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"Testing Together" Program Breaks Ground Among Gay Couples
January 30, 2012
An HIV testing initiative being implemented in Atlanta and Chicago is adopting an approach historically used for heterosexual couples in hopes of decreasing HIV transmission rates and increasing awareness among men who have sex with men.
"Testing Together" aims to break barriers that prevent partners from discussing the disease by testing them (and sharing the results) together. One of the project's goals is to tackle HIV/AIDS stigma and other barriers that make it difficult for MSM to have open and honest conversations about testing, HIV risk and monogamy. USA Today reported:
The idea is to bring honesty to sexual relationships, said one of the researchers behind the program, Rob Stephenson of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in suburban Atlanta.
Relationships offer only "mythical protection" from HIV, Stephenson said. Some couples may have avoided talking about each other's HIV status, thinking, "If he were HIV positive he would have told me," or "If he wanted to know, he would have asked."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 68 percent of newly infected MSM are believed to have acquired the disease not from casual sex, but from condom-less sex with their main male partner. As of now, Testing Together is currently offered at four high-impact clinics: two in Atlanta and two in Chicago. According to USA Today, there are plans to expand the program to other cities around the U.S.
Research of couples testing strategies among heterosexuals found that counseling, testing and discussing results together were successful in reducing HIV transmission.
Do you believe that programs like this will make an impact among gay couples?
Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Undetectable Viral Load and HIV Prevention: What Do Gay and Bi Men Need to Know?
Do HIV-Negative Gay Men Need Condoms if They're on PrEP? Here's What I Tell My Patients
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Years after the popular "Lord of The Rings" movie series was filmed, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey" was finally released in theaters Dec. 14.
Tolkien's "The Hobbit," written as a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings," is distributed by Warner Bros. and is directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed "The Lord of the Rings."
The main character, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), is a hobbit — a human-like creature — half the size of a man, with large hairy feet. He lives a comfortable, uneventful life in the peaceful land of The Shire.
One evening, Bilbo is interrupted by a company of 11 dwarves and their leader, Prince Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), along with the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen).
They all convince Bilbo to help them reclaim their old kingdom of Erebor and their treasure, which was captured by the dragon Smaug. The troop travels eastward while being chased by fearsome orcs and then getting captured by goblins.
It's in the goblin caves that Bilbo meets the creature Gollum, (voice of Andy Serkis) and comes across a simple gold ring, the ring of power.
After escaping the goblins, the company fends off the attacking orcs in an "edge of your seat" perilous scene. Giant eagles rescue the group and the film ends, leaving the audience to await the second installment of the hobbit's journey.
"The Hobbit" was extremely entertaining, although after sitting for two hours and 50 minutes, one's body does start to get sore. The length of the movie allowed the filmmakers to put an enormous amount of detail into the flick — maybe too much.
While most moviemakers need to take out details to shorten the length of their movie, "The Hobbit" includes characters and stories that were not in the book.
These additions were all mentioned in other books by Tolkien, but were not involved in the book, "The Hobbit." The added characters do not directly change the overall story, but do contribute to dragging out the hobbits' journey over three separate movies.
Bilbo's journey turns him into a braver, more courageous hobbit.
There was some humorous dialogue between the characters, but the movie is a very action-packed adventure story. There are very violent scenes, including severed limbs, decapitations and some blood. It is rated PG-13.
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40% See 2007 War With Iran As Second Carrier Deployed
Next phase of genocidal rampage in Middle East readied as deliberate destruction of Iraq continues
Prison Planet | January 4, 2007
Paul Joseph Watson
A new nationwide poll reveals that four in ten Americans predict the U.S. will go to war with Iran in 2007 as a second aircraft carrier is deployed to the Gulf, putting 5,000 more U.S. sailors in the region, bringing the total to 16,000 in a clear escalation towards a military air strike on the country.
A survey by Ipsos divulges that 40% of Americans think it "likely" that the U.S. will become involved militarily with Iran this year, 11% more than the mere 29% that see coalition troops leaving Iraq.
Concurrently, a second aircraft carrier and escort ships have been sent into the Gulf in a threatening geopolitical gesture aimed at Iran and Syria. The USS John C. Stennis strike group will deploy later this month following in the footsteps of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier group that entered the Gulf in December.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the move a reaffirmation that "We will be here for a long time and everybody needs to remember that."
Televangelist Pat Robertson, an influential sage of the Neo-Con war machine and an icon of its radical ideological underpinnings, has predicted turmoil in 2007 after he claimed God had told him in a conversation that major U.S. cities would suffer mass terror attacks after September that would potentially kill millions of people.
Whether Robertson is simply recycling fearmongering propaganda or not, the fact remains that Dick Cheney's USSTRATCOM contingency plan calls for attacking Iran in the immediate aftermath of a 'second 9/11' - no matter who is behind it - which of course is going to be the cabal Dick Cheney fronts for itself and the same pack of murderers that are actively seeking to initiate global ethic cleansing and genocide to bring about world war three.
Having tried and failed to do Israel's bidding in completely taking over the Middle East by organized military campaigns, the Bush administration has enacted "Plan B," a blueprint favored by the Zionist state's most bloodthirsty adherents all along, which is simply to engender mass chaos and civil war across the entire region and let Sunni and Shia Muslims kill off each other.
Israeli strategy documents dating back decades outline the method of breaking up Iraq along sectarian borders by playing the different sects off against each other by means of staged bombings, targeted assassinations and jingoistic manipulation of the political process.
The "accidental" release of the cell phone Saddam hanging video was a deliberate ploy to further escalate sectarian strife and act as a catalyst for more carnage.
President Bush's recent announcement of a "surge" of 20,000 to 30,000 more troops is not designed to win the war or create better security, it's a simple means of keeping the chaos and resentment that has sunk the country into a civil war bubbling. The first step to ending the holocaust that has claimed 655,000 lives in the last three and a half years alone would be to withdraw all U.S. forces immediately - which is why it's never going to happen as long as this criminal cabal remains in power.
The deliberate destruction of Iraq is continually masked by perceptions dutifully reinforced by the liberal and progressive media that the Bush administration's incompetence alone is to blame for the catastrophe. There's no doubt that the initial invasion and its immediate backfiring was a result of inflated imperial hubris and outright ineptitude. But events since Bush's flight suit charade offer no other conclusion than the fact that what we are seeing is order out of chaos - there is so other possible reason for the disaster of policies that leave only 5% of Iraqis feeling they are better off today than they were under Saddam.
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The house to house raids, the mass detentions, the Mosque bombings , the Saddam show trial and execution - all these measures are designed to enflame tempers and keep in place the strategy of tension.
The Neo-Con war whores have started a genocidal purge that will not be restricted by borders, rationality, "international law," nor any other usual bulwark. Our only refuge is to try and educate the Arab world that they are being manipulated by the empire's old and tried method of divide and conquer - and only through reconciliation and unity will they have a chance of providing a safe environment for their children and a region free of continued bloodshed.
"TerrorStorm is something that should be seen by everyone, no matter what their stance/affiliation/political bent. " - Rich Rosell, Digitally Obsessed UK
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5 : Oru Kandan Poochu Varunne
Free Download Malayalam Mp3 Songs : Oru Naal Varum
DISCLAIMER : No Songs Listed In This Site is hosted by this blog. Only Links To Songs Are Given Here.. All the song and any other file links provided on this blog are taken from third party websites and blogs. We are in no way responsible for the quality or copyright issues that pertain to the downloads as we do not host anything and in fact, we act merely as a guide to the best resources on the web. If you believe that any of the content above, links to content that infringes your copyright, please contact the respective third party website.


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Meek Mill (Of Grand Hustle) Spits An Acapella Freestyle First Day Home From Prison!
Mack reports "GRAND HUSTLE" ARTIST "MEEK MILLZ" FIRST DAY OUT OF JAIL + FREESTYLE"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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BERKELEY — Patient rooms at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center's Alta Bates Campus were without heat or hot water Saturday after the hospital began steam work repairs at 10 a.m., an official said.
The work did not affect the emergency department, laboratories, surgery or the labor and delivery department, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
A representative for the California Nurses Association, however, disputed that, saying newborn babies had to wait to receive baths after birth, and nurses had no way to heat milk.
The work was expected to be completed by no later than 10 p.m., according to hospital spokeswoman Stacey Wells. Patients had to forgo hot showers and used alcohol-based hand sanitizer or cold water and friction in lieu of hot water to wash their hands. The hospital was making sure patients received extra blankets if they got too cold, Wells said.
Mike Hill, a registered nurse and a CNA representative at the company's Summit Campus in Oakland, said the work at Alta Bates was emblematic of larger problems at Sutter Health facilities, from shortages in supplies and staff to more serious problems with the buildings.
A plumbing problem earlier this month forced a four-hour shut-off of water service at the Merritt Pavilion in Oakland, he said. Sewage had leaked from pipes in the ceiling onto technicians working below, Hill said.
Follow Daniel M. Jimenez at Twitter.com/DMJreports.


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Investors increasingly are eyeing college towns to snag properties at discounts and turn them into rental properties that could potentially offer steady cash flow with student tenants. But which college towns offer some of the best returns?
Realtor.com recently released its second annual list of the best college towns for investors, factoring in average monthly rental prices and comparing it to estimated mortgage payments of a median priced home.
The following are the top eight college towns for investors, according to this year's report.
1. Boston
Median list price: $334,900
Average rent: $3,084
Mortgage payment estimate: $1,240
2. Princeton, N.J.
Median list price: $265,000
Average rent: $2,056
Mortgage payment estimate: $980
3. Chicago
Median list price: $194,000
Average rent: $1,630
Mortgage payment estimate: $720
4. Washington, D.C.
Median list price: $395,000
Average rent: $2,637
Mortgage payment estimate: $1,460
5. Houston
Median list price: $183,000
Average rent: $1,134
Mortgage payment estimate: $680
6. Philadelphia
Median list price: $234,900
Average rent: $1,475
Mortgage payment estimate: $870
7. Atlanta
Median list price: $174,900
Average rent: $1,187
Mortgage payment estimate: $650
8. Pittsburgh
Median list price: $140,000
Average rent: $1,122
Mortgage payment estimate: $520


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2008 Toe Jam Boat Final
Friday may go down in history as the longest day in Toe Jam history, since it included not only the boat final but a night winch jam across town from the Projects at OWC. But since this in the finals, and they are intent on making us wait to the very end to find out all the good stuff, I cannot confirm or deny if it will actually be the longest day or not until Saturday.
