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Health Column
Accidents will happen, but some happen less often after child-safety measures are introduced, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (cdc) in Atlanta.
For example, following the introduction of "child-proof"--and frequently "adult-proof"--caps on medication in 1972, the number of deaths due to ingestion of pain-killers or anti-fever agents over a five-year period dropped by 41 percent in all age groups.
And in New York City, 50 percent fewer children were injured in falls from windows after the city health department provided free, easily installed window guards to families with young children who lived in high-risk areas of the city. The number of children who died from falls declined 35 percent between 1973, when the program began, and 1975.
In Honolulu, legislation that requires swimming-pool owners to erect fences to discourage stray swimmers from taking a dip seems to provide an effective way of lowering the number of accidental drownings. The rate of swimming-pool fatalities is less than half that of cities with comparable pool-to-house ratios and no analogous legislation.
These safety measures have several common elements, according to cdc They modify the environment to reduce the hazard or eliminate it entirely; they require little in the way of behavioral change by the potential victim; and they are relatively inexpensive and simple, so that both the public and manufacturers readily accept them.
But another national survey offers somewhat less cheering news. After many years of concern about the amount of lead to which children are exposed, federal officials have now provided the first national estimates of the blood-lead levels of Americans. Based on findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1976-1980, the National Center for Health Statistics reports that an estimated 4 percent of the children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years show excessive amounts of lead in their blood. More black children than white register this condition: 12.2 percent of the black children, compared to 2 percent of the white children.
In an effort to consolidate and focus medical services for "high-risk" adolescents and young people, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is providing $12 million in grants to 20 projects around the country, including both public and private health-care facilities, universities, and clinics.
The projects will attempt to demonstrate whether medical services for the 12-to-24-year-old group--the only one in the U.S. with rising death rates--can be sustained and improved during a time of declining public funding for medical services.
To receive the funds, each project had to show that it would seek to aid young people who live in communities with unusually high rates of venereal disease, pregnancy, substance abuse, accidents, homicide, suicide, and mental illness.
--Susan Walton
Vol. 01, Issue 36
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This morning, while browsing the news, I read an update that made me reflect on the future of the world we live in. The news came from Italy, a country in which the current political debate is dominated by racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia, as it is unfortunately happening in many European and non-European countries.
The rate of juvenile unemployment in Italy has reached a dreadful 40,1% this year and too many manipulative politicians are having a great time at blaming refugees and migrants for it. In the meantime, the Catholic Church has gone as far as declaring that the last earthquake that shook the nation was caused by the divine fury for the approving of a law that states the rights of same sex relationships. With such themes dominating the public debate, hoping in a happy future for the next generations is not an easy task, and still shook by Brexit, the election of Donald Trump and the wave of nationalism and xenophobia that is spreading all over Europe, I was a bit worried when I read the headline of the newspaper article.
The headline was: "Foreign students in separate classrooms: racial laws in Vercelli's secondary school". I felt like crying, but then I started reading the whole article. The headmaster of a secondary school, worried by the topics filling political agenda and by the tones of the debates, decided to test his students to show, as he explained, "that the young generations are better than the ruling class". He chose, as the "sample" for his experiment, a class in which the pupils were studying the racial laws in Nazi Germany. He wrote and signed a fake document in which he ordered that in his school, from that day onwards, were going to be created special classes for the children that had one of both parents that weren't originally from Italy. When the document was read in class by a teacher students cried, shouted, asked the teacher to allow them to write a letter to the government, and stepped in front of the door saying to their classmates: "you are not going anywhere, you are like us". The week before they had studied the 1938 racial laws and, impressed by that part of European history, they had decided to create a poster with a quotation that is identical in the Coran and the Talmud: "whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world".
These children are the living proof that culture, knowledge and awareness are the only way that can lead a person to understanding, empathy and compassion and also to be able to speak up against injustice and abuse. These children are a beacon of hope for a nation, a continent, a planet poisoned by fear and hate, an example for everybody in the world that believes that we can cooperate to create a fairer world.

subset: commoncrawl


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Photoshop Script for re-size odd dimension to square canvas size
- Script for Re-size canvas size of a odd dimension image to square(with the longest dimension)
- How to record a Photoshop action
- How to load a Script File
- How to batch process a folder with selection Photoshop action
Step 1
Script for Re-size canvas size of a odd dimension image to square(with the longest dimension)
This is the code.
var savedRuler= app.preferences.rulerUnits;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;
var w = app.activeDocument.width;
var h = app.activeDocument.height;
if(w>h) app.activeDocument.resizeCanvas (w, w, AnchorPosition.MIDDLECENTER);
if(w<h) app.activeDocument.resizeCanvas (h, h, AnchorPosition.MIDDLECENTER);
//if w==h already square
app.preferences.rulerUnits = savedRuler;
2. Save this script file on a separate folder on your computer.
Step 2
How to record a Photoshop action
Now lets see, how to record photoshop action with above script.
1. Open Photoshop and create a new document and save it. I created a new document in 800x600 size.
2. Now open Photoshop action panel, Windows - Actions
3. Now you need to create a "Set". Every action must belong to a "Set" which is a folder containing one or more actions. You can do this by clicking fly-out menu, and selecting "New Set".
4. Give a meaningful name on the pop-up window.
5. Now this set willl appear at the bottom of the action palette. With your action set selected, click on the new action button at the bottom of the action palette.
6. In the pop-up window, give the new action name. If you would like you can set a Function Key as well. (Shortcut). and click "Record".
7. Ok, Now we have started Recording. You can see "Red color" recording button is active. It means, now photoshop will record every things we do here untill we click stop button.
8. Ok, Now these are the steps I needed for my action steps.
- Unlock background the layer. (double clicking on the background layer)
- Load the action script file
- Save
so, lets do this.
Ok first double click on the background layer, and it will unlock. You can see that action will be recorded.
in to this..
You can see its recording that step under "my-custom-actions" set.
Now we need to load the script file which we saved earliar.


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Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
Tattoo instruments, such as needles and tubes, are sterilized in an autoclave before a tattoo procedure. Before the patent of the tattoo machine by Sam Reilly in 1891, organic instruments were used by cultures to perform tattoo rituals. Some cultures still practice the ancient tattoo rituals and incorporate latex gloves and autoclaves to make the procedure safer for the people performing and getting the tattoo.
Ancient Egypt
Archaeologist W.M.F. Petrie discovered two different types of ancient tattoo tools in Egypt, according to "Smithsonian Magazine." The first type was a wood-handled tattoo instrument with a sharp point, dating back to 3000 B.C., found in Abydos, Egypt. The second type of tattoo instruments, discovered in Gurob, were made of bronze, in a shape similar to needles. In modern tattooing, some tattoo needles are referred to as "flats," and the ancient bronze tattoo instruments look like flat and wide needles in a group.
Rites in Polynesia
Traditional Polynesian tattoos were -- and still are -- performed as a rite of passage or to show wealth or status. The heavily tattooed men were respected and admired; men with no tattoos were shunned or disrespected. A woman was permitted to cook for her family and participate in preparing bodies for funeral rituals only after achieving womanhood and receiving a tattoo. Tools used for Polynesian tattoos consisted of needles in a comb or rake shape attached to a wood handle. The needles were made from bone or tortoiseshell, and punctured the skin when a separate wood stick tapped the wood handle of the comb.
Thai Tattoos
The Thai Guide to Thailand website explains that in Thailand, monks perform a tattoo ritual known as a Sak Yant, which means "magic tattoo," believing that the tattoo will bring protection, luck, strength or good fortune. Intertwined with Buddhist beliefs and mantras, monks still perform this ancient form of tattooing today. A stick of bamboo, usually 6 to 12 inches in length, is one tool used to perform the tattoo. On one end of the bamboo stick is a sharp point that looks like a quill. The sharp point is split into two pieces to deliver ink into the skin. Another implement used for tattooing a "magic tattoo" is a metal spike, similar to the size of the bamboo stick.
Japanese Tradition
The traditional art of Tebori, or tattooing by hand, is a technique practiced by the Japanese, according to the Tao of Tattoos website. A row of needles adhered to a wood or metal handle is the equipment used by a Tebori master to tattoo the skin. The constant motion of moving the hand holding the handle creates the tattoo design. Unlike modern electric tattoo machines, the Tebori master performs the tattoo in an ongoing rhythm, instead of performing a line and stopping.
Maori Designs
In New Zealand, the Maori tribe tattooed female and male members of the community. The New Zealand in History website explains that the Maori tribe regarded the head as the most sacred part of the body. Women only received facial tattoos, mainly around the lips, chin and nostrils. The entire face of the man was tattooed. Some members of the Maori tribe wore spiral tattoos that started on the buttocks and ended at the knee. In a tattoo ritual, the Maori used a chisel made of bone to cut lines and shapes in the skin. After the lines were cut, the Maori would tap the chisel, with the edge dipped in pigment, into the lines.
- Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images


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Cindy J. Morrow, MA, LPCC
Cindy received a masters degree in Clinical Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary in 2009 and has been specializing in addictions and dual disorders for over 5 years. With a warm and direct approach, her passion is to assist others in achieving wellness and overcoming life's challenges.
Cindy's area of expertise include: addictions and recovery challenges, anxiety, codependency, crisis, life transitions, relationship issues, marriage and couples counseling, self esteem, and anger management.
Her greatest desire is to provide hope and direction, assisting others in achieving excellence in their lives. Cindy has been married for over 25 years, enjoys gardening, and hopes to travel to Greece sometime in the future.


