text:
George Silk/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Called "the greatest American battle of the war" by Winston Churchill, the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes region of Belgium was Adolf Hitler's last major offensive in World War II against the Western Front. Hitler's aim was to split the Allies in their drive toward Germany. The German troops' failure to divide Britain, France and America with the Ardennes offensive paved the way to victory for the allies.
Lasting six brutal weeks, from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945, the assault, also called the Battle of the Ardennes, took place during frigid weather conditions, with some 30 German divisions attacking battle-fatigued American troops across 85 miles of the densely wooded Ardennes Forest.
As the Germans drove into the Ardennes, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle's name. The battle proved to be the costliest ever fought by the U.S. Army, which suffered over 100,000 casualties. The formerly serene, wooded region of Ardennes was hacked into chaos by fighting as the Americans dug in against the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and, later, Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division.
"Did you ever see land when a tornado's come through? Did you ever see trees and stuff, twisted and broken off? The whole friggin' forest was like that," said U.S. Army Charlie Sanderson in My Father's War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers.
READ MORE: 8 Things You May Not Know About the Battle of the Bulge
The surprise German attack broke through the front on day one as stories quickly spread of massacred soldiers and civilians, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
"For those who had lived through 1940, the picture was all too familiar. Belgian townspeople put away their Allied flags and brought out their swastikas," the center writes. "Police in Paris enforced an all-night curfew. British veterans waited nervously to see how the Americans would react to a full-scale German offensive, and British generals quietly acted to safeguard the Meuse River's crossings. Even American civilians, who had thought final victory was near were sobered by the Nazi onslaught."
Troops Faced Severe Cold
Hitler's mid-December timing of the attack—one of the bloodiest of the war—was strategic, as freezing rain, thick fog, deep snow drifts and record-breaking low temperatures brutalized the American troops. More than 15,000 "cold injuries"—trench foot, pneumonia, frostbite—were reported that winter.
"I was from Buffalo, I thought I knew cold," baseball Hall of Famer and WWII veteran Warren Spahn said in The Love of Baseball. "But I didn't really know cold until the Battle of the Bulge."
Nazis Sent in Imposters and Changed Road Signs
Another Nazi strategy was to attempt to infiltrate the Allied troops.
Veteran Vernon Brantley, a private first class in the 289th Regiment, told the Fort Jackson Leader in 2009 that his unit had just arrived in Germany from France when they were told to load up and return to Luxembourg.
"We got word that the Germans had dropped a lot of paratroopers behind our lines, and that they were dressed like American Soldiers and spoke English," he said. "... They were there to create confusion."
The Germans also changed road signs and spread misinformation.
"The Nazis were carefully groomed for their dangerous mission," LIFE magazine reported in 1945. "They spoke excellent English and their slang had been tuned up by close association with American prisoners of war in German camps. ... Under the rules of the Hague Convention these Germans were classifiable as spies and subject to an immediate court martial by a military tribunal. After brief deliberation American officers found them guilty, and ordered the usual penalty for spies: death by firing squad."
To stop infiltrators, the U.S. troops would ask suspected Germans to answer American trivia questions.
"Three times I was ordered to prove my identity," Gen. Omar Bradley recalled, according to the Washington Post. "The first time by identifying Springfield as the capital of Illinois; the second by locating the guard between the center and the tackle on a line of scrimmage; the third time by naming the then-current spouse of a blonde named Betty Grable."
Click here to watch the full episode on the Battle of the Bulge and more from WWII in HD on History Vault
Allied Air Forces Arrived on Christmas Day
It wasn't until Christmas Day that the weather conditions finally cleared, allowing Allied air forces to strike.
"It was on that bright, clear and cold Christmas morning in 1944 that the ground froze solid," Brantley told the Leader. "The tanks and air forces could finally maneuver, and get assistance to all of us who were previously blocked off. … It was a welcome sign to see the sun come up. It meant that we were alive for one more day."
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander, and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. led the American defense to restore the front. According to the National Archives' Bloodiest Battle, Eisenhower gave Patton the Third Army, about 230,000 soldiers, and ordered him to head to the Ardennes.
101st Airborne Division Dropped Into Bastogne
In the small, pivotal Belgian town of Bastogne, the Germans surrounded thousands of Allied troops. Eisenhower, in response, sent in more units, including the famed 101st Airborne Division.
"When the Germans sent a message demanding the surrender of the 101st on December 22, they got a one-word response from its commander, Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe: 'Nuts!'" the Bloodiest Battle states. "This was interpreted by German officers as a more colorful—and negative—response to their demand. The day after Christmas, units of Patton's rapidly approaching Third Army finally arrived, broke through the German lines, and rescued the troops."
Claiming victory of the battle on January 25, 1945, and the Allies headed for Berlin. The war ended less than five months later with Germany's May 7 surrender.
In all, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, 1 million-plus Allied troops, including some 500,000 Americans, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, with approximately 19,000 soldiers killed in action, 47,500 wounded and 23,000-plus missing. About 100,000 Germans were killed, wounded or captured.
"The Ardennes campaign of 1944-45 was only one in a series of difficult engagements in the battle for Europe," wrote John S.D. Eisenhower, in his 1969 book, The Bitter Woods. "Nevertheless, it can be said that the Ardennes campaign epitomized them all. For it was here that American and German combat soldiers met in the decisive struggle that broke the back of the Nazi war machine."
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
Allied Progress in the Battle of the Bulge
Germany Advances in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge Soldiers
8 Things You May Not Know About the Battle of the Bulge
1. Hitler's generals advised against the attack. Many historians have argued that the Nazi attack on the Ardennes was doomed before it started, and it appears that several of Adolf Hitler's most trusted lieutenants would have agreed. Hitler's proposed plan (dubbed "Operation ...read more
Battle of the Bulge: How American Grit Halted Hitler's Last-Ditch Strike
On December 14, 1944, American GIs stationed in the Belgian-German border town of Bastogne were in a jolly holiday mood. Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich was in town on a USO tour performing songs for a crowd of fresh-faced new arrivals and war-worn infantry on much needed R&R. ...read more
The Battle of Midway was an epic clash between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that played out six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy's decisive victory in the air-sea battle (June 3-6, 1942) and its successful defense of the major base located at ...read more
Battle of Anzio
The 1944 Battle of Anzio stemmed from the Allied attempt to draw German troops off the Gustav Line during Operation Shingle. An expeditionary force commanded by U.S. Major General John P. Lucas secured a beachhead near Anzio and Nettuno on Italy's west coast, but his divisions ...read more
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk occurred in July 1943 around the Soviet city of Kursk in western Russia, as Germany launched Operation Citadel, Hitler's response to his devastating defeat by the Soviet Red Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. The battle was Germany's last chance to regain ...read more
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945—Easter Sunday—the Navy's Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards ...read more
Battle of Dunkirk
Dunkirk is a small town on the coast of France that was the scene of a massive military campaign during World War II. During the Battle of Dunkirk from May 26 to June 4, 1940, some 338,000 British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk to ...read more
The Battle of Britain took place during World War II between Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany's air force. From July 10 through October 31, 1940, pilots and support crews on both sides took to the skies and battled for control of airspace over Great ...read more
Battle of Guadalcanal
The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an ...read more


