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More and more people are calling for Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, to resign from the Board of the New York Federal Reserve.
His latest scandal, combined with Dimon's hypocrisy and relentless self-promotion, make him an obvious target. But Dimon isn't alone. Bankers dominate the Fed at the regional and national levels, and most of the other outside seats are held by executives from large corporations. (Remember Herman Cain?)
Should Dimon resign? They all should.
The Board Member With No Name
The scary thing is that Dimon may not be the Fed's most inappropriate board member. That honor may belong to the individual I call the Board Member With No Name. (I don't to want inflame the situation by identifying her, and what she represents is more important than who she is.)
Shouldn't a résumé that includes being the top bank lobbyist and working for the firm that laundered a third of a billion dollars for Mexican drug cartels disqualify someone from serving at the Fed?
Before she became the banking industry's chief lobbyist, the Board Member With No Name was an executive at scandal-plagued Wachovia Bank, an institution whose egregious mismanagement led to its collapse and a government rescue. Wachovia's many scandals and crimes included: deceptively packaging its toxic subprime mortgage backed securities; rigging municipal bond bids, which led to a $148 million fine; and, worst of all, laundering $378 billion in drug money for the Mexican cartels that have murdered at least 60,000 people.
The legislators who passed the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 couldn't have imagined that someday one of its governors would come from a firm that was buste,d when its laundered money was used to buy a drug-smuggling plane in Sinaloa.
Banks are large organizations, and it's unlikely that the Board Member even knew about the wrongdoing. She looks like a very nice person – and she probably is. But her background hardly qualifies her for a position of public trust. After all, she's only two or three degrees of Kevin Bacon away from cartel bosses like "El Loco," who leads a group of deserters from the Mexican Army's Special Forces known as "Los Zetas."
Coincidentally, El Loco was arrested this week for beheading 49 people and dumping their bodies in the town square.
The drug cartels have been called "vicious," "evil," and "sociopathic." At Wachovia they were also called "preferred clients."
The New York Fed is the most powerful of all the regions – understandably, since it includes Wall Street. Dimon's one of three bankers on its board. One of the others is from a bank which still owed the government nearly $1 billion in TARP money as of last report. The corporate world is represented by the CEOs of a technology venture capital firm, an HMO, and the company which owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's (who's actually said to be a good guy.)
The Richmond Fed's bank representatives include the leaders of First Citizens Bancshares and CommerceFirst bank, as well as the managing partner of a Charleston law firm who specializes in labor and employment law (judging from his resume he defends corporations). There are also executives from an oil company, a big construction company, and an aerospace manufacturer. The Seattle board includes executives from Wells Fargo Bank (Wachovia's new parent) and Boeing.
And so it goes …
Other banks and corporations represented at the regional or branch level include Bank of America, Boyd Gaming, Shorenstein Properties, Dow Chemical, Nissan, AutoNation, USAA, IBM, Southwest, JC Penney, USG, Nissan, along with energy and lumber companies and some of the legal and accounting firms that serve the country's megabanks.
Of nearly 250 Board members for the Fed's regions and branches, I was able to identify only three union representatives (from the AFL-CIO), one or two pension fund representatives (pension funds have been robbed blind by the big banks), and one member of a housing coalition. The Fed's boards have become more exclusive than a country club – and a lot more powerful.
Federal Case
Why do we even have a Federal Reserve? There are people – mostly libertarians of the Ron Paul school – who think it should be abolished. They're wrong. We need a central bank. The financial crises which peppered our early history proved the need for a secure dollar backed by the "full faith and credit" of the United States government.
Panics like the one that led to William Jennings Bryan's famous "Cross of Gold" speech were led by speculators who became wealthy at the expense of working people and farmers. Back in the 19th Century many banks issued their own dollars, leaving both buyers and sellers unsure of their value from day to day. Anybody who had been holding "Lehman Brothers dollars" would be out of luck today.
So the question isn't whether we need a central bank: We do. The question is, Why is it dominated by the people who have already ruined the economy once – and who have a clear conflict of interest?
The World's Biggest ATM
Give a bunch of bankers access to the world's biggest ATM and look what happens: As Bloomberg News reported last August, "Wall Street's aristocracy got $1.2 trillion in secret loans" from the Federal Reserve.
What the Federal Reserve hasn't done is carry out its mission, which the Fed's own "Purposes and Functions" document describes as:
- conducting the nation's monetary policy by influencing the monetary and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates
- supervising and regulating banking institutions to ensure the safety and soundness of the nation's banking and financial system and to protect the credit rights of consumers
- maintaining the stability of the financial system and containing systemic risk that may arise in financial markets
- providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions …
When it comes to that last bullet point the Fed's knocked it out of the park, especially for the banks. The other goals? Not so much.
Scoring the Fed
Let's rate the Federal Reserve according to the parameters it set out for itself:
- "Maximum employment": Thanks to the Fed, banks have had access to free or very-low-cost money, which they've used to make money on Treasuries and other safe investments. But they haven't been lending it to the consumers and small businesses who are the engines of job growth.
- "Stable prices": Gas prices keep swinging up and down radically because of speculation.
- "Moderate long-term interest rates": Yes – but is that good? Opinions vary.
- "Safety and soundness of the nation's banking and financial system": JPMorgan Chase's recent debacle shows how little the Fed has accomplished here. but then, how easy can it be to rein in Jamie Dimon when he's chairing the meeting?
- "Protect the credit rights of consumers": Massive mortgage fraud by major banks. One settlement after another for deceiving consumers. How much time do you have?
- "Maintaining stability … containing systemic risk": JPMorgan Chase's latest debacle settles this issue once and for all …
… By any objective measurement, the Federal Reserve has failed to do meet these key objectives, and the composition of its boards is one of the reasons why.
The Radical Fed
Is it any wonder that the Fed gave out more than a trillion dollars to Wall Street's biggest banks – and did it in secret? (That alone would appear to violate securities law, since it allowed bankers like Jamie Dimon to materially misrepresent the financial condition of their corporations.)
And that's not all the newly radicalized Fed has done. It broke the rules by allowing Goldman Sachs and GE Capital to call themselves "banks" – just in time to collect their taxpayer-funded bailouts. But it hasn't shown any flexibility when it comes to demanding that banks use some of their low-interest Fed loans to lend to the people and companies that will use it to create jobs.
The Fed has even broken its own rules in order to protect bad bankers. As Prof. Steven Davidoff noted in the New York Times: "In Blocking Activists, the Fed Protects Poorly Performing Banks." It's also protecting poorly performers bankers – like the ones that sit on its boards.
In one case the Fed blocked a shareholder action by invoking a rule which said an outside party couldn't have more than 25 percent control of a bank – but the shareholder would only have acquired 22 percent control. As Davidoff documents, Fed is repeatedly bending or violating its own rules to prevent shareholders from exercising their rights to limit executive compensation or take action against underperforming or ethically-challenged executives.
The Fed has changed the playbook for bankers over and over. But whenever someone suggests imaginative programs to stimulate the economy by helping consumers or small businesses the Fed suddenly decides it's a stickler for the rules.
Resistance Is Futile
In our interview for The Breakdown last week, Paul Krugman reiterated his statement that his former Princeton colleague Ben Bernanke has "joined the Borg." The "Borg" is the collective alien entity from Star Trek that takes over people's identities and leaves them with no other mission but expanding its own power.
These Federal Reserve boards represent the Corporate Borg in all its unchecked power – but the power they possess is power that we have given them, through our elected representatives.
It doesn't have to be this way. There are good folks on the Committee, like Janet Yellen, Sarah Bloom Raskin and Daniel Tarullo.
But they're the exceptions, not the rule.
Enter Sanders
That's why Sen. Bernie Sanders' Federal Reserve Independence Act is so important. The bill would eliminate these conflicts of interest and force the Fed boards to stop serving bankers' interests and return to the Fed's original mission. People should insist that their Senators support it.
The bill follows on the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, which was cosponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ron Paul. That bill demanded a public audit of the Fed, which is how we learned about those massive secret loans. That act showed that the left and the right can work together to change our broken central banking system.
It's time to reunite that left/right coalition. Ron Paul may be wrong about the need for a central bank, but he's right when he says that the Fed must be accountable to the people.
Dissing Dimon
Which gets us back to Jamie Dimon. When the prominent economist Simon Johnson first demanded Dimon's resignation he noted that, while his role is sometimes described as "advisory," Dimon sits on the Management and Budget Committee which supervises the pay of senior Fed executives.
That committee also approves the self-evaluation of senior Fed executives – which essentially means it gives them their performance reviews. It reviews and approves the Fed's overall budget, too, including the budget for auditing bankers like Jamie Dimon. According the Fed itself, its other main responsibility is to "review and endorse the Bank's strategic plan."
Budget, compensation, strategic planning: That pretty much covers everything.
Dr. Johnson has started a petition drive calling for Dimon's resignation or removal. He's been joined by Elizabeth Warren and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, which calls Dimon's position "a stunning conflict of interest."
They're right, of course. But in saner times people would also be demanding that Dimon resign from his bank, too. His tenure as CEO has been marked by a wave of massive deals to settle criminal and civil charges. That alone would have led to disgrace and resignation in more civilized times.
Even in today's more mercenary atmosphere, Dimon's nothing to write home about: The stock was worth around $40 when he became CEO in 2005 and never rose much above $50 after that. It was $33.78 after this latest fiasco.
Dismissing Dimon
From his perch on the New York Fed board, Dimon has had a front row seat to the dispensing of a trillion dollars in secret cash to Wall Street banks – including his own. His bank reportedly received as much as $48 billion in secret loans at 1.1 interest, when less privileged banks were paying 3.8 percent. The money saved in interest on that loan alone could amount to almost $1.3 billion.
It's like the old saying goes – a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.
Dimon's always been a paper tiger, a product of his own PR campaign and the low standards of his profession. If he won't resign as JPM's CEO, he should certainly resign as its Board Chairman, a title he assumed in 2006. That's another clear conflict.
An ethically-managed Federal Reserve wouldn't wait for Dimon to resolve this internal conflict by giving up one of these roles. It would have demanded it long ago. And it would have dismissed Dimon from its Board for JPMorgan Chase's past scandals, as well as the one that just came to light.
And now for something completely different …
It seems like something out of a Monty Python routine. The boards that govern the Federal Reserve, the publicly-created central bank that dispenses money to bankers, are all dominated by … the bankers who receive that money. Picture it if you can:
Fed Board room, 2008:
ECONOMIST: This is serious! The global economy is collapsing because of your reckless gambling!
LONE CITIZEN BOARD MEMBER: That is serious. What can we do? We could break up our banks and fire their executives, or …
BANKER: Wait! I've got it! Give us more money!
(Nods all around the table)
Six months later:
ECONOMIST: This is serious! We've given you money but you're not lending it out to get the economy moving!
LONE CITIZEN BOARD MEMBER: That is serious. What can we do? Perhaps there could be rules and conditions about lending that …
BANKER: Or they could give us more money!
OTHER BANKERS: Good one! Let's go with that!
Three years later:
ECONOMIST: This is serious! Joblessness is still at record highs. Poverty has soard. Too-big-to-fail banks are bigger than ever. And you guys are still breaking the law and skirting the rules.
LONE CITIZEN BOARD MEMBER: Hmm. That is serious. The Fed could use its regulatory authority to …
BANKER: (aside) I hate that guy. (to all) Let me see … hmmm … how about giving us more money?
Three and a half years later:
ECONOMIST: This is serious! The country –
BANKERS (in unison): More money!
Clean Up the Boards
The Federal Reserve's governing structure isn't quite that bad – but it's pretty close. As the President of the Kansas City Federal Reserve just noted, bankers have a "special obligation" to maintain the "integrity, dignity and reputation" of the central bank. ""No individual is more important than the institution and the public's trust," she added.
We'll go a step further: The public's trust can no longer be given to a central bank whose governing bodies are dominated by the wealthy and powerful. Bankers and large corporations should be asked to provide information to the Fed, and should be encouraged to offer their advice. But they don't belong on its boards or committees.
Other steps are needed to make the Federal Reserve responsive the people who created it and gave it such power. But the composition of its boards is a key part of its problem. Its an impediment to change and a disgrace to the nation. As Simon Johnson told an interviewer recently, "No other central bank in any serious country in the world allows bankers to be represented in this fashion."
It's time to boot the bankers from the Federal Reserve's boards and those seats to people who will work on behalf of the citizenry which created the Fed in the first place.


