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'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Wednesday, May 13th, 2015
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Show: THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW
Date: May 13, 2015
Guest: Michael Nutter, Samantha Phillips
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC HOST: Good evening, Chris. It`s great to have
you there, man. Great reporting this hour. Great.
CHRIS HAYES, "ALL IN" HOST: You bet.
MADDOW: Thanks to you at home as well for staying with us for the
next hour.
This orange box, this is called an event data recorder. When there`s
a transportation accident, that is the thing that usually holds the answers
-- or at least some of them -- about what went wrong.
We tend to call this thing a black box. As you see, it is fluorescent
orange. And that makes sense. And they want to be able to find it more
easily in the case of a wreck. We are pretty familiar with the fact that
airplanes are typically equipped with data recorders like this, flight data
But the one you see here is a locomotive data recorder. It`s a
similar piece of equipment, but this is the kind that`s installed on
trains, and that specific one is the locomotive data recorder that was
pulled from Amtrak train 188 today, which is traveling from D.C. to New
York at this time last night, when it suddenly derailed and crashed while
rounding a curve on its way out of Philadelphia. Seven people confirmed
dead at this point, more than 200 people injured.
As to what happened and why, what we`ve learned substantively about
the derailment so far today has largely come from that data recorder.
Investigators confirming that the recorder indicates that the train at the
time of the derailment was traveling at more than 100 miles an hour,
through that curve. That`s more than twice the posted speed limit for that
stretch of track.
NTSB officials say the train reached a peak speed of 106 miles per
hour, the train`s engineer then, according to the data on this recorder
tried to apply the brakes in the very last few seconds before the
derailment and the crash, but hitting the brakes when it was going 106, the
train was only slowed down to about 102 miles an hour, before the data
recorder stopped recording, apparently because the train at that point
derailed and crashed.
NBC News tonight has been able to confirm the identity of the train`s
engineer. So, the locomotive engineer is the person driving the train, the
conductor is the person who`s in the passenger compartment of the train
mostly and overseeing the other staff that interacts with passengers. That
would be the conductor, but the locomotive engineer is the person driving
the train. He`s been identified now as a 32-year-old Amtrak employee who
is believed to live in New York City.
So far, the locomotive engineer does not appear to be actively
cooperating with the investigators in this incident. He was brought to the
police station after the crash last night, but he reportedly declined to
give a statement to Philadelphia law enforcement officials before he
eventually left the station along with his lawyer.
Federal investigators have been on scene at the site of the derailment
all day today. They said they recovered not only the train`s data
recorder, but also a forward facing video camera that is mounted at the
front of the train. That may provide yet further valuable data about what
happened here and why. Both of those devices were initially sent to Amtrak
headquarters in nearby Wilmington, Delaware, to have their data downloaded.
But then after going to the Amtrak headquarters first, those devices
then were sent to the NTSB lab in D.C. for further analysis.
Earlier today, investigators also removed some pieces of the track.
You can see here on this flatbed, pieces of the track that appear to have
been relevant to the incident last night. The segments of track were
hauled away by truck today. They have been moved to a secure location,
where they will be analyzed by federal investigators, the locomotive to the
engine and a number of the derailed passenger cars are also being removed
to a secure location, we are told tonight that one of the Amtrak passenger
cars has already been removed from the site.
When the sun rose today, that was essentially the first opportunity
for local officials and first responders to really see the full extent of
the damage. Last night, in our initial coverage, we had lights from
helicopters and from flashlights and from news cameras, but we couldn`t
really get a whole sense of the damage.
When the sun rose today, we can see all seven cars at this passenger
train derailed. The engine was relatively new engine. It came into
service just last year apparently. But the engine also itself derailed.
One of the very difficult questions that remains even at this hour is
whether all the people on board that train have been found.
The death toll from this accident as I said, it stands at seven people
tonight. At least eight more people are in critical condition. And some
of those folks in critical condition are said to be tough shape. As the
day has gone on, a number of people who were killed in this accident have
been identified by their families or by their employers.
But local officials have stopped short by saying the search for more
victims is over. Sniffer dogs have been brought in to comb through the
accident scene, comb through the wreckage. The search zone, in terms for
looking for victims was extended earlier today to account for people who
might have been thrown out of the train.
But it does remain a question tonight, a very difficult question, as
to whether this is now just a full on investigation into what went wrong in
this crash, or whether this is still an active search and recovery mission,
if not a search and rescue mission.
Joining us now is the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter.
Mayor Nutter, it`s been a long and difficult 24 hours for you. Thank
you very much for being with us.
MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER (D), PHILADELPHIA: Sure. Thank you, Rachel.
MADDOW: Let me just ask, first of all, you`ve been -- you`ve been
very good letting people know the status of the investigation, the latest
that you understand about the scale of the problem. Is this still a
recovery operation? Are you confident the cars have been searched, all the
victims have been found?
NUTTER: Rachel, we`re still in a search and recovery mode. We want
to make sure that we have, in fact, accounted for all of the people that
may have been on that train, as I think you were trying to indicate in your
earlier segment, a number of people bought tickets, that does not
necessarily mean that all of those individuals actually were on the train.
So, we`re trying to sort through all of that data and information
using the Amtrak manifest of customers, and people who bought tickets,
versus the folks that we served, and transported last night, with
incredible support by the Philadelphia fire department, police department,
EMS personnel, SEPTA, mass transit organization providing buses. There was
a massive life saving operation last night. Unfortunately, we did lose
seven Americans. And for that, we are deeply sorry.
MADDOW: In terms of the operations that continue onsite, do you have
anything you need? Is there anything else you need in terms of support or
logistics? I know just getting light on the scene was a real challenge in
the initial response last night. Is there more that you need that you
don`t have?
NUTTER: No, we have all the resources that we need, and we did get
those -- what we call kind of light cannons. We got -- there was a ton of
light out there later in the evening. We have to make sure the scene was
secure and stable. That the train had itself cooled down and it was safe
to have personnel at that part of the site.
But Governor Wolf has been here two nights in a row. We`ve had
numerous members of Congress both from the House and the Senate, the true
bipartisan response to all of this. We have an incredible array of public
servants and agencies, local, state and federal working in partnership.
We have all the resources that we need, but we`re going to continue
the search and rescue. Just to be sure, as best we can possibly be, that
we have accounted for every person that we think might have been on that
MADDOW: In terms of why this happened? Do we know yet if the
engineer, the locomotive engineer who`s actually driving the train, do we
know if he has spoken with investigators, if investigators have had the
access to him that they want to have to him? Do we know -- he`s got a key
role in explaining what happened here, do we know what position he`s at
with regard to the investigation now?
NUTTER: Well, all I can tell you about the engineer is that he was
injured. He was in the engine compartment. Obviously, that engine
separated as your recreation video shows, separated from the rest of the
train, tumbled over a number of times. He was injured but he was treated
for his injuries. He then -- police did interview him. And then he was
I think the issue now is, what did he say? I don`t know exactly what
he said, quite honestly what he may have said is, I don`t want to say
anything. And at that point, we have to let the person go.
As the investigation moves on, you know, that situation may change.
And -- but at this point in time, I know that the NTSB and possibly other
agencies at some point will want to talk with him, and hopefully he will
MADDOW: The NTSB process is a slow, and scientific and deliberate
one. It`s part of the reason they speak with authority when they pronounce
a cause when something like this happens.
NUTTER: Yes.
MADDOW: Is it your feeling that everybody, including yourself, should
wait until the NTSB has completed everything all together? Or at some
point, do you think it would be safe to say what happened here, and why,
and who is at fault if someone clearly is at fault?
NUTTER: Well, the first is as you said, the NTSB is the best at what
they do. And everyone respects their work, the thoroughness of their work,
and it does take some time.
But what we have experienced, they were on the ground about 4:00 or
5:00 a.m. this morning. Twelve hours later, they were putting out some
very important factual information as a result of getting information from
their event recorders or the black box.
What was the speed of the train? What was the rating for speed at
that curve? And talking about the PTC system and the like. So, that
information came out pretty quickly, but the NTSB personnel indicated, and
the board member on the ground that they`ll have a series of releases of
We certainly want to have more information before any judgment. There
are just some facts here. If you are going 106 miles an hour on a 50-mile
an hour rated curve, you got to figure something bad is going to happen,
and is at least contributing factor to the devastation we saw and the loss
of lives and all the injuries.
We don`t know exactly what else was going on, I don`t know what was
going on with the engineer, did something else happen in the engine
compartment, and all of those other questions remain to be answered.
But this is a tragedy. Seven people lost their lives. Hundreds of
people injured and traumatized by a horrific accident that clearly could
have resulted in even greater loss of life. It`s amazing that more than
200 people were able to walk away from that train accident last night.
Again, the graphic pictures that you have on your newscast, viewers
can appreciate that it was very difficult for those passengers and they
were still able, most of them to walk away.
MADDOW: Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a man under incredible
pressure right now, including for your time -- thank you so much. I really
appreciate taking the time to explain to us.
NUTTER: Thank you.
MADDOW: Take good care of yourself through this, Mr. Mayor.
NUTTER: Sure, I will.
MADDOW: Thank you.
NUTTER: Thanks, Rachel.
MADDOW: All right. There`s much more ahead including a fix that
investigators are already saying would have prevented this crash and should
have been in place any day now. It just wasn`t there yet. It`s incredible
information and that`s next.
Please stay with us.
MADDOW: So, it turns out there`s very specific news tonight, not just
on what went wrong in Philadelphia with this train crash last night,
there`s specific news about why this train crash wasn`t prevented even
though we know exactly how to prevent that kind of crash.
We`ve also got other news coming up from outside this Philadelphia
story. There`s a lot to come tonight.
Please stay with us. It`s a big night in news.
MADDOW: OK. I will warn you here on this subject, I am having a
feeling. Fair warning.
OK, here it goes -- in September of 2008, the city of Los Angeles had
its worst train accident ever, it was in L.A. This was some of the NBC
News national coverage at the time of that accident. Watch.
REPORTER: The Metrolink commuter train may have been carrying as many
as 350 passengers and it left Los Angeles less than an hour earlier, when
it slammed into a freight train in Chatsworth, a suburb about 20 miles from
Los Angeles.
This passenger was all the way in the back of the last car.
PASSENGER: It was like crashing and everything. It was glass,
plastic, people were flying, I was flying. Thank God I did not have a
table in front of me. I flew into my friend`s lap.
REPORTER: Those in the first car were not as fortunate, as the car
derailed and the inside of the passenger cabin was crushed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can actually see the metro link engine pushed
inside of the passenger car. It must have been a very traumatic crash.
REPORTER: Friends and relatives rushed to local hospitals. Some
learning their loved ones were lost.
RELATIVE: One of my uncles is really injured. And my other uncle, he
didn`t make it.
REPORTER: There`s no word yet how or why this happened except to note
the obvious -- there is only one track here, and horribly both trains were
on it.
MADDOW: Both trains were on the one track. What happened in that
Metrolink commuter train crash in L.A. in 2008, what happened there was
human error. The engineer who was operating that commuter train with 350
people on board missed a signal.
The train was operating the way it should have. The signaling system
was operating the way it should have. The track was intact. There was
nothing physically wrong with any part of the rail system that day.
But there was something wrong with the engineer. The engineer was on
his cell phone, he was texting. Because he was on his cell phone texting,
he therefore missed that signal that was telling him there was another
train on the track ahead and he should not proceed down that track.
The engineer missed that signal, and that Metrolink train he was
driving smashed on the freight train and 25 people were killed, 25 people
killed, including the Metrolink engineer who was on his cell phone.
Twenty-five fatalities is a huge number of fatalities, right? More than
100 people injured badly enough in that crash to be taken to the hospital.
It was the worst rail incident in L.A. history, and we know exactly why it
That was September 2008. By the following month, by October 2008,
believe it or not, Congress actually stepped up and did something to try to
stop something like that from ever happening again. Within five weeks of
that crash, Congress passed this act, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of
And it mandated that all rail lines in the U.S., passenger rail lines,
commuter rail lines, freight rail lines, everybody, would have to get just
slightly more modern -- and not like, you know, hydrogen powered cars and
jet packs and futuristically hypermodern stuff, just some basic systematic
safety upgrades that would take advantage of the fact that we are now a
society that has things like computing machines and GPS. This is not the
most high-tech stuff.
What they mandated for the U.S. rail system is something called
positive train control. It`s a very basic avoidance system that reduces
the risk that something like stupid operator error or a train conductor
having a heart attack at the engine, or the train conductor falling asleep
or something. It reduces the chance that something unfortunate but human
and predictable like that could result in a train derailment or a train
Basically, positive train control is a system that monitors speed
limits and track signals electronically. It signals to the train engineer,
if it seems like something is wrong, if the train seems to have not noticed
a signal or if the train is speeding, right? If the train engineer doesn`t
respond to that signal, positive train control as a system can then
override the human. Override that locomotive engineer and automatically
slow the train down or stop the train essentially by remote control.
This sort of system does require equipment upgrades to trains, it
requires putting a lot of basic train infrastructure essentially on the
grid, it requires some GPS technology. But again, this is not like
learning to live on Mars, right? This is basic kind of Atari level
computerized safety systems for America`s trains.
And they passed that law five weeks after that terrible Metrolink
crash in 2008 that killed 25 people in L.A. It passed in 2008. They set
this cushy, fat deadline of more than seven years for our country to
actually put this system in place. The deadline by which all major rail
lines in the U.S. are supposed to have positive is the end of this year,
December 31st, 2015.
And, you know, the rail industry like every industry, they don`t like
being told what to do, they`ve been lobbying hard to push that deadline
back even further. Seven years is too fast for them to implement that
system nationwide. They want more time. They want even more years. They
have found a lot of sympathetic ears in Congress in terms of legislators
who might want to give them more time.
But even if Congress doesn`t extend it, if the existing 2015 deadline
holds, the existing 2015 deadline was still too late for these poor people.
This is a Metro North commuter train crash that happened December 1st,
I remembered that date. I didn`t have to look it up today because one
of the people who died in that train crash was a sound engineer who worked
here at the "Today" show. He was on the train that morning coming to work
early, because he was going to be helping set up the broadcast for the
delivery of the big Rockefeller Center Christmas tree that we get delivered
here every year right at the beginning of the year. His name was James
Lovell (ph). He worked at the "Today" show for 20 years. He was one of
four people who was killed that morning in that train crash.
In that crash, it is a actually a miracle that no more than four
people didn`t die. Unlike the L.A. crash that had had happened five years
earlier, this one was one train crashing, it didn`t hit anything. It was
one train derailment.
And there are actually some eerie similarities between that Metro
North crash in 2013 and what happened last night in Philly. The train was
about the same size in both instances, but the Metro North train that
crashed in 2013 and the Amtrak train last night. Both of them had seven
cars. In both cases, it was a single train that doesn`t appear to have hit
anything else but the trains, nevertheless, derailed. In both instances,
both of these derailments happened on sharp curves in the tracks.
The Metro North derailment in 2013 happened on one of the sharpest
turns in the whole Metro North system. That Metro North crash happened
just north of Manhattan, at a curve in the river, it`s called Spuyten
Duyvil, it`s technically in the Bronx.
Part of the reason I said that a lot more people very easily could
have been killed in that crash is because the reason those tracks curve
dramatically at that Metro North site, the site of the derailment, is
because of how close the rail line gets to the river there. When that
train derailed, those cars -- see the water at the bottom of your screen --
those cars went spilling toward the river. Had they gone into the river,
we may not just have seen blunt force crash injuries that we see among the
passengers on that train. We might have also have mass drownings.
Both that Metro North crash in 2013 on that curve and that Amtrak
crash last night in northeast Philly was -- which was also on a very sharp
curve, that was also one of the sharpest curves in the whole system of
rails that Amtrak travels, in both of those cases, we had trains traveling
alone on a sharp curve. And conclusively, in the case of the Metro North
crash of 2013, and at least preliminarily in this train crash last night in
Philadelphia, it appears that the cause was the same. It appears that what
caused the derailment was the train traveling at a very high rate of speed
into a very sharp curve.
We do not yet know why that happened last night in Philadelphia in
this derailment that claimed seven lives already and may yet claimed more.
In the Metro North crash in 2013 that killed four people, the NTSB
determined conclusively that the reason the train engineer was speeding at
more than 80 miles an hour going into that 30-mile-an-hour curve in Spuyten
Duyvil was because the train engineer was tired. He wasn`t necessarily
completely asleep.
He told investigators he was zoning out. He was the guy who had sleep
apnea, so he didn`t sleep well ever. He had gotten up at 3:30 that morning
that day to start a shift. He had not been working that very early morning
shift for very long. It seems like maybe his body was just not used to it
and he self-described the problem. He said he basically zoned out with his
hand on the throttle, he was going 80 heading into that 30 mile an hour
curve. And more than 100 people were sent to the hospital and four people
lost their lives.
And yes, Metro North had said that they would eventually get around to
installing this positive train control system. They were working on it.
That positive train control system would have overridden him zoning out on
the tracks and slowed the train down on its own. They were working on it.
They were going to get that in place. But this crash happened in 2013.
The deadline to get that system in place wasn`t until the end of 2015. So,
well, what was the rush?
The NTSB concluded in that crash that had the positive train control
system been in effect on that December morning in 2013 when the Rockefeller
Center freaking Christmas tree was being delivered in New York City and
James Lovell was on his way to work, had that system been hurried up and
put into effect on that stretch of track, that train crash never would have
happened and those people would not have died.
CHRISTOPHER HART, ACTING NTSB CHAIRMAN: Contributing to the accident
was the absence of positive train control or PTC. All of these deaths and
injuries were preventable. PTC would have prevented this derailment by
automatically applying the brakes even when the engineer did not. For
decades, the NTSB has repeatedly called for the implementation of PTC.
Thankfully, Congress has mandated the use of this technology by the end of
next year. Thank you, Congress.
MADDOW: Yes, thank you, Congress. But no rush.
We are really good at investigating these kinds of disasters when they
happen. We find out why they happened and we then find out what would have
prevented them from happening.
Positive train control, this whole safety system that we know how to
do, it would have prevented the fatal commuter train crash in Massachusetts
where the train operator fell asleep. It would have prevented the
Metrolink crash in Los Angeles. It would have prevented this fatal
commuter train crash in Massachusetts where the train operator fell asleep.
It would have prevented that Metro North crash at Spuyten Duyvil just north
of Manhattan where the tired train conductor zoned out and four people
And if it bears out that what happened last night in Philadelphia is
that for some reason, heading into that 50-mile-an-hour curve, that train
was being driven at over 100 miles an hour, and the breaks were applied way
too late deep into the curve, only three seconds before the derailment
flung those cars off those rails, then, yes, positive train control would
have stopped that crash, too, and save all of those lives in Philadelphia,
But the system is not in place yet. Amtrak has been slowly getting
that system in place, piece by piece, you know, patching the funding
together, doing bits of track and bits of track there. They got positive
train control in place along some of the track and some of the Northeast
corridor but not everywhere, and not in Philly, not where the plane crash
happened last night. And so, all of those people died.
ROBERT SUMWALT, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: It is not installed for this area
where the accident occurred, where the derailment occurred. That type of a
system, we call it a positive train control system. That type of system it
