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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Blast from the past
I'm not sure how long it has been since I have built a fillet brazed frame....years for sure. This week I get to re-live the 1984-1991 part of my career-laying down fillets of bronze. Here's some head tube collars I modified and welded up.....they look like something you would find on an Ibis from the early '90's. I'm using a lot of these this winter, partly for aesthetics, partly for keeping the headtube from ovalizing.
This is probably the first fillet I have laid down in about 5-6 years. I do remember how to do it but I'm glad I have some nice new files to really get the finished product looking smooth and uniform. I'll be putting up pictures of the finished product next week.....it would be too much for me to think that i would have it done this week. Fillet frames are about twice as labor intensive as welded frames. It's cold in my shop and the combination of the torch and the manual labor will help keep me from freezing !
Monday, December 27, 2010
Fixie magazine from Japan
Team Miyata circa 1979
For all you classic bike junkies out there I'm going to occasionally feature an older bike , some from my own collection and others that just happen to come by my shop when I have my camera handy. This one was a project I took on a number of years ago. I got it as a frame, fork, headset and derailleurs. I had to find everything else and it wasn't easy. The old Dura Ace EX equipment was not really popular and never produced in great quantity. It took especially long to find the brake calipers. I still have to put on the AX wheelset I found for the bike and I really need to find the Dura Ace stem to complete the bike. As it is now, it is nearly complete and it is one of the best riding bikes I have ever owned.
Here's that ancient EX drivetrain , the seldom seen EX crankset and really hill unfriendly gears.
The top mounted 'Bunny rabbit' shifters were actually a great invention at the time-great they were but the buying public for the most part were not impressed. Moving the right shifter actually trims the left shifter a fraction....an innovation that would foretell the direction of Shimano's 'integrated shifting system' of the future.
Road frame, fork and stem
Way back in the '70's the thing to do with your custom frame was to have a Silca pump painted to match. The paint of the day was not powdercoat but Du Pont Imron catalyzed polyurathane enamel , a paint that when sprayed on properly yields a really smooth surface and deep luster. The metallic blue was a very popular color back in the day and though this frame is a more current design, the paint really harkens back to the era when I first became aware of custom frames.
The head tube collars are also something from the past, this time from the '80's and the dawning of mountain bikes.
The color didn't photograph properly as my camera has been acting up lately but you can see that I did a little work to the fork crown to make it look a bit like a '70's Ron Cooper fork.
The customer asked for a matching stem so I built one-one of the two or three stems I built in 2010. This one is made for a 31.8 mm handlebar , pretty much the standard these days.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Another Della Santa
Tall road frame ready to build up.
This frame may be tall but it is under 4 lbs. True Temper S-3 builds up very light. I used a lighter head tube and brazed on some collars for a little strength and style .
When a frame is this tall I leave the seat stays straight rather than put some bends in them.
The rider is 6'5" so the head tube is really long . The build will be Dura Ace with Enve fork and seatpost . I'm also getting some Reynolds carbon clinchers for it......this should be a really quick steel bike.
Big tire road bike gets dirty
After a long wait I finally got the time and resources to build up the 'Big-tire road bike' that will hopefully find its way to a magazine this winter. To prove that the bike was at home on any type of road surface, I took it out on a short ride that involved HWY 1, some dirt road along the railroad tracks and a muddy stretch of double track along the ocean where the cyclocross team trains in the late summer. Getting a bike this dirty on the first ride is probably not the best idea,especially considering that I built it with the purpose of attempting to get a review in print.
As you can see, I did get it pretty muddy in short order as the recent rains have turned the normally dry dusty conditions into a quagmire of slop . Although the Challenge Parigi-Roubaix tires are well suited toward dry dirt conditions , they were a bit slippery in some of the muddy corners , almost letting go completely and sending me into the muck. Fortunately , a season of 'cross racing has made me a little more centered on the bike and I didn't fall. The mud was sometimes so deep that I had to stop and carry the bike over sections that would have swallowed up the wheels up to the axles.
Shortly after these photos were taken I hosed off the bike and got it looking nice and new again. Now I'll get an email out to the media and see if anyone else wants to get this bike all muddy again. The whole idea of a bike like this is having the ability to ride just about anywhere without having to compromise on comfort and efficiency. This bike goes down the pavement pretty fast, even with the big tires ( 700x27c). Although it isn't a proper cyclocross rig it still handles the dirt well , if not a little bumpy with the 70 psi tires. It's a nice comprimise and a classic looking machine that will make people do a double-take when it is seen on the single track.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Travel bike fully assembled
I have been working on building up this bike today and it is ready to roll at last. The photos do not really do it justice as I feel this bike really came together looking better than I imagined it would. The bottle cages were a request from the customer......kind of a throwback to the mid-90's when Elite cages were on every pro's bike. They still are the most stylish, if not the most current.
The bike is the 'Big-tire road bike' that I have been seeing a surge in popularity as of late. The S&S couplers add a bit of weight but will really pay for themselves over the next few years of plane rides.
Matching Chris King hubs and headset make this a bit classier of a build than the stock 6700 group. The King stuff is also lighter and needs less maintenance. The couplers blend into the frame almost seamlessly. Not being a very large frame, it should pack easily.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The 5 foot solution
This is not the first one of these that I have built. This particular edition "low standover 'cross frame" will have disc brakes. I like taking phots of frames in this state as they look really clean before all the cable guides and other bits are welded and/or brazed on. This is the first steel frame I have built in about three weeks so I'm going slow and the welds are pretty much as good as I like to see. The rider is 5'1/4" with a 27 3/4" stand over. She likes her handlebars up pretty high so the front end of the bike will accomplish that with no headset spacers and no need for some spastic-looking stem reaching up to the sky. Lots of spacers and/or a wacky stem usually means that the bike isn't as good of a fit as it could be.
This part of the frame has a bit more going on than usual. The extra tube that joins the top tube to the head tube will keep the bike strong enough for some rough dirt riding.
It's always a happy day when I can put the frame on the drawing and see that I actually built what I set out to build. A long time ago it wasn't always the case ! Bike frames can fight you many steps of the way......nothing fits , everything needs to be clean and you can't be pissed off and expect to do good work. I used to play a lot of Nirvana in the shop years ago but i found that I would really get angry easily while listening to it. I figured out that really funny stuff is a problem, too......trying to weld a delicate pass while cracking up to some really stupid music usually yields some sort of embarrassing tatoo on the frame where you slipped and melted something you shouldn't have.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bet you haven't seen one of these......
Yes, it's a mountain bike. Yes, it is a Della Santa. I believe this one is from around 1985. My friend Joe is the original owner. He has a Ritchey from about 1982 and one of my bikes from 1995. He rides them all but I seldom see him on this one. There are supposedly only three in existance........that's pretty rare in my book.
My bike.....again !
Yeah, I know....you have seen this bike too many times ! I thought I'd put a post-race photo up of my ride in its current state , complete with the wheelset I built up a couple of month ago. The course had a 200 foot mud pit and it was really sticky, hence the muddy tires. Funny, the mud didn't get on much of the rest of the bike. This was my first race after being in the hospital ony five days previous. I came in 3rd.......impressive until you know that there were only four in my group and only three finishers ! Hey, it's a podium........in slow-mo.
29er bound for So-Cal.
This is the first frame I have built since getting my kidney stone blasted out. I took it a little slow on this one and I'm pretty proud of the results. All in all, I think this frame should handle the rigors of racing well as it has the beef where it is needed-the tubing is really stout here and there but the whole thing only weighs 3 lb. 7 oz. ! I guess that's what you get with 7005 aluminum.
The headtube is short as the 29er shock fork is pretty long and the rider is under 5'10".
I used one of Mike Ahren's seatstay yokes....there's nothing better to make for good tire room , lots of rigidity and some style as well. I use US made and designed hardware as much as I can.
Here's a tiny bit of hardware, or more like it-cobware.......a small brace to keep the disc brake from twisting the rear end into a pretzel. A lot of builders like me learned a number of years ago that any bike with a disc brake that is going to be ridden hard needs extra metal.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The rig loaded for the commute.
I have not been in the shop this week as I have been laid up with a painful kidney stone. While i'm in enough discomfort to not be able to tolerate the unheated shop, I can still build wheels at home. here's my town bike loaded with the last few day's work, my truing stand, dishing tool and whatever was cluttering my kitchen. Tomorrow I see the doctor to get the kidney stone removed.......after 9 days of pain I am more than ready ! This painful interlude has slowed the bike builds but barring complications , I assume I'll be back at it next week with a full head of steam. Normally I like going to work but now it will be like a celebration !
Yes, I am still alive.....
Here's the frame I made with couplers a few weeks ago. I'll be building up the whole bike including wheels pretty soon. The tubeset is almost all Columbus Nivacrome.
This is not a touring frame but a rack will fit . My hope is that this travel frame will feel nice and snappy-fun to ride just about anywhere in the world......that will be handy as this bike will most likely circle the globe in travels over the next decade or so.
This is not a touring frame but a rack will fit . My hope is that this travel frame will feel nice and snappy-fun to ride just about anywhere in the world......that will be handy as this bike will most likely circle the globe in travels over the next decade or so.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Forks, forks , forks.
