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Mewa srebrzysta (Larus argentatus) – gatunek dużego ptaka wodnego z rodziny mewowatych (Laridae), zamieszkującego Europę, głównie północną i zachodnią.

Systematyka i występowanie
Systematyka skomplikowana i sporna. Niektórzy włączali w gatunek wszystkie podgatunki mewy żółtonogiej (Larus fuscus) i mewy białogłowej (Larus cachinnans), a niekiedy inne taksony traktowane obecnie jako osobne gatunki. Do niedawna do Larus argentatus wliczano także podgatunki wydzielone do osobnego gatunku o nazwie mewa popielata (Larus smithsonianus).

Międzynarodowy Komitet Ornitologiczny (IOC) wyróżnia obecnie (2020) tylko dwa podgatunki Larus argentatus:
 Larus argentatus argentatus – od Danii poprzez Półwysep Skandynawski i północną Rosję po Półwysep Kolski na wschodzie. Zimuje głównie w północnej i zachodniej Europie.
 W Polsce gnieździ się nielicznie od 1968 roku w niżowej części kraju. Obecnie kolonie występują głównie na płaskich dachach budynków i na betonowych powierzchniach nad wodą w większych miastach polskiego wybrzeża. Podczas przelotów mewa ta licznie pojawia się na wybrzeżu, a sporadycznie również w głębi kraju np. środkowym odcinku Wisły. Jej zasięg stopniowo się poszerza. Liczebność rosła do początku lat 90. W czasie tej kolonizacji część drapieżników, w tym norki, nauczyły się wyszukiwać i plądrować jej gniazda, wyjadając młode i jaja, co spowodowało, że nie spotyka się już prawie jej gniazd w siedliskach naturalnych.
 Larus argentatus argenteus – Islandia, Wyspy Owcze, Wyspy Brytyjskie oraz wybrzeża Europy Zachodniej od zachodniej Francji po zachodnie Niemcy. Zimą południowa granica zasięgu jej występowania przesuwa się po północną część Półwyspu Iberyjskiego.

Zasadniczo w ciągu ostatnich kilkudziesięciu lat gatunek poszerzył swój zasięg i liczebność. Zaczął pojawiać się w południowej Skandynawii, krajach bałtyckich, na południu Francji, sięgając jezior szwajcarskich. Przypisuje się to wykorzystywaniu przez ptaki tego gatunku odpadków z floty rybackiej.

Charakterystyka

 Cechy gatunku  To najliczniejszy gatunek dużej mewy. Wyraźny jedynie dymorfizm wiekowy. U osobników dorosłych w szacie godowej grzbiet i skrzydła popielate, końce skrzydeł czarne z białymi plamkami, reszta ciała biała. Głowa również jest w całości biała, jednak w szacie spoczynkowej pojawia się mniej lub bardziej wyraźne "strychowanie" – czyli szare zabarwienie końcówek piór nadające głowie pstry wygląd. Dziób mocny, żółty z czerwoną plamką na żuchwie. Czarne lotki na końcach skrzydeł mają białe czubki. Żółta tęczówka z żółtą lub rzadziej pomarańczową obrączką powiekową. Osobniki młodociane białe z brązowym deseniem, gęstszym na wierzchu ciała, brązowym grzbietem o piórach biało obrzeżonych. Dziób brązowy, nogi cieliste. Z wiekiem przybywa barwy popielatej na grzbiecie i skrzydłach, a zanika brązowy deseń. Ostateczne ubarwienie osiągają w 4. roku życia. Razem w ciągu swojego rozwoju przybiera do 10 szat. Samiec i samica są prawie tak samo ubarwione. Część populacji zachodnioeuropejskich jest osiadła, pozostałe, zwłaszcza północnoeuropejskie, są wędrowne. Potrafią pokonać długie podróże na południe. Zarówno wielkość, jak i ubarwienie mewy srebrzystej są zmienne i zależą od pochodzenia. Dlatego też popielatoszary grzbiet i skrzydła mogą być u innych populacji tak ciemne jak u mewy żółtonogiej. Jaśniejsze łapy mają ptaki z Europy Zachodniej i Skandynawii. Zwykle L. a. argentatus ma różowe nogi, L. a. argenteus żółte; zdarzają się jednak odstępstwa od tej zasady, np. spora część populacji L. a. argentatus znad Bałtyku ma nogi żółte, proponowano nawet wydzielenie jej do osobnego gatunku L. a. omissus, jednak nie jest on obecnie uznawany. Ptaki z podgatunku L. a. argenteus są bledsze i mniejsze niż L. a. argentatus.
 Podobne mewy popielate i żółtonogie też mają białe plamki na końcach lotek, ale ich układ jest inny. Dużo większa od gołębia i mewy pospolitej, choć bardzo podobna do niej.
 Głos Mewy srebrzyste krzyczą jak mewy żółtonogie, choć ich skwir jest donioślejszy i głośny kiija-kija-kia-kjaa-kjau.
 Wymiary średnie
 Długość ciała ok. 55–68 cm
 Rozpiętość skrzydeł ok. 130–150 cm
 Masa ok. 600–1500 g

Biotop
Brzegi mórz (w tym wewnętrzne), ujścia rzek i wyspy w ich nurcie i duże jeziora, zbiorniki zaporowe i stawy hodowlane, również śródlądowe. Lęgnie się na piaszczystych lub skalistych plażach lub słabo porośniętych obszarach.

Okres lęgowy

 Gniazdo  Mewy przylatują na lęgowiska w marcu lub kwietniu. Zaraz po odbyciu, dość groteskowo wyglądających, toków zabierają się za budowę gniazd. Mewa srebrzysta tworzy kolonie lęgowe na różnego typu wybrzeżach. Liczą one od kilkunastu do kilku tysięcy par. Im liczniejsza kolonia, tym częściej dochodzi w niej do aktów kanibalizmu w stosunku do piskląt innych par. Gniazdo lokują na płaskich wybrzeżach wśród kęp traw, na nadbrzeżnych skałach oraz wśród trzcin nad jeziorami. Obserwuje się jednak lęgi również na dachach domów. Wysłane są materiałem roślinnym, a czasem na gruncie ma formę kopca. Ptaki te są monogamiczne.
 Jaja  W ciągu roku wyprowadza jeden lęg, składając w kwietniu-czerwcu 1–3 oliwkowozielonych jaj w ciemne plamki.
 Wysiadywanie i dorastanie Jaja wysiadywane są przez okres 23–29 dni przez obydwoje rodziców. Młode opuszczają gniazdo po 2–3 dniach po wykluciu. Pokarm przynoszą rodzice. Pisklęta umieją latać w wieku 7 tygodni. Pierwszy lęg wyprowadzają w wieku ok. 3 lat. Od lipca ptaki zaczynają latać nad wybrzeżami, siadają na wydmach i towarzyszą płynącym statkom. Zimą młode ptaki przemieszczają się w głąb lądu.

Pożywienie

Wszystkożerna. Pokarm zwierzęcy, m.in. płazy, ryby, ssaki, poza tym odpadki i jagody. Kradną jaja i pisklęta innych ptaków np. innym mewom, kaczkom i rybitwom. Ich żarłoczność jest tak duża, że mogą zjadać pisklęta z sąsiednich lęgów w kolonii, a nawet swoje własne.

Szybując w locie patrolowym, wypatrują wyrzuconych na brzegach skorupiaków, jeżowców i padliny. W mule i błocie znajdują małże, które zjadają razem ze skorupkami lub zrzucają je z wysoka, by się roztrzaskały o twarde podłoże. Brodzą też w płytkiej wodzie. Potrafią rzucać się z wysokości 5 metrów w wodę i nurkować na kilkadziesiąt centymetrów. Gdy pływa, zdobycz chwyta z powierzchni wody lub zanurzając głowę. Może też łapać owady w locie. Szuka pokarmu także w pobliżu płynących kutrów rybackich. Zimą, gdy brakuje pokarmu, chętniej odwiedza wysypiska śmieci. Rzadziej spożywa pokarm roślinny. Skład diety jest uzależniony zatem od zasobów i pory roku.

Status i ochrona

Międzynarodowa Unia Ochrony Przyrody (IUCN) uznaje mewę srebrzystą za gatunek najmniejszej troski (LC – least concern). Liczebność populacji szacuje się na 1,37–1,62 miliona dorosłych osobników. Trend liczebności populacji jest spadkowy.

Gatunek w Polsce chroniony częściowo. Na Czerwonej liście ptaków Polski mewa srebrzysta sklasyfikowana została jako gatunek najmniejszej troski (LC). W latach 2007–2012 liczebność populacji lęgowej na terenie kraju szacowano na 2700–3000 par.

