text:
March 2, 1965 Fox 175 minutes
It's so tempting to dismiss, deride and mock what critics notoriously dubbed "The Sound of Mucus," but there are solid reasons why this became not just the most succesful filmed Bway musical ever, but the most popular movie of all time during the most radical decade of social transformation in the 20th century. A Bavarian stew of nuns, Nazis and nauseatingly well-behaved children; it apparently satisfies the masses on so many levels--and for those exposed to it at an impressionable age remains a seminal film experience. Still, I confess to slightly dreading another viewing of the movie (my 8th), only to find myself shocked silly by how much I enjoyed it again, especially following the airless sanctity of My Fair Lady. To be fair, The Sound of Music hadn't the restrictions of adhering to a sacrosanct text; nor the public clamor for a painstaking preservation of the Bway original. Popular as the show, and especially the score (and album) was, the musical's Bway libretto by veteran playwrights, Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse was little more than serviceable. Adapting the play for the screen was liberating; breathing life and visual drama into the story. Where MFL was forced into a Smithsonian exhibit, TSOM was given celluloid wings.
It's only fitting, if improbably triumphant of Rodgers & Hammerstein to conclude their 16 year merger on yet another high note. Written under the cloud of Hammerstein's declining health, and met with accusations of conventionality and sentiment, the public embraced the musical with that familiar populist fever that built R&H into a national industry. Sound of Music would be their last show to reach the screen as well and achieve a success beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Oscar would never know his final, somewhat chided, somewhat regressive show would go on to become the screen phenomenon that knocked Gone With the Wind off its Hlwd pedestal. It was single-handedly responsible for bringing Fox back from the financial disaster of Cleopatra. Arguably, it could also be blamed for the ultimate demise of the Hlwd musical--for all the bloated, failed, big budget tuners that quickly followed in its wake. As the Next Big Thing, everyone wanted in on the action. But even as successful as some were, no one else came close to the success of R&H.
They came late onto the project, initiated by director Vincent J. Donahue, who having seen a German film on the Trapp Family Singers, sold it as a project for Mary Martin: a play with tunes from the Trapp Family repertoire. Lindsay & Crouse, no strangers to large-scale family plays (their 1939 Life With Father remains the longest running Bway play to this day), were recruited for the book; and eventually Mary got around to asking Oscar & Dick if they'd write a new song or two. Rodgers wondered why stop there, and thus The Sound of Music was born. As dramatists, Lindsay & Crouse were little invested in biographical accuracy--musicals rarely were. Their take on
society hostess, Perle Mesta, was
so fictionalized in Call Me Madam,
they called her Sally Adams. The "Maria Von Trapp," that made it to
Bway, was recognizable in name only. Not so those children (in reality not Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt,
Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl, but Rupert, Agathe, Maria-Fransiska, Werner,
Hedwig, Johanna and Martina.) Dramatic license was taken on many accounts, not
least in setting the story a decade later than it happened--a title card reads
"In the last Golden Days of the '30s" (a complete misnomer, for
where, and least of all in Austria were the '30s "golden"?) thus
conflating family misfortunes with the rise of the Third Reich. In truth, the
postulant Maria arrived to tutor but one child in the mid- (and relatively
carefree) '20s. Baron Von Trapp was a retired naval captain--who'd sunk some 30
British, French and Italian ships--and sired seven children with his first
wife, an heiress with a large fortune. Once spoiled, Von Trapp was disinclined
to ever work again. Maria's success with his motherless children led to their
marriage in 1927, and three more kids. The worldwide Depression brought them to
bankruptcy in 1935, which in turn, is what led to public performance, primarily
as a survival measure. Success at the Washington Salzburg
festival brought them widespread attention, command performances, and many
subsequent European tours, including much of before the Reich. Maria led
the group onstage--Von Tropp never sang in public--and off. She, not the Baron, was the alpha personality; bossy,
stubborn, given to tempers, demanding. She later objected to the hardening of
his character in the story; he was really a passive dilettante. An interesting
angle left unexplored in the play was an invitation to sing for Hitler in Germany in the summer of
'38 that was decisive in propelling their exodus. Tho Von Trapp was invited to
join the German navy, they were not hounded by Nazis, nor forced to trek over
the Alps on foot to Munich Switzerland,
but simply took a train to ,
where they had legal citizenship. Another fabrication, Maria's vis a vis, "The Baroness," was
a character necessary to an otherwise conflict-free romance. In actuality,
Maria felt no love for Von Trapp (who was 25 years her senior) when they
married--an action taken more for her affection for the children, to whom she
was much closer in age. As the only R&H libretto Hammerstein had no hand in
writing (aside from lyrics), it nonetheless fits seamlessly within their
catalog--tho one can only wonder if Oscar would have tempered some of the
saccharine elements that drove criitcs such as Walter Kerr to state the show
wasn't merely "too sweet for words, but almost too sweet for music."
Mary Martin's winning personality made it critic-proof and insured the show's
longevity. She stayed in it for nearly two years, playing to capacity and
winning the Tony Award, over no less than Ethel Merman's titanic Rose in Gypsy. At age 46, she was too old for
Maria, of course, but from the distance of Row F, it didn't matter, nor
certainly did it hurt the record's sales which started the decade off as the
country's #1 album for nearly four months. (It charted for 227 weeks--the
fourth best-selling OCR to this day). Continuing their longstanding
relationship with 20th Century Fox, R&H sold Zanuck the film rights. Italy
Zanuck signed William Wyler to direct after Robert Wise, Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly and George Roy Hill all passed. But Wyler soon bowed out, too, in favor of John Fowles' existential kidnapping drama, The Collector. In the meantime, Wise's dream venture, The Sand Pebbles, stalled, leaving him suddenly available. Of course, West Side Story put him on top of everyone's list. But could he be as successful without Jerome Robbins? (Short answer: yes.) Wyler would finally helm his first screen musical several years later--and one of the few big moneymakers, to boot. It was he who cast Julie Andrews as Maria, having seen her on Bway in My Fair Lady and in rushes from some little thing she was making over in
for Walt Disney. But Julie already had a record of association with R&H; having
been considered for the ingenue lead in their Pipe Dream, and then--while still starring in MFL (which Oscar encouraged her to accept over Pipe Dream)--taking a mere 2 weeks off to rehearse and perform on
live TV, Cinderella, a musical they
specifically wrote for her--and seen by an audience of over one hundred
million. Burbank
A few years later, she satirized TSOM ("The Pratt Family Singers") in a celebrated, Emmy-winning, TV special: "Julie & Carol (Burnett) At Carnegie Hall," (which is now readily accessible on YouTube) So her casting was as uncontroversial as it was inevitable--rumors of Doris Day notwithstanding. At 42, Dodo in close-up would've been more absurd than Mary Martin on stage at 46. Even at 28 Julie was older than the real Maria--who was 21 when she arrived at Villa Von Trap;, the real age of Charmain Carr (playing 16 going on 17, Liesl). No matter--Andrews could hardly have been better. If her casting was obvious, the same can't be said of Christopher Plummer--a choice as unlikely as it was brilliant. A classical/character actor from the start; they didn't realize how young he was when inviting him to audition for the original Bway production. Playing a romantic lead in a musical wasn't quite his cup of tea anyway, so it's unclear why he acquiesed for the film. But his skepticism was beneficial in making Von Trapp a more vivid personage. If his challenge was fighting boredom, he sparked Andrews into new territory: acting. Tho she'd been performing on stages since childhood, film was another discipline entirely. She took to it well, tho most of Mary Poppins relied on her tried and true theatrics--iconic as it is, it wasn't really a great performance--more of a vaudeville turn. Wise and Plummer drew a new maturity from her, a real authenticity, stripped of all her music hall mannerisms--an essential element in balancing the broad, theatrical nature of the musical sequences.
Wise chose his West Side Story screenwriter, Ernest Lehman, to adapt this tuner with a good deal more free reign. The play hints at scenes untenable on stage--including a clunky conclusion. Lehman brings a long movie to a close with a welcome spurt of tension--a chase with Nazis in pursuit, a graveyard escape--even a punchline for nuns (with carburetors). On stage, Liesl's Nazi-youth boyfriend, Rolf lets them escape when he sees his former girl. Lehman has him blow the whistle. In the play, 11 year old Britta--of all people--informs Maria that she and her father are in love. Lehman gives The Baroness this task. Tho the children remain impossibly perfect, there's at least some hint of disobediance and mischief that was missing on Bway. (As the screen's leading nanny, Julie should have played at least one more, this time facing a brood of untameable brats.) Songs are relocated for better effect. There isn't a change Lehman made that isn't an improvement. Whether or not with tongue-in-cheek, Wise starts the film from above, cribbing Saul Bass's overhead shots of
in West Side Story. And why not? What better way to bring us so deliriously
into the Austrian landscape, floating over the Alps, coming down to that famous
helicopter shot with the slash-cut--not to finger-snapping hoods but to Julie
Andrews twirling on alpine meadow, belting "the hills are alive..."
(a phrase now in such common vernacular as to be known by virtually everyone).
Far more than even WSS, (whose
verisimilitude was really more studio manufactured than not) TSOM benefits incalcuably from its
location photography--a terrain rarely exploited by Hlwd. Manhattan
A good deal of the film's appeal beyond children, is its strong, convincing love story. Plummer's commanding masculine presence makes his slow softening all the more riveting. Not unlike Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind--he holds the screen with utter conviction; a key ingredient in making both motion pictures the runaway hits of their times. In his intimate moments with Andrews the emotional tension is arresting. Their impromptu dance to the "Laendler" is packed with unspoken meaning--it's one of the absolute highlights of the picture. If TSOM didn't lead Plummer to more of a film career as a matinee idol, it was likely by his choice. Tho he made movies steadily thru the decades, he wasn't truly appreciated until well into his senior years--earning the distinction of being the oldest actor ever to win an Oscar--only forty-seven years after TSOM. Conversely, Julie Andrews won hers only a month after Music's release--which betrayed a premature and unnecessary industry bias. She was already more deserving for Maria than Mary, and would predictably earn her second nom the following year, but lose to another Julie: Christie--who was also rapidly conquering the screens; more evidence that the British were taking over the world. Eleanor Parker was among the top tier of Hlwd actresses a decade earlier (earning 3 Oscar noms in the early '50s), but is mostly forgotten today, and would be even more so were in not for her role as "The Baroness" (Elsa Schraeder). Lovely as she looks at age 42, her emotive acting is in stark relief to the simplicity of Andrews' work; telegraphing the obvious choice for Von Trapp from the moment she enters the picture. Listen to her scarcely disguised contempt as she begrudging compliments Maria, "My dear, is there anything you can't do?" upon conclusion of a puppet show on the level of the Bil Baird marionettes (which of course, these are) that Maria has absurdly whipped up for an afternoon's entertainment. I couldn't help but think Joan Crawford was coaching from the wings. Parker seems to be channeling a late period Crawford (who you know would have killed for this part). Of the 7 Von Trapp children, less than half leave a lasting impression. Liesl, of course, because of the prominence of her role. It's surprising that Charmain Carr has but one other credit in her acting career, the female lead in the esoteric Stephen Sondheim TV musical, Evening Primrose. Angela Cartwright is memorable more for the fact that she was the single recognizable face, having played Danny Thomas's daughter on Make Room for Daddy--a top ten sitcom for nearly a decade. And then there's Gretl: Kym Karath (with chubby cheeks, bearing an uncanny resemblance to John McCain), already a Hlwd veteran at age five; a tot in comedies with Doris Day, James Garner, Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon; her "cuteness" signified by an astonishing self-possession for a toddler. She later worked only in TV and grew into something of a bombshell. Filmed reunions of the much-aged movie kids (the Bonus DVD features one such--reveal a "family" forever locked into its seminal experience--there's a sitcom premise here somewhere). But cynical expectations aside, they remain quite likeable as adults. (Numerous examples are readily available on Youtube.) In fact there's no shortage of material available on virtually every aspect of the movie, including an industry built around Sound of Music tours in
--to the chargrin of the locals in
Mozart's home town. Among the many DVD Bonus tracks, Robert Wise has a mildy
interesting feature-length commentary but remains silent thru the musical
numbers. As the track is free of all vocals (speech & song) this is a rare
treat for students of orchestration to hear clearly beyond the veil. Also
present are all the sound effects, some of which are quite surprising. But it's
lovely to hear the full 70 piece studio orchestra, under direction of Irwin
Kostal--another returning player from West
Side Story. Salzburg
It's hard to fault Rodgers' score, even if some are put off by its sweetness, or if you prefer, sincerity. One can be cynical about songs like "16 Going on 17" or "Maria"--with its chirping nuns that borders on shades of Monty Python--but the melodic felicity is inviting and of a piece with the best work from this Mozart of American music. Some carped on the lack of advancement from this once revolutionary team. But look closer, there is something interesting in the overall structure of the piece--and key to its broad appeal. Let's start at the very beginning: the title is so familiar now, but there's something unusual and profound in the idea. Music, by its very nature is a sound; But to think of it first as merely, purely, sound is a subtle bit of deconstruction. Of course that song ("the hills are alive...") broadens the idea to include all of nature into its own terrestrial orchestra. The Sound of Music shares with The Music Man the most primal and literal use of music as an agent of healing and transformation. One of the reasons children are so swept up in the musical, is that Rodgers provides a veritable introduction to its basics, without sacrificing any of his composing intelligence--accessible to children without insult to the adult ear. Could there be a more infectious introduction to singing than "Do Re Mi"? It's a virtual template for
Sesame Street; and
