text:
Hospitality's first record came out in the same year that university tuition fees tripled in the UK. There could hardly have been a more apt or resonant time for it to be released.
As more and more graduates cheerfully drifted into unpaid internships and overpriced accommodation after their time in education, Amber Papini's songs perfectly captured the blend of anxiety and excitement unique to that period of life.
"Transitions are interesting", Papini tells me. "All those songs on that first record are to do with transitions, and facing your life – the transition from child, or teenager to after college and facing: 'OK, what am I going to do with my life?' Those kinds of questions were interesting to me".
"I had recently finished graduate school when I wrote most of those songs and I had a massive amount of debt, and I wanted to be a singer-songwriter", she continues. "It was absurd, having all this debt, and wanting to be an artist".
This year's brilliant Trouble feels as much a direct sequel to their debut as it does a follow up. The songs are flintier, airier and more mature – an adjustment to the realities of post-graduate existence; sounding like the isolation of finding yourself in narrowing parameters of opportunity. But as with their debut, these songs find meaning in the pleasures of simple connections.
"Isolation [is] definitely in the music", Papini says. "I'm always interested in the outsider and the outsider's story. Maybe we all feel like outsiders in a way. Maybe that comes through in the lyrics. People just want to relate, but you feel isolated, or like a misfit. I'm trying to reach out."
Having said this, there is definitely far less of an obvious overarching lyrical theme to Trouble. In contrast to their debut, it can be quite difficult to tell what some of these songs are precisely about, in spite of the album's consistent mood.
"I wanted to be less specific. I think the first record was really about a time and a place, and this record is more about general concepts like nature and the ocean", Papini agrees. "It wasn't super conscious, but I knew I wanted to get away from the songs of the first record a bit"
Despite fixating on a youthful period of life, Hospitality's first album rejected the recent fad of reflecting nostalgia in the music itself. Far from chasing chewed up cassette sounds, or sixties dream-pop vibes, Hospitality sound utterly fresh and contemporary, creating sprightly guitar-based pop music purely of the here and now.
"I know what you mean, there was that fad, that production style", Papini says. "But we wanted a natural sound. We were always going for a natural sound [on our first record] although it does have a really pop sound, a really compressed, radio friendly sound"
The second record is very different. Listening to their debut, you'd never describe the sound as busy. But Trouble makes Hospitality sound positively cluttered by comparison. Stripping back the sound was a purposeful process in making the second record. "It was an exercise of restraint", she admits. "Our producer likes to add stuff and we like it too, so we were consciously trying to restrain ourselves".
The result is a record which has both twice as much space as their debut, as well as twice as much detail. "It's very intentional", Papini admits.
"The last record we made in four days. This record we did everything in a studio, and it took like a month. We had more time and thought. We planned it out, Nathan (guitars) notated a lot of the parts. We had players come in… a cello player, a flute player and a trumpet player. That was something we were trying to do"
Aside from opening up space in the sound, the songs of Trouble open up space to meander, and let things run on for as long as they like.
"There's a lot of improvisation in the trio aspect of us", Papini says, "especially with Nathan. He's the improviser. We were totally jamming on ['I Miss Your Bones']. We recorded that as just the three of us. It's loose, yeah, and Nathan's guitar playing is different every night"
From creating a charming collection of pop songs grounded in time and place, Hospitality have made a huge leap in maturity with their second record, crafting one of the finest albums of the year so far. After drastically broadening their lyrical themes and stripping back their textures, the listener wonders if this process will continue to tend in this direction.
"We'll probably change again", Papini decides. "We're always changing. It seems like a lot of bands don't change, which is good I think. People like that – they want to know what to expect. It's comforting, and if it's executed well it's great. But we're not that kind of band"


text:
UFC champ-turned-whack-a-mole Quinton "Rampage" Jackson got himself into a bit of trouble on Tuesday, fleeing the scene of an accident, evading police, and then being arrested at gunpoint by Newport Beach police. Not only was our protagonist riding on rims at the end of the pursuit, but another sticking point in his brilliant getaway plan was that he had a life-sized photo of himself on the side of his pickup truck.
Driving with a flat tire believed to have been damaged in an earlier accident on the 55 Freeway, Jackson was seen talking on his cellphone, crossing street dividers and twice driving onto sidewalks that "caused pedestrians to dive out of the way," Dondero said. "He was ignoring sirens, and ran several red lights before finally being detained," with a shredded tire at 18th Street and Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach.
Dondero said there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs contributing to Jackson's driving. "Why he did it, I don't know," Dondero said.
Story of the photos you see above and below: This guy sees Rampage Jackson being arrested in front of his house, and within moments he's on a UFC message board telling everyone, and then his photos show up on TMZ about an hour later. What an awesome technological world we live in.
And who would have thought that losing to Forrest Griffin would have begun such a dramatic downward spiral?
UFC's Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Is Arrested [Los Angeles Times]
Rampage: Terror Outside The Ring [TMZ]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Controversial games streaming service OnLive will launch in the US on June 17th backed by Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, THQ and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Details for the cloud-based gaming service, which was unveiled amidst much attention at GDC last year, are to be given in a Wednesday keynote this morning at the GamesBeat one-day event at the 2010 Game Developers Conference.
The serivce launches on PC and Mac, and costs $14.95 a month, the firm told our sister magazine MCV.
That price "provides access to an ever-increasing library of high-end, new release game content and a host of exclusive community feature such as Brag Clips and massive spectating," said COO Mike McGarvey
"Individual titles will be available for purchase or rental on an a la carte basis. Specific game pricing, including rentals,purchases and loyalty programs, will be announced prior to the consumer launch event at E3. We'll also be announcing additional loyalty and discount programs for consumers in the coming months."
Major publishers have already backed the service – and while specific titles, pricing and revenue share models will be made public closer to the E3 launch, McGarvey told us that a few of the launch games include Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II and Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, as well as THQ's Metro 2033.
At GDC, the firm is also courting independent developers to help hem understand the benefits of distributing their games through OnLive as well as traditional retail and increasingly-prominent download channels.
"We're seeing the pace of title commitments accelerate dramatically as we approach our consumer launch," said McGarvey.
"We're very pleased with the degree of publisher support received to date and have seen a rise in publisher interest in the OnLive Game Service as their focus begins shifting dramatically toward digital distribution."
OnLive effectively streams game content direct to computers, without the need for a game download, and effectively cuts down the digital distribution process to its simplest essence.The service launched in a closed beta late last year.
But what about the Micro Console – a small unit which plugs into a TV for those who don't just want to play on computers – which the firm touted at GDC last year. And when does the service head to Europe?
The MicroConsole hasn't been forgotten, said McGarvey – but the firm is focusing on the PC and Mac version first: "For the initial rollout of the consumer service, we are focusing on delivering high-performance games to PCs and Macs and we will be making an announcement regarding our plans for the MicroConsole rollout later on in the year."
As for Europe: "We are very focused on launching the service in the US at the moment, but stay tuned on our European plans," McGarvey told MCV.
A full interview with McGarvey will appear over on MCV very soon.


text:
~~~~~~~~~~Clairvoyantly Speaking~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings everyone!
I really wanted to send this out before heading to bed this evening and welcome all of the new subscribers to the Clairvoyance newsletter!
As many of you know,my husband and I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks. We are finally back and catching up with all of the emails and course work scheduling. If I haven't gotten back to you at least once over our trip, I should by the end of this week. Only 333 more emails to go. Most people should have at least an email confirmation of a class or consultation reservation if you inquired before August 5. Those of you who will be starting classes shortly here will have an outline of your course work. We're looking to start by the end of this week into the following. As of this evening only 333 more emails to go. If you didn't make the August deadline, we will have more class openings in early October. I will send out newsletters the closer we get.
Well, our trip included the Smoky Mountains, the Adirondacks, Carolina's and Upstate N.Y. The beauty of the east coast has been stunning to say the least! There have been ever so slight signs of seasonal changes. A tinge of auburn along some of the mountain ridges and a few brisk evenings along the way. So, if you've had any Summer plans you haven't quite gotten to, there's still plenty of time. But if you're having a difficult time getting motivated or finding it difficult to get the creative juices flowing in the affordability department, try picturing one of the coldest days you can remember and the moment when you're looking out the kitchen window wishing you were anywhere but where you were, even if it was just sitting beside a lake watching the geese and fish jumping at sunset. You'll be glad you took yourself on that little journey and while you're at it bring that digital camera to capture some of the spirit that will be joining you and a picnic basket filled with some of your old time favorites and treat yourself!!