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Good news from the National Military Family Association (NMFA)! After spending the winter trying to gather funding, the NMFA has announced plans for the 2011 Operation Purple Summer Camp season. This summer's schedule will include 40 weeks of camp in 25 states plus Japan. This is great news for military families.
Operation Purple camps are free summer camps for military children. Priority is given to families with a currently deployed parent, followed by families with recently returned and shortly deploying parents. My children had the opportunity to attend an Operation Purple camp two years ago and they absolutely loved it. It was a nice experience for them to be surrounded by other children who understood what if felt like when a parent was gone.
Details about dates and locations will be available on March 31st, 2011. The online application system will also open that day.


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The third volume of John Newman's JFK series is out now. He mentions that the five volume series may now extend to six. A Kindle version will be available within the week.
The third volume of John Newman's JFK series is out now. He mentions that the five volume series may now extend to six. A Kindle version will be available within the week.
Yet another worthy book by Mr. Newman, the acclaimed author of Oswald and the CIA, to stock one's personal library with. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Thorne. The wrongly accused was not a deranged loner who killed the president for personal achievement as cast by Norman Mailer, etc. Thank goodness Mr. Newman contributed to setting the record straight on that myth.
[QUOTE=Anthony Thorne;125142]The third volume of John Newman's JFK series is out now. A Kindle version will be available within the week.
Will a Nook version be available as well?
John posted this on Facebook today.
In Volume III ("Into the Storm") I deconstructed CIA officer Samuel Halpern's four-decades long campaign to convince the world that Attorney General Robert Kennedy ran a super-secret operation (unknown to Harvey and the rest of the CIA leadership) to use the Mafia to murder Fidel Castro—and that RFK used another CIA officer, Charles Ford, as his liaison to the mob to achieve that nefarious objective. Halpern's RFK-Mafia myth has played a significant role in the continuing use of the old canard that Castro (with a KGB assist) was responsible for the Kennedy assassination. That canard lies at the heart at the successful coverup of the murder of JFK. For these reasons, Chapter Seven of Volume III opens with an essay addressing the strategy and tactics of the coverup. I have accepted a request to share that short essay with my FB friends:
The coverup of the president's murder was carefully prepared well before the event itself. In the days immediately following the shooting in Dealey Plaza, both overt and covert components of the coverup were put into play. Overt is what the public sees; covert is what people with appropriate security clearances see. The overt component created a calming public spectacle by framing Oswald as a crazy lone nut with communist sympathies but no direct connection to a larger conspiracy. The covert component created a threatening top-secret crisis by framing Oswald as a witting agent of an international communist conspiracy.
The overt component was a messy but straight-forward public exhibition of fabricated evidence in Dealey Plaza. The covert component was an intricate secret "need-to-know" exhibition of fabricated evidence in Oswald's top-secret government files. The fabricated top-secret evidence was weaponized to create a frightening impression of an impending crisis: The U.S. was facing a possible nuclear war with the USSR because the FBI and CIA had failed to connect the dots in their secret files on Oswald. In this manner, our national security institutions were incentivized to cooperate in the unfolding coverup.
The symbiotic relationship of these false conspiracies in the overt and covert components of the coverup was an ingenious fit. The calming effect of the lone nut non-conspiratorial overt scenario—itself part of the true conspiracy—was the antidote for the false conspiratorial crisis scenario unfolding inside of the government. The key to the long-term success of the coverup was the continuing survival of the covert component of the plan. As long as the covert communist conspiratorial scenario remained viable, the feasibility of the overt lone nut (apparently) non-conspiratorial component became less important over time.
The importance of the role that these discrete conspiracies played in the hierarchy of false conspiracies cannot be overemphasized. In the long run, it didn't matter how many holes were poked in the Dealey Plaza scenario. The coverup of the true conspiracy—the Wizard of Oz cabal behind the curtain—was dependent on a continuing staunch defense of the covertly engineered false conspiracy: especially the RFK-Mafia myth. The permanence of that covert false conspiracy permitted the dismissal of the less important fabricated evidence in Dealey Plaza as a benign conspiracy to save America.
How that plan was accomplished is the subject of this chapter and Chapters Nine, Ten, and Fifteen. In a nutshell, this was the plan: An international communist conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy was the result of the Kennedy brothers' collusion in a plan to assassinate Fidel Castro. The key element in the plan was this ominous false scenario: Robert Kennedy got his brother killed and almost started World War III. A secret RFK-Mafia plot to assassinate Castro was turned around by Fidel and—with an assist by the KGB—used to assassinate President Kennedy instead.
The alleged involvement of the Kennedy brothers' collusion in Castro assassination plotting is the indispensable and inseparable foundation for the false international communist conspiracy scenario. To prevent the deaths of forty million Americans in a thermonuclear war, the apparent Castro-Kremlin role in the Kennedy assassination had to be suppressed by Chief Justice Earl Warren at the secret level. Today, this permits the CIA to characterize that suppression by the Warren Commission as a benign but necessary conspiracy to save us all.
Therefore, as these complicated components of the hierarchy of false conspiracies evolved over the last fifty years, it is not at all surprising that the Kennedy brothers' alleged participation in Castro assassination plotting has become even more important than the issue of whether the manufactured evidence in Dealey Plaza points to a conspiracy.
So, in recent years, a peculiar new paradigm of benign conspiracy has emerged. That paradigm goes something like this: If the Kennedy assassination was a conspiracy, then the Kennedy brothers were themselves to blame. And so, today, many mainstream observers, researchers, and authors have become inescapably attracted to the view that a Kennedy involvement in Castro assassination plots is the reason that President Kennedy was assassinated.
However, the Kennedy collusion subterfuge brought an element of risk with it. Baking Kennedy collusion into Castro assassination plotting left this otherwise cunning coverup with an Achilles heel: The demonstrably false RFK narrative had to be left in the open. Take it away and the role of both brothers vanishes with it, the nakedness of the emperor is exposed, and the light of truth illuminates one of the worst disasters ever to befall the American republic.


text: If you're asking the question then you don't have a very good strategy. Culture should be a part of any good business strategy. In order to build culture though you need consistency, something people notice and feel on a regular basis. It's easy to see when culture has been a part of the strategic thinking of a company. It shows up in every detail of the company and it shows up in everyday conversation with employees and customers. If you are looking at a way to infuse sales and marketing into your company's culture or you need to lay the groundwork for culture in your company – Nerchur is a great way to do that. Again, it's a process that should be followed everyday. The question arises though, can you "make" someone use a tool like Nerchur? I like to explain that Nerchur is just as much a part of your culture as wearing a seat belt is to driving. It doesn't make sense not to wear one and if you "choose" not to use one then you're exposing yourself to a list of high-risk consequences and as a business owner – I don't "choose" to expose myself to high-risk consequences. The studies show that companies that utilize these types of systems can see an increase in sales of 50% – a good consequence of making Nerchur a part of your culture and strategy.


text:
Frustration tempers troops' success
Tacoma News Tribune:
The old man in robe and head scarf told the Stryker troops from Fort Lewis they must be lost.
"No, no, suspicious cars ever here," the Iraqi said through an interpreter. "The whole country has not security, but in this neighborhood is security."
Just a few minutes later Wednesday morning, the soldiers found a mortar round buried in the mud and dirt field behind the man's Baghdad house.
The troops, from the 1st Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, kept looking. They hit the jackpot beneath the rusted skeleton of a bus.
A hole with 260 mortar rounds.
Many of the rounds were of the size favored for car bombs and improvised explosive devices. There are only about 3-4 million similar caches left in Iraq. (Murdoc's estimate.)
But the 12-hour mission also reflected some of the frustration U.S. troops face in Iraq. Residents claimed ignorance of insurgent activity, and the soldiers couldn't get enough evidence to detain anyone Wednesday.
One man in the neighborhood made it clear that he would be "slaughtered" if he dared to give information to the Americans.
Many of the locals just wanted the US troops to leave and were unmoved when the troops pointed out that they were trying to help. (via Stryker Brigade News)
UPDATE: I had originally wondered if this unit was actually the 4-23 INF from the 172nd SBCT. It apparently isn't, and is really the 1-23 INF as identified in the article. The 1-23 INF is part of the 2nd Division's 3rd Brigade, the first Stryker Brigade.


