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After having turned in one of the most successful regular seasons in program history, the 2012 season now becomes a one-game season for the Laguna Beach High football team.
The Breakers completed an unbeaten regular season on Nov. 1 when they defeated host Costa Mesa, 35-28. The victory sewed up an outright Orange Coast League title for the Breakers and took them to 9-0-1 overall. The last time a Laguna team completed the regular season without a loss, was the 1968 squad, which went 9-0.
The 1937 and 1946 teams are the other two teams to finish without a loss during the regular season.
Now, Laguna has its sights on postseason play. The Breakers begin the next portion of their season Friday when they play host to Loara in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs. Game time is 7 p.m. at Guyer Field.
"I've been telling the kids every week throughout the season, that the game they were about to play that week, was the most important one of the season," Laguna Coach Mike Churchill said. "Like last week's Costa Mesa game. We beat Estancia a few weeks ago, but if we lost to Costa Mesa, we wouldn't be outright league champs.
"Friday is the most important game we'll play yet. It's that time of the season where half of the teams left in our division, will be gone, eliminated, by Saturday."
Laguna earned the No. 2 seed in the 16-team Southern Division bracket. The Breakers are seeded behind Pacific Coast League champion Corona del Mar (8-2), which won the division title last year. Garden Grove, champion of the Garden Grove League and 8-2 overall, is the No. 3 seed. Orange League champ Katella (8-2) is the No. 4 seed.
"I think the best [playoff] draw went to CdM, and they deserve it," Churchill said. "There's only so many ways you can shuffle that deck.
"Our kids are really focused. They talked about the playoffs during the summertime because they knew that they had the potential to be a very good team. Now, we're here. It's nice to be heading into the playoffs as a league champion."
Laguna secured that title by fending off a determined Costa Mesa team Nov. 1. The Breakers fell behind, 7-0, but took a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter when Robert Clemons scored on an 18-yard run on an inside handoff. The score came one play after quarterback Larry Stewart hit Jake Hexberg on a slant pattern for a 20-yard gain on a fourth-down play.
Two plays after Clemons scored, Drake Martinez came up with an interception and 34-yard return to set Laguna up at the Costa Mesa 11-yard line. Two plays later, Martinez went airborne over a pair of Costa Mesa players and propelled himself, head-first, into the end zone. The score led to a 21-7 halftime lead.
The Breakers looked as though they would pull away when they opened up a 28-7 advantage after scoring on the opening possession of the second half. Facing a third-and-14 from the Laguna 19, Stewart sent a pin-point pass to the middle of the field where Clemons raced to make the catch at the Costa Mesa 40. Clemons then angled his way to an 81-yard touchdown.
Costa Mesa rallied to within 28-20 on a pair of touchdown runs by Oronde Crenshaw who rushed for 278 yards. Martinez, though, gave the Breakers a cushion when he answered with a nine-yard touchdown run that took the score to 35-20 a minute into the fourth quarter. Crenshaw reached the end zone one final time on a 10-yard run for the game's final score.
With 3:55 left in the game, Laguna starting defensive end Ricky Coury went down with an injury. Coury, who showed movement in his legs and arms, was on the ground for more than 10 minutes before he was taken by stretcher off the field. Churchill, who said Wednesday that the injury was a "contusion of the neck," said that Coury was taken to Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, but was released late Friday night.
"Thankfully, it's not serious, but his neck is sore," Churchill said.
Laguna's first-round playoff opponent Friday, Loara, played its final regular-season game last week and ended up a triple winner. Hitting a trifecta over a two-day period, was all it took to put the Saxons in the playoffs.
When second-place Orange lost to previously winless Santa Ana on Nov. 1, it kept Loara in the mix for a possible playoff berth. The next day, the Saxons won a third-place coin flip, then went out and defeated Ocean View, 28-17, to make the postseason a reality. Loara, Orange and Ocean View had finished in a tie for third place.
Running back Joseph Stirrat rushed for two touchdowns and quarterback David Gistlinck, who has thrown for 1,085 yards, threw two TD passes in the win against Ocean View. Stirrat's performance eased the absence of leading rusher Connor O'Shea, who was injured in the first quarter.
The win was just the third of the season for Saxons, who are 3-7 overall.
"The one thing that jumps out to me about them, is that they aren't overly big and that we match up well," Churchill said. "They have a couple of key players. That running back [O'Shea] is a darn good player who has a ton of yards, and they have a quarterback [Gistlinck], who can throw the ball pretty well."
A win Friday would give Laguna its fourth 10-win season in the program's 78-year history. Last year's Breakers earned the distinction of becoming the third team to do so when they went 10-3 and reached the semifinal round of the Southern Division playoffs.
Postseason news
The CIF Southern Section football playoffs continue with quarterfinal games on Nov. 16. Division semifinals are Nov. 23. The Southern Division championship game is at 2 p.m. Dec. 1 at Angel Stadium.
The CIF State Bowl Championships (Divisions I, II, III, Small Schools) are Dec. 14-15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson.
Laguna Results (9-0-1)
62...Bolsa Grande...14
74...John Glenn...19
31...St. Margaret's...17
56...*Calvary Chapel...13
35...*Costa Mesa...28
Friday: vs. ^Loara, 7 p.m.
(*denotes league game; ^denotes CIF game)
Twitter: @MikeSciacca


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Bering Sea and Strait, Russian Beringovo More and Proliv Beringa, northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean, separating the continents of Asia and North America. To the north the Bering Sea connects with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait, at the narrowest point of which the two continents are about 53 miles (85 kilometres) apart. The boundary between the United States and Russia passes through the sea and the strait.
The Bering Sea roughly resembles a triangle with its apex to the north and its base formed by the 1,100-mile-long arc of the Alaska Peninsula in the east; the Aleutian Islands, which constitute part of the U.S. state of Alaska, in the south; and the Komandor (Commander) Islands in the west. Its area is about 890,000 square miles (2,304,000 square kilometres), including its islands. The maximum width from east to west is about 1,490 miles and from north to south about 990 miles.
The Bering Strait is a relatively shallow passage averaging 100 to 165 feet (30 to 50 metres) in depth. During the Ice Age the sea level fell by several hundred feet, making the strait into a land bridge between the continents of Asia and North America, over which a considerable migration of plants and animals occurred.
In addition to the Aleutian and Komandor groups, there are several other large islands in both the sea and strait. These include Nunivak, St. Lawrence, and Nelson islands in Alaskan waters and Karagin Island in Russian waters.
Physical features
The Bering Sea may be divided into two nearly equal parts: a relatively shallow area along the continental and insular shelves in the north and east and a much deeper area in the southwest. In the shelf area, which is an enormous underwater plain, the depths are, in most cases, less than 500 feet. The deep part in the southwestern portion of the sea is also a plain, lying at depths of 12,000 to 13,000 feet and divided by separate ridges into three basins: the larger Aleutian Basin to the north and east, the Bowers Basin to the south, and the Komandor Basin to the west. The sea's deepest point, 13,442 feet (4,097 metres), is in the Bowers Basin.
The continental crust is more than 12 miles thick along the shallow shelves and in the Aleutian Islands. The thickness decreases in the slope areas, and in the deep part of the sea the crust is 6 to 9 miles thick.
Enormous quantities of sedimentary material enter the sea annually from the land as a result of erosion of the shore. Plant and animal life at the surface also produce sedimentary material, but very little reaches the bottom, and consequently most of the sediment on the floor of the sea is from the land. Along with a great deal of silica, the bottom ooze holds a large quantity of boulders, pebbles, and gravel torn from the shores by ice and carried out to sea. In the southern part, the sediments are rich in material of volcanic origin.
Although the Bering Sea is situated in the same latitude as Great Britain, its climate is much more severe. The southern and western parts are characterized by cool, rainy summers with frequent fogs and comparatively warm, snowy winters. Winters are extreme in the northern and eastern portions, with temperatures of -31° to -49° F (-35° to -45° C) and high winds. The summers in the north and east are cool, with comparatively low precipitation. Snow persists on the Koryak coast for as long as 8 months and on the Chukchi Peninsula for nearly 10 months, with a snow cover one to two feet thick. The annual precipitation in the southern part of the sea is more than 40 inches (1,000 millimetres), mainly in the form of rainfall, while in the northern part the precipitation is less than half as much and is mainly snow.
