts the captivating story behind the familiar monument that readers may have assumed they knew everything about." —Sam Roberts, New York Times
Publication Date July 14, 2015
Elizabeth Mitchell is an editor, a journalist, and author of two nonfiction books, Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing and W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty.
Read More About Elizabeth Mitchell
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world, a powerful symbol of freedom and the American Dream. For decades, the myth persisted that the statue was a grand gift from France, but now Liberty's Torch reveals how she was indeed the huge project of one quixotic and visionary French sculptor: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi not only forged this 151-foot-tall colossus in a workshop in Paris and transported her across the ocean, but battled setback after setback in order to raise the money for the statue and make her a reality. Inspired by the great pyramids of Egypt—the statue was originally planned to crown the Suez Canal—Bartholdi came to America and enlisted the help of many notables of the age, including Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Pulitzer, Gustave Eiffel, and Thomas Edison, in order to make his statue a reality. Riveting, elegantly told, and drawing on newly discovered sources, Liberty's Torch traces the building of the Statue of Liberty in all its rich historical detail, recounting the all-but-forgotten tale of an extraordinary artist and entrepreneur who fought setback after setback to create a wonder of the modern world.
Tags Modern/19th Century
"An absolutely brilliant and entertaining book—a delightful romp through a seemingly impossible history. It's a bit amazing how much I didn't know about the best-known statue in America, or its maker, Frédéric Bartholdi—a character so brazen and outrageous and charming that his life reads like a picaresque nineteenth-century novel. I delighted in every page." —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of The Signature of All Things and Eat, Pray, Love
"Liberty's Torch reveals a statue with a storied past . . . Mitchell uses Liberty to reveal a pantheon of historic figures, including novelist Victor Hugo, engineer Gustave Eiffel and newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. The drama—or 'great adventure,' to borrow from the subtitle—runs from the Pyramids of Egypt to the backrooms of Congress. . . . By explaining Liberty's tortured history and resurrecting Bartholdi's indomitable spirit, Mitchell has done a great service. This is narrative history, well told. It is history that connects us to our past and—hopefully—to our future." —Janet Napolitano, Los Angeles Times
"A myth-busting story starring the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Mitchell's adjectives for him include crazy, driven, peevish and obnoxious. He rarely missed an opportunity to advance his own career, but Mitchell says he had 'an incredible ability to soldier on' through a 15-year struggle. . . . Were it for not for Bartholdi, the statue probably would not have been built. In today's world, Mitchell can't imagine any single person driving such a massive undertaking." —Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today
"Turns out that what you thought you knew about Lady Liberty is dead wrong. Learn the truth in this fascinating account of how a French sculptor armed with only an idea and a serious inability to take no for an answer built one of the most iconic monuments in history." —O, the Oprah Magazine
"Streamlined and well constructed. . . . Proceeding chronologically, the author divides her story into three parts ('The Idea,' 'The Gamble,' 'The Triumph') and opens with just the right amount of initial biographical detail on the designer, bolstering her portrait with further historical background as the narrative warrants. . . . deft strokes and always apt, telling details. . . . Mitchell successfully conveys the enormity of the undertaking and the infuriating amount of bureaucracy and old-fashioned glad-handing required to finish the job. . . . In Bartholdi, Mitchell has found a fascinating character through which to view late-19th-century America, and she does readers a service by sifting fact from fiction in the creation of one our most beloved monuments." —Eric Liebetrau, Boston Globe
"The Statue of Liberty, which has stood at the entrance to New York's harbor for more than a century and a quarter, is chiefly the work of a French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi . . . Mitchell tells the story of its construction . . . a good story." —Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post
"Mitchell casts doubt on several myths about the genesis of and inspiration for Lady Liberty . . . Quite certain that the sculptor did not use his mother as the model for the statue's face, Mitchell speculates that he may have had his deceased brother Charles in mind. And she suggests that there may be something to rumors, circulated at the time, that the body of Lady Liberty resembled Bartholdi's paramour, later his wife." —Glenn C. Altschuler, San Francisco Chronicle
"Lady Liberty has her secrets . . . In Liberty's Torch, Elizabeth Mitchell chronicles the efforts of French artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi to erect his colossal statue, from a failed concept on the Suez Canal to the icon's dedication in New York harbor." —Metro
"Filled with outlandish characters, fascinating tidbits and old world adventure, Liberty's Torch is a rollicking read about one of America's most beloved and, until now, misunderstood, icons." —Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette
"Is there any more globally recognizable American icon than the Statue of Liberty? Or any about which Americans know less? In Elizabeth Mitchell's capable hands, the fascinating story of its quixotic creation—the mix of idealism and hustle, selflessness and selfishness, a crazy dream realized with breathtaking ingenuity—is a perfect parable for the moment mongrel America arose to become the world's spectacular, improbable colossus." —Kurt Andersen, author of True Believers
"Every American schoolchild learns the story: In a grand gesture representing their shared reverence for freedom, France presented to a grateful United States the imposing 305-foot Statue of Liberty. . . . Except, like all history, the story is a little more complicated than that. Elizabeth Mitchell takes us inside the statue's history . . . Despite the statue's iconic status in American culture, Bartholdi's name probably does not spring into your mind as soon as you see its image. But Mitchell's book does a fine job of retrieving him from the mists of history—and of recounting how long and hard he labored, not just artistically but financially and politically, to make the statue a reality. . . . Fascinating." —Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
"What we take for granted as a fait accompli was anything but, as we learn in this engrossing, witty, well-researched and surprising account of the Statue of Liberty's bumpy path to glory. Mitchell does a beautiful job of breathing new life into a too-mythic tale, taking us behind the scenes to witness the hustling, chicanery, rivalries, back-stabbings, lies and disappointments that foreshadowed this eventually triumphant merger of patriotism, opportunism and the art world." —Phillip Lopate
"Mitchell maintains a light touch in this examination of the life of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi." —Kirkus Reviews
"Elizabeth Mitchell is an inspired writer and Liberty's Torch is a great book. While the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is Mitchell's colorful hero, a gallery of historical figures like Victor Hugo and Joseph Pulitzer make grand appearances. My takeaway from Liberty's Torch is to be reminded that the Statue of Liberty is the most noble monument ever erected on American soil." —Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America
"Through her portrait of the statue's creator, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and her careful examination of his journey to build the colossus now known as the Statue of Liberty, Mitchell brings to life a gripping adventure story . . . Mitchell feels obliged to be as accurate as possible, yet manages to give her readers access to troves of detail. Her depictions of scenes can be sensual. . . . In a story comprising tragedy and humor, Mitchell revives a slice of history. She teaches the importance of faithfulness to accuracy in reporting, and demonstrates that adherence to the facts will likely yield a story that is at once true and entertaining." —Megan Cerullo, Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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An O Magazine 15 Titles to Pick Up Now Selection, Summer 2014
Bartholdi needed to translate the "Egypt Bringing Progress" garment (of the statue he had envisioned for the Suez Canal) into something less like a dress and more like a stolla for his Liberty. He experimented with the headdress. Now the statue was transformed from the image of a slave, he could give his colossus a more attenuated headpiece, more visually interesting.
He settled on a rayed diadem, almost exactly like the one depicted in "France Crowning Art and Industry" that had rested high on the entrance to the 1855 World's Exposition in Paris. He had a photo of that work in his archives. Seven long, sharp spikes now rose up from Liberty's crown.
He considered having his Liberty hold a broken chain, symbolizing freedom. But that would have made more sense had the statue commemorated the end of the Civil War, as first conceived. With the centennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence five years in the offing, Bartholdi put a tablet of law resting in her hand, against her hip.
Lest anyone doubt the statue's relevance to the Centennial, he included the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 100th anniversary would allow just enough time to drum up support for the project as a whole and more importantly, provide Americans with a firm funding deadline. He tucked the broken chains under her foot. The face, at that point, did not appear fixed. Her features varied in his sketches and models. The most important aspect of his statue would be her size. She would have to inspire awe.
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Semana Santa, otherwise known as 'The Holy Week', starts a week before Easter. It is one of the most important holidays in Spain. The people of Spain like to keep up with their traditions and this is one of them. During Semana Santa, there are many parades, processions and festivities. People play music and enjoy good food, and a lót of it..! This is a very special time of year when you want to see another side of Spain and its local traditions. If you have are already booked your trip, enjoy this special time!
Semana Santa is one of the most important public holidays in Spain and a very popular period of the year both for Spanish residents and tourists. It is wise to plan your trip well in advance as pricing for flights and accommodations will be elevated. Also, keep in mind that during these bank holidays most of the supermarkets and shops are closed and public transport may have fewer services. The restaurants and museums stay open, but reserve a table if you want to be sure of a spot. Each city has its own special Semana Santa programme with activities. So check where things are happening and be on time! Our message to you: plan ahead but above all, enjoy this holiday full of Spanish tradition and take lots of pictures!
The festivities start on 'Palm Sunday' or 'Domingo de Ramos'. That is the day that Christians celebrated the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem by waving palm leaves. The next important day is Easter Thursday or Jueves Santo and this is a public holiday in Spain except for Cantabria, Cataluyna and Valencia. The following day is Good Friday or Viernes Santo which is a public holiday throughout Spain and the main day for the processions. In the weekend you have Easter Sunday followed by Easter Monday which is also a public holiday.
There are some differences among the Spanish cities in what way Semana Santa gets celebrated. Find out the differences below!
Who celebrates what and where?
The region of Andalucia is famous for its marvelous celebration of Semana Santa. They celebrate it like nobody else. People from all over the world come here to enjoy the festivities. So, what is so special about this celebration in the southern part of Spain? The cities of Seville and Malaga really go all out with Semana Santa. Some say that this is the best place to be for the festivities, others claim that the region of Castilla-Leon is the best. Over there, they start a bit earlier with the festivities and have more events. We will let you be the judge.
Each procession consists of the same elements: men of Christian brotherhoods dressed up and carrying big floats through the streets with a large following. In Andalusian cities however, the floats are bigger and heavier than anywhere else. You will also find some balcony performances of flamenco songs along the way and the entire procession stops and listens until the song is over.
The Basque Country is also filled with religious processions, marches and Easter treats. Some you can see in Bilbao, but the best parades and religious reenactments can be witnessed in the small town of Balmaseda.
The main attractions in Catalunya take place in Barcelona. The city does not have many Easter processions but there are some. There is a procession on Palm Sunday in the Raval area but most Barcelona Easter parades are on Good Friday. At 20.00h in the evening, three Easter processions meet in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. In the Eixample neighborhood, you have a Palm Sunday market and in many bakeries you can buy the famous Easter 'mono' cakes.


