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René Treviño interviews curator John Chaich about Queer Threads at MICA
Queer Threads is not a niche exhibition brought to MICA for fiber students or to fill a diversity or LGBTQ quota. Rather, this exhibit is loud and proud and full of thoughtful, powerful work that screams about feminism, queerness, sexuality, and virtuostic prowess. The exhibit, curated by John Chaich, brings together 24 artists who explore "notions of aspiration, socialization, and representation within the LGBTQ community by employing thread-based craft materials, techniques, and processes."
I've been waiting for an exhibit like this to come to Baltimore for a long time. I am a huge fan of the work that comes out of the fiber department at MICA and this exhibit will speak strongly to those students with solid examples of tapestry, crochet, quilting, needlepoint, etc., but Queer Threads speaks to all kinds of viewers. The content here is baked in and might feel specific (or niche), but there is such a giant range of materiality, experimentation, process, and color here that anyone who experiences this exhibit will leave amused, invigorated, and inspired.
What follows is a conversation with curator John Chaich whose generosity is evident; he is a champion of these artists and has a clear affection for the subject matter at hand.
Liz Collins, "Accumulated Pride," 2014, cotton and other yarns loomed during KNITTING NATION performance installations, 2005-2012. Image courtesy of René Treviño.
Can you speak to the ways feminism and queerness overlap in this exhibit?
Feminism teaches us to question systems, expectations, and privileges, that deny opportunities for women, devalue the feminine, and restrict freedoms of gender expression or sexual identity.
Queer Threads presents art and craft practices long-associated with women and thereby considered lesser than work by men. The female-, trans-, and male-identified artists in Queer Threads embrace the so-called "women's work" of fiber art and crafts, and in doing so, honor the artistic talents, ideas, and legacies of women.
In various ways–some conceptual, some political, some nuanced, some strategic–feminism definitely informs the work and practices of featured artists like Harmony Hammond, Jesse Harrod, Liz Collins, LJ Roberts, and Sheila Pepe.
Elsewhere, gender-specific works like Nathan Vincent's crocheted and knitted men's locker room benefit from feminist readings.
Works like Ben Cuevas Genitosexual or Buzz Slutzky's "Body Party" series blur binaries or biologies.
And it's fascinating to me how Maria Pineres–as a lesbian, Latina artist–employs gay male erotic imagery in her work to explore sexuality's urgency and power.
Through related public programming, I hope that involvement of queer feminist scholars Julia Bryan-Wilson, Ann Cvetkovich and Jeanne Vaccaro, as well as Baltimore activists like self-proclaimed Marxist-Feminist queer woman of color Tori McReynolds, will bring out healthy, hearty critiques of the exhibition and related discourse.
Neither "craft" nor "feminine" should be dirty words in the canon or in communities, I say.
Larry Krone, "Then and Now (Rainbow Order)," 2008. Yarn, wood, and hanging hardware.
What was the process of creating this exhibit, can you speak to how the project evolved and how the work was selected?
The exhibition comes from a very personal place: I grew up in a home where my mother and grandmother crocheted and quilted. As a gay man, I naturally was drawn to queer artists working in these mediums.
On a deeper level, I wonder sometimes if Queer Threads could be the affect of seeing the AIDS quilt in its entirety in DC in the mid 90s–where I saw hand-made works of love and pain and passion remembering the lives of people of color, gay men, and trans warriors, all in one interwoven piece of art and activism. Queer Threads is also influenced my two decade-long friendship with teacher and scholar Lyz Bly, PhD, and our discussions on Third Wave feminism's "taking back" of craft.
I started researching and developing the concept that became Queer Threads as early as 2011; at that time, I had just curated a traveling exhibition of text or language-based works and wanted to explore more tactile works and surfaces.
When selecting work for Queer Threads or any exhibition, I'm very mindful of exhibition design: how works will interact with each other and what variety of scale and media will engage viewers at both an intimate viewing or quick glance.
I also particularly am interested in what happens to works by artists at various stages of their career or recognition, and/ or artists who are working within and outside of the gallery or academic system, are shown together.
Of course, Queer Threads has never attempted to be or could ever be the penultimate, all-encompassing survey of contemporary lgbtq fiber practices; no one location, production schedule, or budget could ever allow that in one given space and time.
But I do hope that Queer Threads can inspire other exhibitions and programming to highlight the tremendous, and often under-exhibited, talents of many queer artists working in fiber and textile across cultures.
Detail: L.J. Roberts, "The Queer Houses of Brooklyn"
I was overwhelmed by this exhibit. I felt a sort of euphoria that I rarely feel in gallery exhibits. I think it had to do with the sexual heat/energy that emanates from so much of the work, but also from the vibrancy of color. None of this work operates within a minimal aesthetic; most of the work functions with a "more is more" kind of sensibility. Is that a reflection of our times? Are we screaming about our gayness because we won't hide anymore?
I love hearing that you had such a visceral response to the exhibition. Many viewers of Queer Threads have noted the positive energy–even a visual and emotional vibration–in the space. Color and texture, I think, largely influence this dynamic. The desire to touch fiber work is so strong, and I think that makes viewers aware of their desire to touch and connect on both a physical and communal level. I think this awareness of touch is heightened for queer audiences. Maybe Queer Threads creates a collective moment of Public Display of Affection (PDA)–a feeling so rare in a gallery or institution.
Queer Threads looks and feels warm and fuzzy. Mediums like crochet, quilting, sewing, embroidery, and needlepoint often evoke a sense of comfort that we may have had or seek within the home. Melanie Braverman's quilt of sometimes playful and sometimes caustic anti-gay slang, for example, questions the notions of a "security blanket" or "home." Media like macramé riff on the utopian ideals shared by both 70s hippies and contemporary queers, and this invokes a positive sense of the future or self-determination. (On the other hand, Athi-Patra Ruga's tapestries or Chiachio Giannone's embroideries remind us that many of these ideas are white and Western.)
Specifically, artists like Larry Krone and Allyson Mitchell openly embrace a "maximalist" sensibility in their practices. Both of these artists also utilize found fibercrafts like granny squares as material in their work, and in doing so, they celebrate the forgotten or uncredited handiwork and create a new sense of community or connection, not unlike Mike Kelly's monumental "More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid."
L.J. Roberts, "The Queer Houses of Brooklyn in the Three Towns of Breukelen, Boswyck and Midwout during the 41st Year of the Stonewall Era, (based on a 2010 drawing by Daniel Rosza Lang/Levitsky with 24 illustrations by Buzz Slutzky on printed pin-back buttons)," 2011, Poly-fill, acrylic, rayon, Lurex, wool, polyester, cotton, lamé, sequins and blended fabrics with printed pin-back buttons. Image courtesy of the artist.
I got a strong sense of the 70's and 80's in this work even though a lot of the work is more contemporary than that. Do you think that comes from the materials themselves (the saturation of synthetic fibers, etc.)? There are specific references to Stonewall, the 1978 original gay flag and the Castro (which I associate with the 70's and 80's even though it is still there). The Nathan Vincent piece reminds me of a vintage Falcon or Colt porn set but it also makes me recall the anxiety of the high school locker room. Is the 70's and 80's feeling a curatorial sensibility, is it a reflection of purposeful decisions you made?
I've joked that Queer Threads looks and feels like what would happen if Punky Brewster Acted Up–and those references alone reveal how I am a child of the 70s and 80s who came into my own queerness in the 90s.
However consciously or not, the aesthetics and politics of those eras inform my process and perhaps attract me to what I see in artists' work; for example, LJ Roberts reference to the ACT UP pink triangle in their colorful, funky multi-textured piece, "Queer Houses of Brooklyn"…
Interestingly, the earliest works in Queer Threads— Allen Porter's 1955 needlepoint and Harmony Hammond's 1971 piece with crochet and painted fabric–were made within the decades immediately before and after Stonewall and both feature a more muted, subtle palette.
I also am fascinated by how non-Western artists in the exhibition use color, detail, and surface to intersect queer identities and ideas with ethnic and craft traditions.
Can you also speak to the takeaways, the condoms (trading cards?) and buttons?
For some time, the organization Visual AIDS has produced a series of safer-sex trading cards called "Play Smart" that feature original work by artists. Visual AIDS invited me to curate a Play Smart series featuring Queer Threads artists in 2014 and nearly 5000 safer sex kits were distributed nationwide then. I'm happy that we were able to reproduce the kits to distribute with the exhibition in 2016.