Zobacz też
 ptaki Polski

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Linki zewnętrzne

Mewowate
Ptaki Europy
Gatunki i podgatunki zwierząt nazwane w 1763 roku


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Home MAGAZINE STORIES "From Different Perspectives: Photographs from the Agricultural Landscape," April 8 to June 9, 2010, The Reach Gallery, Abbotsford
ISABELLE HAYEUR, "Fire with Fire," Vancouver, East Hasting Street
"MIND THE GAP" Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, October 23, 2009 to January 3, 2010
"From Different Perspectives: Photographs from the Agricultural Landscape," April 8 to June 9, 2010, The Reach Gallery, Abbotsford
by Jill Sawyer
"Salt of the Earth: Arrival"
Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge, "Salt of the Earth: Arrival," photograph, 2008, 14" x 42".
From Different Perspectives: Photographs from the Agricultural Landscape, April 8 to June 9, 2010, The Reach Gallery, Abbotsford
BY: Jill Sawyer
Open just since 2008, The Reach Gallery in Abbotsford was created to reflect the culture of the Fraser Valley region, through visual art and heritage exhibitions. So it's fitting that this spring show centres on images of farmworkers, in a region known for its rich agricultural output. The landscapes in this show aren't exactly bucolic. Curator Scott Marsden has brought together four artists — Craig Berggold, Elaine Brier, Carole Conde, and Karl Beveridge — who have documented scenes of migrant farmworkers in North American fields and orchards. Using stylized techniques, Conde and Beveridge have documented Mexican workers in Ontario, while Brier uses a traditional social documentary style to depict the work lives and home lives of Mexican apple pickers in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. Berggold's work was inspired by assignments he did for the Canadian Farmworkers Union in B.C. in the early 1980s — he was hired to document working conditions of itinerant agricultural workers, which he did using actors, and setups. Each of the photographs depicts a true incident that poisoned, injured, or killed farmworkers or their children. "This show is about farm workers, as opposed to farm work," Marsden says. "It shows that these are complicated lives, and that they are part of the agricultural landscape. Their stories are rarely told — about the only time you hear about them is when there's some sort of horrific accident."
The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford, British Columbia V2T 0B3 View Map
Hours Open Tue to Fri 10 am - 5 pm, Thurs till 9 pm, Sat, Sun noon - 5 pm.
From Differrent Perspectives Scott Marsden The Reach Gallery Museum Summer 2010 issue Preview
Jill Sawyer
Editor, Galleries West magazine
Read more by Jill Sawyer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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In addition to a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities in Ketchum and Sun Valley, the summer months also bring with them several opportunities to enjoy live music, free of charge. In addition to talented artists playing on decks and patios around town, these three time-honored local events are both family friendly and picnic friendly. Grab a good blanket and settle in at these beloved annual events.
Every Tuesday evening, mid-June through mid-August, locals and visitors gather in Forest Service Park to enjoy good music, dancing, picnics and time with friends and family. National and regional musical acts ranging from electronica and rock to world beat and Americana have graced the stage. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket or a small lawn chair to sit on, and be sure to grab a warm sweater to keep yourself toasty after sunset.
Some consider Jazz in the Park to be the mellower, more mature sibling to Ketch'em Alive. More picnic than party, Jazz in the Park features Many of Idaho's best Jazz musicians performing every Sunday evening in Ketchum's Rotary Park on Warm Springs Road. The mellow, casual atmosphere is the perfect end to an action-packed weekend in Sun Valley.
The Sun Valley Summer Symphony offers free-admission classical music concerts that inspire and enrich through dynamic, engaging programming. The largest privately funded free-admission symphony in America, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony celebrated 30 seasons in the glorious Idaho mountains in 2014. Internationally acclaimed guest artists and ensembles have graced the Symphony stage, including Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Eugene Brancoveanu, and Chris Botti.
There is always something exciting marking the calendar in the Sun Valley/Ketchum area! Make the Tamarack Lodge your convenient home base in downtown Ketchum.


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Q: How to call Mailchimp API method in PHP I'm using mailchimp API v2 for send campaign.  Below is my code for send function but it say's function is undefined.
include('lib/Mailchimp.php');
    $MailChimp = new Mailchimp('755d575xxxxxxxx4d881-us8');

    try{
    $aa = $MailChimp->send('mailchimxxxxxx7ca1ff1d2.04256b3fa1');
    }
    catch (Exception $e){};

below API function is used.
http://apidocs.mailchimp.com/api/2.0/campaigns/send.php
How should I correctly call that send function?
var_dump($Mailchimp);
object(Mailchimp)#243 (18) { ["apikey"]=> string(36) "755d5752cxxxxxx881-us8" ["ch"]=> resource(162) of type (curl) ["root"]=> string(34) "https://us8.api.mailchimp.com/2.0/" ["debug"]=> bool(false) ["folders"]=> object(Mailchimp_Folders)#242 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["templates"]=> object(Mailchimp_Templates)#244 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["users"]=> object(Mailchimp_Users)#245 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["helper"]=> object(Mailchimp_Helper)#246 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["mobile"]=> object(Mailchimp_Mobile)#247 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["conversations"]=> object(Mailchimp_Conversations)#248 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["ecomm"]=> object(Mailchimp_Ecomm)#249 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["neapolitan"]=> object(Mailchimp_Neapolitan)#250 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["lists"]=> object(Mailchimp_Lists)#251 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["campaigns"]=> object(Mailchimp_Campaigns)#252 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["vip"]=> object(Mailchimp_Vip)#253 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["reports"]=> object(Mailchimp_Reports)#254 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["gallery"]=> object(Mailchimp_Gallery)#255 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } ["goal"]=> object(Mailchimp_Goal)#256 (1) { ["master"]=> *RECURSION* } }

A: Looks like you're using the PHP wrapper that Mailchimp provides which is tricky since is doesn't match their API reference exactly. The campaign send method is found under the campaign class. (V2.x instantiates this sub class in 'src/Mailchimp.php'). Sending a campaign would look like this:
<?php
include_once('mailchimp/src/Mailchimp.php');

try {
    //Connect to Mailchimp using your API Key
    $Mailchimp = new Mailchimp('c82620103cf2***********-us11');
}
catch (Mailchimp_Error $e) {
    echo('Error opening new mailchimp instance'.$e);
}

//Call this to return an array of campaigns from your MC account
$cList=$Mailchimp->campaigns->getList();

//Returned $id is something  like 'aer2dfcd18'
$id=$cList['data'][0]['id'];

//Send out the campaign
$Mailchimp->campaigns->send($id);

?>

There are some other improvements you could make here like using a try-catch for every method call or searching for the campaign by name instead of indexing but I wanted to keep the example simple. I hope this helps you and future MC developers!

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Your cells are working constantly to keep you healthy. Aging, and all of the problems that come with it, occur as key cellular defense systems break down. That's where we come in. Your body has multi-layered defense systems. Curos creates products to support them!


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5 Ways A Good Rivalry Benefits Your Brand
by Evelyn Starr | Jul 8, 2016 | Brand Strategy | 0 comments
Do you know who Michael Phelps is?
Unless you have been living behind a boulder, you probably do. (I avoid clichés.) The 31-year-old swimming phenom has 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold, and has set numerous world records.
Phelps' main rival, Ryan Lochte, has 11 Olympic medals. Without Phelps present Lochte could be considered the best male swimmer of all time. But he happened to come of age at the same time as Phelps and therefore has an underdog position to him.
Sort of like Dustin Hoffman getting an Academy Award nomination in 1983 for his fabulous starring role in Tootsie only to come up against Ben Kingsley in Gandhi. (And yes Ben Kingsley is an amazing actor, but I really wanted Dustin to win that year.)
Michael Phelps retired from swimming after the 2012 Olympics, his fourth Olympic appearance. Instead of savoring a Phelps-free Olympic opportunity, Ryan Lochte bet him $1000 that he would come out of retirement to compete in Rio at the 2016 Olympics.
Well, last week Phelps qualified to compete in three individual events and possibly three relay races in Rio.
But Lochte hasn't collected any money.
It's not that Phelps wouldn't pay him.
Lochte hasn't asked.
Here's what Lochte had to say about Michael Phelps in a Sports Illustrated interview with Maggie Gray:
"I guess you could say we have one of the best rivalries in sports. You know we help each other out. We push each other. You know he's one of the world's greatest swimmers. And I mean we hate to lose. So every time we go on those blocks it's every man for himself. But you know at the end of the day, win or lose, we're still going to be friends. We're still going to play cards together."
Fierce competitors by day and card-playing friends by night.
What's up with that?
It's not just the camaraderie of the U.S. swimming team. Ryan Lochte knows that he has become a better swimmer from competing against Michael Phelps.
And just as rivalries propel Olympic athletes to higher levels of personal performance, brand rivalries have propelled companies to greater success and more creative innovations than they would have had without the head-to-head competition.
Think Coke and Pepsi. MCI and AT&T. Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. Nike and Reebok then; Nike and Adidas now.
Netflix bested Blockbuster. But that wasn't the end game for them. They have reconsidered their brand position and have set their sights on a new rival: HBO.
Why has singling out a major competitor for a rivalry worked well for most of these brands?
A key rival focuses your attention by giving you something specific to strive for. Besting them for an account, for shelf space or for market share, for example.
Rivalry can prompt you to better measure and follow key metrics that give you a clearer picture of your business.
Rivalry can help you understand your brand better. By studying key rivals' brand performance and your own, you get a more in-depth understanding of your brand's strengths, weaknesses and market position.
Contrasting with a rival can sharpen your brand differentiation. Remember 7up, the Uncola?
Rivalries make great brand stories. Internally these stories can motivate your team. Externally, used judiciously, brand rivalry stories can highlight your brand's strengths with your target audience. Just keep it professional.
To tap the benefit of a rivalry for your brand:
Choose a meaningful rival. Window dressing to best a rival easily or to make your brand look good fools no one.
Be clear about your goals. You don't want to emulate your competitor; you want to become a better and stronger version of your brand.
Keep it professional. The rivalries here work because the athletes respect each other's talents and abilities. Mudslinging tends to backfire and reflects poor sportsmanship.
Avoid emotional distraction. Taking any lost sale or other defeat too personally detours you from your long-term brand goals and sinks energy into an unfruitful use of your time.
Avoid obsession. If emotional distraction is a detour, obsession is a train wreck. Just ask Tonya Harding. If you have an obsessive personality, rivalry might not be the right strategic tool for you.
Stay focused on your brand goals. It's rare that one brand definitively wins a rivalry. Use the competition to motivate yourself and your team. Celebrate your progress and your individual successes along the way.
So will Ryan Lochte ever get his money? Here's what he said about the bet:
"I think it was just a good old-fashioned bet that we had going on. I don't really care if I collect on it or not. I'm just glad that he is back in the water. And I think that was kind of the main goal of that bet was getting him back in the water and representing Team USA."
I'd say he has gotten his money's worth.
Oh, that's a cliché, isn't it? Rats.
Do you have a key rival that you've targeted to motivate your brand team? What have you learned from them? Would you play cards with their owner?
Share your answers in the comments. I love a good rivalry story.
How FitBit Stays Fit
How to Use Surveys Strategically


Edits pertaining to India vs. South Asia: By ignoring the rigorous scholarship of the SAFG, the IQC allowed a series of geographical errors to creep into California's textbook framework. The Faculty Group had agreed with the use of "India" 69 times, and flagged 24 instances where words like "South Asia" better reflects geographic reality. The IQC decided to change every geographical reference to "India" (with a single sentence explaining that this may refer to several modern nation-states). Using only "India" in these 24 cases not only ignores geography, but actively erases the origins of California students from nations like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.


