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This Positive Life: Now Over 50, Ed Viera Reflects on HIV's Challenges and Lessons
April 16, 2013
"I'm doing damn good," says Ed Viera, Jr., who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987. "I exercise, I eat right, I sleep, I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I don't do drugs." That's a far cry from Ed's youth in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he became HIV positive through unprotected sex in the early 1980s. "Every time I had sex, alcohol was always involved," he recalls. It's those early experiences that led Ed to become a substance abuse counselor, and an advocacy leader in his community. Supportive friends and his commitments to work and to living healthily have helped Ed through the toughest times in his 25-plus years living with HIV -- and though the challenges have been many, Ed says: "I'm never going to stop living."
How did you find out you were positive?
I was tested at the clinic on the Lower East Side in New York City back in 1987.
What made you decide to get tested?
Most of my close friends were dropping like flies, you know, at a time when we didn't have the triple combination therapy yet. I was scared. It's just out of sheer fear that I had to go and get tested. I knew I was infected probably since 1983.
What is your sexual orientation?
I identify myself as bisexual.
What was your reaction when you found out you were positive?
I was frozen and terrified. What I immediately started thinking about was the closest funeral home. At that time I thought HIV was a death sentence.
How did you get through it?
I had too many goals still to accomplish. I just didn't want to give up. I wanted to live no matter what. My quality of my life wasn't that important to me, I just wanted to live.
What helped you get through it?
My closest friends. Actually my closest friends are also HIV positive -- the friends that I have now. Whenever I'm depressed, I call them and they're there for me and they see me through it.
To be honest, I'm not used to being HIV positive. I guess I haven't quite accepted it yet. I know it's real but in the meantime all I have is just the support of my friends.
Who was the first person you told that you were positive, and how did they react?
The first person I told was a male friend and we are still friends -- oh mercy, for like a thousand years. Really like 25 years. He's a college professor and we were having a relationship and the moment I was diagnosed I picked up the phone and I told him to go get tested and he did. He was negative, which was a relief for me because just the thought of having someone else's life in my hands. ... Thank goodness he is still negative. He protected himself.
Was he supportive of you at the time?
Oh, absolutely. He's been my rock ever since I was diagnosed.
When did you tell your family?
I waited about a year to tell them because to be honest, despite all the information out there, they are very ignorant. They're very ignorant people. I pretty much anticipated what their reactions were going to be. And to this day they're convinced that I'm a heroin user and I got HIV because I was sharing needles. They also look at AIDS still as a gay disease and they do not accept my sexual orientation.
I had tried to talk to them over the years, but they decided to shut the doors to me. So I finally got to the point when I realized that all they are going to do is hurt me, so there is no place for them in my life.
One time, my mother actually told me that God was punishing me and that I got what I deserved. That made me isolate myself from other people even more, because I internalized what she said. But after awhile, I just got tired of being imprisoned by HIV. I got out there and I said, "Fine, if my family doesn't accept me there are other families out there that I can connect with. I'll make my own family." And that's what I did, I just moved on. Sometimes in life you have to dig deep within yourself to see how strong you are. The rejection from my family was that test.
Did you ever get the opportunity to speak with the person who you suspect infected you?
No. I didn't get to talk to the person. I was infected when I was in the U.S. Marine Corps. I can pretty much pinpoint it. I was with a male prostitute in the Philippines and from that encounter I caught gonorrhea and I got it treated. But as the months went by, I started feeling funny. When I got to our main base in San Diego, back to camp, I was given a blood test, and I got a call later on that said there "something funny in your blood and I can't tell exactly what it is." You know, the Marine Corps is so homophobic in many ways -- they didn't ask, I didn't tell. Back then, that was his way of telling me that it could be this "gay disease that was going around."
But unfortunately when I went back to the Philippines I couldn't find the man to disclose or say anything. At that time also, I would be drinking so much I just wouldn't recognize him, to tell you the truth.
Shifting gears, how do you think that HIV/AIDS is perceived in your community now?
There's an increased level of acceptance right now, but in my experience here in East Harlem people are not that comfortable with it. They might tell you that. "Yes, I know so-and-so is positive and I'm OK with it," but then I look at the faces that they make and their body language and I can tell they're uncomfortable with it.
The catharsis that surrounded HIV/AIDS until the advent of the triple combination therapy in 1996 has subsided as people have become better educated and realized that it's now a chronic manageable disease. Yet the stigma, ignorance, and discrimination are still around as well, albeit in a veiled form. Having won a few battles doesn't mean the war is over; and we shouldn't become complacent just because the disease is no longer considered a death sentence by most people.
If you had one message for the Hispanic community in terms of HIV, what would it be?
Know your status and practice safer sex even if you're negative.
I now want to talk about disclosing. What advice would you give to others about disclosing their status?
If the desire to engage in sex is mutual, and you're dealing with a trustworthy individual whom you've known for a while, the responsible thing to do is to carefully disclose. As for everyone else, it's none of their business. There's no need to go around volunteering information that can be used against you, even by people who claim to be your friends. Unless, perhaps, you're trying to take advantage of them through emotional blackmail. That's outright immoral.
In your own dating life, what have some of the reactions been from men and women when you have disclosed your status to them?
Several years ago, when I was a serial monogamist looking for love in all the wrong places, I took my chances with disclosure. Some people were supportive and agreed to play it safe. Others expected -- if not demanded -- honesty, but once I gave it they didn't know what to do with it. A few women got misty eyed, a couple of men almost dropped their dentures in disbelief and had no clue how to continue the conversation. I made it easy for them by leaving the scene. As a self-respecting man, I'm way past the point of making down-payments for other people's acceptance.
At this point when you're dating somebody, when do you usually disclose to them?
I try to develop a loose friendship just to get to know each other, with no sexual expectations at first, because I know that disclosure will be right around the corner. This has gotten quite tiresome. Nowadays I have straight male friends who, even though they sense there's something different about me, are so secure in their masculinity that sex between us is never going to be an option. That's a relief. If the individual, however, is gay or bisexual and the attraction is mutual, the best way to show I care is to disclose. I've built some long-lasting friendships this way.
Have you found love since you tested positive?
I thought I did. The problem has always been that deep inside the other individual wants a homosexual relationship along heterosexual lines. I couldn't deal with being accused of sleeping with women, the hissy jealousy fits, and the Spanish TV melodrama complete with police intervention in the middle of the night.
"Maybe at the age of 53 I'm subconsciously looking for a custom-fit in an off-the-rack world. But I'm OK with that because I'm alone by choice."
Maybe at the age of 53 I'm subconsciously looking for a custom-fit in an off-the-rack world. But I'm OK with that because I'm alone by choice.
In addition, ever since I was a child I found safety in solitude and pleasure in not having to explain myself to anyone. There's nothing better than coming home late at night after working a double shift and having no one nag and yap about your whereabouts.
Can you tell me about your work on the HIV Planning Council and your substance abuse counseling training? When did you get involved with that?
The two of them happened at the same time in September 2007. The mayor appointed me on the HIV Planning Council and when I received the appointment via mail I almost passed out. [Laughs] You're appointed by the mayor for a term of two years, not to exceed four years. Actually being appointed to the planning council just confirmed that what I wanted to do was a real, great thing. That also gave me the strength to get out there and try to educate people and see if I could do something to stem the tide of HIV infection.
As far as the substance abuse counseling training -- whenever you're talking about HIV and AIDS, substance abuse seems to go hand-in-hand. Also, when you have HIV and substance abuse there is also homelessness trailing not far behind. To help the HIV/AIDS community and to help myself also, I started training to become a CASAC (Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) at the same time I was appointed to the HIV Planning Council.
My work with the NYC Health and Human Services Planning Council ended in 2010. At the end of last year, I took a break from substance abuse counseling to pursue a master's degree in public administration at Metropolitan College of New York. Tired of being in the trenches and having so little to show for it, I went for something that helped me acquire transferrable skills. With this degree I'll be able to command a higher salary, relocate if necessary, and have the opportunity to call the shots instead of having someone else control my life and my health. I want to be in charge for a change.
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When it comes to traversing this looming economic occurrence wisely, Tokio Marine can be a valuable partner in your journey. Our experience has embedded in us a natural skill for being a 'peoples' financial partner and a commitment to being a responsible company. Our mission is to harness the positive impact of insurance to help hone your personal development and to bolster economic development on a wider level. But why choose Tokio Marine?
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A young fourth-generation farmer with a bright future, Heath Long of Tichnor, Ark., developed a successful and extensive crop farming business in only 17 years of farming. In addition, he works part-time at a fun job during winter months as a guide for duck hunters.
As a result of his success in growing rice, soybeans and wheat, Long has been selected as the Arkansas state winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award. Long now joins nine other state winners from the Southeast as finalists for the award. The overall winner will be announced Oct. 16 at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Ga.
Last year, he farmed 2,243 acres of rented land. His crops produced impressive yields. They included rice on 869 acres yielding 180 to 190 bushels per acre, soybeans on 1,137 acres yielding 53 bushels per acre and wheat on 198 acres yielding 74 bushels per acre.
"We farm stout soil, heavy clays well-suited to rice, and a lot of it is bottom land," he explains.
Steve Dixon 2012 Tennessee Farmer of the Year
Bill Spain 2012 Mississippi Farmer of the Year
This year, his Long Planting Company is growing corn for the first time. "Corn prices have been rising and rice prices have been decreasing," says Long. "We also have problems from deer eating soybeans, and corn is less susceptible to deer browsing. Also, we expect less wear and tear on equipment by growing corn. With rice, we have levees to maintain. Even when we pull these levees down, the levees in rice fields will wear out a combine."
This year, he cut back his rice acreage by 20 percent, and he says this is typical for many rice farmers.
"All of our crops are irrigated except for wheat," says Long. "We use levees to irrigate rice and furrow irrigation for our other crops. We're using electricity to replace diesel for our irrigation pumps. It's just a lot cheaper to run the pumps with electricity." He also installed underground pipe risers to improve water management.
He plants soybeans in twin rows on top of beds with his grain drill. "Before I bought my Great Plains drill, I planted soybeans flat," he says. "My seeding rates were 60 pounds per acre, but with twin rows, I plant 45 to 50 pounds of soybeans per acre, and I'm making the same yields I did with higher seeding rates." The soybean twin rows are spaced 7.5 inches apart on beds 38 inches apart. He's using the same planting system on his new corn crop.
"Our new grain drill monitors how much seed we are planting and eliminates much of the guesswork," says Long. "Our 36-foot grain drill allows us to quickly finish our planting."
New technology
He has invested in new technology such as global positioning systems. Automated steering and parallel tracking have increased his fuel efficiency.
Long uses several tools to market his crops. "We sell rice to Producers Rice Mill and deliver it at Tichnor Grain," he explains. "Most of the rice is placed in the seasonal pool. We use either forward contracting for soybeans and wheat, or we sell them at harvest. We also use several tools to keep up with changing markets. I subscribe to a commodity news service that sends text messages to my cell phone to notify me of price changes. We also monitor crop prices on our computer and we use some online services to keep abreast of changing market conditions."
During winter months, he works as a hunting guide for Buckshot Duck Lodge near Gillett, Ark. "I take hunters out onto my family farm and to other land that I rent," he explains. "I enjoy duck hunting, and it gives me the opportunity to meet people from all over the country and from different business areas. It has also allowed me to connect with people who work in businesses related to farming."
He was born and raised on the family farm. "Some of my earliest memories are of my grandfather picking me up from school and taking me to the farm to work in his garden," he recalls. As he grew older, he started helping out by driving tractors. In 1994, he graduated from Arkansas State University with an agriculture degree and joined his family as a partner in their farming operation.
Over the years, he started farming on his own, buying his own farm equipment and renting additional land. In 2009, his mother died and his father decided to retire. The next year, he and his wife Betsy formed Long Planting Company.
Long is very active in local organizations. He's a lifetime member of Gillett United Methodist Church, serves as a volunteer firefighter and is a member at Gillett Masonic Lodge. He has also served on the board of a local grain elevator. He supports local athletics as a member of the DeWitt Touchdown Club.
In farm organizations, he has served as an officer for a local farm and business association. In the local Farm Bureau, he has been an officer and member of the board of directors. He also serves on the county committee of the USDA Farm Service Agency.
Long is very active in rice organizations. He is a member of both the Arkansas and USA Rice Councils. He serves on a committee that deals with Latin American issues for the USA Rice Federation. He is also active in leadership development programs for rice producers. In this capacity, he has traveled extensively, visiting with rice growers in California, touring the Chicago Board of Trade and representing the industry in meetings with elected officials in Washington, D.C.
He was selected to represent rice growers on a trip last year to Mexico and Cuba. This group evaluated rice quality issues in Mexico and learned that rice farming in Cuba is fairly primitive. "Cubans love rice, but they farm with oxen, and they have very little money," says Long. "If Cubans had money to spend, they could become a large market for rice."
His wife Betsy is also an active member in the Gillett United Methodist Church. She has served as the superintendent of the church's Sunday school program and is active in the United Methodist Women and other church organizations.
Betsy works off the farm as an elementary school teacher. She is also a member of the Arkansas Education Association and the National Education Association. The Longs have two young daughters, Shelby, 10, and Sydney, 5.
Andy Guffey with Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation serves as state coordinator of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award. "Heath and Betsy are diligent protectors of the natural resources," says Guffey. "They are a prime model of a hard-working, multi-generation farm family."
Long was nominated for the award by Jason Grantham, who works as a trust officer at DeWitt Bank & Trust in Dewitt, Ark. Grantham manages 20,000 acres for the bank's trust department.
"Heath does not farm trust land for the bank, but he is well-known in this community as a good farmer," says Grantham. "Heath epitomizes what it means to be a farmer. He could have done anything he wanted to do, but he came back to the farm. He's a hands-on farmer, and the many committees and organizations he serves on shows his love of farming. He works hard at it."
As Arkansas state winner, Long will receive a $2,500 cash award and an expense paid trip to the Sunbelt Expo from Swisher International of Jacksonville, Fla., a $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative and the choice of either $1,000 in PhytoGen cottonseed, or a $500 donation to a designated charity on behalf of new sponsor, Dow Agrosciences.
He is now eligible for the $15,000 that will go to the overall winner. Other prizes for the overall winner include the use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year from Massey Ferguson North America, another $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative and the choice of either another $1,000 in PhytoGen cottonseed, or a second $500 donation to a designated charity on behalf of Dow Agrosciences.
Swisher International, through its Swisher Sweets cigar brand, and the Sunbelt Expo, is sponsoring the Southeastern Farmer of the Year awards for the 23rd consecutive year. Swisher has contributed some $884,000 in cash awards and other honors to Southeastern farmers since the award was initiated in 1990.
Long is the sixth state winner from Arkansas. The award was opened to Arkansas farmers for competition during 2007, and the state winner that year was Michael G. Simon of Conway. Other Arkansas winners include Brian Kirksey of Amity, who was selected as the overall winner in 2008; Orelan Johnson of England, who was state winner in 2009; Bill Haak of Gentry, who was state winner in 2010, and Michael Oxner of Searcy, 2011.
Long's farm, along with the farms of the other nine state finalists, will be visited by a panel of judges during the week of Aug. 5-10. The judges for this year include Charles Snipes, a retired Mississippi Extension weed scientist who is president and research scientist with Stoneville R&D, Inc., from Greenville, Miss.; John McKissick, longtime University of Georgia Extension ag economist from Athens, Ga.; and farmer Brian Kirksey of Amity, Ark., who was the overall winner in 2008.


