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Postgame, Rays 6-2: About five minutes after this one ended I saw David Ortiz limp out a back door with a boot on his right foot.
Terry Francona said that Ortiz will be fitted with the boot but that it is not a situation that will require a stint on the disabled list.
I would not expect to see Ortiz on Wednesday and we still won't know the status of Marco Scutaro and Kevin Youkilis until we see that lineup card, which will be posted in a little over 10 hours.
Then, just a few hours after that, David Price will face John Lackey as both teams go for a series win. Look for the live blog to be up and active bright and early. Thanks for following along tonight.
Final, Rays 6-2: Doubleheaders can be a recipe for disaster for pitching staffs. Nothing was further from the case for the Rays on Tuesday, though.
After James Shields went the distance in a losing effort in Game 1, it was Jeff Niemann tossing a complete game — this one a win — in the nightcap.
Niemann just finished off a three-hit, 10-strikeout gem with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to seal the win for the Rays.
Be sure to check back a little later for more reaction, and if you really need your fix, stay tuned for NESN's pregame coverage, and be sure to check out Tony Lee pinch-hit for Heidi, proving once and for all that bald really is beautiful.
Mid 9th, Rays 6-2: On July 15, Dan Wheeler gave up two runs in just an inning of work. In the month since, he's allowed exactly zero runs.
Wheeler extended his scoreless streak to 9 2/3 innings with another scoreless frame in the ninth. He was able to work around a Johnny Damon two-out double.
The Sox have three outs to score four runs or this one is history.
End 8th, Rays 6-2: If it weren't for the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox would be looking at a pretty disappointing day at the Fens.
Ellsbury's home run gave the Sox the decision over James Shields in the day game, but Jeff Niemann has been dominant in the nightcap.
The big guy just sent the Sox down in order in the eighth, including a pair of strikeouts to give him an even 10 for the night.
Top 8th, Rays 6-2: The Red Sox have looked a little sloppy on defense in the second game of the double-dip, save for the whole triple play thing.
They had B.J. Upton picked off of a first, but with Ben Zobrist making a move for home from third during the rundown, Mike Aviles threw behind Zobrist, forcing Jed Lowrie to rush his throw. That, did not work out as planned, as the ball got away from Jason Varitek. It technically went as a double-steal, but it was certainly a play in which the Sox should have come away with an out.
Casey Kotchman — he of the plus-.330 batting average — followed with an RBI single to give the Rays a 6-2 lead.
Top 8th, Rays 4-2: The bad news for the Red Sox is that they now trail the Rays 4-2.
The good news — if you're into that kind of thing — is that Matt Albers isn't wearing a baseball somewhere on his body.
He allowed a single to Johnny Damon that was in the neighborhood of the mound, and then B.J. Upton smashed an RBI single up the middle that almost took off Albers' head.
At any rate, the Rays build a two-run lead, and Franklin Morales is coming on to try and work out of this little jam.
End 7th, Rays 3-2: Nothing happenin' in the bottom of the seventh for the Red Sox.
Jeff Niemann ended it with a three-pitch strikeout of Mike Aviles.
I will now hand you off to the great Mike Cole, who will take you to the finish line as I go sink the ratings.
Mid 7th, Rays 3-2: Jacoby Ellsbury has homered in both games today, Sean Rodriguez has been hit by a pitch in both games and Dustin Pedroia has made a sensational diving catch in both games.
With Rodriguez on second (he was hit by the second pitch thrown by Matt Albers) and two outs, Desmond Jennings smoked a low line drive to Pedroia's right. He tracked it beautifully and snagged it an inch or so off the ground.
Pedroia had a play that may have been better to finish the first game.
Josh Reddick leads off the bottom of the seventh against Jeff Niemann, who is at 85 pitches.
End 6th, Rays 3-2: All five of Boston's runs today have come on home runs and four of them have been driven in by Jacoby Ellsbury.
Ellsbury just cranked a solo shot, his second blast of the day, to halve the deficit. Ellsbury is now at 22 home runs to go along with his 31 steals.
Erik Bedard's line: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
The Sox will take that any day, and they have to feel great about the progress from start to start Bedard has made coming off that knee injury.
Mid 6th, Rays 3-1: If that's it for Erik Bedard, it will be his first quality start since June 27.
He finished the sixth with his 102nd pitch, which resulted in a long fly out off the bat of Casey Kotchman.
Matt Albers had been warming. Nobody is right now, but Albers may get up again while the Red Sox bat. (Update: Albers is up again. That will do it for Bedard.)
End 5th, Rays 3-1: Jeff Niemann has retired nine of 10 batters since Jason Varitek's solo homer, and the one he did not had an infield hit.
Niemann ended the fifth with strikeouts of Jason Varitek and Darnell McDonald.
Matt Albers is warming as Erik Bedard prepares to work into the sixth inning for the first time with the Red Sox.
Mid 5th, Rays 3-1: It's remarkable how Tampa Bay left fielders have made Carl Crawford's struggles seem even more massive than they already are.
You will recall Sam Fuld, who took over when Manny Ramirez abruptly retired, come in here and torch Red Sox pitching in a quick series back in April.
It's now Desmond Jennings' turn. Jennings just took Erik Bedard out of the park for his fifth home run of the season. Jennings is batting .344 with five homers and nine steals in just 23 games. Crawford is down to .251 with his 0-for-5, three-strikeout effort today.
End 4th, Rays 2-1: The triple play that ended the top of the fourth has so stunned some of us that the zero has yet to be placed in the Tampa Bay half of the inning on the Green Monster scoreboard.
Oh, there it is. We're good now.
And they can put a zero on the bottom half after Jeff Niemann works a quick inning of his own.
That triple play was a life saver for Erik Bedard. His pitch count was at 68 with no outs in the fourth before it took place. It's now at a much more manageable 69 with no outs in the fifth.
Mid 4th, Rays 2-1: History at the old ballpark!
After the Rays get a pair of singles to begin the top of the fourth, a tailor-made triple-play ball is bounced to Jed Lowrie, who steps on third, throws to second and then sees Dustin Pedroia make a wonderful turn for final out.
This place erupted for the effort, the first for the Red Sox since John Valentin had an unassisted one in 1994.
Prior to that, the team had not turned one since 1979, when it did so three times.
End 3rd, Rays 2-1: Jason Varitek gets into the act in the third. He launches a solo homer to right to snap Jeff Niemann's scoreless streak against the Red Sox at 10 innings.
With his 190th career home run, Varitek moves into ninth place all alone on the all-time Red Sox list for extra base hits. He had been tied for ninth with Nomar at 507.
The Red Sox got an infield hit later on from Jed Lowrie, but he was forced at second for the final out.
Mid 3rd, Rays 2-0: When Desmond Jennings ripped the second pitch of the third off the Green Monster for a long single, it put Erik Bedard in another bind, just moments after he had to endure a long one in the second.
Bedard battles back nicely this time. In getting the next three hitters, he picked up a nice strikeout of Evan Longoria, who swung and missed at two straight curves to end the at-bat.
Bedard's pitch count is at 62. Remember that Terry Francona would love to stay away from Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.
End 2nd, Rays 2-0: Jeff Niemann entered this one having gone 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA over his last nine starts, including that gem opposite Josh Beckett in the 16-inning affair last month.
Niemann is no slouch, and looks pretty strong early on. He nestled a strikeout of Carl Crawford in between two groundouts in the second.
Mid 2nd, Rays 2-0: Jed Lowrie does provide versatility in that he can play multiple positions, but he's been shaky on the defensive side of things.
The Lowrie error in the second was not the worst you will ever see. He short-hopped a throw home that allowed Ben Zobrist to score on a fielder's choice. One can argue the merits of going home vs. going to first all night, but the execution was flawed, and that's been an issue at times for him.
Lowrie's error is his 13th (10 at shortstop, three at third base) in just 61 games. Marco Scutaro is second on the team with eighth. He has had nearly 60 more chances than Lowrie.
It was all set up when Zobrist led off with a bunt single and B.J. Upton followed with a base hit. Those two moved up 90 feet on a Casey Kotchman groundout. That's when Sean Rodriguez hit a grounder to Lowrie's left. He fielded, spun and came right home. The throw beat Zobrist by a few feet, but it bounced well in front of Jason Varitek, who couldn't haul it in.
