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This is a story that spans the continents, and is spreading. The recent occupation of Gezi park in Istanbul and the ripples it has had throughout 48 cities in Turkey is filling a political space that exists between Occupy and the Arab Spring; linking them like the bridges of Istanbul that span the continents. This week we have seen the violent repression of expression that marks the fine line between democracy and dictatorship, the domination of private financial interests over the common good. We are learning each year that all of our grievances are connected.
A single tree, in a small park, in the crossroads of the world. It began.
Power is a rebel force, and here in Turkey the prime minister, Erdogan, is armed with the conviction of a religious man who has been elected. He has recently passed a series of deeply unpopular but tolerated laws. He pushed his people into a corner, and has kept pushing. Like many leaders, he is acting as if the national power is his, because the millions of people in this representational democracy had given their power to him. He has played their power like a violin – so loud he couldn't hear there wasn't any applause, and so long he didn't notice the rest of the orchestra had dropped out. Maybe he is afraid of what could happen in that silence.
Saturday night the silence was filled. From any open window you heard the people playing their pots and pans as if these utensils were finally freed to be the joyful instruments they had always wanted to be – singing their metal hymns for a good life. This is that sound that comes to fill the silence. People who had nothing in their hands used their hands, and sat leaning clapping from car windows and in crowds. The people had retaken the park, and it was Saturday night, so there would be too many people tonight to do what they had been doing the past nights. Saturday night felt like a celebration, in some places.
In other places the violence was still building like friction in any unoiled machine. Violence was encouraged by Erdogan himself, who broken the media blackout and had gone on TV and asked his supporters to personally stop 'the terrorists', who he claimed were a marginal group of radicals. A friend had seen teenagers attack a group of students because they were carrying gas masks. Erdogan is mixing strong forces, concocting dangerous politics in an earthquake zone.
These stories I share were told to me by a friend who noticed he was still trembling to speak of them. He arrived late, because he had been teargassed again, and so had to shower the chemicals from him. He told me these stories, recounting like legends in days of this same week. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Today.
Wednesday. It started with machines. The supreme court had ruled that Gezi, the last green space in the center of this sprawling megalopolis, would not be razed to make way for a new shopping center. The rogue prime minister sent the excavators anyway, but by the time they had ripped out the first of the trees, some 20 or 50 people had gathered. Some hugged the trees (perhaps the most pacifist of all possible acts), others tied themselves to the trees. They set up tents, read to the police and shared food. They called it Occupy Gezi.
Thursday. At 4am the police came and filled the air with teargas. They didn't fire the metal canisters at the ground, they fired it at the people, at their faces, smashing holes in skulls. They burned down their tents. They kicked people from the trees they held on to. The police expected to have the park cleared by morning, but by morning 5,000 people were there. A line had been crossed – if people are not allowed to peacefully demonstrate what they believe in, and if their expression is met with such brutality, then this is not a democracy. And if one is obedient, silent or waits in hopes it will pass, than power is the only one who has freedom.
Friday. These days were battles of bravery and violence. The police surrounded the park, attacked, and refused to let anyone leave; later they wouldn't let anyone enter. Water cannons threw people off their feet and onto their thin necks, batons cracked skulls of anyone within range, the teargas canisters littered the ground like confetti. Police fired gas into residential buildings that were helping the wounded and housing those hiding from the acid smoke. Police fired gas into a Starbucks full of people and into the Hilton Hotel. Every photograph from these days is wrapped in that tyrannical gas.
Violence vs kindness
But opposites attract, and the people who lived in the area began to leave out baskets of lemons to help soothe teargas. Old ladies lowered baskets of food from their windows by rope to support the people below – doing what they could to support those doing what they could not. Restaurants left bags of food outside their windows. The state's violence was countered by the people's kindness. Lovers led their gas-blinded lover through the smoke-filled streets to safety; strangers did the same.
Turkish flags with their floating moon and star sprang up everywhere, and the bridge that you cannot walk across was filled with 40,000 people walking in the space between two continents. What was 50 people in tents became 5,000, became the more than a hundred thousand that surrounded the park until they so outnumbered the police that they were let back into it, and the shade of the trees that were still standing.
Today. In this small park, a great many conflicts are colliding. There is the tree that started this, and the fight for the rights of nature against the cold machinery of progress. There is the fight to protect the commons: to save one of the few public spaces that still exist from its transformation into a private space dedicated to the production of personal capital. There is the issue of democracy: that the people have the right to speak out, and the necessity to be heard by those they have empowered. This is history, after all, and people know that if they cannot speak their mind then it is not their story.
This is no longer a story about a tree, a park, a politics or a cause. It is a story of a people, all over, knowing that they are standing on the global frontline of history. It is not a struggle to change the story, it's the struggle to be allowed to write it.
Tomorrow. No one knows what will happen in the coming days, but some of that will be determined by us. We need to make sure the world is watching the trees and people of Gezi square, and that Erdogan knows we are watching. Where do you draw the line?
Kevin Buckland is on Twitter: @change_of_art
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Connor Beaton reviews Daniel Finn's account of the politics and personalities which drove the IRA
The BBC hit drama shows the complexities of class mobility, but can't avoid class and gender stereotypes, says Frances Hatherley
In the midst of the pandemic, we are reconsidering what 'care work' entails. It's time to demand a radically more caring world – towards both people and planet, say Andreas Chatzidakis and Lynne Segal
With all eyes on the global pandemic, Poland's ruling party is trying to limit women's rights and extend power. Marzena Zukowska reports
The Scottish struggle for independence is one of several issues at the centre of debates over where power in the United Kingdom should be located, writes Isobel Lindsey
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been betrayed by the US, giving the Turkish state a green light to carry out atrocities in Northern Syria, writes Amber Huff and Patrick Huff


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UnNews:Christmas week Mime arrests up
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
6 January 2010
LOS ANGELES, California -- More than 1,400 Mimes were arrested for miming during a week-long crackdown that ran through the holiday weekend, authorities reported.
Between December 18 and 26, there were 1,424 reported mime arrests, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Annoying Perpetrator Division, a California Special Programs Department subdivision found in more than 40 counties. Last year, 1,416 arrests were made during the same period.
"With all the Christmas parties and holiday jail parties going on, a lot of people are out drinking and miming" said Stuart Marcel Fratkin, the local coordinator for the department. "It's amazing how the stats go up around Christmas."
"The crackdown will continue through the New Year's holiday weekend", Fratkin said. In 2008, more than 400 mime arrests were made on New Year's Eve.
- Nummy Candy "No mimes! Please!". Fort Worth Gossip, January 6, 2010