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The Harrogate Bus Company
The Harrogate Bus Company runs local buses in and around Harrogate & Knaresborough, the well-known 36 linking Leeds & Ripon, as well as routes to Wetherby and into Nidderdale.
In 2012 we invested over £1million in 8 brand new Versa buses for our local network. Beneath their stylish exterior, these smart little buses are fully accessible, with step-free entry and dedicated space for a wheelchair user and buggies. At the back, their low-emission engines meet the latest Euro-5 standard, ensuring we play our part in looking after Harrogate's environment. We're also playing our part in supporting the region's economy too, as these buses are built by Optare in Sherburn-in-Elmet, only 20 miles away.
Most of our bus services are provided purely commercially by the company, with only a few journeys receiving direct financial support from local authorities.
A brief history
Harrogate & District Travel Ltd. was formed in 1989 as a subsidiary of the AJS Group of companies, becoming a Blazefield subsidiary in 1991, but its origins can be traced back to the pioneering days of bus travel in the early part of the last century.
In 1906 steam buses first arrived in Harrogate run by the Harrogate Road Car Company, petrol buses commencing with the same company in 1911.
1n 1924 the company was absorbed into the Tilling and British Automobile Traction group, and its name was soon changed to Harrogate and District Road Car Company. Expansion was rapid, and in 1927 the name was again changed to West Yorkshire Road Car Company, a name that will be well known to those who have travelled with us for many years.
West Yorkshire Road Car continued to expand, with depots in Bradford, Keighley, Leeds, Malton, Otley and York, as well as its Harrogate base, and numerous smaller sub-depots.
In 1948 along with other companies that were then part of the Tilling group, West Yorkshire Road Car was nationalised, and remained so, becoming part of the National Bus Company in 1969, until privatisation in 1987.
Many smaller bus companies were taken over by WYRC both in its earlier privately owned days, and under state control, and for a time the company ran over 500 buses.
West Yorkshire Road Car returned to private ownership in 1987, under the control of the AJS Group. As with many of the former state controlled companies that were privatised at the time, WYRC was quickly separated into smaller companies. The Harrogate operations were transferred to the new company of Harrogate & District Travel Ltd. Harrogate & District, along with Keighley & District and Yorkshire Coastliner, continued under common ownership until acquired by the newly formed Blazefield Group in 1991.
All three companies are still owned by Transdev Blazefield (now part of Transdev UK plc) who have maintained and further developed Harrogate & District as a locally run business, with a local identity.
See also:

subset: commoncrawl


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Economics blogger Bill McBride was one of the early people to call the housing bubble, and he warned furiously in the years leading up to the collapse that the epidemic of no-doc loans and boats-in-every-garage would come to a terrible end.
But unlike many other "doomsayers" who continued to warn about economic collapse long past 2009 (their names don't need mentioning... you know who they are), McBride was able to see the leg up, and has remained upbeat since the economy started growing again.
What did he see that so many others missed?
One of the things I really liked hearing from Bill McBride, in my recent interview with him, was his simple way of thinking about the economy, and what makes it tick.
His spot-on assessments of the US economy over the past 9 years haven't been about fancy models, or big economic theories, but rather very simple, direct observations about what people buy and do, and why.
Housing and cars have been two big turnaround stories for the US, and there's no magic to why, as McBride told me:
I remember when I wrote a post - I think it was in January of 2009 - you know who David Rosenberg is - he wrote a commentary back when what he wrote wasn't free - unfortunately - but in January 2009, and I'm pretty sure about the timing, that auto sales were going to collapse a lot further, and he had some arguments on it and I went and looked and thought "auto sales also can't go too much further, people have to replace their cars." And so I wrote this article that says look, auto sales are near the bottom - we were at a 9 million annual rate then- I said there's just no way - we have to be selling 12, 13,14 million because people need new cars every 5-7,8 years. Paul Krugman eventually picked that one up from me and wrote a piece in the Rolling Stone - where they called me up to fact check, back when they used to fact check. And that's the same kind of logic that I used on the housing. You just kind of look at it and go, after a while, there's all this excess supply that was built, then people pulled back and lived with their parents - but people don't want to live with their parents very long. That supply gets absorbed. When I go out into The Inland Empire I can tell you...If it's not mostly growing, it's getting there. Where I live, as soon as foreclosures come on the market there's people lined up.
Simple stuff. People drive. Cars break down. They need to replace them. They buy new ones. People get born. They get married and have kids. They decide to stop living with their parents.
Normally, perhaps, the economic cycles aren't that straightforward, but when you've collapsed SO much, then really simple observations like that are germane because the demographic lift on its own to counteract the hard cyclical downturn.
And that's where the Americans should be thankful: Because there is in fact a demographic lift.
Japan is probably the economy whose struggles most resemble ours, and that force is much weaker there.
Here's a comparison of year-over-year population growth rates for Japan and the US going back to 1960. Growth in Japan (red line) has been much slower for decades.
Same deal if you look at just working-age population.
Japan's demographic tail wind has been non existent.
With some knowledge about demographics and the need to replace cars, you could look at a chart like this one (which divides motor vehicle sales by population) and ascertain that the lows seen in 2008/2009 were WAY out of whack with anything vaguely historical.
Here's the same idea but for housing starts.
Some might scoff and say that a thriving economy can't just be based on people being born, and moving into houses, and that it needs innovation and dynamism and all that. And that's true, but there's scant evidence that that's gone away.
Said McBride:
I think things are getting better in general. And there's reasons for that. There's good technology, I'm talking to you on a cellphone today that I couldn't even imagine when the first cell phone came out. I tend to be positive about the future.
The dynamic aspects of a growing economy are also in place in the United States, as evidenced by progress on a host of fronts.
Even in the realm of domestic infrastructure -- an area that's supposedly being ignored to the point of malpractice -- things are happening.
The NYT's Thomas Friedman had a recent dispatch from Chattanooga Tennessee, where he talked about their blazing fast broadband, which is a result of investments that started about 15 years ago.
How fast is that Chattanooga choo-choo? The majority of Chattanooga homes and businesses get 50 megabits per second, some 100 megabits, a few 250 and those with big needs opt for a full gigabit per second, explained Harold DePriest, the chief executive of EPB, the city's electric power and telecom provider, which built and operates the network. "The average around the country is 4.5 megabits per second." So average Internet speed in Chattanooga is 10 times the national average. That doesn't just mean faster downloads. The fiber grid means 150,000 Chattanooga homes now have smart electric meters to track their energy consumption in real time. More important, said DePriest, on July 5, Chattanooga got hit with an unusual storm that knocked out power to 80,000 homes. Thanks to intelligent power switching on the fiber network, he said, "42,000 homes had their electricity restored in ... 2 seconds." Old days: 17 hours.
As Friedman notes, there's certainly a lot more that could be done on this front, perhaps with more money from Washington DC.
But the overall point is simple: A demographic lift combined with the same innovation and investment that's gone on for a long time is why the dreams of the doomsayers, who were riding so high just a few years ago, haven't come to pass.
One last point: There's always going to be big stuff to be freaked out about (The Euro crisis, war in the Middle East, growing inequality, gigantic debts, too big to fail banks, the end of clean water, a more politically polarized Washington DC, etc.). But folks who operate on the assumption that big issues will get resolved for the worse -- merely because they can't see a good fix -- usually do worse than the people who just blindly hope that things get resolved well. Hope is a strategy.


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Calling himself Elston Gunnn, Bob Dylan unsuccessfully auditioned as a piano player with Bobby Vee's group The Shadows. Dylan is seen here typing on an Olivetti Lettera 32 portable.
A then 19-year-old Tony Meehan, left, was the original drummer (behind Hank B.Marvin) with Cliff Richard's band The Drifters, who later changed their name to The Shadows, causing Bobby Vee to change the name of his band to The Vees. Meehan, seen here with Jay and Tommy Scott and a Facit typewriter, as executive producer and chief A&R man for the Shadrich recording company, had, six months earlier, virtually dismissed The Beatles as a recording group. On January 1, 1962, The Beatles were auditioned at Decca by Meehan. Beatles manager Brian Epstein had paid Meehan to produce the recordings. Decca rejected The Beatles, instead choosing The Tremeloes, who auditioned the same day. A month later, Meehan expressed condescending comments about The Beatles' audition and The Beatles moved on to George Martin at the Pharlphone (EMI) label.
Bobby Vee sadly fell victim to Alzheimer's disease in Rogers, Minnesota, on October 24 last year, aged 73. The last time I was talking to Bobby was in June 2006, when he told me the great story about the time he stood in for Buddy Holly. It happened the night of "The Day the Music Died". Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens had died in a plane crash outside Clear Lake, Iowa, at about 1.07am on February 3, 1959, and a little more than 17 hours later Bobby and his school band were sharing the stage with the like of Dion DiMucci and Waylon Jennings in the Winter Dance Party show at Moorhead, Minnesota, determined not to perform That'll Be The Day (That I Die), Blue Days, Black Nights or even, for that matter, Rock Around With Ollie Vee.
Bobby and his older brothers and their schoolmates had been eagerly looking forward to seeing Holly live in Moorhead for weeks before the show. Once Bobby, who earned pocket money as a newspaper boy, had got over delivering the bad news on the doorsteps of Fargo, North Dakota - that Holly was dead - he and his band answered a call to take the place of Holly and The Crickets at the rock and pop show across the Red River. The Vee band had long since, thankfully, got rid of its wayward one-key piano player, Elston Gunnn (note, three "n's"), a then busboy at the Red Apple Café in Fargo who was also known as Robert Allen Zimmerman, later Bob Dylan.
Bobby Vee with The Shadows, who changed their name to The Vees after seeing the English Shadows perform.
Already knowing most of these details, what took me by surprise in my chat with Bobby was when he told me the name of the Fargo high school band was The Shadows. Around about the time of Holly's death, the better known (to Australians, at least) English group called The Shadows had had to change their name from The Drifters, on receiving an injunction stating that that sobriquet had already been taken by a well established (since 1954) doo wop vocal group formed by Clyde McPhatter, one which had had a string of hits on the US mainstream and R & B charts, including, notably, There Goes My Baby in 1959.
Hank B. Marvin, left, with Cliff Richard in the original English Drifters. Tony Meehan is peering out under Marvin's arm.
I asked Bobby if he was aware of the English instrumentalists. "Oh, yes," he said. "We changed our name the moment we saw them in a concert one night." That was in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1960, during a rare early US tour by Cliff Richard, on which he and The Shadows shared the bill with Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and none other than the injunction-toting Clyde McPhatter. Avalon, by the by, had taken the place of the Fargo high school band when the Winter Dance Party continued on from Moorhead in February 1959. "We knew as soon as the 'real Shadows' started playing and moving we weren't in the same league as them, and felt embarrassed we'd even temporarily stolen their name," said Bobby. "On the drive home to Fargo after the show that night, there was complete silence in the car for a long while, and then one of us said, 'Well, what are we going to have to call ourselves then?'" They sensibly came up with The Vees.
The English Shadows, with Brian Bennett, left, replacing Meehan, but still with bassist Jet Harris, second left, arrive in Australia in 1961. Lead guitarist Hank B. Marvin is second from right, beside Bruce Welch. Memo Sheldon Cooper: You may think you are the smartest man alive, but a koala is NOT a bear.
That year, 1960, was momentous for the so-called "real" Shadows. They had a monster worldwide hit with Jerry Lordan's Apache. Worldwide, that is, as in everywhere except where it really mattered - in the US. Stateside, the version of Apache which went to the top of the charts was an intriguingly intricate one played on a Gibson guitar by the Dane Jørgen Ingmann-Pedersen. On The Shadows' version, lead guitarist Hank B. Marvin (now 30 years resident in Western Australia, where he runs the Nivram recording studio on Tiverton Street, Perth) played a Fender Stratocaster using Joe Brown's cast-off Italian-built Binson Echorec chamber.
Jørgen Ingmann and his wife Grethe winning the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with Dansevise.
Back then, as the mix-up with The Drifters name indicates, news of what was happening in rock and pop on either side of the Atlantic was far from free-flowing. The Shadows' distinctive sound came about by mistake. They wanted to emulate the sound of Ricky Nelson's backing group, and found out James Burton used a Fender. Richard ordered the guitars by mail order catalogue, and a Stratocaster turned up. Burton used a Telecaster. Unlike Brown with his echo chamber, however, Richard and The Shadows liked the Strat sound and kept it.
That simple twist of fate over Ingmann's version of Apache meant The Shadows were never able to achieve the same impact in the US as they did everywhere else in the world. Marvin influenced few American guitarists the way he did English guitar heroes, like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler, Pete Townshend and so many more.
The original Ventures, never in the same league as The Shadows.
Thus the decision of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame foundation in February 2008 to induct The Ventures ahead of The Shadows was perhaps understandable, if no doubt galling for the legends of Shadows fans across the world, including in Australia. The foundation mentioned The Ventures' Walk Don't Run and their cover of the Hawaii Five-O theme tune, although, of course, the version of Hawaii Five-O which everyone and their dog identifies with is the original TV series theme written and performed by Mort Stevens. Most galling of all, however, was the foundation's claim that The Ventures provided the "defining instrumental guitar rock in the 1960s". The Ventures simply do not stack up in this regard against The Shadows, especially the original line-up of Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan.
I must disclose at this point that the soundtrack of my early adolescence was provided by The Shadows, and although my passion for their music has gradually waned over the past half century, I still regard them as, tune for tune, the greatest instrumental group ever, bar none. I know, too, I am far from alone in this opinion. Yet having said all that, I must also confess the best piece of guitar rock music I've ever heard is the intro to Richard's Move It, which was played not by Marvin but by session musician Ernie Shear, using a blond Hofner with a DeArmond pick-up near the bridge and a Selmer amp. Unbeatable.