An RBI groundout by Matt Joyce produced the second run before Erik Bedard won an 11-pitch battle with No. 9 hitter Robinson Chirinos by getting him swinging.
Both of the runs against Bedard are unearned. He has already had to throw 47 pitches.
End 1st, 0-0: You see left field at Fenway make a lot of rookies or players that are unfamiliar with it look very bad.
Desmond Jennings just looked very good in robbing Dustin Pedroia of a hit.
With a man on first and two outs in the first, Pedroia sent a shot toward the Green Monster. Jennings drifted back, leaped and caught the ball at the very top of his job as he smashed into the wall near the W.B. Mason sign.
Another factor in such a play. With all the old metal and divets out there, some guys appear scared at the prospect of colliding with the wall. Jennings showed no concern.
Terry Francona went out to argue something on the play, perhaps that the ball hit the wall before settling into Jennings' glove. Tough to tell on replays, although Francona may have had a beef. Still, a great effort by the rookie.
Mid 1st, 0-0: The beginning of Erik Bedard's first two outings with the Red Sox have been a bit rocky.
He gave up two runs in the second inning of his first Boston start and then surrendered two more in the first inning his last time out in Minnesota, although a tiny strike zone was partially to blame for that.
Bedard is off to a rather smooth opening in this one, getting a strikeout of Desmond Jennings to start a perfect first.
Here's one stat to monitor going forward. Including the top of the first, Red Sox pitchers have allowed just one run over the last 26 innings against Tampa Bay.
7:08 p.m.: Erik Bedard throws ball one to Desmond Jennings. That gets us going here in game No. 2.
6:38 p.m.: About 30 minutes until first pitch. A perfect amount of time to catch up on some reading. Here are those links I promised you.
First, a look at James Shields' one big mistake and then Joe Maddon's thoughts on the guy who took made Shields pay.
Finally, we have a take on the one big inning for Jon Lester, who improved to 12-6 with his outstanding effort this afternoon.
One thing to keep in mind as we head into the nightcap is how thin Boston's bench might be. We do not expect David Ortiz to be available, although that's still unclear. It seems as if Terry Francona wants to stay away from Marco Scutaro. In a perfect world, Francona will not have to use Kevin Youkilis as well as he is just a few days removed from back issues of his own.
Then you have to consider if Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon are avaiable. They only threw 12 pitches and 10 pitches, respectively, so it would seem as if they are. However, we have to consider that it's a quick turnaround to tomorrow's day game. If they are used in both halves of the doubleheader, you go into Wednesday's affair with no back end of the bullpen.
This is the start in which Erik Bedard really needs to get that pitch count up to 100 or more.
5:56 p.m.: OK, who's with me for two?
It will be Jeff Niemann against Erik Bedard in a little over an hour. The lineups are below.
Look for stories on the site real soon on David Ortiz's condition, the statistical oddity of Boston's win this afternoon, Joe Maddon talking about Jacoby Ellsbury and a look at the one inning that made all the difference for Jon Lester.
Those stories should be up soon. I'm off for a burger.
4:40 p.m.: First things first. If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that David Ortiz is suffering from a case of right heel bursitis.
Terry Francona said it is something Ortiz has been feeling for some time. During pregame sprints, it grabbed at Ortiz and Francona made the late change.
Ortiz was undergoing some tests to determine the severity of things. He is out for the second game and if Marco Scutaro cannot come off the bench due to his sore back, the Red Sox are playing with two reserves in Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kevin Youkilis.
Saltalamacchia just caught nine innings. Youkilis is not in the starting lineup for the nightcap and has been wrangling with a sore back of his own. It's a very thin group for this game. Take a look at the lineup, as well as that of the Rays:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jed Lowrie, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Josh Reddick, RF
Carl Crawford, DH
Mike Aviles, SS
Jason Varitek, C
Darnell McDonald, LF
Desmond Jennings, LF
Johnny Damon, DH
Evan Longoria, 3B
Ben Zobrist, 2B
B.J. Upton, CF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, SS
Matt Joyce, RF
Robinson Chirinos, C
Final, Red Sox 3-1: Jonathan Papelbon wastes no time at all finishing off the Rays in the ninth, but we can give Dustin Pedroia credit as well.
On Papelbon's 10th pitch of the frame, B.J. Upton lofted a soft liner toward center field that Pedroia raced down and snagged fully extended. That's it. That's all.
Off to hear from the guys on this one. Back up to wrap up the first game and then get you set for the nightcap.
End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: James Shields is due up ninth in the ninth after some lineup shuffling by Joe Maddon caused his club to lose its designated hitter.
Shields might as well take matters into his own hands at the plate. Nobody else has done all that much for Tampa Bay. (It won't come to that, obviously. Just making a point.)
The righty finished eight superb innings with a strikeout of Jacoby Ellsbury, the only man to get to him today. Still, Shields will be the losing pitcher if and when Jonathan Papelbon does his job here in the ninth.
Papelbon jogs in with a scoreless streak of 12 innings. He has converted each of his last 22 save opportunities, the longest single-season streak of his career.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-1: More unfair stuff from Daniel Bard, who strikes out Elliot Johnson and Desmond Jennings to begin a perfect eighth.
In his last four outings, Bard has struck out nine in 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He has not allowed a hit in that span.
Oh, we get to hear "Sweet Caroline" twice today! What a great day to be alive.
End 7th, Red Sox 3-1: My effort to be all smart and stuff goes by the boards (it usually does). Jon Lester will not be given a chance to get another out or two. Daniel Bard is your new pitcher.
James Shields, on the other hand, may have some work left to do. His pitch count is just 101.
This is why so many doubleheaders result in a split. Joe Maddon can use Shields for eight and maybe go to a lesser reliever in the ninth. But Bard and Jonathan Papelbon will waste some bullets for Terry Francona.
Lester's line: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HB. Just one hit after the first inning and just one base runner after the second. Solid stuff from Lester right there.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-1: On his 113th pitch, Jon Lester gets Kelly Shoppach to pop one high behind home plate.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia settled under it before having to reach far back to grab the third out of another 1-2-3 inning.
It's the fourth perfect frame for Lester, who had Daniel Bard warming up behind him.
Bard has taken a seat for now. With another game to play later on, perhaps Terry Francona gives Lester a chance to get a few more outs and save Bard.
End 6th, Red Sox 3-1: James Shields has had the proverbial "one mistake" in this one. He has allowed just three hits, just like Jon Lester, and walked only one man, just like Jon Lester.
Shieldsy, as he has to be known to his boys back home, just sliced through the dangerous 2-3-4 portion of the Boston batting order. That trio is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts and a walk today.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-1: That's now eight strikeouts for Jon Lester after he picks up two more in the sixth.
Evan Longoria singled earlier in the inning. That was the first hit allowed by Lester since the first inning. His pitch count is at 100.
Note: I had the pitch counts of the two guys mixed up earlier. It was Lester who was 17 pitches ahead of Shields at the time I wrote it. My apologies. They both have names that begin with J, and both of them play baseball, so you can see how easy it is to confuse the two.
By the way, we actually had a reader insinuate that Jon Lester is pitching poorly for the Red Sox.
End 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Since allowing the three-run homer to Jacoby Ellsbury, James Shields has retired eight of nine. The only man to reach did so on a walk.
In case you missed it earlier, the Red Sox have announced their rotation going forward.
After Erik Bedard goes in tonight's nightcap and John Lackey starts tomorrow, it will be Josh Beckett, Andrew Miller, Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester in the four games in Kansas City.
Amazingly, that gives Wakefield a chance to go through two more cities (KC and Arlington) in his quest for 200. It has already had stops in Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and Seattle.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Jon Lester could only get halfway to Roger Clemens' team record of eight consecutive strikeouts. Kelly Shoppach led off the fifth with a grounder to short.
Still, that was part of a tidy six-pitch inning for Lester, who is at just 68 through five. He was at 42 through two, just to give you an idea as to how well he's settled in here.
Two of the outs came on rather routing plays by Mike Aviles. He already has five assists in this one.
End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Leadoff walks usually lead to something special. In the fourth, it led to very little.
After Kevin Youkilis drew the free pass, James Shields gets three straight outs in the air. He has thrown 79 pitches, 17 more than Jon Lester.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: You can see the hitters beginning to get a little upset with Jerry Layne's Rich Garces-like strike zone.