Mean annual air temperatures range from -14° F (-10° C) in the northern areas to about 39° F (4° C) in the southern parts. Water temperatures on the surface average from 34° F (1° C) in the north to 41° F (5° C) in the south. The period without frosts lasts for about 80 days in the northern part of the sea, where snow is common even in the summer and maximum temperatures are only 68° F (20° C). In the southern area there are nearly 150 days without frost, and the temperature seldom falls much below freezing. January and February are the coldest months, July and August the warmest. Severe storms caused by strong centres of low atmospheric pressure occasionally penetrate the southern part of the sea.
Practically all of the Bering Sea water comes from the Pacific Ocean. The salinity of the surface water is relatively low, 31 to 33 parts per thousand; in the deeper parts of the sea the salinity increases to 35 parts per thousand near the bottom. In winter the northern portion of the sea is covered with ice, and even in summer the water below the surface retains a subfreezing temperature. The structure of the Bering Sea waters in general is subarctic, characterized by the presence in summer of a cold intermediate layer with warmer waters above and below. During the summer the surface water is heated, but a considerable layer of water that was cooled during the winter remains cold and is known as the cold intermediate layer. The maximum thickness of this intermediate layer is about 475 feet in the northern part of the sea and as much as 280 feet in the south. Underneath this layer is one that is slightly warmer, below which lie the colder bottom waters. In the northern and eastern shallow regions of the sea, only two upper layers develop: surface water and a cooler intermediate layer.
Warm oceanic waters from the south enter the Bering Sea through the numerous straits of the Fox Islands, through the Amchitka and Tanaga passes, and to a great extent through the Blizhny Strait between Attu and Medny islands. The Attu, Tanaga, and Transverse currents carry the warm water to the northwest. The Transverse Current, proceeding along the Asian continental slope in the direction of Cape Navarin, branches in two: one branch forms the Lawrence Current moving northward, and the other joins the Anadyr Current, which in turn gives birth to a powerful Kamchatka Current that governs the southward movement of the Bering Sea waters along the Asian coasts. Near the Alaska coast the general direction of the water is to the north, a factor responsible for the less severe ice conditions in that part of the sea as compared with the western part. Some of the Bering Sea water passes through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean, but the bulk of it returns to the Pacific. The deep Bering Sea waters rise gradually to the surface and return to the Pacific as surface waters. Thus, the Bering Sea is an important factor in the general circulation of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean waters. The rise to the surface of oceanic waters rich in nutrient salts gives the sea a high biological productivity.
Economic aspects
Biological and mineral resources
The existence in the Bering Sea of the cold intermediate layer separating the deep waters, which are rich in nutrient salts, from the upper photic layer (i.e., the layer exposed to sunlight) results in two growths of floating plant life during the year. The first growth occurs in the spring after the mixing of waters in winter, and the second during the autumnal mixing, when the cold surface waters descend and the deeper waters come to the surface while there is still sufficient sunlight for plant growth.
This floating plant life consists of some 160 species, of which the most common are diatom algae. The largest concentration of diatoms have been found in the shallow part of the sea. Diatoms are the principal producers of organic matter, and they are consumed by small copepods (microscopic crustaceans), which in turn become the food of fish and mammals. On the continental shelf there are vast quantities of mollusks, echinoderms (particularly sea urchins and starfish), and barnacles. Also abundant on the shelves are sponges, marine worms, and crustaceans. In the southern regions, down to depths of 100 or 130 feet, populations of giant brown algae grow like forests on the rocky bottom. There are about 200 species of algae, some reaching lengths of 200 to 300 feet.
The Bering Sea has more than 300 species of fish, including 50 deep-sea species, of which 25 are caught commercially. The most important among them are salmon, herring, cod, flounder, halibut, and pollack. The islands are breeding grounds for the fur seal and the sea otter. The northern areas are inhabited by the walrus, seal, and sea lion. Several whale species, notably gray whales, migrate to Bering waters to feed during the summer. Intensive fishing in the last half of the 20th century has drastically reduced some of the most valuable fish species, and this has led to greater exploitation of less commercially valuable species.
Oil and gas deposits are believed to exist under the Bering Shelf and along the margin of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The extent of potential reserves, however, is unknown.
The Bering Sea is considered to be one of the most difficult bodies of water to navigate. Winter storms are frequent and severe, often coating the superstructures of ships with ice. Wave heights may exceed 40 feet. Added to these hazards are powerful tidal currents in many parts of the sea and fog, rain, and floating ice in the north. In winter the northern area is covered by ice fields about 4 or 5 feet thick, with hummocks in some places more than 100 feet high. At its maximum extent in April, the ice reaches as far south as Bristol Bay and the Kamchatka coasts. Melting begins in May, and by July there is no ice in the sea except for drift ice in the Bering Strait. Nonetheless, the sea contains important shipping routes for the Soviet Far East, including the eastern terminus at Provideniya on the Chukchi Peninsula for the northern sea route to Arkhangelsk in the west.
Study and exploration
The Bering Strait and the Bering Sea were first explored by Russian ships under Semyon Dezhnyov, in 1648. They are named for Vitus Bering, a Danish captain who was taken into Russian service by Peter the Great, in 1724. He sailed into the strait four years later but did not see the Alaskan coast, although he discovered the islands of St. Lawrence and Diomede. In 1730 the strait was charted for the first time by Mikhail Gvozdev and Ivan Fyodorov. Bering sailed again in 1733, leading a large expedition from St. Petersburg along the northern coast of Siberia, and he reached the Gulf of Alaska in the summer of 1741. He reconnoitred the southwestern coast of mainland Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Aleutians, but misfortune befell him, and he perished in that year along with many of his men. In 1780, Russian merchants founded a private company to trade in fur-bearing animals in northwestern America. A geographic study of the Bering Sea was made at the end of the 18th century and was supplemented later by hydrographic studies.
Deep-sea studies were begun in 1827 by British explorers. Extensive work was also done by a U.S. group aboard the American research vessel Albatross in 1893–1906. Since then the sea has been systematically studied by Soviet, American, and Japanese investigators. Some of the most detailed study was undertaken by the Soviet vessel Vityaz in a series of expeditions undertaken in the 1950s and '60s.Aleksandr Petrovich Lisitsin Arkady Vladimirovich Alekseev Konstantin Trifonovich Bogdanov
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Russia: The mountains of the south and eastSea of Okhotsk to the Bering Sea separates these complex fold-mountain systems from the Kamchatka-Kuril region, where the Koryak and Sredinny mountains rise to 8,405 and 11,880 feet (2,562 and 3,621 metres), respectively, forming a northeast-southwest chain that extends along the Pacific-rimmed Kamchatka Peninsula. The peninsula…
Bering Sea Dispute…the international status of the Bering Sea. In an attempt to control seal hunting off the Alaskan coast, the United States in 1881 claimed authority over all the Bering Sea waters. Britain refused to recognize this claim. In 1886 the U.S. government ordered the seizure of all vessels found sealing…
Nunivak Island>Bering Sea off the southwestern coast of Alaska, U.S. It is 55 miles (90 km) long and 40 miles (65 km) wide and is the second largest island (1,600 square miles [4,000 square km]) in the Bering Sea. Separated from the mainland by Etolin Strait,…
Norton SoundBering Sea, indenting for 125 miles (200 km) the west coast of Alaska, U.S., with a width of 70 miles (115 km) between the Seward Peninsula (north) and the Yukon River delta (south). The sound is navigable from May to October. The city of Nome,…
Bristol BayBering Sea, indenting for 200 mi (320 km) the southwest coast of Alaska, U.S.; its mouth extends for 270 mi between Cape Newenham (north) and the southwest end of the Alaska Peninsula (south). Its shoreline includes the individually named bays at the mouths of the…
More About Bering Sea and Strait5 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
- international status dispute
features of
- Bristol Bay
- In Bristol Bay
- Norton Sound
- In Norton Sound
- Nunivak Island
- Russia

subset: commoncrawl


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Not Suri
Wow, here's one of Tom Cruise's kids and it's not Suri. I was beginning to think Tom banished Connor and Isabella to his Scientology safehouse. Tommy brought his son out last night for dinner in Los Angeles. It's Connor's Birthday. Connor doesn't even live with Tom! He doesn't even live with Nicole. He currently lives with Tom's sister. Tom currently has custody of them.
In Andrew Morton's book on Tom Cruise, he claims that Nicole Kidman communicates to her children through webcam and e-mail. She is only given limited contact with them.
I love in the picture above that Connor and Tom are walking in different directions. Connor is totally thinking of making a run for it. Do it Connor! Save yourself! It's too late for Suri, but not for you. Run towards the trees and keep going.
Well, it's nice to see the "other" Cruise children out. The ones we don't talk about.