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By Pacific Island Times News Staff
More pictures emerge proving use of Agent Orange on Guam
Photo courtesy of Jim West/Facebook
After digging through his boxes, air force veteran Jim West found old pictures taken at Andersen Air Force Base, presumably showing "photographic proof" of herbicide spraying on Guam.
West, who was deployed to Guam in the mid-1970s, said the three photos he posted on Facebook were taken at the firefighting training area right off the road leading to Tarague Beach.
"These were taken in 1974-75 while I was at Andersen. The B-52 the fire department practiced on was nicknamed 'The Gray Ghost,'" West, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, wrote on Agent Orange Survivors of Guam's Facebook page.
"No telling what variety of chemicals (including AO?) were sprayed in that area, blowing with the wind. Here, my friends, is photographic proof," he added.
One of the photos, showing the skies heavily tainted with blowing black smoke, is captioned: "Andersen AFB, Guam, 1974, right off the road to Tarague Beach on the base. We find the base firefighting training area with a B-52 nicknamed 'The Gray Ghost'."
Two almost identical photos show a B-52 and a red trailer truck parked behind a chain-link fence, one is labeled "gray ghost." West identified the location as Guam's firefighting area.
Retracing Agent Orange
2 resolutions back Agent Orange bills
Despite countless claims by Guam veterans and previously released photos showing drums of herbicides at AAFB, the Department of Defense continued to deny that Agent Orange was stored and used on island.
Agent Orange was a tactical herbicide used by the U.S. military to thin vegetation for military operations during the Vietnam War.
Exposure to Agent Orange has been linked to certain illnesses. The Department of Veterans Affairs, however, dismissed several veterans' claims in the past "based on insufficient evidence."
In a 2018 report, the Government Accountability Office said at least one ship carrying Agent Orange stopped on Guam on its way to Vietnam but no record exists showing that any cargo actually landed.
"Available shipment documentation indicates that nearly all of the Agent Orange procured was either used in U.S. military operations in Southeast Asia, used for testing, damaged, or destroyed," GAO said.
West's photos drew comments from other veterans, who were deployed to Guam during the Vietnam-war period.
"I was there in 76-77. We spent a lot of time at that beach. I have also heard of barrels of who knows what being thrown off the cliffs above the beach. I have recently been diagnosed with Atypical Parkinson's," Joyce Duncan Swift wrote.
Robert Fink, who was on Guam from 1970 to 1972, said "he walked into those practice fires as a firefighter… 19000 ppm of dioxin we were wading in."
Buck Devowe said the "Gray Ghost" was used as a qualifying facility for nuclear weapons training. "I was assigned to the Primary Loading Evaluation Team and had to train numerous teams during 'The Pueblo Incident,'" he wrote. "I now have type II diabetes, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy in both legs, hypertension and unexplained lumps. Damn I loved my job and would do it again."
Last month, Speaker Therese Terlaje introduced two resolutions expressing the 36th Guam Legislature's support for two U.S. House of Representatives bills that would recognize Guam's Agent Orange exposure.
The first resolution, Resolution 199-36, backs H.R. 3967, titled "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2021."
H.R. 3967 advocates for the expansion of the toxic exposure definition of "covered veteran" to include those who were deployed on Guam on or after Oct. 30, 1980.
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Court asked to lift permanent injunction on Guam's 1990 anti-abortion law
Realtors say fixing Guam's housing shortage requires policy reforms
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Going to the races? There's nothing like a good pair of binoculars to get you up close to the action. This guide covers the most important features to look for when choosing the best pair of race binoculars.
1. Our Top 3 Horse Racing and Sports Viewing Binoculars Going to the races? There's nothing like a good pair of binoculars to get you up close to the action. This guide covers the most important features to look for when choosing the best pair of race binoculars.
3. Bushnell 8×25 H2O With the Bushnell 8X25 H2O compact binoculars, you're free to travel anywhere and enjoy up-close viewing in comfort. These binoculars have a folding bridge that makes them very small in size for easy packing. Sealed with o-rings and filled with nitrogen, the binoculars are impervious to the effects of moisture, and they will not fog up even in wet and humid conditions. The design includes a roof prism to keep the weight light and a sophisticated multi-coated optics system that promotes brightness and image clarity.
4. Carl Zeiss Conquest Compact 8X20 The Carl Zeiss Conquest Compact 8X20 Binoculars are ready to assist you with any conquest whether it's tracking game in the wilderness or simply following the action on the field. Completely weatherproof, the binoculars are suitable for use in all types of conditions and provide a 6.3-degree viewing angle for a wide viewing field. The binoculars feature the legendary Carl Zeiss T* and P* anti-reflective multi-coatings on its optics to ensure that images are viewed in high definition detail. The housing is constructed to stand up to wear and tear and has an ergonomic design to stay safely in your hands.
Using Capifony for Symfony apps deployment.


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Raniere's hand or coincidence? Gay lovers who lead Mexico ESP break up – and then separately have twins
Emiliano Salinas left his longtime lover Alex Betancourt for a woman Ludwika Paleta. Now both gay lovers are having twins with separate women. The two men remain business partners.
[The following report is based on sources who claim to be close to Keith Raniere. It is believed to be true. It is up to the reader to determine whether the information is true or not.]
Coincidences?
Twins.
Two gay lovers break up. Later, both have twins with different women.
The two gay lovers were business partners.
Both men were the leaders of Keith Raniere's Executive Success Programs in Mexico.
Alex Betancourt and Emiliano Salinas were well known gay lovers in the NIXVM community for years. Both are disciples of Keith Raniere.
Mr. Salinas was occasionally rumored to have affairs with women from time to time, including one of Mr. Raniere's top financial supporters, Sara Bronfman, back in 2006.
In 2013, after Mr. Salinas broke up with Mr. Betancourt, he married sex symbol Mexican actress, Ludwika Paleta. This year, Ms. Paleta had twins, a boy and a girl.
Although Mr. Salinas is reportedly the father, it is widely believed that in vitro fertilization (IVF) was utilized. [In vitro fertilization is a medical procedure whereby eggs are fertilized by sperm in a test tube – and then placed in the mother-to-be]. The odds for twins is increased through in vitro fertilization since doctors can transfer more than one embryo to an IVF patient.
The window for fertility is finite and Ms. Paleta is 38
Mr. Betancourt, according to sources, did employ a surrogate mother and, through in vitro fertilization, she is expecting or recently delivered twins for Mr. Betancourt.
Consider the coincidences:
Twins are born to two men who are at the topmost level of Mr. Raniere's organization
Both Mr. Salinas and Mr. Betancourt are on Mr. Raniere's ESP Executive Board of Directors.
Both men are wealthy.
Both men are business partners who lead Mexico City and other Mexican ESP centers.
Both were gay lovers who loved together and recently broke up and now both are expecting twins.
Because of scandals easily found on the internet, it has become nearly impossible for Mr. Raniere to find new students in the United States.
Emiliano Salinas left his longtime lover, Alex Betancourt, for a woman, Ludwika Paleta. Now, both gay lovers are having twins with separate women. The two men remain business partners.
Ludwika Paleta had twins with Mr. Salinas being named as the father.
In Mexico, the internet is not nearly as well-utilized. And now that ESP's Centers in Vancouver and Los Angeles have imploded, most of Mr. Raniere's new students come from Mexico.
Consider, two men who were formerly gay lovers and who together lead the Mexican businesses enterprises for Mr. Raniere leave each other and both have twins.
Does this offers new opportunities for the scientist, mystic, multilevel marketing entrepreneur, and philosopher-guru known to his followers as Vanguard?
[There is some speculation that Mr. Raniere's sperm may have been used to impregnate the women to create a super breed of new Mexican male. This is offset by the widespread belief that Mr. Raniere has low fertility.]
There is talk of Lauren Salzman getting pregnant in vitro if her low calorie diet and pubic branding has not destroyed her fertility. It will be interesting to see if she also has twins if she, in fact, is able to get pregnant.
Keith Raniere may be behind the machinations that led to gay lovers Alex Betancourt and Emiliano Salinas getting together, then breaking up, and then having twins with different women.
This photo of the twins [Barbara and Sebastian] of Ludwika Paleta was provided by her publicist for Mexican media. Who is the father?
Twins and DOS slaves offer Master Scientist Raniere opportunities in Clifton Park and in Mexico
Robbie C investigation inconveniently timed with computer trespassing indictments. NYS BCI: "You can't have it both ways with Raniere being treated as a victim while he's also harboring a child molester."