Getting caught up on my work these days involves building all the forks and stems that have been on order , some since June ! I'm probably known as a guy who delivers custom frames pretty much on schedule and is horribly slow on building forks-even more so on stems. It just so happens that my shop is efficiently laid out for building frames but not so for smaller stuff. All this said, I rarely refuse an order for a fork-I just have a caveat : You can't be in a hurry if you want me to build you a stem or a fork.
The black fork above has one of the remaining few Ritchey/Bridgestone crowns out of my collection. I think I have four more out of the original 18 or so that I bought back in about 1995.
This unicrown fork will be used with a 29" wheel but on a 26" wheel single speed. The fork with the wheel will add up to about the same height as a 26" wheel in a 100 MM shock fork. I have been thinking about doing this conversion with my single speed.......might be fun to have that big wheel and no boing.
Here's a detail of the disc mount and the little cable guide on the back of the blade. I used some larger diameter rod for the 1/4" thick plate on the mount. I think it's easier to weld with and there won't be a problem with anything not staying together under hard braking.
Here's another crown with a finite supply. Kirk Pacenti is selling his bikelugs.com business so all these nice bits he has been selling might possibly be a thing of the past. This is a great resource that framebuilders are losing.....maybe we just didn't support him enough with our dollars. It's tough for me as there is little that I build with lugs,crowns and the like. Ironically, I have built more lugged forks in the last year than in the previous 7-8.
This Paris-Brest crown is really a terrific design and it will be sad to no longer be able to use it.There's plenty of metal on this crown , so much that I'm sure one could build a fork for off-road with it and feel sure that if anything bent in an accident, it would not be the crown. I have to use a rosebud tip on the torch...the largest flame at my disposal to heat up this massive casting.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Canadian transplant 7005 29er built up
I don't know about you but part of me wishes I had Canadian roots just so I could put little maple leaves all over my bike. It really looks like they are blowing in the wind, just like what would be happening around this time of year. The build is pretty nice on this one and it is really light for such a large bike.
Single speed bound for Pennsylvania
Most of the 26" wheel MTB frames I build are single speeds, though not exclusively. This one will have a rigid fork that I made but also accommodate a 100 MM shock as needed. The Paragon slider dropouts are welded on and really a stout design. This bike is set up for disc-only , a good thing for a place where it isn't 300 plus days of sunshine a year like here in Santa Cruz. I have plans to make a 29er version of this bike in my size early next year but it will have cable guides for the use of an internal geared hub......more on that later.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Built up disc 'cross bike
Yes, disc brakes are UCI legal now so you'll be seeing more cyclocross bikes with disc brakes. While hydraulic brakes are still not available , it is looking like that will change soon. This bike is going to be more of a trail bike than a pure race machine. The buildup parts were for the most part provided by the customer. The cranks are some carbon Stronglites that I have never seen and the drive train is all Sram Red . The bike feels like something one could ride just about anywhere.
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Welcome to the 2023 Women's Tournament Challenge. It's that time of year to make your picks and follow your favorite schools all the way to the Final Four in Dallas, Texas!
This season, you can win your share of a $75,000 prize pool as 10 randomly drawn winners will take home the $5,000 Grand Prize. All you have to for a chance to win is one thing -- correctly pick the National Champion.
In addition, if you fill out and complete 25 brackets in the 2023 Women's Tournament Challenge, you will also qualify for a chance to win the 25th Anniversary Prize -- 25 randomly drawn winners will go home with $1,000!
Don't forget, the same prize structure applies for the Men's Tournament Challenge as well, so be sure not to miss out on that!
Here are some notable tools and articles to check out as the tournament moves along:
- Tools (PickCenter, Bracket Predictor, Bracket Analyzer)
- How to fill out a tournament bracket
- ESPN's tournament coverage
*Restrictions apply. See the Official Rules for details.

subset: commoncrawl


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Air pollution, which tends to inflame the airways in people with asthma, might also reduce the effectiveness of the rescue inhalers they count on for quick relief of their asthma symptoms, study findings hint.
Dr. Fernando Holguin, at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and colleagues studied 85 asthmatic children, ages 7 to 12, to determine whether outdoor air pollution had any impact on how well their rescue inhalers worked.
The children all lived in Mexico City, where traffic-related air pollution is usually very high. Fifty-three of the children had mild intermittent asthma, 20 had mild persistent asthma, and 12 had moderate persistent asthma.
As they report in the journal Chest, Holguin and his team found that higher levels of certain air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide and ozone, made the rescue inhalers less effective - not because the devices didn't function properly, but because the children did not seem to respond as well to the medication.
For example, an increase of 10 parts-per-billion in nitrogen dioxide levels in the air seemed to decrease rescue inhaler efficacy by about 15 percent.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, current nitrogen dioxide levels in the U.S. average from 10 to 20 parts per billion.
However, inhaled steroids provided some protection against the effects of pollution, Holguin told Reuters Health in an email message.
Among the 25 children in the study who regularly used inhaled corticosteroids to help control persistent asthma, the rescue inhalers provided more effective quick relief.
These findings are consistent with other studies and "may explain why asthmatics are more symptomatic in relation to air pollution," Holguin said. Nonetheless, his group notes the need for further, larger-scale investigations to confirm their findings.


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Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil le Clercq
Director Nancy Buirski in person!
Note: This page is for the NYFF51 screening of the film. For information on the theatrical run (opening February 5), click here.
Tanaquil Le Clercq, known to all as "Tanny," was the inspiration and then the wife of one of the greatest geniuses in the history of dance, George Balanchine, and she also sparked the creative imagination of Jerome Robbins. In 1954, at the height of her fame, she was struck down by polio. Nancy Buirski's radiant film finds a tone to match Tanny's exquisite dancing and long, lovely physique, well represented in photos, home movies and kinescopes. In addition to being a rich and compelling story of a dancer who can no longer dance and a muse who can no longer inspire, Buirski's movie is also a vivid portrayal of a world and a time gone by. In addition to the breathtaking photos and archival footage, Afternoon of a Faun also features interviews with those who knew Tanny, including Jacques D'Amboise and Arthur Mitchell.


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Say you're a high government official with some responsibility for advising the president on what he should be doing and saying about the economy. You know the economy is still in a deep hole, the deepest since the Great Depression. The jobs report for May was dismal -- a mere 41,000 new private sector jobs, when the economy needs at least 100,000 to keep up with population growth. The Fed projects gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, to rise about 3.5 percent this year -- a pace barely above that needed to keep pace with the growth in the labor force.
You also know that consumers don't have the buying power to get it out of the hole because they can no longer use their homes as collateral for loans, as they could before the crash of 2008, and they also have to get out from under huge debts. The housing market is still awful. You know businesses are reluctant to create new jobs if there are few customers for their goods or services. And you know export markets are drying up because of a high dollar that's made our exports more expensive, and Europe has embarked on austerity measures to shrink its deficits. You also know state revenues are way down because of the deep economic hole, and they're forced to raise taxes, cut services, and lay off large numbers of state workers, including teachers.
Oh, and one more thing: You know that all the boosters keeping the economy barely going now are coming to an end. The Fed can't keep interest rates near zero for long because it's starting to worry about inflation. It's already stopped buying Treasury securities and mortgage bonds, and its own deficit hawks are squawking. The federal stimulus is 75 percent spent, and the money will be gone in a few months. Census workers will also be gone by the end of the summer.
So what do you do?
A) Tell the president the economy will either go into a "double-dip" recession or, at best, suffer anemic growth over the next five years -- creating enormous pain and suffering for millions of Americans, and imperiling his reelection -- unless he immediately champions a $300 billion jobs bill, including zero-interest loans to states and locales to prevent them from having to raise taxes and cut services, public-service jobs (cleaning up the Gulf), and a one-year payroll tax holiday on the first $100,000 of income. To sell this, he'll need to explain to the American people why larger short-term deficits are necessary now, in order to get jobs back and the economy growing again so that long-term structural deficits (read healthcare and Medicare, mostly) can be tackled.
B) Tell the president you understand the political pressures for deficit reduction are growing, and Republicans are making headway fooling the public into believing that this terrible recovery is due to to excessive government deficits. So it's perfectly fine for the president to bend to those political pressures. Cut the budgets of most federal agencies by 5 percent, enforce "pay-go" rules that don't allow bigger deficits, build up expectations for the report of his "deficit commission" in December, and tell the American public that we now have to move toward fiscal austerity.
If you choose B, you shouldn't be advising the president.


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"Origami: Art + Mathematics," an exhibit at UC Santa Cruz honoring the late David Huffman, UCSC computer scientist and a pioneer of mathematical origami, opens on Sunday, April 8, at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, Cowell College, and continues through June 16. The exhibit features internationally known computational origami artists Robert Lang, Erik and Martin Demaine, and Brian Chan, as well as rarely seen works by Huffman and one work by the late French origami master Eric Joisel.
An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 8 at the Smith Gallery. Also on April 8, Lang and Erik Demaine will give two public talks with slides: a technical presentation focusing on the mathematics of origami at 12:30 p.m. in the Cowell Conference Room, and a presentation for the general public at 4:30 p.m. in the Humanities Lecture Hall. All events are free and open to the public.
"This type of origami is not your father's origami. This is computational origami, and it will blow your mind," said Linda Pope, director and curator of the Smith Gallery.