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ATHENS - Harvey Kimball Baron, 85, passed away Saturday February 15, 2014.
Mr. Baron was born in Providence, R.I., the son of the late James and Amiee Pinder Baron. He was a veteran of the United States Army and the United States Air Force serving during World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Mr. Baron was an auto/truck mechanic.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Hollis Baron, Athens; sons and daughters-in-law, Michael John and Tracy Lynn Baron, Jefferson, and Richard Lynn and Inna Baron, Commerce; grandchildren, Jesse Richard Baron, Matthew Douglas Baron, Holly Lynn Baron, and Jonathon Baron.
Graveside services will be held Tuesday, February 18, at 2 p.m. at the Prospect United Methodist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Eric Shelton officiating. Those honored as pallbearers will be Jesse Baron, Matthew Baron, Jonathan Baron, Darren Glenn, and Toby Glenn. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, February 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Flowers are optional or donations may be made to a charity of ones choice.
Evans Funeral Home, Jefferson, is in charge of arrangements.
Online Condolences at www.evansfuneralhomeinc.com
Harvey Baron (02-15-14)
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Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization, was founded on December 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the first society to have a Greek letter name, and in its initial period at William and Mary it introduced the essential characteristics of such societies – an oath of secrecy (discarded in 1831), a badge, mottoes in Latin and Greek, a code of laws, and an elaborate form of initiation. The Delta Chapter (Maine) of Phi Beta Kappa was organized at The University of Maine in 1923. The Chapter continues to elect outstanding undergraduate students to join this most esteemed of honor societies.
For more information about Phi Beta Kappa, please go the national site.
Useful Links
- The National Site of Phi Beta Kappa
- National Phi Beta Kappa membership criteria
- UMaine Phi Beta Kappa Membership Criteria
- History of Phi Beta Kappa
- Well-known Phi Beta Kappa members, past and present
- Why you should accept an invitation from Phi Beta Kappa and other honor societies
- The Phi Beta Kappa Association of Maine
- The Official Phi Beta Kappa Store
Contact information
- Current Chapter Officers
George Markowsky, President
J. M. Shick, Vice President,


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September 11, 2013
Dear People,
Well, it's September 11 again. That means, this year, the 40th anniversary of the US-backed coup in Chile that ended the life of democratically-elected president Salvador Allende and put General Pinochet in power for the next 17 years. Forty years, but not too late for the family of tortured singer Victor Jara to file suit against the former military officer they believe to have killed him.
And we approach another infamous anniversary on November 22 - the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I want you to know about Project Unspeakable: projectunspeakable.com. "Inspired by James Douglass' remarkable book: JFK and the Unspeakable, Project Unspeakable envisions simultaneous dramatic readings or full performances of a theatrical work about the role of Thomas Merton's "Unspeakable" in the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy." Anyone who has read Douglass' book cannot help but question the official version of not only JFK's assassination, but of most official presentations of national policy in the last 50 years.
Speaking of which, it's the 12th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks that brought us the War on Terror, including the Patriot Act, the Homeland Security Act, the war on Afghanistan, the war on Iraq, Guantanamo, the legitimization of torture, abridgement of civil liberties, indefinite detention without charges or trial, military expansion, domestic surveillance, spying on Muslims and environmental activists...
Twelve years. That equals the duration of the entire Nazi period from Hitler's election in 1933 to Germany's defeat in 1945. When it ended it ended (except for the novels, dramas, movies about Nazis still being generated over here). With no way to pretend it hadn't happened, Germany was forced to contend with it publicly, and German citizens, by and large, to face the extent to which they were duped or chose to comply. Facing what they had succumbed to, they have become suspicious of authority—indeed they are the most anti-authoritarian people I know. See how they responded to Fukushima: while most Americans still want to trust government and industry experts ("it's not so bad, we're not in danger, no need to monitor the fall-out…etc. etc."), a hundred thousand Germans immediately took to the streets in Berlin and forced their Chancellor to stop, on the spot, all reliance on nuclear energy.
As I said to my colleagues in Germany in June, "It is easier for me to trust a people who know they have produced a Hitler, than to trust a people who believe they never could." I fear the dangerous innocence of my country-people , and wish for them what many Germans have learned: how to face the dark. I'm concerned that, until we dare to at least question the official story on 9/11, we'll become more and more obedient and passive, like the child of an alcoholic, fearful of parental rage, acquiescent to infantilizing procedures at airports and the like.
So let me tell you about my times in Germany this June and the adventures that followed in Scotland and England, all of them focused on the Work That Reconnects (WTR).
A team of colleagues I've worked with over the years, some for a quarter century, had organized a series of events ranging in duration from three to six days, and in size from fifty to a hundred participants. The first took place in Bavaria for veterans of the WTR. The second, for all comers, was in north central Germany – by high meadows under the towering rocks of the Helfensteine. The third and last was in East Germany at the ecovillage of Sieben Linden.
Already a magnet in the global ecovillage movement, Sieben Linden is the home of our team member Gabi Bott, a teacher and trainer of Deep Ecology work, another name for the Work That Reconnects. It was a delight as always to be supported by this marvelous team including Gunter Hamburger, who along with Gabi and Gabriele Kaupp leads the year-long "Holon Training" in the work, and Norbert Gahbler, my favorite interpreter of all time and my co-author of Pass It On: Five Stories to Change the World.
I love the aesthetics my German colleagues bring to our events, transforming spaces with banners, greenery, fabrics in rich colors, and interweaving our work with singing, movement, drama.
On our last morning at Klosterwald we rose early to walk out over the fields to the queen of the old monastery grounds: a mighty 500-year old linden tree. Then the fifty of us, barely able to encircle her with arms outstretched, danced our final Elm Dance together.
After that full-packed month it might seem like too much, at my ripe age, to fly on to Scotland and England for three more weeks of the WTR. But to be welcomed again to Findhorn Foundation felt like coming home—home to memories spanning 27 years, to gardens with more beauty than the memories could hold, and to treasured friends all set to go for the events at hand: A six-day intensive for a hundred people from many countries, and a two-day for fifty from local communities.
Among the treasured friends was Chris Johnstone, co-author with me of Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy. Chris and I first met in Findhorn 24 years ago and he's been immersed in the work ever since—first in his home town of Bristol and recently from his and his Scottish wife Kirstie's new base in the village of Dyke eight miles from Findhorn. After our four years of intense, long-distance collaboration on the book, it felt good to be working side by side facilitating not only the Findhorn events, but those that followed in London and Oxfordshire. My assistant Anne brought her own gifts to the mix, a blessing that was especially appreciated because I lost my voice to a chest cold for a good half of the first week. During my days in bed Anne and Chris ran the show so deftly and creatively that (a) I rested with utter ease , and (b) participants benefited from experiencing different forms and styles of leadership.
A day on the train brought us to London, where I stayed at the Gaia Foundation founded and presided over by my dear, brilliant friends Liz Hoskin and Ed Posey. They drew a large crowd to hear Chris and me, and served as a base when I sallied forth the next day to give a workshop at the Guardian newspaper.
Here I am on the last day of all. The final chapter of my journey took place at Hardwick House, an estate on the Thames an hour west of London, where a lively crew of activists, mostly in their twenties and thirties, pitched their tents for five days of the Work That Reconnects (WTR). This event was the genius of Irene Nolte and Kim Bizzarri, and made possible by the generosity of Sir Julian Rose and his adult children, Miriam and Lawrence. The family is committed to the estate being used for progressive political projects of a grassroots nature, and preferably with a strong ecological focus. Participants came from across England and from as far as Rumania, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, they are a pretty seasoned lot, engaged in all three dimensions of the Great Turning.
For example: Involved in the first dimension (Holding Actions), here are quite a few veterans of Climate Camps to block extraction and use of fossil fuels, as well as of Occupy London and human rights campaigns. As to the second dimension (Alternative Structures), a good number are organizers of Transition Towns as well as sustainable food production through permaculture, seed banks, ecovillages, gardens on supermarket rooftops, and squatted farms. Representing the third dimension (Shift in Consciousness) are teachers of body-mind wellness practices and deep ecology, as well as those use art, theatre, and ritual to awaken people to the Great Turning.
Among us at Hardwick are a number of facilitators and trainers in the WTR, including key organizers for their respective countries: Claire Carre (founder of Roseaux Dansants) for France, Helena ter Ellen and Gauthier Chapelle of Belgium (founders of Terr'Eveille), and Gabi Bott (a major networker for Germany and a leader in its Holon-Trainings).