What I can do is tell you about the incredible riding that went down behind the boat on the Projects lake. Remember when people used to film all season to land a wake to wake big spin, like, last year. Well they were popping off left and right it seemed today. The wake to wake kickflip remains somewhat illusive, although Nick Taylor, Steve Campbell, Ben Horan and Reed Hansen we're all going for them, and I have to say Nick's was a truly beautiful thing.
The day was full of stacked heats, and even the ones that seemed obvious, such as any with Nick Taylor, were certainly not. James Balzer would have sailed through any other heat, but met Nick in the first round. Chris Kallas shreds hard, but was no match for the robotic consistency of Reed Hansen. Etc, etc etc.
The final four was just like that in the boat stop last month in Canada—Brian Grubb vs Stu Shinn and Reed Hansen vs Nick Taylor. But the final two went the opposite way (probably because we're in a different country) and Reed and Stu faced off.
We don't know who won yet, but here's a run down of the lines, straight from Reed and Stu so you can place your bets.
Stu: Front 3, back 3, shuv indy, shuv mute, front big, late shuv, toeside 3 shuv stalefish. Mute on the double up.
Reed: Front 3, switch 3, back 3, toe back 1, back 1, late shuv, switch big spin to drag out, switch big spin to fall, switch big spin to fall. Switch big spin perfect, finger flip. 5 attempt double up.
Now get down to OWC for the Winch jam, scheduled to start at 4 pm eastern standard wakeskate time. See ya at 5.


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2012-05-03 / Opinion
Support those who fight for America— get out and vote!
On May 15, residents will head to the polls to vote on their annual school budget and to select candidates for the school district's board of trustees.
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|Listings for the Great American Music Hall for August 15-23, 1975, from the Fremont Argus of August 18, 1975. Note that Les Paul comes in for the following weekend
The Legion Of Mary and The Jerry Garcia Band, Summer 1975
The basic narrative is fairly well known, promulgated by the likes of me. Jerry Garcia had played with Merl Saunders since 1970, but by mid-1975, Garcia was looking for a change. At the time, The Legion Of Mary was an almost formal group, with Garcia, Saunders, John Kahn, Ron Tutt on drums and Martin Fierro on tenor sax and flute. If Tutt wasn't present, they played under the name 'Garcia-Saunders.' Occasionally Garcia also dropped in on Merl Saunders gigs, with Tony Saunders on bass and a variety of drummers, along with Fierro. All three ensembles played lengthy songs, with Garcia, Saunders and Fiero sharing solos, and a fair share of instrumentals and songs featuring Merl Saunders on vocals. Over the years, the Garcia/Saunders ensemble had been very comfortable about letting guests sit in on trumpet, guitar or other instruments. In that respect, the Garcia/Saunders groups were formulated like a jazz band, even though they played rock. Solos were shared, vocals were shared, and membership wasn't absolutely fixed.
Garcia played his last show with the Garcia/Saunders ensemble on July 6, 1975 at Keystone Berkeley. He would actually play a fair number of later shows with Merl Saunders a few years later in Reconstruction, but this phase of the partnership was over. The ensemble that followed was The Jerry Garcia Band, who officially debuted on September 18, 1975 at Sophie's, in Palo Alto. Sophie's, at 260 S. California Avenue, would later become the Keystone Palo Alto, but at the time it was kind of out-of-the-way, a good place for a new band to get broken in. The new Garcia Band featured Garcia, Kahn, Tutt and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Hopkins was a major rock figure in 1975, having toured with Jeff Beck, Quicksilver and The Rolling Stones, among many others, and having recorded with the Stones, the Beatles and The Who, to name just a few. With the Stones' pianist and Elivs Presley's drummer, The Jerry Garcia Band wasn't just some pickup band.
Apparently, paperwork exists formally establishing Garcia, Kahn, Tutt and Hopkins as partners in the Jerry Garcia Band. I don't believe such a formal arrangement ever existed with Garcia and Saunders; I think they just split up the money evenly at the end of the night. However, in 1975 the Dead were not touring, and Garcia not only needed the cash, he was clearly looking at a solo career as a formal project. Thus in order to get musicians at the level of Tutt and Hopkins, he had to offer them something, and I believe what he had to offer was a partnership. Jerry had the big name, but by making a band out of it, all the participants would benefit. Neither Elvis nor Mick Jagger had offered such a thing to Tutt or Hopkins. From that point of view, the Jerry Garcia Band wasn't designed as a vehicle where players would drop in and out whenever they were otherwise booked. While accommodations would have had to be made for Elvis, history shows that Tutt was serious about the enterprise.
Although we know that Nicky Hopkins debuted with the Jerry Garcia Band on September 18, 1975, one thing I had not contemplated until very recently was their first rehearsal. Now, Garcia didn't like to rehearse, and Hopkins and Tutt didn't need to rehearse much--part of their appeal for Garcia. But Hopkins had never played with Garcia in a formal setting, so there had to have been at least one rehearsal. I'm not even certain where Hopkins lived in 1975, but in any case he normally flew between England, New York and Los Angeles, playing sessions or shows for rock legends of all stripes. Thus a rehearsal, however brief, had to be formally arranged, with plane tickets and someone to pick up Hopkins at the airport.
I am going to propose the following: Garcia had been thinking about the plan to play with Hopkins for some time, and there was a rehearsal of some kind for Garcia, Hopkins and Tutt in July 1975. The rehearsal went well and they agreed to form a band. However, Garcia had some pre-existing dates booked at the Keystone Berkeley for August of 1975, and in any case he needed the cash. Thus I think the Keystone simply had "Jerry Garcia" listed on the calendar and ads, and didn't know who would actually play the August 1975 dates. Garcia probably didn't know, either. Once Garcia rehearsed with Hopkins, he knew he had a band, but he still had some dates to fill, and no desire to cancel them. Thus I think he teamed up with the Keith And Donna band to play the scheduled Jerry Garcia Band dates at the Keystone Berkeley in August. Given that they were playing together, I think Garcia played the booked Keith and Donna dates, too, at the Orphanage and maybe elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if Garcia had informally told the Godchauxs that he might play dates with them in August, if he couldn't pull his band together quickly enough.
August 1975 Performances by Jerry Garcia and Keith And Donna
According to my logic, shows attributed to the Jerry Garcia Band would have actually been Keith And Donna with Jerry Garcia. I wouldn't be surprised if Garcia played at the dates booked as Keith And Donna shows, too, although we have no evidence one way or the other, save for the fact that Betty Cantor seems not to have taped them. Based on my previously published history of the Keith And Donna band's performing history, August 1975 looks like this:
|Listing for Keith And Donna at The Odyssey Room, Campbell, for August 4, 1975, from the August 1, 1975 edition of the Hayward Daily Review. For the record, the Garcia Brothers were a South Bay club band, and did not feature Tiff and Jerry.
The Odyssey Room, at 799 El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, was a South Bay saloon, a jumping place that featured local bands and probably sold a lot of drinks. I wonder if Garcia played with them anyway (see notes below)?
August 5, 1975 Keystone Berkeley Jerry Garcia Band
This listing for The Jerry Garcia Band comes from Deadbase, without attribution. Deadbase's source was me. Based on my long ago notes, it appears that this date was from a list compiled by Dennis McNally. For the reasons described below (see August 20-21), I think this was a Keith and Donna show, perhaps with Jerry Garcia playing lead guitar and singing a few songs. Of course, its equally possible that Garcia never played the show, or maybe Keith and Donna took the date by themselves. I'm most inclined towards the latter. If Garcia had promised Freddie Herrera of the Keystone a date, Herrera could have respected the cancellation, but he still had to have a headliner. My guess is that Keith and Donna played, but without Jerry.
This show was listed in the Hayward Daily Review as a Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders show. I believe there is another listing where it is displayed as a Keith And Donna show, but I can't pin that down right now. If this was the first Garcia show with Keith and Donna, a quiet appearance by Jerry might be a safe way for him to get his feet wet with the band, a public rehearsal if you will.
August 20-21, 1975 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco Jerry Garcia Band
The Fremont Argus (up top) lists these Wednesday and Thursday shows at the Great American Music Hall (859 O'Farrell, and still going strong) as The Jerry Garcia Band. In fact, we have a lovely tape of August 20 (I think it is a Betty Board), and Jerry Garcia joins Keith and Donna. He plays lead guitar on all their songs, as well as singing 'Tough Mama" and "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You." I have to assume the next night was the same configuration. Although the tape is incomplete, the entire group sounds great, and Jerry of course puts it over the top.
Both the August 20 and August 30 tapes feature an unnamed trumpeter. We do know that Hadi Al-Sadoon was listed as a Keith And Donna band member in July, so he seems the most likely suspect. Nonetheless, numerous Garcia tapes in the 1970s feature trumpet players, all unnamed--I wonder if they were the same one? One could postulate the usual Marin suspects--Luis Gasca, Bill Atwood, and so on, but I really don't know. Many of Garcia's band mates are no longer with us, either, so its hard to think who we could ask about that.
August 29-30, 1975 The Orphanage, San Francisco Keith and Donna with Jerry Garcia
The Orphanage, at 807 Montgomery, had been a happening North Beach club about 1973, and was by this time less so. Still, this was a comparatively high profile gig, compared to the likes of The Odyssey Room. The shows were on a Friday and Saturday, and fortunately, a tremendous tape survives of the latter night. Jerry sings some Dylan songs, and may have been trying out his Travis Bean guitar as well.
