I have some ported Stage VI heads I want to try out. The spacer has a thin recess cut into it, for a valley pan. Then you use paper gaskets on top where the intake manifold meets the spacer. So is there a special valley pan that will work on there? Or do I just cut the intake port portion off a stock valley pan?
Hughes used to sell one, but it could use a stiffener welded down the center.
I just used a piece of sheet metal(aluminum) cut/trimmed to size, and just had the sides bent up a bit to conform to the heads.
If you don't drill and tap a few extra holes to physically "mount" the spacers to the heads(socket head screws in recessed holes), then technically you'd want to run gaskets on either side of the spacer.
I have already drilled, and countersunk the spacers and tapped the heads. Bolted spacers to the heads with allen head screws. I guess I will need a thin film of silicone between the 2? There are locator pins on the spacers for proper alignment. Then I can just trim the port area off a stock gasket, and put that on before the spacer. Then use paper gaskets at manifold to head. Here's a few pics of the head showing the gap for the valley pan, and the bolts.
It's been quite a while since I did anything with the spacers on those heads, but as I'm thinking about it, I seem to recall milling the slot a little deeper so it would accomdate a thicker piece of metal for the valley cover.
Well if I can't get the spacers to work right, I'll use an M1 intake from a 440. Then I won't need the spacers, right? Then do i use a 440 valley pan? But It's a low deck block. I think I would still have to cut the port area off a 400 valley pan, and use the paper gaskets over the port? This is harder to figure out than I thought it would be. LOL. This is the kind of thing that happens when you try to get 1 part to do 2 jobs.
Sounds like the best bet. How thick is your alum plate? I guess I can put a feeler gauge in the spacer groove that's made for the valley plate, and find out. Still hoping the 400 valley pan gasket will work, after I cut a straight line across, just below the ports.
If you're running a low deck block, I wouldn't even bother with the spacers.
Just get an rb manifold and bolt it on.
With the raised intake ports there's plenty of room to fit a fabbed up valley plate.
How does that 470 run with the Stage VI heads?
Wow, that sounds real fast! We are going to pull the 496 tomorrow, and see what it needs. Use the bottom end with a 400 block to build a 512. So not sure what head/manifold we are going to run yet. 496 has Stealths on it now, I'm thinking the ported Stage VI heads are better. I'll keep you in mind if we don't need them. Here's a pic of the 496 Valiant we're working on.
Nice looking Duster! I like the wheels, Centerlines? I need some for my 70 Dart. This Valiant runs low 11s at 5400 feet. Should be faster, I think. Seems to have a lot of leak down past the rings. We bought it a couple years ago, all together and race ready. Not real sure what the motor has in it, other than 383 block, 4.25" stroke, roller cam, M1 with a 1050 Dominator. We put the dual quad tunnel ram on it, and it slowed down .2 second, to 11.30 Haha.
DUH, just reread ur post/ my bad !


Pizza Tycoon is a business simulation video game designed by the German company Software 2000 in 1994.
It was published under the title Pizza Connection in Germany and as Pizza Tycoon by MicroProse abroad. The game is centered around being the manager of a pizza restaurant in a town in Europe or the U.S.A.
It gives the player the option to choose among more than thirty different characters, to create one's own pizza, have cooking contests and modify the display of the restaurant and kitchen. One particular original theme is that the player has the availability to call upon local mafia to sabotage competitor restaurants or get money from criminal activities such as weapon and drug dealing.
In these YouTube videos, user InfluxNUFC play Pizza Tycoon, showing different parts of the game.
If you want to play Pizza Tycoon, you can no longer download the game here. You may need to use some sort of DOS emulator, like DOSbox, in order to make the game run.
See also: Running Pizza Tycoon in DOSBox.
A short tutorial on how to run the old DOS-game Pizza Tycoon in DOSBox.
This Pizza book will take us on a magical trip to Italy.
The Italians say that eating is the second most beautiful and important thing in the world. The cave men baked bread which looked like a pizza, a round flat dough-cake made from flour and water, baked on red-hot stones.
The classic pizza as we know it today is about 300 years old. The ancient Egyptians taught the Greeks the art of baking bread.
Soon the Greeks surpassed their teachers and began to enrich the dough with spices, oils, eggs and herbs. They were also the first to cover the dough with toppings before baking, thus turning the pizza into a main course.
The Italians were equally inventive where good eating and making the most of very little were concerned.
The cuisine of the region around Naples offers delicacies that are appealing to the taste buds as well as to the eye. The harbour town of Naples is the culinary centre of Southern Italian cuisine.
The classic pizza owes its existence not least to the discovery of the tomato which was brought to Europe from Mexico.
The cook who first refined the slightly dull dough cake with pureed tomatoes, oil, salt and a little cheese was, of course, a Neapolitan.
Many of his fellow citizens loved the new recipe and copied it. Thus the best-known pizza, the pizza Napoletana, was born. Today the pizza has fans all over the world.


Here is for Latest FEDERAL UNIVERSITY, LAFIA NEWS (Latest FULAFIA NEWS, Updates and Info).
FULAFIA Post Ume,FULAFIA Admission List,FULAFIA Cut off Mark,FULAFIA School Fees,FULAFIA Portal,FULAFIA website,FULAFIA Courses,FULAFIA Academic Calender,FULAFIA Address,FULAFIA Screening,FULAFIA Acceptance Fee,FULAFIA Aptitude Test,FULAFIA Postgraduate,FULAFIA Supplementary List, etc.
This is a Federal University founded in 2011 with the current location at Nasarawa state.


Pope Francis celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in a call for peace in a world marked by war and conflict, "beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria," and extending to the entire Middle East, the Korean peninsula and parts of Africa.
Pilgrims from around the world and Italy gathered in the Vatican City square decorated with spring flowers to hear Francis deliver the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) Easter message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
Francis opened Easter festivities with a tweet to his global flock that said "Our faith is born on Easter morning: Jesus is alive! The experience is at the heart of the Christian message."
The pontiff said the message of the resurrection offers hope in a world "marked by so many acts of injustice and violence."
He also called for a "swift end" to carnage in Syria, demanding that aid be delivered to the needy there and calling for "fitting conditions for the returned and the displaced."
As President Trump is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un by next month, Francis said he hoped that talks underway could bring peace to the Korean peninsula, urging "those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people."
For Ukraine, the pope urged more steps to bring harmony to that divided nation. He also called for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging the world not to forget victims of conflict, especially children.
"May there be no lack of solidarity with all those forced to leave their native lands and lacking the bare essentials for living," said the pope who has often championed the cause of migrants and refugees.
The church's first pontiff from Latin America cited in particular the problems in Venezuela, voicing hope the country would "find a just, peaceful and humane way to surmount quickly the political and humanitarian crises that grip it."
Earlier, tens of thousands of faithful underwent heavy security checks to enter St. Peter's Square to participate in Easter Sunday Mass celebrated by the pope.
Elsewhere, hundreds of Christians marked Easter by flocking to Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where they believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.


accreditations from professional and trade associations.
photos and other evidence of work completed for similar clients.
within the past three years — that's a red flag.
Looking for a contractor recommendation?


While I was writing my previous post about Zadie Smith, a t-shirt that I'd ordered arrived in my mailbox. Though I don't often wear graphic tees, this one wooed me just as the Southern women writers whose names it bears captivated me when I first encountered their writing. Zora & Eudora & Harper & Flannery.
This is a beautiful novel about soulfulness. That it should be so is a tribute to Hurston's skill. She makes "culture"–that slow and particular and artificial accretion of habit and circumstance–seem as natural and organic and beautiful as the sunrise. She allows me to indulge in what Philip Roth once called "the romance of oneself," a literary value I dislike and yet, confronted with this beguiling book, cannot resist. She makes "black woman-ness" appear a real, tangible quality, an essence I can almost believe I share, however improbably, with millions of complex individuals across centuries and continents and languages and religions. . .
Smith, Zadie. "Their Eyes Were Watching God: What Does Soulful Mean?" Changing My Mind. Penguin, 2009. pp. 3-13.


