text:
That's what he does. Cartooning in comics for 39 years - now he's trying to remember some of it...
Friday, 11 November 2011
Spidey battles the Comics Code
The turning point for the Code, when it's rather draconian oppression was held up for scruitiny, came in 1971 after Marvel comics were asked to do an 'anti-drugs' story by the government. However, the Comics Code forbade the use of and the mention of drugs, so it would be next to impossible to accomplish the request. Stan Lee, editor at Marvel, decided to publish the story, (a rather heavy-handed and glib tale, as it turned out) in a 3 part Spider-man run, WITHOUT the seal of the Comics Code. And, as the world didn't end, the comic still sold, and garnered plenty of positive reaction, the Code was seen to be due a review, which in turn led to it's weakening and eventual termination.
Here are the published cover (top) of one of those Spider-man issues, and a rejected cover rough for the same issue. I guess it was deemed just TOO graphic! Note that the seal of the code is not present on the version that reached the shops, but IS on the rough, clearly done on a photostat of a cover template.
ALTER EGO is a fascinating read, as always, and you feel like you've just done an Open University degree module on the subject once you've digested everything, it's so detailled and backed up with notes, examples, opinions of those involved and direct reportage. That will not appeal to many, I know, but I find it endlessly interesting! Good on yer, Roy!
22 comments:
- Lew Stringer said...
Sounds like an excellent issue! I have mine reserved for me so I'd better get along to my local comic shop and pick it up.
I've been enjoying the reprints of the pre-code material in the Atlas Era Marvel Masterworks. The effects of the "outrage" against comics of that era was heavy handed indeed. Good on Stan for standing up to them with the anti-drugs story. The revisions made to the CCA after that were very welcome, bringing in Marvel's new horror era (Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, Ghost Rider etc.)
Interesting that today, whenever Marvel reprint Son of Satan, Tomb of Dracula, etc (which were aimed at children and all ages in the 1970s with no restraints) the books now carry a Parental Advisory! A step backwards methinks but obviously one that Marvel feel necessary to avoid a 1950s style backlash.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 11:36:00 am
- Kid said...
Got mine over a week ago, NP. Fascinating stuff to be sure. What a lot of people seem to forget is that, without the code, we'd probably never have had the 1950s superheroes revival at National Periodicals (DC) - or Marvel Comics in the '60s.
Same goes for Britain. Without that so-called 'backlash' against horror comics, there would have been no Eagle to brighten up the lives of '50s schoolboys. With no Marvel Comics in the States, we'd have had no Wham!, Smash!, Pow!, Fantastic or Terrific over here. Now there's a thought.
Would there even have been a comics industry - or would we have had comics that were even better (but more graphic)? No one can say for sure of course, but - speaking personally - thank goodness for the Comics Code and what resulted from it. My childhood wouldn't have been the same without it.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 12:30:00 pm
- Lew Stringer said...
The birth of Eagle had little to do with horror comics. It was a reaction to crime comics. Eagle debuted in 1950, before horror comics really became a popular trend.
Wham! had been around for two years before it included any Marvel reprint. Smash! also debuted without Marvel strips for a few months.
Even without the Code, it's still possible that superheroes would have made a comeback at some time, and Odhams could still have reprinted those strips. The lack of a CCA seal didn't mean that every story was full or gore and violence. Far from it. Most Marvel comics avoided such things anyway. (It was their rivals that went to excess, and even those strips look tame today.)
- Friday, November 11, 2011 12:47:00 pm
- Kid said...
As you well know, Lew, crime and horror comics were generally lumped in together when being condemned for their possible harmful effects on young minds. Alastair Crompton's The Man Who Drew Tomorrow's chapter, A Little Horror in the Nursery, talks about the controversy horror comics were starting to have (on a wider scale) when Marcus Morris decided to come up with something more wholesome. The result - The Eagle. It was designed to have a more positive influence on its readers than US imports of crime AND horror comics.
And although Wham! had been around for two years before it featured Marvel reprints, it was because of these reprints (and the ones in Smash!) that the rest of the Power Pack emerged. I was referring to Wham! in that context. It was because the comic was in slow decline that the reprints were introduced. If not for them, it would probably have been merged or cancelled a lot sooner.
As for your closing paragraph, you'll find that my above post allows for that as a possibility - but it was by no means certain. As for strips from yesteryear looking tame today - everything does. Back in the '30s, the Universal Frankenstein and Dracula movies were considered genuinely shocking - not today. Some may consider that a measure of how far we've fallen.
It's sometimes extremely difficult - if not foolish - to try and judge what deserved to be regarded as shocking several decades ago by today's standards.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 1:24:00 pm
- Kid said...
Further to the above, here's part of Marcus Morris's own account of the factors which led to the creation of Eagle:
"It was about this time that, with the help of a journalist, Norman Price, I wrote an article for the Sunday Dispatch. It was headed 'Comics that bring Horror into the Nursery', caused quite a stir and earned me twenty guineas. Anvil's debts were then about three thousand pounds. But at least it was a start.
The phenomenal rise and rule of the comic in America, plus a study of the papers and publications that children were reading in this country, seemed to point an obvious moral-and hence came the idea of Eagle. Many American comics were most skilfully and vividly drawn, but often their content was deplorable, nastily over-violent and obscene, often with undue emphasis on the supernatural and magical as a way of solving problems. But it was clear to me that the strip cartoon was capable of development in a way not yet seen in England except in one or two of the daily and Sunday newspapers and that it was a new and important medium of communication, with its own laws and limitations."
- Friday, November 11, 2011 1:33:00 pm
- Lew Stringer said...
In the latest edition of Alistair Crompton's book American comics of the time are referred to as "pornographic".
With that, and Marcus Morris' comments you quoted, I think it's clear there was some considerable hyperbole going on at the time to put down American comic books. Check out Martin Barker's 'A Haunt of Fears' for the full story.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 1:43:00 pm
- Kid said...
Not the point, Lew. You're entirely free to disagree with Marcus's perception of US comics ('though I'd wager his assessment more accurately represents how they were viewed in the context of the time, as opposed to later standards), but the fact that those perceptions (however much you disagree with them) were major factors which led to the creation of the Eagle cannot be disputed.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 1:55:00 pm
- Kid said...
Incidentally, it's no surprise that a Christian mimister would regard certain scenes in crime and horror comics of the time as 'pornographic' - to him (and others of a similar outlook), this would not be hyperbole, but rather a statement of plain and simple fact.
Another fact: Your statement that the birth of Eagle had little to do with horror comics is clearly at odds with the account of its 'birth' by the person who 'sired' it. You'll forgive me, I'm sure, if I give his account more credence.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 2:16:00 pm
- Lew Stringer said...
Yes there were some horror comics around at the end of the 1940s, when Eagle was first thought of, but, as I said, horror didn't become a popular trend until after Eagle launched. Crime comics were the main trend when Eagle was birthed.
As for Christian ministers believing crime & horror comics to be pornographic, that's their *opinion*, not fact.
I'm sure many kids of the Fifties enjoyed Eagle AND horror comics, (in fact I know some who did) at least until that choice was taken away from them in the mid-Fifties.
I'll say no more on the matter as I'm sure Nigel doesn't want this to be another endless debate.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 5:21:00 pm
- Kid said...
On the subject of endless debates, Lew, they wouldn't occur if you applied yourself to what was actually being said, and not what you think was being said. (Or, in some cases, want to have been said.) I believe I was quite clear. I said that from Marcus Morris's point of view, he would've regarded his opinion and description of some comics as being 'pornographic' as a simple statement of fact, and not an exaggeration. (In other words, I wasn't saying that his opinion was fact, only that he believed it to be.)
Although the 'big stushie' about horror comics didn't occur until the '50s, they were around in the '40s (as you concede) and people were aware of them. Obviously it took a little time for things to come to a head on the matter, but, before the subject gained a higher profile, no doubt there had already been concerns amongst some people about the contents of such comics and their possible effects on children. Obviously Marcus Morris was aware of them. As he mentions the supernatural aspects of some content, he clearly isn't referring only to crime comics.
And on the subject of whether some kids enjoyed horror comics AND Eagle, I don't dispute it. But once again you've wandered into territory I wasn't addressing. The scope of my comments was confined to whether horror comics were a motivational factor which led to the creation of Eagle, which you dispute.
According to the man who created Eagle (with the assistance of Frank Hampson), they were. End of debate. You need to learn to curb your enthusiasm when it comes to automatically disagreeing with everything I say.
Now, put that egg on your face to good use - go and stick it on a sandwich and have it with a nice cuppa char.
- Friday, November 11, 2011 8:20:00 pm
The Comics Code was evil. The censorship was so heavy handed it almost destroyed the comics industry. Rather than just clamping down on violence and terror, or giving a rating system that would put adult comics out of the reach of children, the new Comic Code went after ideas such as civil rights, anti war sentiments and the evils of drug use. It took 15 years before Stan Lee stood up to it with the issue of Spider-Man shown here. As it stood, the Comics Code was deplored by comics creators. Good riddance to it.
- Saturday, November 12, 2011 4:46:00 pm
- Kid said...
I think calling it 'evil' is going a bit too far, as the Code often resulted in those operating under it to exercise much more imagination, ingenuity and creativity in circumnavigating its 'restrictions'.
I'm sure I've read of quite a few comics professionals of the time saying that it didn't really have much of a negative effect on their work.
- Sunday, November 13, 2011 12:14:00 am
Have you ever actually read any pre code comic books?
- Sunday, November 13, 2011 11:25:00 am
- Kid said...
