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CIMMYT is a non-profit research and training center.Its headquarter is in Mexico. The abbreviation "CIMMYT" derives from the Spanish version of the name of the cenetr: Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo.
To sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat systems to ensure global food security and reduce poverty.
Vision and strategic goal
CIMMYT works with and brings together public research and extension organizations, private companies, advanced research institutes, NGOs, and farmer associations in countries worldwide, working pragmatically and apolitically to fight hunger and poverty. The Center applies the best science to develop and freely share:
High-yielding, stress tolerant maize and wheat varieties.
Large, unique collections of maize and wheat genetic resources.
Productivity-enhancing, resource-conserving farming practices.
Training and information relating to the above.
Through these activities and outputs, CIMMYT works to foster global and local food security, helping farmers meet rapidly rising demand from expanding populations and affluence, while addressing the emerging challenges of global climate change and resource degradation and scarcities.
CIMMYT achieves the above with about 105 specialized research staff and 500 support staff from about 40 countries, on a yearly budget of some USD 50 million. The Center is funded by international and regional development agencies, national governments, private foundations, and the private sector. It is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
CIMMYT grew out of a pilot program in Mexico in 1943, sponsored by the Government of Mexico and the Rockefeller Foundation. The project developed into an innovative, sustained collaboration with Mexican and international researchers. It established international networks to test experimental varieties. Under the leadership of late wheat scientist Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, the team developed shorter wheat varieties that put more energy into grain production, responded better to fertilizer than older varieties, grew well at different latitudes, and were resistant to the devastating wheat disease known as stem rust. By the late 1950s, Mexico was self-sufficient in wheat production. Mexico's success inspired project researchers to become fierce and effective advocates for the Mexican innovation model in other countries.
Around 1965, South Asian cereal production was in dire straights. Population was outstripping wheat and rice production, and more than 10 million tons of grain were regularly being imported to make up for the deficits. Hunger was widespread, and government leaders in Pakistan (which then included East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) and India were desperate to improve national cereal production. The following year, CIMMYT was established as an international center with its headquarters in Mexico. In 1967 India imported 18,000 tons of seed of the improved Mexican wheat varieties, and Pakistan soon began to use them. During 1967-71, the two countries doubled their wheat production.
The successes of the new crop varieties, along with improved management practices like the use of fertilizer, sparked the widespread adoption of improved varieties and farming techniques in the developing world—a phenomenon that came to be called the "Green Revolution." The social and economic benefits of this movement were recognized worldwide when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Norman Borlaug in 1970. The following year, a small cadre of development organizations, national sponsors, and private foundations organized the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to spread the impact of research to more crops and nations. CIMMYT was one of the first international research centers to be supported through the CGIAR.
Why do maize and wheat matter?
Seventy percent of the world's poorest people live in the countryside. Many depend on farming, especially of maize and wheat, for food and income.
According to FAO, maize and wheat account for about 40% of the world's food and 25% of calories consumed in developing countries.
Millions of people—including poor people in urban areas—get more than half of their daily calories from maize and wheat alone.
Maize and wheat occupy almost 200 million hectares in developing countries. We must grow these crops in environmentally responsible ways, or the results could be devastating.
To meet the need for food, developing countries will need 368 million additional tons of maize and wheat by 2020 (today, they need about 700 million tons).
The impact of CIMMYT's work
Wheat varieties bred at CIMMYT and its predecessor organization prevented famine and hunger in South Asia and elsewhere in the world. The benefits of this Green Revolution were recognized through the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
More nutritious maize varieties developed by CIMMYT won recognition through the 2000 World Food Prize.
Recent estimates indicate that wheat varieties developed by CIMMYT and its partners are planted on more than 64 million hectares in developing countries, representing more than 75% of the area planted to modern wheat varieties in those countries.
Maize varieties developed by CIMMYT and its partners are planted on nearly half of the area sown to improved varieties in non-temperate areas of the developing world.
As reported in Science (v. 300: 758-62), in the absence of CGIAR Centers such as CIMMYT, with their many partners in the developing world, crop yields in developing countries would have been 19.5-23.5% lower; prices for food crops would have been 35-66% higher; imports would be 27-30% higher; calorie intake would have been 13.3-14.4% lower; and 32-42 million more children would have been malnourished. The area planted to crops would be 4% higher for wheat and 2% for maize.
Lower food prices extend the benefits of agricultural research to poor consumers in urban areas and landless people in rural areas (and even to the industrialized world).
If the developing world attempted to meet its food requirements in 1995 without the improved varieties of food crops developed since the Green Revolution, an additional 426 million hectares of cropped area would be needed (a five-fold increase over cropped area in 1965).
This land savings helped to preserve forested and environmentally fragile lands and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%. A higher concentration of greenhouse gases might have caused climate change to begin sooner.
The goal of CIMMYT Capacity building & knowledge sharing
The researchers who attend CIMMYT courses play a critical role in meeting their countries' national food security and resource conservation goals. They work on behalf of the world's poorest and most marginal farmers. By creating an agricultural community of knowledge in critical regions through quality and gender-balanced training, CIMMYT empowers researchers to help these farmers and, in so doing, to help their countries towards a more food-secure, sustainable future.
What makes CIMMYT Capacity building & knowledge sharing different?
In contrast to formal academic training in plant breeding and agronomy in most countries, which is mainly broad and theoretical, CIMMYT training activities are highly specialized and 'hands-on'. Through a unique training program that combines practical experience in the everyday processes of maize or wheat research and the theoretical knowledge to support their actions, course participants develop and sharpen researcher skills in conducting efficient research that responds to the challenging circumstances of developing countries.
Furthermore, CIMMYT offers a global perspective. Because CIMMYT works throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the researchers who attend CIMMYT courses benefit from the mass of information and data assembled and handled in a global research program.
Because course participants are drawn from many nations, they have an opportunity to exchange information, experiences, and strategies that may prove useful in other settings. This same exchange occurs between participants and the CIMMYT researchers – many of them internationally recognized scientists – who lead the courses.
Human resource development at CIMMYT connects researchers to a broad, interactive scientific community. Course participants and CIMMYT staff form a community of 'best practices' for research that continues to function informally long after the course work ends. Alumni of CIMMYT courses often become a significant force for agricultural change in their countries.
Maize is the most important cereal crop for food in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and a key feed crop in Asia. Declining soil fertility and environmental stresses affect crop production and health in less developed regions. Climate change and degraded soils threaten the food security of millions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of access to seed and other inputs, underdeveloped markets, and low investment in research and extension worsen farmers' marginalization in low-income countries.