text:
OldGames.sk ~ Ishar I
Ishar II
Buy Game
OldGames Page
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress
Welcome to Ishar: Legend of the Fortress guide, which should serve as a source of detailed information of particular game components. You can find interactive map of Kendoria, clearly arranged list of companions, spells, items, mixtures and more...
Companions List of all characters / companions / hirelings from Ishar games with complete stats, portraits and location where you can find them.
Map Interactive Map of Kendoria from Ishar: Legend of the Fortress
Items List of all items from Ishar trilogy games (Ishar 1,2,3) with in-game icons, description and location where you can find them.
Download Maps, Files and Documents to download
Ishar 1: Guide
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress came out in 1992 on Amiga, Atari ST and DOS and is a successor of Crystals of Arborea (1991). It takes place on the island of Kendoria. At the beginning, the player controls a warrior called Aramir, and he must defeat Krogh, an evil sorcerer who has killed lord Jarel. The game takes its name from Krogh's fortress, Ishar, whose name means "unknown" in the game's fictional elf language. In order to achieve this, the player's characters must travel across the whole island and, among other things, meet with the surviving companions of Jarel.
Most of Ishar takes place in an outdoor environment, which was original for computer roleplaying games of the time. It also featured a unique system to change the lineup of player characters: the player can have up to five characters at the same time, but each one will like or dislike his comrades. These preferences come into play when the player tries to recruit or dismiss a character, because the other characters will then vote for or against the recruitment or dismissal. If a character cannot be dismissed by a vote, it is possible for the player to have him assassinated by another character, but there is a risk that other characters will murder the murderer himself, possibly creating a chain of murders that slays the whole party but one.
Azalhgorms Tale
Azalhgorm took a deep breath and began his tale.
"This land was once called Arborea. Morgoth, Lord of Evil and Chaos, decided to make Arborea his own. His dark powers soon subdued the land. But Jarel, Prince of the Elves fought against this evil-succesful in his quest for the magic crystals of Harmony, he and his faithful companions finally destroyed Morgoth in an unforgettable battle (*).
Jarels companions are still alive and their names are engraved in every ones memory...Akeer, Olbar, Zach, Irvan, Thorm and Jon the Alchemist. After his victory Jarel became ruler of the whole land, which he renamed Kendoria. Under the leadership of Jarel and a wise Elven government the many peoples of Kendoria lived health and wealth. Sadly Jarel was killed in a hunting accident, and as his succesors struggled violently for power anarchy spread through the whole land. Taking advantage of the troubled situation people of many different races crossed into Kendoria from nearby, poorer lands. Many were traders or fanners...but some were adventurers and mercenaries. Such a one was Krogh...a shady and powerful figure..."
Azalhgorm paused. He was troubled by these memories of the past., he coughed slightly and his deep, low voice echoed once again...
"Krogh has grown rich and powerful and built a temple on the Kingdoms borders. The temple is called "Ishar" which means Unknown in the Elven tongue. Krogh is evil and like Morgoth in the past, threatens Kendoria. his powers are great...he seeks the return of darkness. Leave now for Ishar and regain the throne of Jarel."
It was already dark. I could barely see Azalhgorms face as, feeling puzzled, I bid him farewell and began my long journey to the mysterious land of Kendoria.
© 2018, dj @ www.oldgames.sk
Thanks to: Silmarils — Ishar Trilogy (1992-1994)
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1 gram of protein for every 2 to 4 grams of carbohydrates.
Honey mixed with a powdered protein supplement (available in health-food stores): A recent study presented at the National Strength and Conditioning Association's annual meeting showed that consuming honey and a protein supplement resulted in a quick postworkout recovery. Slurp down a big, gooey spoonful of honey sprinkled with powdered supplement.
Bagel: The average bagel contains 5 to 7 grams of wheat protein and about 38 grams of carbos. Add half a tablespoon of peanut butter, an ounce of cream cheese, or a slice of bologna or salami to get the optimal ratio of protein to carbos.
Granola and powdered milk: The protein in either cow or soy powdered milk will properly balance the carbo-rich granola.
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Tired of freeze-dried? Try hardtack and corn dodgers for a tasty change of pace.


You look your best in this suit. No time-wasters. Call me when you see fit, thank you. That might not be easy. Let Ricky relax. What is the time evolution of a system that is not quite in equilibrium? They said yes. The plants manufacture complex chemical compounds. I saw his daughter was crying. Why is Kenton sleeping?
Edmond didn't help me at all. There was nothing for it but to obey him. If you can't make peace with yourself, how are you going to make peace with anyone else? I don't know when I'll have time to finish reading the rest of this book. I just had an accident. I'll never let that happen again. Hot air expands and spreads out and it becomes lighter than cool air. When a balloon is full of hot air it rises up because the hot air expands inside the balloon. The bus will arrive in about thirteen minutes. I will visit you tomorrow without fail. I liked walking alone on the deserted beach in the evening.
I saw a dog. The dog held a piece of meat in its mouth. She cracked the walnut with her teeth. Erick is going to climb the ladder. He said nothing as to the time. It's simply surprising, how a modest attempt by a foreigner to compose a Russian sentence ultimately leads to two Russian speakers engaging in a lively discussion about their native language. Susumu began whistling a tune. They all remembered Dwight. November 23rd is Labor Thanksgiving Day, which was established as a national holiday to stress the importance of labor in people's minds. This year's weather is rather unusual. The patient is recovering from his illness.
How much longer am I going to have to do this? Liyuan came into the classroom three minutes after the bell had rung. That's really close. I really can't thank you enough that you're doing this for me. King is a little odd. Sandip wears a heart-shaped locket with a photo of Wendi in it. I'm going to run a couple of errands. Wanna tag along? Who's watching them? About 250 million years ago, the continents came together to form a supercontinent called Pangea. Dan was also arrested.
Are you sure Saiid won't be busy? The man was folding and unfolding his arms. I'm still trying. Is a common European identity possible? Who is that man in the background of the picture? My younger brother went to school. What is your favourite bird? Tell Wade you'd like to go with him. To my knowledge, this chemical will prevent germs from breeding. It's hard for me to concentrate on the task.
This dictionary puts a special emphasis on usage. That was so much fun. Felicja is married to a handsome man called Lazarz. She suggested a solution. John's two years older than me. He was devastated. Does anybody know him? This has never been tried before. I was thirteen when it happened. I wanted to make sure you saw that.
I am sneezing. He bought a foxglove. I'd rather stay here. She made no effort to apologize. I am digging a well. Tell Prakash you'd like to leave. Dori took Shakil with him. The murmur of the brook lulls me to sleep. I have a question for them. Will you tell me how to get to your house?
Did you see my son? Why don't you wait until Sassan gets here? Please promise you'll never lie to me again. They're going to find Izumi. There is not an answer to your question. Thank you for your cooperation in advance. He came in quietly in order not to wake the family. He is a comedian. I've done that a number of times. How does your wife look like?
Is Mikey still playing? I felt left out. Get Clarence away from here. I want your respect. After every big snowfall, the students trudge through deep snow to school. Marla was trying to escape. How is your life? The way he looked at me irritated me very much. That's really funny. Would you like something to drink?
We won't change anything. Is it still up in the attic? Those two make a fine pair. Did you hear it too? It was for him. On the whole, I think your plan is a very good one. She couldn't convince him to come back home. Felix is my favorite. I mentioned your name to Hirotoshi. It is often pointed out that smoking is a danger to health.


Tagged by jasper_the_cat! "Explain your LiveJournal name and… - UESC K24 :: T-Minus 15.193792102158E+9 years until the universe closes!
"Explain your LiveJournal name and its meaning. When you're done, tag as many people as there are letters in your name."
Ne... my LiveJournal name actually comes from World of Warcraft. Several months back, I had a NElf character called Regret, a feral Druid on US Emerald Dream. This was to be her 'blog'. But 'regret' and 'regretnothing' ('nothing' being her surname, since she doesn't actually have one ;) ) were both taken, so... 'nothingtoregret'.
Sa... So, using the name 'Regret', I tag: ficchica, jester_uk, umegaki, dropsofgleam, childthief_liar and jackandhishat!