Lang, Demaine, and other artists in the exhibit are featured in an award-winning documentary film, "Between the Folds," which will be shown in the Smith Gallery Annex throughout the exhibition's run, from April 8 through June 16. In planning the exhibit, which was inspired by the film, Pope selected a wide range of origami styles, including abstract pieces, human figures, a variety of insects, and a central pond scene installation.
Lang, one of the world's leading origami masters, is known for designs of great detail and realism, including some of the most complex origami designs ever created. A physicist and engineer, Lang is a pioneer of the cross-disciplinary marriage of origami with mathematics. Demaine, a professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has done seminal work in the field of computational origami, working with his father, artist and sculptor Martin Demaine, to create abstract origami sculptures representing complex mathematical algorithms. Chan is an artist and craftsman known for his realistic insects and other complex figures. Joisel, the only non-computational origami artist in the exhibit, created stunningly beautiful and complex sculpted origami models.
"This is an exhibit that will appeal to everyone: university students, the general public, and children of all ages. The connection between art and mathematics in origami is fascinating," Pope said.
The events on April 8 will also include the presentation of the Huffman Prize, which is awarded annually to a graduating senior in the Baskin School of Engineering whose academic career at UCSC exhibits extraordinary creativity, depth of inquiry, and overall excellence. Huffman, who came to UCSC in 1967 as the founding faculty member of the computer science department, developed his own techniques for paper folding as an outgrowth of his work on the mathematical properties of "zero curvature" surfaces. He made important contributions in many areas of computer science, including the development of the Huffman Coding Procedure, used in nearly every application that involves the compression and transmission of digital data.
The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery is located at Cowell College and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, contact the gallery at (831) 459-2953.


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Dilettante 007: Navigating Artists' Alley
Comic-Con will be here soon. (For you guys, that is. Not for me. I'll be at my drawing board in Portland at work on another issue of Superior Foes of Spider-Man, the first issue of which just arrived in stores.) I've been asked to write a bit more about conventions, so I thought I'd use the opportunity to do an etiquette and advice column. A few years back I jotted down some tips for fans on how to get along in Artists' Alley as part of a con report on a friend's blog. Here they are, revised and expanded.
1. If you're talking to a cartoonist you've met before, don't assume they know who you are. Reintroduce yourself and give some clue that might spark a memory. If you have a name badge, flip it so it's visible. You may meet hundreds and hundreds of other people at conventions, and it's impossible to keep track of them all. Two days into a con I've blanked on the names of studio-mates and collaborators—people I see every day. Someday we'll all have creepy science fiction glasses that can do facial recognition on anyone we meet and beam their details onto our retinas. Until then, don't take it personally when someone doesn't remember you.
2. Don't try to come across as an insider if you aren't one. This almost always creates a bad impression. If you're an engaged and knowlegeable, fan that's GREAT. Trying to break in to the business and starting to make connections? TERRIFIC! Trying to pass off stuff you read online as insider knowledge? Ummm … No. You aren't doing yourself any favors.
3. If you're spending more than a minute or two at a table or booth, position yourself so that other fans and customers can reach the display. Planting yourself in the wrong spot at a busy show can practically shut a booth down. If you're lingering to browse, or to ask some detailed questions or just chat, stand off to one side, and be aware of what's going on around you. That way, other buyers will be able to get a look at what's available and feel that they too are welcome to visit the booth.
4. Don't be That Guy. Everyone who has ever worked a booth at a con has a story or two about That Guy. He wants to talk about his plans for installing a warp drive in the Batmobile. He's angry about the way they've rebooted a character you've never heard of. And no matter how many hints you drop, no matter how explicit your body language gets, he never realizes that he's overstayed his welcome. This is a touchy subject—not everyone is good at reading social cues. But if you notice that the person you're talking to hasn't laughed at any of your jokes, is continually avoiding eye contact, or seems to be ignoring you, recognize that you're in danger of being That Guy. There's a lot of great stuff at the con. Go check out some other booths.
5. Don't put a cartoonist on the spot by insulting his collaborators. A little tact goes a long way in matters like this. If you think an artist ruined your favorite writer's story, it's fine to observe that the art didn't fit the mood, or that you're "not the audience for this sort of work." That way, the writer can acknowledge the opinion or politely disagree. But if you tell a writer "your new artist sucks," you're going to create an awkward situation.
6. Ask permission before taking photos, and before putting the photos online. This goes for photos of people and art. If you do post a picture of their art, credit the artist on the image, not in the caption. Captions get snipped off all the time. If you snap a photo of an artist's new poster, then post it at their tumblr without crediting them on the image, that art can be seen by tens, or even hundreds of thousands of people, none of whom will know who made it! This happens all the time on tumblr. It's not fair to the artists, and it's a terrible way to show your appreciation of their work.
7. The quietest booth is sometimes the best place at the con. It's easy to assume the place you want to be is the booth that's swarming with other fans. The one with the longest line, the craziest crowds, must be the most exciting booth, right? Maybe not. Speaking as someone who has spent plenty of time on both sides of the table, my experience is that the best conversations and the most fascinating discoveries take place at the tables where there's not tons of traffic. Those are the folks who have the time to talk about the comics they love, to flip through a book and explain the choices they made, to tell a story, to genuinely engage. Fans of most visual media never get that experience. In comics, we do, and we're lucky. It can make an Artist Alley visit unforgettable.
Steve Lieber's Dilettante appears the second Tuesday of every month on Toucan!


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Suffolk County Council Boy Scouts of America
About Our Troop
Troop 100 is sponsored by the Holtsville Fire Department.
We are part of the Trailblazer District.
Troop 100 stresses events run for and by the boys.
The troop is governed by the Troop Committee which is composed of scoutmasters and other interested adults who oversee the operation and safety of the troop.
However, the real running of the troop is by the youth leaders. Each patrol is run by a Patrol Leader and an Assistant Patrol Leader.


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In contrast to the horror my mother and I experience daily as we pore through news and tweets related to the accession of King Donald to the throne of the most powerful and dangerous nation on the planet, my flaming liberal father is rather philosophical about the whole thing. "Been there, done that," he shrugs.
The "been there" period he refers to is that dark period in American history characterized by the Vietnam war, race riots and the emergence of white backlash. Americans were divided on issues of patriotism, long hair/short hair, liberation movements, the "drug epidemic," race and the "creeping socialism" of The Great Society. I asked him to reproduce his rant while I captured it on my keyboard.
"You think the 2016 campaign was ugly? Go back to 1968. Two major assassinations. Riots at the Democratic Convention, cops beating the shit out of kids. After the tear gas had cleared, the Gallup Poll put the Democratic establishment nominee in third place—behind George Wallace, a mean-spirited, lifelong segregationist. After losing Bobby Kennedy, we were down to a choice between Wallace, Hubert Humphrey—who spent his time as vice-president licking Lyndon Johnson's ass and supporting the war—and Richard Nixon, who had been left for dead as a loser years before. A whole generation of young voters who had become engaged through Gene McCarthy and Bobby decided to check out—just like a lot of Bernie voters did. People voted for Nixon and Wallace for the same reason they voted for Trump—it was all about white people feeling threatened by what they saw as an erosion in the white version of the American Dream. Things were tense—families were falling apart over the war, the generation gap was huge, and if you had long hair or black skin, you stood a pretty good chance of having some redneck kick the shit out of you, just for the hell of it. The people who voted for Nixon and Wallace were just as dumb, uneducated and uninformed as the typical Trump voter. Wallace was constantly sneering about the "pointy-headed intellectuals," and Nixon resented anyone who went to a more prestigious college than he did. Wallace and Nixon were bitter, fearful men who tapped into the bitter fear of the majority of voters who wanted law and order no matter what. Nixon called them the Silent Majority, and you've seen one of them on TV reruns—Archie Bunker. People thought we'd made all this progress by electing a black president and they forgot that all those Archie Bunkers were still hanging around, nursing their resentment. We all laughed at Archie Bunker, just like liberals laughed at the deplorables. Back then, that attitude gave us Richard Nixon. Now it's Trump.
"People are calling Trump fascist, anti-democratic, corrupt, dishonest—all the labels we applied to Nixon. Just like Trump, Nixon was a dishonest prick who fixed an election, too, and it eventually caught up with him, just like it will for Trump. So to me, this is 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.'"
To support his argument, he introduced Exhibit A, Phil Ochs' post-Chicago release, Rehearsals for Retirement, ghoulish cover and all. "Listen to this and then write your review. It's all there."
As is true with everything Phil Ochs ever did, Rehearsals for Retirement is an uncomfortably captivating piece of music. Never one to pull punches or fail to call bullshit on the complacent, unthinking dogma we know as American Exceptionalism, Phil Ochs was a perceptive satirist and usually a compassionate human being. But as I've learned through my difficulty in ridding myself of my abiding disgust for anyone who voted for The Orange Nightmare, compassion has its limits. What's the fucking point trying to dialogue with people who choose to remain uneducated and cling to their fears and prejudices like security blankets? Rehearsals for Retirement is the moment when Phil Ochs realized that the fix was in and that the repressive forces in American society had marshaled their ample resources to put an end to all that socialist hippie nonsense. For Phil Ochs, the shining vision of a compassionate society where everyone could get a fair shake died on the mean streets of Chicago in August 1968.
Hence the tombstone.
