text:
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    <version>1.1.2-RELEASE</version>

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            <artifactId>jersey-client</artifactId>
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            <version>2.0</version>
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                    <groupId>ch.qos.logback</groupId>
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            <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
            <artifactId>jetty-servlet</artifactId>
            <version>7.6.9.v20130131</version>
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            <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty.orbit</groupId>
            <artifactId>javax.servlet</artifactId>
            <version>3.0.0.v201112011016</version>
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            <artifactId>spark-core_2.10</artifactId>
            <version>1.3.1</version>
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            <artifactId>spark-mllib_2.10</artifactId>
            <version>1.3.1</version>
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            <artifactId>spark-graphx_2.10</artifactId>
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        <!-- JUNIT DEPENDENCY FOR TESTING -->
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            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>4.11</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
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            <artifactId>httpclient</artifactId>
            <version>4.3.3</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
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            <artifactId>freemarker</artifactId>
            <version>2.3.20</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
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            <groupId>com.google.guava</groupId>
            <artifactId>guava</artifactId>
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            <groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
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            <groupId>com.github.mdr</groupId>
            <artifactId>ascii-graphs_2.10</artifactId>
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    <build>
        <resources>
            <resource>
                <filtering>false</filtering>
                <directory>src/main/resources</directory>
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                <filtering>false</filtering>
                <directory>src/main/java</directory>
                <includes>
                    <include>**</include>
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                    <exclude>**/*.java</exclude>
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                <groupId>org.scala-tools</groupId>
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                <version>2.15.2</version>
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                    <!-- Run scala compiler in the process-resources phase, so that dependencies on
                         scala classes can be resolved later in the (Java) compile phase -->
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                        <id>scala-compile-first</id>
                        <phase>process-resources</phase>
                        <goals>
                            <goal>compile</goal>
                        </goals>
                    </execution>

                    <!-- Run scala compiler in the process-test-resources phase, so that dependencies on
                         scala classes can be resolved later in the (Java) test-compile phase -->
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                        <id>scala-test-compile</id>
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                        <goals>
                            <goal>testCompile</goal>
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                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.1</version>
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                    <source>1.8</source>
                    <target>1.8</target>
                    <optimize>true</optimize>
                    <debug>true</debug>
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            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
                <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
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                <version>2.2</version>
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                            <shadedClassifierName>driver</shadedClassifierName>
                            <transformers>
                                <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ServicesResourceTransformer"/>
                                <!--
                                Some care is required:
                                http://doc.akka.io/docs/akka/snapshot/general/configuration.html
                                -->
                                <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.AppendingTransformer">
                                    <resource>reference.conf</resource>
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                                    <mainClass>org.mazerunner.core.messaging.Worker</mainClass>
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                            <shadedArtifactAttached>true</shadedArtifactAttached>
                            <shadedClassifierName>worker</shadedClassifierName>
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                                    <!-- Fill in what you'd need here. -->
                                    <include>*:*</include>
                                </includes>
                            </artifactSet>
                            <transformers>
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                            <overWriteIfNewer>true</overWriteIfNewer>
                        </configuration>
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            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
                <configuration>
                    <archive>
                        <manifest>
                            <addClasspath>true</addClasspath>
                            <classpathPrefix>lib/</classpathPrefix>
                            <mainClass>theMainClass</mainClass>
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                    </archive>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>

    </build>
</project>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Many business owners go into partnerships before they actually took time to "court" each other. What are your partner's weaknesses & strengths, how does your agreement cover your business interest, what is your exit strategy? These are just a few things you should consider when "dating" a potential partner. Abe Xiong, founder of GCA, will teach you the difference between various business relationships so that you can have an additional strategy to get to government contracts.