Keith And Donna Band with Jerry Garcia, Wednesday, August 20, 1975, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Donna Godchaux-vocalsThe tape I have lists six songs:
Jerry Garcia-lead guitar, vocals
Ray Scott-guitar
Steve Schuster-tenor sax, flute, congas
Hadi Al-Sadoon (?)-trumpet
Keith Godchaux-electric grand and Fender Rhodes piano, vocals
Mike Larscheid-bass
Bill Kreutzmann-drums
Tough MamaI am not an expert on tape lineage and set lists, so I won't make a claim for the exact date of the tape. It appears to be the first set of a show. For my purposes, it's enough to assert that it unquestionably represents Jerry Garcia playing with the Keith And Donna Band in Summer 1975. Amongst the six songs are two sung by Garcia, both 'standards' in the Garcia canon, three that were regularly heard in Keith and Donna's sets, and an epic 25-minute instrumental that appears to be a long version of legendary alto saxophonist Art Pepper's signature song, "Straight Life." Now, I assume "Straight Life" was a regular part of Keith And Donna sets, and in any case I'm not musical enough to insure you that the band was really playing the Pepper tune.
My Love For You
Straight Life
Come See About Me
How Sweet It Is
Nonetheless, there's 25 minutes of a rocked up version of some serious jazz, even if someone could make the case that it wasn't "Straight Life." The significance of the inclusion of "Straight Life" lies in the fact that the Jerry Garcia Band with Keith and Donna almost never played instrumentals and stayed far away from formal jazz performances, save for a remarkable rendition of Miles Davis' "So What" on during what may have been the band's final performance.
What does the setlist tell us? First of all, the fact that Garcia led the band through disciplined versions of "Tough Mama" and "How Sweet It Is" means there had to be at least one rehearsal, however brief. Garcia's presence with Keith and Donna was planned, not just a casual drop in, which is part of the basis for my assertion that Garcia was using Keith and Donna to fill in some previously booked dates. Given that Garcia helped make the Keith And Donna album, he might have recalled "My Love For You" and "Showboat." "Come See About Me" was another radio classic, and a player of Garcia's stature could have just comped along and taken his solos. Also, with guitarist Ray Scott in the band, a solid if unspectacular player, Garcia would not have had to remember every rhythmic change, since Scott could cover the basic arrangements, leaving Garcia free to just embellish the music. One rehearsal would clearly have taken care of business, at least for this set.
However, it is the epic jam on "Straight Life" that really sets apart Garcia's August 20, 1975 performance. The Jerry Garcia Band with Keith And Donna had a certain sound, and "Straight Life" has nothing to do with it. "Straight Life" is structured as a modern jazz instrumental, with heads and a body, and the ensemble returning to state the theme just before the next excursion by the soloists. Garcia dominates the soloing, but Steve Schuster's tenor sax, the trumpeter (Hadi Al-Sadoon?) and Keith Godchaux's electric piano all take off for remarkable solos. I had heard jazzy licks from Keith many times in songs like "Playing In The Band," but this is the only time I can think of where he goes into a jazz mode and stays there, and he's a spectacular jazz improviser.
Art Pepper and "Straight Life"
While Garcia and the Keith and Donna band were clearly feeling it that night, working out on a tune as classic as "Straight Life" means it was no accident. Art Pepper (1925-82) was an alto sax player who was a giant of West Coast jazz music in the 1950s, and among the best alto saxophonists of the era after Charlie Parker. Pepper was a true genius, and also a junkie and a hustler, by his own admission. The title of "Straight Life" implies an unalduterated take on life itself (as in 'straight whisky'), rather than any homage to the straight and narrow, since Pepper was anything but.
To my knowledge, the first recording of "Straight Life" was on Pepper's classic 1957 album Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section. A wonderful recording, it features Pepper backed by members of Miles Davis's group. According to Pepper, he was broke and strung out, only heard about the session that morning, had no rehearsal, hadn't played in weeks or months, and had to borrow a saxophone. While the actual history is probably more nuanced (Pepper apparently played sessions the preceding week), the basic fact remains that Pepper came into the studio unprepared and in terrible shape. Pepper plays beautifully, however, and the album is a jazz classic.
Pepper's terrible heroin addiction led to a number of stints in prison, ultimately in San Quentin. After getting out of jail in 1964, Pepper hit bottom, his jazz career seemingly over. He ultimately got involved with the recovery group Synanon, and not only got his life back but his career, too, making fine music throughout the 70s until his death in 1982. Memorably, he published an autobiography in 1982, entitled Straight Life. It is a harrowing and fascinating tale of genius, addiction and despair.
There are many books about addiction and redemption, many of them by musicians. However, in contrast to books by the likes of the publicist for The Doors (Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugarman) or the keyboard player for Three Dog Night (One Is The Loneliest Number by Jimmy Greenspoon)--both
bona fide classics of the genre, by the way--Pepper was a true musical genius, fully aware that for all his failings he towered above his peers musically. Straight Life may be our only unmediated look at the inner life of a drug-addicted musical genius in post WW2 America, not at all an irrelevant footnote for readers of this blog.
Update: a Commenter suggests that the jam is based on Freddie Hubbard's "Straight Life" from his 1970 album of the same name, rather than the Art Pepper composition. If that is the case, it doesn't change my general point, although some of the symmetry of Pepper and Garcia wouldn't resonate.
Jerry Garcia and "Straight Life"
In 1975, however, while Art Pepper's redemption had been covered in Rolling Stone, he was an active jazz musician and a seeming miracle. By the mid-70s Pepper had re-established his West Coast credentials and renewed his career. Amongst musicians, at any rate, "Straight Life" was not just a jazz standard, but a heavy one. While I assume that Steve Schuster was the one who brought "Straight Life" into the Keith And Donna Band, Garcia plays with brilliance and ferocity, dominating the song for much of its extended length. In what may be the first or second time Garcia played publicly with Keith and Donna Godchaux outside of the Grateful Dead, he leads a jam of the sort that was never seen with the Keith and Donna era Garcia Band, save for the final "So What" in November, 1978.
When Jerry Garcia played with the Keith And Donna Band in 1975, rather than looking forward to the Jerry Garcia Band that would come in 1976, he stayed back in the Saunders-Garcia era that had just ended. While long jazz instrumentals were unheard of in the Jerry Garcia Band, they were practically a nightly occurrence with the Garcia/Saunders band, with songs like "My Funny Valentine" or "Favela." The August 20, 1975 tape is a glimpse of what Garcia and the Godchauxs would have sounded like with the Garcia/Saunders setlist: a Dylan song, some soul covers, a little bit of original material not by Jerry and a big jazz instrumental to anchor the set. Sure, Mike Larscheid was playing bass instead of John Kahn, but that's what it would have sounded like. Any curiousity about Bill Kreutzmann as a jazz drummer can be permanently sated by hearing him drive the soloists with subtlety and power throughout the entire 25 minutes.
Jerry Garcia rarely looked back. He dispensed with the Garcia/Saunders ensembles because he wanted to do something else. Changing Merl Saunders, Sarah Fulcher and Martin Fierro over for Keith and Donna Godchaux and Steve Schuster just wasn't Garcia's style. While the restless desire for change is what set Garcia apart from all his peers, I can't deny that once in a while I wish he wouldn't have been so quick to move on. That, as the saying goes, is life--straight life.


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Communities lower the cost of action
The final death rattles of Friendster made me pause to think about communities for a moment. Not that I need much encouragement...
I start from the real world of physical groups.
One I belonged to found its numbers dwindling. That reduced the ability of members to act as freeriders. Almost everyone had to have a role, a responsibility.
The group got to the point of needing a new Treasurer. No one stepped forward.
The group was reminded that without a Treasurer they could not continue. After a long discussion in the bar, a Treasurer emerged. The group survived.
What made a freerider take responsibility? The group had a purpose - a set of shared goals which every member signed up to - both figuratively and emotionally.
Friends come together often inspite of their differences. But friends are rarely units of organisation - often because of their differences. What's the common goal you selected your friends to help you achieve? Thought not...
Let's imagine I want to organise a coach trip to Leeds United's next home game. I'll struggle among my friends. Among a community of Leeds United fans it'll be a breeze.
The web lowers the cost of group forming. But the important bit is that these aren't any old groups. These are groups of people with shared purposes: Communities.
And communities lower the cost of getting things done.
Friends share much. They inspire each other, encourage one another. But those among them who genuinely share your passion and desire to achieve x are in limited supply - limited by time and geography.
Communities of purpose - no matter how adhoc - gather to achieve x. It's not a by product of their relationship, it is the cause of it.
The ties of adhoc community may not be as strong or long lasting as friendship but they will prove more effective in delivering change.
The web lowers the cost of forming communities and communities lower the cost of getting things done.
Applying this reality is what the job of any government, organisation or business is. How is yours doing?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone so I may have to tidy it up later ;-)


text:
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Weekend party in Germany
I was in Germany last weekend, attending a dinner party in Göttingen, organised as a surprise to my friend Basti by his wife Tina. I know, it sounds quite grand - flying to Germany just for a dinner on Saturday night. And it was grand - I almost felt like a jetsetter (a (no)wedding in Mexico, a dinner party in Germany, you know). Almost - as I doubt if a real jetsetter would fly RyanAir from an airport in the middle of nowhere (Glasgow Prestwick) to an airport in the middle of nowhere (Frankfurt Hahn).
When I got the invitation to attend in August, I couldn't say no. My friends Basti and Tina have 2 sweet kids. Unfortunately the daughter Helena, soon to be 4, was born with a very serious kidney problem, and exactly a year ago my friend Basti gave one of his kidneys to his daughter. Although still requiring medical supervision, little Helena is now a happy little girl with a future. And the party was Tina's way to say thank you to her husband. Basti honestly had no idea what was waiting for him when he got up on Saturday morning! Moreover, he was quite impressed that his daughter was able to keep the secret. You see, the party began at a children's indoor playground. When little Helena told her dad on Saturday morning that she really wants to go there in the afternoon, she had to work hard, as dad thought it is silly to go and play indoors when it was 21 Centigrades outside! After the playground they went for a meal in a nearby hotel, where Basti was led to a hotel suite where he found his suit and ironed shirt laid out on the bed!!! You should have seen his face when he saw some 60 friends from all over Germany - and me from Edinburgh and another friend from Lissabon - turn up at the hotel lobby!