The buttons in LJ Roberts piece feature drawings by Buzz Slutzky (who also has a series of work in Queer Threads) that feature a crest or coat of arms for every "queer house" of Brooklyn represented in Roberts' piece. Inspired by the Felix Gonzales Torres' candy piles or poster takeaways, it is important for Roberts to give viewers a piece of the work to keep with them. It's always exciting to someone wearing one of the pins. It keeps the spirit of the piece and the exhibition going and growing, and keeps the legacy of queer artists like Gonzales-Torres alive.
I also want to share this link to the Visual AIDS Play Smart trading cards series for more history and context.
There is a catalog forthcoming, can you talk about that as a project and maybe give us a preview of what to expect?
I am thrilled that a companion coffee table book is being published by AMMO books in Summer 2016. The book is designed by Todd Oldham Studios and co-edited by Todd and myself.
It is not an exhibition catalogue per se. Instead, the coffee table book showcases a sampling of queer artists working in different ways with fiber today.
In addition to artists from the exhibition, other artists in the book include Nick Cave, Jade Yumang, Angie Wilson, Cindy Baker, and Josh Faught– as many as we could fit at this point in time in 144 pages.
In total 30 artists are given full-color spreads of their work, and were interviewed by 30 makers and thinkers across art, academia, design, fashion, music and media, including Jonathan Adler, Glenn Ligon, Mickalene Thomas, Justin Vivian Bond, Tim Gunn, Kathleen Hanna, Mondo Guerra, and more.
If resources and interest permit, I'd love to rotate even more interviews and artists on a related website or a second book.
Also, how much did the exhibit change from the NY presentation at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art? Were there changes, replacements, did you have to edit?
Overall, Leslie-Lohman and MICA aimed to keep the 2014 exhibition in tact. Availability and space did influence a few changes.
At MICA, you see different pieces by the same artists due to wonderful circumstances: the pieces originally shown in Queer Threads in NYC have since been acquired by private or permanent collections or are being shown in other exhibitions, so we substituted other work by the same artists.
Since space allowed at MICA, as an extension of Liz Collins' installation, I now was able to include an excerpt of Sabrina Gschwandtner's film documenting the Knitting Nation action that produced the massive pride flag Collins presents a site-specific installation here.
Timing proved to be fortunate for other work: discussions and relationships that had been been in development for a few years to include works by Harmony Hammond and Athi-Patra Ruga came to fruition in time for MICA. Hopefully their work deepens the global and historical perspectives in the show.
Conclusions and Favorites:
This is fantastic exhibit with so much to discover that it benefits from multiple visits.
A personal favorite was Sheila Pepe's "Your Granny's Not Square," 2008. The work is a wild, mangled composition made of shoelaces and yarn and creates beautiful shadows.
John Thomas Paradiso's "Leather Pansy II," 2010, uses a small embroidery hoop as a functional frame. The small intricacies of the pansies embroidered on black leather are an evocative, smart contrast. (Leather, thread, and plastic hoop on basswood panel. Image courtesy of the artist.)
"Road to Tennessee," 2015, by MICA faculty Aaron McIntosh combines a large digital print (sourced from gay erotica) on fabric with skillful quilting and fabric manipulation. The male silhouette is simultaneously on a journey and fleeting into memory.
James Gobel's, "The Fitting No. 1," is a large scale "painting", made of felt and yarn, of womenswear designers Costello Tagliapietra. The color is so saturated, but the felt has no sheen, so it looks so flat. Looking at it feels surreal. I love the image of the two sturdy daddy bears fussing over the fit of gossamer high fashion.
Right as you enter the gallery you are confronted by Liz Collins, "Accumulated Pride," 2014, a piece made of cotton and other yarns loomed during KNITTING NATION performance installations, 2005-2012.
There is a video of some of the performances included alongside the massive pile of a knit rainbow that references the original 1978 gay flag designed by Gilbert Baker in that includes hot pink (referencing sexuality) and turquoise (referencing magic and art). I want those two stripes back in our rainbow pride flag!
Nathan Vincent, "Locker Room," 2011. Lion Brand yarn over Styrofoam and wood substructure. Image courtesy of Stephen Miller.
Nathan Vincent's "Locker Room," 2011, is stunning. At first it might come off as visual joke, it is a complete locker room including lockers, urinals, showers, a drain, and benches that are all made of Lion Brand knitted yarn. But it is not a joke; the piece evokes the weird sexuality and anxiety of locker rooms for gay boys as they become gay men. There are no stalls here; changing bodies would be in full view in this locker room. Glances, shame, thwarted attempts at cruising, the brutality of nakedness, fodder for fantasy… it's all in this piece.
The curator also asks us to read this piece, and all of the included works, from a feminist perspective. In a Hyperallergic interview he said "I don't think one works with fiber or craft techniques in their art without being a feminist."
Go see this exhibit and attend and participate in the robust public programming that accompanies it. It feels very rare to have this much queer fiber based art work here in Baltimore. The show is vibrant, it pulses with color and urgency and speaks to a wide range of queer experiences.
Author René Treviño is a Baltimore-based artist and professor. His visual work challenges traditional ideas of race and sexual orientation. He is represented by the C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore and the Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas, TX.
John Chaich (curator) is a designer, writer, and curator living in New York City. His recent exhibition, Mixed Messages: A(I)DS, Art & Words, for Visual AIDS debuted to critical acclaim in The New York Times and Artforum before traveling to DC to coincide with the International AIDS Conference. He has written on art and pop culture for BUST and Art & Understanding magazines and has contributed catalogue essays for PPOW Gallery. On the Web and on Twitter: ChaichCreative.
Links: MICA Queer Threads exhibitions page and Leslie-Lohman Museum
Additional Programming for Queer Threads:
Queer Threads, Common Ties: An Intersectional Dialogue with Aaron McIntosh Thursday, Feb. 4, 7–9 p.m.
Fox Building: Decker Gallery, 1303 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Queer Threads Unraveled: A Roundtable Discussion with Scholars Julia Bryan-Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of California, Berkeley and Ann Cvetkovich, Ph.D., Ellen Clayton Garwood Centennial Professor of English and professor of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin
Sunday, Feb. 7, 1–3 p.m.
Brown Center: Room 320, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Harmony Hammond, Materially Queer
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.
Brown Center: Room 320, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Invasive: Amassing Southern LGBTQ Stories, Hands-on Fiber Project with Queer Threads Artist and Aaron McIntosh
Sunday, Feb. 14, noon–6 p.m.
Brown Center: Leidy Atrium, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave.
American Craft Council and MICA Speaker Series: Elissa Auther, Museum of Arts & Design
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 6–8 p.m.
Lazarus Center: Auditorium, 131 W. North Ave.
Artists Talk Saturday, March 5, 1–3 p.m.
Fox Building: Decker Gallery, 1303 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Featured artists Jesse Harrod (Philadelphia), Rebecca Levi (Brooklyn) and John Thomas Paradiso (Brentwood, Md.) join fellow artist and MICA Fiber Department faculty Aaron McIntosh for an intimate gallery talk with curator John Chaich.


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subset: commoncrawl


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During three days, from the 18th to the 20th of September, 25 teachers from the Comunidad de Madrid (CTIF) came to ESAC for attending to a new edition of the Teacher's workshop. This time the topic identified by CTIF and the CESAR Team was related to preparing an observation and executing it.
On the 18th of September, the teachers, guided by Dr. Michel Breitfellner and using Stellarium installed at workstations, identified those targets that could be observable during the observing night of the 20th of September at ESAC. After planning the targets and the times when those could be visible at ESAC, Dra. Beatriz González introduced them ESASky, allowing them to access to the ESA archives in an easy way and handle the scientific images used by scientist from the ESA space missions.
On the 19th of September, D. Abel de Burgos and D. Alejandro Romar introduced to the teachers the CESAR on-line science cases developed by the CESAR Team. In particular, the science case executed during the workshop was the calculation of the Venus-Sun distance, based on images collected by the CESAR Team in their two CESAR expeditions to Svalbard and Australia to observe the transit of Venus on the 2012-06-06. After the execution of this science case, D. Abel de Burgos, explained the teachers the basic concepts related to astrophotography, as a great expert on the matter.
On the 20th of September, the teachers arrived at 19h at ESAC, and after a nice picnic, they set up the CESAR telescopes together with the CESAR team. It was an unforgettable observing night where the teachers had the chance to have a hands-on session with real telescopes and cameras lead by the experts of the CESAR team (Dr. Michel Breitfellner, D. Manuel Castillo and D. Abel de Burgos).