Push or pull, REST API check or threads count, bare metal or ephemeral instance. Your infrastructure is versatile and evolving, so should your monitoring. Monitor anything and everything, pay only for what you use.
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Standing up for trees and woods across the UK is why we're here. We campaign to stop the irreversible destruction of ancient woodland and unnecessary loss of trees from our cities.
That's how little of the UK is covered by ancient woodland.
We lobby for better protection for these precious habitats.
That's how many ancient woods are threatened by HS2 development.
We campaign to stop the needless destruction.
That's how many ash trees will vanish from our landscape.
We promote biosecurity so diseases like ash dieback don't reach the UK.
We're standing up for ancient woods
Ancient woods desperately need our support. These rare and irreplaceable ecosystems are under constant threat from development, not least from the HS2 project.
HS2 is the single biggest threat to the UK's ancient woods, with 108 at risk of loss or damage. We can't let this happen.
Our live campaigns
Together we can stand up for the environment and safeguard the UK's woodland heritage for our future.
We're fighting for street trees
From improving mental wellbeing to reducing asthma and air pollution in crowded urban areas, life is better with street trees.
But shrinking budgets and neglect from local authorities coupled with inappropriate development has seen our street trees vanish.
Find out why urban woods and street trees are so special
Latest on urban trees
What Sheffield felling investigation means for the future
Joseph Coles • 15 Aug 2019
The Street Trees project
Street trees provide a host of benefits for people, wildlife and our urban environment. But they're under threat.
Street trees project
Street tree heroes: standing up for street trees
We're confronting pests and diseases
Harnessing the power of citizen science with the Observatree project and fighting for better biosecurity. It's all to ensure that pests and diseases are kept at bay.
We've already lost so much to these threats, so we're working to save our trees.
More on tree pests and disease
Learn more about the pests and diseases threatening our trees. Find out how to spot them, the symptoms and outlook, and how you can help.
Wood Wise – citizen science
Ash dieback
Find out how to spot ash dieback and how it's threatening 95% of the UK's ash trees.
What we are doing about tree pests and diseases
We are fighting back against pests and diseases. Find out what we're doing to prevent the spread and protect the UK's trees.
More on protecting trees, woods and wildlife
Threats to woodland, wildlife and the wider environment are growing. Our trees and woods face a challenging combination of pressures, from humans, pests and diseases.
Campaign in your community
Local communities taking action is the most effective way to protect woods and trees. Need help? Check out our useful resources.
Charter for Trees, Woods and People
Discover the ten principles that set out the modern day relationship between people and trees and a vision for a future where we can be stronger together.


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Алексей Михайлович Чернышов (; , Украинская ССР, СССР) — председатель правления НАК «Нафтогаз Украины» (c 4 ноября 2022), министр развития общин и территорий Украины (2020—2022), председатель Киевской областной государственной администрации (2019—2020).

Образование
Родился в Харькове, где провёл детство, школьные годы, получил высшее образование.

С 1994 по 1999 год — учёба в Харьковском гуманитарном университете «Народная украинская академия» по специальности «Экономика предприятия». С 1996 по 2002 год — по специальности «Правоведение» учится в Национальном юридическом университете им. Ярослава Мудрого.

В 1999 году проходит профессиональный курс по стандартам международного Института управления проектами (программа «Управление проектами» на базе компании «», Пенсильвания, США).

Бизнес
В 1998 году Алексей Чернышов продолжил карьеру в инновационной IT отрасли, в компании Telesens, которая разрабатывала системные программные продукты для телекоммуникационного бизнеса как дочерняя структура немецкого «» (Кёльн, Германия). В 2002 году совместно с партнерами выкупил украинскую часть группы, которая стала самостоятельной компанией.

В начале 2000-х интерес Чернышова к коммерческой недвижимости и девелопменту привёл к реализации нескольких успешных проектов в Харькове, после чего начинается сотрудничество с Концерном АВЭК. В 2004 Чернышов приходит в компанию на позицию вице-президента по развитию, с ноября 2005-го — президент Концерна. С 2008 по 2013 — Глава наблюдательного совета Концерна и группы «АВЭК». Чернышов формирует портфель из новых проектов коммерческой недвижимости общей площадью 350 000 м². Бизнесмен привлек в украинские проекты значительных зарубежных игроков, работающих в сфере прямых инвестиций и развития коммерческой недвижимости, среди которых «UNIQA Real Estate AG», «» (NCH), «» и другие.

Инвестиции
В 2012 году основал инвестиционно-девелоперскую компанию Eastgate Development, основной задачей которой стало развитие масштабных проектов коммерческой недвижимости, а также привлечение зарубежных инвестиций в Украину и стабилизация инвестиционного климата в стране.

Масштабным инфраструктурным проектом 2013 года, в котором Алексей Чернышов выступил инициатором и партнером, становится «Киевская Бизнес Гавань». Суть проекта — в создании на левом берегу Киева (Троещина) индустриального производственного кластера на территории 330 гектаров, чем решается серия насущных вопросов — от создания рабочих мест до изменения показателей трудовой миграции между левым и правым берегами Киева.

В 2014 году Чернышов основал инвестиционную компанию «VI2 Partners». Офисы компании работают в Киеве и Вене. Основные направления деятельности VI2 Partners — прямые инвестиции, формирование и управление портфелем активов, инвестиционный банкинг — слияния и поглощения, привлечение капитала, реструктуризация задолженности. Компания сотрудничает с международными финансовыми организациями.

В 2017 году компания Алексея Чернышова «VI2 Partners» приобрела долю акций сети супермаркетов «Фуршет» у французского оператора Auchan Group. Сумма сделки не разглашается.

Общественная деятельность
В 2014 году Алексей Чернышов основал Kyiv Vision Foundation — организацию, занимающуюся привлечением инвестиций в страну, поддержкой культурных проектов, популяризирующих Украину в Европе и раскрывающих потенциал современного украинского искусства.

В ноябре 2017 года Алексей Чернышов стал Главой Наблюдательного Совета Украинского клуба недвижимости URE Club — профессионального сообщества, объединяющего локальных и международных экспертов и практиков рынка недвижимости Украины и способствующего привлечению инвестиций.

В 2018 году по инициативе и поддержке Алексея Чернышева была создана «Школа управления коммерческой недвижимостью».

В марте 2019 Алексей Чернышов присоединился к Всеукраинской Сети Добропорядочности и Компланса (UNIC). Сеть основана Советом бизнес-омбудсмена при поддержке Европейского банка реконструкции и развития и Организации экономического сотрудничества и развития.

Государственная деятельность
20 октября 2019 года Кабинет Министров Украины согласовал кандидатуру Алексея Чернышова на пост председателя Киевской областной государственной администрации. Указ о назначении подписан президентом Украины 28 октября 2019 года.

На внеочередном заседании Верховной Рады Украины 4 марта 2020 года вошёл в обновленный состав Кабинета Министров Украины. В правительстве премьер-министра Дениса Шмыгаля Алексей Чернышов — министр развития общин и территорий Украины.

С 1 июня 2020 года — член Национального совета по вопросам антикоррупционной политики.

С 4 ноября 2022 распоряжением Правительства Украины назначен председателем правления Национальной акционерной компании «Нафтогаз Украины».

Семья
Супруга — Светлана Александровна Чернышова — доцент Киевского национального университета им. Т. Шевченко.

Воспитывает двух сыновей (2006 и 2014 г.р.).