text:
Vol. 2, N o.4
April,1974
P.O.BOX 14602, PHILA, PA  19134
NIXON THREATENS NATO
-- by Chris Robinson.
President Nixon never foresaw when he
declared 1973 to be his "Year of Europe"
that he would end the year threatening
NATO with involvement in a nuclear
conflict. But that's what happened.
On October 24, 1973, the Egyptian and
Israeli governments agreed to a second
cease fire along the Suez Canal. But
when the world awoke on October 25, it
found that the U.S. had called a worldwide military alert. The nuclear-armed
Strategic Air Command (SAC) had been
lofted, the 12,500 ever-ready paratroopers
of the 82nd Airborne Division had been
mobilized, the carrier John F. Kennedy
had been sent to the Mediterranean Sea,
and the carrier Handcock had orders
for the Indian Ocean.
The alert came as a surprise to the
American people, most of whom thought
that the war was over, and on October 26
Henry Kissinger was grilled by newsmen.
The best Kissinger could come up with
was a vague statement that "upon the
conclusion of the present diplomatic
effort. . . we will make the record
available. But the record has yet to
be opened to the press.
PENTAGON   EXPLANATION
The Pentagon cover story holds that the
alert was in response to the movement of
50,000 Russian paratroopers to potential
staging areas in the U.S.S.R. -- an
indication of direct Russian involvement
on the side of the Egyptians. One Pentagon
official said the alert was "purely
precautionary and a routine thing to do
in a situation like this."
However, there are two flaws in this
cover. The first is the lack of motivation on the part of the Russians to
involve its troops in the Middle East at
a time when the fighting was over. They
were as interested as the U.S. in ending
the shooting and getting the whole
problem ironed out through negotiations.
The only possible reason for the Russian
move was diplomatic: they wanted to warn
the U.S. to keep a tight reign on Israel
-- OR ELSE. Remember, the Israelis did
violate the first ceasefire on October 22
in order to surround' the Egyptian Third
Army and trap it on the east bank of
the Suez Canal.
If this is really the reason for the
Russian troop movements, then the U.S.
resort to a Level 3 Alert was totally
uncalled for. Namely, if the alert was
intended as a signal to the Russians,
then why weren't the Russians informed?
At no time during the alert were the
Russians given any information concerning
U.S. intentions in calling out the
Strategic Air Command and the world-wide
(Continued on page 2.)
RECON is published' monthly by RECOR Publications,
P.O. Box 14602, Phila., PA  19134. Subscriptions
cost $3/year. Sustaining and Institutional
Subscriptions cost $10/year. RECON is a «eaber of
the Committee of Small Magasine Editors and
Publishers, and RECON is available to subscribers
on microfilm from Xerox University Microfilms,
300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI  48106.
Copyright 1974 by RECON Publications.
Title RECON
Place of publication Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Publisher RECON Publications
Owner Brünn, Harris Watts Collection - Serials and Press Release Soldiers Movements, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam
Full text Vol. 2, N o.4 April,1974 P.O.BOX 14602, PHILA, PA 19134 NIXON THREATENS NATO -- by Chris Robinson. President Nixon never foresaw when he declared 1973 to be his "Year of Europe" that he would end the year threatening NATO with involvement in a nuclear conflict. But that's what happened. On October 24, 1973, the Egyptian and Israeli governments agreed to a second cease fire along the Suez Canal. But when the world awoke on October 25, it found that the U.S. had called a worldwide military alert. The nuclear-armed Strategic Air Command (SAC) had been lofted, the 12,500 ever-ready paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division had been mobilized, the carrier John F. Kennedy had been sent to the Mediterranean Sea, and the carrier Handcock had orders for the Indian Ocean. The alert came as a surprise to the American people, most of whom thought that the war was over, and on October 26 Henry Kissinger was grilled by newsmen. The best Kissinger could come up with was a vague statement that "upon the conclusion of the present diplomatic effort. . . we will make the record available. But the record has yet to be opened to the press. PENTAGON EXPLANATION The Pentagon cover story holds that the alert was in response to the movement of 50,000 Russian paratroopers to potential staging areas in the U.S.S.R. -- an indication of direct Russian involvement on the side of the Egyptians. One Pentagon official said the alert was "purely precautionary and a routine thing to do in a situation like this." However, there are two flaws in this cover. The first is the lack of motivation on the part of the Russians to involve its troops in the Middle East at a time when the fighting was over. They were as interested as the U.S. in ending the shooting and getting the whole problem ironed out through negotiations. The only possible reason for the Russian move was diplomatic: they wanted to warn the U.S. to keep a tight reign on Israel -- OR ELSE. Remember, the Israelis did violate the first ceasefire on October 22 in order to surround' the Egyptian Third Army and trap it on the east bank of the Suez Canal. If this is really the reason for the Russian troop movements, then the U.S. resort to a Level 3 Alert was totally uncalled for. Namely, if the alert was intended as a signal to the Russians, then why weren't the Russians informed? At no time during the alert were the Russians given any information concerning U.S. intentions in calling out the Strategic Air Command and the world-wide (Continued on page 2.) RECON is published' monthly by RECOR Publications, P.O. Box 14602, Phila., PA 19134. Subscriptions cost $3/year. Sustaining and Institutional Subscriptions cost $10/year. RECON is a «eaber of the Committee of Small Magasine Editors and Publishers, and RECON is available to subscribers on microfilm from Xerox University Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Copyright 1974 by RECON Publications.
Vol. I, no. 1 (June, 1973)
Vol. I, no. 2 (July, 1973)
Vol. I, no. 3 (Aug, 1973)
Vol. I, no. 4 (Sept., 1973)
Vol. I, no. 5 (Oct., 1973)
Vol. I, no. 6 (Nov., 1973)
Vol. 1, no. 7 (Dec. 1973)
Vol. 2, no. 1 (Jan., 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 2 (Feb., 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 3 (Mar., 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 4 (April, 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 5 (May, 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 6 (June, 1974)
Vol. 2, no. 7 (July, 1974)
Vol. 3, no. 2 (February, 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 3 (March, 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 4 (April 1975)
- p. 6-7
Vol. 3, no. 8 (Aug, 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 9 (Sept., 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 10 (Oct., 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 11 (Nov. 1975)
Vol. 3, no. 12 (Dec., 1975)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Alan Cross: Recently, I had a conversation with Artifactory CEO, Steve Dymszo. I began by asking about his experience with his previous company, Master Replicas.
Steve Dymszo: I was one of the original founders of Master Replicas in 2000. I became the Vice President of Product Design. Throughout the next five years I worked on approximately 250 products and I left the company in 2005. The travel was becoming too much and the hours were too crazy and I wanted to spend time with my family and get a local company started.
For people who may not be familiar with Master Replicas, can you explain what kind of products Master Replicas made?
We had licenses with a number of different Hollywood studios to make high-end collectible replicas of famous movie props (original filming miniatures). Our first license was with Lucasfilm, Ltd. for Star Wars. Then we branched out to Disney, Paramount for Star Trek, and New Line's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. For Paramount and Star Trek: The Original Series, we made a 1:350 scale, starship Enterprise. The original filming miniature was eleven feet long, so it didn't make sense to do it in studio scale. But we did do a studio scale replica of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. We also did the Star Wars FX Lightsaber. We sold a lot of those.
I imagine you learned quite a bit about manufacturing technology.
Master Replicas was really great because I learned how the big league players manufacture these pieces. I've been making prop replicas since 1994. But they were primarily done in the US and in our small facility. I had been used to making 'a hundred' of something. At Master Replicas I gained five years of manufacturing experience making 'a million' of something. It was a real eye opener.
How did you decide what kind of company you wanted to start next?
All along I knew there was a need for historical replicas. Archaeological replicas. Biblical replicas. Aerospace replicas. I started doing research, interviewing a lot of people – experts in their field. I asked them two questions: "Are you aware of any of these types of products being available?" And to a man they said 'no.' "If these products were made available, would you purchase them?" And to a man they said 'yes.' It became very apparent to me that there was a need for this niche. So I went and got forty-five people interested in this project and they all agreed to help. In August of 2012 we were able to raise enough money to get the company started.
Out of thousands of historically significant artifacts, what made you decide on the pieces you chose to become the first Artifactory products?
Regardless of what company you're running, whether it's Master Replicas, QMx, or Artifactory, the actionable criteria is always the same: your first round of products have to be well-recognized and easy to produce. Every product has to go through that gauntlet to make it through final production. That's why we chose the Shroud Of Turin. The Shroud had been analyzed and restored several times throughout its history. On it's most recent restoration, the restoration team made a high-resolution, digital image scan of the entire shroud. It's a two-gigabyte file. By comparison, a Word document is 56K. A typical photo is two megabytes. So a two-gigabyte file has a lot of data. We've been allowed to use this high-resolution, digital file to manufacture our replica of the Shroud. We're the only company that has this file, which makes our replica of The Shroud Of Turin, in terms of accuracy and detail, the finest in the world.
How does a product go from research to development to prototype to finished production piece?
I'll give you an example: We're making a replica of the Pilate Inscription, a stone fragment that was unearthed near Israel. The discovery of the Pilate Inscription is significant because it was the first time that Pontius Pilate's name was found on anything outside of the Bible. Before then, archaeologists thought he was a made-up character and this proved that he was real. Since we couldn't go to the Israel Museum where the original is kept, I contacted one of the archaeologists assisting us and said we needed high-resolution turn-around shots of the Pilate Inscription. The original plaque is 34 inches high, by 27 inches across, by 8 ½ inches deep. He said one of his students was there recently and he took a whole series of high-resolution turn around shots. We gave those shots to one of our CG artists and he drew the Pilate Inscription in Z Brush, which is a 3D imaging program. I gave him feedback, made some corrections in the file, and sent it to ACME Design, in Chicago. They did an output for us on their rapid-prototyping machine.
What qualities of the original artifact are you trying to duplicate in the Artifactory replica?
Our replicas have to be very high quality and they have to look realistic. I was able to purchase a few replicas from overseas of key archaeological pieces, and they weren't up to the standards we think our customers would expect. But they were made for tourists and they were low-priced: $10, $25 items. Our products are much nicer. Our 1/6 scale Pilate Inscription retails for $79.95. It's made here in the USA. A lot of our products are made in the United States. Some products are made in China and some are hybrids.
Do Artifactory products vary widely in price?
Our lowest cost item is a mere $12.00 and our most expensive piece is the Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele). It's almost seven feet tall. It's priced at $25,000. We already have four orders for it. But most of our items vary in price between $200 and $300.
So Artifactory pieces will appeal to a wide range of customers, from students to collectors, to scholars to museums?
Yes. You've got students who have a little bit of money. But they're not necessarily wealthy. They're not going to spend twenty-five thousand dollars on an obelisk. But they might spend two or three hundred dollars on a collectible. We have university professors who are certainly going to want to have these items on their desk or on their wall. We've gotten feedback from professors who want to use them as teaching tools. For example, there's our 1:1 scale replica of the Cyrus Cylinder. It's nine and a half inches wide and looks like a football with the edges cut off. We went to a convention in Chicago (Nov, 2012) and we had a huge response to that piece. One of the professors talked to us at length. He said: "If I can put this in my students hands and they can run their fingers into the inscription and actually feel the weight and know what it looks like, this will change the way I teach forever." We've heard that from several teachers. Right now they just show their students a slide show. But the thing that really gets them is the price. When I tell them that something as intricate as The Cyrus Cylinder retails for only $299 they're floored. They really expected it to be a $2000 or $3000 item. We don't need to sell these things for obnoxious prices.
Also, historical treasures are often kept in far off corners of the world. It's often difficult, if not impossible, to travel to see the original artifact in person.
If you think about it, there's generally only 'one' of something. Even if you could make the journey to the Israel Museum, most of the time the original artifact is behind a wall of bulletproof glass. It's not accessible.
You can't get anywhere near it. A great example is the Shroud Of Turin. The original Shroud is behind bulletproof glass inside a temperature-controlled environment. Two million people a year go to Turin, Italy to see it. But you're behind a railing so you can't get close enough to really study it. So the replica we have – a replica that is an exact reproduction of the original – is something you can hold in your hands if you want. We constantly get the same reaction from people coming in to our Artifactory office who see our replica of the Shroud Of Turin hanging on the wall. They'll say: "I had no idea!" We just hired somebody who came in a couple days ago and she looked at the wall and said, "I had no idea it really looked like this." You can see photos of it on the Internet, or watch videos of it on television. But until you can hold the thing right in front of your face and see all the details, it doesn't really give you the full experience of the original artifact. That's what we're trying to do for the customers. We want them to know what it's like to go into a museum, lift off the glass case, pick up the original piece and hold it in their hands and feel the weight and the texture of the material. We can give them the full experience.
Why offer a line of aerospace replicas in addition to archaeology items?
I think they go hand in hand. Museums and universities feature both of those subjects and I think they are complimentary to each other and many of the people who collect one also collect the other.
How did you decide which aerospace replicas you wanted to make?
I asked friends what kind of models they would like to see and a number of people said they were interested in 1950's NASA contractor models. The originals go for between $500 and $10,000. Even a simple one can be well over a thousand dollars. We thought that would be a great line to emulate. There are just so many other pieces that could be done: Spacecraft, space-tools, hardware, blueprints, etc. We noticed that no one else was really doing it. So it was a great opportunity.
It's good to know you're making replicas for collectors who could never afford the real thing. Can you tell us a bit about the Voyager Golden Record Cover?
We wanted to divide the aerospace field into three sub-sections. The first would be spacecraft models. The second would be space-tools, which would include the Apollo Astronaut Golf Club and the Apollo Astronaut Checklist. The third would be miscellaneous items. A good example of that is the Voyager Golden Record Cover and the Pioneer 10 and 11 Plaque. We're producing both of those now and they should be ready to ship shortly. Later we'll be doing the plaque that was on the lunar module landing gear on Apollo 11. The famous one that says "we came in peace." There are other space-related items in addition to the hardware.
I was curious where you see the company in five years? Is there a particular artifact you look forward to making and offering up to the market?
We definitely have plans for more ambitious replicas. For example, a 32nd scale Apollo Command Service Module (CSM). We would like to do the Apollo 11. The Apollo 13, with the blown-out panel. And the Apollo 15 that had the sim-bay instrumentation sticking out of it. Ultimately two of my personal favorites – and I know a lot of people would love to have these – would be a large-scale Saturn V.