is designed to enforce the civil speed to keep the train below its maximum
And so, we have called for positive train control for many, many
years. It`s on our most wanted list. Congress has mandated that it be
installed by the end of this year.
So, we are very keen on positive train control. Based on what we know
right now, we feel that had such a system been installed in this section of
track, this accident would not have occurred.
MADDOW: Had the system been installed, this crash would not have
This is not a mystery and this is also not hard. This is not rocket
science, right? This is not desalinating the ocean. This is not curing
cancer. This is something we know how to do, and we`ve done it in patches,
pieces of track here and there.
And we also know that we need to do it. It`s no mystery here, because
what we need to do is something that we need to do concerning our nation`s
infrastructure, honestly as a nation we really can`t be bothered to get
stuff like this done. It`s almost like our political system is designed to
fail our infrastructure.
I mean, the people, American people, left, right and center, want
infrastructure investment. It`s one of the few things that all Americans
agree by large margins, regardless of where we all coming from
ideologically, we all agree that we should invest more in our
infrastructure. We ought to upgrade our basic national infrastructure,
especially around transportation, whether that`s roads, and bridges, and
highways, or trains, or airports, or whatever, Americans would like to see
that stuff taken care of and improved, it seems like a core government
function, we would all like to work. It benefits us all.
Politicians, however, don`t like voting for it. Especially in cases
like this rail safety stuff, where there are corporate interests who want
it not to happen. I mean, on this positive train control thing, industry`s
been complaining for years that even the seven-year rollout was far too
quick for them. They`re pushing in Congress now to not have to put the
system in place until the year 2020. Yes, what`s the rush?
And it happens on all these issues. Yesterday, just hours before the
Amtrak derailment, the American Petroleum Institute sued to block new
safety rules for oil trains specifically. They want more years before they
have to retrofit unsafe cars that are being used to transport crude oil
around the country, the ones that have this nasty habit of blowing up
everywhere. They want more time to deal with that problem, because the
status quo is OK with them.
The new oil train rules would also require them to have an electronic
braking system. It`s not that different a safety concept than the whole
positive a train control thing than rail more broadly. But the people who
make money shipping oil by rail would prefer to do it as cheaply as
possible. They`re not interested in that new braking system thing. So,
they`re suing to not have to do it.
They don`t mind things the way they are now, despite the occasional
apocalyptic fireball, don`t rush them. What`s the hurry?
The American people are voting with their feet. People want to ride
the train. Amtrak ridership, particularly in the Northeast corridor has
been going up and up and up, setting a new ridership record every year
since the year 2000.
Even as, honestly, as an Amtrak fan, I can tell you, the service has
been getting worse. It`s been getting less on time. It`s been getting
more expensive with each passing year, because the system is starved of
funds and it`s not getting any younger, and is a complicated moving piece
of working infrastructure, it keeps getting older and we keep not investing
and fixing it, and improving it and it keeps getting worse.
But Americans want to be able to travel this way, because we need this
form of travel as a country. We just do. There`s a reason every other
country in the world has this too, and mostly has it better. You need to
be able to travel by train.
Just in the Northeast corridor, which is the most heavily trafficked
rail in the country, they say for 2015, they needed about $2.8 billion in
terms of capital maintenance, they got about a billion dollar less than
that this year to operate.
Today in the House, hours after this fatal Amtrak derailment in
Philly, which the NTSB already says probably could have been prevented with
these safety improvements that we know that we need to do and we just
haven`t gotten around to yet as a nation, just hours after that crash
today, an appropriations committee in the House voted to cut funding for
Amtrak because they don`t like voting for things like Amtrak.
There`s no mystery about this disaster in L.A. There`s no mystery
about this disaster in New York. There`s no mystery about this disaster in
Philadelphia, and what caused all of those lives in all of those places,
there will be no mystery about the next one that happens, just like this.
We know what we need to do. It`s just our government won`t make it happen.
One last thought on this: when we heard today first from anonymous
sources and officially from NTSB that the speed of that train heading into
the curve was over 100 miles an hour, there was this collective gasp, a
sort of horrified recognition among Americans that that speed must have
been what caused the crash, we`re still awaiting the full investigation,
the final results from the NTSB, but when we heard today, this idea of the
train going over 100 miles an hour, down those tracks ratty old tracks
through Northeast Philly, we almost intrinsically knew as Americans that
that spelled catastrophe, that that was the problem, that something was
wrong with that, 100 miles an hour, 106 miles per hour? Clearly that was
the problem, we knew it.
Between the cities of Barcelona and Madrid, the average train speed is
154 miles per hour. That`s not the top speed. That`s the average speed.
Trains between Tokyo and Osaka go 200 miles an hour.
For us, the richest, most powerful nation on Earth, the average train
speed on our Northeast corridor which is our showpiece for our high-speed
trains, our average speed is 68 miles per hour. And we know intrinsically
with every breath, that if you go over 100 miles an hour, we know even this
early that that will mean the engine and passenger cars will end up flying
off the rails and crumbling like soda cans and people will die, because we
can`t handle that kind of speed here.
We are a great nation that has allowed the world-class national
infrastructure that our grandparents built and our parents handed down to
us to erode and suffer and starve to the point that it is decrepit and
This is a failure of governance. This is on Congress` head.
NUTTER: If you`re going 106 miles an hour on a 50-mile-an-hour-rated
curve, you got to figure something bad is going to happen. And is at least
a contributing factor to the devastation we saw, and the loss of lives and
all the injuries.
MADDOW: Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter speaking on this show just
moments ago, saying speed in this case was at least a contributing factor
to the devastation we`re seeing tonight in Philadelphia.
Joining us now is NBC News correspondent Tom Costello, who`s in
Tom, thanks for being with us.
TOM COSTELLO, NBC NEWS CORRESONDENT: Yes, I got to tell you, the
mayor really kind of changed his tune over the last 90 minutes or so,
because earlier in the evening, he said that the engineer had to be an
idiot, he said the behavior was very risky and completely inappropriate.
He really laid it down. I mean, he blasted the engineer.
And then I witnessed what happened. What happened was the NTSB board
member pulled him aside, pulled his PIO aside and said, you can`t go down
this road yet, you cannot be already judging the engineer. You can`t be --
you know, the entire scene of the judicial process here, we don`t know if
this engineer had a medical issue or if there was something else going on
that might have contributed to the crash. We don`t know if there`s some
sort of a mechanical issue.
You saw the mayor become much more circumspect when he did the
interview with you. I interviewed him, he was much more low keyed. He
really changed his tune.
But, clearly, as he said to me, emotions are very high with people who
really are very concerned about this train`s speed and what may or may not
have been happening there in the cab.
MADDOW: So, Tom, the NTSB is clear, and they feel like they have a
clear factual basis from that data recorder, to say that they know that --
they know what the speed of the train was, they can say circumstantially
that the speed of the train was inappropriate for that section of track.
But they have no reason to speculate as to the cause for the speed.
As to why the train was going that fast.
COSTELLO: You know, I covered the NTSB for 11 years. They don`t
speculate. They will lay out the facts as they have them, when they have
them, and they`re very transparent in that regard.
But -- if the public at large wants to draw conclusions, that`s up to
the public at large. But the NTSB simply gathers information, releases
factual information as it has it, but then ultimately, it goes down this
very methodical and scientific path to come up with the conclusion that
could take weeks, months, or even in some cases even more than a year.
You know, there`s a very famous case about 18 to 20 years ago, where
they had another train accident, and they thought they understand what the
accident cause was, only to learn later that the engineer was diabetic, he
couldn`t see colors and therefore wasn`t seeing the change in the signals.
MADDOW: Wow.
COSTELLO: But nobody knew that he was diabetic, he didn`t tell
anybody, his doctors didn`t even know he was an engineer. So, it wasn`t
until they found the diabetic medicine did they realize what was the cause.
So, sometimes it`s not what you see right up front. We`ll have to see how
this plays out.
MADDOW: In terms of all the investigation goes forward, clearly
talking to the engineer will be a key part of the investigation, right? He
will have to be part of the way they investigate this. The NTSB saying
today that they haven`t spoken to him yet.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MADDOW: In your experience covering this sort of this, is it unusual
they haven`t talked to him yet?
COSTELLO: Well, here`s what`s a little bit unusual is that we are --
we`ve heard from law enforcement sources they haven`t been able to get an
in-depth interview, and the NTSB has not done an in-depth interview. But
there seems to be a little bit of gray, a wiggle room in there. We`re not
sure if maybe they have a very -- police had a casual conversation with him
at the hospital.
It`s not unusual to wait a day or two, after the -- to get the
emotions to settle down, he may want to consult with his attorney or his
union rep. That`s not unusual, before you actually sit down very often a
union rep`s office, and you have the formal interview with the NTSB.
You may have a separate interview with police if this has becoming a
criminal investigation. Keep in mind, the NTSB`s investigation is not
criminal. It is simply to figure out what happened, and try to ensure that
something like this doesn`t happen again.
MADDOW: NBC`s Tom Costello -- Tom, that`s very, very clarifying.
Thanks for helping us understand that. We appreciate it.
COSTELLO: You bet, sure.
MADDOW: Thanks.
All right. We got lots more ahead. Please stay with us.
MADDOW: This has been a jam-packed news day. We`re going to have the
latest coming up on some of the days other stories, other than Philly,
including a vote by Republicans in Congress late today that went really
under the radar but really does deserve some national attention. We`re
going to have that story coming up.
As well as the latest on the ground in Philly, including the city`s
head of emergency management. She`s here live in just a moment.
There`s a lot still to come tonight. Please stay with us.
MADDOW: As we first started to cover this story last night, we
started to hear from the first survivors of the cash, honestly, as we got a
sight of the crash site, one of the worries was that there might still be
survivors or even just bodies trapped in those destroyed cars. Last night,
first responders recovered three bodies onboard the wrecked train, and two
bodies nearby, people who had been thrown from the train.
Overnight last night, one of the critically injured passengers who had
been taken to Temple University Hospital succumbed to his wounds and died
in hospital and became the sixth known fatally. And then, today, just as
we feared, they did today discover another body on the train, it brought
the confirmed death toll thus far to seven.
The victims who`ve been identified by friends and families so far are
this man, Abid Gilani, who was a senior vice president at Wells Fargo.
Also, Jim Gaines, who was an award winning video software architect for the
"Associated Press". Also, Justin Zemser, who is a young midshipman at the
U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, he was on leave and heading back home to
where he was from, heading back home to Queens, New York. Also, Rachel
Jacobs, who was CEO of a tech company called ApprenNet.
City officials say around 200 people were treated at Philadelphia
hospitals since the derailment, Temple University Hospital in Philly
admitted the most patients last night. They admitted 54 people in total
last night, 23 of those 54 are still being treated now, including eight
people who are currently listed in critical condition at Temple.
Dr. Herbert Cushing is chief medical officer there.
DR. HERBERT CUSHING, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: I was startled to
hear as we ran down the list of the patients this afternoon, almost
everybody had rib fractures. The rib fractures tell me they rattled around
in the train cars a lot, to get a lot of rib fractures.
REPORTER: How would you characterize this as a test for
Philadelphia`s medical infrastructure? Did it work out OK?
CUSHING: Yes, it did. I was very pleased. Things came together last
night very well, in a few hours, the trauma team, the doctors and nurses
that trained to do this, responded wonderfully. So, I think it was a test,
and I think we passed it.
MADDOW: The chief medical officer at Temple University Hospital,
which is the hospital that has handled the lion`s share of these scores of
injuries in this mass casualty event in Philadelphia.
Joining us now is Samantha Phillips. She`s director of emergency
management for the city of Philadelphia. Her office has been coordinating
the city`s response to the derailment since last night.
Samantha Phillips, thank you so much for being with us.
SAMANTHA PHILLIPS, PHILADELPHIA DIR. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Thanks
for having me.
MADDOW: It`s now almost exactly 24 hours since the crash. What right
now is the most pressing thing that your office is working on right now?
PHILLIPS: We`re actually starting to de-mode a little bit. And so
we`re trying to get back into normal operation to the extent possible. We
are still finalizing some reconciliation of the person data. So, working
with our hospital community, certainly Amtrak on trainman fest information,
tracking where we sent patients, and then, of course, working on family
assistance center operations with Amtrak.
MADDOW: How large is that problem? How many people are in a status
right now where you don`t know where they are or if, in fact, they were on
the train?
PHILLIPS: I`m happy to say that the problem has reduced greatly over
the course of the day. We`ve had a lot of luck in matching all of these
different data sources. We do still have a few problems that we`re working
and want to make sure everyone is safely accounted for.
Those who haven`t called into Amtrak`s 1-800 number. They should do
that. That`s 1-800-523-9101. We really do want to make sure we hear from
everybody if you`re safe and with your loved ones. Please just let us know
so that we can move on and make sure we`ve got everybody accounted for.
MADDOW: Not to press you too much, but are we talking about a
ballpark, a hundred people or more than that, a dozen people or less than
PHILLIPS: No. Yes, it`s far less. We`re sort of in the sort of high
single digits, low double digits at this point just doing some final
counting of people.
MADDOW: I have to ask, last night after the train derailment, it
started to become clear how big of an incident this was, how did your
office or whoever did, alert local hospitals that they were about to
receive dozens of patients, maybe even hundreds of patients, people seeking
treatments all at once.
Logistically, did you have a plan for how something like that worked?
PHILLIPS: Yes. We had a couple of plans that we had to implement
last night. Coincidentally, we`ve just been in the process of finalizing
the city`s mass casualty plan and Monday, we did a workshop and exercise of
that plan. So, we were really well prepared for something that happened
Tuesday evening.
So, we do many things. One, working with our fire department who
coordinated emergency medical services. We provide notification to
hospitals. And really, once you see you have an incident the size we saw
on Tuesday night, it`s really just about kind of launching the system,
getting as many resources and services as possible.
It`s always easy to stand things down and recall things. But we
wanted to make sure we had everything on scene to deal with what could have
been -- and ended up being hundreds of people who needed some support.
MADDOW: Samantha Philips, people watching you and Mayor Nutter and
others in Philadelphia responding that, there are kids all over the country
thinking maybe I want to be a director of emergency management for a city
some day, watching you guys do this crucial work at this crucial time --
thanks for your work. Thanks for helping us understand.
PHILLIPS: Thanks very much.
MADDOW: Thanks.
All right. We`ve got more ahead. Stay with us.
MADDOW: Obviously, today`s news dominated by the Philadelphia Amtrak
crash. But just a couple of things to get you up to date in terms of what
else is going on in the news.
We`ve had eyes all day today in Texas where large swaths of that state
are flooded and flooding as rain continues to lash Texas. Parts of Texas
got as much as 10 inches of rain over a three-hour period. That was in one
section of Houston today. Officials in north Texas have decided to release
water from some Texas lakes in order to avoid breaching dams on those
bodies of water trying to avoid catastrophic flooding from breached
infrastructure there.
National Weather Service issuing flash flood warnings for portions of
Texas all across that state. We`re going to keep you posted on further
developments as we keep watching that.
Also in political news today, in Washington late today, House
Republicans succeeded in passing their latest abortion ban. That was an
almost 100 percent party line vote. They passed in the House today a bill
to ban abortions nationwide federally after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The
House passed this bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks. It was a
vote of 241-184.
Even if the bill does pass the Senate, which is hard to believe that
it would, this bill will not become law under this president. The White
House has formally threatened to veto the bill if it reaches President
Obama`s desk. The White House pretty secretary today went so far as to
refer to the bill as "disgraceful". So, it`s not going to become law, but
it doesn`t mean that it`s not still a top priority for House Republicans
We`ve got much more ahead. Stay with us.
MADDOW: It`s been just over 24 hours since an Amtrak train derailed
and crashed in north Philadelphia. Seven people were killed. We`ve
learned a lot about this disaster in the last 24 hours. Investigators
today said the train approached the 50-mile-an-hour curve going 106 miles
per hour.
We know the brakes were applied, but far too late. The train only
slowed to 102 miles per hour before the data recorder stopped recording
because of the derailment and the crash.
An NTSB official said today this accident could have been prevented if
a system called positive train control had been in place. That system is
required by law everywhere in the U.S. by the end of his year, but it
wasn`t in place yet at the site of this crash last night.
Congress is mulling giving railroads even more time before they have
to put that system in place even though it`s known now that it would save
lives, including likely the lives lost last night.
That does it for us. Thanks very much for being with us tonight.
We`ll see you tomorrow.
Now, it`s time for "THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O`DONNELL".
Good evening, Lawrence.
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text:
me and my brother.,
originally uploaded by jaimephoto.
Jaime and his friend Vale visited us this week for a couple of nights while driving from San Francisco to Philadelphia. While they were visiting I asked Jaime if he could take a couple of pictures of us, and next thing you know he and Vale have a photo studio setup outside the house. We had a great time with them and hope to catch up with Jaime soon.
This picture was taken in a very interesting intersection, at least when it comes to my family. From where the picture is taken, you can turn right to the town of Puerto de Vega. This is where my Grandfather spent most of his childhood until he came to Puerto Rico with his friends family, the Suarez. If you turn a left at the intersection, you reach the town of Tox, where the Suarez family is from and still keeps a house there. If you face the intersection as it is taken in this picture, my Grandfather's house is two minutes behind you. I like the picture because it kind of represents the center of the universe for my family's past. Also it's the sign that tells me I'm back to my Grandfather's roots. My brother and mother are there for this week to visit some family.
We took this picture last December when we were visiting Maui. Our hotel was on the Ka'anapali side of the island (the west side) which was a little rainier, but lead to some beautiful rainbows like the one in the picture above. The beach also had great areas for snorkeling with lots of fish and even some other sea life (dolphins and sea turtles).
Filed under: Pictures | Tags: 2008, California, Malibu, Pictures
One of our favorite places to visit while in Los Angeles is the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe in Malibu. My sister-in-law and her husband took us there for lunch on our first visit out to see them and we instantly fell in love with the place. (Granted that may have been because we saw Pam and Tommy Lee having lunch there that day) The food is great and the views of the Pacific Ocean and the Malibu beach are second to none.
Although the menu has a little bit of everything, I recommend ordering a Fried Calamari appetizer. It is large enough for four to share and is a great way to start off the meal. As to beverages, a local favorite is to grab a bucket of beers or a bottle of bubbly and OJ for mimosas and then sit out on the deck chairs and let the day pass you by.
Water Lilies,
originally uploaded by josejose50.
Last year around this time, Kristen and I were in Paris enjoying our first trip together to the continent. Kristen had always been a fan of Claude Monet's work, especially the Water Lilies. During this trip we saw the Water Lilies in L'Orangerie in the Tuileries Gardens and decided to take a day trip out to Giverny to see the inspiration for Monet's work. We had a great time and some memories that will last us a lifetime!
P.S. If you ever do go to visit Giverny, try a ham and cheese sandwich at the little snack shop just before you get to Monet's House and Gardens. It was one of the best sandwiches we ever had!
Filed under: Pictures | Tags: 2008, Los Angeles, Pictures
Last May we visited the Huntington Botanical Gardens while in town to see Amie and David. What's great about the gardens is that they have different types of flora and fauna setup up throughout the grounds in settings close to where they would be in nature. They also have some great theme gardens, the Japanese garden was amazing and made you feel like you were in Japan itself. I took this picture on the way out of the gardens. I like the contrast of the color of the blossoms to the clear blue sky. I also like the background of the building and the people being slightly out of focus, it looks cool.
I'll post more pictures from the road in the future, please comment on what you think about the pictures.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Franz Schubert's Symphony No.8 (sometimes referred to as No.7) is really unfinished. Schubert completed only two movements and then abandoned the project for reasons that have never been identified. Although he did sketch a third movement, a symphony traditionally consists of 4 movements.
Various composers have gone on to "complete" the symphony based on the third sketch but until this day Symphony No.8 remains unfinished.