The Global Maize Program
Uses maize genetic resources to provide diverse, high-yielding varieties that withstand infertile soils, drought, insect pests, and diseases.
Conducts crop and natural resource management research to help farmers exploit the full potential of improved seed and to preserve and enhance soil and water resources.
Explores new market opportunities for smallholder farmers.
Works with a range of partners to generate and share knowledge and techniques, ensuring that research results reach farmers' fields and make a difference.
Offers a rich assortment of training opportunities in maize breeding and crop management research (in-service courses, visiting scientist appointments, pre- and post-doctoral fellowships, among others).
The famous Avis car rental ad campaign of the early 1960s said "We're number 2, so we try harder." Wheat is the number 2 staple crop in the developing world. Its geographic distribution is truly global. From the humid lowlands of northern Mexico to the dry plains of Kazakhstan wheat is sown on more than 200 million ha of developing country farmland. CIMMYT works to ensure the farm families of the developing world who depend on wheat for their livelihoods have the best research support behind them.
Global Wheat Program
While many wheat farmers grow their crops on relatively large farms, large numbers, especially in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India, Bangladesh and Nepal are resource poor, with little land. The demand for quality wheat products like bread and chapatti in developing countries is increasing with the rising population and urbanization but the farming systems impose major constraints on the environment and the future capacity to produce.
The current challenges may be divided into to major, though not mutually exclusive areas.
Rainfed farming systems
Half of the area sown to wheat in developing countries suffers from poor or erratic rainfall, poor soils, aggressive diseases, and sometimes extreme heat or cold. This program seeks to improve food security and resource conservation in these very diverse ecologies, which cover large areas of Asia, northern, southern, and eastern Africa, and Latin America, and include countries where half of the daily food requirement is met by wheat alone. Expected applications of research carried out in the program will provide farm households with new options to diversify crop and livestock production systems, improve their productivity, and conserve scarce water and soil resources. Some areas experience widespread and serious micronutrient malnutrition.
Irrigated/Intensive systems
Intensive agricultural systems are a source of food and income security for rural and urban households in Asia, North Africa, and Latin America. These systems are central to reducing poverty in Asia, which still has the largest number of poor people in the world. Intensive systems are usually irrigated and highly productive, featuring multiple crops (including large areas of maize and wheat). They also face serious problems, including the unsustainable exploitation of water and soils, inefficient use of chemical inputs, and emerging or worsening disease and pest problems. This program conducts research to overcome these limitations and ensure that these key agricultural areas remain productive and ecologically sound into the future. Focus regions include the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the Mediterranean littoral, the Yellow River Basin, and northwestern Mexico.
CIMMYT has established as the Center of Hope through its remarkable programs and activities in partnership with the concerned agencies.We congratulate CIMMYT for its outstanding achievements.
(The article is prepared on the basis of the website of CIMMYT)
Bangladesh and CIMMYT: Decades of partnership, commitment, and achievement
CIMMYT E-News, vol 5 no. 8, August 2008
Work by CIMMYT with researchers, extension workers, policymakers, and farmers in Bangladesh for nearly four decades has helped establish wheat and maize among the country's major cereal crops, made farming systems more productive and sustainable, improved food security and livelihoods, and won ringing praise from national decision makers in agriculture, according to a recent report published by CIMMYT.
"CIMMYT is one of the leading centers of the CGIAR …working in Bangladesh since the early 70s…initiating multi-dimensional work for varietal improvement, improved crop management, conservation of natural resources, and human resource development," says Dr. Md. Nur-E-Elahi, Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, citing the center's contributions to the development of high-yielding maize and wheat varieties, wheat-rice and maize-rice systems, whole-family training, small-scale farm mechanization for conservation agriculture, and triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid) for fodder. ""CIMMYT's contributions to agricultural research and development in Bangladesh are highly recognized."
Building capacity among scientists and farm families
More than 140 Bangladeshi wheat and maize scientists and extensionists have taken part in courses at CIMMYT-Mexico or come as visiting scientists in crop breeding, agronomy, pathology, cereal technology, experiment station management, seed production, economics, heat stress, and resource conserving practices. Dozens of scientists from Bangladesh have also attended conferences or international workshops organized by the center and partners. Finally, joint efforts in crop, soil, and water management research over the last 20 years have added to expertise in Bangladesh.
More often than not, women and children contribute substantively to farm activities, so CIMMYT and the Wheat Research Centre (WRC) developed and refined a whole-family-training approach that has boosted adoption of improved cropping practices. "We've reached over 27,000 women and men farmers on maize and wheat production, and around 700 small-scale dairy farmers," says Anton Prokash Adhikari, CIMMYT-Bangladesh Administrator. Follow-up studies in 1996 among a randomly-selected subset of families who attended training sessions showed a 90-100% adoption of improved practices. After training, maize farmers adopted a range of improved production practices, planting the crop on more land and raising grain yields by 0.8 tons per hectare. "This type of training has raised the quality of farming in Bangladesh," says Adhikari.
With an average of over 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometer, Bangladesh is among the world's most densely-populated countries, and nearly two-thirds of its people work in agriculture. The country furnishes a case study for the future of farming in developing countries: as a result of intensive cropping rotations, every square centimeter of arable land is used 1.8 times a year, and resources are stretched beyond what is normally considered "sustainable." A recent report on CIMMYT efforts in Bangladesh gives an interesting account of how, through broad partnerships and sustained research for farmers, an international agricultural center can help improve farmers and consumers' lives.
Joint work brings food and windfalls
"The last quarter century of work by a small team of dedicated CIMMYT staff and their colleagues in Bangladesh national programs has brought improvements in local and national income, food security, human nutrition, and well-being," says agronomist Stephen Waddington, who worked for CIMMYT in Bangladesh during 2005-2007. "This is easily seen by any visitor to Bangladesh, where nowadays many otherwise poor people regularly have wheat chapattis for their breakfast, a glass of milk from triticale fodder-fed cows for their lunch, and maize-fed chicken, eggs, or fish for their dinner."
Bangladesh emerged on the map of significant wheat-growing countries in the 1980s, according to Waddington. "Wheat became the second major cereal after rice, contributing to food security and human nutrition, and improving the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers and urban consumers," he says. "Nineteen of the twenty-four wheat varieties released in Bangladesh carry CIMMYT lines in their backgrounds." Much crop management and soil research for wheat was conducted in joint Bangladesh Wheat Research Center (WRC)-CIMMYT programs.