Question: God Almighty has graced us with a great deal of possibilities to serve humanity. What would you recommend so that this holy grace and benediction upon us shall not be stopped?
1. We have to persuade ourselves that we have had no role to claim within these services. It must be accepted that all takes place because of God's holy grace, benediction and favor; due to this, we must not claim partnership with Him and commit a grave sin, and must stay away from the egotistical delusions perpetrated by our carnal self.
2. We should conceive that if we were not involved in these good works, it probably would be done by far better people, and much further distances would have been covered than those covered so far. And we should say, "God's holy favor does not reflect the service as it comes from its fountain, instead it hits the evils of our egotism and corporeality and is fractured; because of this, our acts of service stay far behind the point they should have reached." Long ago, our elders used to say, when someone comes to a devotee of truth: "So, my friend, how many souls have you killed?"that is, "How many people have been nipped by you and could not find the truth?" Today's devotees, too, should bear this concern in their souls, so that God's holy favor might not cease.
3. Our spiritual meekness and worship should multiply as much as our worldly activities and success, so that we do not become overwhelmed by our own egos. Imam Rabbani does not show himself even the deference of a dog; moreover, he even states that he doesn't have the worth of a donkey. This consideration should be fastened to our souls, become our everyday state. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to say, during his day-and-night prayers with his forehead on the ground in repentance: "O! The All-Living! The Self-Subsisting! I beg for Your grace! Please do amend all my states, and do not leave me alone with my carnal self, for even as long as a blink!" We, too, must repeat this prayer often, and should strive to leave behind the brutality of our carnal selves.
4. We should attribute any sort of deficiency to ourselves, see our egos as an obstacle to service, and attribute every single success as a divine favor. Korah attributed the blessings bestowed upon him to himself and said, "All this has been given to me only by virtue of a certain knowledge that I have" (Qur'an 28:78). All kinds of Korahs and Pharaohs have said such things. In contrast, all saints and Prophets have said, "I can neither bring benefit to, nor avert harm from, even myself" (Qur'an 7:188). Thus, the thought "I have known/ I have done/ I have held/ I have constructed" is the arrogant thought of Pharaohs. The account of the Qur'an on this issue is crystal clear: "It is God Who has created you and all that you do" (37:96). So, what is our share in goodness? Only our inability and poverty. If we turn to His might through our helplessness, to His wealth through our neediness, we are further motivated with gratitude, and serve with enthusiasm, divine blessings will progress ever after.
5. The awareness and comprehension of the fact that all goodness and success come from God shall be exposed by our resolution and vigilance to talk of Him with others. But there are implicit forms of Pharisaism, as well. For instance, people sometimes say, "We have been blessed with this success; God has made us do this, for we are so unable," with secret sanctimoniousness. Some people slyly talk of their own selves all the time, "We've read this and that with many friends, many intellectuals attend our programs." But we are called to communicate about God Almighty, and must be ever so vigilant on this point. For example, children are greatly loved. When children are mentioned somewhere, we too would like to mention our own kids, and remain on the lookout for the opportunity. Likewise, people sometimes feel that way about the eloquence of their writing or speech. But these kinds of attitudes are surely indecent, perhaps even inconsiderate. We must speak of God at every single opportunity. When fidelity or loyalty among friends is mentioned somewhere, we should say, "is there a friend more loyal than God?" When rights are spoken of, we should say, "if there is someone Whose right has to be given, it is surely God Himself who has raised us from non-existence to existence, then not abandoned there and animated us; then not left alone and raised us up to humanity, then honored us with faith, moreover made us involved in good deeds." That is, we should feel jealous if someone other than our Lord is given credit somewhere. When someone says something like, "I've given a speech, and people were exuberant and offered this and that," we should feel uneasy enough to become ill, and writhe with pain, thinking, "Have a look at him; he is talking about himself instead of my Lord."
Yes, if we wish to learn our state with God, we should look at the state of God with ourselves. How much interest do we have for Him, what kind of association do we have with Him? We should ceaselessly remember, and be always on the alert. As a matter of fact, if our contact with Him is firm, we will find a way toward Him, to communicate with others about Him. In consequence, we will see only Him, know only Him, think only about Him, move with Him, blink our eyes only for Him, and close all other considerations except Him.
6. Another major inducement for divine guidance and assistance is sincere cooperation and alliance. To reach this requires to conserve cooperation and alliance, and to avoid disunity and dissociation. If we are unified and together, we may be bestowed favors that exceed the human imagination, and we may become able to carry loads heavier than a mountain. In contrast, if our unions and alliances are destroyed, and we remain alone or with only a few friends, we will have detonated our essential force and caused the discontinuation of divine assistance. No matter how hard we try, it will not mean much, if we are without helpers. To this end, we must use all our resolution and effort to conserve the quality of being as strong as a building made of steel. Indeed, Qur'an decrees "God's hand is over their hands" (48:10). I believe that the favors bestowed upon a congregation belong to a far-distant dimension, that even some of the holiest individuals, with the aptitude to guide all of humanity, may not be granted.
To be a human being is hard, but servitude is a still harder. The obligation of performing a great mission, in the end times of the world, is perhaps the most difficult one of all. And we have applied for the hardest duties. We have taken a difficulty upon ourselves by assuming the self and willpower that the mountains and heavens have abstained from. Therefore, we will enhance our sense of self and willpower in a transcendent way, by sheltering under God's divine might and supremacy, in order to overcome those difficulties.


text:
Vandœuvres (toponimo francese) è un comune svizzero di 2 453 abitanti del Canton Ginevra.

Geografia fisica

Storia

Società

Evoluzione demografica
L'evoluzione demografica è riportata nella seguente tabella:

Amministrazione
Ogni famiglia originaria del luogo fa parte del comune patriziale che ha la responsabilità della manutenzione di ogni bene comune.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Comuni del Canton Ginevra

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Association is supporting Terrapinn's 11th Private Banking Asia Event. The purpose of the conference is to meet the needs of HNWIs - but the look and feel of the event will be refreshing and unique.
The conference is going to be hosted from 10th to 11th March 2015 at The St.Regis, Singapore. Our members are invited to attend the conference for FREE. If you are interested, please enroll through enroll@private-bankers.net.
Association of Family Offices in Asia is leading the delegation tour to participate the Italia Restarts Up in Milan from 8th to 10th December 2014. The tour will be leaded by Embassy of Italy where Association and our members will exchange with local project owners, chambers and leading organization in Italy.
The delegation tour is now open enrollment, if you are interested, please contact Association for fine detail or write to afo@private-bankers.net.
The fifth annual Private Wealth Management APAC Summit is the premium forum that brings elite buyers and sellers together. It provides a closed-door environment for regional SFOs, MFOs, wealth advisors, international fund managers and consultants to conduct in-depth discussion with each other regarding major factors affecting wealth preservation and investment strategy. Interactive forums of the Summit addresses many major concerns for family offices and solution providers, including asset allocation, family governance and co-investment.
The Association of Family Offices in Asia is one of the endorsers of the event. The Founder and Chairman of the Association, Miss Eva Law, will be one of the keynote speakers at the Summit, sharing her insights in the private wealth management business. We strongly recommend our members taking this amusing opportunity to interact and connect with leading figures in the private wealth management industry. SFO and MFO members can participate as delegates of the Summit, while solution-providers members are welcome to take part as sponsors.
For more information, please click here or visit the official site of the Summit http://www.pwmsummit.com/.
This latest membership event co-organized by the Association of Family Offices in Asia and the Association of Private Bankers in Greater China Region will delivers insights regarding BVI solutions and family offices to practitioners. The event will address intriguing issues for family offices and solution providers, including offshore incorporation in BVI and the use of BVI solutions in miscellaneous areas, such as Wealth Planning and Asset Protection. In addition, the event will also explain the concept of family office and describe the role that APB and AFO play in supporting the industry.
Speakers of the event will include representative from both Maples, OIL and APB. It is a wonderful opportunity for family offices and solution providers to enrich themselves with new business knowledge and connect with other practitioners. All our members can attend the event for free, but non-member practitioners are also welcome to participate.
The Association organizes private gatherings and other socializing events for family offices on a regular basis in order to encourage cooperation and communication among practitioners. We hold private parties at high-end venues in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing every 18 weeks. These parties allow practitioners to bond and explore the possibilities of arranging a club deal in an intimidate and relaxing arena. For family offices who are seeking to build up linkages with other practitioners, Private Party by AFO is an opportunity that they would never want to miss.
For more details about future parties, please go to the Event Calendar.
This two days' event brought leaders in family offices, private banks, independent wealth management companies, asset management agencies, investment banks, major financial groups, accounting firms as well as other major solution providers and experts in the filed of wealth management together to explore latest issues and development regarding family wealth management, global real estate investment, family governance and philanthropy. In particular, the event addressed major issues on family wealth management in China, including positioning of Chinese family offices, succession of Chinese family business and differences between Asian and Western family governance.
The Chairman and Founder of the Association, Miss Eva Law was the moderators in the Family Governance Brainstorming and the Philanthropic Panel Discussion and has taken this opportunity to exchange insights and experience with other leading figures in the industry.