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The Art of Perseverance in Australia Feature Film Making will be launched in March 2015 It will be available in many formats.
The Film
An eBook
Events and Conferences
Education Outreach Program for Schools
Host a Screening
Lunch and Learn for Corporates
On this website, and on our social media sites, we publish interesting and relevant articles, videos, books, that complement the themes contained within the project.
These are all listed in the Resources Section.
Subscribe to the blog and join our newsletter to keep updated,


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Esperanza SpaldingDecember 29, 2010
Interview with Tony Dagradi of Astral ProjectDecember 24, 2010
This interview originally took aired on September 22, 2009, while Astral Project was touring in support of its album Blue Streak It was subsequently published at Bebopified in October, 2009.
Tony Dagradi is the leader of the group. Playing a number of saxophones, he can surprise a jaded listener by taking the soprano sax places smooth jazzers have never dreamed about.
I had a chance to talk with Dagradi by phone from his New Orleans home, shortly before the group left for its September tour of the Midwest.
LE: You've been together, what, 30 years?
TD (Laughing): We started when we were in kindergarten.
LE: Are you all natives of New Orleans?
TD: Johnny Vidacovich and Steve Masakowski, the drummer and guitarist are native. James Singleton and I both arrived in New Orleans around 1977. I don't know how long you have to be here to be a native.
LE: It sounds like you're a native now.
TD: Yeah. You get involved in the scene and you're part of the community, ultimately.
LE: What brought the four of you together?
TD: It was mostly my concept. When I arrived in New Orleans, I had been playing with a great group I had in Boston called Inner Visions. I wanted to have a group, someplace where I could do whatever I wanted. After I was in New Orleans awhile I scoped out the local artists and there were many. I just brought people together that I thought would be a good combination.
LE: Did you move to New Orleans specifically to start a different kind of group?
TD: No. Actually, that wasn't why I moved here. It was just something I had to do while I was here. I moved to New Orleans because I didn't want to go back to Boston and actually I only intended to check it out and stay for a short time myself. But… the music scene is so vibrant and so incredible that I just kept staying and staying.
LE: When you brought the other members of the group together, what was your concept?
TD: l had in mind to do something a little more electronic, with electric keyboards, and an electric bass, because this was 1978. I was thinking about Miles. I was thinking about Weather Report. But the more we played it became apparent that our backgrounds and hearts were really in acoustic and very interactive music. So it started out from that fusion place but ultimately went to very acoustic jazz and very interactive music.
LE: It seems you depend a lot on individual contributions from each of the band members for your repertoire.
TD: Absolutely. Everybody writes. I probably bring in about 50% of what we do, Steve writes a lot. Steve Masakowski is a great, great composer. James is a unique composer. Johnny writes probably the least, but when he brings in something, it's great.
LE: is there any other way the band has evolved over the 30 years you've been together?
TD: It's subtle. From an instrumental and orchestration standpoint, initially we started out with keyboards, bass, drums, sax, and we had a percussionist. As things moved forward in time the percussionist, Marc Sanders, moved to New York. So we were a quartet for a moment and then we added Steve. Steve is the junior member, he's only been here 20-something years. David Torkanowsky was the pianist, and it turned out that he just got busier and busier doing other stuff, involved in studio work, so when we would go out on tour it would be a conflict. Ultimately we said let's lose the keyboard and keep it lean and mean as a quartet. That's the way I've liked it the best so far.
LE: You do a lot of the writing and get writing from other members of the band. When you bring in a song, or Johnny does, or Steve does, how do you go about arranging the song?
TD: We rehearse very infrequently, but when we do what happens is someone brings in their music and they have a good idea of what they want. But… everybody looks at the music and decides, or takes a little liberty with it and develops his own part. That sometimes involves the actual arrangement, like "Let's loose the interlude, or only do the interlude in one place." So the arrangement itself evolves a little bit at the rehearsal, but then a lot on the bandstand.
LE: Obviously after so much time together you can read each other well. You don't have to look at each other and say "I'm going to take a chorus now."
TD: If you talk to John Vidacovich, he'll tell you he just watches people's body language. He knows when somebody is going to take that next chorus or not. That's the way he plays. He watches people and looks to help shape the individual solos by his support. He's watching body language, listening to what's happening. There's a lot of trust and a lot of things have evolved, so that we do know each other's playing pretty well.
LE: Individually, you have all played with some of the giants of New Orleans music. What did you learn from that?
TD: New Orleans is the most important city when you start talking about jazz, where it started to begin with. The music was in the air and happening in lots of places, but geophysically, New Orleans is a very unique place. The fact that it's surrounded by water and totally isolated has helped it to sustain its individuality and culture. There are so many elements, the culture, the melting-pot aspect, there was so much music here from so many different places. That's why the music evolved here as it did. Given that, there's a tradition of families – the Marsalises, the Jordans, the Batistes. There are a lot of extended families, so that anybody who's from here is probably related to a musician. (Laughs.) It's part of the fabric of the whole city, so that if you're not related, you probably know a lot of musicians. But I think, to answer your question: We've all had a chance to play with Professor Longhair. I've recorded with Ellis Marsalis. We all take part in this big community. The one thing that really I found exciting and remarkable when I first got here was that you would go to one gig and it might be a wedding. You would go to another and it might be a funk gig at a club, and you would go to another and it would be a straight jazz gig. And you would see some of the same faces on all those gigs. For me that showed how versatile the individual musicians are and how connected they are.
LE: One of the things I've noticed over the last 10-15 years of Jazz fest is how much more interaction there is between all kinds of musicians. You would see someone in a funk group, and then they'd play jazz…
TD: Traditional jazz, gospel.
LE: Lots of one-off combinations to, well, make some money, to entertain people, and for the joy of playing together.
TD: That's one thing about Astral Project. We all do all those gigs. But.. when we come to Astral Project the environment is such that you can play anything. If you play with a rhythm & blues guy, he doesn't want to hear you play outside the changes, he doesn't want to hear rhythmic complexities. It has to be at a certain level to be right, but in Astral Project anything is right, anything is okay, and that's what we've all grown to really love about the band.
LE: That's how you keep things fresh and interesting for each other.
TD: Yeah.
LE: You teach as well.
TD: I'm a professor of saxophone at Loyola University. Steve is head of the jazz program at the University of New Orleans. So I do that a lot, but this year I'm on a sabbatical.
LE: When you meet with students for the first time, what's the first thing you tell them about what they need to do to be successful, or to do what they want with their music?
TD: Hmm… The fist thing is to learn how to make a beautiful sound. (Laughs.) I'm not talking about a lot of notes, just taking one note and making it sound beautiful. That would be the first thing. After that, that opens a can of worms. After you're an accomplished musician, after you can technically play the instrument, then you have to decide what you want to play. What kind of music makes you feel good? I tell my students, if somebody called you for a festival or recording session, what ten tunes would represent you as an artist? That's a big question. And if you're a composer, that's great. You really should be a composer, because that's how you can make some money. If you're a jazz artist, you are a composer by very nature.
LE: To change the subject a little bit. People always wonder what artists did during Katrina. The new album, Blue Streak, has parts that are a response to Katrina, just as Big Shot has some tunes that were a response to 9/11.
TD: I think artists always reflect their time. Steve is really good about that. We did a whole suite on Big Shot about 9/11. We were on tour right on 9/11 in someplace like Indianapolis, I believe, and Steve's sister worked in the World Trade Center, so he was freaking out. There was a lot of anguish and trying to get through with phone calls. It was a very heavy time. For Katrina, what's really amazing is that we all evacuated, but what's amazing is that none of our houses were flooded. We all came back and there was damage and debris and stuff but we all had our roofs, but no water got into our houses. We also had a tour planned immediately after Katrina so we met in Chicago after not having been home for three or four weeks and everybody evacuated to different parts of the country. It was really emotional.
LE: You are coming to the Artists' Quarter for the first time.
TD: Yes. We've been to the Dakota a number of times, but this is our first time at the Artists' Quarter. I'm thinking it might be a better place for people to just listen.
LE: You'll be playing stuff from the Blue Streak album. Any other material?
TD: Our performing repertoire always includes stuff from all of our CDs. Because on each CD, there's some… not that any song is better than other cuts on the CD, but some have more longevity in the repertoire. We absolutely do stuff from every one of our CDs.
LE: You'll have some for sale there.
TD (laughing): Oh yes, the economics of touring.
LE: Do you have a distribution deal at all?
TD: No. The last three projects we've done, we've done on our own. I've talked with a bunch of people who are very prominent artists, and everybody's thinking about not doing a label, because everything is changing so much.
LE: We look forward to seeing you. I imagine there will be two sets per night
TD: Whatever they want. (Laughs.)
LE: Whatever the audience screams for?
TD: Whatever the club owner wants. (Laughs some more.) I'm a hired hand at that point. We're really looking forward to coming to Saint Paul.
Sophia ShoraiDecember 21, 2010
Original interview conducted August 14, 2010.
Vocalist Sophia Shorai is based in the Twin Cities. You may have heard her distinctive, clarion voice in commercials for Target and other corporations, or you may have seen her at The Dakota, Hell's Kitchen or Honey. Shorai's voice is a combination of sweet and sultry, and is particularly expressive on ballads like Black Coffee, where the darkness of the tune is only slightly leavened by the sweetness of her voice, and Old Devil Moon. This is a slightly edited version of our talk in the KFAI studio shortly before the Release of her album As Long As You're Living.
LE: The last time you were on this show was a couple of years ago, when you did the Brazilian album.
SS: Right, called Wave.
LE: Now you have a new one out, Long As You're Living. Is it just you and Tommy Barbarella.
SS: It is. It's just a stripped down piano and voice record
LE: What made you decide to go with that approach to a record?
SS: Well, I've always wanted to do it, and I've been looking for just the right piano player, and Tommy and I have had a good rapport over the last couple of years. We have mutual friends, so we've known each other and I always wanted to work with him and thought, "What a Perfect Opportunity."
LE: He's toured with Prince, Stevie Wonder, Art Garfunkel, Ziggy Marley. He's also a composer and arranger. A veteran of the music business.
SS: He absolutely is. He's fantastic, and such a delight to work with. A good friend
LE: I'm looking at the list of tunes on the CD. Long as You're Living, Black Coffee, Brother Can You Spare a Dime. You also do Hellhound on My Trail, the Robert Johnson tune, as well as In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Old Devil Moon and a Hank Williams tune. How did you choose these tunes?