text:
Home Music Music Feature What Happened to Texas Music?
What Happened to Texas Music?
Jeff Prince
Amos Staggs, Joey Green, and Earl Musick opine on Texas Music. Photo by Jeff Prince.
A New York guy killed Texas Music. Yes, friends, the disintegration of this state's edgy brand of country rock can be traced back to New York-born Texas-transplant Jerry Jeff Walker. He showed up in Austin in the early 1970s at about the same time Willie, Waylon, and the boys were establishing a genre referred to alternately as Outlaw, Cosmic Cowboy, Progressive Country, or just plain Texas Music. Walker was unique, a carefree roustabout who sang silly party songs about Sangria and getting by on getting by. He wrote beautiful tearjerkers, but that's not what his young fans wanted. Willie and Waylon were for crying in your beer. Walker was for laughing while chugging the whole six-pack. His crowd wanted dumbed-down hell-raising anthems. For a while, Walker cranked them out obligingly but eventually grew to resent fans who only wanted to party and yell.
Robert Earl Keen Jr. followed in the 1980s, tapping into Walker's party anthem vibe but with deeper writing ("Swerving in My Lane," "The Road Goes on Forever"). The rowdies were inflamed. Keen, in turn, spawned Pat Green to cater to the peach-fuzz crowd in the 1990s. Keen's writing was deeper, but Green had stage presence for days and a huge voice and personality. He forged a reputation the old-fashioned way, playing open-mic nights, music festival campfire circles, and small clubs around Texas. But unlike the early Outlaws, Green was a college kid at Texas Tech University. He had parents willing to front him money to make an album produced by Lloyd Maines (Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Charlie Robison). And Green was a marketing genius adept at securing corporate sponsors and marketing himself and selling product online. He sold so many CDs himself that a Nashville label felt comfortable investing in him in 2001. Green inspired a slew of imitators, many of whom mastered the online marketing but fell short on the songcraft. Walker, Keen, and Green prompted waves of singers and songwriters yearning to be the life of the party. Each new wave dumbed down the music and lyrics a little more. Then along from Oklahoma came Red Dirt, a similar type of rowdy country but with an even more Neanderthal approach.
Eventually, artists, their songs, their fans, and the scene devolved into an embarrassing, twangy idiocracy. New artists bought their way onto radio charts and overcame lack of talent by flexing their thumbs on social media and turning gigs into party events. Music became an afterthought. The number of hacks is far greater today than in yesteryear. But the percentage is probably the same. Back then, there were a hundred bands, and half of them sucked. Now there are a thousand bands. If half of them are merely imitative of one another's lowest-common-denominator leanings, that's 500 useless, unoriginal bands polluting the soundscape instead of 50 – and they all have social media and cheap recording equipment.
One of Walker's earliest rowdy anthems was "Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother," released in 1973. Ray Wylie Hubbard wrote it from the perspective of a longhaired musician getting hassled by rednecks in a bar. Many years later, Hubbard wrote "Screw You, We're From Texas" as a tongue-in-cheek ode to Outlaw artists. In that song, the characters displaying the redneckery are the longhaired musicians themselves.
I got on my cowboy boots, jeans, and Hawaiian shirt
Mirrored sunglasses and a mobile phone
I guess I look like some Port Aransas dope dealer who's out on bail
Just trying to get home
But I ain't in jail, and I got me a guitar, and I got a little band that's
hotter than a rocket
Sometimes we're sloppy
We're always loud
Tonight we're just ornery and locked in the pocket
So screw you, we're from Texas
Screw you, we're from Texas
We're from Texas, baby, so screw you
Predictably, the song became an anthem for the 2000s' version of Outlaw fans, who embraced as their rallying cry the obnoxiousness alluded to in the song. Hubbard performed it in 2010 in Nashville and prefaced by saying that "the problem with irony is, not everybody gets it."
Earlier this month in The Guardian, Steve Earle brutally disparaged today's country music: "The best stuff coming out of Nashville is all by the women except for Chris Stapleton. He's great. The guys just want to sing about getting fucked up. They're just doing hip-hop for people who are afraid of black people."
Earle's sentiments could just as easily apply to today's Texas Music. And his thoughts are nothing new. In 1976, with Outlaw music beginning to gain attention outside of Texas, Fort Worth native and now-legendary blues singer Delbert McClinton was already scorning the posers he saw onstage and off. "Whenever a bunch of bullshit comes in, there's a bunch of people that start playing bullshit music," he told the original Texas Music magazine. "I'm sick and tired of somebody saying, 'I'm a cowboy from Texas, gimme a longneck. I can't drink nothing but longnecks.' It's like the hippie cult before that and the surfing cult before that."
And that's where the scene remains today –– a large mound of crap with flowers springing from the muck once in a while. With these thoughts in mind, I spoke with three Fort Worth singer-songwriters who have devoted their lives to Texas Music. The youngest, Joey Green, 34, recently relocated to Nashville to ply his songwriting trade. The oldest, Amos Staggs, just turned 70. He continues writing, recording, and playing live shows, often alongside Earl Musick, 69, who owns a recording studio, record label, and publishing company. – Jeff Prince
Weekly: What is the state of the union regarding Texas Music?
Joey Green: It was created to counter the culture of mainstream. For me, it was the very end of the Jerry Jeff phenomenon, and Pat Green revived it. Now it's just a clusterfuck of bullshit.
Earl Musick: Quality seems to be put on the backburner. It's, "I want to get to the top as fast as I can." Payola. Buying your name. Getting on these charts. Getting airplay. If you got enough money, you can make a name for yourself.
Amos Staggs: You go to these companies. They have a menu and say, "Do you want to be in the Top 10?" Uh, yeah. "How long do you want to be there?" Oh, this long. "Well, that costs this much." Those people who run those machines, I know them. They came from Nashville. They worked in the machine in Nashville and came here and opened a machine just like it on a smaller financial scale. The same thing goes on in Nashville, but you better not show up there at some record company … if you don't have a couple million dollars in your pocket.
Green: The saddest part about the scene is it's not even about the music anymore. It's how many internet radio stations there are, how many paper spins can I get? I got to pay this much money to get on this chart. Everybody is playing a game in a system that was built to disregard the system. Now it's become its own system, its own little Nashville. We can blame program directors, radio promoters, and talent buyers in Texas for that. It's creating a scene where the bullshit rises to the top.
Musick: It's been going this way for about 10 years.
Staggs: A package of Kool-Aid is pretty good when you mix it with a quart of water. But you mix it with 50 gallons of water, and it gets pretty diluted. The Kool-Aid was red, then pink, and now it looks almost clear.
Green: When it started out for me, the way to get around forking out your own money was to sign a distribution deal with either Smith Music [Group], Winding Road Music, or somebody along those lines. It's a 60-40 deal – you get 60, they get 40 – which is not a bad deal. The radio promotion was in-house. But if they pushed a single, and it didn't hit, they shelved you just like a major label would. Hiring your own radio promo guy could cost anywhere from $1,000 to $4,500, depending on the clout of the radio guy. The top guys … charge $8,000 to $10,000 for each song, for the life of the single, which is about 22 weeks. You want the guy who is going to get you in front of radio program directors who will open the envelope and know it's decent shit – or he is getting all the free golf and Starbucks he wants to play these artists on this promoter's label. Then he'll book you a radio tour, which will cost you about $2,000 [in travel expenses]. You go visit all these radio stations. Half the time they don't even know you're coming. That's when you know you are getting screwed by your radio promoter. I paid a guy $4,500 … from Nashville. He got us to No. 90 on [a Texas radio chart] which is a made-up chart. If you buy a click ad on that chart, every time somebody clicks it, it counts as a spin for you. If you wanted to sit at home and not even go play, you could just sit there and click, and it counts as spins. It doesn't make any sense. There are guys who have had No. 1 after No. 1 song on that chart, but they can't draw flies [to gigs] because they are paper spins. You can go from a $500 band to a $3,500 band with two songs on the chart and enough money behind you.
Staggs: Real kind of left the room. The kind of songs we are writing and the kind of songs I hear on the current Texas Music scene don't have much to do with one another. There are people hell-bent on being a star as long as Daddy's well holds out. You can buy airtime and a bus and all that, but you can't buy talent or charisma. Otherwise it's just smoke and mirrors.
Weekly: Can a talented performer make it today without getting in the machine and paying the right people?
Green: It would almost be impossible now for there not to be someone else's hand in the pot. Good luck not having to pay somebody. I love Cody Jinks' stuff. I've always thought he was great. But he could still be bartending at While Elephant Saloon if the right person didn't think that way. He hooked up with the right manager up in Nashville, a guy that used to work for Kid Rock, and he knew just what to do with Cody at the right time. Cody Jinks is a prime example of somebody who found the right management company and took him out of Texas to even make him big in Texas.
Musick: Maren [Morris'] parents bought her enough recognition that her talent got a chance to take over. She is talented.
Staggs: My hat is off to anybody who will load up, leave the house, and get out there and take a swing at it. It's not easy to do. It's easier if you are traveling in a Prevost [recreational vehicle] than a minivan. But it's hard. It's always been hard.
Green: Austin Allsup [the Fort Worth artist who made the Top 10 on The Voice but still has trouble drawing local crowds] doesn't appeal to the lets-get-rowdy-and-purposely-ignorant crowd. It ain't party-drinking songs. He doesn't wear a backwards ballcap. He doesn't say, "Let's get high and make noise!" He used to. We were all kids once.
Weekly: What changes have you seen as a studio owner, Earl?
Musick: There has been a ton of studio fall-off because anybody can buy a computer, a piece of software, and a $60 microphone and make a record. You don't have to have studios anymore. That's fine with me. I've got to really like somebody's music to fool with it, because it takes up so much of my time.
Staggs: Earl and I used to send cassette tapes by the boxloads to different places. That's what we're still doing.
Green: We had [radio] success with "Natchitoches Blues." Without that, I'd probably still be playing every gig for $500 or $600. That's your ceiling unless you can get that one song that people relate to and latch on to. I didn't even pay anyone for that song. I sent it out myself with handwritten notes and had program directors calling me. That was a cool, organic thing that happened.
Weekly: How tough is it to make a living at Texas Music?
Green: [Paying radio promoters] is just one cylinder, and you're in a V8. You've got to have a publicist, a booking agent to follow up and pursue leads in towns, a manager to connect everybody, a webmaster. You are looking at an overhead of $6,000 a month to even be legitimate. You've still got to travel and pay a band. You're trying to keep all of that going and the quality of your gigs up, and nobody wants to pay you. They say, "We'll give you the door." Some venues take good care of you. Some don't. I've scaled down to a trio – me, bass, and drums – to keep my overhead low. This is my job. I'm printing t-shirts on the side to pay for things. Even now, saving up $1,000 to try and get into a studio is like an act of Congress. It costs a lot of money to even try to do this.
Amos Staggs
earl musick
Joey Green
Robert Earl Keen Jr
Previous articleHall of Fame Class of '17
Next articleHip-Hop Beyond the Stigmas
Sonar Lights Shine
The Thrills Are Just Beginning
This song is relevant to this discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wOW3K6pIcY
A. Michael Uhlmann June 22, 2017 at 10:29 am
Dead on, Donna. More than relevant and if you add the socio-economical factors to it, more than true. To quote James Murphy "You Can't Make It Here Anymore." Thanks for sharing that Grant Peeples song!
Jonathon June 22, 2017 at 1:13 am
I find this story to be a huge piece of crap…just like much of the Texas music scene today. There are plenty of organic artist that draw good crowds and make good music. As a consumer you have to be wise enough to cut through the crap and support those whose sound you like…nothing has changed about that whether it was Willis Alan Ramsey in 1972 or Josh Abbott in 2012. If it sounds good, folks can dance to it, drink with it, or sing along to it, it will sell. Period. Further the whole idea that there is any one sound or one look to "Texas" music is ridiculous. As one of the most diverse populations in the USA it is non-sensical to suggest such. I agree with the sentiments with regard to the overhead and buying spins, but other than that, the article is completely bogus.
Smokey June 22, 2017 at 7:55 am
Sept WAR came and left in the same car he slept in, Josh left in a million dollar Prevost… but neither are as angry as you sound…
Bryan Weiss April 16, 2019 at 11:17 am
These guys just seem butt hurt because their own careers have taken off. Good music is just good music. I look at people like Koe wetzel, whom I'm sure these people despise, but he got to where he was by word of mouth and grinding it out in clubs. You can't fault him for that. people wouldn't listen if it weren't good or did feel something from the music. Yes the genre is very diverse and it sometime can be college partyville but hey quite looking down your noses.
Mike Reid June 22, 2017 at 6:48 am
I'm a songwriter living in Nashville – I enjoyed this thoughtful interview of these guys and I can certainly feel their frustration – I completely empathize – I would only add this – everything they said about the economics of today's music business can be said of the entire American culture at large – these are incredibly cynical times we live in – Oscar Wilde defined the cynic as "knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing" – when economics is the driving force in any art form, that art form will only be as good as it has to be – in my cranky old view, America has lost it's love affair with excellence, if, in deed, it ever had one – still, I believe somewhere , out of view of all this, someone is doing something wonderful – pray we get to hear, see, experience it –