text:
Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Under a federal government policy established in mid-2012, certain people who entered the United States as children are eligible for protection from deportation through a relatively new process. Applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status may be a viable solution if you meet a range of complex criteria. If you obtain it, you may be able to live and work lawfully in the U.S. for two years, and renewal may be possible to extend that time.
Identifying Viable Paths To Legal Residency And Work Eligibility
While the success and timing of broad immigration reform — including the DREAM Act or any other form of "amnesty" — remain uncertain, young people should pursue all means of attaining lawful status that are available now. At Bikkal & Associates, P.C., you will find experienced, trustworthy lawyers who know and will explain all of your options.
We have helped many students and other young people obtain DACA protection and freedom from the fear of removal. Our immigration attorneys are also adept at determining if specific circumstances present another solution, such as pursuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) on behalf of an abused or neglected youth. Vital considerations include:
DACA criteria are specific and comprehensive, covering when the applicant arrived, current age, educational status, any criminal history and more. The application must be completed with great diligence, because any mistake could expose you to denial and potentially serious consequences, ultimately including deportation.
Immigration officials often must exercise discretion in granting or denying Deferred Action status. Our attorneys know how to present all evidence in your favor, and our reputation for integrity in the courts is also an invaluable asset for many clients.
If you have DACA status and want to renew it, timely action and sound legal guidance are very important. We can advise and assist you with your renewal application.
Full-Service Immigration Counsel · Work Directly With A Proven Lawyer
Whether you came into the U.S. without lawful status or on a visa that has since expired, our White Plains, New York-based legal team will help you evaluate all options for remaining in the country legally. We offer clear, reliable counsel — not false hope or promises. For a consultation focused on your unique immigration concerns, call 914-683-5300 or send us an email now.
Robin Bikkal - What about Immigration?
Bikkal & Associates, P.C.
170 Hamilton Avenue
Based in White Plains, Westchester County, New York, attorneys at Bikkal & Associates, P.C., serve clients from a broad area and multiple states, including nearby communities such as the Bronx, Rockland and Putnam.
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I had an opportunity to meet Tony Bennett once at Sandpoint, Idaho, during the summer festival there. I went to Sacramento College to see and listen to Dave Brubeck and Cal Tjader in the mid-fifties. So of course this article I'm re-posting by Charles Gans of the Associated Press resonated with me.
President John F. Kennedy's White House made this jazz summit possible when it booked Brubeck and Bennett to perform at a concert on Aug. 28, 1962, for college-age summer interns. The crowd was so big that the concert had to be moved from the Rose Garden to an open-air theater at the base of the Washington Monument.
After Brubeck and Bennett each performed with their bands, the pianist came back on stage with his drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright to accompany the singer on four encore numbers: "We haven't rehearsed this, so lots of luck, folks," Bennett joked with the audience.
Columbia Records had sent its mobile recording unit to tape the concert. But only one song, their version of "That Old Black Magic," surfaced years later on several compilation albums. The nearly one-hour tape had been mislabeled as "American Jazz Concert" with no reference to the two jazz legends and ended up lost in a section of the massive Sony Music Entertainment archives mostly devoted to classical music recordings.
Matt Kelly, director of the archives, was doing routine research last year into Columbia recording sessions done 50 years ago when he pieced together the paper trail that would lead to the tape's discovery. He cross-referenced incomplete logbook entries for an Aug. 28, 1962, live recording in Washington, which didn't list the performers' names, and separate listings for Bennett and Brubeck sessions that same day. After Brubeck's death at age 91 on Dec. 5, Bennett's camp prodded Sony to see if a tape of the Washington concert existed and it was quickly located.
"I was shocked they even had it," Bennett said in a telephone interview.
John Jackson, Sony Legacy's vice president of A&R and Content, was surprised to find the tape in pristine condition and decided it had to be released.
Brubeck's classic quartet — with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond — begins the set by playing the odd-metered "Take Five" at a faster tempo than on their groundbreaking 1959 album "Time Out," which the year before had peaked at No. 2 on the pop album charts. The rest of the set includes Brubeck compositions inspired by the rhythms of countries where he had performed — "Nomad" (Afghanistan), "Thank You (Dziekuje)" (Poland) and "Castilian Blues" (Spain).
Their joint performance offers a rare chance to hear Brubeck perform Great American Songbook standards with a top-flight jazz singer and Bennett unleash his jazz chops often kept in check on his more pop-oriented Columbia recordings.
They begin their impromptu performance with a brisk "Lullaby of Broadway" in which Bennett unexpectedly changes the lyrics to "Come along and listen to the lullaby of … Dave Brubeck" and the pianist quickly jumps into his solo. On "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)," Brubeck's solo gets somewhat funky. Bennett starts off singing "There Will Never Be Another You" as a slow ballad, but suddenly shifts to a fast tempo displaying some daring jazz phrasing, accompanied by Brubeck's rapid-fire bop lines.
They didn't perform together again until the 2009 Newport Jazz Festival when Brubeck sat in with Bennett to reprise "That Old Black Magic" — an encounter encouraged by jazz buff Clint Eastwood, who was producing a Brubeck documentary. At the time, Brubeck expressed his admiration for Bennett.
His 1962 performance inspired Bennett to work with other jazz pianists. Bennett says he met Bill Evans for the first time at that Washington concert and they would record two albums in the 1970s that rank among the best of the singer's career. He recently recorded an album of Jerome Kern tunes with husband-and-wife jazz pianists Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes for later release.
Bennett, who will celebrate his 87th birthday in August with a Hollywood Bowl concert, is also planning to record a jazz CD with Lady Gaga later this year. He was impressed by her performance of "The Lady Is a Tramp" on his Grammy-winning 2011 "Duets II" CD.
Here's That Old Black Magic, and There Will Never Be Another You from those historic sessions — enjoy!
Original Tommy's was opened on May 15, 1946, by Tom Koulax (October 26, 1918 – May 28, 1992), the son of Greek immigrants, on the northeast corner of Beverly and Rampart Boulevards west of downtown Los Angeles. The stand, which still exists today, sold hamburgers and hot dogs topped with chili. At first business was slow, but started to pick up. During the 1960s, the entire lot at this intersection was purchased. Soon after, the northwest corner was acquired for expanded parking and storage of goods. Not long after that, a second service counter occupying the building at the perimeter of the northeast lot was set up. The food was essentially the same from both locations, except for longer lines at the original shack counter, perhaps for nostalgic reasons.
Koulax credited the students, both as workers and customers, from nearby Belmont High School for making Tommy's a success. He supported the school by placing advertisements in the school newspaper and yearbooks. In his last will and testament, he left a scholarship fund for Belmont.
In the 1970s, Tommy's initiated a conservative expansion plan, growing from the original location to 30 locations in 2006. Tommy's did not expand to more than a handful of locations per year. Most Original Tommy's restaurants are found in the Greater Los Angeles Area. There are also Original Tommy's restaurants in San Diego, Barstow, Palmdale, La Habra, Riverside, Henderson, Las Vegas, and most recently, in Lake Forest. In recent years several locations have closed.
The company is based in Monrovia, California, after years at Glendale, California, and is run by the late Mr. Koulax' family. The restaurants are all company-owned, and there are no plans for the company to offer any franchised locations.
A ladle or two of Koulax' signature chili tops nearly every available menu item, even the breakfast sandwich. Original Tommy's chili is a mixture of an all-beef chili con carne base, flour, water, and a "secret" blend of spices, and resembles a condiment more than a conventional bowl of chili. The flour-water mixture allows the chili to "set up" and adhere to the burger or fries.
Except for an occasional television commercial and a brief flirtation with radio advertising in the 1990s, Original Tommy's has relied on word-of-mouth and local newspaper advertising to gain popularity.
It was a cold Saturday night in November, My partner Larry Gardner and I were enjoying a cup of coffee and donuts at "Arnie's," located at Santa Monica Boulevard and Bundy Drive. I was listening to "Walk of Life" coming from the vehicle parked next to us. The blonde driver was flirting with Larry; business as usual for him.
We knew it must be serious as two other units were dispatched to Twenty's location besides us. Without saying a word we emptied our coffees on the pavement.
Kicking over the V8, I accelerated out of the parking lot and sped to the meeting place. A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot next to 8-L-20 Sergeant Jesse Escobar.
Escobar climbed out of his Black and White, as usual his hair was perfectly styled, his uniform looked like it'd just been pressed, his two-toned badge gleamed, and his black shoes shone like glass, even under the dim overhead light. I'd known Escobar for several years; he was known as a policeman's sergeant. We were lucky to have him. as the three-striper was going up the LAPD ladder.
Shortly, we were joined by the two other assigned units.
"Guys we have a real situation. so pay attention." The sergeant laid out a hand-drawn map of a residence located at 2 Benedict Canyon Drive.
As we followed Sergeant Escobar's black-and-white station wagon, we were silent, lost in our own thoughts. I wondered what we would run into. I had a real uneasy feeling about this one.
When we parked in tandem and were on foot, Escobar once again pulled out the map. Using his flashlight, he ordered the others to the four corners of the house.
Why did he leave me out?
We quietly moved to the rear of the house, where a light could be seen. A closer look determined it came from a laundry room hallway.
Sergeant Escobar tried the screen door. Unlocked.
I followed as he crept cautiously down the dimly lit hallway, past the laundry room and toward a room where the light was bright. It was the kitchen.
Escobar peered into the kitchen and then he looked back at me. He held up one finger and then pointed it down.
I knew that meant one down. Escobar stepped into the kitchen. I followed on his heels. I spotted the lifeles,s half-open eyes of a female staring up at me. The dead woman was lying in a huge pool of blood that almost covered the entire tile floor. I could clearly see powder burns on her bare breasts and stomach.
Quickly looking about, I could see blood all over the kitchen walls, ceiling, refrigerator, stove, and cabinets.
I stepped over her and felt my shoe soles picking up a sticky substance. Blood.
I spied Escobar in the living room hand motioning for me to go to the left as he was going to the right.
OK, I signaled back with a head nod.
He disappeared into the darkened next room.
I slowly moved down the partially lit hallway. Almost immediately, I spotted a body lying in the middle of the hallway ahead of me. As I approached I could now see it was another female. One half-open lifeless eye stared into space. A contact wound had blown out her left eye.
I stepped over her body, wondering what the hell was next?
Seeing a lighted room ahead, I crept forward and peeked around the open doorway. I saw a leatherette recliner chair with a human arm hanging over the side facing me.
I eased up to the chair and gave it a swift kick to surprise whoever was seated on it.
The chair swiveled to the left, and a male slumped forward and onto the floor. His clothed body ended up on his knees as if he was praying. A large collection of coagulated blood stained his back. It appeared to be an exit wound from a large caliber firearm.
I was startled when Escobar, in a calm voice said, "The rest of the house is clear. Looks like we will need the detectives for this one," he continued.
He went outside and released the other two units.
My partner and I secured the scene. Several hours later the detectives arrived and began their investigation.
The coroner's deputies later drove up. After they scanned the scene, they took the bodies and transported them downtown to the Coroner's office. They would join other corpses awaiting autopsies.
The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California. Built in 1893, the building was commissioned by LA mining millionaire Lewis L. Bradbury and designed by local draftsman George Wyman.