It was a wonderful and very well organised party, with brilliant food, loads of wine, heartfelt and emotional speeches, and energetic dancing until the wee hours of the morning. The 2 hour drive back to Frankfurt, 1,5 hour busride to Frankfurt Hahn airport, the 1,5 hour flight to Glasgow Prestwick, 1 hour train ride to Glasgow Central and another 1 hour train ride to Edinburgh was all worth it!!!
Also - the slice of Hubertus cake I had in a Cron & Lanz cafe at the centre of picturesque Göttingen to calm my tummy (the pre-party excitement:) was yummy. I definitely miss having those continental style dessert cakes in Scotland! I guess I must start making them myself...
8 comments:
- Dagmar said...
I'm glad that little Helena got one of her father's kidneys and that she is feeling much better!
It sounds like you all had a great party!
- 5:31 pm, October 18, 2005
- dilek said...
Waw you were in Göttingen (and at Cafe Cron & Lanz)! I lived there till last year! The journey was trying but i think it was wonderful to be with friends for such a nice "thank you" party! Were you before in Göttingen?
- 10:16 pm, October 18, 2005
- Paz said...
Yes, you certainly are a jetsetter! ;-)
So glad to read about your friend and his daughter and that they're doing well. What better reason than to have a celebration with good friends from all over. Helena is very impressive, being able to keep such a big secret. It's so good that you were able to attend.
Nice photos as usual.
- 9:21 am, October 19, 2005
- angelika said...
Hi Pille, one of the most heartwarming posts I have read for a while (apart from Tattum`s latest post, of course :-)) - check out !). I do understand you and I would have done the same, what a treat and what a reason ! As for the cakes, I recommend to the jetsetter in you to come over to Vienna for a weekend or so, I take you to all my favourite coffeehouses (and to much more to adventure...). In the meantime I will blog about some cake recipes...Take care and best wishes from angelika
- 9:31 am, October 19, 2005
- Pille said...
Dagmar - I hadn't seen the daughter before, and was amazed that she looked like a very happy "normal" kid despite of everything she (and her parents) have had to go through. Which on its own would have been a great reason to celebrate!
Dilek - you lived in a lovely town then! I had been to Goettingen earlier - to another party:) - in the summer of 1999. And Melissa of The Traveler's Notebook has lived there for a while, as her husband Manuel is from Goettingen. So the place seems to attract foodbloggers:)))
Paz - I wish I could have travelled in a true jetsetter style though:)
Angelika - I know! I have been to Vienna airport twice, but didn't have time to visit the town, as I was quickly transferred to/from Budapest. I will definitely be travelling over to visit the coffee houses. Just not sure how soon - but thank you so much for the invitation! I would be great having a local guide!!!
- 2:10 pm, October 21, 2005
- shauna said...
i am always in awe of people who do the epic Glasgow Prestwick journey from Edinburgh :)
And you have me thinking, there really is a lack of good cakes in Edinburgh! Greggs doesn't count! Hehe. Maybe you and Melissa should go into business... hmmm :)
- 12:01 am, October 22, 2005
- keiko said...
Pille - I'm glad you had a wonderful time even though the journey took a bit longer than you hoped :)
- 4:47 pm, October 31, 2005
- Pille said...
Shauna - oh well, I've done no that journey once again, luckily just for one leg (on my recent trip to Stockholm). And I was seriously considering opening a Nordic style cafe in Edinburgh one day. I even had few friends who would have helped financially to do that. Now, however, with me moving back home in a few months, this isn't going to happen after all.
Keiko - yes, despite the tiring journey, the trip was worth the effort!
- 8:54 pm, August 08, 2006


text:
Special thanks to Alona at Gould Genealogy for coming up with the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge!
F is for ... FARMERS!
Seriously. Who doesn't have farmers in their family tree? Of course, when you think about it, they really didn't have a need for a "customer service representative" or even a "paralegal" back in the day. Unless you lived in the city, you were most likely a farmer.
Out of 3 sets of great-grandparents and 6 sets of great-great-grandparents, two-thirds of them were farmers. (I am missing an entire branch of my tree because my maternal grandfather was adopted and I haven't found his biological family yet - but his adopted family were definitely not farmers).
That's right, 6 out of 9 direct ancestors were farmers. A few had grain farms, but most are just listed as general farms. They were all in South Dakota. One of them was a farmer in Quebec, Canada before he wandered south and ... wait for it ... had a farm.
My great-grandfather, Thomas Patrick Slowey, was a farmer until sometime between 1940 and 1945, when he went to work in some sort of alcohol plant. He was in his mid to late 40s at the time, so he older than the maximum age to be drafted for the war. I'm guessing that he was working to assist the war effort. If anyone knows anything about these types of plants, I would be very interested in learning more about them.
Oh ... the three who weren't farmers? They are all on my maternal grandmother's branch. They lived in Indiana. One worked for the railroad; the other two were machinists in a garage.
Do we share any ancestors?
Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com


text:
Difference between revisions of "Quellon"
Revision as of 17:00, 21 October 2006
Quellón is a small town at the southern end of Chiloé Island. It is a fishing and transportation hub for the area and not a particularly interesting tourist destination. Although you might want to experience the thrill of standing at the southern extreme of Chile's longest road, the ruta 5, which is marked with a plaque and mounument just outside of town at Punto de Lapis.
Get in
By car
Quellon is the southern most town on Chiloé island and about 50 km from Castro. The Ruta 5 is the only road going here.
By ferry
The ferry to Chaiten on the mainland is expensive but sometimes the only way to travel the carretera austral without the detour into Argentina. In winter syndays only, in summer more frequent. Fare is Ch$ 16500 pp, Ch$ 65000 for a car.
By bus
Numerous buses to Casto every day.
Get around
Taxis are Ch$ 900 (as of 2/06) regardless of destination in town. At night the price is higher
The plaque marking the end of the chilean Panamerican Highway (ruta 5) is just outside of town at Punta de Lapas (also a relatively good beach for this far south). Take any bus on Ladrilleros that says Punta Lapas - 20 minutes and Ch$ 250.
Every day during the summer an authentic curanto takes place at the Turismo Millaguen near the end of the Panamerican Highway (Km 3, email [email protected]). Take any westbound bus on the main street that has "Punto de Lapa" as a destination - Millaguen is on the north side of the road down a steep driveway.
The curanto is at 1:30 (the excitement starts about 12:30 when the fire gets going - watching the construction of the curanto is as much fun as eating it). Seafood, chicken, sausage, pork, and fava beans are buried in a pit and cooked for half an hour. Lunch with wine costs abour Ch$ 4,500 (2/06).
Get out


text:
I wanted to make a topic dedicated to this to follow up the conversation in the FFVII Remake vs. Nostalgia thread. Lots of opinions being presented as facts, especiallypeople assigning their opinion onto the opinions of others.
The nostalgia card was of course played because I guess none of us played FFVII around the same time as VIII, IX or X. The difference of one or two years really made us stupid and vulnerable to VII's terribleness.
Well, having played all those games around the same time, and having since played every other FF numbered game except 1 and the MMO's, I still say FFVII's plot holds up. Cloud is a character totally unlike every other FF Main Protagonist, delving far more into his psychology than any other game dared to do. The themes of the game are strong and consistent throughout and I smurfin' dare any of the haters to point out any othef FF game with such apt real world commentary because it doesn't exist. Your magics and airships mean nothing without substance and FFVII is all about corporate greed, rampant capitalism, the erosion of the environment and culture.... FF at best usually deals with very high-minded, abstract ideas. Which is fine - FFIX's examination of mortality is fantastic. But it still doesn't change the fact there's nothing like VII in the Final Fantasy series.
So yeah. FFVII? Good plot, good game. That's my piece and I'm mainly making this thread for the poll. I want to see if it's all "nostalgia." If we "really think the plot is trout but we like it anyway."
This was a typo-riddden mess 'cuz me was mad.


text:
Here's a Snow Skin Mooncake recipe which I'll like to share. One of the recipe from the book "Mooncake Selection" too.
Colourful Ruyi Roll
90g Sugar
150g Water
Few pieces pandan leaves
30g Shortening
1 tbsp fresh milk
100g fried glutinous rice flour (糕粉)
A drop of Strawberry, pandan and lemon essence
Filling: Red bean paste
~ Cook (A) and let it cool.
~ Place all ingedients into a mixing bowl, mix till even and divide into 4 equal portions.
~ Add essence into individual dough, leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.
~ Place dough into plastic sheet, roll to flatten, place filling and roll up (like swiss roll from left to middle and right to middle)
~ Chill to set before cutting into slices.
* As shown in pictures below..:)
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival


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Topic: Hornets' Nest (1970) (Read 14963 times)
The King of Koosh!
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Hornets' Nest (1970)
January 13, 2014, 01:19:07 PM »
The SS under the command of the evil Major Taussig comes to the small Italian village of Reonato looking for the partisans led by a man named Scarpi. When the townspeople refuse to give the Nazis the location of the rebels, Taussig orders them massacred. Only the children, mostly boys, who were away playing in a nearby field at the time, survive, although they witness the deaths of their parents from afar. Some of them are too young to even comprehend what they just saw...
Later that night, an Allied DC-3 flies a commando team led by manly man's man Captain Turner into Italy somewhere near Reonato. They're to be met by Scarpi and his men in a field. Unfortunately, the mission goes tits-up right from the get-go: Heer troops led by the stern Captain Friedrich von Hecht have captured a partisan member and forced him to give up the location of the rendezvous. The minute the Americans start parachuting in, the Germans rush in and shoot them all. Turner, who was last out of the plane, is caught by a gust of wind and blown away into the forest, where he gets hung up in a tree. Back at the field, after finishing with the American paratroopers, the Germans engage the partisans in a firefight and soundly defeat them. Only Scarpi escapes, pausing long enough to use his rifle to shoot the captive partisan who betrayed them.
Turner and Aldo in von Hecht's office.
Captain von Hecht, who saw Turner get carried into the forest, sends his right-hand man Schwalberg to go and retrieve him. He wants him alive. However, when Schwalberg and his men find where Turner ended up, all they find is his discarded parachute, gun and helmet. As it turns out, Turner hit his head and was knocked unconscious, and he was found by the children from Reonato, who (somehow) managed to get him down from the tree and drag him away before the Germans got there. They take him back to the cave they've been hiding out in since the SS wiped out Reonato, where we get to the know the kids a little better.