subset: commoncrawl


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Do First Impressions Last?
>> Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Read more...
I received this message from my former mentor and manager when I was still working my butt off in the corporate world. It's got something to do with our anatomy and laminins and how amazing God really is! I just thought it worth sharing here.
A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY!
I want to share what I learned.... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire, Etc. Etc.
Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know)... And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking... 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart.. how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin.
Here is how Wikipedia describes them:
'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.'
You see... Laminins are what hold us together.. LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE. But now I do.
And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it...
If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together..... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross.
Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.
'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth,visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER.' (Colossians 1:15-17)
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words.
And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross.
You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed
his first breath!!
Tomorrow, we will be going on a trip to Bamberg, a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is known as one of the few cities in Germany which was not destroyed during the World War II bombings because of the nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from getting near to Bamberg. Our purpose for going there is to join the Filipino community in the celebration of the Santacruzan, an old Filipino Catholic tradition to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Perhaps we could also go on a little sightseeing around the area if time permits because it boasts of beautiful churches and old architecture. And maybe a little einkaufen (shopping) at Mohren Haus, the house of beautiful things.
I am just amazed at how perfect God's timing is. He has always worked in ways when you least expect it. And I am just thankful because He has answered our prayers yet again. Even if we sometimes fail to give thanks and praise, His love is steadfast. Even if we stumble and fall, He still leads us back to the right path. Even if we sometimes become too comfortable with our lives and forget that all these came from him, He didn't stop providing for us. I am writing this in testimony that indeed, with God, nothing is impossible. He always works in ways that we never thought possible. And when God works, it's always for the BEST.
Shame on me who sometimes doubts whether things can be done or not. God has yet again knocked in my heart, making me realize that for as long as put our entire faith in Him, nothing is possible. There will always be a way. God will make a way. He is the way.
This week's theme for Couple's Corner is Meet Our Fathers in honor of our fathers.
When Hubby came home from work yesterday, he told me that his boss talked to him about his career options within the company. Because he is on an international assignment, much of the discussion was focused on what his training design would he should he decide to stay or should he decide to go back to Japan after his assignment contract.
He was sharing me this because he wanted me think it over in the next few days what I want and where I really want to settle down. Here in Germany or back in Japan... There are lots of pros and cons to consider on both sides and I know that I should weigh them all out well.
We had a good life in Japan... Although it was filled with challenges on my part because I never really got to learn the language, it is where we really toughed it out and where it all began for us as a family. We have friends who have become dear to us and we immensely miss them. There are also lots of conveniences that we missed while in Japan: the Sunday shopping, the fresh seafood, its geographical location.
Our present location also afforded us with lots of benefits because we are on assignment. Should we decide to stay for good, all the benefits of being on international assignment will be removed. No more company paid rent, no more free annual home trips. And because our present abode is furnished, we would need to purchase home furniture and move to a smaller and cheaper place once the assignment contract ends. Germany is also very, very far from the Philippines. The good thing about living here though is that this is where our child grew up. She has found some friends and she will also be starting school soon. I also had the opportunity to study the language and to go back to school. We also have regular meet ups with the Catholic Filipino community here so that our adjustment became easier.
I am writing this all down so that when I think again, I will have this for reference as I tend to forget things. We wouldn't want to regret our decision later because that would only make our staying or going unhappy.
Whatever decision we may come up, I hope that it will be what's best for the family.
So, what do you think? What have you got to say? Should we stay or should we go?
It is already the first weekend of the month. I hope that everyone has a good one, spent with family and friends. As for me and my family, it's going to be the usual weekend where we just relax and spend time together. No special trips this weekend though, we are saving that up on the third week because we are expecting friends over the weekend. I wonder where we're going to take them... Hmmm... But we are going out later for our monthly prayer meeting for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
My hands are full today but I am feeling restless. And when I feel restless, I know that I have to stay still for a few minutes and quiet down. My little red book entitled Hearts On Fire (Praying with the Jesuits) has always been handy in moments like this.
While browsing through the pages of this beloved book, I coincidentally chanced upon this prayer by Leo Rock, SJ. A lovely prayer that talks about how man kills time.
I have decided to officially write my Couple's Corner entries in this blog beginning this month. And I know that I am late yet again so I will get the ball rolling.
I am lucky to be living in a Catholic state here in Germany because I am able to practice my belief / religion freely. But did I tell you that the state imposes religious tax? I think you have to pay 3% of your net income for religious tax. This is probably the reason why many people here have chosen to declare themselves atheists. But whether one pays religious taxes or not, one is still welcome to join the services or Gottesdienst. The church doors are always open for everyone. However, if you want to have your child baptized or confirmed or have their first communion, I think that is the time when you really need to pay your taxes.
But anyway, we just celebrated the Pentecost, the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. The church thinks of the Pentecost as the birth of the church. On Thursday, June 3rd is another Catholic celebration: the Fronleichnam or Corpus Christi, where we honor the Holy Eucharist. That means, it is going to be another public holiday in most of the German states. I consider that Eucharist as an important aspect of my Catholic life because through it, I am in communion with God as I partake of the bread and wine. As Catholics, we see to it that we hear mass and take part in the Eucharist every Sunday. With the service done in German, it is quite difficult to focus. But a priest friend once told us that even if you do not understand everything that the priest is saying during the service, you still receive grace. And that is what matters.
I hope everyone has a beautiful month of June! May you all be blessed.
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In the spring of 2007, I planted hazelnut trees on the north border of my garden. Last fall, a short four years later, I began to harvest the nuts. Not all the trees were bearing, but enough were so that I could enjoy a nice harvest and work out the details of what to do with them. There may be a slight difference between hazelnuts and filberts. One source referred to the varieties native to the U.S. as hazelnuts and the European varieties as filberts, however I've seen the words used interchangeably. For clarity, I'll just refer to them all as hazelnuts and specify if I mean American or European varieties. I have seventeen trees each planted 4 feet apart. The nuts grow in clusters on the trees, as shown in the photo. It was exciting to watch them develop over the summer. I had heard that squirrels often take them, so I watched carefully into September. I didn't want them to fall to the ground because I was afraid I would lose them. As the clusters dried on the tree I pulled them off. If they needed further drying I put them in the solar dryers. The harvest began October 9. At first I stored them in baskets in a cool room in the house. Having them in clusters insured that there would be some air circulation. Eventually I got around to threshing them out of the clusters by putting them in a pillowcase and hitting it with a stick. I use that same procedure to separate dried beans from their hulls. After threshing I stored some hazelnuts in a crock-type "cookie jar" in my pantry. (It came to my kitchen second-hand and actually says "Cookies" on it.) The rest were put into a pillowcase and hung in the barn to keep safe from mice.
The nuts still need to be shelled before eating. These hazelnuts are smaller than the shelled nuts you will find in the health food store. In fact, they were too small to use with a regular nut cracker, so I resorted to using a hammer to crack them open. That worked, but often I hit too hard and also smashed the nutmeat. My solution was to use vice-grips (locking pliers). I could set the screw on the end of the handle so that the pliers would close to just the right space, cracking the shell but not the nutmeat. At first I borrowed the vice grips from our workshop, even though they were a little big for the job. Santa brought me a smaller pair that I keep in the kitchen and are dedicated hazelnut crackers. From the photo you can see that some nuts are much larger than others. The trees with the largest nuts seemed to have fewer clusters. There were anywhere from 2-9 nuts in a cluster. The largest nuts were in the clusters containing 2-5 nuts.
My trees are American hazelnuts, Corylus americana, which are native to the Eastern U.S. and Canada. Of the hazelnuts you find in the stores, 99% are grown in Oregon and are European varieties. European hazelnuts are not quite as hardy as C. americana, but produce larger nuts. They grow well in the Pacific Northwest where they were thought to be safe from the eastern filbert blight…..until they weren't. Eastern filbert blight is now in the western states. As a result, Oregon State University has bred some European hazelnuts that are resistant to blight. Rutgers University also has a breeding program for resistant varieties, hoping to bring commercial hazelnut production to the eastern states.
Eastern filbert blight is not a problem with C. americana. I bought my hazelnuts as seedling trees from the Virginia Department of Forestry, however, a quick online check shows they don't offer them anymore. Yes, some of the nuts were quite small, but some are fairly large. All are tasty. According to my favorite garden book, How To Grow Fruits and Vegetables by the Organic Method, edited by J.I. Rodale, if you find a native hazelnut tree in the wild that produces large nuts, dig the suckers and grow them out in your garden. If you have one that you would like to propagate, and not go digging around, you can just bend the sucker to the ground. Peg it there or put a rock on it, leaving a few inches of the tip sticking out. Roots will grow and the following year you can dig that new plant to put elsewhere. It will have the characteristics of the parent plant. You can also propagate by planting the nuts. That method will give you about a 70% chance of having the same characteristics as the parent. I think I will pay attention and try my hand at propagating my more desirable trees by layering the suckers.
Although you will find both male and female flowers on the same tree, hazelnuts are not self-fertile, so you need to plant at least two trees within 50 ft. of each other for wind pollination. The male flowers are actually catkins that are more noticeable hanging from the branches. The female flowers are tiny and can be found growing right along the branch. You can see both in the photo. Some varieties of hazelnuts are designated as producers and some are pollinators. The pollinators will produce nuts, just not as many as the producers.
I chose hazelnuts for my garden border because I wanted something taller than garden plants for a north windbreak. I would have considered putting grapevines there, but it is a wetter area and grapes need a dry spot. What I read at the time indicated that hazelnuts could stand the wet soil, however in doing research for this post, everything I see says they need a well-drained spot. They seem to be doing well in my garden and we've had a wet year. I used closer spacing because I was going for a hedgerow. Orchard plantings, of course, would be further apart.
In permaculture we always think of plantings that can fill multiple niches. Hazelnuts naturally grow as a shrub with multiple stems. As they age, more suckers come. I assume that I will eventually have to prune some of them out. That will provide basket-making material and fuel for my rocket stove. Nuts to eat, baskets, fuel, a nice looking border, and a windbreak all from one planting! Apparently hazelnuts can be pruned to tree form from the beginning, rather than having multiple stemmed shrubs. You would have to clip out the suckers when they are dormant early on in the life of the tree. One internet source I read mentioned spraying the suckers with herbicide! I'd rather learn to manage the hazelnuts as they naturally grow and find uses for extra suckers/stems. In commercial production the tree form is more desirable because it makes machine harvesting easier. They let the nuts fall to the ground and pick them up with their machines. That means they need a clean orchard floor. I don't even want to think about how they control the vegetation under the trees for the harvesting to go smoothly. The American hazelnuts, which grow to about 10 ft., are a little shorter than the European varieties. Mint, clover, and grass grow under my trees. If the nuts fell to the ground, I would have to go searching for them, unless I kept that area mulched, or put out tarps or old sheets. The nuts are actually mature before they fall out of the clusters and I found that it was easy to harvest the clusters on the tree as they ripened. I wonder if easily falling out of the clusters is a desirable trait in the commercial varieties. I would think so, although not a good trait in my garden.
I hope you add hazelnuts to your permaculture garden. They are quick to mature, a good addition to your diet, and provide materials for other projects. My next post on April 3 will be about my Homegrown Fridays this year which have included my own hazelnuts.


text: Stylish and modern dress shoe from Ecco. Full grain leather uppers. Dual elastic goring for easy on and off. Textile lining for ventilation and odor control. Glued-in leather footbed with ECCO Comfort Fibre System, provides support for all day wear. Direct injected, one component PU outsole is durable and shock absorbent. Comfort shank technology. Highly breathable and moisture absorbent lining. Airport friendly.


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Case to test reach of immunity for state doctors
Friday, January 18, 2013
Georgia Law was featured in the Daily Report regarding a medical malpractice case that was heard by the Supreme Court of Georgia in the school's Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom as part of a special session of the court during January. The article was written by Alyson M. Palmer and appeared on 1/16/13.
Related article: Top Georgia court to decide whether medical school faculty members are liable for malpractice in The Augusta Chronicle by Walter C. Jones on 1/17/13.