With climate change, enter maize and alternative crops
After playing a crucial role in Bangladesh agriculture, wheat production has declined in recent years, due chiefly to higher temperatures that hamper grain filling and incubate wheat diseases. But maize has become increasingly popular, partly in response to rising demand from the poultry sector for feed. "Last year farmers produced 1.3 million tons of maize, and output and interest are growing ," says Enamul Haque, Senior Program Officer for CIMMYT-Bangladesh. "Maize fits well in Bangladesh's climate, soils, and intensive farming systems."
Again, CIMMYT has helped in a big way, providing improved maize lines adapted to local conditions, offering expertise in hybrid-based maize breeding and crop management research, helping to promote dialogue on enabling policies that foster productivity and effective markets. "Six out of the seven maize hybrids released by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, in recent years contain CIMMYT maize lines, and there is significant use of CIMMYT maize by emerging private breeding companies," says Haque.
Finally, in recent years, triticale has become a source of high-quality green fodder for small-scale dairy producers during the cool, dry, winter season. "Dual-purpose fodder and grain triticale can produce 7 to 12 tons per hectare of fresh fodder, and as much as 2 tons per hectare of grain for poultry feed or for chapattis," says Haque. All triticale varieties sown in Bangladesh come from CIMMYT.
Mechanization and resource-conserving practices
Within the last decade or so, agriculture in Bangladesh has become highly-mechanized: 8 of 10 farmers use two-wheel tractors, which are more apt for their small and scattered land holdings than the four-wheel variety. Since 1995, Haque has worked with the WRC and local organizations to promote a varied set of implements for reduced, more efficient tillage and seeding. One key aim has been to enable farmers to sow wheat or other crops directly after rice harvest in a single day—instead of after two weeks of back-breaking, fuel-hungry plowing—thus saving money and allowing the new crop to mature before the pre-monsoon heat shrivels the grain.
[Craig Meisner (left), a CIMMYT wheat agronomist during 1990-2005, contributed significantly to CIMMYT's presence, partnerships, and achievements in Bangladesh.]
Craig Meisner (left), a CIMMYT wheat agronomist during 1990-2005, contributed significantly to CIMMYT's presence, partnerships, and achievements in Bangladesh.
"To date thousands of farmers have adopted a small, two-wheel tractor-driven implement that tills, seeds, and covers the seed in a single pass," says Haque. "This reduces turn-around between crops by 50%, cuts costs 15-20%, saves 30% in irrigation water and 25% in seed, and improves fertilizer efficiency—all this, as well as increasing yields by 20%, for wheat." Owners of the single-pass seeding implement often hire out their services, earning USD 1,000-2,000 a year and each helping 20-100 other farmers to obtain the above-mentioned benefits. In addition, the reduced tillage implement and practices help address labor shortages that constrain farm operations at peak times, and are opening lucrative opportunities for machinery manufacturing and repair businesses.
For the future, CIMMYT staff are testing and promoting with researchers and farmers the use of permanent, raised beds and straw retention systems that can increase yields as much as 50% in intensive, wheat-maize-rice cropping sequences. Future activities of CIMMYT-Bangladesh will also focus on strengthening wheat and maize breeding programs, system-based research and resource-conserving practices, and the use of maize as food, fodder, and feed. "We'd also like to do more capacity building, study soil health and nutrition, and better disseminate useful technologies to farmers and extension agents," Haque says, "but much depends on the resources available."
Extensive partnerships key to past and future success
"CIMMYT has worked with national programs, NGOs, the private sector, farmers, donors, and policy planners," says Md. Harun-ur-Rashid, Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, and Director General, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. "These joint programs have accumulated an impressive array of achievements and benefits."
In addition to the key partners cited above, CIMMYT has worked with agricultural universities in Bangladesh, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, the Soil Resource Development Institute, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), the Bangladesh Chashi Kollan Samity, the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Deoel Agro Industries Complex Ltd., and the Mahbub Engineering Workshop at Jamalpur. IRRI; ILRI; ICRISAT; IFDC; FAO; Murdoch University, ACIAR, and CSIRO, in Australia; Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Winrock International, and the Helen Keller Foundation, USDA, in the USA.
You can read the article of CIMMYT with the photographs at the follwing link :


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May is for MAMA'S giveaway extravaganza May 03 2014, 0 Comments
We are so very excited it is May! The flowers are blooming, summer is around the corner and it is the month to celebrate Mother's.
We have some awesome mamalates products and other goodies to giveaway during this entire month.
Including: a mamalates birth recovery mom+ baby workout DVD, an essential Birth recovery kit, a postpartum abdominal binder for abdominal separation, a baby spa bath DVD from ABC Doula of Portland and MORE!
One Mama said that the mamalates essential birth recovery kit "Was the best gift I received at my baby shower!"
Another Mama has said the mamalates abdominal binder was "Hands down, much better than the binder I left the hospital with."
So, to participate in this amazing giveaway:
1) Follow mamalates on Facebook
2) Comment and get involved with the facebook posts- we would love to hear your birth recovery story!
3) Share with your sisters and other Mama friends
4) Check this blog frequently for giveaway annnounements
5) Have Fun!
The first giveaway will start next week so stay tuned!
Have a great weekend!

subset: commoncrawl


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To the roll call of corporate scandals in recent years - a list of greed and shame that includes Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and others - the name of newspaper group Hollinger International may soon be added. An internal investigation into financial malpractice within Hollinger conducted by Richard Breeden, a former chairman of the US securities and exchange commission, alleges a stunning sequence of "corporate kleptocracy" by Conrad Black, the recently ousted chief executive of Hollinger. Mr Breeden's report bluntly states that Lord Black and others "committed deliberate acts of fraud, and violated civil and criminal statutes" by pocketing secret payments worth hundreds of millions of pounds. In essence, Lord Black and his coterie appear to have milked the finances of Hollinger's assets, including the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Telegraph and the Spectator, as a source of personal wealth, over the legitimate claims of its shareholders.
Mr Breeden's 500-page report is alternately shocking and amusing in illuminating the scale and nature of the apparent abuse by Hollinger's senior executives, which seem to have been blithely approved by the company's directors. From claiming $42,870 for a birthday party in honour of Barbara Amiel Black, the Daily Telegraph columnist turned Hollinger board member, to the more serious charge that Lord Black and allies received cash equivalent to 95% of Hollinger's entire net income for six years - more than £200m - the 14-month long investigation supports its conclusion of "aggressive looting".