text:
Quadrophenia Live in London is a live release from British rock band, The Who. It documents their 8 July 2013 concert at London's Wembley Arena, the final show of their 2013 tour. It is available as a double-CD album, DVD, Blu-ray and deluxe box set and was released on 9 June 2014. The DVD debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Music Video Sales Chart.

Track listing

Deluxe Edition

The deluxe edition contains:

Concert Blu-ray
Concert DVD
Concert double-CD
5.1 surround sound mix of the full original 1973 Quadrophenia album
10-inch metal "mod scooter headlight" box
Mod headlight badge
6-inch mod headlight sticker
32-page booklet with photos and liner notes

Personnel

The Who

 Pete Townshend – guitars, vocals
 Roger Daltrey – vocals, tambourine, harmonica, acoustic guitar
with:
 John Entwistle – bass solo on "5:15" (from video recording live show, 27 November 2000, at Royal Albert Hall)
 Keith Moon – vocals on "Bell Boy" (from video recording of live show, 18 May 1974, at Charlton)

Additional musicians

 Simon Townshend – guitars, backing vocals (lead vocals on "The Dirty Jobs")
 Frank Simes – keyboards, musical director, backing vocals
 Pino Palladino – bass
 Scott Devours – drums, percussion
 John Corey – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
 Loren Gold – keyboards, backing vocals
 Dylan Hart – horns
 Reggie Grisham – horns

Charts

References

The Who live albums
2014 live albums
Quadrophenia
Albums produced by Pete Townshend