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Adult learning taster activities to take place in South Gloucestershire libraries next week | Gazette Series
|Photo: Aaron Sims
Among the sessions taking place between June 19 and June 25, residents can trace their family history, get to grips with gadgets, learn more about IT and try T'ai Chi.
Cllr Heather Goddard, the council's executive member for communities and tourism, said: "We are very excited to be part of the Festival of Learning this year by showcasing some of the educational services South Gloucestershire libraries have to offer.
"Adult learning is an important part of what libraries do and we look forward to opening our doors to anyone who is interested in taking part and helping them to kick-start their learning journey."
Family History sessions include:
Cadbury Heath Library, Monday, June 19, 1pm to 4pm
Thornbury Library, Monday June 19, 9.30am to 12.30pm
Winterbourne Library, Friday June 23, 10am to 11am
Hanham Library, Friday June 23, 12pm to 2pm
Patchway Library, Saturday, June 24, 10am to 11am
Staple Hill Library, Saturday, June 24, 10am to 11am and 2pm to 3pm
Emersons Green Library, Saturday, June 24, 11am to 3.30pm.
Read more...
Source: Gazette Series
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DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - China's new president told Africans on Monday he wanted a relationship of equals that would help the continent develop, responding to concerns that Beijing is only interested in shipping out its raw materials.
On the first stop on an African tour that will include a BRICS summit of major emerging economies, Xi Jinping told Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete that China's involvement in Africa would help the continent grow richer.
"China sincerely hopes to see faster development in African countries and a better life for African people," Xi said in a speech laying out China's policy on Africa, delivered at a conference center in Dar es Salaam built with Chinese money.
Renewing an offer of $20 billion of loans to Africa between 2013 and 2015, Xi pledged to "help African countries turn resource endowment into development strength and achieve independent and sustainable development".
Africans broadly see China as a healthy counterbalance to Western influence but, as ties mature, there are growing calls from policymakers and economists for a more balanced trade deal.
"China will continue to offer, as always, necessary assistance to Africa with no political strings attached," Xi said to applause. "We get on well and treat each others as equals."
But gratitude for that aid is increasingly tinged with resentment about the way Chinese companies operate in Africa where industrial complexes staffed exclusively by Chinese workers have occasionally provoked riots by locals looking for work.
Countering concerns that Africa is not benefitting from developing skills or technology from Chinese investment, Xi said China would train 30,000 African professionals, offer 18,000 scholarships to African students and "increase technology transfer and experience".
"The Sino-Tanzania relationship has endured a lot," said Tanzania's Kikwete, whose nation built close ties with China in the early years after independence from the British in 1964. "Now we have become all-weather friends."
China built a railway linking Tanzania and Zambia in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of trade and other deals, including plans to co-develop a new port and industrial zone complex, a loan for communications infrastructure and an interest free loan to the government. No details were given on the size of the loans or the industrial projects.
Xi's next stop is South Africa for a BRICS summit on Tuesday and Wednesday where he could endorse plans for a joint foreign exchange reserves pool and an infrastructure bank.
Those proposals respond to frustrations among emerging markets at having to rely on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which are seen as reflecting the interests of the United States and other industrialized nations.
Nigeria's central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, wrote in the Financial Times this month that the trade imbalance between China and Africa was "the essence of colonialism" and cautioned the continent was vulnerable to a new form of imperialism.
China is keen not to be perceived as an imperial master.
"The legacy of (the) West is the feeling that Africa should thank them, and that Africa should recognize that it is not as good as the West," Zhong Jianhua, China's special envoy to Africa, said before Xi's trip. "That is not acceptable."
Lu Shaye, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's African affairs department, said it was the West which was only interested in African resources, not China.
"What have Western countries done for Africa in the 50 years since independence? Nothing. All they have done is criticize China and that is unfair," he told a Hong Kong television station, in remarks carried on the ministry's website.
Xi's African tour ends in Republic of Congo, from where China imported 5.4 billion metric tons (5.95 billion tons) of oil last year, just 2 percent of its total oil imports, but potentially the source of a lot more.
Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Edmund Blair and Richard Lough; Editing by Robin Pomeroy