Here you can find the talks provided at the workshop:


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About three years ago, the first of our parish's stained glass windows were installed. Over the course of about two years, our parish gradually transformed from a blank space with plain glass windows and almost no art in the sanctuary to a church that looks Catholic from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave for home again. We've added saints — from Saint Peter to Pope Saint John Paul II — and windows depicting the Luminous and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. We've added beautiful carvings of Our Lady and Saint Joseph, as well as a choir of angels that hangs behind our choir. There's even a beautiful carving of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove that is at the back of the church, above the Baptismal font. And then we have four tall windows that depict four different stories from the Gospels.
One of these is a beautiful stained glass window in our that depicts Jesus raising the daughter of Jarius. It's positioned at the end of the Stations of the Cross and next to our chapel where the tabernacle resides. From my usual seat at Mass, I can look to the left and see it. The scene is beautiful: Jesus' face has a tender look on it, and His hand rests on the girl's head, as if He has just begun to stroke her hair to calm her. She grasps His hand as He pulls her up to a sitting position. Her face looks as if she still feels a tad weak, which makes holding Christ's hand sensible. Recall that Jesus' words when he raised her from the dead were, "Get her something to eat." Perhaps the little girl had been so sick that she hadn't eaten much for days, only managing little sips of water when she was conscious. After all that, she needed nourishment.
Have you ever wondered what became of Jaruis' daughter? We don't even know her name from the Gospel; we only know that she was dead and Jesus raised her up. He gave her parents a great gift with this action, but he also gave her a great gift. What did she do with her life? Did Jarius and his family become followers of Jesus, even if it was in secret at first? Were they among the 3,000 who were baptized on Pentecost? Even at her young age, I imagine that she lived her life differently — that her encounter with the Lord left her changed.
I think a lot about the unnamed girl. I think about her second chance at life, and how God gives me second chances all the time. I, too, go to Him when I am sick with sin. There are times when I wait so long that I feel like I have to crawl into the confessional to meet with my Lord, to whisper my failings to Him and have him reach out to me and take my hand. He helps me stand again with His strength, and when my Confession is over, He raises my soul from the dead again. The words of absolution are like having Christ stroke my hair and allay my fears. "It's okay now. I forgive you. I love you, and I'm letting you start again," the Lord tells me.
With gratitude, I leave to do my penance and walk away from the church feeling reborn. It's in that moment that I recall the tiny butterfly in the corner of the stained glass window. The butterfly lives a part of it's life as a caterpillar — an animal that is not considered particularly attractive. Eventually, the butterfly wil go to sleep as a caterpillar, but he wakes up transformed: a new creature. He, like Jarius' daughter, never lives quite the same way again. Walking out of Confession, I'm also trasnformed: a new creature through the power of Jesus Christ and the ministry of His Church. I feel called to live my life differently than before. I'm called to never be the same again.
I'm the daughter of Jarius, and I'm that little butterfly, too.


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Spot the difference: is your Griffin Survivor case a counterfeit?
Recently I had the misfortune of buying a Griffin Survivor case for an iPad mini that turned out to be a counterfeit product. The purchase was made from the Amazon UK marketplace, which is not normally known for particularly dodgy sellers, and the seller had a feedback rating in excess of 95%, which is normally a reasonable sign of trustworthiness. It's entirely possible the seller themselves didn't know they'd been had by their supplier, but I was suspicious from the moment I received the product.
Griffin themselves have blogged about this as their premium products are an ongoing target for counterfeiting. However, not all of their advice is useful: they suggest anyone with a big price difference from their own store is selling fakes, but I eventually got my hands on a real one (from Amazon proper, who were out of stock when I originally purchased) for less than half the price Griffin list on their UK store.
Now that I have the genuine item, here's a quick spot the difference so you an get a better idea of whether yours is dodgy or not.
The Box
Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of the front of my fake case before sending it back for a refund, but here's what the real thing looks like. The fake one actually didn't look much different from this in terms of design and style, but it was different, and was dog-eared. If yours doesn't look like this, and isn't in pristine condition, it's time to get suspicious.
The Barcode
The real thing has a properly attached barcode with the actual UPN of the product. If you type this into Google, you'll get results for the real product.
This is the only barcode sticker on the box, it isn't even stuck on straight, and the product code X0005K99TL links to absolutely nothing on Google at the time of writing (except probably this blog, by the time you read it). As noted in the comments below, this may be an internal barcode used by Amazon's warehouse (if you bought from a seller that uses the 'Fulfilled by Amazon' system), but the lack of any real barcode underneath it, or elsewhere on the box, means this box is fake.
It's also worth noting that the fake had seal stickers with the Griffin logo on, whereas the real one didn't. However, the fake ones weren't even sticky enough to stay on properly – I hadn't yet opened the box in the above photo and they were already peeling off.
The Camera Cover
This was a bit more of a giveaway. The real camera cover is properly fitted and recessed into the case. Now let's see the fake:
On the fake, the rubber post that holds the camera cover in place hasn't been trimmed down. It actually squashes flat when you put the iPad in, so you could be forgiven for thinking this might still be real – but Griffin cases are a premium product. They don't make mistakes like this.
The Screen Protector
This was the enormous, obvious flaw with the fake. The real top cover, with it's integrated screen protector, is clear and pristine, like this:
The fake one, on the other hand, has visible bubbles and an 'oil slick' effect due to having a peel-off film inside. The real thing does not have a peel-off film.
If you remove the peel-off film (which temporarily removes the bubbles) the screen protector will adhere (badly) to the iPad screen when it is fitted and cause bubbling and the oil-slick directly on the screen. Again, the Griffin screen protector does not adhere to the screen at all. Luckily, the fake peeled off relatively easily.
Have you been stung?
Get a refund. It doesn't matter if you've opened the product: any reputable seller will have no problem refunding an item that is counterfeit. It's worth remembering that small and even medium-sized sellers may well have been scammed themselves by their upstream supplier, so there's no reason not to be calm and polite about it unless they refuse to be reasonable.
If the seller won't play ball, contact your credit card company and discuss it with them. They will normally investigate the issue and issue a refund once they are satisfied with your claim, then they will charge back the seller in turn. This reflects badly on the seller, which is why any decent business will sooner issue a refund themselves.
Remember: the telltale signs can change!
The post was written in May of 2014. Since then, the design of genuine Griffin cases, and their packaging, will have changed. A new, genuine, box today won't look exactly like mine. The actual case may have different markings too. Bear this in mind when making up your mind as to what's real and what's fake, and check your product against photos on the official Griffin website.
69 responses to "Spot the difference: is your Griffin Survivor case a counterfeit?"
Web Webster says :
Thanks for sharing your experience. You're correct in asserting that price difference alone is a surefire litmus test for good product vs. fake. When we wrote this up, we were thinking more about the many sites that will show our product for some enormous percentage off MSRP … a 49.99 case for a current iPad iteration is rarely legit if it's selling as New In Box for $19.99.
It's always interesting when our Product Dev folks return from trips to China. They bring back examples of counterfeited merch, many of which don't even try to look as good as the fakes you showed here.
Thanks again,
Web Webster (Yes, that my real name)
Griffin Technology
Andy says :
I have just ordered (hopefully a genuine) one from Amazon.co.uk, as I live in the UK (black/black version) for £24.28 after reading the comments. (A word of warning you have to watch if you choose a different colour option (from the colour name drop down on Amazon) it will take you to another seller not Amazon, even clicking on the original colour option it takes you to another seller). The Amazon order history doesn`t link to the original "Sold by Amazon EU S.a.r.L." item, it takes you to a cheaper fake seller!!! Amazon should boot the Seller off their marketplace if reviews state Fake goods, though some buyers have given good reviews for fake items, as some don`t know any better. Griffin should contact Amazon and voice their concerns as if a Seller is making a false declaration that a fake copy is tested to US Military standards and could cause damage to an iPad. I work for a PPE certification/testing company in the UK, our labs test products for ISO standards with a view to adding the CE mark on products. There must be an importer who is bringing this rubbish in from China, boxing it up and passing it off under Griffin`s brand name, why is this not picked up at Customs or Trading Standards??? There are hundreds of iPad cases on eBay that are un-branded/generic (some good some bad), so you have a choice to buy it based on the description i.e. case for iPad, rather than a false description "Independently tested and certified to meet conditions outlined in US Department of Defense MIL-STD-810". I personally don`t buy counterfeit products (the Griffin case is a replacemt for a very good generic case), if I spend £300 on an Ipad mini, I want the full stated protection and original manufacturer guarantee. If it wasn`t so expensive for lab time I would buy a "fake" and get one of my colleagues to run a test to MIL-STD-810 as the documentation should be easily accessible online, forward it to Amazon.