The whole scene was rather magical: mornings together in the grandeur of a huge and ancient manor, and after lazy hours to enjoy the river, afternoons on the soft, shady grass of an old apple orchard. The rare and unbroken sunny weather was part of the magic, too—as was my discovery that this very place was Toad Hall, its river bank the scene of Ratty's and Mole's adventures, and that Kenneth Graham, author of our beloved Wind in the Willows, had lived nearby.
As I flew out from Heathrow I stopped at the ecovillage that a couple of my Hardwick friends had originally organized as a protest camp to stop a proposed new runway. It's verdant now, flourishing with gardens and greenhouses, and the small town it sought to protect is still standing and vital.
So too may our countless nonviolent actions to avert bombing Syria be heard in the halls of power, and may our prayers move us one step closer to a world that is verdant with peace. Fr. John Dear reminds us, "If we are to survive, all our institutions, structures, and nations will have to become nonviolent, and each one of us is needed to help bring about this global transformation." Let's make it happen.
October Workshops
Photos courtesy of Gunter Hamburger, Werner Ratlinger, Kim Bizzarri, Jean-Charles David and Findhorn Foundation
The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world — we've actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other.
For up to date information on the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan: http://www.fairewinds.com | http://fukushima-diary.com | http://survivaljapan.wordpress.com | http://blog.safecast.org/
For peace, justice, and life on Earth, fresh ways of seeing arise, and ancient ways return. This web site opens doors to the new bodies of thought, time-tested spiritual practices, and pioneering group methods, that I find to be powerful inspirations to understanding and action. I share these resources in service to the revolution of our time: the "Great Turning" from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.
In these pages you'll find key aspects of my work:
- its sources in Buddhist teachings, living systems theory, and deep ecology;
- its experiential methods for group learning, known as the Work that Reconnects,
including despair work, deep ecology work, and deep time work;
- information about workshops and trainings;
- empowering ideas, such as Nuclear Guardianship;
- practices for inspiration and renewal, such as the Council of All Beings and the Elm Dance;
- and we include here a link to our new song and celebration sister site: Songs For The Great Turning.
Partake and use for the healing of our world!
Donations will be used to provide scholarships for people to attend Joanna's workshops.
Stories of the Great Turning
Editors: Peter Reason & Melanie Newman with an Introduction by Joanna Macy
Here is a book of stories written by people who decided to act, in their own lives, in response to the challenges of our time, and found their own way to make a difference. They are not stories about celebrities or gurus of the environmental movement but honest accounts from people who share a concern for the world we live in and who, in the words of one of the contributors, "just got on with it".
It is a book that takes the question, "What can I do?" and sets out to find some answers using one of our species' most vital skills: the ability to tell stories in which to spread knowledge, ideas, inspiration and hope.
Read about the transformation of wasteland and the installation of water power, stories about reducing consumption and creating sustainable business, stories from people changing how they live their lives and the inner transformations this demands.
You can read Joanna Macy's introduction for FREE, from Resurgence & Ecologist
For more information about the book and how to order, goto
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stories-Great-Turning-Joanna-Macy/9781908363060 or
New Work That Reconnects Website Launched!
Features include:
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the photographer for rights
and permissions
- forums for questions, variations, and new approach discussions
- theoretical foundations of the Work That Reconnects
- the spiral of experiential exercises with guidelines
- community-driven and flexible development
- an application to be listed as a facilitator
Facilitators: Since this is a new facilitator networking system, please be sure to fill out and submit a new application. When it is approved, a one-time payment of $25 will be requested to help fund website management, which up till now has been provided as a gift. You will then gain access to:
- up-to-date listings of facilitators and mentors in the Work
- separate discussion forums just for facilitators
- ability to post calendar items for events, workshops, trainings
This website represents a major new step in the Work That Reconnects. I am excited beyond words that it is coming into being, and am deeply grateful to the team that has been working on it, which includes Molly Brown, Barbara Ford, Kari Stettler, Anne Symens Bucher, and Lydia Harutoonian as well as our web designer and webmaster, Werner Brandt.
We invite you to register for the WTR site, by going to http://workthatreconnects.org and selecting New Registration beneath the login window. You will receive a confirmation email with a temporary password. Once you login, you can update your profile (set your password, add demographic info, photo) and will be able to access the community forum from the home page.
With Blessings and Happy New Year to You All,


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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In 2096, when scarcity is commonplace, and even everyday items are outlawed or strictly regulated, a few enterprising entrepreneurs have tremendous influence over black market items. In Chicago, Slick Micky, runs his organization in a firm yet strangely benevolent fashion. Of course, when you are at the top of the heap, the opposition against you is formidable. When Micky's friend and partner is murdered, he is determined to unravel the conspiracy aligned against him, and protect his family.
As clues are uncovered, an assassin is unleashed. Then the situation really gets complicated as Micky's past finally catches up to him. Old hurts and long-buried feelings resurface when Micky discovers the assassin is Trina, a beloved friend from another lifetime ago.
Micky and Trina seem to be continually repelled and attracted to each other even though both have changed significantly during their years' apart, but when the chips are down, and tough decisions must be made, they seem to end up always protecting each other's back. This story weaves a spell that kept me glued to the pages as the convoluted and exciting activity ultimately delivered me to a supremely satisfying denouement.
View all my reviews
My Interview with Regan Black
Flirty Menage a Blog FREE Book Event (July 18-25)


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I know it's been a while, I am sooo sorry. Sometimes, something just has to give, ya know? So, it's been the old blog. My days are really long, but Coop and I are
I haven't blogged in so long, I haven't been able to tell you how much I absolutely ADORE my new group of Kinder-Hoppers! I love, love, love them so much. They have these fun and enthusiastic little personalities and they even get my humor :0)
The first few weeks have passed by in a blur of fun, routines, and so much learning. We are fully into the swing of things and having a ball in Room 17! October has to be one of the most fun months in Kindergarten. By now, the kiddos know the expectations and are so excited the entire month. Next week is one of my FAVORITE weeks...Monsters. I don't link the unit to Halloween, it's just about imagination and fantasy. I can't wait :0)
I decided to work on a Fall Unit. It doesn't include any Halloween or Thanksgiving stuff at all, so it's perfect for those who can't include those themes. Here are some pictures...
I've also listened to those of you that wanted my Poetry Journals in one file, so that is up too.
I will be hosting a little Learning Resources giveaway next week sometime, so stay tuned!
I would love for you to visit my TPT store, so I'm throwin' a Columbus Day Sale!! Hopefully, you will find something you can use.
Hoppy Friday!


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• Make sure the business is licensed with the LCB. Go to license search. You may search by license number or business name. You may also click on "other searches" to search for landscape contracting businesses in your area by city, zip code, or county. The search results will only return active and suspended landscape contracting business licenses. Expired licenses will not show up in search results. Are you having problems or want further information? Call the LCB office at 503-967-6291 and the staff will be happy to help you with any questions.
• Use a written contract. All landscape projects require, by law, a written contract. This protects you and the landscape contracting business in case of a dispute. One of the biggest causes of problems in the landscaping industry is lack of a contract, a poorly written contract or a contract that has not been read. Put all agreements in writing. If something changes along the way and you decide to add/subtract portions of the work - do it in writing. Make sure the costs associated with the change are included in the change order.
A consumer can file a claim with the LCB if the landscape contracting business is licensed, there is a contract with the business and the business has done negligent or improper work or breached a contract.
The deadline for filing a claim is one year from when the work was substantially completed. Time spent on warranty work does not extend this deadline.
Do you believe someone unlicensed is advertising for or doing work that may require a license? Please fill out a enforcement referral form and submit to the office.
All possible illegal landscape construction work that is reported to the LCB is followed up on. When a report of illegal landscape activity is reported to the LCB office the information is verified and if warranted, an investigator is dispatched to the scene to investigate.
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Easter - Mennonite Brethren
Electronic mail message from Edna Boardman, Minot, North Dakota
Easter for us Mennonite Brethren, who had only two or three special days during the year, was an intensely spiritual experience. I recall one Easter in particular (in my early teens) on which I felt thoroughly immersed in the joy of the resurrection of Christ. My sister and I always got new dresses for Easter, we colored eggs on Saturday, and always found a basket with some of those eggs and candy under our beds on Easter morning, but the real joy of the day was to sing the Easter hymns and celebrate that Christ had risen. "Up from the Grave He Arose." was the top song of the day in our white frame church near the curve of the road on the North Dakota prairie. I still like Easter primarily for the Easter Sunday service.


