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Online Auctions›
Litchfield Auctions›
January Discovery Sale
DoneWed, Jan 22, 2020 10:00 AM '
Litchfield, CT, USA
Litchfield Auctions
Fresh to the market finds at low prices.
options=Featured LotsLot Number: LowestLot Number: HighestPrice: HighestPrice: LowestEstimate: HighestEstimate: LowestMost BidsLeast Bids
0025: 12 Royal Worcester Luncheon "Mayfair" Plates
Est. $60-$100
0026: Assorted Crown Ducal Partial Lunch/Dinner Service
Est. $40-$80
0027: Large Lidded Jar Form Lamp
0028: 17 Assorted Blue and White Serving Porcelain
0029: Assortment of Italian Serving Dishes, Additions
0030: 5 Light Marble Columnar and Curved Arm Table Lamp
0031: Oak Painted Cupboard
0032: Pine Washstand Cabinet
0033: Bleached Pine Farm Table
0034: Striped Pine Farm Table
0035: American Green & Cream Painted Stepback Cupboard
0036: Pair of Modern Black Painted Metal Etageres
0037: Modern Black Painted Metal Console
0038: 5 White Glazed Ceramic Serving Forms, Addition
0039: Noritake Homecraft Pattern Partial Dinner Service
0040: H.& Co. Heinrich (Germany) Partial Dinner Service
0041: 5 Royal Doulton Pieces
0042: Sandizell (Germany) Fish Monger Porcelain Figure
0043: Assorted Vintage Decorative Metal Lot
0044: Large Chinese Blue & White Porcelain Flask
0045: Assorted Vintage Wood and Metal Desk Items
0046: Assorted Colored Glass Serving Items, Vases
0047: 5 Cultural Castings, Carvings
0048: Lorenz Hutschen Reuther (Germany) Raptor Porcelain
View: 24487296120All
PriceBid Increment
$1,000$100
Viewing by appointment -- call to schedule.
Bidding in any manner at any of Our auctions or purchasing at any of Our sales indicates that You have read, understood and accepted the following terms and conditions of sale ("Terms and Conditions"). By so bidding/purchasing You agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms and Conditions. 1.	Definitions.	The following terms, definitions and references apply to these Terms and Conditions: (a)	"Bidder", "You" and/or "Your" refer to a person or entity who bids at an auction or purchases at a sale conducted by LCA (see definition below). (b)	"Buyer's Premium" is a payment due LCA from a Purchaser equal to 30% of the Successful Bid Amount of a Lot at auction or the purchase price of an Item in a sale (see definitions below). The Buyers Premium is due and payable by the Purchaser in addition to the Successful Bid Amount or the purchase price as part of the Total Purchase Price (see definitions below). (c)	"Commitment Fee" (as applicable) is defined in Paragraph 13 below. (d)	"Consignor" refers to a person who has consigned Property to LCA for auction or sale (see definitions below). (e)	"LCA", "We", "Us", "Our" and/or "Auctioneer" refer to Litchfield County Auctions, Inc. (f)	"Property", "Lot" and/or "Item" refer to one or more pieces of personal property identified for auction or sale by LCA. (g)	"Purchaser" refers to a person who is determined by LCA to be the successful Bidder for Property at an auction or who purchases Property at a sale. (h)	"Reserve" (as applicable) is defined in Paragraph 11 below. (i)	"Successful Bid Amount" is the highest bid for Property acknowledged by LCA at an auction. (j)	"Total Purchase Price" is the Successful Bid Amount at an auction or the purchase price at a sale plus the Buyer's Premium. In addition to the Total Purchase Price other fees, charges and taxes may apply and are due and payable with the Total Purchase Price. 2.	No Representation, Warranty or Guaranty; Duty to Inspect. All Property is sold in "AS-IS" / "WHERE-IS" condition and neither LCA or the Consignor makes any representation, warranty or guaranty, express or implied, about any Property as to authenticity, origin, description, provenance, condition, attribution, age, date, value, restoration, repair or any other matter, including merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No catalog, written material, photograph or statement by LCA, its employees or agents, shall be deemed a representation, warranty or guaranty as to any Property described or portrayed. Estimates of value provided in any catalog represent Our opinion of a range of possible values. Actual prices realized can fall below or above this range. Any indications of measurement are approximate. Prospective Bidders are responsible for making all inspections of and determinations about Property, in person or through an agent, before bidding. 3.	Withdrawal. We reserve the right to withdraw any Property from auction or sale at any time for any reason. 4.	Payment; Pickup; Loading; Storage. Payment of the Total Purchase Price of Property plus applicable fees, charges and taxes must be made in full by wire transfer or other acceptable method within seven (7) days after the date of sale of said Property. After approval by LCA, which it may withhold in its discretion, payment in an amount less than $5,000.00 may be made by acceptable credit card. Property will not be released to You or Your agent until full payment has been made as provided above. Purchased Property must be picked up within fourteen (14) days after the date of sale of said Property. LCA will not be responsible for packing purchased Items or arranging shipping. Packing and loading of Property at LCA's gallery (or elsewhere) is the responsibility of the Purchaser. LCA may offer assistance, but neither LCA nor its employees or agents shall be liable for any damages or accidents that occur in handling, moving, lifting, loading or packing of Property or thereafter (as, for example, during transit). A storage fee of $10.00 per Lot per day begins accruing on the 15th day after the date of sale. Any item which remains in LCA's possession 180 days after sale date will be disposed of as we see fit with no obligation to the buyer. 5.	Remedies for Nonpayment. If a Purchaser fails to pay the Total Purchase Price of Property plus applicable fees, charges and taxes in full by wire transfer or other acceptable method within seven (7) days after the date of sale, in addition to other remedies available to Us and the Consignor by law, including without limitation the right to hold the Purchaser liable for all sums due together with costs of collection, including attorneys? fees, We may retain as damages all payments made by the Purchaser. In addition to such remedy We may at Our option (a) cancel the sale and/or (b) resell the Property at public auction or by private sale without reserve, and the Purchaser will be liable for any deficiency, handling charges, expenses of both sales, Our commission on both sales at Our regular rates, all other fees and charges due hereunder, and all other costs and expenses, including attorneys? fees and incidental damages. In addition, a Purchaser defaulting hereunder will be deemed to have granted Us a security interest in, and We may maintain as collateral security for such Purchaser?s obligations to Us, any Property in Our possession owned by such Purchaser. We shall have all of the rights afforded a secured party under the Connecticut Uniform Commercial Code with respect to such Purchaser. We reserve the right to hold Property purchased at an auction or sale until payment has been made in full by wire transfer. Payment will not be deemed to have been made until We have received payment in full of the Total Purchase Price of Property plus applicable fees, charges and taxes by wire transfer or other acceptable method. 6.	Right to Reject Bids; Disputes. We reserve the right to reject any bid. The highest Bidder acknowledged by the Auctioneer will be the Purchaser. In the event of any dispute or question regarding a bid, the Auctioneer will have sole and final discretion to determine the Purchaser or to withdraw or re-offer the Property for auction or sale. If any dispute arises after an auction or sale, Our records shall be deemed determinative. At Our discretion We may accept order bids or telephone bids, but We are not responsible for any errors or omissions in connection with any such bids. 7.	Bidding. If the Auctioneer decides that the amount of the opening bid is less than the value of the Property being offered, the Auctioneer may reject the bid and remove the Property from sale. If, having accepted an opening bid, the Auctioneer decides that an advance is not sufficient, the Auctioneer may reject the advance. 8.	Recognized Buyer. After the Auctioneer's indication that a Lot has been sold, ownership rights to the Lot will pass to the highest Bidder acknowledged by the Auctioneer upon fulfillment by such Bidder of all the conditions set forth herein. At the conclusion of bidding for a specific Lot, the Bidder (a) assumes full risk and responsibility for the Lot, and (b) is firmly committed to pay the Total Purchase Price of the Lot. 9.	Sales Tax. Unless exempt by law, a Purchaser will be required to pay Connecticut sales tax or any applicable compensating tax of another state on the applicable portion of the Total Purchase Price. All Property picked up at Our gallery or shipped or delivered to an address in Connecticut is subject to Connecticut sales tax, unless a valid resale number and certificate are provided to LCA by the Purchaser. If You have a resale number, We can provide a resale certificate for Your completion. 10.	Right to Publicize. You hereby grant to LCA, and LCA reserves, the right to retain, publish and use for any purpose (including publicity) any information, photographs and written materials relating to Property. LCA may exercise said rights before, during or after an auction or sale and whether or not the Property in question was sold. LCA may publish said information and photographs on LCA?s website or disclose it in any manner and to whomever LCA elects. 11.	Reserve. Some Lots may be subject to a reserve ("Reserve"), which is the confidential minimum price below which a specific Lot will not be sold. A Reserve may be agreed upon between LCA and the Consignor or it may be established by LCA in its sole discretion. LCA may implement a Reserve by opening the bidding process on behalf of the Consignor and then LCA may bid on the Lot until the amount of the Reserve has been reached. LCA may place successive or consecutive bids for a Lot or LCA may bid in response to bids place by other Bidders. In instances in which LCA has an ownership interest in a Lot, LCA may bid up to the Reserve to protect such interest. In certain circumstances, a Consignor may pay LCA an amount agreed upon between the parties to "buy in" a Lot if the Reserve has not been reached. If LCA decides that any opening bid is below the Reserve of the Lot, LCA may reject the bid and/or withdraw the Lot from auction. 12.	Agency. Property offered for sale by LCA is offered in LCA's capacity as agent for one or more Consignors. The sale of Property occurs from the Consignor of the Property to the Purchaser. If Property is owned by LCA, the sale occurs from LCA to the Purchaser. 13.	Commitment Fee. In certain instances, LCA may require that a prospective Bidder pay to LCA a commitment fee ("Commitment Fee") in order to place a valid bid on Property. The amount of any Commitment Fee would be set by LCA in its discretion. A Bidder would be obligated to pay the Commitment Fee before or concurrently with the Bidder?s initial bid in order for said bid to be valid. If LCA acknowledges a Bidder who has paid a Commitment Fee as the Purchaser of Property, the amount of the Commitment Fee will be applied to payment of the Total Purchase Price of the Property. If a Bidder who has paid a Commitment Fee is not acknowledged by LCA as the Purchaser, any Commitment Fee paid by that Bidder would be refunded. If a Bidder who has paid a Commitment Fee fails to pay the Total Purchase Price of Property by wire transfer (or other acceptable method) within seven (7) days after the date of sale of the Property, said Bidder will irrevocably forfeit any Commitment Fee paid in its entirety. Failure by a Purchaser to pay the Total Purchase Price of Property by wire transfer (or other acceptable method) within seven (7) days after the date of sale will be considered a default of these Terms and Conditions and said Commitment Fee will be deemed irrevocably forfeited to LCA as partial damages due LCA on account of the Purchaser?s default. 14.	Multiple Auction Bidding Platforms and Methods. LCA conducts auctions through multiple auction bidding platforms. A Bidder may participate in LCA?s auctions in person at LCA?s gallery, by telephone, by submission of written order, or online using LCA?s auction bidding platform or other auction bidding platforms. In the event of any dispute or question regarding a bid, LCA will have sole and final discretion to determine the Purchaser. 15.	Limit of Liability. In no event will We be liable to a Purchaser for any reason for an amount that exceeds the portion of the Total Purchase Price actually paid. 16.	Time of the Essence. By submitting a bid on Property You indicate Your agreement to these Terms and Conditions and further agree that time is of the essence with respect to Your obligations under these Terms and Conditions. 17.	Severance Provision. In case any one or more of the provisions contained in these Terms and Conditions shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of these Terms and Conditions, but these Terms and Conditions shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision or provisions had never been contained herein. If, moreover, any one or more of the provisions contained in these Terms and Conditions shall, for any reason, be held to be excessively broad as to time, duration, geographical scope, activity or subject, it shall be construed, by limiting and reducing it, so as to be enforceable to the fullest extent compatible with applicable law. 18.	Governing Law. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Connecticut. By bidding at any of Our auctions in any manner, whether in person or by agent, whether in writing, by telephone or by other means, You shall be deemed to have submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Connecticut, and if applicable, to the federal courts sitting in Connecticut. 19.	Modification. LCA reserves the right to waive or modify these Terms and Conditions from time to time. You may not waive or modify these Terms and Conditions and any attempted waiver or modification of these Terms and Conditions by You will be deemed to have no legal force or effect.