It is located at 304 South Broadway and 3rd Street, and has been the site of many movie and television shoots, rock videos, and works of fiction. It's the location of the office of Eagon Quinn, a character in my Mike Montego novels, set in 1960's Los Angeles.
Lewis L. Bradbury (November 6, 1823–July 15, 1892) was a mining millionaire – he owned a mine named Tajo in Sinaloa, Mexico – who became a real estate developer in the latter part of his life. He planned in 1892 to construct a five story building at Broadway and Third Street in Los Angeles, close to the Bunker Hill neighborhood.
A local architect, Sumner Hunt, was first hired to complete a design for the building, but Bradbury dismissed Hunt's plans as inadequate to the grandeur of his vision. He then hired George Wyman, one of Hunt's draftsmen, to design the building.
Wyman at first refused the offer, but then supposedly had a ghostly talk with his brother Mark Wyman (who had died six years previously), while using a planchette board with his wife. The ghost's message supposedly said "Mark Wyman / take the / Bradbury building / and you will be / successful" with the word "successful" written upside down. After the episode, Wyman took the job, and is now regarded as the architect of the Bradbury Building. Wyman's grandson, the science fiction publisher Forrest J. Ackerman, owned the original document containing the message until his death. Coincidentally, Ackerman was a close friend of science fiction author Ray Bradbury.
Wyman was especially influenced in constructing the building by the 1887 science fiction book Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy, which described a utopian society in 2000.
In Bellamy's book, the average commercial building was described as a "vast hall full of light, received not alone from the windows on all sides, but from the dome, the point of which was a hundred feet above … The walls and ceiling were frescoed in mellow tints, calculated to soften without absorbing the light which flooded the interior." This description greatly influenced the Bradbury Building.
A restoration and seismic retrofitting was undertaken by developer Ira Yellin and project architect Brenda Levin Associates in 1991. As part of the restoration, a storage area at the south end of the building was converted to a new rear entrance portico, connecting the building more directly to Biddy Mason Park and the adjacent Broadway Spring Center parking garage. The building's lighting system was also redesigned, bringing in alabaster wall sconces from Spain.
The building features an Italian Renaissance Revival -style exterior façade of brown brick, sandstone and panels of terra cotta details, in the "commercial Romanesque Revival" that was the current idiom in East Coast American cities. But the magnificence of the building is the interior: reached through the entrance, with its low ceiling and minimal light, it opens into a bright naturally lit great center court.
The five-story central court features glazed brick, ornamental cast iron, tiling, rich marble, and polished wood, capped by a skylight that allows the court to be flooded with natural rather than artificial light, creating ever-changing shadows and accents during the day.
Cage elevators surrounded by wrought-iron grillwork go up to the fifth floor.
Geometric patterned staircases and wrought-iron railings are used abundantly throughout. The wrought iron was created in France and displayed at the Chicago World's Fair before being installed in the building. Freestanding mail-chutes also feature ironwork.
During construction an active spring was found beneath the work-site, posing a threat to ongoing work on the building by weakening the foundation. However, Mr. Bradbury was very committed to the project, which he believed to be the greatest monument possible to his memory. Consequently, he imported massive steel rails from Europe to bolster the building and allow its construction to continue.
The initial estimate for the construction of the building was $175,000, but the final cost at completion was over $500,000—an extremely large amount for those times. Using the GDP Deflator method, this amount translates to more than $11 million in 2008 dollars.
Lewis Bradbury died months before the building opened in 1893, although it stands as a testament to his and George Wyman's vision.
The building has operated as an office building for most of its history. It was purchased by Ira Yellin in the early 1980s, and remodeled in the 1990s. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
The building has served as headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs division and currently is used by other government agencies. Several of the offices are rented out to private concerns, including Red Line Tours. The retail spaces on the first floor currently house Ross Cutlery (where O.J. Simpson purchased a stiletto that figured in his murder trial), a Subway sandwich restaurant, a Sprint cell phone store, and a real estate sales office for loft conversions in other nearby historic buildings.
The building is a popular tourist attraction. Visitors are welcome daily and greeted by a government worker who provides historical facts and information about the building. Visitors are allowed up to the first landing but not past it. Brochures and tours are also available. It is close to three other downtown Los Angeles Landmarks: the Grand Central Market and the Million Dollar Theater (across the street) and Angels Flight (two blocks away). The building is accessible from the Los Angeles MTA Red Line via the Civic Center exit three blocks distant.
The Bradbury Building is featured prominently as the setting in films, television, and literature – particularly in the science fiction genre. Most notably, the building is the setting for both the climactic rooftop scene of Blade Runner (1982), as well as the set of the character J. F. Sebastian's apartment in which much of the film's story unfolds.
The Bradbury Building appeared prominently in the noir films D.O.A.'(1950) and I, The Jury (1953). M (1951), a remake of the German film, contains a long search sequence filmed in the building, and a spectacular shot through the roof's skylight. The five-story atrium also substituted for the interior of the seedy skid row hotel depicted in the climax of Good Neighbor Sam (1964), supposedly set in San Francisco but almost entirely shot in Los Angeles.
The Bradbury Building is also featured in The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), The Indestructible Man (1956), Caprice (1967), Marlowe (1969), the 1972 made-for-television movie The Night Strangler, Chinatown (1974), The Cheap Detective (1978), Avenging Angel (1985), Murphy's Law (1986), The Dreamer of Oz (1990 TV movie), 1994's Wolf and Disclosure, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Pay It Forward (2000), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and The Artist (2011).
Television series that featured the building include the 1964 The Outer Limits episode "Demon with a Glass Hand." During the season six episodes (1963–64) of the series 77 Sunset Strip, the Stuart "Stu" Bailey character had his office in the Bradbury. In Quantum Leap the building is seen carrying the name "Gotham Towers" in Play It Again, Seymour, the last episode of the first season (1989). The building appeared in at least one episode of the television series Banyon (1972–73), City of Angels (1976) and Mission: Impossible (1966–73), as well as in the "Ned and Chuck's Apartment" episode of Pushing Daisies, which debuted in 2007. The building was also the setting for a scene from the series FlashForward in the episode "Let No Man Put Asunder." In 2010 the building was transplanted to New York City for a two-part episode of CSI NY. The Bradbury Building and a fake New York City subway entrance across the street were also used to represent the exterior of New York's High School for the Performing Arts in the opening credits of the television series Fame.
The Bradbury appeared in music videos from the 1980s by Heart, Janet Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire and Genesis, and a Pontiac Pursuit commercial. Part of Janet Jackson's 1989 film short Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 was filmed in the building as well. The interior appears in the music video for the Pointer Sisters' 1980 song, "He's So Shy." The Bradbury Building was also used for Tony! Toni! Toné!'s "Let's Get Down" music video.
The building was featured in the photography on the Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 box, while the personal computer game SimCity 3000 shows the building as one of many built in the so-called Medium Commercial zones.
The Bradbury has been frequently alluded to in popular literature. In Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, the protagonist refers to Philip Marlowe, who would "feel homesick for the lacework balconies of the Bradbury Building." In the Star Trek novel The Case of the Colonist's Corpse: A Sam Cogley Mystery, the protagonist works from the Bradbury Building four hundred years in the future. Other allusions occur in The Man With The Golden Torc by Simon R. Green, and the science fiction multiple novel series The World Of Tiers by Philip Jose Farmer.
DC Comics and Marvel Comics – the latter of which has offices in the real Bradbury Building – both published comic book series based on characters that work in the historic landmark. The building serves as the headquarters for the Marvel Comics team The Order, and in the DC universe, the Human Target runs his private investigation agency from the building.
Located at 877 South Figuroa, the Pantry is a favorite eating spot for retired Homicide Detective, Eagon Quinn, who practices law out of the Bradbury Building on South Broadway, a character in my Mike Montego novels.
The Oldsmobile Starfire was an automobile produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors in two generations from 1961 to 1966, and 1975 to 1980. The Starfire nameplate was also used for the 1954–1956 Ninety- Eight series convertibles, and all 1957 Ninety-Eight series models. 1961 was the first year for the Starfire as a separate model, available in a single convertible body style. The Starfire competed in the growing personal-luxury car market as was typified by the 4-passenger Ford Thunderbird first introduced for the 1958 model year. However, the Starfire shared most of its sheet metal with other models, and was considered part of the full-sized Oldsmobile line. The Starfire Hardtop Coupe joined the convertible for the 1962 model year. The convertible was dropped for the final 1966 model year, moving to the Eighty-Eight model line. The Starfire returned as Oldsmobile's first subcompact car for the 1975 model year, featuring a V6 engine supplied by Buick. The 1977 Starfire featured the first-ever Oldsmobile four-cylinder engine as standard equipment, with the V6, and a V8 engine optional.
The 1962 Starfire was distinguished from other Oldsmobile models by its unique aluminum trim, chrome engine dressing, and space age interior, featuring bucket seats, a center console, and a then-cutting edge console mounted shifter.
The Starfire was equipped with a 345 horsepower 394 cubic-inch V-8 and automatic transmission.
The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show. Named after a Lockheed jet fighter plane, namely the F-94, the original Starfire was a 5-passenger convertible that had a fiberglass body, a 200 hp (150 kW) Rocket V8 engine, and a wraparound windshield like that used on the top-of-the-line and limited-production 1953 Fiesta 98 convertible.
The name was then used for the 1954–1956 model years to designate the convertible models of the 98 line in much the same way that the Holiday name was used to designate hardtop body-styles. The 1954–1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire convertibles were the most expensive Oldsmobiles offered during those years. During the 1957 model year, all 98 models were referred to as being Starfire 98s. The name was dropped from the 98 series beginning with the 1958 model year.
Introduced in January 1961 as a convertible, the first Starfire shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88. It was loaded with standard equipment including leather bucket seats, center console with tachometer and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission, and was the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter, brushed aluminum side panels and power steering, brakes, windows and driver's seat. With a base price of $4,647 in 1961, it was the most expensive Oldsmobile, even more than the larger Ninety-Eight models. The standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Skyrocket V8 engine – Oldsmobile's most powerful in 1961 – used a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and generated 330 hp (246 kW) at 4600 rpm. Sales of the 1961 model were 7,800.
For the 1962 model year, the convertible was joined by a two-door hardtop, which featured a new convertible roofline shared with other Olds 88 coupes. Horsepower was up to 345 hp (257 kW). 1962 was the best sales year for the first generation Starfire with sales of the hardtop coupe being 34,839 and sales of the convertible being 7,149.
Styling changes for the 1963 model year included a move away from the sculpted sides of the previous years model, to a flatter, more conventional look with an exclusive squared off roofline that included a concave rear window. Sales of the coupe were down to 21,489 and the convertible was down to 4,401, a drop of 38%, probably due to intense competition from Buick's all-new Riviera, which was in the same price range as the Starfire but had its own unique body shell.