The oldest is the levelheaded, teenaged Dino. But he has a younger brother and sister, and with their parents dead, he has decided he can't risk being the group's leader for fear of his siblings losing their sole remaining caregiver, so he mostly just tends to stay behind and guard the cave with a shotgun the kids stole. Thus it is that the leadership responsibilities fall to the second oldest boy, Aldo. He's only the leader because of his age and because of his extremely forceful personality. The younger boys look up to him because he's cool, brave and takes action; but he also acts without thinking, is short-tempered and abusive, using threats and violence to keep the other children in line, and worst of all, ever since he witnessed his father getting shot, he hasn't been quite right in the head, and is very obviously on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown.
The boys took Turner because they've stolen a cache of MP40 machine guns from the nearby German garrison, but they don't know how to use them. The only gun they know how to use is the purloined shotgun. And Aldo has it in his head that what they need to do is get revenge for the annihilation of their town. To this end, he wants Turner to teach him and the other boys how to use the machine guns. Unfortunately, it seems the American hit his head harder than they thought, because he hasn't regained consciousness since being brought to the cave.
Elsewhere, von Hecht is annoyed that Schwalberg failed to capture Turner, because they found a s**t-ton of demolition gear among the Americans' equipment, and without a prisoner to interrogate, he has no idea what the Americans had been planning on blowing up. Worse, he thinks Turner may still try and do the mission solo. His efforts to convey his worries to the local SS C.O., Colonel Jannings, fall on deaf ears. Von Hecht hates the thuggish SS, and the feeling is more than mutual; Jannings isn't listening to anything von Hecht tries to tell him.
Worried Turner may die, Aldo takes two of the boys, Silvio and Carlo, and goes to get a doctor sympathetic to the partisans. However, Scarpi is waiting for him there. He demands to know what Aldo has done with Turner, but Aldo refuses to tell him, on the grounds that because he found Turner, the American belongs to him, as though Turner were a hamster or something. He gives not two s**ts for the partisans' cause, and only wants Turner to help him get revenge on the SS. Before the argument can progress any further, von Hecht, thinking the partisans may have taken the wounded American to a doctor, bursts in with some men. Proving to be firm believers in the philosophy of shooting first and asking questions later, the intruding Germans shoot the place up, killing Scarpi and the doctor while Aldo escapes out the back, and only after they're dead does von Hecht realize he should've asked about the American...
Kids and guns. A dangerous mix.
With that doctor dead, Aldo looks for a suitable replacement. He, Silvio and Carlo go to a hospital controlled by the Germans, where the youngest of the three, Carlo, uses his seeming innocence to lure a concerned German doctor named Bianca out to where the other boys can jump her. They take her back to the cave, but she refuses to help the still comatose Turner unless the boys agree to turn him over to the German army as a prisoner. Aldo loses his temper, and, when Bianca slaps him because he's acting like a little prick to her, he completely loses control and attacks her. Spurred on, the other boys join in, and, in their rage, they decide to use poor Bianca as a proxy for the Nazis who massacred their town, and it quickly becomes apparent that Aldo intends for the doctor to get gang-raped. Suddenly, he's seized from behind and thrown aside as if he were a rag doll. Turner is awake... and he doesn't take too kindly to the boys' conduct.
After taking the night to recover, Turner agrees to help the boys in their plan. But first, they need to help him in his original mission, to blow up a dam. To do that, they need to steal the demo gear from the German base. Bianca, for her part, remains with the children, her maternal instincts leading her to become protective of Dino's younger brother and sister. She doesn't really get along with Turner, though, considering his agreement to teach the boys how to use weapons a monstrous thing, and their working relationship eventually comes to blows later.
Using a clever ruse, Aldo gets von Hecht and most of his men away from the base, allowing Turner to break into von Hecht's office and recover the explosives (as well as the dog tags of his slain men). In the process, however, he is forced to kill a few Germans who wander in, in particular Gunther, an SS corporal assigned to hang around and keep an eye on von Hecht. Having retrieved what they came for, Turner and the boys beat feet before the Germans return, having realized they've been tricked. Von Hecht finds the bodies and realizes the explosives got taken. He also realizes it was Aldo who tricked him. Uh-oh.
Having secured the explosive gear, Turner begins drilling the boys in the use of the machine guns in preparation for a raid on the SS' headquarters, after which they'll go and hit the dam. Turner's easygoing, charismatic manner make the other boys begin idolizing him instead of Aldo, and a jealous Aldo starts seeing the American officer as a threat to his leadership of the group. He starts challenging Turner's authority, behaving rashly and without regard for his own safety or that of his friends, and the more and more he isolates himself from the group, the more and more he surrenders to his building insanity and desire to kill Germans - and not just SS, either.
"Nein! Not the super-wedgie!"
In the meantime, the theft of the explosives and the deaths of the German soldiers, particularly Gunther, has convinced Jannings that von Hecht's fears about Turner are correct. However, much to von Hecht's annoyance, Jannings insists against all evidence to the contrary that the American's target will be some remote, out-of-the-way tunnel, and not the dam. He makes it an SS operation, too, and places the severely displeased von Hecht under the command of, you guessed it, Major Taussig, the guy who ordered the massacre of Reonato before. Remember him? The overconfident, arrogant Taussig thinks he can handle one American and a bunch of brats... but he and the SS are about to find out the hard way that when the attacked Reonato, they may have just kicked a hornets' nest (title drop!)! Everything is leading towards an explosive climax which will see if Turner and his "kiddie brigade" can take on the SS and blow up a heavily-guarded dam!
A dark and gritty World War II adventure movie filmed on location in Italy and co-produced by the Italians, this film is quite grimdark and violent, and also possibly one of the filthiest movies I've ever seen. Everyone is always sweating and in bad need of a good bath, with messy hair that needs combing, and clothes that need a trip through the washing machine. It all adds to the realism, of course; war is dirty and messy.
Hornets' Nest stars macho man Rock Hudson, fresh off his successful starring role in the big screen adaptation of Alistair MacLean's novel Ice Station Zebra, as the determined Turner. He does a pretty good job in what is essentially a one-note tough guy role, although he does, later one, get to emote a bit during scenes where Turner wonders he's doing the right thing by arming a bunch of preteen and younger kids.
Other standout performances include the achingly beautiful Sylva Koscina as Bianca, whose compassionate, kindhearted nature make it truly saddening all that she endures throughout the film. She begins by denying the crimes of the Nazis, but eventually takes up arms against them herself. Still, there is the uncomfortable scene where she's almost raped by the kids, and roughed up by Turner later, and I really have to wonder what the hell directors Phil Karlson and Franco Cirino were thinking.
Mark Colleano as Aldo.
There's also Mark Colleano as Aldo, and holy s**t, can that kid act! Colleano really plays the whole "psycho teen" angle to the hilt and makes Aldo a believably dangerous and reprehensible, but still somehow pitiable character. Indeed, almost all the actors playing the boys do a good job, particularly Mauro Gravina as the adorable, ill-fated Carlo, and John Fordyce as Dino. These two are really the human face of the group of children (nevermind Dino is probably close to eighteen). If Aldo represents all that is wrong with youth, then the warm and compassionate Dino and the eager, curious and hopeful (despite the tragedy that has befallen them) Carlo represent all that is good and pure in it.
This finally brings us to the German characters, who save for Lithuanian actor Jacques Sernas as Taussig, are played almost entirely by Italians doing bad Teutonic accents. The high-ranking colonels and generals are stilted and laughable, but Sernas is pretty good. His Taussig oozes despicable arrogance and casual cruelty.
Sergio Fantoni as Captain von Hecht.
The best German character, though, and, indeed, probably the best character in the movie, is the very, very blonde Sergio Fantoni as von Hecht. He's a perfect example of an antagonist who isn't a villain. He's a decent enough guy who's just on the wrong side of an unjust war and knowingly serving an evil regime, acidly making his distaste for "you SS people" known at every turn, even at the risk of his own career and maybe even his life. Most interestingly of all is how he treats his mission to find and eliminate (or capture) Turner. Von Hecht is a hunter, you see; and he sees the American officer on the loose as a challenge that he must accept and try to overcome. For him, it's less about advancing the Nazi cause (he could give a rat's ass about that) and more about the thrill of the hunt. And (mild spoiler here), he isn't one of this egomaniacal hunters drunk on his own superiority over his enemy; when his own prey bests him in the end, he accepts his defeat with dignity.
If the movie has a fault (the rape scenes aside), it is that it is a little on the unrealistic side when it comes to the battle scenes, and also can't quite seem to settle on a tone or moral. We have (essentially) untrained kids mowing down countless Nazis left and right, and it can't quite seem to decide if it wants to show war as a fun adventure or as a grim reality with tragic psychological tolls that come with children becoming killers, and its efforts to have it both ways leave it feeling a bit disjointed.
Tie-In Merchandise: There was a novelization written by pulp writer Michael Avallone published by Popular Library at the time the movie was released. It hasn't been reprinted. It's one of the better movie novelizations I've read, especially in that it doesn't include the second rape scene. Instead, it's consensual sex. In addition to this, in 2010, Quartet Records released a CD of Ennio Morricone's score for the film, in a limited edition of 3,000 copies.
Last Edit: January 13, 2014, 01:29:45 PM by Kooshmeister
Uncle Zombie
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Re: Hornets' Nest (1970)
Reply #1 on:
January 14, 2014, 12:52:20 AM »
Quote from: Kooshmeister on January 13, 2014, 01:19:07 PM
"Nein! Not the super-wedgie!"
Mark Colleano as Aldo.
There's also Mark Colleano as Aldo, and holy s**t, can that kid act!
Agreed: he was so intense the whole time, I thought his head was going to explode.
Sergio Fantoni as Captain von Hecht.
The best German character, though, and, indeed, probably the best character in the movie, is the very, very blonde Sergio Fantoni as von Hecht. He's a perfect example of an antagonist who isn't a villain. He's a decent enough guy who's just on the wrong side of an unjust war and knowingly serving an evil regime, acidly making his distaste for "you SS people" known at every turn, even at the risk of his own career and maybe even his life.