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Tuesday, April 30, 2013 | 12:31 pm
The Hart Park House Senior Center presents a two part health seminar on Monday, May 13, 2013 from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Hart Park House Senior Center, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. A presentation on stress management hosted by the YWCA San Gabriel Valley will occur from 1:00-2:00pm. The YWCA San Gabriel Valley is seeking to increase the knowledge of older adults on stress as well as the point of entry of available mental health services. This presentation will provide an increased knowledge of stress, its impact, and techniques to manage stressors in one's life. This presentation is also beneficial for care givers of older adults.
From 2:00-3:00pm Walgreens Pharmacy will provide a presentation on managing drug interactions. This presentation is a must for those that take several different medicines (prescription or over the counter), see more than one doctor, or have certain health conditions. Understanding how medications interact will help prevent negative drug interactions. Individuals are encouraged to bring their prescriptions for clarification.
For more information on either of the Senior Health Seminars please contact the Hart Park House Senior Center at (626) 355-7394.


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Resident Evil: Degeneration
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Resident Evil: Degeneration, known in Japan as Biohazard: Degeneration (バイオハザード:ディジェネレーション Baiohazādo: Dijenerēshon?), is the first feature film Japanese computer-generated animation feature based upon Capcom's Resident Evil video game series. It was announced by Capcom and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan on October 29, 2007. The film made its premiere in Japan on October 11, 2008 at the Tokyo Game Show, and was released nationwide one week later on October 18. The DVD and Blu-ray were released on December 26, 2008 in Japan and December 27, 2008 in North America. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 12 2009.
- Aunt: You look tired.
- Claire: Blame my new boyfriend. He won't let me get any sleep.
- Aunt: Boyfriend, huh? Is that what you're calling the W.H.O. Report now?
- Claire: F.D.A., actually.
- Claire: We just ended up making things worse.
- Leon: That's not true. The villains here are the ones who use the virus. But worse then them are the ones who made it. Seven years ago, our lives were changed forever... by the virus from Umbrella Corp. Umbrella collapsed... but their viral legacy continues to spread. I'm gonna scrub this virus from the face of the earth. You chose the role of rescuer rather than fighter, like me. You chose a path that your brother and I couldn't follow. You weren't wrong.
- Claire: Leon, thank you.
- Claire: When did you two go diving, hmmm?
- Leon: Don't worry about that. More importantly, what are you up to? Need a lift?
- Claire: I have a limousine waiting.
- Leon: Next time we bump into each other, let's hope it's some place... a little more normal.
- Claire: He-he... definitely.
- Leon: Till next time.


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Legally Blond Reese Witherspoon, new ranch owner?
This year two major design publications, House Beautiful and Vogue Living both did large spreads on Californian interior designer and fabric entrepreneur Kathryn M. Ireland's new country ranch. The 6 acre + spread, a fabulous Wallace Neff designed ranch style compound in the Ojai Valley, was bought by Ireland just two years ago from comedian Harold Ramis' estranged wife. Ramis owned the property for a considerably longer time than Ireland. The Real Estalker is claiming that newly single, academy award winner Reese Witherspoon has purchased the Ojai ranch from Ireland at reportedly double the price Ireland paid for it. It's touted as a very private estate, at the end of a single country lane, so the paparazzi will have a hard time stalking Reese there. Apparently the home is not visible from the street and that is part of the appeal of the ranch for Reese.
So, all these real estate dealings has left one wondering, did Kathryn Ireland use the two magazine spreads in House Beautiful and Vogue Living as just a big real estate advertisement for her property? And that's not all: not only did Ireland allow House Beautiful to showcase the ranch she planned to sell asap, she also outfitted all the rooms with her new fabric collection - a bright assortment of suzani inspired designs and other various ethnic prints. Was the House Beautiful spread, besides being a real estate brochure, also just an advertisement campaign for her new fabric collection? The House Beautiful spread was always puzzling as it came so soon on the heels of the Vogue Living story of the exact same house - sans the new fabric collection. Somehow, it all leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. Of course magazines are all about the advertising dollar, but when the stories themselves are just advertisements and self promotions - where is the integrity? Whatever the motive, the stories themselves were fascinating.
The Ojai ranch spread is, one must agree, a gorgeous piece of property. I also must say, I'm just a little bit green over the idea of it being sold to the Legally Blond actress Reese. I would be most happy to be buying it for my own family (that is, if I won the lottery.) The property, with its 1o outbuildings is full of the lost romance of California - it is a hacienda of a bygone era when California was once a natural heaven populated with Spanish missions. There are now a lot of pictures of the ranch owning to the two magazine spreads and it's current status as a For Sale property. The pictures taken from the two magazines are very different in style. And when you view the magazine spreads alongside the real estate brochure, it's interesting to see the difference that furniture and fabric and good old styling can do to a home. And so, here, are all three versions of the ranch that Kathryn Ireland owned for a nanosecond. Which version of the Ojai ranch do you like best?
I. The Vogue Living Magazine version:
The Ojai Ranch originally designed by Wallace Neff. The property has about 10 outbuildings. To reach the bedrooms from the living area, you have to walk outside - there isn't an inside hall to the bedrooms! Shown above is the central courtyard where several buildings unite.
The wonderful two storied living room with its tall ceilings and Juliet balcony. All the iron used for the stair rails, drapery rods and doorknobs was forged on the property.
II. The House Beautiful article:
Arched wood doors with original iron hardware forged on the property.
Another view of the living room - styled for the House Beautiful photo shoot by Kathryn using new fabrics from her line. The bright chair to the left is a Robert Kime chair and fabric.
A vignette from the living room - drapery fabric is from the Kathryn M. Ireland fabric collection, of course.
Western wear clothes are stored in the outdoor passageway that leads to the bedrooms.
A bedroom with a built in bed - dressed all in Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.
The master bathroom updated. Rug by Kathryn Ireland.
The master bedroom newly outfitted with Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics and seagrass rug.
Another bedroom with the new suzani inspired fabrics by Kathryn Ireland. The long pillow is made of antique suzani fabric.
A view of the buildings from the back terrace - an outdoor hallway to the bedrooms is shown on the left. Notice the outdoor light fixture on the right over the door.
Off the back terrace, a guest room building connects with the bedroom wing. Note the hammock in the front yard.
Closeup view of the above pictured walkway to the bedrooms - this walkway was highly stylized for the House Beautiful shoot with rugs and lanterns and dog!
An outdoor hall made of wooden planks and stuccoed walls leads from the living room to the new media room.
Outdoor furniture and pillows in Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.
Wine in the courtyard with guest of honor Mary Emmerling on the right, front. Kathryn Ireland is holding up the fabric on the left.
III. Real Estate Brochure Used to Sell Ireland's Ranch.
Notice how different the ranch looks in these pictures without all the styling and bright accessories and colorful fabrics by Kathryn M. Ireland.
Closeup of the courtyard with the fountain in the middle, the turret, and the living room to the right.
More outbuildings.
And even more.
The stables. No ranch is complete without horses!
Another view of the guest house off the bedrooms' wing.
The walled swimming pool which Ireland had installed during her brief stay at the ranch.
Another view of the big wood doors looking out towards the courtyard.
A picture from the Real Estate brochure - without the styling - as the ranch truly looks. Up these stairs to the left is a sort of mistral's gallery. This living room space was the original hayloft.
Same view, with styling, taken from the House Beautiful shoot - Fortuny pillows.
The Real Estate brochure - without the styling - as the ranch really is. This room is the former carriage house that now houses the family area and the kitchen.
The same space, highly stylized by House Beautiful. Fabrics and pillows from Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics.
The courtyard - contrast this all white picture with the two colorful pictures of the courtyard above.
The kitchen as it truly is without the colorful styling.
From House Beautiful - kitchen and breakfast room - all bright and colorful for the magazine.
The view of the above carriage house/kitchen and family room from the outside. The large stone fireplace is encased in crawling ivy.
Three views of the living room - above, as it really is, no styling - for the real estate brochure.
The living room as it was styled for Vogue Living magazine.
The living room - highly styled for the House Beautiful shoot. Which view of the living room do you prefer?
So, I am sure you are worried what is Kathryn Ireland going do to now that she's selling her California ranch? Not to worry. She still owns her country estate in France, all 50 acres of it. Pictures below. Kathryn spends each summer at her French estate, which is probably why she sold the Ojai Ranch -- when did she have the time to go there anyway? Not that the estimated cool $3 million she stands to make on the Ojai Ranch sale made a difference.
Kathryn's house in the French countryside.
A close up of the front porch styled with fabrics from Ireland's line. And yes, that does appear to be the same dog pictured at the California ranch.