K. says :
Thanks for your helpful info. I have just opened my case which I ordered through Amazon. the camera cover is definitely fake as you show in the photo. I didn't have any peel off film on the screen cover but there are oil slicks on screen. I have taken a photo of the box, which was dog-eared, it misses out all the details down the right hand side i.e. 'wind, rain, dust dirt' etc do not exist on my box. If you would like a copy of the photo to display please let me know. Thanks to your brilliant photos I can clearly see that mine is a fake. It's on its way back now….. Thankyou
Mike Thompson says :
Great post, I've just ordered a case for the iPhone from Ebay so I'll check it when it arrives.
Russell Montooth says :
I got one of the knockoffs from Amazon through a 3rd party. It all fit snug like I expected, but it produced a bubble (oil slick) under the IPad screen Researching that, I found your article on the knock offs and checked the packaging. The only difference in description of the fake was that the post under the camera flap had been leveled down. The bar code label was just like the fake pictured, except it had a different number. Thanks for the article.
JR says :
The barcode on the back of the suspected fake is an Amazon label; I should still have the manufacturers barcode however. Can anyone confirm that the packaging seal containing the 'Griffin Logo' is definitely fake. I have received two cases this morning and I have one with clear seal and one with the logo seal.
Marie says :
Hi. Everything re fake griffin survivor cased is for iPhone or iPad mini. I just bought a case for the iPad4 from ebay and am unsure if it's real or fake. The books looks genuine like many others and it has a barcode etc. on the base of the box (not a sticker). It's the Black/Turquoise colour (they call it teal!). The screen seems ok with no peel off or oily effect. The one thing it does have though is a rubber spike sticking up where the camera hole is which, from your picture, would suggest it's fake. Is this still the case with the iPad 4 version. The box actually says it's for New iPad and iPad 2 (i'm presuming size hasn't changed since number 2s launch?). The barcode on the back however does say GB 35108 but when I google this it brings up the solid black version…….not a black/teal. I'm telling myself this has to be a fake but am I just being pessimistic??? Have emailed the seller saying it's a fake and want to return it but had no reply so far!
vera mallard says :
I am looking for a replacement Griffin survivor case as I dropped my unit on a decorative metal stand and have a long deep scratch on the screen cover. I found the amazon units and read the fake customer comments, searched and found this site. I have also found that Best Buy.com has some survivor cases from marketplace (a trusted merchant?) for much less. I am assuming these will be fakes as well. Does anyone know?
Gobo says :
the barcode sticker which you cite as an indication of fake is an error. What you are looking at there is an FNSKU sticker. This is applied to products which are sent to amazon fulfilment centres by third party sellers to identify the product and the seller who sent it in. It isn't a fake barcode, it just isn't an EAN. Because FNSKU barcodes are only used in amazon's internal systems you will not find them elsewhere. If you want to fact check this please visit the informational help page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200243200
Gary says :
I've just been sent a fake case and returned it to Amazon.
The seller contacted me, and they are investigating, sounded very professional and I am inclined to believe they are not selling fakes, but Amazon do seem to be mixing up stocks. They wanted photos of the item, and sent me what it should look like, which are the same as your genuine and fake photos.
With my fake the box was shoddy, the seals were not too sticky and the build quality of the item was awful, it was also dirty and not the colour it should have been.
Adam says :
Hi have ordered the I pad mini survivor case(griffin) but wasn't convinced that its genuine, the barcode has no part number and the plastic screen has a mask/film which needs to be removed before application, I gather the real one doesn't have this? Can any one clarify. Purchased from amazon
Ozimandius says :
I can't seem to figure out if this is the real thing or not:
How do I tell if it's a fake?
DJC says :
I've also been sent a fake (through Amazon fulfilled seller) similar to the photo posted above. I have scrutinised the text on the reverse and there is a huge typo: If you look at the labelled diagrams of each level of protection, under vibration it reads "Silicone cladding adsbrbs vibration". The fact absorbs is not spelt properly tells me a lot.
mike says :
Same thing just happened here. We opened a Christmas gift and we're disappointed with the screen protector. Then we noticed the case didn't have a griffin logo anywhere. After reading here, I now see the typo "Tbursday" and the barcode label is wrong. The description is for a different color and when I scan the code it is for yet another color. This was an eBay purchase from Florida.
Nick says :
I recently purchased the iPad mini version from UAVdepot on Amazon.com for $36. The company is small and it out of the USA. The case arrived in two days which I thought was very quick and therefore is probably did not come immediately from oversees. The only odd thing I see is in the index card sized instructions, there steps 2 and 4 are the only steps with some written instructions. Step 4 has English and Spanish instructions whereas step 1 has two sets of English instructions so there was a translation (lack of) error here. So does the genuine version have the same translation error in the instructions? The case itself does not have the flaws as described above and the package looks the same as the genuine one above. It even has the same foreign translation and green artwork as the genuine picture. If you look closely at the fake picture, the French translations are not the same and the green artwork differs.
Katie says :
Thanks for this.
I just purchased two from and Ebay seller, looked good except it had the fake rubber post near the camera which had not been trimmed down.
Have contacted Griffin who via email pics confirmed it is fake.
Seller now wants me to return them so he can investigate.
He is not interested in the emails I have but wants and 'official' document.
Any idea how I get one, or even if I have to?
I don't see why I should have to go to the trouble of returning them to be honest. He will only sell them on no doubt…
Then I won't be able to even leave negative feedback..
Ozimandius says :
I suggest you log a case with eBay and report the seller for selling counterfeit items. I've been through a situation where I finally convinced a seller that he was selling a fake pair of Dr. Dre Beats Headphones and he refunded my money. Other sellers are not so reasonable. Having said that, I ended up buying an original Survivor Play case from the Griffin Store using their 20% discount code and had it shipped Internationally to me.
Steve Rickman says :
Hi another angrytechnician in UK here… Wishing i had found this before i made a purchase… However i was semi aware of the counterfeit situation but thought i might be safe purchasing direct from Amazon UK…. and paying not that much below the retail price i would be safe…. Wrong.
I was suspicious when i saw the extended pillar on the pivot point of the camera port. The box was aso tatty and dog eared, this made me even more suspicious. The quality just didnt seem right, it felt "Different" from the one i have for my phone. The mike grille if looking from inside was stuck in askew, the screen cover didnt have a peel off cover but looked and felt flimsey, in the front panel above and below the Button there were marks in the plastic like extrusion marks i'm sure Griffin wouldnt let that go through QC.
I reported this directly to Amazon they responded positively saying they would investigate. This was quickly followed by a mail that said would i like to wait for the outcome of the investigation for a replacement or get a refund. Well obviously i wanted a case but didnt want to go all pain of getting another fake so i have opted for a refund its waiting to go back.
In the meantime i had contacted Griffin direct in the USA a really, really helpful guy called Reed helped me there, i forwarded him the picture of the pivot point. He said thats a RED flag! i asked him it there was anything else i could send him that would confirm it was a fake, he said a picture of the rear packaging and a close up of the Bar Code. It came back instant "Fake", the barcode was not a label it was printed on the box itself, it have the GB35108-2 part number and the barcode number "85387 36580" im not sure how he knew but it was an instant "Fake".
I'm off to a high street retailer later to potentially purchase a original one, I will report back on what transpires!
I must say 10 stars for Griffin service they could have told me to bog off! They were exceptionally helpful.
So far Amazon have been fine and there returns proceedure is normally OK
So look out for the pivot on the camera cover as a starting point, if it doesnt look like a quality item its probabaly fake it amazes me to the extent these counterfeiters will go to to make a few quid!
All the best Steve
Steve Rickman says :
Update! I now have a genuine Griffin survivor for Ipad 2 etc..In fact i havnt sent the other one back to Amazon quite yet so the comparisons took place!
First the packaging:-
1. The original actually appears a little more matt in apperance
2. The sticky labels sealing the box did NOT have the G or Griffin watermark on them.
3. Compairing the 2 boxes you could see that the text on the fake was very slightly blurred (slightly fussy txt) very hard to see.
So all in all unless you have the boxes side by side you wouldnt be able to tell.
Now for the Killer punch! Reed from Griffin USA asked me to get a picture of the Barcode. Now on the fake the barcode was actually printed on the box. but the original its actually a white label!
But here it is! Now i know why he wanted the barcode picture… the barcode label is placed on the bottom RH corner of the box over the top of an area that is diagonally printed with a "Griffin" watermark so it has griffin printed numerous times in a block about 1.5 inches by 1 inch and the label is placed over the top. The printing & numbers are the same as i mentions above so they are correct.