text:
Wireline 56/66/76 diamond drilling core bit
Depending on the range of application as well as the cutting media on the core bits, Forsun makes six types of core bits:
---Impregnated Diamond Type ---Surface set Diamond Type---Tungsten Carbide Type---PDC Type---PCD Type---Electroplated Diamond Type
Core Bits are used for drilling materials like the rock, concrete etc..
Wireline series: Geobor S, WLA, WLB, WLN, WLH, WLP, WLB3, WLN3, WLH3, WLP3, WLN2, AQ, BQ, NQ, HQ, PQ, SQ, PQ3, HQ3, NQ3, BQ3, NQ2, WL-56, WL-66, WL-76
T2 / T series: T2 46, T2 56, T2 66, T2 76, T2 86, T2 101, T46, T56, T66, T76, T86
TT series: TT 46, TT 56
T6 series: T6 76, T6 86, T6 101, T6 116, T6 131, T6 146
T6S series: T6S 76, T6S 86, T6S 101, T6S 116, T6S 131, T6S 146
B series: B46, B56, B66, B76, B86, B101, B116, B131, B146
MLC series: NMLC, HMLC
LTK series: LTK48, LTK60
WF series: HWF, PWF, SWF, UWF, ZWF
WT series: RWT, EWT, AWT, BWT, NWT, HWT(Single Tube, Double Tube)
WG series: EWG, AWG, BWG, NWG, HWG(Single Tube, Double Tube)
WM series: EWM, AWM, BWM, NWM, HWM
Other sizes: AX, BX, NX, HX, TBW, NQTT, HQTT, TNW, 412F, BTW, TBW, NTW, HTW, T6H
Chinese standard: 56mm, 59mm, 75mm, 89mm, 91mm, 108mm, 110mm, 127mm, 131mm, 150mm, 170mm, 219mm, 275mm
Russian standard: 59, 76, 93, 112, 132, 152 mm
Q: Are you a manufacturer or trading company?
A: We are a manufacturer, the factory is located in Changsha, Hunan, China.
Q: What are your main products?
A: Our products cover diamond core bit, non-coring bit, reaming shell, core barrel, casing pipe, drill rod, soil sampling equipment and other accessories.
Q: How about the delivery terms?
A: 1. Payment: T/T, L/C, Western Union, Paypal.
2. No request on min. order quantity.
3. Transportation: By DHL/UPS/Fedex express, air, sea, train.
Q: How about discount?
A: Price is based on order quantity.
Q: Do you accept sample order?
A: Yes sure, please contact us for details.
Q: How about your after-sales service?
A: As a manufacturer, we offer promt technical support for all issues. Besides we accept goods return or replace for quality problem.
Q: How does your company control the quality?
A: Quality always comes first. In order to guarantee quality for our products, Forsun always makes a serious inspection for all products and raw materials in strict procedure. We have obtained certificate of ISO9001:2000 in 2004.
1.Import & Export Certificate
2.ISO9001:2000 Certificate
3.Business Registering Certificate
4.Organization Code Certificate