I remember Sergio Fantoni as Oriani in the Frank Sinatra film
Von Ryan's Express
: a very blah war film made from a truly exciting novel.
Nice review!
Last Edit: January 14, 2014, 12:54:43 AM by Trevor
The King of Koosh!
Bad Movie Lover
Karma: 39
Posts: 516
Must have caffeine...
Re: Hornets' Nest (1970)
Reply #2 on:
January 15, 2014, 05:02:30 PM »
And, yeah, Fantoni is pretty good in Von Ryan's Express.
Uncle Zombie
B-Movie Kraken
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Re: Hornets' Nest (1970)
Reply #3 on:
January 16, 2014, 02:17:33 AM »
Quote from: Kooshmeister on January 15, 2014, 05:02:30 PM
And, yeah, Fantoni is pretty good in Von Ryan's Express.
The odd thing is that in the David Westheimer book, Oriani was a nasty piece of work who went over to the Nazis and in the film, he was a nice guy.
The King of Koosh!
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Must have caffeine...
Re: Hornets' Nest (1970)
Reply #4 on:
January 16, 2014, 08:51:15 AM »
Yeah, they reversed his and Battaglia's roles. Dunno why. Oh well.
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text:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup mango nectar*, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 egg, at room temperature
1 mango, cubed (about 2/3 cup)
key lime cream cheese frosting
Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 12 wells in a cupcake pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder, chipotle powder, and salt to the butter mixture. Add the milk and mango nectar to the rest of the batter and beat until well combined. Fold in mango. Fill each well 2/3 of the way full. Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center of a cupcake (try to avoid spearing a mango cube!) comes out mostly clean. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before icing with key lime cream cheese frosting. Ice.
*Available at most well-stocked grocery stores, mango nectar is made from mango pulp. I've found it in the "international foods" isle more often than the beverage isle, so look there first.


text: The 7th Vevey International Photo Awards is a competition of photographic projects with a first prize of 30,000 CHF (approx. 20,000 Euros). The award is part of the festival Images' (Vevey, Switzerland) and strives to promote a new photographic project through supporting its realization. Submissions will be accepted until April 30,2009. For more visit: www.images.ch


text:
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for springing a surprise at Old Trafford, but the return of Paul Scholes is one few - including the players - saw coming.
The Red Devils legend has now made 677 appearances in all competitions for the club, including the second-half cameo against Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday, scoring 150 goals in the process for Sir Alex Ferguson during 18 professional seasons with the club.
A retired England international, Scholes has scored plenty of fine goals for both club and country, and GMF have gone through the catalogue to pick his best five. Do you agree with the selections?
1. Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester United
Villa Park; Premier League; December 23rd, 2006.
An absolutely outrageous strike from the now veteran midfielder, as Ryan Giggs' corner is only partially cleared skywards to around 25 yards from goal.
Dropping from the sky, Scholes met it first-time with a thunderous strike that cannoned in off the crossbar, leaving keeper Gabor Kiraly with absolutely no chance.
2. Bradford City 0-4 Manchester United
Valley Parade; Premier League; March 25th, 2000.
With eight Bantams defenders in the box to guard a David Beckham corner, Scholes found space on the edge of the area and was picked out perfectly with a floated ball.
The playmaker duly obliged the finish, with a quite stunning 20-yard volley using the outside of the right foot. Dwight Yorke managed to duck out of the way in-time, and a reputation was born.
3. Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
Old Trafford; Champions League semi-final, second-leg; April 29th, 2008.
The importance of Scholes' strike against Barcelona is enough to put this strike near the top of the list alone, with his proving to be the winner after a first-leg 0-0 in the Nou Camp.
After a poor defensive clearance from full-back Gianluca Zambrotta, Scholes took a touch and fired past Victor Valdes into the top corner, sending his side into the final against Chelsea in Moscow.
4. Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United
City of Manchester Stadium; Premier League; April 17th, 2010.
With local bragging-rights at stake and big-spending City starting to look like a genuine threat to the Red Devils, Scholes popped up in injury-time to head home a dramatic winner.
Scholes would recently describe it as his favourite United goal, with Patrice Evra's floated cross met perfectly by the on-rushing midfielder 12-yards from goal.
5. Scotland 0-2 England
Hampden Park; Euro 2000 play-off; November 13th, 1999.
Whilst playing for his country was never the highest priority for Scholes, 11 of his 14 goals for the Three Lions came in major qualification or tournament matches.
Two of those were against Scotland in the Euro 2000 play-off, with the second turning out to be the winner over the two legs. David Beckham's free-kick was met with perfect timing by Scholes, who headed home in classic fashion.


text:
This blog discusses current weather, weather prediction, climate issues, and other topics
Monday, March 14, 2011
The U.S. West Coast is NOT at Risk from Radiation
I think the reality is clear...there is no serious radiation threat to us here in the Northwest.
First, I should note that the weather pattern is shifting and the latest trajectories show that the low-level trajectories don't reach us.(see below) The low-level trajectories circle around in the Pacific and the upper one heads south of us. (Yes, there is uncertainty with this and it is only as good as the National Weather Service GFS model)
But even it they were heading straight for us..there is little to fear.
From virtually a point source, the radiation would mix through huge volumes of the atmosphere due to horizontal and vertical mixing. Since it would take days to reach us, there would be time for larger particles to settle out and precipitation would wash some out as well. Even for Chernobyl, where the core exploded while the reactor was powered up and where there was no containment, serious radiation only extended roughly 1000-1500 km away.
The Northwest is more than 7000 km away!
Clearly, the situation in Japan is serious and tragic, but the U.S. is not threatened.
Thinking about the tsunami I wondered whether locations threatened by tsunamis like coastal Japan (and coastal Oregon and Washington) should build escape towers. Steel and concrete buildings were not toppled by the Japanese tsunami....what if structures that could hold 200-1000 people were positioned regularly along the coast, giving people another option for safety. This would be much cheaper than sea walls and the like, which didn't seem to work anyway. Here in Washington I think of the Long Beach peninsula...a tsunami deathtrap if one ever existed. A few such towers could save many, many lives in case of a major event. And they could be relatively cheap...perhaps as simple as a wide suspension bridge between two towers.
Is this a viable idea? If it is, why aren't we doing it? Now.
55 comments:
- marit.island said...
There have been press reports of vertical evacuation plans under development, but don't know details.
- March 14, 2011 at 8:44 PM
- Miss Pudding said...
Are those forecasts still valid even though we have no coastal radar? Just kidding!
Thanks for the good news.
- March 14, 2011 at 8:50 PM
- Ross said...
I think vertical evacuation structures are a great idea!
I want to make a point about the "threat" of radiation from Japan. It is well the wind isn't blowing the radiation towards Tokyo. The mere fact that we need to forecast for where radiation may or may not drift after a disaster like this, makes one thing very clear: nuclear energy is not a safe and smart energy source for the future.
- March 14, 2011 at 9:39 PM
- Katherine said...
The College of Built Environments at UW has been working with the Long Beach Peninsula and surrounding areas over the past year to plan and design vertical evacuation structures. The most cost-effective structures are earthen berms that are engineered to withstand a strong earthquake and oncoming tsunami waves. Japan had a few vertical evacuation towers and buildings. I wonder if they were put to the test during this recent event?
- March 14, 2011 at 9:52 PM
- Katherine said...
The College of Built Environments at UW has been working with the Long Beach Peninsula and surrounding areas over the past year to plan and design a series of vertical evacuation structures. The most cost-effective structures are earthen berms that are engineered to withstand a strong earthquake and oncoming tsunami waves. Berms can be built to hold a large number of people for much less cost than towers or buildings. Japan had several vertical evacuation towers and buildings - I wonder if they were put to the test during this recent event?
- March 14, 2011 at 9:55 PM
- Glenn said...
Problem with the suspension bridge idea: How the heck is someone on wheels gonna get up there? I know far too many folks with disabilities...
Thanks for the update, Cliff. Too many folks I know panicking in the manner you describe, and you've been one of my touchstones for how to tell them DON'T PANIC.
- March 14, 2011 at 10:04 PM
- WAXY POETIC said...
Thanks for your analysis. I usually live in Vancouver, Canada but I am residing in Australia until July. I must admit, that while I trust your analysis, radiation has a way of creating an irrational fear.. even for me and I have an advanced degree in chemistry. So, even though I am normally on the west coast, I am thankful to be down under for now... even if you are correct.
As far as towers, one of the recent stories in the NY Times (see below) mentioned how scores of people died because they were simply too old and thus too weak to climb stairs. I can't say if towers are a good idea but any such structure would probably need ramps for the elderly and disabled and/or elevators. But given that the rushing water moves at speeds of up to 500m/hr, I have a sneaking suspicion one or two elevators simply may not be enough...
NY Times Article:
- March 14, 2011 at 10:17 PM
- WAXY POETIC said...
Thanks for your analysis. I usually live in Vancouver, Canada but I am residing in Australia until July. I must admit, that while I trust your analysis, radiation has a way of creating an irrational fear.. even for me and I have an advanced degree in chemistry. So, even though I am normally on the west coast, I am thankful to be down under for now... even if you are correct.
As far as towers, one of the recent stories in the NY Times (see below) mentioned how scores of people died because they were simply too old and thus too weak to climb stairs. I can't say if towers are a good idea but any such structure would probably need ramps for the elderly and disabled and/or elevators. But given that the rushing water moves at speeds of up to 500m/hr, I have a sneaking suspicion one or two elevators simply may not be enough...
NY Times Article:
- March 14, 2011 at 10:18 PM
- John Goldsmith said...
Thanks for your analysis. I usually live in Vancouver, Canada but I am residing in Australia until July. I must admit, that while I trust your analysis, radiation has a way of creating an irrational fear.. even for me and I have an advanced degree in chemistry. So, even though I am normally on the west coast, I am thankful to be down under for now... even if you are correct.
As far as towers, one of the recent stories in the NY Times (see below) mentioned how scores of people died because they were simply too old and thus too weak to climb stairs. I can't say if towers are a good idea but any such structure would probably need ramps for the elderly and disabled and/or elevators. But given that the rushing water moves at speeds of up to 500m/hr, I have a sneaking suspicion one or two elevators simply may not be enough...
