text:
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Parshegen, an amazing new work on Targum Onkelos
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The sukkah on Shemini Atzeret controversy
Arguments about eating in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret outside of Israel have a long and somewhat baffling history.[1] While not the only example of practice in opposition to the Shulchan Aruch, it appears to be among the most argued. The gemara, Rambam, the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch, written in many locales, all seem to be as unambiguous as possible in requiring one to eat in the sukkah. The Gaon, incensed by the spreading Chassidic custom to eat outside the sukkah, perhaps lemigdar miltah, went so far as to mandate sleeping in the sukkah on the night of shemini atzeret, in opposition to the Maharil, the Magen Avraham and normative custom.
Despite consensus among all major decisors to require eating in the sukkah, an undercurrent of opposition has existed from at least the times of the early rishonim. Support for that opposition has been based on a number of apparently legitimate points. However, despite some early and consistent opposition, despite the logic and halakhic rationale of those who did not sit in the sukkah, and despite the problematic nature of the gemara (as explained below), I hope to explain the basis for the concluding and declarative statement in the gemara: "we sit but do not make a berakha." In fact, the assumption, explicitly found[2] as far back as the times of the rishonim, that the declarative ruling was interpolated at a later point, is fundamental to explain both sides of the controversy. Some, as early as the times of the rishonim, argue that we can discount such geonic interpolations in deference to the original text which, as will be demonstrated, concludes not to sit in the sukkah. My goal is to explain why the interpolation is to be followed despite its ostensible opposition to the remainder of the text.
The major thesis proposed is that one has to differentiate between a period of doubt as existed in both the yerushalmi and bavli when rosh chodesh was declared based on the observation of witnesses and a later period when rosh chodesh was determined using a fixed calendar. The geonic interpolation into the text of the gemara occurred at that later point; its rationale and inconsistency with the texts of the gemara needs to be addressed from that perspective. If I am correct, then in the period when rosh chodesh was declared based on the observation of witnesses, as in the times of Rav Yochanon and Rav,[3] sitting in the sukkah was not always required. However, when the fixed calendar was in use, the rabbis (eventually) decreed that sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret was obligatory. It may well have been more akin to a gezairah required at their time versus a continuation of historic practice.
The remainder of the paper focuses on:
- An analysis of the primary texts of the gemarot that demonstrates opposition to sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.
- A conjecture that the level of doubt in the times of the gemara was minor.
- Possible objections to sitting in the sukkah on Shimini Atzeret when not required and why they were perhaps considered overriding particularly given the level of doubt. Additionally, there are critical factors that differentiate Shemini Atzeret from other cases of yom tov sheni.
- The interpolation by the geonim, and their insistence on sitting in the sukkah despite earlier halakhic rulings.
- The objection to the gemara's conclusion by some early authorities and their different practices.
- Reasons that would exempt you from sukkah in general, would certainly exempt you on Shemini Atzeret; mitztayer and kabbalat penai rabbo are analyzed as bases for not sitting in the sukkah.
- A summary and a modest proposal.
Section 1 - An analysis of the primary text of the gemarot demonstrates opposition to sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.
The sugya in the bavli masechet sukkah beginning on 46b contains three parts:[4]
A. The disagreement of Rav Yochanon and Rav.
R. Judah the son of R. Samuel b. Shilath citing Rav ruled: The eighth day which may be the seventh is regarded as the seventh in respect of the sukkah and as the eighth in respect of the benediction. R. Yochanon, however, ruled: It is regarded as the eighth in respect of both.
B. Two approaches to interpreting the disagreement.
FIRST APPROACH: That one must dwell [in the sukkah on the eighth day] is agreed by all, they only differ on the question of the benediction. According to him who regards the day as the seventh in respect of the sukkah, we also recite the benediction [of the sukkah], while according to him who holds that it is regarded as the eighth in respect of both, we do not recite the benediction [of the sukkah]. R. Joseph observed: Hold fast to the ruling of R. Yochanan, since R. Huna b. Bizna and all the notables of his age once entered a sukkah on the eighth day which may have been the seventh, and while they sat therein, they did not recite the benediction. But is it not possible that they were of the same opinion as he who laid down that once a man has recited the benediction on the first day, he has no more need to recite it? — There was a tradition that they had just come from the fields.
SECOND APPROACH: (the ikka de'amri) There are some who say that the ruling that one must not recite the benediction [of the sukkah] is agreed upon by both, and that they only differ on the question whether one must sit [inthe sukkah]. According to him who ruled that it is regarded as the seventh day in respect of the sukkah, we must indeed sit in it thereon, while according to him who ruled that it is regarded as the eighth day in respect of both, we may not even sit in it thereon. R. Joseph observed: Hold fast to the ruling of R.Yochanan. For who is the authority of the statement? R. Judah the son of R. Samuel b. Shilath [of course], and he himself sat on the eighth day which might be the seventh outside the sukkah.
C. A declarative ruling that "we sit but do not make a berakha."
And the law is that we must indeed sit in the sukkah but may not recite the benediction.
A. The disagreement of Rav Yochanon and Rav:
Rav states that Shemini Atzeret is treated as the seventh for "this" and the eighth for "that." Rav Yochanon states it is the considered as the eighth for "this" and "that." The two approaches differ as to what "this" and "that" refer.[5]
B. Two approaches to interpreting the disagreement:
The first alternative assumes that all agree that sitting in the sukkah is obligatory; the argument concerns whether to make a berakha.
In this approach Rav is asserting that one makes a berakha "leishev ba'sukkah." The phrase "the seventh for this" refers to this obligation for a berakha on sitting in the sukkah. "The eighth for that" refers to the fact that the other prayers of Shemini Atzeret – kiddush and tefillah – mention only the eighth day and make no mention of Sukkot.
Rav Yochanon asserts we make no reference to Sukkot, making no berakha when sitting in the sukkah on the eighth. It is the eight for "this" refers to sitting in the sukkah without a berakha; "the eighth for that" is interpreted identically to Rav.
According to both opinions, "this" refers to whether or not a berakha is made when sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret. According to both opinions, "that" refers to the mention of only Shemini Atzeret in the prayers of the eighth day. This reading is rather forced in that there does not appear to be any disagreement about what holiday ought to be referred to in the various prayers and blessings of the eighth day. While the word "this" is informative, the word "that" is not. Stating both Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret in one prayer/blessing would be contradictory; declaring a day to be both Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret was never even raised as a possibility and for good reason.
The first approach then quotes practice that supports the view of Rav Yochanon, suggesting that we are to follow the opinion of Rav Yochanon.
The second approach assumes not making a berakha on sitting in the sukkah is undisputed; the argument is about even sitting in the sukkah. Thus the second part of the phrase – the eighth for "that" states that common view of both Rav and Rav Yochanon omitting a berakha on sitting in the sukkah. "This" refers to the obligation to sit in the sukkah. Rav maintains for "this" it is considered the seventh and hence one is obligated to sit in the sukkah. Rav Yochanon maintains it is the eighth for "this" as well with no obligation to sit in the sukkah. Note that in this approach of the ikaa de'amri, both parts of the sentence are informative.
The second approach then also quotes practice that supports the view of Rav Yochanon, suggesting that we follow the opinion of Rav Yochanon
Were the sugya to end at this point, the conclusion would be clear for two reasons. Each reason itself is two-fold, resulting from both a general principle as well as a detail present in this specific case.
- First, generally, where there are two alternative approaches, the second, the ikaa de'amri, is assumed normative.[6] As well in this specific case, as indicated, the phrase of both Rav and Rav Yochanon is more informative in the formulation of the ikka de'amri.
- Second, when there is a dispute between Rav and Rav Yochanon, we generally follow Rav Yochanon.[7]As well, in this specific case the text in both alternatives immediately includes an example of practice that follows the opinion of Rav Yochanon.
Taken together, we would assume to follow the second alternative and the opinion of Rav Yochanon – and not sit in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.
According to many readings, this conclusion is made even more strongly by the yerushalmi.[8] While the bavli addresses the obligation to sit in the sukkah, the yerushalmi notes that one may not sit in the sukkah while making kiddush but one may enter the sukkah afterwards if he so desires. While some rishonim quote this yerushalmi as opposing the psak of the bavli,[9] others claim[10] that the yerushalmi is addressing a region of Israel where there was no doubt about what day the courts declared rosh chodesh. Rabbi Schacter, in support of the former opinion, observed that the yerushalmi uses the expression "leilai yom tov achron;" the plural, "leilai" is only relevant if there is a yom tov sheni on the ninth. Given this interpretation, the yerushalmi is making a rather strong point of equating the nights of the eighth and ninth, dismissing any possibility of an obligation to eat in the sukkah on the eighth.[11]
C. A declarative ruling that "we sit but do not make a berakha:"
Despite the reading of the gemara as outlined, the bavli concludes that "we sit but do not make a berakha." This opinion is that of both Rav in the second alternative and Rav Yochanon in the first alternative. This ruling corresponds to two of four opinions quoted; the two alternative opinions – not sitting at all or sitting and making a berakha – are only supported by one amora and only according to one alternative. Despite that, this ruling is contradicted by the normal principles of psak where we would follow Rav Yochanon's opinion in the second alternative, as well as the yerushalmi.
The language of the gemara "shemini safek shevii," and in particular the various amoraim cited, place the gemara not in the period of calculation based on a fixed calendar, but still during a period where rosh chodesh was declared based on observation. During that period, yom tov sheni was observed because of real doubt and also, at some point, as a precaution even during those years where doubt did not exist. Given the establishment of a fixed calendar in 359 CE by Hillel II, it is not entirely clear in exactly what era yom tov sheni was firmly established and, more importantly, when it was extended to include sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret. It is entirely plausible, that this declarative ruling obligating sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret followed the period debated in the gemara by multiple centuries.
This resolves the apparent contradiction in the text. Why this was not stated explicitly in the gemara is only problematic if one does not assume it was obvious.
Section 2 - A conjecture that the level of doubt in the times of the gemara was minor.
Returning now to the period of real doubt over which day was declared rosh chodesh, the question of why was sitting in the sukkah not considered mandatory? We will deal with a number of reasons that would argue against sitting in the sukkah in the next section. However, there are two factors that would reduce the level of doubt in the times of declaration based on observation.