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mr. Jerusalem: Nir Hasson of Haaretz's 'The Jerusalem Blog'
Tom Teicholz Contributor
I write about culture and the cult of luxury
As a columnist for Haaretz, Israel's liberal newspaper Nir Hasson writes "The Jerusalem Blog" which explores the fault lines of the city, often daring to go (and write about) people, places, and events most Israelis avoid. He writes about plans to move Jerusalem's military colleges, secular residents' opposition to the opening of more Ultra-Orthodox preschools, the re-opening of a cinema in East Jerusalem, the arrest by Jerusalem police of a Palestinian Pretzel vendor, and the suspicions of Ultra-Orthodox activists regarding negotiations over access to the Temple Mount among many other topics that are both granular and existential. Jerusalem is a city of some 850,000 residents, of whom approximately 200,000 are secular Israelis, 350,000 are Ultra-Orthodox and 300,000 are Palestinian. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, now in his second five year term, has focused on upgrading infrastructure, increasing cultural activities, improving the business climate and growing tourism. When I was in Jerusalem in early June, as a guest of the Jerusalem Season of Culture, I met with Hasson in a café on Jerusalem's busy Emek Refaim Street (once Gaza Street, the historic road to Israel's south and to Gaza) to talk about the state of Jerusalem and the competing agendas of its residents. We began by discussing the state of Israeli- Palestinian relations in Jerusalem, almost a year after the seismic events of last summer.
Nir Hasson: On the one hand, the Palestinians of East Jerusalem have become more radical in pursuing their national agenda. On the other hand, these same people are part of what I call the Israelization of Palestinians. More than ever in the last 50 years, they study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and go shopping in the Mamilla mall. They work in West Jerusalem. Palestinian women are having less children and are learning more Hebrew than ever before. They want to study the Israeli curriculum in high school and the demand for the Israeli curriculum is greater and greater every year. It's all happening at the same time. How do you explain, on the one hand the Palestinization of the population and on the other hand their Israelization?
The same thing is happening today among those Arabs who live in northern Israel. They have become very Israeli in their daily life. They speak very good Hebrew. They study and work in Tel Aviv… On the other hand, they have become more and more Palestinian in their identity and in how they think about themselves. I mean today if you call them 'Arab Israeli', it's an insult.
Tom Teicholz: What should you call them?
Nir Hasson: Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.
Tom Teicholz: In East Jerusalem I went to a number of museums that won't accept any Israeli State funds, and as a result, they're in danger of going under.
Nir Hasson: Some of them receive funds from Qatar and from The Palestinian Authority but you are right, they are trying really hard to adhere to a boycott of all things Israel... So even when I went to report on an event in East Jerusalem, I would talk to someone but he didn't want to be quoted by me.
Tom Teicholz: Because of the boycott? Despite the fact that you are journalist for Haaretz, a left liberal newspaper?
Nir Hasson: Yes. The Palestinian citizen I was interviewing said to me: I like what you write and it's all true and it's very good that you write for such a large audience but I cannot speak with you and have you quote me in Hebrew. And he says this in a wonderful Hebrew. It's amazing. Two weeks ago, the Palestinian Authority reopened Al-Quds Cinema. It's the biggest cinema in East Jerusalem. It was closed in 1987 at the time of the 1st intifada. They reopened it and I went there and tried to interview people who were going to the movies. They didn't want to talk to me because even though I am from Haaretz, it is Israeli media.
Tom Teicholz: In East Jerusalem it seems as more young women are wearing the head scarf. They are fashionably dressed and all made-up, but with a tight head scarf not the loose kind one used to see.
Nir Hasson: We have Ramadan beginning next week and more Palestinians than ever before are observing Ramadan. But it's the same thing in the Israeli side as well.
Tom Teicholz: How so?
Nir Hasson: Because the Israeli side has become more and more religious as well.
Tom Teicholz: Back in the '80s before the first intifada, the secular Israelis I knew in Jerusalem on a Friday night would go for dinner to the Philadelphia restaurant in East Jerusalem. Saturday everyone had their own special Arab village where they went for lunch. I knew people with businesses in Jaffa street who had silent partners in East Jerusalem or were laundering money for Palestinian businesses.
Nir Hasson: You are speaking about Israelis who went to East Jerusalem. You are not speaking about Arabs who came to West Jerusalem.
Tom Teicholz: That's true.
Nir Hasson: Now, Israelis go less to the east since the 80s because it's become less secure. You still see Jews in the Old City. You won't see Jews in Eizariya in the West Bank or A-Tur [an Arab neighborhood on the Mount of Olives] but the Palestinians come more and more to West Jerusalem. When last summer, the Palestinians boycotted the Malcha Mall, income dropped by 20% .
Tom Teicholz: Is the Palestinian boycott of Israel having a significant impact?
Nir Hasson: In your daily life you can't boycott half of your city. It doesn't work. It's more symbolic. I'll give you an example. Last night the City of Jerusalem opened it's Festival of Light, [a popular show of lighted decorations and designs that is staged outside the walls of the Old City]. There was a Palestinian demonstration against the festival because the festival is held in what once was Palestinian territory and it's very symbolic to them. The Israeli Police came and tried to stop it, tried to take the microphone, and tear gassed them. And then this morning, the same people who were part of the demonstration went to work in West Jerusalem and the port of Israel, including the market. That's exactly what I am trying to say: on the one hand they are becoming more and more Palestinian in their identity, but more and more Israeli in their daily life.
Tom Teicholz: From the point of view of someone who is not only a Jerusalemite but writes about Jerusalem, how do you find Jerusalem today as compared to 5 or 10 years ago?
Nir Hasson: Ten years ago during the 2nd intifada, in 2002 and 2003, that was the worst time for Jerusalem. In 2002, we had about 150 casualties in terror attacks alone in Jerusalem. The city was really down. Since then the situation has improved. The economy, tourism, cultural events, have all increased. Until last year, until July 2014, we had a good run of things improving. However, you always feel that there is an undercurrent and that something is going on. We saw some of it last July. Then in August; and it still hasn't ended. Just because you don't have terror attacks every day, there are still incidents almost every day on the light rail or in East Jerusalem. Still the situation is better than 10 years ago.
Tom Teicholz: Also there was a time when most people who grew up in Jerusalem went to Tel Aviv. Now are they staying or coming back?
Nir Hasson: People returning to live in Jerusalem creates other problems. In the '90s, young people went to Tel Aviv. Now the parents who also left Jerusalem for Tel Aviv have retired and come back to Jerusalem. We call them the dead parents because they no longer work. In the '90s Jerusalem had a problem in keeping the secular population. Now, it's less of a problem because Jerusalem has become so big. You have approximately 200,000 secular people in Jerusalem. I mean it's huge. There's still a problem when Haredim (Ultra Orthodox) move into a secular neighborhood.
Tom Teicholz: Is the problem that they want to close the streets on Friday night and Saturday?
Nir Hasson : Not really. That's not a problem, They haven't closed a street in the last 20 years in Jerusalem. However the growth of the Ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem] has had a great impact on the character of Jerusalem's neighbourhoods and is very symbolic. It puts real pressure on the secular population. Subjectively, when the people on the streets, in the public places and in your neighbourhood start to look differently (as the Ultra-Orthodox do), it affects how you feel about your neighbourhood. It doesn't matter how many Haredim [Ultra-Orthodox Jews] live in your neighbourhood, as a secular resident you just feel the changing character of the place.
Tom Teicholz: On the other hand there are more restaurants open on Friday and Saturday than ever before.
Nir Hasson: That's right. Today there are more businesses that are open on Saturday than ever before. When I was young, there was no movie theater open on the Sabbath. I remember when the first cinema opened it was in the late 80s. Today, we have about 6 or 7 movie theaters. During August, a new movie center is going to open with 15 screens. All open on the Sabbath. We have more and more businesses, restaurants, and cafes that are open on Saturday. More than ever before because the secular population in Jerusalem feels safer. Since Mayor Barkat has been in office, the secular citizens feel more like it's our city again. The economy is improving and they are earning more.
Tom Teicholz: Mayor Barkat is very focused on increasing tourism.
Nir Hasson: Yes. We had very good tourism the last few years. Not last year, that was a disaster because of the murders in Jerusalem and the war in Gaza but 2012 and 2013 were very good years. Tourists want to eat on Saturday as well. It's become more economically viable – it makes sense for restaurants to be open on the Sabbath.
Tom Teicholz: Jerusalem is just such a bigger city. You used to be able to walk pretty much everywhere.
Nir Hasson: One of the big problems of Jerusalem is, as I see it, that the government built these new neighborhoods. Not because Jerusalem needed new neighborhoods but because the political understanding was that if they didn't build them, Jerusalem will be divided and pulled apart. That otherwise the international pressure to give away half of Jerusalem would be greater. They built these new neighborhoods very fast without thinking about city planning, about what's good for Jerusalem and the Jerusalemites. It's an urban disaster as I see it. Today, Jerusalem is almost 1 million residents. It's a really huge city. You are right. It's too big.
Tom Teicholz: It's noticeable.
Nir Hasson: They build on the hills. I grew up in a green city when you had lots of open space in the hills.
Tom Teicholz: It used to be that when you drove from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, you saw the landscape evolving and changing in different seasons, and you really had this special feeling as you climbed up the hills to enter Jerusalem. Now it's just a highway.
Nir Hasson: Right. It's going to be even worse. A new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway is about to open. I said it to the planners, I think the identity of Jerusalem is very important, and you are destroying it. You have to think about it. They will tell you that a city of a million people needs a good highway. Well, I guess they are right.
Tom Teicholz: Also once the new high speed train between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,(scheduled to open in 2018) makes it a 20 minute trip that will change things too.
Nir Hasson: I don't oppose the high speed train. It's a good public transportation project and an important one for Jerusalem. I am not sure, however, that it will change things for the better. Many people in Jerusalem work in government and at the Hebrew University, but they actually don't want to live in Jerusalem. They want to live in Tel Aviv. Now when they have the train, they will leave Jerusalem and just spend their money in Tel Aviv. That's what happened to Beersheba. Beersheba, when they connected the train between Tel Aviv and Beersheba, all the professors from the university just left Beersheba.
If you come to Jerusalem only for work, or if you feel the best culture and the best food is elsewhere, you may prefer to live in Tel Aviv and to take the train to Jerusalem. So, in the end, Jerusalem will have to put up a stronger fight against the pull of living in Tel Aviv.
Tom Teicholz: Another thing I noticed on this visit is that even at the holy places like The Kotel (The Western Wall) and on The Temple Mount, everyone is louder about expressing their beliefs. There's no longer any space for quiet contemplation or prayer.
Nir Hasson: Right, because the Western wall that stands between the Palestinians and Israel has became a religious wall. The political fight between us and the Palestinians has become a religious fight and it's become very, very big issue in Jerusalem particularly regarding the Temple Mount. There is no doubt that the Temple Mount issue added fuel to the fire of the violence that we saw last year.
Tom Teicholz: Even going back to Ariel Sharon.
Nir Hasson: What happened in the Kotel is that the government has merged the secular and the national with the religious. I mean the Kotel had two identities, as a religious place, but also as a national place that we occupy... There's an Israeli flag there. This is where we do ceremonies with soldiers et cetera. However, the Kotel area has also been transformed into an Orthodox synagogue actually. I mean if you are a woman, you won't feel very comfortable there.
Tom Teicholz: People at the Kotel now feel compelled to say their prayers out loud, And take selfies. And have throngs of bar-mitzvahs. The whole experience was a really big disappointment from how things used to be at The Western Wall.
Nir Hasson: I cannot stand being in the Kotel during the summer because there's no trees there and the floor is so white. You cannot open your eyes there. It's so hot.
Tom Teicholz: And beyond that, the logistics of the parking lot with the tour buses, and the tunnel and traffic going by outside. It's all a little much.
Nir Hasson: You're right. I don't like the Kotel at all.
Tom Teicholz: Mayor Barkat just released his five year plan that focuses on increasing culture as a driver of the economy and of tourism. Is that realistic?
Nir Hasson: It's realistic for West Jerusalem, as long as we don't have any terrible attacks in Jerusalem. But it's all built on very unstable land.
Tom Teicholz: Does that mean that you think West Jerusalem will remain Israeli, but East Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine?
Nir Hasson: No. Mayor Barkat said his plan is for all Jerusalem… There's no scenario where East Jerusalem becomes a Palestinian capital separate from West Jerusalem. At the same time there is no scenario where the Palestians in East Jerusalem and the International Community will accept Israeli rule over East Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem, is the only capital in the world that has no embassies in it.
Tom Teicholz: What will be the status of Jerusalem?
Nir Hasson: It's impossible because sovereignty is very, very problematic. It's a logistical nightmare. If you have a car accident on the Number One Road [the road that traverses Jerusalem], who do you call? The Palestinian police or the Israeli police? Who will write the report? You have to be very clear about it.
If Jerusalem became one united city, under a special regime, where the police is actually like the United Nations police, what happens when l go to work in Tel Aviv? Do I have to take out my passport to leave Jerusalem? It's very, very problematic because there's all kinds of scenarios. On the one hand, I can't see a divided Jerusalem because by now it's reunited; on the other hand I can't see East and West Jerusalem staying together under full Israeli sovereignty. So, actually, I don't know.
Tom Teicholz: How do you see the future?
Nir Hasson: In two years, we will have the 50th year anniversary celebration of our reunited Jerusalem. But I don't think this situation is stable. It's changing. I don't know if I will live to see the day the city will be totally reunited. Yet, I don't think it will be redivided by war. Perhaps it will be divided by Palestinian sovereignty. Maybe only my children will see how Jerusalem resolves itself.
Tom Teicholz
I am an award-winning journalist and producer who has created print, video and online media content for Intel, The Museum of Tolerance and The Milken Family Foundation; ...


Durham, United Kingdom – DJS Process Consulting Ltd. have realised the potential for locating, purchasing, renting and selling pre-owned equipment. Companies are always looking for fast and cost effective ways to purchase equipment in aid of supporting their projects and manufacturing. The company has available collectively, over 100 years experience in the process sector and can help clients find pre-owned equipment available almost immediately at much reduced cost compared to brand new equipment, thus avoid longer lead times.
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Q: Getting the default computed CSS styles of an element while hovering over it I'm trying to build a tool that collects the CSS styles of any element on a webpage. The problem that's happening is that you need to hover over the element in order to select it, but while doing this it triggers the :hover state.
Ideally I want to collect both the default and the :hover styles and this seems to be possible by passing a psuedo-element with getComputedStyle. The way I'm hoping to do this, if it's possible is by temporarily disabling :hover, then getting the default state and hover state directly through getComputedStyle. I've tried giving the element a CSS property of pointer-events: none while hovering over it, but this acts very strangely and won't allow the element to be selected, only the parent elements.
This is a small snippet of code that I'm using at the moment.
document.body.addEventListener('mouseover', function(e) {
    var targetElement = e.target;
    var allStyles = getComputedStyle(e.target);
});

I have also tried and collected an element's classList, getting all the CSS styles applied to those classes - but for any one property 'background-color', for example - there are multiple conflicting styles and I don't know which is actually applied to the element. Is there a way to check this or a way to temporarily disable the hover state?
Thanks a lot for taking a look!

A: Use the targets relatedTarget

document.addEventListener("mouseover", handle);

function handle(evt) {
  if (evt.target.id === "foo") {
    console.clear();
    const currentStyle = getComputedStyle(evt.relatedTarget);
    console.log(currentStyle.color, currentStyle.cursor);
  }
}
#foo {
  margin: 2rem;
}

#foo:hover {
  color: red;
  cursor: pointer;
}

Hi there

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You would be hard pressed to find a real estate professional who doesn't use and love email. It is the way business is done quickly and efficiently…or is it?
The majority of the industry works 8 hours a day, Monday thru Friday with one 2 week vacation a year.
What is the Word that Opens the Most Doors?
There is one word that opens more doors than any other in commercial real estate. Do you know what it is? It is an adjective and it might very well describe you. You might have made a significant investment of time and money to feel comfortable using this word to describe yourself. You might know this word already, but do you know the fastest and easiest ways to get others to ascribe this word to you and thereby open their doors to you? Behind those doors are high-lifetime value accounts for you and your company.
Read more about What is the Word that Opens the Most Doors?
There is positive news about the retail sector. Innovative pop-up stores and retail tech is driving innovation.
Andreas Senie, Co-Founder and CEO of CRE Collaborative, joined QuantumListing CEO David Perlmutter for a webinar where they discussed the powerful features of CRE Collaborative and how technology is empowering the real estate industry.
In QuantumListing's latest webinar, CRE Collaborative Co-Founder and CEO Andreas Senie joined QuantumListing Founder and CEO David Perlmutter to talk CRE Collaborative and real estate tech.
The fundamentals of the Commercial Real Estate Industry have not changed. Relationships, knowledge, and access to deals are still paramount to success... real disruption in technology is one that takes a... wide approach by now aggregating useful data.. while providing the richest experiences thru vertically integrated data exchanges and the best functionality from individual Commercial real estate platforms.