Lord Black denies the report's findings, having previously described Mr Breeden as "truly evil" and a fascist who menaces capitalism. But those unconvinced by Lord Black's denials may be more concerned to know how he was able to get away with such an apparently concerted fraud. The answer lies in the unusual ownership structure that Lord Black enjoyed, with a holding company owning just 30% of Hollinger's equity but with a special class of shares that granted him 70% of voting rights. In effect he was - and is still, pending court battles in the US - effectively owner and manager, able to fire directors and executives as he saw fit, accountable to no one. For all Lord Black's lectures on the triumphant values of capitalism, they were values to which he seemed a stranger.
Hollinger's byzantine ownership structure demanded a much more rigorous standard of transparency. In this case, Hollinger's shareholders were lucky to have had a small but persistent US fund manager named Tweedy, Browne that was prepared to aggressively pursue Hollinger and Lord Black. Its success, in the face of Lord Black's pompous bluster and posturing, is the real triumph. Now the Hollinger report will be examined by regulators and authorities in the US, the UK and Canada, with the possibility of heavy civil and criminal actions being brought against Lord Black and others. Hollinger is already suing Lord Black and allies for £700m in compensation and damages. Others may follow.
Finally, there is the issue of Lord Black's title, a peerage unwisely bestowed on him at the request of the Conservative party. If nothing else this, and the example of Jeffrey Archer, shows the need for reform of the House of Lords and its replacement by a democratically elected membership. In the meantime, if these damning accusations are proved to be substantially true, it is inconceivable that Lord Black should sit in the upper house as a member of the British legislature. If Lord Black has a shred of decency and self-respect in such circumstances then he should voluntarily resign his peerage. If he does not, matters should be set in motion to strip him of this undeserved and unworthy title.


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So; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God;
( Philippians 4:6 ) because; The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.
( James 5:16 )
Now, there is also an added benefit to your
prayers, for they will lead you to a greater communion with
God, and a much greater understanding of His will for you
as well!
I said a prayer for you today,
And I know God must have heard;
I felt the answer in my heart,
Although He spoke not a word.
I didn't ask for wealth or fame,
( I knew you wouldn't mind; )
I asked for priceless treasures rare,
Of a more lasting kind.
I prayed that He'd be near to you,
At the start of each new day,
To grant you health and blessings fair,
And friends to share your way.
I asked for happiness for you,
In all thing great and small,
But that you'd know His loving care,
I prayed most of all. Amen.


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Here are two reasons visitors to readlarrypowell.com can relate to our East Texas tipster Lisa Konkoly Buick.
(1) She's a genuine animal fan and told us about Jefferson (the dog, not the East Texas tourism spot). And
(2) She posted a note that declared, and I'm paraphrasing, she's "tired of the headaches" from all the "too much stuff" in the air.
[LARRY ASIDE: We endorse doming the whole state and installing a climate control system with filters that keep atoms from penetrating the sinuses of inhabitants. Wait. That mean we'd be trapped inside with pre-existent allergens and who needs that? Three or four times a year we'd sneeze the dome off its foundation. So, you see now why I was not a science major at Texarkana Junior College. I don't think I had a major, though I did take two semesters of bowling. OK, let's roll on.]
In the meantime, the reason we bring up Lisa is she tipped us to this great sleeper from Take Me Home Pet Rescue. Look at that dog's style!
He's perfect for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. He appears to have an enthusiasm for the dramatic positions of somnulent bliss.
The TMHPR people posted this note back on the 15th, but he was still on their available list when I checked Friday. Here's the text: "Jefferson is one heck of a napper. Are you looking for a napping buddy? You looking for a silly boy who would love to hold your sofa down?
"Jefferson is just that boy!
"Jefferson is looking for an active family who is home more than not. He would love to copilot carpool, run at soccer practice, makes trips to the dog park and then call it a night curled up with his humans.
"This boy is ready for that Forever Home!
"For more information about Jefferson, please visit our website." The general website is www.tmhpr.com and if you click HERE, it'll take you right to the always formally-attired (except when he's trying to sleep) Jefferson. Not sure the chair comes with him, but you never know. To me it seems to be expressing exactly what Jefferson is saying: "TAKE ME HOME."
Oh, and, yes, Jefferson actually does know how to stretch out on the bed and go to sleep.
Lucky stiff.
[Send photos and info about your sleeping dog, napping cat, dozing critter or slumbering relative to email@example.com. We post the photos because it's the thing to do to inspire insomniacs to believe that they, too, can find a comfy chair and the right position to grab some sleep. Also, we post this because it keeps us indoors and away from mountain cedar, pollen, mold and whatever else makes a fat man sneeze 'n' shake like a California quake.]
--- To comment, get a tissue, grip your AntiAllergenMouse and click below. ---


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To note, especially, is the way the coyote cocks its entire head back and forth, triangulating, in order to precisely locate through sound where its prey is. The dive ends with a powerful "punch" delivered by the forepaws aimed right at the prey. Also note the coyote's extreme patience and concentration. The video originally was about six minutes long. I've spliced out four minutes so that you won't need a coyote's patience to watch it!
Triangulation, A Dive, And "Darn that Log!"
31 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in coyote behavior, hunting, video Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
Mom Rushes In, by Charles Wood
30 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, coyote reactions to dogs, group activity, video Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
Monday my Los Angeles area coyotes were less congenial than on Sunday. Mister showed up first and started barking. Then Mom and Dad arrived. I didn't see any others. Perhaps they acted differently for the three having time on their hands while waiting for the others
In the video, Mister first solicits play from Mom. She refuses and Mister turns to Dad who also refuses. Mister comes toward my dog Holtz and me. Note that Holtz, sixty pounds, stood to my immediate left wearing his harness attached to a fully retracted and locked leash. Mom joins Mister who steels himself with a stretch and a yawn and then comes closer while Mom and Dad watch from behind.
Holtz had been sitting quietly, paying more attention to his itches than to the coyotes. A little late seeing that Mister was now close by, Holtz rises to bark. Mister flinches. On Holtz's first bark, Mom set her left rear foot. Mom might have ignored one bark. To one bark, Mister might have replied with dirt scrapes and yips. As it was, Holtz barked more. Mom's exaggerated run towards us was intended to give Holtz pause until she arrived in position. Holtz's excessive ruckus decided Mom's course.