The case itself, Miles of difference
1. The Pivots on the camera / speaker covers are trimmed plugs
2. The Mike port is covered by a grille with pinholes in the original no holes in the fake
3. Ditto for the Speaker vent it has hexagonal holes when you lift the cover in the hexagonal holes there are pinholes
4. The front screen at the bottom by the catches internally it has a manufacture "date disk" like a little clock stamped in the plastic that indicates the date of production. Also the adheasive around the screen plastic is flat and uniform on the original, on the fake its looks air bubbley and silverish. The original is shiney bezel but the fake is much flatter in sheen. The original had no pull off screen protector nor did the fake (some have).
5. All the ports fit very nice and snug the fake is rubbish by comparison.
6. The outer material of the case is a slightly different texture on the fake and side by side the original is darker with a higher sheen on the plastic parts. The finger tabs and buttons are much more defined and clear cut on the original.
7. The internal plastic structure is a much glossier case than the fake.
Anyhow there is more but thats the most significant.
I purchased mine at Mankind sale on now
also Dabs the PC company are selling them and so are Misco
I have pictures if anyone would like them or i can send them to Mr Angry! just ask
Hope this helps
Dani says :
Thank you Steve Rickman for everything you wrote. I would like to receive /see all the photos you've taken regarding this Fake vs Genuine. I've just bought an confirmed fake Griffin Survivor Ipad Air. If anyone wants to see photos of the fake one them just let me know.
Hope this helps too.
Jodie Churcher says :
Hi steve, I just purchased a griffin, it is due to arrive soon. could you please email me the pictures. Thanks Jodie
Maverick says :
Ordered a new all black Griffin Survivor iPad air case (GB36307) yesterday from Amazon (UK), delivered today and it looks like a fake. What's worrying is that this was sold & dispatched directly from Amazon AND NOT a marketplace seller.
Anyway, packaging arrived rather beat up, on the back it had a bar-code sticker over top of a printed bar-code when peeled back part of it says GB35786-CAMO-BLACK. As previously mentioned Thursday is spelt Tbursday, In the UK address on the bottom of the box Management is spelt Menagement. On the front it says "FOR POUR iPad Air" in white, then "new iPad" in green (isn't the new iPad bigger so how would it fit?). The folded manual supplied in the case looks like a poor scan, over contrast so illustrations can barley be made out. Regards the case itself, it doesn't look that bad everything seems to check out, griffin logo on home button, camera port cut correctly, decent fit (however silicon does seem a little thin around the clips) etc, until you put the iPad in it and get the oil effect all over the screen. Notified Amazon by the automated system (said was damaged and questioned authenticity) and already been refunded (good news) but still have to return it within 30 days so they don't charge me again.
Overall, disappointed :( … Resourced another here in the UK through Argos £44.99 (cheaper than the alternative of going Griffin direct £59.99) which hopefully will prove to be a real one … fingers crossed for when I pick it up this weekend.
Here is a link to the one i bought through amazon -> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FXL45Z2/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TickedOff says :
Thank you Maverick^. Purchased Survivor for iPhone 5 on Amazon and right out of box, screen protector was very scratched, and has a big oil slick. Couldn't find any typos til I checked the bottom of box to see "Menagement" as you wrote. I can't believe I somehow missed reading reviews before I purchased this or I'd have seen a high percentage of complaints about fakes from this seller on this item. I should have realized the discount was too deep but just thought it was a discontinued color or model.
Martin Ambre says :
We need to sue such companies
Who make fake products
Amazon has those products listed
One clear example is http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VXH3UW/ref=twister_B00AHU0S00
Sadly I was cheated by this
And now I m in India
Any suggestions for me
Dea says :
Thanks for this information. I recently purchased a Griffin survivor case and according to the information you provided, everything looks genuine. However, the screen is very very scratched up and although there was no moisture on the clear screen cover, a few moisture spots (small) are under the screen after putting it on my iPad. Also, the one part of the case that snaps on the iPad keeps coming lose. Could it be that it's now on correctly? Or may this possibly be a fake? I'm a little paranoid about this.
Dea says :
I recently purchased the Griffin Survivor case after reading and checking the reviews to prevent from buying a fake one. However, I followed the advice given and check the things stated to look closely at. No issues with packaging, barcode info was original and was able to scan, and it fit as it should. The one issue was still the screen protector was scratched up and little moisture inside but not in a major way as describe on the pictures. Now my scree protector is not very clear and has scratches all over it and white spots that won't come off.
Jennifer says :
I have this case for both my iPad mini and iPad 2. I've had both for over a year at least. The mini seems to be loosing the elasticity on the back, so it feels odd when holding it, which I googled and found this post. The full size case has the oily bubbly look since day 1. Now I'm thinking both of them may be fake. I don't think I kept either of the boxes to check the other tells. Both were purchased on amazon canada, although I have no idea if these were amazon or marketplace. Feeling duped.
Baz says :
Purchased mine for iPad 4 from ebay. Rubber feet on the stand came off in the first 40 seconds. Stand fell off and missing in first 4 hours. No protector for screen cover. Scratched screen protector. No bubble effect. Untrimmed camera cover. No "Survivor" on back of the case across one of the hard plastic diamond shapes. Box was very good. Except the wording on the bottom flap of the box. Super small writing but took zoomed pic and discovered had 5 spelling mistakes.
Seller took too long to respond so posted fake feedback. sent him pics and filed case with eBay. Seller responded confirming bottom flap wording on box was a giveaway and that he'd have to speak to his supplier. Seller refunded full price and asked for return of item and promised to pay for return postage as well.
Seller responded to my fake feedback claiming genuine item.
Wonder how many of these fakes are successfully sold were buyer either doesn't realise or knows and doesn't care or knows and can't be bothered.
Baz says :
The fake was $64 from eBay.
A genuine one is $68 from Big W in Box Hill, Victoria, Australia.
My usual electronics stores were all selling for $99.
But honestly the drive, the parking, the crowd, the 20 min walk to and 20 min walk from, the prices (but not the price in this case), and the stress reminds me why I shop online.
bwh says :
I recently picked up this protector from Amazon and it looked great! But has the weird rubber stick by the camera window. And then my kid spilled a small amount of water on it and it just leaked right into the ipad!!!! So thus my searching and found your site. I wish I kept the packaging. I also get a small oil slick on the screen.
Anne says :
Sorry, this was really helpful, but that so-called "genuine" case was actually a fake. The proof is the "G". That is not on the real survivor case. On a real survivor case, the word "survivor" is written on the lower part of the hard case. Unlike these pictures, the LETTER G is written on the top half. But this case that you showed is relatively a good counterfeit.
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text:
TitleSorption-enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) – A review: Reactor types, catalysts and sorbents characterization, process modelling
Journal titleChemical and Process Engineering
Volumevol. 39
IssueNo 4
Keywordsreactive adsorption ; adsorptive reactors ; reactor modeling ; sorption-enhanced reaction process (SERP) ; steam methane reforming (SMR)
Divisions of PASNauki Techniczne
PublisherPolish Academy of Sciences Committee of Chemical and Process Engineering
TypeArtykuły / Articles
IdentifierDOI: 10.24425/122961 ; ISSN 0208-6425
SourceChemical and Process Engineering; 2018; vol. 39; No 4; 427–448
Editorial Board
Editorial Board
Ali Mesbach, UC Berkeley, USA
Anna Gancarczyk, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
Anna Trusek, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland
Bettina Muster-Slawitsch, AAE Intec, Austria
Daria Camilla Boffito, Polytechnique Montreal, Canada
Donata Konopacka-Łyskawa, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
Dorota Antos, Rzeszów University of Technology, Poland
Evgeny Rebrov, University of Warwick, UK
Georgios Stefanidis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Ireneusz Grubecki, Bydgoszcz Univeristy of Science and Technology, Poland
Johan Tinge, Fibrant B.V., The Netherlands
Katarzyna Bizon, Cracow University of Technology, Poland
Katarzyna Szymańska, Silesian University of Technology, Poland
Marcin Bizukojć, Łódź University of Technology, Poland
Marek Ochowiak, Poznań University of Technology, Poland
Mirko Skiborowski, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
Nikola Nikacevic, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Rafał Rakoczy, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland
Richard Lakerveld, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Tom van Gerven, KU Leuven, Belgium
Tomasz Sosnowski, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
Open Access PolicyChemical and Process Engineering is an open access journal with all content available with no charge in full text version.
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All articles published in "Advances in Geodesy and Geoinformation" are available on-line to all users immediately upon publication free of charge for the readers.