Inside the wonderful French country estate. Furniture is dressed in neutral linen slipcovers.
The farmhouse kitchen in France.
A bedroom in France. The bed wears Ireland's famous "Quilt" fabric that was the inspiration for her starting her own fabric company. Dogs, styled by Kathryn.
A guest room at the French estate. Bedrooms all have wall to wall seagrass floor covering. I love the way the mosquito netting is finished off on the top.
A romantic cave like porch on the french estate set for dinner. The tablecloth is made out of Ireland's checked fabric that is a mainstay of her fabric line.
With all the property that Kathryn Ireland owns, her Santa Monica home remains one of my favorites. An older home, with stucco walls, arched windows and doorways - the house is filled with southern California romance while retaining an air of English charm - charm that the English born and bred Ireland infuses in all her interiors. Here are a few pictures of her Santa Monica house - at different points in time, of course!
The living room - plump sofas piled high with pillows. Kathryn's easy English decorating is her trademark. Nothing is too pristine to be hands off. With three sons, her house has to be accessible and comfortable.
The same area, photographed from across the room.
A more recent picture of the same space. The mirror has moved to above the sofa. The sofa now wears stripes. The chairs wear a bold suzani patterned fabric. New lamps sit besides the sofa on the left. The black coffee table remains the same. The draperies appear to be the same, but on close inspection, they are fuller and creamier than in the previous picture.
The family room at her Santa Monica home.
Ireland recently remodeled her kitchen. She torn out the Mexican pavers and replaced them with limestone floors. The dogs, remain the same though.
The breakfast room, newly remodeled.
The breakfast room, as it was before - with the Mexican pavers.
The masterpiece of the house - Kathryn's bedroom. What a bed! All fabrics by Kathryn M. Ireland. Gorgeous!
The woman behind all the houses, the decor, the fabrics, the three sons, and the two dogs: Kathryn Ireland. The sofa wears a different fabric here than above, but - if you owned your own fabric company - wouldn't you reupholster all the time too?
Note: Kathryn M. Ireland has a wonderful web site filled with all the press articles (and there are many) of her work. You can also see pictures of her fabric line. AND, Ireland now has a blog (yes!) - at the Huffington Post. She doesn't appear to write for it very often, but it gives a fascinating glimpse into her hectic, but fulfilling life. Read it here.


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Posts Tagged 'Ozzy Osbourne'
Shockin' Through the Decades
"Shock rock" is sort of a redundant term. Rock and roll has always been about pushing the envelope since…well, since whenever it began, an unanswerable question that is the subject of a particularly detailed and fascinating Wikipedia article.
Since the world has become comfortable with the idea of rock music, it's taken a little more to qualify as what anyone would call shocking. Really, is anything shocking anymore? I don't mean this as a joke. Even if you have never heard of nor wish to seek out the band Fartbarf, the album Carnivorous Erection or the song "Fecal Smothered Dildo Punishment," I'd imagine it doesn't truly startle you to know they exist. Feel free to Google them if you don't believe me.
When a shocking band is out of sight and out of mind for all but the tiniest sliver of society, they haven't really succeeded in shocking. So what of those musicians who are known to relatively many but still retain the reputation for shock? They tend to be iconoclastic, ego-driven individualists; they tend to have a keen sense of what kinds of shock appeal to mass audiences (themes of death and horror, for the most part) and they tend to have at least a tiny smidgen of actual talent (though not always).
These qualities make up a sector of popular music that has developed less as the domain of true shock and more into a semi-defined, not-always-shocking genre called shock rock. In honor of this, scariest month, I present this rundown of shock rockers throughout history.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins (first record: 1956)
Most musical genres can't trace their origins to a single individual (though some can). But the history of shock rock makes it seem reasonably clear that it began with one specific song: Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You." Like most defining songs of original rock and roll, it straddles the border with rhythm & blues, and has been covered over and over by obvious antecedents and others as well.
The song was originally meant to be a straightforward ballad. It only ended up in the grunting, shrieking, animalistic way it did because both Hawkins and his band recorded the final take in a drunken stupor that he didn't remember the next day. It was only then that Jay Hawkins became Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the world was left to wonder once again whether the course of history would have been different had a small group of people not gotten wasted at the precise time they did.
Hawkins also originated a key component of shock rock by opening his act by coming out of coffins, wearing a cape and carrying around a skull-on-a-stick sidekick named "Henry." Hawkins never came close to replicating the success of "I Put a Spell on You," but because of that one song and the decades-long career it afforded him, everyone on this list owes him a debt of gratitude.
Screaming Lord Sutch (first record: 1961)
The parallels between Hawkins and Sutch don't end with having names implying an inclination to utter loud piercing cries. Both were, in their own unusual ways, on the cusp of a significant movement in the development of rock and roll—Hawkins with the gradual breaking-off from African American rhythm & blues, Sutch with the British Invasion—and both were famous primarily for one, oft-covered song.
For Sutch, that song was "Jack the Ripper," and the song's subject matter (not to mention Sutch's caped, top hatted image) established the Victorian motif that would inform much future shock rock. This live performance from 1964 is incredibly surreal to me. The screams of British teenage girls are a familiar emblem of the black-and-white rockin' '60s, but how often do we see them elicited not by happiness but by something resembling actual revulsion?
Sutch might be the campiest figure on this list, and he has a few other good songs that stray far into Bobby "Boris" Pickett territory. It's difficult to find and kind of truly dark undertone to his songs, which is sadly ironic considering he hung himself at age 58.
Arthur Brown (first record: 1968)
Another shock rock progenitor, another one-hit wonder. For Arthur Brown and his band, the quaintly named Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the song was "Fire," which was a #1 hit in the U.K. in 1968. Someone might prove me wrong, but as far as I can tell, Brown was the first musician to wear bright white-and-black "corpsepaint"-style makeup, which is really pretty significant, when you consider the wide spectrum of later artists who wore it.
I also get the feeling that Brown was the first shock rocker to introduce a level of true menace to his delivery. Hawkins and Sutch were more in your face, but I get more of a sense of creeping dread from Brown. He conducted himself not like a deranged, creepy outsider, but more like a supernatural presence—the "God of Hellfire" as he put it—which is another hallmark of future shock rock.
The alarmingly D.I.Y.-looking pyrotechnic device attached to Brown's head in the video led to some extremely predictable incidents. For instance, at one show, the inflammable fluid spilled onto his head as he was being lifted to the stage by a crane, and his hair was, as the song puts it, taken to burn. The situation was dealt with in a very rock-and-roll manner when a quick thinking-fan doused the flames with a pint of beer. Not sure if the ordeal took Brown to learn (not to do that anymore). I can't decide if this is hilarious or an indication of him having been really kind of crazy, but one way or another Brown definitely pushed the genre further.
Alice Cooper (first record: 1969)
We're now moving away from progenitors and toward some people who should and actually finally might get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Alice Cooper is one of those celebrities who seems to weirdly get more prominent as he gets older, but he wasn't always the Wayne-and-Garth educating, golf-obsessed, evangelical conservative Republican he became. Come to think of it, he probably was, but the world just didn't know it.
What it did know at Alice's inception was that Alice Cooper was a band, not an individual. When the erstwhile Vince Furnier assumed the Alice moniker for himself (apparently a ouija board told him he was the incarnation of a 17th century witch by that name) and wrestled the copyright for it away from his bandmates, he established two shock rock precedents with one fell swoop: a combination of mild transvestism with hyper-machismo, and an ego too large to accept peers.
(His former bandmates have gone on to other things, and I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention drummer Neal Smith, whose website describes him as a "Rock N Realtor" and has an intro stating, "Over 25,000,000 albums: SOLD. Over $25,000,000 in real estate: SOLD." Check it out yourself.)
Cooper's catalog contains some bona-fide non-shocking classics and a bevy of very good ones that tend to combine horror (at varying levels of camp) with intense libidinousness. As he has gotten older and become a sort of scary-music mascot, one might expect his music to have mellowed, but on the contrary, his lyrics seem to have gotten somehow more controversial as he blows past 50 and 60.
I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'd like to give him credit for trying to stay bold and commenting on current events (that song was written in response to the Columbine shootings). But the lyrics are so atrocious that I can't, and furthermore, the contrast with his new-found family friendly image makes songs like that seem incredibly fake, too. There's no denying, however, that Alice Cooper was the first shock rock superstar, and I'll always appreciate him for that, even if he puts out a promotional single about drinking donkey blood with all proceeds going to the Tea Party Express.