Many people in the 60's believed in "the dream" because they saw parts of the dream come true. The folk revival of the 1960's coincided with a higher level of economic security in the States, which helped foster a greater degree of openness and self-reflection in the American populace. The consciousness-raising that took place in the early part of the decade was facilitated by leaders like JFK and MLK and encouraged by the work of the great folk artists of the day. It's hard to believe now, but in the 60's, protest marches and songs actually changed minds and led to real social progress, particularly in the area of civil rights. Americans by and large wanted to create a truly fair and inclusive society where everyone had an equal shot at the American Dream. The anti-progress conservative movement had been largely discredited by LBJ's landslide victory over Goldwater in 1964, and LBJ cashed in his political capital on the cornerstone legislation of The Great Society and The War on Poverty: Medicare, The Voting Rights Act, The National Endowment for the Arts, stronger anti-pollution laws, aid to education, low-income housing—a cornucopia of laws validating the new self-image of Americans as a kind and generous people.
Then something changed. When I researched the two years associated with the pivot point, one statistic leapt out at me above all else: the sudden shift in American attitudes concerning the death penalty. In the early 60's, Americans had begun to question the value and morality of state-sponsored murder, as reflected in annual Gallup polls showing decreasing support for the barbaric practice. In May 1966, for the first time in the history of the poll, a plurality of Americans favored abolishing the death penalty: 42% wanting to keep it, but 47% opting for abolition.
But the June 1967 survey revealed a sudden and significant reversal: 54% wanted to keep the death penalty, while only 38% wanted to get rid of it. This began a long, sickening trend that peaked in 1994, when 80% of the American people favored executions. While support for the death penalty drifted down to 60% in the 2016 poll, a solid majority of Americans remain enamored with legalized murder.
So what happened between May 1966 and June 1967 that made such a difference?
I can answer that in two words: Ronald Reagan.
Far more likable and telegenic than the grumpy Goldwater, Ronald Reagan swept to victory in a campaign that demonized protesters, hippies, minorities and welfare queens, capitalizing on deep-seeded white fear of economic and social displacement. Elected Governor of California in a landslide fueled by white disgust with the previous year's Watts riots, Reagan gave voice to nostalgia for days gone by, the virtues of the Protestant work ethic, patriotism, law-and-order and un-politically correct racism. Reagan voters wanted to slam the door on civil rights that threatened property rights, hair styles that threatened gender identity, and any and all behaviors lumped under the label "un-American," especially disagreement with American foreign policy.
We meet one of the flock who happily voted The Gipper into office in the opening number, "Pretty Smart on My Part." Musically, the song takes you by surprise, with Phil channeling fellow Texan Buddy Holly in an intense acoustic strum reminiscent of the pattern in "Not Fade Away." Phil enters in fine voice and seemingly good spirits as the voice of the man of the Silent Majority, who knows there are people out there who want to get him, hurt him and bring him down. These nefarious enemies include hitchhiking hippies, women with big tits, imaginary rapists and disease-ridden Chinese (or any Asian ethnic group; the bastard probably can't tell the difference and calls them all "Chinese"). He responds to each of these "outsiders" with typically violent responses, some direct, some indirect. With the hitchhiker, he decides to run him over with his car; with the woman, he decides to tie her up and whip her (obviously Phil only had a superficial understanding of BDSM dynamics). The most curious incident involves the alleged rapist, for instead of doing the manly thing and protecting his wife, he does the manly thing and heads off to kill innocent birds:
I can see him coming
He's walking through bedroom
With a switchblade knife
He's looking at my wife
He wants to get me
He wants to hurt me
He wants to bring me down
But sometime later when I feel a little braver
I'll go hunting with my rifle
Where the wild geese are flying
Then I'm gonna bag one
Pretty smart on my part
Find my way home in the dark
Yeah, I bet it makes you feel like such a man to kill a defenseless animal. Ooh, baby, fuck me with your long stiff rod!
Far more frightening is this dumb shit's take on foreign policy, a completely ignorant, ethnocentric, racist stance that values extermination over negotiation:
I can see them coming
They're training in the mountains
And they talk Chinese
And they spread disease
They want to get me
They want to hurt me
They want to bring me down
But sometime later when I feel a little safer
We'll assassinate the president
And take over the government
And then we're going to fry them
Pretty smart on my part
Find my way home in the dark
The key line in the song is "find my way home in the dark," for it captures both the "man's home is his castle" ethic of sacred property rights and the self-engendered belief that anyone who is "not me" is a tool of the Prince of Darkness. As I reconnected with this song, I thought of all those Trump voters, who—with a huge assist from their equally moronic candidate—wanted to blame China for everything: their unemployment, their loss of status in the world, the myth of America the Disrespected. Of course, it never dawned on these dummies that the Chinese were simply engaged in the same cutthroat competition for markets that Americans have practiced with abandon for over a century, or that they could have responded to globalization by GETTING A FUCKING EDUCATION and learning a new trade. No, just as was true in the 60's, they want to thrill in their misery, blame everyone but themselves and turn to their cherished guns as their ultimate backup plan. Phil Ochs was not describing a phenomenon unique to the 1960's; he was describing a central character flaw in the American male.
Doing a 180, Phil gives us "The Doll House," a lovely waltz highlighted by Lincoln Mayorga's deft celeste-like piano. The lyrics tend to the obscure, generally describing a fantastical and mythical world reminiscent of dreamland. Some have translated the opening line as, "Lost in the valley of dolls," suggesting a drug-induced fantasy; what I hear is "Valley of Oz," which fits better with the cultural references strewn throughout the song. This alternative world is a mélange of surreal imagery and mythical personages drawn from a variety of cultures (Cinderella, Tom Sawyer, The Lady of the Lake and Pirate Jenny—and perhaps Oz) with no apparent connection to one another. The only solid clue to interpretation is Phil's shift to Dylan imitator in the second chorus, which could indicate the song was a send-up of Dylan's more symbolist work . . . but that's pure speculation. In any case, "The Doll House" is a lovely rainy afternoon song that flows beautifully.
There's no mistaking the meaning of "I Kill Therefore I Am," a no-holds barred attack on the American police. The cops of the era were labeled "pigs" by the New Left due to their well-documented, televised preference for beating heads with nightsticks, blasting little kids with firehoses and the disgusting frenzy of physical force displayed in Chicago's Lincoln Park. The tendency of many young people in that generation to indulge in illegal substances added to the general tension between police and populace. What makes the song relevant today are two aspects of American policing that haven't changed in fifty years: racial profiling and the conspiracy of the system to protect police from blatantly illegal actions:
I don't like the black man, for he doesn't know his place
Take the back of my hand or I'll spray you with my mace
I'm as brave as any man can be
I find my courage through chemistry
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am . . .Farewell to the gangsters we don't need them anymore
We've got the police force, they're the ones who break the law
He's got a gun and he's a hater
He shoots first, he shoots later
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am.
As in "Pretty Smart on My Part" and "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends," the upbeat, light rock music provides ironic counterpoint to the penetrating lyrics. This proved to be one of Phil's most courageous songs, for as paranoid as he might have seemed to friends and family during his later decline, the FBI was busy building a file of over 500 pages related to his "subversive" activity.
Next, Phil's attention turns inward in a trio of songs most would classify as "difficult." I can't argue with that characterization, but I deeply appreciate the emotional honesty of all three songs.
It all begins at Lincoln Park on the night of August 28, 1968, with his presence at an earth-shattering event that would add new pages to his FBI file. Phil Mershon described the scene in a piece on furious.com:
Humphrey accepted his party's nomination on August 28, as the day ended and the scent of tear gas wafted up Michigan Avenue to the nominee's suite at the Conrad Hilton. The worst violence was about to begin. And the New York folk singer would be right in the thick of things. The protestors had gathered in Grant Park to hear a series of speeches before marching to the Convention Center. The Chicago Police attempted to contain the group by surrounding the Park. One after another speaker addressed the crowd. In between speeches of men like activist Dave Dellinger, poet Allen Ginsberg, and comedian Dick Gregory, Phil would stand in the back of a pick-up truck and sing for the crowd. Shortly after he sang a rousing version of "I Ain't Marching Anymore," he saw a young boy climb the park's flag pole and pull down Old Glory. The was all the provocation the police required. They grabbed the kid, beat him with their nightsticks, and tossed him into the back of a squad car while the more agitated onlookers threw rocks at the arresting officers. Press cameras filmed all this for posterity and even broadcast one cop commanding "Make sure you show them throwing rocks!" While Dave Dellinger attempted to lead a nonviolent march to the Convention Center (and was blocked from doing so), others took advantage of an opening in the quarantine and thousands of young people marched toward the Hilton. Enraged at being distracted, the police charged up Michigan Avenue, firing tear gas canisters and clubbing everything in sight. When clubs failed to subdue, they stomped. And when that proved ineffective, they kicked, shoved, punched and beat. The crowd shouted "The whole world is watching!"