As always, if you would like more information regarding different types of class work or just want to drop a quick note, you can send me an email at:
email@example.com or simply drop by the forum. I look forward to hearing from you.
Here's the latest article from the Clairvoyance site at BellaOnline.com.
"Bond With Your Baby Before Birth" - Book Review
Have you wondered what your baby is thinking? Do you have dreams regarding the gender of your unborn baby or date of birth? "Bond With Your Baby Before Birth" is a delight to read with techniques to begin the delicate process of chanelling between you and the spirit of your future child!
Please visit clairvoyance.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Clairvoyance.
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Clairvoyance located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Elleise, Clairvoyance Editor
One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com


text:
Stacks are simply groupings of files that are used as a single file. In the case of the HH engine the grouping might be a lossless file and a lossy version of it. For images it might be 20 pictures of a cat.
When a stack top is tagged, most of those tags are copied to the stack members. If a stack top is moved, the stack members are moved (provided the stacked files have any commonality).
Tops -- Stack tops start out somewhat random. The application picks the largest file as the top for non images. For images it picks the largest dimension file of type jpeg.
Delete -- If a collapsed stack is deleted, ALL the files are deleted. If the stack top of an expanded stack is deleted, the top will be removed and a new top will be selected.
The right click menu allows one to stack and unstack files. This creates the grouping.
Expand Stack and Collapse Stack control how the files are viewed. A collapsed stack only shows the top file. The others are not visible. An expanded stack has all files available.
Search for stack files simply searches on all items in a given stack (or stacks), expands those stacks and runs the search.
Auto Stacking
Auto stacking by name is the only currently available option. It simply looks for matches on the "name" field and bundles the files together.
Additional auto stacking options to be added.
Stacks in Images
In the world of photos the stacks are pretty much user driven. (Although I would like to swap the existing RAW file cache out for one based on stacks.)
Stacks are intended to be used to hide versions of files that one would normally not be interested in seeing. So one might put a jpeg as the top of a stack and have the RAW image file that it came from as a hidden stack member.
Another example would be a single image with several purposed files underneath it. For instance one could be a representative jpeg with the RAW source file, a file sized for the web and another sized and sharpened for print. In general use one would only want to see the jpeg but if a sale was made the image sized and sharpened for print could be found quickly via a right click->Stacks->Search for stack files.
Stacks as Cache
Currently only available for the handheld conversions. When enabled under MC's Handheld options, MC does several things.
If MC needs to convert a file, the files stack is searched for a file of the requested type. (MP3, WMA, etc.)
If the file is found under the stack location it is used. Otherwise MC uses any available stack file of the appropriate type.
If no stack file is available, MC searches for the file where the conversion engine would put it. If found there, it is used and stacked with the original file (unless, of course, it already is in a stack).
If not found there, MC will convert the file, copy it to the stack location directory, and stack it with the original file.
Cache features planned
Size warning. Stacking revisions can use a lot of storage. Best to warn on selection.
Cache creation. The old system allowed one to pre build the conversion cache. This functionality will be added.
Cache deletion. We should also be able to delete entries created by the HH conversion engine. These files are tagged in the [stack tag] field.
The stacks need to be utilized by other pieces of the app. Library server, etc.
Stack images in the view
Right now the only visual indicator that a file is part of a stack is an overlay that appears in the upper right of the thumbnail in Thumbnails view.
If the image looks like a stack of cards with a black star on top, it is a collapsed stack.
If the image looks like a single card with a black star, it is the top of an expanded stack.
If the image looks like a single card with a grey outline of a star, it is a stack member of an expanded stack.
Stack information is included in the tooltips.
Other features to be added
Enable/disable the stack indicator overlay. Sometimes you just don't care if it is a stack.
Better overlays.
Support for details view. (Probably make an available column.)


text:
Jim Hall, born in Buffalo, and educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s. By 1960 Jim had arrived in New York to work with Sonny Rollins and Art Farmer, among others. His live and recorded collaborations with Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, and Ron Carter, are legendary.
Not only is Jim Hall one of the jazz world's favorite guitarists, but he has also earned critical acclaim for his skills as a composer and arranger. The first formal recognition came in 1997, when Jim won the New York Jazz Critics Circle Award for Best Jazz Composer/Arranger. His pieces for string, brass, and vocal ensembles can be heard on his "Textures" and "By Arrangement" recordings. His original composition, "Quartet Plus Four," a piece for jazz quartet augmented by the Zapolski string quartet, was debuted in Denmark during the concert and ceremony where he was awarded the coveted Jazzpar Prize, and later released on CD.
His most recent large-scale composition was a concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned by Towson University in Maryland for The First World Guitar Congress®, which was debuted in June 2004 with the Baltimore Symphony. The title of the work, "Peace Movement," is indicative of Jim's desire to contribute to world peace through his music. He views music as a way of bonding people together and crossing barriers, be they barriers of geography, ideology, religion, or other discriminations. In accepting the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship award in January 2004, he said, "The women and men who have received this award in the past have spread peace and love throughout the world, something that governments might emulate. I am pleased to be one of the peacemakers."
In addition to the recent focus on orchestral and choral composition, Jim remains active as a player, working and recording with a variety of ensembles all around the world. In addition to working with his trio, Jim likes to spice up the mix with various guests. From time to time you might hear Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, the New York Voices, Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny, Slide Hampton, and others, working for a night or two with Jim's groups. In fact, several of these guests can be heard on a live recording titled "Panorama." On occasion, these alliances lead to more intensive collaborative projects such as the "Jim Hall & Basses" recording featuring Scott Colley, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, George Mraz, and Christian McBride, and the "duets" project with Pat Metheny.
Jim's latest project, "Magic Meeting," a CD featuring the Jim Hall Trio with Scott Colley and Lewis Nash, was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in New York City at the end of April 2004. Jim's new website (www.jimhallmusic.com) enables him to share with his audience a personal view of his creative process, in addition to the finished product. Via the web, audiences can participate, not just by purchasing the new CD, but by 'being there,' behind the scenes, so to speak, witnessing Jim prepare for a project, meeting the players, hearing the outtakes, and more.
Some years ago, Guitar Player magazine quoted Jim as saying "I do feel good about my playing. The instrument keeps me humble. Sometimes I pick it up and it seems to say `No, you can't play today.' I keep at it anyway though." Jim and his wife, Jane, who is both a psychoanalyst and a songwriter, live in New York City's Greenwich Village with their dog, Django.
This bio was excerpted from "Sketches from PROS Folios: Jim Hall" by Devra Hall, and permission is granted for its use in program books and promotional materials. Whenever possible, please include an author's credit.


text: Hoftype – the type foundry of Dieter Hofrichter – was founded in 2010 and is located in Munich, Germany. Hoftype develops original fonts for professional applications as well as new interpretations of classic typefaces, both for retail and for custom use to meet the demands of today's rich typographic environment. One of Hoftype's main objectives is to apply an intimate knowledge of type history to create original contemporary fonts. Style consciousness and many years of experience in type design are among their qualifications for producing functional and usable high quality typefaces.


text:
With the addition of LeBron James, and assuming that no one is traded from now until the first game (which is obviously not a certainty), the Cleveland Cavaliers will become the first NBA team in more than 25 years to have four number one draft picks playing on the same team.
Cleveland now has LeBron James (2003), Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Bennett (2013; lol), and Andrew Wiggins (2014). Not since the 1988-89 Lakers has a team had four No. 1 overall draft picks (James Worthy, Mychal Thompson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson). The 1987-88 Lakers also featured these four No. 1 picks. And the Lakers had an earlier three season run (1959/60 through 1961/62) of having at least four No. 1 picks. In 1959 they boasted a record five top draft picks (Chuck Share, Ray Felix, Frank Selvy, Rod Hundley, and Elgin Baylor).
Several other teams have come close to having four number one picks. In the mid to late 1980s, the Rockets featured John Lucas, Joe Barry Carroll, Ralph Sampson, and Hakeem Olajuwon. But these four were never together on a roster.
Already having a cluster of previous number one picks put the Cavs in a good position to improve next year. The Lakers teams with four or more number one picks made their conference finals each season and appeared in the finals three times. At least according to oddsmakers, there's a decent chance James could take his new team this far.
Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the Cavs are the first team since the 1961-62 Lakers to have four No. 1 picks. We regret overlooking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Based On Their Draft Picks, How Good Should The Cavs Be Next Year?