Commercial Solar Lease vs. PPA – What's the Difference?
To some extent, these people aren't wrong. Understanding solar power CAN be complicated. It CAN be costly. And solar financing, in particular, CAN be quite complex.
On the flipside, a little guidance can go a long way. For instance, it's important to understand that the federal tax credit is set to expire in the next few years. Furthermore, the cost for commercial-scale solar has decreased significantly over the last 5+ years. Also, as far as financing, there are more options available today than ever before.
There are two tools that we often recommend when it comes to financing commercial-scale solar projects: solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs). The two financing structures are similar but have certain nuances that the borrower needs to consider before opting for one over the other.
Commercial solar leases, sometimes referred to as solar services agreements (SSAs), allow customers to lease a PV system from a 3rd party, thereby avoiding the up-front costs of investing in the equipment directly – usually the largest barrier to entry for most business owners. The 3rd party is responsible for financing, owning and maintaining the solar energy system.
Leases are generally structured over a 10- to 20-year period.
This model avoids the retail sale of electricity. Solar Leases are allowed in states such as Florida and Arizona, which do not allow 3rd parties to sell electricity in the PPA model described below. Also, solar leases typically come with a production guarantee as well as have flat monthly payments throughout the year.
A power purchase agreement, otherwise known as PPA, is a slightly different 3rd party model that also helps to address the high up-front costs of installing an on-site PV system. The PPA model allows a solar developer to own a PV system, typically on the customer's property, and then sell the power back to the customer.
The benefit to the PPA model is that it enables the customer to avoid all of the upfront costs, as well as responsibilities for operations and maintenance, and just purchase the power from the 3rd party at an previously agreed upon rate. Unlike a commercial solar lease the monthly payments to the 3rd party will vary every month as they will be based on how much electricity the solar system generates. In the summer months when the system is generating more electricity payment to the PPA will be more and vice versa in the winter when the system is not generating as much in the summer.
With a PPA, solar customers lock-in a $/kWh for energy sometimes for as long as a 20-year time horizon. This insulates customers from volatile electric rates and makes it easier for a company to accurately budget for its energy costs over an extended period of time.
Both PPAs and Leases are often structured to allow the solar customer to buy the PV system at market value at the end of the PPA term. Alternatively, there may be an option to extend the lease or PPA for 1 to 5 years if the customer is so inclinded. Otherwise, at the end of the PPA or lease term, the customer typically can ask the 3rd party to have the system removed from the site.
For government entities – such as municipalities, school, water districts and housing authorities – and nonprofits, PPA and leases are the best solution since these entities cannot take advantage of federal, state and / or local tax credits and accelerated depreciation on the solar equipment. However, the consideration of the tax benefits is one that needs to be most carefully analyzed by private sector companies. Because the commercial company that leases the equipment or signs the PPA does not own the equipment in either of these arrangements, they collect the tax benefits. Instead, the solar developer claims these benefits.
That doesn't mean the PPA or solar lease is not the right solution for most private sector companies as both Walmart and Amazon do 3rd party solar lease or PPAs for their electricity needs. It just means companies need to be aware of their options.


Under the Montana Youth Court Act, the Youth Court Juvenile Probation is a mandated function of state government directed by the District Court Judge.
The 21st Judicial District Youth Court encompasses Ravalli County only, whereas some Judicial Districts support many counties that share the cost of the Juvenile Probation Department. Unlike the Montana Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole, the Juvenile Probation Department must deal with youth offenders before they appear before a Judge.
When a youth under the age of 18 commits a crime, he or she is cited into the Youth Court probation office and, except for traffic offenses, all youth are required to appear before a Juvenile Probation Officer with his or her parent(s). The probation officers are officers of the court and act under the direction of the District Court Judge. A youth will admit or deny his or her culpability at the initial interview with a probation officer, resulting in either a diversion, informal probation or a petition will be filed by the County Attorney requiring the youth to appear in front of the Judge.
Juvenile sentences are designed to make the youth accountable for the crime, to protect the community, and to give the youth skills to become a competent, non-offending adult. Youth Court Services or Juvenile Probation, is also designed to keep the Youth Court from becoming over-burdened with relatively minor offenses that can be handled more swiftly by the probation officers.
Accountability can be achieved in a variety of ways. An adult is presumed to be fully aware of his or her actions, whereas a youth may know that what he or she has done is wrong, but does not completely understand how the act committed affects many different areas of the community where he or she resides. Shoplifting, for example, is an act that youth commit most often for the thrill of it or out of boredom.
A common diversion or sentence will be a face-to-face apology with the victim, paying for the item taken, performing community service hours for which the youth must pay a fee and, if the youth is not involved in extra-curricular activities, choosing a hobby or interest that is on-going and provable. This diversion does not require a costly and time-consuming court hearing where the County Attorney, Public Defender, a Court Reporter, Judge and Probation Officer must all appear. Accordingly, the punishment fits the crime and the youth is handled swiftly resulting in everyone benefiting from the youth's mistake.
Community Protection is paramount in the Juvenile Justice System. While minor offenders can be diverted from further criminal activity, serious delinquency requires sanctions that may include detention. Unlike adults, youth either 'get the message' after a short incarceration or must be placed in facilities that are designed for rehabilitation.