Ozzy Osbourne (first record: 1970)
What's the opposite of a soft spot in your heart? Whatever it is, I have it for Ozzy. I feel weird admitting that since he was the original frontman for one of the most skull-meltingly awesome and influential bands in the history of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, where his singing was acceptable enough to not get in the way of Tony Iommi and company. But I often have wondered—and I hope I don't get death threats for saying this—how good the band would have been had a singer of the quality of the late, far-beyond-great Ronnie James Dio been with them from the beginning.
Ozzy didn't really become a shock rocker until he became a solo act. As you can see, this is something of a pattern. Most of the incidents he's most notorious for—biting the head off a dove, drunkenly urinating on the Alamo memorial in Texas, biting off the head off a bat (that he once claimed he thought was rubber, and that he claimed another time bit him, necessitating rabies shots)—happened after he left Sabbath.
I've just never gotten much out of Ozzy other than a party animal with an exceedingly average voice who sometimes likes to wear heavy eyeliner. I see "Crazy Train" as a great 30 second intro that is ideal for a baseball player's walk-up song followed by four minutes of total stock. I see "Mr. Crowley" (and most of Ozzy's attempts to delve into the occult) as corniness that wouldn't sound terribly out of place on a Spinal Tap album.
I actually think one of Ozzy's best solo songs is "Suicide Solution," which is a legitimately nuanced and interesting take on alcoholism. The song is a warning that regularly drinking to excess is a form of slow, torturous suicide. But of course, this is the song that more than one dead teenager's parents have sued him over. Ozzy knew his song wasn't really at all about suggesting kids kill themselves. But when he titled it as he did, did he have this ensuing controversy in the back of his mind? Knowing his penchant for shock without the substance to back it up, it wouldn't surprise me.
Kiss (First Record: 1973)
I was planning to only include individuals on this list, since the ego-driven solo artist seems to be the shock rock archetype. But I realized there was no way I could exclude the band that began when an art major named Stanley Eisen met an Israeli-born elementary school teacher named Chaim Witz in Queens.
From a commercial standpoint, Kiss is the perfect shock rock band. They wear strange makeup, they spit blood and fire and play a bass shaped like an axe. But they combine all this with a catalog of songs that is almost painfully inoffensive. Their most famous song's lyrics could have been sung by Bill Haley. Yes, there was a brief rumor when they came out that KISS stood for "Knights in Satan's Service," but there's no way in hell (pun definitely intended) that anyone could think that today.
What this sterilized version of shock rock has produced is a repugnant merchandising empire that has weirdly overshadowed the band's music. But when it comes down to it, while they don't have a deep collection of hits, they have a few that are pretty damn great. Vacuous and musically simpler than most punk songs, but great. I'm happy to take a visualless Kiss mp3 now and again, but personally I'll let them keep the condom, the coffeehouse, the licensed professional wrestler and the casket. Sorry, "kasket."
Grace Jones (first record: 1976)
You can't really call Grace Jones a shock "rocker." But her brand of shock pop/disco/new wave introduced the important concept that mainstream shock didn't have to come from themes of horror or death. Take for example the cover of her second-highest charting album, which features a title that would shock Al Sharpton, a flattop that would shock Kenny Walker and a mouth that would shock the ice cream truck guy in "Legion."
As you can tell in this video when she wears an enormous Keith Haring dress or Andy Warhol declares that "Grace is perfect," Jones enmeshed herself into the '80s avant garde like few other musical artists. She appeared on talk shows wearing enormous orange turbans and gold masks. But at the same time, she appeared in "Conan the Destroyer" and played a salacious, steroidal henchwoman in the James Bond film "A View to a Kill." She wasn't tied to any cultural movement as much as she was committed to subverting cultural norms, which was a brilliant calculation for someone who came along right as the world was becoming a bit more shockproof.
In my opinion Jones' musical output, which is heavy on covers, is a bit inconsistent—I think her version of "Warm Leatherette," for instance, pales compared to the original, while others are outstanding. But her achievement was not in music or film but in image. She ushered in a new kind of art-and-fashion based shock that reflects in pop to this day and has scarcely ever needed to employ a drop of fake blood. (Well, almost.)
GG Allin (first record: 1977)
GG Allin has the unique distinction of being the only person on this list whose birth name was weirder than their stage name: His name at birth was Jesus Christ Allin. He was born and raised in a no-electricity, no-running water New Hampshire log cabin with a sociopathic religious maniac father who regularly abused his wife and children. And this incredibly sad and evil upbringing produced a person who was, unfortunately, plenty evil in his own right.
Grace Jones' revelation was that you could attain shock value by subverting cultural norms rather than literally shocking people. Allin was the opposite. There were no homages to old horror movies at his shows. There was literal horror. A typical GG Allin show would feature him stripping naked, committing self-harm, producing every kind of human waste (sometimes, proceeding to consume it) and engaging in violent physical or sexual acts with audience members.
Allin repeatedly promised to top all these by eventually committing suicide onstage, but he died of a drug overdose before he could. I have to admit that his funeral was twistedly poetic: As he lay in repose, his friends plastered stickers on his casket, jammed drugs and whiskey down his lifeless throat, took pictures of themselves touching his penis, and generally treated his bloated, fetid corpse with the same disrespect he treated everyone in life. The consensus was that that was how he would have wanted it.
There are those who hold Allin up as a paragon of individualist punk ethos. But by the end of his career, it seems obvious to me that what he really was was an extreme narcissist who was quite deluded about both the extent of his influence and the consistency of his philosophy. It was his need for attention that led him to take shock rock to its logical extreme. He recorded a few songs, but I'm sure even he knew he was never going to be remembered for his musical talent. For better or for worse, he proved that one can be remembered for shock alone.
Rob Zombie (first record: 1987)
I think it's possible that Rob Zombie does not get as much respect as he deserves. Paying homage to horror films of the past, campy or otherwise, is a tradition as old as Bauhaus and the Misfits. But I think it was with Zombie, with his band White Zombie and in his later solo career, that it really reached its apogee.
Take, for instance, "Dragula" (named after the Munsters' car), which I think, in contrast to some of the hard rock my peers and I liked in the late '90s, holds up exceedingly well today. I feel like this song and video are masterpieces of cinematic schlock-homage. I especially appreciate the fact that Zombie doesn't seem too self-serious about it, if his "Night at the Roxbury"-style head pump while cruising in the dragula is any indication.
His horror fixation extends beyond exploitation movies; one of my favorite music videos of all time is his one that emulates a silent film. And his old band White Zombie had some pretty bangin' hits of their own (although I have always thought that the lyric I originally thought it was—"more human, that's what you've been"—would have been cooler).
I think Rob Zombie is the first artist on this list I'd think of as a shock rocker more as a genre label than for someone who generated any actual shock in their time, which is reflected in how the public views the types of films he derives his image from. He's also more of a multimedia magnate than anyone on this list, as he has branched out to become an in-demand (if not particularly good) film director. (In that vein, there's also an odd spinoff-like element at work in the fact that what he is to horror, his younger, less-popular brother tries to be to sci-fi.) Zombie might not be high on shock, but ironically, he seems more enmeshed than anyone in the culture and history of what shocks people.
Kembra Pfahler (first record: 1990)
Kembra Pfahler is probably the least well known artist on this list, but I really wanted to bring her up for two reasons. One, I think the picture at left is the most shocking one I saw in my research for this post. And two, she seems to me to be a remarkable synthesis of different shock rock elements. She combines Zombie's midnight movie motif with Jones' avant garde artistry with Allin's transgressiveness with a mastery of makeup and presentation that outstrips almost anyone.
Most of Pfahler's music has been recorded with her band, the marvelously named Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black (named for the cult icon), who have an array of camp horror-inspired songs with titles like "Chopsley: Rabid Bikini Model" and "Do You Miss My Head" as well as some quite transformative covers. And her music, image and overall presentation is accepted as avant garde art in a way that few musical artists are; she was featured, for instance, during the 2008 Whitney Biennial.
Most (though not all) of Pfahler's music actually tends to be pretty straightforward and inoffensive relative to her image, but she more than makes up for it with some of her transgressive performance art pieces that would probably have given pause even to GG Allin (who she recorded with, by the way). She's known, for instance, for cracking eggs on her vulva. Which really only sounds intense if you don't know that she once literally sewed her vagina shut. (It would seem clear that this was some sort of protest against objectification, yet she also posed for Penthouse in this condition, so count me as confused.)