Moments after he missed a home run by inches (foul down the right-field line), Casey Kotchman struck out on another pitch a few inches off the plate.
Kotchman tossed his bat, thinking he had ball four. On most days he would have. Not today. At least Layne is being consistent.
So, too, is Jon Lester, who has retired eight in a row, including four straight with a strikeout.
End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: It just keeps on going for Jacoby Ellsbury.
After becoming just the seventh player (six different guys) to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season for the Red Sox, he continues his assault on that magical 30-30 mark.
Ellsbury now needs nine home runs with 42-plus games to go after hammering his 21st of the year in the third.
The shot, which cleared the Tampa Bay bullpen, followed singles by Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles.
Mid 3rd, Rays 1-0: Jerry Layne's zone remains wide in the third as Jon Lester chucks one in about three inches outside but still gets the call, ringing up Ben Zobrist for the final out.
Lester has set down five straight since walking Kelly Shoppach with one out in the second.
End 2nd, Rays 1-0: If home plate umpire Jerry Layne is going to keep the strike zone he had when Carl Crawford was at the plate in the second, it'll be a pitcher's afternoon.
James Shields got Crawford looking on a pitch that appeared a few inches outside.
That's a spot that Jon Lester could hit with his cutter, so he may be able to take advantaage of things on the inside corner to righties.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who ended the inning by hitting a bat-shattering grounder to first, just airmailed a throw to second base, something you don't always see during pre-inning warmups.
Mid 2nd, Rays 1-0: Jon Lester has to work a bit in the second, and it's all his doing.
With one out, Lester hit Sean Rodriguez with a pitch. It's the 11th hit batter of the season for the lefty, a new career high.
Kelly Shoppach, all .183 of him, then drew a walk, Lester's 10th in the last three games, before the lefty escaped on a popped-up bunt and a strikeout of Desmond Jennings.
Despite rolling around in the dirt for a bit following the HBP, Rodriguez eventually stole third. It appears as if the Rays are intent on running on Lester and Saltalamacchia, although that's nothing new for them.
End 1st, Rays 1-0: Close only counts in horseshoes and fiddlesticks, or whatever that lame expression is. (Update: it's horseshoes and hand grenades. No coffee yet. It's coming.)
In the bottom of the first, it counted for [bleep] for the Red Sox.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez all came close to something special, but ended up with three deep fly outs, two to the ever-smooth B.J. Upton in center.
I'm telling you. I think the Rays can make some noise in this series, and at least be in the conversation with three weeks to go.
Mid 1st, Rays 1-0: This series will give us our first extended look at Rays rookie Desmond Jennings, who had just two at-bats against Boston as a September call-up last year.
Early returns on Jennings have been very good, and we can see why. The talented outfielder lined Jon Lester's fifth pitch of the game to left for a leadoff double, then stole second base and scored on Evan Longoria's RBI grounder to third.
Jennings is now hitting .346 (28-for-81) since being called up in July. That was his ninth stolen base already.
The run is the eighth allowed by Jon Lester in his last 9 1/3 innings.
1:08 p.m.: Just as the first pitch from Jon Lester is fired in, we get the announcement that David Ortiz has been scratched.
Jed Lowrie will DH and bat eighth. Crawford, Salty and Reddick move up a spot. Aviles is still ninth.
12:41 p.m.: A few links for your pregame enjoyment.
Here is my quick take on what the signing of draft picks last night means for the Red Sox.
Here is the weekly edition of the Red Sox mailbag.
And then this is somethingthat's been causing my inbox to get filled up for weeks.
Jon Lester takes the hill in a bit. The lights are on here but there is no immediate danger in terms of rain. We should be good to go.
11:45 a.m.: It's hard to label the Red Sox mediocre, but this has not been their very best stretch of baseball.
They are 9-8 in their last 17 games, a span that has seen their three-game lead over the Yankees vanish completely. The two teams are tied entering Tuesday.
For several reasons, this "mediocrity" could continue for a bit.
First of all, we all know how difficult it is to sweep a doubleheader. In its long history, Boston has split a doubleheader 827 times and has been swept 444 times in a total of 1,765.
OK, that means little as they've swept 494 twinbills, but you see teams go for broke in one game if they have a chance to nail down a win and it can often hurt them in the second game.
Also, Tampa Bay will be throwing out the best it has to offer in this series with James Shields, Jeff Niemann and David Price, three guys who can shut down a lineup on any given day.
That makes no mention of the quirkiness of Boston's schedule, which sees them shove these three games into about 27 hours before hitting the road again for eight straight. I asked Terry Francona before the game what it was like to barrel through this portion of the schedule. He stressed that every team has to go through stuff like this, but it certainly is notable how the Sox are being played with a bit right now.
"Other than the fact that I didn't unpack, it's weird," Francona said. "These are the stretches where you see guys with the sniffles, tight legs."
And with three games in just over a 24-hour period, that kind of stuff can only be increased. It may take some time before the club rediscovers that July dominance, if indeed it does. That's not meant to be all gloom and doom, it's just the reality of the schedule. Last month there were a lot of patsies lined up on the slate.
10:58 a.m.: As a light rain falls here at Fenway, we have the lineups and a few pregame notes to pass on.
First, the Red Sox:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Carl Crawford, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Josh Reddick, RF
Mike Aviles, SS
And now, the Rays:
Desmond Jennings, LF
Sam Fuld, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Ben Zobrist, DH
B.J. Upton, CF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Kelly Shoppach, C
Elliot Johnson, SS
Terry Francona said that Marco Scutaro's back is still hurting him. He will be getting some treatment but do not expect to see him today, and perhaps not until the road trip begins Thursday. Aviles will probably play both games today, once at short and once somewhere else. Lowrie will probably play short tonight and tomorrow afternoon against lefty David Price.
As for others with physical issues, Bobby Jenks is scheduled to have a throwing session in Florida today. We should have more news on him within the next day or so as he looks to return for the final month of the year, or thereabouts.
J.D. Drew continues to hit and take fly balls. He may be a week or so from beginning a rehab assignment, but don't expect him back before Sept. 1. That will allow the team to avoid having to make any moves, as we pointed out here. As bad as he has looked at times this year, a healthy Drew could provide an impact down the stretch and in the postseason. He's been there before, and has produced. Don't write him off just yet.
Back with more in a moment.
10:08 a.m.:Greetings from Fenway Park, where we are settling in for a long day and night at the park. It appears as if the weather will cooperate, which is great news.
We should have the lineups over for you in a bit. In the meantime, here is a little light readingto get you in the Red Sox mood.
7 a.m. ET: One of the quickest homestands you will ever see begins Tuesday when the Red Sox return to Fenway Park for a doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The day-night twinbill precedes a day game Wednesday before Boston heads back out on the road for eight straight.
Jon Lester gets the start in the 1:05 p.m. opener for the Red Sox. He is 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA in his last two starts and lost his only outing against Tampa Bay earlier in the year. James Shields, who shut out Boston at home back in June and is coming off another shutout a week ago against Kansas City, toes the rubber for the Rays.
The nightcap, scheduled for 7:10 p.m., sees Erik Bedard making his third start for Boston opposite Jeff Niemann.
Light rain is in the forecast, of course. We will be at the park bright and early to bring you updates on that front and all others, so check back often.


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It's time for another Pilot Spotlight, this time I'm catching up with Dennis Schmelz from Germany. Dennis has worked for a lot of high profile clients including Emirates and Boeing. I'm particularly interested in his video for their campaign "a view from above". Enjoy the interview!
Name: Dennis Schmelz
Age: 27
Home Town: Erfurt, Germany
Years flying UAVs: 12/2013
Current UAV's/setup: DJI Inspire X3
Ultimate dream UAV: X5R with different lenses
Dennis, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for this month's pilot spotlight. Please tell the readers who you are, how you got into filmmaking and eventually drones/UAVs.
I am a professional filmmaker from Erfurt, Germany. Within the scope of my work I discover new and exciting places, meet interesting people and get in contact with unique stories. I put all my effort and dedication into my work to absorb these valuable impressions and create authentic, inspiring and visually stunning films. Since my work is not only an occupation but primarily a passion. I enjoy every aspect of the process of a new project. There is always a story to tell and fresh perspective to be discovered.