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This page contains a list of corrections to be made in the next printing of the book. If you have suggestions for changes or find errors in the text, feel free open a bug with a report of the problem, post a message in the User Notes section on the chapter pages, or send a message to the firstname.lastname@example.com mailing list.
Note: All errors in the text and examples are shown in red and all corrections are shown in blue.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Appendix A


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(Photo: Gulnara Studio. Gabrielle Bridal Illustration: Brooke Hagel)The first blond bombshell here was given her custom bridal illustration as a surprise present from our mutual friend. The lace bustier and satin mermaid skirt is actually the first custom bride I've been commissioned to draw wearing separates and I think its such a striking look!
(Photo & Sari Bridal Illustration: Brooke Hagel)The next bride is my beautiful bohemian cousin in a head-to-hem opened back lace gown. After attending her wedding last summer I couldn't wait to get work drawing her. The wow factor for me was her beautiful hair, which was worn in such a editorial/high-fashion style with a beaded headpiece and loose tendrils. She also carried a voluminous wild flower bouquet that I loved incorporating into the illustration, which normally I avoid, but this one just enhanced her whole boho bridal look.
(Ariel Bride Illustration: Brooke Hagel)Last but not least is another friend that gifted the illustration as a wedding present. She however opted to give a gift certificate the day of the wedding (for a custom illustration) so I could then work directly with the bride throughout the design process. Her slinky silk gown with delicate floral embellishments was ideal for her long lean figure and the beach destination wedding.
To get started on a custom bridal illustration, read more about my process or to give one as a gift to a special bride in your life, check out the custom listings in Brooklit Bride or click here if you'd like to give a gift certificate for a custom illustration.


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We are getting involved into new project which will start from scratch.
We will be using Struts 1.2 or 1.3
front end : jsp, javascript, jquery, xml.
back end : db2
We need to design the flow i.e architecture of new application.
I have used struts framework, but never got involved in designing one.
Can any one please let me know if there is any book or web page which would help me in designing one?
Or can anyone please let me know which is the better approach or flow of the application?
Thanks in advance,