Mister's course was decided after his parents refused him play. Holtz didn't notice. Mister had reinforcements, yet Holtz's position was superior to the three because Holtz had me. Holtz didn't notice. Holtz was reactive. In contrast, the coyotes were acting out a plan, a plan that allowed for the contingency of Mister needing help. The coyotes wouldn't have acted out a plan had I left when Mister began to bark or left when later they started to warn me with stares. They see Holtz as a serial intruder into their home range and don't want him around because they perceive Holtz as a potential competitor. To a coyote, showing one's self to a lingerer is supposed to be enough to cause an intruder to leave. In fact, Holtz had wanted to leave well before Mister showed himself, having planted his feet and refusing to go with me towards the brush out of which Mister later emerged.
After Mom joins Mister her eyes follow Holtz. Mister moves right, perhaps too soon. Mom waits and continues to study before deciding to approach on our left. She made an assessment and a decision based on how we were physically positioned towards her. I didn't notice what tipped her to our left.
Mister draws in behind Mom and they rush in. Holtz barks and then whines in frustration at my restraining him. Mom and Mister stop short and withdraw. They meet up with Dad who comes to them from within the bushes.
In the past, Dad has been the one to message Holtz and me in the way Mom and Mister did today. I don't know if Dad's health doesn't allow it or if the parents think it good experience for Mister. If Dad is losing it, Mom is stepping in to fill his shoes. It isn't my experience of Dad that he hold back or prefer greetings, scratching and play to messaging Holtz and me. My goal is to find him alone in order to better assess his temperament and health, to see if he still is the king I've known him to be.
Posting written by Charles Wood. Visit Charles Wood's website for more coyote photos: Charles Wood. His work is copyrighted and may only be used with his explicit permission.
Low Key Rendezvous, by Charles Wood
29 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, greetings, group activity, video Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
Sunday I videoed my Los Angeles area coyotes as they met up for the evening. In the video, Dad and Mom stand in the back while Tom wanders and Mister sits. About a minute into the video Mister appears to ask Mom for a kiss. I believe there was a fifth coyote hidden in the brush. It may be the one that ran to catch up with the other four.
It was nice to see Dad and the others practically indifferent to Holtz and me. Their stares were low key and they were relaxed enough to instead be attentive to each other. Mister didn't feel he had to prove something to everybody, even stopped staring. Only Mom felt strongly enough about us to mark. Their tails said to me they were ready to explode in joy except for the man and dog. Sunday the five arrived at approximately the same time, greeted and then moved along to where they go most evenings. They had a place to be off to and each knew it as they met.
At times one or two show up ahead of the others. Mom did a few days ago while teenage boys were spray painting under the bridge. She sat on higher ground and watched the boys while watching for her pack to gather. When I arrived there I pointed her out to their amazement. You just never know who is watching you tag.
Posting written by Charles Wood. Visit Charles Wood's website for more coyote photos: Charles Wood. His work is copyrighted and may only be used with his explicit permission.
Chased Into A Hollow
28 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote barking, coyote behavior, coyote reactions to dogs Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
Being out at twilight in a park allowed me to glimpse an owl hunting — I don't see this often. It was quiet and it seemed at first as though no one was around, but I was wrong. Soon a dog appeared, and the owl took off as it and its owner got nearer.
As I watched the owl fly away, I heard another man yell sharply at his dog. That was the tell-tale sign that alerted me to the possible presence of a coyote on a trail. As I headed in the direction of the voice, I began to hear two coyotes bellowing out their distress at having been chased. One coyote must have run off, because its barking receded into the distance.
However, the other coyote was very close by, in the bushes. I could not see the coyote at all — so, to begin with, I just took a photo of where the sound was coming from. It was in a hollow right next to the trail — not, as usual, up high and away. Although at first I had heard two coyotes barking together, the barking pattern changed when one ran off. The barking began alternating between them, one after the other, taking turns, seeming to answer each other, until the far coyote stopped altogether. The nearer one continued a little longer and then also stopped.
Within a short time, the closer coyote must have sensed that the danger had passed — the dog and walker were long gone — because it came out to inspect it's surroundings, looking around carefully before trotting off to continue what it probably had been doing before the dog arrived: hunting for voles and gophers.
I'm including the recording in which you can hear the near and the far coyotes' barking. Unfortunately the recorder picked up the sound of my walking as I was trying to visually spot the coyotes!
More Dens
28 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in pupping Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
A friend let me know that she discovered a coyote den fairly close to her own home! Chert rock formations and outcroppings are common throughout the entire Bay Area. The den apparently was not used this year and is not being used now, though she told me that several years ago she heard coyote pups all the time from that area. It appears to be a very "classical" den, with a very deep entryway protected by an overhanging rock. And, of course, it is located in a hidden and secluded area, although not far from my friend's home.
I wanted to find out more about the den, but it would have been impractical to dig it out, and I was fearful of sticking my hand in it: who knows what might be lurking in there now! What you see here is the opening into a large hollow area. There had been a mass of overgrown tangled blackberry brambles hiding the entryway, and it was only when these were thinned out that the den opening became visible at all. It is likely there is another opening close by, hidden like this one had been.
Not far from her home, about an eighth of a mile away, is another den which her neighbor told me about. It is completely different from this one, consisting of a flat area hidden below tall grasses close to a natural spring — not a cave at all. I couldn't get a photo of this one, also hidden in thick brambles. But I am sure, it being so close to the other one, and from what these folks told me, that it was used by the same coyote family.
Coyote dens are used for giving birth and nursing young pups. Most coyotes have several dens between which they move the youngsters, both for protection against possible predators and to escape from bug infestations. As the coyote pups grow up, they stop using the dens. Adult coyotes sleep out in the open or under bushes, usually during daytime hours.
A Foot Is Put Down
25 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, hunting Tags: coyote behavior, coyotes, urban coyotes
The vole was caught, but it tried to get away, of course. As it reached the other side of the path the coyote extended a foot and put it down on top of the prey, pinning it down, trapping it and sealing its fate. The coyote stood up and kept its weight on its prey for a full ten seconds — an incredibly long period of time when life and death are concerned — standing absolutely still and looking off into the distance. I actually could not tell that this is what was happening until the coyote finally bent down to pick up in his mouth what was under his foot and run off with it before eating it.
In most instances that I have seen, a coyote will scramble quickly to get a firm hold of its prey in its mouth to prevent it from slipping away. But this time there was a calmness as the coyote stood there with his weight on the vole. Had he been squeezing it to death — preventing respiration –on purpose, the same as the hawks do? I have seen hawks hold onto and squeeze a rodent over what felt like a long time, but in fact was only about ten seconds, while looking calmly off into the distance, exactly as the coyote had done. It points to a behavior and a use of the legs which I have not seen before.