- First, atmospheric conditions in the Middle East around the beginning of Tishrai are normally excellent and the ability for a new moon crescent to be observed is very high.[12]
- Second, the beit din had flexibility to reduce any doubt around Rosh HaShana. When necessary, the beit din could delay declarations of rosh chodesh Elul to guarantee that a moon's crescent would always be present to be observed on the evening following the 29th of Elul.[13]
These two factors lowered the level of doubt considerably. In addition,
- the late date in the month when Shemini Atzeret occurs and
- the effort to determine Yom Kippur
would likely reduce the level of doubt even further. After fasting only on the 10th day of Tishrai as Yom Kippur, it is entirely possible that in spite of observing yom tov sheni on the first days of sukkot, the level of doubt was minimal and insufficient to overcome the objections covered in the next section.[14]
Section 3 - Possible objections to sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret when not required and why they were overriding particularly given the level of doubt. Additionally, one can differentiate Shemini Atzeret from the more usual case of yom tov sheni on multiple grounds.
There are two potential issues with sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, tarti de'sasreh, acting in a contradictory manner[15] and violating the prohibition to add to a mitzvah, by adding an additional day of sukkah observance, particularly on Shemini Atzeret where sitting in a sukkah is not part of the observance.[16] In the case of sitting in the sukkah, a potentially neutral act, neither is violated if some aspect of performance is compromised; however, the degree of compromise required may be in dispute.
Regardless of which of the two reasons[17] is invoked, in a case of limited doubt, one or the other or both may have been sufficient to make sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret either not obligatory or perhaps not even permitted without some restrictions. Both the yerushalmi and various opinions in the main text of the bavli, support this conclusion.
At some point after a fixed calendar was established in the fourth century, a second day of yom tov was formalized (or maintained.)[18] As Rav Soloveitchik explained, an additional level of kedushat yom tov was applied to either an ordinary day (the day after a yom tov, isru chag) or the first day of chol hamoed because of sefaikah de'yoma. This additional level of kedusha, automatically invoked obligations for kiddush, tefillah, sippur yetziat mitzraim, etc. as well as prohibitions from work. Of course, such an approach could not be applied to Shemini Atzeret; it was already a holiday and one could not add to its kedusha, only change it. This was not done; note that we do not mention Sukkot nor do we observe the mitzvah of lulav. We simply sit in the sukkah without a berakha, something that is both different from a halakhic perspective from other observances of yom tov sheni that derive from the changed status of the day, and in Rav Soloveitchik's opinion, less than satisfactory conceptually. He said, perhaps half-seriously, that despite his unwavering adherence to normative halakha, the position of the chassidim makes more sense. In any case, sitting in the sukkah is a unique observance with textual, historical and conceptual challenges.
Section 4 - The interpolation by the geonim[19], and their insistence on sitting in the sukkah despite earlier halakhic rulings.
I do not know the precise history of yom tov sheni. However, both reciting berakhot during yom tov sheni against normal halakhic practice,[20] as well as the assumed halakhic interpolation by the geonim requiring sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret may both have similar origin – the need to reinforce the observance of yom tov sheni. As Dr. Haym Soloveitchik points out,[21] the case of sukkah on Shemini Atzeret proves the wisdom of insisting on a berakha; the one mitzvah of yom tov sheni for which we do not recite a berakha, resulted in widespread non-observance.
It seems more than likely that this interpolation was recognized as "outside the norm" if the practice during the period of doubt did not include sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret. Like berakhot, it may have been viewed as necessary particularly following a single day observance of Yom Kippur to strengthen the observance of yom tov sheni. One can only assume that the ruling's discontinuity from the remainder of the text of the gemara was recognized and did not need elucidation; when first written, a then contemporary reader would recognize the change in practice.
Section 5 - The objection to the gemara's conclusion by some early authorities and their different practices.
Given universal acceptance of the observance of yom tov sheni in the times of the rishonim, one would not have expected any deviation from the gemara's definitive conclusion. Rabbi Schacter and Dr. Soloveitchik highlight a number of sources that illustrate the lack of universal acceptance of the gemara's conclusion by Rashi's rebbe and members of his family,[22] a distinguished member of the Maharil's community,[23] and by a member of the Kolonymous family.[24]
Citing the core sugya in the bavli and the yerushalmi, while certainly relevant does not in and of itself justify deviating from a clear conclusion even if it is of geonic origin. What is universally conjectured is that the cold climate of Northern Europe motivated a change. For the geonim omitting a berakha constituted enough of a heker to obviate either objection – either a tarti de'sasreh or violating a prohibition to add to a mitzvah by adding an additional day of sukkah observance. In a temperate climate, eating outside without a berakha renders sitting in the sukkah a more balanced act – clearly not a complete fulfillment of the obligation to sit in the sukkah, but, nonetheless, still honoring the institution of yom tov sheni shel galyot. However, in the cold climate of Northern Europe, even absent a berakha, either objection would, as it did in the times of real safek, make sitting in the sukkah (at least during kiddush) problematic.
Note as well that the custom of returning to the sukkah during the day is consistent with this logic. During the day:
- the temperature is milder,
- there is no tarti de'sasreh from the recitation of kiddush, and
- having been absent from the sukkah at night, as Rav Soloveitchik pointed out, creates a discontinuity of performance that renders sitting in the sukkah the following day a non-violation of adding to the mitzvah.
What is perhaps most surprising is that even after the period of the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Rav Yosef Yuzpa, the dayan in Frankfurt am Mein around the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century, when Rav Isaiah Horowitz, the Shelah HaKadosh, was Rav, in his sefer Yosef Ometz was still able to state that a family, descendant of Troyes, who does not sit in the sukkah, "has on what to rely."[25]
Section 6 - Reasons that would exempt you from sukkah in general, would certainly exempt you on shemini atzeret; mitztayer and kabbalat penai rabbo are analyzed as bases for not sitting in the sukkah.
Mitztayer would exempt one from sitting in the sukkah not just on Shemini Atzeret but also on Sukkot proper. However, mitztayer is likely not binary. At one extreme, by living unnaturally in the sukkah one may not even fulfill one's obligation, regardless of intent, as would be the case in extreme cold or very rainy weather. If, however, it is somewhat uncomfortable given the elements, sitting in the sukkah may no longer be obligatory, while it would still remain a fulfillment of one's obligation. It seems logical as well to differentiate further the notion of mitztayer as it might apply to Sukkot versus Shemini Atzeret. Perhaps a yet lesser degree of mitztayer, not sufficient to allow eating outside the sukkah on Sukkot, might nonetheless, be more than sufficient to override and invalidate the level of heker made by not reciting a berakha. I have not seen any discussion of this notion by poskim, despite its apparent logic.[26] By analogy, one might not be legally drunk, but nonetheless it would be wise not to drive a car. Similarly, one might argue for eating outside the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret in conditions that do not meet the halakhic definition of mitztayer on Sukkot proper. Thus, cold temperatures that might not justify eating outside the sukkah on Sukkot could nonetheless justify, and indeed perhaps mandate, not eating in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.
Rav Soloveitchik, in an attempt to justify Chassidic practice, noted the importance of the night of Shemini Atzeret, following the "guten kvitel" that Kabbalists associated with the day of Hoshana Rabbah. Like the exemption accorded to the celebration of sheva berachot even on Sukkot, when the sukkah does not comfortably provide adequate room, one can argue that the large celebrations by Chassidim where they are mekabeil penai rabbom, would similarly provide an exemption. I would add that here as well, a lesser degree of need might again be seen as voiding any heker provided by just omitting a berakha.
Of course, while this explains why a tisch was held outside the sukkah, it does not in any way justify a general practice of avoiding the sukkah that has become widespread in many Chassidic circles.[27]
Section 7 – A summary and a modest proposal.
The discussion in the gemara covered a period of history where there was real doubt about the declaration of rosh chodesh, although in the case of Shemini Atzeret, that doubt was minimal. In the face of minimal doubt, the reasons not to sit in the sukkah prevailed. The geonim, perhaps in order to strengthen the notion of yom tov sheini, instituted the practice that "we sit but do not make a berakha."
It is not my intent to give halakhic advice; some might suggest that perhaps we ought to not even ask a local rabbi as much as follow family practice. In any case, for those who eat in the sukkah, I would consider situations of partial mitztayer that might arise, where eating in the sukkah may not be appropriate. On the other hand, given widespread laxity, one might argue that the stringencies of the geonim and the Gaon might again be particularly relevant. Of course, most fundamentally for those whose ancestors ate outside the sukkah in Warsaw, conditions are rather different in Miami,[28] or even in Baltimore or Boston.
[1] Shiurim by Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik ztl on the Bergen Torah Beis Medrash website, as well as by Rabbi Dr. Jacob Schacter on 10/02/2007 and by Rabbi Yosef Adler on 9/29/2009, both on the YU Torah website, provide important background. I benefited greatly from their analysis; elements of their perspective are reflected. Many of the sources referenced were assembled by Rabbi Schacter (including important sources cited by Dr. Haym Soloveitchik, whose seminal review essay is quoted extensively by Rabbi Schacter) in his comprehensive shiur on this subject. Most of the materials referenced below that are not available in standard editions of the gemara can be downloaded in the extensive maarei mekomot provided by Rabbi Schacter available on YU Torah in conjunction with his shiur.
[2] One might argue this was also known during the geonic period but assumed to be common knowledge.
[3] Certainly Rav Yochanon and Rav, the major disputants in the bavli as well as the text of the yerushalmi preceded the established use of a fixed calendar. We assume that the entire sugyah, quoting only Rav Yochanon and Rav and their students, was framed in the period prior to the determination of a fixed the calendar; the conclusions of the sugyah may have reflected practice that was followed for an even longer period.
[4] Translation below is from the Soncino Talmud.
[5] Analysis of the text of the gemara below, benefitted extensively from "Law and Custom in Hasidism" a translation by Shmuel Himelstein of Rabbi Dr. Aaron Wertheim's original book, Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken, NJ. 1992, pages 279 – 286.