- Sunday, November 13, 2011 4:16:00 pm
In that case you'll be fully aware that the comic books of the period did not propagate juvenile delinquency but instead were highly moral in the outcome of their stories. Furthermore the introduction of the Comic Code did nothing to stem the crime rate in America but it did do severe damage to the comic book industry, affecting the jobs and careers of people who had done no harm. Now that is a crime, and that is one reason why the Comic Code was evil.
- Monday, November 14, 2011 1:15:00 am
- Lew Stringer said...
Not every pre-code story had moral outcomes. Some were just gruesome, some were plain silly. (Although most stories, from the many I've read, were neither gruesome, immoral or violent.)
The Code was excessive though, going to ridiculous lengths such as banning words such as horror, terror and crime from being used in comic titles! Ridiculous.
I'd also suggest that the climate of fear whipped up by the anti-comic campaigners did far more harm to young minds than a drawing of a zombie ever did. I imagine the book burnings that took place would also cause more trauma for some children than any vampire story too.
- Monday, November 14, 2011 9:52:00 am
- Kid said...
Here is a simple fact of life. One extreme usually gives rise to another. As an example, corporal punishment in schools was phased out as a reaction to its misuse. (Getting belted for not being clever enough for example. I once received 5 or 6 whacks for being unable to master an algebraic equation.)
So, because the application of corporal punishment was abused in extreme ways, the pendulum swung completely in the other direction and now there is a serious problem with discipline in schools.
It was the same with comics. What was perceived at the time as a serious threat from certain publications led to, in some instances, an extreme reaction to them. What may seem ridiculous now, however, probably made sense at the time. By banning the use of words like Terror, Horror, etc., in the titles of comics aimed at juveniles, it was felt that it prevented kids from being unduly attracted to such themes.
Did the Code sometimes overreact? Certainly. This was caused by overzealous jobsworths applying the LETTER of the code instead of the SPIRIT, when a little common sense would have sufficed. NP's example of the Spider-Man story is a perfect example of this.
People lost jobs? People lose jobs all the time. I see no reason why comic contributors should be shielded from the harsh realities of life. I'm quite sure that, in retrospect, a few of them saw it as the best thing that ever happened to them as they moved into even more lucrative markets like advertising, book illustration, etc.
People are going to lose jobs because of the cutback in use of plastic bags in shops. Manufacturers will probably have to lay people off because of a fall in demand from supermarkets. Is that evil? Or do the benefits from reduced use outweigh the negative aspects? Who really knows? My point being that few things are rarely as simple or as obvious as some may suppose.
And as I previously noted, it seems rather pointless applying modern-day sensibilities of what is regarded as shocking or appropriate to products of another age when people obviously regarded such things differently.
- Monday, November 14, 2011 2:41:00 pm
You're bombarding the argument just as you do on the Jim Shooter blog. You started to lose me in the first paragraph and I have no idea what your comment about comic bags means. I've made the points I wanted to here. Disagree with them if you're so inclined.
- Monday, November 14, 2011 6:05:00 pm
- Kid said...
I'm not 'bombarding the argument' - I'm considering and contrasting your point of view in a wider context, to better develop and illustrate why I think as I do.
The only major discussion I've had on JS's blog is with someone who believes that it wasn't Jerry Seigel's intention to have Clark adopted, and that his adoption was a 'ret-con'. I pointed out that a 1934 version of the strip by Jerry Seigel and Russell Keaton showed that Clark was indeed adopted, and, as this pre-dated the Action Comics #1 origin (which, because of the brevity of the one-page origin, is ambiguous on the matter), therefore demonstrated the author's earliest intention.
Introducing facts relevant to the topic cannot fairly be described as 'bombarding the argument'.
Same goes for analogies that illustrate truths relevant to the discussion. You may be incapable of considering comparisons beyond the confines of your own narrow understanding, but that doesn't invalidate my approach.
I was actually referring to supermarket carrier bags being phased out as part of a government plan to reduce their use and consequent detrimental effects on the environment. One assumes this is a GOOD thing. However, it will probably mean hard times and perhaps loss of jobs for those who produce plastic carrier bags. Loss of jobs is a BAD thing - but the thinking behind what may lead to those loss of jobs can hardly be described as 'evil'.
Catch my drift? I was demonstrating that not every action which may sometimes have unfortunate 'by-product' results can necessarily be described as evil. The purpose and intention of the action must also be considered.
Hence my view that it's taking things too far to describe the Comics Code as being evil.
- Monday, November 14, 2011 8:57:00 pm
Horror comics were in vogue before 1950 Lew. Even Captain America could be considered a horror comic with its gruesome ghoulish villains. From 1949 to 1950 horror comics such as Witches Tales were on the increase so those could have been the ones that influenced Rev.Morris. EC were latecomers to the horror genre. HTH.
- Tuesday, November 22, 2011 11:26:00 am
- Lew Stringer said...
Fair point about Captain America, although I'm not sure those golden age issues were distributed to the UK.
Witches Tales was launched in 1951, a year after Eagle launched. There were some horror comics (such as Eerie Comics) published as early as 1947 so Morris may have seen those if they found their way to the UK. I still think he was mostly referring to crime comics though, and the "supernatural solutions" he mentioned were references to superheroes I believe.
At any rate, his outrage against "horror comics" and Eagle being the antidote, turned out to be a profitable way to sell his new venture. Convenient, that.
- Tuesday, November 22, 2011 3:43:00 pm
- Kid said...
I'm not persuaded that Marcus would've viewed Superman and Batman as belonging in the 'supernatural' category, but - as indicated in an earlier comment of mine - the term 'horror' did tend to get used as an umbrella description of crime AND horror comics, as well as any title of questionable moral value or lacking in wholesome appeal. (From Marcus's POV.) In short, ANY comic which had content that could be regarded as being of a 'horrific' nature.
However, Marcus had undoubtedly seen some of the eary 'actual' horror comics and would've been including them - and his revulsion to such publications - as one of the factors which led him to create the Eagle.
Unlike accounts of the creation of some Marvel characters, no one at the time disputed Marcus's recollections (in specific regard to the matter under discussion), so there's no concrete reason for dismissing it as being 'subjective' or inaccurate.
- Wednesday, November 23, 2011 7:10:00 pm


text:
This story appears in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine.
The Swiss have mountains, so they climb. Canadians have lakes, so they canoe. The Australians have canyons, so they go canyoneering, a hybrid form of madness halfway between mountaineering and caving in which you go down instead of up, often through wet tunnels and narrow passageways. Unlike other places with slot canyons, such as Utah, Jordan, or Corsica, Australia has a rich, deep heritage of canyoneering. In a way, it's an extreme form of bushwalking, something Aborigines were doing tens of thousands of years before Europeans arrived. But without ropes and technical equipment, Aborigines couldn't explore the deepest slots.
Today perhaps thousands of Aussies hike canyons, hundreds descend into them by ropes, but only a handful explore new ones. These driven individuals tend to have a rugby player's legs, knees crosshatched with scar tissue from all the scratches, a penguin's tolerance for frigid water, a wallaby's rock-hopping agility, and a caver's mole-like willingness to crawl into damp, dark holes. They prefer to wear Volleys—canvas, rubber-soled Dunlop tennis shoes—ragged shorts, ripped gaiters, and thrift-store fleece. They camp beside tiny campfires and make "jaffles" for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jaffles are sandwiches containing all manner of ingredients—including Vegemite, a nasty-tasting yeast extract—cooked inside fire irons over the flames. Above all they search for the most remote, difficult to access canyons. "The darker, the narrower, the twistier the better," says Dave Noble, one of the most experienced canyoneers in the country. "People say, What if you get stuck in there? But that's what you are after. To be forced to improvise to get yourself out."
During the past 38 years Noble has made some 70 first descents in the Blue Mountains, just a few hours' drive west of Sydney. This unexpectedly rugged region has hundreds of slot canyons. The "Blueys" aren't mountains at all but an ancient sedimentary plateau deeply incised by river erosion and densely carpeted in eucalyptus—imagine the canyonlands of Utah covered with Louisiana foliage.
Defiantly unconventional, Noble, 57, has never driven a car. He bicycles nearly 20 miles a day through suburban Sydney to teach high school physics. Although he has drawn heavily annotated topographic maps of canyons that he has explored and named—such as Cannibal, Black Crypt, Crucifixion, and Resurrection—and has posted pictures of them on his website, he won't tell anyone where these canyons are. He won't even let me have a good look at his maps. "It's our ethic," he says. "Wilderness canyons should be left undescribed so they remain pristine and so others can have the challenge of exploring them on their own. That's part of the mystery."
Noble's chief rival in the sport is a canyoneer named Rick Jamieson, who earned Noble's disapproval some years back by writing a guidebook that revealed a few secrets of the canyon landscape. More than a decade ago Jamieson, also a physics teacher, took me on the first complete descent of two big canyons in the Blueys, Bennett Gully and Orongo. A huge, good-natured boulder of a man at 70, he's still canyoneering and still laughing.
"Mighty!" exclaims Jamieson in his thick Australian accent when we get together for a beer. "We're lucky those GPS's don't work down in the canyons. Keeps the adventure."
Canyoneering by sunburned white people began in the 1940s, but the biggest slots weren't explored until the 1960s, when modern climbing ropes and equipment were adopted. Danae Brook Canyon, hidden in the labyrinthine heart of the Blue Mountains, is one of the most difficult. In his guidebook Jamieson describes it as "one very, very long day" in which canyoneers must make nine or more tricky abseils, a climbing term for descending on a rope. Both Jamieson and Noble have done it, yet neither man is available to go with me. But wiry John Robens is keen to give it a try.