Investors considering a purchase of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. shares, but tentative about paying the going market price of $23.55/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal.
Investors considering a purchase of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. (SCHN - Get Report) shares, but tentative about paying the going market price of $23.55/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the May 2017 put at the $19 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of $1.15. Collecting that bid as the premium represents a 6% return against the $19 commitment, or a 11.2% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost).
Selling a put does not give an investor access to SCHN's upside potential the way owning shares would, because the put seller only ends up owning shares in the scenario where the contract is exercised. And the person on the other side of the contract would only benefit from exercising at the $19 strike if doing so produced a better outcome than selling at the going market price. ( Do options carry counterparty risk? This and six other common options myths debunked). So unless Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. sees its shares fall 19.5% and the contract is exercised (resulting in a cost basis of $17.85 per share before broker commissions, subtracting the $1.15 from $19), the only upside to the put seller is from collecting that premium for the 11.2% annualized rate of return.
Worth considering, is that the annualized 11.2% figure actually exceeds the 3.2% annualized dividend paid by Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. by 8%, based on the current share price of $23.55. And yet, if an investor was to buy the stock at the going market price in order to collect the dividend, there is greater downside because the stock would have to lose 19.49% to reach the $19 strike price.
Always important when discussing dividends is the fact that, in general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., looking at the dividend history chart for SCHN below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3.2% annualized dividend yield.
The chart above, and the stock's historical volatility, can be a helpful guide in combination with fundamental analysis to judge whether selling the May 2017 put at the $19 strike for the 11.2% annualized rate of return represents good reward for the risks. We calculate the trailing twelve month volatility for Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $23.55) to be 50%. For other put options contract ideas at the various different available expirations, visit the SCHN Stock Options page of StockOptionsChannel.com.
In mid-afternoon trading on Thursday, the put volume among S&P 500 components was 631,443 contracts, with call volume at 631,443, for a put:call ratio of 0.72 so far for the day, which is above normal compared to the long-term median put:call ratio of .65. In other words, if we look at the number of call buyers and then use the long-term median to project the number of put buyers we'd expect to see, we're actually seeing more put buyers than expected out there in options trading so far today. Find out which 15 call and put options traders are talking about today.


A unique, innovative concept for a slot game, Jackpot 3x3 really is something out of the ordinary. You may not have experienced anything like this before, but NYX have delivered a brilliant product, and there's some serious payouts just waiting to be claimed. With nine slots spinning at any given time, what are you waiting for?
Keep your eyes on all the reels!
Not the normal layout for a slot game, Jackpot 3x3 offers something very different, and the game's innovative design makes it very fun and easy to pick up and play. With three lines of three reels, there's no Wild, Scatter or Bonus symbols, but that's the beauty of it.
The interface contains reels full of bright colours and all symbols are different shapes – from squares and hexagons to octagons and stars – and each symbol has the same number. Suitable for all size budgets, all you have to do is match three identical numbers on one of the nine reels to win a prize. That's it, and it's brilliant. You'll struggle find another game around with a simple yet effective concept such as this, so give it a go because you may just be pleasantly surprised.
Choose your bet size using the plus and minus arrows before tapping the Spin button to see if you have landed a winning combination. All nine reels spin at the same time and you must match three identical numbers on one or more of the reels to win a prize, with the number shown on a winning reel acting as the multiplier.