[6] See for example, Hasogot haRaavad, Taanit 11. Both the Rosh and Ran on Avodah Zarah 7a indicate that some geonim and rishonim always follow the second opinion. Others differentiate based on Torah, Rabbinic, monetary or religious law. For example, tosofot, s.v. Beshel Torah, in Avodah Zarah 7a, quotes Rashi in a case of an ikka de'amri as deciding according to the lenient view in cases of Rabbinic law. According to that view, given that sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret in times of Rav and Rav Yochanon may be a real safek with respect to Torah law, one might follow the stricter view, the first opinion. In the times of fixed calendar, however, presumably sitting in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret is only Rabbinic, and we might also follow the second, more lenient view.
[7] Rif Baba Metziah, Chapter 4, 29a, in the dafei haRif.
[8] Sukkah Perek 4, halakha 5, 17b.
[9] Sefer HaPardes.
[10] Minhagim of Rabbeinu Yitzkhak MiDura.
[11] An uncontested view of the yerushalmi, versus contested views in the bavli, adds additional credence to a preference for the opinion of Rav Yochanon according to the second alternative - not to sit in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret.
[12] Note that the gemara in Beitzah 4b-5a records a singular event where witnesses were delayed in coming on the 30th of Elul to declare that day as the 1st of Tishrai.
In early times they [the Sanhedrin] admitted the testimony about new moon throughout the [whole]
day. Once, however, the witnesses were late in arriving and the Levites erred in the chant.
Given how rare it is for the moon to be obscured by clouds throughout the night in the environs of Jerusalem, normally, one could expect witnesses to arrive earlier in the day. The Hebrew of the text of the gemara – "pa'am achat" appears to denote a rare event.
[13] Perhaps in our fixed calendar Elul always has 29 days in commemoration of prior practice.
[14] Ritva, in complete opposition to this approach, assumed that prior to a fixed calendar, one would likely be dealing with standard case of doubt with respect to a biblical commandment and sitting in the sukkah would clearly be mandatory.
[15] The Ran, in his commentary on the Rif, adds the element of zilzul of Shemini Atzeret by acting in a manner that would equate a holy day to a day of chol hamoed. Zilzul adds an additional dimension; the activity is not just conflicting, a tarti de'sasre, but demeaning of Shemini Atzeret as well. Perhaps, unlike other cases of a tarti de'sasre, absent an element of zilzul, a day might legitimately have a dual character. Furthermore, my nephew, Joshua Blumenkopf, noted that tarti d'sasri is not an independent principle; it merely means that you cannot use two contradictory kulot at the same time, something not present in this case.
[16] Were it not Shemini Atzeret it would be no different than eating matzah on the eighth day of Pesach because of sefaikah de'yoma.
[17] A reason to justify sitting outside the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, cited by Rabbi Werthheim, based on the Midrash Tanchuma, parshat Pinkhas, that one has to pray sincerely for rain, would appear to be more a rationalization than a halakhic factor.
[18] The history and details of this complex and controversial topic are not addressed. One could assume that detailed halakhot varied across the various possible periods of history including: the original period of uncertainty when rosh chodesh was declared based on observation, a later period where rabbinic rulings mandated yom tov sheni even prior to the period of the fixed calendar, the initial period of a fixed calendar and various later periods in the fixed calendar. Aligning various sugyot to those periods could shed additional light on this topic. For example, consider the gemara in Beitzah 4b. Is the gemara referring to a period when the fixed calendar was already established or is referring to an earlier period where knowledge of sod haibur was used to reduce doubt? The latter seems to be more consistent with language that refers to knowledge of as opposed to use of the sod haibur.
[19] The interpolation is often ascribed to Rav Yehudai Gaon.
[20] Not reciting berakhot on a minhag.
[21] Haym Soloveitchik, "Olam Ke-Minhago Noheg: Review Essay," AJS Review 23:2 (1998): 223-234.
[22] Sefer HaPardes.
[23] Maharil – Minhagim, Hilkhot lulav – 6.
[24] Yekhusai Tannaim ve Amoraim, (ed. Y. L. Maimon), pages 329-330, cited by Dr. Soloveitchik, makes (a less complete version of) the textual arguments outlined in Section 1.
[25] Yosef Ometz – 1058.
[26] The Aruch HaShulchan attempts to justify various customs for only partially observance of sitting in the sukkah as creating a yet greater heker given cold temperatures.
[27] In addition to attribution of the trend to sit outside the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret to the Chassidic celebrations of the evening following Hoshana Rabbah, see as well Rabbi Dr. Aaron Wertheim's "Law and Custom in Hasidism," pages 279 – 286 for attribution to other kabbalistic sources.
[28] Miami is closer to the equator than cities in the Middle East.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
A Quotation Fabrication: What the Rema did Not Say on Wearing Leather Shoes on Yom Kippur
"Jews are prohibited from wearing leather on Yom Kippur."
The site continues by stating:
"Jewish Vegetarians of North America President Richard H. Schwartz explains "One reason is that it is not considered proper to plead for compassion when one has not shown compassion to the creatures of G-d, whose concern extends to all of His creatures." (see his website)
They further assert:
"Many rabbis through the ages have shared this view. Rabbi Moses Isserles (c. 1528-1572), aka the Rema, said, "How can a man put on shoes, a piece of clothing for which it is necessary to kill a living thing, on Yom Kippur, which is a day of grace and compassion, when it is written 'His tender mercies are over all His works'?" (Psalms 145:9)."
I came across this while researching my Fall 2011 Jewish Action column on the misconception that it is prohibited to wear leather items, such as a leather belt or yarmulke, on Yom Kippur and Tisha B'av (see here). Actually, as I show in that article, there is no general prohibition against wearing leather on Yom Kippur. Furthermore, there is not even a prohibition of wearing "leather shoes." Rather, the prohibition on Yom Kippur and Tisha b'Av is wearing "shoes", which in normative halacha are defined as leather shoes, although not everyone agrees to that and many authorities assume the prohibition is to wear any protective shoe.[1] Thus, not wearing leather shoes has nothing to do with compassion to animals, but is rather an innui for us, not compassion for animals. In addition, these rules also apply on Tisha B'av when there is no "pleading for compassion" and when we also wear leather at Mincha – when we put on tefillin.
But most intriguing was this "quote" from the Rema that PETA cited from Richard H. Schwartz. It did not sound like the Rema, and indeed it does not exist. So I proceeded to track down its origin. (It seemed unlikely that Richard Schwartz would simply fabricate a quote.) The Rema (OC 223:6, cf KSA 59:13) does quote that verse, but in a different context. He records that it is customary that when someone acquires a new garment people wish him well by saying "tivale v'tichadash – may you wear it out and get a new one", however some people say not to say that on leather garments because then another animal will need to be killed and God is merciful on all his creatures. Amazingly, the Rema then rejects that argument as weak. Thus, in the only place where the Rema cites that pasuk he rejects it as a reason.
So where did PETA find this "quote"? In Schwartz's book Judaism and Vegetarianism (p. 21 in the 1988 ed.) he includes this -
- and in footnote 34 he tells us that his source for this amazing quote is Samuel Dresner, The Jewish Dietary Laws (p. 33-34, 1966 ed). Unfortunately, Schwartz misread Dresner, misunderstood where quotes ended, did not look up Dresner's source, and thereby fabricated a quote from the Rema.
Dresner's point of departure was the law cited above regarding the good wishes offered upon putting on a new garment. He then cites a novel reason for the prohibition of leather shoes, but does not give much detail about his source. It turns out that this reason is found for the first time in Toldot Esther, a commentary by Rabbi Shlomo Tzvi Shück (1844-1916) on the Siddur haMinhagim of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Tirna (64a in the 1880 ed. link).
Dresner may or may not have understood where the quotes end, but it is indeed confusing in his English rendition.
He quotes the Rema regarding leather clothing along with the pasuk from Tehillim (and following Shick, leaves out the Rema's rejection). He then quotes the Rema regarding no shechiyanu on shechita and, without opening or closing quotes, proceeds into Shick's novel reason for not wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur.
Rav Shick (see scan below) was very clear in how he explained himself. He wrote that he had his way of explaining the prohibition of wearing (leather) shoes on Yom Kippur. He then cited the Rema on new clothes and the Rema on shehechiyanu on a first occasion, and based on those asked rhetorically how on Yom Kippur which is a day of chesed v'rachamim one can wear a garment that necessitated killing an animal. He had no fabricated quotes, but he does offer a perplexing explanation for something that was not looking for one. As noted above, the prohibition on Yom Kippur is to wear shoes, which some people understand to mean leather shoes. But the prohibition is derived from the fact that going shoeless is an innui. It also therefore applies on Tisha b'Av and to mourners, obviously unrelated to chesed v'rachamim. Furthermore, leather may be worn on Yom Kippur.
Thus, a novel, difficult to understand explanation for a straightforward prohibition has spawned a fabricated quote from the Rema that is now fairly widespread on the web.
[1] Safrai, Mishnat Eretz Yisrael, demonstrates that the earliest prohibition was to wear any shoe, leather or otherwise. They point to the Tosefta which prohibits "even empilia of cloth." They understand that to mean a cloth shoe. The Yerushalmi, that distinguishes between leather shoes is modifying the original prohibition, as found in the Tosefta, that prohibited all shoes. According to this, it is somewhat understandable how one could shun all shoes today.
[2] Another source does give a reason why specifically leather shoes are prohibited. Shu"t Maharshag (#110 in 5743 ed.) (Rav Shimon Greenfield, 1860 – 1930; one of the leading rabbis in post-Word War I Hungary. A student of Rav Moshe ("Maharam") Shick, a cousin of Rabbi Shlomo Tzvi Shick) parenthetically quotes that the Pri Eitz HaChaim quotes the AriZal gave a kabbalistic reason why on Yom Kippur specifically leather shoes are prohibited. Again, it has nothing to do with leather or compassion to animals.
Rav Yehuda Aszod (1796-1866; Shu"t Yehudah Ya'aleh 1:164) was asked whether one may shecht on Rosh Hashana. It is clear from Tanach (Nechemia 8:10) and the Mishna (Hullin 5:3) that meat was commonly eaten on Rosh Hashanah. Nonetheless, Rav Aszod noted that all shechita includes an element of tzar ba'alei chaim and without the Torah's explicit permission would be prohibited. On the yom ha-din when we are asking for mercy it is inappropriate to shecht an animal.