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HOMER, La. — A form of mastitis previously unreported in Louisiana has been detected and could prove costly to the state's $72 million dairy industry if not contained.
Bill Owens, an LSU AgCenter microbiologist in the AgCenter's mastitis lab at the Hill Farm Research Station, Homer, La., said the disease is called "mycoplasma mastitis." While it poses no threat to humans, it is highly contagious in dairy cows and could be economically devastating to dairy farmers.
The LSU AgCenter, in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, has been testing every dairy herd in the state since March. The tests will continue until March 2005.
"Milk is the most regulated food we have," Owens said. "Because of this, it is also the safest food. One benefit of this test is that the farmer gets a monthly report that shows the status of mastitis in his herd. The results also are available online."
Louisiana dairy farmers pay $15 for the test, which tests for mycoplasma mastitis, as well as other forms of mastitis. Each bulk tank sample is tested for all mastitis pathogens, and the information is made available to dairy farmers through the LSU AgCenter's agents.
As a result, even dairies with no mycoplasma mastitis benefit from the program by receiving monthly mastitis reports on their herds, which they can use to control all forms of mastitis and improve their profitability, Owens said.
Milk from cows with severe mastitis is not allowed in milk that is sold to the public, said Gary Hay, an LSU AgCenter dairy expert. About 829 million pounds of milk were sold by Louisiana milk processing plants in 2003.
"This mycoplasma monitoring program is strictly an animal health issue," he said. "The state Livestock Sanitary Board wants to make sure herds that may have cattle infected with mycoplasma don't spread the disease to other herds, because this disease can be devastating to the economic health of a dairy."
Dr. Maxwell Lea, state veterinarian with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said so far mycoplasma mastitis has been found in only four of Louisiana's 312 dairy herds since testing began in March.
"I don't have a number of cows that have been culled (removed)," Lea said. "The decision to cull is left up to the individual dairy owners."
The spread of mycoplasma mastitis can be greatly reduced if good milking procedures are followed, Owens said. Using teat dips is one method. "Each cow's teats should be dipped before and after milking," he said. "Farmers should also disinfect the milking units between cows."
Another way to prevent the spread of mycoplasma mastitis is to test prospective cows before buying them and putting them into a herd, he said. It takes about a week to receive the results from a mycoplasma mastitis test.
"There are about 100 different types of mastitis," Owens said. "This particular type has been found in other areas of the United States and just recently became a problem in Louisiana."
There is no treatment for mycoplasma mastitis, which is spread primarily from cow to cow during the milking process. "It can also be passed from the mother cow to her female calf," Owens said. "And, it can be spread by nasal secretions."
Detection and control of mycoplasma require testing of all milk herds in Louisiana. "Bulk samples are taken from each herd and tested each month," Owens said. "We test the milk samples here, at the mastitis lab, and if we find any mycoplasma, we send it to the mastitis lab at the University of California at Davis for confirmation."
If mycoplasma mastitis is detected, a new sample is gathered, and the herd is checked again, Owens said. Two samples must test positive before it is determined there is a problem, he said.
"If we get two positive tests from a bulk sample, we will check each cow in the herd," he said. "The infected cow or cows, once identified, generally are sold for meat. Usually, not every cow in a herd is infected, and, if the infected cow(s) is taken out, the herd can be saved."
Herds that have had cows infected with mycoplasma mastitis must get clear test results for six months before their cows can be sold as milk cows.
A. Denise Coolman writes for the LSU AgCenter (318–366–1477 or firstname.lastname@example.com).