Примечания

Ссылки

Предприниматели Украины
Выпускники Национальной юридической академии Украины имени Ярослава Мудрого
Председатели Киевской областной государственной администрации
Министры регионального развития, строительства и жилищно-коммунального хозяйства Украины
Правительство Шмыгаля

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Anas Albraehe
Working with the earth is like living in a painting from sunrise until the return of the farmer at sunset.
Anas Albraehe is a Syrian artist currently living in Lebanon. Although heavily influenced by French artists he retains a deep connection to his home country and has a strong belief in the therapeutic value of art.
© Obaida Najeem
Currently in residency at the Cité internationale des arts through the programme of the Institut français, you are developing the Mother Earth series. Can you tell us how it began and what its major themes are?
It started after completing a series in which I painted sleeping workers in a state similar to surrender, moving far away from everything around them. Then I saw The Gleaners by Jean-Francois Millet at the end of 2019. It became engraved in my memory and that was the beginning for me to become inspired to create this series of paintings. It brought back memories of seeing women in my city who work, farm and build in the absence of men who were involved in the war there. I found a strong relationship between women and the land in terms of giving, life, and growth. Aesthetically I found that the oriental decoration on the clothes of the women, and the way they hide their faces from the rays of the sun, turned them into colourful ornate blocks in harmony with the plants and the land. The spirit of women exists in everything and everywhere. It confirms that the Gods were Goddesses before they became a God.
How has the residency allowed the project to develop its potential?
I am able to be in a virtually permanent relationship with French art and the artists who have had the greatest influence on my work. Being close to this artistic spirit is something magnificent. It allows me to have a real emotional connection to the works. Also, I have been able to move away from the state of anxiety and fear that I experienced in Lebanon and Syria, the insecurity that we all suffer from there.
You have said that the French artists Jean François Millet, Jules Breton and Henri Matisse have had the greatest impact on your work. Why were you drawn to them and in what way have they influenced the subject matter and style of your work?
I feel like we have the same vision. There are compositions, colours and artistic interconnections that are also present in my own work. They have affected my work in terms of the way I portray a scene, adjusting the composition to a precise colour rhythm.
The Syrian artist, Ziad Dalloul, who is based in Paris, is another artist who has influenced you. When it is safe to do so you intend to meet in person. What do you hope to learn from him?
At the moment we are communicating virtually due to the Corona pandemic. We have talked a little about art and I will be very excited to meet him in person. I love his work and am eager to learn new techniques connected to the relationship of light and shadow in his paintings. Also, to have him tell me about the influence of Paris in his work and the relationship of his paintings to his home city.
I am loyal to the place where I came from because I believe that if you want to be a global artist you should first have a perfect relationship with your own environment, and then develop it by mixing it with the knowledge gained from the experiences you
You are from an area in Syria where most people work the land. How did you become interested in the arts?
It is possible that my interest in art came from the aesthetic environment I lived in since childhood. Working with the earth is like living in a painting from sunrise until the return of the farmer at sunset. The scenes of my life made my eyes glow brighter every day and increased my desire to draw. I used to watch how the colours danced in front of my eyes while forming the life before me. I feel like I was born an artist. Art helps me go on with life. If I didn't paint, I might have committed suicide.
Although you were forced to leave Syria and move to Lebanon because of the conflict you remain deeply connected to the country. Do you feel this manifests itself in your work?
Yes. I am loyal to the place where I came from because I believe that if you want to be a global artist you should first have a perfect relationship with your own environment, and then develop it by mixing it with the knowledge gained from the experiences you have gone through. I also found a connection with my homeland in Lebanon, in the simple and rural neighbourhoods that have a touch of Eastern warmth.
In Lebanon you studied for an MA in Psychology and Art Therapy. Did your personal experiences influence this decision and in what ways do you think art can have a therapeutic effect?
My experience in drawing Manal, a girl with Downs Syndrome, is a perfect example of the relationship between art and psychotherapy and the great impact art can have on changing individuals and societies. Having been born with Downs Syndrome, Manal was very much an outsider in her community, sidelined and alone. When I painted her she became the core of our collaboration. The paintings are my representations of her but also show how she sees the world around her and herself. There is a magical power in art, it can awaken sincere feelings buried in our souls.
Given your affiliation with France and French artists would you like to settle here one day, or do you think your art would flourish better closer to home?
I cannot be certain. I have eyes and a soul so maps can't limit me. Everywhere on earth there is something that connects with my desire to research and draw, and my home environment is constantly in my mind. Perhaps if the countryside in France seems to have a connection with the countryside in the Levant I will create a rural scene in my colour scheme. As for staying in Paris, I don't know yet. I need time to feel whether I want something or not. Up until now I have sensed a combination of romance and brutality in Paris. I feel I am still at the beginning of deciphering the aesthetic secrets of this charming city.
Your residency at the Cité Internationale des arts will end in January, what are your plans for 2021?
I am preparing for a personal exhibition that will be held at the Anita Rogers Gallery, in New York, in the autumn of 2021. It will be the outcome of my paintings all along this year. This is the only thing that is confirmed as we wait for the Pandemic to end and return to our previous lives.
The Institut français and the artist
Anas Albraehe is in residency in Paris, at the Cité internationale des arts, to work on the Mother Earth series.
Find out more about residencies at the Cité internationale des arts
Rocio Berenguer
Hugo Capron
Nasri N. Sayegh
Thierry Fournier
Antoine Schmitt
See all interviews