text:
- 1 Overview
- 2 Materials
- 3 Procedure
- 4 Bioinformatics
- 5 Notes
- 6 References
- 7 Contact
This is a protocol for generating RAD libraries for Illumina sequencing. With this technique, 96 samples can be multiplexed into one sequencing library, and only tags adjacent to PstI sites are sequenced. This is a cheap way to both mine and genotype large numbers of SNPs. This is the protocol developed in Erik Sacks' lab at UIUC by Lindsay Clark, based on protocols from Pat Brown and Megan Hall.
- Quant-iT Picogreen kit (Invitrogen)
- Qiagen gel purification kit
- Qiagen PCR cleanup kit
- From New England Biolabs:
- PstI-HF, 20,000 U/mL
- MspI, 20,000 U/mL
- T4 DNA ligase, 2,000,000 U/mL
- Phusion High Fidelity PCR master mix
- 100 bp DNA ladder
- gel loading dye that does NOT have bromophenol blue
Note: MspI is not a heat-inactivated enzyme, but I have found that the protocol works anyway. Between the ligation and gel extraction steps, I keep the sample on ice to prevent any residual digestion activity.
- You will also need a black microtiter plate for the Picogreen assay.
PstI adapters
This is the most expensive part of the protocol other than the sequencing itself, since 192 oligonucleotides must be ordered.
Adapter 1 top:
Adapter 1 bottom:
xxxx and
yyyy are the barcode and its reverse complement, respectively.
Barcodes and oligo sequences are from Pat Brown's lab.
Other oligos
MspI adapters:
- A2top:
- A2bot:
Illumina PCR primers:
- Nanodrop spectrophotometer
- BioTek Synergy plate reader (for reading fluorescence)
- Ordinary PCR machine
- Agarose gel rig
- UV transilluminator for gel excision
- Bioanalyzer
- real-time PCR machine (we just pay the core facility to do that part)
Adapter prep
Top and bottom strands of adapters need to be annealed 1X Annealing Buffer, which is 10 mM Tris, 50 mM NaCl.
The annealing program is:
- 95°C 5 minutes
- Ramp down -0.1°C every 2 seconds (or -1°C every 20 seconds) to 25°C.
My protocol:
- Pat Brown provided us with a plate of PstI adapters that are at 1 μM. I took a bottle of autoclaved 1X Annealing Buffer, added 45 μl to each well of a 96-well plate, then transferred 5 μl from the 1 μM plate to make a 0.1 μM working stock.
- MspI adapters are ordered like normal oligos, and I have 100 μM concentrated stocks in TE. To make a 10 μM stock:
- 20 μl A2top, 100 μM
- 20 μl A2bot, 100 μM
- 20 μl 500 mM NaCl
- 2 μl 1M Tris
- 138 μl nuclease-free water
- Mix well, add 100 μl to each of two PCR tubes, and run them on the annealing program ("Adapt" on the PCR machine).
DNA quantification and dilution
Nanodrop first:
- Quantify your DNA using the Nanodrop spectrophotometer.
- If the DNA concentration is greater than 200 ng/ul, dilute to 200 ng/ul. I find it useful to set up these dilutions on a 96-well plate. If the DNA is between 50 and 200 ng/ul, just put an aliquot directly on your dilution plate. If it is less than 50 ng/ul, you need to redo the extraction or find a way to concentrate the DNA.
Quantify your ≤200 ng/ul dilution plate using Picogreen:
- Take the tube of bright orange Picogreen reagent out ahead of time to thaw. Wrap it in aluminum foil to protect it from light. It is in DMSO instead of water, so it takes a long time to thaw and will immediately freeze solid if you put it on ice.
- The Quant-iT Picogreen kit comes with a lambda DNA standard at 100 ug/ml. Dilute some of the 20X TE that comes with the kit to 1X TE, and use it to make a 2 ug/ml dilution of the lambda DNA. (1:50 dilution.)
- For one plate (88 samples, 8 standards) make up 20 mL of 1X TE. (1 mL of the TE that comes with the kit, plus 19 mL sterilized filtered water.)
- The plate you need for the assay is a black, flat-well plastic plate. (Corning makes these.)
- Set up a standard curve in column 1 (or column 12, doesn't matter). Pipette 100 ul of TE into wells B-H. Add 100 ul of your 2 ug/ml lambda standard each to well A and B. Pipette well B up and down to mix, then transfer 100 ul to well C. Pipette well C up and down to mix, then transfer 100 ul to well D. Continue through well G, and leave well H as a blank. (After mixing well G, you will simply throw out 100 ul.)
- Add 99 ul TE to the other 88 (or however many samples you are doing) wells . Add 1 ul of ≤200 ng/ul sample DNA to each well.
- Add 50 ul of Quant-iT reagent to 10 mL of 1X TE. This solution needs to be used within a few hours, even if it is protected from light. Add 100 ul of the solution to each well (both sample, standard, and blank).
- Picogreen bonded to dsDNA has an excitation maximum at 480 nm and emission maximum at 520 nm. The plate readers in IGB (BioTek Synergy HT) probably already have a picogreen program on them.
- Read fluorescence intensity on the plate reader, and export it to Microsoft Excel.
- Make a scatterplot of fluorescence intensity of the standard vs. the standard concentration. Given that the samples were diluted 200X, the standard concentration is multiplied by 200:
- Well A 200 ng/ul
- Well B 100
- Well C 50
- Well D 25
- Well E 12.5
- Well F 6.25
- Well G 3.125
- Well H 0
- In Excel, fit a trendline to the scatterplot and display the equation on the chart. Use this equation to estimate the concentration of the samples.
In most cases, the concentration estimate via Picogreen should be lower than the concentration estimate via Nanodrop. This is because Nanodrop measures DNA + RNA, whereas Picogreen only measures DNA. Why didn't we just use Picogreen to begin with? Because it can measure a much narrower range of concentrations than Nanodrop can. If the standard curve were any more concentrated, it would not be linear.
Based on the Picogreen concentration estimates, dilute the DNA to 50 ng/μL in 10 mM Tris (and 0.1 mM EDTA, optional).
Restriction digestion and ligation
Restriction digestion master mix:
|For one sample
|For one plate
|50 ng/ul DNA
|5 ul
|10X NEBuffer 4
|1.5 ul
|165 ul
|PstI-HF, 20,000 U/mL
|0.25 ul
|27.5 ul
|MspI, 20,000 U/mL
|0.25 ul
|27.5 ul
|Nuclease-free water
|8 ul
|880 ul
(I have also used DNA at a concentration of 100 ng/ul because that was what Keck wanted for GoldenGate, so then I used 2.5 ul DNA and 10.5 ul water.)
Do this in a 96-well plate. Pipette the DNA into the wells and then add 10 ul of master mix to everything. Pick one well that will not have DNA in it. This will be an important control later on to demonstrate that this library was not contaminated with another library (which will have a different empty well).
Run the Digest program on the PCR machine: 3 hours at 37°C, then 20 minutes at 80°C.
Using a multichannel pipette, add 1.5 μL of 0.1 μM PstI adapters to their corresponding wells on the digestion plate. (Do add the adapter corresponding to the well that has no DNA in it.)
Ligation master mix, keep on ice until use:
|For one sample
|For one plate
|10X Ligase buffer with ATP
|1 ul
|100 ul
|10 μM MspI adapter
|0.5 ul
|55 ul
|10 mM ATP
|1.5 ul
|165 ul
|T4 Ligase, 2M U/mL
|0.1 ul
|11 ul
|Nuclease-free water
|5.4 ul
|594 ul
Add 8.5 μL of ligation master mix to each well of the digestion plate.
Run on the "ligate" program on the PCR machine: 2 hours at 25°C, 20 minutes at 65°C.
Cleanup and amplification
- Using a multichannel pipette and a PCR 8-well strip tube, pool all the columns together, adding 5 μL from each well of the plate to the wells on the strip tube.
- Pipette the 60 μL out of each well on the strip tube into one 1.5 mL tube. Mix well so that all samples are combined evenly. Freeze or keep on ice.
- Pour a 2% agarose gel with ethidium bromide. Make it nice and deep; my recipe is 3 g agarose, 150 mL 1X TAE, and 7.5 μL ethidium bromide solution. Use a wide-toothed comb.
- Take 40 μL (or more depending on your well volume) of your pooled library and combine it with a loading dye that does not have bromophenol blue. I actually use 10 μL of Promega GoTaq Green PCR buffer, despite the fact that I'm not doing PCR, since it doubles as a loading dye and lacks bromophenol blue.
- I recommend cleaning out your gel rig and putting in fresh TAE, since you especially want to avoid any contamination from other Illumina libraries.
- Run your ~50 μL of library plus loading dye on the gel. The lane with the library should have a lane of 100 bp ladder on either side of it. You can put multiple libraries on one gel, but leave several empty lanes between them.
- The gel doesn't need to be run very long. I would go 20 minutes at 100 V, or until the ladder bands below 500 bp are distinguishable.
- The library should look like a smear. There may be some undigested DNA (a band in the 10's of kb) but that is okay as long as most of the DNA is digested. There may also be a thick band of leftover adapter below 100 bp.
- Using a clean razor blade for each library, cut out the smear between 200 bp and 500 bp. There should definitely be DNA visible in this range.
- Use the Qiagen gel extraction kit to purify the DNA out of this gel slice. Elute in the lower volume (30 μL EB).
- Run the Illumina PCR:
- 3 μL gel-extracted library
- 2 μL 10 μM forward + reverse Illumina primers (PCR1 and PCR2)
- 25 μL 2X Phusion Master mix
- 20 μL nuclease-free water
- PCR program:
- 98°C 30 seconds
- 15 cycles of 98°C 10 seconds, 65°C 30 seconds, 72°C 30 seconds
- 72°C 5 minutes
- Use the Qiagen PCR cleanup kit to purify the amplified library. Elute in 50 μL EB.
Quality control
- Quantify the purified PCR product using the Picogreen protocol as above. Expected concentrations are in the 10's of ng/μL.