NY Times Article:
- March 14, 2011 at 10:22 PM
- John Goldsmith said...
Thanks for your analysis. I usually live in Vancouver, Canada but I am residing in Australia until July. I must admit, that while I trust your analysis, radiation has a way of creating an irrational fear.. even for me and I have an advanced degree in chemistry. So, even though I am normally on the west coast, I am thankful to be down under for now... even if you are correct.
As far as towers, one of the recent stories in the NY Times (see below) mentioned how scores of people died because they were simply too old and thus too weak to climb stairs. I can't say if towers are a good idea but any such structure would probably need ramps for the elderly and disabled and/or elevators. But given that the rushing water moves at speeds of up to 500m/hr, I have a sneaking suspicion one or two elevators simply may not be enough...
NY Times Article:
- March 14, 2011 at 10:22 PM
- Michael said...
Thanks for the post...my wife was asking about this tonight. I compared it to emptying a can of air freshener at one end of the block, and expecting to smell "fresh air" at the other end...but to hear it from a pro makes it that much better!
- March 14, 2011 at 10:35 PM
- Blossom Clinic said...
This gives me hope...
but what about Hawaii?
And this lowest trajectory, does it pass through Northern California? Please explain this further.
And what about the Cesium, which has a longer half-life (30 years).
Also, this could go on for MONTHS and the weather trajectories could change, correct?
Thanks in advance for answering my questions.
- March 14, 2011 at 10:39 PM
- scrubjay93 said...
Thank you again for your posts on the ongoing disaster. People are desperate for information that comes directly from scientists rather than corporations or institutions with a stake in the outcome, or our government. Unfortunately, they say this could go on for months.
- March 14, 2011 at 11:16 PM
- UW Kayak Club said...
I'm with you on your last question of tsunami refugia, but as you know, there's viable from an engineering standpoint, and viable from a political/funding standpoint.
Also, consider the problem with people jumping off existing bridges. You'd have to spend a good bit extra to try to prevent people from misbehaving, or have *another* political headache.
- March 14, 2011 at 11:28 PM
- google said...
Seaside Oregon has talked about making a new city hall double as an evacuation structure. The problem is finding the money to pay for it. It is also not that great of an idea in my opinion since it wouldn't be practical to make it big enough to handle the number of people that would need to use it.
In Japan there are reports of people being swept away who were trying to get to the upper floors of buildings because the stairwells were blocked by exhausted elderly who couldn't make it any higher. A building big enough to handle the population of Seaside would be not only huge, but much bigger than necessary for the cities use and expensive to maintain for the decades or centuries that might pass before it is needed.
I work at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. If we survive the earthquake in our un-reenforced concrete buildings built on dredge spoils we are then supposed to hike to a nearby hill at the south end of the Yaquina Bay bridge. On a summer weekend we will be competing with an estimated 3500 others from the Oregon Coast Aquarium and other tourist spots here. The part of the hill high enough to be above the water levels I have seen in Japan is covered by a dense forest. To sum it up we are doomed.
Getting money to pay for any kind of structure that would save us is pretty slim given that we have a political party that is even now trying to cut funding for the tsunami warning system and other earthquake preparedness efforts.
- March 15, 2011 at 1:04 AM
- Scott K said...
First of all, I'm a skeptic.
Secondly, I'm surprised at how the 50 meter forecasts were pointed directly at Washington State and now suddenly they are nowhere near us. Is this some kind of cover up or did it really just change that dramatically over just a single day?
- March 15, 2011 at 3:34 AM
- Robert said...
If anyone you know is at all concerned about the Japanese reactors, send them to this page.
- March 15, 2011 at 6:31 AM
- Will said...
Are there any publicly accessible radiation monitoring stations in the NW?
- March 15, 2011 at 6:32 AM
- Glenn said...
My brother mentioned that some local officials in SW Washington were floating the idea of 30 foot high artificial hills on the N. Beach Peninsula as emergency refuges.
BTW, please don't ever again state that the severe winter storms are over at the beginning of March. Or at least qualify your remarks. The last week we have had severe winds, prolonged rain and more standing water and run off than I have seen here before.
You seem to have annoyed the weather dieties, who never tire of humiliating experts.
Marrowstone Island
- March 15, 2011 at 6:55 AM
Comparisons with Chernobyl seem to consistently lack one vital piece of information. It was a graphite moderated reactor, and graphite burns like one giant charcoal briquette, for weeks. I don't think that a single graphite moderated reactor remains on the planet (Years ago, the one in Britain was also destroyed by fire.) So, there will never be another Chernobyl! Modern reactors are not flammable. The hydrogen explosions do not generate the tons of airborne particulates that the graphite fires did, no carbon. No matter what scenario unfolds in Japan, it is extremely unlikely that atmospheric radiation spread will ever be more than a very tiny fraction of the Chernobyl disaster. Only folks in close proximity are at serious risk.
- March 15, 2011 at 8:42 AM
- windlover said...
Cliff ~ Thank you so much for being a calming voice of reason! I have many friends that are panicking about this and are posting quite alarming messages on their facebook pages scaring even more people! I'm all for being prepared and keeping an eye on things but I also don't believe in buying into the media hype. One freind read your blog but still insists on going with the more hyped up information. Thank you, again! When you say to worry, then I'll start to worry. Until then I'll enjoy our fresh, Pacific Northwest air.....
- March 15, 2011 at 8:52 AM
- Skokomish said...
My understanding is that in the mid 1940's, significant radiation was exposed to the environment in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and even New Mexico. Yet the United States managed to survive. While we wouldn't want to repeat those events, my guess is that the radiation levels presently in Japan are mild by comparison.
I find it interesting how some who are critical of nuclear power but accepting of climate science will talk out one side of their mouth about how we need to trust the climate science and out the other side about how nuclear science is made up of power hungry liars who can't be trusted. I'm not saying we should trust everything science says without evidence, but you sure do see people's bias come out in situations like this.
- March 15, 2011 at 9:37 AM
- Cafe Racer Seattle said...
I think the towers are a great idea... With the suspension bridges in between, if they were high enough, you can charge a buck to go up and look at the view and set up bungie jumping stations (how much does it cost for a jump?) to pay for it. They could double as light houses and, of course, weather stations.
- March 15, 2011 at 9:49 AM
- Jim said...
Love the idea of vertical evacuation structures... I say build it from concrete with ramp(s) going up around the exterior - kind of like the ramps were at the Kingdome. Taper the structure as you go up so any jumpers would only be able to fall one story. Put some spyglass binoculars up on the top, and information about tsunamis and earthquakes, and call it a tourist attraction.
A creative designer might even put in a compartment for emergency supplies just below the floor of the structure at the top that can be accessed in the event of emergency. Build a roof around the spiral ramp(s) so it could be used for storm watching in rainy weather. Put solar panels on the roof which supply power to pathway lighting, and emergency-only lights that would flash to help locate survivors after a disaster.
Great idea... would have many functions and would potentially be a lifesaver!
- March 15, 2011 at 9:52 AM
- JewelyaZ said...
This blog is an excellent reference to nuclear power and weaponry issues and I've been reading it for a long time. http://allthingsnuclear.org As you can imagine, because the Union of Concerned Scientists sponsors and operates the blog, it is not prone to reactionary hype and it contains a wealth of scientific information if you're willing to educate yourself a little bit. Sort of like Cliff's blog, actually! :-)
While I fear greatly for my friends in Japan, and my heart aches for all the strangers you can see suffering in photographs and videos, closer to home, I don't think we have much to worry about, for now from the reactor fires.
For those who say nuclear power is incredibly dangerous, I think all fuel-based power generation is very dangerous, including coal and natural gas. Mining is an extremely dangerous occupation, and the environmental damage caused by mining the fuel and then burning the fuel, not to mention the health consequences of the same, are significant but unfortunately, easily ignored because the strong impacts are very localized and the global impacts are very diffuse. In short, would you like to be poisoned a little bit every single day, or would you like to (maybe) be poisoned rather more dramatically over a few days?
We really need to move to renewable power sources like solar, wave, and wind power as soon as possible while simultaneously reducing our power requirements. Wouldn't it be fantastic to be able to lobby against a proposed nuclear plant because you had a huge solar/wind array that was providing all the power needed by a community? THAT is progress.
As for the weather, Cliff, what happened early Monday morning? Here in east Bellevue, we had a shower of intense rain and really strong winds (gusts over 25 mph) that lasted for 14 minutes. It was such an unusual wind direction that MANY branches came down, some of them so dry and old that clearly they'd been stuck in the canopy for quite some time. I'd be glad to hear about this sudden storm since it seems to have been experienced rather widely across the Seattle area. Was it a strong "corner" of that low that passed over us?
Thanks as always!
- March 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM
- turkeycat said...
Scott K-
I'm concerned about how the trajectory changed so quickly too. If it could change within a day, it could change again, could it not?! Seeing how weather forecasts change for frequently, I don't see how one could make a blanket statement that we are not as risk here. I personally will be setting up a tub with emergency supplies (including extra food and water) because It'd be necessary in any emergency. I've been putting it off for a long time.
- March 15, 2011 at 10:12 AM
- Bill Reiswig said...
Vertical Escape Towers are a seriously great idea. I think it's pretty clear from Japans experience that you cannot build enough protection into most of your buildings to withstand a major Tsunami. Many communities along our coast have hills of sufficient hight nearby that can provide escape.... If not, steel towers with deep foundations seem perfect for saving human lives.
- March 15, 2011 at 10:14 AM
I suspect such a thing would fall victim to the "Seattle process." First people would complain it wasn't handicapped-accessible enough, then they would complain the (now bulkier, elevator-equipped) structure was too ugly and demand a redesign. Pretty soon it'd be too expensive to build, and would end up pecked to death by various constituencies, just like every other infrastructure project they try to do around here.
- March 15, 2011 at 10:28 AM
- Cafe Racer Seattle said...
I think that's a great idea, the towers... And we could pay for them by charging people a buck to go up them for the view. Also, if there are bridges between the two, you can sell bungie jumps. Or maybe put a little coffee shop on top. Seriously, why not?