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3D Jewelry Nail Stickers add a tasteful touch to your nails. This new type of nail stickers designed to be applied with ease.
1. Clean the nails surface with soap and dry it well.
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3. Gently press down the selected design on your dry polished nail.
4. Apply top coat to seal the design.
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|Dean Thomas
|Biographical information
|Blood status
|Physical information
|Hair colour
|Eye colour
|Skin colour
|Family information
|Family members
|Magical characteristics
A severed hand walking on its own[2]
- "We're fighting, aren't we? The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though..."
- —Dean before the Battle of Hogwarts[src]
Dean Thomas was a half-blood wizard, the son of a wizard and a Muggle.[1] His father left his mother when he was young, and his mother married another man, giving Dean several half-siblings.[1] Dean grew up thinking he was Muggle-born, because his father never told his mother that he was a wizard, and was eventually murdered by Death Eaters when he refused to join them.[1] Dean was a Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, played as a Chaser for their Quidditch team for a time.
In his fifth year, he joined Dumbledore's Army, an organisation founded and led by Harry Potter. He was also the best friend of Seamus Finnigan, and dated Ginny Weasley for a time. Dean, although a half-blood, could not prove that he had any wizarding heritage, and was therefore in danger when Lord Voldemort took control of the Ministry of Magic in 1997. Dean was forced to go on the run to avoid arrest and imprisonment by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, missing his seventh year of schooling. He was eventually captured by Snatchers, but escaped Malfoy Manor along with several other prisoners and soon returned to Hogwarts to participate in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War.
Early lifeEdit
Dean is the son of a wizard father and a Muggle mother, though he believed he was Muggle-born when he went to Hogwarts.[1] His father left when Dean was very young, never telling his wife that he was a wizard, out of the belief that not knowing the truth would protect her and their son from the potential dangers of the First Wizarding War.[1] Dean's father was later killed by a group of Death Eaters when he refused to join them.[1]
Dean's mother later remarried a Muggle, Mr. Thomas, who raised Dean as his own son.[1] Dean lived with several half-siblings, who are implied to all be female, in London.[1][3] He had a "very happy home life."[1] He was a supporter of the West Ham football team, and was very artistic and showed off his talent throughout his school career. All of Dean's half-siblings were non-magical.
Education at HogwartsEdit
First yearEdit
The arrival of a letter for Dean from Hogwarts caused Mrs. Thomas to suspect that Dean's biological father may have been a wizard, which he was. However, she never had proof of this, and so Dean was believed to be Muggle-born.[1] Dean started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1991 and during the Welcoming Feast he was Sorted into the house of Gryffindor, where he met with fellow Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan. Dean shared a dormitory with Seamus who soon became his best friend, as well as Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, with whom he later became good friends.[4] Due to his muggle upbringing, Dean, like Harry, was not a supporter of Quidditch as he had never heard of the sport (though he would eventually become quite a skilled player, filling in for Katie Bell in his sixth year). However, he hung a West Ham football team poster above his bed, much to the bemusement of Ron, who could not believe Dean would find a game with only one ball, two goals, and where no one was allowed to fly, interesting, prodding the poster in an attempt to get the football players to move.
Dean, being artistic, drew a banner entitled "Potter for President" for his dormmate Harry Potter during the latter's first Quidditch match. The poster pictured a realistically painted Gryffindor lion that, due to Hermione Granger's enchantment, changed colours throughout the game. When Harry was fouled by Marcus Flint, Dean demanded that the referee send Flint off (with a Red Card), and Ron Weasley explained that in Quidditch that does not happen, which Dean, having a Muggle upbringing, was unaware of.
Second yearEdit
- Parvati: "But, Professor, you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-"
- Binns: "Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic, doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather, I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore-"
- Dean: "But maybe you've got be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't-"
- — Dean Thomas correctly speculates about the Chamber of Secrets[src]
In his second year, Dean Thomas joined the Duelling Club, a precautional club taught by Gilderoy Lockhart in an attempt to train students in battle against any possible danger that may be lurking around Hogwarts. He among other students shared their speculation about the Chamber of Secrets and what might be inside and how to get in. Dean is about to make a correct speculation but Professor Binns cuts him short before he can finish. Dean was believed to be at risk of being attacked as he was a presumed Muggle-born and Muggle-born students were being attacked through the year.
Third yearEdit
In Dean's third year, he would have been now allowed to visit the village of Hogsmeade, and he expressed positive interest in the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher Rubeus Hagrid as he always got on with him. However, in their first lesson when Hagrid introduced the class to a Hippogriff named Buckbeak, Dean stepped back and showed fear when Hagrid asked for a volunteer to pet him. Also in this year Dean would take on the subject Divination and was, along with Lavender Brown, one of the few students in their class unfamiliar with the Grim[5]. That year, Hogwarts became under the protection of Dementors following the hysteria surrounding the Azkaban escape by Sirius Black.
Fourth yearEdit
During Dean's fourth year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament, and his friend, Harry Potter had qualified as an underaged champion. This was against tournament rules, so Harry was not the popular choice for Hogwarts representative, and instead most support was given to Cedric Diggory by Dean's peers. However Dean supported Harry throughout the course of the tournament, and was loyal to his friend.
Dean would also be allowed to attend the Yule Ball as part of the tournament traditions. He commented that Harry and Ron were lucky to get the prettiest girls in the year as their dates, twin sisters Parvati and Padma Patil; it is unknown who Dean attended the dance with, as his best friend Seamus Finnigan was going with Lavender Brown and Neville was going with Ginny Weasley.
Later on in the tournament, after Ron Weasley had forgiven Harry, Dean also seemed to be more supportive. After the third and final task, Harry returned back to Hogwarts with Cedric Diggory's dead body, and he said that Lord Voldemort was at large again. Albus Dumbledore took this information and at the end of the year he gathered students for a Memorial Feast to Cedric Diggory in which he told them about the events that took place during the third task.
Fifth yearEdit
- Dean: "It's like Harry said, isn't it? If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free."
- Umbridge: "I repeat, do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"
- — Dean Thomas argues with Umbridge[src]
During Dean's fifth year, Dolores Umbridge was appointed to Hogwarts school to act as the "eyes of the Minister." Dolores Umbridge did not get along well with Dean; during her first lesson they argued openly about their opinions on the teaching methods at Hogwarts. She called Remus Lupin a "dangerous half-breed," which caused Dean to jump in to his defence, claiming that he was the best teacher he ever had, and commenting in response to Umbridge's comments that her predecessor had actually performed curses on them that the man in question had "turned out to be a maniac", although he noted that they had still learned a great deal. He also was very supportive of Harry's claims that Voldemort had returned.
She eventually caused an uproar amongst the students, and when it came time to fight back, Dean was one of the first to arrive for the inaugural meeting of the group that became Dumbledore's Army in 1995, and his support for his friends does not appear to have faltered, even though Seamus, his best friend, initially believed the smear campaign the Daily Prophet launched against Harry and Albus Dumbledore over their claims that Lord Voldemort had returned.
Also that year, Dean accidentally insulted his new Divination teacher, Firenze, after Umbridge sacked Sybill Trelawney. Firenze was telling Dean that he had been banished by his herd living in the Forbidden Forest and Dean was excited to discover there were more centaurs around the school grounds and asked him if Hagrid was breeding them. Firenze told Dean that centaurs were their own race and had little to do with humans and did not require their help to breed, which caused Dean to become extremely embarrassed.
During his fifth year, Dean took his O.W.L. exams, and after he finished, he was pleased to hear that the results would not arrive until sometime in July, meaning he did not have to worry about them until the middle of the school holidays. Later in the year, Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad would discover the D.A. and the meeting would end for the year. Some time around the end of his fifth year, Dean became romantically involved with Ginny Weasley[6] and the two continued dating well into his sixth year.
Sixth yearEdit
- Ron: "Just choose someone - better - next time."
- Ginny: "Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?"
- — Ginny announces her relationship to her brother.[src]
In his sixth year, Dean replaced Katie Bell as the Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team after she was hospitalised for touching a cursed necklace. At first, Dean's relationship with Ginny which continued into his sixth year seemed to be strong, as the couple spent a lot of time together, in spite of her brother's disapproval, but their relationship started to spiral downwards. Ginny had started re-developing a crush on Harry Potter (like she did in her first year at school) and she soon became angry with Dean after he laughed when Harry was hit by a Bludger during a Quidditch game. As a result, Dean became overly solicitous with her, trying not to provoke another argument, to keep their relationship going, which increasingly annoyed Ginny.
According to Hermione Granger, when Harry bumped into Ginny while under his Invisibility Cloak and under the influence of Felix Felicis, Ginny believed that it was Dean who kept trying to help her through the portrait hole, and the two argued over it. Dean stuck to his grounds, saying he did not help her through and Ginny ended their relationship. Dean was shocked at the insensitivity of his friend, Harry, when this happened. Harry and Ginny shared a kiss at a Quidditch party soon after he broke up with her, and Dean broke his glass in astonishment that his room-mate and ex-girlfriend would start a romance so soon. Despite this, Dean shared no hate to either Ginny or Harry for their relationship; he was just hurt they would do such a thing so shortly after he was dumped.
The same year was also the year that the headmaster of Hogwarts school, Albus Dumbledore was killed. Dean Thomas attended his funeral with his best friend Seamus Finnigan after Seamus had rowed rather publicly with his mother to allow him to stay for the ceremony. This would be the last year Dean attended education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the following year he would not return for his own safety. [7]
Second Wizarding WarEdit
Life on the runEdit
- "I know Harry Potter. And I reckon he's the real thing — the Chosen One, or whatever you want to call it."
- —Dean to his fellow fugitives whilst on the run[src]
Dean's presumed Muggle-born status put him on the run from the Ministry of Magic in 1997, when it fell under the control of Lord Voldemort and began rounding up Muggle-born wizards and witches, imprisoning them in Azkaban for allegedly stealing magic. This also meant he couldn't return to study his final year of education at Hogwarts as they now had a strict no-muggle-born policy under the influence of new headmaster, Severus Snape.
- Dean: "I really do think that Harry Potter..."
- Griphook: "Harry Potter, Harry Potter, I'm starting to get sick of your Potter talk!"
- Dean: "Alright, but I do think he's our only hope y'know, where are we heading to now?"
- — Dean and Griphook talking as they are on the run.[src]
At some point whilst on the run Dean met Ted Tonks, father of Order of the Phoenix member Nymphadora Tonks, and traveled with him, later joining a group of fellow runaways — Muggle-born wizard Dirk Cresswell, and Goblins Griphook and Gornuk. The group stuck together and camped in different areas in an attempt to mislead any trails they may have left. At one point whilst on the run Dean travelled alone with Griphook, Most likely after the others were killed. Dean and Griphook often shared conversations about Harry Potter, Dean fully supporting Harry in his quest and Griphook somewhat doubtful and occasionally finding the mentioning of Harry's name tedious. One evening they were overheard by Harry, Hermione and Ron who where also in hiding; Dean expressed his worry at hearing that his former girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, had gotten into trouble back at Hogwarts, as well as the belief that Harry was fighting Voldemort.
Captured by SnatchersEdit
- Harry: "Shh, I can hear someone!"
- Dean: "(To Griphook) We're going to walk into Snatchers if we carry on like this"
- Hermione: "That sounds like Dean Thomas, but what's he doing out here?"
- — The trio over hear Dean talking to Griphook shortly before their capture.[src]
Later, the group of fugitives were found by a group of Snatchers that was led by Fenrir Greyback. Dean and Griphook were the only survivors of the violent capture. Around the same time, Harry Potter triggered the Taboo curse on Voldemort's name, alerting the Snatchers to his location. Ron and Hermione were also captured, as they were with him, and the prisoners were all brought to Malfoy Manor, Death Eater headquarters. All of them but Hermione — who was tortured with the Cruciatus Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange — were imprisoned in the dungeons in the basement, where Luna Lovegood and Mr. Ollivander were already held. Luna had an old nail and used this to cut the ropes binding the group loose and she greeted Dean in a friendly manner. Held down in the basement of Malfoy Manor, the group had to listen helplessly as they overheard Hermione being tortured for information on the levels above.
Rescued by DobbyEdit
- Luna Lovegood: "Harry, we want to help you!"
- Dean Thomas: "We can't leave you here!"
- — Luna and Dean reluctantly leave Harry at Malfoy Manor.[src]
However, the group was soon rescued by Dobby the house-elf, who was fatally injured shortly after successfully transporting them to the home of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, Shell Cottage. Dean helped Harry and Ron dig a grave for Dobby by hand to show gratitude, rather than do it with magic. Dean placed a wooly hat on top of Dobby, to represent that Dobby was a free elf. At the funeral, Dean expressed his thanks to the elf for rescuing them.
Dean spent the next few months of hiding at Shell Cottage with Luna, Griphook and the trio. During this time, Dean and Luna seemed to grow close, despite Dean's bemusement at some of the comments she would make. Mr. Ollivander was able to make Luna a new wand, but Dean was left without one. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all using wands they had taken at Malfoy Manor, and soon left the cottage with Griphook to break in to Gringotts Wizarding Bank.[8]
Battle of HogwartsEdit
- "You haven't got a wand -?!"
- —Seamus reacting to his friend offering to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts without a wand.[src]
Later lifeEdit
Dean survived to witness Harry's final defeat of Lord Voldemort and the end of the Second Wizarding War. Not much is known of his later life.
Physical appearanceEdit
Dean's physical description tells him to have dark hair and dark skin and to be even taller than Ron Weasley[9].
Personality and traitsEdit
- Umbridge: "You have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention, extremely dangerous half-breeds."
- Dean: "If you mean Professor Lupin, he was the best we ever-"
- Umbridge: "Hand, Mr Thomas! As I was saying - you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal."
- — Dean Thomas argues with Umbridge over her being prejudiced[src]
Dean is very non-prejudiced, so much that when Dolores Umbridge remarked that Remus Lupin was a "filthy half-breed", he jumped in for his defence. Dean was generally an easy-going and good-natured person, able to get along well with many people. For example, he never displayed any anger towards Harry Potter in their sixth year, despite being upset when Harry began dating his ex-girlfriend Ginny Weasley shortly after their break-up[7]. He also easily established a friendship with Luna Lovegood, whom many would consider strange.[8] Dean was also brave and loyal; he was eager to participate in the defence of his school against Death Eaters, despite not even having a wand[8], and never lost his faith in Harry Potter, believing him when he claimed that Lord Voldemort had returned[6], and keeping faith that he would eventually defeat the Dark Lord.
Dean also appeared to be "good with a quill", as in his first year, he drew a "large Gryffindor lion" for the Gryffindor's first quidditch match of the year, and on a "Potter for President" banner he had crafted with the help of Hermione, Neville, Ron and Seamus[4]. In his third year, when Harry was not allowed to go to Hogsmeade because Uncle Vernon had not signed his permission slip, Dean offered to forge Uncle Vernon's signature (Although Hermione pointed out that this offer was pointless from the beginning as Harry had already told the staff that he didn't have a form)[5]. In his fourth year, after Harry completed the Triwizard Tournament's first task, he drew several banners in commemoration, depicting Harry evading the Horntail and some with Cedric Diggory with his head on fire.
Magical abilities and skillsEdit
- Duellist: Dean proved himself in duelling as he held his own against Antonin Dolohov who was a very skilled Death Eater.
- Magical skills: The extent of Dean's skills is mostly unknown, but it can be assumed that he is competent in using magic as he doesn't have to be corrected often during class. As a member of Dumbledore's Army it can be assumed he is skilled in Defence Against the Dark Arts.
- Flying skills: Dean is also a fairly skilled Chaser, as he was Harry's first choice to replace first Katie Bell (who had been cursed) in the match against Slytherin, and then Ginny Weasley (who was substituting as Seeker) in the final match against Ravenclaw.
- Dirk Cresswell: "Muggle-born, eh?"
- Dean: "Not sure. My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I've got no proof he was a wizard, though."
- — Dirk Cresswell and Dean in 1997.[src]
Little is known about Dean's relationship with his family. His biological father was a wizard who walked out on his Muggle wife and infant son in order to protect them from the Death Eaters. He never told his wife that he was a wizard, and was soon after killed by the Death Eaters when he refused to join their cause. Dean's mother married again a muggle, who raised Dean as if he was his own son. Dean also had several half-siblings, through his stepfather.
Seamus FinniganEdit
Dean grew close to Seamus Finnigan, one of his dormmates, during their first year at Hogwarts, and the two remained best friends throughout their school years. The two were often seen together at school, and Dean attended the Quidditch World Cup with Seamus and his mother in 1994. Seamus initially believed the smear campaign the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet ran against Harry Potter when he claimed that Voldemort had returned, but this does not appear to have affected his friendship with Dean, who did believe Harry and who eventually managed to get Seamus to attend the final D.A. meeting of the year.[6]
Seamus was also displeased when Dean was chosen as the replacement Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team over him when Katie Bell was injured, but again, the two still remained best friends.[7] Since Dean could not return to Hogwarts for his final year, the two did not see each other for some time, and they missed each other greatly. When Dean eventually did return to Hogwarts in 1998 to fight in the final battle, Seamus was ecstatic to see him, and ran to hug him.[8]
Ginny WeasleyEdit
Dean started dating Ginny Weasley around the end of his fifth year[6]. Ginny's brother and Dean's roommate Ron disapproved of the romance, as demonstrated by his furious reaction to stumbling upon the couple kissing passionately in a deserted hallway. They appeared to be very close at first, but, according to Ginny's friend Hermione Granger, things began to get rocky as Ginny became displeased with Dean for what she perceived as over-protectiveness, as Dean constantly tried to assist her in everything.
Harry contributed to their ultimate break-up by bumping up against Ginny when she and Dean were going through the portrait hole while under his Invisibility Cloak and after having taken Felix Felicis. Thus, luck was on the side of Harry, who had developed an interest in Ginny, and she thought Dean was trying to push her through the portrait. This row led to their split.
Ginny clearly got over Dean soon after they broke up, as she began dating Harry soon after and admitted to him that she had never really given up on Harry. Dean, however, seemed astonished and hurt when he saw Harry and Ginny kissing, and went as far as smashing his glass, indicating that he took their split harder.[7] Later, while Dean was on the run and heard news about Ginny, Harry noted that Dean was concerned for her welfare[8].
Dumbledore's ArmyEdit
Dean became a member of Dumbledore's Army in 1995. He was friendly with the most members of the army. After they were both rescued from Malfoy Manor in 1998, Luna Lovegood and Dean seemed to grow close while staying at Shell Cottage. Dean still seemed rather bemused at some of the odd things Luna said at times, but did not ridicule her, and was seen offering her his hand and helping her in the Room of Requirement just before the Battle of Hogwarts.
Dean was also relatively close to his dormmates Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom, though not to the same extent as with Seamus. Ron spent more time with Dean and Seamus during their fourth year, when he initially believed that Harry had cheated in order to get his name into the Goblet of Fire[10]. Ron very much disapproved when Dean started dating his younger sister, though the two remained friendly[7]. He was also friendly with Hermione Granger, another Gryffindor in his year, who was also the best student of the year.
Dean made a banner for Harry during his first Quidditch match, and believed him about the return of Lord Voldemort in 1995, unlike Seamus, eagerly joining Dumbledore's Army. Harry resented Dean slightly during their 6th year out of jealousy over Dean's romance with Ginny Weasley, on whom he had developed a crush. When Dean and Ginny split up, Harry's enmity lifted, though Dean then became upset when Harry kissed his ex-girlfriend soon after their break-up.[7] In spite of this, Dean never seemed to carry any ill will towards Harry. In fact, during his rescue from Malfoy Manor, he was reluctant to escape with Dobby and leave Harry behind.[8]
Dean was also good friends with both Fred and George Weasley, older Gryffindor students. He helped them in their efforts to sabotage Dolores Umbridge and helped them test Skiving Snackboxes during his fifth year[6].
Other members of Dumbledore's Army are Lee Jordan, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Lavender Brown, Parvati and Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Zacharias Smith, Cho Chang, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Marietta Edgecombe. Dean's relationship with the most of them is unknown.
Dean means "head" or "leader" and is often the title of a department chief at a college or university. Thomas means "twin".
Behind the scenesEdit
- Dean is portrayed by Alfie Enoch in all films except Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
- A drawing at one time posted on J.K. Rowling's website revealed that Dean's first name was "Gary" in early drafts of Philosopher's Stone.[11]
- Rowling included information on Dean's background in an early draft of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but ultimately cut it out, as she felt it was an "unnecessary digression." She stated that she had to a certain extent traded Dean's "voyage of discovery" for Neville Longbottom's because the latter character's discoveries about his past were more relevant to the main story.[1]
- Rowling said that when it came time for casting the film adaptation of Philosopher's Stone, she told director Chris Columbus about Dean, and that she thought he was "slightly taken aback" by how much she had developed the background of such a minor character.[1]
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dean seemed to take Lee Jordan's place, such as helping Fred and George with their Skiving Snackbox and saying Lee's line in the Hog's Head.
- Dean is also the tallest out of all the boys in Harry's dorm.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, during the Quidditch match, we briefly see Dean playing chaser for Gryffindor (we don't see his last name on the back of his robes, though). In the film, there is no explanation as to why Dean is playing chaser, but it can easily be assumed he is taking Katie Bell's place.
- During Harry's time in school, Dean is the only male Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
- In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Dean is not encountered by the trio while on the run and he is not present at Malfoy Manor when the trio are taken there. He is mentioned on radio, but due to his absence in Malfoy Manor it is presumed that he escaped, unlike Griphook.
- In Pottermore, the early name for Dean Thomas was given with: Gary Thomas. [12]
Character reductionEdit
Dean Thomas was originally going to be a more prominent character in the novels, like Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood, but his role was initially cut down. Originally, Dean was called "Gary", and in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Dean Thomas was going to be first introduced during the "Sorting Hat" chapter. His character was cut from the UK copies due to needing to shorten the chapter, however he still is in some US copies. He also was going to be featured in the chapter "Midnight Duel" going along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville to confront Draco Malfoy, but he was cut out of this scene entirely. After having cut Dean out so much from the books, Jo did not want him to go unnoticed in the films and when the film version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was in production she blew away director Chris Columbus with the amount of information she had on such a minor character. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling had originally included Dean Thomas' background story, which explained about his "Muggle-born" blood status and his father being a wizard, but it was cut out again as it was "unnecessary content". Jo has said that she believes she swapped developing Dean Thomas to develop the character Neville Longbottom instead, as he was more relevant to the overall plot. Dean later plays a somewhat larger role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he becomes Ginny's boyfriend and a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where he is on the run, kidnapped, and rescued.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Dean Thomas's background at J.K. Rowling's Official Website
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ Dean's physical appearance was only described in the American edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling explained on her website that the reason this description was left out of the British edition of Philosopher's Stone was that her editor "thought that chapter was too long and pruned everything that he thought was surplus to requirements."
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ "General Facts Not Disclosed in the Books" at Mugglenet.com."
- ↑ Pottermore (transcription available here)
Harry Potter | Hermione Granger | Ronald Weasley
Harry Potter | Neville Longbottom | Luna Lovegood | Ginny Weasley
Katie Bell | Lavender Brown | Colin Creevey | Dennis Creevey | Seamus Finnigan | Angelina Johnson | Lee Jordan | Parvati Patil | Alicia Spinnet | Dean Thomas | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | Nigel Wolpert
Terry Boot | Cho Chang | Michael Corner | Marietta Edgecombe | Anthony Goldstein | Padma Patil
Hannah Abbott | Susan Bones | Justin Finch-Fletchley | Ernie Macmillan | Zacharias Smith | Unidentified Hufflepuff girl
Luca Caruso | Alice Tolipan