Do you walk on faith? If so, tell me how to get in touch with you!
David D. Stewart June 22, 2017 at 11:36 am
I cant make you love me!
Dookie June 23, 2017 at 8:51 am
Quoting Oscar Wilde is probably too high over the heads of most of the commenters I'm reading here, I'm afraid.
John Beland June 22, 2017 at 7:30 am
You're Better Off SITTIN On THE Front Porch STRUMMING AWAY AND renembering.
John Beland
Flying Burrito Bros
Greg Mangum June 22, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Ha! Hope you are well Beland. I met you years ago when I was out with an artist and you were with Bare. Tom Brumley was playing with us at the time. I think you had hip surgery or were going in for. I remember listening to you and Tom tell old stories on the bus that afternoon. Again, hope you are well.
Joey I am proud you've got the guts to say it. From the Regional Radio Report, to the radio promoters you nailed it. Cost alot of cash to run in that click, hell the head man at RRR is radio promoter. Look at the Annual Awards, same stations, same venues, same events same artist. Same old payola…..
Cindy G June 23, 2017 at 1:13 pm
And who is benefiting from all the so called "same old payola"? And would it not make sense that it's pretty much the same nominees and winners most years? Each station, venue, artist and event has the same opportunity to obtain votes from their fanbase. Without the emergence of new events, stations, etc, there will continually be "the same…". So is it not up to each category to push and work to grow their base in order to obtain what votes it takes to win in any of the multiple award shows we have in Texas?
Tony Barker June 22, 2017 at 9:46 am
Walt Wilkins is doing just fine. He has built a following out of the demographic that is the ideal opposite of what you describe here; thoughtful, intelligent people that are willing to support Great instead of feeding The Machine.
They're harder to find, extremely difficult to market to (since they're clearly discerning consumers of quality songwriting), and certainly don't mind kicking up heels and knocking one back with others of their Tribe, but have limited interest in being in a crowd whose intention is to get drunk, with music in the background that they don't hear, but brag about being there to their friends.
Walt is a tall peak on the graph of a community of talented songwriters that have connected on a higher level with people that are there to Listen; Susan Gibson, Kevin Welch, Davis Raines, all play shows that bring something rare and valuable to the Concert experience.
How do you get in this club? The venues that they play have developed their own following by carefully curating each show until the local audiences trust them to the point that even if they're not familiar with a particular name, they know that something good will happen, and they're happy to buy a ticket to support the venue, the artist, and the Real Music scene.
Please forgive the shameless plug, but Walt will be at the Paramount Theater in Abilene on July 28th, and the City of Abilene is rolling out the red carpet for visitors who come in to see him; special hotel and restaurant rates, and all manner of tourist welcoming events. Be encouraged; there is still a place for Quality.
I second this statement – Walt Wilkins and The Mystiqueros are definitely an exception that even more proves the reality of mediocrity mentioned in this article. What Nashville's Bro-Country, is Texas' Country Music / Red Dirt scene.
jl rodriguez June 22, 2017 at 10:42 am
The article has valid points in longevity, desire, courage, changes due to technology and the corruptness of the Texas charts. However, in as far as one artist cutting down another – that is the evil of ego. As a radio personality, program director and GM in Texas, I am of the assumption that the longer you do something, the least you know about it. It baffles me how trends evolve (kind of how schools of fish move) and how those with half a business sense learn to ride the wave, all the time criticizing it under their breath. Music is art. As in all things art it is in the eyes of the beholder, in this case in the heart and ears of the beholder. Artist need to stop criticizing that, that is not of their making. It is, and has been too prevalent in our business.
DAve Smith June 22, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Mr Rodriquez… care to go in depth about the corruptness of the Texas charts
Jimmy Collins June 24, 2017 at 10:11 am
when a big act gets into trouble they still have access to the press What is the FIRST thing they do? They blame the manager good or bad! I have been behind the scenes with very famous and very unknown I don't believe everything in this article and the reason they are bitching about the charts???? Hmmmm…. they aren't on them! plain and simple now are there politics? Hell yes… my solution and by the way I as a veteran know and understand charts DO LIKE the TEXAS Chart and totallly understand how to jump in and participate… SOLUTION? Quit Bitchin' and start Pickin! Get in the game or GET THE HELL OUT! What I am saying is there are alot of SATISFIED people PLAYING THE TEXAS CHART GAME…. a Little Secret…. ready? THEY ARE HAVING THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES AND ENJOYING THE HELL OUT OF IT! It's more than ok not to be on any chart, whatever but don't make fun of the people on the chart and/or people trying! GET REAL!
Jenn Ford June 22, 2017 at 11:57 am
Texas Country Music Association is a non profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of Texas Country Music Artists. The Texas Country Music Awards takes place this year in Carthage Texas on September 28. The voting for finalists is now until the end of July, and is fan-driven.
I invite anyone to join and become a part of unifying the Texas Country Music scene with a platform that is endorsed by Mark Chesnutt, our spokesperson, and will be hosted by Brandon Rhyder.
The event will be filmed by Austin Unplugged, and Houston's Own Country. This a first step to the plans we have to address the changes this industry has experienced and is a platform designed to give recognition and exposure to those who are plugging away tirelessly to be heard.
Please go to Texascountrymusicassociation.org for more information.
John Johnson June 22, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Cold Dog Soup and Rainbow Pie is all it takes to get me by.
Fool my belly till the day I die, Cold Dog Soup and Rainbow Pie.
Jerry Lee June 22, 2017 at 2:17 pm
I am an old guy outside the inner circle of "Texas Music", but I have been a fan of "real" music for 55 years. Real music for that many years has made me sing, dance, cry, think, rejoice, and repent. Maybe real music is cyclical. Looking back over all those years, there were lean times and fat times. there was so much real music in the 50's, 60's, and much of the70's that great artists got lost in the mix. I today can look back at any of those eras' and find over looked or never heard recordings that just blow my socks off. There has also been times where music that affects my heart, mind, and body is few and far between, but it is there. I just have to look farther. Maybe this is how the art is meant to be. I believe there will always be some great stuff out there, just more fluff to wade through to find it.
Robert Snyder June 22, 2017 at 2:53 pm
I've been recording bands for over 15 years. Consistently I see artist achieve to the level they aspire to. That doesn't mean they are all selling out large venues. But, they get to the level they're willing to work for. Just being able to make a living doing music full time is an achievement in itself. It can be done, but it ain't no job for wussies'.
whiskeydent June 22, 2017 at 5:03 pm
This reads like grumpy old men who've forgotten what was going on. I was around then too, but I'm not so grumpy.
First of all, Willie and Waylon were country singers who rebelled against the homogenized music that came out of Nashville. They wanted control over their art and finally got it. And the world's a better place for it.
Though very supportive, they weren't really part of the cosmic cowboy/progressive country/redneck rock thing. Waylon said Bob Wills is the still king, but these guys were Dylan-inspired folksingers who occasionally picked up the tempo and an electric guitar. Very often, they played solo in small venues, not with big bands in honky tonks or arenas. And a lot of them were damned good.
I'm talking about BW Stevenson, Michael Murphy (before he became Michael Martin Murphy), Rusty Weir, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Shake Russell, Dana Cooper, and, yes, Jerry Jeff Walker. And those that are still with us continue to do the same thing they did 45-odd years ago.
So as you can see, Jerry Jeff was just one one of many in the scene. He didn't create it, and he never got big enough to kill it. To be honest, it was blues and then punk that elbowed their way into the consciousness in Texas. A bunch of them were damned good, too.
It's true that a lot of Texas music sucks these days. However, it mostly comes from guys and gals bent on becoming country stars. But away from the bright lights, we keep getting wave after wave of great musicians singing folky songs with a Texas twang. Y'all need to get out more.
Jeff Prince June 22, 2017 at 6:49 pm
Whiskeydent, you shot your argument in the heart when you said Willie and Waylon didn't have much to do with progressive country. They were the co-godfathers, the poster children of the movement as elected by popular opinion. That's why Austin built a statue for Willie but not one for, uh, Dana Cooper. The definitive book of that era, The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, was supposed to feature Willie on the cover but he cut his hair and beard prior to the photo shoot, prompting the publisher to switch to Murphey, according to author Jan Reid. Willie was on the cover of the first edition of the original Texas Music magazine in 1976. Walker was on the second cover. Walker was bigger than those other guys you mentioned from my recollection, although Wier and Murphey were big, too. The idea that Walker killed Texas Music was written tongue-in-cheek. The fact that you didn't get that is no surprise. The article says Walker's, Robert Earl Keen's and Pat Green's imitators were the "death" of the genre. As for your opinion that "y'all need to get out more," you have no idea how often we get out. If that is your way of saying we have overlooked some of the artists that you like, that might be correct. I don't know which artists you like. But I've listened to Texas country for decades and continue to listen. I don't hear "wave after wave of great musicians singing folky songs with a Texas twang" but I hear some. I've admittedly listened to less of it in recent years after the bands and albums became so hit or miss and mostly miss, but I still hear good stuff. The article never said there weren't good artists out there. It said hacks, posers, and wannabes have shit the pond with help from radio promoters.
Sorry, I disagree. W&W were groundbreakers, but they were still country singers who were played heavily on country radio. The progressive country guys were folk singers who got played on KOKE and not much anywhere else. Regardless, I love them all.
Dallas/Fort Worth had a similar radio station — 92.5 KAFM — that played all those great progressive country artists in the 1970s. I loved them, too.
Howard Cash June 23, 2017 at 7:51 pm
Must have been snark since anybody listening in person to Jerry Jeff in those days knew he was way to wasted to do any destroying other than his liver. Amazing he could stand up on stage sometimes much less sing and remember the word of his songs and the songs he truly wished he had written (Stuck on LA Freeway for one).
JR Anderson June 22, 2017 at 7:00 pm
Missed it by a mile. A country mile at that. Your entitled to your opinion but there is some really good stuff out there. A struggling musician from SC recently visited and was "blown away" by the Texas music he heard. "Different from anything I've ever heard." And Cody Jinks…the man paid his dues and didn't succumb to those who wanted him to do it differently. His writing and music is genuine as the day is long. Thanks for your opinion. We'll just have to agree to disagree.
DT25 June 22, 2017 at 7:07 pm
If anyone thinks it's dead you should check out Jason Eady. He's pretty damn good.
HangOnSilverGirl June 26, 2017 at 2:44 pm
Okay, but he's from Mississippi and records in Nashville. I love Jason Eady but I wouldn't put him in this category. Or am I wrong about the definition of Texas country?
DT25 June 27, 2017 at 7:58 am
He's pretty widely thought of as fitting in the Texas country genre. Jerry Jeff is from New York but he's still one of, if not the first guys people think of when they think of Texas country.
P.S. This article is complete garbage. Saying Jerry Jeff killed texas music is garbage. The writer(s) of this article are garbage. They sound salty as hell. Pretty clear to me that a lot of no-names still don't like "outsiders" singing "their" music, even if it beats the hell out of what they can come up with.
frosty leblanc June 22, 2017 at 7:26 pm
This is so silly…
Some make it, some don't.
RRB had NO money on startup; Koe Wetzel has had little startup capital. Yet they sell out rooms on popularity and believability.
Some people are better at certain things…
Go cry a river to John Moreland about how it's not fair.
Give me a break.
Craig June 22, 2017 at 7:55 pm
Seems like the solution is simple.
If you don't like it, don't listen to it.
If you do like it, then support it.
The music business isn't treating you the way you want to be treated, find a new business.
The sound of Texas music is changing and evolving. All music does over time, and why wouldn't we want it to?
Coach June 22, 2017 at 10:19 pm
Typical media attention sluts
Grump FoH June 22, 2017 at 11:57 pm
Texas regional radio chart is the biggest load of crap ever. Their website looks like a scam in of itself; Funny because its true. Why people buy anything from them or the people that report to them will always make me wonder. It is exactly what National radio does with out the cleverness. More than half the bands on the "top 100" have never been heard of. They have just bought their way into the chart. I'm not saying that their is not any truth to the chart, however i am saying if daddy is rich it doesn't hurt.
However thats about all I agree with the article. The rest of it sounds like jealousy or bitterness. The scene isn't dead or dying. 12 years ago there were 200 bands, now there are easily 2,000. With the advent of spotify, facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, and other social media outlets its easier than ever to get heard. Not to mention recording engineers have tools to make anyone or any band sound 10 times better than they are for cheaper than you can imagine.
If you don't like a band don't spend your time trash talking them, go spend it supporting a band you do like. Shitting on someone else's parade doesn't make you any better; It just lets everyone see your face while you shit.