Of course, we'd have to put a weather stations in them too. :)
- March 15, 2011 at 10:28 AM
- Andrew Taylor said...
Multi-story parking structures should be excellent vertical evacuation structures IF we are all disciplined enough to allow the disabled to use the elevators and the rest of us walk up the (wide) car ramps to reach the upper levels. Most parking levels would provide some shelter and the roof level would be ideal for helicopter landing.
- March 15, 2011 at 10:36 AM
- Jen said...
I wonder if you could make them windmills while you are at it?
- March 15, 2011 at 10:55 AM
- Joe said...
There's a lot of merit to the idea of vertical evacuation structures along the Washington coast; they could even have wind turbines at the top and produce enough power to pay for themselves. Cliff, you should approach some of your colleagues at the UW School of Architecture to get a student design competition going.
But even if they were simple (and cheap) slope-sided concrete towers 50 or so feet high, they'd have to have a fairly large footprint to accommodate a lot of people -- and there would have to be a fair number of them. They might be cheap to build, but what about the land they sit on?
And I have to wonder: how many people on the coast would object to them on aesthetic grounds (despite the structures' entire purpose being to save their lives)? But maybe that's too cynical, and I'm just jaded from watching too many NIMBY battles around Seattle.
- March 15, 2011 at 12:17 PM
I love the idea of tourist attraction evacuation towers with educational displays. They will need spiral ramps for the elderly and handicapped. 500 MPH only applies at sea. It drops to 50 MPH offshore. There should be plenty of warning for a distantly generated tsunami and even a fair amount of time for a local.
I am also loving the rainshadow over Bellingham. Its been mostly dry for days and even good for gardening. ; )
- March 15, 2011 at 12:27 PM
- Fleetwood said...
Cliff - I'm certainly heartened by your assessment that the risk is low and I certainly hope you are correct but I wonder if you really have enough info to make such a blanket statement? I'm certainly not a nuclear or weather expert but I believe Chernobyl involved only one reactor and here we have multiple reactors plus the fuel rods. I have no idea how the amount of radioactive material compares between the two events. Its possible a larger source and different weather conditions might result in a different result and eventual distribution of contamination than was observed in the Ukraine. I don't know without some more sophisticated modeling or analysis you can really say that we are not at risk. It may be misleading and premature to make such a statement. As I said I hope it is not. Thanks.
- March 15, 2011 at 12:33 PM
- Angela said...
Will, you can access this page for real-time radiation monitoring, for what it is worth. I notice that today they have changed it to update every minute, whereas before it was every three minutes, so someone must assume it will be useful for the current situation.
Skokomish, I think the bias has a lot to do with visceral fear of radiation. Notice that the European Union and other countries are announcing suspension of nuclear energy production until all developments are thoroughly checked for safety, but the United States has merely stated that all of our facilities are safe. I don't think our government and corporations give us all that much confidence. The BP disaster may also have something to do with it, because everyone was assured by the oil companies and the government that there was little risk in drilling. The bigger worry with nuclear energy is ongoing potential for nuclear weapons proliferation.
- March 15, 2011 at 12:44 PM
- micromethow said...
Appreciate your blog! I could play devil's advocate for a minute...
You state "there is no serious radiation threat to us here in the Northwest." and "Even for Chernobyl...serious radiation only extended roughly 1000-1500 km away."
OK, so there's no serious threat. But what is there? A moderately serious threat? A minor threat? No threat at all?
This event is still evolving rapidly and so far the only constant is the expanding scale/scope/potentiality of the developing nuclear catastrophe. Is is perhaps a bit early to conclude that the U.S. West Coast is NOT at risk from radiation?
There is a large body of research about the transport of pollution from China to the West Coast, including stuff by your UW colleague Dan Jaffe.
"Ozone, carbon monoxide, mercury and polluting matter from Asia have been detected on Mount Bachelor in Oregon and Cheeka Peak in Washington state, says Dan Jaffe, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington."
(From the NY Times)
According to the EPA, on some days
"nearly 25% of polluting matter above Los Angeles can be traced to Asia."
Clearly this stuff can reach us - the question is how much? You conclude not enough to constitute a "serious threat." But instead of speaking in the negative, perhaps it would be more reassuring to attempt to quantify what is possible.
Also, thanks for the amazing atmospheric flow graphics. Since this is an ongoing event, it is possible to overlay predicted paths day by day?
- March 15, 2011 at 1:09 PM
- Urbancowgrrl said...
Is there any information on the projected damage of a tsunami coming from the Puget Sound? I'm assuming the city has not done much planning for something like that because of the assumption it would be mild?
One of our favorite places to vacation - Pacific City, OR - has tsunami evacuation routes mapped out and available to all residents and they have a tsunami warning siren if there is a quake in the ocean - do our WA coastal towns have such a thing?
And lastly - there is so much radiation risk in WA from the Hanford Facility and most people don't even think twice about it, that it seems odd to be worrying about the Japanese nuclear facilities. There is a daily real threat from leaking high level nuclear waste right next door to us - getting into the rivers and possibly affecting Eastern WA crops (including grapes for wine) that seems much more of a real threat to our personal lives.
- March 15, 2011 at 2:50 PM
- Matt said...
I noticed in the before/after pictures almost all of the concrete structures survived. Maybe this can be as simple as building concrete structures with very thick walls. Make sure it seals well and add a tall snorkel to the roof for ventilation (would need batteries to make sure the vent fans worked when the power goes out).
Yes it would be strange to be potentially underwater, but it seems cheaper than building a hill. Plus then it's at grade - no climbing necessary.
- March 15, 2011 at 3:02 PM
- Joe said...
Thanks Cliff.
What upsets me most of all is that there are people here in Seattle who are so myopic and self-centered that their principal concern is radiation reaching us from across the ocean. Meanwhile in Japan, there is serious loss of life, mass destruction, and an actual nuclear crisis whose final outcome is still uncertain. I am thinking more of them than us right now.
- March 15, 2011 at 3:24 PM
- Dave said...
This is not comparable to nuclear bombs. There is only a few pounds of fuel in those, it's not even in the same ballpark as the current situation. Plus one of the reactors has MOX fuel which is much worse. Look it up. If this goes on for months/years, I'd be concerned about the US taking a hit. The current predictions are not based on the worse case scenario.
- March 15, 2011 at 4:21 PM
- J.See said...
Great, now can we go back to talking about NW storms, please?
- March 15, 2011 at 4:24 PM
- rebecca said...
@Urbancowgrrl - There's some great information about the potential for tsunamis in Puget Sound resulting from quakes along the Seattle fault: http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/pugetsound/pre2/
- March 15, 2011 at 6:18 PM
- Tony said...
Waxy Poetic and natchrl8r, Cliff presented a solution that is feasible (I am an engineer) and affordable and could save say 9,700 out of 10,000 people. What solution are you suggesting that will save more people while being feasible and affordable?
- March 15, 2011 at 9:22 PM
- Skokomish said...
Mkay. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-he-japan-quake-radiation-20110316,0,6465080.story
- March 15, 2011 at 9:32 PM
- scrubjay93 said...
Another good resource for people worried about radiation transport by Jeff Masters, the meteorologist who founded WeatherUnderground.
- March 15, 2011 at 10:05 PM
- Hue Beattie said...
70 years back some ballons made it from Japan to the west coast.
- March 16, 2011 at 12:20 AM
- ryanshaunkelly said...
The elevated spent fuel pools have also been compromised by the explosions.
Israeli dependents and non-essential embassy staff removed several days ago.
- March 16, 2011 at 1:06 AM
- The Dude said...
Nuclear Experts: Japan Nuclear Disaster Unprecedented - No Way to Know About US Impact
- March 16, 2011 at 10:57 AM
- Yatata said...
you can bet that great ideas like the escape towers and many more ingenious designs will be defended by architecture students in thesis reviews around the world this year. if you want to see some great architectural solution concepts, i'd go poke around your local architecture school where the students will be buzzing.
- March 16, 2011 at 4:59 PM
- ballard98107 said...
Sorry if the following sounds crude...
Is there any data with regards to the nuclear devices dropped on Japan in the late 40's and the effect of that fallout on the Western US? Japan's neighbors?
I would think that this would provide some insight, given the gravity and intensity of that event.
- March 16, 2011 at 11:16 PM
- Nikki said...
Please keep doing daily projections on the trajectories of the radiation cloud. When you say "no serious threat" are we talking a chest x-ray or a CT scan or several??? Also, radiation leakage in Japan appears to be increasing and ongoing for who knows how long. What about cumulative buildup here of the "infinitesimal" amounts if we keep on getting radioactive clouds? I kind of understand that trajectories change constantly so all that radiation landing in the one spot for months would be unlikely but still....love to have the trajectories info. Thank you for your posts so far.
- March 16, 2011 at 11:43 PM
- Ignado said...
These are some pretty good ideas, but alos think this is a perfect opportunity to study the structures in Japan that survived the tsunamis, and also probably the earthquake.
Perhaps there is a way to incorporate these elemennts into new public buildings that could serve as places of refuge. But getting to high ground should be the first option. Please think about what you would do in an earthquake....be prepared.
- March 17, 2011 at 10:06 PM
- edlalu said...
I'm still not convinced.....
- March 18, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- SummumBonum said...
I understand that radiation is spreading and diluting to low levels, but at some point, we saturate the planet's atmosphere since this a continuous source of radioactive products and not a single release. I imagine levels continuing to rise due to just plain more time of release plus the increase in severity of discharge. I imagine some sort of equilibrium will be reached; where is that expected to be. I know we have half life and deposition (e.g. into remote parts of the ocean) working in our favor, but worst case scenario, what's the maximum amount of harmful radioactive isotopes assuming a continuous release of decay and fission products into the air from all the fuel from all six reactors over some prolonged period of time based on a number of scenarios: e.g. re-criticality, fuel rod fire, etc.?
- March 18, 2011 at 1:10 PM
- VonPatate said...
Your Europa map is so wrong....
Look at this french map, compare and think again...: http://www.criirad.org/actualites/tchernobylfrancbelarus/tchernobylmisajourjuil05/sommairecartessecteur.html
- March 20, 2011 at 4:04 AM