SHINE = Seniors' Health Improvement and Nutrition Education.
Learn about the latest dietary guidelines, tips for staying active, taste testing healthy foods and recipes, how to eat healthy on a budget and how to be more mindful in our era of supersized portions.
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Here it is! Your private 6+ acre country home with stocked pond, 34X24 pole barn, outbuildings, gazebo, screened in porch. Easy living with a 1st floor master, laundry, custom office and beautiful great room. Room for your horses, livestock, ATVs and more. Don't miss out. Set your showing today!
This listing courtesy of, Star One Indiana .


Maxi Raymonville is the Executive Director and the Chairman of the Board of the University Hospital Mirebalais. An obstetrician gynecologist by training, Dr. Raymonville has worked with Partners In Health in Haiti (Zanmi Lasante) for over 25 years, working across functions including clinical service, medical education, research and governance. Prior to his current role, Dr. Raymonville served as the Director of Proje Sante Fanm, the women's health program at Zanmi Lasante (ZL) since 1995. Under his direction, the women's health program expanded from a small one-room clinic in Cange to a region-wide initiative that operates at ZL-supported clinical sites in Haiti's Central Department and the lower-Artibonite region. Proje Sante Fanm offers full obstetrical and gynecologic care, including comprehensive HIV care and treatment. Dr. Raymonville's particular areas of interest include decreasing maternal mortality, increasing family planning rates, and preventing, detecting and treating cervical cancer.
Dr. Raymonville has extensive experience in programmatic implementation and scale-up in the Central Department and the Artibonite, working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Dr. Raymonville also provides technical assistance and training at PIH's partner organizations in Malawi and Rwanda in their women's health programs. His extensive experience has proved incredibly valuable to the newer sites in creating programs to reduce maternal mortality and treat obstetrical complications.
Between 2004 and 2007, Dr. Raymonville directly supervised the implementation of the reproductive health program in Rwanda, building off of the model developed in Haiti by the PIH/ZL team. He has also provided technical assistance for country programs in sub-Saharan Africa through PIH partner organizations in Lesotho and Burundi in the implementation of programs aimed at reducing maternal mortality, increasing rates of family planning along with prevention, detection and treatment of cervical cancer.
Dr. Raymonville received his medical degree in 1990 from the School of Medicine at the State University of Haiti–La Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie de l'Universite d'Etat d'Haiti (FMP-UEH)–and has practiced at the Hospital Ste. Thérèse (Hinche, Haiti), Isaie Jeanty Maternity Hospital (Port-au-Prince, Haiti), and the Hospital CityMed (Port-au-Prince and Mirebalais, Haiti). Most recently, Dr. Raymonville completed the Global Health Delivery Summer Intensive Program at the Harvard School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Raymonville has traveled extensively to international conferences to present about the women's health program in Haiti, including the XV International AIDS Conference in Thailand in 2004; the Third International AIDS Society Conference in Brazil in 2005; the XVI International AIDS Conference in Canada in 2006 and APHA in 2007.
His extensive efforts within Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante have earned Dr. Raymonville a myriad of recognition across the global health community. Among them is the esteemed Thomas J. White prize awarded in 2004 for his extraordinary efforts in expanding the HIV work of ZL and alleviating the suffering of its patients. In February of 2010, he was also awarded the title of Fellow in Global Health Delivery upon successful completion of the requirements of the fellowship administered by Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Partners In Health and the Haitian Ministry of Health.


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Murphy Ranch Hike & Trail Info • Pacific Palisades, LA
The power house - where diesel generators were stored
Hike Stats:
Located near Santa Monica
Where to park: Capri Drive and Casale Road, Pacific Palisades
Murphy Ranch Hike on Google Maps
4 miles/2 hours total
500 steps down
50/50 shade/sun
Bring Water
Murphy Ranch
Around the time of WW2, there was surprisingly strong Nazi support within the United States. Hitler's supporters were not few and far between, but rather a thriving community, living amongst everyday society. No different than extremists in our world today.
Even in Los Angeles. Back then, you wouldn't necessarily think that person walking down the street is a strong Nazi supporter, who really hopes that Hitler's Germany is going to win the war, unless they told you.
Supporters of controversial political topics can slip past society undetected today just as much as back then, unless they take an extreme action. The extreme action one couple took is how they made the history books and the story of Murphy Ranch came to be.
History of Murphy Ranch
During WW2, a rich married couple living in LA decided to build what is today known as Murphy Ranch. But why did they build it? Well, the wife met a man called Mr. Schmidt who said he has psychic abilities. Mr. Schmidt told her that he knows Hitler's regime is going to win the war. And she believed him! But that's not the worst part; he convinced her that she needs to help him by investing millions of her and her husband's dollars into his big idea. He basically told her,
"Listen...when Hitler wins the war, there's going to be anarchy in the U.S., right? We should build a place to wait out that chaos safely. Plus, we need somewhere to house Hitler when he visits us on the West Coast. We need to build a fortress."
She ends up letting this man talk her and her husband out of MILLIONS of dollars to build a self-sustaining community with various building and bunker hidden deep in the hills near Santa Monica. So did that investment end up working out for them? No, it did not.
Almost 80 years later, we can see that their dream was shattered. What was suppose to be a White House for Hitler, as some call it, is now decaying tangles of metal and concrete covered in graffiti.
These historic ruins are named Murphy Ranch and they attract the interest of hikers, ghost hunters, artists, writers, and historians.
Murphy Ranch is definitely worth seeing in person. The jumbled mess of destroyed buildings, bunkers with layers of graffiti caked on, a beautiful valley full of trees, ocean views, and mysterious staircases is what makes this one of the top 3 best hikes in Los Angeles. A very interesting and unique hiking experience.
Murphy Ranch is Hidden in the Valley
Murphy Ranch History: The Long Version
Skip down the page for hike directions
In Los Angeles, near Santa Monica, there is a secluded 55 acre stretch of land in the Santa Monica Mountains that has a strange past.
Jesse Murphy
In 1933, a man named on city records as "Jesse Murphy" purchased a large piece of land in the Brentwood hills for development. The neighbors thought he was building just another McMansion...but it turns out he was building a compound that dozens, maybe hundreds of Nazis could take refuge in.
3,000 fruit and nut trees, professional irrigation and water storage systems, a functioning power house full of generators, machines room, and a bomb shelter. Plans underway to build even more, including a four-story mansion that could be fit for a world leader. But they ran out of money.
The main stairway of the multiple stairway system leading to Murphy Ranch's scattered system of buildings
LA had a lot pro-Nazi activity during the 1930's. American Nazi Supports were usually a part of a national group called the Silver Legion. Among the Silver Legion were an rich couple living in LA, known as Norman and Wiwona. One day Wiwona met a man named Mr. Schmidt, who was also a member of the Silver Legion. Schmidt convinced the couple that Hitler Germany is going to win the war against America, and when they do, there will be anarchy in the U.S.
Schmidt persuaded the couple to spend their hard-earned money, worth more than $50 million today, to build a commune to wait out the chaos that unfolds after Hitler wins the war, and to host Hitler himself when he reaches the West Coast of America. Something built for someone so important would need no spare expenses, and that's what they were aiming for. More than just another Persian Palace in the hills of LA, but rather a lavish fortress. A Fascist World Headquarters.
The compound was designed so that Nazis would be able to sustain themselves for extended periods of time. The property had a water storage tank, fuel tank, bomb shelter, and various outbuildings and bunkers. It is near the bottom of the valley, where water can flow and be sourced. It was surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by Silver Legion members using a multiple staircase type system that connects to the vehicle accessible road above.
Trivia: Why is it called Murphy Ranch? Because according to county records, someone name "Jessie M. Murphy" purchased the property in 1933. However, it is now believed that Jessie Murphy was a fake name used by Mr. Schmidt. I guess it's better than saying Schmidt Ranch.
The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, police occupied the compound and arrested as many as 50 men. Their dream was shattered. The government had been watching them the whole time. War on the United States by Nazi Germany meant that the Silver Legion was being shut down.
The property became an "artists colony" during the 70's. But then a wildfire burned everything away. Does the story end there? Nope.
Fast-forward to today
Today, the City of LA owns the land and has opened it for exploration. Murphy's Ranch is now a paradise for urban sightseers and curiosity seekers. You too can go and enjoy this interesting experience, before it's gone forever.
In early 2016, the city made the land safer by marking trails and demolishing some of the sketchy buildings. A few buildings remain, including the "power house", the most notable and photographed building, that once contained diesel generators.
Murphy Ranch Hike Directions
Where is Murphy Ranch?
What's commonly referred to as the Murphy Ranch Trail or the Murphy Ranch Hike is located in the west side of Los Angeles, near Santa Monica/Brentwood, in a Pacific Palisades canyon named Rustic Canyon. Just plug Murphy Ranch into your Google Maps app and go!
Directions for the Murphy Ranch Trail & Pictures
Click here to see the Murphy Ranch Trail Hike on Google Maps
Where to park: Capri Drive and Casale Road, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Street parking is free but fills up
Read street signs for parking limitations
Be respectful of neighbors
Trailhead: Sullivan Ridge Fire Road
After parking, walk on the street uphill and stay to the right, you'll start to see construction, fences, and a dirt road
If you feel lost, look for where people are coming/going from
Follow the dirt road uphill and through the valley
Walk on Sullivan Fire Road for a little more than a mile until you reach a gate in the fence to your left
Go through the gate and there will be a long staircase descending into the valley
Follow the staircase all the way down then turn left and follow the dirt road to the "powerhouse", which stored diesel generators
After you're finished at the powerhouse, wander around and look for other staircases and trails that you can follow to more the front gate, the barn, one of the water storage tanks, or the garden bed
It was a little cold that day
Lots of people on the weekends
Watch out for bikers
The beautiful rolling hills - do you see the truck?
Follow the stairs
End of the stairs
After the stairs, turn left
Graffiti along the way
The Official LA City Page on the Murphy Ranch Road Trail
Murphy Ranch Trail on Facebook
Murphy Ranch Trail on Yelp
A rock music video filmed at Murphy Ranch
Is Murphy Ranch closed?
No, Murphy Ranch is not closed. In 2016, the city demolished, tore down, and boarded up some of the structures and buildings for safety reasons. But there is still a lot left to see. Just don't go past any fences with no trespassing signs otherwise you will risk receiving a trespassing citation.
Editor's Pick, Most PopularMeelad Mashaw June 15, 2017 Murphy Ranch, Los Angeles2 Comments
Why I'd Love to Learn How to Kitesurf
Meelad Mashaw June 24, 2017 Kitesurfing, Kiteboarding, Power kiting
Wandering the Wisdom Tree Trail in Los Angeles
Wanderlust, Most PopularMeelad Mashaw May 21, 2017