It's amusing that after your bitter sounding first paragraph you focus your words on "bitterness and jealousy" and "trash talking" etc. Are you radio that hasn't gotten your way or an artist that just can't cut it in the biz?
Mother Hubbard June 23, 2017 at 8:09 am
If you write damn good song you can make a damn good living. Don't need $6,000 a month to do that. Seems pretty simple to me.
AGREE….yes it does take money to make money, but I assure you there are plenty of well knowns that don't spend NEAR that much to do their job!
Obie Obermark June 23, 2017 at 8:10 am
Time was when I was proud of the label "Texas Music", but now I cringe…Amos nails it: It's like a trickle-down fountain with increasingly larger basins, meaning the further you get from the original inspiration the more dilute it gets, and yeah Amos, it's clear now.
Re the biz: There's the "Clay Blaker business model" of touring Texas incessantly, building good will and reputation and writing solid tunes. If you're lucky like Clay, you find a George Strait to record a few of your tunes and retire to an island, if not, what they hey–you make a living and still manage to sleep in your own bed a few nights every week. Bugs Henderson was a classic example, with Walt Wilkins, Tommy Alverson and Max Stalling currently out there gigging, recording excellent music and hoping for a George…Trouble is, there's no instant gratification–takes years of hard work and a good head for business. The process itself is difficult enough that it does it's own culling–the less talented fall out, but the truly talented and dedicated survive. Even Saint Willie had a long string of lean unsuccessful years before he started to make anything close to a living.
Today's current hotspot seems to be the Pacific Northwest, but there's outstanding music all around–check out Zephaniah O'Hora from New York City–while Texas is moribund. Here's hoping we have a resurgence, but it won't come through commercial radio. God Bless the few remaining independent radio stations who at least shelter what spark remains.
Jeff Williams June 23, 2017 at 10:59 am
I am just a guy who likes what he likes and I always thought that was "Texas" music. I don't listen to the radio much and mostly pick up new music from conversations like this one. I actually picked up some old ones that have fallen off of the radar, so thank you all for that. The bottom line is, to some degree, money kills art. It gets harder and harder to relate to the guy who's down to his last $20 and has to decide if he's buying diapers or a 12 pack, if you have "representation" to take care of your money. "Texas" music will go thru some up and down cycles but it will never die because Texas hardly changes. There will always be someone out there in a clapped out Dodge Craftsman making music for bologna and hoping for prime rib. Some will find their lucky star, some will be too good to ignore, some will go back home and sell cars. Yes, there's a lot of shit out there, but life weeds them out pretty quickly. If there's 100x more crappy bands out there, there's probably at least 10x more decent bands. Thanks for caring.
Brandon June 23, 2017 at 12:56 pm
I'm not sure who should be fired first. Prince or the Editor in chief. This is the poorest attempt at hiding personal scorn I have ever seen. The fact that joey green is presented as the the voice of the younger generation is hysterical in itself. What a terrible display of want to be journalism
Ed June 23, 2017 at 3:50 pm
Man what a short sided article. If you want to have a discussion concerning Texas Music you have to at least talk to the godfather of Texas Music, Larry Joe Taylor. Every year his Texas Music Festival presents new and old Texas artist to thousands of fans that travel from around the world just to experience what we call "Texas Music". It is for this reason I am one of his sponsors and why I advertise on Fort Worth's Red Dirt radio. I guess these guys are jealous of Roger Creager and Kevin Fowler? Do yourself a favor and take the advice I once heard Larry give a young artist. He said, and I paraphrase, there are thousands of good musicians with good music out there, but not all of them are entertainers. After Rusty Weir's death, Larry had a bronze bust of Rusty's likeness commissioned in his honor that greets every artist as they take the main stage at Melody Mountain to remind them they are Entertainers first.
So do yourself a favor and buy a cd from Zane Williams, Kyle Park, Randy Rodgers, William Clark Green, The Tejas Brothers or Double D and many many more, you will find that "Texas Country" is going to be in good hands for a long long time!
I have attended many, many Larry Joe festivals, beginning with the third one (held in Mingus). I observed and wrote about the unveiling of the Rusty Weir bronze statue for Fort Worth Weekly. I have written about Taylor and most of the other artists you mentioned, as well as Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen, and Pat Green. Last year, I contributed a chapter on Texas Music festivals, including the LJT fest, that was included in "Pickers & Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer Songwriters of Texas," published by Texas A&M Press. http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2017/01/reviews/books/pickers-poets-the-ruthlessly-poetic-singer-songwriters-of-texas
I don't mind that you disagree with my article. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine doesn't always jibe with everyone else's, and that's fine. But anyone who thinks I pulled this story out of my ass without any forethought or knowledge of the topic would be wrong.
Jeff Prince June 25, 2017 at 1:59 am
Well, that last sentence kind of came out wrong.
Dave Pilot June 23, 2017 at 7:09 pm
I agree with the underlying point of the article. The Music Row machine has indeed been replicated in Texas, at times, ironically enough, by the bands wearing Fuck Nashville shirts on stage. There are magnificent songwriters in this state who can't get a song through the machine and into any consistent rotation. Increasingly, without rotation, they can't get booked into certain venues. That's where the vicious money cycle manifests itself. So on those points, this article is on the money. It could have been written more clearly, and targeted the fundamental challenges more directly. But then it wouldn't have drawn all the controversy or spawned all the traffic that it has. Somewhere a marketing director is pretty happy with how it turned out.
But the point it's making is true.
And given that one of the guys interviewed has had songs recorded by artists as diverse as Red Stegall, Carlos Santana, and Garth Brooks…. it's a bit disheartening to see commenters across social media asserting that none of the interviewees understands the business. Says here maybe it's the listeners that don't understand it, or know the history of it. And well trained listeners like that are exactly what radio programmers love to pitch to advertisers. (To be clear on this point, there are a couple radio stations in the Metroplex and others around the state who work hard to walk the line between the machine's uniformity and the importance of getting worthwhile artists heard. I'm not talking about those stations; I'm referring to the industry level confluence of charts and airplay and how that interaction tends to kill spontaneity and originality – same here as on Music Row)
So much outstanding music in this state, so many artists that remember just how broad Texas music is. Who realize that a Texas/Red Dirt sound is a problem in and of itself, because Texas (or Outlaw/progressive if one prefers) was never definable by a sound. Janis did not sound like Buddy Holly. Waylon did not sound like Tompall. Et cetera and so on. But turn on the radio today, and there's an awful lot of acts that sound similar. While plenty more who are individual and unique, writing great songs and delivering them their own way, can't get heard.
I believe that's what this article intended to ultimately say. I wish it had done a more effective job of saying it.
Barbara Malteze June 24, 2017 at 5:07 am
As always, leave it to Dave Pilot to hit the nail on the head. Thanks, bud.
Jason Ferrell June 23, 2017 at 8:12 pm
The heart and soul of Texas music is alive and well. One has to make an effort to go out and support local bands, and out of every dozen or so you'll find a jewel. The Texas jewels shine like no others. We'll have the Texas music scene we all want if we'll simply find some jewels and support them. Happy hunting!
Casey Putnam June 24, 2017 at 2:52 am
If the real point your trying to make is this new generation and the so called red dirt country couldn't hold a candle to Walker,Ely,Townes,Delbert or any of those guys in the 70s,you hit the nail on the head
Kathy June 24, 2017 at 8:09 am
I like what I like and I think Dale Watson is pretty damn good.
Don Chance June 25, 2017 at 1:56 am
Brilliant! What happened to Texas music? Simple. The same thing that happened to mainstream country music: the ridiculous but overwhelming idea held by music biz weasels that the only way to modernize it is to turn it into something entirely different. Or as the empty suits at the Nashville labels — who can't stand any sound that doesn't originate on the West Coast — say, "Expand its audience." It's a shame, but that's the world we lived in today.
This whole subject is fascinating to me. I came across this article by way of the Austin 360/Statesman response. I don't agree with all of it, but I'm not in the business, I'm just a fan and one who got into the genre thanks in large part to Cory Morrow and Pat Green, on the downhill side of both their heydays. So let me add my half cent here from the prospective of a dedicated modern KOKE listener who is too young to have seen Willie in his prime years and too old for the "scene" surrounding a lot of the artists disparaged (and to some extent championed – Morris, for example) here. My taste has changed as I've aged out of drinking songs, and radio doesn't seem to want to keep up with that. It sucks, but I recognize that I'm not in the key demographic, either. Someone said above, money ruins art. So yeah, the music is going to trend toward what sells, and I'm not necessarily buying, so there's going to be a split. I'm not going out to bars to see shows (I would need a babysitter and I hate downtown Austin and excuses ad infinitum). I go to maybe one a year, and I'm likely to see a band I've been listening to for awhile instead of seeing something new, and I'm not going to a bar to do it. This means I'm missing out on 99% of Texas country. I have to search for what I want to hear, and usually that means I'm relying on charts or going down the rabbit hole on "related searches" on digital platforms. I end up sticking to the familiar or getting into the popular (though NOT pop) because I don't have the physical or financial bandwidth to do more. I doubt I'm unique, and that's got to be a contributing factor here. Some talent is going to rise to the top and get the attention, and that's more likely to attract fans like me who only wish we could do the Saxon Pub on Tuesday nights. New guys are gonna get lost in that push-and-pull, they just are, no matter what.
Another thing, just anecdotally. About ten years ago I met an artist from College Station. It was a fundraiser and he was basically playing background music, but he was a solid guitarist and his stuff was all original. I asked him afterwards how I could follow him, because he wasn't of the caliber reaching radio, and he told me that unless I did the fairs in the small towns between Austin and Houston, I wasn't likely to see him anywhere soon. It cost more to play one show in Austin than he could make in a year of selling records and merch, he said. All these years later, I googled his name and he's gone into real estate. He was definitely talented, but it was also clear, this is just the way of things. Does it suck, yes. How to fix it – damned if I know. I'll leave that to y'all. But yeah, thinking about that musician and his slightly defeated look when I asked where I could see him play, y'all have a very good point to make.
Bill Cuomo June 26, 2017 at 5:15 pm
Has anything really changed? Back when Beeb Birtles and I ran our indie label around 2000-2005 we were working with Pete Benz and working Texas radio. They were kind to us and we managed to get Pete in the top 10 a few times, but a PD summed it up best when I asked him to give Pete a listen. "He's different and fresh" I told him. "Different ain't good" he responded, "It's not about the music, it's about keeping the listener here until the next commercial". So, it's still the same: Follow the Money
Jake September 10, 2017 at 2:14 pm
Country music is just boring and a scam
JB White March 11, 2019 at 6:41 pm
Horrible article. You have to look a little bit under the surface. Theres still more talent in Texas than anywhere. I do agree that the newest generation of acts are starting to get very Nashville pop country. It's an easy target to finally have something to criticize about the music.
Delton Perrodin April 5, 2019 at 9:46 pm
In spite of the obvious brooding and at least a little cheekiness, I enjoyed the article and how it presented some insight into how "inorganic" radio has become in the 21st century. It didn't just happen overnight. It's a business model that has apparently benefitted many artists, record companies, radio stations, advertisers, clubs, etc. If indeed there are 2,000 bands and solo artists trying to make it in Texas or even 1,000, I can't imagine that half of them will have the kind of success that will sustain their careers even with the many ways they have to get themselves and their music out there. I do not listen to today's country or pop music stations. I haven't for years. It's music for someone else's ears and if they like it, good for them.
That's not to say that I don't like to hear a good singer-songwriter in country or any genre who is singing something that sounds and makes me feel good. I just find them elsewhere these days. (Just who are Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros, and why have I never heard of them?! I intend to find out.)
I used to put much more stock into chart hits and followed them more than 99 percent of music fans, but I've also become distrustful of them over the years and feel like too few "entities" have a say in what actually gets on charts and radios. I do appreciate newer ventures like the Americana Music Association, but I'm also holding out hope that artists, Texans and others like Radney Foster, The Mavericks, and Alison Krauss won't be excluded because of past success or being regarded as being beyond their prime. If they aren't "Americana" enough, then I just don't know that I'll want to listen to that much longer either.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Question 1: What are your thoughts on ECE enrollment?
Question 2: What is the discovery lab and how does it intersect with academia?
Question 3: Is there opportunity for better research between industry in general, Freescale in particular, and academia?
Question 4: What should students know about working at Freescale?