text:
The Empty House (collection)/Smith: An Episode in a Lodging-House
"When I was a medical student," began the doctor, half turning towards his circle of listeners in the firelight, "I came across one or two very curious human beings; but there was one fellow I remember particularly, for he caused me the most vivid, and I think the most uncomfortable, emotions I have ever known.
"For many months I knew Smith only by name as the occupant of the floor above me. Obviously his name meant nothing to me. Moreover I was busy with lectures, reading, cliniques and the like, and had little leisure to devise plans for scraping acquaintance with any of the other lodgers in the house. Then chance brought us curiously together, and this fellow Smith left a deep impression upon me as the result of our first meeting. At the time the strength of this first impression seemed quite inexplicable to me, but looking back at the episode now from a standpoint of greater knowledge I judge the fact to have been that he stirred my curiosity to an unusual degree, and at the same time awakened my sense of horror—whatever that may be in a medical student—about as deeply and permanently as these two emotions were capable of being stirred at all in the particular system and set of nerves called Me.
"How he knew that I was interested in the study of languages was something I could never explain, but one day, quite unannounced, he came quietly into my room in the evening and asked me point-blank if I knew enough Hebrew to help him in the pronunciation of certain words.
"He caught me along the line of least resistance, and I was greatly flattered to be able to give him the desired information; but it was only when he had thanked me and was gone that I realised I had been in the presence of an unusual individuality. For the life of me I could not quite seize and label the peculiarities of what I felt to be a very striking personality, but it was borne in upon me that he was a man apart from his fellows, a mind that followed a line leading away from ordinary human intercourse and human interests, and into regions that left in his atmosphere something remote, rarefied, chilling.
"The moment he was gone I became conscious of two things—an intense curiosity to know more about this man and what his real interests were, and secondly, the fact that my skin was crawling and that my hair had a tendency to rise."
The doctor paused a moment here to puff hard at his pipe, which, however, had gone out beyond recall without the assistance of a match; and in the deep silence, which testified to the genuine interest of his listeners, someone poked the fire up into a little blaze, and one or two others glanced over their shoulders into the dark distances of the big hall.
"On looking back," he went on, watching the momentary flames in the grate, "I see a short, thick-set man of perhaps forty-five, with immense shoulders and small, slender hands. The contrast was noticeable, for I remember thinking that such a giant frame and such slim finger bones hardly belonged together. His head, too, was large and very long, the head of an idealist beyond all question, yet with an unusually strong development of the jaw and chin. Here again was a singular contradiction, though I am better able now to appreciate its full meaning, with a greater experience in judging the values of physiognomy. For this meant, of course, an enthusiastic idealism balanced and kept in check by will and judgment—elements usually deficient in dreamers and visionaries.
"At any rate, here was a being with probably a very wide range of possibilities, a machine with a pendulum that most likely had an unusual length of swing.
"The man's hair was exceedingly fine, and the lines about his nose and mouth were cut as with a delicate steel instrument in wax. His eyes I have left to the last. They were large and quite changeable, not in colour only, but in character, size, and shape. Occasionally they seemed the eyes of someone else, if you can understand what I mean, and at the same time, in their shifting shades of blue, green, and a nameless sort of dark grey, there was a sinister light in them that lent to the whole face an aspect almost alarming. Moreover, they were the most luminous optics I think I have ever seen in any human being.
"There, then, at the risk of a wearisome description, is Smith as I saw him for the first time that winter's evening in my shabby student's rooms in Edinburgh. And yet the real part of him, of course, I have left untouched, for it is both indescribable and un-get-atable. I have spoken already of an atmosphere of warning and aloofness he carried about with him. It is impossible further to analyse the series of little shocks his presence always communicated to my being; but there was that about him which made me instantly on the qui vive in his presence, every nerve alert, every sense strained and on the watch. I do not mean that he deliberately suggested danger, but rather that he brought forces in his wake which automatically warned the nervous centres of my system to be on their guard and alert.
"Since the days of my first acquaintance with this man I have lived through other experiences and have seen much I cannot pretend to explain or understand; but, so far in my life, I have only once come across a human being who suggested a disagreeable familiarity with unholy things, and who made me feel uncanny and 'creepy' in his presence; and that unenviable individual was Mr. Smith.
"What his occupation was during the day I never knew. I think he slept until the sun set. No one ever saw him on the stairs, or heard him move in his room during the day. He was a creature of the shadows, who apparently preferred darkness to light. Our landlady either knew nothing, or would say nothing. At any rate she found no fault, and I have since wondered often by what magic this fellow was able to convert a common landlady of a common lodging-house into a discreet and uncommunicative person. This alone was a sign of genius of some sort.
"'He's been here with me for years—long before you come, an' I don't interfere or ask no questions of what doesn't concern me, as long as people pays their rent,' was the only remark on the subject that I ever succeeded in winning from that quarter, and it certainly told me nothing nor gave me any encouragement to ask for further information.
"Examinations, however, and the general excitement of a medical student's life for a time put Mr. Smith completely out of my head. For a long period he did not call upon me again, and for my part, I felt no courage to return his unsolicited visit.
"Just then, however, there came a change in the fortunes of those who controlled my very limited income, and I was obliged to give up my ground-floor and move aloft to more modest chambers on the top of the house. Here I was directly over Smith, and had to pass his door to reach my own.
"It so happened that about this time I was frequently called out at all hours of the night for the maternity cases which a fourth-year student takes at a certain period of his studies, and on returning from one of these visits at about two o'clock in the morning I was surprised to hear the sound of voices as I passed his door. A peculiar sweet odour, too, not unlike the smell of incense, penetrated into the passage.
"I went upstairs very quietly, wondering what was going on there at this hour of the morning. To my knowledge Smith never had visitors. For a moment I hesitated outside the door with one foot on the stairs. All my interest in this strange man revived, and my curiosity rose to a point not far from action. At last I might learn something of the habits of this lover of the night and the darkness.
"The sound of voices was plainly audible, Smith's predominating so much that I never could catch more than points of sound from the other, penetrating now and then the steady stream of his voice. Not a single word reached me, at least, not a word that I could understand, though the voice was loud and distinct, and it was only afterwards that I realised he must have been speaking in a foreign language.
"The sound of footsteps, too, was equally distinct. Two persons were moving about the room, passing and repassing the door, one of them a light, agile person, and the other ponderous and somewhat awkward. Smith's voice went on incessantly with its odd, monotonous droning, now loud, now soft, as he crossed and re-crossed the floor. The other person was also on the move, but in a different and less regular fashion, for I heard rapid steps that seemed to end sometimes in stumbling, and quick sudden movements that brought up with a violent lurching against the wall or furniture.
"As I listened to Smith's voice, moreover, I began to feel afraid. There was something in the sound that made me feel intuitively he was in a tight place, and an impulse stirred faintly in me—very faintly, I admit—to knock at the door and inquire if he needed help.
"But long before the impulse could translate itself into an act, or even before it had been properly weighed and considered by the mind, I heard a voice close beside me in the air, a sort of hushed whisper which I am certain was Smith speaking, though the sound did not seem to have come to me through the door. It was close in my very ear, as though he stood beside me, and it gave me such a start, that I clutched the banisters to save myself from stepping backwards and making a clatter on the stairs.
"'There is nothing you can do to help me,'" it said distinctly, 'and you will be much safer in your own room.'
"I am ashamed to this day of the pace at which I covered the flight of stairs in the darkness to the top floor, and of the shaking hand with which I lit my candles and bolted the door. But, there it is, just as it happened.
"This midnight episode, so odd and yet so trivial in itself, fired me with more curiosity than ever about my fellow-lodger. It also made me connect him in my mind with a sense of fear and distrust. I never saw him, yet I was often, and uncomfortably, aware of his presence in the upper regions of that gloomy lodging-house. Smith and his secret mode of life and mysterious pursuits, somehow contrived to awaken in my being a line of reflection that disturbed my comfortable condition of ignorance. I never saw him, as I have said, and exchanged no sort of communication with him, yet it seemed to me that his mind was in contact with mine, and some of the strange forces of his atmosphere filtered through into my being and disturbed my equilibrium. Those upper floors became haunted for me after dark, and, though outwardly our lives never came into contact, I became unwillingly involved in certain pursuits on which his mind was centred. I felt that he was somehow making use of me against my will, and by methods which passed my comprehension.