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If there are no available cats and/or dogs please give us a call. 970-226-3647
Stray dogs
Thank you for viewing our lost dogs page. The animals located on this page are currently separated from their owners and are not available for adoption.
If you are missing your pet and believe your dog is listed on this page, please visit the shelter in person to positively identify your animal. Please bring a current photo of your pet with you to the shelter, along with proof of ownership.
If you do not see your lost dog on this page, please check back frequently. Due to the large number of animals we receive on a daily basis, we cannot guarantee that this page includes all lost animals currently in our building. It is important to visit the shelter in person to complete a lost report and personally look for your pet.
If your animal is at Larimer Humane Society, he or she will be held for five days. After the five day waiting period, your pet will become the property of Larimer Humane Society. Please retrieve your lost pet as soon as possible to minimize impound fees and the stress on your pet.
11 dogs are stray


text: Randy Edsall is the former head football coach of the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining Maryland, Edsall oversaw the UConn program's move from the NCAA's football Division I championship subdivision (Division I-AA) to its Division I Bowl subdivision (Division I-A) and the opening of the $91 million Rentschler Field in East Hartford in 2003 and the $48 million Burton Family Football Complex and Mark R. Shenkman Training Center in 2006. He also led the team to its first three Division I-A bowl game appearances and its first Big East championship. Born on Aug. 27, 1958, Edsall grew up in Glen Rock, Pa. where he was a three-year letter winner in football, basketball and baseball at Susquehanna High School in Glen Rock. Edsall went to Syracuse University, where he earned one varsity letter as a quarterback and a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1980. He added a master's degree in health and physical education in 1982 from Syracuse. After finishing his playing career at Syracuse, Edsall began his coaching career at the school in 1980 as a graduate assistant. From 1991-93, he coached defensive backs at Boston College under Tom Coughlin before coaching the same position from 1994-97 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, also under Coughlin. (Photo GETTY IMAGES)


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Congratulations to 2013 Regional Award Winners
The 2013 Regional Award winners have been announced. Regional and section awards recognize members who contribute exceptional service and leadership within SPE, as well as making significant professional contributions within their technical disciplines at the SPE regional level. Awards are presented at the appropriate SPE region or SPE section meeting. Learn more about regional awards.
View the winners by region:


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He was a 17-old-boy who knew he was not cut out to be a scholar, a coalminer or a farmer. And so he did the only other thing he could think of: he lied about his age and joined the Army.
By November 1950, he was on the shores of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and on Dec. 1-2 he was shot twice, bayoneted 16 times by the Chinese and left for dead on the frozen tundra.
Back home his parents received a telegram that read, in part, "Your son was slightly wounded."
Semi-illiterate, all they knew to do was pray.
Three weeks went by and finally the word came: their critically injured son, now 19, was on his way stateside.
Accompanied by Army personnel, they traveled to the Army hospital 350 miles away where they received the best Christmas present of their lives–a living, breathing son–frostbitten and an amputee, but nonetheless alive.
The boy–their son–was my father, PFC Russell Roberts and what happened during that raging 17-day battle thousands of miles from his Kentucky mountain home changed him–and me–forever.
Once his wounds had mended–despite a bullet still lodged in his chest and the loss of four fingers and partial amputation of his toes–he was sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. where he served the remainder of his hitch dismantling bombs to determine why they never exploded.
After the Army, he returned home, married my mother and began life as a disabled American veteran while earning a living doing carpentry.
His joints ached, he was never warm and each and every day he relived the war. He talked about lying on the ground in 30-degrees below zero temperatures. He visualized the Reservoir and described it as a "body of water red with the blood of the Chinese." He recalled grasping a truck chassis and hanging on for dear life until he was safe, rescued by the Marines.
He never forgot. He never wanted to.
A medical disability, brought on by his service-connected injuries, forced him into retirement. But it wasn't a retirement.
For the next 15 years, he devoted himself to veterans. He founded a DAV chapter, organized several others, commanded the most active burial detail in Eastern Kentucky, helped vets file claims benefits and drove others to the VA hospitals.
At night when his legs hurt so badly, I could see the glistening in his eyes, I would ask, "Do you regret it, Daddy? Do you regret joining the Army?"
And the answer was always the same. "No. I would do it all again."
We didn't know it at the time, but watching our father's devotion to his country made my brothers and me into the patriots we are today–the kind who gets teary-eyed when a color guard passes in a parade or sings loudly every time the national anthem is played.
This weekend, Americans everywhere will celebrate Memorial Day. For most it's a time of picnics, getaways or working around the house. For others, it's a time to pause and remember the men and women who served our country; to reflect on lives lost for the sake of freedom.
On Sunday, May 24 at Orange Hill Cemetery, American Legion Post 236 of Levy County and VFW Post 5511 will pay tribute to their comrades who have gone on before them.
Korean War veterans will be the guest honorees.
I will be there. Not just as a journalist covering an event, but as a daughter who is so fiercely proud of her father it makes me tremble.
Memorial Day is his day. I want to respect and remember him and hundreds of thousands like him who offered themselves up so I could have a better life.
I hope I see you there.
Carolyn Risner is editor of the Willliston Pioneer. She may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or by calling 528-3343.
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Mission Statement
The mission of the Finance Agency is to manage the County's accounting systems and financial resources, to maintain fiscal integrity, to enhance the County's revenue base, to preserve and provide for the public a true record of real property and vital human events, issue licenses and certifications for marriage, and maintain a public record of business and specified other names.
The Finance Agency, through its three departments (Department of Tax and Collections, Controller-Treasurer Department, and Clerk Recorder's Office), manages the County's financial systems and cash resources as well as the cash resources of school districts within the County. The agency's wide perspective and scope of responsibilities are shaped by the combined strength of its individual departments, each providing unique and highly specialized services. Its responsibilities include the central accounting, collection, disbursement and audit, treasury and debt financing functions for the County, property tax collection and distribution, as well as the recording of official and vital documents, maintenance of public records on business and specified other names, and the issuance of marriage licenses and certificates, as well as passports.


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As part of our enhanced security program, you are required to validate your identity by delivering a Secure Access Code to a telephone number stored within First Bancorp's Online Banking system. You will then be given the opportunity to register the computer for future use.*
Enter your User ID and click Login. On the following pages you'll be asked to enter your Password and validate your identity. To validate your identity and be given the opportunity to register your computer, you will need to receive and enter a Secure Access code.
Finally, you can choose to register and activate your browser for later use or give one-time access on the computer you are using.
*From time to time, even though a computer has been previously registered, it may become necessary to register the computer again.