SS: I know, it's kind of all over the map in terms of songwriters. I've just loved many of these tunes for many, many years and always wanted to record them. I thought let's put them all together. They kind of have an underlying theme of politics, and loss, and also love found, and redemption, so I weaved them together to tell a story. I think it works. I hope it works.
LE: As Long As You're Living, the title song, is an Oscar Brown tune. Where did you first hear that? How did you decide you like that particular song?
SS: I've been listening to jazz since I was a little girl, because of my father. I first heard Abby Lincoln's version on Abby Lincoln is Blue and absolutely loved the song and then Karrin Allyson, whom I'm completely in love with, also covered it, so I thought "Hey, Whatever." It sets the scene for the record.
LE: As we mentioned earlier, it's been a while since you've been up here, so what have you been doing in the last 4-5 years?
SS: Well, I've been kind of busy. I got my Bachelor of Arts from the U of M in psychology, That took a little too long so I'm glad that's done. And I got married to a wonderful man. He's also a musician, Jeremy Gordon, so that was nice
LE: And I've noticed that in the last year or so, you've been out performing again.
SS: Yeah, I took a little hiatus, and started performing again. Then I hooked up with Tommy and we started working on tunes together last fall, and that catapulted me into wanting to play live.
LE: I've seen you performing with Supreme Privacy and some some bands that you put together.
SS: Trying to find my way in.
LE: As you are working with different folks, how does it help you to do so?
SS: Well it definitely allows me to stretch my boundaries and also make new friends and learn about new people and that also inspires me, to have special relationships with musician types. Just allows me to grow
LE: Tell us about the Hank Williams tune.
SS: I think it's one of Tommy's favorite songs and definitely one of mine now too. It's called I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. It's a really sad tune
LE: It's a very sad tune. You take it much slower than many versions that I've heard, and certainly much slower than the original Hank Williams version. BJ Thomas had a hit with it in the early 70s, I think, and his was much faster. How did you decide to go with such a slow arrangement?
SS: Well, honestly, this whole record was almost completely spontaneous. Tommy and I talked about it for a month or two and then we got together for about two hours the night before the session and ran through the tunes and then went into the studio. So all of these songs are kind of based on our communication with each other and its almost spontaneous.
LE: But you talked about what tunes you would do?
SS: We talked about the names of the tunes, who wrote them, what they're all about, not necessarily about how they make us feel, but just talked about them objectively and then went in and did them.
LE: And the decision to do this one so very slow. Did Tommy just say Let's take this one really slow?
SS: Yeah, yeah. He just came up with this one since it's one of his favorite tunes, and I just followed him and it worked out perfectly. I think we maybe took three takes of this song tops.
LE: Is there a particular challenge that you face as a vocalist, to sing so slowly?
SS: No I actually prefer to sing ballads. I'm a balladeer, that's for sure. I feel you can emote a lot more.
LE: I'm reminded of a remark that Jimmy Scott once made, talking to another singer, he said something like, "Go as slow as you want, the band has to follow you. Whatever rhythm you want to do, do it."
SS: yes, indeed.
LE: When you're playing with other bands, do you just say, "Here's the songs that I know"
SS: I have a general book of charts and just throw it at them and hope they can read my charts. I am a piano player so I understand the keys and chords and everything, but I feel bad for my musicians at times, because I'll pull out a really esoteric tune and they'll go, "Oh! Well, let's see how this goes."
LE: But it's not that your chart itself has bad penmanship
SS: No, no. I choose very colorful chords…. I've heard.
LE: Isnt' that what jazz is all about, playing some of those colorful chords?
SS: I hope so, yeah.
LE: Tell us about the last song on the record.
SS: It's called Waters of March and is by Antonio Carlos Jobim. And I figured, what's a well-rounded jazz record without a bossa nova. Also I've always been way too nervous to cover this tune. I've known it for years because it's really wordy and seemingly simple, and you can do so much with it, and it's such a joyful tune I thought it was a great song to take the record out with.
LE: You mentioned that there are lots of words in that song and there are…
SS: There are. It's really tough memorizing all those words. I have to make some up all the time. I feel bad about that.
LE: In terms of having to sing many, many words like that, what challenges do you as a singer face, or does any singer face when they have to enunciate so many words.
SS: I don't want to speak for everyone. We all have our own instrument and use it differently but I have to drink a lot of water, be very hydrated and have to muster up the excitement and hope for the best.
LE: do you find that when you sing it at different times, where you breathe is different?
SS: Absolutely. I like to change it up every time I do it, just to keep it interesting. Yeah and there definitely are a lot of places to breathe. You have to be strategic about where you breathe
LE: You don't want to run out of breath
SS: That does happen, you just have to fine a graceful way out of it and come right back in.
LE: I suppose you're finding ways to distribute the CD other than at your gigs.
SS: Yes. It's actually on band camp right now. It's bandcamp-slash-sophia-shorai.com You can download it for 12 bucks. You can listen to the whole thing and don't have to buy it… But you should buy it.
LE: Well, thank you so very much for coming in
SS: Thank you for having me Larry
Ronnie Spector's Christmas ShowDecember 20, 2010
After 50 years of attending concerts and clubs, and interviewing artists ranging from Allen Toussaint and James Brown to Lenny White and Esperanza Spalding, I was reduced to a star-struck fan last night. The occasion was Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever, at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant in Minneapolis. Sitting stage-side, I was grinning throughout her hour and a half performance, and thrilled when she reached out to shake my hand.
Spector's voice, with her familiar Whuh Ho Hos, was clear and powerful. She sang and talked with the enthusiasm of a schoolgirl, and donned a Christmas outfit for her encore. She paid homage to a number of her own heroes and friends, including John Lennon (Happy Xmas), Johnny Thunders ("Memory"), and Frankie Lymon ("Christmas Again"). She sang new Christmas songs, chestnuts like "Sleigh Ride," her hits and a couple of lesser known Ronettes tunes like Paradise and You Baby. It was a treat to hear her do a couple of vocal group gems: "I'm So Young," a song by the Students that she recorded with Phil Spector, and "Please Say You Want Me," originally done by the Schoolboys, and at this point, only available as a download from her website.
I didn't take notes. Didn't take photos. Didn't analyze the sound. I just sat there smiling. For an hour and a half I was, along with everyone in the room, deliriously happy to hear Ronnie.
Pianist Pete MalinverniDecember 15, 2010
Since arriving in New York City in 1981, pianist Pete Malinverni has established himself as a highly respected artist, earning accolades and a number of four star reviews in Downbeat, and other publications. His recent release, A Beautiful Thing! on Saranac Records shows why. The music is direct, engaging, and creative, whether he's playing the Great American Songbook, a newer standard by Burt Bacharach or Billy Joel, or a spiritual. His originals feature purposeful, strong melodies. Every note seems in place, whether he's attacking the keyboard with verve or barely brushing the keys. We had a short talk by phone Saturday morning, November 20, 2010 during my show on KFAI.
LE: In looking at your biography, I noticed you started out in classical music. How did you go from studying classical music to being a jazz musician? What was the impetus for that?
PM: First I should say that I had a really wonderful teacher as a kid. I started with this particular woman back home in Western New York, in Niagara Falls. I studied with this woman from the age of six until I got out of high school. She was a real taskmaster. She insured that I had all the physical, and I guess interpretive, tools that someone my age could have, and knowing how to play classical music. So she introduced me into harmony and to form and all those things. And of course I loved playing, for part of the time, anyway. There was a time in early high school where all I wanted to do was play ball, so that was a bit of a difficult time. But, I enjoyed being able to do it. I enjoyed being able to play. She was Polish, so she had me playing a lot of Chopin, which I really enjoyed.
But then in high school I was invited to play "Rhapsody in Blue" with the school orchestra. In learning that, I found that no one had to force me to learn that piece. I would steal time in school to run to the auditorium and get inside and play the piano and really practice it. That was something I did because I wanted it. So people telling me that it was somehow akin to jazz had me tuning in to the jazz station back home in Buffalo. I heard things on there that I never really thought I'd hear. At that time I was playing in a rock band with some cousins of mine, and having a lot of fun, but it still wasn't quite fulfilling, musically. When I heard jazz I understood the difference, which was basically that these musicians in the jazz world really were concerned with sound quality, listening to each other very clearly, and really responding. At that time, the rock thing, what we were trying to do was sound just like the record. Anyone who's played rock music at a young age knows that scene.
I liked the fact that one could be creative but one's developed tools were very much necessary. All the work that I had done in classical music to develop technique was then absolutely necessary to trying to improvise and at the same time really cooperate with my fellow musicians. So that was it. I was done. Plus the rhythmic thing, the way it feels rhythmically. That's really essential to all music and for me, that's the thing that pushed me over.
LE: Now, you've been based in New York City for quite a while, and you've played with many musicians. Have there been any musicians that you've learned particular things from, or have really helped you along in your development as a jazz musician?
PM: Absolutely. First at the piano there's a wonderful jazz pianist, I'm sure you're listeners know who Barry Harris is, the great, Detroit born pianist. He offers classes in the city. When I first arrived in New York I heard about these classes and started to go and got immersed in the whole notion of greats with feet of clay, if you will. In other words, humans who still could aspire to this wonderful art form. Harris was very specific in showing and demonstrating the techniques that he had developed, or at least observed. Musically, that was a very important thing for me.
Then personally, I was very fortunate to be able to call some really great musicians to work with me when I started to get my gigs in New York. I always wanted to play with someone better than I. So the first really great musician I called was Mel Lewis, the great drummer, so I had a trio with him and Dennis Irwin, a wonderful bassist, and we played together quite a bit, and I made my first two recording with Mel. We get together to rehearse, and basically I go over to his apartment and listen to him talk. I learned a lot about the real world of being a musician.
Mel passed way too young, and from there I hired Vernell Fournier when I would work, and he would hire me when he had work, and we got to travel together quite a bit, and play a lot of the clubs in New York. Vernell, of course had made jazz history with the Ahmad Jamal Trio. He was really great about seeing the positive in things, no matter what they were. He was actually a Muslim and he would quote from the Koran all the time. The things he would say were always in the face of this or that, keep your eyes up, everything's ok, be positive, keep moving forward. That as well as musical things in terms of form and dynamics, etc. which of course were the great earmarks of Ahmad's trio, of which Vernell was an important part.
LE: Sounds like helpful advice for being in the music business.
PM: Oh yeah, just being in the presence of someone who's that great and seeing that it's organic to them. It's not some thing that, the thumb was put on the forehead from above and boom, all of a sudden they could do it. It's a lifelong pursuit