That scene provided the bulk of the material for "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed," a melancholy depiction of the riot and, to some degree, its consequences. Given Phil's politics, one might approach this song expecting a classic poor-me leftist rant that pins the blame squarely on the cops, but Phil Ochs was a much more perceptive human being capable of connecting the hidden dots. After describing the scene where young people peacefully assembled in the gloaming before the mayhem began, Phil comments on those who organized the protest:
They spread their sheets upon the ground just like a wandering tribe
And the wise men walked in their Robespierre robes
Through Lincoln Park the dark was turning
Robespierre is the ultimate symbol of the extreme zealot, a purist leader who responded to any suspected deviation from the party line by sending the heretics to the guillotine. The reference clearly indicates that Phil considered the movement's organizers equally culpable for the violence that night by stoking an "us-against them mentality" that would prove to be completely self-defeating. Phil Mershon put it this way:
As Phil Ochs and the others would soon come to realize, most of the whole world didn't care and among those who did, many felt the cops hadn't gone far enough.
Back in Los Angeles, Phil began to question his own approach to politics in America. While the Yippies and other radicals had been creating and recreating their own counterculture, they had alienated the American working class along with Middle America. People who were already involved, Ochs reasoned, didn't need to be converted. Nixon–who would ride to victory above the shattered remains of a splintered Democratic Party–called these frightened Americans 'the Silent Majority.' Ochs knew that if this majority rejected the members of the New Left, they would in turn embrace the solutions of men like Nixon and George Wallace. Frightened by those prospects, the songwriter began to detach himself by degrees from the journalistic approach to his craft. The resulting music spoke with broader, more universal tones.
The reference to Yeats in the song's title is therefore not a validation of candidate Eugene McCarthy's favorite poet, but a realization that truths discovered through poetry have greater depth and duration than polemical positioning. The arrangement is itself poetic, combining piano with accordion and viola, creating that slow-motion atmosphere one experiences in the midst of a catastrophic event, where every visual, sound and smell is amplified a thousandfold. The curious addition of a barrelhouse segment after a brief silence underscored the competition for activist purity common on the left—if you weren't in Chicago, you were nowhere, even if you happened to be helping the citizens of Detroit rebuild a city torn by riots.
"My Life" is the complementary twin of "William Butler Yeats Visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed," a statement of rebirth following the symbolic death of Chicago: "My life is now a death to me/So I'll mold it and I'll hold it till I'm born." But as is true with nearly everything associated with Phil Ochs, the truth is much more complicated. He follows the statement of rebirth with the sad acknowledgment that no matter how much of his past he leaves behind and no matter where he chooses to take his art, he will always be a stranger in a strange land, deprived of peace and privacy:
So I turned to the land
Where I'm so out of place
Throw a curse on the plan
In return for the grace
To know where I stand
Take everything I own
Take your tap from my phone
And leave my life alone
My life alone.
The expression of alienation and the desire to retreat is the antithesis of American Optimism, so insipidly expressed in Paul Anka's "My Way."
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way
Americans love a fighter—someone who can take the punch and get up from the canvas. In real life, things don't work that way. People lose their jobs and slip into depression, and all the optimism in the world isn't going to make a difference to someone who feels utterly worthless. You can fight until you turn black and blue but when you're trying to work an employment system where your chances of getting a job depend largely on favoritism or dumb luck, fighting isn't going to get you anywhere. Although this final verse is heartbreaking and full of anguish, it has the undying virtue of emotional honesty. This was a man frightened and astonished by what was happening in the world, feelings that many of us living in the present can easily relate to.
The final song in the trilogy, "The Scorpion Departs, But Never Returns," superficially relates the story of the USS Scorpion, a US Navy submarine that was lost due to an "unexplained catastrophic event" that caused the ship to be crushed by the sheer pressure of the ocean's depths, killing all 99 crewmen. In the liner notes for Rehearsals for Retirement/Gunfight at Carnegie Hall, Richie Unterberger noted that, "it could just be taken as a tale of a ship lost at sea, it also reflects directionlessness Ochs saw in both the course of America and within his own life." The depiction of the captain as an unresponsive, uncommunicative leader captures the aimlessness one feels when leaders fail to live up to their responsibilities, but it also points out the problematic nature of depending on leaders to protect us from harm. In the last two verses, Phil gamely attempts to balance hope and despair, but in the end, comes firmly down on the side of anguish and self-doubt:
The radio is begging them to come back to the shore
All will be forgiven, it'll be just like before
All you've ever wanted will be waiting by your door
We will forgive you, we will forgive you
Tell me we will forgive youBut no one gives an answer not even one goodbye
Oh, the silence of their sinking is all that they reply
Some have chosen to decay and others chose to die
But I'm not dying, no I'm not dying
Tell me I'm not dying
The arrangement here echoes the more complex arrangements of Pleasures of the Harbor, featuring a French horn counterpoint that somehow manages to express a mournful urgency.
Having plumbed the depths of his soul, Phil gives himself and the listener a break with the light-and-bouncy "The World Began in Eden and Ended in Los Angeles." Some have remarked that the cheesy horns were a dig at Herb Alpert, but I don't think The Tijuana Brass was that bad. It's followed by "Doesn't Lenny Live Here Anymore," another waltz featuring one of Phil's most lovely melodies, one that flows so beautifully with the lyrics that it's difficult to reconcile the beauty with the subject matter—the relentless progression of depression. This song has been mistakenly identified as some kind of tribute to Lenny Bruce, a perception that fits neither with the lyrics nor the timing (Lenny Bruce had died over two years before). My take is Lenny is the narrator of his own story, the depressed soul separating himself from his decaying self by shifting to the third-person perspective. Our Lenny's journey into darkness ends in a dingy room in nowheresville, a "long-time loser" grieving for an ex-lover but still suffering from her definitive judgment of his worth:
The fat official smiles at the pass on the border
And the hungry broom makes sure that the room is in order
You pull the shade
All the beds are made
As your lips caress the razor of the blade
Of the bladeAnd the haggard ex-lover of a long-time loser
Stands rejectedly by the door
Doesn't Lenny live here anymore?
Are you sure?
A difficult piece of work, indeed.
Phil returns to the political in "Another Age," a fairly straightforward condemnation of American involvement in the Vietnam War and the lasting damage to American society that went far beyond the sickening body count. "We were born in a revolution and we died in a wasted war" expresses both the pointlessness of that terrible war and the complete destruction of America's standing as the world's moral guardian. Once again, a snappy tempo contrasts with the bitter lyrics, though the way the rhythmic structure allows Phil's voice to soar on "So I pledge allegiance against the flag" confirms the wisdom of the counterintuitive choice.
The title track ends the album, one of the most remarkable duets of voice and piano you will ever hear. Phil and Lincoln Mayorga perform like perfectly-synced dancers following a rhythm of spontaneous creation. Both introduce subtle delays in the song's progress to highlight the emotional content, with Phil in particular extending syllables beyond expected length, particularly on the second lines of the verses. The couplet that serves as the song's bridge is one I find endlessly intriguing, due to the ambiguity concerning the kind of laughter he's describing: joyful, contemptuous or absurd? The message of comfort to his daughter in the second line might indicate any of the three, with the implication that the end is not as important as the journey:
Had I known the end would end in laughter
Still I'd tell my daughter that it doesn't matter
Rehearsals for Retirement turned out to be a commercial disaster, Phil Ochs' worst-selling album, one that was removed from the A&M catalog rather speedily after its release. While the relentless sense of despair at the loss of one's country and one's soul may have accounted for poor sales, I think the more likely culprit was its rejection of American Optimism. Phil Ochs saw the writing on the wall and put it into song but no one wanted to hear that America was finished or that the tried-and-true tactics of the early Civil Rights Movement would fail to stop the war. Identities were locked into place, the battle lines were drawn and any chance of dialogue obliterated be the "me"/"not me" paradigm.
Once again, America finds itself thoroughly divided and in a much more precarious position than it was in the 1960's. Nixon never came close to experiencing Republican control of Congress, so he had no choice but to compromise on issues of human rights and the environment. For all practical purposes, America is now a one-party state led by a mean-spirited sociopath. While Democrats can vote against this insult to intelligence or that abuse of human rights, the right wing controls the votes. Things seem beyond hopeless, but the worst thing Americans can do is go into denial about it or—even worse—normalize the situation.
In Rehearsals for Retirement, Phil Ochs spoke the emotional and political truth of a country shattered by repeated acts of self-destruction—a country very much like the United States of January 2017. Despite its dark and brooding tone, listening to Rehearsals for Retirement turned out to be a cathartic and comforting experience for me. Phil Ochs expressed all the feelings I have experienced since the election: angst, depression, anguish anger, frustration and confusion about what to do next. Being reminded that we have gone through similar dark periods in recent history helped me appreciate the fundamental truth that the struggle against prejudice, greed and violence is a never-ending battle against human fear and ignorance.
When I reviewed London Calling a few months ago, I had no answer to Joe Strummer's essential question: "What are we gonna do now?" Somehow, listening to Rehearsals for Retirement clarified things for me. We need to accept the fundamental truth that the emerging fascist leaders of the day (Trump, Le Pen, Duterte, etc.) capitalize solely on human fear and insecurity. They do that because they are frightened human beings themselves. They project a strong, tough image to protect their essential vulnerability, and in the process gather many frightened followers. While human beings in fear can be terribly dangerous, they are also inherently fragile. On my part, I will do everything I can to expose these frauds as the deeply insecure people they are and persistently fight them with the truth. I also intend to respect, engage and try to understand the frightened people who follow these corrupt leaders (and I have lots of opportunity to do that, since I live in a part of France where LePen is relatively popular). Finally, I will do whatever I can to work with others to eliminate the two primary sources of fear in our world today: economic inequality and prejudice.