We are counting on additional participation at the midpoint of our giving year to reach our goal of $25,000 by August 31. To date (as of January 15), we have raised $3,490. Click here make your contribution to support these efforts.


bearish Archives - Dohmen Capital Research, Inc.
The unanimous opinion is that the stock market will rise another 10%-15% in 2015. Even with the DJIA down more than 300 points on Monday, January 5, analysts in the media said things like: "I don't see anything that could derail this bull market." Another one said: "I see no signs of excessive euphoria." These are comments you usually hear near market tops.


Dr. Daniel Nuzum: So, let's take a step back and let's look at, there are people in the population, there are certain groups of people that don't produce enough pepsin and stomach acid in their stomach to extract the B12 from the protein it gets bound in, in our food. There are people like those with reflux and gastric issues that don't produce enough acid, and they don't have the pepsin in their stomach to extract the B12. Other people with adrenal fatigue, when there's adrenal fatigue, there's a low stomach acid production that will happen.
And those folks tend to be the ones that will need a B12 injection periodically because they just can't extract it from the food.
So, people with stomach problems, actual stomach problems, not necessarily gut issues, but low acid production, therefore, they have reflux, they're not digesting their food well, and then those with adrenal fatigue, they tend to need B12 injections.
Did you like the video? Give us a big thumbs up [on our YouTube channel] and we'll see you on the next video!
Finally! A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY that delivers… 30X MORE vitamin B12 than red meat!


We appreciate the loyalty and dedication that our people invest in us. So we think it's only fair to recognise this by providing ongoing learning and development to continuously grow their skills; hands-on access to impressive projects where your results benefit the community; health and wellbeing initiatives to foster a positive team environment; as well as fair and ethical treatment for every employee.
What can you look forward to when you join the Yarra Ranges team?
Career opportunities – with certified development courses and a raft of complex and challenging projects, you'll have the opportunity to hone your skills and project portfolio.
Great working conditions – professional environment, with a friendly and dedicated team who are supported by inspiring leaders.
Opportunities to make a real difference – see how the work you're involved in, benefits our diverse communities.
Encouraging improvement and innovation – thrive in an environment with an eye for the future, where you're encouraged to explore how processes might be done differently or better.
Flexible Working arrangements – we encourage conversations about part time, job share, flexible start/finish times, rostered days off and access to 48/52 or 50/52 leave options.
Career/professional development – secondment opportunities to expand your skills, corporate learning programs, study assistance and comprehensive leadership development program.
Health and Wellbeing – employee assistance program, private health insurance discounts, health checks (skin and hearing, vaccinations) and an active social club.