We are psychologists from Mindware Lab and Cognifica group.
Sound effects by distillerystudio, littlerobotsoundfactory, fins, grunz from http://www.freesound.org.
Folks at Nasha Psychologia magazine.
Photos of food from pixabay.com, http://freerangestock.com и freeimages.com.


text:
Q: Java String.split() splitting every character instead of given regular expression I have a string that I want to split into an array:
SEQUENCE: 1A→2B→3C
I tried the following regular expression:
((.*\s)|([\x{2192}]*))
1. \x{2192} is the arrow mark
2. There is a space after the colon, I used that as a reference for matching the first part

and it works in testers(Patterns in OSX)

but it splits the string into this:
[, , 1, A, , 2, B, , 3, C]
How can I achieve the following?:
[1A,2B,3C]
This is the test code:
String str = "SEQUENCE: 1A→2B→3C"; //Note that there's an extra space after the colon
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(str.split("(.*\\s)|([\\x{2192}]*)")));

A: As noted in Richard Sitze's post, the main problem with the regex is that it should use + rather than *. Additionally, there are further improvements you can make to your regex:

*

*Instead of \\x{2192}, use \u2192. And because it's a single character, you don't need to put it into a character class ([...]), you can just use \u2192+ directly.

*Also, because | binds more loosely than .*\\s and \u2192+, you won't need the parentheses there either. So your final expression is simply ".*\\s|\u2192+".

A: The \u2192* will match 0 or more arrows - which is why you're splitting on every character (splitting on empty string).  Try changing * to +.


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Five Questions After South Carolina and Nevada
by Bill McCormick, SJ | Feb 22, 2016 | Faith & Politics
What does the presidential race look like going into Super Tuesday? TJP's political insiders, Bill McCormick and Dan Dixon, have put their heads together to ask a few important questions for us to consider…
1. Who Won?
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. And Marco Rubio.
"Wait… but Rubio finished second!" you interject. Yes…but Jeb Bush's dropping out was a big win for the Florida senator. Evidence from exit polls suggests that the largest percentage of Bush's supporters are likely to support Rubio.
For the details, see here and here. To compare that to the most reliable predictions, see here.
2. Who Lost (and Who Didn't)?
Jeb Bush and Ben Carson lost. Bowing out was a smart move for Bush. Still, it has to be a disappointment for a campaign that began with so much promise (and money to boot). Carson vowed to carry on his campaign, but he finished last in a state where he once polled second. What will it take for him to call it quits?
John Kasich and Bernie Sanders did not lose.
Kasich more or less met expectations in South Carolina. His campaign is taking credit for driving Bush out of the race (by siphoning votes away from Bush). But the SEC primary is not friendly territory for Kasich, and he is going to need to find a way to stay relevant while the top three duke it out.
Sanders had a far better showing than many predicted, and drew Latino support in a way that should trouble the Clinton campaign. That said, Bernie still needs to win primaries, and it's not clear that he will. Which leads us to our third question…
3. Does Bernie have a demographics problem?
The short answer is that it depends on which demographic. Exit polls show that Bernie beat Hillary by 8 points among Latinos in Nevada. This is a massive shift from 2008, when they supported Clinton over Obama by a whopping 64 to 26 percent.
We know about Bernie's support from millennials, but that demographic alone is not enough. Could Latinos be a key group for him? At this point, it's hard to tell. They identify strongly as Democrats, but are culturally conservative. Their share of the population is growing, but historically they have voted at low rates.
Bernie carried Latinos and whites, albeit by a narrow margin. But African-Americans strongly favored Clinton (76 to 22 percent). Though they only made up 13% of Nevada voters, that was enough to carry her to a 5+ point victory.
Looking ahead, states like South Carolina have much larger African American populations. Bernie needs to find a way to win over African-Americans; if he fails to do so, the nomination could be Hillary's sooner rather than later.
4. Does religion matter this year?
The emphasis this cycle has been on Evangelical voters. They were important in Iowa and South Carolina, and there is no question that they break strongly for Republicans.
But Evangelicals have not rallied around one candidate in either contest, contrary to some claims. Trump, Cruz and Rubio received sizable percentages of the Evangelical vote in Iowa and South Carolina, with none of them dominating. If anything, Cruz underperformed with them in South Carolina. Although Trump did well among evangelicals, it is worth bearing in mind that the majority of them do not perceive him as religious — in other words, they are not voting for him because he shares their values. If Evangelicals are breaking for Trump, they are not doing so for religious reasons.
Little has been said of the Catholic vote this cycle. Does it exist? The short answer is probably not. Catholics are geographically, economically and ideologically dispersed, and so it is not surprising that in this cycle Catholics seem to be voting more or less in line with the general electorate. Catholics do get media attention because of their numerical prominence in swing states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida. But even in those cases it is not clear that there is a distinct "Catholic vote."
While Catholics are not likely to strongly flock to one candidate in either party, they still make up a large percentage of the electorate. Thus picking a fight with their extremely popular leader would seem to be bad idea. Unless, of course, you're Donald Trump. Which leads us to our final question…
5. Can Anything Hurt Trump?
Yet as we know, picking a fight is exactly what Trump did, when he targeted his biggest foe yet: Pope Francis, Vicar of Christ and [who knew?] Papal Pawn of Mexican Politics.
Predictably, the media jumped all over Trump, going so far as to misrepresent what the Pope said. And equally predictably, Trump coasted to another big victory.
Such a spat is a familiar motif of his campaign: 1) Trump makes incendiary comments about women, Latinos, Muslims, Pope Francis, etc. 2) Many cry out, "How can he say these things!" 3) Others respond, "Donald just tells it like it is." While other campaigns have been destroyed by far less, Trump's supporters find in him a courageous voice who will not be shut down by a broken political establishment. Thus: 4) any resistance to Trump is further evidence of the need for Trump.
One wonders whether Trump can say or do anything to cause some of his supporters to defect. Even if not, there is reason to believe his support has a ceiling. Over half of his voters decided to vote for him over a month ago, versus only 14 percent in the "last few days." By comparison, every other GOP candidate had higher margins of voters choose them at the last minute. This has enormous implications for Trump: as the field narrows, it will be progressively more difficult to expand his base. In the meantime, however, we should expect him to continue piling up delegates, no matter what he says.
South Carolina has a reputation for backing the "Establishment" choice, a "firewall" against insurgents. Time will tell if Trump will indeed become the frontrunner the GOP will have to get behind, or if South Carolina got it wrong in 2016.
Title Image by Flickr CC user Donkey Hotey, available here.
Bill McCormick, SJ
bmccormicksj@thejesuitpost.org / All posts by Bill
3rd Sunday of Advent: The Joy of Giving | One-Minute Homily
I was anxious, then I remembered God created me to adore, not to work
Day 9: Sr. Mary Antona Ebo | Saints of Color Novena
A Deacon's Diary: Did God make me eccentric?
Jesuit 101: Jesuit Brothers


First, Jesus was not after distributive equality, as Crossan asserts. He told the rich man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. Similarly, in Matthew 25 those who are saved feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. Jesus was only concerned with a safety net for the needy. He never thought everyone should be equally rich. The "middle class" never get a dime from Jesus' instructions – only the poor.
This idea of equality is one of Crossan's favorite themes. It is particularly out of place here. While he claims this book is about the Lord's Prayer, most of it is not; it consists largely of semi-non-sequiturs. Not only does Crossan give a misleading interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, he ignores the most original part of Jesus's message in the prayer.
Crossan spends most of the book talking about forgiveness of debts. The usual translation of the Lord's Prayer says that if you forgive others their debts to you, God will forgive your debt to Him. Crossan interprets this as financial debts. Near the end of the book, however, he admits that virtually no one has a financial debt to God. Like the prophets, Jesus was using "debt" metaphorically, for sin. The real message, as many translations say directly, is that God will forgive your sins if you forgive the sins of those who sin against you.
This is consistent with Jesus's teaching to allow someone to assault you - turn the other cheek – or to rob you, and so on. Strangely, Crossan failed to make the connection. The Lord's Prayer only dictates forgiveness of such sins, not total acceptance of them. But it is still a fairly high hurdle. And it has nothing to do with justice. It is all about mercy. God will be merciful to you if you are merciful to others. Normally, we only think of God committing such acts of grace or mercy. The Torah – the Bible as Jesus knew it – does not teach you to forgive crimes against you. It teaches an eye for an eye - even if such reparations are not taken literally, but are enacted by financial penalties, etc. That is justice.
The main point of the Lord's Prayer (apart from the prayer for one's daily bread), is the stress on mercy. Jesus is demanding that people be merciful, much as God is. While mercy is often praised in the Bible, it is never demanded of people. This is a unique teaching of Jesus's, which is often ignored, much like his teaching to turn the other cheek. Also unique is Jesus's teaching that God's forgiveness of your sins is contingent on your forgiveness of others' sins against you. There is nothing like this in the Bible.
There are two kinds of sin – sins against God and sins against your fellow man. According to the Bible, God always forgives sins against Him as long as you repent. You can also offer a sacrifice, but repentance is sufficient. Sins against your fellow man are harder to deal with. First, you have to make it right with them, by restitution or some other means. Then you have to repent. But atonement is possible, and relatively straightforward.
The other aspect of the Lord's Prayer that neither Crossan nor any other New Testament scholar talks about, is that Jesus is teaching how to obtain God's forgiveness of sins. Contrary to standard Christian doctrine, he did not say, "God is no longer forgiving sins. That's why I will soon be crucified." Jesus said that if you forgive the sins of others, God will forgive your sins. End of story.
To reiterate, Jesus taught people how to obtain God's forgiveness of sins. He believed that atonement for sin was readily available, and always would be. Contrary to what has become standard Christian doctrine, Jesus did not say that God was no longer issuing forgiveness. Jesus did not say to wait a little while, when he would by crucified to atone for mankind's sins and take care of all such problems. I think the idea that he would have to die in order for God to forgive people would have shocked and appalled him.
Note that the oldest Jewish-Christian documents like the Q gospel, the Didache, and the Gospel of Thomas, say nothing of Jesus' dying to atone for sins. This happened later, as the Jesus-movement became transformed into a kind of mystery religion. The idea of a sacrificial death enabling the salvation of others is central to the mysteries - like Osiris, or Attis, or Mithra's slaying of the lion. There is nothing remotely like it in Judaism, which believes in a God of mercy (at least to his children), who forgives sins annually on the Day of Atonement, and on demand following repentance and, if necessary, restitution. Judaism never had any doubts about God's forgiveness of sins, nor did Jesus – though he set the bar for obtaining it a little higher than it had been.
About this book. If you have read any of Crossan's books on Jesus, you are unlikely to learn anything new from The Greatest Prayer. If you have never read any of Crossan's books on Jesus, pick one of the earlier ones. They have more meat and proportionally fewer errors.