LE: You mention that Fournier was a Muslim. In addition to gigging, you currently also participate in services for two different faith based traditions.
PM: That's right. On Sundays I'm the minister of music at an African American Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, where I've been since 1992. It's called the Devoe Street Baptist Church. There I work with the choir and choose, and lead music for the congregation. Then on Fridays and Saturdays I'm pianist and conductor at the Westchester Reformed Synagogue in Scarsdale, New York.
LE: On your album, A Beautiful Thing!, you do Go Down Moses, and mention that it is a song that resonated with both traditions when you did something together.
PM: Yeah, it's interesting. I teach at Purchase College here in New York. I'm in the jazz studies program, but I formed a choir of students from all over campus called Soul Voices. Basically, I arrange all the music for the choir and its music from the African American tradition, so we use a lot of spirituals, and I find it interesting to get into the history of what the songs really are. In fact I was just looking at an article in today's NY Times about the song Come By Here, and how it's been called Kum By Yah, and now it's almost a term of cynicism, you know, left and right, when in fact it really had a strong basis in the civil rights movement.
It's interesting, when the slaves were brought here, they were not allowed to read, and if they were allowed to read anything, it was the Bible. I found that interesting because here are these slave owners giving the slaves a book, whose hero, Moses, led people out of bondage and out of slavery, and vanquished their captors. And I thought, gee, you're gonna hold somebody, but give them a blueprint for how to get out, that's really bright. So Go Down Moses and Let My People Go are songs known and cherished by both traditions. For me we talked initially about the classical and jazz thing. I think, like there, and also as in religion, I don't mean dogma, I mean spirituality, there is so much more that brings people, who seemingly should be on whole other sides of the spectrum, that brings them together rather than separates them. If you look for it. That's why I chose Go Down Moses. I always try to put one spiritual on every recording.
LE: On this recording, you have a number of originals, such as the one I played just before you came on the air, In the Garden of the Eternal Optimist, but you also have a House is Not a Home, by Bert Bacharach, a Billy Joel song, and a couple of American Songbook standards, My Shining Hour and Sweet and Lovely. But the surprise to me was La Vie en Rose, which is a popular song, though I haven't heard many jazz interpretations of it. Why did you choose that particular song?
PM: I'll tell you Larry, the songs you mention all share one thing, well maybe more, but to me, the thing they share most importantly is melody. I think, rhythm is number one but melody is what gets us in the heart. No one ever says when I hear that beat it makes me want to cry, it's always the tune. There's something about a tune that really tugs at the heart. When I first moved to New York, I really didn't know anybody, so I made a living playing piano in fancy restaurants. In that job you have to learn a million standards. You have to learn standards. Which was fine, because I'd go to hear Tommy Flanagan, or I'd go to hear Hank Jones, and they were playing these tunes, so I knew how beautiful they were. So I learned songs and one of the places I was playing was a really lovely restaurant. Quite often people from Europe would come in, so I made it my business to know songs that I liked from various countries, and La Vie en Rose was something I learned. The melody is simply beautiful and I also like the mood of it, it's a little bit of a cynic's view of the world – life is rosy, not really. So I liked the subtlety of the message. But for me, the main thing is the melody.
LE: Well, I want to thank you for calling in. We'll sign off with La Vie En Rose. I've been talking with Pete Malinverni.
PM: Thanks to your listeners, too.
Glen David AndrewsDecember 8, 2010
Original interview conducted 7/17/2010
Glen David Andrews is a rising star in the New Orleans firmament. But there are rising stars and there are RISING STARS. In fact, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame as a "Future Hall of Famer" in November, 2010. He has recorded a gospel album and a traditional jazz album, but is just as likely to drop some funk into his performance. You may have seen him in HBO's Treme.
The charismatic trombonist with a deep baritone voice first came to the attention of folks outside of the Big Easy at the 2009 Jazz Fest, where he electrified the Gospel Tent, singing traditional gospel songs with a brass backing. People were jumping up and down, reaching out to touch him. He implores folks to get up, move, scream, and they willingly do so, as he proved at his performance at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant the evening of this interview. Normally polite Minnesotans were on their feet as soon as he came on stage. They stood throughout the performance and shook whatever they had, mightily. It was a sight to behold. Earlier in the day, he came to the studios of KFAI, where this on-air interview was conducted. It's been slightly edited for clarity.
LE: Good Morning
GDA: Good Morning. How're you feelin'?
LE: I'm feeling good How're you feelin'?
GDA: I'm Happy to be here, and I'm ready to wake everybody up in Minnesota and Minneapolis/Saint Paul this morning
LE: You grew up in a highly musical family, a network of musicians. Jessie Hill was your grandfather, and your cousins are James Andrews and Trombone Shorty, so it seems you grew up around music.
GDA: I grew up in the historical Treme neighborhood, which is the oldest black African American neighborhood in the US. It's where jazz was founded. I literally walk up Basin Street every day, and while I'm walking up Basin Street, I get to play the song Basin Street. I am part of a huge musical family with James and Troy. Grandfather was the great Jessie Hill, who as you know, wrote the catalogue for Ike and Tina Turner, Sam and Dave, and his own stuff. Being born and raised in Treme, twhen I grew up in the 80s, I was blessed to have the privilege of seeing the end of all those guys that brought the revival of traditional jazz back. And I was able to see that, and I was able to see their jazz funerals and I still was able to play with some of them. I've been around it all of my life, and I'm pretty much in heaven right now.
LE: Was there ever a time when you didn't think of being a jazz musician?
GDA: Nah. You walk out the door of my place in Treme, and my grandmother ran two of the most popular bars in town. So my entire life was surrounded by music, including my cousins, and my brother who played in the Rebirth Brass Band. His mother used to do Fats Domino's hair, (she was) his exclusive hair dresser. Across the street, the preacher is my first cousin, and has a huge band in music. So I've been around it all my life. I can actually remember when I first saw the Olympia Brass Band, I knew I was gonna be a musician.
LE: How did you choose the trombone?
GDA: I didn't. Trombone Shorty gave it to me. I was a drummer first. I was about 14 years old, going down the street, and he asked me, "Are you still playing with your brother and them?" I said, "No, I'm gonna come play with you." He said, "Okay, but since you're tall, you have to play the trombone." He gave me a horn at 14. I'll never forget. He asked me for it back about a year later, "You ready to give that horn back?"
LE: You brought your trombone with you.
GDA: Oh, everywhere I go. This is my wife.
LE: You ready to play something?
GDA: We have to play something to wake y'all up this morning. I hope you enjoy it.
(Plays and sings the traditional spiritual, A Closer Walk With Thee, accompanied by guitar and trumpet)
LE: That's a very traditional song. You've been called someone who has one foot in tradition and one foot in the future.
GDA: Being born in the neighborhood I was born in, and being around all those great musicians, I pretty much understood what traditional jazz was all about. Going to Preservation Hall, listening to the Humphrey Brothers. Actually knowing them, and being able to perform with so many great musicians You could do football, you could do basketball, but for me it was always music. But then, being around all those old people, I was hearing stories of who they were, who they hung out with. All those huge jazz stars were still in the neighborhood, because all their band members, and their friends lived around there. It's a cesspool of culture.
LE: What do you hope to do with your music?
GDA: For me, I hope to take it to higher and higher heights. You know there's many different ways I could go, but for right now it's all about different kinds of music, especially with the CDs. I did a gospel, a traditional jazz, just did a live one, kind of funk. Now it's time for blues-rock. I'm pretty much touching on every genre of music and being able to record with everybody and hopefully be able to do one-night stand around the entire world.
LE: That' s very ambitious. I saw you last year at the Jazz Fest last year just tearing it up at the gospel tent, and then I saw you a few nights later at the d.b.a club, creating a ruckus there, so that's entirely a possibility.
GDA: I think as long as I keep the right band. You have to be willing to open your mind up to new music, and, at the same time, new music is always great, but you still have to swing those tunes like Tiger Rag and Muskrat Ramble. You can't let those tunes die off.
LE: You're playing at the Dakota this weekend.
GDA: That is huge, for me to be able to play there. When I walked into the Dakota last night, it was pretty late and they treated us extremely wonderful. But to walk in there… I had just talked to Gaynell and Cyrille Neville, of the Neville Brothers. Cyrille is one of my mentors and someone who's been a big inspiration and who's had a big impact on my life. The first thing his wife told me was "You are really making a way for yourself, because you're playing at the Dakota Jazz Club." The first thing I told her was, "I ain't never been to South Dakota." She said "No, the Dakota Jazz Club." I looked it up. After 25 years they have everyone playing, even Mavis Staples has come here.
LE: They've got Dr. John coming up, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
GDA: It feels good for me to be here this weekend. I think I should be playing in top jazz clubs and look forward to everybody getting me back up here. But first I want to woo y'all to convince you, yeah we've got the right one.
LE: do you have another tune to convince us?
GDA: Oh yeah, this is a great tune. We're gonna try this one and we're gonna dedicate this to my ex-wife.
(Plays Saint James Infirmary/Saints Go Marching In, singing many humorous off-the-cuff asides)
LE: You have a way of improvising words that works quite well.
GDA: I believe that music is always telling a story and you can't always tell the same story. But to improvise is what God is putting in your heart and your mind. Sometimes there's a certain way to move your trombone, but sometimes I just like swinging it. I just take the feeling and duplicate it through the notes in my horn and in my voice. And if it tells me to scream, I'm gonna scream, and if it tells me sing low, I sing low. My goal is to make you cry, laugh, be happy, swing, dance, that's what I'm here to do. And until I do that, my day is not done.
LE: there might be some folks who can't make it to the festival but want to learn more about you. Do you have a website?
GDA: You can always go to GlenDavidAndrewsband dot com. Our website is always updated, but we stay in touch with everybody through FaceBook, which has a Glen David Andrews page. What we're trying to do is get one hundred thousand people all over the United States to sign up for my Facebook between now and the time we release the next record, and we're asking everybody to submit songs they think I should sing, mostly from Levon Helms. So if you know some great Levon Helms songs, please send them in to me, and when we tally up the votes in a few months, the ones they pick are the ones we'll do, only with our arrangements.
LE: We have to close off. Thank you for being here.
GDA: Thank you for having us.
What is this?December 7, 2010
This blog will feature interviews with musicians, as well as occasional reviews of performances or recordings. It will feature quite a few jazz artists, since I host a weekly jazz show on KFAI radio in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. But, it will also feature interviews that I've done with R&B artists, rock n' rollers, vocal groups, and others that I have talked with over time. And, from time to time, I will post about a new album or performance that I've attended. Now to work.