text:
Oct. 04, 2019 07:13AM EST
From Houston getting a new biotech accelerator to events you can't miss this month, here's what news trended this week. Photo by PeopleImages
Editor's note: Houston began October with a flurry of innovation news stories, from a new accelerator being launched in town and three innovators to know to events not to miss and a name change for a Houston company. Here are this week's top stories.
3 Houston innovators to know this week
This week's Houston innovators are bringing new exciting things to town. Courtesy photos
New and exciting things are coming to town — from a data-focused conference two two startup development organizations announcing a Houston presence. Here are three Houston innovators making it happen in town. Click here to continue reading.
10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for October
Check out these conferences, pitch competitions, networking, and more. Getty Images
October is another busy one for Houston innovation. Data-focused conferences, a rescheduled grand opening for The Cannon, and so much more. Click here to continue reading.
Exclusive: Houston sports tech company rebrands to attract a wider range of clients
FanReact is now Truss, and the company will be able to reach a greater audience. Photo courtesy of Truss
A Houston company that's specialized in digital sports fan engagement is reinventing itself to grow its client base.
FanReact, which earlier this year spun off its esports business into a new company called Mainline, is now known as Truss. The transition opens doors for the company to reach new clients that aren't in the sports industry — but that maybe want to take a page out of the fan experience's book. Click here to continue reading.
Houston millionaire starts biotech accelerator for companies focusing on regenerative medicine
The new biotech accelerator has already worked with two companies, which have relocated their operations to Houston. Getty Images
A new Houston-based startup accelerator is planning to advance companies focusing on regenerative medicine and stem cell treatment.
Houston Healthspan Innovation Group was created by founder and CEO Ed Bosarge, a local entrepreneur who's made millions of developing health care and finance technology. Click here to continue reading.
Health insurance tech startup taps Texas for its launch due to its large uninsured population
California-based Sidecar Health has rolled out its health insurance tech services in Texas. Images via sidecarhealth.com
The health insurance situation in Texas is anemic.
Last year, 17.7 percent of Texans lacked health insurance, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That's the highest rate of uninsured residents among all of the states.
The problem is even more acute in the Houston metro area. In 2018, nearly 1 in 5 residents of the region (18.6 percent) had no health insurance, the Census Bureau says. That's the highest rate of uninsured residents among the country's 25 most populous metro areas.
If you do the math, that translates into more than 5 million residents of Texas, including more than 1.3 million in the Houston area, who have no health-insurance safety net. A startup called Sidecar Health is setting out to reduce those numbers. Click here to continue reading.
New and exciting things are coming to town — from a data-focused conference two two startup development organizations announcing a Houston presence. Here are three Houston innovators making it happen in town.
James Y. Lancaster, Texas branch manager of VIC Technology Venture Development
A new venture development company has expanded into Houston with a Texas Medical Center office. Photo courtesy of James Lancaster
An Arkansas-based technology venture development firm had its eyes on Dallas for a Texas expansion, but James Y. Lancaster had a bigger plan. Lancaster, who was named as VIC Technology Venture Development's Texas branch manager, oversees the company's business in Dallas, Houston, and College Station, where he lives. Locally, he will work out of a TMC Innovation Institute office.
"I am excited to be working to TMC member institutions to provide a new avenue for commercializing their technologies, expanding on our fast start in Texas with an exciting opportunity in the Houston innovation ecosystem," Lancaster says in a release.
VIC specializes in taking university-founded research innovations to the marketplace by partnering with technology and business experts at every stage of the process. Read more.
Suzette Cotto, CEO of Innovate Social Media
Houston's DataCon can help prepare business leaders for the digital revolution in AI and machine learning. Photo courtesy of Suzette Cotto
Suzette Cotto, in a guest column for InnovationMap, warns of a not-so-distant future where artificial intelligence and machine learning are a daily business requirement. As companies ready themselves for this digital commonplace, its the C-suite that needs to do some homework in preparation.
DataCon Houston, which takes place on October 10, is one way for C-level execs to get some information. The annual conference brings important concepts around AI and Automation to business leaders, according to Cotto.
"The target audience is not IT professionals, although there will be some in attendance; it's meant primarily to help the C-suite and non-technical leaders know where to begin and where to find that new vocabulary and translative resources," Cotto writes. "AI will affect every person in every business, and we must be ready for the cultural shifts that will come with the technological shifts." Read more.
Ed Bosarge, founder and CEO of Houston Healthspan Innovation Group
Houston millionaire and serial entrepreneur Ed Bosarge has launched a new biotech accelerator. Courtesy of Houston Healthspan Innovation Group
A serial entrepreneur, Ed Bosarge has launched his latest venture. The Houston Healthspan Innovation Group is a biotech startup accelerator for companies in the regenerative medicine industry.
"From day one, Houston Healthspan will play a significant role in shaping Houston's vibrant life sciences scene with its seasoned leadership and state-of-the-art facilities," Bosarge says in a news release. "Houston Healthspan may be a tipping point for the region's life sciences community."
According to the release, the organization has already worked with two companies that have relocated their office to Houston. Read more.
Houston's DataCon can help prepare business leaders for the digital revolution in AI and machine learning. Getty Images
Houston companies need to get ready for an artificial intelligence and machine learning revolution
Looming on the horizon is a data tsunami coming towards us at breakneck speed. Companies have worked hard to keep up, creating digital transformation, taking manual processes from desktops, clipboards, and the paper paradigm to the Cloud. We're now sitting on huge quantities of idle bits of information called dark data. It's over collected and unused data that has the potential power to create decision-making brilliance.
Business leaders are attempting to optimize siloed data – unrelated data collected in databases and spreadsheets or obsolete apps, to make critical decisions. We currently connect these siloes with other systems using a data processing step called ETL – Extract, Transform and Load. Take the data from one place, transform it so it can relate to another data resource and then load that data to another place for analysis. It's a big, time consuming, intermediary step we have figured out how to circumvent. "NoETL" technology is the next-generation magic wand of machine thinking and it's a game-changer.
As non-technical business leaders, we rely on our partners in IT to give us meaningful data that charts our course. They've been our faithful navigators. We've made the recommended investment in IT infrastructure and technology and counted on receiving analytics that will result in winning outcomes. It's now time to sit down at the table and have new conversations with IT leadership around AI.
A tectonic shift
We are now in a new place. AI has come upon us quickly and the promise of ROI is great. There are new technologies that give business leaders advantages never before realized. Data science is the new crystal ball to the future of business. Automation and machine learning are taking historical data to a look ahead using algorithms and mathematical modeling. It's a new predictive mindset. What business leader wouldn't want that crystal ball?
The real assets of your business exist not in better machines but in your current data stores which are like coal mines waiting for data science to turn those lumps of coal into data diamonds.
There are new vocabulary words associated with data analytics. Data science thought leaders are preparing the way for businesses to have learning opportunities and to know which resources to tap for direction in creating new competitive dynamics. Don't wait too long to be curious. The early adopters are already a step ahead and the competitive marketplace is changing in unexpected ways.
Leadership resources for the implementation of AI
Legacy businesses with data lakes are ripe for action. Who should lead the charge? It's up to the C-suite to have intentional conversations around data science. It's up to leadership to be ready to speak and understand new concepts and vocabulary combined with leaps of faith needed to join the new world order of information.
Proactively look for learning opportunities. There are no excuses for not taking the initiative. No matter where you are in your career – this isn't something to linger about.
One upcoming seminar around AI and automation collaboration and education is DataCon Houston. It's an annual conference that brings important concepts around AI and Automation to business leaders. The target audience is not IT professionals, although there will be some in attendance; it's meant primarily to help the C-suite and non-technical leaders know where to begin and where to find that new vocabulary and translative resources. AI will affect every person in every business, and we must be ready for the cultural shifts that will come with the technological shifts.
Authors and thought leaders — George Danner, Dave McComb, and Gerald Kane will be speaking at DataCon October 10, 2019. In addition, Javier Fadul, director of innovation for HTX Labs will be speaking about XR and data visualization and its use in training employees and creating safer workplaces. Stefanos Damianakis will be teaching machine learning 101 and Juan Sequeda, principal scientist of data.world will present his UltraWrap NoETL patented technology.
Solving the unsolvable
The future of decision-making will render in blinks of an eye. Problems we thought unsolvable will suddenly have answers. Business leaders must get behind the leap of faith required for our own companies and push learning and understanding forward across the organization at all levels. AI and machine learning are the vortex of change. Are you ready for AI?
Suzette Cotto is CEO of Innovate Social Media, a digital marketing agency specializing marketing for startups in the medical, technology, and energy industries. For more information on DataCon Houston 2019, please visit: https://incitelogix.com/datacon-houston-2019/


The Connections between People Award recognises projects that bring people together, increase social connections and provide a sense of belonging to their town.
The Pets for Life (P4L) program supports older people living on the Sunshine Coast to continue caring for their companion animal, with the help of a volunteer. It is line with this award because it enhances opportunities for more isolated, ageing residents to develop social connections and access activities and events.
The P4L program has three primary aims: to address social isolation in older people; to uphold animal welfare; and to provide meaningful volunteering experiences.
The social isolation of older people is addressed through multiple means. Firstly, it supports the elderly to maintain their relationship with their companion animal. Secondly, regular visits from volunteers provide opportunity for social connections and potential new relationships. Thirdly, identify gaps in the older person's life that may be alleviated through support, connections and referrals made by the Project Worker.
Animal welfare is at the core of the program. The practical support provided directly affects the companion animal's health and wellbeing. Without this support many animals may have been surrendered, re-homed or euthanized. Many older people in the program have been assisted with information and arrangements to ensure the welfare of their companion animal when they are no longer able to care for them.
Positive volunteer experiences are an equally important aspect of the program. Volunteers are screened, trained and then matched to an older person to support sustainable connections. The volunteer role and the relationships that develop could not be matched by paid workers. Therefore, the program aspires to support and value the contribution and experiences of volunteers.
Although currently unfunded, the program has received government funding in the past. To maintain the program, participants or community members are welcome to make a donation so the lives of older people and their companion animals in our community continue to be enhanced.


text:
Sil Foundation
The SIL Foundation is a Nigerian Non-profit organisation committed
to enhancing the quality of life of Nigerians by providing access to healthcare,
widows empowerment, finance to small businesses, and education funds to individuals,
families and organisations.
Photo speaks
Meet them the Directors
STANLEY INYE LAWSON
Born on March 10th 1958, Dr. Stanley Lawson's multi-disciplinary academic achievement and cognate work experience over the years in both the Banking and Finance industry and the Oil and gas industry clearly distinguishes him in his chosen profession with a wealth of expertise and competence to offer. With an M.Sc. in Petroleum Geology, an MBA in Finance and a Doctorate in Business Administration, Dr. Lawson spent the first four years of his career as a Resident Geologist/Drilling Engineer after which he proceeded to the Banking/Finance industry where he spent over 17 years holding several top management positions cutting across Operations, Treasury, Credit & Marketing and Risk Management and finally exiting the industry as the Managing Director/Chief Executive of one of The Nigerian Banks. Thereafter, Dr. Lawson returned to the Oil and gas industry where he served the nation as the CFO (GED Finance and Accounts) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) overseeing the funding, budgeting and cash flow planning of the NNPC in particular and the Oil industry in general. He is presently the Managing Partner of Financial Advisory and Investment Consultants – A company established specifically to offer financial advisory services to the oil industry. He has attended several international leadership and management courses including, the Program For Executives of the Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh; the Program For Executives in the Oil and Gas industry of the COX School of Business, Southern Methodist University Dallas the Program for Corporate Leaders of the Harvard Business School Boston and the Senior Management Program of the Wharton University.
Ubile Charitty
Ubile started her career with United Bank for Africa, where she honed her skills in the area of Foreign Operations and Corporate Finance. She is the Executive Director, SIL Foundation, the MD/CEO of Tonibso Nig. Ltd, and a Non-Executive Director at Financial Advisory and Investment Consultants Limited. She studied English at the University of Port Harcourt, and she lives in Abuja with her husband and four sons. Her hobbies are Traveling, Decorating, Cooking, and Counselling
Elizabeth Bob-Manuel
Pharmacist Mrs. Elizabeth Boma Bob-Manuel is a 1974 graduate of Pharmacy from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (OAU). She was employed by the Rivers State Government as a pharmacist and held various posts during her working career. She rose to become the Director of Pharmaceutical Services in the Ministry of Health, a position she held for several years before her retirement in 2009. She is a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and an advocate of Anti drug abuse programs. Pharm. Elizabeth Bob-Manuel is married to Alabo Prof. Kelvin Bob-Manuel and they are blessed with 3 sons and a grandson.
The foundation operates with this core values
Women and Girl child Oriented (Gender Sensitive)
Learning and Skill development
Widows empowerment
Micro-business support
— Our Mission
To give people a chance at living with dignity, to be self sufficient
and in good health.
— Our Vision
To be a ray of hope to Nigeria most vulnerable by providing life
changing support tailored to critical needs.
committed to enhancing the quality of lives
FacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook GroupFacebook GroupWhatsApp
Copyright © 2023 SIL FOUNDATION
Powered by SIL FOUNDATION