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The Furniture, Textiles and Fashion Department was formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of two former curatorial departments of Furniture & Woodwork and Textiles & Dress.
The department collects, displays and provides information on objects in its care. It is responsible for the care and wellbeing of every object entrusted to that department together with the assistance of the Collections Services Department. The department lends to temporary exhibitions, both in the UK and worldwide, as well as providing long-term loans to other museums and national institutions within the UK.
The Furniture collection consists of more than 14,000 pieces from Britain, Europe and America, dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. It is predominantly of furniture, but also includes related objects such as architectural and decorative woodwork, musical instruments, leatherwork, treen and clocks. The collection also includes complete rooms, some of which are on display in the newly refurbished British Galleries.
Visiting the Furniture & Woodwork Stores
Some of the Furniture Collection is stored off-site but can be viewed by appointment. The stores are about 30 minutes journey from the Museum, in West London. We offer regular times for appointments, but we require a minimum of two weeks notice.
Audit of the Collection
Please note that we may have to close for short periods during the year for auditing and this will affect some services such as appointments and enquiries. Public displays are not affected.
Photography in the Stores
Photography in stores is permitted for private study purposes only; photographs taken of V&A objects must not be published. The use of flash is permitted. For commercial research and support for professional use of the collection, contact V&A Images. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 2966 or e-mail email@example.com.
As well as offering an opinions service, we answer enquiries about the collection and furniture history in general. It helps us provide a better answer if you write, fax or email us, rather than telephoning. When enquiring about a specific object, please send a photograph if possible. Access to further information on objects is available in departmental files and catalogues.
Other V&A departments holding furniture and furnishings or related items
Please direct enquiries to the relevant departments:
- Furniture from China and Japan, India, South East Asia and the Islamic World is part of the Asian Department. Telephone:+44 (0)20 7942 2322
- Metal furniture and clocks are part of the Metalwork Section of the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics & Glass Department. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 2617
- Designs for furniture are part of the Designs Section of the Word & Image Department. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 2563
- Children's furniture is part of the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green. Telephone: +44 (0)20 8983 5200
- The literature (books, catalogues, periodicals etc) of the history of furniture is part of the National Art Library (reference only) in the V&A.
Enquiries about furniture and woodwork: email@example.com
Other contact details
Textiles and fashion
The national collection of Textiles and Fashion covers a period of more than 2000 years. It has a broad geographic range with a particular emphasis on Europe. Most techniques are represented, including woven, printed and embroidered textiles, lace, tapestries and carpets. These are classified by technique, countries of origin and dates of production. Particularly rich areas of the collections are the early silks from the Near East, lace, European tapestries and English medieval church embroidery (opus anglicanum).
The V&A has collected both textiles and dress since its earliest days. For many years garments were only acquired if they were made of significant textiles, as fashion had a low status within the decorative arts.
The importance of fashion is now fully recognised and the Museum's collection of dress and accessories is of international importance. It covers fashionable dress from the 17th century to the present day, with the emphasis on progressive and influential designs from the major fashion centres of Europe.
Enquiries about textiles and fashion: email@example.com
Other contact details
The Collections can be accessed via a range of facilities and services from online access through Collections Online, Gallery Talks, and Lectures. Staff are continually working to improve access to the collections through an ongoing project to research, photograph and catalogue the growing collection. The Department maintains, updates and redisplays objects in various galleries and has a role in the Museum's FuturePlan project.
As well as providing information on objects within the collection the department also answers enquiries on furniture, textiles and fashion in general in addition to offering an opinions service to the public on the first Tuesday afternoon of every month.
The department contributes to the Museum's dynamic exhibitions programme, mounting both exhibitions and displays in collaboration with the Exhibitions Department and also stages a regular series of live catwalk shows called Fashion in Motion within the galleries of the museum.
The Clothworkers' Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion
The Clothworkers' Centre opens on 8 October 2013. It is located at Blythe House, at Olympia in West London. The aim of the Centre is to provide the best possible access to the Museum's outstanding collection of textiles and fashion in a relaxed and peaceful environment.
Read more about the Clothworkers' Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion
Furniture, textiles and fashion collecting
Since the 1960s curators of the now-combined department have increasingly concentrated on the study of furnishing and interior design, and the choice of items for acquisition has reflected these interests rather than the narrower connoisseurship of objects that had characterized earlier scholarship. Objects for acquisition are selected with special emphasis on their history and provenance as well as their individual quality as examples of high-style design and manufacture or craftsmanship. The department holds 65,878 objects.
As cataloguing and review of the collections for new Museum projects continues, shortcomings in certain historic collections are noted. Future projects in the Department will involve not only investigation and interpretation of aspects of the existing combined collections but also new initiatives, including the study of contemporary interiors.
New ideas are still developing on collecting and reflecting contemporary fashion, including digital forms of documentation in addition to, or in certain instances in place of, tangible acquisitions. The Online Museum has been a particularly valuable means to disseminate information about the collections and special exhibitions with the creation of dedicated micro-sites. It also provides opportunities to create links to other fashion collections and stream live events such as London Fashion Week.
Certain aspects of the collections, including such items as architectural woodwork and period rooms, carriages, musical instruments, textile tools and equipment, and regional dress, are substantially closed collections, though acquisitions might be made of exceptionally fine and well-provenanced examples should they come on the market or be offered as gifts. Other aspects of the collections, such as early textiles or 18th-century furniture from North America with particular relationship to the British tradition, are effectively closed because of the rarity and high cost of suitable examples but, given the opportunity, exceptional pieces might be acquired.
Furniture and woodwork
The Furniture and Woodwork collection contains nearly 13,000 objects, dating from the medieval period to current times. Most are from Europe or from areas influenced by the European tradition. Although furniture dominates, there are also substantial holdings of interior architectural woodwork and smaller, though important, holdings of musical instruments, leather, treen and papier-mâché. The collecting of clocks is shared with the Metalwork collection, reflecting the V&A's interest in case design rather than technical design (which is the province of the British Museum). Historically, we have held many Islamic objects but these are currently in the process of being transferred to the Asian Department.
The geographical and chronological range of the collection is unique. However, our greatest strength lies in the holdings of British furniture made between 1700 and 1900. Our international 20th-century holdings are uneven but are rivalled by perhaps only one other institution (the Vitra Design Museum). They are extensively used by students and scholars. In certain areas, the numbers of objects may be small but include particularly rich examples, as of 18th-century furniture from the German states and 15th-century Italian furniture. Considerations of space must always inform acquisition and it is for this reason that certain types of furniture (e.g. beds, large bookcases, office furniture, or extensive sets of furniture) may only be represented by a few examples in the collection. The question of acquiring 18th-century or earlier furniture made in North America did not arise until recent years and consequently we hold almost no items of this date and provenance. Furniture from South America, Australia and New Zealand is also scarce, and furniture from African states (except a few items of Islamic North African) has not been collected.
Although Western furniture is now seen as the core of the Furniture and Woodwork collection, it originated (as did most collections in the Museum) in the purchase of fine examples of woodworking techniques/craftsmanship for the Government Schools of Design at Somerset House in the 1840s. The earliest acquisitions, of contemporary French parquetry and carving from the Paris Exhibition of 1844, were typical of the kind of material acquired in the first 20 years of the Museum's life. Though historic pieces were acquired from 1848 onwards, the emphasis for acquisitions of all dates was on technical excellence and the value of such pieces as examples for current practitioners. Purchases included European and Asian woodwork of all kinds, with lacquer and carving particularly strongly represented. It was the Great Exhibition of 1851 that prompted the acquisition of contemporary furniture, both British and from continental Europe, but again, technical virtuosity was the prime criterion for selection.
A powerful tool in the development of the Furniture and Woodwork collection in the 19th century was the acquisition of complete personal collections. Amongst the largest of these were the Soulages Collection of Italian and French Renaissance objects (acquired between 1859 and 1865) and the Jones Collection of 18th-century decorative arts (bequeathed in 1882). Such additions continued in the 20th century with the Bettine, Lady Abingdon Collection of 24 pieces or pairs of French Empire furniture, bequeathed by Mrs T R P Hole in 1986, being the most recent.
From the 1880s onwards the preference for highly decorated Continental furniture and woodwork gradually gave way to a developing taste for English furniture made before the 19th century. At the same time, the interest in contemporary furniture waned, as the fashion for antique collecting gripped the middle classes. From this time, for more than a generation, the Museum concentrated on acquiring British furniture of the 16th to the 18th centuries. It was in this period (1890-1930) that the Museum acquired many of its period rooms. In the early 20th century these became a popular aspect of the displays and continue to be so in the new British Galleries.
Given the greater protection for historic interiors in recent year, it is unlikely that the Museum would ever acquire another period room, though the possibility should not be ruled out and, indeed, an exceptional interior by Frank Lloyd Wright (the Kaufmann office) was acquired by gift in 1974 and was displayed between 1992 and 2005.
Contemporary collecting, which had formed such an important aspect of the Museum's collecting in its early years, was almost entirely abandoned in 1909. The long series of acquisitions from international exhibitions in the 19th century had culminated in the presentation by Sir George Donaldson of a number of pieces of Art Nouveau furniture shown at the 1900 Exhibition in Paris, as mentioned above. This unfortunately generated a great deal of criticism, and contemporary collecting was not taken up again systematically within the department until the 1960s, although some pieces had been courageously collected by the Circulation Department as early as the 1920s and 1930s and were distributed to the appropriate material-based departments when Circulation was disbanded in 1977. Currently, collecting of contemporary material is a strong priority.
The collection of Furniture and Woodwork is recognized as the most comprehensive in the world. Unlike most national collections (rich as many are), the V&A has historically collected items from a wide range of countries and thus offers a unique opportunity for comparative study. Staff in the collection exercise expertise in British and European furniture from the Medieval period to the 19th century and internationally in the 20th century and in the field of contemporary furniture across an international spectrum.
Although the collection is designated as the National Collection, we recognize its place as part of the wider national collection held in museums, houses, churches and public buildings throughout the UK. The V&A has always encouraged other institutions in the UK to develop particular collections of furniture and woodwork and the Department continues this tradition. We maintain active relationships with staff in regional museums and those working for other organisations (such as English Heritage and The National Trust) who are responsible for other collections of national and international importance. Certain public institutions, notably the Wallace Collection, Temple Newsam House, Leeds, the Lady Lever Art Gallery (National Museums Liverpool) and the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, hold important collections of a particular date or origin that complement those of the V&A. However, none of these museums offers the wide range of furniture that makes the collection at the V&A pre-eminent.
It has generally been the case that the interests of other bodies have mainly been in British furniture and largely (certainly until recently) pieces made before 1900. Whereas some institutions, such as Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum (for Cotswold furniture) and, more widely, the Arts and Crafts movement), the Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster (for pieces by Gillows), acquire objects representing the history of their own local craft or industry, many other areas and aspects of production are neglected, with regional museums having to adopt ever more selective collecting policies. As a result of this the V&A has had to take a particularly active role in many different areas to ensure that national collections are as representative as possible of high design from all major centres.
In the past, some items have been acquired with the specific intention of returning them on loan or by transfer to other institutions. In the case of furniture, examples include the Mary of Modena bed, now shown at Kensington Palace, and the giltwood table designed by Vardy, now shown in Spencer House, London, together with the suite of chairs designed by him for the Painted Room there. With the work on the new British Galleries came a long-awaited chance to lend back to Sizergh Castle (National Trust) the late 16th-century panelling sold from the house in 1891 and, most recently, a bed from Boughton House, given by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1916, has been returned on loan. The allocation to the V&A of furniture under the AIL scheme, with agreement for its retention in situ, has brought furnishings at Longleat and Houghton into the collection in recent years, with the furniture remaining in situ but on loan.
Our aim is to develop and enrich the established areas of the collection of Furniture and Woodwork, covering primarily Western furniture and woodwork made between the Medieval period and the present day. We would like to enlarge our holdings of high-style furnishings showing the influence of the European, and especially the British, tradition from all areas of the world not covered by the holdings of the Asian Department. The collecting of 20th - and 21st- century material will be a particular priority, as will items for use in gallery displays, and in particular for the gallery of the materials and techniques of furniture, when it opens in 2012, will present Western traditions alongside those of Asia.
The Textile collection is the world's largest and the most wide-ranging of its kind. The joint collections of Textiles and Dress contain almost 53,090 items, or sets of items, of which over two-thirds are textiles and just under one third dress items. Although some fragments of Greek embroidery date from the late 5th century BC, the bulk of the Textile collection extends in date from the 3rd century AD to the present day, while geographically it concentrates on Western Europe. Previously, it included about 3,600 textiles from the Middle East which are in the process of being transferred to the Asian Department. The Textile collection is classified according to technique, within the broad categories of woven, printed, embroidered, lace, etc; it is further divided chronologically and geographically. Many of these groups are remarkable for their variety and comprehensiveness, and the collection of about 24,000 British textiles is the finest in the world.
The Museum's Textile collection began with the formation of study collections for the Government Schools of Design in 1842. As that collection grew, there was a revival of interest in historical patterns and in their potential for adaptation, and so, when the Museum was founded in 1852, it began to acquire medieval textiles, many of which had survived in the form of vestments. There was also intense interest in the manufacture of lace and attempts were made in several countries to revive the lace industries in the middle of the 19th century. The Museum responded by acquiring and exhibiting many fine examples. Although contemporary woven and printed textiles were acquired from the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the Paris Exhibitions of 1855 and 1867, the initial emphasis was on acquiring pre-19th-century material, possibly because it was thought that contemporary textiles did not conform to the principles of 'good design'. The Museum showed little interest in contemporary embroidery, probably reflecting its original concern with the manufacturing industries rather than with craft.
Apart from individual purchases, gifts and bequests, many important and large collections of historic textiles were acquired, notably 500 medieval textiles from the Bock collection (1863), 450 16th - and 17th-century textiles from the Forrer collection (1877), 62 18th-century Greek embroideries from the Wace collection (1919) and 700 18th-century Greek and Turkish embroideries from the Dawkins collection (1950). From the beginning of the 20th century to the 1930s the Museum made an effort to collect textiles from the period 1600-1750. English domestic embroidery from the 17th century is well represented and includes large furnishings as well as small, exquisite items of dress. The collection of Continental textiles from the 17th century is large and extraordinarily varied.
In more recent times, re-organization of the British Textile Industry led to the acquisition of major collections of 18th- , 19th- and 20th-century textiles from leading UK manufacturers including the following collections: Warners (1972 and subsequently – 1,215 textiles and pattern books), Mortons/Courtaulds (1977 – 87 textiles), Hull Traders (1989 – 73 textiles), The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory (1992 – 157 samples), Heals (1999 – about 1,150 lengths of furnishing) and Courtaulds (2001 – an archive of over 6,000 items covering a wide range of manufacturers and dates).
Contemporary collecting, which had an erratic early history, was almost entirely abandoned in 1909 when it became the responsibility of the Circulation Department until that department was disbanded in 1977, when the Textiles collection once again resumed contemporary collecting and inherited the Textiles Collections formed by the Circulation Department. In 1934 the collections of the British Institute of Industrial Art were acquired by the Museum. The Institute had collected contemporary textiles on an annual basis from 1919 to 1932 and the Museum undertook to continue the tradition by collecting those textiles which were judged to be the best of each year's international production. In this way an extensive and unique collection of 20th-century textiles of both industrial and craft production has been formed to complement the historical collection. In 1979 and 2002 many fabric samples previously held in the Manchester Design Registry were acquired, to enhance the collection of early 20th-century textiles. The Textile collection is the world's largest and most wide-ranging assemblage of such material.
The Textile collection is designated as the National Collection. Like the Furniture and Woodwork collection, it differs from many fine and well-established national collections in Europe in terms of its international coverage over a wide-ranging historical period, as detailed above. As with the Furniture and Woodwork collection, its designation as a National Collection is taken as representing also a support role for the many smaller collections of textiles held by museums throughout Britain which are important elements in the wider national collections. In recent years, the decline of both expertise and active collecting in regional museums has presented particular problems for this Department as for others in the V&A. Although some regional collections, such as the Macclesfield Silk Museum and the Paisley Museum, make strenuous efforts to develop their collections relating to local trades and industries, few regional museums (other than the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester) are able to maintain and develop collections of textiles with a wider scope, leaving the V&A with the responsibility for maintaining the breadth of the nation's collections.
FashionThe Fashion collection is the premier collection in the UK and consists mainly of European (predominantly French and English) fashionable clothes and accessories for both sexes, with, additionally, 20th century holdings of American and Japanese fashion. The collection spans four centuries, with some rare pieces dating from the 17th century, though its strength lies in the 18th century and later. It has steadily developed in scholarly importance, while at the same time remaining one of the most popular collections with general visitors.
Like the Textile collection, the Fashion collection has groups of objects which are important for their depth of coverage (such as 1930s evening wear, 1960s daywear, wedding dresses, 18th-century men's waistcoats, post-war couture, fashion dolls and shawls). The collection includes many outstanding items, including two magnificent mantuas from the 1740s, Worth evening gowns, a Charles James padded satin jacket of 1937, the seminal New Look suit, 'Bar', by Christian Dior and Vivienne Westwood's 'Boucher' dress and 'mock-croc' blue platform shoes.
Despite its current high profile, the Fashion collection had a less than auspicious start. The history of dress figured nowhere in the hierarchy of arts when the Museum was founded. It was not until well into the 20th century that the discipline of dress studies became firmly established and not until 1957 that the first curator for fashion was appointed. Only in the later 1970s did the collecting of contemporary fashion and accessories come to be seen as a major responsibility of the Department.
Garments were acquired as early as the 1840s, but only if the textiles were considered significant. Gradually this approach changed and clothing was acquired for other reasons, such as fashionable cut and construction, provenance, rarity and the aesthetic appeal of the garment design. The collection developed slowly and in a sporadic fashion, chiefly by means of the gift, purchase or bequest of individual objects. Occasionally items came as part of collections of historical fashion, including accessories. These collections included the Brooke Collection (1864 and 1865 – 30 items of fashion and ca. 200 textiles), that of Sir Matthew and Lady Digby Wyatt (1876 – 124 fans), the Isham Collection (1900 – 31 items of dress and textiles), and the collections of Harrods (1913 – 1,442 items of dress) and Madame Tussauds (1977 – 15 items of dress).
It was not until the 1960s that the Department began actively to collect 20th-century fashion, though individual items had been acquired from the 1930s. The 20th-century fashion collection grows around six major holdings: the Board of Trade Utility Collection (1942 – 34 items of dress), the V&A Collecting 26 Plan 2010 Heather Firbank Collection (1960 – 110 items of dress), the Cecil Beaton Collection (1971 – 1,200 items of dress), the collection formed in association with the exhibition StreetStyle (1993-1995 – 1,253 items of dress), the Jill Ritblat Collection (2000 – 459 items of dress) the Costiff Collection (2002 – 178 full outfits by Vivienne Westwood) and, most recently, the Mark Reed collection of menswear.
Given the enormous quantities of clothing generated annually by the fashion industry, it is possible only to acquire a limited selection of a designer's output. We work closely with other dress-collecting museums in Britain (approximately 100) to direct appropriate objects and collections to them. Fashion is a key aspect of the V&A's National-Regional partnerships and we look for opportunities to work with other museums with strong fashion and textiles collections to set up a programme of sharing skills, expertise and displays. In 2009 we worked as a consortium with the Museum of Costume at Bath and the Bowes Museum to acquire a group of Vionnet couture gowns which were the subject of an export stop (the first such for 20th century couture). Our aim is to use such partnerships and other initiatives of the V&A, such as the Collections Online programme, to make all the collections of the Department more accessible throughout the UK, as a means of encouraging and disseminating expertise in our fields of study.
The Fashion collection is designated as the National Collection. It is currently the largest and most comprehensive collection of dress in the world, only rivalled in the field of contemporary dress by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Paris, the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris and the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan (which has a concise but important collection) . In terms of material from 1600 to 1800, the V&A's collections are the largest anywhere and our collection of 20th-century sub-cultural fashion is unique in range and size.
We aim to develop the collection of British and other European textiles from 1850 to the present, and the collection of British, Continental and North American fashionable dress from the 18th century to the present, by acquiring pieces of superlative aesthetic quality, technical construction, and interesting provenance. The need to provide additional high quality items of 18th - and 19th-century fashion for display remains a priority if we are to maintain a comprehensive and educational display in the Dress Gallery, with regular rotation of exhibits.
Our primary emphasis however will be on contemporary material, including technologically advanced fabrics and their use in the fashion industry, acquisitions made for specific exhibitions or generated through Fashion in Motion (in particular London designers), emerging fashion centres such as Belgium and a broadening of acquisition policy to include ready to wear. Recently, work by designers for the high street (2005-2010) has been acquired as a discrete collection. Given the global, fast changing nature of twenty first century fashion, and the role of the internet these were, fittingly, acquired on e-bay.