text:
The network will roll out a custom-designed booth with a giant interactive video screen where attendees can view videos of Nickelodeon shows and the agenda for each day. Renovated retail space and an interactive flip book activity for attendees will showcase a variety of Nickelodeon show-branded photo opportunities for attendees.
SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, The Penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and Fanboy and Chum Chum costume characters walking around the convention floor and taking photos with fans. More comprehensive consumer products will be on display, with special premium giveaways and kid and adult products available for purchase.
Friday 7/23:
The Penguins of Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda Panel (2:30pm – 3:30pm) — Room 5AB
• Screening of the half-hour Penguins of Madagascar special, "The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel"
• Q&A with The Penguins of Madagascar's Tom McGrath (Skipper), John DiMaggio (Rico), James Patrick Stuart (Private), Jeff Bennett (Kowalski), Danny Jacobs (King Julien), Kevin Michael Richardson (Maurice), Nick Filippi (director) and Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle (executive producers)
• Overview of Kung Fu Panda with a sneak peak of rough animation and screening of two completed interstitials
• Q&A with Kung Fu Panda's Peter Hastings (executive producer), Bret Haaland (supervising producer), Randy Dormans (supervising producer) and Gabe Swarr (supervising director)
Saturday 7/24:
SpongeBob SquarePants Panel (10:00am – 11:00am) — Room 6A
• Break-down of the steps that go into the making of one 11-minute episode
• Screening of episode from the SpongeBob SquarePants anthology, "Legends of Bikini Bottom"
• Q&A with Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob), Paul Tibbitt (executive producer), Vincent Waller (creative director), Steven Banks (head writer), Kenny Pittenger (layout supervisor), Tuck Tucker (supervising storyboard director), Luke Brookshier (storyboard director), Andy Clark (background painter) and Andrew Overtoom (animation director)
Fairly OddParents and T.U.F.F. Puppy Panel (11:30am – 12:30pm) — Room 24ABC
• Sneak peek of the Fairly OddParents half-hour special, "Love Triangle"
• Information and tease of the one-hour special and live-action Fairly OddParents TV movie
• Screening of a five-minute clip reel from T.U.F.F. Puppy
• Q&A with T.U.F.F. Puppy's Butch Hartman (creator), Ray DeLaurentis (story editor), George Goodchild (art director) and Dave Thomas (producer)
Fanboy and Chum Chum Panel (3:00pm – 4:00pm) – Room 25ABC
• Presentation of unaired footage in addition to main title and read-through with talent.
• Q&A with Fanboy and Chum Chum's Eric Robles (creator/executive producer), Steve Tompkins (co-executive producer), Jason Meier (CG supervising producer), David Hornsby (voice of Fanboy), Nika Futterman (voice of Chum Chum), Jeff Bennett (voice of Mr. Mufflin), Jamie Kennedy (voice of Kyle), Candi Milo (Lupe)
Sunday 7/25 (Kids' Day):
Nickelodeon Screenings (10:00am – 11:00am) — Room 6DE — SpongeBob SquarePants,
Fanboy and Chum Chum, Fairly OddParents and The Troop
The Troop Panel (10:00am – 11:00am) — Room 7AB
• Q&A with Tommy Lynch (executive producer), Jay Kogen (executive producer), Max Burnett (creator), Greg Coolidge (creator), Andrew Hill Newman (writer), Harry Hannigan (writer), Shawn Simmons (writer), Karen DiConcetto (writer) and Rochelle Zimmerman (writer)
Friday 7/23:
Avatar: The Last Airbender (1:30 – 3:00pm) – Mike DiMartino (creator/executive producer), Bryan Konietzo (creator/executive producer), Joaquim DosSantos (director), Ki-Hyun Ryu (character designer)
The Penguins of Madagascar (4:00 – 5:30pm) — Tom McGrath (Skipper), John DiMaggio (Rico), James Patrick Stuart (Private), Jeff Bennett (Kowalski), Danny Jacobs (King Julien), Kevin Michael Richardson (Maurice)
Nicktoons & NFL's Guardians of Core – Coach Norv Turner and Linebacker Shawne Merriman from the San Diego Chargers (TBD)
Saturday 7/24:
Yo Gabba Gabba! (10:00am – 12:00pm) – DJ Lance Rock
The Fairly OddParents (1:00 – 2:30pm) — Butch Hartman (creator), Ray DeLaurentis (story editor)
The Troop (3:00 – 4:30pm) – Nicholas Purcell (Jake), Gage Golightly (Hayley), David Del Rio (Felix)
Fanboy and Chum Chum (5:00 – 6:30pm) — Eric Robles (creator/executive producer), David Hornsby (voice of Fanboy), Nika Futterman (voice of Chum Chum), Jeff Bennett (voice of Mr. Mufflin), Jamie Kennedy (voice of Kyle), Candi Milo (Lupe)
Sunday 7/25:
Dora the Explorer (11:00am – 12:30 pm) – Caitlin Sanchez (voice of Dora)
Giveaways: Limited edition posters for various Nickelodeon shows; The Last Airbender prize pack giveaways: costumes, Appa plush, manga-art t-shirts; Nicktoons branded trading cards; Nick branded flip books
Products on Display and Available for Purchase:
• Home*: Art cells from Art You Grew Up With for Fanboy and Chum Chum, Avatar, Invader Zim, Fairly OddParents and The Last Airbender
• Publishing: Avatar series coffee book, The Last Airbender prequel manga and movie adaption, Avatar series cine manga
• Toys: Air Master toy demos from Spin Master, The Last Airbender action figures, Dora "We Did It" doll, Ultimate Air Master
• Apparel: SpongeBob t-shirts (adult and youth), Fanboy and Chum Chum t-shirts*, The Last Airbender t-shirts: Manga art for adult and women skus* and graphic style for kids, The Penguins of Madagascar t-shirts (adult and youth)*
• Home Video: Avatar collectors' box set, Invader Zim's Season 1 and 2, SpongeBob Squarepants' "Triton's Revenge"
• Video game: The Last Airbender
*Comic-Con exclusive products