We meet at his home in Sydney. Most weekends for the past ten years Robens, 39, has escaped the city to go canyoneering in the bush. A shaggy-haired, wry, soft-spoken, self-employed computer consultant, Robens, like Noble, fearlessly bicycles the city streets, and he has thighs like Lance Armstrong's to prove it. He lives with his wife, Chuin Nee Ooi, also an elite canyoneer and fellow computer programmer, in a compact midtown house that appears to have been hit by a typhoon: carabiners, canyoneering ropes, and mud-clotted clothes are scattered among computers, hard drives, disks, coffee cups, and a grand piano. A large wooden box on the diminutive porch is filled with worn-out Volleys.
Robens and I drive west from Sydney for four hours, camp in Kanangra-Boyd National Park, and by dawn are tramping down the Mount Thurat fire trail. We have wet suits, a rope, and lunch in our packs. After crossing Kanangra Creek, we strike out into the trailless bush, navigating by map and GPS. Canyoneers share an ability to travel swiftly through seemingly impenetrable brush; Robens glides through this giant briar patch so efficiently he's hard to keep up with. Following a compass bearing, we hop over fallen trees and branches and crash through scrub, passing through giant spiderwebs, mouse-size spiders scurrying across our necks.
"'Tis only the spiders that live in the ground that can kill you," Robens says brightly.
After less than an hour Robens has guided us precisely to the top of Danae Falls, although he's never been here before. A brook rushes to the edge of the plateau and leaps off.
"Our first abseil is off that," Robens says, pointing to a tree jutting precariously out over the cliff. We stretch into sticky wet suits, clap on helmets, cinch up our harnesses, and sail out into space. It's like rappelling off the edge of a green-cloaked Grand Canyon.
Up this high, Danae Brook hasn't yet cut a slot in the rock face, so we rappel through plumes of spray beside the waterfall, our feet slipping on giant fern fronds. By our next rappel the Danae has sliced a fissure that's only four feet wide but cuts 50 feet back into the stone. We descend at the back of the crack, looking out at a vertical seam of blue sky.
At the top of the third rappel we're deep in the dark slot, standing on a slick, sloppy ledge in a pouring waterfall. "To keep the rope from getting stuck," Robens shouts, "we'll have to pass to the inside of that dodgy ralstone."
"Ralstone?" I yell.
"You know, roll stone," Robens says with a smile, nodding toward a chockstone the size of a refrigerator in the slot below us. It's a canyoneer's hard-knocks joke: "roll stone" for "ralstone," referring to Aron Ralston, the American who was forced to cut off his arm when a boulder rolled on top of it in a Utah canyon.
The walls are covered with moss. Sliding to the inside of the giant stone turns out to be like squeezing into a narrow, ten-story elevator shaft pouring with water. We're forced to swing into the pounding waterfall, an awkward maneuver that slams us both into the rock. But it's worth it: Standing in a pool at the bottom, we easily pull our rope down.
Below the big boulder the slot closes up, and the silky water flows horizontally along the cavelike chamber back out to the edge of the cliff. We still have a thousand feet of air below us. We rappel directly into the bludgeoning waterfall. Halfway down I make the mistake of looking up, and the blast of water almost tears my head off.
The next three descents are just as extraordinary and drop us into hanging ponds of frigid water, like swimming pools midway up a skyscraper. We backstroke across these ponds, using the dry bags in our backpacks for flotation.
At 10 a.m. we share lunch on a sunny boulder with a water dragon, a two-foot, dinosaur-like lizard with a brilliant crest, and drink directly from the cool, delicious Danae. Holding my head under the emerald water, I spot blue-shelled yabbies, the native crayfish, clawing their way along the bottom of the pool. Then we both strip off our wet suits.
Robens is perfectly happy to continue in his birthday suit, but I pull on heavy nylon pants. Two weeks earlier in another canyon I managed to step into a stinging tree, a uniquely horrific plant that burns like stinging nettles and leaves a painful rash that doesn't go away for a month. Mine is in an unreasonable place.
Several short rappels and two huge jumps follow. Robens throws himself off the stone, howling like a free man, arms and legs spread wide in the air, closing them like a butterfly right before he hits the water 20 feet below.
When we reach the bottom, the Danae becomes a steep boulder field, which Robens, naked but for his pack and tennies, practically runs across. He leaps, lands on a slimy, snot-slick stone, almost loses his balance, finds his balance, and leaps again, all in one fluid motion. It's amazing to watch, like witnessing the movements of some earlier, better adapted human. In an hour we cover a distance that typically requires three. Stumbling and falling, I watch Robens dancing and hopscotching as if he'd been born for it.
Where the Danae meets Kanangra Creek, our descent is complete. But like climbers who reach a summit, we can't celebrate yet. In canyoneering what goes down must come back up. We cross the creek, rest for ten minutes, then begin the agonizing, bushwhacking ascent. We could go up a slope like Murdering Gully but take a rocky rib instead, nicknaming it Manslaughter Ridge. The climb is so vertical we're pulling ourselves up branch by branch.
Wet with sweat, we reach the peninsular plateau of the Gangerang Range, directly opposite Danae Brook Canyon, shake hands, and whoop. From here we can take a trail, the Kilpatrick Causeway, and the going will be easy (although in 2006 a hiker fell off a 230-foot cliff on the same trail and died).
Striding along the track, the sun at my back, dreaming of the avocado-tomato-prosciutto-provolone jaffle I'll cook over our campfire tonight, feeling warm and tired, my body and mind cleansed by the descent of Danae, I see Robens swerve off into the bush.
"Wanta show you something," he says over his shoulder.
We curl around a sandstone knob on a ledge, and suddenly before us is aboriginal art. A row of stick figures drawn in ocher red, obviously naked, all with their arms and legs spread wide, all quite obviously rejoicing.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This past week Disunion in the New York Times published two pieces of interest to Civil War Emancipation.
The first, by Gregory P. Downs, discusses the colony established for escaped slaves on Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Like the Lost Colony of Elizabethan times, it was jinxed from the start. The Civil War Colony was made possible by the seizure of Roanoke Island by an expeditionary force under Gen. Ambrose Burnside on February 7, 1862. Burnside's success in taking Roanoke was greatly assisted by intelligence from a slave. According to Downs:
Despite the United States' overwhelming numerical superiority, the island could not be easily captured. Its eastern side was too shallow to approach, the western too well-guarded by Confederate batteries. A runaway slave, a teenager named Tom, provided United States officers with a plan. South of the Confederate forts, he told them, was a farm with a protected harbor. They could land there with relative ease, then make their way up the island.
Federal forces turned Roanoke Island into a refuge for North Carolina slaves that fled into Union-controlled territory. Downs writes:
A "party of fifteen or twenty of these loyal blacks, men, women and children, arrived on a 'Dingy,' " one officer said later. Slaves arrived from the mainland in larger and larger numbers, 100 within the first month, and 250 by early April, spurred by rumors that they would soon be free.
Yet Roanoke proved a poor place for a slave refuge. As Downs indicates:
The colony faced enormous challenges. Unlike the Sea Islands off Georgia, Roanoke was not lush farmland. While one missionary called it "the Eden of North Carolina," a Northern reporter described it as "a miserable place, being nothing but an inner sandbank, ornamented with stunted trees, scrubwood and tangled brushwood." As 3,000 freedpeople poured into the island, especially after an 1864 Confederate counterattack on the river town of Plymouth, the people's needs vastly outstripped the colony's supplies. "From one to two hundred arrive every few days, and it is a matter of no small moment to know where to shelter them," wrote one missionary (and Horace James's cousin), Elizabeth James. "There are many who escape literally 'with the skin of their teeth.'"
Many lived in groups of up to 10 people, cramped in brush and earth huts or under pine boughs. "Scenes of suffering are witnessed there which baffle description," she wrote. "There are hundreds here ready to perish for lack of clothing, to-night." In December, after the arrival of boatloads of former slaves, Elizabeth James reported, "I see sights, often, often, that make my heart ache, & which I have no power to relieve." By the spring of 1864, two-thirds of the island residents lived on government rations. "Here are 3,000 bodies nearly naked, nine-tenths of them are women and children," another missionary wrote.
Yet, according to Gregory P. Downs, the problem was not just the Roanoke Island's poor soil and federal authorities that overloaded it with escaped slaves. The federal commissioner for the island, Horace James, was an ideologue determined to prove that the Roanoke Colony could be self-supporting, even if the freed people suffered and died in the process. African-American refugees on Roanoke often went hungry and lacked other necessities such as clothing and shoes. They survived pitifully on what crops they could grow, the rations Commissioner James deigned to provide, and the charity obtained from missionaries that worked on the island and from other more distant benefactors. When the war ended, James cut off the federal rations entirely and the colony dissolved when President Andrew Johnson pardoned ex-Confederates and restored their prewar property to them.
The second essay of note in last week's Disunion, by William G. Thomas, discusses the slaves who worked for southern railroads both before and during the Civil War. Thomas reminds readers that slavery although still predominantly an agricultural institution in the mid-nineteenth century South was not exclusively so. Slaves were increasingly used for a variety of non-agricultural uses, including laboring on railroads.
Unsurprisingly, during the Civil War these railroads became highways to freedom both for the slaves that worked on them and other African Americans. Thomas writes:
In April 1862, with Union forces outside Fredericksburg, Va., Ballton and a small group of men escaped their camp and struck out for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad. They followed it north toward Fredericksburg, at one point meeting the road master who had hired them. Claiming to be on the job, they made their way along the railroad and then through to the Union lines, where they encountered the Sixth Wisconsin, a unit later made famous for its toughness on the battlefield.