after five decades can still give me a thrill. And isn't "Lonely
Goatherd," an intro to yodeling? (I would be remiss without mentioning the
vocal bridge at 2:05 in the song that never fails to snag my ear; four bars of
the most ecstatic harmony I've ever heard.) All right, I could do without,
"So Long, Farewell," but its dramatic context late in the story still
works. Generally overlooked is something entirely new from Rodgers: liturgical
music--a challenge he embraced, unable to accept the idea of using existent
hymns. All church music should sound this good. Likewise,
"Edelweiss," feels so authentic an Austrian lullaby, that many assume
it is. (This was Hammerstein's final lyric--written in tryout out of town; an
improbably perfect note of closure.) "Climb Every Mountain" completes
their trio of inspirational anthems (with Carousel's
"You'll Never Walk Alone," and King
and I's "Something Wonderful"), and for those resistant to such
powerhouse arias for sopranos (and I've been there, believe me) it can be a
chore to take in. But the song itself is so breathtaking; so untouched by any
melodic cliche--while so inevitable to the ear. Anyone can write an emphatic
song, but few can pull off one that seduces rather than insists. It also has
one of the greatest bridges ever ("A dream that will need all the love you
can give/Ev'ry day of your life for as long as you live."), a scaled
ascension that evokes the feel of scaling peaks. The musical's most errant
song, "My Favorite Things" suggests a melodic direction Rodgers would
further pursue in his first post-Hammerstein show, No Strings. The tune's true cred lies in the numerous jazz versions
that followed; most notoriously, John Coltrane's famed 14 minute track. It has
also, rather strangely, become a staple on countless Christmas albums--a
context it doesn't share in either pic or play. The film does it justice,
relocated from a duet with the Mother Superior, to a bonding scene with Maria
and the children. Better still is what immediately follows: a two-piano
instrumental that accompanies the troupe parading about Saltzburg, and if the
joys of the scenery and frolicking children isn't spirit raising enuf, the
music propels the sequence to the realm of Rahadlakhum. All this is prologue to
an even more joyful noise: "Do Re Mi"--an obvious precursor to the
heavily edited music videos that will become commonplace in the '80s. You can
feel the audience leaning forward to partake in the joy. Of the three songs cut
for the movie; "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way to Stop It"
were sardonic numbers for Elsa & Max deemed extraneous for the film;
reducing the role of Baroness to one of
endless eye-rolling and modeling '30s couture. "An Ordinary Couple"
was replaced with a new song by Rodgers, "Something Good," a
sentiment better suited to the younger Andrews. Rodgers wrote a second song for
Julie as well (both to his own lyrics): "I Have Confidence," which
serves as a cinematic journey from the abbey to Von Trapp manor. Given the
picture's sweep of Oscar nominations, it's surprising neither song made the
cut--edged out by the likes of "The Ballad of Cat Ballou," or a sappy
Mancini ballad, "The Sweetheart Tree" from The Great Race--the Oscar going to (deservedly) "The Shadow
of Your Smile."
At any rate, Rodgers couldn't dwell on the snub for by then he was deeply embroiled in his latest stage musical: Do I Hear a Waltz? which opened on Bway just two weeks after the film's premiere, to far less acclaim or success. The combined forces of Rodgers with Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents loomed a thrilling prospect. Based on Laurents' bittersweet play, The Time of the Cuckoo (whose neurotic heroine brings misery upon herself while blaming all around her), the trio worked on a split vision--the younger savants adhering to the sharper unpleasantness of the play; whereas Rodgers envisioned a travelogue romance for a prim spinster, much in the way David Lean had adapted Laurents' play for his sparkling film, Summertime--with Katherine Hepburn in one her most luminous performances.. A perfect vehicle for a fiftyish Mary Martin; instead they went with 30-something, aspiring star, Elizabeth Allen. It killed her career. Sondheim says Rodgers was by then paranoid of his talent drying up (Waltz proved something of a last hurrah--with much of his melodic signature still intact); but dissension between the creators doomed the musical to a shorter run than even Pipe Dream. But if Rodgers' star was falling on Bway, the R&H brand was skyrocketing on screen and around the world. Like it or not, this was the absolute summit of Bway's hold on popular culture. Never again would a musical be this popular, this emotionally binding across all generations (if not all races), this immune to criticism, this far afield of the zeitgeist, as to be a zeitgeist of its own.
The movie opened on March 2, 1965 at the Rivoli theater on Bway one block south of the Winter Garden, where la Streisand was selling out (tho often sleepwalking thru) Funny Girl. Inconceivably, no less than three other shows on Bway that year would star Babs once they made it to the screen. A second year of the World's Fair was still looming, and The Big Street was bustling with hits like Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Golden Boy and The Odd Couple. On screens, Goldinger and Zorba the Greek were drawing crowds. Three other Roadshows were currently in
Square: The Greatest Story
Ever Told, Lord Jim, and My Fair Lady--still
selling out in its 20th week of reserved seats. It would run for 87 weeks, till
June of '66; but Sound of Music would
last 93 weeks at the Rivoli--longer than even This is Cinerama--to be replaced by Wise's next epic, The Sand Pebbles (which lasted for 36). Music had record runs in reserved-seat
engagements thruout the country, with high rates of repeat customers. It was
still in initial wide release when I first saw it in January of '68 at the
Chatsworth theatre, a cinder-block four-wall in the remote NW corner of the
monstrously incorporated City of . Weathered chalk-yellow rock mountains that
served as b.g. for thousands of Westerns hovered over this suburban outpost,
making a severe juxtaposition to the Austrian Alps. I was 15 then, and could've
been more cynical, or resistant, but instead was taken in completely. I would
see it several more times over the decades, and then again in 70mm in Los
Angeles upon a restored-print release in
1990--only to find myself wrapped up in its sweep again. Later, the film would
become, for good or bad, ground-zero for the Sing-Along movement. This I
resisted, but had to check it out when it came my way to SF's Castro theater.
There was the usual costume parade ("nuns," drag queens, of course;
"brown paper packages tied up with strings," "the
carburetor" etc.) and a shockingly young, entirely non-ethnic, family audience.
Singing along to "Do Re Mi" or "Edelweiss" was mild camp
(as in summer) fun, but the thought of joining Julie on "Something
Good" loomed as agony, so I left at the interval. The
"Sing-Along" phenomenon originated in Century City , where the musical seems to have an
even stronger hold. The original British stage production ran nearly twice as
long as the NY version--which in itself, closed as the 4th longest running Bway
musical (behind My Fair Lady, London ! and South Pacific). Often revived in Oklahoma , the
show took nearly 40 years to return to Bway--surely in great part due to the
giant shadow cast by the movie. By then it was common practice to incorporate
the songs written for the film into the play. Rebecca Luker assumed the role of
Maria, but it was her understudy, newbie Laura Benanti who found the greater
success with the show, her breakthru role on Bway. Britain
The musical entered my consciousness thru cultural osmosis. I didn't have the album (not yet at least) but somehow knew a number of the show's songs by the second grade. I had a school buddy, Randall, who knew them as well, and we spent many a recess marching around the playground singing. On the final such occasion, we were trilling "Do Re Mi," with the unabashed glee only a pair of seven year olds can muster, which apparently sent me into a delirious world without boundaries. Lining up for class at the end of recess, my bliss drove me to peck Randall on the cheek--a kiss that couldn't have been more innocent or spontaneous. Beyond my comprehension, Randall reacted by instantly voiding our friendship--never to speak to me again. Well someone had issues. A bit over the top for second grade, I thought, and of course, years later, Randall would grow into the nelliest queen of the bunch. Such was the negative power of musicals. In July of '64 The Sound of Music (starring Janet Blair) was the inaugural production of the Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills. My new heaven-sent opportunity to see Bway musicals, locally. What I remember of this first encounter is less of the show than the strange theater-in-the-round concept, with the cast running up and down the aisles and the challenges of minimal scenery. It would become a shrine, of sorts, for the next couple of years--about as long as it lasted. When the Roadshow movie arrived the next year (exclusive to the
Carthay Circle in ), it was after my parents had
curtailed our cinema ventures (especially over the hill into Hlwd), and before
those times when I could bike or drive to theaters myself. Having seen the play
(much as with My Fair Lady) there was
little chance we would go anyway--given my parents were of the
Once-is-Quite-Enuf school of cultural appreciation. But I had plenty to
entertain myself with at home; by then devouring all the library books I could
find on Bway and musicals, and falling under the spell of the great
Burns-Mantle Best Plays series, which recorded each theatrical season in minute
detail, constructing a circumscribed universe for me to inhabit and study, the
way other boys memorized baseball statistics. I had my records (nearly all
musicals), fifty or so by then; a radio show played a different OCR nightly at
7--opening me to continuous discoveries. On top of which, I was rabid for
primetime TV; another contained universe (in those ancient days When Dinah
Shore Ruled the Earth: when there were but 3 networks) with loudly-touted new
seasons (like Bway in your living room!) arriving, like school, each
September--a medium barely 15 years old and already rife with ritual. It's been
said those were the years when Hlwd made movies for adults and TV for kids.
Now, it would seem the complete opposite is true. Seems like I was in the right
place at the right time. The '64-'65 TV season aired some 30 shows I watched
regularly; an era chock full of wacky premises: Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, My Living Doll (with Julie Newmar as
a robot), The Man from UNCLE (with a
cool and sexy Russian) and a now long-forgotten sitcom called Valentine's Day, with Tony Franciosa as
a Bway bachelor, and Flower Drum Song's
Jack Soo as his wise-cracking valet, which inflamed my ideas of a Manhattan
adulthood. But above all, there was the newly-discovered rococo lifestyle of The Addams Family, which made the very
idea of Friday night into an endorphin-fueling promise of excitement and
bliss--a feeling I still summon whenever I can. At its core was the recognition
of my true spiritual parents: Gomez & Morticia. Bohemian, broad-minded, and
unconditionally loving, these were folk I understood. Not "Val" (nee
Volodya) and Valentina, those pleasure-adverse, chore-oriented, Soviet war
refugees, hiding out in anonymous suburban white Beverly Hills . Since the big
"secret" of their origin was exposed when I was nine, little more was
offered of their history. I knew only that they came (separately) from some America USSR equivalent of Akron
or Milwuakee; fled thru Poland
& Germany in the War;
and met in .
I knew we were supposed to be "Yugoslavian," because to be Russian
was off-putting. For to many there was no distinction between Russian and
Communist. So the best plan of action was to evade it entirely, and just be Americans--albeit Americans with
Boris & Natasha accents. Yet on occasion, a reach back to the Motherland
would occur. The Moiseyev Ballet on tour in 1961 made big news--(it was
parodied in another sketch in the Julie & Carol Carnegie Hall show)--and
was catnip to the diaspora. A source of cultural pride for my parents, it made
an even stronger impact on me--I was enthralled, and ready to join the corps.
Not only was my interest little noted, but--I would find out many years later--V
& V had been visited by an actual member of the Moiseyev troupe (some vague
familial connection?), but fearing that
I might later "blab" we had a Red in the house, they sent me away to
the neighbors. They needn't have worried; their fear of Russian-ness carried
over to me as simple embarassment. But to have missed meeting a male member of
the Moiseyev (how athletic, how handsome they were!) reverberates still, like a
sorely missed portal (I coulda been a
contender!) that I consider unforgiveable. Since my parents took great
pains to shelter me from most of my Russian heritage; they had no right to be
surprised that I didn't much take to it on my own. Another irresistible tug
from the Old Country came with the other epic Roadshow of 1965: Doctor Zhivago. Even this didn't merit a
trip into Hlwd, so they waited 19 months for it to come to Philadelphia
at "popular prices." I have no idea what reality, or memories it
conjured up for them, but my 14 year old self wasn't taken in by the massive
snowy vistas and chilly human relations--ugh, Russians! But, as age has made
clear, Zhivago makes no concession to
facile entertainment or children--and in time I came to appreciate the scope of
David Lean's rarefied achievment. (Why do the English make the best Russian
movies?) Upon its release in December of '65, Zhivago gave challenge to The
Sound of Music as the year's champion movie. They had much in common; both
were directed by recent Oscar winners; starred the hottest new actresses in
Hlwd--both British, both named Julie; both films had uncommon leading men of
exceptional handsomeness; both featured breathtaking epic landscapes of
exquisite beauty; both clocked in at 3 hours plus intermission; and both were
minting money. The Oscar race positioned them as rivals with 10 nominations
each. The tally split evenly, but Music
took Best Pic and Wise the director's trophy, testament to the movie's hold
given that Zhivago was newer by
nearly ten months, and would seem to have the momentum. But as David Lean had
won for both his last two pictures, perhaps some felt that was enuf. More
astonishing tho, is that four Bway musicals were nominated within the last five
years--and three of them won Best Picture (tho not the best one--which David
Lean [again] triumphed over.) The Sound of Music was above all, a
triumph for Rodgers & Hammerstein, who having conquered, Bway, vinyl, TV
and films now had the highest crown in the Variety universe: the Oscar. The
shock wave sent Hlwd studios into overdrive for musicals --and as we all know,
and shall soon see, there can be only one place to go: down. Studio City
Next Up: Stop the World--I Want to Get Off
Next Up: Stop the World--I Want to Get Off
Report Card: The Sound of Music
Overall Film: A
Bway Fidelity: B
Musical Numbers from Bway: 11
Musical Numbers Cut from Bway: 3
New Songs: 2 ("I Have Confidence;
"Something Good")
Standout Numbers: "Do Re Mi"
"My Favorite Things" (over
) Salzburg
Casting: Fresh, untypical, spot-on
Standout Cast: Andrews, Plummer
Cast from Bway: None
Direction: Crisp, solid, masterfully restrained
Choreography: Minimal, folksy
Ballet: None
Scenic Design: Bavarian, but not fairy tale
Costumes: Uniforms, curtains, couture
Standout Locations: The Alps,
Standout Sets: Abbey graveyard
Titles: A rousing overture played over vistas
of Austrian churches
Oscar Noms: 10--5 wins: Best Picture;
Director; Film Editng, Sound, Scoring.
Noms only: Actress: (Andrews) Supporting
Actress (Peggy Wood); Cinematography,
Art Direction, Costumes
Camp Hall of Fame: "Maria"