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A 3-year-old boy is believed to have fired the shot that killed a 1-year-old Sunday in Cleveland with an "unattended firearm," prompting the city's police chief to admonish the public's "fascination" with handguns.
"It's a sad day for Cleveland," said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams during a news conference Sunday afternoon. Williams told NBC affiliate WKYC that investigators believe a 3-year-old fired the shot that killed the 1-year-old at a home in the city's east side. The victim, identified as Braylon Robinson, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"Currently we're investigating where this firearm came from. We're also investigating how this tragedy actually happened," Williams told reporters outside of the home Sunday afternoon. "But everybody has to know that this fascination we have with handguns, not just in this city but in this country, has to stop."
"This is a senseless loss of life in this city again, and it's directly related to guns, and we need to really take a hard look at the things that we're doing out there on the state, local and the national level to get these guns out of our communities," Williams added. "Nothing good ever happens."
The person or people responsible for leaving the gun unsecured will likely be charged, WKYC reported.
— Elisha Fieldstadt


text:
Michael Lutz, was a former Milwaukee police office. In 2015 he ran for the 11th District Aldermanic seat, placing fourth.
Lutz died July 26th, 2015 at the age of 44 in an apparent suicide.
Content referencing Michael Lutz
John Doe Controversy Gets Even Stranger
Judge Lynn Adelman seemed mystified by attorneys for both sides in suit against John Chisholm.Apr 20th, 2016 by Bruce Thompson
Have Anti-John Doe Forces Blundered?
They could open door to federal court questioning state Supreme Court's shutdown of Doe probe.Feb 29th, 2016 by Bruce Thompson
Report says former officer reportedly made threats before suicideJul 27th, 2015 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Jesse Garza
Former aldermanic candidate Michael Lutz dies in apparent suicideJul 26th, 2015 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Bill Glauber
Race for Dudzik's Seat Could Get Heated
Will anti-streetcar group get involved? And did Journal Sentinel exaggerate the number of candidates?Jun 4th, 2015 by Michael Horne
Did Doe Investigators Trash the Rule of Law?
National Review and Fox News run stories about "fascist midnight raids." Are they right?May 6th, 2015 by Bill Lueders


text:
While World Cup qualifying grabs the headlines, players from the Timbers and Thorns are going to work – wielding paint brushes and shovels.
For the past six years, the Timbers organization has staged Stand Together Week, a massive volunteer effort – recognized by the city of Portland – that involves players, front office staff, supporters and anyone else who wants to join in.
Partnered with Hands on Greater Portland, the team identifies nonprofits that need help then unleashes volunteers. Scores of projects are lined up on any given day. Even Timbers organization owner Merritt Paulson helped clean and weed a park this week.
[ MORE: USMNT-T&T preview ]
Most professional sports teams and athletes do charitable work, but it's unusual for an entire team to collectively devote an entire week and help dozens of organizations all at once. The team says that since 2012, Stand Together volunteers have devoted 12,631 hours of service at more than 163 events benefiting kids and the environment.
Paulson said the Timbers get inquiries from other pro sports teams about how it works.
"A weeklong, city-endorsed celebration with over 1,000 volunteers, and players from all three of our teams – the Timbers, Thorns and T2 – engaged in the community, it's just unbelievably special," Paulson said. "And it's a huge undertaking. When we first did it I remember pushing back on my staff and asking `Are we spreading ourselves too thin?' and `Do you think people will really turn out?' The answer was yes, and then some. Each of these events gets filled to the brim with volunteers."
The Timbers enjoy a unique relationship with the city that dates back to 1975, which the team joined the NASL. The Timbers have sold out 114 matches, and the Thorns have the highest average attendance (by far) in the National Women's Soccer League.
"We didn't do it to build a brand, we did it because it's who we are," Paulson said. "We take our responsibility to shine a light on areas that could use a little more help extremely seriously, as I think any sports team should. But there's no question I think that what we're doing and the way we're doing it is unique."
On Tuesday, Timbers players Diego Chara and Victor Arboleda helped out at a development being built by Willamette West Habitat for Humanity.
[ MORE: How will Arena line 'em up? ]
Chara was charged with clearing out invasive berry bushes near the home.
"I think for me it's spending time in the community, for me that's the key part," Chara said. "It's a different project (than soccer), and I think every player enjoys that."
Later in the evening, Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri and Thorns coach Mark Parsons were among those who helped paint two visiting rooms at the Beaverton, Oregon, offices of the Department of Human Services.
As Parsons detailed a mural, a fellow volunteer asked him if he was an artist.
"Quite the opposite. I'm horrendous," Parsons said, laughing. "But I try."
GAME (S) OF THE WEEK: The U.S. national team plays in a pair of World Cup qualifying matches this week. First up is a match Thursday night against Trinidad and Tobago in Colorado. Then the Americans travel for a match against Mexico in Mexico City.
The United States is in fourth place in its six-team group with four points, while Trinidad and Tobago is last with three points. Mexico leads the standings with 10 points. The top three teams from the group qualify, with the fourth-place squad going to a playoff against Asia's No. 5 nation.
Because of qualifying games, many regular MLS players are currently with their national teams.
OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST: There are only three games up this weekend, all on Saturday: Atlanta plays at the Chicago Fire, FC Dallas visits the Timbers, and Sporting Kansas City hosts Montreal.
HONORS: FC Dallas winger Roland Lamah was named the Player of the Week for his three goals in a 6-2 victory over Real Salt Lake last Saturday. It was his first pro hat trick.
Meanwhile, Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic was voted Player of the Month by the media. He had six goals and an assist in May, while the Fire went 4-0-1.
Nikolic leads the league with 11 goals this season.
CANADIAN PRIDE: Sixteen-year-old Vancouver midfielder Alphonso Davies had a big Tuesday. Not only did his become a Canadian citizen, he got called up to the Canadian national team.
"Not many people can say they're a Canadian citizen, knowing that it's one of the best countries in the world. I'm very proud that I'm one of those people," he said in a statement after passing the test. "I'm also extremely thankful to my parents for everything they've done throughout the years, carrying the family to this safe environment. This is our home. This is where I grew up. And now to have the opportunity to represent the men's national team is a great honor."
Davies will join the Canadian team for a training camp in Montreal in advance of an exhibition match against Curacao.
Davies, whose parents fled Liberia, was born in Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. The family moved to Canada when he was 5 years old.


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by JAYME BLASHKE
Famed French Impressionist Claude Monet created a striking scene of the Normandy coast in his 1883 painting, "Étretat: Sunset." Now a team of Texas State University researchers, led by astronomer and physics professor Donald Olson, has applied its distinctive brand of forensic astronomy to Monet's masterpiece, uncovering previously unknown details about the painting's origins.
Olson, along with Texas State physics faculty member Russell Doescher and Texas State Honors College students Hannah Reynolds, Ava Pope and Laura Bright, publish their findings in the February 2014 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, on newsstands now.
"Claude Monet, founding member of the Impressionist movement, painted a dramatic scene on the Normandy coast," Olson said. "The canvas shows the orange disk of the Sun sinking toward the horizon near a spectacular line of cliffs.
"We like to use astronomy to show students how science can solve real-world puzzles," he explained. "We asked, 'Could we use the dramatic rocks in the landscape and the position of the setting sun to determine where and when, specifically, Monet created this beautiful masterpiece?'"
Monet painted a series of paintings featuring this stretch of the Normandy coast during his three-week visit to the area during the winter of 1883. With "Étretat: Sunset," Monet painted a cliff known as the Falaise d'Aval along with the arch Porte d'Aval overlapping a tall, needle-shaped rock spire known as Aiguille (the Needle) that stands just offshore. Key to the image, however, is a low, setting sun just to the right of the landforms. Of all the paintings Monet painted at Étretat, this is the only canvas that includes the disk of the sun, and that one detail opens the door to date the scene precisely.
To determine on which days in February the sun would've set in the proper location for Monet to capture in his painting, the team of Texas State researchers traveled in August 2012 to France.
Previously, art historians wrote that the scene had been painted by Monet standing just a few yards from a small arch called Porte d'Amont to the northeast of Étretat. But Olson quickly determined that for an observer in that location the Porte d'Aval and Aiguille do not overlap, and another rock formation is visible through the Aval arch–clearly a different view from Monet's.
The research team made extensive topographic measurements of the terrain at Étretat. To determine the exact locations where Monet stood, they walked systematically from one end of the beach to the other at low tide, armed with postcard-size reproductions of about a dozen Monet paintings of the area. They located the precise vantage points from which Monet created the various paintings.