- Run on a DNA 1000 chip on the Bioanalyzer. There should be a smooth curve from around 200 to 500 bp. Any sharp peaks could indicate that the enzymes were cutting in a repetitive region of the genome, in which case it is best to choose different enzymes. Use the Bioanalyzer software to calculate the average fragment size.
- Calculate the concentration of the PCR product in nM. Keck supplies a worksheet for this calculation. If [math]x[/math] is the concentration in ng/μL, [math]y[/math] is the average size in base pairs, and [math]z[/math] is the concentration in nM, then [math]z = \frac{10^6*x}{649y}[/math].
- Dilute the purified PCR product to 10 nM.
- Give 20 μL of 10 nM library to the core facility (Keck). They will use real-time PCR to confirm a concentration of 10 nM. Using Illumina Hi-Seq, do one lane of 100 bp single-end reads.
Please feel free to post comments, questions, or improvements to this protocol. Happy to have your input!
- List troubleshooting tips here.
- You can also link to FAQs/tips provided by other sources such as the manufacturer or other websites.
- Anecdotal observations that might be of use to others can also be posted here.
Please sign your name to your note by adding '''*~~~~''': to the beginning of your tip.
- Elshire RJ, Glaubitz JC, Sun Q, Poland JA, Kawamoto K, Buckler ES, and Mitchell SE (2011) "A robust, simple Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) approach for high diversity species." PLoS One 6(5): e19379. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019379
- Who has experience with this protocol?
or instead, discuss this protocol.

subset: commoncrawl


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Regional Talent ID Camps
Camp Purpose
The mission of USA Cycling's Regional Talent ID Camps is to Provide USA Cycling with Jr. Talent Evaluations while Offering Athletes a Pathway to Develop Their Cycling Ability. Our Talent ID Camps are the first step for young male and female athletes to enter into the USA Cycling development pipeline, providing them guidance and development towards their cycling future. USA Cycling Regional Talent ID Camps are for athletes racing age 14 to 19 years and attendees should have some racing experience.
The primary goal of the Talent ID Camps is to recognize athletes who, at an early age, show signs of potential future success in cycling. Receiving instruction from some of USA Cycling's finest coaches, the camps also provide the necessary framework to improve the athletes skillset, thus progressing their cycling development. Regional Talent ID Camps provide vital input towards selecting riders for international competition and/or a national camp. 80 percent of athletes invited to our National Talent ID Camp have attended a Regional Talent ID Camp.
Related Articles: Why Should You Attend a USA Cycling Regional Talent ID Camp?
Talent ID Camp Alumni Take National Mountain Bike Titles
|Road Talent ID Camps
|Seletion Race
|June 4-9
|N. Arizona Univ (Flagstaff, AZ)
|Barney King
|June 11-16
|School of Mines (Denver, CO)
|Jon Heideman
|June 10-15
|Furhman Univ (Greenville, SC) -SOLD OUT-
|Rusty Miller
|June 16-21
|Cal Lutheran (Thousand Oaks, CA) -SOLD OUT-
|Kevin Dessart
|Tour of Ireland
|June 16-21
|New England (Umass Amherst)
|Kyle Wolfe
|Tour of Ireland
|Mountain Bike Talent ID Camps
|June 26-July 1
|Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)
|Daniel Matheny
|June 12-17
|Garrett College (McHenry, MD) -SOLD OUT-
|Kristen Dieffenbach
|Cyclo-Cross Development Camps
|Aug 9-12
|Dunn School (Los Olivos, CA)
|Kirk Nordgren
|Aug 21-23
|Fort Flagler State Park (Norland, WA)
|Toby Swanson
*The June 4-9 Flagstaff camp is open to junior males racing age 17-18 only who hold a USAC racing license of cat 3 or above. A team of six will be selected from the camp to participate in the 2017 Tour De l'Abitibi (July 17-23). This selection camp will be limited to 23 riders. For more info contact Barney King at firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone at 602-410-4358.
All other Tour de l'Abitibi selections camps are open to jr atheltes race age 14-19, however only 17-18 yr old males can be choosen to race the Tour de l'abitibi. Each camp will select a team of six (6) riders to participate at the Tour de l'Abitibi. Atheltes will be responsible for all fees associated with travel, lodging, and racing the Tour de l'abitibi. For more information, please contact the camp manager for the camp you are interested in attending.
New this year, two of our camps (CA and New England) will be selecting riders to race in the 2017 Tour of Ireland (July 11-17). Currently we will select two teams of four (4) riders to participate in the Tour of Ireland. Athletes will be responsible for all fees associated with travel, lodging, and racing the Tour of Ireland. For more information, please contact the camp manager for the camp you are interested in attending.
Financial aid for the Talent ID Camps and selection races may be available from the USA Cycling Foundation's High Performance Grants for those who qualify.
Camp Features
While all camps aim to provide athletes with equivalent learning opportunities, each camp has a uniqueness all to its own. To find out more about the features of each camp, click here.
At all road camps, a proprietary USA Cycling Power Application is used to measure athlete's average power and power/weight ratio from two field test, regardless if athlete has a power meter or not. The power numbers are one factor used to help select athletes invited to the USA Cycling National Camp. View Power Numbers from our previous camp field tests HERE.
Learn more about our camps from USA Cycling Junior Program Manager Billy Innes in the video below:
Registration for the USA Cycling Regional Talent ID Camps is now available. To register for a camp, sign in to your USA Cycling account and click on the "Register for an Event" button. There you will find all the camps that currently offer online registration. Please keep in mind that the June 16-21 Flagstaff Camp is a l'Abitibi selection camp and open only to 17-18 cat 3-and-above junior male athletes. Registration for each camp closes one week prior to that camp's start.
How to Qualify Automatically for the USA Cycling Development Camps (Cyclo-Cross camps are open to all athletes and do not have minimum qualifying standards)
Please note that qualification procedures may change for 2017. Consider the following a guide only.
Road and Cross-Country Mountain Bike
To ensure the safety of all camp participants and to maximize the learning opportunities for all, there is a minimum standard of on-the-bike competency that all camp participants must satisfy. Road camps are available to athletes with a minimum race age of 14 and no older than racing age 19. Cross-country mountain bike camps will be limited to riders who are a minimum racing age of 14 years old and no older than racing age 19. Athletes that are automatically eligible to participate in the camps meet one or more of the following standards contingent on space being available in the desired camp:
- Participated in the 2016 or prior Regional Camp program.
- Carry a valid 2017 collegiate racing license (men, D, C, or B and women, C or B) and are under the racing age of 21 in 2016. (Exception would be cross-country mountain bike camps).
- Finish in the top five in a USA Cycling Road Development Race Series race (15/16 or 17/18 category) since June 1, 2015. Athletes 14 years old must qualify through the 15/16 category. Results in the 13/14 category will not be counted.
- Finish in the top five in an AMBC race (Category 2, 15/16 or 17/18 category) since June 1, 2015. Athletes that are 14 years old must qualify through the 15/16 category. Results in the 13/14 category will not be counted.
- Finish in the top 10 in the road race, time trial, or criterium event at the 2015 or 2016 Junior Road National Championships. 13/14, 15/16, and 17/18 results will be considered.
- Finish in the top 10 in the cross-country at the 2016 Junior Mountain Bike National Championships in the 13/14, 15/16 or 17/18 age groups in category 2.
- For road camps, athletes must carry a current USA Cycling racing license as a minimum Category 4 and be a minimum race age of 14. For MTB camps, athletes must carry a current USA Cycling racing license as a minimum Category 3 and be a minimum race age of 14.
- Represented the United States in international competition in 2016.
If you do not meet the automatic qualification standards, you can petition the camp manager to be admitted into the camp. Please send an email (click on the camp manager's name in the table above) listing your race results and reasons that you should be allowed in the camp. For instance, if your area has no USA Cycling Road Development Race Series or AMBC races, you should include that information.
Camp Pricing/Cancellation/Change/Refund Policy
Camps range from $550-$850, depending on the camp and time of registration.
Type of Camp
Regular (More than 30 days out)
Late (Less than 30 days out)
Road and MTB ID
Financial aid for the Talent ID Camps may be available from the USA Cycling Foundation's High Performance Grants for those who qualify.
Refunds for cancellations will be issued according to the following schedule. The refund period is based on the first day of the camp for which you are registered.
- 14 days or fewer, no refund
- 15-30 days, 25% refund
- 31-60 days, 50% refund
- 61 or more days, 75% refund
After registration, if the rider decides to change camps, a $100 change fee will be instituted. If USA Cycling cancels a camp, riders can change camps with no penalty or receive a refund. To change camps please contact the Athlete Development Director.
"The talent ID camps are a great way to expedite development in the very important junior years. These seasons are where the fundamentals of cycling are of the upmost importance, which the camps teach extremely well".
Alex Darville - Bontrager
"Without the USAC Talent ID Camp I attended in the Summer/Fall of 2009 I don't know how far I would have gone in cycling. The opportunities that have come from being involved with the USAC Talent Pipe Line have been life changing from an on the bike/off the bike stand point! I highly recommend attending these Talent ID Camps to whoever wants to get the attention of USAC and get involved in the USAC Development Pipeline."
Eamon Lucas – Cal Giant
"As a junior rider who dreamt of competing at the highest levels of the sport, participation in the USA Cycling Talent ID camp at Flagstaff, AZ provided instrumental gains toward achieving that goal. First, I developed a greater understanding of the fundamentals of the sport like caravan and pack skills, race strategy, and the basics of nutrition. Second, I deepened a relationship with USA Cycling through its staff and coaches that led to opportunities further down the road."
Stephen Leece - Jamis Hagens Berman
"The Talent ID camp I went to when I was 16 years of age was the first stepping stone to where I am now in my life of cycling. The camp puts you face to face with the family of USA Cycling, which allows you to become more than a name on a piece of paper or email. They can now see beyond just your talent or numbers, and on to who you are as a person. It can simply be life changing, as I realized a few days ago that I'm headed over to Europe this spring for the sixth year in a row to race for the USA."
Ryan Eastman - Bontrager
"The Talent ID camps really gave me the chance to learn a lot about being a great cyclist on and off the bike. These camps are key to getting into the USAC pipeline which has developed me and many of my fellow teammates into some of the best cyclists out there."