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02Aug / 2017
Oh You Pretty Things: Pin Ups (1973)
Many people are under the impression that 1972, when Ziggy came out, was Bowie's biggest year in the early 70s, but in fact it was '73 — the Ziggy tour caught on in the US, and he managed to get out two further albums (Aladdin in April, and this one in December) — both of which went to #1 in the UK and did well elsewhere on the strength of Ziggy alongside their own charms. Pin Ups was, ironically, released on the very same day as an album of covers by Bryan Ferry (These Foolish Things) — his debut solo album. Ferry didn't do quite as well commercially (merely reaching #5 in the UK charts), but received more critical praise (and, frankly, is the better album of the two). While Bowie stuck to covers from a very specific and influential period for him (the bands and sounds he most often tried to emulate in his pre-first album period, 1964–67), Ferry picked his personal favourites from all across his youth, from songs that predate him quite considerably (probably favoured by his parents) to his pre-teen and early teen years in the 1950s.
The original "face swap selfie"
We mention this not just because the two were such contemporaries, but because Ferry was pleased enough with the reception to do another covers album a year later (Another Time, Another Place, 1974), but Bowie — despite very much wanting to — did not. Pin Ups was, in fact, intended as the first installment of a two-part plan: it was intended to bring English songs specifically to a US audience that wouldn't be that familiar with them, while the follow-up album (called, at least at one point, Bowie-ing Out) would have consisted of Bowie covers of US artists. A few of these selections were covered by Bowie much later ("God Only Knows," "I've Been Waiting for You," "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship," and others). In 1973, though, Bowie's hair was in full-on mullet mode, but as mentioned previously he appears to be the one male humanoid that made it work (ironically it became a popular hairstyle more than a decade later, among both men and women). The cover art with Twiggy was originally intended for Vogue, but they didn't use it, so Bowie recycled it.
In addition to the two pretty things on the cover, Bowie also kicked off the album with his version of "Rosalyn," a raucous rave-up R&B rocker based on the Bo Diddley sound originally written by the Pretty Things and issued as a single by them in 1964 (he also covered the band's other notable single from that year, "Don't Bring Me Down" later on this album), and referenced the band in at least two song titles in his career ("Oh You Pretty Things" and "The Pretty Things are Going to Hell"). Apparently he liked them, and it couldn't be more obvious in his cover of "Rosalyn" — Bowie surprises by aping the Pretty Things' lead singer Phil May so well that, to quote May, "[Bowie] even screamed in the same places I did." The two versions are similar enough that Bowie fans would be forgiven for thinking that possibly May had guested the lead vocal on this one, with one of the few differences in the cover being Ronson's meatier guitar work.
This segues directly into a cover of "Here Comes the Night," a song of teenage angst and jealousy first recorded by future Bowie pal Lulu (it didn't do well for her) and was later a #2 hit for Van Morrison and Them (though it was not written by Morrison) in 1964. Oddly, Bowie never committed anything written by Sir Van the Man to an album or b-side, though his band Hype did "Madame George," and David incorporated Morrison's "Gloria" into extended concert versions of "Jean Genie" alongside other song snippets, so there was clearly some regard there. I would speculate that Lulu may have suggested the number as a good choice for him.
Lulu's version emphasised the sadness of hu miliation and regret; Them's version (with Jimmy Page as a session guy on lead guitar!) focused more on the anger and jealously. On Pin Ups, the song is done in more of a rock-musical style with a very theatrical, exaggerated vocal that sounds a lot like what I'd imagine Patti Smith or Tim Curry (again) might have done with it. Naturally, the Pin Ups version again has sterling guitar work, but also a strong saxophone presence missing from Lulu's violin-centric, slower take, or the Rolling Stones-style interpretation Them recorded. Bowie clearly borrowed from both singles.
From there we go to a proper blues cover, a song written by Billy Boy Arnold (one of Bo Diddley's sidemen) using a very borrowed Diddley beat. The song "I Wish You Would," is only heard in its complete form on Arnold's original; the Yardbirds' version rearranges and generally fools around with the lyrics, and omits a verse, where the singer is supposed to reveal that the reason his woman done left him is because he was a drinker (as heard in the original 1955 single, above). Bowie's cover, taken heavily from the Yardbirds single, also leaves that bit off. Curiously, Bowie and Ronson opted to replace nearly all of the signature harmonica line that was a defining characteristic of the 1955 song's "blues-ness" — faithfully aped and augmented in the Yardbirds recording — with more guitar instead. If Clapton's first band "whitewashed" the lyric, Bowie's take on it whitewashed the music as well. Again, as with "Here Comes the Night," he chose to go with rock rave-up type vocals that further cut the emotional heart out of the thing as well. Ronson outplays Clapton on this, but gets ever further away from the roots of the song.
This leads us into a brief return of David Bowie mk1, in the form of his cover of The Pink Floyd's/Syd Barrett's "See Emily Play," very much the sort of music Bowie himself created in his first two albums. His take on it sounds like a fusion of the vocal style of his debut mixed with the backing band that created "The Man Who Sold the World." Bowie backs himself up on Varispeed vocals to create a chorus of mental demons — he absolutely has a lot of empathy for the material and Syd, having had many mentally-ill relatives, the tragedy of his half-brother, his acquaintance with Barrett himself, and of course at this point in his life the madness of rock stardom. Garson again provides a lot of augmentation, while Ronson, Bolder, and Dunsbar create an arrangement significantly better than the original. The addition of strings at the end can, as O'Leary notes, be interpreted as the introduction of soothing medicine or a sign that the heroine of the song has completely withdrawn into her own troubled mind. It's a great song made greater by Bowie, but it's still rather jarring in the track mix, sandwiched as it is between the more typical "I Wish You Would" and the more typical rocker "Everything's Alright."
Speaking of, the only reason I can think of that this lightweight pub-rocker was included on the album is that drummer Aynsley Dunsbar also played on the original recording by the Mojos. This is the sort of song the early Beatles might have done in their Cavern Club/Hamburg days, and indeed Bowie's version ends with him doing a multi-tracked "ooooh" finale that sounds lifted straight from "She Loves You." Compared to two contemporary covers from 1965 — a very good one by the Liverpool 5 and an even livelier one from the Robin Hoods — Bowie's version sounds rather by-the-numbers, though as usual the instrumentation is pretty solid.
Side One comes to an end with a strangely slowed-down cover the Who's "I Can't Explain." Bowie openly ripped off The Who for a few of his early singles, in particular infusing his own "Can't Help Thinking About Me" with all the fury the Who themselves could have mustered (and got called out on it by Townsend at their first meeting).
The odd choice to do "I Can't Explain" as sort of a torch-song version that, but for Ronson's presence, sounds like it could have been in Bowie's cabaret act from six years earlier can only stem from his fundamental misinterpretation of the song. Bowie sings it like the chorus is a metaphor for an expression of lust in polite company, when in fact the song is clearly about a teen or pre-teens first inklings of sexual awakening, where they haven't yet got the vocabulary for what they're feeling. Despite having Dunsbar on board, the Pin Ups version strips down the drums, removes the teenage angst, and essentially neuters the song.
Side Two kicks off with "Friday On My Mind," a hit for the Easybeats in 1966. The band perform the song admirably, but Bowie literally sounds like he can't decide how to approach this as he's singing it. Half the time, he's doing it in his recently-favoured rave-up style (there's no doubt in our mind that Bowie had taken in a performance of The Rocky Horror Show after it opened on the West End in June of '73 with Tim Curry in the lead role), but for other parts — including some high notes he can't quite reach — he goes the Tony Newley route from his early days. It's very disconcerting when Bowie himself is by far the weakest element on a given track, but that's the case here. That said, Bowie follows this up with by far the strongest of his performances on this album, "Sorrow."
The track — originally written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and songwriting legend Richard Gottehrer — was first recorded by the McCoys (who used it for a b-side in '65) and then the Merseys (who had a big hit with it a year later). Despite being a cover, it seems both like a natural Bowie number as well as one for which he has some obvious affection. As Bowie discographer Nicholas Pegg notes, the arrangement makes it sound very much like something he'd have written for his pal Lulu, and adds that an ironic reissue of Bowie's own "The Laughing Gnome" is said to have caused RCA to hold back the "Sorrow" single for a while (the "Laughing Gnome" re-release actually hit #6 on the UK charts, such as the popularity for anything with Bowie's name on it by this point). Bowie's version went on to become one of his most successful singles ever in terms of chart staying power; it lasted 15 weeks in the UK Top 40, peaking at #3.
Back to the blues for the next number "Don't Bring Me Down," the other Pretty Things number, and the entire band turn in a solid performance, particularly Dunsbar (finally allowed to really shine on drums) and Bowie himself on harmonica. For everything Bowie and producer Ken Scott did wrong with "I Wish You Would," they certainly nailed the blues down solidly on this track, mainly by closely copying the Pretty Things' version (only turning down the mod stylings a tad, letting Dunsbar ply his trade, and clearly having access to a better recording studio). As with "Rosalyn," it's quite obvious Bowie really did like the Pretty Things, although this time around he lends the vocal a more mature style that he would make more use of as he, well, matured. I could see Bowie re-recording this in the same style 20 years later with no appreciable difference in the vocal stylings.
Listeners might be forgiven for feeling a bit of whiplash as the record veers wildly again, into "Shapes of Things," the second Yardbirds cover on Pin Ups and their first self-penned single. The original had a nicely-mid-'60s youth rebellion feel to it (and clever use of overdriven guitar courtesy Jeff Beck), but Bowie and Ronson amp it up into a much more psychedelic arrangement that better suited the late '60s (but seemed just a touch retro in 1973), complete with a background string section. Much more Jefferson Airplane-meets-Moody-Blues than anything else on the album, with Ronson paying due tribute to Beck's searing original solo. Again, this wouldn't have been much out of place on The Man Who Sold the World.
The following track is a second slice of The Who, this time 180 degrees away from the lounge-y "I Can't Explain" to a full-on, no-apologies imitation of the band outright on "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere." Bowie does his best Daltrey, and Dunsbar does his best Moon — while Ronson and Bolder mostly refrain from trying to imitate Townshend and Entwhistle directly, yet they still capture the vibe. Apart from some tell-tale stylings, Bowie and the band manage to pull off a strong impression of The Who at their best (again). The album concludes with a faithful but again harder-edged cover of "Where Have All the Good Times Gone," which (unusually for this album) was a Kinks b-side rather than an a-side. It's a bit of a "response" in sentiment to the youthful worries of "Shapes of Things," where a more cynical narrator bemoans his youthful idealism, and Bowie shows off how much he likes the Kinks with another homage-cum-impression, this time Ray Davies.
The 1990 Rycodisc release of Pin Ups includes two notable bonus tracks: an early Bruce Springsteen composition, "Growin' Up," which features Rolling Stone Ron Wood on guitar (!) for the Bowie version, and the long-delayed inclusion of Brel's "Port of Amsterdam," originally left off Ziggy Stardust and now added to this album of covers. Bowie likely came to "Growin' Up" through the original demo version, before Greetings From Asbury Park came out in late '73, but even way back then the Boss' style and voice were quite distinct, and Bowie sounds (in hindsight) like he's covering a Springsteen (or Jim Steinman) song, letting his fascination with Americana ride free. The cover was actually recorded during the Diamond Dogs sessions, and was likely intended for the US-centric sequel to Pin Ups, and thus doesn't really belong on this album: the song was also appended (more appropriately) to the 30th anniversary release of Diamond Dogs.
Clockwise: Bowie, Visconti, Springsteen, Garson
Bowie (a year or so later) covered Springsteen again with "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City" again from Brooooce's debut album around the time of Young Americans and Station to Station, but although Bowie and Springsteen met during those initial sessions, and the former clearly had an affinity for what the latter was doing, they never worked together. Bowie, after meeting Springsteen and gathering that The Boss wasn't too impressed with the cover, never released his version, which was actually quite prescient with regards to where Springsteen would later end up, and the track finally turned up on the compilation Sound + Vision.
The "Port of Amsterdam" cover — both the original "first mix" and the Ryko Pin Ups "second mix" bonus track — follows Scott Walker's 1967 English-language version pretty closely (there's a pretty amazing video of Brel himself performing it live; see below), and brings all the power and poetry of Walker's version to a simpler arrangement of just him (or possibly Ronson) on 12-string guitar. O'Leary notes that after deciding to leave it off Ziggy, Bowie apparently wrote "Rock n Roll Suicide" as a faux-Brel replacement. There's another "clean" acoustic version of the song Bowie did, even more passionate in its performance, now on the Bowie at the Beeb CD. Bowie performed the song a half-dozen times times on the radio, but the first mix of the studio version ended up as a b-side for "Sorrow."
Although it would have technically broken the theme of UK singles from the mid-60s, I think an appropriate bonus track (should they ever get round to doing another reissue of Pin Ups) would be the "White Light White Heat" cover Bowie originally started, but never completed, during those sessions. Mick Ronson later sought, and got, permission from Bowie to use the tracks for his own cover of the song on his album Play Don't Worry. Bowie covered the song about a zillion times in concert, however, and there are something like a half-dozen versions recorded for the BBC floating around. This one (below) is probably my favourite of them, as you can hear Bowie aping Lou for all he's worth. Mr. Reed himself joined Bowie in some live versions, including one as early as 1972, and most memorably for David's 50th birthday concert.
Regarding Pin Ups as a complete work: while there are definitely occasions on Pin Ups where Bowie covered songs well, there are almost as many where he appears to have missed the point of the song entirely. Though Bowie claimed in interviews that most of the songs chosen for Pin Ups were singles or albums he had at home from his early days, none of these bands (bar The Who) seem to have been big influences on him.
While he might have enjoyed the songs (either seeing them performed live back in the day, as he would claim, or from the records), it can't be a coincidence that almost none of these songs ever reached US radio listeners, making this "contractual obligation" album seem like just a new Bowie album to many American fans, or to younger UK fans. Pin Ups is an collection of focused (and occasionally un-focused) nostalgia at a time when that was really coming into vogue: in addition to Bryan Ferry putting out the same sort of album at the same time, it was around this time that the simpler mid-50s and early-60s rock songs, now looking dated by comparison with the contemporary 70s, became nostalgic "oldies" to those who grew up on that stuff as teens themselves.
A lot of the songs Bowie chose for the record are good, though a surprising number offer rather empty, throwaway lyrics; the simplistic "Rosalyn," the abridged "I Wish You Would," the pointless "Everything's Alright" — odd choices by an artist known for his multi-layered and often-complex verses, and affinity for others who specialized in allegorical and symbolic lyrics. There's a troubling feeling, however, that Bowie didn't really put his full effort into, let's say, half of the material. It's quite possible the influence of "The Rocky Horror Show" was playing a role here, but much of the first side sounds like theatrical takes on the songs rather than heartfelt covers (his a-game is much more present on the second side).
For those unfamiliar with the originals, Pin Ups is an uneven but fun (and now, rather underrated) album featuring a variety of styles performed by an incredibly solid band — but I have to say I got more enjoyment out of re-listening to the various original releases, even when Bowie's version was arguably better. While far from his worst record thus far, Pin Ups does at times feel like a "contractual obligation" record lacking in focus and effort, only periodically interspersed with songs or bands that he actually did hold in high regard. The album did very well — better than Ziggy in some ways — but those awaiting the next chapter in Bowie's rapid development would have to wait one more year: Pin Ups is more of an entertaining intermission.
Posted in Bowie, Music
Tags: Bowie, Bryan Ferry