Ballton wasn't the only slave to utilize the lines cut by railroads to escape. The R. F. & P. and the Virginia Central Railroad connected some of the wealthiest slaveholding counties in Virginia. Nearly 80,000 enslaved people lived in the surrounding counties, almost a fifth of Virginia's total slave population. This north-south axis, running from Richmond to Washington, became an avenue of freedom: tens of thousands of blacks used the railroad to guide them north to Union lines.
In August 1862, when the Union forces retreated back up the line toward Washington, black families went with them. Col. W.W. Wright, the engineer and superintendent of the United States Military Railroads, witnessed the evacuation: "The contrabands fairly swarmed about the Fredericksburg and Falmouth stations, and there was a continuous black line of men, women and children moving north along the [rail] road, carrying all their worldly goods on their heads. Every train running to Aquia was crowded with them." According to Wright, well over 10,000 contrabands walked or rode on the tracks north toward freedom in one week.
So as Gregory P. Downs and William G. Thomas respectively show, there are many different stories of freedom for slaves in the Civil War. On a personal note, I will soon be contributing to Disunion in the New York Times. I have had a piece on the 1st Louisiana Native Guards accepted for Disunion that will appear as early as this week. The date is not yet certain, but I'll be sure to post on it in Civil War Emancipation when my piece appears. Cool, eh?


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by Jim Harris
I have been receiving many emails and phone calls lately, asking me if the Local has been in any way involved with the phone-hacking scandal that has rocked Rupert Murdoch's publishing empire. As a serious journalist of some note, I can confidently reply, "Of course. How do you think we get our news?"
Murdoch owns all of the neighborhood papers in Philadelphia, and he insists upon using all means necessary to gather dirt. In fact, he was just in the Local office last week, ranting and raving that we weren't being sensational enough. Lord knows we try.
For many years, journalists practiced conventional news gathering techniques, like rooting through people's trash or bribing public officials with pizza, but when the hacking technology became available, everyone in the business naturally hopped right on it.
It's quite simple, really. You can order the hardware through outlets like "Hack" magazine, or buy directly from a spy supply store. Verizon even offers a special "hacking package" — $69.95 a month, which includes HBO and Showtime.
As a former paparazzo, I am experienced in pro-active journalism. I was the guy who, in 1996, shot that video of Mother Theresa in a weak moment, angrily telling one of her charges to "Stop whining." Since coming to the Local (for a three-digit salary!), I have been responsible for exposing some very hot scandals, including:
•A member of the Green Party was running air conditioners OUTSIDE in his back yard all summer long.
•A prominent Chestnut Hill politician threw a $3 million kindergarten-graduation party for his 5-year-old son. At taxpayer expense! Guests included the King of Sweden and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
•The Weaver's Way Co-op bananas were not only not organic, they were genetically modified Styrofoam.
•The lacrosse coach at a local girls school, angry over high food prices, was pouring hamster kibble into the coin-counting machine at a Whole Foods market.
•The Santa Claus in the annual Christmas Parade was a well-known communist sympathizer.
•A respected librarian was caught using a counterfeit "funeral" sticker on her car so that she could go through red lights.
•A local candidate for mayor had over $60,000 worth of unpaid tickets for not picking up his dog's poop. He later withdrew in disgrace.
•A family on Gravers Lane was selling sub-standard lawn furniture in a yard sale.
•A female professor divorced her bed-ridden husband because she said he had "bad Feng Shui." On a surveillance tape, she was heard to say that her sick spouse was "in the way" and "interfering with my chi."
And just this week, I unearthed three more shocking stories.
•Pastorius Park has bedbugs.
•Moammar Gaddafi is planning to move to Chestnut Hill and live in a tent at the Watertower Recreation Center, where he will sell water ice in the summer months.
•Cleverly disguised robot-deer are being placed in the Wissahickon to infiltrate the real deer and kill them in their sleep so that the money currently being paid to "sharpshooters" (and the reputation of Friends of the Wissahickon) can be saved.
With the news business growing ever more competitive as papers fight for the few remaining advertising dollars, newspapers have even begun using hacking techniques on each other. It's not uncommon for one paper to hack into the printer-ready files of another, switch photos and captions, misspell names in obituaries, and otherwise wreak havoc. You didn't think all those mistakes and typos were the result of human error; did you?
For instance, the Local recently asked readers to "Send in photos of your pets' faces." Someone from a rival (Roxborough) newspaper hacked into our files and changed it to read "… your pets' feces." Needless to say, the resulting pictures were never published (although we did hang some of them up around the office).
If you are worried that your phone messages are being hacked, you can download anti-hacking software at CyberCop.com, but be forewarned that anti-anti-hacking software is being developed as we speak. Try to keep up.
On a personal note, I've been subpoenaed to testify before a Congressional committee next week, so I'm flying off to Brazil tonight to get an identity-change operation and a new Social Security number, and then I will put my collection of nickels and pennies and baseball cards in a Swiss bank. My column will hopefully resume (with a new name and face and new baseball cards) when I return in a few months, but meanwhile, keep sending in those "pet" pictures, and remember, don't say anything you don't want repeated.


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AS18502 - westcorpinc.com
AS18502 Westcorp
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ASHandle: AS18502 OrgID: WESTCO-31 ASName: WESTCORP ASNumber: 18502 RegDate: 2000-09-06 Updated: 2012-03-02 TechHandle: EL52-ARIN Source: ARIN OrgID: WESTCO-31 OrgName: Westcorp CanAllocate: Street: 23 Pasteur City: Irvine State/Prov: CA Country: US PostalCode: 92618 RegDate: 2000-09-06 Updated: 2012-10-10 OrgAdminHandle: EL52-ARIN OrgTechHandle: EL52-ARIN OrgAbuseHandle: EL52-ARIN Source: ARIN
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text: Dan Smith: Sketch to Completion By Dan Smith I thought showing how I would attempt a tattoo from the reference stage to sketching, to completion, would be an interesting blog post for Tattoo Artist Magazine (TAM). As this is an industry magazine, and similar posts have been done on reference/inspiration and technique/execution, I know I am not "giving anything away" that isn't already out there, but mainly showing how I would do it... I got asked to a traditional gorilla head with a baby's head in its mouth. The whole "something eating something" has definitely gotten more popular lately, but I feel there are some artists that jump to mind instantly that have been doing this a lot longer... and in my opinion, they are the go-to-guys for something like this. The two people who came to mind were Mario Desa (Pic 1 below) and Chad Koeplinger (Pic 2 below). We often get asked to do something that a more well-known artist has done, but I think the main objective is making whatever it is you get asked to do, your own. Referencing artists that excel in a certain style will undoubtedly help achieve a better tattoo but designing something that ends up more "you-looking" than the referenced tattoo is the most important part of the process. The wheel has been spun a million times, but I think there are always avenues for originality. The first step: I took a picture of a real gorilla. I like to always reference actual photos of the subject matter, even if you are putting a traditional twist that might not be so accurate on the design. There are key parts that matter. In this case I thought the heavy brow, the nose and the facial skin-meets-hair factor were key. Here's the first sketch. Just rough size, mapping it all out. Figuring out the teeth (another important factor) and also trying to leave room for the head inside the mouth. I liked the one angry eyebrow from Mario's tattoo and also the ear and nose from Chad's. These were really the only details I thought about "adopting" for my design. This is where that line between inspiration and reproduction comes in. Make it yours! Further along in the sketch... The main features such as the brow and the nose are now there. I thought the basic shape of the head was important too. The huge neck made it a little harder to make it seem bordered, as the tattoo was only around 6-inches, but this explains what I mean by incorporating real photo reference in to the design. The traditional style really leaves it quite open to do what you want, but sometimes that will be the downfall of what could be a good tattoo. There are always limits. Once I added hair in the right places to the gorilla and the baby was chubby, weird/dead and kind of ugly enough (ha-ha) I was ready to make the line drawing. The customer reminded me he actually asked for a skull in the mouth of the gorilla, not a baby! (If only they put that on TV!) I made the change after sketching a rough skull from the original size of the babies head. I left the top of the head open, as the teeth would be covering it and planned on adding cracks as if the gorilla was biting down on the skull. I made the line drawing after I was happy with the complete design and began thinking about colors for the tattoo. Stencil time. Obviously, what is always apparent in traditional tattoos is the amount of black, so sticking with a lot of black, especially in the hair, made total sense. If I don't have time to do a quick color study, I usually think about other colors throughout the course of the black shading. Sometimes even just black can end up changing a line drawing dramatically. I wanted to stick to four colors and black. Anything more and it drifts away from the style he originally asked for. I know people say "just go for it" and "do your thing" but sometimes having that freedom means you get overwhelmed and start doing things you usually wouldn't. Best to keep it simple, keep it true. The outcome will be much better... [Editor's note: Tattoo took two hours to complete] Dan Smith is a tattooer and blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine and also stars on the TV show L.A. INK. Dan can be found at: High Voltage Tattoo 1259 N La Brea Ave, Hollywood, CA 90038. www.dansmithtattoos.com www.thedearanddeparted.com Twitter.com/dansmithunknown


text:
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text:
Huzur gave a discourse on the significance of Friday in Islam. He began by citing the following verses of Surah Al Jummah,
'O ye who believe! when the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is better for you, if you only knew.
And when the Prayer is finished, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah's grace, and remember Allah much, that you may prosper.