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On Tue, May 18, 2004 at 06:52:10PM -0500, Joe Wreschnig wrote: > Is there any reason that warranty disclaimers ALWAYS LOOK LIKE THIS in > copyright licenses? I can't find any legal precedent for requiring them > to be like this, but the only one I remember seeing in a proper case is > Peter Norvig's license[0] where clauses 1 and 2 take the place of the > boilerplate disclaimer. My understanding is that this just provides you with evidentiary support that the warranty disclaimer is unequivocal. As a counterexample, imagine a product with the warranty disclaimer in 4 point font on the inside of the packaging -- a court would likely find the disclaimer ineffective and impose an implied warranty of merchantability. If you want to disclaim this warranty, it's in your interest to set it up to make it harder for a consumer to argue that she wasn't aware of the disclaimer. I'm not aware of any particular case that hinged on mixed case versus all caps, but it does seem to be the standard way to make the disclaimer. Note that Uniform Commercial Code § 2-316 requires any disclaimer of the implied warranty of merchantability to be conspicuous: Subject to subsection (3), to exclude or modify the implied warranty of merchantability or any part of it the language must mention merchantability and in case of a writing must be conspicuous, and to exclude or modify any implied warranty of fitness the exclusion must be by a writing and conspicuous. Language to exclude all implied warranties of fitness is sufficient if it states, for example, that There are no warranties which extend beyond the description on the fact hereof. http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-316.html > (Alternately, are warranty disclaimers even necessary? I'm under the > impression they are at least in the US, because of the implied > warranties that are disclaimed by most licenses.) Yes. See UCC § 2-314: § 2-314. Implied Warranty: Merchantability; Usage of Trade. (1) Unless excluded or modified (Section 2-316), a warranty that the goods shall be merchantable is implied in a contract for their sale if the seller is a merchant with respect to goods of that kind. Under this section the serving for value of food or drink to be consumed either on the premises or elsewhere is a sale. (2) Goods to be merchantable must be at least such as (a) pass without objection in the trade under the contract description; and (b) in the case of fungible goods, are of fair average quality within the description; and (c) are fit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are used; and (d) run, within the variations permitted by the agreement, of even kind, quality and quantity within each unit and among all units involved; and (e) are adequately contained, packaged, and labeled as the agreement may require; and (f) conform to the promise or affirmations of fact made on the container or label if any. (3) Unless excluded or modified (Section 2-316) other implied warranties may arise from course of dealing or usage of trade. http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-314.html -- Adam Kessel http://adam.rosi-kessel.org
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They're back…. brass and gold accents are taking centre stage as chrome finishes move to the rear seat after years of dominating the interiors market. It has been ages since we've seen modern kitchens and bathrooms with brass hardware but this season it's difficult to read an interiors magazine without coming across the golden glow of yellow metals. Yes, I like a polished chrome knob, but there's something glamorous about a brass recessed pull on a dark grey kitchen drawer. If your units have no hardware, then why not hang brass pendant lighting over a kitchen island – a great way to carry the theme, and your eye, upwards.
White cloakrooms and bathrooms can be given a new lease on life with the addition of gold coloured hardware and wall sconces. No amount of under floor heating can keep an all white ensuite from feeling a bit cold and sterile. Be bold and opt for some brass fittings and fixtures – the result will be instant glamour! And if you want to take it a step further, there are many different warm metallic tiles on offer at the moment. These are used best as a feature wall or in a defined area such as above a sink vanity, unless you are really "going for the gold"!
This welcoming trend has now moved past the kitchen and bath and is one which can be embraced in all areas of your home. Don't fear, the golden accents of today are far from old fashioned. You may have a neutral or all white bedroom that could be transformed from a safe scheme to one of simple elegance and luxury with a few golden touches. These lovely metallics will also compliment and warm up many a grey or icy blue living room and as winter approaches this is an easy way to keep your spaces from falling flat. Why not start small and think of adding a gold legged side table, a gilded photo frame, or a carriage clock? You can avoid the old fashioned feel by sticking to clean lines and contemporary accessories. Gold has even made its way to soft furnishings and what better time of year than now to add some richness to your scheme and introduce a gold accented cushion to that reading corner?
If you already have chrome or silver items in your home and don't know how to incorporate another finish, you can marry these different metallics by including gold furniture and accessories that have a mirrored surface or detail. If you find that these gold and brass accents work well in your space then carry on and introduce brass wall sconces or chandeliers with fabric shades to soften things up. But if you're not sure how far you want to go down this path, even just a sprinkling of warm metallics can elevate an entire room and will carry you happily through the holiday season.


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Posted on December 21, 2011, in Baking, Buster, Cancer, Pets, Recipes and tagged cancer, chemotherapy, cookies, dogs, lymphoma, shortbread. Bookmark the permalink. 77 Comments.
OMG those pictures of your puppy are so cute. I really hope this is your last chemo. I will pray for you. Also those cookies look amazing. And you look beautiful as always. Joyeux Noël!
Have a great Christmas Susan! I hope the PET scan brings good news and this is indeed your last chemo treatment.
Enjoy your time with friends, family, and cookies :)
Got a bit emotional reading this one. Perhaps it's the pregnancy hormones. Or, more likely, it's that I'm so happy that you're coming to the end of all of this. I have a lot I want to say and write but it's all extremely sappy. Just know I think you're amazing. Have a great Christmas with your family. Can't wait to see you in the new year. xoxo
Cute pictures of the dogs!
FYI, if you have an ipad, there's an app that lets you play acoustic guitar and "strum" the strings. The sound is amazing. Could be fun, especially if your elbow bothers you.
hurray for final chemo!! i'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that this is it. let 2012 be chemo free.
also, you have the cutest dog in the world, i'm sure you know.
Fingers crossed that this is the last one and that this is the beginning of a short and permanent recovery.
Love those shortbreads. That's the recipe my Mom has used since I was a kid, and they are indeed the best shortbreads I've ever had. Mmmm.
I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I hope that it is all gone and you can get back to normal. Thank you for writing about your fight with cancer.
Yay for possibly last chemo treatment! You have rocked it. What a great Christmas present :) Happy Holidays! xoxo
yeah I pretty much think you're crossed to the crazy dog lady realm. Although I thoroughly enjoy the photo of buster with archie because archie's eyes are saying "I will get you and your little dog too" … and that picture of buster on the yoga mat is hilarious, he looks so confused!
I am so happy for last chemo for you. I just know 2012 is going to be a great year for you !