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|International Space Station Imagery
high res (1.6 M) low res (106 K)
|ISS004-S-001 (August 2001) --- The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition Four crew patch has an overall diamond shape, showing the "diamond in the rough" configuration of the Station during expedition four. The red hexagonal shape with stylized American and Russian flags represents the cross-sectional view of the S0 truss segment, which the crew will attach to the U.S. Lab Destiny. The persistent Sun shining on the Earth and Station represents the constant challenges that the crew and ground support team will face every day while operating the International Space Station, while shedding new light through daily research. The green portion of the Earth represents the fourth color in the visible spectrum and the black void of space represents humankind's constant quest to explore the unknown. The NASA insignia design for Shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced.
Curator: JSC PAO Web Team | Responsible NASA Official: Amiko Kauderer | Updated: 10/30/2012


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Courtesy of U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair is accused of multiple offenses, including forcible sodomy and adultery.
An Army general based in Fort Bragg, N.C., has been charged with forced sex, multiple counts of adultery and inappropriate relationships with female subordinates while serving in Afghanistan.
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair was relieved of his command in Afghanistan last May and returned to Fort Bragg. In addition to the sexual misconduct accusations, Sinclair also faces charges of possessing pornography and alcohol while deployed in Afghanistan.
Sinclair has been in the Army for 27 years, according to The Associated Press, and has been deployed three times to Afghanistan. He also served in Iraq.
Sinclair now faces an Article 32, the Army's equivalent of a grand jury hearing, to determine whether he should face court martial on any or all charges.
The charge of "forced sex" involves allegations he forced a subordinate to perform oral sex and is based on the previous Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Related: Pentagon calls for steps to prevent sexual assault
Revisions to that code implemented this year now consider all forms of "forced sex" as rape.
Court martials of Army Generals are relatively rare. Only two, a brigadier general and major general, have been court martialed in the past 13 years.
Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered all military services to review their training and response programs for officers and enlisted personnel.
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Peter's groundbreaking video for Sledgehammer has been nominated for Channel Four's "100 Greatest Pop Videos Of All Time" television event.
You can vote for Sledgehammer by clicking on the link below and selecting it in the huge list of nominees and clicking on the Vote button at the foot of the form. The list is alphbetical but as a handy shortcut, he's listed at number 45.


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PriorityMedicare Select premium assistance
Premium assistance is when you get extra help from Medicare to pay for your Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Since Priority Health Medicare Advantage plan premiums include coverage for both medical services and prescription drug coverage, the extra help you receive lowers your monthly premium costs.
Medicare automatically notifies you if you qualify for premium assistance. They also tell us how much assistance you're receiving so we can tell you what your monthly premium is.
If you qualify for extra help from Medicare to pay the premium for your prescription drug coverage, here's how much your monthly premium could be for the PriorityMedicare SelectSM plan.
The premiums listed here don't include the monthly Medicare Part B premium that you may have to pay.
Area 1
Allegan, Barry, Kent, Lenawee, Newaygo, Ottawa
Area 2
Berrien, Cass, Ionia, Isabella, Kalamazoo, Mason, Midland, Missaukee, Montcalm, Muskegon, Oceana, Osceola, Otsego, St. Clair, Van Buren, Wexford
Area 3
Alcona, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Clare, Clinton, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Ingham, Lake, Lapeer, Leelanau, Livingston, Manistee, Mecosta, Monroe
Area 4
Alpena, Calhoun, Cheboygan, Eaton, Emmet, Gladwin, Gratiot, Iosco, Jackson, Kalkaska, Montmorency, Oscoda, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Joseph
Area 5
Arenac, Bay, Branch, Genessee, Huron, Macomb, Oakland, Ogemaw, Saginaw, Tuscola, Washtenaw, Wayne


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A European-style Clothing Optional
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Press & Media
Affiliations & Links
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Spas in Europe
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Mount Pleasant police Chief Brian Fanelli and wife, Sonja, exit U.S. District Court, Jan. 23, 2014, in White Plains. He was freed on $50,000 bail after appearing in federal court to face child pornography charges. ( Tania Savayan / The Journal News )
A federal complaint says Mount Pleasant police Chief Brian Fanelli told authorities he first began viewing pornographic images as research for classes he was teaching about the dangers of sex abuse.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A New York police chief was charged Thursday with possession of child pornography hours after federal agents raided his Mahopac home and seized computers filled with files of pre-teen girls in various sexual poses.
Mount Pleasant police Chief Brian Fanelli, who was joined by his wife in U.S. District Court in White Plains, entered no plea to the charges and was freed on $50,000 bail. The crime allegedly occurred between October and January, a time span when he was elevated to chief.
Fanelli told authorities he first began viewing pornographic images as research for elementary and middle school classes he was teaching about the dangers of sexual abuse.
"But shortly thereafter began viewing child pornography for personal interest," according to the federal complaint.
Agents said they found more than 120 pornographic files on two computers taken from his home, with photos and videos of the girls, some as young as 7 years old.
Fanelli is accused of downloading the files to his computer and sharing them with others, including undercover federal agents.
U.S. Attorney Pree Bharara described the case as "disturbing and sad," saying the police chief is accused of breaking a law "designed to protect the youngest and most vulnerable of our population from vile exploitation."
A longtime computer whiz at the department, Fanelli, who has two grown children, was well-liked among other officers and heavily involved with the community. He also taught fifth-graders at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish school in Shrub Oak, where he spoke to hundreds of students yearly about the dangers of sexual abuse, according to a letter posted on the parish's website.
Fanelli was not required to enter a plea. Before adjourning the case until Feb. 19, U.S. Magistrate Lisa Margaret Smith told Fanelli that he could not use computers or cellphones and could not be in the presence of minors without supervision.
If convicted, Fanelli faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
Town Supervisor Joan Maybury called the news "very disturbing" and said Fanelli has been suspended with pay in accordance with his contract. She added that she will most likely appoint one of the department's two lieutenants as acting chief while Fanelli's legal situation plays itself out.
U.S. Homeland Security agents notified Maybury of Fanelli's arrest at about 12:15 p.m., she said, adding that agents turned Fanelli's gun and badge over to Mount Pleasant police and that a federal technician was inspecting the computer in his office.
"We are fully cooperating with the U.S. Attorney's Office in this investigation," Maybury said.
No one was home Thursday afternoon at Fanelli's raised ranch-style home located in a relatively quiet neighborhood in Mahopac Falls near the Westchester County border.
About 8:30 a.m. Thursday, neighbors saw a group of cars and vans pull up in front of Fanelli's house. At least two of the agents wore helmets and SWAT gear, though Fanelli was arrested without incident, neighbors said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on the case, and further details were not immediately available.
Sgt. Eric Anttila of Mount Pleasant police had no comment; other officers said they were shocked by the news.
"I'm still trying to get information myself," Lt. Robert Miliambro said.
Fanelli, 54, a native of Valhalla, was hired by the town in November 1981. He rose to the rank of lieutenant before being appointed chief in November. Fanelli receives an annual salary of $135,518.
He led the department's successful bid for state accreditation in 1998. He was instrumental in computerizing the department's records and in 1999 introduced an email alert system to disseminate crime and emergency information to residents
Fanelli has been a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish for decades, according to the letter on the parish's website. Fanelli spoke to around 1,000 of the parish school's children in 2012 and in October, the letter said, warning younger children to stay safe from sexual abuse and older students to beware of "the pitfalls of social media devices, games and computer applications," according to the letter, written in August 2013 by Sara Koshofer, the parish's religious education coordinator.
Contributing: Lee Higgins, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Jonathan Bandler, Terence Corcoran and Hoa Nguyen of the Journal News