Logan Owen – Cal Giant
"USA Cycling helped me get to where I am today and the great program is only getting better".
Alexey Vermeulen - BMC Devo
"If you want to go anywhere in the sport of cycling, go to to a USA Cycling Talent ID Camp. It's where everything starts. I attended the Flagstaff Camp, run by Barney King when I was fourteen and I owe everything to it. Without the Development Program, I don't know if I would be racing my bike competitively. Now I have been to ten countries and get to ride my bike every day."
Geoffrey Curran – Bissell Devo
"I would highly recommend going to a Regional Talent ID camp. Not only will it provide the opportunity to showcase your talent, but you will meet people that will become lifelong friends. I went to one when I was 14 years old and I can say without a doubt I wouldn't be where I am today without USA Cycling and it all started at the ID camp. It's a week of fun and learning how to ride your bike. Don't let this once in a lifetime pass you by because you have one shot to reach your goal! Make it count."
Nate Brown - Bontrager
"The USA Cycling ID camp was the first time I saw a clear path on how to get to the top of the sport, with the right resources and the support of USA Cycling nothing can hold you back."
Chris Butler – Champion System
If you have any questions, please contact the Coaching Education and Athlete Development Director at USA Cycling.
This Article Updated July 10, 2017 @ 04:28 PM For more information contact:


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ProMix PD2K Proportioning System
Increase Efficiency and Performance
Graco is proud to announce the release of the ProMix PD2K, a plural component proportioner that brings new levels of efficiency to finishing operations. The ProMix PD2K mixes the material close to the gun so the flush zone is significantly smaller. This allows customers to use less paint, save up to 80% on disposal costs and allows for faster colour changes compared to traditional electronic proportioners.
This "State of the Art" new 2K Proportioning System offers also following features included:
Electric dosing piston pumps
- Deliver consistent results, within 1% accuracy, no flow meter, no fluid pressure regulator required
- 100% Positive Displacement Technology
- Easy , low cost maintenance
- Stalls under pressure
- Can handle very low flow rates
Limited mixed material in the system
- Flush only dose pump and short mix material line, means less waste and less down time.
- Mixing close to the gun
- Reduced VOC emission
- Ideal 2K system for Proportioning short pot life materials
- Fast colour changes
Modular Design - Versatile Proportioning System
- ONE system can proportion both Epoxy and Urethane materials
- Can handle various inbound pressures and viscosities
- Can manage up to 30 colours and 4 catalysts with 2 or 4 dosing pumps
- Possible to run up to 4 dose pumps for 1K applications, no flow control required
Manual & Automatic ProMix PD2K Systems
- Manual Systems – 2 mixing options: "Mix at the belt" or "Mix at the Wall"
- Automatic Systems – remote mixing manifold close to the Auto Spray Gun
- Automatic Systems can be linked to a PLC or any other Automation Equipment
- Can be connected to Graco's Advanced Web Interface (AWI)
Easy and low cost Maintainance
- Dosing Piston Pumps Field serviceable in less than 20 minutes
USB Reporting
- Built in USB port lets you download reports quickly to keep track of material and solvent usage
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Date July 17, 2013 - 8:13AM
Michael Boatwright, woke up with amnesia, calling himself Johan Ek Photo: AP
Palm Springs, California: Doctors are looking into the mystery of a US man who awoke speaking only Swedish, with no memory of his past, after he was found unconscious four months ago at a Southern California motel.
Michael Boatwright, 61, woke up with amnesia, calling himself Johan Ek, The Desert Sun reported.
Sometimes it just makes me furious... I don't know anybody, I don't recognise anybody.
Mr Boatwright was found unconscious in a motel room in Palm Springs in February.
Now calling himself Johan Ek, he was found carrying a veterans' medical card, inset, identifying him as Michael Thomas Boatwright, but has no memory of his son and two ex-wives. Photo: USA Today screengrab
After police arrived, he was transported to the Desert Regional Medical Centre where he woke up.
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Hospital officials said Boatwright may have been in town for a tennis tournament in the Coachella Valley.
He was found with a duffel bag of exercise clothes, a backpack and tennis racquets.
He also carried four forms of identification - a passport, a California identification card, a veteran's medical card and a Social Security card - all of which identified him as Michael Thomas Boatwright.
Palm Springs police have documented his information in case anyone lists Boatwright as missing or wanted, authorities said.
In March, doctors diagnosed Boatwright with Transient Global Amnesia, a condition triggered by physical or emotional trauma that can last for several months.
The rare mental disorder is characterised by memory loss, "sudden and unplanned travel," and possible adoption of a new identity, according to the Sun.
After an extensive search, medical personnel and social workers have been unable to locate Mr Boatwright's next of kin.
Authorities are still unsure of his birthplace, listed on his identification as Florida.
Photos show him in Sweden at a young age.
Swedish public records show Mr Boatwright lived in the Nordic country on and off between 1981 and 2003.
Several Swedes on Tuesday said they knew of him as an American with a big interest in medieval history and jousting.
Swede Olof Sahlin said he met Boatwright around 1985 through their joint interest in medieval history.
He said he saw the American at jousting events regularly in the 1980s and sporadically in the early 1990s.
"He was nice, sympathetic and talented at fighting in plate armour," Mr Sahlin told The Associated Press.
"A little bit reserved maybe."
Mr Sahlin said he never knew how Mr Boatwright made a living during his time in Sweden but has now heard from other friends that he briefly worked as a personal assistant and in the construction sector.
Mr Sahlin said their last contact was in 1999 and he doesn't know what happened to him after that.
Mr Boatwright doesn't recall how to exchange money, take public transportation or seek temporary housing like homeless shelters or hotels, the social worker assigned to his case, Lisa Hunt-Vasquez, told the Sun.
He doesn't remember his son and two ex-wives, either.
He has no income or insurance, further complicating his treatment at Desert Regional.
And he has little money he can access - only $US180.
He also has a few Chinese bank accounts but can only access one account, which holds $US7, according to the newspaper.
Doctors don't know how much longer he will be able to stay at the centre.
Aside from his amnesia, Mr Boatwright is in good health.
The hospital is currently looking for alternatives that would keep him off the streets.
For now, Mr Boatwright is unsure of both his past and his future.
"Sometimes it makes me really sad and sometimes it just makes me furious about the whole situation and the fact that I don't know anybody, I don't recognise anybody," Mr Boatwright told the newspaper.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 15, 2013) – The ETSU baseball team wraps up regular season play this weekend as the Bucs host Jacksonville in a three-game Atlantic Sun series beginning Thursday night at Thomas Stadium.
The Bucs (29-22, 14-10 A-Sun) are currently in fifth-place in the conference standings and sit three games back of league-leading Mercer (17-7), two games back of Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida (16-8) and one-game back of Stetson (15-9). ETSU can still finish as high as the three seed for the conference tournament, while a scenario can still be played out to where the Blue and Gold can earn a share of the A-Sun regular season crown.
A handful of events are in store for this weekend as its Senior Day and Alumni Weekend, while Saturday is also Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. ETSU faculty and staff members who show their identification card at the gate on Saturday receive free admission, while seniors Derek Bushey (Richmond, Va.), Kerry Doane (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Andrew Green (Powell, Tenn.), Mason Hershey (Altoona, Pa.), Derek Niesman (Wellington, Fla.), and Alex Reynolds (Johnson City, Tenn.) will be honored with a pregame ceremony prior to first pitch on Saturday.
Thursday – 7:05 p.m. – Game No. 52
RHP Kerry Doane (11-1, 2.15) vs. RHP Alex McRae (3-7, 4.58)
Friday – 7:05 p.m. – Game No. 53
RHP Jimmy Nesselt (2-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Chris Anderson (7-5, 2.76)
Saturday – 1:05 p.m. – Game No. 54
TBA vs. TBA
- ETSU dropped two of three games at No. 21 Mercer last weekend in Macon, Ga., but the Blue and Gold got solid efforts from starting pitchers Kerry Doane and Jimmy Nesselt (Plantation, Fla.). Doane – who was named A-Sun Pitcher of the Week on Monday – improved to 11-1 after guiding the Bucs to a 1-0 win in the series opener on Friday night. The senior-right hander struck out five and walked none, while tossing his fourth shutout and NCAA-best 10th complete game of the year. On Sunday, Nesselt allowed just two runs on five hits in six innings of work, but the Buccaneer offense was shutout for the second time in 2013 as the Bears took the rubber match, 2-0.
- Derek Niesman hit .417 (5-12) in the series to extend his hit streak to nine straight games, while Andrew Green has now reached base in 16 consecutive games dating back to April 20. In total, Green has hit safely in 15 games during this stretch, and Alex Reynolds has reached base safely in his last 14 conference games.
- Jacksonville has dropped 12 of its last 15 games and enters the weekend in a battle for the last spot in the conference tournament at 17-35, 8-16.
- The Dolphins have three players hitting over .300, while junior right-handed pitcher Chris Anderson is the ace of the staff. Anderson is 7-5 with a 2.76 ERA (29 ER/94.2 IP) in 13 starts this season, while senior infielder Jake Huxtable and junior catcher Braddock Rowe lead the club with .314 batting averages. Anderson also ranks 17th in the country with 92 strikeouts.
- Jacksonville is tied for the eighth and final spot for the conference tournament with USC Upstate. The Dolphins took two of three from the Spartans earlier this year in Jacksonville.
- Jacksonville leads the all-time series, 14-8.
- Ten of the 22 games in the series have been decided by two runs or less, with ETSU going 5-5 in those contests.
- Clinton Freeman (Jonesborough, Tenn.) is hitting .357 (5-14) in four career games against the Dolphins, while Chris Riopedre (Miami, Fla.) went 3-for-9 with one double and two runs scored in last season's series.
- All three games will be aired live on WXSM-AM 640. Fans outside the Tri-Cities region can access WXSM online at http://www.640wxsm.com/ or you can listen to the games via your mobile device(s) by downloading the iHeart Radio application.
- The games this weekend will also air live on A-Sun.TV for free.
- Live stats will be available for all three games this weekend via StatBroadcast by visiting ETSUBucs.com. Fans can access live stats on their computers, mobile devices or tablets.