text:
Self Catering Gîte
The property offers a Chalet style apartment that sleeps four, and a relaxing Lake Cabin that sleeps two.
The water mill is almost 400 years old (1637), located at an altitude of 840 m in the Regional Natural Livradois in the French Auvergne. The mountainous area of the Forez know as the top 'Pierre sur Haute (1634 m)
Nature is at its most magnificent in the volcanic mountain ranges and wild river gorges of the Massif Central.
This is a vast and unspoiled territory which offers spectacular sightseeing and every imaginable outdoor activity, with rafting, paragliding, canoeing and hiking among the many choices. There are hundreds of churches, cháteaux and museums to nourish lovers of history, architecture and art; and good, hearty regional cooking and wonderful local wines for lovers of good living.
The Chaletfrom €400Open plan living with a cosy log burner. Extensive views across the valley from the balcony.
The Cabinfrom €350Relaxing on the terrace with a bottle of fine locally made red or white. Glamping just doesnt get better than this!
Tourers & Motorhomes€POA2 hard standing pitches suitable for Touring caravans or Motor homes are available. Over night or per week.
CLOSE TO THE ACTION Saturday July 11, 2020 (STEP 14) Clermont-Ferrand> Lyon 197 km
This year the Tour de France passes close to Moulin de Beny.
See the riders taking on the Col du Béal in the Monts du Forez step of the race. More details here
Contact us
tel. +44-75902967763>
On the Move?
With you every step of the way
Our website is optimised for all Smart Phones and Mobile Devices.
Our GPS coordinates
Take advantage of the many things to do in Auvergne and the diverse landscapes of the Puy-de-Dôme for outings as a family in the fresh air. The lakes, rivers, valleys, and volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys range offer a multitude of activities. The natural spirit of the Auvergne is preserved in two of France's largest regional nature parks: the Auvergne Volcanoes Park and the Livradois-Forez Park.
Offering a vast variety of things to do in Auvergne. A wonderland for open-air sports enthusiasts and providing a welcome break for the family at any time of year . Check out sports including cycling, skiing, horseback riding, paragliding, canoeing-kayaking, swimming, hot air balloon flights, snowshoeing, and more.
Only the stream & bird song break the silence
Clean mountain air, lush pine forests, cascading stream, bird song
"When a person spends time in a natural area there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved"
and breath-taking vistas
Taking in the forest atmosphereThe Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku. (which literally translates to "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing"), and refers to the process of soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of a natural setting to promote physiological and psychological health.
Spending time in natural environment has been linked to lower stress levels, improved working memory and feeling more alive, among other rejuvenating and positive attributes.
Whats on locally
Local Interest
- January 24, 2020
- April 5, 2019
- April 5, 2019
- April 5, 2019
- April 5, 2019
Moulin de Beny is surrounded by natures'