"We were going out there at low water — it's just safer that way," Olson explained. "You don't want to get caught on these beaches at high tide.
"Ava is accustomed to difficult hiking terrain, and she said that the beaches near Étretat had the most difficult footing she'd ever been on in her life. It's really tough," he said. "And as you get farther out, it gets worse, because it's slippery, with the rocks covered with seaweed that's still wet from the previous high tide. Here's the thing that we realized from this research trip–Monet went out there with all of his painting equipment!"
The Texas State team found that the view matched the scene depicted in "Étretat: Sunset" at only one location—a spot 425 yards from the Porte d'Amont on a rocky beach under an overhanging cliff.
The researchers used planetarium software to compare the modern sky to that of the 19th century. Since the Texas State team visited in the summer, the sun was out of position to replicate the sunset from Monet's painting. The waxing crescent moon, however, offered a convenient stand-in during the early evening hours, and star-fields became visible after moonset. By determining an astronomical coordinate called declination for the moon and stars, they were able to calculate the sun would have set along that path on Feb. 5, 1883. Allowing for some uncertainty, the researchers concluded that the correct date must fall in the range between Feb. 3 and Feb. 7, 1883.
The group then combed through letters Monet wrote from Étretat during his stay, along with weather records and tide tables from February of 1883 to confirm their date. They discovered that on Feb. 3 Monet was working on nearby Jambourg Beach and that the artist spent all day Feb. 4 entertaining his visiting brother. The tides of Feb. 6 did not match the painting, and Monet's letters show that he paid close attention to the tides. On Feb. 7 cloudy weather and rain storms began. Through the process of elimination, the calculated date of Feb. 5 is the only one remaining that matches the sun's position, the weather and the tide level in the painting.
Armed with that knowledge, the Texas State team used the height of the needle-like Aiguille formation to calculate the exact time from the altitude of the sun above the horizon.
"We were able to determine the month, day, hour and precise minute–accurate to plus or minus one minute — when Monet was inspired by that beautiful scene," Olson said. "Monet observed this sunset on Feb. 5, 1883 at 4:53 p.m. local mean time."
In addition to publication in the February 2014 issue of Sky & Telescope, the research into the Monet painting is one of two new projects included in Celestial Sleuth: Using Astronomy to Solve Mysteries in Art, History and Literature, out now from Springer Praxis Books.
The book collects many of Olson's past forensic astronomy studies published over the past 25 years, including such topics as the Boston Tea Party, Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain, the first Marathon run in ancient Greece; the works of Mary Shelley, Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Omar Khayyam and Geoffrey Chaucer; and night skies depicted by artists such as Edvard Munch, J.M.W. Turner and Vincent van Gogh.
JAYME BLACHKE is director of Texas State University's News Service.Email | Print


text: Since Inception, Malla Reddy Institute of Management has A Path Breaking Recruitment Record For Graduates From Various Academic backgrouds. We offer our students comprehensive opportunities to occupy themselves with questions around their career planning right from the beginning of their studies. A broadly diversified choice of career activities accompanies them during their studies and offers numerous networking opportunities with company representatives and alumni.


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Autocar Pro News Desk ,
25 Sep 2018
Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, today handed over six electric cars to senior officials of the Public Works Department, Government of Maharashtra. The ceremonial handover of keys took place in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Mantralaya.
The occasion also marked the installation of five charging stations at Mantralaya in Mumbai and two chargers in Nagpur. These six cars are the initial set and a total of 1000 electric vehicles will be leased out to the Government of Maharashtra in a phased manner by EESL.
The Government of Maharashtra had announced its Electric Vehicle and Related Infrastructure Policy – 2018 with a vision to establish the state as a globally competitive destination for electric vehicles and component manufacturing while simultaneously promoting their wide-spread adoption.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, said, "Maharashtra has initiated multi-pronged projects towards transitioning to an eco-friendly and sustainable transport system. Electric mobility is an attractive, sustainable and profitable solution to mitigate climate change and the threat to public health caused by vehicular emission. Today's event is an important milestone in our journey towards enabling this transition."
Minister for Public Works Department, Chandrakant Dada Patil said, "The state government is committed to reduce carbon footprint by increasing the use of electric vehicles and to develop allied technologies. The government is thinking of long-term measures to make drastic changes in the transport sector and related infrastructure. We are also going all out to develop e-mobility and the necessary ecosystem which needs to be built around it."
Saurabh Kumar, managing director, EESL said, "The Government of Maharashtra is committed to enabling new technologies including EVs to reduce its carbon footprint. The state's Electric Vehicle and Related Infrastructure Policy highlights its long-term vision of making EVs a game-changing proposition in the transport sector. It is our endeavor to support this mission of the Maharashtra Government by promoting e-mobility and enabling a robust EV ecosystem."
Towards enabling the Indian Government's e-mobility vision, EESL first plans to replace the 500,000 conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars being used in government offices with electric variants. EESL has also established charging infrastructure across all the states where EVs are being deployed.
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text: Green adult apron, sized for a man, but a woman can wear it too! The apron has an adjustable strap for easy fitting of many sizes of people. It has two pockets. One pocket at bust level and the other below the waistline with stitching giving the pocket two sections. Made of cotton for easy laundering. The apron without the strap is 33" long. Fits waists 34" to 46".


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"O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
Jesus spoke these words to His two disciples as they ventured along the road to Emmaus. And while they walked, He instructed them in the Messianic texts of the Old Testament. "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27).
Drawn from this passage, the theme for the GARBC 2016 Conference was "Proclaiming Christ from the Old Testament." The conference, hosted by Harvest New Beginnings in Oswego, Illinois, June 28—July 1, emphasized the prophetic hope of the Old Testament Scriptures: Messiah is coming, and He will make all things right.
Keynote speakers were John Greening, national representative of the GARBC; Jim Lytle, president of Clarks Summit University; Daniel Davey, president of Virginia Beach Theological Seminary; and Scott Poling, pastor of Harvest New Beginnings.
"If only Israel could have a king that would exude all of David's good traits and none of his bad ones," Davey said, reflecting on the prophetic thrust of Isaiah's Messianic prophecies. "What if he was always righteous and never unrighteous? What if he could rule with fidelity to truth? What if he was so powerful that Israel would no longer be a slave to any nation again? And what if he was so appealing that the nations would want to follow him?" That's exactly what Israel needed. Indeed, it's what the entire world needed. And, at the Incarnation, that's exactly what God provided.
The ongoing cultural and social upheavals also featured prominently in many of the conference workshops and meetings. Several well-attended workshops dealt with themes such as homosexuality, gender identity, and the family structure. During his keynote address, Jim Lytle noted that the prevailing opinions of our day echo the attitudes of the kings and rulers depicted in Psalm 2:2 and 3: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.'" But whatever may happen in the turbulent realm of domestic politics, the Messiah will ultimately have His way. "Even though Jesus' opponents are united and powerful," Lytle said, "His kingship is certain and He will rule absolutely. So let's joyfully submit to Him!"
Additional workshops addressed other ministerial and theological topics, including preaching, ministering as a pastor's wife, outreach, treating Sunday School teachers as VIPs, the Christian's relationship to the Old Testament law, and understanding the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.
On Wednesday evening, outgoing Council of Eighteen chairman Ken Floyd honored John and Daria Greening for their 20 of years of leadership ministry to the association. "For two decades John Greening has been God's faithful servant, the GARBC's national representative, and the partner and friend to all of us who serve as a part of this network of churches and ministries," Floyd said. "The impact of John's longevity is obvious by the way in which the ministries of the GARBC have been enhanced and expanded. We give thanks to God for the Regular Baptist ministries, many of which have been developed or significantly enhanced under John's direction."
At the annual business meeting, attendees voted to receive six new churches into the association: Exodus Fundamental Baptist Church (Elmhurst, New York); First Baptist Church (Blanchester, Ohio); Lakewood Conservative Baptist Church (Lakewood, Washington); Liberty Baptist Church (Pueblo, Colorado); The Rock Baptist Church (Greenville, Texas); and Two Rivers Baptist Church (Rice, Minnesota). "In all our years of existence—ever since 1932—every GARBC church was a new, incoming church at one time," said John Greening. "It is always a great delight to welcome new churches into the fellowship."
Attendees also voted on two resolutions, "Proclaiming Christ from the Old Testament" and "Resolution Concerning Appreciation for Host Church." "We express our hearts of gratitude [to Harvest New Beginnings]," the latter read in part, "concurring with the apostle Paul in Philemon 1:7, when he wrote, 'For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you.'"