I had not heard of Kargil till it made the headlines in the summer of 1999. Like everyone in India we followed the news in those days and debated the whys and wherefores of the conflict between the Indian and Pakistani armed forces. We all heaved a sigh of relief on July 26, 1999 when the war came to an end. Slowly the headlines changed to whatever was the burning issue of the time and barring a few mentions Kargil became another name stored away in memory.
Last summer when planning a road trip to Ladakh, Kargil became a destination on our itinerary. A nondescript hill town with a swollen, muddy river flowing down the center was my first impression as we pulled into the town late in the evening. A river in a rush were the last sounds I heard before I dropped into a tired slumber. The next morning was bright and sunny, looking out from the hotel window at the snow covered ridges surrounding Kargil was a treat in itself, the Suru River was still muddy, but now in the daylight the town looked charming.
We did not linger long there and headed towards out on the Srinagar-Leh Highway towards The Dras War Memorial. Do take a local guide to point out the various points of interest along the way or you will miss out on a lot many details. Our guide pointed out the towering wall that the Engineering Corps of the Indian Army built in a single night to protect from shelling the road that is the supply lifeline of the rest of Leh and Ladakh. We stopped to gaze in wonder at the Indus that starts its journey in India and the Saru as it flowed into Pakistan. There was no barrier and the unbound waters danced on unaware from my country to the other. As I gazed across the landscape the guide pointed out to bunkers on ridges that belonged to Pakistan, I was struck by an oft heard abstract thought that became so real there that nature does not create barriers, humans do. The land on both sides of the LOC is the same, similar flora and fauna, even the people including the soldiers and yet the divide is so great that so much of our human potential just goes into drawing up lines of demarcation.
The landscape as we drove towards the Kargil War Memorial in Dras on both sides was breathtakingly beautiful with snowcapped mountains visible in the distance and rolling hills of soft green grass, rivers flowing on one side and fields being tilled on the other. Signposts along the way ominously remind you of the area being under temporary ceasefire. Then from a distance the guide pointed out Tiger Hill, the decisive 11 hour battle here had turned the tides in our favor on July 4, 1999, after which the Indian Army had regained control of Dras and soon managed to drive the insurgents away. There was silence in our car after that. Soon we were at the Memorial, Vijaypath built by the Indian Army in Dras with Tiger Hill overlooking it.
The sandstone wall in the open has the names of all the army personnel who laid down their lives during the Kargil War. Your breath will catch in your throat as your eyes skim over each name. Walking into the Manoj Pandey War Gallery you will experience the war recounted with every step that you will take melting even the most hardened heart at the ultimate sacrifice of our soldiers. As tears flow down your cheeks the epitaphs on each tombstone will humble you. The freedom that we enjoy comes at a price that the soldier pays to protect us. I did not lose any loved one in the Kargil conflict. I was not affected by it in any way till that day that I stood at this monument of bravery and courage of the Indian soldier and my heart was full of pride and my eyes full of tears. The silence here was palpable, what a contrast to those days and nights of the summer of 1999 when guns thundered and patriotism bloomed in the hearts of those brave men who laid down their lives while I slept safe in my bed.


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Campus Update
Online Media Newsroom
Former TPS superintendent to speak at BGSU
BOWLING GREEN, O.—Dr. Eugene Sanders, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District since 2006 and former superintendent of Toledo Public Schools, will speak about "Transforming America's Schools" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Bowling Green State University's Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater. A former BGSU faculty member, his talk is part of the College of Education and Human Development's Centennial Lecture Series.
Sanders, who earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from BGSU, was named one of the University's 100 Most Prominent Alumni earlier this year. He is a nationally recognized leader in urban school leadership and has earned a reputation as a successful CEO by guiding two of the state's largest urban districts toward unprecedented academic achievement. His 2010 Academic Transformation Plan for the Cleveland schools, titled "Whatever It Takes," has drawn national attention for its bold and aggressive approach to systemic change.
For more information about the presentation, email debrown@bgsu.edu, or contact the School of Teaching and Learning at 419-372-7320.
(Posted November 24, 2010 )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Life is busy. Between work, school, family, and all your other obligations, finding time for shopping isn't always easy. There just aren't enough hours in the day!
Online shopping has risen in popularity in the past few years, partially because it helps people streamline their time. You don't have to go to five different stores to cross everything off your shopping list anymore. You can just sit down at your computer or tablet and place your orders. Everything you need will be delivered directly to your door. There's no messing with car seats or having to worry about closing times. It's a low-key shopping experience.
If you're looking to simplify your life, here are four types of products to order online. If you shop at Amazon, you'll find a wonderful selection, and even better, you can redeem your iRazoo points for Amazon gift cards. Then you'll be saving money and time while you shop.
You don't have to worry about the paltry selection at your local grocer when you purchase online. You can find everything on one site!
Running out of toilet paper isn't fun. Neither is running out of feminine products, your favorite shaving cream, or anything else you use in the bathroom.
Amazon has a fabulous selection of toiletries. If you sign up for the "subscribe and save" option, you can have your essentials delivered every month—or on a different schedule that works for you. You'll never run out of toilet paper again, and you'll never have to think about buying it. Now that's simplifying life!
Diapers. Wipes. Formula. Babies need a lot of products! Save yourself some time by ordering these essentials online. That way you won't have to drag your little one to the store just to pick up what you need.
You can also order larger baby items online. Think about furniture, strollers, and more. By getting these things delivered, you won't have to try and lug them all out to the car.
Birthdays can sneak up on you, especially if you have kids who forget to tell you that they're invited to a party. The good news is if you're an Amazon Prime member, you can have those presents delivered in just two days. You can even choose one-day shipping for a $3.99 upcharge. It's a great way to tackle last minute purchases. You'll also be able to find exactly what you're looking for instead of settling for what you can find locally.
To save even more when shopping online, be sure to check out online coupons. You can also look for sales and daily deals, both of which give you the best price on what you need. So head to iRazoo and start earning points. You can trade those in for Amazon gift cards and cut some shopping stress out of your life.