This fresh perspective is what drove me two and a half years ago to get into drones. I love the opportunity to see the world from an absolute new perspective. It opens a lot of new possibilities to create stunning images. For me it is especially the moments that full-sized helicopters and aircraft can not capture, I want to create those iconic "how-did-they-do that" video moments. I also shoot traditional stabilised video on the ground on a gimbal to provide the full perspective up to 4K resolution.
**Recently Emirates (together with Boeing released one of their projects 'view from above'. You were commissioned to do the Germany video. How did you get involved with this project and tell us something about what kind of project it was?
The agency who managed this big advertisment project ("View from Above") found my "Seychelles 2014 filmed from above" video on Vimeo. I filmed this video for a German travel agency (Seyvillas) two years ago.
That was one of my first aerial videos filmed with a DJI Phantom 2 and a GoPro Hero 3. Emirates & Boeing were looking for a similiar video for their campaign for Germany and Croatia. Of course after initial conversations I said yes to this incredible project and two weeks later I was already on my way to Croatia.
I was there for one week and procuced this video. It has been published online, but not as a part of the Emirates / Boeing campaign, because the airline does not maintain flights to Croatia at the moment. As I came back from Croatia I straight away started filming the Germany video for the project. I had a time period of two weeks with 3-4 effective filming days. I'm from Germany so I was able to react very quickly and spontanious to weather situations.
**That's amazing, those are some incredibily tight deadlines you had to work with. What drone/UAV did you use for this shoot and why? Did it perform well for this project?
I used a DJI Inspire 1 with the X3 camera. I bought this platform just a few weeks before the project. I started with a DJI Phantom 2, but for the Emirates project I needed the long range (Lightbridge) and stability of the Inspire. I love the ready-to-flight-system, lightweight, speed and quality of this beast. I'm a little bit unhappy with the X3 camera (sharpness and pixel artifacts) and will upgrade to the X5R as soon as possible! 😉
You clearly have been flying for a while, the movements in this video are spot on, how much experience do you have with UAVs?
I started flying with a Phantom 2,5 years ago. It was one of the first generation without FPV and a GoPro Hero 3 in a Zenmuse Gimbal. Later I upgraded to a GoPro Hero 4 and was totally excited with the quality that came of the GoPro in 4K, but didn't like the Jello effects, unreliability and the constant tinkering of the drone. So I decided to the DJI Inspire 1. Some months later DJI released the Phantom 3 with Lightbridge, etc., but I was already fixed by the Inspire! 😉
**You have captured some stunning imagery of Germany at it's best. How did you find these beautiful places and landscapes?
I live in Germany, love travelling and already visited some of these places. I also work for some big travel agencies like Eurail.com & Interrail.eu and was already able to capture a lot of these places while filming throughout Europe. I did some research in the internet before shooting as well. Flickr, Instagram and Google picture search are great tools for this! 😉 And of course I worked with the sun light – especially in the early morning and late evening when you have the best light conditions.
**Great tips on location scouting using services on the internet, I'm a big fan of that myself as well. Can you name some of the places and what makes them so unique?
Definitely Castle Neuschwarnstein is one of the most famous tourism attractions in Germany. It's such a beautiful and unique place – You've got the fairytale castle with the surrounding mountains and lakes. It's incredible, but it's very busy, especially in high season. My personal highlight was Saxon Switzerland in Eastern Germany. The old bastion bridge with the view of the Elbe and the surrounding mountains is absolutly unique. I was there at 5 ô clock in the morning for sunrise: The fog from the river was drawing the bridge and the rocks, an amazing moment! I also was very suprised of the places around my home town Erfurt in early summer, e.g. the fields, "Drei Gleichen", etc.
**There must be a lot of planning going into organising such a big task, how long have you been planning the shoot and what sort of things do you need to think about when planning a project like this?
The planning for the Germany video was not so difficult. Like I said, I already knew most places as I'm a German local. The planning part for the Croatia video was much more difficult. I needed about one week to get all the permissions, plan my route, organize flights and a car, etc. But luckily managed to do it!
**You already said it, but how long did the project take, start to end? It seems a project like this takes several weeks to get to every location and shoot?
The deadline for the video was very tight. I had only two weeks to plan, shoot and edit this video! 😀 I was ready every day and if the weather prognose was good, I would take my Inspire and drive to my chosen destination.
**Your crew, who was involved? Were you alone, with others? Any support from Emirates/Boeing?
Generally I was alone. That is the amazing thing with the DJI Inspire 1. It's so light and versitile that most of the work can be done by one operator! Only in Füssen I had a colleague with me to shoot some BTS shots with me. During the project there was constant contact with the project manager.
**Amazing that you did everything by yourself. How did you approach every location? Were permissions taken care of for you? Did you need to location scout any places?
Everything was reachable by car. I live in the middle of Germany with a good infrastructure, so no journey took longer than 4-5 hours by car. I had to manage all permissions myself. In Croatia I met some nice people who helped me with tours / trips (e.g. a boat tour to Kornati island or a Jeep safari in the Velebit mountains). In Germany I did everything on my own.
**Nice! Over to the edit, any particular way you set up your settings for the edit? Did you shoot in D-log or any other settings? Why? What are the benefits?
I shot in LOG because of the flat profile picture. It offers me much more possibilities in the color grading process. I also shot in 4K because of the quality and more scope in post production.
**What edit software did you use for the edit? Why this particular one?
I edited and color graded this video in Final Cut X. I really like the workflow (fast preview and nice live performance with 4k footage). Also the color grading opportunties are great, you can work with LUTS and diffent color correction layers.
**The images look beautiful, and so vibrant, did you grade the images in post production? Any luts you used?
Yes, I did. I used some LUTS from Neumann Films and graded with the color correction tool in Final Cut X. For some settings I used different layers for the sky / horizont or dark / bright parts in the video.
For people that would like to make the same type of video in their country or spot, what three tips would you give them?
Be flexible: Weather is a very important part – it gives your video a style / tone and create a dramatic or happy feeling. So be flexibile to react to short weather prognoses. Work with the sun / light to create more cinematic pictures.
Think about your locations before your shooting. That gives you more routine and safety while you are shooting. There is nothing worse if you have incredible light for a few minutes, but feeling unhappy with your location. A great way to scout your location before actually being there is to use online services like flickr, google maps, google images, etc to get a feel of the location and to find certain spots.
Take your time and keep your eyes open: Wait for the right moment. Sometimes a picture becomes better with some movement (guy walking / climbing on a rock) or even without people. Talk to people around you, maybe they can help you.
**Anything else you would like to say about the project or otherwise?
I think that's all. Thanks for your questions! 😉 People can find me online in the following places:

subset: commoncrawl


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Cooling, heating and ventilation solutions for industrial and commercial use
Here at Welch Refrigeration Services, we offer air conditioning solutions for industrial and commercial uses.
Armed with extensive experience, knowledge and expertise, we are experts when it comes to the design, installation and commissioning of a wide range of air conditioning projects, across a wealth of sectors.
Providing cooling, heating and ventilation solutions for use in a variety of premises including commercial premises, computer server rooms and domestic comfort cooling, we go above and beyond to ensure that your exact requirements are met and exceeded.
Before we begin any project, our expert engineers always take the time to assess your exact needs, in order to offer the best solution at the best possible price. We also offer free, no obligation site visits and quotations for each project we work on.
We utilise the very latest technology, equipment and materials to ensure that you reap the benefits of a high performance service. Of course, it goes without saying that all of the state of the art air conditioning equipment we supply and install is registered on the Energy Technology List and qualifies for 100% domestic tax allowance on the first year to UK customers, on the total cost of the products and installation costs (including pipe work and electrical supply, materials, labour and design costs).
In addition to new installations, we also offer air conditioning repair services. We understand that breakdowns are often unexpected. With this in mind, we provide a 24/7 emergency call out service, which aims to identity and fix any breakdowns quickly and efficiently whilst ensuring that all of your equipment is restored to its full operational capacity as swiftly as possible.
Following each visit you will receive a copy of our engineers work report. This will detail work carried out, parts used or that are required and also any further visits required to carry out further work. For additional benefits from Welch Refrigeration take a look at our Planned Preventative Maintenance page.
If you have a project you would like us to quote for, or have existing equipment that needs servicing and maintaining, give us a call on +44 1473 425 495 to arrange a visit.