Special attention was paid to the association's newly launched church planting program. National Church Planting Coordinator Clare Jewell enthusiastically introduced the Genesis Initiative to the conferees. The goal of the initiative is to plant 100 Regular Baptist churches by 2025. "God declares that He has a passion for multiplication," Jewell said. "That's why the GARBC is launching the Genesis Initiative to help multiply Baptist churches, committed to reaching lost people, committed to fulfilling the mission that Christ came to initiate."
The initiative's goal may seem ambitious, but Jewell believes it is altogether feasible with God's help. "The book of Acts is really a story of ordinary men who had faith in an extraordinary God," Jewell explained. "Let's do that again."
Tim Capon, state representative of the Iowa Association of Regular Baptist Churches and member of the Council of Eighteen, cited Jewell's presentations as a major highlight of the conference. "Church planting is so important for the future of our association, so I'm very excited by the church planting initiative," he said. "Meeting with Clare Jewell and hearing from him was a real blessing."
On Thursday morning, attendees enjoyed a special presentation of ancient manuscripts of the Bible and related artifacts by Dr. Scott Carroll, founder and director of the National Bible Museum in Washington, D.C. Carroll is known for building the two largest privately held collections of Bibles and biblically related materials in the world. His presentation emphasized how God has providentially preserved His Word even through times of massive upheaval and destruction.
On Friday morning, John Greening brought the conference to a close by exhorting those in attendance to put into practice all that they had heard during the week. "We go to preach Christ, to love Christ, and to live Christ," he said. "And in so doing, to bring Him glory."
Plans are already well underway for next year's conference, "Best Church Practices." It will be held June 27–30 at Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland.


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OK, so I missed Christmas but I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and got just what they wanted from Santa. That fat git needs to stop giving me deodorant because I got the picture more than a few years ago.
Anyway, since people still have their decorations up then I can still talk about something that's a bit Christmassy and when I say 'a bit' Christmassy, I do of course mean that 'Home Alone' is as much of a Christmas film as 'Die Hard'. Both films take place at Christmas but the central plot has almost sod all to do with Christmas.
Take 'Home Alone'. The plot involves a nine-year old boy, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) having a row with his absurdly large family the night before they are set to leave on a plane to Paris for Christmas. Due to a clock related cock-up, the family rush to the airport and board the plane a little too late to realise that they've left little Kevin behind. Meanwhile, 'The Wet Bandits', Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), local burglars who are infamous for robbing private homes and flooding them afterwards, target the McCallister's home. It's up to Kevin to protect his family home with some elaborate and some might say 'deadly' traps.
I'm well aware that this film is a classic and is fairly light-hearted in it's delivery but when you look underneath the surface, there's something quite malevolent going on here and not just on the sides of the burglars.
I'm fairly certain that Kevin McCallister is an evil genius. In a very short space of time, he's rigged his house with so many traps that a Health and Safety inspector would have to produce a 'Risk Assessment' sheet about seventy thousand pages long and then have a heart attack. In the opening scenes, he doesn't show any kind of prominence in creating traps but once he realises he's in danger, he's quick to pull out the Christmas tree ornaments and blowtorches as a means of defence.
The casting of the two villains was second to none. I was fairly surprised to see Joe Pesci (not when I was a kid because I didn't know who he was) who rose to prominence by playing foul-mouthed gangsters in 'The Death Collector (1976)', 'Catchfire (1990)' and 'Goodfellas (1990)' to name three but I'm pretty sure that every other character he's ever played has been in the mafia. I'm not judging him for it, he's very good at it. The point is that I think that this film and the sequel were the only 'kids' films he's ever done. These two and arguably 'Moonwalker (1988)'.
Also, if it weren't presented in such a light-hearted and comedic tone and done in a more sinister way, this could easily be a horror movie. I'm reminded of the final act of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)' when Nancy prepares her home with improvised weaponry so when she pulls Freddy Krueger into the real world, he's in for a surprise.
Think about it. A small child, home alone, in a big house and two burglars are trying to get in. If I were them and the kid has just shot me in the face with a BB gun and then I've slipped down a flight of stairs, I'd give up and go home. You'd also think that thought would arise again once you've taken an iron to the face. Or had you're head burned with a blowtorch. Or stepped on a nail. Or had a tarantula placed on your face. That last one would be the last straw for me. No amount of stolen goods is worth having a massive, poisonous spider placed on your face. Game over.
What I like about this film is that because it's told from a child's perspective the writer (John Hughes) must have asked himself the pivotal question. If I were a child at home with no parental supervision, what would I do? And the answer to that question comes across via events in the film. Kevin invades his big brother's room; he eats a lot of ice cream, he watches violent films, he sleeps in his parent's bed and to cap it all, he goes sledding down the stairs which must have been where 'Jackass' got the idea to do it.
Embedded in the film are also a few 'child-like' traits. Kevin is scared of the furnace in the basement that looks like a huge face that breathes fire and there's the rumour of 'Old Man Marley' (Roberts Blossom) who the local kids say murdered his family. Of course this turns out not to be true and he's really just a lonely old man who's estranged from his son and meets up with Kevin in the church where he goes to watch his granddaughter sing in the choir.
The film also focuses on Kevin's mum, Kate McCallister (Catherine O'Hara) trying to make her way home from Paris. On the way, she has to hock a lot of her jewellery to buy a ticket to Chicago from another passenger and travel with a kindly Polka band in the back of their truck.
What else is there to say about it? It's 'Home Alone'. It's a Christmas classic and the very nature of having a headstrong, savvy child outwit a couple of almost buffoonish criminals with clever, dangerous but funny traps became the basis for another four sequels.
'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)' took place one year after the events of the first film and was essentially the first film done again but with a bigger budget. It once again centred around the McCallister family as they fly to Miami for Christmas and Kevin accidentally gets on the wrong plane. Harry and Marv return as the villains but the second film became a much more 'star-studded' affair with such appearances as Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show) as the Concierge of the Plaza Hotel; Rob Schneider as the bellhop, veteran actor, Eddie Bracken as the kindly, toy shop owner, Mr Duncan and a cameo appearance of the then millionaire businessman and current President of the United States, Donald Trump. You can take that last one as either a good thing or a bad thing depending on who's side you're on. Nevertheless, the second 'Home Alone' pressed all the same buttons and it just felt like they'd taken the script of the first film, changed the city, changed the traps and broke up for lunch. I liked it because I liked the first and it was basically that. Just bigger.
Although early drafts of 'Home Alone 3(1997)' had a teenage Kevin facing Harry and Marv once again, I think it made sense from a story-writing perspective to focus on a different family rather than the McCallisters since leaving/losing your child for a third time might warrant a visit from social services.
Instead, 'Home Alone 3' focuses on Alex Pruitt (Alex D. Linz), an 8-year-old boy who is left at home by his working mother as he is struck with the chicken pox at Christmas time. He is given a remote control car by his elderly neighbour lady as payment for shovelling snow for her and inside the toy car is a computer chip that is being hunted by 4 international criminal masterminds.
People were down on this instalment but you know what? I didn't think it was that bad. The 4 bad guys offered a satisfactory comedic element whilst the traps were fairly intuitive if maybe a little bit extravagant for an 8-year-old to put together. Are you expecting me to believe that a child can lift a giant trampoline, place it on a motorised trailer and position it over a swimming pool? One thing that I did appreciate was the that Alex was already perceived from the beginning to be a 'tinkerer' who goes to the trouble of fixing together a contraption that flings fish-food into a gold-fish bowl.
The other two I haven't seen but they were 'direct to video' and by all accounts were shit anyway.
Nevertheless, the original 'Home Alone' is a classic and the first two are always on TV around Christmas time. I watched them this year as adult and really enjoyed them so I suppose they are 'fun for all the family'. Happy New Year! May 2019 bring you all happiness and prosperity.


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Talking to reporters in his weekly press conference, Jaber-Ansari reiterated that Iran's missile systems are not related to the country's nuclear agreement and are meant to follow a purely defensive framework.
'Iran's criteria in JCPOA deal and any legislation that comes into force from US and violates JCPOA would be followed by countermeasures from Iran,' he added.
Jaberi-Ansari reiterated that the exact time for implementation of JCPOA has not been finalized yet and all obligations by the two sides should proceed.
On January 5, 2016, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired exclusive footage of the deep underground tunnel filled with numerous precision-guided long-range Emad ballistic missiles.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) first underground missile facility was unveiled on October 14, 2015.
Iran successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface missile, which has been completely designed and manufactured by experts of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense, on October 11.