But when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they break up for it, and leave thee standing. Say, 'That which is with Allah is better than amusement and merchandise, and Allah is the Best Provider.' (62:10-12)
Huzur said praise be to God, he would like to acknowledge that during this Ramadan, each Friday the attendance at Baitul Futuh has been so good that space for worshippers had to be provided in the hallways. In fact some of them had to be moved outside. Previously such attendance was reserved for special occasions or the 'farewell' (last) Friday of Ramadan. Ahmadis should remember that coming to Friday Prayers with special effort in itself connotes [the significance attached to] 'farewell Friday'. That is, one leaves aside all one's engagements and comes for Friday Prayers to seek all the blessings associated with it. After the Prayers one is commanded to go back and seek prosperity with the prayer and resolve not to overlook remembrance of God. Thus, one Friday leads to welcoming the next Friday with intense fervour, as opposed to waiting for one Friday in the entire year. People tend to forget that there are also 51 odd other Fridays in a year which need to be welcomed in a similar way. Huzur said this Friday should draw the attention of those who have perhaps been negligent during the year that they pledge to welcome the next Friday as they say farewell to it. Huzur said he hoped that with the grace of God the attendance that was evident in Baitul Futuh during Ramadan was also visible in all ours mosques around the world. Huzur prayed that this auspicious inclination to attend Friday Prayers is permanent. He said each Ahmadi should pray for this as it is their great responsibility in the current age as the aforementioned verses demonstrate.
Huzur said when the call for Jummah is made, all else is of secondary significance. The verses preceding the one cited above mention Jews, for whom Torah was revealed. They disobeyed it and also rejected the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) despite his advent being foretold. This rejection was to come to pass as they had forgotten the teachings of Torah for which they used to present many explanations. Indeed Surah Jummah likens them to 'ass carrying a load of books' (62:6). They also forgot their special day designated to worship; Sabbath, which falls on Saturday. The Qur'an states, 'And surely, you have known the end of those amongst you, who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath…' (2:66). For their disregard of Sabbath the Jews were punished. By citing the Jews who had gone astray here attention of the Muslims is drawn to honour the dues of Friday. This is a clear indication that if the said dues are not honoured, they too can be punished.
Huzur said our Sabbath is Friday. Each Muslim should pray for and make effort to safeguard it and pay its dues. Huzur said one pays its dues by ceasing all work and heading for the mosque. In this day and age where the Adhan may not be heard everywhere there are alternative ways and means to remind oneself of the time for Jummah. For example, the Adhan is sounded through [mobile] telephones. Huzur said he does not have personal experience of this but this should be promoted. If the Adhan for Jummah is sounded via [mobile] telephones it can be most beneficial and can lead to Tabligh opportunities. In any case, Huzur said, one can be reminded via the simple alarm system.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him) said that in 62:10 'O ye who believe!' can only connote those who believe in the Promised Messiah. The general Muslims are also meant here but as the Surah has associated the significance of Friday Prayers with the time of the Messiah, therefore its significance is that much greater for the followers of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). By rejecting him, the other Muslims have put themselves in the category of, '…Do you, then, believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part?...' 9":86). True believers are those who believe in the Holy Qur'an from the start till the finish and who accept all the Prophets from Adam (on whom be peace) to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). It is thus their obligation to make special efforts for this day, [temporarily] ceasing their trades.
Huzur said the era of the Messiah is associated with trade as well. Trade has branched out in unprecedented ways in this age. The loss and gain of the stock market tells us that those who work there are so occupied that they cannot take their eyes off the market for one moment but incur a loss that may go into millions. Similarly smaller market trades which were not so fiercely organised before, now are. With the electronic means time factor for trade has taken on a greater significance. However, God states no matter how much shortage of time you have, it has no significance compared to Friday Prayers. It is necessary to make an effort for Friday Prayers, regardless. Today, we Ahmadis should be those true believers who are to safeguard Friday, then alone can we be the recipients of God's pleasure.
Huzur further elucidated the significance of Friday by ahadith. In a Hadith from Bukhari, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that on the Day of Judgement despite being from the latter-ones we will be the earlier ones, in spite of the fact that they were first to be given a Book. A specific day was made obligatory for them but they objected over it. However, God guided us in this matter. Huzur said this Hadith requires explanation. Briefly, Huzur said that in the era of second Ahmadiyya Khilafat the task was given to Hadhrat Syed WaliUllah Shah sahib to compile Bukhari ahadith with brief commentary. A few volumes of this were published but then a long period elapsed without anything. A few years ago Huzur established Noor Fund and under its auspices further volumes of ahadith are now published. In explanation of the aforementioned hadith with reference to the Friday Prayers, Hadhrat Syed Waliullah Shah sahib proved that contrary to the views of some Jurists the Friday Prayer is obligatory. He also expounded the literal meanings of the word Sabbath and proved it from the history of Judaism that once their Sabbath was also Friday, or part of Friday but then it changed into Saturday. Sabbath denotes cutting oneself off completely from other pursuits and engaging in worship of God and it was specific to the Israelites. However, they disobeyed the command and were punished. Muslims are not restricted to Friday in the way that the Israelites were to their Sabbath. He also observes that if the Christians could change their special day from Saturday to Sunday it is not unlikely that the Jews too did the same. Historical incidents show that the Jews adopted many creeds of other people and therefore introduced changes to their faith. Huzur gave further historic details of the alternation of Jewish Sabbath from Friday to Saturday. Moses (on whom be peace) had foretold that irreverence of Sabbath will be the cause of the downfall of the Israelites.
Huzur said today, 1,500 years later, with the grace of God, Muslims, no matter what kind, will make an effort for Friday Prayer one way or the other. As long as people will gather for Friday Prayers they will reap the blessings. Huzur said in this age, which is the age of the Messiah, there are particular blessings linked to Friday, therefore, we Ahmadis should make special effort for it lest noncompliance of this commandment makes us the target of any admonition. Huzur said it was Divine decree that the Jews left Friday as their Sabbath for the day was to become specific to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and his people.
Expounding the significance of the day through ahadith Huzur said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said 'from all your days Friday is the best day, it is day Hadhrat Adam was born, it is the day he passed away and it is the day the Trumpet will be blown and unconsciousness will be induced. Profusely invoke Durud on me on this day for this is the day your invocation of Durud will be presented to me.' He also said, 'Friday is the chief of all days and is the greatest in Allah's sight. It is the Day that is greater than the Day of Adha and the Day of Fitr in Allah's sight. It has five significances; it is the day Hadhrat Adam was born, it is the day he was sent down to earth, it is the day he passed away, it is the day during which a moment comes when anything that is asked for, save what is forbidden, will be granted and it is the day when the Day of Judgement will come to pass.' Huzur said this Hadith also expounds the significance of invoking Durud. We should make special effort to invoke Durud on Fridays as invocation of Durud is closely linked to acceptance of prayers as it is stated in the Qur'an, 'Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! you also should invoke blessings on him and salute him with the salutation of peace'. (33:57). If we engage in it then with its blessings prayers made during other times will gain acceptance.
Huzur said Muslims are not bound by any restrictions on Friday. After Prayers they are commanded to go back to their livelihoods. However, it is conditional that they go and seek God's grace [in their livelihoods] and while doing so, they do not forget remembrance of God. When God's grace is sought then all matters should be kept crystal clear and pure. Also, remembrance of God will keep us mindful about safeguarding worship of God and of the fact that whatever successes we have are due to our reliance in God and that God is the only Provider. After accepting the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in the latter-days worldly spectacles should be a distant matter for us. Otherwise we would be moving away from the objective for which the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) made this Community. His objectives were for us to forge a special connection with God, to adorn our lives with His worship and remembrance and to pay the dues of His creation. It is, as if, God sent us to be tried and tested as to what extent do we have a connection with the Messiah of the latter-days and up to what extent are we true in our assertion that we will fulfil our pledge of Bai'at to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). For this, attendance at Friday Prayers has been set as the benchmark. Each Ahmadi should remember that attendance at Friday Prayers at a mosque or gathering for it at a place is most essential. This is not just for the Fridays of Ramadan or the last Friday of Ramadan, rather it should be so that all year round our mosques should appear full beyond capacity.
Relating a few more ahadith Huzur said that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said 'Friday Prayer is obligatory on each person who believes in God and on the Day of Judgement, apart from the ailing, the traveller, women, children and slaves. God will also not care for one who is careless about Friday.' He also said that on Friday the reward of good deeds is enhanced manifold. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that a person who bathes on Friday, and purifies himself according to his capacity, puts on oil, leaves home wearing scent and does not separate two people (that is, does not forcibly make space for himself at the mosque) and offers the Salat that is obligatory and listens to the sermon of the Imam silently, all his sins between that Friday and the next Friday will be forgiven. He also said that on Friday angels stand by the door of the mosque and they note down the example of one who comes in first as one who sacrifices a camel, the next as one who sacrifices a cow, the next as one who sacrifices a lamb, the next as one who sacrifices a chicken and the next as one who sacrifices an egg. When the Imam comes to the mimber the angels close the register and begin listening to the discourse. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that one who speaks during the sermon of the Imam is like an ass that is carrying books and one who speaks up to quieten him is also not abiding by Jummah. He said one who comes to Jummah during the sermon should quickly offer two rakats of Salat. He also said that on the Day of Judgement people will be seated in accordance to their attendance of Friday Prayers.
In his commentary of part of verse 5:4 '…This day have I perfected your religion for you…' the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said this has two significances, one that God has purified you, second that He has completed the Book. This verse was revealed on a Friday. Later, a Jew said to Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) that the day of the revelation of the verse should be commemorated as Eid. To this Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him replied) 'Friday is indeed Eid'. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said many people are unaware about this Eid and wear unclean clothes on the day. He said for him this Eid was more excellent than the other Eids, for this Eid Surah Al Jummah was revealed. The first man was born on this day and the Qur'an was completed on this day.