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Sometimes I feel that the only time I can hear myself think is early in the morning, when the world is still asleep. Then, there is no one to interrupt the steady train of important musings that go through my head like: What is the meaning of life? What will we have for dinner? Should we be making more long term investments? Should I get a new laptop? When will I finally make no-knead bread? Why can't we all just get along?
In the silence of the early hours, the answers to these questions seem almost within my reach…if not staring right at me. (Love, tinapang bangus*, yes, yes, next week, start with me). As the day wears on, the din of work, errands, cooking, washing my snazzy new top, coordinating schedules drown out all but the most persistent of thoughts (what will we have for dinner?). Don't get me wrong, I do love the wonderful clamour of friends and loved ones, but we all need a little quiet time (me-time) for just us.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy for this body to get out of bed in those early hours, so these important questions are often left unanswered. (Hence the lack no-knead bread on this blog or sophisticated financial instruments in my life – although I'm happy to report the new laptop did make it). Most days I just launch myself head-on into the racket of everyday.
This breakfast is good for both – early-waking, slow-blooming days, as well as rapid-rise, hit-the-ground-running days.
Breakfast Quinoa Cereal
(adapted from culinography – original recipe here, along with quinoa preparation)
- 1 cup prepared quinoa
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey (or to taste)
- Dried fruit and nuts (the amount depends on how chunky you want it and the kinds are up to your taste – I used a small handful of raisins, dried figs, walnuts, and pine nuts)
– Place prepared quinoa in a small saucepan with milk, butter, honey, dried fruit, and nuts.
– Simmer, stirring often, until thickened slightly…about 5 minutes.
– Garnish with extra nuts and honey if you want. This will feed one hungry person or two regular ones 🙂
I learned about quinoa through (where else?) food blogs and, as I love grains of all kinds (although quinoa is technically a seed – but I love those too), kept my eyes peeled. I found some last year in ThreeSixty, and organic grocery in Hong Kong, and have since found it in a health food store here…and have been loving it from that day. For someone who has eaten (white) rice with almost every meal of her life, it is liberating to suddenly have more choices! Especially one as pleasingly nutty and springy and cute (little curlicue!) as quinoa. And did I mention healthy? And ancient (referred to as the Mother Grain by the Incas)? Learn more here and here.
I've had quinoa in other savoury preparations but when I saw this breakfast dish I knew I had to try it! And Michelle's enticing photo was proof that resistance would be futile. I'm glad I didn't resist. Earthy, comforting, fortifying…with a steadfast "back-to-basics" quality with every bite. Not to mention delicious! This is a simple recipe with which you can play — add spice when cooking (Michelle uses cinnamon) or top with fresh fruit before eating!
Whether you wake at the crack of dawn or the last possible minute, this breakfast can be had by you. Just prepare the quinoa ahead (and you'll have extra for quick meals too…a good thing this) and mix everything in a small saucepan the next morning, which really doesn't take much time at all. Just enough time to ponder one or two of life's all-important questions 🙂
Other quinoa breakfasts:
101 Cookbooks
Morsels & Musings
Closet Cooking
Food Blogga
*Tinapang bangus is smoked milkfish…much loved in our household!