With luck, I may be able to influence half a dozen people to face their fears and move on. But if enough of us fight the fascists with the weapons of truth and human respect—no matter how ugly things get—we can put these motherfuckers where they belong—on the ash heap of history.
Fuck "Let's win one for The Gipper." Let's win this one for Phil Ochs!


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There are no presidential flavors of the month in New Hampshire. Other Republicans may be in hot pursuit of anyone but Mitt Romney, but in this state he's a true frontrunner, with a double-digit lead that has never faltered.
"He's worked it hard. They've paid attention to details. And I think you get to know people over time," former governor John Sununu told me this week at the state capitol in Concord, where Romney was about to file his candidacy papers.
These are the voters who know Romney best, from his four years as governor of neighboring Massachusetts and his presidential run in 2008. Since then he has kept his organization alive and tended conscientiously to the needs of New Hampshire Republicans. He even has a vacation house on Lake Winnipesaukee. And a CNN/Time poll out Wednesday gives Romney a crushing 40 to 13 percent lead over Herman Cain, a far bigger margin than his leads in the other key early states (Iowa, South Carolina and Florida).
Beyond the home-field advantage, Romney's efforts would be futile if the dogs didn't like the dog food, as the saying goes. But in this case they seem, at the very least, to prefer it to the other choices in dog food. Familiarity has not bred contempt. Rather, it's fostered a sense of "best guy for the moment we're in."
Romney's fate hangs on whether Republicans elsewhere will reach the same conclusion. So far, polls show, they haven't. And with Rick Perry rebooting his campaign with new advisers, new policies, and an escalating assault on Romney, perhaps they never will.
Still, all the pundit talk about inevitability didn't seem so farfetched during Romney's visit to the capitol. Though it was a weekday, he was greeted by several hundred supporters, more than a dozen TV cameras, and a smothering media crush inside Secretary of State Bill Gardner's tiny office. It's no longer 2008, when John McCain won New Hampshire and the GOP nomination. "You can tell. There's a feeling. Everything just seems like it's falling into place the right way," Romney's son Tagg told me. "So he's the same person. The circumstances are different, circling around him."
The Romney of 2012 does bear many similarities to the Romney of 2008, and some of them are not helpful. He's still the candidate of policy reversals—ABC News recently compiled a list of his top five contradictions; the Democratic National Committee has a website called "Which Mitt?"; and the Perry team just created a new Twitter hashtag: #FlipFlopMitt. He's still a Mormon, making him a nonstarter among some on the Christian right. And, unforgivably to many conservatives, he is indelibly the father of "Romneycare."
None of those is a deal killer in the nation's first primary, scheduled for early January. Part of the reason is the nature of those who live here. Many people are transplants (PDF) from states like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, where Republicans tend to be moderate. In addition, according to Gallup, New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the country. It also has a libertarian streak encapsulated by its "Live Free or Die" motto and what GOP strategist Rich Killion of Concord calls a "live and let live" ethos. New Hampshire Republicans "don't want anyone to infringe on their freedom, and they wouldn't think of infringing on anyone else's," Killion says. As for a candidate's religion, "they wouldn't think it's anyone's business."
The bottom line is that evangelicals and the Tea Party are less influential here than they are in Iowa and South Carolina. And the overriding issue of the election—the economy—happens to dovetail with the issues that concern New Hampshire Republicans. They are driven by "a fiscal conservatism that borders on fierce," as senior Romney adviser Tom Rath described it to me.
Into the economic maelstrom steps Romney, with a business background, an Olympics turnaround on his résumé, and a commanding manner. He may not have all the answers in an age of globalization and Europe on the brink, but he has convinced a lot of people here that he can whip things into shape.
Patrick McDougal, 36, of Salem, moved to New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 2000 and owns a small video-production company. Romney, he says, is "really the only candidate that can bring jobs back." Another supporter, Beth Ragan, 56, of Nashua, who left New Jersey for New Hampshire in 1990, says, "He's proven he can deal with difficult issues." Kirby Jappe, a 21-year-old college student and Romney volunteer, calls him "a brilliant guy who is the most experienced in the private sector. He's the only man to fix the economy."
An only slightly less rosy view came from Bob DeGange, 56, a Manchester salesman who moved to New Hampshire from New Jersey nearly 20 years ago and appeared in a Romney ad last time around. "I don't know if anybody can get us out of this mess we're in," DeGange told me. "But he's the only one who's qualified to make an attempt."
The premise in these responses is that business experience is key to fixing the economy. Perry is challenging that with his record of job growth as governor of Texas; Romney is trying to focus on what he sees as ++President Obama++[]'s failures.
At his rally here the other day, he rattled off a remarkable list of what he asserted were Obama policies that didn't work—remarkable because two of them were never enacted (cap-and-trade, card check); one hasn't fully happened yet ("Obamacare," with major provisions effective in 2014); and another provided a substantial boost to the economy, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (the 2009 stimulus package). Romney finished with an appeal tailor-made for the "Live Free or Die" state: "President Obama and his friends believe that America should be a nation led by government. They're wrong. America should be led by free people choosing their course in life."
The state capitol features a display with scores of political buttons, and Romney—whose dad ran for president in 1968—seemed fascinated. His gaze went from LBJ to Nixon-Lodge to eight-time presidential loser Harold Stassen. "That's a button you can use in multiple years," he said with a laugh. He sounded almost awed as he exclaimed, "I found my dad's! Isn't that something!" Then he broke out laughing again: "Right above Stassen, unfortunately." It was the laugh of a man who knows he has a good chance to do far better than either Stassen or his own father.


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Practice makes perfect - not there yet.
The 'Macaronage' - the dreaded infernal mixing of the egg whites and almond flour etc. was a bitch. Getting the stuff into the pastry bag was an even bigger bitch.
Sorry PBers. This post is 'R' rated.
Learn from my mistake(s) - after 3 months of failed macaron batches I finally decided NOT to use those pasteurized packaged egg whites (the "just whites" version of Egg Beaters). It is the pasteurization process that was the problem for me.
I separate my whites by hand and "age" them for 3-5 days in my refrigerator. My Macs have turned out great ever since!
Best of luck and Happy Bastille Day!
The weather has changed in New York and I made these this morning -it's positively breezy here.
BUT BRAVETART of Macaron Mythbusters says the weather does NOT matter.
I do have Trader Joe's pasturized egg whites in the frisge but I used REAL organic whites instead..
that's the idea. If a mess like moi can get 'FEET' on their macarons, ANYONE can.
Just cook em longer!
Bon chance!
Oh what a post Carol, if only you could see that the more I read the more I smiled until I found that I was holding my breath waiting to see what your results were. I can only wish you bonne chance with the chocolate ones and hope that you continue to improve and once you have the secret touch you can share it with all of your readers who unlike yourself are probably more like me and fail to have patience in this department.
ReplyDeleteHere are the tips that Paul has found work. He doesnt worry about the whole aged egg white thing, but he does strain the egg white before using it.
Apparently too there are differences in almond meal or flours, it can be damper than the european one, so you put it on a tray in an oven and give it a bit of a toasting, it comes out much fluffier and more like a flour.
Rest the macarons after piping them out.
Id agree too on the not trying to lift them off the cooking paper too soon.
Paul also drops the trays to the ground with quite a bang after piping on the macarons, it sort of spreads them out nicely.
It very much seems to be practice makes perfect as well. It used to be quite an ordeal each time Paul tried a new flavour, the cooking time, everything seemed to change. Recently though that stopped and now he is making any flavour I can think of*L* Im ordering chocarons for our Anniversary I think, they are my new love.
Good luck and keep going, it is so worth it when you master the little sods.
But isn't fun??!! I know, it's an ongoing process of tweaking. I have made 4 batches myself so far and my best batch was perfect except that they were too big. So next time I try I am going pencil circles on the bottom of the parchment paper and try and get the petit size I am looking for. Aging the whites did seem to help but my last batch had no feet. They are so tempermental!!
Good Luck!
Good for you for sharing your macsperience,
They will get better.
That Scot who lives in Paris.
Her recipes WORK.
A few tips.
No need to age the eggs.
Whip egg white until you can turn the bowl upside down and the eggs don't slither out.
When pipping, hold the tube at a 45º angle and make a gentle forward flip to finish forming the cookie.
Wish I could be there and we'd make them together and WOW the masses.
Ur first batch looks just like my first batch!
My advice to ur situation(I know everyone has their own "fix it" things since the making of macarons doesn't just vary state to state, but moment to moment :)
-When I use a sil pat instead of parchment, the texture on the sil pat holds the batter into perfectly piped circles. The parchment paper always makes mine wonky shaped.
They usually need to sit twice as long when I pipe on sil pats instead of parchment tho. I think the air drying them out in the resting stage must be penetrate easier thru the bottom of parchment paper than sil pats.
Also-ur egg whites look a tid bit closer to "stiff peaks" than "soft peaks to me-not much tho.
Also-u can let them sit a bit longer or u can put the oven on 200F and bake each tray for 5 minutes before doing the full baking and it will speed up the skin forming time and won't rip the tops open. I usually pipe, let them sit for an hour, put the tray in the oven on 200 for 5 minutes, and then let them sit for another hour.