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James Best Passed Away at 88, The Sheriff From 'The Dukes of Hazzard'
American actor, James Best who has been a well-known actor for his role as "Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane" in the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard" died on 6 April, 2015. During his six decades of prolific career, Best worked for 600 TV shows and 83 movies. Apart from being an actor, James also worked as a musician, acting coach, college professor and an artist.
According to Best's Hollywood colleague and a longtime friend, Steve Latshaw, James died in the hospital followed by a brief illness aroused out of pneumonia complications. He fell ill on a cruise with some respiratory trouble and had never recovered since then, leading to death at the age of 88.
Best's acting career began from the military theatrical company, which he joined during World War II, when serving in Germany. After the end of the war, he moved to the NYC with a wish to be recognized as a Broadway star. His early career includes appearance in movies such as "One Way Street" and TV series "Annie Oakley".
The Dukes of Hazzard, through which James earned reputation in the industry, is a rural comedy was screened on CBS during 1979-1985. In addition to this, he also appeared on other classic TV series, like I Spy, Mod Squad, Rawhide, Perry Manson, The Andy Griffith Show and Gunsmoke. With a semi-retirement, James started the production company along with working as an occasional actor. He played his last role in 'The Sweeter Side of Life', a Hallmark film of 2013.
During his later life, after he almost retired from acting, James joined the University of Central Florida, Orlando as a teacher. Before this, James served as an acting coach in LA for over 25 years, teaching acting and drama techniques. Some of his pupils from his acting school earned reputation as top names in the Hollywood.
James started working on his autobiography 'Best in Hollywood: The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful", which he completed in the year 2009. The book was published through Bear Manor Media in the same year and was premiered in Aberdeen, Maryland at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
Tom Wopat, who played as Luke Duke in 'The Dukes of Hazzard' memorized him as a dedicated co-star. He described Best as a fine professional, as a director, actor as well as a mentor and a better friend, who will be missed greatly. John Shneider stated that he had learned the most about acting from Jimmie Best then he did from anyone else.
After his death, James is survived by a wife, 2 daughters, a son and 3 grandchildren.


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It would've been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end it doesn't matter. The bottom line is the same. It's my fault.
When the unthinkable happens Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn't understand. Her parents won't listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She's alone. Completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she's been crushing on for years. She won't admit to him what she can't admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she's going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take to start the healing.
With Ryan's help Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embarks on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?
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My review
To my hero is a difficult and sad story but it is also a story about trust, friendship and love. Carly is broken after everything that happens to her, then her parents betray her and the only person there for her is Ryan. The boy she liked for years and the boy who was in love with her from 9th grade. They are people who missed a couple of chances because of misunderstandings so they decided on friendship. We see through trips in the past how it all went down. After that disasterous event, Ryan tries to help Carly to find herself again and to move on but Carly has problems trusting people, even him, after the rumors she heard about him (that werent true). This story made me cry on a few pages, but sometimes it made me smile. I am amazed how Sibarium always manages to potray such difficult stories with such ease. I cant wait for her next book.
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Danielle Sibarium author of For Always and the Heart Waves Series grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout her childhood, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.
In 2004 Danielle won Honorable Mention in the Southern Heat contest. In 2007 she collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.
Danielle graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
To My Hero Schedule
July 1
Dani http://danimoralesauthor.blogspot.com –Kick off
Shane http://itchingforbooks.blogspot.com –Review/Guest Post
July 2
Christina http://crazybookchicksaferdark.blogspot.com –Review
July 3
Reya & Allie http://bookssesed.blogspot.com/ -Review
July 4
Cynthia & Diana http://weallmakemistakesnbooks.blogspot.com –Review
Jessica http://www.lovinloslibros.blogspot.com -Review
July 5
Allura www.Teacupsandbookends.wordpress.com – Author Interview
Lea http://booklalaland.blogspot.com -Review
July 6-Weekend
Kelley http://paperbackcowgirl.blogspot.com/?m=1 –Promo
Cami/Kim www.craziesrusbookblog.blogspot.com –Promo
Ava http://avasmith.org –Review
July 7-Weekend
Emma Snow www.emzsnow.wordpress.com –Review
Brianna Lee http://www.briannaleereviews.blogspot.com –Guest Post
July 8
Christopher Chapman http://ethancameron.blogspot.com –Review
Natasha http://scandalousbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/ -Review
July 9
Dani http://danimoralesautho.blogspot.com –Review
July 10
Megan, Chelsea, Sarah, Anissa http://foreveryafiction.wordpress.com/ -Review
July 11
Carly Jayne http://booktobasics.blospot.co.uk –Author Interview/Review
Courtney Minor http://bookaholicsxoxo.blogspot.com -Review
July 12
Brianna http://abookandalatee.blogspot.com –Review
Heather http://crazybookchicksafterdark.blogspot.com -Review


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You can add a night at a luxury hotel to your easywed's event package.
We believe that your wedding day and the night that concludes it are your special time, and that this is the time to spoil yourselves in an impressive room or luxurious suite.
When ordering your wedding night accommodation, as an easywed couple you will enjoy an exclusive benefit: early check in to the room, and a late check out. You will have at your disposal the hotel's facilities a no extra charge, and of course a satisfying breakfast – which you can also order directly to bed.
We can offer families visiting from abroad attractive deals for staying at the offered hotels. Please inquire with your personal production manager.
Below is the list of hotels you may choose from.
Below is a partial list of service providers with whom Easywed collaborates.
The list is regularly updated. Please contact us for further information on a specific service provider.


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L. Caroline Underwood Museum at 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.
Suffrage Centennial Celebration
On the same day, November 11, at 1 p.m. the History Center invites the public to attend a centennial celebration of NYS woman suffrage inside the L. Caroline Underwood Museum at 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan. Appearances will be made by Susan B. Anthony and Florence Upson, local suffragist. Enjoy the "Hear Our One Voice" suffrage exhibit and hear the stories of remarkable women of the area. View the corsets and hoop skirts restricting them. Find your family on the rare petition boards. Honor the women who campaigned, argued and fought for the right to vote. Refreshments will be served.
A $5.00 donation is suggested.


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Ford announced that it is downgrading fuel economy ratings on the 2013-14 C-Max Energi, C-Max Hybrid, Fusion Energi, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, as well as 2014 Ford Fiesta models that have the base four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission or the optional EcoBoost three-cylinder engine.
The automaker says that internal testing revealed an error with the EPA ratings, and that the vehicles were reassessed by the EPA to determine accurate fuel economy estimates.
"Ford is absolutely committed to delivering top fuel economy and accurate information," Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO, says in a statement. "We apologize to our customers and will provide goodwill payments to affected owners. We also are taking steps to improve our processes and prevent issues like this from happening again."
Goodwill payments range from $125 for customers leasing a 2014 Ford Fiesta with the three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, to $1,050 for owners who purchased a 2013-14 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The combined fuel economy ratings of most affected vehicles will be decreased by between one and five miles per gallon, while the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid takes the biggest hit with a combined fuel economy rating that is seven mpg lower.
Concerns about the C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy estimates started as early as December 2012, when Consumer Reports wrote that both models fell short of their advertised fuel economy ratings. Additionally, this is the second time Ford has reassessed EPA estimates and issued goodwill payments on the 2013 C-Max Hybrid, which was originally rated at 47/47 mpg city/highway, but now carries a 42/37 mpg rating. Last year, Ford provided a free software update to boost real-world fuel economy on three affected models, including the 2013 C-Max, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
Ford is not the only automaker that has been under fire for inflated fuel economy estimates. The New York Times reports, "In November 2012, after an E.P.A. investigation into consumer complaints that their cars were underperforming, Hyundai and Kia Motors said that they would begin to reimburse consumers and restate gas mileage estimates for about 900,000 vehicles sold in the United States."
Ford reports that 200,000 affected vehicles have been purchased or leased in the U.S., and will provide dealers with updated fuel economy labels on June 18.
In the market for a new car? Check out the U.S. News Best Price Program for guaranteed savings on a new car, SUV or truck. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.


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Every member of this class (SSG 516) is entitled to a fully licenced copy of the Mathematica Software Version 10.4 once you are registered in the LG Laboratory. I will empower Mr Adeyeye and Mr Emmanuel Olowosulu to install and license all who show interest during the week. Find out from Emmanuel how much you need to pay to register at the LG Lab. We will be using the software for class work once we complete the work on Tensor Analysis. You will be better off if you can already work with the software before we get there. The ability to use this powerful software is a useful skill in its own right and can mean a lot for your future.