"I was at that time, moreover, in the heavy, unquestioning state of materialism which is common to medical students when they begin to understand something of the human anatomy and nervous system, and jump at once to the conclusion that they control the universe and hold in their forceps the last word of life and death. I 'knew it all,' and regarded a belief in anything beyond matter as the wanderings of weak, or at best, untrained minds. And this condition of mind, of course, added to the strength of this upsetting fear which emanated from the floor below and began slowly to take possession of me.
"Though I kept no notes of the subsequent events in this matter, they made too deep an impression for me ever to forget the sequence in which they occurred. Without difficulty I can recall the next step in the adventure with Smith, for adventure it rapidly grew to be."
The doctor stopped a moment and laid his pipe on the table behind him before continuing. The fire had burned low, and no one stirred to poke it. The silence in the great hall was so deep that when the speaker's pipe touched the table the sound woke audible echoes at the far end among the shadows.
"One evening, while I was reading, the door of my room opened and Smith came in. He made no attempt at ceremony. It was after ten o'clock and I was tired, but the presence of the man immediately galvanised me into activity. My attempts at ordinary politeness he thrust on one side at once, and began asking me to vocalise, and then pronounce for him, certain Hebrew words; and when this was done he abruptly inquired if I was not the fortunate possessor of a very rare Rabbinical Treatise, which he named.
"How he knew that I possessed this book puzzled me exceedingly; but I was still more surprised to see him cross the room and take it out of my book-shelf almost before I had had time to answer in the affirmative. Evidently he knew exactly where it was kept. This excited my curiosity beyond all bounds, and I immediately began asking him questions; and though, out of sheer respect for the man, I put them very delicately to him, and almost by way of mere conversation, he had only one reply for the lot. He would look up at me from the pages of the book with an expression of complete comprehension on his extraordinary features, would bow his head a little and say very gravely—
"'That, of course, is a perfectly proper question,'—which was absolutely all I could ever get out of him.
"On this particular occasion he stayed with me perhaps ten or fifteen minutes. Then he went quickly downstairs to his room with my Hebrew Treatise in his hand, and I heard him close and bolt his door.
"But a few moments later, before I had time to settle down to my book again, or to recover from the surprise his visit had caused me, I heard the door open, and there stood Smith once again beside my chair. He made no excuse for his second interruption, but bent his head down to the level of my reading lamp and peered across the flame straight into my eyes.
"I hope,' he whispered, 'I hope you are never disturbed at night?'
"'Eh?' I stammered, 'disturbed at night? Oh no, thanks, at least, not that I know of——'
"'I'm glad,' he replied gravely, appearing not to notice my confusion and surprise at his question. 'But, remember, should it ever be the case, please let me know at once.'
"And he was gone down the stairs and into his room again.
"For some minutes I sat reflecting upon his strange behaviour. He was not mad, I argued, but was the victim of some harmless delusion that had gradually grown upon him as a result of his solitary mode of life; and from the books he used, I judged that it had something to do with mediæval magic, or some system of ancient Hebrew mysticism. The words he asked me to pronounce for him were probably 'Words of Power,' which, when uttered with the vehemence of a strong will behind them, were supposed to produce physical results, or set up vibrations in one's own inner being that had the effect of a partial lifting of the veil.
"I sat thinking about the man, and his way of living, and the probable effects in the long-run of his dangerous experiments, and I can recall perfectly well the sensation of disappointment that crept over me when I realised that I had labelled his particular form of aberration, and that my curiosity would therefore no longer be excited.
"For some time I had been sitting alone with these reflections—it may have been ten minutes or it may have been half an hour—when I was aroused from my reverie by the knowledge that someone was again in the room standing close beside my chair. My first thought was that Smith had come back again in his swift, unaccountable manner, but almost at the same moment I realised that this could not be the case at all. For the door faced my position, and it certainly had not been opened again.
"Yet, someone was in the room, moving cautiously to and fro, watching me, almost touching me. I was as sure of it as I was of myself, and though at the moment I do not think I was actually afraid, I am bound to admit that a certain weakness came over me and that I felt that strange disinclination for action which is probably the beginning of the horrible paralysis of real terror. I should have been glad to hide myself, if that had been possible, to cower into a corner, or behind a door, or anywhere so that I could not be watched and observed.
"But, overcoming my nervousness with an effort of the will, I got up quickly out of my chair and held the reading lamp aloft so that it shone into all the corners like a searchlight.
"The room was utterly empty! It was utterly empty, at least, to the eye, but to the nerves, and especially to that combination of sense perception which is made up by all the senses acting together, and by no one in particular, there was a person standing there at my very elbow.
"I say 'person,' for I can think of no appropriate word. For, if it was a human being, I can only affirm that I had the overwhelming conviction that it was not, but that it was some form of life wholly unknown to me both as to its essence and its nature. A sensation of gigantic force and power came with it, and I remember vividly to this day my terror on realising that I was close to an invisible being who could crush me as easily as I could crush a fly, and who could see my every movement while itself remaining invisible.
"To this terror was added the certain knowledge that the 'being' kept in my proximity for a definite purpose. And that this purpose had some direct bearing upon my well-being, indeed upon my life, I was equally convinced; for I became aware of a sensation of growing lassitude as though the vitality were being steadily drained out of my body. My heart began to beat irregularly at first, then faintly. I was conscious, even within a few minutes, of a general drooping of the powers of life in the whole system, an ebbing away of self-control, and a distinct approach of drowsiness and torpor.
"The power to move, or to think out any mode of resistance, was fast leaving me, when there rose, in the distance as it were, a tremendous commotion. A door opened with a clatter, and I heard the peremptory and commanding tones of a human voice calling aloud in a language I could not comprehend. It was Smith, my fellow-lodger, calling up the stairs; and his voice had not sounded for more than a few seconds, when I felt something withdrawn from my presence, from my person, indeed from my very skin. It seemed as if there was a rushing of air and some large creature swept by me at about the level of my shoulders. Instantly the pressure on my heart was relieved, and the atmosphere seemed to resume its normal condition.
"Smith's door closed quietly downstairs, as I put the lamp down with trembling hands. What had happened I do not know; only, I was alone again and my strength was returning as rapidly as it had left me.
"I went across the room and examined myself in the glass. The skin was very pale, and the eyes dull. My temperature, I found, was a little below normal and my pulse faint and irregular. But these smaller signs of disturbance were as nothing compared with the feeling I had—though no outward signs bore testimony to the fact—that I had narrowly escaped a real and ghastly catastrophe. I felt shaken, somehow, shaken to the very roots of my being."
The doctor rose from his chair and crossed over to the dying fire, so that no one could see the expression on his face as he stood with his back to the grate, and continued his weird tale.
"It would be wearisome," he went on in a lower voice, looking over our heads as though he still saw the dingy top floor of that haunted Edinburgh lodging-house; "it would be tedious for me at this length of time to analyse my feelings, or attempt to reproduce for you the thorough examination to which I endeavoured then to subject my whole being, intellectual, emotional, and physical. I need only mention the dominant emotion with which this curious episode left me—the indignant anger against myself that I could ever have lost my self-control enough to come under the sway of so gross and absurd a delusion. This protest, however, I remember making with all the emphasis possible. And I also remember noting that it brought me very little satisfaction, for it was the protest of my reason only, when all the rest of my being was up in arms against its conclusions.
"My dealings with the 'delusion,' however, were not yet over for the night; for very early next morning, somewhere about three o'clock, I was awakened by a curiously stealthy noise in the room, and the next minute there followed a crash as if all my books had been swept bodily from their shelf on to the floor.
"But this time I was not frightened. Cursing the disturbance with all the resounding and harmless words I could accumulate, I jumped out of bed and lit the candle in a second, and in the first dazzle of the flaring match—but before the wick had time to catch—I was certain I saw a dark grey shadow, of ungainly shape, and with something more or less like a human head, drive rapidly past the side of the wall farthest from me and disappear into the gloom by the angle of the door.
"I waited one single second to be sure the candle was alight, and then dashed after it, but before I had gone two steps, my foot stumbled against something hard piled up on the carpet and I only just saved myself from falling headlong. I picked myself up and found that all the books from what I called my 'language shelf' were strewn across the floor. The room, meanwhile, as a minute's search revealed, was quite empty. I looked in every corner and behind every stick of furniture, and a student's bedroom on a top floor, costing twelve shillings a week, did not hold many available hiding-places, as you may imagine.
"The crash, however, was explained. Some very practical and physical force had thrown the books from their resting-place. That, at least, was beyond all doubt. And as I replaced them on the shelf and noted that not one was missing, I busied myself mentally with the sore problem of how the agent of this little practical joke had gained access to my room, and then escaped again. For my door was locked and bolted.