You should also watch for the size of the macarons being made in the recipes you follow. The sit time and bake temps vary between different sized macarons-even if it's a small change.
I must tell you that you are even more endearing now:)I love when someone .. well.. isn't exact in the result!
Parce que.. il m'arrive quelques fois.. de faire .. ainsi:)
I just told my friend about you and your beautiful perfect art:)
You have gone to so much trouble for your macarons..:)
Try again they will work..
If I can do them..you can..
But you have tasted the best:) You even have the bags..etc..to prove it..I have not:(
One day..
Carol dear, you didn't "fail with flying colors" -- what a funny phrase -- you gloriously passed your first lesson. Even professional chefs have to try things over and over to reach perfection. With your honed palate from all your "research" and your artistic prowess, they will soon be stellar. Félicitations pour ton succès!
ReplyDeleteCarol, you absolutely made our day!! We are two neighbours really into the "french thing", to the point of using french in our emails. We decided that making macarons was as french as we could get from Vancouver Island. Let me tell you that we laughed and laughed at today's posting. We went through exactly the same trials, almost giving up but eventually (after several attempts)they did develop "feet", the right shape and texture. The cries of eureka sounded throughout the neighbourhood! However, by this point we had a million and one macaron shells in the freezer of differing flavours. Sugar fix all round!!!!
Keep at it, they will work! And when it does you'll feel so accomplished and more Parisien. Next step, the flavoured centres, which we still have yet to master.
Thank you very much for our morning dose of Paris Breakfast.
Such a delight to start the day with.
Pauline & Lindy
Yummm. They look good enough to eat. :) A friend of mine here made them and after a few not so good ones she finally got the knack. They turned out really good. So keep up the practicing. She had to grind her own almonds to make the flour as she couldnt buy the flour here. To much work for Moi. :))
ReplyDeleteCarol, this post of yours and the ensuing comments have truly showed how difficult it is to master the Marcaron.
I applaud your testing the recipe and technique in your very own kitchen. I would never be so brave.
I would like to look over the shoulder of someone who has got the whole thing down and also a reliable oven. Even then, I'd most likely just want to gobble the samples from the other side of that shoulder, and might never want to try to bake them myself.
And so...bravo. Bon voyage to you and Bear.
Macarons are my bête noire in the kitchen - and I finally think I have found a failproof recipe (tricks and tips here: http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2011/04/how-to-make-macarons-whats-working-for-me-right-now/)
I always thought I was beating my egg whites enough - looked like yours, but in fact it needs to be much much more beaten, according to my recent experiences - like 9-10 minutes' worth!! Feels so wrong but once you get the dry ingredients in there and beat the air OUR of the whites, it forms the correct consistency to pipe.
You should definitely read Stella's post (The Brave Tart, linked in my post) about "macaron myths" - it's eye opening! The fact that I managed to make 200 macarons for a bake sale with her technique is proof enough for me that it pretty much works every time!
Keep on at it - as you say, practice makes perfect and yours look SO close!!! I am doing two more macaron workshops in Paris over the next two weeks - if I learn any more tips, I will be sure to share! Oh, and am hopefully meeting Jill!!
Dr. Jill ???
Oh, Carol, sorry to see you've gone through the mill here and I'm only seeing this now.
Firstly, this is just your first batch. Take heart, you've got feet and they look not that bad.
Secondly, which recipe were you following? Mine? If you were, you didn't do what you were told, completely. (Thank you Foodwalker. Yes, the recipe works, you just have to follow it to the letter.)
I've already cut corners for you, so there's no need to cut even more. Right from the start, the mix was too liquid.
Many people say no need to age whites. Fine, but I've had the same situation with professional cartons of egg whites but as we don't normally get access to them, it's so much surer to age them at home.
By ageing egg whites, the water content evaporates and so your mix will be surer and less liquid.
The oven (great, it's doing what it says it is) is fine and so you'll tweak that the next time.
Next, I wouldn't suggest chocolate. Work on the same one and get the confidence first.
You are well on your way to becoming a macaronivore, so don't worry.
Sounds like you're following so many different recipes and techniques at the same time. Pick one recipe and stick to it completely. Then you can play around.
Lastly, apologies for nagging. You've done a fabulous job and you've done the hardest part: making the first move. Relax and enjoy the rest.
Hugs, Jill xo
My daughter has had excellent results in her home kitchen and mine with the the "French meringue macarons" from Cecile Cannone's tiny cookbook MACARONS from the Macaron Cafe. They are equal to or better than those from Laduree, and can be prepared successfully in a humid climate. Almond flour is available in small quantities at Agata and Valentina(1st Avenue at 79th). Bonne chance!
ReplyDeleteIt is encouraging to see your results...after all you know! I made my first batches at Easter - tried raspberry, cafe, citron....it was by far the most challenging culinary experience of my life. i grund my own flour (never again!) I undercooked some, finally got some with "feet", made the filling to runny....but I'll do it again. I know why they charge so much for them - they are LABOR INTENSIVE! But it's good to have a challenge and they are delicious! Something to strive for! Thanks for wooing my interest! I have Jill's book and another one from America...practice makes perfect. Next time I'll order the almond flour!
ReplyDeleteHey there, First batch doesn't look all that bad if you ask me (I was trained at Le Cordon Bleu).T he next time you make them they will be much, much better. Yours are quite pretty. As far as folding goes here is the trick: you put the rubber spatula in the center of the mix and fold from there. In a few turns it will start to look like something.


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UBurger Opens at Northeastern University
A local burger place that has three locations in Boston has just opened a fourth, and this one is located within a university campus.
Today, a new UBurger opens in the Curry Student Center on the Northeastern University campus, joining other locations near the corner of Tremont Street and Park Street at Boston Common, Beacon Street in Kenmore Square, and Commonwealth Avenue by the BU campus. The new UBurger, which will accept Husky Cards from NU students, will feature such items as burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, onions rings, and frappes.
The Northeastern location of UBurger will be open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Thursday, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Sundays.
The website for all of the UBurgers can be found at http://uburgerboston.com/boston/


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Physics with Neutrons 2 (Applications)
Module PH2054
Module version of SS 2019
There are historic module descriptions of this module. A module description is valid until replaced by a newer one.
Whether the module's courses are offered during a specific semester is listed in the section Courses, Learning and Teaching Methods and Literature below.
available module versions | |||||||
Basic Information
PH2054 is a semester module in English or German language at Master's level which is offered in summer semester.
This Module is included in the following catalogues within the study programs in physics.
- Specific catalogue of special courses for condensed matter physics
- Specific catalogue of special courses for Applied and Engineering Physics
- Complementary catalogue of special courses for nuclear, particle, and astrophysics
- Complementary catalogue of special courses for Biophysics
If not stated otherwise for export to a non-physics program the student workload is given in the following table.
Total workload | Contact hours | Credits (ECTS) |
150 h | 60 h | 5 CP |
Responsible coordinator of the module PH2054 in the version of SS 2019 was Winfried Petry.
Content, Learning Outcome and Preconditions
- Quasi-elastic neutron scattering
- Magnetic neutron scattering: structure
- Magnetic neutron scattering: magnons
- Neutron guides and super mirrors
- Neutron Polarization
- Ultra cold neutrons: production and applications
- Neutrons for medicine: radioisotopes and other medical applications
- Neutrons for industry, selected examples
Learning Outcome
After participation in the module the student is able to:
- understand magnetic scattering cross sections
- interpret elastic magnetic neutron scattering data
- measure and interpret dispersion curves from ferro- and antiferromagnetic magnons
- evaluate crystal electric fields
- interpret SANS-data from flux line lattices
- understand basics of polarization analysis
- Bachelor degree in physics
Courses, Learning and Teaching Methods and Literature
Courses and Schedule
Type | SWS | Title | Lecturer(s) | Dates | Links |
VU | 4 | Physics with neutrons 2 | Böni, P. |
Mon, 12:00–14:00, PH II 227 |
Learning and Teaching Methods
The learning outcomes of the module will be achieved via frontal lecture, written and verbal lecturing and powerpoint presentations. The lecture will be complemented by a weekly exercise class, where students will solve problems under supervision.
- lecture with PowerPoint presentation
- exercises
- books
- internet
- A. Furrer, J. Mesot, T. Strässle: Neutron Scattering in Condensed Matter Physics, World Scientific, London (2009) .
- G. L. Squires: Introduction to the Theory of Thermal Neutron Scattering, Dover Publications, N. Y. (1966).
- S. W. Lovesey, Theory of Neutron Scattering from Condensed Matter I, II, Oxford Science Publ., Oxford (1984).
- A. Furrer: Frontiers in Neutron Scattering, World Scientific, London (1999).
- G. E. Bacon: Neutron Diffraction, Oxford (1962).
- P. A. Egelstaff: Thermal Neutron Scattering, Acad. Press, London (1965).
Module Exam
Description of exams and course work
There will be an oral exam of 30 minutes duration. Therein the achievement of the competencies given in section learning outcome is tested exemplarily at least to the given cognition level using comprehension questions, discussions of sketches and simple formulas.
For example an assignment in the exam might be:
- Quasielastic neutron scattering: What measures quasielastic incoherent neutron scattering? Which isotope has the largest incoherent cross section? How incoherent quasielastic scattering can distinguish long-range diffusive motion from localized motion?