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Q: How to access the interest points in Harries Corner detection c# i'm implementing Harries Corner detector using Emgucv
and i've converted the Code to C#
using this link
http://docs.opencv.org/doc/tutorials/features2d/trackingmotion/harris_detector/harris_detector.html
So i want to access the coordinates of those corners or any information about this interest points
how to do this ?
Thanks

A: You can make a threshold image of the Harris Corner Image and then iterate over it. This way were the intensity of the point is 255 you have a corner point whit X and Y values on the image. Example:

    // create corner strength image and do Harris
    m_CornerImage = new Image<Gray, float>(m_SourceImage.Size);
        CvInvoke.cvCornerHarris(m_SourceImage, m_CornerImage, 3, 3, 0.01);

        // create and show inverted threshold image
        m_ThresholdImage = new Image<Gray, Byte>(m_SourceImage.Size);
        CvInvoke.cvThreshold(m_CornerImage, m_ThresholdImage, 0.0001, 255.0, Emgu.CV.CvEnum.THRESH.CV_THRESH_BINARY_INV);
        imageBox2.Image = m_ThresholdImage;
        imageBox1.Image = m_CornerImage;

        const double MAX_INTENSITY = 255;
        int contCorners = 0;
        for (int x = 0; x < m_ThresholdImage.Width; x++)
        {
            for (int y = 0; y < m_ThresholdImage.Height; y++)
            {
                Gray imagenP = m_ThresholdImage[y,x];
                if (imagenP.Intensity == MAX_INTENSITY)
                {
                    //X and Y are harris point cordenates
                }
            }
        }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Can I track my deilvery online?
Home › Can I track my deilvery online?
We don't have a live tracking device on our vehicles, however if you contact us through the Live Chat option on the site or call our helpline we will be more than happy to provide you with the latest information as to the progress of your delivery.


Is this Rome's time for Reformation?
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenburg Cathedral door in 1517, he was not calling for schism within the Roman Catholic Church, but for her reform. Luther rightly observed that reform begins with repentance.
Martin Luther's rediscovery of the Gospel call had an almost immediate effect. As the Reformation swept across Europe in the 16th Century, Rome sent out counter punches in the hope of quelling the tide. In the centuries since, there have indeed been moments of change made inside the Vatican, but these revisions have been primarily cosmetic and cultural, rather than ripping out the rotted foundations and replacing them with τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ.
It is interesting to note that the events which led to Martin Luther's clarion call concerned an issue of abuse; Rome's teaching of and reliance upon indulgences.
Roman Catholicism has taught indulgences since Medieval times, believing that they are a means by which people can receive remission for sins, and therefore reduce the time they would otherwise spend in purgatory. Leaving aside the fact that purgatory is another Roman concept which finds no warrant in the Bible, indulgences take on multifarious forms, from saying a prayer, to completing a sacred pilgrimage, to helping the poor. Indulgences regularly contained a monetary aspect, paying a financial sum to the church to gain an indulgence, and thus time exemption from purgatory. The stunning St Peter's Basilica in Rome that tourists and pilgrims enjoy today, was built in the 16th Century by stripping Europe's poor via these indulgences.
In case we make the mistake of thinking that indulgences were left behind 500 years ago, they remain in vogue, with the current Pope publicly encouraging the practice of indulgences on at least two occasions since taking the seat in the Vatican in 2013. More odd, the ABC reported this week that the Anglican Church in Yea, Victoria, has recently taken up the practice in order to raise money to repair their dilapidated building.
Revelations made in recent years have once again made it clear that the problems inside Roman Catholicism are deeply rooted. When Martin Luther exposed the abuses made in the 16th Century, he rightly called for repentance and sought reform in the Church. Once again, Rome has been caught abusing the vulnerable, this time, sexually abusing young children and then consistently covering up the crimes. There are voices from within and many from outside, calling for Rome to reform her ways, but it appears that so far there is little sign of change. The allegations made this week by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò suggest that change needs to extend to the very top. Indeed, should the Archbishop's letter be proven accurate, this would confirm the abuse scandals to be the most profound faced by the Roman Church in centuries.
In criticising Rome, please don't misunderstand, I am not suggesting that Protestant Churches automatically make the cut. Children have been abused inside Anglican, Baptist, and Pentecostal Churches, and even one example is one more than should ever be. There is, however, a vast difference between cases of abuse, and a culture of abuse. In addition, Churches that have once embraced the principles of the Reformation, need to reaffirm them with every new generation, lest we too lose our way. Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia are littered with churches that once joyful upheld the 5 Solas, but today are little more than crumbling buildings sitting on prime real estate supporting the retirement funds of heterodox clergy.
The Apostle Paul insisted that we hold onto both doctrine and life, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). The former shapes the latter, and the latter can easily distort the former when we preference personal morality above the ethics given by a good and holy God.
Is this Rome's time for Reformation? Will Rome finally wake up and realise that they need to do more than move around the furniture or cover up the walls with a new coat of paint? 500 years ago, abusive practices were called out and thousands of clergy and churches across Europe heeded God's gracious call to repent, but Rome ignored the opportunity. How will Rome respond this time?
At the heart of the 16th Century, abuses derived from a distorted view of God and his Gospel. With the rediscovery of God's good news and with the people gaining access to the Scriptures in their own languages, unhelpful and gross evil practices were exposed and removed.
Celebrating the national milestone that is your coming.
A plumber or teacher, inventor or doctor?
A child, a parent, friend and neighbour.
A statistic, figure or demograph.
But an individual, unique, and exquisitely made.
Image of God, bearing witness to all around.
And embrace you, our fellow Australian.
That others were refused this gift given you.
And those torn from mothers wombs.
Like Melbourne, on a sunny, cold, windy, hot, stormy day.
Leaving far too many aside.
Praise Him, for wonderful are His works.