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Viatical Settlements Are Still an Option
September 2001
As most people in and around the HIV community probably know, the viatical settlement industry came into the mainstream as a silver lining of the AIDS pandemic. Viatical settlements existed before, but only on a limited basis.
People with HIV who were looking for creative sources of money helped bring this previously rare financial transaction -- in which life insurance policies are "sold" for a cash settlement -- to people who were living with an assortment of serious illnesses.
In the early days of the pandemic "viators" -- especially those with HIV -- received fairly generous settlements for the sale of their policies. You may know people who received 55 percent or 80 percent of their policy's face amount. The process seemed relatively simple then and usually took about six weeks to complete. Ironically, as social programs and medicine improved what could be done for people with HIV/AIDS, the viatical option became a bit more difficult for the very people for which the industry had burgeoned.
The viatical and life settlement industry became more sophisticated as investors realized that HIV was not a rapid death sentence. These this triggered a "market correction." Soon, settlements took longer (usually about 8-12 weeks now), they typically began to involve more paperwork, an increasing number of policies became unsaleable (due to changing investor guidelines), and the level of investment capital in the market -- necessary to buy policies -- declined.
Increasingly you may encounter folks who now receive lower settlement offers or who may not be able to get a reasonable offer at all. But, in the wake of negative news reports that it is "almost impossible for someone with HIV to viaticate," the good news is that, industry-wide, we are often still able to assist people with HIV with the sale of their life insurance policies. At the very least, we can help someone understand the market, including when it might be best for him or her to viaticate.
An Evolving Market Brings CautionIt is important to understand that the viatical market fluctuates like any other financial market. Sometimes there is ample money in the market -- investors who want to buy certain insurance policies from people with certain ailments -- and sometimes there is very little available money in this market. Unfortunately, "funders" seem particularly fickle when it comes to buying the policies of people with HIV/AIDS.
Some of this comes about because of changing reports on AIDS treatments and the general trend toward improved health of people with HIV. Investors are slower to put their money into a market in which the seriously ill population appears healthier. Because these investors have become smarter about HIV and the continued good health of the people it affects, they see greater risk "investing" in people with the disease.
Some of the uncertainty in the investment community comes in the wake of negative media reports that detail instances of fraud and allegations of other wrongdoing. Yes, some fundraisers have been accused and convicted of bilking legitimate investors out of money that was intended for investment in viaticals.
Similarly, some consumer-viators have resorted to fraud to gain insurance policies or in order to sell policies. But, thus far, the viatical and life settlement industry does not seem to have a higher incidence of wrongdoing than any other financial product or market. Even so, this negative publicity can frighten away investment dollars. It also can make consumers more cautious (which isn't always a bad thing, of course).
Why Would Investors Pay Less?Because this sensitive transaction is indeed an investment tool (i.e., the inventors are ultimately providing a great service, but they are doing it for a profit), paying less for a policy owned by someone with HIV allows an investor a greater margin of error if the person does not die within the predicted life expectancy. So, if an investor's money is engaged in the transaction longer (because, thank goodness, the viator has thrived), that investor has continued expenses associated with the investment, like the payment of premiums on the still-in-force life insurance policy. And, as mentioned before, because people with HIV are living longer, investment in their life insurance policies is less certain than before.
Still, it's tough to talk about people and their health challenges in terms of business and investment, but such settlements are certainly part of a complex business-financial transaction, just as health insurance and health care are.
Fewer Choices for the ConsumerAs a result of changing investment in the settlement market and the increased difficulty of actually performing the core facets of the viatical business, some industry competitors -- both brokers and funders -- have shrunk drastically or disappeared altogether. While this may at first seem to be good news for individual companies in the market, it is bad news for our clients: We all rely on market competition to bid settlements up for our clients; an environment of lessened competition is not necessarily a good thing.
As a broker, we are sometimes challenged with statements like, "We get a lower settlement, but you still get paid." Yes and no. We are paid (by the funding source) based on the actual settlement, so lower settlements mean lower commissions. And, we are only paid for completed settlements, so we frequently work on cases that have to be put on hold, meaning that our time and other resources invested are not recovered.
However, I can tell you that, for our company, and for many of my colleagues in our industry association, we still feel like there is an investment of good will: even if we cannot help someone now, maybe we can help them later. Too, if for some reason it turns out we cannot help one particular client at all, we hope they'll understand the scenario and feel confident enough to let us help their friends.
Where to Go from Here?So, settlement amounts do tend to be lower nowadays and healthier people usually have to wait longer to qualify for a settlement. But there continues to be investors who buy HIV policies; it's simply a longer process, with the increased frustration of sometimes having to wait until there is money in the market that "matches" your policy.
The best bet is to go ahead and initiate the viatical process if you have determined it may be an option for you. Then, if and when there are appropriate investment dollars in the market, you'll be ready to seize the day.
M. Bryan Freeman has more than 20 years experience in the insurance industry, with 12 of those years focused on viatical settlements. He serves as an officer of the Viatical and Life Settlement Association of America (www.viatical.org) and is active in developing responsible regulation of the industry through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, as well as through state government channels. He is the founder of Benefits America NA, Inc., and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 404-233-5411.
This article was provided by AIDS Survival Project. It is a part of the publication Survival News.


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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama's national security team has recommended the U.S. suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Egypt over the Egyptian military's ouster of President Mohammed Morsy, U.S. officials said.
The recommendation, officials said, was made in a "principals meeting" last week of the president's national security team, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The meeting was the culmination of months of debate within the administration about how to respond to the July 3 ouster of Morsy, Egypt's first democratically elected leader.
The Obama administration has not labeled Morsy's removal from office a "coup." Such a designation would require a cut in all but humanitarian aid. The White House has said it was in U.S. national security interests to keep the aid intact, although it did delay delivery of some fighter planes.
But after U.S. calls to the Egyptian military for restraint over the last month were met with a heavy-handed crackdown on Morsy supporters, Obama canceled a joint military exercise and announced a new review of U.S. aid to Egypt.
That aid totals $1.5 billion a year, $1.3 billion of which goes to the Egyptian military. The rest is economic assistance, some of which goes to the government and some goes to other groups, although only aid to the government would be suspended and could be reinstated once a democratic government is re-established.
Officials said Obama's advisers recommended that the cut in aid include all foreign military financing to the Egyptian military, except funding toward security in the Sinai Peninsula and along the Egyptian border with the Gaza strip. The Sinai has become increasingly unstable over the past year, with U.S. troops in the area monitoring the peace treaty with Egypt coming under increased threat.
The officials said they didn't expect Obama to make a decision until after Congress votes on his request to authorize military strikes on Syria, which is not expected until next week.
"The president has not made a decision to suspend or terminate our assistance to Egypt beyond what the administration has already announced," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council. "The national security team continues to review all of our assistance to Egypt."


text: Sweet Tooth is a gang of cool cats from London. Their music could soundtrack your rainy days and their new video is basically a moving graphic novel. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show as the luscious voice of the lead singer guides you through your heartbreak you didn't even know you had.