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text:
DAVE BRUBECK:
DAVE BRUBECK OCTET (Fantasy/Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-101-2) [1951/56]
JAZZ AT OBERLIN (Fantasy/Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-046-2) [1953/57]
JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE (Columbia CK 45149) [1954]
RE-UNION (Fantasy/Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-150-2) [1958]
One of the more vexing aspects of watching Ken Burns' Jazz was the fractured picture given of Dave Brubeck and his contributions to jazz. First we are shown Brubeck leading a racially integrated combo in the Army, during World War II, playing for troops in Europe. Then, an episode or two later, we are shown Brubeck and Paul Desmond recording "Take Five" in 1958. The intervening decade is never mentioned.
That's extraordinary. Few musicians dominated the jazz scene in the '50s more than Dave Brubeck – one of the perhaps a half dozen major jazzmen well-known to the general public and given a cover on Time magazine. Brubeck both epitomized and transcended West Coast Jazz – but by the time "Take Five" was released on 1959's TIME OUT (on Columbia Records) Brubeck's career had already peaked, at least creatively.
Brubeck made literally scores of record albums in the '50s – for two labels, Fantasy and Columbia. Uniquely, his contract with Columbia (signed in 1954) allowed him to continue recording and releasing albums through Fantasy, his original label, which he did up through 1962's NEAR-MYTH (Fantasy 3-319/8063). His first twelve albums for Fantasy (1951-55) were 10-inch LPs. These were reissued (augmented with additional tracks) as 12-inch LPs in 1956 and 1957 – which is why the first two albums listed above have dual original-release dates. (The CDs are based on the 12-inch LPs and contain no additional or bonus tracks.)
TIME OUT was (in 1959) Brubeck's 13th album for Columbia – in a span of only five years! Brubeck continued to record for Columbia for another decade, and still records to this day for other labels.
But his important work was recorded between 1946 and 1954; that which followed cemented his popular success but did nothing further to advance jazz.
It starts with the Octet. "We were organized in the Spring of 1946 (the year some of the selections on this LP were recorded), while most of us were students of Darius Milhaud, the French composer, who teaches at Mills College in Oakland [California]," Brubeck wrote in the liner notes for the 1956 12-inch LP. "We played our first off-campus concert in 1948." The Octet (which was not originally tagged as Brubeck's Octet, but simply as the Octet) consisted of Paul Desmond on alto sax, Dave van Kriedt on tenor sax, Bob Collins on baritone sax, Bill Smith on clarinet, Dick Collins on trumpet, Dave Brubeck on piano, Jack Weeks on bass and Cal Tjader on drums. Smith, van Kriedt, Weeks, Brubeck and Dick Collins were composers and arrangers as well as instrumentalists – and all had studied counterpoint, fugue and composition under Milhaud. "We were a co-operative group, each man conducting and rehearsing the band in his own work," Brubeck said.
Of the 18 pieces on the OCTET album, five are compositions or arrangements (of standards) by Brubeck. Seven are the work of van Kriedt, however; three are by Smith and one by Weeks. (Two tracks are standards – "How High the Moon" and "You Go To My Head" – for which no arranger is credited.) They vary considerably in their nature and quality, ranging from "cool" versions of standards (ground-breaking in 1946-48) to compositions in the style of Poulenc and the other composers of 20th Century French wind music, obviously inspired by the teachings of Milhaud.
Considered in the context of jazz in the late '40s, these were revolutionary pieces. They were harbingers – a full decade earlier – of Third Stream Music. They were experimental successes. "Counterpoint, which had become almost dormant in the Swing era and is now a commonly accepted device in modern jazz, was the distinguishing feature of the Octet," Brubeck noted. "Along with polytonality it was the unifying quality in the varying individual styles of the group's arrangers. We were experimenters. We explored polytonality, polyrhythms, various rhythms, and new forms. Dave van Kriedt's fugues were among the first, I believe, to come from a jazz musician. We tried to write arrangements that were interesting as composition, but still reflected the style of the soloist, and left the improviser free to create."
Thus even the standards – popular tunes of the day – were deconstructed and then rebuilt as fugues and other new (for jazz) forms. Most were short – running under three minutes – and were originally recorded on a portable 78-rpm recorder, on acetates. Only two pieces – van Kriedt's "Serenade Suite" and "How High the Moon" – are longer. The latter (almost seven minutes long) is an unusual treat: a suite in which the then-new song is put through its paces in a variety of different styles, from pseudo-Dixieland to Swing, Bop and beyond, while a radio announcer introduces each style with some brief but clever patter. "How High The Moon" was a favorite of Brubeck's – as it was of many jazz musicians, especially the boppers – and crops up on many of his '50s albums.
The Octet was musicially ambitious, but not a popular success. "The economic struggle of keeping so large a group together was too great. After three years without work we disbanded," Brubeck stated. He was not happy about the reception the Octet received in the jazz press of the time: "Within the past ten years," he wrote in 1956, "I can think of very few released recordings with more musical importance than the work of the Octet. I have seen within the time lapse of a decade the growth of so-called West Coast jazz. I have heard more and more of the Octet innovations being used and accepted in the 'mainstream' of jazz. I have seen the individuals of the Octet, once removed from the geographic isolation of their San Francisco home, rise in esteem and prominence in the eyes of fellow musicians, critics, and the public. But, as a group these contributors to jazz were unacknowledged, except by flattery of imitation, primarily because the jazz-conscious public, the agents, the recording companies, the jazz journals, the reporters, all had their eyes and ears focussed on the East Coast."
How little has changed in 50 years. Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns repeated the same mistakes made by the jazz press half a century earlier, ignoring not only the contributions of the Octet, but those of West Coast jazz and Brubeck himself.
After the Octet disbanded, Brubeck formed a trio with drummer Tjader (who would later become a successful bandleader on his own) and bassist Ron Crotty. This trio recorded for Fantasy (Brubeck's first album releases – Fantasy 3-1 and 3-2) but Tjader left to form his own group and a succession drummers would follow him as Brubeck brought in the Octet's alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond, to create the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
This Quartet (the two stable members of which were Brubeck and Desmond; drummers and bassists came and went) rose to major prominence in the jazz world of the '50s. In early 1953 Crotty was still on bass and Lloyd Davis was playing the drums when they gave a concert at Oberlin University.
This was an almost unparalleled event. Jazz was typically played in clubs and dance halls and, more rarely, on the stage of a concert hall like the Carnegie. But jazz had largely been ignored by academia, and a jazz concert in a concert hall on a college campus was then unheard of. As the author of the liner notes for JAZZ AT OBERLIN points out, "In spite of early doubt, apprehension, and lack of encouragement, the concert was a huge success, the Quartet holding completely under its control for almost two hours a large and varied audience, many of which were Conservatory students almost entirely uneducated in jazz. When the group finally left the stage, the starving crowd, whose appetite had been only partially satisfied, were crying for more."
Brubeck quickly realized that college campuses were an excellent new venue for his Quartet. There were many reasons for this, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the Quartet. On the latter side, college kids in the early and mid-'50s were a new and growing audience for jazz. To "dig jazz" was to be "cool" in an era that highly valued "coolness." The hip young intellectuals (and colleges still attracted a mostly intellectual crowd in those days before mass higher education) had not yet discovered rock (& roll), and often dismissed classical music as belonging to their parents' generation. Jazz, then welling up in a post-war ferment in parallel to the other modern arts, had a broad appeal in its many forms.
But the Brubeck Quartet was better suited for the college crowd than many other, perhaps more visceral, jazz groups were. The Brubeck Quartet was whitebread, vanilla. Even the occasional black bassist or drummer in the group could not change that. Brubeck's music spoke to a white sensibility far more than it did to blacks. It was a politer music, and one which seemed less rooted in the blues than in classical counterpoint. Brubeck's actual piano style was distinguished by his use of "block chording," in which the hands lock into chords which are repeated – often rapidly – in ascending or descending figures. It's an "orchestral" piano style, better suited to the concert hall than to a roadhouse, and it had relatively little prior use in jazz, making Brubeck's useage distinctive.
And in Desmond Brubeck had found the perfect partner: a man who thought musically as he did, had received the same training and had a similar orientation. Both musicians were intimately concerned with the melodic structure of jazz, and their explorations went hand in hand. Desmond was a master of the alto sax, capable of playing complex boppish lines but often with a cooler, more "legitimate" saxophone sound. In this he was part of the Tristano-inspired "cool" school of saxophonists (following Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh), but his melodic individualism elevated him to a unique position no longer associated with any "school" of jazz.
The Brubeck Quartet recorded the vast majority of Brubeck's '50s albums – for both Fantasy and Columbia – and in time came to be seen as an institution in its own right. But I personally find most of the Quartet albums too similar, like cookies all cut from the same cutter. JAZZ AT OBERLIN is as good an example of these albums as any, but one could as easily pick up JAZZ AT THE BLACKHAWK or JAZZ AT THE COLLEGE OF THE PACIFIC or JAZZ AT STORYVILLE or BRUBECK & DESMOND AT WILSHIRE-EBELL or DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET – all on Fantasy – or DAVE BRUBECK AT STORYVILLE: 1954 or JAZZ GOES TO JUNIOR COLLEGE or Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe, on Columbia. They all offer moments of brilliance by both Brubeck and Desmond, but surround those moments with what strikes me as pedestrian music almost better suited to some Las Vegas lounge. Very whitebread.
The one exception is JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE, the Brubeck Quartet's first album for Columbia. For reasons inexplicable to me, it shines over all the others.
I bought the LP when it was initially released and played its first side over and over in continued delight. Eventually I moved on to the second side, but it wasn't quite as rewarding to me then. I already had a couple of Brubeck's earlier albums on Fantasy (oh, that distinctive clear red vinyl!) and neither had prepared me for the impact of JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE. Subsequently I bought most of Brubeck's other Fantasy albums and each Columbia album as it came out, but I never found in any of them what I'd found in JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE. (The sole exception to my disappointment was the OCTET album, which I bought upon its release as a 12-inch LP in 1956. But it, of course, was vastly different.)
JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE is taken from three separate 1954 concerts. Five of the seven pieces on the album were recorded at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. One was recorded at the University of Cincinnati and one at Oberlin (a year after the JAZZ AT OBERLIN concert). Interestingly, side one of the original LP opens with a piece from the University of Michigan concert, and follows with the two pieces recorded at the other concerts; side two is entirely from the Michigan concert. Despite this, the album flows as if taken from one continuous concert – a tribute in part to the editing which blended these tracks with applause from their respective (and enthusiastic) audiences.
The album was excellently annotated by producer George Avakian, who offered this explanation for its musical success: "Each of these performances is a completely shaped work of art [thus presaging the Marsalis/Burns commentary on jazz as the creation of "art" every working night], with every part (vertically as well as linearly) solidly integrated as to form – in all segments as well as in total."
Avakian continued: "This is achieved by a kind of teamwork which is without parallel in the entire field of music. Except for set beginnings and endings (and sometimes the latter aren't even set at all, as some of these performances show), the Brubeck Quartet improvises with freedom and daring such as few musicians have ever attempted; yet the music of this group is of an integrated quality such as few musicians have ever produced. It is an axiom in jazz that no two improvisations on a given tune are the same; in Brubeck's case, this is so true as to be staggering."
He then explains how it works: "The Quartet accomplishes its wonders of improvisation first by dividing itself in half. A swinging, driving rhythm section (bass and drums) lays down a solid beat at all times, with the bass holding the group together by feeding the harmonic line as well as the beat." At this point Bob Bates was playing the bass and Joe Dodge the drums. Bates was new to the group, Ron Crotty having come down with jaundice on the eve of the concert tour in early 1954. Because Bates was unfamiliar with the group's "book" of material, there was more "jamming" and freer improvising when these concerts were performed than usual – which may be the key to their musical success. But I have interrupted Avakian:
"Pianist Brubeck and saxophonist Paul Desmond work against the bass and drums; Brubeck's piano solos are sometimes so far removed from the melody and harmony of the number he is playing that one sometimes doubts that any return is ever possible. [In fact, Brubeck famously practiced getting into musical holes and playing "wrong notes" just as exercises to try to extricate himself or make the "wrong notes" right.] Desmond, while he usually 'goes out' less far than Brubeck, is an equally fearless and gifted improviser. When Desmond is playing, Brubeck sometimes acts as an intermediate link between the sax and the other two members of the quartet, but more often he joins Paul in a two-part flight of fancy against the realistic pulse of the bass and drums."
In my opinion, the opening track of the album, "Balcony Rock," is the best piece Brubeck and Desmond ever created – and it's the more remarkable for being wholly improvised, from the first bar to the last. Avakian describes it: "In 'Balcony Rock,' an eight-bar introduction sets a relaxed mood; then Desmond takes over for nine choruses in a row with Brubeck kneading along behind him. No particular melody appears (the real 'melody,' if you insist on 'Balcony Rock' having one, finally shows up in the last two choruses!), but Desmond weaves a series of lovely lines over the firmly rocking rhythm laid down by the other three. When Dave comes on, he plays 12 of the most astounding choruses of the blues ever to emerge from a piano. The first three establish a marvelously dreamy mood; without so much as quoting a bar, his second chorus manages to suggest a heady whiff of 'Stormy Weather,' and later on (in the start of the eighth chorus) is an even more ephemeral but equally moving feeling of 'Mad About The Boy.' (Yes, I know it seems impossible to evoke specific tunes without playing any part of them, but Brubeck does it.) There's an 'old country blues' flavor (marked by some rocking triplets) which he develops beginning with his fourth chorus; the fifth and sixth are conceived as one twenty-four bar chorus [the blues form uses a 12-bar chorus], with open, long chords against a walking bass. An appreciative ripple from the audience underlines a return to lowdown blues; Dave builds into some fantastic block chording at the beginning of his ninth chorus, and a strutting figure which starts the eleventh chorus develops into a chordal Bach-figure in the twelfth. The fugue idea turns into a piano-sax duet in the next chorus, and finally Paul and Dave fall into the melody referred to above – a singularly plaintive strain which is reprised in the last chorus with Dave playing harmony under Paul as this Incredibly beautiful blues comes to and end."
In other words, "Balcony Rock" is created right in front of the audience, from scratch, in a tour de force performance. (And don't you wish modern album-notes authors had the knowledge and the skill to turn out analyses like this one? George Avakian set a lot of standards of his own in producing and annotating jazz records.)
My suspicion is that JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE merited special attention as Brubeck's debut Columbia album. With three well-recorded (in mono) concerts to draw upon, Avakian was able to assemble the best performances into a stunning album.
Four years later, and after quite a few Quartet albums (for both Fantasy and Columbia) Brubeck began trying other formats for his Fantasy albums. This would lead to two albums in which Bill Smith (on clarinet) would replace Desmond, one of which (NEAR-MYTH) was wholly composed by Smith. But before the recordings with Smith, Brubeck made an album with another alumnus of the Octet, Dave van Kriedt.
This was RE-UNION, with van Kriedt joining the Quartet (on tenor sax) to turn it into a quintet.
Having two horns in the group gave it a fuller band sound, and van Kriedt was an excellent foil for Desmond, his light fluid tenor (very much in the Zoot Sims range) providing both contrast and commonality with Desmond's alto. All of the compositions are van Kriedt's – except for his arrangement of Bach's "Chorale." They are very much in the style of '50s West Coast jazz – much more so than Brubeck and Desmond's quartet work at that time – cool, but boppish in their complex lines. There are similarities to the music of Jack Montrose and Jimmy Giuffre's Capitol recordings. One piece recorded by the Octet, "Prelude," turns up here again. Brubeck himself is subdued, his piano playing a more background role, the horns taking the center stage. For 1958 this was almost retro-music, harkening as it did to the early and mid-'50s. Even "Prelude" no longer sounds as new, nor as startling as it did in its Octet performance.
I credit Brubeck for refusing to stay in the mold fashioned by his amazing popular success – for trying new musical contexts at the end of the '50s – but he was by then a leading member of the jazz establishment and no longer a young rebel exploring the outer realms of jazz. His success was very much a '50s phenomenon – a product of those unique times, to which he made a major contribution.
A trip to any well-stocked record store will reveal dozens of Brubeck albums available on CD; these are only a specifically-selected sample. I recommend DAVE BRUBECK OCTET and JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE highly, despite the music on them having relatively little in common (Brubeck's piano isn't even heard on all the Octet tracks), for reasons already articulated. Feel free to sample any of his many other albums if you like either of those, but don't expect to find others exactly like them.
I welcome feedback on these pages. I can be reached directly at twhite8 AT cox DOTnet. Let me hear from you. --Dr . P