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Just Because Your Chicken Is Organic Doesn't Mean It Was Raised Humanely
The USDA's organic standards don't prevent animal cruelty—but that may soon change.
Twilight Greenaway
Adrien Schless-Meier
Karkhan Oleg/Shutterstock
This piece was originally published by Civil Eats.
Do you ever wonder why so much organic food also carries animal welfare labels?
The short answer is that while the US Department of Agriculture's organic standards are very precise about pesticides and other growing practices for the crops that people and animals eat, it doesn't include very many specific instructions about the way the animals themselves are raised.
"When people pick up organic milk, they're expecting that the cows are out on pasture most of the time," says Luke Meerman, one of the farmers behind Michigan-based Grassfields Cheese. And he's right. In a phone survey conducted for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 68 percent of the consumers contacted said they expected that animals raised on organic farms "have access to outdoor pasture and fresh air throughout the day." Similarly, 67 percent said they believe "animals have significantly more space to move than on non-organic farms."
But as Meerman, whose family runs a 90-cow farmstead cheese operation, can attest, organic certification doesn't require either full-time pasture access or more space for the animals. That's one reason his family has chosen to add the Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) label to its line of cheese.
"The USDA organic program really is failing to meet both the spirit of organic and consumer expectations around animal welfare," says an ASPCA representative.
"Organic is about what the cow is eating and what you're doing to the land," Meerman says. "AWA is about the cow." He takes special care to manage his animals' pain, and keep young cows with their mothers for a week after they're born, for example. And those are just two of the many welfare practices that organic doesn't require.
"There are lofty ideals in the current standards," says Suzanne McMillan director of the ASPCA's Farm Animal Welfare campaign. "There are references to ability to engage in natural behavior, comfort behavior, the reduction of stress. But the USDA organic program really is failing to meet both the spirit of organic and consumer expectations around animal welfare."
The Groundwork
For as long as federal organic standards have existed, a group of farmers, consumer advocates, and scientists, called the National Organic Standards Board, have helped shape those rules. The board has long been aware of gaps in the animal welfare portion of the regulations, so in 2011, it issued a set of detailed formal recommendations to the USDA. In a rare instance of consensus, every NOSB member signed off on the board's recommendations.
The organic rules already included a few general recommendations for treating animals well, such as the Organic Pasture Rule, which requires farmers to allow cows and other ruminants to graze for at least 120 days a year. But for laying hens and other poultry, the rules are much less specific.
The NOSB's proposed rules aim to fix that. They include space requirements for poultry, specifying two square feet per bird. The NOSB also recommended requiring farmers to note how many animals die on their farms before slaughter—something USDA currently doesn't document, but can serve as an important indicator of general welfare.
"Consumers mistakenly believe that organically raised animals are raised more humanely," a coalition of animal welfare, food, and agriculture groups wrote to the USDA in a recent letter.
Arriving at the space requirement for poultry wasn't easy, says small-scale organic farmer and NOSB member Colehour Bondera. "The people running the large production facilities said, 'We can't shift our operations this way.'"
In the end, they landed on two square feet, which Bondera describes as "ludicrously minimal." But NOSB acquiesced, he says, because "it was like, 'Let's make it so there's some bare minimums here.'"
Nearly four years after that initial proposal, the agency is finally poised to issue a proposed rule by the end of this year.
According to a spokesperson for the USDA, the rules will be "based on the NOSB's recommendations," but just how closely they follow the details of the recommendations will not be entirely clear until the department releases its draft and takes public comments.
In March, 14 animal welfare, food, and agriculture organizations sent a letter to the USDA expressing support for the National Organic Program move to set new standards and urging them to move swiftly. The letter reads: "Consumers mistakenly believe that organically raised animals are raised more humanely when, in truth, there is often little difference between conventional and organic production in terms of animal treatment" and asks that the NOP "establish minimum space requirements for all species."
Does Size Matter?
Big growers and processors now make up a sizable portion of the organic market; in fact, many small-scale producers have been crowded out of the very sector they helped create.
"The problem, when you talk about the organic industry, is that it's everything from your small farmer to the largest egg producer in the US, who has an organic line," says Dena Jones, director of the Farm Animal Program at the Animal Welfare Institute, which oversees the AWA program. "The consumer has no way of knowing, without doing a lot of research, whether this is a good product in terms of animal welfare or not."
Many organic advocates point out that because of their size and influence, large farms and organic food companies tend to shape policies. "The truth is that the NOSB is made up primarily of people representing large entities that are looking out for their own bottom line," Bondera says.
And large farms often have the most to lose when higher standards are put in place. In 2012, a year after the NOSB's recommendations, the USDA conducted an economic impact analysis of poultry raised with a range of animal welfare standards. The study found that birds with more living space (two square feet per bird) and with more consistent access to the outdoors would cause the price of organic eggs to "increase substantially" among large organic egg producers and "likely cause a substantial number of producers to exit organic production and switch to conventional production."
While fewer, more expensive organic eggs would mean fewer choices for consumers, some advocates would welcome the shift. Jones feels that the economic side of the argument has won out for too long. It's time for organic agriculture to adhere to "what's in the animal's best interest," she says, "and not just what's in the best interest of the bottom line."
The People Who Pick Your Organic Strawberries Have Had It With Rat-Infested Camps
Tom Philpott
Wait, We Inject Antibiotics Into Eggs for Organic Chicken?!
Organic Chicken Carries Almost As Many Superbugs As Conventional
Gagged by Big Ag
Ted Genoways