6 comments on "Mathematica"
alright sir.
I'm curious, is it that mathematica is a better software than MATLAB for this course or its just a case of preferences.
Thank you sir. This would keep me busy till Monday.
The registration for the use of LG Lab as at last semester was. #1,000. I hope it still remains same for those who intends to make payment for it, go to the faculty finance officer to make enquiry.
I hope that a helpful
wow! mathematical. Thank you sir.


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Burlington High School students were fortunate to listen to Mr. Ed Gerety today. Mr. Gerety is a motivational speaker and leadership trainer who delivered a talk focused on key principles and skills that are essential to developing students. Ed's message was geared to enhance our already positive school climate and remind our students how important the following traits are: Respect, Responsibility, good decision-making, goal setting, attitude, gratitude, and being kind.
- The power of respect and responsibility
- The impact and consequences of our choices and decisions
- The issues of bullying, peer pressure, and drugs/alcohol
- Appreciation for our abilities and the people in our life
- The courage to believe in oneself
- The power we have to reach out and make a difference
Other speakers who will be at Burlington High School this year are:
Kathi Meyer Sullivan with Campbell, Campbell, Edwards & Conroy (Parent Night)
Mr. Gerety captured students' attention through his high energy and interactive approach. His humor, passion, and personal experiences helped drive his message home with our students - stand up for your greatness, be grateful for what you have, be responsible, be kind, and always stay passionate and positive.
Mr. Gerety, without a doubt left an impression on our students. You can see what students posted on twitter following his visit:
Mr. Gerety, without a doubt left an impression on our students. You can see what students posted on twitter following his visit:
AMAZING Time today listening to @EdGerety. building strong ideas and bringing people higher. That's what life is all about. #BeThankful
I made a Twitter just to thank @EdGerety for inspiring me today #bhschat #digcit
God bless you Ed Gerety, most inspirational speech I've heard thank you. @EdGerety #bhschat #digcit
Just had the most inspirational assembly ever #bhschat #digcit @EdGerety
Thanks @EdGerety for the making my day with your amazing perspective on being positive! #bhschat
"New chapter of life starts now." -@EdGerety couldn't be more true #bhschat
Today has been and inspiring day thanks to @EdGerety #bhschat #Bhsdigcit
Wow @EdGerety inspirational man and great public speaker #ClassOf2018
Feeling inspired by @EdGerety #bhschat#digcit
To conclude his presentation, Mr. Gerety had the whole class of 2018 'work together' to 'make rain', you can see a short clip below from last year (the audio didn't work on this year's)!


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To end this week of Barks drawings we have the final of the Misc drawings.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing them.
Misc 26 – "Tea time!"
It should be noted that the original art to Amateur Nite 4 – "Bad Hare Day" was recently added to the comicartfans gallery of Niels Larsen. Just click HERE to see it.
A complete listing of the published and unpublished "Treasury" images can be found at Peter Kylling's Barks site. It includes several other unpublished 1996 - 97 images. Just click HERE to see them.
Bonus: Some idea sketches for a few 1996 - 97 drawings.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
(The Unpublished) Barks Treasury pt. VI
Upplagd av Joakim Gunnarsson kl. 12:47
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2017 4-H County Camp – a video highlighting the 2017 District 8 County Camp.
2016 Kids Camp Video – a video highlighting the 2016 Leon County 4-H Kids Camp Series.
Help! This is my first livestock project and I don't know what to do! – a video to guide first year livestock project exhibitors from getting their livestock project through show and beyond.
Drone Discovery Video – a video highlighting the 2016 National Youth Science Day experiment conducted in Leon County.
2016 Leon County Health Fair – a video summary of the 2016 Leon County Health Fair.
2016 Leon County Student Health Fair – a summary of the activities that Leon County 6th grade students experienced at the 2016 Leon County Health Fair.
2016 Leon County Ag Fair – a video summary of the Leon County Ag Fair.
Parliamentary Procedure for Effective Club Meetings – a training video focused on proper use of Parliamentary Procedure. Recorded at the District 8 Extension Education Association Fall Training Day.


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Five or six mornings a week, Marvin wakes up about six o'clock and drags his tall, bony frame out of bed. He's almost 40 years old, and his back, shoulders, and knees have begun to rebel against these early hours and the rough work he's been doing for close to two years now. He steps into a pair of rubber flip-flops and shuffles into the bathroom, sending roaches scurrying. It's still early enough that the usual commotion -- kids playing, old men arguing in harsh Spanish, the staccato thrumming of bachata from some CD player -- hasn't started yet in the concrete courtyard outside his one-bedroom apartment in Hialeah.
Marvin's girlfriend, Barbara, gets up about five minutes later. She turns on the radio in their linoleum-floored living room to a Spanish-language FM station that plays romantic ballads. She dresses in shorts and tank top, and brushes her teeth and long cottony black hair. Marvin pulls from its wire hanger one of the half-dozen light blue work shirts in his closet, along with a pair of dark blue polyester trousers. Over the shirt pocket is a pressed-on patch that reads "Marvin." Actually it reads his real name, which he doesn't want published. That is a reasonable request, since Marvin and many of his co-workers, so-called ramp agents at Miami International Airport, regularly commit crimes during the course of their workdays. All the ramp agents in this story have been given false names, and some personal characteristics and situations have been altered or omitted to avoid hinting at their identities. (Editor's note: The author maintains a personal relationship with a former ramp agent at Miami International Airport who is not a character in this article.)
Barbara, who was recently laid off from a job as a short-order cook, drives Marvin to the airport every morning and picks him up when his shift ends at 3:00 p.m. or later. The transportation arrangement isn't just because they have a single rusting station wagon between them; the real reason is they can't afford the $30-per-month airport parking fee on Marvin's $6.75-per-hour wage. Most companies doing business at MIA pay their employees' parking, but those such as Marvin's employer, a large contractor that provides competitively priced services to airlines, cut costs wherever possible, which is often at the bottom of their work force.
Marvin clocks in at the airport office of Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) after passing through a metal detector and x-ray machine and presenting three ID cards. He's then dispatched in a minivan to a departing Lufthansa jet waiting to be fueled and loaded. Helping him with the baggage are five other ASIG ramp agents; the mostly Spanish-speaking workers call themselves ramperos. In English the slang is "ramp rats," a term made infamous in the 1999 undercover operation at MIA in which 60 American Airlines ramp agents were arrested for drug smuggling. Marvin's team on this flight includes three fellow Cubans with whom he often works -- Lazaro, Filberto, and Raul. They know the routine. While Marvin and Lazaro (both older, more experienced, and less physically resilient than the other two twentysomethings) climb into the front and middle cargo holds, Filberto and Raul stay at the doors of the holds, meeting the luggage as it rides up on a conveyor belt from the ground, then heaving the bags back into the depths of the holds for Marvin and Lazaro to stow. Meanwhile Filberto and Raul at the door look out for people like airline representatives and airport security personnel.
In the rapidly rising morning heat, Marvin and Lazaro position the suitcases, trunks, boxes, animal cages, and all the other cargo in the holds. But before they do, they've already appraised their potential yield. Marvin is an acknowledged master of trinket heist. He can spot a suitcase that looks full of loot (he relies mostly on hunches, as a good Customs agent does when deciding whether to search a traveler for contraband), open the bag (locks pose no deterrent), and in a matter of seconds pocket a gold bracelet and earrings, a few packs of cigarettes, and a bottle of expensive perfume. He'll set aside a video camera and a T-shirt he fancies. Later, if the coast is clear, he can spirit these bulkier items down the ramp, into a transport vehicle, and at the terminal into a secure hiding place like a tote bag, eventually an office locker or a car. Marvin will probably give Filberto a pack of cigarettes. He'll keep the jewelry for Barbara or sell it and the camera to one of his many airport acquaintances. He will be sure to slip the perfume (or perhaps a later find) to his supervisor -- "For your wife, compadre" -- in a subtle kickback gesture the ramperos call mojandolo, literally, "getting him wet." The routine is repeated in infinite variations depending on conditions during his shifts. It's not as easy as Marvin makes it sound, considering the hours of heavy lifting under sun or rain, usually without adequate manpower and always with intense pressure to do more, faster, to save those dollars on that underbid contract.