– Improve student learning outcomes using Connect, our easy-to-use homework and learning management solution that embeds learning science and award-winning adaptive tools to improve student results.
– Engage students with the OB Theory to Practice feature that offers applied recommendations derived from OB theory and real-world examples of how companies apply OB Concepts.
– Capture student interest with an accessible magazine-like design, dozens of "factoids" that present published large scale survey results, and review cards to help student retention.


Summer is on the horizon, and for those of you struggling to decide where you want to spend your precious vacation time, let me help. Cape Town in South Africa offers it all: pristine beaches, breathtaking mountains, vibrant neighbourhoods, a melting pot of cultures and cuisines, and open savannahs filled with an incredible array of wild animals.
The city is nestled in between two beautiful mountain ranges, Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles, and is surrounded by white sand beaches, dunes and granite boulders. Among these is Camps Bay beach, which, whilst scenic, is often busy and filled with tourists. Instead, I would suggest its neighbour, Glen Beach, with the Twelve Apostles in its backdrop. It is peaceful and laid-back, largely populated by surfers and relaxed locals.
Beta Beach is a series of many small beaches, offering fun coves to explore and incredible sunsets. A favourite option of mine is Oudekraal Beach, a secluded gem which is considered sacred to the peninsula's Muslim community. The beach is shaded and protected by trees and mountains, making it perfect for picnics and outdoor parties. It's wave-free waters are also ideal for swimming and snorkelling due to the crystal clear conditions. Scuba divers often leave from the waters here as there is rich marine life just off the shore. Sandy's Cove and Justin's Cave have overhangs and tunnels, and are extremely colourful; there's even an old shipwreck to examine.
After you've explored the seas, Cape Town's mountains offer some of the best hikes in the world. I recommend hiking Lion's Head, a trek which sends you in a spiral up the mountain. This might sound daunting, but it's definitely more fun than frightening! The top will give you views of Table Mountain, Table Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean, so definitely worth the climb! Alternatively, The Wolfberg Arch Trail is unlike anything I have experienced before. You walk through cracks of ancient rock formations, which, at many points, form narrow tunnels made of boulders that you have to squeeze through. It's a long and steep climb, but the stunning red and yellow rocks you traverse on the way makes the challenge worth while. At the end, reward yourself with a visit to the Cederberg Cellars, an award-winning fine wine region with inexpensive tastings.
Besides its natural wonders, the urban part of Cape Town has much to offer. There is a wide variety of neighbourhoods, from historic to hip. Bo-Kaap is a one-of-a-kind quarter, inhabited primarily by a Malaysian community. You can take a free walking tour around the area. The guide will make you smile with his cheesy jokes but will also teach you Arabic greetings. The streets are cobble stoned and lined with brightly coloured houses, and the restaurants you'll find there are fantastic and varied: Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian, Sri Lankan, and African cuisines. Or, if you're craving the authentic – the locals offer cooking classes. At my favourite restaurant, a tapas place called Chef's Warehouse, the menu changes daily and the ingredients are hand-picked every morning by the extremely creative and talented chefs.
After dinner, head to Woodstock, an industrial quarter that is full of young culture. During the day, it houses my favourite market – the Neighbourgoods market – which sells great food ranging from smoothies to sushi, and local goods such as kitchenware and clothing. There are also various musical acts who perform on a rotating basis – definitely not to be missed.
In the pulsing metropolis it is easy to forget you are in a country with some of the greatest wildlife wonders in the world. The Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo – as well as many other impressive mammals, are at home in South Africa. I would recommend Kruger National Park. You can splurge and stay at a five-star safari lodge (Lukimbi Lodge holds a special place in my heart) or rough it in a sleeping bag and pitch a tent in the bush for sweet, silent nights in the wild. I guarantee that this trip will be thrilling and unforgettable, to satisfy all your summer travelling needs.
This entry was posted in The Wanderer and tagged Cape Town, Travel, wanderer. Bookmark the permalink.