"Smith's odd question as to whether I was disturbed in the night, and his warning injunction to let him know at once if such were the case, now of course returned to affect me as I stood there in the early morning, cold and shivering on the carpet; but I realised at the same moment how impossible it would be for me to admit that a more than usually vivid nightmare could have any connection with himself. I would rather stand a hundred of these mysterious visitations than consult such a man as to their possible cause.
"A knock at the door interrupted my reflections, and I gave a start that sent the candle grease flying.
"'Let me in,' came in Smith's voice.
"I unlocked the door. He came in fully dressed. His face wore a curious pallor. It seemed to me to be under the skin and to shine through and almost make it luminous. His eyes were exceedingly bright.
"I was wondering what in the world to say to him, or how he would explain his visit at such an hour, when he closed the door behind him and came close up to me—uncomfortably close.
"'You should have called me at once,' he said in his whispering voice, fixing his great eyes on my face.
"I stammered something about an awful dream, but he ignored my remark utterly, and I caught his eye wandering next—if any movement of those optics can be described as 'wandering'—to the book-shelf. I watched him, unable to move my gaze from his person. The man fascinated me horribly for some reason. Why, in the devil's name, was he up and dressed at three in the morning? How did he know anything had happened unusual in my room? Then his whisper began again.
"'It's your amazing vitality that causes you this annoyance,' he said, shifting his eyes back to mine.
"I gasped. Something in his voice or manner turned my blood into ice.
"'That's the real attraction,' he went on. 'But if this continues one of us will have to leave, you know.'
"I positively could not find a word to say in reply. The channels of speech dried up within me. I simply stared and wondered what he would say next. I watched him in a sort of dream, and as far as I can remember, he asked me to promise to call him sooner another time, and then began to walk round the room, uttering strange sounds, and making signs with his arms and hands until he reached the door. Then he was gone in a second, and I had closed and locked the door behind him.
"After this, the Smith adventure drew rapidly to a climax. It was a week or two later, and I was coming home between two and three in the morning from a maternity case, certain features of which for the time being had very much taken possession of my mind, so much so, indeed, that I passed Smith's door without giving him a single thought.
"The gas jet on the landing was still burning, but so low that it made little impression on the waves of deep shadow that lay across the stairs. Overhead, the faintest possible gleam of grey showed that the morning was not far away. A few stars shone down through the sky-light. The house was still as the grave, and the only sound to break the silence was the rushing of the wind round the walls and over the roof. But this was a fitful sound, suddenly rising and as suddenly falling away again, and it only served to intensify the silence.
"I had already reached my own landing when I gave a violent start. It was automatic, almost a reflex action in fact, for it was only when I caught myself fumbling at the door handle and thinking where I could conceal myself quickest that I realised a voice had sounded close beside me in the air. It was the same voice I had heard before, and it seemed to me to be calling for help. And yet the very same minute I pushed on into the room, determined to disregard it, and seeking to persuade myself it was the creaking of the boards under my weight or the rushing noise of the wind that had deceived me.
"But hardly had I reached the table where the candles stood when the sound was unmistakably repeated: 'Help! help!' And this time it was accompanied by what I can only describe as a vivid tactile hallucination. I was touched: the skin of my arm was clutched by fingers.
"Some compelling force sent me headlong down-stairs as if the haunting forces of the whole world were at my heels. At Smith's door I paused. The force of his previous warning injunction to seek his aid without delay acted suddenly and I leant my whole weight against the panels, little dreaming that I should be called upon to give help rather than to receive it.
"The door yielded at once, and I burst into a room that was so full of a choking vapour, moving in slow clouds, that at first I could distinguish nothing at all but a set of what seemed to be huge shadows passing in and out of the mist. Then, gradually, I perceived that a red lamp on the mantelpiece gave all the light there was, and that the room which I now entered for the first time was almost empty of furniture.
"The carpet was rolled back and piled in a heap in the corner, and upon the white boards of the floor I noticed a large circle drawn in black of some material that emitted a faint glowing light and was apparently smoking. Inside this circle, as well as at regular intervals outside it, were curious-looking designs, also traced in the same black, smoking substance. These, too, seemed to emit a feeble light of their own.
"My first impression on entering the room had been that it was full of—people, I was going to say; but that hardly expresses my meaning. Beings, they certainly were, but it was borne in upon me beyond the possibility of doubt, that they were not human beings. That I had caught a momentary glimpse of living, intelligent entities I can never doubt, but I am equally convinced, though I cannot prove it, that these entities were from some other scheme of evolution altogether, and had nothing to do with the ordinary human life, either incarnate or discarnate.
"But, whatever they were, the visible appearance of them was exceedingly fleeting. I no longer saw anything, though I still felt convinced of their immediate presence. They were, moreover, of the same order of life as the visitant in my bedroom of a few nights before, and their proximity to my atmosphere in numbers, instead of singly as before, conveyed to my mind something that was quite terrible and overwhelming. I fell into a violent trembling, and the perspiration poured from my face in streams.
"They were in constant motion about me. They stood close to my side; moved behind me; brushed past my shoulder; stirred the hair on my forehead; and circled round me without ever actually touching me, yet always pressing closer and closer. Especially in the air just over my head there seemed ceaseless movement, and it was accompanied by a confused noise of whispering and sighing that threatened every moment to become articulate in words. To my intense relief, however, I heard no distinct words, and the noise continued more like the rising and falling of the wind than anything else I can imagine.
"But the characteristic of these 'Beings' that impressed me most strongly at the time, and of which I have carried away the most permanent recollection, was that each one of them possessed what seemed to be a vibrating centre which impelled it with tremendous force and caused a rapid whirling motion of the atmosphere as it passed me. The air was full of these little vortices of whirring, rotating force, and whenever one of them pressed me too closely I felt as if the nerves in that particular portion of my body had been literally drawn out, absolutely depleted of vitality, and then immediately replaced—but replaced dead, flabby, useless.
"Then, suddenly, for the first time my eyes fell upon Smith. He was crouching against the wall on my right, in an attitude that was obviously defensive, and it was plain he was in extremities. The terror on his face was pitiable, but at the same time there was another expression about the tightly clenched teeth and mouth which showed that he had not lost all control of himself. He wore the most resolute expression I have ever seen on a human countenance, and, though for the moment at a fearful disadvantage, he looked like a man who had confidence in himself, and, in spite of the working of fear, was waiting his opportunity.
"For my part, I was face to face with a situation so utterly beyond my knowledge and comprehension, that I felt as helpless as a child, and as useless.
"'Help me back—quick—into that circle,' I heard him half cry, half whisper to me across the moving vapours.
"My only value appears to have been that I was not afraid to act. Knowing nothing of the forces I was dealing with I had no idea of the deadly perils risked, and I sprang forward and caught him by the arms. He threw all his weight in my direction, and by our combined efforts his body left the wall and lurched across the floor towards the circle.
"Instantly there descended upon us, out of the empty air of that smoke-laden room, a force which I can only compare to the pushing, driving power of a great wind pent up within a narrow space. It was almost explosive in its effect, and it seemed to operate upon all parts of my body equally. It fell upon us with a rushing noise that filled my ears and made me think for a moment the very walls and roof of the building had been torn asunder. Under its first blow we staggered back against the wall, and I understood plainly that its purpose was to prevent us getting back into the circle in the middle of the floor.
"Pouring with perspiration, and breathless, with every muscle strained to the very utmost, we at length managed to get to the edge of the circle, and at this moment, so great was the opposing force, that I felt myself actually torn from Smith's arms, lifted from my feet, and twirled round in the direction of the windows as if the wheel of some great machine had caught my clothes and was tearing me to destruction in its revolution.
"But, even as I fell, bruised and breathless, against the wall, I saw Smith firmly upon his feet in the circle and slowly rising again to an upright position. My eyes never left his figure once in the next few minutes.
"He drew himself up to his full height. His great shoulders squared themselves. His head was thrown back a little, and as I looked I saw the expression on his face change swiftly from fear to one of absolute command. He looked steadily round the room and then his voice began to vibrate. At first in a low tone, it gradually rose till it assumed the same volume and intensity I had heard that night when he called up the stairs into my room.