text:
Khadr agrees to be defended by U.S. lawyer
July 19, 2010 February 18, 2012 amp Leave a comment
Monday, July 19, 2010 – Globe and Mail
ANNA MEHLER PAPERNY
Omar Khadr is willing to have his military-appointed U.S. lawyer defend him in court after all, his Canadian lawyer now says.
Calling the military commission a "sham process," Mr. Khadr had tried to fire all his American lawyers last week – including military-appointed counsel Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Jackson.
Military judge Colonel Patrick Parrish would not let him, and directed Lt.-Col. Jackson to consult his professional bodies, including the Arkansas bar, as to his obligations regarding Mr. Khadr's defence.
Lt-Col. Jackson's answer? Not only will he continue representing Mr. Khadr, but says he is "ethically required" to do so.
"Therefore, I intend to provide him with a zealous defence at his trial in August," he said this weekend.
"Omar Khadr continues to be the victim in this case. I never envisioned a scenario in my career as an Army lawyer that would require me to defend a child-soldier against war crimes charges levied by the United States. I always believed we were better than that."
And for now, says Dennis Edney, one of Mr. Khadr's Canadian lawyers, he is willing to have a U.S. military lawyer act on his behalf.
This means a defence motion will proceed on Aug. 9, over the question of whether prosecution evidence against Mr. Khadr was obtained through torture and coercion.
Mr. Khadr , now 23, is the only Canadian held at the U.S. military detention centre for suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has been in U.S. custody since age 15, when he was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 and accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier during firefight.
A psychiatrist and psychologist for the defence conducted assessments that found Mr. Khadr was traumatized; testimony from his interrogators in May revealed Mr. Khadr had been threatened with gang rape to induce his co-operation.
Jury selection and a trial are expected to continue immediately after the pre-trial hearing.
If Lt.-Col. Jackson had decided differently and that suppression motion not gone forward, it could have ended one of Mr. Khadr's best defences.
Mr. Khadr's recent actions raise questions regarding the rules of the ad hoc military tribunals being used for suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, who often have little faith in the system they see as fundamentally unjust.
Major David Frakt has been there before: He has had to navigate Gitmo's tribunals as military lawyer for an associate of Osama bin Laden who spread al-Qaeda's message and for an Afghan teenager who was acquitted. He was also the lawyer Lt.-Col. Jackson turned to for advice on how to proceed in Mr. Khadr's case.
As lawyer for Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, the al-Qaeda spokesman, Major Frakt was told in no uncertain terms that his client wanted him out of the picture.
So he stayed out. Mr. al-Bahlul has since been convicted and is serving a life sentence in Guantanamo.
But in the case of Mohammed Jawad, accused of throwing a grenade at a U.S. convoy as an Afghan teenager, Major Frakt insisted on representing the profoundly depressed, suicidal detainee – and won him an acquittal and repatriation.
Lt.-Col. Jackson's conclusion didn't come from a bar association or military directive, Major Frakt said.
Lawyers are left "to sort of fend for themselves on these things," he said.
The colleagues had a lengthy discussion about the issue.
"In these situations there's two concerns a lawyer has," Major Frakt said. "One is, 'How do I represent the client and carry out the client's wishes?' And, two, 'How do I not lose my licence to practice law?' … There's an added layer of complexity in these cases because the court is ordering Jackson to represent [Mr. Khadr], but what does that really mean?"
In this case, Major Frakt said, Mr. Khadr needs an active defence. To make no defence arguments or insist on representing himself would have been "basically a recipe for getting convicted on all counts and getting a very lengthy sentence," Major Frakt said.
"Al-Bahlul was willing to sacrifice himself for what he saw as a greater cause. And Khadr, from my understanding he's not a jihadist, he's not a martyr. He's just a scared, angry kid that wants to go home."
Globe and Mail, Globe and Mail - Khadrchild soldier, Dennis Edney, detainee, detention centre, Guantanamo Bay, Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Jackson, MIlitary Colonel Patrick Parrish, military tribunal, Omar Khadr, terror charges, war on terror
← 'Eight years of inaction and failure'
Canadian judge's ruling clears way for Khadr trial →