"Of course you never know what you'll find," Marvin explains later, his elbows tipping a tiny dining table back and forth in a cramped corner of his kitchen. He and Barbara both receive food stamps, and Barbara is cooking picadillo and tostones. "It's best to get on the airlines the rich people use, like Lufthansa," Marvin advises. "Poor people use Lauda [another German airline]. Some bags come with locks as big as this table, but they're worthless. A lot of guys carry lock cutters, but you have to hide it under your shirt so no one can see it. Anyway, you usually don't need one. It's really easy to stick a pen into the zipper, unzip the bag, and zip it back up, and no one can tell it was opened." A playful expression momentarily animates Marvin's dark, impassive face, and he smiles guardedly. He slips a cigarette from the pack of Broncos lying on the table, lights it, takes a slow drag. "Sometimes you'll be fortunate enough to get an open bag, or one that's been torn during the flight. You have to fill out a form to report the damage to the airline, but you can take things out [of the suitcase] before you hand over the bag."
There are a lot more schemes Marvin and other ramperos have pulled. He'll be glad to explain them over a few Heinekens, and he's not one of those people who claim they're coerced into stealing by sub-poverty wages and barely human working conditions. But he won't deny it helps him get by, just a little.
"Life is hard." He shrugs. "Hay que saber vivir. You have to know how to live."
Marvin and all but a few of his fellow ramperos are immigrants from Caribbean or Latin-American countries who haven't lived here long enough to have a good grasp of the English language or the U.S. economic system. They labor in Miami's background, in a world defined by their principal worksite: the enclosed, dark, stifling airplane cargo holds where they come and go in a hurry, goaded and threatened by superiors, loading and unloading the baggage of travelers seated above them. These ramp agents operate in an opportunistic culture where crime is part of everyday working conditions. Stealing and smuggling are just ways to earn extra cash, sometimes big money, as seen during the past few years in some well-publicized cases of drug- and weapons-smuggling by mostly low-paid MIA drones. In the most recent federal sting operation at the Miami airport, a dozen ASIG ramp workers were arrested for helping smuggle several kilos of cocaine out of Avianca jets arriving from Colombia; authorities have promised more arrests in that case.
Not publicized are the crimes carried out by Marvin and dozens of other normally law-abiding airport workers. They simply steal from passenger luggage or make off with the suitcase itself. It's all loosely organized enough and deceptively simple enough to be very hard to detect and prevent. And because these relatively smalltime rip-offs aren't drug-related and rarely involve extravagant amounts of money, they receive less attention from law-enforcement authorities.
Customs agents inspect most foreign flights arriving at MIA, but they are not as concerned about departing and domestic flights, says Customs spokesman Zachary Mann. "We are constantly on the lookout, not so much for theft but for luggage loaded with drugs and other contraband. We don't have that big a problem with theft, that I'm aware of. We meet the planes so there's less of an opportunity for someone domestically to break into a bag. But if the bag is broken into outbound, going onto the plane, we wouldn't know."
Likewise the Federal Aviation Administration keeps track of complaints regarding "mishandled baggage," but only complaints received by the ten largest domestic airlines about what actually happened to the bags, and at which airport.
ASIG spokesman Dan Sellas in Orlando declines to characterize theft by employees as a major problem at MIA or at any other airport served by the company. "But we take very seriously any incident or accusation of theft," Sellas asserts. "We obviously investigate and run it through proper management channels, since we have to respect our employees. We'll coordinate with the authorities and do what's necessary to redress it. We've taken steps to ensure security at certain areas at the airport and work with our airline partners."
In the past two years, according to the Metro-Dade Police Department, 24 airport workers have been arrested for baggage theft, and 14 travelers have filed reports of property missing from their luggage. The police reports are mainly for insurance purposes, says Metro-Dade Lt. Juan Santana, chief of the general investigations unit at the MDPD airport district, since the passengers rarely know where the thefts occurred.
The Miami-Dade Aviation Department maintains what it calls safety and security teams "all over" the airport, according to spokeswoman Inson Kim, "and there have been lots of cases of the aviation department cooperating with law enforcement, but the department is certainly not going to talk about what things are in place to catch people [engaged in theft from luggage]."
Airlines themselves, not surprisingly, decline to release any numbers of thefts from passenger luggage or amounts of monetary losses incurred by victims and insurance carriers. Air traveler advocacy organizations concede luggage theft is a problem, but these days more passengers worry about security. (The ease with which suitcases can be tampered with and stolen by airport personnel with security clearances, however, has obvious potential for terrorists.)
"Airlines won't tell you anything," advises Michael Boyd, a Denver-area aviation consultant and former airline executive. "Trying to track down who's doing it or how -- it's very tough. There can be a lot of money involved. I remember a number of years back a major airline had a new station manager at San Juan; he went out of his way to stop luggage theft, and he got a shotgun in the face. It's a tough business. Ms. Gittens [aviation department director Angela] doesn't have a chance against these guys. You can't do away with petty theft as long as humans are handling baggage."
Several ramp workers estimate as many as 90 percent of their peers habitually lift valuables from baggage or are accomplices; in their interactions with each other, though, the practice is an unspoken assumption and practically never mentioned. There are long-time airport observers who insist that ramp rats as a species are unjustly maligned and that only a small fraction steal. But they're really referring to the unionized ramp agents employed by the larger airlines (such as American and United in Miami), who enjoy much better wages and job security than the ramp workers who are contracted out to other airlines by their employers, the airport service companies. No one argues that higher pay is a guarantee against theft, and even American rampers have been known to steal, but they don't work in a climate of lack and low morale that cultivates disrespect for the law.
At MIA four major firms -- "airport permittees" in legal jargon -- bid on contracts to provide a multitude of services to airlines, including ramp services, which range from cargo handling to towing, runway directing, and fueling of aircraft. Of the four contractors, Swissport pays its ramp agents the most, $7 to $8.25 per hour (benefits and parking included). ASIG, Evergreen, and American Sales and Management Organization (ASMO) all stick with $6 to $7 per hour and no benefits or parking. By contrast, American and Southwest ramp agents earn anywhere from $9 to almost $26 per hour, with enviable benefits.
And the differences between the two groups with the same jobs go deeper than wages. Not only are the unacculturated immigrants paid less, they're accorded less respect on the job. Not surprisingly, turnover is high. "They treat 'em like they're working in Nicaragua," charges Steve Roberts, international organizer for the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). The TWU represents American's and a few other domestic airlines' ramp agents as well as those employed by Swissport (ASMO rampers voted a few years ago to be represented by the TWU, but the company has refused to negotiate a contract). "They work under constant harassment," Roberts goes on. "They're like slaves to some of these bosses."
Even with union representation, ramp workers in Miami are at a disadvantage, principally because the area's high rate of poverty and majority immigrant population combine to chronically depress wages. (This year the U.S. Department of the Census named Miami the poorest city in the nation; a 1998 study by the Florida International University Center for Labor Studies found 59 percent of Miami-Dade County residents and 65 percent of the workforce were foreign-born.) Like airport permittees everywhere, those at MIA face acute competition, intensified since the 9/11 downturn, and risk losing contracts with airlines to lower bidders. Thus if one permittee raises wages it could effectively put hundreds or thousands out of work. The approximately 300 Miami ramp agents for ASIG, a 50-year-old corporation that employs 5500 people at 68 airports worldwide, are nominally represented by Service Employees International Union Local 74, based in New York. But not a single ASIG ramper interviewed for this story knew the name of their union or had any contact with union representatives. And the local clearly has been unable to negotiate decent pay and working conditions.
That is one reason the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a so-called living wage ordinance more than three years ago. The law requires all companies doing business with the county to pay their employees a minimum of $8.76 per hour or $9.81 per hour if medical insurance isn't provided. So far many airport contractors have avoided complying with the ordinance, arguing it doesn't apply to them. In response a living wage oversight committee, established when the law was passed, has submitted amendments that the County Commission will vote on in the next few months; the new, more specific, language should leave no room for any of the intended targets to escape the law. Michael Ozegovich, a Miami labor union official and chairman of the oversight committee, predicts airport workers covered by the ordinance will receive raises beginning this October, when most airport contracts are up for renewal. "Hopefully this will finally move those people to the poverty level," Ozegovich remarks. "They'll be going from below poverty to poverty."