"It was a curiously increasing sound, more like the swelling of an instrument than a human voice; and as it grew in power and filled the room, I became aware that a great change was being effected slowly and surely. The confusion of noise and rushings of air fell into the roll of long, steady vibrations not unlike those caused by the deeper pedals of an organ. The movements in the air became less violent, then grew decidedly weaker, and finally ceased altogether. The whisperings and sighings became fainter and fainter, till at last I could not hear them at all; and, strangest of all, the light emitted by the circle, as well as by the designs round it, increased to a steady glow, casting their radiance upwards with the weirdest possible effect upon his features. Slowly, by the power of his voice, behind which lay undoubtedly a genuine knowledge of the occult manipulation of sound, this man dominated the forces that had escaped from their proper sphere, until at length the room was reduced to silence and perfect order again.
"Judging by the immense relief which also communicated itself to my nerves I then felt that the crisis was over and Smith was wholly master of the situation.
"But hardly had I begun to congratulate myself upon this result, and to gather my scattered senses about me, when, uttering a loud cry, I saw him leap out of the circle and fling himself into the air—as it seemed to me, into the empty air. Then, even while holding my breath for dread of the crash he was bound to come upon the floor, I saw him strike with a dull thud against a solid body in mid-air, and the next instant he was wrestling with some ponderous thing that was absolutely invisible to me, and the room shook with the struggle.
"To and fro they swayed, sometimes lurching in one direction, sometimes in another, and always in horrible proximity to myself, as I leaned trembling against the wall and watched the encounter.
"It lasted at most but a short minute or two, ending as suddenly as it had begun. Smith, with an unexpected movement, threw up his arms with a cry of relief. At the same instant there was a wild, tearing shriek in the air beside me and something rushed past us with a noise like the passage of a flock of big birds. Both windows rattled as if they would break away from their sashes. Then a sense of emptiness and peace suddenly came over the room, and I knew that all was over.
"Smith, his face exceedingly white, but otherwise strangely composed, turned to me at once.
"'God!—if you hadn't come— You deflected the stream; broke it up——' he whispered. 'You saved me.'"
The doctor made a long pause. Presently he felt for his pipe in the darkness, groping over the table behind us with both hands. No one spoke for a bit, but all dreaded the sudden glare that would come when he struck the match. The fire was nearly out and the great hall was pitch dark.
But the story-teller did not strike that match. He was merely gaining time for some hidden reason of his own. And presently he went on with his tale in a more subdued voice.
"I quite forget," he said, "how I got back to my own room. I only know that I lay with two lighted candles for the rest of the night, and the first thing I did in the morning was to let the landlady know I was leaving her house at the end of the week.
"Smith still has my Rabbinical Treatise. At least he did not return it to me at the time, and I have never seen him since to ask for it."


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If your roof has ugly black roof stains like this one don't worry, the professionals at A+ Power Washing and Roof Cleaning can safely and quickly remove them. A+ Power Washing and Roof Cleaning is Monmouth and Ocean Counties exclusive Shingle Shield™ applicator and has been providing quality hot water power washing and Pressure Free Roof Cleaning™ to residents of Monmouth and Ocean County New Jersey since 1990.
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13456 SE McLoughlin Blvd.
Portland, OR 97222
Across from The Famous Bomber Restaurant
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Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Radio: 1240 AM
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons' only two wins this season came when Matt Ryan had no turnovers in almost flawless performances.
With Ryan throwing a combined seven interceptions the last two games, the Falcons haven't come close to winning.
Ryan showed signs of forcing passes as he threw three interceptions in the Falcons' 34-10 loss at Carolina on Sunday. He threw four interceptions in a 27-13 loss at Arizona on Oct. 27.
Ryan says he's not pressing as he tries to move an offense that is missing injured receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White.
"I think really all three of the interceptions were a case of being aggressive and trying to get the ball in spots, but I don't see it as pressing," Ryan said. "I think trying to give our guys opportunities. ... I've just got to be more efficient with what I'm doing and know that at the quarterback position when you're playing in tight games and you turn the ball over, it's going to be tough to overcome."
For the struggling Falcons, turnovers from Ryan have become almost impossible to overcome.
The Falcons have lost five of their last six games to fall to 2-6. Ryan recorded the best passer rating of his career — 148.4 — and threw three touchdown passes with no interceptions in a 31-23 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 20.
Ryan threw two TD passes with no interceptions in Atlanta's only other win, a 31-24 victory over the Rams on Sept. 15.
Jones hurt his foot and was lost for the season after five games. White has missed three straight games with hamstring and ankle injuries. Jones' starting receivers against the Panthers were Harry Douglas and Drew Davis. Tight end Tony Gonzalez has been left with near-constant double coverages.
Coach Mike Smith said Monday injuries are no excuse for poor execution.
"We've got to take care of the football," Smith said. "Possession of the football is nine-tenths of the game. That's what you've got to do when you're on the offensive side of the ball. You have to possess the football, and it's not just the responsibility of the quarterback. It's the responsibility of everyone on the offensive side, including the coaches, in terms of making sure we take care of the ball."
Ryan has 15 TD passes and 10 interceptions halfway through the season. In 2012, he threw 32 scoring passes with 14 interceptions in 16 games.
Atlanta will play Seattle on Sunday in a rematch of the Falcons' win in last season's NFC divisional playoff game.
Ryan's third interception on Sunday was returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Carolina cornerback Drayton Florence.
Atlanta running back Jacquizz Rodgers lost a fumble for the team's fourth turnover.
Smith didn't hesitate Monday when asked what he saw in his film review as the most glaring issue.
"Well, you can't turn the ball over four times and one of them being a pick-six," Smith said. "It's very hard to win football games when you have four turnovers. That's probably the most glaring thing that stood out in the ballgame."
Smith said there was some good news. Left tackle Sam Baker returned after missing three games with a knee injury, allowing Lamar Holmes to start at right tackle. Ryan was sacked only once and hit three times.
In his second game back from a hamstring injury, running back Steven Jackson had 57 yards rushing on 13 carries.
"There were some positives you take from the game, the OL playing pass protection and we ran the ball more effectively, not as good as we'd like to, but I think more effectively."
Smith said the losing record hasn't caused him to question his players' effort.
"I don't believe that the effort is ever questioned," he said. "This is a group of guys that have played hard in every football game. There's no quit in them. We've got some things that are not clicking and it is a fine line in terms of being successful and unsuccessful in the National Football League and we have not played the type of football that we need to play consistently to get the wins that definitely need."


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By Bob Whitmore
You may not spend a lot of time thinking about the Eastern Hellbender Salamander, but Greg Lipps sure does. Lipps, an independent consultant to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, has spent years studying this completely aquatic salamander – an amphibian that has been categorized as an endangered species by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The Eastern Hellbender is found in swift-flowing rivers and streams in the eastern United States. In Ohio and Missouri, where most of the research has been done, the population has declined 82% since the 1980s, Lipps said.
Hellbender habitat
Lipps is one of a small cadre of biologists who have been working to find ways to rebuild the Eastern Hellbender population, and he may have found an answer – in a custom-designed, precast concrete habitat. The solution resulted from collaboration among Lipps, Bluffton Precast Concrete Co. and Norwalk Precast Molds Inc., both of Ohio.
The natural habitat for an Eastern Hellbender is a large rock embedded into the substrate of a river that has a small opening where the salamander can weave its way into a cavity and lay eggs. The small opening allows the male salamander to defend its nest from predators such as fish. As residential and commercial development occurs near the water, those large rocks are often silted over, destroying the habitat. Lipps said there is no research to provide a direct link between the availability of the boulders and the decline of the Hellbender, but he would like to find out.
One way to test the theory would be to supplement the habitat, and that's where the precast concrete solution comes in. A colleague of Lipps' at the Missouri Department of Conservation, Jeff Briggler, began creating his own artificial Hellbender habitat using chicken wire and concrete. "Jeff built some of them and gave them to the St. Louis Zoo," Lipps said. Briggler's artificial habitat soon harbored some happy Hellbenders. "Once you give them the right conditions, they start breeding in captivity, and now they've been breeding for two years in a row," Lipps said. Briggler has also documented their use of artificial habitat in the wild.
Lipps wanted to build on Briggler's work by formalizing the design and creating an artificial habitat that could be placed directly into the river or stream. He searched precast.org for a precast concrete manufacturer located nearby and landed on Bluffton Precast, an NPCA-certified plant.
An odd request: "Are you serious?"
"I called them up and told them I had a rather odd request," Lipps said. "They said it looked like something they might want to tackle."
Lipps started working with David Akin, president of Bluffton Precast, showing him pictures of the chicken wire structure and adding his own specifications to the structure. Akin then contacted Eric Hudberg, vice president at Norwalk Precast Molds, to add Norwalk's expertise to the team.