Finally, it's also worth nothing that Pfahler is something of a cosmetological celebrity, having appeared at several makeup-industry events. And I think you get a good sense of the concept of shock rock in general when you see a crowd of calm fashion types watch her sing about "suck[ing] the shit out of your ass" while completely naked and covered in red paint (all of those things are in this video, if you care to witness them). I love the idea of someone like her being a cosmetics spokeswoman, even though you'd figure nearly every potential consumer is not looking to get as extreme as her. Sort of like SUV commercials highlighting towing capacity when most suburban buyers will never know the difference. The bottom line is, when it comes down to it, who is makeup more crucial to than shock rockers?
Marilyn Manson (first record: 1994)
If such things could be quantified, I think Marilyn Manson would have had one of the highest name recognition-to-knowledge of his music ratios in music history. It's hard to imagine any American who was alive in the '90s not recognizing his name, and his reputation for evil, for being the "Antichrist Superstar" as he himself put it. In an amazing feat of vocabularic gymnastics, Joe Lieberman managed to convey, at the same time, both the horror that conservative parents had for him and the enthusiasm his youthful fanbase had for him when he declared the band to be "the sickest group ever promoted by a mainstream record company."
Yet, I sense his music remained invisible to most. I blame Manson himself completely for this, as his bible-ripping antics and album covers depicting himself as a hermaphroditic nude extraterrestrial were part of an overwhelming strategy of shock. But what separated him from older shock rockers, who some jaded music fans said he was simply a rehash of? For me one answer is a sense of humor. Manson had none of Ozzy's partying spirit or Alice's joie de mourir. Manson presented himself as a truly grim figure, and with his rod-straight hair, pasty makeup and everpresent weird contact lens, he looked considerably more alien. I only know of one press photo-type picture of him smiling, and it's not exactly what you'd call humanizing.
In recent years Manson has become more accessible (sometimes in rather inexplicable ways). But I think it's too bad that his extreme image turned off so many from his music, which is in some instances quite interesting in my opinion, and also can be quite different from what most people think of when they think of him. The album that launched him to stardom, Antichrist Superstar, is full of the goth-ish, pseudo-sacrilegious stuff everyone remembers like the still-powerful song whose title references the Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man". But I think his next album Mechanical Animals, a glam, Warholian meditation on fame and popular culture, is masterful, and I still listen to songs on it like "The Speed of Pain" and the title track.
Until not too recently I used to wonder if, given how severe his look was, Manson could possibly age gracefully. Then one day I looked up and realize I'm already sort of getting an answer. As his look wears off and his days as conservative America's worst nightmare recede ever farther into the past, I'm sure Manson the public figure will fade more and more into obscurity, which I'm perfectly fine with. But I think his work deserves to be remembered.
Lady Gaga (first record: 2008)
What past musical artist is Lady Gaga most like? Lots of people have opinions. Madonna? Seems obvious enough. Bowie? It's written right on her face. And the name "Lady Gaga" is a reference to a Queen song.
Of course, all of these are right. But I also want to suggest that, much like dinosaurs evolving into birds, she is the seemingly incongruous descendant of everyone on this list. The most clear precedent is Grace Jones, and Jones herself certainly agrees. But she also maintains the pointless religious iconography, the obsession with celebrity and the practice of looking bizarre in public that many shock rockers, and I'd say in particular Manson, share.
She's actually already done a forced-sounding remix with him (I'd love to know what a real song by the two of them would sound like). And just like Manson graduated from subverting norms to grand, conceptual shock weirdness, Gaga seems to have definitely done the same.
Manson flamed out quickly, and that makes me wonder if Gaga will too. My feeling is that her brand of non-horrific shock will work for a lot longer. And even though it has seemed for decades that the genre is close to the end, I sense that somehow or other shock rock will work for a lot longer too.


text:
In the period from the last Newsletter 8, FSTC achieved new breakthroughs. New partnerships were announced and new projects were launched. Cooperation with the Royal Society continued and was strengthened. The partnership with National Geographic resulted in the release in USA of the 3rd edition of 1001 Inventions book and the hosting of the exhibition "1001 Inventions" in National Geographic Museum in Washington beginning from August 3, 2012. FSTC scholars and associates presented lectures and conferences and published chapters in books and dozens of articles on FSTC's academic web portal www.MuslimHeritage.com.
Dear Friends,
It gives us great pleasure to send you this issue of the FSTC newsletter, see below. We hope you enjoy reading about the recent activities achievements of the Foundation for Science, Technology & Civilisation (FSTC) and all its subsidiaries and groups.
So far, this year has been very exciting and fascinating for us. Our noble mission is rapidly expanding and continues to reach millions of people around the globe. We could not have achieved this without the dedication of all our members and associates. Our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation go to you for all the excellent work you have done and the support you have given.
We have always been fortunate that our aspirations are fulfilled. But as with any expanding organisation, FSTC requires more resources, both human and financial. If any of you or your friends is willing to contribute please contact our Manchester office.
Eid days are meant to celebrate the goals and achievements that make you happiest. As the fasting month of Ramadan approaches its end with Eid celebrations imminent, it gives us immense pleasure in sending our best wishes to you, your families, friends and loved ones. May your coming months be happy, fulfilling and prosperous
Yours sincerely,
Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani (President) and Professor Mohammed El-Gomati, OBE, (Chairman)
Foundation for Science, Technology & Civilisation
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August 2012 Issue 9
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Michael Ferro Jr., Chairman, Wrapports LLC, parent company of the Chicago Sun-Times; chairman, Merge Healthcare
Why we're watching: While the Chicago Tribune's parent company, Tribune Co., has just emerged from bankruptcy protection under new ownership, Ferro enters his second year in the challenging publishing industry. He has tough negotiations ahead with the Newspaper Guild as he tries to get Wrapports into the black. He also said he would review the company's printing and distribution contract with the Tribune, which was negotiated by previous owners of both newspapers. The Sun-Times is the Tribune's largest outside customer, paying about $70 million a year for printing and distribution services, Ferro said. Despite unprofitability, Wrapports is pursuing deals for local and regional media outlets east of the Mississippi River, but Ferro wouldn't say which ones. When asked whether cost cuts, such as shuttering the Sun-Times' suburban newsrooms, would continue, Ferro said: "The reason we're doing what we're doing is to be more digital and agnostic. We need to have everybody working together ¿ because the old print model is going down." Photo: Michael Ferro, chairman of the Chicago Sun-Times LLC, speaks during the "Titans at the Table" Bloomberg Television program in Chicago in April. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg file photo)
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


text:
I'am a spanish user. Sorry my english.
I open this thread, to comment on a topic that has fly to me on my deco, a VU DUO2, which buys me 2 years ago and a half for a few 500, new and in a recognized shop.
After one year of buying the device, it began trumping some button of the remote control. Looking on the topic, I found several pages and forums, where there was criticized the bad quality of the buttons of the control and few duration that they had. After cleaning the contacts and giving a few silver foil pieces, I achieved that it was working well.
Last week (ends of August of 2.017), deco does not answer. On it having tuned in to the current, only a white light was igniting along with the port frontal USB, but he pays attention neither to the buttons of the control nor to the only button that exists in the hood. Again I start looking for Internet, and think that it happens to many people, so much in this model as in others. It seems that it is a mistake provoked by the low quality of the condensers. I am not a professional of the electronics, but I have experience in welding of components and material to do it, therefore I decide to buy the condensers and to replace them myself, for others of major quality. Of series, the electrolytic condensers, they are of 2.000h / 85Cº, I replaced them by a few Japanese of 10.000h / 105Cº.
I have dismounted and repaired successfully, several electronic badges and the care that it is necessary to have with certain components. Said, extracting 4 screws that were holding the motherboard to the metallic casing of the device, I have left this perplexed on having seen that it gets rid of the proper motherboard, a chip with a spendthrift given above. I do not know all the components of this deco, but it seems that it is the main chip, bigger that there is in the badge, what would be the CPU in a current computer. As I say, remain sobrecogido on having seen that it has become detached, before being able to repair nothing.
The problem is that this chip is welded straight to the motherboard by means of the well-known system of the little bolls of tin, much used in the portable computers, and that also they give many mistakes, for temperature topics. With this chip out of the badge, the repair is made completely impossible to me.
As summary of all my experiences with this deco, and reading in several forums to the people who has spent the same to him, once the guarantee is finished, I am sure entirely that I have paid for a quality that this deco neither has, one does not even bring over him. Perhaps yes as for functions and support, but not as internal components. Seeing the quantity of the people with similar problems, I see that it is a general topic, it is not a bad luck or that the villain has touched me.
Best regards.
Thread: Bad quality?
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