In conclusion Huzur said we are the adherents of a most magnificent religion whereas a Jew also had respect for the concluding verse of the Qur'an (5:4). God, Who revealed this verse, also commanded an obligation which is a huge responsibility. May we never be negligent about it. May we and our children be enabled to make special effort for Friday Prayers and fulfil the measure that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) expected of us.
The Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer is one form of congregational worship in Islam. It takes place every Friday. Regular attendance at the Jumu'ah prayer is enjoined on the believer. According to a Saying of Muhammad(sa) this congregational prayer is twenty-five times more blessed than worship performed alone. (Bukhari)
"O ye who believe! When the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is best for you, if you only knew." more
"… (He who) offers the Prayers and listens quitely when the Imam stands up for sermon, will have his sins forgiven between that Friday and the next" (Bukhari)


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For the average person, the astrophysics involved in the earth's single-star solar system may be difficult enough to grasp, but for a pair of planet-hunting citizen scientists and a group of international researchers taking part in a Yale University-led project that recently uncovered a new planet, one-star systems are just the tip of the iceberg.
The research team, which includes Dirk Terrell, a Boulder-based astrophysicist with the Southwest Research Institute, earlier this year identified and confirmed the existence of the first known planet orbiting twin suns in a distant star system that is in turn orbited by a second set of distant stars.
The planet, dubbed PH1, is what scientists are calling a circumbinary planet in a four-star system and is the subject of a paper presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Reno, Nev. It is one of only seven known planets in circumbinary star systems — where the two central stars orbit one another — and the only one in a system with two other orbiting stars, researchers say.
"It goes to the extremes of planet formation," said Meg Schwamb, an astronomy and astrophysics postdoctoral fellow at Yale who was the lead author of the paper on PH1 and a co-founder of the Planet Hunters project that lead to the discovery. "We don't truly understand how planets form around these stars."
PH1 was first spotted by a pair of "armchair astronomers" who were analyzing data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft on the PlanetHunters.org website that invites citizen scientists to try their hand at spotting patterns in data that might otherwise go unnoticed. Schwamb notes the human brain has tremendous capacity for spotting patterns and sometimes people pick up patterns in data that machines miss.
"The way the Kepler satellite works is it measures the brightness of stars, very, very accurately," explained Terrell, who has 20 years of experience in astrophysics and primarily studies binary star systems.
Terrell said Kepler keeps data on the light curves it observes from distant stars. When the light curve dips, or vibrates slightly, it is a sign of an object passing before the star, which sometimes indicates the presence of an orbiting planet.
Earlier this year, Planet Hunters volunteers Kian Jek of San Francisco and Robert Gagliano of Cottonwood, Ariz., were analyzing light data from PH1's two parent stars when they noticed faint dips in the light caused by the planet. They alerted the research team to their observations, which lead to verification work and eventually the paper presented Monday.
"It's a great honor to be a Planet Hunter, citizen scientist, and work hand-in-hand with professional astronomers, making a real contribution to science," Gagliano said in a new release issued by Yale.
Schwamb lauded Jek and Gagliano for spotting the light patterns created by PH1, noting the difficulties in making such observations.
Schwamb was working to verify Jek and Gagliano's observations in March when she made a visit to the offices of the Southwest Research Institute's Boulder-based Space Studies and Spacer Operations Departments and ended up meeting with Terrell.She said he did a great job modeling the light curve data coming from the system to show the pattern created by the almost imperceptible transits of PH1 across its parent stars.
"I dug into it for a few days, and I found that yes indeed they did have a planet in this system," Terrell said.
After Terrell helped confirm the existence of PH1, researchers utilized the Keck telescopes in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, some of the most powerful telescopes in the world, to zero in on the system and learn more about it.
So far, using all the data they have been able to collect, researchers have determined that PH1 is a gas giant and its radius appears to be a little more than six times that of the Earth, or slightly smaller than Neptune or Uranus.
The two stars at the center of the system are roughly 1.5 and 0.4 times the mass of the sun, and while they both technically orbit their combined center of mass, the larger star is much closer to the center and the smaller star effectively orbits it every 20 days, with PH1 orbiting them every 138 days. The pair of distant stars in the system are roughly 1,000 astronomical units away from the central binary, or 1,000 times the distance between the Earth and the sun.
Terrell said this discovery will have a powerful impact on the way binary stars systems are regarded by researchers, and astronomers will have to look very carefully at how planets form in conditions like that of PH1.
"There are lots of binaries but only a handful of planets have been discovered," he said. "This has all kinds of implications for how planets form in multiple star systems."
With research funding being very hard to come by in the field, Terrell applauded the efforts of citizen scientists like Jek and Gagliano in helping make such discoveries. He said it's hard to predict when a discovery like that of PH1 may have much wider-ranging scientific implications, which is why it is important to continue looking to the stars.
"You just never know," Terrell said. "You explore, you try to understand things and try to know as much as you can so when the situation arises, you are able to make use of it."
Contact Camera Staff Writer Joe Rubino at 303-473-1132 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Thursday, February 23, 2012
thankful- no more needles
This week I am thankful that I have no more needles to do.
I am thankful that I have one embryo on board (blood test next thurs)
I am just so thankful that needles are not a part of my daily routine for life.
For more thankfuls go over and see kate says stuff
Sarah xx
9 comments:
- Loz said...
That is a lot to be thankful for!
- February 23, 2012 at 4:48 PM
- Newaged Hermit said...
- February 23, 2012 at 4:56 PM
Yay got my fingers crossed for you!!
- February 23, 2012 at 5:58 PM
- Kate said...
No more needles = all win. Got everything crossed for you that it's all smooth sailing from here and morning sickness isn't too cruel xox
- February 23, 2012 at 7:07 PM
- Me said...
Godo stuff !
- February 23, 2012 at 8:59 PM
- EssentiallyJess said...
I was thinking the same thing today but in a slightly different format. My little one had h 18month immunizations and ow we don't have to take her back till she is 4 which is nice!
Good luck and hope everything goes well :)
- February 23, 2012 at 9:15 PM
- Renee | About a Bugg said...
Will have everything crossed for you!
- February 23, 2012 at 9:48 PM
- Lani Derrick said...
- February 24, 2012 at 3:26 AM
- kelley @ magnetoboldtoo said...
giving yourself needles is something that makes me bow down to you.
I don't know if I could do it. I would probably pass out and stab myself in the eye which I am pretty sure is ineffective.
- February 25, 2012 at 7:12 PM
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Portable speakers are great, and they make listening to music with friends a treat, but you could argue there's still a bit of a faff about getting your tunes out loud. We have certainly been forced to mess about for some time getting Bluetooth devices paired and working, and that's the last thing you want when you're trying to enjoy some tuneage.
But the iForgz Boost Plus offers a unique solution to that problem. It's a portable, amplified speaker that's powered by batteries, but instead of pairing your phone, you simply play music through it's own internal speaker. You then put the phone in contact with the Boost Plus, and Bob's your mother's brother, you're listening to your music through the device's speaker.
It's incredibly clever, and works by detecting the vibrations that reach its surface from your phone's speaker, and amplifies them in the way any portable speaker would. The quality is passable, but far from brilliant we'd say, it's a slightly dirty system, but it's clever and for the simplicity it gets good marks.
Should you want slightly better quality, there's a line-input too, which sits alongside a USB-based power input, and the device's on/off switch.
Using the same system, iFrogz also does an Animatone Snug, which is an adorable stuffed animal with a plastic phone holder pouch on the front. You pop your phone in here, and the same technology amplifies the sound. This is clearly aimed at kids, and it's quite a good idea because it lacks the complexity of a full-blown wireless speaker system - ideal for the little people.


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Tagged: Sandy Rosario
9-17-11 Nationals Park
I wanted to attend a game this weekend, and I had to choose between Baltimore, Cincinnati and Washington. My #1 choice was Baltimore, but I wasn't able to secure a season ticket to get in early, so it wasn't worth going. Cincinnati was having a Johnny Bench ceremony and statue unveiling, and I was worried that batting practice may not occur because of it. So, in consultation with Nick Pelescak, we headed to Washington DC.
Bad idea.
Gloomy skies and chilly air greeted Amy, Olivia, Nick and I when we arrived in Washington DC.
To make matters worse, the Washington Nationals didn't take batting practice, despite having a picnic in the park for season ticket holders. Basically, they opened up the park for season ticket holders early and let them go wherever they wanted, except for the field. You'd think that the season ticket holders would want to enjoy some batting practice. But no. The Nationals suck. I hate Nationals Park, this was my fourth trip there this year, and its going to be the last one for awhile.
Luckily, I found a ball above the bullpens as I made my way over to foul territory.
In foul territory, I picked a spot about 20 rows back in the middle of a sea of empty sections and called out to Henry Rodriguez who threw me a ball.
It was my second of the day, but more importantly, it was my 400th of the season. In 2009, I snagged 412 baseballs. Last year, it was 544. It marks the first time that any ballhawk had snagged at least 400+ baseballs three consecutive years, so it was a special ball.
Anyhow, the Marlins finally began to hit after I had walked around the park looking for Easter Eggs.
I didn't find any more.
Anyhow, I spent most of batting practice in the center field seats in Center Field. There's only two small sections out there, but left field was annoyingly crowded.
Every row was pretty much blocked up, leaving no routes to home run balls.
Oh, I forgot to mention Stephen Strasburg was starting for the Nationals, bringing out 33,000+.
In the center field seats, I was decked out in my Gawd-awful Marlins teal, hoping to get a toss up ball.