text:
Through all the hype, self-driving cars remain elusive
Self-driving vehicles remain years from being available to private owners.
The battery-powered Jaguar I-Pace at the New York auto show, March 27, 2018.
Norman Mayersohn
New York Times News Service,
The relentlessly hyped arrival of autonomous vehicles looms as the greatest disruption in personal transportation since Henry Ford's moving assembly line started producing Model T's by the millions. One word in that statement — arrival — is, however, doing a disproportionate amount of work.
Self-driving vehicles, despite being the subject of breathless media reports and in automakers' strategies, remain years from being available to private owners. Scores of companies hold permits to test autonomous cars in California, yet even leaders like Waymo, once Google's self-driving project, are unwilling to commit to when such vehicles might be appearing in showrooms.
Even with so many companies testing self-driving cars — 10 million miles since 2009 by Waymo alone — the definition of autonomous continues to be murky, at least to the public. What is available today in driver-assistance systems like Cadillac's Super Cruise or Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot may offer hands-free motoring in some situations, but they are far short of what is known as Level 5 full automation under the standards of SAE International, a standards-setting organization. That capability entails operation on any road in any conditions that a human driver could handle; logically, cars built to this standard would have no need for a steering wheel or foot pedals.
With this radical shift in driving comes questions about the viability of traditional business models based on the private ownership of cars and the dominance of the large carmakers.
That upheaval creates opportunities, making way for new players, many that bring the digital mastery that a new generation of driverless cars will demand. It looks like a Silicon Valley replay, both philosophically and geographically. Startups sprout wherever the ground is fertilized with cash; already there are giants like Waymo, Lyft and the General Motors unit Cruise. All have outgrown the beginner phase.
Still, Reilly Brennan, a general partner at Trucks Venture Capital and a lecturer in transportation at Stanford University, is cautious about how quickly a commercial market will develop for new companies.
"Fully unstructured driving by go-anywhere cars is a long time away," he said in a telephone interview. "Few startups actually understood the commitment required to create a complete vehicle."
Instead, Brennan suggests, autonomy will first come to specialized applications like agriculture, mining and fleets dedicated to city delivery routes.
The vast amount of data that must be digested by an autonomous car gives rise to another class of participants: the suppliers of the underlying technology like analysis tools and sensor systems. Danny Shapiro, senior director of automotive at Nvidia, a partner with several prominent autonomous-vehicle developers, emphasizes the crucial role of such companies in making possible the cars that will be built without pedals or steering wheels.
"Our approach was to build an artificial intelligence brain, a supercomputer the size of a laptop to interpret the data from a car's sensors and build a 3D picture of its surroundings," Shapiro said.
While creeping along in a highway traffic jam may not be so demanding, detecting a distracted pedestrian on a city street and plotting a safe reaction is far more rigorous.
"When it comes to dealing with those situations, there's no such thing as having too much computing power in the car," he said.
Following are some of the startups that are expected to play a role in developing the diverse ecosystem of autonomous vehicles.
Based in Pittsburgh and the recipient of a $1 billion investment from Ford Motor in 2017, Argo takes advantage of its close association with the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. Argo last year acquired a maker of lidar systems, Princeton Lightwave, to bring that vital component under its roof. Bryan Salesky, Argo's chief executive, is a veteran of the Darpa Urban Challenge, an autonomous-vehicle competition.
Aurora Innovation
Collaborating with Hyundai and Volkswagen, Aurora aims to have autonomous vehicles in commercial operation by 2021. With founders from Google, Tesla and Uber, Aurora says it plans to remain independent, helped by a fundraising round early in 2018, choosing to partner with automakers rather than being acquired.
The Chinese-language internet search giant, Baidu, recently began a two-year test project with Ford Motor to develop Level 4 autonomous driving: driverless within a specific geographic area and under certain weather conditions. Ford engineers at the Nanjing Research and Engineering Center will convert the test vehicles to autonomous operation with Baidu's Apollo Virtual Driver System. Baidu also expects to have its self-driving buses on Japanese roads next year.
Bear Flag Robotics
By focusing on self-driving technology for tractors and other farm implements, Bear Flag aims to lower the cost of agriculture and food production while sidestepping the crowd rushing to build vehicles for public roads. Operating in fleets controlled by a single supervisor, the autonomous tractors are intended to improve safety.
Didi Labs
With the opening last year of a research center in Mountain View, California, Didi is extending to the United States its footprint as a major ride-hailing operation. As the owner of Uber China and a provider of what it says are 25 million rides a day, it will focus the Silicon Valley center's work on AI-based security and intelligent-driving technologies.
This company's concept is to deliver a complete ride-hailing service to communities that Drive.ai would run. Now testing in a Dallas suburb, its orange Nissan minivans distinguish themselves by interacting with pedestrians through externally mounted display screens with messages like "Waiting" or "Exiting" to replace the communications that a human driver might offer.
May Mobility
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this startup positions itself as a mobility service, concentrating on providing fleets of driverless cars for structured environments like downtown business areas, corporate campuses and housing developments. Its approach is to work with local governments to provide transportation in small areas — about 4 square miles — where speeds are limited to 25 mph.
Roadstar.ai
Completing the link between an autonomous vehicle's array of sensors and its computer-control system, this AI startup coordinates the river of raw data from cameras, radar, lidar and the like with the processors that analyze it. The company works with automotive partners developing driver-assist systems and companies creating what are called robotaxis.
This is another company that is taking autonomous in a slightly different direction and steering clear of cash-rich operations like Waymo and Cruise. It will equip freight trucks to be driverless on highways, the hub-to-hub model, yet remote-controlled by humans for the so-called first and last mile of trips.
Placing its bets on a full-vehicle development approach, Zoox is something of an outlier. But the company is adamant that only by building a fully integrated vehicle, rather than adapting autonomous-vehicle technology to an existing vehicle, can it achieve optimum results. The business model is based on Zoox's full ownership of its fleet, destined for taxi service in cities. Founded in 2014, the company is looking for a chief executive after the departure of its founder, Tim Kentley-Klay, last summer.
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text:
Q: How to convert String to Date with a specific format in java I have a requirement to convert String to Date (in dd-MM-yyyy format). But dateformat.parse gives the format with seconds. I need to convert the String date to Date in the same format as mentioned above.