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Good Morning Jacob...
Letter to my Son
Sunday, 29 September
Ho Chi Minh didn't play golf
Military strategy involves finding the means to victory in a competition of force. Grand strategy concerns the philosopher king who determines the nature of the peace once victory is achieved. War has a political purpose and if the political calculations are faulty then defeat can still follow up the victory parade. Witness the history of the United States in Iraq following the fairly easy overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Decisions were made without due diligence when planning for the aftermath.
I'm fresh out of high school and bored showing up each day for a minimum wage job. On an impulse I wind up at my local Marine Corps recruiter and find myself signing enlistment papers. For better or worse I have now made myself an instrument of my nation's foreign policy. Actually, I'm not sure I know what our policy really is. I may be a total rube but I do love my Uncle Sam.
Vietnam was a beautiful country. It just needed a few golf courses. As it turns out most people there weren't interested in golf. The country became divided over this matter and other issues. What started as a discussion of honest differences became an exchange of heated accusations that quickly turned into ugly threats. Now everyone is pissed. How dare they! It wasn't long before I was enjoying a plane ride to Danang.
The human being is first and foremost an individual biological specimen. As such, we do whatever is necessary to retain the magical force of life within the confines of our body. This is a fundamental rule of existence that has few living exceptions. The will to survive has some surprising twists when a person with normal, everyday concerns is dropped into an extraordinarily alien circumstance. The repeated demonstration of violence and its consequences is just one of those circumstances. The mind must adjust to this new normal. The odds of survival would improve if only your thought had greater focus and clarity. Certain human considerations become a hindrance and are discarded as baggage too heavy to tote. Without asking my conscience's permission my mind mostly discarded the emotions of empathy and grief. I'm sure I'm not alone in having experienced my tour with the sensation of feeling strangely numb. I lived in a state of an abstract Golden Rule because my emotions were indifferent. They seemed to say what's good for me didn't apply to others. I knew better.
Still, people died in unfortunate ways and I stayed silent and distant because any expressions of sympathy would have been viewed as clearly fraudulent. The idea of my squad being a band of brothers never occurred to me. It humored me to refer to them as my associates. People came and went. Some were only faces. One was just a remark.
"Can I be assigned with my friend?"
He had just joined our company after convalescing from a previous wound. He got his wish and the next day he was gone for good. I never got a good look at him.
It was enough to know some people only by their nickname. 'Lucky' thought he had lucked out once again when he went to collect up an NVA flag displayed in a tree line. It was being used as bait by the sniper that killed him on the spot.
We called our lieutenant 'Baby Huey'. It's tough for anyone commanding a platoon in a war, especially if you're barely twenty-two. He did a lot of growing up in the short time he was with us. I shouldn't talk, though. I was nineteen and acted every bit of it. 'Baby Huey' showed real leadership on his last day.
Another lieutenant irritated the hell out of me the way he died. Sometimes he took pointless risks. This was one of those times. It was his third Purple Heart. Someone volunteered to write to his parents on behalf of the platoon, saying what a terrific guy he was and how we all respected him. It was true but it wasn't the whole story. He was wounded once killing a man in a knife fight. That was pretty impressive. But then he would stand amidst shrapnel flying about. It wasn't like he was in the process of commanding anyone. It was more like he was daring to be hit. That was the kind of stunt he pulled when he took a bullet in his head. The fact that he was a good guy made him a jerk for bringing such grief to his parents.
'Sugi' was something of a friend to me. He was a dreamer, too. One day he talked to me about his plans to be a car mechanic for a racing team in LA. He was pleased. It was a good day. It was going to be hot but the patrol on Hill 189 seemed pretty routine. Nothing ever happened there. 'Sugi' had the point. I figure he was still daydreaming when he walked into the ambush. He was gone. So was the guy that had a baby bootie attached to his helmet. You know his wife sent it to him. Then there was the lanky Hispanic guy from California. The corpsman wasn't able to save him, either. Afterwards there wasn't a lot to say. We talked about 'Sugi'. What a career he had. He came to the company as a corporal and they made him a squad leader. That didn't work out so they made him a team leader. Same result. Finally, he's walking point – the worst possible job for a daydreamer.
Some people don't fit in. Cleveland Larry could do his job but his good nature was unsettling. Imagine standing in mud, soaked from the rain and this guy is talking to you with that big smile on his big stupid face. I'm thinking, "Larry, you don't belong here." It's a real shame guys like that show up for crap like this. I'm ashamed I didn't give him more thought when he went.
Roger's dad was a mortician. That was bothersome. Enough said.
The letter from Boston Larry's dad was a real problem. It arrived just in time for him to be able to read it. Dad's all excited and counting the days because Larry will soon be coming home. What a celebration there will be and all. I can get pretty superstitious and I was amazed his dad even talked this way. It was all really screwed. Larry stands out because he is exceptionally smart, witty and vibrant. Now he's as lifeless as a bag of garden fertilizer from Home Depot. I dug deep trying to find some emotion when it happened but it wasn't there. It's still best to just shut up.
I have to include the strange kid that killed a small boy and then deliberately blew himself apart two nights later. Mom and grandma were wailing something horrible as you would expect. The kid starts crying. There's greater misery on Earth somewhere but this just about topped it for me. I just felt anger. Some people kill because they are sick. This kid wasn't that way. I'll never come up with a reasonable explanation for what happened.
The hard-ass sergeant from third platoon and his radioman Scotty went up together in a geyser of sand one afternoon. The sergeant asked not to be moved and he died as peacefully as you can under the circumstances. I always thought of him as a real professional. He was a poster Marine in the best sense of the word.
Most of us made it back. We put in a couple of years and then moved on. People weren't much concerned with Lyndon Johnson or Robert McNamara or the shape of the negotiating table in Paris. Most everyone was thinking about someone special back home. I'm sure it worked the same way for the guys on the other side of the divide. There are always friends, lovers and family to fill your mind. What's Ho Chi Minh, Mao Zedong or Leonid Brezhnev in comparison to that? Seriously. People just wanted a letter from home.
That whole bit was a lifetime ago for all of us. Still, there are the faces and, occasionally, a name to go with it. Once I left I never had the interest to find out what happened to anyone. Did Tom marry his high school sweetheart? Did Oz and Bunny make a life together in B'more? Did Jerry ever allow his wife to go down on him? Who knows?
Posted by coldValentine at 4:01 AM No comments:
Labels: Jacob Gregory Taylor, Jacob Taylor, Vietnam, Vietnam War
Hitler's War Strategy
World War II Europe
Russian troops at Stalingrad
Operation Barbarossa had a number of very ambitious goals that indicated the degree of contempt Hitler held for the military capability of the Soviet Union. The primary goal was the destruction of the Red Army itself. This would require rapid armored thrusts to envelope entire Soviet armies, preventing them from escaping into Russia's interior by first crossing the Dvina and Dnieper Rivers. Hitler was well aware of Napoleon's mistake in capturing Moscow without first destroying the Russian army.
The German Wehrmacht would itself be divided into three armies. The northern-most command, Army Group North, would have the task of capturing Leningrad – depriving Stalin of an important arms production center and providing Germany with a port to supply its offensive operations. Army Group Centre would have the preponderance of Panzer divisions which would be used to envelope Russian forces around Minsk and aid Army Group North in capturing Soviet forces in the Baltic region. Army Group South would push towards Kiev then move south along the Dnieper River, encircling Russian forces in the Ukraine and destroying them. Once these goals were achieved the three army groups would then converge on Moscow and destroy the remaining Red Army reserves used to defend the Russian capital.
The Barbarossa campaign, launched in June 1941, was intended to achieve all its goals in the few short months prior to the Russian winter. If time remained an effort would be made to capture the industrial region of the Donets Basin near the Black Sea and the oil fields of the Caucasus. An achievement of this magnitude would require Soviet incompetence of epic scale and a literal implementation of lightening warfare. The German use of Blitzkrieg tactics had its basis in strategic necessity. Germany could not succeed in fighting long wars of attrition. It hadn't the resources. Hitler gambled Britain and France would not declare war over his quick capture of Poland. The surprise attack through the Ardennes was a plan designed to avoid a prolonged war with France in 1940. Now Hitler counted on similar results when his forces smashed into Russia in 1941.
As spectacular as the Wehrmacht's successes were on the eastern front they fell well short of their needed goals. Leningrad would be surrounded but never captured. Moscow would remain out of reach of German troops and Army Group South struggled with unexpected resistance in the Ukraine. The broad scope of Hitler's expectations for Barbarossa proved unrealistic and would set the stage for the disastrous German summer campaigns of 1941 and 1942.
Hitler's focus in 1941 was economic. The grain and mineral wealth of the Ukraine was vital to Germany's success. Hitler wanted the vast oil wealth beyond the Caucasus to fuel his own army and to deprive the Red Army of the energy needed to power a modern military. His venture south led to the crushing defeat at Stalingrad where the entire German 6th Army was destroyed. It was a demoralizing loss for Hitler and his troops as well as a victory that energized Stalin, the Red Army and the Russian people.
The decision by Hitler to launch an attack on the Kursk salient in 1942 was more a political decision than one driven by military opportunity. The chances for German success in the operation were greatly reduced by Red Army preparedness for the attack and its vast increase in strength and skill. The defeat at Stalingrad the previous year undermined the resolve of Axis allies to stand with Germany. Hitler was particularly concerned with losing the support of Italy. Britain and American forces were driving Rommel from North Africa and an Allied invasion of Western Europe seemed inevitable.
German armored power was destroyed at Kursk. The Wehrmacht would no longer be the equal of Soviet military forces. The initiative would be forever lost to the Red Army. The war in Europe would continue nearly another two years but, for Germany, there was no hope of a victorious military outcome. Hitler's military actions were aimed at driving apart the alliance of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. He desperately needed a political solution because his depleted army was being crushed by wars being fought on two fronts. It was what he and his generals had dreaded most and now it had come to pass.
Objective: France 1940
The Ardennes Plan
Japan's Route to Pearl Harbor
Labels: Adolf Hitler, Barbarossa, Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Kursk, Operation Barbarossa, Red Army, Stalin, Stalingrad, World War 2
Good Morning Jack...
Leaves fall. Caterpillars eat. Moon rises. People deliberate.
I'd like to stand on some high desert where the air grows cold and the wind picks up just as the sun is setting. I would hear the whole world rotate. It would sound like faces growing old.
Labels: consciousness, Jack Taylor, Jackson Taylor, Jackson Thomas Taylor, people, thought, time
Kursk German Leaders
Hitler, Adolf
Fuehrer
Commander-In-Chief of the German Army
Hitler feared a disaster at Kursk but felt a German victory on the Eastern Front was politically necessary to fortify Italy's wavering resolve. Additionally, his own self-confidence and his standing among his generals were at an all-time low following his decisions that led to the disaster at Stalingrad. Germany's subsequent loss at Kursk would hand the initiative to the Red Army for the remainder of the war.
Wilhelm Keitel
Keitel, Wilhelm
Chief of the Armed Forces High Command (OKW)
Erich von Manstein
von Manstein, Erich
Commander, Army Group South
Attacked the southern face of the Kursk Bulge in Operation Citadel
Defended in Operation Rumiantsev
Manstein was sure he could succeed in breaking through Russian defenses at Kursk if only Hitler would release to him the last of Germany's armored reserves. Like other German generals he would be surprised by the devastating force of the coming Red Army counterattack.
Guenther von Kluge
von Kluge, Guenther
Commander, Army Group Center
Attacked the northern face of the Kursk Bulge in Operation Citadel
Defended the Orel salient in Operation Kutuzov
By the spring of 1943 von Kluge believed his army was worn out and badly needing to be refit. He opposed von Manstein's proposal to attack the Kursk Bulge in April.
Walter Model
Model, Walter
Commander, Ninth German Army
Acting Commander of Second Panzer Army and Ninth Army:
Defense of the Orel salient in Operation Kutuzov
Model was disturbed by the extent of Soviet defenses at Kursk and his concerns caused Hitler to further postpone Operation Citadel.
Hermann Hoth
Hoth, Hermann
Colonel General
Commander, Fourth Panzer Army
Made the principal German attack on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge
Defended in Soviet offensive toward Kharkov
Hoth's armored forces included the lavishly equipped II SS Panzer Corps. His decision to swing his armored attack toward Prokhorovka on 11 July led to the largest tank battle in history. The remnants of his nine Panzer divisions would be met on rolling farmland by nearly 900 Soviet tanks.
Werner Kempf
Kempf, Werner
Commander, Army Detachment Kempf
Attacked the southeastern shoulder of the Kursk Bulge
Heinz Guderian
Inspector-General of Panzer Troops
Guderian opposed any offensive in Russia during 1943 believing the Wehrmacht needed time to recover and to prepare for an Allied invasion of Western Europe. Once the decision was made to proceed with Operation Citadel Guderian demanded a postponement in order to rush the latest tanks to the battlefield.
Kurt Zeitzler
Zeitzler, Kurt
Chief of the Army High Command (OKH)
Zeitler was one of the few German generals confident in the success of Operation Citadel. He felt the new Panther and Tiger tanks would bring a decisive advantage to German forces at the upcoming battle.
Kursk Russian Leaders
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Labels: Battle of Kursk, Erich von Manstein, Heinz Guderian, Hitler, Keitel, Kursk, Operation Citadel, Operation Zitadelle, Walter Model, Wilhelm Keitel, World War 2
Stalin, Joseph
Marshall of the Soviet Union
Supreme Commander – controller of Stavka: the military High Command
Stalin was effectively commander-in-chief from July 1941 onwards, directing the war and running the Red Army. In time, Stalin identified his most able commanders as Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Konev. By 1944 all three were commanding fronts.
Georgi Zhukov
Zhukov, Georgi
Deputy Commander of the Red Army
Stavka representative: northern face of the Kursk Bulge and Operation Rumiantsev
Stalin's appointment of Georgi Zhukov as his deputy made him the most powerful of Soviet generals.
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Vasilevsky, Aleksandr
Chief of the Red Army General Staff
Stavka representative: southern face of the Kursk Bulge and Operation Rumiantsev
Stalin's Operations Officer, comparable to Colonel General Alfred Jodl in Hitler's headquarters. Vasilevsky was considered to be a model staff officer and he was a natural commander – quickly grasping the nature of the battlefield and its likely course of action. Along with Zhukov, it was Vasilevsky that proposed the double envelopment at Stalingrad. Vasilevsky and Zhukov later convinced Stalin that a defensive battle to absorb and reduce German offensive power should precede a Soviet offensive in the summer of 1943. This would be the Russian strategy at Kursk.
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Rokossovsky, Konstantin
Army General
Commander, Central Front:
Defended the northern face of the Kursk Bulge in Operation Citadel
Attacked the southern face of the Orel salient in Operation Kutuzov
Rokossovsky had been imprisoned for three years as a result of army purges in the 1930s. As a commander he was instrumental in reducing the German pocket around Stalingrad.
Nikolai Vatutin
Vatutin, Nikolai
Commander, Voronezh Front
Defended the southern face of the Kursk Bulge in Operation Citadel
Attacked during Operation Rumiantsev
During the Battle of Kursk General Vatutin saw the 11 July German move on Prokhorovka as an opportunity to counterattack and encircle the attacking Wehrmacht forces, which he believed, were sufficiently weakened by the previous days' battles.
Ivan Konev
Konev, Ivan
Commander, Steppe Front
Counterattacked in Operation Citadel
Attacked in Operation Rumiantsev
Aleksei Antonov
Antonov, Aleksei
1st Deputy Chief of the Red Army Staff
Stavka member
Antonov developed an effective working relationship with Stalin. He was industrious, firm, intelligent and calm. At a Kremlin meeting on 12 April 1943, Antonov joined with Zhukov and Vasilevsky in persuading Stalin to precede an offensive action with a defensive battle in order to reduce Germany's offensive capability.
Markian Popov
Popov, Markian
Commander, Briansk Front
Attacked the eastern face of the Orel salient in Operation Kutuzov
Vasilii Sokolovsky
Sokolovsky, Vasilii
Commander, Western Front
11th Guards and 50th Armies participated in attack against the northern face of the Orel salient during Operation Kutuzov
Aleksei Rodin
Rodin, Aleksei
Commander, 2nd Tank Army
Mikhail Katukov
Katukov, Mikhail
Commander, 1st Tank Army
Spearheaded Operation Rumiantsev
On the southern face of the Kursk Bulge German forces penetrated the third Soviet defensive belt before being stopped by Katukov's 1st Tank Army.
Pavel Rotmistrov
Rotmistrov, Pavel
Commander, 5th Guards Tank Army
Spearheaded Steppe Front's counterstroke at Prokhorovka
Spearheaded steppe Front's offensive in Operation Rumiantsev
Rotmistrov's forces closed on German armor near Prokhorovka with 850 tanks, near numerical parity with the Panzers. The Germans, though, had about 100 Tigers fortifying their spearhead.
Pavel Rybalko
Rybalko, Pavel
Commander, 3rd Guards Tank Army
Spearheaded Briansk Front's offensive against eastern face of Orel salient in Operation Kutuzov
Vasilii Badanov
Badanov, Vasilii
Commander, 4th Tank Army
Participated in counter-offensive against Orel salient - Operation Kutuzov
Pacific Theater: 1941
Labels: Aleksandr Vasilevsky, Aleksei Antonov, Georgi Zhukov, Ivan Konev, Konstantin Rokossovsky, Kursk, Nikolai Vatutin, Operation Citadel, Operation Zitadelle, Pavel Rotmistrov, Stalin, World War 2
Good Morning Jessicca...
Letter to my Daughter
Palace Bar
Rod Stewart sang the number one song of 1977, just in case you were wondering – Tonight's the Night (Gonna be Alright). It's thirty-six years ago so you wouldn't remember it. I barely do. The Eagles sang Hotel California that year. Jimmy Buffett made a name for himself with Margaritaville. I was working the morning shift at KYCA radio in Prescott, Arizona that year and living in a converted laundry room at a trailer park that bordered the town's Whiskey Row. Its oldest establishment, the Palace Bar, celebrated its first 100 years of existence in 1977. On the night of its official birthday that year, a country group named the Wilburn Brothers entertained anyone willing to go out into that cold December night air and pay nine dollars at the door. Prescott is a mile high mountain town and the temperature was sixteen degrees that evening, as I remember. I had switched to working evenings by the night of the big celebration and I always walked to and from work because I didn't have a car. KYCA was a green stucco building next to its transmitting tower in a field beyond the railroad tracks. At the time you could say this marked the edge of town.
There were two cats that called the radio station home. The duties of my evening shift, besides playing the Top 40 hits of the day, included feeding the cats and vacuuming the carpet. Lou Silverstein owned the station back then and he often did live remotes from places like local car lots. His on-air name was Lou Magillicutty. His wife, Nancy, did the shift starting at ten in the morning. It was a real Mom and Pop operation and you had to stay on top of things to keep the station going. After all, the entire town was only 15,000 back then, not counting the local Indians living on the nearby Yavapai reservation.
A guy named Steve did news and sports for the station. It was an old cowboy town and there wasn't always much to report. I remember one morning Steve led with the story that someone had taken a power mower out of the pickup truck of Ed Somebody-or-other. He'd parked the truck overnight on an off-street near the town square and, wouldn't you know it, someone stole his damn mower. Naturally he called the police and described to them the purloined article, just in case they might run across someone using it while they cruised about the town in their squad car. Chances are, though, it's rusting somewhere in the desert among a scattering of empty beer cans. As I remember, there wasn't a big need for mowers in Prescott back then.
I know the movie Rocky came out in 1976 but I think you could still see it at our local theater in 1977. At least its theme song, Gonna Fly Now, was one of the hits of 1977. Bill Conti's rousing instrumental wasn't big with me and I tended to ignore it. I preferred playing music like Foreigner's Cold as Ice. I don't think it really mattered what I played. I had the feeling no one was listening, anyway… not even Lou and Nancy. As a matter of fact, I don't remember having any commercials during my shift. I was strictly a public service, sort of. I fed the cats and did all my vacuuming in the space of a four minute song. Around eleven at night I said, "Good Night", shut down the transmitter and turned out the lights. It seemed to me during those walks home that the stars' light was somehow more precise on the coldest of winter nights.
One other thing about 1977 – the satellite Voyager 1 was launched. It was announced this week that the spacecraft has finally gone beyond our solar system and is now traveling in interstellar space. In 40,000 years time it will be closer to the next nearest star than it will be to our sun. Imagine that. Who will be around to remember by then? In 40,000 years the cows will have learned to count to ten. They might give it a thought.
Labels: Arizona, Jessicca, Jessicca Elizabeth Taylor, Jessicca Taylor, KYCA, Palace Bar, Prescott, Voyager 1, Whiskey Row
Good Morning Justin...
Sunday, 8 September
Roosevelt's 1941 War Speech
I hope you are able to follow the news in the coming week. You are about to witness an event unusual in recent years. The President is requesting authorization from Congress to use military force against an adversarial government – Syria. This is not to be mistaken with seeking a formal declaration of war. That hasn't been done since President Franklin Roosevelt appeared before Congress following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941. Still, any military action against another nation is an act of war and President Obama is clear that he wants to use deadly force against Syria's military capability.
It is a controversial position but recent presidents have believed they already have the Constitutional power to act in a limited military manner without first having Congress sanction their action. The Constitution actually stipulates that the power to go to war resides with Congress and through much of our history the President of the United States sought authorization from the legislative branch before dispatching our military against any hostile nation. Technology developed in the twentieth century changed that arrangement. By the 1960s this nation was confronted with an adversary armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles that could cause nuclear destruction to our military and cities, taking less than twenty minutes from launch to detonation. It became obvious the president as Commander in Chief would have to launch our own missiles without first consulting Congress. This situation opened the door to a Constitutional view that granted the Executive branch of the government limited military authority when the interests of this nation demanded timely action.
Congress was not consulted prior to President Reagan's attack on Libya in the 1980s. President George Herbert Walker Bush launched a military action on Panama without Congressional approval. President Clinton fired cruise missiles at targets in Afghanistan and North Africa in early efforts to combat terrorism. Congress was once again left out of the decision making. Each of these presidential actions was widely believed to be justified but they weren't taken to prevent an imminent threat to the security of this nation. The Executive power to use military force without Congressional authorization was, once again, expanded.
Like his predecessors, President Obama also believes he has the Constitutional authority to launch a military attack on Syria without first getting Congressional approval. Nonetheless, he has included the people's representatives on Capitol Hill in the deliberative process. His stated reasons for doing this are that military action is more effective when backed by the resolve of the nation and that it is a healthy exercise in democratic government to vote on life and death matters.
As of today, Sunday, the President's request for war powers authorization is likely to be turned down by Congress. There are reasoned arguments on both sides of the issue but, after years of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the public is wary of possible new military involvement in the Middle East. They have reason to be concerned. United States involvement in the region has often led to disappointing results. Poor decisions by our leaders have sometimes brought about costly failures. Military actions are measures of focused violence in an attempt to further one's own political goals. The goals in this instance go beyond discouraging the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons. They also include a demonstration of resolve by our nation in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. How does Iran interpret the actions of our leaders? How do nations threatened by Iran, particularly Israel, respond if diplomacy fails to forestall Iranian nuclear ambitions? How does Japan and South Korea respond to North Korea's further development of their nuclear potential if the credibility of U.S. protection is brought into question?
What is the likelihood of U.S. military involvement if new threats to our allies result in new conflicts? Had you been born a citizen of the Netherlands or New Zealand or Norway you could go about your life not having to be concerned with constant foreign entanglements. You wouldn't need to go to the map to find out where the hell is Kandahar or Benghazi or Aleppo. You wouldn't need to pay taxes to cover the cost of aircraft carriers everywhere. You could bitch about that meddling Uncle Sam with his fingers in all the pies. But that isn't the case, is it? You're here. You're stuck. Poor baby.
Labels: Barack Obama, chemical weapons, Congress, congressional vote on war, Iran, Justin Alexander Taylor, Justin Taylor, President Obama, Syria, war power
Human Artifact
Good Morning Jacob…
There's almost no tissue between the forehead and the bone of the skull. In fact, the head is the skull's form barely concealed beneath the soft tissue of the face's gentle expression. Our skeletal grin reveals itself when our full, rosy lips part to express our pleasure. Our sparkling eyes are extensions of our brain, specialized nervous tissue that pushes its way through boney passages to take in the light that bathes our surface. On the other hand, the musculature of our torso and limbs more completely conceals the mechanical nature of our structure. We are an assemblage of bones held in place by a network of muscles that act as pulleys and torsion bars so that we aren't stuck in one spot, like a plant, our entire life.
We are built up around a long central tube that must continually be replenished with objects we ingest from our surroundings. Our inner workings extract from these once living articles their energy potential for our own use, so that we can sustain our own life's mission. Of course, that mission varies greatly from individual to individual depending upon the nature of our desires, the strength of our ambition and our intellectual and physical potential.
This, then, is a rough beginning - describing each of us as individual expressions of an organism made solely of bone, tissue, and a remarkably intricate nervous system. You and I, as mere individuals of this species, have goals limited to preserving our own existence if we are without the benefit that group intelligence provides us. This is a remarkable resource that we might as well call culture. It provides each of us with memory that exceeds our own in both time and spatial capacity. It gives us a lexicon of standardized symbols we can use to share both ideas and the knowledge we acquire from our own experiences. The commonalities we share in being part of this one culture enable us to behave as though we are all part of an extended family. Generally speaking, we intuitively understand each other when it comes to basic motivations and we find it preferable for our own welfare to work in cooperation with one another.
Our group behaves like any complex organism and divides into specialized parts that separately contribute to the welfare of the whole. Ability and inclination enable a few individuals to act as the brain – providing direction, after weighing the potential benefits and dangers of various options. Many individuals set about collecting the resources needed to maintain the group's physical welfare. Some people within the group provide the muscle necessary to encourage a common purpose among our members. They are also vital in discouraging harmful acts taken against us by other groups and in helping to settle disputes that may actually arise.
Harmony among the various elements of the group is never to be taken for granted. Governance is still an art form dependent upon the availability of individuals displaying both wisdom and the talent of leadership. The quality of education reflects the shifting popularity of cultural values. The socialization of the individual to accept an identity greater than self is never complete… and thankfully so. We are each in pursuit of dreams of a personal nature and we stubbornly resist homogenizing group thought. There will always be a healthy inclination to subvert culture so long as we remain human. We can all be artists busy fabricating our own personal destiny while still responding to the call of cultural values and the needs of the group.
How inconvenient, though, it can all be. What stupid decisions we sometimes make as individuals. Didn't I learn anything in school? I wasn't brought up to be this way. I readily admit my mistakes are of my own unique contrivance; as are yours. It's about testing conventional thought. Sometimes we get it right thinking on our own. Much of what we do as individual humans is worth the trouble we cause to this culturally oiled mechanism that is society… civilization. It's what we need to do to keep life vital. So keep it up.
Labels: anatomy, civilization, culture, human being, humanity, individuality, Jacob Gregory Taylor, Jacob Taylor, skeleton, society