text:
from __future__ import print_function, division

import keyword as kw
import sympy
from .repr import ReprPrinter
from .str import StrPrinter

# A list of classes that should be printed using StrPrinter
STRPRINT = ("Add", "Infinity", "Integer", "Mul", "NegativeInfinity",
            "Pow", "Zero")

class PythonPrinter(ReprPrinter, StrPrinter):
    """A printer which converts an expression into its Python interpretation."""

    def __init__(self, settings=None):
        super(PythonPrinter, self).__init__(settings)
        self.symbols = []
        self.functions = []

        # Create print methods for classes that should use StrPrinter instead
        # of ReprPrinter.
        for name in STRPRINT:
            f_name = "_print_%s" % name
            f = getattr(StrPrinter, f_name)
            setattr(PythonPrinter, f_name, f)

    def _print_Function(self, expr):
        func = expr.func.__name__
        if not hasattr(sympy, func) and not func in self.functions:
            self.functions.append(func)
        return StrPrinter._print_Function(self, expr)

    # procedure (!) for defining symbols which have be defined in print_python()
    def _print_Symbol(self, expr):
        symbol = self._str(expr)
        if symbol not in self.symbols:
            self.symbols.append(symbol)
        return StrPrinter._print_Symbol(self, expr)

    def _print_module(self, expr):
        raise ValueError('Modules in the expression are unacceptable')

def python(expr, **settings):
    """Return Python interpretation of passed expression
    (can be passed to the exec() function without any modifications)"""

    printer = PythonPrinter(settings)
    exprp = printer.doprint(expr)

    result = ''
    # Returning found symbols and functions
    renamings = {}
    for symbolname in printer.symbols:
        newsymbolname = symbolname
        # Escape symbol names that are reserved python keywords
        if kw.iskeyword(newsymbolname):
            while True:
                newsymbolname += "_"
                if (newsymbolname not in printer.symbols and
                        newsymbolname not in printer.functions):
                    renamings[sympy.Symbol(
                        symbolname)] = sympy.Symbol(newsymbolname)
                    break
        result += newsymbolname + ' = Symbol(\'' + symbolname + '\')\n'

    for functionname in printer.functions:
        newfunctionname = functionname
        # Escape function names that are reserved python keywords
        if kw.iskeyword(newfunctionname):
            while True:
                newfunctionname += "_"
                if (newfunctionname not in printer.symbols and
                        newfunctionname not in printer.functions):
                    renamings[sympy.Function(
                        functionname)] = sympy.Function(newfunctionname)
                    break
        result += newfunctionname + ' = Function(\'' + functionname + '\')\n'

    if renamings:
        exprp = expr.subs(renamings)
    result += 'e = ' + printer._str(exprp)
    return result

def print_python(expr, **settings):
    """Print output of python() function"""
    print(python(expr, **settings))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


LOLА ти не байдужий?Що ти зробив такого,що маєш право тут розповідати хто винний ,а хто ні.ЧИ ти просто більше посрав в коментах?
Oh my goodness! You haiku!!! I love haiku. I may have to start doing Haiku Fridays with you!I wanted to drop by to say thank you for your support in my Super Heavy Duty Post on Violence Unsilenced. I appreciate it greatly.


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First of all, sorry for my english because i am from Norway. Hopefully you will understand me.
I recently purchased a BM20 (New version) and it still is in shipping. I am waiting and cant think of anything else than the speidel. Have been brewing 4 years (allgrain) with my mash tun and 30l kettle. Have been brewing many great beers, but since i became a father in december 2014 i have been brewing just 2 times. It is alot of eqiptment that have to ble cleaned and i mash inside, warm mash water outside on propane, have to carry heavy cattle with hot water in/out and IT is alot of work, still fun of course.
Please tell me i have done the right ting buying the BM20. It is alot of money.
Hopefully I still can brew barleywines and imperial stouts when doublemashing.
First up you have done the right thing.
You wont believe how easy it is to clean the BM. The cleaning time is easily cut in half when comparing to 3v or similar.
Big gravity beers arent generally a problem with plenty of info on here re the methods.
Congratulations on the family addition.
And welcome! Enjoy your first brew on the BM when it arrives.
Welcome, you won't regret buying the BM. Great control and easy cleanup, what can you ask for more. You will find a lot of knowledge and experience in this forum, the combined knowledge is amazing so you have a great support group if you have any questions.
I always get nervous when i lay alot of money on the table. But it looks like a great piece of machinery.
Have purchaced the speidel isolation and the speidel stainless chiller also. I am looking forward to being able to do everything in one place. I guess my first brew will be a Black IPA with palemalt, a little cara and maybe 5% carafa spesial III. For hops i will use amarillo, mosaic and some citra.
TheViking the only problem you will have is that you will end up brewing so often as its so easy that you will have an awful lot of drinking to do. You may need to get some extra friend accessories!
bierfest wrote: TheViking the only problem you will have is that you will end up brewing so often as its so easy that you will have an awful lot of drinking to do. You may need to get some extra friend accessories!
Being in a cold climate you may need to think about how to handle/manage the water vapor generated during the boil phase.
Checked out the recepie menu, does anyone else got 3 recepies originally? The 3 one is just 5 minutes on each step exept boil witch is 80 minutes. Can i use this recepie for anything?
Yes, i just find the mash recepie strange. 5 minutes at each step and 80 minutes boil. Wondered if i had gotten av second hand one or something.
Thanks, got a bit worried.
Now it is brewday, first speidel brew. Going to brew a black IPA.


Garden Clubs of Australia has a new Mid North Coast Zone Co-ordinator - Keryn Rodham from the Woolgoolga Garden Club.
Keryn is already energetically embracing her role, visiting many of the garden clubs, groups and societies in her zone. Coffs Garden Club was fortunate to have Keryn visit soon after her election and it was just lovely to meet and hear her journey in gardening.
Keryn is an extremely talented creative artist and she marries elements from her craft into her garden where they rest so beautifully, creating subtle focal points and enhancing the ambience of the cottage garden rooms. So successful was the appeal of her garden, it took out a major prize in the 2011 Coffs Spring Garden Competition.
Coffs Garden Club looks forward to working closely with Keryn and her initative of a proposed Zone Day a terrific idea and a wonderful opportunity to meet members from other clubs in our zone.