- Live updates will also be posted on Twitter by following @ETSUAthletics and @ETSU_Baseball.
- Single game tickets to ETSU baseball games are $10 for reserved seats behind home plate and $5 for reserved seats along the baselines. Tickets can be purchased at the stadium, online at ETSUBucs.com, or by calling (423) 439-3878.
- Come out to Thomas Stadium early and tailgate prior to ETSU baseball games this season. A designated tailgating area will be roped off in the parking lot where fans can enjoy a festive environment before the Bucs take the field.
- Click here for tailgating guidelines.
ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for "Buc Updates." Click here to sign up today!
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball link.


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Philip has not received any gifts yet
Hey man we still on for tomorrow at 5:30pm at the bushrod courts?
Alright, how about we play next wednesday the 10th at 5:30pm at the Bushrod courts?
Hi, I'm Mark, the founder of Tennisopolis, the world's largest and most active tennis network. Please share Tennisopolis with your friends by supporting our Facebook page. Click here for a Guide to Meet Tennis Partners.
Have a look at our introduction page which will help you navigate the massive network which now has over 44,000 members and 650 local tennis groups.
Also, I recommend that you upload a profile pic; it can be of anything, but people with pics meet more players.
Friend me,
Mark, The Mayor of Tennisopolis
Hey man, weekdays work for me. I have a lot of time on my hands recently, so anytime in the day is good. Want to set up a time for next week at the bushrod courts on 58th and shattuck?
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Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
Part# BR00327
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OPGI Price: $99.99
Part Type: (R) = Authentic reproduction of the original GM product
Years: 1975
Sold As: EACH
2018 Riviera Catalog Page: 135
Reproduction chassis service manuals are identical to originals found in Buick dealerships during the sixties and seventies. Each book includes the correct procedures for removal and replacement of most major components as well as repair and diagnostic tips to aid service technicians. Wiring and vacuum line diagrams also make these manuals extremely valuable. Sold per each.


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Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
Part# KR00527
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OPGI Price: $43.99
Part Type: (R) = Authentic reproduction of the original GM product
Years: 1967-1974
Sold As: EACH
White, with classic correct red and blue lettering. An important finishing touch for a noticeable detail of authenticity.


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I'm lost at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences.
That in itself is no big deal. I get lost at this meeting every year. The annual gathering of anyone in the cotton industry who is anyone in the cotton industry is so big it takes a large facility, something along the lines of Rhode Island, to accommodate the masses. So I spend the first few hours, usually about 48, trying to orient myself so that I can make it from my room, which by some evil design of hotel registration elves, is always as far removed as possible from the centers of activity, to meetings. By the time I figure out which way is East and which West, it's almost time to check out and go home. Such is life for a wandering journalist.
But this year the challenge of finding my way from point A to point B in time to cover a meeting that will enlighten, educate and elucidate both me and my readers, takes on new horrors.
It's at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. For those of you who have never spent any time wandering the labyrinthine caverns that make up this sprawling monstrosity of a hotel, let me describe it.
For openers, it's one of the most beautiful, artistic, eye-appealing places to spend a night I've ever visited. It's divided into numerous catacombs, each with a distinctive plaza/ envirotron marking its core. I stayed in Delta section, accessed by emerging from C-section, no pun intended, through "The Cascades," an open atrium, featuring a glass ceiling about 1,047 feet up. A waterfall "cascades" naturally, into a small trout stream that meanders throughout the region. Lush plant life inhabits the streambed and walkways. Water features spout up and disappear into rocks cleverly positioned in a bog-like depression near the entrance to the lobby. (Could this be a clue that one nears the Delta? Hmmmm.)
Spend too much time craning your neck upward wondering how sturdily the firmament is positioned, or pay too much attention to ripples on the stream wondering if there really are trout in there (unfortunately not) and you may miss the insignificant entrance to the Delta. Believe me, it can happen.
If you get to Magnolia, you need to trace your steps back to the trout stream and take a right (or left) where you can wander down a long corridor looking for an elevator.
Consequently, it takes only about an hour-and-a-half to find the room. Now, you have to determine where registration is set up. That would be back toward Magnolia, which is merely the next village over. Do they need a resident idiot, I wonder.
The convention center, which is where I finally found the registration desk, is up one level, by escalator, from the entryway, which is about a half-level up from the street you take to get from Delta to Magnolia. (Are you confused yet? Good, then you're beginning to understand.)
The Media Room, the beehive of activity where we all go to sleep during lulls in the action, is about a half-level down from the registration desk. If you take the elevator, you've gone too far and are on the Presidential lower level. If you take one set of stairs, ditto. If you take the short flight, you're in the right corridor and need only to head toward Kinko's and straight on 'til morning.
Stay put.
The Media Room is well equipped with computers, telephones, soft drinks and food. Why should you risk the treachery of a return trip with all of life's necessities at your fingertips? But, return I must.
Hours later.
I finally found my way back to my room and am working on my own computer. I need to go back to Magnolia, where all the activity takes place, but fear misplacing myself somewhere between point A and point B. It seems that no points should obstruct one's journey from A to B, but apparently some uncharted masses exist to confuse a hapless and clueless wanderer.
But there's work to be done. I have to chance it. I need a GPS to navigate. Did someone move the Bermuda Triangle indoors?


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This is the first module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Activities are self-directed by students or student teams using online videos and data from the SDO satellite to explore, research and build knowledge about... (View More) features of the Sun. Students build vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections, and creating resources to use in their investigations. Each activity comes with both a teacher and student guide with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos and internet resources. Activity 1A: Structure of the Earth's Star takes students through the features and function of the Sun's structures using online videos, completing a "Sun Primer" data sheet using information from the videos, and creating a 3D origami model of the Sun. Students use a KWL chart to track what they have learned. Activity 1B: Observing the Sun has students capture real solar images from SDO data to find and record sunspots and track their movement across the surface of the Sun. Activity 1C has students create a pin-hole camera to use in calculating the actual diameter of the Sun, and then calculate scales to create a Earth-Sun scale model. Students reflect on their learning and results at the end of the module. An internet connection and access to computers are needed to complete this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. The appendix includes an alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5
This is the fourth and culminating module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Student teams use information and resources from the other three modules in the project suite to create a 3D interactive solar exhibit to... (View More) educate others about the Sun and how SDO informs scientists about the Sun's activity, structures and features, and Earth-Sun interactions. Students then self-evaluate their team's solar exhibit. Both a teacher and student guide are included, as well as tools for students to self-direct and track project process, and record reflections and information. A computer for student-teams and access to the internet are needed for this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. The appendix includes an alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). (View Less)
Materials Cost: $5 - $10 per group of students
This is a lesson about the Cassini Spacecraft. Learners will engage in basic problem-solving as they design and construct their own small model of a spacecraft. Through writing and illustration, students will document their work and will complete a... (View More) Design Review Summary. Like scientists and engineers, students will make presentations to show and explain their models and design summaries to their peers. This is lesson 5 of 10 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 1-2. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students


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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The sun and sweat of California seemed to agree with the Lipscomb track and field teams at Saturday's Oxy Invite. Lipscomb athletes set numerous personal-bests and school records in their attempts to qualify for the NCAA Regional round at the end of May.
Sophomore Dani Walker was the big winner of the day. She finished third in the women's 5000m run, breaking the school record with a 16:38.53s mark. That shaved a minute off her previous personal-best.
"Dani ran tough and had a terrific breakthrough," said head coach Bill Taylor. "She looked great and this race sets up big things to come for her. I'm very proud of her effort."
Freshman Kendra Lobley pushed the pace early, finishing sixth with a 16:51.99s mark.
"Dani has to thank Kendra for pushing the pace," Taylor said. "They were on an 18-minute pace in the second lap. So Kendra ran to the front and pushed the pace hard. It was hard on her and she really sacrificed herself for her teammates, but it got the race back on track.
"Kendra actually ran very well through most of the race. She slipped back in the last three laps and still ran 16:51. She's had an incredible freshman season and I admire the fight she has and the willingness she has to take chances. Again, if she hadn't gone to the front to push things, I don't know if anyone in the race would have broken 17-minutes."
Sophomores Tessa Hoefle (17:12.26s) and Alex Newby (17:22.21s) finished 12th and 17th, respectively.
"Tessa ran a PR by a few tenths," Taylor said. "She's run 17:12 three times this season and I know she is sick of it. She is so close to a big breakthrough. I can't wait to see her get it.
"Alex just keeps getting better and better. Our team has improved so much it's hard for people to remember that just last year Alex was our number two runner in Cross Country on a very good team. She's dealt with some injuries and the team keeps improving, but Alex is definitely working her way right back up there. It's very exciting for her and our team. She will be under 17-minutes soon."
Freshmen Maggie Lawrence (17:30.15s) and Renee' Menzie (18:05.61s) both turned in top personal-bests at the Oxy. Lawrence finished 21st and Menzie 33rd.
"Maggie dropped another 30 seconds off her 5000m PR tonight," Taylor said. "There is nothing wrong with that! She is just going to get stronger and stronger in her career here and this race was another exciting step forward.
"Renee was about 20th on our team I would guess in cross country. So she has been improving very rapidly this track season and ran another terrific PR tonight. She's on the verge of breaking 18 minutes and gets smarter and stronger as a racer every week. The goal at Georgia Tech is going to be sub-18, and actually sub 17-45 to try to qualify for USA Junior Nationals."
Sophomore Tucker Peabody finished seventh overall in the men's 200m dash event with a 21.26s mark that is his second-fastest this year. He was also 11th in the 100m dash (10.64s).
"Tucker ran into headwinds in both the 100 and 200, which was unfortunate," Taylor said. "He looked good and I think this was a good rust-breaker after two weeks off and finals. He will be ready to get his times down next weekend."
Freshman Colin Dempster was seventh overall at 47.89s in the 400m, coming in sixth in a heat that featured 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Felix Sanchez.
"Colin was super nervous," Taylor said. "Having a gold medalist in your race can do that to you. He ran well but was not as smooth and powerful as he was at the A-Sun Championships.