cute hippo and friend. i received a free advance reader copy from the publisher on netgalley.
* About the art:From my adult perspective I feel like the style of the artwork doesn't feel as professional as other children's books I've read. (Suggestions for improvement: maybe play with thicker line thickness here and there for the outlines on the characters - especially for flat-filled characters that could do with a bit more interest in them, and maybe make Harvey's eyes a little more pronounced - not quite so small. Slightly bigger eyes = more cute :)) But it's still drawn to a very good standard and the drawings are cute so I think a child would enjoy the drawings - and even though they're not perfect, I enjoyed them too. The artwork is done in a cartoony style and the animals are all very emotionally expressive which is great! Lots of detail and vibrant colours too.Side note: I liked the touch of putting a pine-Apple logo on the ipads / tablets hehe :)* About the story & text:The text is non-rhyming, and tells the story of Harvey the Hippo inviting his friend Crissy for lunch at his house, to dine with his mum, dad and baby sister. Only, Harvey's mum and dad are a little shocked to discover that Crissy is a crocodile.. an animal Harvey's hippos are a little frightened of! A cute story. The ending is quite amusing too!* About what it teaches:It teaches acceptance of others, even if they are different from you. Harvey is also a good role-model for little ones when he is shown cleaning his room, helping clean the house and set the table in preparation for his guest. - - -I was provided with an ARC version of this book for honest reviewing purposes.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.This is the first Harvey Hippo book I've read, but I don't think it's necessary to read them in any sort of order. I didn't seem to be missing anything.This is a simple story about a hippo (Harvey) who wants to bring over a new friend to his home for lunch. There's something different about this friend when compared to Harvey and it leads to a good lesson that is subtle enough to teach without being overbearing. That's always important, I find, when dealing with a children's book, as if it's overbearing, if the lesson smacks the kid upside the head, then it isn't likely to be a staying one.Learning to make new friends and try new things. as Harvey's new friend does when sampling a new dish at the titular lunch, is an important skill for the target reading audience.The reason I gave this a lower rating is more because of the art style. While it was alright for the most part and quite cute in others, there were several pages where the angles of objects were not in line with the background, making the setting have a wonky feel to it. I'm not sure whether a child would notice this, but I think it might bother the adult reading this to their son or daughter.
This second installment of Harvey Hippo is just as cute as the first, and continues the subtle lessons for young children. This time, Harvey's friend is someone his parents might not have considered asking over. She eats rather differently from them, and has never eaten grass pie before. Nonetheless, she turns out to be a delightful guest, and Harvey's parents are ready to meet another of his unusual friends some time.Possible Objectionable Material:As with most picture books, there's very little I can come up with. He and his new friend play on their electronic devices in Harvey's room. You can see I'm really stretching here.Who Might Like This Book:These are great readalouds for the target age range, who will enjoy the bright illustrations, the comfortable family life, and the happy stories.This review also posted at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/20...Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.
This is the second Harvey Hippo book I read to my grandson. He really likes them and loves the illustrations. Harvey Hippo is a cute, young hippo who loves new things, is curious and wants to solve problems and try new things. Harvey has a new friend who he tells his parents about. He asks if he can invite his new friend to lunch and his parents agree. When Crissy arrives, she is not what his parents expected.Children will love Harvey Hippo. He is so cute and adorable. In this book the reader will learn a little about acceptance of others regardless of their differences and giving someone a chance and not relying on expectations or impressions. Both parents and children alike will learn a little something when they read this book as well as Harvey's other stories. A definite book for family libraries.I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
'Harvey Hippo Invites a New Friend to Lunch' by Lisa Sanker-Zhu is a cute picture book with more than a few surprises in it's pages.When Harvey Hippo invites his new friend to lunch, his parents have a few questions about who is coming over. Harvey talks about all the fun things he does with his friend, but when she finally shows up at the door, they are very surprised. Will it all work out ok?The pictures are adorable and the story is very cute. I liked the surprises in the story, and the story it teaches about befriending those who are different than we are.I received a review copy of this ebook from Lisa Sankar-Zhu and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Harvey Hippo Invites a New Friend to Lunch by Lisa Sankar-Zhu is a cute second book concerning Harvey. My grandson and I read the preview copy together. His focus is, of course, on Harvey and his friend. He really liked the idea of the animal children all being friends. I rather enjoyed Harvey's mother and the rest of his family. His parents could have easily stopped his friend from coming over but took the time to get to know his friend instead. We both loved the ending. The publisher through Net Galley provided a copy.
When Harvey invites a friend over for lunch, his parents are shocked to see that his friend isn't who they expected. But as Harvey and his friend interact, Harvey's parents come to see what a nice guest she is.I liked the message of this book--and the little twist of Harvey's friend not being who his parents expected. The illustrations are really cute--and the little surprise at the end is fun.I read an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found Harvey to be a fun story. He invites his friend over that his parents have never met. He helps to clean the house, making everything look very nice. His parents are surprised and unsure when the guest arrives and they see she is a little different then what they had expected, but they invite her in. Harvey's friend proves to be a fun, enjoyable guest. The pictures are big and beautifully illustrated.Reviewed through NetGalley for an honest, independant review.
I like this book for its message of acceptance of others and other cultures. Who knew a Hippo could do that? Harvey did. Harvey wants to have his friend Crissy over for lunch. He is so excited he even cleans his room, and helps Mom with the chores.
This was a really cute little story. Easy to read and follow and the images are nice, bright and clean. Harvey the Hippo is fab!
Adorable book! Harvey Hippo and his family embrace diversity and helped children to understand that it's okay to be different.
A cute hippopotamus surprises his parents with his new friend.
"Harvy Hippo Invites a New Friend to Lunch" is a wonderful story about acceptance and friendship. This book is perfect for small children, and parents will appreciate humorous aspects, as well!