"We were not sure if they were serious or not," said Eric Hudberg, Norwalk Precast Molds vice president. "Dave was asking, 'Hey, do you think we can build this thing?' We looked at it and figured, well, why not?
"I talked with some of our engineers here," Hudberg continued. They looked at the photos of Briggler's homemade hut along with the additional specs that Lipps wanted, like a removable lid, no light leaks, and a knockout in the base where the river bottom would be exposed. An additional modification was a port for the insertion of a water quality monitoring device and a small camera.
"After we got into it, it wasn't terribly challenging once we broke it down and got into the components," Hudberg said. "We ended up with a three-piece mold set."
Lipps worked with his new collaborators at Bluffton and Norwalk and made several modifications to the design. The entry is a tapered tunnel about 20 in. long that leads to a cavity where the eggs can be laid. The hut weighs about 150 lbs and should sit down firmly into the substrate of a river or stream.
"It needs to be big," Lipps said. "If you think about what a stream potentially goes through every year with ice sheets and floods, it can't be something that will be pushed around. It needs to be able to stay in place."
What seems big to a biologist may look tiny to a precaster. Casting of the first salamander hut wasn't technically difficult, said Akin. One of the challenges was actually its small size. "When you're used to making things that are up to 20 tons apiece, this is a little different," he said. "We used our burial-vault wire and hand-formed a cage for the top section and another for the base piece. We used our 5,000-psi burial-vault mud with fiber, and then actually poured both pieces on top of a panel form."
The first finished Hellbender Salamander habitat hut rolled out of Bluffton in late January, and Lipps took it to a meeting at the Toledo Zoo the next day. The group made a few modifications that Norwalk and Bluffton incorporated into the next version of the new product.
Word of the precast salamander hut has circulated in the salamander community, and Lipps is looking forward to taking one of the huts to a conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., later this year. Financial support for the development and production of the Hellbender huts came from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Columbus Zoo and the Toledo Zoo.
Endangered salamander needs pristine streams
If the Hellbender hut is successful, it could be used for research, for rebuilding of the population where it has become endangered across the country, and also for mitigation projects. When a stream is disturbed, the developer is often required to mitigate the damage by restoring the stream as closely as possible to its natural state. The hut could prove to be a sensible, less costly way to provide the needed mitigation, Lipps thinks.
Why is it important to save a species? The Hellbender salamander grows up to 2 ft long and can weigh in at more than 2.5 lbs. They survive up to 50 years in the wild and are among the most ancient amphibians on earth, according to Lipps. Like the canary in a coal mine, they provide biologists with an indicator of the health of a stream. Where they are present, the stream is likely to be fairly clean and well-oxygenated. And that's good news for smallmouth bass fishing enthusiasts, for example, because the bass requires a similar habitat.
"If you have healthy streams for Hellbenders, you'll have good smallmouth bass fishing," Lipps said. The Hellbender is different from a mayfly, he added. If a stream is degraded, the mayfly population may disappear for awhile, but the mayfly will always come back. "With the Hellbender, once they're gone … they're gone."
In Japan, precast concrete has been used for years to provide habitat for a larger salamander species known as Hanzaki, Lipps said. "They have Hanzaki blocks placed onto retaining walls in Japan to help them bolster their Hanzaki population," he said. The Hanzaki blocks may have formed the genesis of Lipps' idea to contact a precaster to provide him with a suitable salamander structure. He wasn't sure if he would find anybody to take on his unusual customized request. But he didn't know about the can-do culture of precasters. "I thought I'd be calling precasters for weeks, so I feel pretty lucky that Bluffton was willing to take on the project," Lipps said.
The Hellbender salamander hut project has provided a little variety for Bluffton's production team, Akin said. "It's been a blast! We've been back and forth with different drawings. I've gone from never having heard of the darn thing to being pretty intimate with it."
The folks at Norwalk concur. "It's nice to be involved in something unique that could potentially have some impact," said Hudberg. "It's something different from the usual septic tank or burial vault type of project. We did a lot of custom jobs in 2012, so this was a perfect way to end the year." In the process, the Norwalk team has become fans of the salamander, Hudberg added. "I think we're going to have to get some Hellbender salamander T-shirts made."


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|Ghana Table of Contents
The presence of Christian missionaries on the coast of Ghana has been dated to the arrival of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. It was the Basel/Presbyterian and Wesleyan/Methodist missionaries, however, who, in the nineteenth century, laid the foundation for the Christian church in Ghana. Beginning their conversions in the coastal area and among the Akwapim, these missionaries established schools as "nurseries of the church" in which an educated African class was trained. Almost all major secondary schools today, especially exclusively boys and girls schools, are mission- or church-related institutions. Although churches continue to influence the development of education in the country, church schools have been opened to all since the state assumed financial responsibility for formal instruction under the Education Act of 1960.
Various Christian denominations are well represented in Ghana. The Volta Region has a high concentration of Evangelical Presbyterians. Many Akwapim are Presbyterians, and the Methodist denomination is strongly represented among the Fante. The Roman Catholic Church is fairly well represented in Central Region and Ashanti Region. Although no official figures exist to reflect regional distribution of the various denominations, it is generally agreed that the southern part of the nation is more Christian, while the north is more Islamic.
The unifying organization of Christians in the country is the Ghana Christian Council, founded in 1929. Representing the Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Evangelical Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, F'Eden, and Baptist churches, and the Society of Friends, the council serves as the link with the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical bodies. The National Catholic Secretariat, established in 1960, also coordinates the different in-country dioceses. These Christian organizations, concerned primarily with the spiritual affairs of their congregations, have occasionally acted in circumstances described by the government as political. Such was the case in 1991 when both the Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Ghana Christian Council called on the military government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to return the country to constitutional rule. The Roman Catholic newspaper, The Standar, was often critical of government policies.
In the north, Islam predominates. Islam is based on what Muslims believe are the divine revelations received in seventhcentury Arabia by the Prophet Muhammad. His life is recounted as the early history of the religion, beginning with his travels from the Arabian town of Mecca about 610. His condemnation of the polytheistic practices of the people of Mecca caused him to become an outcast. In 622 Muhammad was invited to the town of Yathrib, which became known as Medina (the city) through its association with him. The move, or hijra, known in the West as the hegira, marks the beginning of the Islamic Era and the Islamic calendar, as well as the inauguration of Islam as a powerful force in history. In Medina, Muhammad continued his preaching, ultimately defeated his detractors in battle, and consolidated his influence as both temporal and spiritual leader of most Arabs before his death in 632.
After Muhammad's death, his followers compiled those of his words that were regarded as coming directly from God into the Qura, the holy scripture of Islam. Other sayings and teachings as well as precedents of his behavior as recalled by those who knew him became the hadith ("sayings"). From these sources, the faithful constructed the Prophet's customary practice, or sunna, which they endeavor to emulate. The Quran, hadith, and sunna form a comprehensive guide to the spiritual, ethical, and social life of the faithful in most Muslim countries.
The God preached by Muhammad was previously known to his countrymen. Rather than introducing a new deity, Muhammad denied the existence of the pantheon of gods and spirits worshipped before his prophethood and declared the omnipotence of God, the unique creator. Muhammad is the "Seal of the Prophets," the last of the prophetic line. His revelations are said to complete for all time the series of revelations that were given earlier to Jews and Christians. Islam reveres as sacred only the message, not the Prophet. It accepts the concepts of guardian angels, the Day of Judgment, resurrection, and the eternal life of the soul.
The central requirement of Islam is submission to the will of God (Allah), and, accordingly, a Muslim is a person who has submitted his will to God. The most important demonstration of faith is the shahad (profession of faith), which states that "There is no God but God (Allah), and Muhammad is his prophet." Sala (daily prayer), zaka (almsgiving), saw (fasting), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) are also required of all Muslims.
The spread of Islam into West Africa, beginning with ancient Ghana in the ninth century, was mainly the result of the commercial activities of North African Muslims. The empires of both Mali and Songhai that followed ancient Ghana in the Western Sudan adopted the religion. Islam made its entry into the northern territories of modern Ghana around the fifteenth century. Mande or Wangara traders and clerics carried the religion into the area. The northeastern sector of the country was also influenced by Muslims who escaped the Hausa jihads of northern Nigeria in the early nineteenth century.