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- Departments
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Children Special Health Care Services
CSHCS strives to enable individuals with special health care needs to have improved health outcomes and an enhanced quality of life through the appropriate use of the CSHCS system of care.
New Home Evaluation
BCHD staff conduct the requested evaluations of on-site water and/or on-site sewage systems prior to the sale of a house.
Positive Parenting Program
Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) is a system of easy to implement, proven parenting solutions that helps solve current parenting problems and prevents future problems before they arise
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BCHD staff ensure proper construction of all new wells, investigate any waterborne disease associated with groundwater, and protect the public health and prevent contamination of ground water supplies.
WIC Program
WIC provides food, nutrition education, breastfeeding education and support, and other services to qualifying women, infants, and children.


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March 23rd through April 1st 2007 I'll be taking a trip to Shanghai, China!
There's no real purpose to this trip other than to have some fun and check the place out. In my lifetime, China will be a major player on the world stage, so checking out the economic situation first hand would be beneficial.
After some special fares and discounts, the total round-trip ticket cost me $750…not bad!
It would be nice to meet up with some locals from Shanghai while there…preferably somewhat English speaking….so if anyone has any leads let me know.
I don't know a single word of Chinese or Mandarin, so that might be a small problem. Please send me any blog posts written by other people who've gone to China and written about it.
China will probably be a pretty big cultural shock. I figure I might start looking like this:


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Author: Jim Carroll, Chairman, BBH London
Last week I attended a talk by the magnificent Royal Ballet dancer, Tamara Rojo.
As a child growing up in Madrid she had not been aware of ballet and had stumbled into her first dance academy somewhat by chance. She immediately fell in love with the art form and became a diligent pupil. Observing her enthusiasm for dance, her parents took her to a performance of Swan Lake by a visiting Russian company.
The young Tamara was, however, disappointed and upset by the experience. She loved ballet, but had never imagined that it was to be crafted into stories and performed in front of other people. She thought ballet was, as she had experienced it in class, an entirely personal thing, a beautiful private escape.
Subsequently Tamara's teachers would tell her that she was there to entertain the audiences, not herself. But one could not help concluding that Tamara's exceptional ability to inspire others was derived in part from her determination to do something for herself.
Inevitably when we discuss modern communication,we spend most of our time considering whether we are properly reflecting the truth of the brand or engaging the interest and participation of the audience. And rightly so. But doesn't it help, a little at least, to be motivated by our own interest, enthusiasm and sense of pride?
Many years ago I worked with the much loved and respected creative, Martin Galton. We would return, heads bowed, from another attritional Client meeting to supply the team with the customary 'builds'. Martin, however, would only entertain a certain level of distortion of his original concept. Beyond that point he'd say: 'Forget it.Throw that idea away and I'll do you another one.'
Frustrating at the time, but his self-belief endured. In an era where the communications process is increasingly driven by the end user and hyper-targeting techniques, how many of us stubbornly hold on to our own vision? Is there still a time and a place to 'dance for ourselves'?


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From Doug Ross:
Some interesting observations:
• Hillary Clinton's aspirations for higher office are toast: despite numerous requests for additional security, the State Department adamantly refused each time -- for, what would seem, purely political reasons. Those partisan games cost four Americans their lives.
• The "Internet video" tale was an egregious lie foisted upon the American public by an administration committed to additional spiking of the Bin Laden football -- again, for purely political reasons.
• Methinks any effort to distribute the Bin Laden movie/Obama infomercial before the election will be extremely distasteful for most American.
What are your thoughts?


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Click it or ticket? Camblos says "stick it"
It must have seemed like a good idea at the time.
In the past three months, county police conducted six "safety checkpoints" (read: traffic stops) as part of a campaign called "Click It or Ticket." And ticket they did: 52 people were cited during the stops for not wearing seatbelts, according to a county press release.
There's just one problem: Such zealous enforcement of seat belt use is "not appropriate" (read: probably illegal) at safety checkpoints, according to Jim Camblos, county Commonwealth's Attorney.
Thanks to a narrow 48-49 vote in the House of Delegates this spring, failure to buckle up remains a "secondary offense," and state law does not permit police officers to stop motorists for violations of secondary offenses. Police must stop the vehicle for another reason in order to legally cite a driver for failure to be buckled in.
The fact that motorists were being stopped and ticketed for seat belt violations was news to Camblos. "I just became aware of this 10 minutes ago," he said around 10am Thursday, June 5.
Asked how the campaign could be up and running without his knowledge, Camblos replied, "The police work for the chief. They don't run everything by me."
The chief, John Miller, seemed to have no doubt that issuing summonses for seat belt violations as part of a routine safety stop was perfectly kosher. Had he cleared the ticketing with Camblos?
"Absolutely," replied the chief about 10:30 Thursday morning, adding that police planned to continue the stops "right on through the summer."
Delegate Rob Bell explained his vote against the Governor Mark Warner-backed bill saying, "I don't think it's the role of the government to protect adult citizens from themselves." But Bell compared the "Click it or Ticket" campaign to sobriety checkpoints, noting, "The Supreme Court has said that you have to have probable cause to stop someone, but if you do it in a way that stops everyone, I don't see where there would be a problem."
Apparently Camblos read the law differently. His assessment that tickets issued for seat belt infractions are legal only if a motorist is cited for another infraction at the same time has sent police scrambling to review the 52 summonses. Cases in which the seat belt violations involved other charges "will continue to move forward with the seat belt violation intact," according to the press release.
Cases where the seat belt violation was the only violation charged to the motorist will be dismissed, undoubtedly good news for however many of the 52 folks the police say they will now contact.
How to explain the miscommunication between the county attorney and his chief of police?
"The way Jim discussed it with us, we thought we had a valid reason to stop a car," Miller says. "We thought just their coming through the checkpoint was enough to give us the authority to cite them for a seatbelt violation."
Miller says not only does he still plan to continue the "Click it or Ticket" program, but he plans to get a second opinion about its legality he's asking the Attorney General for a written opinion about the procedure.
People who were ticketed only for seatbelt violations can expect a call from the police notifying them that the charges are being dismissed.
Will they also get an apology? "Absolutely," says Chief Miller. "It was my decision to implement the policy, and I'll certainly tell them we apologize for the misunderstanding."