A: If you do not need to use time of day or time zone, you can parse it by  LocalDate.
String str = "01-01-2000";
DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd-MM-yyyy");
LocalDate date = LocalDate.parse(str, formatter);

Note that for day and time people most of the time would want a ZonedDateTime rather than a LocalDateTime. The name is counter-intuitive; the Local in both LocalDate and LocalDateTime means any locality in general rather than a specific time zone.

A: The class Date will always contain both date a nd time information, since it represents an instant in time.
import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;

public class ParsingDate {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
            DateFormat fmt = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy");
            Date d;
            try {
                d = fmt.parse("04-12-2019");
                System.out.println(d);  // Wed Dec 04 00:00:00 CET 2019
            } catch (ParseException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
        }
}

As you can see, hours, minutes, seconds and millis get all set to 0.
If you later want to output the date in string format, you need to use the DateFormat#format(Date) method:
import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;

public class ParsingDate {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        DateFormat fmt = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy");
        Date d = new Date();
        System.out.println(d);  // Wed Dec 04 11:24:35 CET 2019
        System.out.println(fmt.format(d)); // 04-12-2019
    }
}

If you'd rather store only date information, you could use the java.time package and make use of LocalDate.
LocalDate stores only date information, since it does not represent an instant, rather a triple of year, month and date.
import java.time.LocalDate;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;

public class ParsingLocalDate {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        DateTimeFormatter fmt = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd-MM-yyyy");
        LocalDate d = LocalDate.parse("04-12-2019", fmt);
        System.out.println(d);  // 2019-12-04
    }
}

A: In most programming languages, date/time types are simply containers for the amount of time which has passed from a given point in time. They don't have a format.
In the case of Java (AFAIR), time is measured in milliseconds since the Unix Epoch.
Since it's 2019, there is no excuse not to making use of the java.time APIs (or the ThreeTen backport) and you should avoid using the, now effectively deprecated, older APIs
Parse String to LocalDate
DateTimeFormatter inputFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd-MM-yyyy");
LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.parse("08-03-1972", inputFormatter);

Format LocalDate to desired format
DateTimeFormatter outputFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd EEE MMM yyyy");
String value = localDate.format(outputFormatter);
System.out.println(value);

which outputs
08 Wed. Mar. 1972

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


organizations. You learn through lecture, discussion, case analysis, and small-group work.
Tammi Wheeler, MS, SPHR, is principal of PeopleSense, LLC, specializing in customized leadership and talent development services including: organizational assessments, individual coaching, team and leadership development, management training and group facilitation. Tammi holds a Master's Degree in Whole Systems Design/Organizational Development from Antioch University and is certified in Myers-Briggs, Hogan Assessments, Facet Five, DDI and Achieve Global.
Allison Brown is a senior level HR, OD and learning & development professional. She specializes in change management, leadership and employee development, strategic human resources and coaching. Allison is a certified coach and has current certifications through Prosci, HRCI, SHRM and ATD.


text:
Jazz Artistry Now: an arts magazine. JAN began publishing online in 2007 to fill a media coverage void that existed in jazz journalism then. JAN is local and global. MEMBER: JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
articles, interviews, commentary, photography, and reviews
Best of Jazz Editors' Picks Review
REVIEW: The Possibility of Change by Fernando Huergo Big Band
PHOTO BY FLORIAN SEPP
Artist: Fernando Huergo Big Band
Album: The Possibility Of Change
© Copyright 2020 – Fernando Huergo
Label – Outside In Music
Reviewed By Scott Yanow
THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE
Jazz Artistry Now – In his career so far, bassist-composer Fernando Huergo has appeared on over 160 albums as a sideman and previously led 11 albums. Born in Cordoba, Argentina and now based in Boston, Mr. Huergo's résumé includes associations with such notables as Luciana Souza, Danilo Perez, Dave Valentin, Hendrik Meurkens, and Dave Liebman among others. While he works regularly with such large ensembles as Guillermo Klein's Los Gauchos and the Mehmet Sanlikol Big Band, all of his own sessions as a leader had been with smaller groups, often his quintet.
The Possibility Of Change is Mr. Huergo's recording debut at the head of his own big band. While he plays bass throughout and has a fine solo on "The End Of Something," this set is most significant for Mr. Huergo's compositions (he wrote seven of the 11 selections) and arrangements. The music is modern mainstream jazz but filled with subtle surprises. The ensembles are often dense, complex polyrhythms occasionally are utilized (particularly on the opening title cut), and the musicianship of the sidemen is consistently excellent. It is an international band, with players from the U.S., Ecuador, Japan, Turkey, Venezuela, Italy, Russia and Argentina (the leader). Unfortunately the soloists are not identified but in most cases the emphasis is more on the group's sound and the development of the compositions than on individual heroics. The ensembles are mostly cool-toned, never quite exploding, but there is plenty of inner heat felt just beneath the surface.
"The Possibility Of Change," which is in 11/4 time, is one of the most exciting performances on the set with the unidentified fiery trumpeter taking solo honors. Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" is given an unusual treatment in that a few of the rests in the melody are eliminated, giving the song a more rushed feeling that continues during the solo sections without losing the essence of the song. In contrast is "The End Of Something," a mournful ballad that becomes a bit more hopeful as it evolves.
Other selections include "Field Of Song" which becomes high-powered and has some blazing trumpet, the relatively mellow "Caipira," a dramatic "Ascenso," and the inventive jazz waltz "Ellipse." Dave Holland's "Processional" utilizes a bass pattern that is a little reminiscent of "All Blues," "The Big Push" is a bit bluesy and has several short solos, "Dreamers" has the leader taking the opening solo and playing stimulating and inventive patterns behind the other soloists. The inventive and mysterious melody sounds like something Wayne Shorter (who did compose "The Big Push") might have written. "New Delhi" closes the enjoyable program with plenty of spirit and some hot and concise solos.
Those who enjoy hearing a modern big band will find much to enjoy on The Possibilities Of Change.
…While he plays bass throughout and has a fine solo on "The End Of Something," this set is most significant for Mr. Huergo's compositions (he wrote seven of the 11 selections) and arrangements.
— Jazz Artistry Now
Field Of Sky
The Big Push
Fernando Huergo, bass, compositions
Santiago Bosch, piano
Gen Yoshimura, drums
Cosimo Boni, trumpet
Paul Sánchez, trumpet
Doug Olsen, trumpet, flugelhorn
Jeff Claassen, trumpet
Jason Camelio, trombone
Bulut Gulen or Ethan Santos, trombone
Randy Pingrey, trombone
Ryon Bean, bass trombone
Allan Chase, alto
Tucker Antell, alto or Rick Stone, alto, clarinet
Yulia Musayelyan, flute, alto
Joel Springer, tenor
Rick DiMuzio, tenor, clarinet
Daniel Ian Smith, baritone
Also, see: FernandoHuergoMusic.com
Listen and purchase a copy online.
Mr. Yanow
The Jazz Artistry Now review of The Possibility Of Change was written by Scott Yanow.
Mr. Yanow has written 11 books on jazz, over 800 liner notes, and more than 20,000 recording reviews through the years.
His writing has graced virtually all of the top jazz magazines and he is happy to be a featured contributor to Jazz Artistry Now.
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… has yet to make an unworthy recording
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Word .DOC Format. Exclusive Songwriter Agreement. Favors the publisher. View the sample file by clicking the 'Download' tab on the product detail page.
Word .DOC Format. Exclusive Songwriter Agreement. Favors the publisher. The writer is secured to the publishing company as an exclusive writer for the term. Any works that are created remain the property of the publisher and do not revert to the writer. View the sample file by clicking the 'Download' tab on the product detail page.
Exclusive Songwriter Agreement Favoring Publisher Sample in PDF Format.


text:
Danièle Dupré (1927-2015) was een Frans zangeres uit de jaren vijftig, die voornamelijk bekend werd door haar deelname aan het Eurovisiesongfestival in 1957 waarbij ze Luxemburg vertegenwoordigde. Met het lied Amours mortes (tant de peine) ("Dode liefde (zoveel pijn)") behaalde ze de vierde plaats. Corry Brokken won in dat jaar met het nummer Net als toen.