text:
Following the meeting of the Keshe Foundation with the world ambassadors invited to Brussels on 21 April 2012, now our invitation goes to the nations of the world through their ambassadors and their leaders to attend a gathering on 6 September 2012 at the Keshe Foundation Center in Ninove, Belgium (or in any other place the nations may choose).
- On 21 September 2012 the Keshe Foundation will release the first phase of its space technology and the gravitational and magnetic (Magravs) systems it has developed, to all scientists around the world simultaneously, for production and duplication.From that point on, international borders will cease to have any real significance. This is because, once the first flight system has been built and put into operation for the public, the time of travel for example from Tehran to New York will be about 10 minutes maximum.The new airborne systems will enable every individual to make the same length of journey in the same time and at hardly any cost from any point on this planet. The craft will not be detectable with present radar technology.
- The energy crisis will be resolved at a stroke, and once the technology is put into practice the powers that control energy supplies and through them the present financial structures will find their hands empty.
- The world water shortage will be addressed and resolved by presenting this technology to the public soon after the release of our energy and space technology.
The founder and caretaker director of Stichting the Keshe Foundation


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When you have ADHD life may seem like a maze to get through. There are so many things to remember that your mind feels like an overfilled closet where you can't find anything. Every day we have to access information in order to perform errands and routines like grocery shopping, bill paying, or setting up doctor's appointments. Even the simplest of chores can prove to be frustrating and difficult if our disorganization prevents us from retrieving important information we need to complete our tasks. If you find yourself in this boat, we are here to help
There are many methods and tools out there to help you become better organized and we have shared many of these with you over the years. In this post we are going to be talking about how the new technology of apps for mobile devices can help make your life a little easier. In case you are not familiar with the term, an app is just a shorthand term for software application. If you have a mobile phone, iPod, or iPad, you can buy apps to run on your device. There are apps for every purpose imaginable from charting your mood to keeping track of your child's behaviors. Today I am going to share my favorite apps for organization. Let this be the year when you finally have a system in place to keep track of all your important information.
Before I talk about organizational apps I did want to say that I cannot vouch for the quality or functionality of any of the apps I describe. Before you purchase any type of app, do your research first to see exactly what you are buying. Apps cannot replace your therapist or ADHD coach. They are simply an extra resource to make your life easier despite having ADHD.
Everyone has different types of information they may wish to monitor. I have included the most common themes for organization and the app that I personally use for each category.
Managing medical records and doctor appointments
If you are like me, you may lose track of when your last doctor appointment was and when to reschedule. You may have file folders stuffed with medical information at the bottom of a file cabinet or worse yet, you can't remember where you put the notes and results from any medical testing. And if you have a family, the problem is compounded by having to keep track of everyone's medical history. I have found a solution of keeping a lot of my family's medical history on an iPad app so that it is all in one place. There are many apps out there to keep track of your medical history but I liked this one the best for its ease of use and functionality.
- My Health Records-Health n Family (For iPhone, Ipod Touch, and iPad)
This app will pretty much keep track of any information pertaining to your health and medical needs. You can keep track of medications, testing, symptoms, and doctor appointments. You can add attachments of test results or prescriptions. You can use this app to email your doctor with your medical history. I also like that there is a passcode security feature so that only you can access your personal medical information. Make sure that when you do purchase any app that you read the fine print about privacy features. It takes some time to get all the information plugged in but once you do, it is all there in one place, and you avoid creating paper clutter. The developer also offers a way to back up your data on a secure server but you may opt to store a copy of your information on your hard drive.
Keeping track of birthdays, holidays, and events
Do you have difficulty as I do in remembering birthdays and special events? I am always late with my cards and well wishes much to the dismay of my loved ones and friends. But now there is an easy way to keep track of such things without having to commit important dates to memory or write them ahead of time on the wall calendar. There are apps that will remember all your important dates for you. The following app is one that I am presently using with great success.
- Occasions: Birthdays and More! (For iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad)
This app will give you ample opportunity to prepare for any upcoming event that you list. You can be notified a day ahead or even a month in advance. There is not a chance that you will ever forget a holiday again as it stores the dates of holidays for 44 countries. It also provides the dates of every religious holiday you can imagine from six different religions. I like that you customize your entries with photos and list your personal events such as anniversaries or other special occasions.
Creating to-do lists and goals
Everyone has their own style of keeping track of chores, errands, projects, and general goals. I have personally relied upon post-it notes to keep my sanity. But now there are apps which can eliminate the need to decorate your house with colorful paper to-do lists. There are numerous apps designed for this purpose but I find that many are too complex or cumbersome to be useful. I wanted to find an organizational app which could be as detailed or as simple as you needed it to be. The following app met my criteria for ease of use and adaptability.
This app will pretty much keep track of any type of information you need to create or organize. I personally like the style of visual post-it notes and memos to create lists. You can incorporate photos, maps, and sync with Google Docs. You can password protect each folder you create. There is a calendar feature complete with notifications of when projects or goals are due. You have the option of creating lists or a diary format. It is visually pleasing and uncluttered and you can fully customize it to meet your unique needs. I find it fun and rewarding to use. It just takes some time to get used to writing notes in this way especially if you have spent a lifetime writing handwritten to-do lists. The price is right too at less than five bucks.
It may be daunting to try a new tool for organization. But you might be pleasantly surprised at how easy and intuitive it is to use apps for this purpose. If you have trouble finding things or keeping clutter out of your home, using apps is a paperless way to keep track of important information.
Now we want to hear from you. Do any of you use apps to organize your life? Do you find it helpful or cumbersome? Share your thoughts and opinions here. We are eager to hear what you think!
To read more of my reviews of apps to help patients please refer to the following articles:


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Welcome To The Angel Dental Practice
About The Angel Dental Practice
Angel dental practice are pleased to announce that they have been awarded the BDA'S Good Practice award 2019! The Angel Dental Practice team would like to welcome you to our friendly and professional practice based in Edmonton in North London. Our goal at the practice is to provide the highest standards of dental care at all times, and in a manner tailored to meet your specific needs and wishes. All efforts will be made to make your visits with us as pleasant and memorable as possible. Here at The Angel Dental Practice we offer you the best of both worlds – traditional NHS dental treatments and the option of affordable Private Cosmetic Dental Treatments focusing on improving your smile. Our wide choice of treatments means we can help you to maintain healthy teeth and enhance your smile. Our highly skilled team is committed to delivering consistent quality dental services of the highest standards in a relaxed and friendly environment. Love your smile! Free consultations available for Tooth Whitening, Implants, Orthodontic treatment , Botox & Fillers. Please call the practice to book your free consultation now!!!!


text: It's still award season. And now it's morphing into the Spring release shedule so there is much of the news games to talk about. And today is the day of the #UKBA17 "Dawn of War 3" Trailer: https://youtu.be/NDHu5w-qM1Q ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Loads of press releases to the rounds and there's never enough…Read More


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'Twittergate' (as the recent Shashi Tharoor–Lalit Modi cricket controversy is being called) has opened a can of worms in Indian cricket. IPL Chairman Lalit Modi alleged Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor had influenced the Kochi bid and raised questions about Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor's 'girlfriend,' being given free equity worth Rs. 70 crores ($15.8 million).
In response, Tharoor has alleged Modi wanted to edge the Kochi team out to hand it to a powerful consortium of wealthy industrialists in Gujarat. The Kochi consortium members even came out to say that Modi had offered them $50 million dollars to withdraw their bid. And, as a hungry media swooped in craving details of this story, many glaring 'skeletons' have tumbled out of the closet. There are reports that several of the existing eight IPL franchisees are owned by relatives of Modi, a clear indication that the mega-rich cricket league is enriching a cosy group of people.
The Income Tax Ministry questioned Modi and visited IPL's offices in Mumbai to see what's really going on. There are suggestions that senior politicians are involved in the IPL, which has certainly been tainted (an interesting article on this was written by one of India's best-known cricket commentators, in which he talks about the way the sport is suffering over this) by some murky dealings.
The Board for Control for Cricket in India is holding a special council meeting to discuss what's going on, although cricket commentators say none of this could have possibly happened without the willing sanction of Lalit Modi. Lalit Modi must be regretting the first Tweet he sent out against Tharoor. But, it's the one thing we can thank him for. As the IPL occupied the national centre stage and provided a genuine forum for entertainment for millions around the world, it had become inconvenient and unnecessary to ask questions about the tall claims its functionaries regularly made. In a strange way, Modi, who has to be given credit for designing the IPL, is probably the reason it will get better as well. It's probably an unintentional outcome from his point of view, but a very welcome one for the rest of India.


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Enterprise's Cheat Sheet For Snookering You Into Car Insurance Image courtesy of
What's Enterprise hiding under that big brown bag their cars are wrapped in? According to this report, it could be their intent to humiliate you into buying car insurance.
What's Enterprise hiding under that big brown bag their cars are wrapped in? According to this report, it could be their intent to humiliate you into buying car insurance.
"Couple weeks ago I rented a car from Enterprise for the day," Tim Nudd writes us. "As I was waiting for the guy to run my credit card, I noticed a piece of paper on the counter…It seemed to be a one-page cheat sheet for how Enterprise employees should go about selling car insurance to its customers. It was just sitting there, so I took it."
A transcript of the document, after the jump…
I. Initial Sales Pitches
A. "I assume you want us to protect you bumper to bumper on the car, right?" (assumption makes the customer feel like everyone takes it)
B. "You've rented from us before?" (if yes) "Then, I'm sure you took our coverage last time, right?" (customer will feel silly for having not taken it)
C. "How long do you need the car?" -three days- "Three days? That's only $60 and protects you the full value of the car!" "…it's only $19.99/day and protects you of the full value of the car!!!" (make sure the customer feels your excitement)
II. Handling Objections
A. I have my own insurance- "Yes, but you have exposure. Meaning, if anything happens, we'd have to collect your deductible, place a claim through your insurance, you'd have to worry about surcharges, insurance rates going up, etc…" (exposure, most powerful objection word ever)
B. No, I'm ok… I don't need it- "80% of my customers under 10 days do take it because they would not be responsible for any damage, regardless of fault!" (customers love to be a part of the majority, it's comforting)
III. Thing You Should NEVER Say
A. "How do you want to cover the car?" (this gives them the option of their own insurance, and they'll use that option every time)
B. "Do you want to take our coverage or use your own insurance?" (Are you kidding me?! This is not sales!)
C. "We offer a protection package that can cover you bumper to bumper…" (Duh, that is precisely what you'd be doing… offering, not SELLING!)
IV. A True Seller…
– A true seller can close the deal within 30 seconds.
– A true seller doesn't even need the "three no's."
– A true seller "persuades" rather than "offers."
– A true seller believes in what he/she is selling.
– A true seller uses 1 to 2 powerful words, rather than a novel.
– If you work for Enterprise, you are a true seller (you just might not know it yet).
This was at one of two Enterprise locations in Fort Lee, NJ.
Says Tim, "To be fair, I don't know if this is a standard-issue Enterprise sales sheet or what. Plus the guy didn't even bother with any of this crap when I told him I didn't need his insurance. I did think it was a little weird that this Enterprise location has it in writing that making the customer feel silly can be a good thing."
This is, in all likelihood, not a standard-issue document but rather, the dissemination of upsell tactics by the franchise's manager. Like most such proclamations, it's ignored by the employees who continue to conduct business in the same way they did before. It's interesting to note that there's still some sales professionals who view the relationship between seller and customer in an old-school, combative, manner, rather than trying to discern and diagnose client's problems and sell them the solutions. Soon these dinosaurs will be extinct and their bones can be compressed and converted into fossil fuels and injected into energy-efficient rental cars of the future.
[photo credit]
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Creating Tomorrow: the future of money – what does it mean for you?
Nov 11, 2019 | By Carla Buzasi
Aug 16, 2011
By WGSN Insider
Spend a magical night being rocked to sleep by the Seine when you stay aboard the Bateau Johanna, a barge turned bed and breakfast that's anchored just steps from the Musée d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower in Paris' charming Port de Solférino.
The owners purchased the stately Johanna over twenty years ago in Amsterdam, sailing it to Paris where it's been docked ever since. With just two tiny guestrooms and a shared living area (in addition to the owners' quarters), it's not a big boat, but when lounging on deck with a croissant and a cup of coffee, it just might be the best breakfast spot in the city. And with rates starting at just €95 a night and a stellar location near tons of attractions, it's also one of the cheapest, most unique places to stay in all of Paris.
Bateau Johanna
Port de Solférino, Quai Anatole 75007
33 (0)145516083
Photos: Courtesy of Bateau Johanna
Know what's next. Become a WGSN member today to benefit from our daily trend intelligence, retail analytics, consumer insights and bespoke consultancy services.