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Every inch of action overcomes all those miles of intention.
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https://i1.wp.com/www.hawthorn73.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Attendance-Awareness-Month.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1 600 600 admin https://www.hawthorn73.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/d73-logo-med.png admin2014-09-28 14:37:572014-09-28 14:37:575 Schools in Top 10 for Attendance
5 Schools in Top 10 for Attendance
Five Hawthorn schools ranked in Lake County's top 10 lists for having high attendance records during Attendance Awareness Month. September is Attendance Awareness Month, a nationwide event recognizing the connection between school attendance and academic achievement. The following Hawthorn schools ranked in the top 10 in their category. They are:
- Aspen
- School of Dual Language
- Townline
- Middle School North
- Middle School South
Read more about attendance here.


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American Roulette
Related Games
Roulette is a casino and gambling game named after the French word meaning small wheel. In the game a croupier spins the wheel in one direction and then spins the ball in the opposed direction around the circumference of the roulette's wheel. The ball ultimately falls onto the wheel and into one of 37 (in European Roulette) or 38 (in American Roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel (see the image above). The object of the game is to predict which number out of possible 38, in our case, the ball will land on.
The most significant dissimilarity between European Roulette and American Roulette is that the American wheel has a single zero and a double zero (the green pockets). Whereas the European Roulette wheel has only a single zero.
Another difference is that the numbers on the American Roulette wheel are placed in pairs opposite of each other, whereas the numbers on the European wheel are placed in an arbitrary order.
In my opinion the American table is more convenient as the red/black, odd/even are placed right next to each other and the first18/last18 betting spots are placed right next to the single numbers. However, the European single zero roulette table is more attractive in symmetry.
How to Play
- Button Description:
- Spin: spins the wheel.
- Clear Bets: clear the table of previous bets.
- New Game: start a new game round.
- Rebet: place the same bet as in the previous game round and deal the cards too.
- Skip Turn: skip your turn when you are playing in Multiplayer mode.
- Chat: to chat with other players; type your message and then click this button again (or press enter).
- History: with this option you are able to see the Online American Roulette game history (dates, bets and results of your previous game rounds).
- Help: opens the Online American Roulette help file.
- Options: open the Options dialog box.
- Cashier: this option is available only in Real Money mode. Click it to go to the Cashier. The Cashier allows you to deposit or withdraw money, view your transaction history, etc.
- Play For Real Money: this option is available only in Fun Mode. Clicking this will take you to the Real Money mode account creation page. If you already have a Real Money mode account, it will take you to the Real Money mode Login screen.
- Lobby: press this to exit the online casino game and go back to the lobby. You can't exit in the middle of a game round.
- Bet options:
- Outside bets: an outside bet is placed on large groups of numbers or on a single color. Outside bets include bets on Red, Black, Odd, Even, 1-18, 19-36, 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12, and the 2 to 1 columns. Outside bets have better odds of winning and lower payouts.
- Inside bets: an inside bet is placed on a specific number or a small group of numbers. Inside bets include straight up bets, split bets, street bets, corner bets, five-number bets, and six-number bets. Inside bets have lower odds of winning and higher payouts.
- Placing Bets:
Red Winning number will be red. Example: I (Red numbers). Black Winning number will be black Odd Winning number will be odd. Example: J (Odd numbers). Even Winning number will be even 1-18 Winning number will be between 1 and 18 19-36 Winning number will be between 19 and 36. Example: K (19 through 36). 1st 12 Winning number will be between 1 and 12 2nd 12 Winning number will be between 13 and 24 3rd 12 Winning number will be between 25 and 36. Example: H (25 through 36). 2 to 1 Column Winning number will be in the selected 2 to 1 column. Example: G (Set of column numbers). Straight up Winning number will be the exact number bet on. Example: A (30) Split Winning number will be one of two adjacent numbers Street Winning number will be one of three numbers in a row Corner Winning number will be one of four adjacent numbers Five Number Winning number will be either 0, 00, 1, 2, or 3 Six Number Winning number will be one of six adjacent numbers
- Split Bet: a split bet is a single bet on two numbers. You win 17:1 if either number wins. To place a split bet, click on the line between two numbers. Example: B (11 or 14).
- Street Bet: a street bet is a single bet on three numbers. You win 11:1 if any of the three numbers win. To place a street bet, click on the right-hand line on the outer edge of the three numbers. Example: C (19, 20, 21).
- Corner Bet: a corner bet is a single bet on four numbers. You win 8:1 if any of those four numbers win. To place a corner bet, click on the intersection of four numbers. Example: D (25, 26, 28, 29).
- Five Number Bet: a five number bet is a single bet on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. You win 6:1 if any of those five numbers win. To place the five number bet, click on the right-hand corner shared by 00 and 3. Example: E (0, 00, 1, 2, 3).
- Six Number Bet: a six number bet is a single bet on six numbers. You win 5:1 if any of those six numbers win. To place a six number bet, click on the right-hand corner shared by two numbers on the right side of the table. Example: F (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
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My Bio: The Quick & DirtyWriter. Blogger. Model. Renaissance Woman. Living life with 100% enthusiasm.
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Tag Archives: America's Cup Regatta
Sailing through Sint Maarten
Saturday, January 28th, DH and I woke up in the port of Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. The morning was gorgeous, lots of sun between the clouds. The port was bustling and there was a strong breeze, which would be perfect for … Continue reading
Posted in Humor, Musings, Personal, Photography, Random Thoughts, Travel Tagged . Marahlago, 12-meter challenge, 12-metre challenge, America's Cup Regatta, Captain Ernie, Carnival Victory, Kabana, Larimar, Maho Beach, Old Man Guavaberry Rum, Philipsburg Saint Maarten, Philipsburg Sint Maarten, Saint Maarten, Sint Maarten, That yoda Guy, The Belgian chocolate box 5 Comments