Most Ghanaian Muslims are Sunni, following the Maliki version of Islamic law. Sufism, involving the organization of mystical brotherhoods (tariq) for the purification and spread of Islam, is not widespread in Ghana. The Tijaniyah and the Qadiriyah brotherhoods, however, are represented. The Ahmadiyah, a Shia sect originating in nineteenth-century India, is the only non-Sunni order in the country.
Despite the spread of Islamism (popularly known as Islamic fundamentalism) in the Middle East, North Africa, and even in Nigeria since the mid-1970s, Ghanaian Muslims and Christians have had excellent relations. Guided by the authority of the Muslim Representative Council, religious, social, and economic matters affecting Muslims have often been redressed through negotiations. The Muslim Council has also been responsible for arranging pilgrimages to Mecca for believers who can afford the journey. In spite of these achievements, the council has not succeeded in taking initiatives for the upgrading of Islamic schools beyond the provision of basic Quranic instruction. This may explain the economic and technological gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. The Ghanaian Ahmadiyah Movement, which has established a number of vocational training centers, hospitals, and some secondary schools, is an exception.
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Today's BirthdayGeorge III1738–1820, king of Great Britain and Ireland (1760–1820); son of Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, and grandson of George II, whom he succeeded.
He was also elector (and later king) of Hanover, but he never visited it.
Early Reign
After his father's early death (1751), young George was educated for his future role as king by his domineering mother, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and by John Stuart, earl of Bute. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 22 and earnestly set himself to cleanse politics of corruption and to curb the arrogance of the aristocratic Whig leaders, who he believed had weakened the royal powers. George, for his part, was viewed with suspicion by those who resented Lord Bute's influence over the young king. This suspicion appeared justified when the successful and popular William Pitt, later earl of Chatham, was allowed to resign (1761) and was replaced by Bute. Bute, however, could not muster parliamentary support and resigned in 1763, and George, who matured rapidly in office, quickly outgrew his dependence on him.
Political instability marked the first 10 years of the reign, for the king's lack of faith in most of the available ministers and increasing factionalism led to a rapid turnover of ministries and inconsistency of policy. The ministry of George Grenville (1763–65) initiated prosecution of John Wilkes and imposed the unpopular Stamp Act on the American colonies; that of the marquess of Rockingham (1765–66) repealed the Stamp Act; that of Lord Chatham (1766–68) levied new duties in America with the Townshend Acts; while that of the duke of Grafton (1768–70) renewed prosecution of Wilkes. Thwarted in his unrealistic attempts to break the system of patronage and connection by which political groupings were formed, George himself resorted to the lavish use of patronage to establish in Parliament a group of supporters known as the "king's friends."
Ministries of North and the Younger Pitt
Only in 1770 did George find in Frederick, Lord North, a chief minister who was able to manage Parliament and willing to follow royal leadership. Although North achieved financial consolidation at home and imposed closer government control over the East India Company by the Regulating Act (1772), his 12-year ministry is remembered chiefly for his policy of coercion against the American colonists that led finally to the American Revolution. This policy of course reflected the views of the king, whose refusal to accept the loss of the colonies prolonged the war. Opposition in Parliament to what was regarded as increasing royal influence finally forced George to accept the resignation (1782) of North and the formation of ministries first by Lord Rockingham and then by the earl of Shelburne, who concluded the Treaty of Paris (1783), granting independence to the United States.
Shelburne's ministry was brought down (1783) by the surprising coalition of George's old friend Lord North and his leading Whig opponent Charles James Fox. This alliance so incensed the king that he exerted his influence in the House of Lords to secure defeat of Fox's East India Bill (1783) and thus forced the ministry out, replacing it with one formed by the younger William Pitt. Despite the furious reaction to the king's action among Whigs, Pitt won control of Parliament in the 1784 election and was to retain power until 1801 and then hold it again from 1804 to 1806.
After Pitt's appointment George retired from active participation in government, except for taking an interest in such major issues as Catholic Emancipation, which he defeated in 1801. Pitt was able to improve trade, reform the governments of Canada and India, and unite the kingdoms of Ireland and England (1800). He also managed the wars with France (see French Revolutionary Wars; Napoleon I).
England in the Reign of George III
Before George died in 1820 the fabric of English life had been vastly altered from the stable society of 1760. Despite the loss of the American colonies there had been a great expansion of empire and trade, and the ground for further expansion had been laid by the explorations of James Cook. At home, the population almost doubled, improved agricultural methods increased productivity, and advances in technology and transportation marked the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Social reform, although much discussed, made little headway, and all attempts to effect an extension of the suffrage or a redistribution of parliamentary representation failed. The Church of England, fettered by apathy and patronage, failed to move into the new factory towns, but Methodism spread rapidly to fill the gap. Science made great strides with the work of Henry Cavendish, Joseph Priestley, John Dalton, and Sir Humphrey Davy. In English literature 18th-century neoclassicism declined, and the romantic movement had its rise. A revolution in social and economic thinking, assisted by the spread of literacy and learning through a wider distribution of books and periodicals, promoted theories of utilitarianism and laissez faire. Among important thinkers of the period were Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus, Jeremy Bentham, and Edmund Burke. Through all these developments George patronized the arts, especially portraiture, and founded the Royal Academy of Arts. He was a friend of Josiah Wedgwood and other industrialists.
Character and Personal Life
George, who had suffered a short nervous breakdown in 1765 and a more serious one in 1788–89 (which caused a fierce conflict between Pitt and Fox over the powers to be vested in the regency), became permanently insane in 1810. It has been suggested that he was a victim of the hereditary disease porphyria. He spent the rest of his life in the care of his devoted wife, Charlotte Sophia, whom he had married in 1761, and the prince of Wales (later George IV) was made regent (see Regency). Unlike the first two Georges, George III had a tranquil domestic life, although scandal touched his brothers and sons. George was an honest and well-intentioned man, but his stubbornness and limited intellectual power confounded his efforts to rule well and made him a somewhat tragic figure.
See editions of George III's correspondence by John Fortescue (6 vol., 1927–28; additions and corrections by L. B. Namier, 1937) and by Arthur Aspinall (5 vol., 1962–70); biographies by J. C. Long (1961), S. E. Ayling (1972), John Brooke (1972), and J. C. Clarke (1972); studies by Herbert Butterfield (1949, repr. 1968; rev. ed. 1959), J. S. Watson (1960), John H. Plumb (1985), and Richard Pares (1953, repr. 1988).
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Cummins Inc. Earns Top Rating from Human Rights Campaign
Cummins Inc. Earns Top Rating from Human Rights Campaign
COLUMBUS, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the eighth straight year, Cummins Inc. (NYS: CMI) has been awarded a perfect score in the 2013 Corporate Equality Index by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as part of its Best Places to Work initiative.
The ratings were announced today by HRC, the largest U.S. civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, which has more than 1 million members and supporters across the United States.
"Cummins is honored to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for the eighth straight year," said Tom Linebarger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Cummins. "Diversity is one of our core values, and diversity means our individual differences never have to be checked at the door. Earning a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index is a great affirmation of the work we do every day to create an inclusive work environment where all employees can reach their full potential."
The HRC's Corporate Equality Index (CEI), introduced in 2002, provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Businesses are rated based on their responses to the CEI survey. 889 employers were included in this year's survey.
The survey rates employers on non-discrimination policies, health insurance benefits for same sex domestic partners, availability of LGBT employee resource groups, and diversity training. Criteria have evolved over the years, and HRC is committed to maintaining rigorous, transparent and achievable standards, as well as tools to help companies meet the criteria. While its reviews are done in 2012, the rankings apply to 2013.
About Cummins
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,500 dealer locations. Cummins earned $1.85 billion on sales of $18.0 billion in 2011. Press releases can be found on the Web at www.cummins.com. Follow Cummins on Twitter at @Cummins and on YouTube at CumminsInc.
Cummins Inc.
Jon Mills, Director - External Communications, 317-610-4244
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text: had to back up just alittle bit and start again just so i can explain the problem. deleted all the web sites resellers and cleints in ispconfig. then i created a new client rsmith when i created rsmith i didn't know what to put for web address so i put www.mikeswebb.com. filled in the username and password and thats it. then i created a new site called mikeswebb.com and checked ftp access and checked create DNS, then i created a new user&email with the name web8_rsmith and check admin. now i access the ftp site, i log in as web8_rsmith and i see five folders cgi-bin,log,phptmp,ssl,user,web. i move to the folder web and replace the file index.html with a new file index.html this index.html file is completely different from the original "fedora core test page". then i try to access the web site mikeswebb.com with my browser and i still get the original "fedora core test page". what is it i'm doing wrong ??