You look so pretty. The picture of Buster and Santa is priceless.
WIshing you all the best today and during the holidays!
Cheers and we're thinking of ya :)
#9 = YES! Makes me happy. And so does that wig.
The dog pictures are so freaking cute — but truly, the best thing about this post is your amazing outlook. Hoping for no more chemo!
Really enjoyed your tidbits as always! You know I want to teach Dante to do the upward facing and downward facing dog on command … a little ambitious since he hardly sits on command … :) …
Buster is the cutest and you are looking great!
Buon Natale e felice Anno Nuovo … ti auguro un anno pieno di salute e felicita'!
… a presto … J
Joyeux Noel Susan (and Susan's eyebrows!) :)
i was just thinking last night that i was hoping you'd post soon! :) thanks for the tidbits and the cute puppy pictures!
so excited that this is your last chemo–you've been a rockstar through it all!
#1 you look amazing. I love the blonde wig.. that is a MUST do for you.. :)
#2 YAY I am happy this is your last chemo day :) :) :) That makes me heart smile. I pray that your PET scan goes well!
Also I am coming to Canada to steal Buster.. that or just play with him :)
What a wonderful Christmas gift for you with the last round of chemo – and keeping your lashes and brows!
I am glad you are playing the guitar again. I love that I made that commitment this year and even got myself a new guitar last month because I stuck to it!
Oh I'm so so excited for you!! My thoughts are with you that you are done and that you beat this!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
Merry Christmas Susan. May your days be merry and bright! Can't wait to hear the news (undoubtedly good!) from your PET scan in the coming days. Prayers right at ya!
Have a great Christmas and even better new year in 2012!!
And I must say – your hair color in these pictures looks so good! I was surprised to see you as a blonde. Very pretty. :)
Best of luck with the last treatment. We're all pulling for you.
I hope today is your last chemo treament–best wishes!
I think the Buster/poinsietta picture doesn't look aloof–looks like he's thinking "When is Santa going to be here?"
What a lovely post, my dear. I'm hoping things go your way today. Thinking about you XOXO
i am so proud of you! and congrats on the last chemo! even with your chemo, you still have more eyebrows and eyelashes than i do! you look lovely
You are awesome girl. You look beautiful and are beautiful and strong inside and out. Happy Holidays!
Marachino cherries are possibly my favourite thing ever, so those cookies have just been added to the very beginning of my christmas lineup :) Hoping this is your last chemo!! Have a merry christmas, Susan <3
Hi Susan!
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year with all your wishes coming true!!
Fingers crossed this is your last chemo! As others have mentioned, you are a rockstar!!
The shortbreads look identical to my mom's, which I'm looking forward to in a couple of days' time. So delish!
Diane of Great Village, N.S.
We are all rooting for you and are behind you always. Best of luck!
Those cookies look amazing- thanks for the recipe! So glad to see you are having a happy holiday season. Merry Christmas! I hope this is indeed your last chemo treatment ever! :)
I love the blonde you! You look amazing! As do those cookies…what is icing sugar? I would like to give those cookies a try but have no idea what that is! Merry Christmas Susan! I hope and pray the new year brings you a clean bill of health.
Good luck on the LAST SESH! I love you. I love Buster. I love Archie. XOXOXOX
You look fantastic in that first picture! That apron makes a cute dress, and I'm loving the lighter locks on that wig! Congrats on the VERY LAST SESSION! Have a wonderful Christmas. Give Buster a kiss on the nose.
You should REALLY submit Buster's teddy bear photo to cuteoverload.com. It'd be a no-brainer.
Congrats on finishing the chemo and merry Christmas!
Happy Christmas to you! I'm glad it should be your last chemo. Hope so!
You look so cute in that apron, love it.
Burgers are my favorite food. I need to find more gluten-free buns and then I'll be set. They always seem to satisfy lately.
Merry Christmas! I hope this is your for real last chemo ever!!!
I love the apron pic! You look fabulous!
The eye picture wasn't creepy at all…sadly my eyebrowns are way sparser than that naturally. To make it worse I have dark brown hair and blondish brows. I call them my invisibrows. I have to color them in. lol
Buster is so precious! Love the apron! So cute!! and the cookies look yummy! :P
HOORAY! Such an exciting day! And you're right- I never would have even noticed your lashes or brows thinning. :)
Happy Christmas Susan! Nothing but positive thoughts going your way in hopes that it really is your last chemo session. Go get 'em girl!!
You know what? You have really beautiful eyes. Just thought you should know. :) Have a wonderful, healthy holiday!!
Oh Susan. I just realized how posititive this post is and I'm so happy about that.
Crossing my fingers about the PET scan. Chemo is such a bitch, eh? Funny thing is, my dad still had his eye lashes/brows too. Even after radiation on his head, his hair grew back.
Anyhow, have a fabulous holiday with the out of towners, eat good burgers, use that cute apron and don't hesitate to email me about anything.
Love you.
You really do look incredible with the apron, Susan. I'm hoping your PET scan reveals positive results. Buster is too adorable to describe in words. Santa looks like he has developed special skills to keep people's pets in line, eh.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year
merry christmas! you look so cute in the apron picture…i love your stylish little hat. baking puts me in the best mood…although it always takes me hours longer than i expected when baking loads of holiday cookies. thank goodness for taste testing along the way :)
Happy holidays. Hope you have a fantastic celebration over the next week (and beyond!).
I LOVE cookies & those look divine!!! As for that first pic with your wig – I LOVE THAT ONE!!!!! And Buster – too dang cute in all your pics – you are lucky to have him AND Archie! Yahoo for good news there!
Wishing you the best thru the holidays. I know that in the scheme o fthings this means nothing but you have more eyebrows than me & with all you have been thru – you are amazing!!!
Happy holidays! Those are the cutest pictures!
Hurray, hurray, hurray for your last regularly schedule chemo!!
And, yes, keeping those eyelashes and eyebrows are very important. Mine didn't fall out until the last month or so (but have since grown back), and I hated that worse than the hair falling out!
You doggy is too cute! yay fingers crossed for you pretty lady you inspire me beyond belief! x x
Yes! This post just made me so happy. I'm feeling so very lucky this year. Love all these positive thoughts going around! Wishing you the best of holidays.
YEA for last day of Chemo ~ Woot! Woot! You look beautiful. Your doggie is soooo darned cute. Great news for Archie. I'm gonna make those cookies ~ yum!!