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"Whenever I meet anybody, whatever interactions I have with them, I try to change their perception about the industry. But it's not easy. There are shoots and photographs which are revealing, but I know the real them. We all work because that's our job, but that's not the real us," Ruslan adds.
Ruslaan debuted in television with Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara. He will next be seen in one of the episodes of MTV Big F Season 2. The story revolves around a cricketer Tanmay (Ruslaan) and a cheerleader Jhanvi (Krissan Barretto) and the problems she faces in the male-dominated industry.
"Even judging someone like a cheerleader because of dancing in skimpy clothes is a very wrong mentality and we need to change that. I think the youth of India is slowly rearing towards that. Slowly and steadily in a few years' time women will be able to wear and dress however they want, without being judged," Ruslaan told IANS.
Ruslaan Mumtaz married Nirali Mehta in 2014. In February this year, the couple's vacation pictures in Mauritius went viral.
After Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, he starred in films like Tere Sang, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai and I Don't Luv. He has also featured in television show Balika Vadhu.
(With IANS inputs)


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Yeezevee wrote:I agree most of what you say if not all SKB., as far as "the Cat's" giving a reference of a "Islamic website" is concerned , there is nothing wrong in it.
Dude you didnt understand as to why I asked him for primary references. He claims that only quran is the authentic book of islam and others are inventions. We l know death of Umar 2 and Abu huraira arent mentioned in the quran. WE know this from sources other than quran. So what are those sources? How can anyone borrow from islamic sources whenever they like and discard them at the same time when it doesnt suit them? Do you see the hypocrisy of CAT?


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Christmas World! EP
Violinist Lorenza Ponce creates Christmas musical magic with her arrangements of some of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time, complete with soulful violin, boys choir, harps, trumpets and orchestra!
Lorenza's latest release is available as both a CD and as a digital download. It is not available in stores at this time. Currently the Lorenza Ponce Christmas World! EP physical CD can only be purchased with either the Christmas EP ornament set or with with an order of 2 or more CDs.
To buy the CD
The best way to support Lorenza is to buy direct from this website. She will personally sign each CD purchased via the Paypal 'Add to Cart' button below.
$20 (Shipping calculated on checkout)
The CD is also available from CD Baby


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The past week in:
Telecoms: a small slection:
Is a big shift in strategy looming at Vodafone?
Sprint's 4G plans are on track.
Several smaller PTT's are for sale.
Munibroadband news from Ireland, Denmark and the US.
Internet: highlights:
Windows Live Search new beta and Accoona's new push.
Google's click fraud settlement and Writely purchase.
Sale of 3 companies put on the block (Univision, Knight Ridder, VNU) is nearing the end.
And much much more. Check out both demand (private equity) and supply side of the M&A boom.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
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The past thirty days of my birthday month have been like no other. It is said that it takes 30 days to break a habit. It is 30 days of continuous repetition that changes a mental form. I took on a challenge this month. I decided to love myself in a way that I have never done before. Starting on April 1st I stood in front of a mirror and said to my soul, staring into my brown eyes, "I love you, darling. I love you for what you are and for all that you have become." Then I would stand there for a bit waiting for the back talk of ego. The first five or so days were unbearable. I would immediately get something negative, "How can you love this body, middle aged and out of shape?" Other days it would just stay quiet until there was no more backtalk. Then on the second week of self talk in the mirror I began to truly feel the love from my spirit. "Thank you!" It would whisper, "And, I love you." At first this was a silly experiment and now after 30 days it has become a necessity. "I LOVE YOU! You are magnificent."
My eyes have begun to change. I cannot explain this phenomenon. I don't think anyone else notices. My skin has lightened up. My stomach has released some of its weight. My breasts seem to feel safe with all its scars from years of mutilation because of reductions and biopsies. My thighs seem to jiggle a little less. My intestines have released toxins from years of holding onto crap. My hands have transformed into strength with less nudges of pain from morning arthritis. My soul is in a place of love. Thirty days of truly giving it love without doing anything but providing a safe haven to do so every morning has allowed me to witness how self-abuse becomes a habit. We abuse spirit with the things others have instilled in us to believe. But, NO MORE!
This past month I have done something different every single day: I had a pinup photo shoot outside by waterfalls, ate some delicious food I've never tasted before, met strangers who became invaluable friends, moved my daughter to her own place, took different roads leading into the most precious mystical spots, attended a friend's dramatic play, visited friends' parents at hospitals, put our retreat center for sale, cleaned out things I have never done before this time, my fiancé and I have had nerf gun wars wearing Star Wars helmets throughout our home, I went to another friend's movie premier, got fairy hair extensions in bright sparkling colors, had a group of friends who expanded my consciousness and awareness through deep conversations about the cosmos, and so much more (too much to list at this time). One of my highlights this month was taking a friend to her first Starbucks outing and witnessing the expression of joy while drinking her first frappuccino (her reaction was priceless. It left me with tears of gratitude for allowing me to witness the AHA moment through new eyes of love and appreciation). It's the simple things we overlook. It's those acts of kindness that bring energy back into our souls. I have had many friends and loved ones just show up with the perfect messages that have allowed me to experience serendipity.
During all this time my morning ritual allowed me to see what others have seen, or have never seen before. I am valuable. I matter. I am important. I am perfect in my imperfections. I have seen God staring through these eyes. I have been part of something mystical and omnipotent. I have seen the creation of life evolve through my reflection and how vital it is to truly love the self. I have been truthful and authentic with every part of me while declaring the things I will accept and releasing those I will no longer tolerate. I have new stories replacing old paradigms. It shouldn't take 47 years for this. It should be something we immediately do the moment we begin the awareness of our thoughts from early childhood. Just like meditation these self talks should be taught by our elders. It's time we begin shifting awareness to our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and friends.
We are constantly trying to experience love with others, waiting for another to value us, but it starts with the self. If you don't see your worth no one else will ever see it either. This morning as I finished brushing my teeth and I had the sweet talk with myself, I noticed how in spite of being under the weather with allergies, I have nurtured me and broken the toxic pattern of listening to the voices from the past determine who I am. I have loved me deeply. I have given me the first and foremost priority in thirty days (in my life). I have celebrated my right to be here on this magnificent journey. It has been a delicious month. It's lasted longer than any other birthday month because I have been fully present with me while loving every inch of my human and spiritual bodies.
May you find the courage to look into your soul and love the one and only you there is on this planet. I hope you gift yourself the experience of truly seeing what joy and love look like through your eyes. You will find grace, beauty, patience, understanding, forgiveness, and most of all the power to truly love all that you are. It's magical. It's divinity. And, it's all you, baby!!!