text:
Posted 9 years ago
(2 items)
#1)The first pick/pic is of my most recent "treasure". I attended a garage sale locally at the Alanon Club here in Howell, Mi. As I browsed around, I noticed they some novels and paperbacks piled high atop this table. I told the person in charge of the sale that if they would be willing to deliver it a couple blocks to my loft, I'd like to buy it.
Little did I know, they also delivered two leaves that I was unaware would be included. Not too bad of a deal for $18.
#2) Some cute coffee cups I acquired at a garage sale for a couple bucks. Not old, but adorable.
#3) Two of my favorite trunks:
The gold colored trunk was discovered at a garage sale in Brighton, MI for $1. The black trunk I rescued from a Re-use/Recycle store in Ann Arbor, MI for $3.75. Gotta love those bargains !
#4) A Heywood Wakefield sideboard/buffet. When I inherited this about ten or twelve years ago from a special education teacher, who worked for the Ann Arbor schools and was relocating, it was covered in olive green paint perched on top of a coat of navy blue paint. I told her she was going to have to pay me to take it off her hands it was so hideous! It is the first piece of furniture I had the joy of refinishing.


text:
Hello Games and Four Door Lemon bringing Joe Danger to PS VITA
Hi all, sorry we've been a little quiet again – we've been very busy ahead of what will hopefully be an exciting 2014!
See an awesome bit of news on one of our own projects in the press release below!
Yorkshire studio working on development of handheld port coming in Q2 2014.
18th December 2013 – Yorkshire, UK/… Leading British independent developer Four Door Lemon is proud to announce that it is handling the development of the upcoming PlayStation Vita editions of Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2 : The Movie. The games will include all the content from both the 2010 IGF award nominated original, and its critically acclaimed 2012 sequel.
Founded in 2005, Four Door Lemon is one of Britain's most respected development studios, having contributed to hits such as New Star Soccer and the HD remake of Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee for PlayStation 3.
Four Door Lemon is collaborating closely with Hello Games and Sony to ensure that the long awaited handheld editions offer the full and unabridged Joe Danger experience, with all the manic motorbike mayhem, painful pratfalls and stupendous stunts that fans will expect, along with a few fresh surprises.
"Joe Danger is incredibly precious to us, and there are very few people we'd trust with our baby, Simon and his team at Four Door Lemon have a well proven track record, especially on the PlayStation platform." said Hello Games founder Sean Murray. "This is a great example of UK indie developers working together, helping each other to build something fantastic. It's an ideal fit!"
"We're big fans of Joe Danger and Hello Games and having the opportunity to bring our favourite daredevil to the Vita was a dream come true for us," says Four Door Lemon's founder Simon Barratt. "I have been hoping Sean would ask us to bring Joe to the Vita for a long time now as the blend of classic skill-based gameplay and humour is a perfect fit for the device. We can't wait for fans to be able to experience the Danger on the go!"
Joe Danger will be released for PlayStation Vita in Q2 2014.
About Joe Danger
Joe Danger was first released in 2009 and has an Metacritic average of 88. Official Xbox Magazine called it "a true XBLA classic," awarding it 10/10, while IGN called it "incredible," rating it 95/100. Joe Danger 2 was first released in 2012 and has a Metacritic average of 82. Videogamer.com said it "always puts a smile on my face," and awarded it 9/10, while Official PlayStation Magazine called it "exhilarating" and awarded it 8/10.
About Four Door Lemon
Four Door Lemon has a long history of developing for the PlayStation Vita, having developed the augmented reality Vita launch title Table Football, plus follow ups Table Mini Golf and Table Ice Hockey. As well as Joe Danger, the studio is currently preparing a new own IP for release in 2014.
For further information, contact email@example.com


text:
I know I haven't posted in a long time. Maybe I'll find more time again into winter. I have been so busy this summer. I have had many kayaking trips and a few good hikes. I paddled once again on Keuka Lake at Penn Yan and did a bike ride trip on the Outlet Trail from Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. I have also paddled different parts of the Susquehanna River West Branch, North Branch and Southern Branch. I did McKee's Half Falls and I will try to post a video here of that paddle. It was awesome getting a taste of the whitewater.
This is footage of the Outlet Trail near Penn Yan, NY – the entire trail is not paved.
McKees Half Falls is near Port Trevorton, PA on Routes 11 & 15.
Farwell Island is on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River near North Bend, PA.
I am hoping to do a kayak trip in October on Cayuga Lake near Ithaca, NY if the weather stays as nice as it has been.
That's a little update for you. Talk soon. MisTransformation