Susan, I hope you and your family have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Can you believe we made it!!! I'm so glad you finished before the holiday, even if you might be under the weather for it. I finished my last treatment last Monday (the 12th). I hope your scan comes out clean! I get another PET CT in mid Jan to make sure all the medicine kept doing it's job. I really can't believe I made it to the end though! It is a great feeling!
Now I can't wait until my hair stops clogging the bathtub drain! ;)
I'm dying laughing at Buster with Santa. SO funny/cute! I call my dog Baby Bear too, ha!
And YAY!!!! Yay for all these amazing tidbits like playing guitar and baking cookies and eyelashes and rocking that hair. I hope you keep feeling better and better and positive PET scans come from Santa. xo, girl!
Happy holidays to you, Buster, Archie and your whole family!
Sending good last chemo wishes to you from Vancouver.
I have done almost NO baking this year, except for a round of pumpkin muffins and zucchini bread but no cookies!!! My mom loves shortbread so I might have to surprise her with these. All my cooking since I finished the semester has been meal-food that I'm freezing for the times next semester when I'm too tired/busy to cook.
So happy for you about this being your last chemo (we hope), you're an inspiration to me and I'm glad I discovered your blog this year. The picture of Buster and Santa made me laugh so hard, it really does look like Santa's got poor Buster in a choke hold. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you and your babies!
Have I mentioned that you're the coolest?
You know, it's funny, I found out about this blog when Morgan mentioned you'd been diagnosed and ever since then you've been just the most fun to be 'around'.
I'm SO glad you're pretty much done with chemo and can start doing more things physically! Merry Christmas to you!
I am SOOOOO happy that you're done chemo! I remember the feeling – it's kinda surreal, isn't it? You've gotten used to feeling chemo-sick all the time and now that's over. I completely get it. I'm so happy for you.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas – I believe you're the kind of person that will make the best you can out of the day. Take care!
Your fellow lymphoma survivor,


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Gavriil Popov: Symphony No. 1, op. 7 (1934)
CD: CD: Popov: Symphony No. 1, etc., London Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein (Telarc CD-80642)
[Shostakovich] began to speak with sadness about his "lost health", but did not linger long on this subject and quickly turned to reminiscences of the composer Gavriil Popov. "Now there was a talent. His First Symphony, which had a lot of magnificent stuff in it, was banned at the time by the Fighters against Formalism. I have been appointed chairman of the Popov Memorial Committee; it is essential that his works are played."
— Isaak Glikman, describing a 1972 conversation with Shostakovich in Story of a Friendship
The Russian composer Gavriil Popov was born in 1904 and died in 1972, by which time early, suppressed Soviet musical works, at least by Shostakovich, had been reappearing in the USSR over the past decade. I don't know if Popov's first symphony saw the light of day then, but it was swallowed by the same political sinkhole as Shostakovich's major works of the 1920s and early 1930s (chiefly The Nose, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and the fourth symphony) and was equally deserving of restoration. After his first symphony was banned after its single public performance in 1935, Popov's career, from what little I know of it, followed a similar track to Shostakovich's: A bend into a more conservative style, a good deal of compositions for film and for thoroughly acceptible official occasions. He never developed Shostakovich's international reputation — whether he could have is one of the many might-have-beens that come up when you learn about this or that Soviet artist who was squelched by the state — and his first symphony remains obscure, although it now has Leon Botstein's excellent 2004 recording with the London Symphony to advocate for it. I'm including the work in my listen-through of Shostakovich's works because Shostakovich's fourth symphony obviously imitates much of its "magnificent stuff" in style and structure (I think it's Alex Ross in The Rest is Noise who most aggressively makes that point of the authors I've read on the subject, although I don't have the book at hand) and, more generally, because I want to cover a few works by other Soviet composers to see how Shostakovich fits in among his peers. It's also a great work to go through; I've been listening to it quite a bit over the past couple of years, especially in the past few months when I've wanted a Soviet-orchestral fix during my self-imposed Shostakovich rationing, and listening through it closely last night was just a lot of fun.
Popov built his symphony on a grandiose scale, in three movements totaling fifty minutes; the style channels Prokofiev's 1915 Scythian Suite but with more mass and sharper edges. The first movement, lasting for nearly half of the work's total runtime itself, kicks off with an orchestral outburst and immediately falls off into a skittering introduction:
The first movement is rhapsodic and hard to track, as it kneads its musical material over and over until it's barely recognizable. Its initial impression is all surface effects: Wind-heavy timbres, dramatic pauses, high dynamic contrasts. After getting more familiar with it I notice the movement's structure more, how it rises and falls. The opening leads into an almost Romantic upswelling about three and a half minutes in, which builds into a sunburst of grinding orchestral sound; this darkens and settles down, only to lurch back into motion and peak in a glorious, twisting, noisy episode at the movement's midpoint. This finally narrows down for good in the movement's last five minutes, as the opening figure sprouts back up but settles into murky quietude, disturbed a little by repetitive, worrying figures in the low strings. The music's greatest fault is its tendency to get loud and stay there for long, seemingly arbitrary stretches of time, but its sheer excess is also its greatest charm.
The slow second movement opens with a gentle, slightly exotic melody that unspools in the woodwinds, owing much to the high-bassoon beginning of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The musical energy ebbs and flows as in the first movement but at a lower level, percolating for a bit before lowering again into romantic-modern softness, and finally dwindling to a minor-key close.
The ten-minute third movement is the easiest to take in at once and the most outwardly charming. It jumps into motion from the start and, within a minute, whips up into a kaleidoscopic frenzy. Around the 1:30 mark the trombone introduces a clownish, heavy-footed dance figure and passes it on through the orchestra. I think of such episodes as "bear polkas", borrowing a phrase from a Paul Celan poem, for their ungainliness and sense of subdued menace; Popov here lacks Prokofiev's gift for melody or Shostakovich's facility for carnivalesque mugging, but I like this one a lot.
The dance material gets worked over for a bit and then, about six minutes in, the movement is sucked into the whirlpool-like beginning of the symphony's coda, which rapidly builds to a gleaming, brushed-steel climax:
The work's final minutes move like a massive clockwork that nearly shakes itself apart, all chiming percussion and titanic brass tones that heat up into a last, incandescent chord. It's become one of my favorite symphonic finales out there — it's not a delicately nuanced one, obviously, but I like the earnestness of this type of unselfconscious orchestral gigantism, and there is a subtlety in how Popov's music sounds both ecstatic and ragged around the edges. It's a fantastic example of monumental, industrial-grade Soviet musical modernism; it's a shame that Popov wasn't allowed to continue working in this vein.