text: http://investors.cray.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=98390&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=622736&highlight= Cray Announces General Availability of the Cray XD1 Opteron/Linux-based Supercomputer SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2004--Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY) today announced the general availability of the new Cray XD1(TM) supercomputer, an Opteron/Linux-based system priced from under $100,000 to about $2 million (U.S. list) that handily outperforms similarly priced Linux clusters. The company also announced the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service is a Cray XD1 customer, which adds to an impressive list of early users, including the Ohio Supercomputer Center, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Germany's Helmut Schmidt University and the SAHA Institute of Nuclear Physics (Calcutta, India). "Tracking the evolving chemical composition of a smoke plume produces a task so computationally intense that we assumed we would not be able to afford any computer capable of performing it," said Bryce Nordgren, Physical Scientist with the Forest Service's Fire Science Lab. "Reviewing the test case results from Cray restored our hope that we would be able to perform a scientifically meaningful simulation on our budget. We were particularly impressed with the Cray XD1's awesome scalability on this challenging interdisciplinary problem." The Cray XD1 supercomputer is ideal for the special needs of high-performance computing (HPC) applications used by government and academia, as well as computer-aided engineering (CAE) in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries; weather forecasting and climate modeling; petroleum exploration; financial modeling; and life sciences research. "We evaluated many proposals from leading IT companies and decided on Cray because of the Cray XD1 system's excellent price-to-performance ratio," said Professor Hendrik Rothe, chair of Helmut Schmidt University's Laboratory for Measurement and Information Technology. According to Rich Partridge, Enterprise Systems analyst with D.H. Brown Associates, "With the XD1, Cray leverages its strong heritage to bring highly parallel, affordable supercomputing to a broad market of industrial, government and academic users. The Cray XD1 is not merely an Opteron/Linux parallel system; it is a 'Cray,' and that makes all the difference. This is a true supercomputer, with balanced performance that commodity designs just cannot achieve." About the Cray XD1 Supercomputer The Cray XD1 features the direct connect processor (DCP) architecture, which removes PCI bottlenecks and memory contention to deliver superior sustained performance. According to the HPC Challenge benchmarks, the Cray XD1 has the lowest latency of any HPC system, with MPI latency of 1.8 microseconds and random ring latency of 1.3 microseconds. Tests conducted by the Ohio Supercomputer Center show that the Cray XD1 ships messages with four times lower MPI latency than common cluster interconnects such as Infiniband, Quadrics or Myrinet, and 30 times lower than Gigabit Ethernet employed in lowest-cost clusters. The Cray XD1's interconnect delivers twice the bandwidth of 4X Infiniband for messages up to 1 KB and 60 percent higher throughput for very large messages. The Linux/Opteron system runs x86 32/64 bit codes. Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are available to accelerate applications, and the Active Manager subsystem provides single system command and control and high availability features. A 3VU (5.25") chassis provides 12 compute processors, 58 peak gigaflops, 96 GB/second aggregate switching capacity, 1.8-microsecond MPI interprocessor latency, 84 GB maximum memory and 1.5 TB maximum disk storage. A 12-chassis rack provides 144 compute processors, 691 peak gigaflops, 1TB/second aggregate switching capacity, 2 microsecond MPI interprocessor latency, 922 GB/second aggregate memory bandwidth, 1 TB maximum memory and 18 TB maximum disk storage. About Cray Inc. The world's leading supercomputer company, Cray Inc. pioneered high-performance computing with the introduction of the Cray-1 in 1976. The only company dedicated to meeting the specific needs of HPC users, Cray designs and manufactures supercomputers used by government, industry and academia worldwide for applications ranging from scientific research to product design, testing to manufacturing. Cray's diverse product portfolio delivers superior performance, scalability and reliability to the entire HPC market, from the high-end capability user to the department workgroup. For more information, go to www.cray.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. There are certain factors that could cause Cray's execution plans to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements above. These include the successful porting of application programs to Cray systems and general economic and market conditions. For a discussion of these and other risks, see "Factors That Could Affect Future Results" in Cray's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Cray is a registered trademark, and Cray XD1 is a trademark, of Cray Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Cray Inc. Victor Chynoweth, 206-701-2280 (Investors) victorc at cray.com or Steve Conway, 651-592-7441 (Media) sttico at aol.com SOURCE: Cray Inc. "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Cray Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year. -- Eugen* Leitl leitl ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07078, 11.61144 http://www.leitl.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE http://moleculardevices.org http://nanomachines.net -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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At Coastal Compounding Pharmacy, we are committed to providing you with medications that meet your unique health needs. Sometimes, patients require medications to be blended in a specific way. This process is referred to as compounding and it is necessary for a variety of reasons, including:
To learn more about our ability to customize your meds, contact us today at 912-354-5188.


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NCHP: Meth found at motorcycle crash
NC Highway Patrol reports drugs and cash were found on the scene of last Sunday's fatal motorcycle wreck on U.S. 321.
Driver John Franklin, 35, of Claremont, was carrying $1,714 in cash on him when the motorcycle he was driving crashed, NC Highway Patrol Sgt. J. Womack said.
Two weight scales and 7.5 grams of methamphetamine were also found in the compartment of the motorcycle after the wreck.
Highway Patrol officials are still investigating the incident.
Franklin and passenger Allison Nixon, 22, of Conover, died on Sept. 16 when the two were involved in a chase that started in Blowing Rock. The chase started as a Blowing Rock police officer saw Franklin speeding and continued into Caldwell County. Highway Patrol officials say the chase was called off because of speed, the fact that the motorcycle was carrying a passenger and the amount of traffic.
To read more of this story, pick up the Tuesday print edition of Catawba County's community newspaper, The Observer News Enterprise, at newsstands throughout the county.


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Start by working from a color wheel. There are primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Primary colors are red, blue and yellow. They are pure colors and cannot be created. Secondary colors are orange, green and purple. These colors are formed when equal parts of 2 primary colors are combined. For example equal parts yellow and blue make green. As basic as this is this is where we begin the color selection. Tertiary colors are a mixture, in varying parts of secondary and primary colors to create different hues, as a result the primary and secondary colors become less vivid. White and black are often added to darken and soften these hues.
For example yellow will be used with green or orange, or blue will be used with green or purple. This creates a colorful and often soothing palette. The contrast scheme is more dramatic. Here a triad of contrasting colors are used, such as yellow-orange, green-blue and red-purple. This introduces more color and energy into your home's palette. Lastly we have the complementary scheme where two opposing colors, such as blue and orange, are used together to create a dramatic, bold and high energy color scheme.
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There's not much less attractive than musicians complaining about their treatment by their press, is there? Case in point; I went to see Mark Kozelek play at the Scala a couple of weeks ago (possibly more by the time you read this). A great set, if a little long, but boy was he grouchy. He explained how he'd been touring the past week, and had mostly been playing to "crowds of 50 fat backpack-wearing dudes with no girlfriends". We, apparently, were a much better-looking crowd. So far, so good. But later, he returned to his theme with more enthusiasm, complaining ungraciously (I felt) about low attendances in the regional dates. "Maybe I need to record my next record in a log cabin... or become a transvestite or something" (I paraphrase).
This, presumably, was a reference, firstly to Bon Iver, who of course recorded his excellent debut For Emma, Forever Ago in a log cabin, and secondly to Antony, who is a transvestite (so I'm told by Wikipedia). Kozelek's point being (still presumably) that some, maybe all, of the press attention heaped on said artists is due to these "press angles" which have little or no bearing on the actual content of their music. Woah! Bitter! (Full disclosure: I own a backpack and have no girlfriend). Bullshit, obviously – the main reason such plaudits have been awarded is that they are deserved; said artists have impeccable bodies of work (and impeccable bodies, as anyone who has seen Justin Vernon with his shirt off can attest.
But it is weird how every single review of Bon Iver feels it necessary to mention, nay harp on about, the whole remote-log-cabin thing.
I mean, who cares? These days, with laptops and FireWire audio interfaces and whatnot you can make high-quality recordings anywhere. (There's an awesome studio, Bombanella, in a barn near Bologna. Horses and everything). Well, Bon Iver managed to capture the sound and feel of what it's like to live in that isolation perfectly; presumably if he had done it at Abbey Road it wouldn't have that sense of intimacy. Saying it was recorded in a log cabin actually imparts a little of what it's like to listen to the record - rare, these days in a record review. (Cutting! JW 1, media 0!) But as well as being an artistically informative fact about a lovely record, the whole log-cabin thing is also an example of what can be a pernicious drain. These days (same as it ever was), in order to publish an article about an artist, the hapless writer must first convince his or her editor that it'll be of interest to the readers. If there's little in the way of commercial success, or hype, or radio play, or if the artist does not fall into the sort of style or genre that automatically gets lots of coverage in whatever press organ we're talking about (e.g. boring indie and the NME – just kidding guys!), then the writer must be able to call on some other reason as to why the artist will be of interest to readers. The actual music itself only suffices in the rarest cases of extreme prowess.
What you need is a press angle. You know – a public spat with another artist, drug habit, weird and entertaining stories about the recording. Something to pad the piece out with some human interest. Sometimes the press angle is actually more interesting than the music e.g. Oasis, whose interviews are far more entertaining than their music – these days at least. Of course, I'm being naïve. At the end of the day, magazines and interweb netsites are there to be read. Their purpose, and the reason they're successful, is because they're interesting to read. So you'd better be able to say some interesting things about the artists you want to write about. So, you know, near-death experiences, supermodel liasons, unusual recording locales; the fact is, people would rather read about this kind of thing than an in-depth discussion of how cool the guitar sound on the third track is. Personally, I find this kind of thing to be a bit of a bummer. But I know being a critic is difficult - you're constantly balancing what you want to write about with what people want to read about. And it's not like I have any answers. I just wanted to bum everyone else out too. Anyway. Can't hang around - I'm off to start a beef with Laura Marling, develop a hard drugs habit and invent a brand new way of playing guitar (spoons underneath your armpits, no flexing of the elbow allowed).
See you next month.
DiScuss: would you rather read about guitar sounds and lyrical metaphors or celebrity hookups and tour anecdotes? Am I just being way cynical? What's your favorite press angle/gimmick?
This month Jeremy is plugging his new internet TV thing (which he filmed himself, ineptly).