text:
Perils of the road—17
A Hand in Her Own Death?
The stone bridge by Lapford Mill was once perilous and the scene of the village's first known road fatality in 1848. The bridge's 1854 replacement had higher parapets and appeared to be much safer. However, when approaching Lapford, the bend onto the bridge was only protected by a low blackthorn hedge. Beyond this was a steep drop to the River Yeo, below.
At the turn of the century young North Tawton doctor named Montagu Cutcliffe had a lucky escape when his horse attempted to jump the low hedge rather than swing with the road onto the bridge. The horse and its rider mounted the hedge and narrowly avoided plummeting to the river. At the time it was regarded as a freak accident and no improvements were made, but history would soon repeat itself.
At 6.30pm on Monday, 10 May 1909, Hugh Densham was driving his mother, Ellen, in a dog-cart from their home at Bury Barton. They were due to attend a meeting at the Congregational Church. As they descended the incline towards the bridge, their young horse became restless and started to bolt. The horse approached the turn onto the bridge with speed and attempted to jump the low hedge, just as the doctor's horse had done a few years before. Mrs Densham was thrown over the horse's head towards the river-bed below, a distance of 30 feet. The horse and dog-cart were left suspended on the hedge. Hugh found his mother lying unconscious on her face next to the river. She had received a bad blow over her eye.
Ernest Barter, a retired draper, witnessed the horse running away. He immediately left his home at Barris Gate and descended Mill Hill. He was one of the first at the scene, joined by Mary Radford, of Lowerfield, and Edward Wickham, the curate of Lapford (probably lodging at Lowerfield). Help also came from nearby railway workers who carefully stretchered Mrs Densham up the steep bank and back to her home at Bury Barton half a mile away. Dr Davies of Morchard Bishop was telegraphed and arrived with haste, but little could be done. Mrs Densham died at 9.45pm that evening without ever recovering consciousness.
This hand coloured picture shows the metalled road declining from Lapford Cross towards Lapford Mill bridge. The low blackthorn hedge is in the centre of the picture on the right hand side of the road. Mrs Densham fell over the hedge just before it meets the bridge.
Roger "Hugh" Densham
THE INQUEST
At the inquest into his mother's death, Hugh Densham said he had had perfect control of the horse after it became restless, but that his 64-year old mother became frightened and seized his arm holding the left reign. Some reports of the inquest state that Mrs Densham managed to take hold of the reign herself. According to Hugh, her action caused the reign to snap and the horse could no longer be controlled as it careered at speed towards the bridge.
Differing reports of the inquest indicate that Hugh either fell off the cart onto the blackthorn hedge to the right, or that he jumped. The inquest returned a verdict of "Accidental Death".
Inquests were often rapidly arranged affairs, and were not necessarily detailed nor fully independent. In this particular case, the inquest took place two days after the accident at the Densham's Bury Barton home. Although the purpose of the inquest was to assure that Hugh's driving had not played a part in the incident, and that that his mother's death was entirely accidental, Hugh was the only person to give an account of events leading to the accident.
THE FORGOTTEN WITNESS
There was a eye witnesses. 12-year old Eric Challice saw the cart turn off the main road, the rapid decent towards the bridge and Mrs Densham's fall. Yet, his evidence was never heard.
The Denshams were a highly respected family. Mrs Densham's widow, Roger was a Justice of the Peace and a long-time public servant, chairing the Parish Council, District Councils and various County Council Committees. The family's word was trusted and asking a young schoolboy to come to the family home to provide additional evidence may have been considered unnecessary or inappropriate.
The independency of the inquest is clearly questionable—Hugh effectively cleared himself of any wrong doing, within this own home and without the only eye-witness being called—but there is no reason to suspect that Hugh's recollection of events was anything but honest. Nevertheless, the young schoolboy's account could have thrown some extra light on the incident.