text:
A woman dancing on a tightrope! A mobile phone 80 years before Verizon began offering a family plan!
There's tons of exceedingly rare footage of long-bygone New York City among 82,000 newsreel clips just posted on YouTube by British Pathé. Some of the most fascinating — and oddest — glimpses we've found of a pre-World War II city:
Fire brigade (1893)
New York's Bravest in action more than 120 years ago, on horse-drawn carriages en route to a barn fire they battle with hand pumps.
Titanic survivors (1911)
After the massive ocean liner disaster, those picked up by the steamship Carpathia are interviewed by bowler-hatted reporters at a Manhattan dock.
Painting the Brooklyn Bridge (1920)
A Pathé cameraman joins the painters way up high to capture breathtaking views of Manhattan and Brooklyn nearly a century ago.
World's first mobile phone (1922)
"Eve" uses her umbrella as an antenna — and a fire hydrant to ground the massive instrument that her pal holds with both hands outside a New York brownstone.
Cross-country running (1927)
"Old English sport is latest craze with athletic young Americans." Is that Van Cortlandt Park?
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (ca. 1928)
Dig the really funky balloons in some of the earliest known footage of the famous parade, which ends with the balloons being released into the air on 34th Street.
A reward is offered for their return — a practice abandoned in 1932 after an airplane pilot nearly crashed trying to grab one while aloft. (The dates on the video are wrong.)
NYPD shootout with robbers (1931)
"Aren't you glad you don't live in New York? Five killed and 13 wounded in desperate running battle with bandits, through miles of crowded city streets,'' ending in Washington Heights.
Tightrope dancer (1931)
This female daredevil is suspended on a high wire over what looks like City Hall Park.
Roosevelt under heavy guard (1933)
More than 1,000 members of the NYPD are on special duty after President Franklin Roosevelt arrives at Grand Central following an assassination attempt in Chicago.
Texas Guinan (1933)
The legendary nightclub hostess returns to the Big Apple by ocean liner after she and her pals had trouble with a trip to France.
Never issued, possibly because Ms. Guinan's language was a bit too salty.
Blizzard (1934)
"Causing many deaths from exposure, tying up traffic, but giving work to many unemployed'' in the depths of the Great Depression.
New York's oldest man (1934)
And we're at his 106th birthday party on the Lower East Side. L'chaim!
Animal fashion show (1934)
Sly original title: "What they are wearing in New York.''
Anti-Nazi demonstration (1935)
More than 100,000 New Yorkers demonstrate downtown against Hitler's treatment of German Jews.
Pathé's notes say this newsreel was not distributed — because of political pressure?
Gore Vidal (1936)
The future famous writer, then 10 years old and nicknamed "Gene,'' gets a lesson in piloting a plane from his father, a celebrated flier, taking off from what appears to be Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
High-flying Wall Streeters (1937)
Depression be damned, wealthy stockbrokers commute from Long Island in seaplanes that land in the East River.
Rooftop camp (1937)
Tents for a Catholic Youth Organization summer camp are pitched among the skyscrapers.
Lincoln Tunnel (1937)
"Men work night and day on this latest marvel of engineering.'' Which will snarl traffic for decades.
Castle demolition (1938)
An imposing Washington Heights structure falls to an old-school wrecker's ball to make way for an apartment complex.
Garbo speaks! (1938)
Notoriously private screen legend Greta Garbo actually talks to reporters at a Manhattan dock after returning from a trip to Europe.
Unfortunately, there's no soundtrack.
Subway disaster (1938)
Two die and dozens are injured when a Lexington Avenue train crashes into the rear of another at the 18th Street station.
'Big Applesauce' (1938)
The Inner Circle, a group of City Hall reporters, satirize politicians in their annual show — something they're still doing today.
New York World's Fair (1940)
World War II has already broken out in Europe when New Yorkers are offered a brighter (if not particularly prescient) glimpse of the future in Flushing Meadow Park.


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It's almost cold again today. I was glad I could wear my YY turtleneck again. This was one of those perfect outfit days. I was comfortable and not thinking about what I was wearing. These YY pants and top have been two of the best purchases I've ever made. I always want to put them on.
I got my hair cut last night and the stylist did a great job. She really listened to what I wanted and even stopped to show me what she was doing and ask if I wanted anything changed. I was impressed. There's a ridiculous amount of salons in this area and most of them are crap to mediocre. I may have finally found one I like.
Apparently my haircut and outfit really caught peoples' attention at work.
Shop supervisor: Whoa, what's with the ninja look?
Me: Ninja?
Him: You're all in black!
Me: I almost always wear black.
Him: …. Actually now that you mention it, yeah you do, but you still look like a ninja today.
Later on my boss noticed.
Boss: Look at you! All decked out and with a new haircut. What's up, Sprocket!
Me: Sprocket?
Boss: Yeah, from the SNL skit? You ever see the sprocket one?
He then showed me a video on his phone of the SNL skit with several guys with very short hair all dressed in black turtlenecks and black pants dancing while singing something about sprockets. He continued to call me Sprocket for the rest of the day.
The rest of the day was busy with new client work. We are late on their orders (of course!) so I had to send out an email to all the departments about wanting regular updates on the product lots. I knew the calm I'd been feeling in the office lately wasn't quite right. I've been waiting for the next earthquake to shake me into action again and of course it's here now with a new client and late work.
Z bought a VR headset, Odyssey by Samsung. It's funny watching him walk around the room with the headset on and controllers in his hands, moving awkwardly. I did the same thing too when he let me wear it for a little bit. He got the updated Skyrim game that's made for VR. That game was already gorgeous and now feeling inside the game itself gives it a whole new level of awesomeness.


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When Oscar-winning writer/director Oliver Stone first unleashed his epic Alexander the Great biopic back in 2004, critics launched a war of words and audiences retreated from the box office battle lines. In the aftermath of its disastrous theatrical release, Alexander was re-tooled for its 2005 home entertainment debut by Stone, who trimmed 8 minutes for a special "Director's Cut" DVD, whose packaging promised a "faster-paced, more action packed" film. Although the "Director's Cut" sold moderately well, certain critics pummeled Stone once again, this time for further de-gaying an already largely de-gayed narrative about history's most famous bisexual conqueror.
Determined to placate critics once and for all, Stone re-edited the film a third time in 2007 and, rather than subtracting footage, added in a total of 40 extra minutes, which included more literal sword fighting and implied naked sword fighting. The resulting release, Alexander Revisited, was supposed to be the final word on the film. Seven years later, however, and we have a fourth cut of the film, Alexander: The Ultimate Cut, which shortens Revisited by seven minutes. The question is, has Stone finally made Alexander great? Hit the jump for my Alexander: The Ultimate Cut Blu-ray review.
I think the answer lies in how much you consider the initial "Theatrical Cut" in any way great…or, at least, good-ish. I, for one, remember watching the film in theaters after all the critical bloodshed and enjoying it, albeit with diminished expectations. Sure, the film felt overly long at certain points and truncated at others – and Colin Farrell's dyed blond locks were an epic disaster of their own – but there was enough battlefield spectacle and bedroom intrigue on screen to keep me amused. Thankfully, Warner has included this original "Theatrical Cut" in the 10th Anniversary Alexander: The Ultimate Cut box set.
With my memory of the "Theatrical Cut"'s content a bit blurrier than my moderately positive reaction to it, I packed a bag lunch – make it two – and sat down to watch Stone's 207-minute Ultimate Cut, the centerpiece of this lavish new digi-book box set, which also includes a small, lovely little hardback book called "The Art of Alexander," reprints of production memos between Stone and his cast and crew, a short printed essay defending the movie by Classics professor Ivana Petrovic, and a redemption code for an UltraViolet Digital Copy (Ultimate Cut only).
As the film began, I was surprised to find myself thrust immediately into battle; the Battle of Gaugamela, to be specific. In this extended war sequence, Stone introduces Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell) as a young man whose strong leadership skills and cunning military mind lead the Macedonians to victory over Persia. The sequence also shows off Stone's bravura action filmmaking, which certainly rivals anything in Braveheart or Gladiator. But something felt a bit unfamiliar about this sequence…or unfamiliar about its placement at the head of the movie.
Doing a little research, I discovered that, for his 2007 "Final Cut," and its slightly shorter new sibling, "The Ultimate Cut," Stone decided to break up the chronological re-telling of Alexander's life as featured in the original "Theatrical Cut." Alexander's narrative now shifts backward and forward in time, alternating between scenes of Alexander conquering the world and the childhood events that shaped his psychology. I guess if critics complain about your original cut being too slow, why not start with a big bang or "in media res" (in the middle of things) as ancient storytellers like Homer did with "The Odyssey" and Virgil with "The Aeneid." Those epics have certainly stood the test of time.
Following the Battle of Gaugamela, the film snakes back in time to Alexander's childhood, where a young Colin Farrell look-alike (complete with similarly odd blond dye job) portrays Alexander as a son torn between earning the approval of his hard-partying, one-eyed father, King Philip II (played by Stone's former Jim Morrison, The Doors star Val Kilmer) and remaining loyal to his power-hungry mother, Olympias (played by former Hollywood bad girl-turned-global Goodwill Ambassador, Angelina Jolie). When Alexander witnesses his drunken father's near-rape of Olympias, the latter emerges the more sympathetic of the two larger-than-life parental figures. But Olympias' insistence that Alexander's real father is Zeus doesn't suggest she's playing with a full deck of tarot cards, either. So, whose lead should Alexander follow?
It turns out he has no choice but to follow his mother's vengeful whims. Convinced Alexander will lose the throne to Philip's mistress's new infant son, Olympias advises her son to "kill or be killed." Refusing to betray his father, Alexander is nevertheless a witness to his father's violent murder in an outdoor sports arena. Alexander immediately suspects his mother and Stone, the conspiracy theory-happy director of JFK and Nixon, leaves little doubt who's responsible…while Jolie practically winks at the camera.
From this point on, Alexander assumes the role of King of Macedonia and sets out to conquer most of the known western and eastern worlds – including Afghanistan and India – while having animalistic sex with his pretty wife Roxana (Rosario Dawson) and batting eyes at Jared Leto's prettier Hephaestion. The film climaxes with the lavish Battle of Hydaspes, in which Alexander and his men fight against King Porus' army along the banks of the Hydaspes River (modern-day Pakistan). Amidst the clashing swords and Porus' roaring elephant cavalry, Alexander is struck with an arrow. He manages to survive but his grief over Hephaestion's death, whom he suspects the jealous Roxana has poisoned – a paranoia likely inspired by his own mother's double-crossings – soon causes him to become weak and perish.
Those are the basic events that happen over the course – make that five-course meal – of Stone's supersize historical biopic. Most of them, especially the battle sequences, are certainly a marvel to behold, which is no surprise considering the fact that Stone earned his name directing Vietnam War classics Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, both of which feature intensely visceral scenes of military combat. Operating on a much grander scale, Stone still manages to infuse these scenes with his patented battlefield intensity.
The film also thrives during its sexier bedroom moments, which include Farrell's erotically charged entanglement with Rosario Dawson's feral Roxana, and his face-offs with his mother, Olympias. I know the latter claim sounds a little icky, but Jolie is only a year older than Farrell and watching these two good-looking, (former) wild child stars feud on screen – faces inches apart – has an undeniable, if unintentional, heat.
Where the film lacks necessary heat is in the supposedly significant relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion. Jared Leto may have used his wide-eyed beauty to haunting effect in Dallas Buyers Club, but here he's a wan, sidebar pretty boy with nothing significant to say or do, even if that's more than he said or did in the original "Theatrical Cut." Perhaps if Stone had made the film in the post-Brokeback Mountain era, he might have known how to properly infuse a gay relationship with real passion and pathos. Without feeling a true sense of connection with or empathy for this relationship, the film's final scenes fall a bit flat.
Other than Leto, however, the remainder of the supporting cast is eminently watchable, especially Jolie as the deliciously vampy Queen Olympias, Anthony Hopkins as Ptolemy, the film's comforting narrator, and Christopher Plummer as Aristotle, Alexander's wizened teacher. Casting aside, the film's biggest weakness is really one of a narrative nature and, by narrative, I don't mean structure, since Stone can move around the individual pieces of this film ad infinitum and still not end up with something truly great.
The reason for this became apparent while watching the new "Ultimate Cut" documentary "The Fight Against Time," in which one of the producers talks about how much easier it was to get funding for this sword and sandal epic in the aftermath of Gladiator's success. But what Gladiator had, and Alexander sorely lacks, is a relatable, underdog hero like Russell Crowe's Maximus. The Alexander of Alexander is more like Joaquin Phoenix's tortured prince in Gladiator: a young man born into privilege and haunted by ruling class family dysfunction and neurosis. At the end of the day, most people just aren't going to find as much to root for in this kind of character, regardless of sexual orientation. And therein lies the Great challenge Stone failed to conquer.
The "Ultimate Cut" disc includes "Fight Against Time: Oliver Stone's Alexander," an extended production diary that looks at the making of the film through the eyes of the director's son, Sean Stone. This is the 10th Anniversary release's most interesting bonus feature because it offers an intimate view at both the film's production and the dynamic between Stone and son, which amusingly reflects the powerful father/aspirant son dynamic between Philip and Alexander in the movie.
Also new is the "Ultimate Cut" Director Commentary. Well, new-ish. This audio track blends fresh remarks from Stone on this new "Cut" with his existing commentary for Alexander: Revisited. Stone sounds a little different on each but it's certainly a detailed and informative listening experience – and it was all new to me.
The final new bonus feature is the mini-doc "The Real Alexander and the World He Made," in which Stone and several historians narrate the major events of Alexander the Great's life over clips from the film. This piece feels designed to simply validate the film's authenticity and, after ten minutes, you'll be tempted to just watch the actual film.
Bonus features ported over from the "Theatrical Cut" DVD include: Stone's original "Theatrical Cut" commentary; a shortened version of Sean Stone's "Fight Against Time" divided into three chapters: "Resurrecting Alexander," "Perfect Is the Enemy of Good," and "The Death of Alexander;" "Vangelis Scores Alexander," a five-minute featurette that includes an interview with the Academy Award® winning composer; and trailers.
The original "Theatrical Cut" looks stunning in its blu-ray upgrade, while the "Ultimate Cut" presents the added footage in seamless fashion in a 2:40:1, 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer. The film is a richly textured tapestry and the high definition flatters the film's colorful settings and characters.
In terms of sound, this "10th Anniversary Edition" upgrades both the "Theatrical" and "Ultimate" cuts to lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.. The film's soundtrack, featuring music by Academy Award®-winning composer Vangelis (Chariots of Fire), is appropriately epic and one of the film's key strengths.
Oliver Stone's Alexander may never be great, but this new "Ultimate Cut" Edition provides epic amounts of entertainment value and bonus material.
Alexander's original "Theatrical Cut" is rated R for violence and some sexuality/nudity and has a run time of 175 minutes (2 hours, 55 minutes).
The "Ultimate Cut" The "Ultimate Cut" is being released Unrated and has a run time of 206 minutes (3 hours, 26 minutes).