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Aphelinidae is a moderate-sized family of tiny parasitic wasps, with some 1160 described species in some 35 genera. These minute insects are challenging to study as they deteriorate rapidly after death unless extreme care is taken (e.g., preservation in ethanol), making identification of most museum specimens difficult. The larvae of the majority are primary parasitoids on Hemiptera, though other hosts are attacked, and details of the life history can be variable (e.g., some attack eggs, some attack pupae, and others are hyperparasites). They are found throughout the world in virtually all habitats, and are extremely important as biological control agents.
They are difficult to separate from other Chalcidoidea except by subtle features of the wing venation and other difficult characters, and it appears the family is paraphyletic, and therefore likely to be split up in the future (e.g., the Azotinae and Calesinae may become separate families).
Read more about Aphelinidae: Genera


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As children, Disney movies provide us with an idealized portrait of adulthood, full of adventure and happy endings. The artist Jeff Hong provides an alternate narrative in "Unhappily Ever After;" here, our beloved Disney princesses and animals are subjected to the realities of a cruel, dark world. Set against moody, disturbing backdrops, the animated characters appear entirely out of place, stunned by the state of the human condition.
Unlike the work of Dina Goldstein, a photographer who imagined the heartbreaking fates of Disney princesses, Hong's images preserve the two-dimensional form of the famed Disney characters, a choice which heightens the drama of each piece. As if hurled from an easily understood storybook fairytale, the princesses suffer within a more realistic (and three-dimensional) photographic space.
Throughout "Unhappily Ever After," the artist pointedly draws attention to current social injustices. These characters, with whom we associate our own wide-eyed innocence, are placed within a a racially-segregated America (Tiana) or a casino that now occupies a Native American reservation (Pocahontas). Animal cruelty and environmental negligence are laid bare as Dumbo suffers the life of a circus animal, Bambi is hunted and stuffed, and Ariel's lungs fill with polluted water. Simbo is held captive in a zoo. Alice forsakes Wonderland to maintain her drug habit in the streets, and Cinderella is left in a dark alleyway, her clothes ripped from her body. It is profoundly unsettling to witness these childhood symbols in such a difficult world; more distressing still is the fact these injustices and hardships happen every day. Take a look. (via Design Boom)


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Tony Sunshine (Former Member Of Terror Squad) Dissing Fat Joe Pt. 2! "Disgusting Piece Of Sh*t. Ask Your Ex Girl"
"presented by Mikey T The Movie Star Tony Sunshine Riot Town Ent ask Fat Joe what happened to all the bread you took you didn't flip that ??? calls joe a clown , you was suppose to be my dude , you said u was 100 you wasn't even 50 not even 25 . Tony speaks to fat joe , an keyda bonell speaks on rappers comin to the mike beck tribute show to help themself an not for the cause .RIP Mike Beck " - Mikey T
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A former home of composer Marvin Hamlisch is on the market in Hollywood Hills West for $1.749 million or for lease at $8,000 a month.
Built in 1963, the Midcentury Modern-style house features an updated kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,555 square feet of living space. Flagstone paving surrounds the swimming pool.
Hamlisch, who died last year at 68, won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony for the 1975 Broadway hit "A Chorus Line" and Academy Awards for his work on "The Way We Were" and "The Sting." He sold the house in 2007 for $1.2 million to the current owner.
Mica Rabineau and Josh Goldstein of Nourmand & Associates are the listing agents.


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Here's the make up I wore...
- Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation (Natural)
- Bare Minerals Powder Foundation (Medium Beige)
- Mac Studio Finish Concealer (NC30)
- Soleil Tan De Chanel
- Mac 'Moon River' Mineralised Blush
- Mac 'Amber Lights', 'Romp', 'Brun' & 'Rice Paper' E/S
- L'oreal Super Liner
- Mac brown Eye liner
- Blink & Go Mascara
- L'oreal 'Cappuccino' Lip Liner
- Smashbox 'Pout' Lip Gloss
I actually ended up trimming my hair too as I needed my layers re done, I'm such a 'DIY' addict.
I wore a beautiful coral dress that the hubby surprised me with. I did take pictures of me wearing it but they didn't come out too good, so you can admire it on the hanger! The dress was a bargain at £40 from 'Gap'!
"Oh and Em, if your reading, yes those are your earrings. I'm looking after them for you!" :)
Hope you are having a great weekend, and excuse my lack of updates. I just never find the time these days, I'm forever cleaning and trying to wean Esra onto solids which is very challenging! :) Oh and I know you are all thinking 'Your make up is usually focused on the eyes' but I am SO proud that I actually wore bright lips about 5 days in a row last week, next time I promise to get snap happy and share the looks with you.
Speak soon! X


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The first election I remember was in 1979. It was when Mr Callahan stopped being Prime Minister and Mrs Thatcher took over. It was exciting to see a woman in charge, and amused by people chanting "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, out out out", within days of her arrival.
I recall with fondness the Spitting Image election special of 1987, and, I think, the 1992 election night with Armondo Ianucci with a choir performing television news theme tunes. Or was it 1997? That was the last election I watched on TV . I kept promising myself I would go to bed, but it was just too interesting.
The last two general elections I have been at the count. It was a childhood dream. I always enjoyed going along to the polling station with my parents, and have always voted with enthusiasm. However, this count will be different because this is the social media election.
Five years ago the newspaper I worked on didn't have a website. Now, as digital editor for the Worthing Herald series I have encouraged reporters to use Scribblelive during hustings, giving readers the chance to watch from home, and participate.
A few of the candidates standing in the four constituencies the group covers have Twitter accounts. All bar one have a website, blog and Facebook presence. All four seats are pretty safe Conservative ones.
This is where I'm lucky. I live in Brighton Pavilion, a constituency where Labour have been in power since 1997, taking over from the Conservatives, with a council where the Greens are the biggest group. All three parties are fighting to take the seat. It's the Green's number 1 target, hence Green leader and MEP Caroline Lucas is standing.
I can watch Tweets from the three main candidates throughout the day, every day.
The bulk of election literature we have received has been Green and Labour. The occasional bit of Conservative has arrived and one general piece of Liberal Democrat. Brighton Blogger and Labour Party activist Dan Wilson has written an interesting blog about Brighton politics, What does the LibDem surge mean in Brighton Pavilion? Brighton ought to be a Lib Dem stronghold, but it seems Lewes and Eastbourne have greater potential on that front.
Back to the point. I have uploaded photographs of leaflets to The Straight Choice.org. The majority have been either Labour or Green. I started uploading after the Brighton Future of News Group meeting with Richard Pope, one of the founders of The Straight Choice, spoke to Brighton Future of News Group. Comparing party leaflets in different post code areas, across the country, and at varying times during the campaign.
Inspired by Richard's presentation, I promoted the idea on the Worthing Herald website resulting in the first leaflets uploaded for the constituencies.
During this bank holiday weekend I've taken the process one step further by taking photographs of every campaign poster I've seen while walking around Brighton. I had planned to do it once when I walked to visit friends in Hove, before meeting another friend in the city centre. It was a circular walk back home. The number of Green Party posters I saw was astounding. The idea was inspired by a Tweet from @mockduck to @jowadsworth
This exercise prompted me to walk around where I live and map the photographs. The resulting mass of green makes Thursday's result an interesting prospect.
I'll be spending Thursday night and the early hours of Friday morning at Lancing Leisure Centre, waiting for the results of the East Worthing and Shoreham and Worthing West constituencies, but at least this time I can keep track of everywhere else online.
I'll be using Scribblelive and Qik to bring live text and video from the count, and publicising the result online as it happens.


text: Bentley University's Recruiting Department seeks to facilitate the connection between our corporate partners and our talented students. Our goal is to provide a high-quality, customizable and enjoyable experience for both employers and students. Successful recruiters stay involved at Bentley which offers our students many opportunities to network with industry experts and gain valuable information, connections and ultimately obtain internships and full-time positions.


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Publication date: 2001
Greenwood Press
Publishers description:
This discography documents the full range of Brunswick label recordings through 1931, when the American Record corporation purchased the label. The data includes affiliated or subsidiary labels such as Vocalion and Melotone. Brunswick recorded a wide variety of music in both New York City and in a variety of regional locations within and outside of the United States. This collection of material provides a unique cross-section of the music and musicians of the time. Much of the information derives from surviving company files and from issued recordings.
New York Studios 1927-1931
Index of Artists