Aged 88, Eric Challice wrote his Memories of Old Lapford. It included his recollections of Mrs Densham's accident 77 years before. His account is the only record that the nearside wheel of the cart collided with the bridge. For this to have happened, it seems likely that the horse jumped the blackthorn hedge a few metres before the bridge with the cart then swinging around clockwise and hitting the right-hand (east) side of the bridge. Traditional dog-carts had a box for dogs with passengers perched on raised seating above. If the cart had hit the brickwork of the bridge, as Eric suggested, there would have been little to stop a passenger seated on the box from jettisoning forward. Eric Challice's account described Mrs Densham being "catapulted" to the river bed below.
Looking across the bridge toward the point where Mrs Densham was jettisoned from here seat . The height of her fall can be appreciated.
Eric was walking from the river and was starting to walk up to the main road, so he would have clearly seen the cart travelling at speed towards him. Whereas Hugh Densham had stated that he had the frightened horse "fully under control" before his mother's intervening hand, Eric remembered the horse bolting and seeing Hugh do all he could to bring it under control. There is no mention of a broken reign or Mrs Densham taking the reigns.
The recommendation of the inquest was that a taller hedge would be more appropriate. Over a hundred years later, the thorny blackthorn hedge is still there. Today's hedge is much taller, as recommended. Unbeknown to most motorists, it remains the only barrier to a steep drop. Users of Lapford bridge, beware!
The blackthorn hedge of 1909 still protects traffic from a fall into the river below.
Ellen Jane Densham (née Mortimer), was hugely respected in the village and her death came as a great shock. Her funeral procession took the same route from Bury Barton to the Congregational Church that she had intended to make on the day of her death. Her glass hearse was followed by four carriages, a carriage full of floral tributes, other conveyances bearing relatives and numerous villagers walking by foot. Other villagers lined the street with shops shut and blinds respectfully drawn.
In his address, Rev. J. H. Stanton, pastor of the Congregational Church, paid tribute to Mrs Densham's work as a local benefactor, her warm hospitality at Bury Barton, her strong convictions and her boundless energy for good causes.
Lapford has lost a benefactress who was ever ready to sacrifice herself for the good of others, and was a beautiful example of unselfishness. Quiet and unostentatious in her gifts.
Rev. J. H. Stanton,
Pastor of Lapford Congregational Church
The Congregational Church raised funds to build a vestry as a memorial to Mrs Densham who had been church treasurer and a member of the congregation for more than 40 years. The vestry was opened and dedicated on 10 October 1910 by Dr. Hayman Wreford of Exeter. John Rice and Thomas Tucker of Lapford were jointly responsible for the building work.
There is irony in Ellen Densham's tragic death. Responsibility for inspecting the safety of most bridges was with the County Council Bridge committee. One of the most vocal advocates for better bridge safety on this committee was Mrs Densham's husband. Unfortunately, as Lapford bridge crossed both a railway line and river, safety for the bridge fell under the railway company and Mr Densham's committee had therefore never performed a safety inspection.
Mrs Densham's grave at Lapford Congregational Church.
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Garcia's Turner "Peanut Guitar"
"The Peanut"
This guitar keeps popping up on Facebook as the "what's that guitar Garcia is playing here" instrument. It's often mis-identified as an early Alembic…reasonably enough…but it's not; I put it together three years before Bob, Ron, and I signed the papers creating Alembic, Inc., in June of 1970. The Peanut is a guitar from my own rock'n'roll playing days in New York when I was in the now-semi-legendary band, Autosalvage.
When my 1965 guitar playing gig with Ian and Sylvia drew to a close, I started splitting my time between Cambridge and New York with the idea of putting together some sort of eclectic band with Felix Pappalardi who had been playing bass with Ian and Sylvia. As often happens in the music world, we sometimes zig while others are zagging and so it was with Felix who had gotten deep into record production with the Devil's Anvil (great album if you can find it), the Youngbloods, and eventually Cream and of course with myself. I ran into an old pal, Tom Danaher, while walking around Greenwich Village; he invited me to a rehearsal; I played electric guitar…a wonderful 1962 Epiphone Howard Roberts…; we decided to form a band, and that was it. Winter of 1965/'66 was the year I went electric.