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Rowing at the 1992 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: Barcelona, Spain
Venue(s): Lake Banyoles, Bañolas
Date Started: July 28, 1992
Date Finished: August 2, 1992
The Soviet Union had won the menâs quadruple sculls at the last two editions of the World Championships and, after the collapse of that nation, its representatives, [Valeriy Dosenko], [Sergey Kinyakin], [Mykola Chupryna], and [Girts Vilks], entered the 1992 Summer Olympics as the favorites under the banner of âUnified Teamâ. The powerhouse in the opening round, however, was a unified Germany, who won their heat in Olympic record time thanks to the sculling prowess of [André Willms], [Andreas Hajek], [Stephan Volkert], and [Michael Steinbach]. The other heats were won by France and Norway, the latter of whom brought a crew that included [Lars Bjønnes] and [Rolf Thorsen], silver medalists from the event at the 1988 Games. In the semi-finals the Soviets, who had been performing poorly, were eliminated, while Germany and Italy, runners-up at two of the last three World Championships, took the heats. Germany continued its strong run by claiming gold in the final and improving on their Olympic record, while Norway edged out Italy by 0.24 seconds to repeat its second-place performance from 1988. In fact, Italy was barely able to hold on to bronze, finishing third ahead of Switzerland by only 0.09 seconds.


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Our Operations Team tracks client positions and transactions, captures and reconciles portfolio information on a daily basis and assists with reporting. Our Technology Team manages Gresham's information systems and infrastructure and provides user support, which includes the externally provided virtual vault that holds financial documents our clients can access in a number of ways, including via an iPad application.
Compliance works to ensure that Gresham adheres to the highest ethical standards, not merely the requirements imposed by applicable laws and regulations. Our Administration Team supports all functional areas of the firm.


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You won't be able to use the Time-Turner to get out of this one. The Harry Potter Themed Escape Room is based in Novi, Michigan and is opening its doors this August.
Escape Room Novi currently features a jungle theme, a diner theme, a pirate theme, and an asylum theme. And starting this fall, they'll be offering a Harry Potter theme. The room will appropriately be called the "School of Magic."
The Escape Room business offers its customers a different kind of entertainment and experience by giving groups or parties a variety of puzzles that need to be completed in under an hour. Be sure to expect some Hogwarts inspired challenges in this Harry Potter themed room. Maybe you will even get to don the Sorting Hat!
Source: WXYZ, Image: Collide, Giphy


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Energy Disinformation
"We have apparently used up to 40 percent of our oil supply. ... There is need for a countrywide thrift campaign looking to the saving of this essential resource."
When U.S. Geological Survey Director George Otis Smith issued that warning in 1920, he probably was prompted by the jump in the crude oil price to $3.40 a barrel -- a level not seen again for 50 years.
We have heard Smith's story repeated many times since, whenever the price oil went up. A National Geographic cover story for June, "The end of cheap oil," suggested the oil price is high because the world is using it faster than it can be replaced. But if high oil prices today prove the world is running out of oil, what was proven by $11 oil in late 1998?
By mid-June, the Economist price index for industrial metals was 34 percent higher than a year ago, while oil was up less than 20 percent. Should we conclude the planet is suddenly running out of iron and copper this year, or (more sensibly) that global industry picked up smartly after the paralysis that preceded the Iraq war?
In 1920, conservationists like Smith pointed at the gigantic cars of the day, such as Packard and Pierce Arrow, which were soon displaced by more economical cars like Ford's Model T, which achieved 20 to 25 miles per gallon (mpg), but with only 20 horsepower. Today those fingers are pointed at SUVs. The common belief is that if more Americans could be shamed, bribed or compelled to buy small cars, the price of oil and gasoline would come down and stay down.
National Geographic thus ends its essay by asking, "Should tax deductions for hybrid cars (i.e., subsidies to those affluent enough to purchase new imported cars) be increased?"
The concept of conserving fuel among the small number of new passenger vehicles to lower prices is chimerical, since lower prices would encourage more driving among owners of the much larger fleet of older vehicles. Besides, the trendy idea SUVs use a huge share of energy is wildly inaccurate.
On June 13, The Washington Post's writer Jonathan Weiseman wrote a feature subtitled, "History says gas spike won't smother SUV love." That familiar theme was undermined, however, by an accompanying table showing small cars accounted for 40 percent of U.S. passenger vehicles in 1975, yet average mileage was then only 13.1 mpg.
By 1988, the small car share was up only modestly to 43.8 percent, yet average mileage had improved enormously to 22.1 mpg. Clearly, nearly all the 1975-88 improved average fuel economy was due to technological advances such as fuel injection and radial tires, not a significant shift to smaller cars.
By 2004, small cars accounted for merely 22.9 percent of the fleet, yet average mileage nonetheless declined by only 1.3 mpg (to 20.8). That 1.3 mpg is what the SUV fuss is all about. It is certainly true dangerously tiny cars have recently become less attractive to consumers than in 1988, but one reason is even luxury cars have become much more fuel-efficient.
Before 2001, I drove an SUV -- a stick-shift Toyota RAV-4 that was EPA-rated at 22 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. Now I drive a BMW 330 coupe with automatic (which the EPA rudely describes as a "subcompact") rated at 19 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. By switching from an SUV to a subcompact, I could be accused of slightly reducing the estimated miles-per-gallon of U.S. passenger vehicles. But I actually get 29 mpg on the highway, which is not bad at all. And the larger six-cylinder Lincoln LS, Chrysler 300 and Cadillac CTS are nearly as frugal with gas.
On June 20, New York Times writer Timothy Egan wrote, "Suddenly, it's hip to conserve energy." A sidebar by Dylan Loeb McClain, however, claimed, "The growing popularity of sport utility vehicles and other light-duty trucks... has really had an impact. More than half of the growth in transportation consumption has been among light trucks."
An accompanying graph showed light duty trucks (mostly pickup trucks and vans) accounting for 18 percent of oil consumption in 2001, up from 13 percent in 1990 and 9 percent in 1980.
Be careful to notice, however, that SUVs account for less than half of light truck sales, and that the growth of consumption Mr. McClain mentions is mainly due to more people driving more miles, not that "the average fuel economy of vehicles sold in America has stagnated." Since average fuel economy has barely changed, it cannot possibly account for a significant oil-consumption change.
Transportation accounts for 67 percent of petroleum use, but only 27 percent of total energy use. The other third of each barrel of petroleum goes to produce plastics, synthetic fibers, pesticides and fertilizer, fueling farm machinery, generating some electricity and heating some homes.
Even within transportation, cars accounted for less than 34 percent of energy use in 2001 and light trucks for less than 25 percent. That is, heavy trucks, airplanes, boats, trains and buses accounted for more than 41 percent of transportation energy use. And nearly all that energy comes from petroleum -- gasoline and diesel fuel. Many cars and light trucks, such as taxicabs and delivery vans, are also used for business.
Transportation accounts for two-thirds of total U.S. petroleum use, or about 13 million barrels a day out of the 20 million barrels a day the U.S. used 2003. But household vehicles, such as cars and SUVs, account for only about half of the petroleum used in transportation, roughly 6.5 million barrels a day. Oil imports are much larger than that, about 10 million barrels a day. So, even if U.S. households had no cars, pickups or SUVs at all, we would still import about 3.5 million barrels a day -- for other transportation and for industrial uses.
Since light trucks account for 18 percent of oil used for transportation (which is 67 percent of all oil use), and SUVs for no more than half of that, it follows that SUVs account for no more than 6 percent of U.S. petroleum use and 2.4 percent of total U.S. energy use. Blaming cyclical swings in energy prices on SUVs may be politically correct, but it's quite absurd.