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Born into a rich home of history and pride, The Calabogie Brewing Company is proud to serve the local area with an unrivalled passion and love for beer.
Our founders Greg, Ken, Jamie and Mike are humbled to share their passion with a community built with a pioneer spirit.
Our brewery will be open starting March 15th. Our hours will be 11-7 Monday to Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday. Stop by, we'd love to share our passion with you and brew some great company. – Cheers
Just Wine partners with the finest bars, restaurants, wineries and retailers from around the world!


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|This is a Virus named Chuck
I love mail art like this one from David Stafford that exists right on the point of inspiration. And Chuck, the amorphous virus is the kind of creature you'd like to be your friend. The joy of creation is almost palpable. The crayon must have been warm when David put Chuck in the envelope. It's left a shadow on the inside of the envie.
It's great that Chuck is gonna have friends. I am also interested to find out what adventures they will get up to and what adversity they will overcome. No doubt global pandemics will prove fertile writing ground!
Meanwhile, Patrick seems to have his second virus of the season. I am hiding out in the studio avoiding the infested air. But it makes me happy to think that viruses might be similar to humans, only much, much smaller, of course.


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Amidst much Twitter-related news today, thanks in large part to Twitter's Chirp developer conference, came a surprising announcement courtesy of the Library of Congress's Twitter account: The Library will soon be home to Twitter's entire public archive of tweets.
That's a lot of tweets, as the Library mentions in a blog post about the announcement. The microblogging service's most recent numbers show that over 50 million tweets are made per day, with an average of 600 tweets per second. Twitter also announced today that it has over 105 million registered users, with 300,000 added every day. It will be a monumental task to back up Twitter's already massive archive, but the Library will also have to keep pace with Twitter's ever-increasing popularity.
The Library's director of communications Matt Raymond hinted that we would see an emphasis on scholarly and research uses of the data. He was particularly excited at what the data could teach us about ourselves. While Twitter is home to some important tweets — like Barack Obama's celebratory tweet after he won the 2008 election — it's also home to tweets that show users reacting to events in real time, conversations with friends, and yes, tweets about your breakfast and lunch.
Ars Technica's Nate Anderson suggests that all tweets, even the most mundane, could have tremendous historical value:
There's been a turn toward historicism in academic circles over the last few decades, a turn that emphasizes not just official histories and novels but the diaries of women who never wrote for publication, or the oral histories of soldiers from the Civil War, or the letters written by a sawmill owner. The idea is to better understand the context of a time and place, to understand the way that all kinds of people thought and lived, and to get away from an older scholarship that privileged the productions of (usually) elite males.
Of course, not everyone will see the same value with housing tweets in the worlds largest library, but the news still adds a significant amount of legitimacy to the idea of microblogging. Most importantly, it helps cement Twitter's image as the go-to source for this real-time data.
It's unlikely that Facebook's status updates will receive similar treatment because those are mostly private, unlike Twitter's focus on a global public conversation. And aside from Facebook, there aren't any other major microblogging competitors for Twitter to worry about — yet.


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Ally (Jill Zarin's Daughter) on Millionaire Matchmaker
First of all, hats off to Patti Stranger for making it to eight seasons on Bravo. I may detest the woman, but she's hung in there despite a despicable personality, lack of success in actually making any matches, insulting her fellow bravolebrities and Bravo executives, low ratings, the list goes on and on. But she'll be back on our small screen starting December 7. I seriously don't mind. I enjoy an evening where I'm not even tempted to turn on Bravo.
Anyhow, this season seems to be celebrity matchmaker – and the short preview clip released by Bravo shows a lot of familiar faces – including Chris and Caroline Manzo, Sonja Morgan, Reza from Shahs, Chilli from TLC, Heidi and Spenser, Marysol Patton, Perez Hilton, and Ally Shapiro and Jill Zarin.
Last we saw Ally, she had been hunted down by her mom and a camera crew, and was humiliated on-screen as they went clothes shopping. Shortly after that she transferred colleges and moved to Nashville – far far away from Jillzy. It's hard to believe she could be talked into appearing on this fiasco. On a positive note, the preview shows Jill reaching for her drink and inadvertently sticking a straw up her nose – so that's good for a chuckle at least.
As for Patti, as the seasons have progressed, her show has turned into more and more of a joke. I know nothing about this woman, so I decided to see if she even had a website for her dating service company. She does – and it's pretty slick. Every wonder what she charges (assuming there are real clients).
There are a range of basic packages:
$ 25K – 6 months of unlimited dating US/Canada
- 30 minute relationship counseling session & Patti's commandments of dating and steps to success (aren't those free?)
$ 45K – 1 Year of unlimited dating US/Canada
- 1 hour relationship counseling session & Patti's commandments of dating and steps to success
$ 65K – 1 Year of unlimited dating US/Canada (Bronze Package)
- 1 hour date coaching session with the dating coach
- 1 hour image consulting session with the image consultant
- 1 hour hypnotherapy session with the hypnotherapist
$ 85K – 1 Year of unlimited dating US/Canada (Silver Package)
- 1 hour of relationship counseling with Patti Stanger
- Patti Stanger will personally match and introduce you to the love of your life (and if you tell her no – that is not the love of my life she will yell at you and insult you and send you packing)
$ 100K+ – 1 Year of unlimited dating US/Canada (Gold Package)
- This package will be fully customized to your needs including international searches and more. (Mail order bride?)
And wondering how much the add-ons cost – such as The Millionaire Matchmaker®Mixer Experience
$ 35K +Expenses – As Seen on Bravo's Hit Show The Millionaire Matchmaker®
- One-time mixer event held at an upscale location in your city
- MC matchmakers will hand select up to 25 daters of the opposite or same sex of your choice
- Your MC matchmaker will introduce, guide you on your mini-dates
- *Expenses do not include food, alcohol, venue of mixer or hotel stay. Those must be purchased for an additional fee
To receive Patti Stanger as your personal matchmaker (along with an assistant matchmaker) there is an additional fee of a minimum of $35,000 on top of a Millionaire Matchmaker Membership Package. Patti limits her personal matchmaking to an average of 10 club members based on schedule, availability and space per year.
Veena's note – all of the information was taken from Patti's website.
Here is the preview clip:
Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion Highlights by Veena
Good gracious the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion has been hard to watch. With the Giudice's just learning that they face prison time, it was about as subdued as the Season Two Atlanta Reunion that shortly followed Kandi's ex fiance's (AJ's) death. There was barely a furrowed brow, much less a raised voice, and each of the six ladies seemed to have half smiles frozen on their faces as they all feigned sympathy for the Giudices. But among the hours and hours of footage there were a few slips of the tongue, glimpses of real humans behind the caked makeup and zombie-like facade, and even a few moments of levity:
10. Melissa, Kathy, and Rosie telling Dina that she should expect her relatives to return to the show and address their issues with her – because the show was a great place to work out family conflicts.
9. Teresa giving Melissa the cold shoulder through the entire reunion, as Melissa sat there and had to pretend that they were getting along.
8. Amber saying Jim had an asshole problem and people agreeing immediately, until she clarified that he had problems with assholes.
7. Teresa laughing hysterically as Andy questioned Dina about whether the show had a impact on her relationship with Jacqueline and Caroline – then when asked why she was laughing, explaining that she was glad that Andy finally acknowledged that the show did have a negative impact on people's lives. Andy's dumbfounded look was priceless.
6. Teresa getting a burst of energy and jumping up to tell the other ladies that "people will come on the show to hurt you – be careful," then suddenly realizing she's sitting beside Melissa Gorga – who came on the show just to hurt her.
5. Teresa G. asking Andy why it was insulting for Teresa (twin) to say "clink clink" and tap her wrists together. Okay – that was just sad.
4. Melissa Gorga saying something like, "When beautiful girls like Teresa (twin), or pretty girls like Amber, date rich men, people tend to think they are gold diggers." Ouch to Amber.
3. Dina turning to Andy saying, "I thought we weren't allowed props," as Jim Marchese brought out his folder of evidence, spilling the beans that Andy had to BAN props – probably because of Kenya Moore.
2. Joey Gorga, Joe Giudice and Dino giggling like little girls as Jim Marchese waved around his lame folder of evidence that Bobby (gasp!) went to a few housewife cookbook or appearances prior to joining the show. Not sure if they were laughing at Jim or Bobby, probably both.
1. Teresa Giudice turning to Bobby and saying "thank you for supporting me," as Jim Marchese waved around a photo of Bobby at one of her book signings. Specifically, watching Jim's face deflate as she shut down his idiotic rant.
The Hobbit trailer has been released – movie will be out December 17