By 1967 we'd played out a bit, mostly at the Café Au Go Go, an outdoor gig or two, and some of the right people heard us (including Frank Zappa for whom we opened at his Mothers of Invention first New York gig), thought we were pretty original (yeah, Frank wanted to produce us, but wound up going to Europe for too long), and so we did wind up getting signed to RCA. We also had a nice kind of familial scene; we spent a lot of time hanging out at Skip and Donna Boone's place right across from the infamous "Night Owl. Marc Silber had a place upstairs from Skip and Donna, and there was always a comfortable hangout scene going on there. One of our buddies managed an apartment building as the super and handyman; that used to be a way to get a free basement apartment, heat in the winter, and a subsistence living, and one of his duties was cleaning out vacated apartments. In one clean out, he found that someone had done a Pete Townsend on a 1961 or '62 Gibson Les Paul custom (current value in decent shape…more than $10,000.00!)…the SG shaped guitar with three gold PAF humbuckers and the weird sideways acting vibrato system, and miraculously, the neck survived as did the pickups and hardware, though the body was smashed to smithereens. At the time I had an antique "Romantic" guitar, one probably built by Gaesel in the mid 1800s. It had one of the features of the Viennese Stauffer guitars…the "clock key" adjustable tilting neck, and had a lovely little shape…perfect for building up a Phoenix of a guitar.
I made a deal with my pal and bought the wreckage for $75.00, sat down at the kitchen table, and drew up a body design. On Broadway about 1/2 a block from Bleecker St there was a cabinet shop in the half basement, and they happily cut out my guitar body shape in Honduras mahogany; I think that cost maybe $20.00; and I was on my way to electric lutherie. For some reason or other, I decided to go all the way, and I veneered the back and sides of the body in walnut; put a distinctive marquetry strip down the back and bound the top and back in maple, and then sprayed the "new" guitar in the stairwell of our loft building, and then set the guitar up in "stereo" with the neck and bridge humbuckers working as per a "normal" Les Paul, and the middle pickup…missing in the Garcia photo, running out on a second channel. Both channels went through a primitive pedal board with volume pedals, fuzz, and wah-wah, and at different times I tried building some small effects into…or onto the guitar. And if you look closely, you can see that I did indeed add a couple of frets to the fingerboard.
As these things go, the band broke up in the late spring of 1968 about two months before getting a rave review in Rolling Stone for our RCA album (subsequently on it's 2 1/2 reissue!), and my wife, Amber and I moved to West Marin where my musical activities moved over to playing bass on recordings my pal Jerry Corbitt was producing. I also set up a small workshop at our house in Inverness Park, and started to make my own pickups and build instruments, the first for Jesse Colin Young. And then, thanks to Rosie McGee, I met the Grateful Dead band and family, and got sucked deep into that vortex. Jerry saw the Peanut guitar, liked it; I wasn't playing it and so it became Jerry's. At some point I took off the middle pickup, though Jerry would years later go back to a three humbucker setup on his Doug Irwin guitars. Then the guitar just kind of vanished; I didn't think about it much 'til 1978 when I resuscitated the basic body shape, added a cutaway, and designed the Model 1 guitar about which you can read elsewhere on the blog.
The Glaesel? I had it in pieces for restoration at my house in Santa Rosa, and on December 7th, 1978, an arsonist torched the house. Gone, but it lives on in my Model 1 guitars, and I'm planning on making a limited run of "Peanut" guitars in 2019 which would be just about right for it's 50th anniversary. The "Peanut" itself? Rumored to be somewhere in Marin. Yeah, I'd love to get it back, but I imagine the price would be a bit rich for my blood these days!
Tom Wheeler and Guitar Player Magazine
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