Als kind leefde ze enkele jaren in Brazilië. Na het terugkeren naar Frankrijk verscheen ze in de film La Parisienne en volgde daarna een muziekdramatische opleiding. Gedurende deze opleiding had ze regelmatig last van haar stembanden, waardoor ze terechtkwam in de hoek van de salonmuziek. Toen Dupré toerde in Frankrijk in 1957 werd ze gevraagd om Luxemburg te gaan vertegenwoordigen op het Eurovisiesongfestival. Op het songfestival ontmoette ze  Paule Desjardins, de vertegenwoordiger voor Frankrijk, met wie ze nog een lange vriendschap zou hebben. Het lied werd nooit uitgebracht op single. Later maakte ze bekend dat ze niet zo te spreken was over het lied.

Dupré stapte uit de muziekwereld in 1958 toen ze zich realiseerde dat de rock-'n-roll haar muziekstijl begon te overschaduwen. Ze werd interieurarchitect. Haar belangrijkste werk was de terminal van de Internationale Luchthaven São Paulo Guarulhos.

Frans zanger
Deelnemer aan het Eurovisiesongfestival 1957
Luxemburgs deelnemer aan het Eurovisiesongfestival


text:
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Chris asks…
is it true that the 3rd largest mall in the world can be found in the philippines?
is it true that the 3rd largest mall in the world can be found in the philippines? and tell me where can be found the 1st and the 2nd largest? and tell me what are the names of these malls. thanks!
The SM Mall of Asia is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the third largest shopping mall in the world in terms of gross floor size (next to the Golden Resources Mall in China and West Edmonton Mall in Canada). It opened on May 21, 2006[1].
It is owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings, under the management of Henry Sy, a Filipino-Chinese business tycoon — regarded as one of the wealthiest men in Asia. (Forbes 2006 ranks him as the 14th richest person in southeast Asia, and "Henry Sy and family" as 74th richest person in the "Asia and Australia" region)
The Mall of Asia was constructed within the reclamation area, west of Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, aptly nicknamed "Bay City". It is built on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land and has a gross floor area of 386,000 square meters. The mall is located at the southmost tip of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. A roundabout was constructed in the front of the mall with a huge bronze globe similar to Universal Studios. An esplanade was constructed at the back of the mall where it served as the observation center for the First World Pyro Olympics in December 2005.
The mall consists of four buildings interconnected by walkways: the Main Mall, Entertainment Mall, and the North and South Carpark Buildings. One of its unique features is a 20-seater tram to make it easier for shoppers to go around. The management's priority is to make sure shoppers will not get lost inside the mall. There will be two concierge desks—one in the Main Mall and another in the Entertainment Mall. Maps will be given out, and there will be signs aplenty. The Main Mall will include shopping and dining establishments, the food court. The South Parking building will house the SM Department store and half of the 5,000 parking spaces while the North Parking building will include the SM Hypermarket, a spacious office space and more dining areas.
The mall's newest attraction is the Pacifica Entertainment Plaza. Besides bowling and billiards facilities, the building will house 10 theaters, including a Director's Club and the first ever IMAX theater in the Philippines. The theater, named as the San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theater would also have the largest screen in the Philippines at 22 x 30 meters, similar to the height of an eight-story building. The mall also features an Olympic sized skating rink and a science museum. The mall also provides office space. Dell International Services, a subsidiary of Dell, Inc. Occupies a 13,470.5-square meter area at the second floor of the north parking building of the mall.
It is the third largest mall in the world, behind the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and the Golden Resources Mall in Beijing, China.
The mall is the centerpiece project of the SM Prime at the newly developed SM Central Business Park, where five one-story buildings serve as the company's corporate offices. Construction began in mid-2002 right after the completion of its corporate offices. Construction slowed down awaiting availability of funds. In early 2004 SM Prime accelerated the construction when the Ty family, who owns Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company successfully erected a leisure park, medical school, dining strip and residential complex at Macapagal Boulevard, adjacent to the SM Central Business Park. The mall would have opened before Christmas Day of 2005 but had been delayed due to hitches in the delivery of construction materials. Frequent rains in the last quarter of 2005 also delayed the turnover of mall space to tenants. SM Prime decided to move the opening date to March 3, 2006.
On February 27, 2006, local newspaper Manila Standard Today, reported that a team of Pasay City engineers found huge cracks underneath the structure, which was causing the structure to vibrate. When questioned about the inspection, the Pasay City Engineering Department has categorically denied making any statement regarding defects in the Mall of Asia. Engineer Edwin Javaluyas, Pasay City engineering officer, in his letter to SM Prime Holdings Inc., said he never stated that the city hall's engineering department inspected the Mall of Asia on February 23, 2006.
SM Prime however decided to move the opening to May 21, 2006. Jeffrey Lim, corporate information officer of SM Prime Holdings, emphasized that a rescheduling of the mall's opening was made to give the company an opportunity to allow more tenants to open shops and denied that the change was due to structural defects.
On May 20, 2006, the mall was officially inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with a special screening of Everest in the San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theater. The movie was shown three days after tri-athlete Leo Oracion became the first Filipino to reach the treacherous mountain's summit.
Adjacent to the south parking building, a two-hectare area has been allocated for the site of a 16,000-capacity multi-purpose coliseum/arena for sporting events, concerts and entertainment shows. It is set to rival the 50-year old Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Furthermore, a planned convention/conference center measuring 12,000 square meters will be built as an attractive venue for major conferences and trade exhibits. The convention center once constructed, will be a newer alternative to the Philippine International Convention Center, erected in 1976, located a few blocks away. Along with this, two hotel developments are also planned for construction.
Also set to the right of the north parking building, The SM iCity is a 69,300-square-meter area allocated to serve as a prime venue for companies engaged in software development and IT-enabled services. A mix of single and multi-storey buildings will be developed to provide for the office and workspace requirements of prospective IT-related locator companies and for support office and backroom operations of business process outsourcing. The first building, OneE-comCenter, began March 8, 2006 and is scheduled for completion in July 2007.
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The goal of the undergraduate program in nursing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is to prepare professional nurses who have the ability to think critically, to utilize knowledge of relevant theories, and to apply the nursing process when caring for clients of all ages in a variety of settings.
Upon successful completion of the program in Nursing, graduates are prepared as a generalist for beginning professional nursing roles.
The clinical aspects of the Nursing program are developed, coordinated, and supervised by the nursing faculty and are provided in collaboration with members of the community agencies. Placements may include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Greater Lawrence Family Health Service, Holy Family Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Lowell Community Health Center, Lawrence General Hospital, Lowell General Hospital, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Tewksbury Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center, VNA of Greater Lowell, Massachusetts General Hospital, Winchester Hospital rehabilitation centers and nursing homes, and other community based health care providers. Additional agencies are utilized when necessary to enhance student learning. Clinical placement of students is at the discretion of the supervising faculty. Students are expected to provide transportation to clinical experiences.
The Solomont School of Nursing offers state-of-the-art simulation laboratories with observation rooms, a demonstration hospital wing and true-to-life exam rooms. Futuristic-looking classroom chairs move on wheels for discussion groups and every lecture room has access to "smart" technology for presentations.
The nursing program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036-1120.
For additional information, contact the Solomont School of Nursing.


I'm done reading "The Notebook" and I so love it! It's much better than the film (though I love the film as well but you know, the book is complete and more detailed). As expected, I cried while reading it. The two main characters in the story is a perfect example of what LOVE is all about (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). I'm encouraging the husband to read the book as well. Why? Because I want him to shed some tears like I did! Ahahahaha! Yeah, I know I'm naughty and I'm still thinking of ways for him to read it since he saw me crying while reading the book.