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A dream is something that fills up the emptiness inside. The one thing that you know, if it came true all the hurt would go away.
—Jesse St. James, Dream On
Jesse St. James is a recurring character on Glee. He was a senior at Carmel High School in Akron, Ohio, the male lead of Vocal Adrenaline and one of the main antagonists in Season One. He was instructed to befriend Rachel by Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, who is secretly Rachel's biological mother. Jesse and Rachel began dating, and he briefly transfers to William McKinley High School, joining New Directions. Once the truth about Shelby is revealed, Jesse transfers back. He ends his relationship with Rachel by egging her in the McKinley High parking lot along with his fellow members of Vocal Adrenaline, humiliating her.
In Season Two, he returned to McKinley to apologize to Rachel about lying his situation and to rekindle their romance. However, in New York, Rachel chooses Finn over him thus leading to Jesse's departure.
In Season Three, he is appointed the new Vocal Adrenaline coach, replacing Dustin Goolsby. He takes Vocal Adrenaline to a Regionals victory and a second place at Nationals.
He is portrayed by actor and Broadway star, Jonathan Groff.
Rachel meets Jesse for the first time while visiting the music store. He approaches her while she is looking through a book of Lionel Richie's sheet music, taking her by surprise. She is immediately flustered, but Jesse remains relaxed, and cocky, telling her that her rendition of Don't Rain on My Parade was flawed because she lacks "Barbra's emotional depth." But he assures her that she is talented, going on to explain that he is a senior hoping to win a fourth consecutive National title and that he's landed a full ride to UCLA the following year. Spotting a piano, Jesse sits down to play, prompting Rachel to tell him that she's nervous about singing in the store. He sighs, saying, "I remember when I used to get nervous," then explains that he gives impromptu concerts for the homeless to give back. He begins singing Lionel Richie's Hello, Rachel chiming in later. He then tells her that they should do it again sometime.
Jesse is then mentioned in a scene between Rachel and Finn, where Rachel explains to Finn that she's moved on and is now dating Jesse. Jealous and worried, Finn tells Mr. Schuester about Jesse, who then goes to confront Shelby Corcoran, the director of Vocal Adrenaline about the relationship. Jesse is leading Vocal Adrenaline in a performance of Highway to Hell by AC/DC when Will arrives. At the song's close, Shelby says it was like "watching beige paint dry," and then instructs Jesse to give a "showface." Jesse obliges, as does the rest of the club, following his example.Throughout the remainder of the episode, Jesse's motives for dating Rachel are questioned, even after Shelby assures Will that he isn't spying on them. Afraid of losing the two most important things to her right now, Rachel then goes to confront Jesse to see if he really loves her or if he's using her, telling him that "if it turns out [he's] just playing [her, she] might die." He laughs, saying she's even more of a drama queen than he is, before telling her, that he's nuts about her and would never hurt her. Rachel that they keep their relationship secret, and Jesse says he understands. While they are kissing, Shelby appears, making eye contact with Jesse before walking away.
Jesse is first shown in a flashback scene where he and Rachel are making out on Rachel's bed. Rachel explains to the others that he suggested that they "do it," and when she said she wasn't ready, he got "really crabby" and left shortly after, leaving behind the Care Bear that she got him. However, he later concedes that he was wrong for trying to pressure her into doing something she didn't want, and apologizes for it. He says that she deserves epic romance and promises to wait until she is ready. Rachel then tells him that she is ready. Jesse goes over to Rachel's house at a later date, and they are one of the three couples shown in a dream sequence, all six of them singing Like a Virgin. In the non-dream world, Rachel stays in her bathroom with the door closed. Jesse asks her to come out so they "can talk... or sing about it." Rachel then emerges, and explains that she can't be with Jesse completely knowing that she'd be "sleeping with the enemy."
Jesse then transfers to William McKinley High School. He explains that his parents are in Bali, and he's opted to quit Vocal Adrenaline and move in with his uncle, so as to be with Rachel. Brittany asks Mr. Schuester if Jesse is his son. Mr. Schuester welcomes him into the group, which infuriates Finn. The others think he is only there to spy on them, also protesting that with him there it will be even harder to get solos. Rachel, however, is pleased to have Jesse there, as that means that as a member of New Directions, she can have an open relationship with him. Jesse then spots Finn and Rachel talking in the hallway and approaches them, challenging Finn to a sing-off. Finn instead welcomes Jesse to the group, saying he appreciates having another male lead to help him support the group, and invites Jesse to help with their new Madonna number. He is then shown in the group number Like a Prayer in which Jesse sings back-up in addition to a small solo with the choir in the background.
When Mercedes starves herself and gets hungry, she sees Rachel and Jesse St. James walk past together as a couple.
Jesse first appears in the scene where the others are watching Sue's own version of Physical. He urges them to post it online when Finn suggests it, saying, "You guys need to stop being such asses and start being badasses." Later on in a glee club practice, Jesse is skeptical when Will suggests they sing songs with bad reputations. He claims that the song Ice Ice Baby "should be arrested for the crime of sucking." However, after watching Will get the club involved in some loose choreography and joining in himself, Jesse admits that it the song has been "paroled."
Later on, Rachel shows her "bad reputation" music video, Run Joey Run, and Jesse realizes that she had triple-cast him in the part of the "hunky, heroic male lead" with Puck and Finn. Jesse says that being triple-cast with two other guys opposite your girlfriend is humiliating. Hurt by Rachel's actions, Jesse leaves the choir room Later, Jesse attempts to talk with Rachel about what happened. She explains to him that she has a "pathological need to be popular," saying that a fellow star should understand. Jesse agrees, saying that if that's all they were, two stars, he would understand. But he isn't just another star; he is her boyfriend, and he should be enough for her. He says that since he gave up everything to be her "one and only," he can't see past that. He asks her not to talk to him at ballet club, furthering the point that he is actually hurt by what she did. When Rachel sings Total Eclipse of the Heart at the next glee club practice, Jesse chimes in, along with Finn and Puck. There is then a scene with Jesse and Rachel and what is presumed to be the ballet club, where Jesse takes over the song for a brief period of time. Back in the choir room, the members of the club leave the room, until it is just Rachel and Jesse. He looks up at her, hurt, before leaving the room as well.
Jesse returns to help Rachel find her biological mother. It is revealed that he was in fact acting on Shelby's orders, but Jesse confesses to Shelby that he is starting to like Rachel, however, she wants him to befriend her so that she will finally be able to meet her daughter, Jesse on the other hand has taken befriend to mean seduce. Nothing is said as to whether her motives also include sabotaging New Directions.
Jesse returns once again and it is revealed that he has transferred back to Carmel High School and left New Directions for Vocal Adrenaline, claiming that he was misconsidered at McKinley High School. All Vocal Adrenaline members perform Another One Bites the Dust in the beginning of the episode. Jesse calls Rachel asking her to meet him in the parking lot where Vocal Adrenaline eggs her, during which Jesse looks guilty and hurt. Jesse holds his egg, not wanting to throw it. When Giselle pressures Jesse to be "one of them," he looks at the egg in his hand and walks slowly to Rachel. She tells him to "break it like you broke my heart." He tells her that he loved her and, with a very pained expression, smashes the egg on her head. The males of New Directions are enraged and threaten to mess Jesse's face up, but Will calms them down, calls Jesse and asks him and his team to meet them in their auditorium. New Directions get back on Vocal Adrenaline at the end of the episode, performing Give up the Funk and Jesse confesses he is "truly depressed" because Vocal Adrenaline was never able to "pull off a funk number."
He is seen performing Bohemian Rhapsody with Vocal Adrenaline. Though he has no lines in the episode, he does continually look over at Rachel when the results are announced. He seemingly cannot take his eyes off her, looking over at her again even after Vocal Adrenaline is named the winner of Regionals, making it the fourth consecutive year that they have won. After he is lifted into the air by his teammates, holding the first place trophy, Jesse looks over at Rachel again.
Jesse shows up when Rachel is practicing Rolling in the Deep as a potential song for prom. He interrupts her after she sings the first two lines, and they continue the song as a duet. When they finish singing Rachel asks Jesse what he was doing there and he says he was kicked out of college for not attending his classes and that he also wanted to see Rachel. He goes to the prom with Rachel, Sam, and Mercedes as friends. While the four are at dinner, he proposes that he start a show choir consultant business, which Rachel takes to with enthusiasm, calling him the "show choir whisperer." Finn and Quinn appear, Finn shooting a jab at Jesse, to which he responds with a compliment to Quinn and an offer to step in when she gets tired of her "boyfriend stomping on [her] pretty little feet." Later at prom, when he's dancing with Rachel, Finn comes over after seeing Jesse nuzzling Rachel's neck and says he should keep it "PG." Jesse defends himself saying Finn's not her boyfriend and that he should 'beat it'. Finn shoves Jesse and he retaliates. Sue returns right as Finn tries to punch Jesse, and they both get kicked out of prom.
Will announces that Jesse is going to be helping the glee club. When Finn says that he and Rachel should sing a duet at Nationals, Jesse says all the other guys are better, and, though Mike can't sing, he can dance. He also says Finn sings and dances 'like a zombie that has to poop.' Jesse convinces Mr. Schue that they should hold auditions to see who should be lead at Nationals. Santana, Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel are the only ones that signed up, because Jesse's comment made Finn second-guess himself as their lead.
Later when Kurt and Finn find out about the death of Jean Sylvester and offer for the glee club to put together the funeral, Jesse says they shouldn't let anything distract them from the competition, saying that Vocal Adrenaline have already been hard at work and they should be too. The club does not take his advice and help with the funeral anyway. When Santana, Kurt, and Mercedes audition, he offers biting criticism in return, to which they take offense. When Rachel comes out and says she is singing My Man, he asks if she's singing about anyone in particular, and she says, "No, not really." When Rachel finishes, he praises her, which angers the others. In a later scene, Jesse is having Brittany tape him and Mr. Schue announcing the results. Brittany asks Jesse to come onto Fondue for Two to judge her cat. Jesse then tells Mr. Schue that with Rachel as their lead, they will win Nationals.