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Trinity Church and the Sycamore Tree
This church is located in the Financial District of New York. It is a couple of blocks away from Wall Street. Some very famous people have been buried here, Robert Fulton (the inventor of the Steamboat) and Alexander Hamilton. Also, the tourguide mentioned that historians could learn medical statistics in a graveyard. In the 19th Century, most of the women were buried after childbirth, many people died of cholera, and the median ages of men and women who died.
Also, after the World Trade Center attacks, a pool debris (7 to 8 inches) covered the graveyard. They had to call professionals to vaccuum this debris. The infamous sycamore tree that used to be planted in the graveyard at St. Paul's Chapel is on exhibit at Trinity. St. Paul's Chapel is located across the World Trade Center, and this sycamore tree saved the chapel from destruction when the Twin Towers fell. The scraps were taken to an artist, who in turn created a sculpture of the tree. The trunk exhibited at Trinity will go back to its resting place sometime next week.
More on St. Paul's Chapel later...


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Not exactly the miraculous life-changing experience these places keep promising, but I maintain high expectations upon which I am unwilling to compromise. Sorry Chicken Ball People.
Meal Assembly Place #2: Deeelish
I got talked into trying Deeelish after talking incredibly loud smack at work about Super Suppers within earshot of a Deeelish devotee. Such a fan, in fact, that she walked over to my desk with her 8-month pregnant tummy to tell me all about it and how much I would love it and how we should all go there and assemble dinners together after work one night because it will be so fun and good.
Oh, I have heard this story before.
But, I was convinced of the potential deliciousness by this discerning foodie (pregnant women know food) and since I see her as a fellow picky consumer, I was willing to trust. If only once more. She was also convincing enough to rope in my brainchild friend (who I love) from the first round to join us in further debunking the Meal Assembly Myth.
Myth being: This activity will make your life good and you won't have to eat popcorn, gin, Taco Bell, nothing and delivery pizza for dinner during the week.
Again, my personal interpretation.
Let me begin by complimenting Deeelish on their decor. Not that Super Suppers wasn't nice inside, but it felt a little like I was making my meals at the grocery store rather than in a fancy kitchen or something. And because I am shallow, appearances mean a lot to me. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos at either place because I was busy not falling behind on my assembly responsibilities (MUST NOT BE THE LAST ONE) so I can't show you what I mean, but the lighting was more like what you'd find in a nice restaurant at dinner time, they had a bar (can it be real? Are those cases of wine I see?) up front and just a more sophisticated atmosphere.
That was Bonus #1: Pretty. And the appearance of booze.
Plus, the dude who gave us the "This is how you do this" schpeal talked at a more relaxed and normal pace (read: was not hyperventilating and starting to sweat) while wearing his yellow (cuter) apron and making repeated gestures in the direction of the snacks we were about to enjoy.
The pre-throwdown "snacks" weren't much more plentiful or fabulous than before, but they did have a nice beverage set up at the bar where you could serve up fresh coffee, tea, water, soda, etc. I looked my eyes to the bone for a way to put wine from the aforementioned cases into any drinking container, but alas, it was stored away under the counter in such a manner that I'd have to cross that invisible "Employees Only" line that exists behind a bar and I wasn't ready to be *that guy* just yet.
I did learn from my previous experience and wear comfy shoes this time (Real comfy, not "Cute" comfy) so when Mr. Intro stepped aside, I was ready to dash to the first station with my list.
Oh, the list, this was Strike #1, or so I thought: No clipboard. Just a half sheet of paper with your meals on them.
This actually turned out to be more efficient than the clipboard method since I could slide the sheet into a perfectly sized pocket on my (not yellow - boo) apron instead of having to find a place for the clipboard while I assembled, but it did remove my one weapon in the case of encountering an Advancing Stranger while moving toward my next station.
Either way - I made it work. Phew.
Weird Bonus #2: They had good soap.
I have no idea if this is something that's consistent chain-wide, but at this location (Menlo Park, CA) they had this fabulous foaming and moisturizing soap that left your hands really soft rather than tight and scratchy like normal soap. This might be a dumb thing to call out, but I wash my hands a lot (hello, meat touching) while I chef, so not having to deal with alligator skin is a nice change.
And now I will reveal The Big Disappointment: Disorganization.
Remember the glory of Super Suppers' "dash" measurement spoon? And how the meal ingredients were all lined up in order of how the recipe instructed you add them to your containers? And how there was never a moment of hesitation as to what IN THE WORLD turmeric looked like in dried form and how to discern it from the one hundred other spices lining your station shelf because everything had a nice clear glorious label right on the container that didn't leak?
Yeah, no more.
A full buffet of confusion awaited me at my first assembly station where I attempted to futilely assemble Asian Chicken Salad from unrecognizable ingredients (so sorry I've never seen a stalk of lemon grass before, gah!) in unlabeled containers lined up randomly and utterly devoid of proper measurement tools.
That was actually the worst part - trying to fulfill a recipe which had the audacity to call for measurements like 1/8 of a teaspoon, 1/3 of a cup and a *gasp* dash, while only having at my disposal a 1 teaspoon and 1 cup measure.
And, ew, am I expected to REUSE the same teaspoon with fish sauce as I did with sesame oil? They clearly didn't know who they were dealing with. I was accustomed to individual EXACT measures that were immediately gathered and replaced with CLEAN measures so as not to disturb my zen-like assembly experience.
Oh, and excuse me, but where are my luxurious plastic gloves?
WHAT? There aren't any? HOLD ME BACK! Oh, you have latex ones? Ok, phew. Sorry. Yes, I'll put the cleaver down. My apologies.
Anyway, back to the horror that is a roomful of snake-eyed assembly monsters suddenly aware of the lack of proper measurement tools.
I think we all managed to make due, but it did take a bit of the shine off the rosiness of the experience. Specifically, I'd forgotten how much cuter the yellow aprons were and that they'd secretly stowed wine behind the bar. I was too blind with rage after having to fake 1/8 tsp of cumin from my unwashed teaspoon. Gag.
If this is starting to sound a bit prissy, I was still at the point of finding value in the fact that I was not messing up my own kitchen to make food of questionable deliciousness when suddenly faced with a pile of sticky measures, gooey workspace and no helpers with dishtowels in sight. So, the bright side of my own clean kitchen was starting to dim with every inaccurate measure I made.
So as not to rip Deeelish a total new one, since I do consider them the better of the two places so far, I will now unveil BIG BONUS #3: The Vacuum Sealing.
At Super Suppers I was vaguely impressed by the organized food stowage system: foil containers, matching lids, Ziploc bags. Let me say now officially: Lame.
Not only were all the meals vacuum sucked down to a fraction of their original size - I didn't have to do any of it. Just slammed the meals together, put them on my tray at the vacuum station (see, I was a celebrity here, too. Fancy.) and they vacuum them into wee packages and put them into my own basket in the fridge.
It is all very posh and easy. Plus, I managed to fit all 12 (6 full meals halved) meals onto one shelf in my freezer (I have a side-by-side fridge with the annoying narrow freezer) and barely had to throw out any of our prized frostbitten leftovers to do so. Squweet.
So I felt good about the final execution of my meals, seeing as they all fit easily into my Super Suppers insulated bag (I was the big traitor prancing around with my branded bag) and I wasn't worried about tomato sauce getting everywhere from my overfull lasagna.
But this is where I must address the waste issue. I do not like the fact that I have to compromise either convenience or sustainability to have a normal meal that doesn't try to kill me in the process. And these assembly places are rife with unsustainable practices.
You end up with either a bunch of foil containers/lids or a collection of useless plastic vacuum bags to throw away/attempt to recycle. Not great. The only benefit of Super Suppers is that a lot of their meals are contained within the reusable sphere of a Ziploc bag, but when I have to throw the inedible food inside the bag away, the fact I'm saving the bag itself ceases to be relevant.
And now that I've gone totally away from the topic of Food That Is Good, let me retrace my steps and summarize by saying that I've had 3 of the 6 meals I "built" at Deeelish, and while I haven't spit out any mouthfuls, I also haven't gone back for seconds. But Bubba has. And that's saying something. We have three more to go, so I can keep you posted on my food-spitting if that helps anyone make the decision.
I'll also provide a little happy ending flair by telling you that wine was made available during the post-meal building moments. However, my pinching migraine from Super Suppers made a reappearance so I was loathe to enjoy any of it. I did choke down a chocolate chip cookie, but they were warm and gooey and I knew I'd regret it if I didn't have one. And I would have because they were good.
If I am to keep to the same system as before (and I will because that is what anal retentive people do), here is my summation in Star Format:
Out of 5 stars
Atmosphere: 4
Cleanliness: 4
Organization: 2
Quality of Ingredients: 4 (I know what canned tomatoes look like, guys.) Yes, here, too.
Deeeliciousness: 4
Environmental Sensitivity: 1 (Reminder: This is important.)
Price: 3 (Double the price of Super Suppers)
This extra-wicked long post will be followed by a third review in the event that I venture out to another Make-it and Take-it (another cutesy franchise term) place.
If anyone's out there hatching spin-off plans, I could be coaxed with the following:
- Environmental friendliness
- 100% locally grown ingredients
- Free-flowing booze
- Cute aprons


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For the Record: George Whitefield
George Whitefield was an 18th century Anglican minister and lifelong friend and inspiration to Penn's founder, Benjamin Franklin. Whitefield was also instrumental in the creation of the University.
Whitefield first came to North America from England to spread the word of the Great Awakening evangelical movement. As Methodism was beginning, he held revivals in Philadelphia to introduce the Protestant denomination to America. Franklin attended Whitefield's outdoor revivals and was so impressed that he published some of the minister's writings.
Whitefield was an original trustee of the Charity School of 1740, which was created on the grounds of his revival meeting house at 4th and Arch streets. The school, a forerunner of the University of Pennsylvania, offered free instruction "in the knowledge of the Christian religion and in useful literature" to low-income children.
Franklin purchased Whitefield's meeting house as the site for Franklin's Academy of Philadelphia, which became the College of Philadelphia, and later, the University of Pennsylvania.
Whitefield also solicited the first donations to Penn's Library.
Whitefield's strong interest in education also led to the creation of other schools. He was instrumental in establishing the "Log" college, which later became Princeton University. He also helped found Dartmouth College.
For the 200th anniversary of his birth, a group of Penn alumni commissioned a statue of Whitefield to honor him for his role in the founding of the University. Unveiled in 1919, the statue created by R. Tait McKenzie is located in the Quad in front of the Morris and Bodine sections of Ware College House.
The inscription on the panels of the statue's pedestal includes this quote from Franklin: "I knew him intimately upwards of thirty years. His integrity, disinterestedness and indefatigable zeal in prosecuting every good work I have never seen equalled and shall never see excelled."
For more information about this and other historical events at Penn, visit the University Archives at www.archives.upenn.edu.