text:
Regency England Winter Fare
In this modern era, we're accustomed to a huge variety of foods year 'round—we have freezers for storage, air shipment to move food from one hemisphere to the other in any season so the usual fruits and the expected veg are always in stock, and we always have canned good. This was not the case in the Regency-era England.
While there was some cold storage in ice houses, and meat could be hung to be aged, the art of food storage was time consuming. It required skill, space, and money enough or land enough to purchase or grow the food. The most common means to store food were the age-old ways to pickle, salt, or dry. Canning food wouldn't really take off until the mid 1800s—and would start off being an ordeal to get any sealed-with-lead can open. This meant the seasons mattered when it came to food.
For meats, besides beef and mutton which the English always seemed to have, there might be what was called "house-lamb" or lambs born late in the season and kept inside. Pork was a staple for many, as pigs were low cost to raise. Wild boar could also be had in the country-side. Venison might be served, if you had the land to hunt, and it was no longer held that all the deer belonged to the king. Goose was cooked for more than just the Christmas meal, and there would be turkey, pigeons, chicken, snipes, pheasant, duck, guinea-fowl, woodcock, larks, guinea-foul, and grouse to eat. Dotterals, or a type of plover, could be eaten (also came to mean an old fool), and widgeon, a fresh-water duck, another word with a double-meaning, coming to mean someone feather-brained.
Rabbit came into season in January, and in February there might be duckling, and chicken is noted as by Mrs Rundell in her book Domesty Cookery as "are to be bought in London , most, if not all, the year, but are very dear."
The months ending in "R" held that these were the months for shellfish, and cold months meant seafood would be kept cold as it was transported, so long as the roads weren't blocked by snow or mud. Cod, turbot, soul, sturgeon, gurnets, dories, and eels joined the list of fish in season in December. Gudgeon might mean a person easily fooled, but it was a small whitefish often used for bait, and was eaten.
Lobster came into season in January, as did crayfish, flounder, plaice, perch,smelts, whiting, prawns, and crab. Oysters were very popular with the English, with oyster houses in London. Oysters were cheap, plentiful and even sold on the street.
Winter was the time for root vegetables such as: leaks, onions, shallots, carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets, and potatoes. Hardy vegetables—and those from hot houses—included cabbage, spinach, cress, chard, endive, cress, lettuces, and herbs. Herbs could also be dried. Some of the vegetables that are not so common now were in season in the winter, including: skirrits, a white root vegetable similar to a parsnip; scorzoneras or black salsify, which is said to taste similar to asparagus or to oysters; cardoons or artichoke thistle, which tastes like an artichoke but you eat the stems.
Nuts are another crop easily stored, and were gathered in September. Walnuts and chestnuts would be available in winter and are native nut trees in England, along with hazelnuts. Acorns from oaks were consider a food fit only for pigs. Beech trees also produced a nut, but they're tough and more work than considered worth the time. Other non-native nuts were not as popular and are not noted in many recipes from the era, although they could always be imported by those with the money and interest.
Forced asparagus added a delicacy to the usual winter vegetables, and could start to arrive in later winter. Stored apples, pears, and preserved summer fruit appeared on the better, richer tables. Besides the dried or stored fruit, the rich might have hot houses that might produce oranges, grapes, and pineapples, which had arrived in England in the 1600s. There were also medlars and bullace. The medlar is a member of the rose family and produces a brownish fruit that appears in winter and which can be eaten raw like an apple or used in recipes. It has been cultivated since Roman times. The bullace is another member of the rose family and is also called a wild plum. It can be used to make bullace wine, or can be used for pies, but was out of season by December.
By late winter, preserved fruits would be running low in all but houses with large orchards or those with greenhouses that could force fruits. Stored apples and pears would have to serve for families and guests until the expensive forced strawberries of February appeared.
December was also the month when all events seem to lead up to Christmas. Around the third century there was an attempt to fix the day of Christ's birth by tying it to a fesival of the Nativity kept in Rome in the time of Bishop Telesphorus (between 127 AD and 139 AD). While it was believed the Nativity took place on the 25th of the month, which month was uncertain and every month at one time or another has been assigned as Christ's mass. During the time of Clement of Alexandria (before 220 AD) five dates in three different months of the Egyptian year were said to be the Nativity. One of those corresponds to the December 25th date. Although various dates were questioned for several generations by the Eastern Church, the Roman day became universal in the fifth century.
First reports of people bringing holly and pine branches into their homes at Christmas-time date from the late Middle Ages. Symbols of life in the dead of winter were placed on windows, mirrors, and in vases, and may have served to keep evil spirits away. Over time, this mythical function of the greens became simply decorative. Evergreen ropes (garlands) were draped over staircase railings, mantels, picture frames, and along ceilings. Fearful that dry branches would catch fire from oil lamps or sparks from the fireplace or heating stove, families waited until almost Christmas Eve to hang the garlands.
Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies are traditional foods of the season. According to one variation, plum pudding—an old English holiday treat—gets its name not from plums, but from the process of "plumming" meaning raisins and currants are plumped up by warm brandy then molded with suet and a bit of batter.
According to the Oxford Companion to Food, "…Christmas pudding, the rich culmination of a long process of development of 'plum puddings' which can be traced back to the early 15th century. The first types were not specifically associated with Christmas. Like early mince pies, they contained meat, of which a token remains in the use of suet. The original form, plum pottage, were made from chopped beef or mutton, onions and perhaps other root vegetables, and dried fruit. As the name suggests, it was a fairly liquid preparation: this was before the invention of the pudding cloth made large puddings feasible. As was usual with such dishes, it was served at the beginning of the meal. When new kinds of dried fruit became available in Britain, first raisins, then prunes in the 16th century, they were added. The name 'plum' refers to a prune; but it came to mean any dried fruit. In the 16th century pudding variants were made with white meat…and gradually the meat came to be omitted, to be replaced by suet. The root vegetables disappeared, although even now Christmas pudding often still includes a token carrot…By the 1670s, it was particularly associated with Christmas and called 'Christmas pottage'. The old plum pottage continued to be made into the 18th century, and both versions were still served as a filing first course rather than as a dessert…"
Mince pies made from mincemeat, which originally had meat in it but shifted from a savory to a sweet, were another traditional fare, with the tradition being that everyone in the household should stir for luck. From the Middle Ages and on it became common to stretch the meat in the pie or mincemeat by adding dried fruit. The reduction in meat continued until only beef suet was left in the mincemeat.
In The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy in the mid 1700s, Hannah Glasse gives this recipe:
"Take three Pounds of Suet shread very fine, and chopped as small as possible, two Pounds of Raisins stoned, and chopped as fine as possible, two Pounds of Currans, nicely picked, washed, rubbed, and dried at the Fire, half a hundred of fine Pippins, pared, cored, and chopped small, half a Pound of fine Sugar pounded fine, a quarter of an Ounce of Mace, a quarter of an Ounce of Cloves, a Pint of Brandy, and half a pint of Sack; put it down close in a Stone-pot, and it will keep good four Months. When you make your Pies, take a little Dish, something bigger than a Soop-plate, lay a very thin Crust all over it, lay a thin Layer of Meat, and then a thin Layer of Cittron cut very thin, then a Layer of Mince meat, and a thin Layer of Orange-peel cut think over that a little Meat; squeeze half the Juice of a fine Sevile Orange, or Lemon, and pour in three Spoonfuls of Red Wine; lay on your Crust, and bake it nicely. These Pies eat finely cold. If you make them in little Patties, mix your Meat and Sweet-meats accordingly: if you chuse Meat in your Pies, parboil a Neat's Tongue, peel it, and chop the Meat as finely as possible, and mix with the rest; or two Pounds of the Inside of a Surloin or Beef Boiled."
Gingerbread cakes were also a common holiday treat that had come to England from Germany. Seven Centuries of English Cooking gives this recipe adapted from Hannah Glasse's book:
1 lb. (3 1/3 cups) Flour
1 Tsp. Nutmeg
6 oz. (3/4 cup) Butter
6 oz. Caster (confectioner's) Sugar
3/4 lb. (1 cup) Treacle (or Corn Syrup)
2 Tbsp. Cream
(Note: She gives tablespoon as Tabs, but this has been changed here to the more common tbsp.)
Eggnog possibly developed from a posset, or a hot drink in which the white and yolk of eggs were whipped with ale, cider, or wine. The nog in the name came from a noggin, or a small, wooden mug. It was also called an egg flip from the practice of rapidly pouring the drink to mix it, or flipping the drink. It was a rich drink with milk, egg, brandy, madeira or sherry and fit for any celebration but came to be associated with Christmas.
Trifles are also traditionally associated with Christmas, although they might be had for any special occasion in the Regency, or any elegant dinner. Elizabeth Raffald included a trifle recipe that is very modern sounding with macaroons, wine, cream, and sugar. The difference comes from adding cinnamon and "different coloured sweetmeats" which are not generally found in modern trifles.
Another English tradition were sugarplums, a confection traditionally made from sugar-coated seeds. The earliest mention dates to 1668. The Oxford Companion to Food also lists comfits as, "…an archaic English word for an item of confectionery consisting of a seed, or nut coated in several layers of sugar…In England these small, hard sugar sweets were often made with caraway seeds, known for sweetening the breath…"
Cakes of all shapes and sizes were included at festive holiday rituals long before Christmas. Ancient cooks prepared sweet baked goods to mark significant occasions. Many Christmas cookies we know today trace their roots to Medieval European cake recipes. According to foodtimeline.com, "By the 1500s, Christmas cookies had caught on all over Europe. German families baked up pans of Lebkuchen and buttery Spritz cookies. Papparkakor (spicy ginger and black-pepper delights) were favorites in Sweden; the Norwegians made krumkake (thin lemon and cardamom-scented wafers)."
Foodtimeline.com also notes, "The fruit cake as known today cannot date back much beyond the Middle Ages. It was only in the 13th century that dried fruits began to arrive in Britain…Early versions of the rich fruit cake, such as Scottish Black Bun dating from the Middle Ages, were luxuries for special occasions. Fruit cakes have been used for celebrations since at least the early 18th century when bride cakes and plumb cakes, descended from enriched bread recipes, became cookery standards…"
Households also celebrated not just according to the season, but also to the customs of the area. In the Regency, local customs in the countryside might well be used for the celebrations.
For one of my books, Under the Kissing Bough, I needed a Christmas wedding and customs that suited the countryside around London. In ancient days, a Christmas wedding would have been impossible for the English Church held a "closed season" on marriages from Advent in late November until St. Hilary's Day in January. The Church of England gave up such a ban during Cromwell's era, even though the Roman Catholic Church continued its enforcement. Oddly enough a custom I expected to be ancient—that of the bride having "something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe"—turned out to be a Victorian invention.
English Christmas customs are those carried down through the ages: the Yule log from Viking winter solstice celebrations, the ancient Saxon decorations of holy and ivy, and the Celtic use of mistletoe on holy days, which transformed itself into a kissing bough. The wassail bowl—a hot, spiced or mulled drink—was another tradition left over from the Norse Vikings.
Celebrations continued to mix tradition and religion when the Twelfth Night feast arrived on January 5, which combine the Roman Saturnalia with the Feast of the Epiphany, when the three wise men were said to have paid tribute to the Baby Jesus.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, Hogmanay is the special New Year's celebration. But Twelfth Night celebrations for the Epiphany (when the wise men came to see the baby Jesus) are the big event. This is followed by Plough Monday, which is the traditional start to the new agricultural year. Since there's not much work for a farmer in the winter, plough men would blacken their faces and drag a decorated plough through town asking, "Penny for the ploughboys."
Molly dancers (a black faced Morris dancer) also came out in East Anglia on Plough Monday. And many towns, such as Whittlesey, had the tradition of men or boys dressing up as Straw Bears to add to the entertainment.
Shrove Tuesday fell in February (the last day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was the day to indulge, so pancakes were a traditional food as the butter, fat and eggs might all be things to give up for the forty days of Lent.
This entry was posted on December 19, 2020, in Other Things, Research and tagged Regency England, Winter. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments
← Why You Need a Theme in Fiction
Voice–Your Character & Yours →
4 thoughts on "Regency England Winter Fare"
saffronrose says:
Finally I know what the plum in plum pudding is!
Your explanation of sugar-plums, aka comfits or pastilles (the flower-scented ones, to which I became addicted in childhood), comforts me.
When I was in 9th grade, I was supposed to define (in CA), what a sugar plum was. Ballet was my only acquaintance at the time with such a thing, and it was just a word, so I guessed that they were sugar-coated plums. Also at that time, teachers on medical/maternity leave reviewed & graded English-language non-science subjects' tests & writing assignments.
So I get my assignment back, with it marked wrong—but with no correction! There were a couple of other assignments that year where I wanted to respond to that person—once for their error, and the last for short-sighted lack of imagination (s/he was not an sf fan).
I feel better now.
Please check the last sentence about oysters above the illustration.
SD Writer says:
I had one of those teachers, too–just not a person who should be teaching.
Thanks much…and cheap is a word that just does not stick in my mind. It's like moving–I always think it should have more than one "o".
Ann Hinchliffe says:
Good to read your (very accurate) references to molly dancing. Most people think of morris as sticks, bells and hankies, the style that developed in the Midlands, but of course every region of England has their own. I grew up with NorthWest morris (clogs and lots of ribbons) and later had the privilege of working with folk-dance researcher Cyril Papworth whose family danced molly for generations. Nowadays they mostly wear bright-coloured face paint, not the well-intentioned but racist blackface.
I'm slightly puzzled by Saffron Rose's remark to check the sentence about oysters; can't see any error (ref Dickens' description of an oyster supper in David Copperfield) but perhaps I've misunderstood.
There was a typo I corrected….and yes every area has its own traditions. We tend to lump things together these days.


Discard woody stalks from the watercress. Wash and dry leaves. Using a small sharp knife, peel oranges removing all the pith. Cut segments away from the membrane.
Place watercress and orange segments in a bowl with fennel. Mix oil and juice and season. Toss with salad and serve.


text:
Recognizing, honoring & encouraging excellence in digital initiatives
Launching of " SLT 01Awards for Digital Excellence"-Phase III
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) the national ICT and digital solutions provider was proud to launch the 3rd edition of the "SLT 01 Awards for Digital Excellence".
SLT 01Awards for the 2nd consecutive year
The SLT Zero One Awards for Digital Excellence launched in 2016 proved to be an immense success, much sought after by many in the Business world
01Awards 2016 recognizing the digital initiatives
SLT Zero One Awards campaign is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, created with the sole purpose of recognizing the initiatives of digital innovators and organizations.
Sri Lanka Telecom Hosts 'SLT Zero One Awards' Ceremony
The 22nd of June 2017 saw Sri Lanka Telecom host the SLT Zero One Awards ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of Hilton Hotel in Colombo. The event was live telecast on PEO TV and all other social m…
SLT and Virtusa partner to raise customer experience to the next level through implementation of digital initiatives.
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the national ICT and digital solutions provider entered into a landmark agreement with Virtusa Private Limited, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering, …
SLT won the CSR Leadership Award for Community Development.
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the leading ICT and digital solutions provider in the country was awarded at the "Sri Lanka CSR Leadership Awards 2019" for Community Development. The awards ceremony was h…
SLT signs up with Span Engineering to power with its FTTH Services.
Sri Lanka Telecom, the National ICT solutions provider in Sri Lanka, and Span Engineering (Private) Limited, leading professional in the field of construction, entered into an agreement to power "S…