What made the artists of Paris leave the city and move to Montmartre in the nineteenth century? The first answer is the most common reason that artists are always on the move.
Napoleon III wanted Paris "beautified" and so he gave most of the prime land in the city to wealthy friends. It was their responsibility to develop it. Develop it they did, and rents soared. The original inhabitants had no choice but to leave.
Montmartre was officially made part of Paris in the 1850's but the city did not develop it, and the village considered itself very much separate. It was free of Paris taxes and had a nunnery that made cheap red wine. Those alone were good reasons to move to Montmartre. Add the facts that Montmartre sat at the top of a hill that overlooked the whole city of Paris, and there was an abundance of light (hard to find in the city) and you had the perfect location for painters to gather.
Johan Jongkind and Camille Pisarro were some of the first artists to inhabit the area in the mid-nineteenth century. It was not until toward the end of that century and the beginning of the twentieth that artists really began to flock there.
Vincent van Gogh, Pierre Brissaud, Alfred Jarry, Gen Paul, Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Henri Matisse, André Derain, Suzanne Valadon, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Maurice Utrillo, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Théophile Steinlen, and African-American expatriates such as Langston Hughes worked in this village and found artistic inspiration there.
Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and other artists living in poverty worked in a commune, a building called Le Bateau-Lavoir, during the years 1904–1909. Composer Satie (who was a pianist at Le Chat Noir), also lived in the area.
The last of the bohemian Montmartre artists was Gen Paul. He was born in Montmartre and a friend of Utrillo. Paul's calligraphic expressionist lithographs, sometimes memorializing picturesque Montmartre itself, owe a debt to Raoul Dufy.
In fact, many of these artists painted scenes of the village. More and more artists flocked to the area in order to draw inspiration from each other. It must have been quite a scene, and one that I would have loved being part of.
Stay tuned for more information about the bohemian artists of Montmartre and Impressionism.