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A Case for Cornalin: Why Care About Weird Wine Anyway?
There are 1,368 varieties covered in Master of Wine Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes. Bet you can't try them all.
Note from the author: There are 1,368 varieties covered in Wine Grapes by MW Jancis Robinson, MW Julia Harding, and Dr. Jose Vouillamoz. Bet you can't try them all.
Wine takes you places. New wine opens doors and makes introductions. I mean this figuratively, of course, but I also mean it very literally: I've met new best friends over shared bottles of wild, uncharted territory. I've gotten to travel to new parts of the world and virtually explore new chambers of my mind and heart simply by saying "yes" to a new, unfamiliar wine.
In fact, I met Dr. José Vouillamoz over a bottle of Cornalin. Well...we didn't actually share a bottle of Cornalin live and in person. But still, a fortuitous meeting ensued:
The very first weird wine grape I stumbled upon after officially embarking on my Wine Grapes journey was Cornalin. The book summarizes it as an "ancient red from the Valle d'Aosta in northern Italy; widespread in the Valais in Switzerland as Humagne Rouge." (As I was to later learn, I was actually drinking a different grape entirely: Rouge du Pays. Huh?! Read on.)
I cracked into a gamy-as-all-getup bottle of 2009 Cornalin Les Bernunes from the producer Cave Caloz in the Valais. The foxy, brambly nose gave way to soft yet bold fig, black raspberry and date fruit. I might have briefly hoped for more acidity—and probably more tannins, too (I like my wines to bite, just a little bit)—but then I got distracted.
Between glasses, I mentioned the Cornalin to my friend Ceri Smith, owner of the tiny gem wine shop Biondivino and new wine bar Et Al (both in San Francisco). "Oh!" she gushed, "You have to meet José!"
As in, Dr. José Vouillamoz, co-author of Wine Grapes. As in, the ampelographic genius responsible for much of the DNA testing that's identified the parentage of many of the 1,368 grapes covered in the tome. As in, the man whose predecessor to Wine Grapes was an über-geeky, written-in-French, Swiss wine grapes book, focusing on the Valais region—home to none other than little old Cornalin.
The wine geek in me got very excited, and I think you will, too, since Ceri introduced me to Dr. Vouillamoz himself, and without further ado, I hereby present to you my interview with him, shedding some light on the difference between Cornalin and Rouge du Pays, and why we should all care about weird wine grapes in the first place...
What do you think about Cornalin? And what would you cook to go with a bottle of it?
First of all, you must know that the prime name of this Valais (Switzerland) variety in Wine Grapes is Rouge du Pays, and that it was inappropriately renamed Cornalin in 1972 by "borrowing" this name from a distinct variety still existing in the Aosta Valley.
In Valais, Cornalin/Rouge du Pays is one of the most ancient grape varieties and is able to give us some of the best reds, but since it is very difficult to tame in the vineyard, it is unfortunately also capable of giving the worst. My recommendation: Domaine des Muses, Cornalin Tradition. It is THE best producer in Valais, to my opinion.
As for cooking to pair with it, it's better for my guests that I do not cook myself! But Cornalin/Rouge du Pays goes well with poultry, game or tasty cheese.
Author's note: It turned out I was drinking Rouge du Pays the whole time! Color me confused.
What exactly is ampelography, and what's the point of it?
It comes from the Greek ampelos, meaning 'grapevine,' and graphos, meaning 'description.' This is the science describing grape varieties according to the shape, size or color of the leaves, bunches, shoots, etc. The real point is to distinguish one grape variety from another. Since 1993, DNA profiling has significantly complemented this science by providing unique profiles for each variety and by discovering unsuspected synonyms (different names for the same variety) and parentages.
Can we get a 20-second version of how grapes first started to create offspring and how come we have so many thousands of different grapes today?
To summarize Wine Grapes in 20 seconds, thank you for the challenge! Let's go: In a natural population of wild grapevines, we usually observe male-only and female-only flowers on a single plant, but 2 to 3% can be hermaphroditic: the flowers having both male and female parts on the same plant. These hermaphroditic plants were domesticated about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago somewhere in the Near East, and frequent crossings among these domesticated plants have created the roughly 5,000 to 10,000 grape varieties in existence today.
Why do you care about specific, rare grapes so much? And why should the rest of us care?
Some of them have had a significant impact on the genesis of what we all drink today: just think that Gouais Blanc, a variety that used to be widespread all over Europe in the Middle Ages and that has today almost disappeared, is the direct parent of more than 80 grape varieties, among which we find Chardonnay, Riesling, Gamay, Blaufänkisch, Furmint, etc.
The rest of you should care about rare and unusual grapes for the sake of diversity in your palate. There are so many different aromas and tastes when you browse the fascinating world of wine grapes!
If each grape has a figurative "mom" and "dad" (and entire family tree), how come they taste so different? Take the newfound relationship between Syrah and Pinot Noir: If they really come from the same family, how come they taste nothing alike?
Do you look, think and behave exactly like your brother/sister/parents? Certainly not, and although we can surely notice some common family traits, you are all distinct individuals with your own personality. After my 2006 discovery of Pinot being most likely the great-grandparent of Syrah, I was surprised to hear many wine professionals telling me how often they mix one for the other in blind tastings!
What "weird" grape do you think is going to be the next to make it big, and why?
Assyrtiko from Santorini island in Greece. It offers good resistance to drought and diseases, and it delivers fantastic aromas and a wonderful citrusy acidity, making excellent dry and sweet wines. It has also very recently been planted in Australia.
If you were a grape, what would you be and why?
I would be a Teroldego in northern Italy, just to be pruned by the lovely Elisabetta Foradori...
2009 Cave Caloz Cornalin Les Bernunes (Valais, Switzerland)
The Grape: Cornalin (aka Rouge du Pays)
The Region: Valais, Switzerland
Retail Price: $40
The Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant
About the Author: Stevie Stacionis is a wine writer and Certified Sommelier based in San Francisco. She's currently drinking her way through the 1,368 varieties included in the new Wine Grapes tome. Follow her on Twitter @StevieStacionis and check out her snobbery-free wine videos at A Drinks with Friends TV.


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Welcome to the Structural Dynamics Research Lab at the University of Cincinnati
Overview - Educational/Research Mission.
The University of Cincinnati - Structural Dynamics Research Laboratory (UC-SDRL) is an educational and research activity within the Mechanical Engineering Department. The function of this activity is to develop, investigate, and evaluate experimental approaches to the estimation of the dynamic properties of structural systems. The direction of this activity over the last twenty years has centered on research related to the experimental determination of modal parameters (frequency, damping, modal vectors and modal scaling).
This continuing research is vital in order to understand existing noise and vibration problems, in order to develop experimentally-based, structural system models, and in order to evaluate the validity of theoretically-based, structural system models originating from finite element analysis or other numerical methods. The focus of recent work has broadened to include identification of general systems for control design, active vibration control, rotating machinery modeling and signature analysis, vibroacoustic interaction in structures and acoustic noise source identification utilizing microphone arrays.
Director, Structural Dynamics Research Lab
Tel: (513) 556-2725


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Thursday's top dunks from the 2019 NCAA tournament
Thursday's top dunks from the 2019 NCAA tournament
See all of the best dunks from First Round action on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament.
Watch highlights, game recaps, and much more from the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on the official NCAA March Madness YouTube channel. Subscribe now to be updated on the latest videos: http://www.youtube.com/marchmadness?sub_confirmation=1
Connect with March Madness:
Follow March Madness on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marchmadness
Like March Madness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NCAAMarchMadness
Follow March Madness on Instagram: https://instagram.com/marchmadness
Follow March Madness on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/marchmadness
#marchmadness #collegebasketball
Dunks,2019 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament (Sports League Championship Event),march madness,college basketball,college hoops,ncaa basketball,ncaa,top dunks


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AMP for Email best practices
AMP allows for exciting new types of immersive and engaging content in email! When designing emails, keep in mind the following best practices to ensure they are performant, reliable across platforms, and work as your users expect.
When using
amp-list to dynamically fetch content, include a placeholder to keep the integrity of the components structure. The placeholder should be as similar in layout as possible to the document after it's returned the requested data. This ensures the message size isn't changing or mutating the layout significantly.
Ensure your message looks good on all screen sizes by using CSS media queries to identify the device. Messages should be tested on mobile devices to ensure the layout is correct and components work as expected. Because swiping is a common action on mobile email apps, take proper steps to ensure your users can interact with your content. Components such as
amp-carousel can include the
controls attribute to make the navigation buttons always visible on mobile.
Other Gotchas
When working AMP for Email, keep in mind the following tips and tricks:
- The AMP for Email playground doesn't proxy XHRs, but some email providers do.
- The AMP MIME part should appear before the HTML MIME part in your email to ensure maximum compatibility across email clients.
- The
srcattribute of
amp-form, the
amp-img, or the href attribute of an
<a>tag cannot be mutated by
- Your messages should include a static HTML version in the event that a user is taken to the HTML version of the message, or if that user forwards the message.
- Be careful with overflowing margin in CSS: they may not get rendered due to an AMP layout limitation.


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Helium Comedy Club recently announced the line-up for this year's Philly's Phunniest Person Contest. You can check out all the preliminary dates and which comedians drew which night online.
Tonight, Polygon Comedy returns to L'etage (6th and Bainbridge) with a show featuring improv group Malone, storytelling from James Bradford, stand-up from Doogie Horner, and the debut of new improv team Philly Secrets. Doors open at 7:30 and the show starts at 8:00.
The line-up and date for the next Camp Woods Plus have been announced - with Philly's own The Judo Range and New York's We're Matt Weir joining Camp Woods at L'etage for their monthly alternative sketch comedy showcase Tuesday, May 22nd. Doors open at 8:00 and the show begins at 8:30.
ManiPedi is heading to the Ladies Are Funny Festival in Austin, Texas this weekend and they made sure the festival's audience got a bit of a preview of their humor with this interview on the LAFF web site. Check it out!
Technically Philly recently wrote this article about the online comedy scene in Philadelphia. Check it out for insights from Philly comedians Abigail Bruley, Paul Triggiani, Rob Baniewicz, Aaron Hertzog, and more.
Philly In Focus interviewed Samantha and Brian Craig of Secret Pants recently about their comedy - you can check it out online.
by Aaron Hertzog