text:
Tag Archives: Roots
Archives: Last Time w/Peter Mel
Posted on December 29, 2016 by nealdude85
LAST TIME W/PETE MEL
This article was previously printed by Transworld Surf in 2008
Went left at Mav's– Last session I had, I went left. It's so crowded out there these days that now the lefts are free game. Because of the packed lineups, sometimes you're forced to deal with what your given. The risk level at Mavs is highest it's ever been.
Shaped a board– My older son Anthony hit me up for one last year and we shaped one together. Shaping boards is a lot of hard work and I have a lot of respect for shapers. I still have a great interest in it, but my schedules been so hectic it's hard to find time to do it but Anthony might be getting another one later this month.
The Condor getting roasted by Lil' John
Got burned– John John, my youngest son, burns me all the time. Last time we surfed together he saw me on a wave and completely toasted me. I don't mind as long as he's the only one who burns me.
Signed an autograph– In Puerto Rico. I just got back from good will tour for Quiksilver over there. Signed as many autographs as I ever have in a weeks trip. The Puerto Rican surf culture is super stoked, and the waves are fun too!
Got schooled by a grom– Last summer at the Quiksilver Pro at Puerto Escondido. Ashton Madeley, a grom from South Side has had my number the past few comps I've surfed against him in. But I finally got him back at the Volcom Contest last week.
Disagreed w/ judges- I agree to disagree. Its part of my job being a to analyze what's going on while I'm webcasting, but ultimately I'm not a judge, all I can do is give my two cents.
Pete, getting beat
Two wave hold down– It's happened to me twice. My last one was Jan 2007, at Mavericks. I had a wipeout which I didn't even realize I was held down for two waves until Garret McNamara came to pick me up on the ski and yelled at me to let me know. That's when I kinda freaked out.
This wave eats boards for breakfast! Photo-Nelly
Broke a board– Last week at the Harbor. Due to all the crazy storms, we've been fortunate lately to have some dredging sandbars lately. But unfortunately, when the waves are dredging, your gonna pay some dues and break some boards.
Last book you read– Called "Blue Water Gold Rush" by Tom Kendrick. It's a story about the urchin fishing trade in California. It's an incredible story I highly recommend it. Couldn't put it down. My old buddy Chris Brown is an urchin diver so I read it to get an idea of what it's like.
Chris Brown Wrap Around
Sold a bar of wax– At Freeline Design last Tuesday I sold a bar of Sex wax. Happens every time I work at the shop.
Won a contest– Last week at the Volcom contest at 26 th ave , the beach break right by my house. It's been a long time since I've won a comp and it feels pretty damn good.
Pete's right…
Pulled in at Waimea shorepound– During the Quiksilver Eddie Aikau event the year Bruce won. Didn't get a chance to this year. In order to win the contest you almost have to. I don't think people really realize how gnarly it is. Its one of the most dangerous shorepounds in the world.
Chased out of the water by a shark– It's never happened . Knock on wood. Closest call when I was surfing an unnamed slab up north and two seals buzzed me with fear in their eyes. Thought I was a goner, but no shark. So never really gotten chased out, but definitely had the shit scared out of me.
Pete's proud Papa
Surfed with pops– Just last month, dad and I surfed pleasure Point. It's so cool to surf with your dad, he's in his 60's. Hope to keep doing it for years to come.
Got a stand up tube– Santa Cruz Harbor just yesterday. It's illegal to surf there, but when its on it worth the risk. Harbor patrol has been on it lately, issuing tickets during the last swell. Tazy and Columbo got tickets (laughs).
Stressed on the economic situation? This summer I almost sold my house, scared that I might lose it. I realized I needed to do everything I could to keep it. Got a vacation rental in the back, anyone need a room in Santa Cruz? Hit it up on vacationrentals.com!
Pete, whipped into a thickie
Had a tow surf– I tried it again on a swell last month. I've come to realize that tow surfing is weak. Paddling is where it's out. Watching the boys push it has gotten me inspired. This year some of the boys, like Ramon Navarro, Greg Long, Shane Dorian, and Mark Healy have paddled into the of the biggest waves this year.
Last time you where grateful– Just recently realized how grateful I was for my longtime sponsor Quiksilver, who've given me so much support over the years. Also my other sponsors, Sanuk, and JC for all the boards. I live a blessed life, and I'm grateful for their support.
Pete and the beautiful Tara Mel
Last romantic Moment– Last night. Can't go into details but lets just say the romance has lasted all these past 16 years. Sweet surprises and candlelight dinners help keep the romance alive.
Last Magazine you read– Transworld! (laughs) I also read a great article in Mens Journal about how to quiet your mind. Some of the tips were incredible like -have a purpose, meditate, and cultivate good relationships- all in order to keep the stress down. Stress can kill you, and I've found the tips useful.
Last time you pulled back on a wave– During the Eddie. In my first heat a set came at the very beginning of the heat, started to look over the ledge and pulled back. Wish I could have that moment back, kicking myself cause it was one of the biggest waves that came through that heat.
A true surf fan, by a true surf fan
Last autograph you got– I got one from Grant Twiggy Baker after the he won the Pico Alto event in Peru. I like to collect winners contest jerseys. I also got a signed Nat Young's O'Neill Coldwater Classic victory singet last year.
The beautiful and daring Savannah Shaughnessy
Last time someone made an impression on you- This winter at a session at Mavericks, Savannah Shaughnessy, a 20 year old young lady from Santa Cruz, rushed a big one on the bowl at Mavericks. It's rad to see the women getting out there and charging.
Last time you threw up– Can't really remember. I stopped drinking three years ago, and now that I'm not polluting my body, I haven't really been getting sick anymore. Since I've been taking care of my body I can feel the difference, it's great.
Posted in big wave surfing, Peter Mel, Uncategorized | Tagged big wave surfing, Commentary, Eddie Aikua, Freeline Design, Interview, John Mel, Lifestyle, Mavericks, Peter Mel, Quiksilver, Roots, santa cruz | Leave a reply
Flashback Friday- How Three Hawaiian Princes Brought Surfing to Santa Cruz
Posted on November 12, 2016 by nealdude85
Gaze out to sea along our beloved coastline on any given day and you'll see scores of rubber-clad fun seekers sitting in dense packs, waiting patiently for signs of an approaching wave. Once the waves pour in, these wave riders employ a number of different crafts to catch and ride them.
Some ride short, pointy boards that allow them to carve and even launch above the breaking waves. Others use longer, round-nosed boards for a more relaxed ride, during which the surfer can coast and trim casually, at times dancing to the nose, hanging the toes and gliding along as poised and erect as a statue.
You may even see surfers riding prone on much smaller, rectangular boards, or stand-up surfers using wide paddles to propel their large crafts into the breakers.
These aquatic enthusiasts are a tough and dedicated breed of passionate athletes who willingly enter the frigid waters, even in the most treacherous of conditions, just to get their saltwater fix.
Plain and simple, Santa Cruzans are crazy for surfing. And why shouldn't they be? After all, our town boasts a number of world-class breaks, beautiful beaches and a rich surfing history. Innovators such as wetsuit pioneer Jack O'Neill, world-renowned shapers like Bob Pearson of Pearson Arrow and modern day surf icons such as Pete Mel and Jason "Ratboy" Collins serve as examples of our community's influence on the world of surf. In fact, Santa Cruz has had more of an impact on surfing history than most of us probably realize.
Santa Cruz, the TRUE "Surf City", USA
Despite the area's long-held reputation as one of the most popular surf mecca's in the world, though, there's a bit of history that has slipped through the cracks, until now.
The gumshoe efforts of two passionate local surf historians have revealed the story of the three Hawaiian princes. These princes were the first to surf in mainland America, and the first place they paddled in was Santa Cruz.
The culmination of 35 years of work, Santa Cruz's Geoffrey Dunn and Kim Stoner have put together a clear, concise and historically supported account of the Hawaiian princes' stay in Santa Cruz. It is hard evidence supporting a story printed in the local newspaper, the Santa Cruz Daily Surf, on Monday, July 20, 1885.
In the Daily Surf's page two Beach Breeze column, the writer mentions — along with reports of a packed beach, ideal summer conditions and 30-40 swimmers "dashing and tossing and plunging through the breakers" — the three princes and their surfing exploits in front of a crowd of merry beachgoers at the San Lorenzo River mouth.
"Everyone knew about the Daily Surf mention in 1885," Dunn said. "But no one knew the actual story."
Geoffrey Dunn here at home in Santa Cruz
Dunn spent his childhood playing in the waters of the river mouth and has always felt a strong connection to the place. Like most of his peers who grew up on the Westside, Dunn spent a great deal of his time swimming and surfing. The river mouth was his favorite, and he and cousins would surf it on mats during the summer.
"The river mouth used to be an entirely different spot before the harbor was around," Dunn said. "When big western swells came in during the summer, the wave could get really good and powerful. I've always been fascinated with the river mouth as a surf break and could imagine how good it used to get. Being familiar with the story of the princes' surfing exploits there, I can understand why it caught their attention, as back then it would've resembled some of their home breaks on Oahu, such as Waikiki."
Dunn's personal connection to the river mouth and love for our city's rich surfing history inspired his subsequent quest to unearth the details of the surfing princes once and for all. Dunn teamed with Stoner, his childhood friend and a devout advocate for the preservation of Santa Cruz's surfing history who had similarly developed a fascination with the story of the princes, and began years of research.
The original boards on display in Santa Cruz
Rare documents and photographs were gathered from the Hawaiian Legacy Archive in Honolulu and the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley. They also found previous mentions of the princes by former Sentinel historian Ernest Otto. In time, a clear picture of the princes' visit to Santa Cruz, as well as the impact their "surfboard swimming" had on its residents, began to emerge.
As it turns out, the young princes had indeed spent time in Santa Cruz while attending St. Matthews Hall in San Mateo, a military school for boys. During their time off school, the princes, named David Kawananakoa, Edward Keliiahonui and Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole, had stayed with Antoinette Swan, a native of Oahu and an adopted member of the royal family.
Swan moved to Santa Cruz in the 1860s with her husband, Lyman. Her home served as a perfect summertime respite for the young men, who most likely were anxious to surf like they did back home on Oahu. It's easy to see how inviting the waves peeling into the San Lorenzo river mouth on that hot and festive day in 1885 were for the young Hawaiians.
The report of the surfing exposition highlighted the amusement and joy that beachgoers experienced. Ten years later, another article mentions how local boys had taken to surfing the river mouth like the Hawaiian princes. This nugget of overlooked history shows how surfing caught on in Santa Cruz. The surfing spectacle must have had a profound effect on the generation of citizens who witnessed it, adding weight to our town's claim to the title of the real "Surf City, USA."
What "localism"?
Kristen Zambucka, an artist and writer from Honolulu who is friends with the descendants of the royal family, came up with the idea to create a plaque to display somewhere in Santa Cruz. After collaborating with Zambucka on the design of the plaque, Dunn got financial support from the royal descendants of the Kawananakoa and Marignoli families. Bronze artist Sean Monaghan and Tom Ralston of Tom Ralston Concrete helped design and build the base, and additional funding came from the Santa Cruz Woodies Club and Friends of Parks and Recreation.
The plaque. Surfing means so much to this town. Here we honor those who came first
For Dunn, the plaque is a perfect way to celebrate the legacy of those who first brought surfing to America.
"It's gorgeous," he said. "The city could've done something else, but they went out of their way to do something special and I couldn't be any more pleased. Tom and Sean did a beautiful job on this and created what I think is the most spectacular framework for a monument in California. It's a beautiful monument, and I'm proud to have played a part in this effort to uncover and pay tribute to a rich part of our community's history."
Posted in Culture, Hawaiian Princes, History, Peter Mel, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Surfing, surf, surfing, Uncategorized | Tagged Hawaiian Princes, History, Roots, santa cruz, surfing, Surfing History | 1 Reply