"This was a great learning experience for a freshman. To know you can run in these kinds of big races, and to understand that you have to focus on your own race and what you need to do with each phase of the race. He will be a better runner for this experience."
Junior Ashton Fisher started strong but faded slightly in the 3000m steeplechase. He gutted out a fifth-place finish in the event with a 9:24.86s run.
"Ashton ran great early in the steeple, but slowed quite a bit in the second half," Taylor said. "It's too bad, because his pace through most of the race was for a big PR. He gave it back and more in the last three laps. He is still learning and hopefully it pays off next weekend at Georgia Tech."
Lipscomb will compete in the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta next weekend.
"All in all a successful trip," Taylor said. "It wasn't perfect, but everyone has gained from this experience in a variety of ways that will make them better in the future."


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"When in doubt, go to the beach," proclaims the website slogan for the Tiki Shark retail company. Matt Kennedy had no doubt at all when he headed for the beach while booking the July exhibition at the renowned La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles.
"They're a natural pair," says Kennedy, gallery director, of his upcoming exhibit that pairs Brad 'Tiki Shark' Parker, the premier pop artist of tiki culture, and Damian Fulton, creator of one of the most ubiquitous comic book characters of the late 20th century, Radical Rick.
'Red Tiki Lounge' and 'Rad!' are the two exhibitions at La Luz de Jesus (from July 4-27), which kicks off with a luau-themed reception from 8 to 11 p.m. July 4 that includes barbecue and cocktails, and entertainment by the popular psychobilly band Insect Surfers.
While Fulton calls his art "urban surf," Kennedy doesn't hesitate to proclaim him the world's best surfing artist. And Kennedy also notes that Parker's Polynesian pop art is collected by, among so many others, Saudi Arabian royalty partly because of that country's excellent surfing beaches.
"It's interesting to have collectors like that interested in lowbrow art," Kennedy says of the genre pioneered by La Luz de Jesus and a few other galleries in the late '80s and early '90s, when Kennedy started working there.
The gallery, still owned by entrepreneur Billy Shire, moved in 1995 to the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles from its prior location as a nexus of the Melrose Avenue scene.
Parker is the artist-in-residence for the Tiki Shark company, and nearly all his exhibited work will be available for purchase at the show, including skateboard decks, boogie boards, and limited-edition towel sets as well as traditional prints.
The 'Rad!' exhibition reportedly will feature the largest collection of original Radical Rick art ever exhibited, including several original pages that have been published but never exhibited.
For more information about La Luz de Jesus and the exhibition, click here. For more on Brad Parker, click here. For Damian Fulton, click here.


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Instead of sentencing a defendant to a prison term, a judge may choose to sentence a defendant to probation. Probation releases a defendant back into the community, but the defendant does not have the same level of freedom as a normal citizen. Probation comes with conditions that restrict a probationers behavior, and if the probationer violates one of those conditions, the court may revoke or modify the probation.
Courts typically grant probation for first-time or low-risk offenders. Statutes determine when probation is possible, but it is up to the sentencing judge to determine whether or not to actually grant probation. Even though sentencing judges have this discretion, they must still stay within the statutory limits when granting probation. For example, a judge cannot impose probation for a period longer than the maximum sentence prescribed by statute.
Probation has three primary goals:
Once a judge has granted probation, the matter moves into the jurisdiction of probation officers, who monitor the probationers compliance with the terms of the probation.
Probation Conditions
Conditions are an inherent part of probation. Judges set conditions in order to meet the goals for probation stated above. A probationer must comply with these conditions or else the court may impose a prison sentence or add more restrictive conditions to their probation.
Courts usually have a great deal of discretion when setting probation conditions, but that doesnt mean that judges can set whatever terms they want. Probation conditions must be reasonable. This means that the conditions cannot be vindictive, vague, overbroad or arbitrary. In addition, the conditions must be related to the protection of the public. Also, if a judge wishes to impose special conditions, those conditions must relate to the nature of the crime that the probationer committed.
Judges set the conditions, but probation officers enforce them. If a probation officer finds probable cause to believe that the probationer has violated the terms of the probation, the judge may either change the terms of the probation or revoke the probation and impose a prison sentence.
Probation Revocation
Because the probationers freedom is at stake, however, the probationer must receive some procedural due process before a court revokes their probation. While the decision to revoke probation, just like the decision to grant probation, is at the courts discretion, the court must go through a few procedural requirements before revoking probation. The probationer facing revocation doesnt have as many rights during revocation proceedings as they do during the original criminal trial, however.
In order to revoke probation, a court must provide the probationer with notice of the proposed revocation and conduct a hearing on the matter. The probationer has a right to testify at the hearing, present supporting witnesses, and confront the witnesses against them. The probationer also has a right to a neutral hearing body, and must receive a written statement containing the reasons for revoking probation.
If there is sufficient evidence, a violation of even a single condition can result in revocation of probation. The violated condition must be valid, however. If a condition is later found to be unreasonable then violation of that condition will not constitute grounds for revocation.
Have Questions About Probation? An Attorney Can Help
Probation can apply to criminal matters ranging from low misdemeanors to the harshest felonies. No matter what criminal matter you're facing, before you consider accepting a probationary sentence, you should immediately contact a criminal defense attorney, who can discuss your options and defend you in court.
Contact a qualified criminal lawyer to make sure your rights are protected.


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Animal Encounter at Prospect Park
Thursday, May 9, 2013
2:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
This event repeats every week on Thursday and Friday between 4/11/2013 and 5/31/2013.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
Curious as to how "Snappy" the turtle got her name? Want to watch the snake gobble up a mouse? Join one of our trained staff in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center's collection. Learn what it takes to care for these amazing creatures and even assist in an actual feeding. There will also be opportunities to get up close and personal with our box turtle!
Audubon Center at the Boathouse in Prospect Park
Directions to this location
Event Organizer
Contact Number
(718) 287-3400


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Don't look for an economic downturn in North Dakota: In fact, the state is holding job fairs in other states to try to fill 13,000 open jobs.
The slump hasn't hit Chattanooga, Tenn., either. There, pent-up demand is so strong that a large back order exists for major connections to the municipal electrical grid.
Even if builders are hanging up their hammers in a lot of cities, they are still building subdivisions in Mobile, Ala., which is expecting an onslaught of thousands of new workers at a new steel mill.
Amid concern that the US economy is slipping and sliding into a recession, some states and many cities expect to continue to grow. In some cases, the growth is the result of having the right industries or resources at the right time. In other cases, it is the result of savvy and diversified economic development that appears to be shrugging off the recession blues. In virtually all cases, areas of growth appear to have avoided the huge run-up in housing prices and subsequent collapse.
"Recessions are not monolithic. They often hit a region or regions hard and leave the rest of the country OK," says Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com.
According to a January report by Moody's Economy.com, 30 states still showed signs of economic expansion, 15 were at risk of sliding into recession, and five had already entered a downturn. The five states already in recession – Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, and Nevada – represent about 25 percent of US gross domestic product (GDP), Mr. Zandi says. The 15 states at risk of recession represent another 25 percent of the GDP.
A softening economy fits into the portrait painted by the Federal Reserve Board's Beige Book, which takes a more anecdotal approach to business activity. On March 5, the Beige Book, which looks at the Fed's 12 districts, found economic growth had slowed since the beginning of 2008. "Two-thirds of the Districts cited softening or weakening in the pace of business activity, while the others referred to subdued, slow, or modest growth," stated the report.
Some of the states that are still growing are in agricultural areas, benefiting from soaring wheat, corn, and soybean prices. This includes Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Indiana.
But North Dakota, a farm state, has also worked hard to diversify its economic base, notes Gov. John Hoeven. "That's been our No. 1 focus," says Governor Hoeven in a phone interview.
North Dakota is one of only three states to gain manufacturing jobs, he says. Behind that gain is a push to export – up 34 percent in 2007 over 2006, the fastest rate of growth of any state in the United States. The state has also seen a big rise in energy investments in coal, oil, natural gas, and renewables. On top of that, North Dakota merchants are profiting from Canadian tourists, who are crossing the border to shop with their strong currency.
The state's unemployment rate is hovering around 3 percent. This has prompted state officials to host job fairs in Minneapolis and Denver.
"We don't see any sign of recession in our economy," says Shane Goettle, commissioner of North Dakota's Department of Commerce.
Some areas that used to be hard-hit by economic downturns are now shrugging them off. That's the case for Chattanooga, Tenn., which took a nose dive in prior recessions. "We were categorized as Rust Belt," says Mayor Ron Littlefield. "I don't think we avoided the 2001 recession, but we recovered rather well."
This time, Chattanooga has a much more diverse economic mix. "We are more tourism, more white-collar employment, and more high-tech type of industry," says Mayor Littlefield. In addition, major employers in the city are expanding, not contracting, he says. For example, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is building a $299 million corporate campus, the largest construction project in the city's history.
Some cities are attracting foreign investors who want to build in the US, in part because of the weak dollar. Take the giant German steel manufacturer ThyssenKrupp, which decided to build a $3.7 billion steel mill in Mobile, Ala.
"No doubt the cheap dollar helps," says Stephen Nodine, Mobile's county commissioner. "But I think the leading factor was a location close to a deep-water port and rail lines."
In addition, if Congress does not impede a recent Air Force decision to award a major contract to EADS and Northrop Grumman, parts of a new refueling tanker will be built in Mobile.
"With a 3.2 percent unemployment rate, we've been running ads saying, 'Come home to Mobile,' " says Mr. Nodine. "Six years ago, we were hurting with jobs lost to NAFTA. Now, we're in a position to be selective in what we pursue, and our main goal is increasing household income."
Some communities credit their growth with a more aggressive approach in recruiting businesses. For example, Baton Rouge, La., set a goal of wooing motion-picture studios to make films there. "Not including the actual money for the movie, it has a $75 million impact on the city in the way of hotel rooms, restaurants, equipment companies, and the hiring of people," says Mayor-President Kip Holden. "We were not a major player, and now we are."
Inspired by movie success, the city has also delved into film animation. It hosts the biggest animation festival in the US.
As a result of its more aggressive push, Baton Rouge now finds itself moving up in US rankings for best cities for jobs. "Baton Rouge is a boomtown," says Mayor-President Holden.