After getting ignored by Burke Badenhop several times, I snagged a ground rule double for ball #3. The ball was hit by a lefty, perhaps Logan Morrison, and it was juggled by two other fans, before falling into an empty row behind me, where I grabbed it. This was the view of the field from the spot of the snag:
And here's where I snagged it:
A bit later in batting practice, Sandy Rosario threw me ball #4 over the plexiglass separating the center field seats from the bullpen:
And, that was it for batting practice.
What a bust. Nick and I, who have snagged over 2,600 between the two of us managed only six combined today. Should've gone to Baltimore… or Cincinnati.
Goodbye Washington, I hope I don't see you next year.
Today's baseballs:
Game: 4 balls (1 hit, 2 thrown, 1 found)
Season: 402 balls (173 hit, 86 thrown, 87 device, 56 found)
Games: 74 games
Average: 5.43 per game
Career: 1,524 balls
Attendance: 33,247


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At the center of my 20-plus years of training and knowledge is illycaffè. Certainly my views on coffee have been influenced by the company's scientific environment, created by three generations of chemists; a research and development unit covering agronomy, botany, physics, chemistry, biology, statistics, and computer science; and laboratories dedicated to dedicated to the study of coffee, in areas like sensory perception (not just taste, but aroma as well).
But some baristas prefer making double espressos with more than twice the amount of coffee--20 grams, not the 14-18 the SCAA guidelines would suggest--and only the amount of water for a single espresso, one ounce. The idea is a power-packed espresso, with half the one ounce of extraction being crema. It might sound good to espresso fans, but this idea has numerous problems.
No matter what you call this concentrate, the caffeine content is much higher than what we have come to expect with a traditional espresso. For years people thought espresso contained more caffeine than brewed coffee. Now, most professionals and coffee lovers know this is not true of Arabica espresso prepared with the traditional formula, which contains 60 to 70 milligrams of caffeine. Overdosing the espresso, even using Arabica beans and not higher-caffeine Robusta, the caffeine content could reach 200 milligrams. As logic would dictate, extraction time--how long coffee and water remain in contact--is a major factor.
For a double espresso, the formula calls for using twice the amount of coffee and twice the water. If the water isn't increased in proportion, the resulting extraction will have too little liquid and too much crema, as in the photo here. The beverage is too concentrated, its aromatic components not optimally released and mixed. Effectively, the aromas overlap with one another, creating issues like an extremely sour taste that can be perceived as salty. With this overconcentration, only a few pleasurable notes can emerge in the cup, masking others produced during roasting like chocolate, toasted bread, cocoa, and caramel. Lost is that ideal balance of bitter and sour.


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Entering this season, everyone (including this humble narrator) was weary of Dirk Nowitzki, which is a weird thing to be for a healthy reigning NBA Finals MVP. I saw him drop deep into the second round in more than a couple drafts. He's 33, which ain't young, but he's not 43. To call what Dirk has done in the first third of the season a slump is putting it mildly. There are slumps and then there are season lows in just about any category you would care about. That's Dirk right now. Say hello. Shake hands. The problem is, and the problem will continue to be all season, that he's Dirk. Redirkulous. The Dirkus Circus. The German PERman (stat geek nickname). He's still this team's leader, but a collapse of this proportion from a bona-fide, basically healthy superstar is unheard of. And fantasy owners for weeks have started seriously wondering what to do and how to do it. It's stinky, even for Dallas where everything smells like beef jerky. At this point, there are two options: 1) close your eyes, hang onto your butts and pray Nowitzki hits his stride toute suite or 2) get what you can from someone who's willing to be no. 1. Only you know who you are. Me? I'm done. A week ago I was saying buy low. Now, I'm suggesting you sell. Not for pennies on the dollar, but maybe dimes on the dollar. Is that an expression? It should be. Anyway, pour out a little for your fallen German and let's move on to some more fantasy basketball news from Wednesday.
Shelvin Mack – Um, I only know three things about Mr. Mack: 1) He dropped a season-high 12 points last night, 2) Of the 20 games he's appeared in, yesterday was the first time he hit double-digits, and 3) if you re-arrange the letters in his name, they spell "Clank 'Em, Shiv" Plan for Shiv to clank 'em pretty good in the future, despite his performance last night.
John Wall – 0-for-6 from the floor at halftime, and 1-for-11 by game's end. Sweet Sue! That's-a funky clunky. Wall's shooting .385 on the season. And now let us open the floor to discussion that Brandon Jennings is the better fantasy option between the two.
Brandon Jennings – 31/4/8, with 4 stl and 7 3ptm. The rest of the Bucks are several inches below, but I just wanted to belabor my point up in the John Wall blurb.
J.J. Redick – Matched his season-high 21, with three threes (stutterer!) Anyway, neither Jameer Nelson, nor Jason Richardson are playing. As long as this is the case – and assuming you can look past J.J.'s hedge fund trader haircut – he's a decent play in medium or deep leagues.
C.J. Watson – Finished with 20/4/4, including 4 3ptm. It's worth nothing that he played most of his minutes at the two alongside Rose (or in garbage time). Might be somethin'. Might be nothin'. Either way, I'd hover my FA-drafting finger over his name and wait.
Lavoy Allen – 15/6/3, with two steals. Allen dropped a career-high 15 on Wednesday. Only his second double-digit game of the season. You gotta like it. Although I should warn you, I've been told that if you like something, you should put a ring on it. And that's just silly. It's also silly to add this guy based on one blowout win.
Ed Davis – 10/12, and 2 blocks. It was his second double-double of the season and week. Yesterday I told you to skip him. Today I'm telling you to skip him in a much softer, meeker voice. Tomorrow, I'll be wearing an "Add Ed" trucker hat.
Jordan Farmar – No Mar$hon, no Morrow, so there were, ahem, farmar minutes available for Jordan than there normally would be. I'd tell you that Farmar should be owned, but not only did you all already stream this guy for the ninth time this season, you'll only need him for another game before dropping him back into the FA pool.
Jared Dudley – Despite having played in a rather dud-ly manner so far this season, three of Dudley's five best games this season have come in the last week. His upside and expectations coming into this season were big enough that he's worth grabbing if he was dropped, or worth starting if he's been benched.
Greivis Vasquez – Dropped 20 points, 12 assists and sank 3 threes (all season highs) from the bench. Jarrett Jack only had 10/6, whereas Vasquez has had at least 10/4 in each of his last three. Sheesh. Why can't you be more like Greivis, Jarrett? By the way, "Why Can't You Be More Like Greivis, Jarrett" is the title of a new play I'm writing about two brothers who both suspect the other was adopted.
Serge Ibaka – Got the rare block-rebound double-double (10/11). All is forgiven, my man.
Luis Scola – 4/3/0, with 5 tov. I am now convinced he's daring us all to flat drop him. Al Jefferson had a better first quarter last night than Scola's last two games.
Reggie Williams – Played in his second game of the season last night. He hasn't done much in either game, but he's a firecracker that can play either guard position and should be on a short list of guys you're keeping your eye on despite not having earned such interest in any way. Even if he plays only in garbage time, on this Bobcats team, that's still all of the second half of most games and parts of the second quarter!
Caron Butler – His back caused a late scratch. Ryan Gomes took his spot and wasted everyone's time doing shockingly little. I can't feel too bad about Caron's back scratch, I can't even reach mine.


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Carissa F. Etienne, of Dominica, is installed as 10th Director of the
Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health
Washington, D.C., 31 January 2013 (PAHO/WHO) — Dr. Carissa F. Etienne took office today as the new Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), pledging to work in close partnership with PAHO member countries to extend the benefits of health progress to all people in the Americas. Dr. Etienne's highest priority will be accelerating progress toward universal access to quality health care.
"Of the many opportunities and challenges this Organization and our Member States face, one goal stands atop all the others. It is providing universal access to health care across the Americas," she said. "No other single achievement would contribute more to ensuring a long, dignified and productive life."
Dr. Etienne, formerly Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, was sworn in as the 10th Director of PAHO. At 110 years, PAHO is the world's oldest international health agency and serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO. She succeeds Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, of Argentina, who served 10 years as Director.
Dr. Etienne noted the impressive health progress in the Americas, with major gains in life expectancy, declining infant mortality, high rates of immunization, improved nutrition, expanded access to health care and health education, and newly available medicines and health technologies. However, she said progress has not been experienced equally, especially among the poor and most vulnerable populations.
"These conditions converge to create a unique moment for health in the Americas. We have a powerful potential to create positive change in health. Just as important, health can be a driving force for change. Improved health and access to health care will translate into stronger economies, more cohesive societies, and in nations better able to integrate and compete in the global world," she said.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a video message from Geneva, "I have lost my Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services, but the Pan American Health Organization has gained an experienced leader."
Outgoing Director Dr. Roses pledged her "unlimited collaboration" with PAHO's new Director.
"My successor is recognized for her capability and commitment to regional public health," said Dr. Roses. "Under her leadership, with the talent and commitment of this organization's work teams and the support of its Member States, PAHO will continue to contribute decisively to the health of the peoples of the Americas."
Special guests attending the ceremony included U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, Minister of Health of Grenada Ann Peters, and Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of American States Albert Ramdin.
Secretary Sebelius praised PAHO's regional public health leadership under outgoing Director Mirta Roses and said the United States looks forward to working with "another woman with great experience and a deep commitment to global health."
"It's only by working together that we can reach our full capacity to develop life-saving vaccines, address the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations, and conduct the groundbreaking research that will shape the future of public health," said Secretary Sebelius. "And PAHO embodies that spirit of cooperative action."