Later we see Rachel in the auditorium. Jesse walks in, and Rachel asks why he wanted to meet her there. He said she was going to sing lead at Nationals, but then he said the real reason he came back was for her. He admits that he once thought that fame was the most important thing in his life, but now he knows that there is something more important: her. They kiss, not knowing that Finn is there and sees them. When Jesse and Rachel walk up to the list for who will be singing lead, it just says that there's an emergency Glee club meeting. Mr. Schue then announces that he will not be picking a lead vocalist based on their auditions, and that they will be doing original songs at Nationals.Pretending, Jesse comes and sits next to Will telling him he couldn't stay away. When Will asks if he couldn't stay away from the show or Rachel, Jesse does not respond. After New Directions performs Rachel and Finn are talking about how they did and the kiss they shared on stage and when Finn says it was "The kiss of the century," Jesse says he was wrong and that it was unprofessional and it cost them the competition. He turns to Rachel and says she looked beautiful and that she did great, but she shouldn't have kissed Finn. Finn tries to tell Jesse to back off, claiming he was jealous of what they shared together. When Rachel asks Jesse what he's doing in New York, he says he came for her. This does not move her, she does not continue talking to him and kisses Finn later in the episode.
Jesse can also be seen at the back of the group when New Directions goes to look at the results. He looks disappointed and upset. In a later scene, Kurt tells Blaine that afterwards Jesse told the others that it was the kiss that cost them Nationals. Blaine agrees that the kiss was unprofessional.
Although it is unconfirmed, it is most likely that Jesse officially resigns after Nationals from assisting New Directions win the competition.
Jesse accuses Kurt and Mercedes of being sent by Will Schuester to spy on the Regionals performance of Vocal Adrenaline, the glee club which he has now become the coach of. Jesse then reveals his intention of firing Wade Adams to the two of them following the competition. He is mortified upon seeing Wade dressed up as a woman as he leads the performance, and he forces his way past the audience to get to the stage, ordering Wade to get off the stage. Wade refuses, and receives a standing ovation from the crowd as the performance concludes.NYADA's Carmen Tibideaux in hopes that she'll get a second shot at getting into the arts college. As he tries to get under her skin, she points out that they dated long enough for her to know that when Jesse gets nervous he gets mean. He relents and admits that Vocal Adrenaline's loss at last year's Nationals broke their eight-year winning streak. Another loss would mean the end of the school's show choir dynasty and spark a reboot of the program. He's struggling with the new rules, but Rachel reminds him that his past performances (namely Bohemian Rhapsody) set the gold standard for show choirs for years. She also reminded him about the attention Unique is getting. Rachel's words ease Jesse's nerves. When Finn arrives, she walks away, and he and Jesse share a tense moment until Jesse ultimately congratulates Finn on his engagement to Rachel, resulting in the two shaking hands.
While Rachel is singing It's All Coming Back to Me Now, you can see that Jesse is staring at Rachel with a heartbreaking expression on his face. You can tell that Jesse is also showing remorse for his past actions and is proud of Rachel.
Later, Jesse stops Carmen in the lobby, reminding her that when he auditioned for her a few years ago, she told him he showed promise. She acknowledges that she probably did say that, but adds that she auditions hundreds each year and attempts to blow off what she thinks is going to be a professional appeal. Jesse insists she listen: he wants to tell her that Rachel is the most talented person he knows, she'll definitely be a star one day, and she'd be an excellent addition to NYADA. Carmen thinks this over and then remembers Jesse's audition, commending him on his bold choice of song with Giants in the Sky from Into the Woods. He was last seen on the stage with Vocal Adrenaline, first happy as Unique/Wade accepts her MVP award and he and Vocal Adrenaline staring in shock and sadness, yet proud of a team he was once part of, as New Directions triumphantly accept their trophy for Nationals. This is the last time he is seen in Season Three.
When Rachel is singing Listen to Your Heart, Jesse appears and starts singing with her. After the performance, Rachel asks him what he is doing there. He is in town because his mom is having a tummy tuck and he is helping her out. He asks about the Broadway role that she was offered and tells her that he is the male star that will be playing in the show. He convinced the producer that Rachel was perfect for the role. She tells him that she hasn't made up her mind yet. He tells her that she belongs on Broadway and needs to get back to New York. She talks about how she might go back to NYADA instead. Jesse thinks that Rachel doesn't need to go to college and he tells her that they have always made really great music together and to think about it.
Later, Jesse is sitting in the auditorium and Rachel comes and talks to him. They discuss missing performing in glee club and Jesse offers that Rachel can stay with him in New York while she looks for a place. She tells him that she turned down the part and is going back to NYADA. He says he is disappointed they won't share a stage but he is proud of her for not taking the easy path back to Broadway. They share a sweet kiss and he says that he will she her soon.
It is seen in a flash forward of Rachel's life that he and Rachel are married. Rachel is pregnant with a baby for Kurt and Blaine, Jesse comes into the room as Tina and Rachel were talking about the baby saying that he and Rachel can't wait to "start their own production". Jesse is later seen accompanying Rachel to the Tony awards as a caring husband. When Rachel wins the Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical, she thanks him along with her friends from the glee club and Mr. Schue in her speech. He is later seen in the auditorium during the performance of I Lived.
PersonalityJesse is essentially the male equivalent of Rachel Berry. Intense, talented, tactless and occasionally over dramatic, he seems to be driven to musical success, and hopes to one day be a famous performer. Jesse tends to come across as vain and conceited, and his hardcore desires have forced him to supposedly create an overly confident personality, which is arrogant, dismissive and rude. He claims that this behavior is a facade, and that beneath that he's actually a good guy. He also seems to rush into things, like Rachel does, such as a relationship with her in which both confess to be "deeply in love."
However, whether that is true was called into question, because he was suspected to be manipulating Rachel Berry to spy on New Directions for the Vocal Adrenaline coach, Shelby Corcoran. Even though he really was sent by his coach, Shelby Corcoran, it seems that he really was in love with Rachel. Jesse is also portrayed as a manipulator when it comes to light that he was sent by Shelby, Rachel's biological mother, to befriend her in order to bypass the illegalities that restricted Shelby from confronting her. When Jesse's work is done, he's forced to return to Vocal Adrenaline. As a means of breaking up with Rachel, he displays rejoining Vocal Adrenaline by funkifying New Directions and egging Rachel in the school's parking lot. Despite his heartless actions, Jesse does seem to really care about Rachel since his show face slips while the egging is happening, and because he tells her "I loved you" right before he cracks the egg on her head. Jesse returns in Prom Queen in season two. Although many are wary of his motives, Jesse tries to show Rachel he is genuinely sorry for the heartbreak he caused her and wants to make it up to her.
Although his character comes off as a jerk, he seems to really care about Rachel and wants to help her succeed and grab more solos (since, according to him, she deserves them and is New Direction's only shot at winning Nationals). When Jesse becomes New Direction's performance advisor in Funeral, he is seen as harsh when he attacks Finn verbally at rehearsal and gives immensely rude and dismissive negative feedback to Mercedes, Kurt, and Santana after the three auditions for a solo at Nationals and in Santana's place even ignore her performance in favor of doodling a cat. However, when Rachel performs he is shown to be rather supportive and even tries to manipulate Mr. Schuester into giving her the solo because he thinks she deserves it more than anyone else. However, the rest of the Glee kids question whether or not he's simply praising Rachel more in order to get back in her good graces. This opinion seems to partially supported by the fact that he tells Rachel that she got the solo, despite Will having not yet made a decision yet. This leads to him sharing a kiss with Rachel, during which he states that Rachel matters more to him than fame itself. Later he and Rachel give arrogant consolances to Kurt, Mercedes and Santana, until they realize that Will's decision wasn't the one Jesse promised Rachel.
In The Power of Madonna, he stated that he had an uncle who lived within the McKinley High School district.
In the episode Funeral, it is revealed that Jesse had a mother, a father, a sister with bulimia, and a brother with an addiction. He claims his parents told him he was their favorite, leading his siblings to have difficulties in life.
Rachel Berry
- Main article: Jesse-Rachel Relationship (St. Berry)
After two years of absence, Jesse finally reunites with Rachel in 2015. Jesse has apparently been keeping track of Rachel's life, including her short-term fame on Broadway and failure on TV, and subsequently reviving the glee club. Knowing that she was auditioning for a new role on Broadway, Jesse pulled some strings to make it happen. Rachel, however, chose to return to NYADA over Broadway, saying that she believed it was a step in the right direction. The two depart, promising to see each other again and then share a kiss. In 2020, Jesse and Rachel are apparently married and famous as Broadway stars.
Total = 12
- Solos
- Duets
- Solos (In a Group Number)
|Solos with
|Like a Virgin
|The Power of Madonna
|Emma, Finn, Rachel, Santana, and Will,
|Like a Prayer
|Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel
|Run Joey Run
|Bad Reputation
|Finn, Puck, and Rachel
|Total Eclipse of the Heart
- Duets
- Duets
- It is believed by many fans that the character was named Jesse so Finn could sing the song Jessie's Girl.
- In an interview, when asked if Jesse actually loved Rachel, Jonathan Groff replied, "Yes, I think he did."
- Brittany thought he was Will's son.
- Despite Carmel High's known policy of purposely failing talented performers to keep them in Vocal Adrenaline, Jesse's Math and Science classes were taken for him by another student so he could pass.
- He's the only New Directions member that didn't take part in any competition with them (he joined after Sectionals and left before Regionals).
- He hasn't sung a duet with anyone other than Rachel .
- Rachel also sung in every group number he participated in.
- All his solos are sung with Vocal Adrenaline in the background.
- Main article: Jesse's Quotations
|New Directions
|Emma Pillsbury • Finn Hudson • Holly Holliday • Kurt Hummel • Rachel Berry • Sam Evans • Will Schuester
|Alistair • Jane Hayward • Madison McCarthy • Mason McCarthy • Myron Muskovitz • Spencer Porter
|Artie Abrams • Blaine Anderson • Brittany Pierce • Quinn Fabray • Finn Hudson • Kitty Wilde • Kurt Hummel • Mercedes Jones • Mike Chang • Noah Puckerman • Rachel Berry • Roderick Meeks • Sam Evans • Santana Lopez • Skylar • Tina Cohen-Chang • Unique Adams
|Former Members
|April Rhodes • Joe Hart • Jesse St. James • Lauren Zizes • Matt Rutherford • Rory Flanagan • Sugar Motta • Sunshine Corazon • Marley Rose • Jake Puckerman • Ryder Lynn
|New Directions Boys • New Directions Girls • Dalton Academy Warblers • Sue Sylvester • Dakota Stanley • Bassist • Drummer