- Magnetic scattering: Interaction of thermal neutrons with magnetic moment from electron spin and orbital? Formfactor for scattering of thermal neutrons at the magnetic moment of an atom? Condition for neutron spin-flip in a scattering event. Explain magnetic Bragg scattering. Examples of magnietc structures. Simple examples of magnon dispersion
- Neutron guides: Principle of a neutron guide? What are supermirrors for thermal neutrons
- Polarisation of neutrons: Definition of the degree of polarisation of a thermal neutron beam? Which methods to polarize a thermal neutron beam do you know? Explain their working principles.
- Ultra cold neutrons: Definition of ultra cold neutrons? Which physical quantities enter into the wall potential seen by thermal neutrons? What do we understand under "phase-space-density"? Describe the neutron decay. How to store UCNs? Examples of physical questions tackled by UCNs
- Neutrons for medicine: Which applications in medicine do you know, where neutrons play a vital role? For what purpose medicine needs radioisotopes? What tells you the expression "linear energy transfer" with respect to cancer treatment?
- Industrial applications of neutrons: Which kind of applications of neutron beams for industry do you know? Please, categorize those with respect to competing methods
Participation in the exercise classes is strongly recommended since the exercises prepare for the problems of the exam and rehearse the specific competencies.
Exam Repetition
The exam may be repeated at the end of the semester. There is a possibility to take the exam in the following semester.
Current exam dates
Currently TUMonline lists the following exam dates. In addition to the general information above please refer to the current information given during the course.
Title | |||
Time | Location | Info | Registration |
Exam to Physics with Neutrons 2 | |||
Mon, 2024-02-05 till 23:55 | Dummy-Termin. Lehrveranstaltungen zu diesem Modul waren im SS 2023. Wenden Sie sich zur individuellen Terminvereinbarung an die/den Prüfer(in). Anmeldung für Prüfungstermin vor 23.03.2024. // Dummy date. Courses to this module were in SS 2023. Contact examiner for individual appointment. Registration for exam date before 2024-Mar-23. | till 2024-01-15 (cancelation of registration till 2024-02-04) | |
Mon, 2024-03-25 till 23:55 | Dummy-Termin. Lehrveranstaltungen zu diesem Modul waren im SS 2023. Wenden Sie sich zur individuellen Terminvereinbarung an die/den Prüfer(in). Anmeldung für Prüfungstermin zwischen 25.03.2024 und 20.04.2024. // Dummy date. Courses to this module were in SS 2023. Contact examiner for individual appointment. Registration for exam date between 2024-Mar-25 and 2024-Apr-20. | till 2024-03-24 |


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7 Steps to Create Multiple Streams of Income
"Don't let the opinions of the average man sway you. Dream, and he thinks you're crazy. Succeed, and he thinks you're lucky. Acquire wealth, and he thinks you're greedy. Pay no attention. He simply doesn't understand."
— Robert G. Allen
At age 25, I began planning my exit strategy to leave a lucrative career in sales to become an entrepreneur and pursue my passion: empowering people to maximize their potential and make significant improvements to their results.
While still in my sales position, I started my first business — and my first additional stream of income — serving as a life and business success coach. In the past nine years, using the exact formula below, I've been able to add nine additional streams of income. These have involved authoring books, speaking, private and group coaching and staging live events.
For anyone who values financial security and ultimately desires financial freedom, creating at least one additional stream of income is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity.
Diversifying your income stream is crucial to protect yourself and your family against the unavoidable ups and downs of economic and industry cycles. Because of the financial risks that come from relying on one source of income, such as a job or a business, consider creating at least one or more additional streams to generate cash flow.
Your additional income streams can be active, passive or a combination of the two. Some may pay you for doing something that you love (active), while others can provide income for you without your having to do much of anything at all (passive). You can diversify your income streams among different industries to protect you against major losses during downturns in one market and allow you to financially benefit from the upswings in another.
This truly is one of the not-so-obvious secrets of how the wealthy become — and stay — wealthy, which unfortunately isn't taught to the masses. The good news is that it's not magic. It's not even complicated. Creating your next stream of income is a simple, step-by-step process, which you can arrange to start bringing you monthly income faster than you might realize is possible.
1. Establish financial security.
Now, this idea isn't sexy, but it's imperative: Don't focus your time and energy into building a second stream of income until your primary source is secure. Whether you have a day job or own your own business, focus on establishing and securing a primary monthly income that will support your expenses before you pursue other steps.
2. Clarify your unique value.
Every person on this planet has unique gifts, abilities, life experiences and value to offer — and be highly compensated for. Figure out the knowledge, experience, ability or solution you have that others will value and might pay you for. Remember, what might be common knowledge to you isn't for other people.
You and your personality differentiate your value from that of every other person on earth. Many people will resonate with you (and your style) better than they will with someone else offering value that's similar or even the same.
Packaging is how you can differentiate your value. When I wrote my book The Miracle Morning, I had to overcome my insecurity that waking up early wasn't exactly something I invented. Would there really be a market for the book? But readers shared that the book was life-changing in the way the information was presented. It was written focusing on how to significantly improve any area of life by simply altering how a person starts the day.
Knowledge is the one thing you can increase very quickly. As Tony Robbins wrote in Money: Master the Game, "One reason people succeed is that they have knowledge other people don't have. You pay your lawyer or your doctor for the knowledge and skills" you lack.
Increase your knowledge in a specific area, and you'll simultaneously increase the value that others will pay you for, either to teach them what you know or apply your knowledge on their behalf.
3. Identify your market.
Determine whom you are best qualified to serve. Based on the value you can add for others or the problems you can help people solve, who will pay you for the value or solution you can provide?
4. Build a community.
A turning point in my financial life came when I heard author and self-made multimillionaire Dan Kennedy say, "The most valuable asset you have is your email list, so focus on growing it."
I don't like to think of my email community as merely a list of names but rather as a group of individuals, each with their own hopes and dreams.
Here's how you can build your community:
Acquire an email-marketing program (good: AWeber, better: Infusionsoft).
Get a program to create an opt-in page (good: LeadPages.com, better: Kajabi).
Create an added-value deliverable such as a free report, an ebook, an audio or a video training so that people will happily provide their email address in exchange for the value you provide.
5. Ask your community about their desires.
You can either guess or assume what people desire and need, invest valuable time in creating it and then hope your guess was correct. But remember: Hope is rarely the best strategy.
Or send an email to members of your community with the link to a survey (using a free service like SurveyMonkey), asking what they want or need help with in your area of value that you've identified. Ask open-ended questions to help you later brainstorm or offer multiple choices if you've already thought about what you can provide.
6. Create a solution.
After your community members tell you what they need, it's your golden opportunity to get to work and create it. This could be a physical or digital product (a book, an audio, a video, a written training program or software) or a service (dog grooming, babysitting, coaching, consulting, speaking or training).
7. Plan the launch.
Think about how Apple rolls out its products. The company doesn't just throw a product on the shelf or its website. No, the company makes it into an event. Apple builds anticipation months in advance, so much so that people are willing to camp out in front of stores for weeks to be the first in line.
Do that. To learn how, read the definitive book on the topic, Launch by Jeff Walker.
7.1 Find a mentor.
The best way to cut your learning curve and achieve a specific result is to find people who've already achieved what you want and then model their behavior. Rather than try to figure it all out on your own, find someone who has already achieved what you want, determine how this person did it, model this behavior and make it your own.
While you might seek a relationship with a face-to-face human mentor, you could also hire a coach, read a book or articles by an expert or do web research. After some consideration, you may decide to make this your first step.
Schedule time to begin implementing these 7.1 steps, one at a time, and within months you can be enjoying the benefits, the perks and the financial security and freedom that comes from having multiple streams of income.
Originally published on http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239960


text:
Scam Alert: Beware of Orlando-related charity scams
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a consumer alert about possible fake charity scams emerging due to the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups.
While there has been an enormous wave of support across the country for the victims and families of Orlando, it is common for scam artists to take advantage of this generosity by impersonating charities to get money or private information from well-meaning taxpayers. Such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media, e-mail or in-person solicitations.
The IRS cautions donors to follow these tips:
- Be sure to donate to recognized charities.
- Be wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations. Some phony charities use names or websites that sound or look like those of respected, legitimate organizations. The IRS website at IRS.gov has a search feature, Exempt Organizations Select Check, through which people may find qualified charities; donations to these charities may be tax-deductible.
- Don't give out personal financial information — such as Social Security numbers or credit card and bank account numbers and passwords — to anyone who solicits a contribution. Scam artists may use this information to steal a donor's identity and money.
- Don't give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, contribute by check or credit card or another way that provides documentation of the gift.
- Consult IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions, available on IRS.gov. This free booklet describes the tax rules that apply to making tax-deductible donations. Among other things, it also provides complete details on what records to keep.
Bogus websites may solicit funds for victims of this tragedy. These sites frequently mimic the sites of, or use names similar to, legitimate charities, or claim to be affiliated with legitimate charities in order to persuade people to send money or provide personal financial information that can be used to steal identities or financial resources.
Additionally, scammers often send emails that steer recipients to bogus websites that appear to be affiliated with legitimate charitable causes.
Taxpayers suspecting fraud by email should visit IRS.gov and search for the keywords "Report Phishing."
More information about tax scams and schemes may be found at IRS.gov using the keywords "scams and schemes."