While we close up our homes to prepare for the cold winter months, we lock out fresh air, trapping in stale, polluted air. Rather than installing an expensive, and sometimes ineffective, air purifying system, simply place a few plants throughout your home.
Plants produce oxygen, which is essential for humans and animals to survive. They also act as filters in neutralizing indoor air pollutants. The most common pollutant in homes is formaldehyde, used as an adhesive in particle and pressed wood and spray insulation. When high concentrations are inhaled, it can irritate the eyes and throat, and in extreme cases, cause cancer. Other common pollutants include, bacteria, fungi, pollen, dust and mold.
American Lung Association: Plants can significantly reduce pollutants throughout the home as well as provide a general sense of well-being. Just be cautious when watering your plants; don't let them stand in a pool of water for an extended amount of time and make sure the soil is dampened, not water-logged. This will reduce the chance of mold and fungi forming on your plants and furniture.
Aloe Vera: Good for eliminating most indoor toxins, as well as healing minor cuts and burns on the skin.
English Ivy: Good for eliminating toxins from petroleum-based products.
Fig Trees: Good for eliminating formaldehyde.
Chrysanthemum: Good for eliminating toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia.
Spider Plants: Exceptional for eliminating formaldehyde.
Chinese Evergreen, Bamboo Palm and Lilies: Good for eliminating many toxic materials.


text:
Ravipadu may refer to:

Andhra Pradesh, India
 Ravipadu, Narasaraopet mandal, a village in the Narasaraopet mandal, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
 Ravipadu, Pedanandipadu mandal, a village in the Pedanandipadu mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Telangana, India
 Ravipadu, Bibinagar mandal, a village in the Bibinagar mandal, Nalgonda district, Telangana, India

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


If you want to achieve online success with your real estate website, then creating engaging and well-optimized content is a key consideration. Otherwise, the chances of your real estate website or blog being found by potential customers via search engines is next to none. Search Engine Optimization helps you to improve your brand's visibility thereby, making it easier for both search engines and potential customers to find you online, helping to bring more traffic and leads to your site. Follow these simple steps, and you're on the way to creating content better than your competitors.
great infographic, I love reading ihomefinder articles, very helpful information.. i will put this to use tomorrow!


text:
Q: Homology class of variety defined by an ideal if a subvariety of codimension n is given by an ideal of polynomials with n generators, then the homology class of the variety is given by the intersection product of the classes of the individual generators' zero set. In this case, all the (zero set of the) individual generators intersect transversally.
The example I have in mind is something like the zero locus of $ \langle z_0, z_1 \rangle$ inside $\mathbb{P}^3$, where the z_i are the usual projective coordinates. Then the class of this zero locus should be just $[z_0] \cdot [z_1] = H^2$, where H is the hyperplane class.
However, what is the situation if the ideal has more than n generators? An example would be something like $\langle a \, d - b \, c , \, a\,x + b\,y , \, c\,x + d\,y \rangle$ in a space where $a,b,c,d,x,y$ are sections of some line bundles. How can I express the class of this variety in terms of the classes of the sections?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Dual Degree Partner Schools
ESCP Business School – Paris, France
University of Mannheim Business School – Germany
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management – Germany
WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) – Vienna, Austria
Purdue University, Krannert School of Management – Indiana, USA
emlyon business school – Lyon, France
Grenoble Ecole de Management – Grenoble, France
Audencia Business School – Nantes, France
IESEG School of Management – Lille/Paris, France
First Application – ESCP
First Application – Purdue
Second Application – Mannheim, HHL, Audencia, IESEG, emlyon, GEM and WU
Established in 1819, ESCP Business School is the oldest business school in the world. Triple-crown accredited (EQUIS, AMBA, AACSB), ESCP Business School welcomes 4,600 students and 5,000 executives from 100 different ...
Ranked 17th place for SIMC in 2020 QS ranking, WU's Master in Strategy, Innovation, and Management Control program prepares tomorrow's executives for their role as organizational leaders. The program combines theory, practice, and instruction in ...
University of Mannheim Business School is considered to have the by far best and most prestigious business school in Germany and is consistently ranked #1 in national university rankings and among ...
Ranked #2 by EDUNIVERSAL Best-Masters.com in 2018, the Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management (MSGSCM) in Purdue University's Krannert School of Management is a worldwide top graduate program in Supply Chain and Logistics. MSGSCM ...
Founded in 1964, IÉSEG School of Management has received the prestigious accolade of becoming a Grande École (literally in French "a great school"), one of the most respected and academically rigorous types of higher education institutions in ...
Founded in 1900, Audencia Business School (referred to as Audencia) is today among the best European business schools. Regularly ranked on a global level by the Financial Times, the school is ...
Founded in 1984 as Groupe ESC Grenoble and partnered with Harvard Business School since 2010, Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) has always been an international player and has ten sites abroad. GEM ...
emlyon business school was established in 1872 at France's second major city, Lyon. It has benefited from the triple accreditation, AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, for several years and which only 1% of international establishments ...
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management – Leipzig, Germany
In this 100% English taught program and rated No. 1 in Germany for Business Administration, participants can earn the internationally recognized degree – Master of Science in Management (M.Sc.) or Master ...
IMBA Dual Degree Program 2022-2024 Opens for Application
January 10, 2023 UncategorizedNCCU_IMBA
In this second application period 2022 – 2024, a maximum of 17 IMBA students will be selected to participate in some of the most renowned business universities in Europe. University of MannheimRead More…
30Aug/22
IMBA-ESCP and IMBA-Purdue Dual Degree Programs 2022-2024 Open for Application
August 30, 2022 UncategorizedNCCU_IMBA
IMBA-ESCP and IMBA-Purdue Dual Degree Programs 2022-2024 Open for Application In this first application period 2022 – 2024, a maximum of 6 IMBA students will be selected to participate in two ofRead More…
IMBA Program, College of Commerce, National Chengchi University (NCCU)
Rm. 406 Yi-Xian Building No. 64, Sec. 2, Zhi-Nan Road, Wenshan District, Taipei 11605 Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 2939 3091 ext. 65410 | Fax: +886 2 2938 7882 | E-mail: imba@nccu.edu.tw
Copyright © IMBA Dual Degree