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In fact, the doctor's office was empty when we arrived, and the phlebotomist took me right in (before my 1 PM appointment!) I went back to the waiting room and in just a few minutes I was called to see the doctor. My appointment to see Dr. Schiller wasn't supposed to be until 2 PM so imagine my surprise! Usually the place is packed and they are running at least an hour behind. One time I had to wait 6 hours to see the doctor!
I shared my symptoms of late - burning tongue, sore mouth, pain and tightness in my throat when I swallow food over the left side, fatigue, muscle stiffness and joint pain, and a bit of a rash. He confirmed that yes, they are all graft-vs.-host disease related. I was bummed to have graft-vs-host of the tongue...that means the immune system is attacking it and destroying the tissue with a loss of taste buds - so that burns where that is located, all around the tip and sides. The good news again is that this mild form of GVHD has an anti-leukemic effect.
When they shared what my CBC (complete blood count) was I thought they must have someone else's record! My hemoglobin is 12.6 (perfectly normal!) and my platelets are 125,000 (150,000 is normal). The platelets had dipped to 87,000 just last week because of my GVHD.
We were all done by 2 PM so we headed over to REI in Santa Monica so I could get a few sun block items - a lightweight, long-sleeved SPF shirt, pair of lightweight SPF pants, an SPF hat with flaps that meet under my chin, a pair of sun gloves, and some 50 SPF sunblock. I'm hoping I'll be able to be out more without fear of burning and increased GVHD symptoms. Lately, since I've been more active, I've been getting more sun (just driving and standing outside 10 min. here and there), but my sunscreen was allowing too much sun in for my sensitive skin and consequently I've been having more GVHD. I'd like to be able to take the kids to the beach sometime in my sun tent, but was concerned about the reflective UV. Now with head to toe sun block stuff I think I might be able to try an hour.
After REI, I was pretty exhausted and my hip hurt, so we couldn't do any more walking adventures even though I desired to walk the 3rd Street Promenade, hit the newsstand there, go to the Santa Monica Pier and ride the great ferris wheel. Instead, we drove the scenic way home via PCH (Route 1) through Malibu and into Oxnard. On the way through Malibu I decided to see if I could find my great uncle Bill Hoppe's house - a place I'd spent many summers during childhood roaming their property, playing at the creek, and spending time next door at the neighbors' wonderful home, a producer/cameraman who had a daughter my age. We used to play hide and seek in all the amazing cubbies and secret passages in her house, enjoyed playing on the hammock, and riding in the tire swing that hung from a giant oak tree. Sometimes we walked down to Zuma Beach and picked anise all along the way...ahhh the smells of that! At night it was fun to listen to the coyotes having their howling parties. So, just like the other childhood cravings, I just wanted to go back and see. It had been MANY years and my Aunt Rosemary died of breast cancer some years ago, but I wanted to show my kids where I used to play for a couple weeks each summer as a child. My great uncle Bill and his son Craig (2nd cousin once removed or something like that) were both home and were willing to welcome us outside. I toured the back of the property where I meandered the creek and headed up the hill to the neighbors. Some things had changed, some remained the same. My neighbor friend no longer lives there, but the kids were excited to learn that the new owner is the producer of the movie Bolt. They had landscaped their yard and put in an iron gate, so the old oak tree no longer had it's tire swing, bummer!
We only stayed 15-20 min. visiting, then headed home. All that activity and sun caused my muscle stiffness and pain to increase so that by the time I got home, had a bite to eat and got a bath to try to lessen the onset, it had turned into a migraine. This morning my migraine and nausea from it are gone, but I still have the stiffness which leads to it so I need to be careful not to do too much today!
This concludes my periodic update, reporting when there is news and not every day! Life is getting busier now that I'm more active so I hope you understand. Also, I enjoy talking with you when I see you! So many people read this blog and don't feel a need to speak to me in person since they know everything that is going on in my life which is a strange by-product of blogging. Another strange thing happens when strangers come up to me who are not readers of the blog, but have heard about me from a mutual friend. I know they are not on the blog when they ask how I'm doing, ha! The funny part is that I sound so ridiculous saying, "Well, thank you. Um, you can read my blog to find out if you'd like, aren't you a subscriber yet?" What has gotten into me? Then I start telling them how I am, and because I'm not practiced in speaking about my condition to new people, I end up saying way too much - yes, the recipient's eyes start glazing over! I have forgotten how to have a normal conversation - the old fashioned way with a simple "I'm fine thank you, and you?"
P.S. In case I don't write sooner, I'll be celebrating my 38th-birthday on July 13! Birthdays always mean more to me after a near-death experience :)
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


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Sell subscriptions with Google Play Billing
Sell subscriptions through Google Play Billing to provide users with access to content and features on an ongoing basis.
Why it works
Google Play's subscription platform gives you the tools and actionable intelligence to grow your subscription businesses. You can quickly and easily get set up with Google Play Billing, and then Google Play handles the checkout details so your app never has to process financial transactions. You'll have access to customizable subscription options and management features to help you attract and retain more customers. And, because your app will use the same checkout flow that is used for content purchases on Google Play, users will get a familiar, reliable, and secure experience.
Key features
- Flexible billing frequencies: Set your billing period to weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annually.
- Free trials: Let users try your app before subscribing by offering a trial period for a duration of your choosing.
- Introductory pricing: Specify an initial, discounted price that applies to a set number of billing periods.
- Local pricing: Customize the price for each locale and bill users in their local currency.
- Price changes: Easily apply a price change.
- Grace periods: Allow your subscribers to update their payment method if a recurring payment is declined.
- Account holds: Block access to your content or service if a user's form of payment fails until they update their payment information.
- Upgrades and downgrades: Add the ability for users to switch from one plan to another (for example, from a basic to a premium subscription) or to re-sign up to keep access. Then choose whether to use credit from the plan change to set a new renewal date, keep the renewal date and charge the user a prorated amount, or to defer the price change to the next renewal date.
- Server-side API: See fine-grained details about each subscription, such as expiration date, payment status, cancellation reason, and more.
- Real-time developer notifications: Receive notifications as soon as a subscriber's state changes.
- Subscription restore: Allow users to restore a subscription directly from the Play Store.
- Conversion analytics: See which channels bring in the largest number of paid users.
- Billing reports and dashboards: Measure how much you're earning every month from each subscription tier you offer and track how long you're retaining your subscribers. Use advanced options to select and analyze cohorts. See whether your features—such as free trials, account holds, and grace periods—are successful at acquiring and retaining users.
Best practices
- Use the Google Play Billing Library to simplify development. The library provides an interface for sending billing requests, and managing billing transactions using Google Play.
- Configure all of your subscriptions SKUs at the app level using the Google Play Console, instead of having to manage all of your SKUs individually.
- Use license test accounts to test purchases without spending real money. We provide a "good" test instrument and a "bad" test instrument for each account so you can make secure and convenient test purchases during development or in preparation for launch. For more information on testing, visit the Help Center.
- Record purchase tokens and order IDs to make sure you're tracking users appropriately. Order IDs appear in financial reports, and tokens are required for using Play Billing APIs and validating purchases.
- Offer free trials to let users try your app before committing to a purchase. It's one of the biggest conversion drivers, and our research has shown that 78% of all subscribers started with a free experience.
- Attract users with introductory pricing. Introductory pricing allows you to offer a discounted price to new users for a set period. Along with local and custom pricing and free trials, introductory pricing helps you acquire more subscribers and grow your subscription business.
- Verify purchases to ensure they complete successfully. You should also check at renewal time to ensure successful renewal and catch any issues.
- Follow Google Play's policies, including our Subscriptions Policy , to ensure your users understand what they are paying for.
- Monitor subscriber state changes using real-time developer notifications (RTDN). To enable RTDN, you'll need to integrate your backend with Cloud Pub/Sub using your own Google Cloud Platform (GCP) project, and indicate in Google Play Console the Pub/Sub topic to which Play should publish notifications. Whenever an RTDN is received, call the server-side API to get the latest subscription state. Then, sync the state with your database. This should be done even for notification types you haven't seen before.
- Notify your users when their payment information needs updating, which
helps to reduce involuntary churn as a result of payment failures. When
paymentStateis 0, the user needs to update their payment information.
- Implement grace periods for your apps. Setting up a grace period helps with retention by allowing you to give your users an extra 3 or 7 days to fix payment issues when their renewal declines. Developers who use a grace period see a 57% higher recovery rate from renewal declines. This can be configured in the Play Console.
- Help prevent involuntary churn by enabling account holds. With account holds, you put subscribers with payment failures in a suspended state and block access to content until they update their form of payment, which hopefully motivates them to do so. We see the best results when developers enable both grace periods and account holds for their subscriptions. By using both account hold and grace period, there is a 67% higher chance of users retaining their subscriptions.
- Review the feedback left by people who cancel their subscriptions to identify and, where possible, correct the reasons for cancellation.
- Create deep links to direct people to their subscription management page on the Play Store. Then enable users to easily restore a subscription from the subscription management page in the Play Store by enabling subscription restore in the Play Console.
- Transition users from one SKU to another. In the event a user tries to cancel, let them select another subscription plan by switching from one SKU to another.
- Analyze the
cancelReasonand cancellation time so you can correlate cancellations with user behavior to try and prevent it from happening in the first place.
- Defer billing through the Google Play Developer API to give existing users free service for a temporary period of time. Deferring billing is as a gesture of goodwill while also helping you to address outages or service issues.
- Use the Play Console to measure performance. The subscription dashboard and reports in the Play Console give you data and insight into your business performance to help guide your decisions.