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The Osage Orange
The first question I ask of any plant is "Can I eat it?". But there are plenty of other fascinating stories waiting to be told. Take for instance the unruly-looking and inedible* Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera). Its closest regional relative is the mulberry (Morus sp.) but most of the Moraceae family is more tropical—figs and jackfruits, for example. Its softball-sized fruits are hard, dense, only vaguely resemble oranges, and aren't related to them at all. It takes its common name from the Osage Nation, a tribe which used the tree for tools, clubs, and most importantly, bows. There are records of a well-made Osage-orange bow being worth a horse and blanket as an even trade, meaning the people controlling the supply of the trees could make quite a tidy living as, effectively, arms traders. There seem to have been multiple wars fought over the land where the trees grew, and the Osage Nation was known to send parties hundreds of miles to harvest from their favorite stands. Even the Blackfoot tribe in now Montana used bows of this wood, nearly 2000 miles from where it grew.
At the time of European colonization, the range of the Osage-orange was confined to river bottoms in a relatively small area of what became Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Why this is so is a subject of some speculation. Generally when a tree produces such a large fruit it is because some large critter loves to eat that fruit, and the seeds get dispersed when the odd few make it through the digestive tract unharmed and germinate. But nothing really seems to like the Osage-orange fruit. Squirrels will tear them apart to get to the seeds, but they grind the seeds to pulp and destroy them in the process. One theory is that animals now extinct on the continent were the primary distributor of the fruit, perhaps mastodons, early horse-like animals, or some sort of (I'm not kidding) giant sloth. With their decline, possibly due to overhunting, came the diminishing range of the tree, and it is possible it could have gone extinct without Native Americans propagating it for their uses.
Lewis and Clark sent some cuttings to President Jefferson as part of their first shipment of samples. They got them from a guy who said they came from an Osage Indian village, and the common name was a done deal--though they called them Osage-apples at first. European settlers had little to no use for longbows, but high on their wish list was fencing or hedges to 'civilize' the prairies. (It had been common practice in much of Europe to mark field boundaries with hedges, which can provide harvestable yields, contain livestock, reduce wind, and provide habitat for wildlife.) Osage-orange was found incredibly suitable to this task, because if densely planted it provided a fence "horse high, bull strong, and pig tight," in the words of one early promoter. This is why many people from rural backgrounds, myself included, first learn this tree as the "Hedge-apple." (As an aside, other plants brought from overseas to serve this purpose include buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), both of which have become destructive invasive species.)
Eventually the hedge fell out of fashion because of a fabulous new invention: barbed wire. Farmers decided they'd rather have dead fences than living ones, since time spent pruning is time not plowing. They were pleased I'm sure to learn that Osage-orange is one of the most fungal- and rot-resistant woods in the world, and immune to termites, giving farmers another incentive to keep the trees around for their value as fencepost material (above right). And after the Dustbowl, millions of the trees were planted in a 100-mile wide strip from North Dakota to Texas as part of FDR's Great Plains Shelterbelt program, eventually run by the WPA. This program is to date the largest US government program aimed at tackling an environmental problem. Eventually the trees became established or reestablished in all of the lower 48 states.
You can still see remnant Osage-orange windbreaks marking field edges in the Chicagoland region and beyond. Some people recognize the altogether silly fruits, and occasionally remember hearing that people put them around the house to repel spiders back in The Before Time. Some folks still heat their homes with wood, and may know that it provides the highest BTU value of any wood in North America. But few people are aware of the role this one plant species has played in the history of this country, the many nations that came before it, and perhaps the continent before humans ever arrived.
Not a bad story for being inedible.
Andrew Wunschel
Assistant Horticulturist
*There are reports you could go through a lot of effort to get the seeds out and eat them, with no ill effects, but to me "edible" means "worth eating."
1 Comment
Robin said (on 6/3/2013 )
I first saw these trees down at Midewin Tallgrass Prairie. A quick google turned up what they were but I had no idea of the history behind them. Interesting!


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"Buck Henry" (season one, episode 21; originally aired 5/22/1076"/ "Elliott Gould" (season one, episode 22; originally aired 5/29/1976)
Although these are the last two episodes of the spring, neither is technically the season finale; SNL returned that year with two new, back-to-back episodes in the middle of the summer. Taken together, though, these both feel like a season finale, a feeling that's reinforced by the presence of two beloved return hosts. (The most beloved, most-returning host of the early years, Steve Martin, won't be making his first bow until the second season.) The hosts aren't the only callbacks. Once again, Michael O'Donoghue does his sicko act, "impersonating" Tony Orlando reacting to having steel needles driven into his eyes. (He's accompanied by a pair of black woman, representing Dawn.) Leon Redbone once again a musical guest, on the Gould episode. And Lorne Michaels makes one more onscreen pitch to the Beatles. Once again, someone does something onstage—in this case, it's Garrett Morris singing a Schubert aria—while a written text undercutting him scrolls up the screen.
It's not just people doing the same thing they've done before with new words, either. One sketch, in which concern is shown over Gilda Radner's uvula, is a more spirited performance of a sketch from the third episode, without much changed, except that it used to be the condition of John Belushi's pancreas that was keeping people up nights. And "Show Us Your Guns," a filmed number that first appeared in the premiere episode, is given one more trip around the block. I'm not complaining. These are, on the whole, triumphant episodes. There's a rationale, beyond how hard it is to come up with new material, for doing something again just for the sake of getting it right, and "uvula" is a funnier word than "pancreas." In 1976, when a bit like "Show Us Your Guns" wasn't just broadcast on TV as a prelude to loading it onto the Internet so people could do the promotional department's work for them by sending it around to their friends, it was almost a public service to rerun it a few times.
It's just a little sad to see the recycling impulse creeping in this early in the show's history, knowing where it would lead. It's been exciting for me to revisit the show's first season, partly to see what its creative energy was like before it began to lean on "recurring characters" as a crutch. I doubt there are many people who would deny the writers and actors on a show like this access to a few repeatable, fail safe routines, but at some point, Michaels began to see recurring characters—characters that bring down the house every time they shuffle in front of the live audience, as if the real point of this satirical revue is to give Uncle Charlie and Aunt Kate the chance to brag that when they went to New York, they were in the same room as the fat weirdo who whinnies about his kitty cat—were the very life's blood of the show.
It's an attitude that has led to such debacles as the 1994 sketch in which David Spade and Helen Hunt play flight attendants who reply to every complaint or request with an insincere smile and "Buh-bye!" That sketch represented a watershed moment for the show, because when it was broadcast, NBC reported a staggering number of complaints, from viewers and critics alike, about how over-dependent the show had become on annoying, one-joke recurring characters. The show's representatives professed to be baffled by this, because the flight attendants weren't recurring characters; they'd never appeared before. But they clearly had the markings of characters that would be back, and as they lingered pointlessly onscreen, doing nothing but hammering their intended catch phrase into the viewers' skulls, it was unmistakable that characters on SNL achieved "recurring" status now because they were so popular with audiences, but because they were so easy to write and perform. (Have actor enter, insert play on actor's name and the phrase "Ma-kin' copies!" Repeat 3000 times.) And in fact, Michaels did have Spade do his character again, perhaps in the same spirit that, having gotten a single note from the network after the premiere, telling him to drop the Bees, he made the fateful decision to keep bringing them back.
Michaels could have learned something from this, but probably all he learned was that the viewers are nuts and he should ignore all feedback from them. In the end, this attitude has led to such embarrassments as last season's Justin Timberlake show, which was predicated on the notion that, since Timberlake is such a game, talented guy, a hosting gig should amount to a greatest-hits package in which he doesn't do anything he hasn't done before—and, so long as that spirit is already permeating the building, why not call Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd in and see if they can still squeeze into their Czech brothers costumes? The upshot is that several people who once took pride in doing things that no one had done on TV before are now actually self-congratulatory about how relentlessly they can repeat themselves.
The acknowledged sketch-comedy masterpiece in these episodes is "The Last Voyage Of The Starship Enterprise," a marvelously detailed Star Trek parody with a very fan-geek sensibility—which is a surprise coming from the writer, O'Donoghue, who you might not think of as the kind of person who would declare fealty to a cult sci-fi TV show. Maybe that, too, is in indication of how much the world has changed. Here's another: The network suit played by Gould who appears on the deck of the Enterprise to explain the show's cancellation has nothing to say about demographics or desirable marketing niches, but simply "low Nielsen ratings." Chevy Chase's Mr. Spock explains to his captain that Nielsen ratings "were a primitive system of estimating television viewers, once used in the mid-twentieth century." In the original script, he had gone on to say that the Neilsens were later found to be tremendously inaccurate. Would that line have been cut if SNL's Nielsens hadn't started creeping upwards?
Stray observations:
- Buck Henry's best sketch is a near-solo number in which he plays a phone-in TV host whose phones don't ring. Though not strictly a callback, it's almost an homage to one of the precursors of SNL, The Groove Tube, in which Ken Shapiro does a bit as a TV news anchor who remains trapped on camera after he has no new left to deliver.
- You probably don't have to know that the Italian director Lina Wertmuller was going through a vogue at the time to appreciate Laraine Newman's impression of her in "Not For Ladies Only." I still think that Newman was, except maybe for Dan Aykroyd, the most freakishly daring and gifted of the original (pre-Bill Murray) SNL cast. According to the show history by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, she found it harder and harder to get material on the air as the show progressed—because, in her eagerness to try different things, she had limited interest in developing recurring characters.
- After Gordon Lightfoot's second number on the Buck Henry episode, Belushi comes out in his samurai gear and cuts the strings on Lightfoot's guitar, presumably because it was the only way he could be talked out of crashing another musical performance as Joe Cocker. This does give those who've seen Belushi's guitar-smashing scene in Animal House a chance to compare Gordon Lightfoot's comedy technique with that of Stephen Bishop. Bishop wins this contest, and not by a nose.