text:
The Ticket to Heaven
"Is this heaven?" John Kinsella asks as he takes in the flawless baseball field.
I've experienced a similar scenario with speaking with players. When guys like Dustin Richardson and Michael Bowden are called up, they still remember me from spring training, and I think that really helps with the trust/comfort factor.


text:
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
recognizes the basic rights of disabled and older persons and the need to
remove any barriers that "may hinder their full and effective participation in
society on an equal basis with others". The European Commission has provided
European support to these fundamental rights by issuing in 2005 the standardisation
Mandate M/376 on 'Support of European accessibility requirements for public
procurement of products and services in the ICT domain'. The aim of this
mandate was to raise awareness of accessibility in the European market and
public organizations while fostering interoperability and harmonisation at EU
The three European Standards Organizations, CEN (the
European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (the European Committee for
Electrotechnical Standardization) and ETSI (The European Telecommunications
Standards Institute), have reacted to phase 2 of this Mandate by establishing a
Joint Working Group (JWG) on "eAccessibility" to provide a unified response.
During Phase I of Mandate M/376, which finished in 2009, national procurement
authorities acknowledged that they lacked the specialist human factors
knowledge necessary to include accessibility requirements in invitations to
tender for the public procurement of ICT products and services.
In order to tackle this issue, standardisation work during
Phase 2 of M/376 will have an objective to fill in the identified gaps with a
set of functional accessibility requirements. The expected outcome of this work
is a new European Standard that will include the functional accessibility
requirements applicable to all ICT products and services, intended to be used
for conformity assessment in procurement processes, as well as the development
of an electronic toolkit enabling procurers to make use of those harmonized
requirements in a procurement process.
The JWG appointed Dr. Matthias Schneider (NOKIA),
representing ETSI, as Chairman of the group, with Mrs Cristina
Rodriguez-Porrero (Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality) and
Mr Óscar Querol (AFME), representing CEN and CENELEC respectively, as
Vice-Chairmen. The secretariat is held by AENOR, the Spanish Association for
Standardization and Certification.
Participants of this JWG include national members from CEN
and CENELEC, and ETSI members. The European Commission and the European Free
Trade Association may also participate. It is foreseen that other stakeholders
will be invited to contribute, including representatives of the community of
disabled people (e.g. the European Disability Forum and other stakeholders such
as ANEC, the European consumer voice in standardization, etc.), as well as
international standards organizations and organizations representing other
regions of the world.
An ETSI Specialist Task Force (STF) and a CEN Project Team
(PT) will develop the deliverables of the Mandate.
The kick-off meeting of the JWG on eAccessibility took place
on 15 February 2011 in the CEN-CENELEC Meeting Centre in Brussels. The next
meeting is scheduled for 23 June 2011 and will be hosted at the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre in Brussels.


text:
In the first inning at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium Diego Martinez walked with one out. Richie Goodenow singled to center field. Both Martinez and Goodenow advanced on a passed ball setting the stage for Josh Chism's two-RBI single to up the middle.
"I thought it was going to be an offensive day and they shut us out the rest of the way," Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand said. "It is funny how this game goes sometimes. We were really hitting the ball well in Jacksonville and I thought we were trying to get back going with that in the first."
The Bisons only had three hits in the game with Kyle Henry adding a single in the fifth. Middle Tennessee State was held to five. Middle Tennessee State scored its only run in the fifth inning.
It was the third win in a row for the Bisons who are 10-15 overall. Middle Tennessee State, from the Sunbelt Conference, is 5-17. "Any time you win a game it gives you momentum," Forehand said. "We are going to take Wednesday off and come back Thursday and get ready for the weekend."
The last time the Bisons won a game with scoring two or fewer runs was on March 7, 2009 at Mercer.
Left-hander Chris Nunn evened his record at 2-2 with the win. He pitched 5.2 innings and allowed four hits. The run he gave up was unearned. He walked two and struck out three.
"Nunn gave us five good innings and I am satisfied with that," Forehand said. "Nunn has all of the potential in the world. Every time he seems to get deeper into a game and throws more strikes.
"We have to keep pushing him. He has weekend stuff. He just has to get mentally prepared every game. We are excited about him."
Gil Rehwinkel, Benjamin Johnson, Josh Cotham and Chad Fromm all threw out of the bullpen.
Fromm entered the game in the ninth inning after Cotham appeared to have an arm problem. Fromm pitched the rest of the way. He did not give up a hit and struck out one for his first save of the season.
"Fromm didn't have the best weekend in Jacksonville," Forehand said. "He is one of our best guys in the bullpen. We put him in twice in Jacksonville. His arm seemed slow. His body seemed slow. But you have to have a short memory and get it done."
Cotham was pitching a solid game when Fromm was called to the mound. It was unexpected, but relievers have to be ready for the unexpected.
"Josh picked me up this weekend, so it felt nice to give it back to him," Fromm said. "I told all of the guys I was fired up because I really needed this one.
"I felt like I needed it mentally. Cotham was pitching great and he has been doing a great job the past two or three weeks. It was a little unexpected that I got to pitch, but when you are in the bullpen you have to expect to go into the game. If you don't you will have a mental lapse and I have been in that situation too many times."
The Bisons are home this weekend for a three-game A-Sun series with North Florida. Game time Friday is at 6. Saturday's game starts at 2 and Sunday's game begins at 1.
Written by Mark McGee, Senior Publisher/Director of Media Relations.