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Credit union values aren't in profits; they're in people. And that translates to significant contributions within the communities we serve. For example, credit unions lead the nation when it comes to branches operating inside schools – a way for young people to learn to use financial products (such as credit cards) responsibly. As part of their community efforts, credit unions also reach out to people with low incomes, new Americans and people who lack a relationship with a financial institution to offer an affordable alternative to predatory financial providers, such as high cost payday lenders.
Phone: (217) 446-0777 | Fax: (217) 446-2522
If you are using a screen reader and are having problems using this website, please call (217) 446-0777 for assistance.


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My life as Myung-Sook
I was born in Seoul, Korea, as Myung-Sook. I was the youngest of four children.
From the perspective of westerners, Myung-Sook couldn't be happy because she lived in a poor family, in a one multifunctional room, with her parents, her grandmother and her older siblings. Myung-Sook was actually very happy.
I didn't know anything about the western countries. My universe was my neighborhood and my family. I had everything I needed to be happy in my universe: foods, cloths, a home, and my family. Being the youngest, I was cherished by my family.
My father worked in construction until he lost his job following a work accident that left his arm almost paralyzed. He could no longer rent a big house, so we moved twice near there. Around that time, my elder sister married a rich man.
The family income came from the work of my mother until she died in a bus accident on her way to bury my grandmother when I was six years old (western age). My father received a substantial sum of money for her death from the insurance company.
Some time later, he lent money to his fiancee so she could pay an engagement ring for her daughter as well as her wedding. After she got the money, his fiancee decided to not marry him using the pretext that she didn't know he had two other children besides me and she disappeared without repaying him.
My father was determined to find a new mother for us. He met a widow, a rich owner of tavern, with two daughters. I don't know the reason but he also lent this woman money after they were engaged. Right after obtaining the loan, his second fiancee refused to marry him and she never paid him back, pretending at last that she didn't know us.
Meanwhile, my brother quit his studies and left us to work.
To make matters worse, a couple whom my father lent money declared that they couldn't pay him back.
As we became poorer and poorer, occasionally we searched garbage cans to find plastic, which we would sell.
A this point, a westerner would say that Myung-Sook was certainly very unhappy. Well, Myung-Sook would tell you that she was happy. She wasn't sadder or happier than any child living in a rich family. She lived with her father and her older sister Marie, and she had all she needed to live happily.
Despite poverty, I have never suffered any hunger because I could go eat with my married sister and my nephew (and eventually a niece) at any time. Sometime, my brother gave us some money and once a week,my father and I went to Suwon by bus to get the money from the family who owed us. I eventually started going there alone to save the transportation cost.
One day, my father asked my sister Marie to accompany me so that she could replace me from time to time. The couple said they couldn't reimburse us but they knew a rich family who needed a maid and they offered her the job. My father refused the offer and sent her back to Suwon to tell them to pay us back.
The following day, Marie was missing. I went back to look for her and I found she was gone to work for the rich people. My elder sister was angry at our father about this news and she also tried to bring Marie back, without success.
Not being able to pay the house and to save the transportation cost, my father moved to Suwon with me where we had a free housing. Every day, I had to go to the couple's house to reclaim the money they owed us. It allowed me to eat with them each day.
We lived in extreme poverty but I was very happy, happy to live in the countryside surrounded by nature. My father was unhappy and desperate.
One day, he took me to see Marie to try to get some money of her pay from her work. While he was waiting in the street, it was my job to tell her employer that if he refused to pay us, my father would take back my sister. I was the go-between, between my father and my sister's place of work, until my father wasn't where he should have been. I immediately thought that I was abandoned, I didn't wait a second, I walked straight ahead until the night… and I ended up in a police station.
The lies behind my adoption
1st lie
I told the policeman that I lost my father while we were visiting my older sister. I gave the address of my former house in Seoul and I mentioned my elder sister lived near there. I also talked about my brother to a son of a policeman.
I was transferred to another police station that took me to a place for lost children. Within a week, I was interrogated again and this time, I told them my father left me in the street near my second sister's home. Since I was abandoned, they transferred me to an orphanage.
At the orphanage, I gave my former address once more. I told them if they could take me there, I could live with my elder sister and I could even go to my new home by myself. A lady promised me that she would do her best to find my former house and my elder sister. It was the first lie.
2nd lie
Three months later, a man came and asked the children who knew their addresses to raise their hands. For a third time, I gave my former address in Seoul. Of course, I didn't forget to tell him that my elder sister lived near the house and that I could live with her. This man promised me to come back after finding my home. A week later, when he came back, I thought he would bring me to my sister. It was the 2nd lie.
3rd lie
The man brought me and other children to St. Paul's orphanage. He was known to be the driver of the orphanage but maybe he was also the director since the only office of the orphanage belonged to him. Few days after our arrival, we were at his office in front of some unknown men (employees of Holt Children's Service).
The gentlemen gave us new birth dates and new ages. I was the only child to know her birth date, but they also gave me a different birthdate. We were ordered to tell our new ages if someone would question us in the future. We found this game very funny because we were made all younger by few months to a year or two. I didn't know that this game was only another lie for the international adoption; I didn't know I had became the Holt adoption product #K-6714 to be sold to would-be parents of USA.
4th lie
The other gilrs told us that we couldn't go to school with them because we would be leaving to the USA soon. A lie! They could have sent me to the school if they wanted to! During my 10 months there, I was considered to be a newbie who wasn't allowed to go to school because of my imminent departure to USA.
5th lie
Meanwhile, I was happy because I was well fed and well treated (the opposite of the first orphanage) and I had many friends. From time to time, I was sad because I missed my father badly but I thought that the man (director or driver) was searching my former house in order to take me to my sister.
Several of my friends went to the USA. I had no idea what the word "USA" meant, but I knew they left the orphanage forever; I also knew that the USA was a rich country where rich American parents were waiting for us but I still didn't know exactly what it meant. We were talking about the USA as a country of fairy tale. For example: "In the USA, milk flows from the walls", "In USA, toothpaste is red and you can swallow it like a candy." I began to dream of the USA while continuing to hope to be reunited with my father…
Finally, it was my turn to leave the orphanage. The nun took me to a place (Holt office). A social worker took me to the USA …. Between Holt office and USA, only two minutes had elapsed! Actually, I wasn't in the USA yet but when I saw the modern house (where I lived few days), I thought I was already in the USA.
Nobody explained me the word "USA". Lie by omission!
My past legally erased
I was reborn as Kim after the airplane has landed on the american soil with my visa.
While the adoptees have to fight to access to their adoption records, I had access to mine at 11 years, only two years after my arrival. My adoptive parents never tried to hide it from me, there was nothing to hide. My adoption record is filled with falsehoods made up (legally) by Holt agency, and my birth certificate is filled with the faked birthdate made up (legally) in the country of my purchasers (adoptive parents).
Social history
According to this document, I was born Nov 20, 1966, in an unknown place and was admitted to Holt from St. Paul's Orphanage Jan 29, 1975. It says that I was abandoned but it doesn't say when and how. Since there is no other information, it could have been at anytime between my birth and Jan. 29, 1975.
Actually, I arrived at the orphanage at the end of Jan 1975 (at 8 years old, western age). What happened between 1966 and 1975? Holt erased my past between 1966 and 1975 to make me adoptable.
I'll skip many other lies I read in my adoption papers.
This is an "orphan hojuk" made by the adoption agency (and the Korean government) to make me adoptable.
It is a legal document.
"Legal" doesn't mean true. Legal doesn't mean ethical either but everyone involved in adoption has a different definition of ethical.
"Legal" only means permitted by laws. My birthdate is a false birthdate made up by the adoption industry. In my hojuk, there is no information about my family. At the time my orphan hojuk was made, I knew the names of my parents and my father was still alive.
At age 11, I didn't know anything about "hojuk" or "orphan hojuk"; I didn't even know about Holt or adoption agency. When I read "Father: no record", "Mother: no record", "Birth place: unknown" with a false birthdate, I cried. I felt a void in me, then I felt anger at Korea and Koreans for rejecting me. Even if I loved my adoptive parents, I was ashamed of having been sold to strangers by my own people. It was the first time that I felt hatred, hatred towards Korea and Koreans for selling me.
While crying, I tried to explain to my adoptive father that I had a brother and two sisters. I told him everything that was written was a lie except my name. I told him the name of my mother and the names of two of my siblings that I still remembered. He yelled at me saying that there was no reason for me to cry. I stopped crying immediately, but continued to suffer like in a hell.
Another lie
Later, we contacted the orphanage. The nun replied, "she never said she had two sisters and a brother". Another lie! I often talked about my siblings, especially of my sister Marie, to other children in front of them. I also talked often about my family to the cook. They also said,"we are not involved in the adoptions; we only take care of children. Holt is responsible for adoptions." Holt replied, "we have no other information."
Then, I was called a liar for inventing a family or having too much of imagination about my past.
During a family trip with Holt, in 1989, I asked them to give me the name of my first orphanage. Both Holt Korea and the nuns of orphanage refused to give me the information. An employee of Holt Korea even laughed at me when I told him the name of my brother. I asked him to help me by calling every Kim Dae-Yeol I found in a telephone directory. He answered laughing loudly, "Oh! My name is Kim Dae-Yeol too!"
Lost, not abandoned
I went to Korea in 2001. This time a nun gave me the name of my first orphanage (probably because I told her that I had no adoptive family left).
At my first orphanage, I found the following informations that I had given them myself. My name, my age (Korean age), my former address in Seoul, the name of the city where I lived (Suwon), and the name of my father.
I went to KBS to find my family. My brother-in-law recognized my name and my father's name. He told my sisters to watch the program next morning.
My family didn't know I was sent to the USA. My siblings told me that I was not abandoned. They stopped searching me only after one day, thinking that I would come back by myself. My father died of liver disease in loneliness three years after losing me. My brother died in 1990 in an accident.
Because my birth father is dead, I don't know with certainty if he abandoned me or not. But, I know for sure nobody has ever tried to contact my family contrary to what I was promised, and Holt didn't get his consent to put me up for adoption.
Those baby sellers lied and made up a (legal) paper to snatch me from my (birth) country and my (birth) family without any consent.
I had a family before being adopted.
I became an orphan the day Holt put me up for adoption. I lost my culture, I lost my identity. I lost the family I had before being adopted; the difference of culture and language has prevented us to stay together. I have no other family. I also lost my country. There is no country that I can call my country.
For an update of this post, click here.