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2 cups plain flour
2 cups boiling water
1 cup salt
food colouring, or if you want something more natural use beetroot juice
4 tbs cream of Tartar
2 tbs cooking oil
Mix the ingredients in a bowl with a fork until its cool enough to use your hands then kneed the dough until its combined.
Store in a airtight container. Easy.


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The close relationship Japanese people have with nature brought to the development of a unique attention towards natural spaces, such as forests, parks and gardens. Especially when it comes to gardens, Japanese people have no rivals for the attention they put to detail, the fine aesthetics and the contemplative value of specific environments.
The first Japanese gardens were heavily influenced by Chinese gardens in their appearance, as they both represent the miniature of an idealized landscape. This kind of gardens often include ponds, rocks, flowers and trees. Japanese garden, though started soon to differ from the Chinese one for aesthetics and materials used. Curious to know about gardens and their development? Let's find out more!
The Three Great Gardens
The Three great Gardens are considered to be the most famous and beautiful of the whole Japan. These are the Kenroku-en (兼六園, Six Attributes Garden) in Kanazawa, Kōraku-en (後楽園, garden of pleasure after) in Okayama and Kairaku-en (偕楽園, A park to be enjoyed together) in Mito. The first two were created in the 17th century, while the last one is more recent, dating only to 1841.
Unlike the Kenroku-en and the Kōraku-en, the Kairaku-en was open to the public, while the other two were originally meant as private gardens for the families who had them built. Of the three gardens, only Kōraku-en and Kenroku-en are considered "Special Places of Scenic Beauty". But all of them are said to represent perfectly the setsugekka, literally, snow, moon, and flowers, or in other words the most beautiful aspects of nature throughout the year. For this reason, any season of the year will be good to visit the gardens, as their beauty can change according to the month, but never decrease.
1-1 Marunouchi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture
Admission Fee:
310 yen for adults, 100 yen for 17 years old and younger
Mar. 1 through Oct.15 : 7:00a.m – 6:00p.m
Oct.16 through Feb.28/29 : 8:00a.m – 5:00p.m
Please refer to the official website for the latest information.
Korakuen 1-5, Kita-ku, Okayama City 703-8257
Admission Fee:
400 yen for adults, 140 yen for 14 years old and younger, 140 yen for 65+ years old.
March 20 – September 30 : 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.(entry by 5:45p.m.)
October 1 – March 19 : 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.(entry by 4:45 p.m.)
Please refer to the official website for the latest information.
Tokiwa-cho, Mito-shi
Admission Fee:
Main garden: free
Kobun-tei: 200 yen
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (February 20 to September 30)
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (October 1 to February 19)
Origin, history and styles of Japanese gardens
Japanese merchants that traveled to China in Asuka period were so fascinated by Chinese gardens that decided to bring them to Japan. These first gardens were heavily influenced by Buddhism and Daoism, a lot of them featured the five islands of a Daoist legend where eight immortals live, represented in the form of a mountain (Mount Horai). Also rocks representing turtles and cranes are common. A feature that comes from Shintō, on the other hand, is the Shimenawa, a rope that marks sacred rocks or trees. Garden used to follow the rules of Feng Shui, the Chinese geomancy.
Among the kinds of gardens, it worth to mention the water gardens, that have several lakes connected by bridges, that people visited in boats, often listening to music or reading poetry. Other gardens that developed in Heian period are the Paradise gardens, inspired to Buddhism, that were meant to represent the Paradise in the West, where Amida Buddha ruled. A wonderful example of a Paradise garden can be found in Uji: it's the Byōdō-in, with its beautiful view of a temple built on a small island on a lake.
In the Middle Age, another kind of garden emerged, the karesansui, or Japanese rock garden. It takes inspiration from Zen Buddhism, and its peculiarity is that it uses sand or gravel to represent water, and big rocks symbolizing mountains. The garden in the Ryōan-ji, in Kyoto, is a zen garden.
One of the latest styles for gardens is the Sukiya style, developed in Edo period, and characterized by its inspiration from the Tea Houses. A great example of this kind of garden is the one of the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto.
Did you get interested? Visit The Three Great Gardens in Japan to view the best Japanese garden!
Please refer to the official website for the latest information.


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School Letters on Students' Obesity Outrage Some Parents
Two school districts that sent letters to parents informing them that their children might have weight problems based on school-sponsored health screenings are facing a backlash.
Angry parents have accused officials in the two districts—one in Pennsylvania and the other in Florida—of everything from meddling in family matters, to harming students' self-esteem, to contributing to obesity by allowing vending machines on campus.
But some national experts contend that such notifications are sound. "It's a good idea, given the increasing problem with obese children," said David A. Birch, the president of the American Association for Health Education, based in Reston, Va.
Mr. Birch said that 13 percent of American children and young adults are overweight.
Still, "all hell broke loose" after parents in the East Penn, Pa., school district received letters stating that their children might be overweight or underweight, said George A. Ziolkowski, the director of pupil-personnel services for the 6,800-student district near Allentown.
Pennsylvania schools are required by state law to measure students' height and weight and conduct vision, hearing, and dental screenings each year. But little was done with the information in the past, other than to tuck it away in files, Mr. Ziolkowski said.
Health Risks Cited
Then school nurses in the district, concerned by what is seen as a growing trend toward obesity in young children, approached Mr. Ziolkowski and suggested that the district inform parents where their children ranked on the Body Mass Index. That weight-assessment system is endorsed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mr. Ziolkowski said his first reaction was "absolutely not." He feared such a move would upset parents. But the nurses continued to press the issue, he said, presenting him with more evidence linking childhood weight problems to other serious health problems.
Children who are obese are at risk for developing type-2 diabetes and breathing problems, and children who are underweight can be at greater risk for heart problems, anemia, osteoporosis, and growth and developmental problems, Mr. Ziolkowski noted.
East Penn's letters started going out last fall, and so far, about 400 have been sent from the district's pupil personnel office to elementary school students.
The letter states that the school is concerned with the fitness of the student; lists the student's height, weight, and rank on the BMI; cites a number of health risks connected to weight problems; assures parents that the information is confidential; and urges them to get in touch either with the pupil-personnel office or their child's physician.
"We've tried to be as sensitive as we can about this," said Mr. Ziolkowski. He added that the school never uses the terms "obese" or "fat" when referring to a child who is overweight.
Raising Parent Ire
Even so, some parents were not happy with the notifications. One East Penn mother even appeared last week on NBC's "Today" show to complain about the letter she received.
Parents have also criticized the schools for serving what they say are unhealthy lunches, allowing vending machines on school grounds, and offering physical education classes only once a week.
"We are giving our students a mixed message," said Tomi Waters Boylstein, the president of the Pennsylvania PTA. "We want them to have good nutrition, but we are providing pop machines on campus."
Mr. Birch of the health education association said that schools should offer meals that have fewer than 30 percent of their calories from fat. He also suggested schools should offer counseling to students dealing with weight issues, and stress lifelong physical activities— such as swimming, tennis, and weight training—in gym classes.
Parents in the 15,000-student Citrus County school district in western Florida, meanwhile, also have been receiving letters concerning their children's weight as part of a program established by the county health department.
According to newspaper reports, those letters were placed in children's backpacks, which made some parents worry the notification could harm a child's self-esteem.
Neither school officials nor officials from the health department were available for comment last week.
But children's self-esteem was a major consideration in the East Penn district, according to Mr. Ziolkowski, who noted that the district mailed the letters directly to parents.
"[Parents] can choose to do something with it," he said, "or ball it up and throw it in the trash can."
Vol. 21, Issue 29, Page 11Published in Print: April 3, 2002, as School Letters on Students' Obesity Outrage Some Parents
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