Dr. Etienne previously served as PAHO's Assistant Director in 2003-2008, in charge of its core technical cooperation programs in Health Systems and Services, Technology and Health Services Delivery, Health Surveillance and Disease Management, Family and Community Health, and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.
In her native Dominica, she served as Coordinator of the National AIDS Program, Disaster Coordinator for the Ministry of Health, Chair of the National Advisory Council for HIV/AIDS, and Director of Primary Health Care Services, among other posts. She holds degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of the West Indies as well as a master's in community health in developing countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
PAHO works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of all people in the Americas. In addition to serving as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO, PAHO is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System.
- pdf Inaugural Address of Dr. Carissa F. Etienne as Director of PAHO
- Information on the swearing-in of Dr. Carissa F. Etienne as new PAHO Director
- Resolution designating the new WHO Regional Director for the Americas
- Dr. Carissa F. Etienne of Dominica is elected PAHO Director
- Public health priorities of PAHO's incoming Director, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne
Dr. Carissa F. Etienne
Biographical Note
Dr. Carissa F. Etienne was elected Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) by the PAHO Member States on 19 September 2012 and will begin her five-year term on 1 February 2013. From March 2008 until 1 November 2012, Dr. Etienne served as Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to that, as Assistant Director of PAHO from July 2003 to February 2008, she led five technical areas—Health Systems and Services, Technology and Health Services Delivery, Health Surveillance and Disease Management, Family and Community Health, and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.
During her tenures at WHO and PAHO, Dr. Etienne led the efforts to renew primary health care and to strengthen health systems based on primary health care, promoting integration and improved functioning of health systems. She has also spearheaded policy directions for reducing health inequalities and advancing health for all through universal coverage, people-centered care, the integration of health into broader public policies, and inclusive and participatory health leadership.
The World Health Report 2010, Health systems financing: the path to universal coverage, was produced under the direction of Dr. Etienne and WHO's Deputy Director-General. The report is recognized worldwide for providing an agenda for action by countries at all stages of development to move more quickly and in a sustainable manner towards universal coverage, while proposing ways in which the international community can better support efforts to achieve universal coverage and improve health outcomes. Dr. Etienne has also led the WHO global agenda to support universal access to safe and efficacious medical products and the development of a global code of practice for the international recruitment of health personnel. She also chaired the International Health Partnership (IHP+) initiative, which seeks to commit partners to work together and put into practice international principles for effective aid and development cooperation in the health sector.
In her native Dominica, Dr. Etienne began her career as a medical officer at the Princess Margaret Hospital, where she eventually became the Chief Medical Officer. She has also served in other high-level posts in Dominica, including Coordinator of the National AIDS Program, Disaster Coordinator for the Ministry of Health, Chair of the National Advisory Council for HIV/AIDS, and Director of Primary Health Care Services.
Dr. Etienne received her medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery- MBBS) from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and her Master of Science degree in community health in developing countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.


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On Hiatus
On a island somewhere, hidden to the human eye, are shape shifting creatures called dragons. This island is the beginning of almost every dragon. This island is called 'Origin'. Dragons occasionally leave their nest at Origin and venture into the human domains. Some of them form relationships with humans as their guardians and the humans as their tamers. One particularly unlucky dragon decides to leave origin. He spends his life cautious of other living things and always alone. He vowed never to trust any one. That is, until a young girl comes along and earned his trust. Now he has a new vow. To protect this girl that has become his tamer, no matter what. Little does he know, there are more things in store for him then just protecting his new tamer. Contains: Romance, blood, violence.


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Every year for the past 20 years, we've recognized the best products in the main classes of software development tools. No category gets more entrants than books, and this year was no exception with 51 nominees submitted by publishers, vendors, and readers. The award covers all books published from July 1 of last year to June 30th of this year.
Due to the large number of candidates, the Jolt judges decided to do a first pass that would cut the field to 15 worthy entrants; then a second pass that chose their top six picks ranked in order. The top book of the year receives the Jolt Excellence Award, the two runners up receive a Jolt Productivity award, and the remaining three books are known as Jolt Finalists. The separation between these six and the remaining nine that made the cut was felt by most judges to be somewhat artificial. Many of those remaining titles were found to be good works, worthy of attention. We will discuss them in later articles.
In years past, the comment I just made about how closely bunched the books were is made about the top winners, but this year was different. The Jolt Excellence Award winner led by a wide margin. In many ways, this validates my original review of the book (prior to my coming to Dr. Dobb's) in which I called it the "most important book of 2010." I've included that review in the reviews of the six award winners and finalists that follow.
The judges for this category included Alan Zeichick, Chris Minnick, Robert DelRossi, David Dossot, Gary Evans, Gary Pollice, Jon Kurtz, Larry O'Brien, Mike Riley, Peter Westerman, Roberto Galoppini, Rick Wayne, Scott Ambler, and me. Given the large number of experienced judges, you can have high confidence that the award winners really represent the best of the available books.
We thank Rackspace, a Jolt sponsor, for providing virtual machines for the judges' use to the extent they were needed for judging books and the software that comes with them.
If you want to nominate products for consideration in upcoming categories, you can view the calendar and get the (very short) nomination form here.
And now the envelopes…


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A consultant told the Port St. Joe Port Authority board last week that the case for state investment in dredging the Port of Port St. Joe shipping channel was �positive.�
A consultant told the Port St. Joe Port Authority board last week that the case for state investment in dredging the Port of Port St. Joe shipping channel was �positive.�
Rod Lewis, working with the Washington Economic Group, said a Return On Investment study commissioned by the Port Authority had resulted in numbers even more positive than he had estimated before undertaking the study.
The ROI study is considered critical for the second path � permitting is the first � the Port Authority is pursuing for dredging, namely the funding.
The ROI, once finalized after input from board members, would be offered in Tallahassee as state lawmakers consider this spring making the estimated $25 million investment in dredging.
�Is there some return on investment? That is what the state is interested in,� Lewis said.
At the bottom line, the study � and Lewis emphasized that it and the numbers contained therein is in draft form � estimates that the modernization and expansion of the Port of Port St. Joe would carry nearly $941 million in economic impacts over a decade, a return of $4.66 for every $1 of state investment.
Lewis noted that the study only factored in the two energy companies, Green Circle and Enova Energy, with signed Letters of Intent (LOI) with the St. Joe Company to ship wood pellets through the port for overseas markets.
�It�s a positive number,� Lewis said of the ROI estimates. �This is actually a very positive number. The state is looking at roughly $5 for every $1 of investment, so this is right there.�
The ROI aimed to quantify the output and revenue from an operational port and to do so, Lewis said, researchers looked at similar scenarios at other ports.
Specifically, it focused on the economic impacts of a $25 million dredging project combined with $5 million in state-funded improvements to the Genesee-Wyoming rail line; the impacts from the cargo loads shipped through the port from Green Circle and Enova; additional indirect impacts of new port operations and rail employment to haul the wood pellets.
The team examined operations and financial impacts at ports such as Panama City, Canaveral, Jacksonville, Olympia, WA, all the ports of Georgia, Everglades, Wilmington, DE as well as averages for all ports in the US.
Researchers quantified the impacts per 1,000 shipping ton; examining direct jobs generated, total jobs, user jobs as well as tax revenue and cargo loads.
Direct jobs, Lewis explained, are those jobs dependent on an operational port and which would relocate if the port was not operational.
User jobs are those created by factory operations tied to shipping through an operational port, such as at Green Circle and Enova.
According to the study, the port dredging would create 319 construction jobs � short-term employment � as soon as 2015, with 707 permanent jobs in place each year of the ensuing decade.
The labor income over that decade would top $216 million with total economic impacts, local, regional and statewide, of over $552 million.
�The impacts in year one are less than the impacts over 10 years,� Lewis said. �That is the meat of where this happens. You get a lot more of your impacts in the out years.�
Combined with the railway investment and factory (user) jobs, the numbers grow exponentially.
The total impacts of rail and port expansion, the increase in factory activity, all of it sustained over 10 years, would equate to 803 jobs, $334 million in wages/payroll, $491 million in gross domestic product and a total economic impact of $940.5 million.
�I did not expect going into this to see the numbers play out so positively,� Lewis said.
Eugene Raffield noted the port�s case is also bolstered by the fact that just 40 percent of the shipping channel will have to be dredged, meaning a project of lesser scope than is typical, and that there has already been over the past decade considerable investment in infrastructure at the port.
�That only makes the story that much stronger,� Lewis agreed. �You should capitalize on investments already made.�
And, Lewis noted, the ROI only quantifies the impacts of just two identified potential clients.
Those two companies, however, are not the only parties showing interest in the port, just the two that have formally signed agreements.
The Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation has offered a letter of interest to ship aggregate and sand through the port, which would effectively double the volume estimated from Green Circle Energy and Ernova.
In addition, the Port Authority has seen a recent uptick in inquiries, with at least two potential clients to visit in the next few weeks, said board chairman Leonard Costin.
�You have a great case with the worst case,� Lewis said.
The key, Costin said, is making that case successfully to the Florida Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott, who has repeatedly told port officials that state investment hinges in large measure on a return.
Costin said the report showed the return was potentially game-changing.
�I am really encouraged,� he said. �We are moving in the right direction I think. We need to get this (study) to the powers that be. This is a very important step. This is one of the first hoops we have to jump through.�
The dredge permit application work continues apace of the original timetable, Costin said.
The goal is to have the application submitted by March with a permit hopefully in Port Authority hands by early summer. The hope is that state funding will be put in place for the coming fiscal year leading to dredging by the end of 2014 or early 2015.