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Posted: Apr 24, 2010
PERRY, Ohio – Dowling College used a huge first-half blitz roll past the Lake Erie Storm in an East Coast Conference women's lacrosse match at Perry High School's Alumni Stadium, 16-3, on Saturday (April 24) afternoon.
The Storm (5-6, 1-4 ECC) fell behind 3-0 before Meredith Howe (Fayetteville, N.Y./Jamesville Dewilt) scored her first of her two goals in the game while in a man-down situation.
The Golden Lions (9-5, 3-1 ECC), ranked 10th in the country, went on to a 10-1 lead at halftime, dominating in every facet of the game, including a 24-2 advantage in shots.
Howe scored again with 25 minutes left and Brittany Rabuano (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) added the final tally of the game with just under four minutes to play to cap the Storm's scoring.
The Lions held won the battle in ground balls (22-9) and draw controls (13-8).
Storm goalkeeper Brittanie Johnson (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby) stopped 19 shots in the game.
The conference's second-leading scorer, Cassandra Cronin, scored four times to pace the Lions. She also added one assist for a game-high five points. Sam Messineo added two goals and tied for a game-high with two assists.
Lake Erie will have a week off and will return to the pitch next Saturday (May 1), when the Storm hosts Indiana Tech at 3 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in the home finale.


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Yoav Kotik's Recycling Between the Garbage and the Flowers
Exhibiting last Fall with Design Boom in Tokyo, Israel's Yoav Kotik is not afraid to try new things. From an industrial designer to working in the insurance industry, and now back to the world of Art, Kotik at 50, is now exhibiting his recycled flowers "Spring" at Tel Aviv's Periscope Gallery.
Looking to break into the US market (ideas anyone?), Kotik was not inspired by green motives, he says, but by the urban environment around him.
He's charged with a mission to change the way people think about trash, and scopes out new finds in Israeli cities and factories. Among his favorite materials are bottle caps and cans, which he fashions into jewelry: necklaces, rings and bracelets.
We think if you look hard enough, you'll meet him out in the fields somewhere holding hands with Leonard Cohen's Suzanne.
TreeHugger related :: Abu Yoyo: Bagging A City's Surplus Billboard Waste and :: How Many Plastic Bottles Did It Take To Make This Suit
::Green Prophet


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News tagged 'shareholders'
Apple buys back shares and acquires new companies
According to WSJ, Apple has repurchased $14 billion of its own shares after the Q-earnings report was published on January 28th.
Mr. Cook said Apple was "surprised" by the 8% decline in its shares on Jan. 28, the day after it reported quarterly results, and wanted to be "aggressive" and "opportunistic." With the latest purchases, Mr. Cook said Apple had bought back more than $40 billion of its shares over the past 12 months, which Mr. Cook said was a record for any company over a similar span.
Apple Showed Interest in Acquiring BlackBerry Patents, But Got Refusal
Apple, along with Microsoft, Lenovo, Cisco and Google, showed interest in acquiring parts of BlackBerry Ltd,
The Cost of the iPhone 5s and 5c Components
We all know that the iPhone 5s is an expensive device. Well, the iPhone 5c - which was earlier for some inexplicable reason called 'the cheap iPhone' - is expensive as well. And how much money does it take to manufacture these gadgets?
Apple Is at #19 in the Fortune's Global 500 List
According to the Fortune's latest annual list of the world's most successful companies, Apple ranks #19. As to the top five spots, they are occupied by such corporations as Royal Dutch Shell, Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, Sinopec Group and China National Petroleum.
New Apple Strategy to Sell More iPhones via Apple Store
Apple CEO Tim Cook is reported to have held a three-hour meeting on new sales strategy for company's employees and shareholders. According to 9to5Mac, he was talking on possible ways to increase the number of iPhones sold through the Apple Store. So far, the percentage of phones bought on the Internet or from other retailers like Walmart and Best Buy is close to 80. Quite obvious, that the result of only 20 percent is not enough good as for the company's main retail store.
Apple rumored to be in talks to acquire German HDTV maker Loewe
AppleInsider's source claims that Apple is said to be negotiating to acquire Loewe AG, a manufacturer and distributor of televisions, audio components and integrated entertainment systems. Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012."
This person said Apple is confidentially offering 87.3 million euros (about $112 million U.S.), a slight premium over the firm's last closing share price of 4.519 euros (giving it a market cap of 58.79 million euros or $76 million U.S.). Loewe's primary shareholders currently include Sharp (28.83 percent) and LaCie (11.17 percent).
Loewe entered the TV market in 1929, and now employs around 1,000 workers worldwide in 50 countries. The company has seen its sales fall by 11 percent over the last year, generating a loss of 10.5 million Euro ($13.57 million USD) in 2011.
Apple's 2012 shareholder meeting set for February 23
Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel Bruce Sewell has issued a letter on Monday where Apple informs the company's shareholders that its annual shareholder meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Pacific on Feb. 23 and will include four shareholder proposals. Last year's meeting was also held on Feb. 23. Only shareholders of record as of Dec. 27, 2011 will be eligible to attend and vote at the meeting.
The agenda for the annual meeting includes: the election of Apple's board of directors, ratification of Ernst & Young as its independent registered public accounting firm for the year, an advisory vote on executive compensation and consideration of four shareholder proposals.
The first shareholder proposal is the request for a "Conflict of Interest Report" that requires to disclose any investments of board members that would represent a financial conflict of interest, describes the role board members play in the development of the company's policies.
Apple's Ongoing Patent Battle May Pose Risks For Its Shareholders
According to
Dividend seen bringing $4B in additional investments to Apple
Analyst Brian Marshall with International Strategy & Investment Group claims that apple may finally pay its shareholders dividends, despite the company's long resistance. Most investors do not believe Apple will initiate a dividend policy in 2012, but if the company will, it may gain an additional $4 billion in investments.
At the moment the current Apple's CEO Tim Cook is reorganizing the company, so he may probably make an effort to optimize capital structure and start paying dividends Apple's shareholders. Brian Marshall believes that Apple could "easily" implement a dividend yield of 250 base points, amounting to about $2.40 per quarter.
Apple's previous CEO, Steve Jobs, didn't support the idea of dividend distribution and preferred to invest in strategic opportunities such as last year purchase of Siri (Apple paid about $200 million).
"We strongly believe one or more strategic opportunities will come along we're in a unique position to take advantage of," the late Apple CEO said in 2010. "We don't let the cash burn a hole in the pocket or make stupid acquisitions. We'd like to continue to keep our powder dry because we think there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future."
HP Has Revaluated Its Plans And Will Not Spin Off Its PC Unit
HP, the largest PC manufacturer,
Google Has Acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion
Today co-founder and CEO of Google Larry Page officially said that their company has acquired one of the largest smartphone manufacturer – Motorola, specifically Motorola Mobility. The company was sold for $12.5 billion, which is 63% more than the closing price of the company on Friday, August 12. This deal has yet to be approved by several official authorities in USA and European Union, as well as Motorola Mobility's shareholders. All transition processes is expected to finish in the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.
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Patent Dispute Between Apple And Nokia Is Resolved, Apple Will Pay For Licenses
Nokia announced that it had entered into agreement with Apple, and now the prolonged legal argument between two corporations is coming to an end with two parties withdrawing their complaints to the International Trade Commission.
A press release that announced the signed patent license agreement was issued by Nokia early Tuesday. Agreement stipulates that Apple have to make a one-time payment to Nokia as well as ongoing royalties. But exact details of the agreement are kept in secret. The statement also reads that Nokia has put about 43 billion EUR into research and development in the course of last 20 years, creating a patent portfolio that consists of 10,000 patent families.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Complete Transcript of Steve Jobs' Apple Q4 Earnings Call
Here's the Apple CEO in his own words talking during Apple Q4 Earnings Call:
Hi, everybody. As most of you know, I don't usually participate in Apple earnings calls, since you're all in such capable hands with Peter and Tim. But I just couldn't help dropping by for our first 20-billion-dollar quarter. I'd like to chat about a few things, and then stay for the rest of the Q&A, if that's all right.
First, let me discuss iPhone. We sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, which represents a 91 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter, and was well ahead of IDC's latest published estimate of 64 percent growth for the global smartphone market in the September quarter. And it handily beats RIM's 12.1 million BlackBerrys sold, in their most recent quarter ending in August.
Speaking About Reasons of Apple's Actions
After the news about Apple's lawsuit many of us have been wondering why Apple did this. Obviously, the thing is not about money as the company already has $40 billion of cash and investments. Digital Daily's editor John Paczkowski thinks the reason is a desire to extend iPhone's growing lead on the market.
"Apple is suing to make an example out of HTC and lengthen the engineering time-to-market for Android handset builders."
While other Android smartphone manufacturers will spend their time solving a problem with developing of noninfringing technologies to avoid lawsuits, Apple will continue to iterate the iPhone.
Ok, this is clear, but why Apple accused HTC now?
News from Apple's shareholders meeting
Shareholders meeting started at 1 p.m. EST Thursday. For almost 2,5 hours they discussed different topics and revealed some interesting information.
First of all, Apple is going to open 25 retail stores in China. As you know, the first Chinese store was built in 2008, and since then only plans about revealing another store were announced.
Secondly Steve Jobs told Apple will build its reserves to make big investments in the future. He also mentioned it is a better way of dealing with profit than paying dividends or doing stock buybacks. At this moment Apple has ~40 billion dollars in their chest.