Jorge, a big, ruddy-faced ASIG ramp supervisor, looks forward to that time with some emotion. Jorge came to Miami from the southwest of Cuba with his mother and teenage son about five years ago, and he lives with them and a new wife in a cramped but immaculate two-bedroom Little Havana walkup. Starting as a ramper in 2000, Jorge quickly worked his way up to his present position, where he now earns $8.25 per hour. Thus the living wage ordinance won't make a huge difference to him, but he's convinced a general improvement in the pay scale will be a small step toward dignity for his co-workers. For a long time, Jorge has been angry about the working conditions on the ramp. "I keep my mouth shut because I need this job, but my heart hurts," he admits, tapping his barrel chest with his right fist. "The things I have to witness shouldn't be happening here, in the greatest democracy in the world."
It's not so much the stealing. "Now that I'm a supervisor, it's too risky for me to allow it," Jorge says. "But back when I was a lead [higher-ranking ramp agent], I'd see someone stealing and I'd just walk away. Or I'd tell him, 'Come on, I don't want to call the police, you know you're not supposed to be doing that.' I refuse to call the police. I feel bad because I know it's wrong, but an extra $20 every few days can make a lot of difference to these men. The problem of stealing is completely out of hand. They feel they're entitled to take as much as they can, and I can't blame them.
"But that's not what truly bothers me," Jorge hastens to add, both fists now in the air. "What's worse is the abuse -- physical, verbal, and economic. Because the ramperos don't know English and they don't know anything about U.S. labor laws, and they don't know their rights, [supervisors and managers] treat them like dogs.
"Because of that they treat them like dogs! Chico! They call them names, they threaten them. I heard a supervisor yelling at a rampero, 'Apúrate! Te voy a patear.' [Hurry up or I'll kick you.] They have to take this humiliation and keep working in the sun and heat, and in the rain, hour after hour. They don't get breaks, they don't even give them water to drink during their shifts. For $6 or $6.25 per hour. And that's why I really don't care if they steal. I truly believe when that [living wage] law starts, and when they start treating them like human beings, they'll have some self-respect, they'll do their jobs better, and they'll stop stealing."
Leo doubts the stealing will ever stop completely. "It's always going to happen," says the ramp worker in his mid-fifties, also a Cuban immigrant. "They do it because they don't make any money but they also do it because they get used to it. It's like they get bored if they don't find stuff to steal. They rob and then show everyone else. I've been sitting in the [ASIG] office, and I'll see guys come in and unload stolen stuff into their lockers. Some of them have two or three lockers. And I was thinking: The same guy who takes a $5 bottle of perfume or a pack of cigarettes -- it would be easy for a terrorist to pay this person $500 to put anything in a suitcase."
Leo and his wife live in a one-bedroom apartment in a Fifties-era converted motel in Allapattah, where visitors sit on worn furniture set on wood blocks. He takes the bus to work. Leo was injured on the job about a year ago. All the ASIG rampers interviewed for this story say they're regularly required to lift suitcases weighing far over the 60-pound limit they are cautioned during training not to exceed. And Leo lifted hundred-pound bags for months before two discs in his lower back ruptured. But getting effective treatment for the injury was harder than lifting overweight suitcases. He was sent to a clinic, examined by a doctor, and sent home with pain medicine and instructions to rest. But after a month, desperate for money and not having received any checks from the state workers' compensation department (he would eventually get some workers' comp payments that didn't cover all his lost time), Leo went back to work. He asked to be assigned to lighter duty, but he says his supervisors still ordered him to perform dangerous tasks. After six months the company's insurance wouldn't pay for more medical care. So he decided to enlist the help of an attorney specializing in workers' compensation. "After I got a lawyer they sent me to the worst jobs," Leo alleges. "I'm still in pain and I don't do as much as I used to. But I've got to keep working."
And he has to see guys like Juan who usually get sent to the bigger jets (which are reputed to carry correspondingly better cargo) and occasionally even leave work for hours at a time while still clocked in, all thanks to a symbiotic relationship with a supervisor or two. "The ramperos give [stolen] stuff to the bosses so they're on their side," concedes Juan, a young, grinning Honduran. "They let them punch in and then leave and come back several hours later. A lot of guys figure why waste their time [working] for six dollars."
On the other hand, Leo points out, some supervisors and airline representatives refuse to work with ramperos known to be thieves. "There are supervisors who don't want to be sent to some planes," he asserts. "Some flight chiefs [airline employees in charge of each flight], when the ramperos arrive to load or unload a flight, will tell the [company] supervisor to get someone else. Or if they can't find anybody else, if there's two who don't steal, they don't put them with people who do steal.
"Some supervisors or security people have seen ramperos stealing but they don't say anything so as to not cause problems for the company," Leo goes on. "A few times they ripped the ID off the guy and told him to leave the airport. Most of the time they'll just tell him to stop."
Of course it's practically impossible to prove theft, short of installing surveillance cameras in baggage loading areas or cargo holds. "If someone is about to catch me taking something," theorizes Jorge, the ASIG supervisor, "I can put it back, or throw it away, or give it to [a co-worker] to keep for me. You can't fire me because you can't find anything on me. I know of two who were fired after an airline representative went into the cargo hold and saw them opening and closing suitcases. But they never proved they were stealing." (One of the few successful prosecutions of baggage theft was by the FBI in 1994, in which video cameras caught seven American Airlines baggage handlers looting suitcases at the Washington, D.C., National Airport. In an article published after all seven pleaded guilty to theft charges, the Washington Post quoted the prosecutor in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Chesnut: "'We weren't dealing with isolated acts here -- this appeared to be a routine practice, especially late at night.... These people had the time and, in many cases, the opportunity to go through everything.... About the only thing you can do is not put any valuables in your luggage. Carry them all with you.'")
Or shrink-wrap them. Even then, your luggage could be "lost." Lately Marvin has been one of the men assigned to the areas where bags are loaded and unloaded from the carts that transport cargo to and from the planes on the ramp. This job presents many opportunities for the alert rampero. Outbound bags come down on a conveyor belt from the ticket counters, whereupon the bags are usually x-rayed and sorted according to destinations, connecting flights, and cabin class. Marvin and other rampers say the security people who run the x-ray machines are often enlisted to single out bags in which they can see valuables. Then Marvin can tear off the claim ticket from the target suitcase and attach a different ticket (swiped by him or an accomplice from the airline). "You load it on a cart with other luggage," Marvin relates, "and when you get to a restricted area you take [the purloined suitcase] off the cart and walk out another door." Usually, with a little planning and luck, there will be a car waiting with the trunk open. If not, he will have a hiding place to stash the bag until the end of his shift.
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Diverting a suitcase from an incoming flight is in some ways the most brazen move of all. "When the bag arrives on the cart," Marvin says, "you tear the claim check off and put on another one. So you have the other part of the ticket, right? And you can give it to another [worker] or a friend, and he can wait out in the baggage claim area. Then when the bag comes out, he picks it up and takes it out to a car. If a passenger comes up and says, 'Isn't that my suitcase?' you just show them the ticket and say, 'No, I'm sorry, it's mine.'"
In the past six months, though, Marvin says he's tried to avoid AirTran flights. "AirTran has been en candela [in an uproar]," he notes calmly. "It's an American [domestic] airline and most of their passengers are Americans who put their jewelry and cash in their suitcases. [Colombians and Venezuelans tend to wrap their bags, so they don't have many problems.] I'm told the airline was getting too many complaints of thefts so now they've got security and detectives all over the place." Other ramp workers have said they also noticed increased security around AirTran flights. The airline's corporate communications office didn't return calls seeking confirmation.
By the end of 2002, federal employees will replace the current low-paid private security inspectors at many (but not all) airport checkpoints. All luggage must be screened for explosives, and each checked bag will have to be matched to a passenger, although that's just on originating domestic flights (international flights have required bag-matching for years). Marvin and other ramp workers don't believe the new measures will greatly affect them. So far, little has changed in their realm, other than they've had to shell out more money for more ID cards and fingerprints. Increased screening and more professional security guards could, Marvin concedes, make finding and diverting a good suitcase somewhat harder. Nothing a little creativity couldn't fix.
"Necessity has always been the mother of invention," he murmurs, then starts to smile at the thought: "Working at the airport is the mother of invention."