A warm winter can lead to a big insect infestation – even in adorable homes like this one.
Creepy, crawly, icky, stinky: No matter what words you use to describe them, most insects are unwanted pests that make their way inside your house. Just as ants and bees are drawn to summer picnics, insects looking for food and a comfortable place to hang out during the winter are drawn toward your home. This means that unseasonably warm winter weather conditions can mean a proliferation of insects that are more active than usual -- and they may want to take up residence inside until spring and summer arrive.
Termites can cause a lot of damage to your home if they come inside; the best defense is to have your home inspected by a pest control expert who can recommend any structural changes or repairs that need to be made, as well as chemical treatments that can create a protective barrier around your home. Baits can actually lure termites away from your house; they'll help eliminate the pest population when worker insects take the poison back to their colony.
Another insect that likes to winter indoors is the Asian lady beetle, a colorful and harmless insect introduced to the U.S. to help control some other insect pests. Usually, they will stay inside the walls, but warm winter weather can coax them out of their hiding places in search of light. Prevent them from entering your home by sealing or caulking any outdoor cracks and crevices; once inside, you can get rid of them by sweeping or vacuuming, or by setting a trap. Insecticide is not recommended unless the infestation is heavy.
Finally, warm winter weather can also cause fleas and ticks to be more active. These hitchhiking insects often catch a ride on your pets and come inside your home. Keep these problems away by treating your pets regularly with a systemic repellant application, collar, or regular shampoos.
Make sure your house is sealed up tight, and repair or caulk all openings. Inspect the exterior to find cracks where bugs might be able to come inside. Windows and doors frames, attic ventilation screens, and the edges of vinyl or other siding are possible doorways to tiny creatures.
Keep windows and doors closed, even the garage door. After all, as your mother used to say, you weren't raised in a barn, were you? As it turns out, bees and other flying insects consider an open door an invitation to come inside.
Keep lawn debris away from the house. Locate raked leaves, cut grass, or compost piles as far away from your house as possible. Even stacks of firewood or lumber should be stored away from the house. This wood is a haven for insects, and you don't want insects gathering so close to your house that it is easy for them to come inside.
Protect your home with an insecticide barrier. Effective products can be found at many home center or hardware stores, or consult a professional exterminating service [source: Shockey].
For more information on insect infestations, explore the links on the next page.


text:
Q: NodeJS multiple requests? I have been trying to figure this out on my own (just started working with NodeJS) and also with help of Google but was not quite able to find out how to do what I want to do.
Here is what I am trying to achieve:
1. Call the Clash of Clans API and get the members from my clan, I can do with the help of the request module (https://github.com/request/request)

*After loading all the members I would like to call the API once more for each member and get their personal stats, this is where I am struggling. From what I have read and understood I should make use of Promises?

Code so far:
var request = require('request');
var members = new Array();

var options = {
    url: 'https://api.clashofclans.com/v1/clans/%238Y89PVOY',
    headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'authorization': 'Bearer my-auth-code'
    }
};

function memberCallback(error, response, body) {

    if (!error && response.statusCode == 200) {

        var members = JSON.parse(response.body)["memberList"];

        for (var member in members){

            var ClashMember = {
                name : members[member].name,
                role : members[member].role
            };

            members.push(ClashMember);

            console.log("Added member");

        }
    }
}

request(options, memberCallback);

// Code to call the api again for each member and get their personal stats

I am using the following:
node v10.15.3, npm v6.4.1, Windows 8 64bit
I guess this is more a JavaScript question than a NodeJS question per say so I will tag both and hope that someone with better knowledge than me can point me in the right direction.

A: The best way to approach this problem is to use Promises. These are used in conjunction with a mechanism called async/await, which is syntax to make handling Promises easier. I suggest you read the above links to understand how these things work.
Here's your current code rewritten to use Promises.
const request = require("request-promise");

async function run() {
  const members = [];

  const options = {
    url: "https://api.clashofclans.com/v1/clans/%238Y89PVOY",
    headers: {
      Accept: "application/json",
      authorization: "Bearer my-auth-code"
    },
    json: true
  };

  const response = await request(options);
  const memberList = response.memberList;

  for (const member of memberList) {
    const ClashMember = {
      name: member.name,
      role: member.role,
    };

    members.push(ClashMember);

    console.log("Added member", member.id);
  }

  console.log(members[0]);
}

run();

Now that your code can support promises, you can add a request into each iteration of your for loop, and it will work as expected. Something along the lines of this will do.
  for (const member of memberList) {
    const memberInformationOptions = {
      // options for this request
    };
    const memberInformation = await request(memberInformationOptions);

    const ClashMember = {
      name: member.name,
      role: member.role,
      extraInformation: memberInformation.body
    };

    members.push(ClashMember);

    console.log("Added member", member.id);
  }

This removes your error handling, which you can reimplement using try/catch.

A: Let's use promise + async await
Download package from npm request and request-promise.
By async await, you can make your code to look synchronous (but still asynchronous).
Callback method is quite old and your code can be hard to read if you have multiple callbacks.


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text:
Kissed by A Croc
Today I have pleasure in reviewing a book about one of CQ's local heroes, John Lever. The book Kissed by A Croc, the life story of this fascinating man, was written by Jenny Lanyon.
Bushie meets crocs. John Lever is one of the outback's seriously tough characters. He owns Australia's largest croc farm that's home to 3000 saltwater crocs. Meet John Lever – adventurer, storyteller, traveller and owner of Koorana Crocodile Farm – and one of the world's foremost experts in the behaviour and management of Crocodylus porosus, the Australian saltwater crocodile. For almost half a century the crocs have fascinated John Lever; he courted, counted, cajoled and captured them as a wildlife officer in the remote waterways of Papua New Guinea, before returning home to Australia to establish the first commercial crocodile farm in outback Queensland. Along the way he has accumulated some great tales – like the time he wrestled an unrestrained croc while flying at 4000 feet – and knows more about the Australian salty than just about anyone.
Kissed by A Croc is a biography of the life of John Lever, one of the world's foremost experts in the behaviour and management of the Australian saltwater crocodile. The story was well researched by Jenny Lanyon, and is written in a style that is easy to read and reflects the true character of the man. It follows John's journey from his boyhood to the present day in fascinating detail.
As I had met this man and knew of the powerful, confident persona he possesses, I was very interested to read his life story. I also know the writer, Jenny Lanyon through a writers group I had the pleasure of working with in Yeppoon.
While I knew of John's involvement with crocodiles and his expertise in the field, I had no idea how long the fascination had gripped him.
His desire to better his situation was strong from his youth and his first venture of adding a dairy herd to his family's chook farm was just the beginning. He went from that to life as a farmer growing vegetables in Terranora, Queensland and worked through a number of jobs including a stint as a schoolteacher and working for the CSIRO in Werribee before he found his true calling.
In 1972 he obtained a job in a wildlife research station in PNG. Absorbing material about his life in the back blocks of PNG, and his interaction with the people of the country, fill this section of the book. It was here that his fascination with crocodiles began. He became involved in crocodile farming and they became his life's work. He helped the natives to set up breeding program and set up worldwide markets for the sales of the skins. The story of his time here is a bit like the story of Robinson Caruso. The primitive way he was forced to live to carry out his work is hard to comprehend when you compare it to how we lived in the same era. There are many gripping tales of life in the region and dangerous liaisons with crocodile and man.
As in all things, politics soon interfered with this life there and he returned to Australia to reinvent himself. But he knew that crocodiles would always be a big part of his life and believed that he could conserve the reptiles by making them worth money. He started a breeding program in Australia. Eventually this obsession led him to Central Queensland and his present situation. But the story of his set up of his present venture and his experience with gaining approval was almost as daunting as his brushes with death with the very creature he was trying to save. Being the determined person he is he fought through it all and started his new life in CQ.
Almost half a century ago John stated the journey that led him to his position today. John and his family have the Koorana Crocodile Farm in Central Queensland. There his life's work continues.
The best way to describe this story is to use an old adage, 'Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction'. That this story is true I have no doubt, but it reads like the best fictional adventure I have ever read. Do yourself a favour and buy the book. You won't be sorry.
Previous A FAST-PACED EXCITING STORY Next Tottie and Dot


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text:
package org.apache.bigtop.bigpetstore.datagenerator.generators.store;

import java.util.List;

import org.apache.bigtop.bigpetstore.datagenerator.datamodels.inputs.ZipcodeRecord;
import org.apache.bigtop.bigpetstore.datagenerator.framework.pdfs.ProbabilityDensityFunction;

public class StoreLocationIncomePDF implements ProbabilityDensityFunction<ZipcodeRecord>
{
	double incomeNormalizationFactor;
	double minIncome;
	double k;

	public StoreLocationIncomePDF(List<ZipcodeRecord> zipcodeTable, double incomeScalingFactor)
	{

		double maxIncome = 0.0;
		minIncome = Double.MAX_VALUE;

		for(ZipcodeRecord record : zipcodeTable)
		{
			maxIncome = Math.max(maxIncome, record.getMedianHouseholdIncome());
			minIncome = Math.min(minIncome, record.getMedianHouseholdIncome());
		}

		k = Math.log(incomeScalingFactor) / (maxIncome - minIncome);

		incomeNormalizationFactor = 0.0d;
		for(ZipcodeRecord record : zipcodeTable)
		{
			double weight = incomeWeight(record);
			incomeNormalizationFactor += weight;
		}
	}

	private double incomeWeight(ZipcodeRecord record)
	{
		return Math.exp(k * (record.getMedianHouseholdIncome() - minIncome));
	}

	@Override
	public double probability(ZipcodeRecord datum)
	{
		double weight = incomeWeight(datum);

		return weight / this.incomeNormalizationFactor;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub