What if your home was built by a 3-D printer? As concrete is fed into the printing device, a technician hits enter on her computer and a 3D printer starts fabricating the structure's walls and roof. The final product will be created almost entirely by preprogrammed software and a movable printer injecting concrete, with no need for human construction workers. This isn't science fiction, it's a reality on the cutting edge of construction and technology.
The additive manufacturing boom has reached the construction industry and will certainly impact the way construction projects are managed. The rise of 3D printers will translate into fewer workers on construction sites, as printers will be automated and largely autonomous. Projects will be completed faster, as 3D printers will be capable of working at all hours, and will not require overtime.
Current concrete-injection 3D printers developed by WinSun Decoration Design Engineering, in China, have the capacity to print small houses, including walls and roofs, at a pace of up to 10 small houses in 24 hours.
3D printing capabilities go beyond just concrete. The team of MX3D, in Amsterdam, is currently working on delivering the first completely 3D-printed steel bridge. U.S.-based Contour Crafting is developing 3D and autonomous construction technologies that would allow for the construction of tall concrete towers, such as wind turbines, using climbing robots that would "print" the contour of the structure as they move upward.
Developers have positioned 3D printers tailored to the construction industry to work almost like robots. That is, the 3D printer is not just printing a door or a beam that will later be installed by construction workers, although that capability certainly exists, it is effectively installing the printed component in-place.
However, innovation and disruptive technology bring new legal risks and implications. In the context of construction defects claims, 3D printers will expose manufacturers and developers to liability and claims that would normally be attributed to human error.Instead of human workers building a structure, a 3D printer will additively manufacture it after a pre-generated plan is uploaded to the printer's software. How will liability be apportioned when the finished structure is found to have cracks, be uneven, improperly thick or have the wrong finish?
Whether the 3D printer is owned by the contractor, is being leased as equipment or is the equipment of a subcontractor will affect who can be found liable.If the defect is the result of the printer's malfunction, the contractor will have warranty and indemnity claims against the manufacturer arising out of privity from purchasing or leasing the 3D printer.If the defect is the result of a software malfunction, that could open the developer to negligence and warranty claims for the value of the defects in the project at issue.If there is an independent technician, acting as a subcontractor, feeding the plans into the 3D printer could also be open it to liability if the defect was the result of improperly uploading those plans or operating the 3D printer.
In addition to claims against the contractor, the owner could also have claims against the manufacturer or software developer for economic loss, even in the absence of direct privity, if the owner can show the damage to his property caused by the 3D printer was foreseeable.
When faced with a construction defect caused by a 3D printer used by the contractor or one of its subcontractors, the owner will certainly have, at the very least, an argument that the manufacturer of the printer or developer of the software should have been aware that a malfunction of its hardware or software would, in turn, impact the owner's property.
Increased prevalence of this emerging technology will also have an impact on material suppliers. If 3D printers will be used in a specific project, designers and contractors should provide proper specifications for material compatible with the specific 3D printer. Material suppliers will also have to certify their materials as compatible with the printers.
Failure to do so could open designers and material suppliers to liability for construction defects resulting from the incompatibility of the material with the specific 3D printer.
The use of 3D printers in construction projects is also likely to conflict with current licensing and permit regulations.
As the use of 3D printers becomes more common, government agencies in charge of inspecting construction projects will have to adapt to the faster-paced construction offered. In the ideal scenario, governmental agencies would embrace the new technologies in the construction industry and, for example, invest in automated scanner drones that could inspect an automated 3D printer's work and, immediately thereafter, send the inspection's result to the governmental agency for certification.
Such advances, however, may be difficult to achieve unless states, cities and counties make significant investments in infrastructure.
As 3D printers/robots become more commonplace on construction projects, contractors should be mindful of including express warranty clauses in purchase and leasing contracts for 3D printers.
Designers and material suppliers will have to confirm that construction materials under plans and specifications will be compatible with 3D printers; and governmental agencies will have to adapt to the fast production rate of 3D printers.


text:
Джо́рдж Ри́чард Ла́йкотт Бо́велл (, род. 18 августа 1983 года, Порт-оф-Спейн) — тринидадский пловец. Участник четырёх Олимпийских игр, призёр Олимпийских игр и чемпионатов мира.

Биография
Джордж Бовелл родился на острове Тринидад в 1983 году. Его мать — Барбара Бишоп, барбадосская пловчиха, участница Олимпиады в Мюнхене. Младший брат Ник Бовелл в 2008 году выступал на Олимпиаде в Пекине в плавании на дистанции 200 метров комплексом.

На Олимпийских играх Бовелл дебютировал в 2000 году. В Сиднее он выступал на трёх дистанциях, но ни на одной из них не пробился в следующую стадию (лучший результат — 26-е место на дистанции 200 метров комплексом).

В начале 2004 года Бовелл установил мировой рекорд в плавании на 200 метров комплексом в 25-метровом бассейне. Его достижение (1:53.93) продержалось полтора года, пока в конце 2005 года его не превзошёл венгр Ласло Чех.

В Афинах тринидадец выступал также на трёх видах плавательной программы. На дистанциях 100 и 200 метров вольным стилем он прошёл предварительный раунд, но оба раза выбывал из борьбы в полуфиналах, заняв два одиннадцатых места. Зато на дистанции 200 метров комплексным плаваньем он не только пробился в финальный заплыв, но ещё и завоевал бронзовую медаль, уступив только Майклу Фелпсу и Райану Лохте. Эта медаль стала первой в олимпийской истории Тринидада и Тобаго медалью, завоёванной в плавании, а также единственной наградой команды на Олимпиаде в Афинах.

На Олимпиаде в Пекине Бовелл был знаменосцем сборной на церемонии открытия и выступил в двух видах программы. На стометровке вольным стилем он показал 20-е время и не прошёл даже в полуфинал, а на дистанции в два раза короче он завершил выступление на стадии полуфинала.

В 2012 году Бовелл впервые в карьере завоевал медаль чемпионата мира на короткой воде, а в 2013 году завоевал бронзу и в пятидесятиметровом бассейне.

На четвёртой в карьере Олимпиаде соревновался на дистанции 100 метров на спине, где занял низкое 29-е место. На дистанции 50 метров вольным стилем Бовелл показал лучшее время в предварительном заплыве, но в дальнейшем не смог улучшить свои секунды. Он смог пробиться в финал, но завершил его на седьмой позиции.

Джордж Бовелл часто участвует в различных благотворительных акциях. Так в 2013 году он вместе с угандийским пловцом Максом Каньярези участвовал в акции «Плавание против малярии». Также занимается тренировкой молодых пловцов у себя на Родине.

Ссылки

Пловцы Тринидада и Тобаго
Пловцы на летних Олимпийских играх 2000 года
Пловцы на летних Олимпийских играх 2004 года
Пловцы на летних Олимпийских играх 2008 года
Пловцы на летних Олимпийских играх 2012 года
Пловцы на летних Олимпийских играх 2016 года
Бронзовые призёры летних Олимпийских игр 2004 года

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I don't know how it will turn out.
I don't know if time will prove this is the right decision.
I don't know whether I am worthy of the challenge. I don't know if you are.
I don't know how I will feel in five years.
I don't know how the details will work out, if things will fall into place and make this possible.
I don't know how others will react.
I don't know if the results, the rewards, will prove worth the risk and effort it will take.
I don't know how much time we will have.
What I do know is that I hope, and because of that hope, I commit to you.
For now, and for all the tomorrows I have, every day: my choice is you, and by extension, US.
and for all the time to come, even after that.
This entry was posted in Life and tagged choice, CINOR, commit, details, effort, Free verse, hope, life, others, poetry, results, rewards, risk, time, tomorrows, work out. Bookmark the permalink.


JOTMAN: Rohingya crisis: First Burma, then Thailand, now Bangladesh?
Rohingya crisis: First Burma, then Thailand, now Bangladesh?
Bangladesh is waging a campaign of arbitrary arrest, illegal expulsion, forced internment and starvation against Muslim refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, according to a report released Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of unregistered Rohingya refugees, many of whom have lived in Bangladesh for decades, have been forced into makeshift camps where they are being left to starve to death, the report by Physicians for Human Rights says.
"It is unconscionable to leave this vulnerable population stateless and starving," said Richard Sollom, PHR director of research and investigations.
Sollom, quoted in the article, goes on to explain that many of these people are even worse-off than the Haitians after the quake.


We were only best of friends.
But I've got nothing left to hide.
I've got feelings that I can't deny.
I will pick you up baby.
I won't let your heart hit the ground.
I'll never ever let you down.
Me, Just put a little faith in me.
That we were always meant to be.
I, I am not just your typical guy.
Without you here by my side.
I will always be around.


Whether you are hosting a dinner party or a casual gathering, these napkins will accent any decor and clean up any mess. Made of recycled paper materials, these 3-ply napkins are thick and absorbent. The package contains 20 napkins featuring an embossed design, sure to complement your celebration. Each napkin measures 4.5 x 8 inches.


Looking your best for special occasions can be difficult, knowing what to wear is stressful in itself. Whether it's your own wedding or you have a long anticipated job interview, we are here to take the stress away by guiding you through the most appropriate options. Robert Old offer seasonal collections of 'ready to wear' tailoring options from which you can select from prestigious brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Corneliani and our very own exclusive Robert Old ranges.
Deciding what to wear for your wedding day is just one of hundreds of decisions that both bride and groom have to contemplate and it can be a minefield of tailoring faux pas when it comes to picking an outfit. At Robert Old we are here to guide the Groom and the wedding party through styling an outfit that suits your special occasion.
Nowadays groomsmen are too often adorned in rented tails with matching block colour accessories. In most cases they do not fit and nor are they flattering. We encourage a more personalised approach that is individually 'tailored' to your wedding.
If you aren't the formal type and would prefer a more casual occasion add some fun with a linen, wool and silk Jacket in a seasonal shade with pair of tailored cotton trousers in a complimentary colour.
What better in winter than to wear an outfit created using vibrant British Tweed. We suggest a three piece made to measure suit, trousers finished with turn ups and topped off with a knitted tie.
Often a two-piece suit may not feel special enough, so why not try a waist coat. With more grooms choosing this we would say it is 'fashionable'. The advantage comes when the formalities have passed and the party kicks off in the evening the jacket has been 'carefully hung' and festivities are well under way. A waist coat can provide a smarter look whilst not being over the top. Looking sharp at work or those special events it pays to look the 'cut above' field.
In business the casual Friday look appeared to have become so popular at one point that it threatened to become casual Every day; recently however there has been a defiant resurgence in professionals returning to tailored suits. The benefits of wearing a well-tailored suit mean that you not only look the part but that you stand out against the sea of unbuttoned shirts and scruffy ill-fitting chinos. A beautifully tailored suit is a particularly helpful confidence booster for an important interview which could well kick start your career. Whatever your level in business we can at least make you look your best, you will have to do the rest!
Don't be afraid to step away from conventional colours such as charcoal and navy, depending on your profession you may have room to stamp your personality on what you wear.
To make your investment worthwhile when ordering a made to measure suit, we advise ordering a second pair of trousers which will add longevity bringing a better return on your investment.
Special occasions are more easily enjoyed by looking and feeling your best, be it a formal dinner or a star studded film premier. At Robert Old we stock a fine collection of classic tuxedos from designers such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Z Zegna and our very own Hand tailored in Italy range. However, if you desire something extra special why not consider creating a 'made to measure' one of a kind outfit, such as a velvet jacket and contrasting trousers that will certainly make you stand out from the crowd.
Country attire does not need to be an excuse to dress down. Here at Robert Old we host a large collection of guest cloths which are available to you from the likes of Harrisons of Edinburgh, W.Bill, Fox Brothers, Joshua Ellis, Hardy Minnis and many more. From a heavy weight Shetland overcoat right the way through to a light weight cashmere sports jacket, the options are endless.


text:
The Pryor Zelley Group
Fate, TX Real Estate
Population: 3,300 Fate is located east of Rockwall approximately 5 miles. Located between Rockwall and Royse City, it is a quaint little town just off of Interstate 30. Barbers Restaurant is housed in one of the oldest buildings in this unique town. Serving family style meals, there is usually a line as people drive from neighboring communities to eat lunch or dinner. View Properties in this Community > Ebby Halliday Offices Serving this Community: Rockwall/Lake Ray Hubbard > Other Ebby Offices > Education The north side of the town attends Rockwall Independent School District and the south side attends Royse City Independent School District . Shopping Grapevine Mills Mall The Shops at Willow Bend Recreation Lake Ray Hubbard Surf and Swim Woodland Basin Nature Center Entertainment Amon Carter Museum The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Palace of Wax, Grand...
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For a list of schools located within the district(s) please click on the link(s) below.
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Chris Meloni Returns to SVU Universe in Stabler-Centric Spinoff at NBC
By Kimberly Roots / March 31 2020, 12:30 PM PDT
Courtesy of NBC
Law & Order: SVU faithful, prepare to get chung-chung!'d: Christopher Meloni is going to play Elliot Stabler again… in a new series centered on the fan-favorite detective.
Meloni's Stabler will be the boss in a SVU spinoff set in the organized crime division of the New York City Police Department, our sister site Deadline reports. NBC has given the new show, which hails from prolific executive producer Dick Wolf, a 13-episode Season 1 order.
Meloni left the procedural after negotiations related to his contract broke down at the end of Season 12. When Season 13 started, Stabler had retired from the police force and slipped away without a word; his partner, Olivia Benson, learned the heartbreaking news at the same time that fans did.
TV's Most Polarizing Exits
Since leaving SVU, Meloni's TV credits include Underground, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Pose, The Handmaid's Tale and Happy!. He also voices the character of Commissioner Gordon in the animated series Harley Quinn.
Last year, TVLine asked current SVU showrunner Warren Leight whether enough time had passed that Meloni might someday make a return to the series he called home for 12 seasons.
With the caveat that the negotiations involved would be "above my pay grade," Leight said, "Look: I assume that if some year, some decade, couple decades from now, we get to the last SVU, [Meloni] would have to come back before we do the last episode or before the show signs off… However, I don't think we're at that point in the show's run."
Do you have strong feelings about seeing more Stabler? Hit the comments and let us know!
TAGS: Chris Meloni, Law and Order: Organized Crime, Law and Order: SVU, NBC
GET MORE: Casting News, Series Orders


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What I Read, June 2020
Posted on July 15, 2020 by banff1972 under book review, month in review, Uncategorized
The reading month was a tale of two parts: a blissful vacation week, non-stop reading, each book as strong as the last, followed by two weeks teaching a workshop on writing personal statements. Fun, but tons of work and although I read a lot it was all med school and Fulbright applications. In non-reading life, the weather remained surprisingly agreeable, and the COVID situation in Arkansas hadn't yet deteriorated as it has since (though the mask-less signs were there). I was doing okay at the time, but now that feels like a century ago. I worry about my job, my health, my loved ones' health, the planet's health. Let's talk books instead.
Tessa Hadley, The Master Bedroom (2007)
Not as terrific as Late in the Day but still pretty damn terrific. Kate Flynn leaves London and her academic career behind and returns home to Wales. Cardiff is small—it's not long before she runs into the brother of a childhood friend and falls for him. David's marriage is not falling apart exactly, but something's going on, his wife has new friends, disappears for days at a time. David is drawn to Kate—or maybe to her childhood home, a ramshackle mansion grandiosely named La Firenze where Kate's delightful, increasingly senile mother potters about while Kate practices chamber music. Before long, Kate meets Jamie, David's 17-year-old son from his first marriage, and before she knows it finds herself involved, in different, complicated ways, with both men.
This could be a farce, but poignancy is more Hadley's thing. But so is passion, with its messy and violent challenge to decorum. By the end of the novel, a lot of things get broken; some new things get made from the pieces. Hadley's really doing it for me at this stage in my life.
Sarah Moss, Signs for Lost Children (2015)
I'm usually impatient with novels that switch between two perspectives. Just when I've fallen into scenario or point of view, I'm jarred by having to return to the other. And I'm usually more interested in one of the stories. But Moss, really hitting her stride as a writer in this, her fourth novel, a sequel to the very fine Bodies of Light, avoids these traps. At the end of the previous novel, Ally Moberley, one of Britain's first female doctors in the 1880s, married an engineer named Tom Cavendish. Here the newlyweds find themselves separated when she takes on a job as a doctor in an insane asylum in Falmouth and he travels to Japan to build lighthouses. We learn a lot about Ally's work and almost nothing about Tom's—the sections in Japan focus on his secondary task of buying fabric and art objects for an English collector (this makes him basically a personal shopper, and part of the way the novel feminizes him, to use Moss's own description). Moss's research is impeccable but lightly worn, even oblique—I think Rohan said something about these being modernist Victorian novels. Moss evokes with equal skill Tom's feelings of foreignness (which turn to admiration for Japanese society) and Ally's struggles to challenge the norms of a medical world in which she is as much on sufferance as her mentally-ill patients. There's even an intriguing plot element: will the couple survive the geographic and psychological distance between them?
Above all, though, Signs for Lost Children, like its predecessor, is Ally's book. For Moss's main subject is how easily, terribly, and insidiously we internalize the bad emotions other people, often those closest to us, direct at us: whether jealousy, anger, disparagement or contempt. Ally's struggles to overcome those voices hit me in the gut.
Tanya Talaga, Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Deaths, and Hard Truths in a Northern City (2017)
The northern city of Toronto Star reporter Talaga's title is Thunder Bay, Ontario, but it could be almost anywhere in Canada, a country where indigenous lives matter less than anyone else's. Which isn't to deny the particularity of Talaga's subject. The fallen feathers are seven indigenous teenagers who went missing and were later found dead, mostly pulled from one of the city's many waterways. The police, Talaga shows, were never too interested in investigating: another missing Indian, probably drunk and careless. In fact it's likely some of these young people were murdered—indigenous people are regularly attacked and abused in Thunder Bay: the podcast Canadaland, in a powerful series(featuring Talaga), explored this possibility—but Talaga's interest here is on a whole system built on broken promises, especially when it comes to education. After the terrible legacy of the residential school system, indigenous people were supposed to have more say in their children's education, and more money to help them build a new system. But if young people in small northern settlements want to continue to high school they need to fly south, which, in Ontario anyway, usually means going to Thunder Bay. Billeted with foster families paid to take them—some good, some not—living in a place many times bigger than anywhere they've known before, missing loved ones themselves damaged by generations of abuse, they struggle. Even though organizations, some indigenous-led, exist to help them, resources and cultural will are lacking.
Talaga's prose is workmanlike, and her choices in structuring the book sometimes confused me. (A moving section on residential schools could have been the basis of a separate book.) But this powerful book should be read by all Canadians, and everyone who idealizes the place. I cried reading the last pages. The prejudices instilled in me growing up white on the prairies in the 1970s an 80s haven't been uprooted from reading this book, but they're more obvious to me now.
Anita Brookner, Look at Me (1983)
Justly famous. This novel provoked many responses when I tweeted my love for it, mostly similarly enthusiastic. Many readers seem to think this, Brookner's third novel, is her first great one. (Her debut was pretty terrific; I've yet to read her second.) Frances Hinton works in a medical library, the kind of sleepy, not especially oppressive job that doesn't seem to exist anymore (and maybe never did, outside books). She lives with her mother's former servant in a sepulchral apartment she inherited on her parents' death. She writes, a little, a story is published and admired. Her life is quiet without being desperate. Yet desperation runs through Frances, as suggested by Brookner's marvelous title, a phrase Frances regularly howls onto the page. "Look at me" could be self-deprecatory, or coquettish, or rebuking. But in France's narration it's a demand—for visibility, legibility, intelligibility. A demand kindled when she is taken up by the dashing physician Nick Fraser and his glamorous wife, Alix. Suddenly Frances is eating out and meeting people, including a kindly doctor whom she gets involved with, but in a detached way, until the relationship that blows up in a surprising way. The WASPs are horrible, it's the beginning of the rise of the City and all that 80s excessive consumption stuff, the kindliest character is a disabled Jew. All strange and marvelous, and offered to us in less than 200-pages. The most marvelous bit of all, the scene everyone on Twitter mentioned, is a hallucinatory walk through nighttime London, incredibly menacing. There's a lot of menace in this book, in fact (Frances's previous lover has been cruel, perpetrated some Jamesian obscure hurt alluded to darkly but firmly.) Brookner is often compared to James or Bowen, but the novel's last line reminded me of the end of Beckett's Molloy. Brookner is icier, though, and less funny. Icy domesticity? Yes, please! I'm going to read the rest of her books on my sabbatical.
Sybille Bedford, Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education (1989)
Book of the month! The year? The century?!? Oh who knows but damn this is good. I saw it was shortlisted for the Booker and, amazed that it didn't win, took a look at what did. (Remains of the Day: worthy for sure and hard to pick but might take Jigsaw.) Clearly some people appreciated it at the time, but I think it reads less strangely now than it might have then—reviews could call it autofiction and have a way to pigeonhole it. Although pigeonholing is everything this book is not. A fictionalized version of Bedford's extraordinary life, what she called her unsentimental education. From her first memory (being wheeled in a too-small pram through the streets of Copenhagen, then parked outside the apartment of a writer her mother had come to seduce) through her childhood with her father in a chateau in Baden (which sounds amazing, but post WWI the once-noble family was so poor that father and daughter nearly froze to death in the place, with hardly any clothes and little to eat, only a fabulous cellar to console them), on through life with her mother and her mother's kind younger lover, first in Italy and then on the Côte d'Azur, with interregna in England, all on her own, a teenager making her way in the world, and back to France where she ran with a crowd that included Aldous and Maria Huxley—the whole thing is so incredible. Not glamorous, mostly she was poor and hard done-by, but amazing.
The book belongs to Bedford's mother: titanic, careless, insecure, lordly, in the end tragic. But there are a ton of other great characters too. Most delightful of all, though, is Bedford's narrative voice. You get aperçus:
Are all young children unregenerate creatures? Incapable of moral responses? responses of the heart? Can these be awakened? Mine were not. I was unregenerate and self-absorbed.
You get loose-limbed syntax:
He [her grandfather] had died in his nineties at Voss Strasse before the end of the war – I was there: a death in the house.
And you get both at once:
When I am trying to think of those years in NW1, and I haven't thought of them for a very long time, they seem to have been all of a piece, a uniform round. It can't have been wholly like that. There must have been some process of growing up, at whatever rate; life does widen and not only by visits to the British museum, the Tate and Winchester Cathedral. Yet the only thing that remains vivid is the physical feel of living in London, young and on very little though sufficient money. The buses—one was always running after, catching or just missing a last bus; the queuing for a play in Shaftesbury Avenue; the Lyons' Corner House afterwards (poached egg on toast); Bovril at a coffee stall very late at night; the elegance of Mayfair streets at lunch time; how splendid the men, how pretty the girls, how well dressed everyone was, how en fête; the smell of the cheaper Soho restaurants (upholstery, grease, spice, trapped air); my digs.
Susie Steiner, Remain Silent (2020)
Third Manon Bradshaw novel isn't as suspenseful as the first, but its character development is even better. Such a range of registers: I laughed aloud and wanted to cry. An Eastern European subplot is handled with much more thoroughness than usual. But more important than the book is the news that Steiner is gravely, perhaps terminally ill. It is so terrible, I send a prayer for her healing.
James Alan McPherson, Hue and Cry (1968)
McPherson's debut includes two terrific stories—"A Matter of Vocabulary" and "A Solo Song: For Doc," the former about brothers who pick up after-school jobs at a grocery store and learn how much they differ (it's going straight onto my short fiction syllabus); the latter about the end of the Pullman porter era—a couple of satisfactory ones, and several joyless and unpleasant ones. There's not a single sensitively portrayed female character in the book and, although the scenarios occasionally reminded of Malamud I missed the sympathy that attends even Malamud's most miserable characters. Sometimes I think the 60s were a happier time than our own unhappy one, but then I read something like this and think, nope, at least not for everybody. Even Edward P. Jones's introduction—which I looked forward to, he's a favourite of mine—feels dutiful. Did McPherson get better?
Dola de Jong, The Tree and the Vine (1954) Trans. Kristen Gehrman (2020)
More curiosity than masterpiece, de Jong's novel of unconsummated lesbian love in 1930s Holland is given a sprightly translation by Kristen Gehrman. Bea meets Erica, they move in together as friends, Bea is more and more obsessed with her, to the point that her boyfriend leaves her, which Bea isn't sad about, in part because she's so sad or conflicted or unsure or something by Erica, who isn't especially nice to her. Unhappy lesbian stories are pretty common in the first half of the 20th century, though this one has an intriguing frame in which Bea, writing from postwar life in the US, intimates that she has found happiness or at least contentment. But de Jong is pretty haphazard with that retrospection. I dunno, the book didn't quite work for me; I wanted to like it more than I did. I've a hunch, though, that I might appreciate it more on a second reading.
Megha Majumdar, A Burning (2020)
Ostensibly about the aftermath of a sectarian terrorist attack in Kolkata (fictional, but modelled on a real one in Bangladesh), A Burning is really about how money and a sense of belonging and counting as a human being are connected—in other words, about the reality for most people in the world right now. The novel is structured around different first-person points of view. (Surely some Jameson-inspired critics are writing about how different-walks-of-life-that-get-connected narratives reflect our economic and social ties under late capitalism.) A young woman—who might have abetted the terrorists—posts a mild criticism of the government on Facebook and is arrested. Her former PE teacher happens upon a demonstration organized by a nationalistic political party—drawn there in the first place by the chance to see a movie star speak—and finds himself more valued than at the girls' school where he has worked, even if that means becoming a fixer and a perjurer (he ends up a Minister, so who's to say he was wrong?). A hijira—an intersex and/or transgender person—who had been tutored by the arrested woman overcomes obstacles on their way to stardom.
The teacher—called by his classroom nickname, PT Sir—is the most compelling character, but maybe that's just because he is most developed according to the codes of realism (he does the most doing, incites the most complicated feelings, has the most developed interiority—he reminded me a little of the lead in Daniyal Mueenuddin's story "Nawab Electrician"). But PT, like Lovely, the hijira, and Jivan, the accused woman, live in a world in which public spectacle and outcry drive success. Individuals only have meaning in relation to the mass (a more fitting term for the world of this novel than public or citizenry IMO). But this reality poses a dilemma for Majumdar. Because novels rely on individual agency, in a world in which such agency (fancy word for willpower), novels have to turn on themselves. Accordingly, the most compelling moments in A Burning are when characters both do and don't decide something. Its most representative scene, then, shows Jivan's lawyer being bribed to abandon his client. Gobind—note the suggestion of blindness in his name; to say nothing of the bind he is in—agrees to drop the case. The narration adds, "He is unsure if he chooses this."
Reading A Burning I was reminded of Vivek Shanbhag's Ghachar Ghochar, a better because less schematic, more oneiric book, but similarly concerned with the compromises of success in contemporary India. Majumdar's is a formidable debut; I'll read the followup with interest.
Paulette Jiles, Simon the Fiddler (2020)
After News of the World I was eager to read Jiles's new novel, which centers on Simon Boudin, a character who featured briefly in the earlier book. (Because I listened to an audiobook from the library I couldn't go back to read that scene again—a source of repeated frustration to me as I read Fiddler.) In Texas in the last months of the Civil War, Boudin is conscripted into the Confederate Army, a fate the slight young man had avoided by pretending he was only a teenager. But he is a musician, not a fighter and at the end of the hostilities finds himself playing at a garden party for officers of both sides, a reconciliation event that is unsuccessful—except for Simon, who spots a beautiful young woman and immediately falls in love with her.
The object of his affection, Doris Dillon, an immigrant from Ireland, is an indentured servant to a Union Captain who is posted to San Antonio where he is meant to bring order to the lawless city when in fact he spends most of his time creeping on Doris. Simon the Fiddler is half love story, half picaresque, as Simon and some charmingly idiosyncratic fellow musicians form a scratch band and play their way across Texas. No, it's not as great a book as News of the World, but Jiles's descriptions are evocative and you get a happy ending despite some terrible events along the way. This won't be on my end of year list, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
There you have it. The year's more than half over (I'd say good riddance except I'm scared of what's coming after it). Maybe I'll look back on the first half, which, reading-wise, hasn't been too bad, a damn sight better than everything else. Stay safe, friends.
This entry was tagged Anita Brookner, daniyal mueenuddin, Dola de Jong, Dutch literature, Edward P. Jones, James Alan McPherson, Megha Majumdar, Paulette Jiles, Sarah Moss, Susie Steiner, Sybille Bedford, Tanya Talaga, Tessa Hadley, Vivek Shanbhag. Bookmark the permalink.
19 thoughts on "What I Read, June 2020"
nancykayshapiro
Your enthusiasm for Bedford makes me happy. And now I want to read Moss.
Moss is good. I can't wait for her new one.
That Bedford–zowie! Going to catch up on the others soon.
Rohan Maitzen
That seems like an amazing run of good books to me! I have Bedford's Legacy but have not read it yet; this one actually sounds as if it might be more immediately appealing. I think I did say something like that about Signs for Lost Children: there's a reticence in Moss's prose in these books that I appreciated but also wanted her to let go of! In her two most recent books it becomes brevity, which I think is related: there's something really meticulous about the way she writes. I forget if you've already read her book about living in Iceland: if not I think you'd really enjoy it!
I know what you mean about the feeling of dread: it is so hard holding it at bay–I think that effort may be why we all feel tired all the time. I hope you and your family stay well and that you find ways to enjoy your well-earned sabbatical.
It really was a great run, especially at the beginning of the month. Felt wonderful to have time and concentration.
It's funny about Bedford–I read A Legacy a few years ago and didn't love it–odd because it is the same story as the first 100 pages of Jigsaw. She got better as a writer, no question, but I will return to A Legacy at some point and see if I like it more.
I did read the Iceland book, and even wrote about it here, in the early days of the blog, and yes I liked it a lot. I like your reticence become brevity idea. I recently read her first novel, which definitely had its moments, but is nowhere near as good as what she's doing now.
Excellent point about dread an exhaustion. I'm sad because although we learned we *can* get to Canada to visit my mother, the quarantine just doesn't make it practical…
I should remember to use your 'search' option! (Hey, here's a sabbatical project: make a blog index. 🙂 ). I mostly agree about Moss getting better but I almost miss the somewhat sloppier version of her. Ghost Wall and Summerwater are both really smart and taut but they are also minimalist in a way that feels almost too polished–but this is me the lover of baggy Victorian novels confronting an aesthetic that is just different, that values getting it right more than getting us in the gut.
That 's really interesting, Rohan. Of course, I haven't read Summerwater yet, but I agree that Ghost Wall, much as I liked it, didn;t hit me the way Bodies and Signs did.
You are so right about the sabbatical project–the whole blog needs an overhaul. I am daunted by this kind of work, but mean to do it!
Some wonderful sounding reading. Books are a solace for me in times of trouble and I've certainly needed them recently… You almost convince me I should give Brookner another go, after being underwhelmed twice by Hotel du Lac. Maybe I should… Stay safe!
From what I've heard Lac might not be her best or most representative (ironic, since it's the famous one). Anyway, I think it's worth trying another one. If that doesn't click, well, then that's one less writer to worry about!
Quite a few authors I am personally very fond of (Tessa Hadley, Susie Steiner, Sarah Moss), so of course it was a delightful month of reading!
Egoistic as usual – it's all about me, me, me!
I aim to please, Marina.
Amateur Reader (Tom)
"Book of the century" sounds like something I ought to try. Bedford, or at least the book about Mexico, is popular with other members of the household, but I have not read her.
Many interesting books here.
It's a silly thing to say, but it *is* a damn fine book. I have the Mexico book here, have also heard great things, will get to it soon I hope.
Members? Are there unknown-to-me people living at your house?
I have no doubt that the cat is a fan of Bedford.
No question: Bedford is a cat person, not a dog person.
facetiousnights
Jigsaw is one of the few books I've reread, and I really enjoyed it the second time too. A Favourite of the Gods was my next favourite of Bedford's novels. She does use a lot of the same family backgrounds and situations in her novels, so it's easy to confuse them, and Jigsaw is the place where she uses her material best. The generosity of her sympathy for her mother is what stands out most for me. I was quite startled by a reference near the end to finding her mother hard to love, because it does seem a loving portrait above all, despite everything — and while on the one hand it was jarring, the implied effort and deliberateness of the sympathy was quite impressive. Though Bedford does make it very clear she really does not understand why people upset themselves about infidelity!
I found Jigsaw to be quite sympathetic to its characters in general (her stepfather, for example), but, yes, especially toward her mother.
Good to hear it held up so well on a second reading. I have her autobiography–have you read that? I'm curious: what could be in it that wasn't in Jigsaw? Maybe the point is, nothing, just the same events from slightly different angles.
Pingback: What I Read, November 2020 | Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau


It's amazing how easy it is to adapt to island life - yet it's so difficult to re-adjust once you get home. Florescent lights, why?
This Hawaii trip was a little different than the last one. We hit The Big Island and Maui. So first, here are the highlights from the Big Island - Hawai'i.
For a diver, the whole point of going to The Big Island of Hawaii is to dive with Manta Rays.
The video above isn't from the exact dive I did, but it's the same dive site. The dive lights attract plankton - food for the 8-12 foot rays. How they get so big eating such tiny things, I have no idea. Manta Rays are completely harmless. They come very close and you can look them righht in the eye. It's not the least bit scary though, the rays have no teeth and no stinger. Also, when you look them in the eye, you can tell the lights are on but no one's home.
We also visited Volcanoes National Park where (for now) it's not possible to see a live lava flow. The lava is coming out at an inaccessible part of the park so all you can do is drive around and look at cold, hardened lava and smell volcano farts. The situation seems to change every few months, so check the Nat'l Park Service website for current volcano activity.
It was still kinda cool.
* Unfortunately they also had a station that seemed to play nothing but Huey Lewis and the News.
So we're cruising around the island in this minivan, right? We're listening to KAPA and thinking maybe we'll save a couple bucks and crash in the van (hey, it's Hawaii not like we're going to get cold). Then, while driving back to the Kona side of the island we found the Shirakawa Motel. It's the Southernmost Hotel / Motel / Inn in the United States. Why the heck not?
I already peed in the southernmost porta potty.
Okay, couple more tips if you ever make it to The Big Island. You won't want to miss eating at Aloha Angels and/or The Coffee Shack. Both are on the way to Volcanoes, South Point, the Black Sand Beach etc.
Lastly, I hope you'll enjoy this clip of my favorite Hawaiian hit. It's called Kane'ohe.


Two things I often write about with regard to film-watching came into blissful convergence when I saw this film: first, there's the Blank Slate Theory. Granted I read a line or two of synopsis, but up until that email from Redbox I hadn't heard of this film. Secondly, and closely related to the first part, whatever expectations I created, over-inflated, and then guarded against in my head; were exceeded.
So why's that? What Deep Dark Canyon does is take something that may sound like a higher concept or gimmicky set-up: two fugitives on the run while handcuffed to one another, and grounds it. What it gets grounded in is a wicked microcosm wherein one family, the Cavanaughs, calls all the shots and stacks the deck, whether inside or outside the law. When the Towne family won't stand for it anymore things start to get complicated.
There are quite a few great turns of the plot in this tale, which coaxed audible reactions from me. This is a film that doesn't fear going down the rabbit hole of further and greater consequences, but it never gets unreal in the given parameters.
While crimes, secrets and conspiracies bring you into the tale, it's the human story that keeps you engaged in it. The revelations among Towne family members (uncle, father and brothers) swing the pendulum of power back and forth and the struggle is intriguing.
Of course, in a story that's contained and stripped down, plot points can only take you so far. The performances have to keep you engaged. Spencer Treat Clark, in his first role as an adult performer that allows him to follow-through on the promise he showed as a young actor (there will likely be more to come soon like Much Ado About Nothing), and Nick Eversman, has quite a breakthrough performance (All I had seen him in prior was Hellraiser: Revelations); are captivating co-leads, who deliver incredibly raw, earnest performances.
Deep Dark Canyon delivers quite a bit of drama in the guise of a fugitive film, but delivers in both respects. It's a fairly enthralling film that's worthwhile viewing for sure.


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GRE changes delayed indefinitely
By Reed Cooley Apr 16, 2007 12:00 AM
Students taking the GREs are in for more changes.
As of April 2, proposed changes to the format of the Graduate Records Exam, scheduled to take effect next September, have been canceled because the number of seats at test centers won't be enough to accommodate potential test-takers.
The final administration of the GRE in its current form was set to be July 31 and the first administration of the new format Sept. 10. Planned changes to the exam included doubling the time of the test from two hours to more than four and a structural change to a linear format. Thousands of students around the nation, including at GW, have made plans to take the newly structured test.
This year, Educational Testing Services planned to open 3,000 of the Internet-based test centers in which the new GRE would be administered. The educational nonprofit surpassed that goal by opening 3,200 centers with 1,800 more nearly ready to go, said ETS Press Relations Director Tom Ewing.
Even with 5,000 test centers nationwide, ETS still could not have accommodated all the students who need to take the GRE in September, Ewing said.
The new version of the test was to be offered 35 times during the year versus the six days a week it is offered in its current format and schedule.
ETS may still choose to change aspects of the test in coming years, but it will do so with gradual changes rather than the complete overhaul initially planned.
"Plans to change to an entirely new test have been canceled, but the improvements that we had planned and that we had worked on with the graduate education community still have great value," Ewing said.
No changes will occur in the 2007-2008 academic year, he added.
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions developed a new course and new books for the changed GRE, but now students aren't going to be taking the test they've been studying for.
"We've invested a lot," said Jung Lee, GRE program manager for Kaplan. "(The cancellation) has made our work unnecessary."
Lee advises that students take the GRE as planned because most graduate programs have said that they will accept scores for up to five years after the test is taken.
Kristin Williams, executive director of GW Graduate Student Enrollment Management, said that she is delighted by the cancellation.
She likened the decrease in test dates as a reversion to when the GRE was paper-based.
"I was glad when they canceled plans and reopened computer-based test centers, but I can't speak to whether or not undergraduates would find one test easier than the other," she said.
Concerning potential future changes in the GRE, Williams advises that students prepare as they would for the current test.
"Any preparation they would have done for the new test would still be valid for the current one," she said. "The content would not be different."
This article appeared in the April 16, 2007 issue of the Hatchet.


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The BMW M2 is basically the replacement vehicle for the discontinued and instantly collectable BMW 1M Coupe. But thanks to BMW's new(ish) naming strategy, coupes and sports cars have evenly numbered titles, while four-door and luxury models have oddly named numeric titles. Hence the change from 1M to M2.
Like the 1M the new BMW M2 is like a distilled, purified and slightly more compact version of the iconic BMW M3 (or M4). It's based on the current 2 Series, but comes with an array of upgrades that elevate into a significantly higher performance category and level of desireablity.
The chassis of the BMW M2 has been enhanced thanks to a wider track - 2.8 inches at the front and 2.8 inches at the rear. There are plenty of new aluminium components integrated into the suspension design, and new MacPherson struts up front and a five-link rear suspension design at the rear. The steering system is a revised version of the electrically-assisted power steering system found in the standard car.
The brakes are more powerful too, with four-piston calipers at the front and two-piston calipers at the rear.
The bodywork of the BMW M2 has been pumped up too, partially to incorporate the wider wheel placement, and partly to improve airflow, both for cooling and downforce purposes.
Powering the BMW M2 is a turbocharged 3.0 liter straight-six cylinder engine which produces 365 horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual unit, while a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with three driving modes is available as an option.
With the optional 7-speed transmission installed, the BMW M2 can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standing start in just 4.3 seconds. The manual is just 0.2 seconds slower. The top speed of both versions is an electronically limited 155 mph.
Prices for the BMW M2 start at around $55,000 in the US and £44,000 in the UK.
Engine 3.0 litre straight-6 turbocharged
Transmission 6 speed manual or 7-speed sequential, RWD
Max speed 155 mph
Horsepower 365 horsepower
weight 1,565 kgs / 3,450 lbs


Well, that's us back to school and back in the morning routine again (sort of). The mornings seem so dark when you're up at 7.30! The little lady started back on Monday so this full week it's just been baby boy and I getting used to it only being the two of us again.
I wanted to try out the new inflatable play area in Kinning Park: Inflatanation. So baby boy and I went to check it out on Monday with our friends. I felt like such a traitor not taking her but I need to remind myself that she had 3 whole years of just me and her before baby boy came along, so it's ok for us to do things without her sometimes! Anyway, inflatanation was so much fun. All the info coming very soon.
Our Turtle Tots swimming lessons started back and we did plenty of dog walks last week. Baby boy still naps very well in the afternoons so I've been taking full advantage of that. I know it's not going to last much longer.
On Friday I took baby boy on a daytrip through to Edinburgh to the Teeny Tiny Toddler Fest at Camera Obscura. What a fantastic place! We had a great day out and he really loved all the exhibits there. After a little wander we headed back home on the train and he slept the entire time. All the lights and buttons in Camera Obscura must have totally exhausted him.
It was my birthday at the weekend and one of my favourite things in the whole world in brunch. So we did brunch at the weekend. Twice. Once in Scran in Dennistoun where I had french toast with cheese and roast tomatoes which was easily one of the best brunches I've ever had. And the second one in Cafe Strange Brew in Shawlands, my favourite place to eat. Totally worth visiting both of them. Even if you're not anywhere nearby! The little lady and I went to see the new Mary Poppins which was some lovely mummy daughter time.
All in all it was a really lovely week. Exciting and relaxing. A perfect mix!


People who have their body clock disrupted by being awake at night risk developing mood disorders and depression.
That is the finding from a study of more than 90,000 people by scientists at the University of Glasgow.
The scientists investigated people's circadian rhythms, which control functions such as sleep patterns, immune systems and the release of hormones, to measure daily rest-activity rhythms, also known as relative amplitude.
People with lower relative amplitude were at greater hazard of mental health problems such as depression and bipolar disorder.
They are also likely to feel less happy and more lonely, the study found.
Dr Laura Lyall, the study's leading writer, said the team had procured a" robust association" between disruption of circadian rhythms and mood disorders.
Daniel Smith, senior author of the paper, told The Times that using mobile phones late at night, waking in the early hours to make a cup of tea are among the things that affect sleep.
He said that a 10 pm cut-off would give the average adult time to wind down before switching off the sunlights and going to sleep .
" But it's not just what you do at night ," he said," it's what you do during the day- trying to be active during the day and inactive in darkness ," he said.
Regarding the study, he said:" The next step will be to identify the mechanisms by which genetic and environmental causes of circadian interruption interact to increase an individual's hazard of depression and bipolar disorder.
The study is published in The Lancet Psychiatry.
The post Disrupted body clock dangers mental health issues seemed first on Herbs and Helpers.


If you spend much time around horses, sooner or later you'll encounter dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). After all, this pungent, syrupy liquid is used. DMSO—a smelly, gooey, good-for-what-ails-you compound—has been a staple in medicine chests since the mids. As a by-product of the. The low down on DMSO for Grooms and horse owners. What it is, how to use it, and some precautions.
Humans who use DMSO are actually able to taste the substance in their mouths and it is reportedly quite unappetizing. The use on a horse – which has a much. Description. Dimethyl sulfoxide is used to treat a number of conditions. With the ability to attract or absorb water, it can penetrate skin and other tissue, and carry. DMSO is the much quicker and easier way to say, "Dimethyl sulfoxide. . In horses, where standards of proof aren't really much of a thing, DMSO can be given.
Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a byproduct of the chemical solvent industry, was approved by the FDA to treat musculoskeletal disorders in horses and dogs more . DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) is a clear, odorless liquid made from wood pulp. It has been used since the 's as an industrial solvent. It was first used medically. While DMSO has been approved for a variety of uses in dogs and horses, interstitial cystitis remains its only FDA-approved use in humans. redboy's Avatar. Join Date: Mar Location: Eastern Shore of Maryland. Posts : 8, UPDATE!! Who Uses DMSO On Their Horse??.


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Israeli media: Fear in "Israel" as nuclear agreement with Iran is near
Source: Israeli Media
Israeli media reports that "Israel" fears that the Iranian nuclear deal could consist of conditions that are not in its interest.
"Israel" fears that the nuclear deal could consist of conditions that are not for its benefit.
The military affairs commentator for Israeli Channel 12, Nir Dvori, said Wednesday that Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz has brought forward his travel date to the United States.
Responding to a question about the reasons for Gantz's urgent visit to Washington, Dvori said the atmosphere in "Israel" indicates that the Americans may soon sign an agreement with the Iranians, noting that "Israel" fears that the deal could consist of conditions that are not in its interest.
Dvori explained that this is why "Israel" chose to launch this campaign, referring to Gantz's upcoming visit to the US and revealing that the Israeli Air Force is conducting maneuvers on attacking nuclear facilities in Iran.
Commenting on a picture showing the Commander of United States Central Command, Michael Kurilla, inside the command center in the headquarters of the Israeli Security Ministry where the maneuver is being orchestrated, Dvori indicated that Kurilla observed the joint maneuver carried out by warplanes as part of demonstrating the close cooperation between the US and "Israel".
The military affairs commentator said the tendency in "Israel" now is to put a lot of pressure on the US, advising the Americans to deal with the agreement through awareness in order to reach an improved agreement for a longer period of time.
On Tuesday, Israeli media said that the Iranian front is becoming intense, revealing that the US Air Force will participate for the first time in the Israeli Air Force's simulation of a widescale strike on Iran in May, during the "Chariots of Fire" drills.
The aviation drills, which will include a simulated strike on Iranian nuclear sites, will take place over the Mediterranean Sea during the month-long exercise, which begins on May 29.
The "Chariots of Fire" exercise, which involves virtually all IOF units, has been focused on preparing to strike along "Israel's" northern borders, especially against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On his part, political affairs correspondent for the Israeli Kan channel, Gili Cohen, said that "Israel" and the Gulf are very concerned about the negotiations with Iran.
Cohen indicated that Gantz's upcoming visit to Washington comes as "Israel" and the Gulf are unaware of the current status of the nuclear negotiations and whether the US intends to respond to the Iranian request of removing the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps from the list of terrorist organizations.
The political affairs correspondent said that Gantz will meet with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who earlier met with the Saudi Deputy Minister of Security that was concerned about Iran's activities.
It is noteworthy that a few days ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that a good agreement can be reached if Washington takes a political decision and abides by its commitments.
Vienna negotiations
Vienna talks
Jake Sullivan
Iran participates in Qatar defense show


America loved "The Temptations" miniseries, but nobody loved it like Baltimore.
Nationally, 45 million people watched last week's two-night, four-hour NBC film about the Motown singing group, according to Nielsen ratings released yesterday. That makes "The Temptations" a hit by any standard, especially since it was up against such November "sweeps" counterprogramming as an Oprah Winfrey "presents" movie on ABC, a Chuck Norris made-for-TV film on CBS and the creatures from Jurassic Park on Fox.
But the Nielsen figure that is absolutely staggering is that one out of every three TVs in the Baltimore market that were turned on from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 2 was tuned to "The Temptations."
In the new TV universe of 50 and 60 channels, that simply doesn't happen any more short of a Super Bowl.
The Baltimore audience even nosed out Motown itself -- Detroit had a 32 share, or percentage of TV sets in use, while Baltimore had a 33 share. In addition, the number watching the show in Baltimore was almost as large as the combined audience for the ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates here.
"It's a phenomenal success -- the performance of 'The Temptations' -- nationally and in Baltimore," said Emerson Coleman, vice president and director of broadcast operations at WBAL (Channel 11), the NBC affiliate in Baltimore. "But the Baltimore numbers are just exceptional. In fact, they'll probably be shocking to some people. They certainly make you stop and think."
Coleman, who grew up in Baltimore and has spent most of his professional career here at WJZ and WBAL, says an analysis of the ratings for "The Temptations" has to start with another Baltimore television fact: Among the top 30 television markets in the country, Baltimore has the largest percentage of African-American viewers. One out of every four viewers here is African-American.
"So, I think the base of support, perhaps, came from the very large percentage of black TV viewers here in Baltimore," Coleman said. "But, clearly, to get that large a number, it had to go beyond that base to enjoy a wider range of [crossover] support."
Coleman says there are other factors that helped make the miniseries such a hit here, like a "great history of rhythm and blues radio stations" in the area. Those stations planted the seeds of what today is shared memory, bringing the songs of The Temptations to black and white listeners over the years, especially in the 1960s, when the group was a hit-making machine.
In addition, says Coleman, "this film was very focused. It wasn't 'The Wonderful Motown Years' or 'Motown's Top 50 Songs' or something, there was a story here.
"And the Temptations were such a singular group. You know the characters in the same way that you might be able to name who the Beatles are. A lot of Baltimore's population go, 'It's Eddie, David, Otis and Melvin.' " On "Melvin," Coleman drops his voice into the bass range of Melvin Franklin.
Coleman says the national success of "The Temptations" will serve as a "great springboard for the networks to look at similar stories" from the African-American experience.
Overall, the broadcast networks have done a poor job of programming to the large middle-class, black audience typified by the Baltimore market, while pay cable channels like HBO and Showtime have successfully courted those viewers.
"The Temptations" was such a strong draw that it brought viewers to television who otherwise would not be watching. In Baltimore, for example, the number of homes using televisions from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Nov. 2 was 10 percent higher than normal. In a fall season of weak programs and increasing audience erosion, "The Temptations" was one of the few network offerings that had people talking the morning after and the morning after that.
In fact, NBC has had so many orders for cassettes of the miniseries that it sent out 30-second and 60-second commercials to its affiliates, telling viewers how to order. The commercials will start playing this week on WBAL. If you want to order, the number to call is 800-622-4837. Or you can go on the Web to http: //www.wbaltv. com for directions.
One last note on the miniseries. While singing its praises in my preview, I also pointed out some historical inaccuracies. I have since learned that I am not alone in my concerns.
The family of David Ruffin is suing the producers of "The Temptations" over their depiction of Ruffin and his parents. In seeking a restraining order against the film -- which was denied -- lawyers for the family argued that the film "will confuse viewers in the way that it mixes fact and fiction."
They cited the scene in which Ruffin says his mother was a prostitute who gave him to a pimp to whom she owed money.
But, according to Ruffin's daughters -- Nedra, 36, and Cheryl, 37 -- their grandmother was actually a schoolteacher who taught for 40 years in Meridian, Miss. Earline Ruffin, 99, lives in a nursing home in that city.
"If they're fictionalizing the Temptations' story, why didn't they portray Otis Williams' mother as a woman of the streets?" the Detroit News quoted Gregory Reed, attorney for the Ruffin family, as asking after the September hearing.
The answer: Williams was one of the executive producers of "The Temptations."
In docudrama, it is the interests of the executive producers, not history, that tend to best be served.
UPN put "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer" out of its misery, canceling the controversial and low-rated sitcom about a black butler to Abraham Lincoln, according to the trade paper Variety.
The series, which was picketed in Baltimore, aired a total of four episodes in October, finishing 133rd out of 135 prime-time series, according to Nielsen Media Research.


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Local sport Other
An interview with Keith Downie
21st February 2020 21st February 2020 Liam Hedgecock
When you were younger, what was it that made you first want to become a sports journalist?
"For me, it was reading newspapers and I used to get excited about seeing the headlines in the morning. I used to have a paper round when I was twelve or thirteen, and I always remember doing the Sunday morning paper round. I'd go out at six o'clock in the morning, get back in and I used to keep one for myself so I would sit there and read through all the pages and peoples different styles of writing.
"It's a bit embarrassing now, but I had this make believe football team that I used to write match reports for and they would always win the league on the last day of the season. I just had an obsession for reporting on these things. Even if there was a match on the TV I'd get my Dad to turn down the volume so I could sit there and commentate on it. It was basic level stuff but I never thought about doing anything else.
"The more people used to say to me "look, it's really hard to do this", I was told how hard it was to make a career in print, then it was the same when I got into TV. Whenever people have told me I can't do it, it has spurred me on to try even harder."
What was your first proper job within the industry and how did it come about?
"When I was at high school I used to write for the local, and when I say local it was almost like a pamphlet newspaper. It was only about eight pages, and I remember we used to put the stories up on a typewriter and they would get glued onto the pages and then it would get photocopied and sent round to all those who'd paid for it.
"This was probably circa 1994/95, so I was maybe 14/15 years old. I didn't do that for long, but that allowed me to get onto my University course because I'd had a little bit of experience doing something.
"My first real job was when I was at Uni. I met one of the other baristas when I was working in Starbucks whose Mum was very good friends with a DJ on Radio Forth. He was the host of the football phone-in programme in the evening. I got work experience just for a week to see what it was like and the guy must have taken to me and he offered me the job of taking the calls for the phone-in show.
"Within a matter of months he involved me even more and I was producing the show while still being at Uni. I used to go to Uni during the day, and the phone-in show was 5pm till 7pm so I'd get there at 4pm and sit down with him to go through what we were going to discuss in the show but I was just a kid.
"By the time I finished doing that, towards the end of Uni I was quite experienced because by being on the phone in-show I'd met quite a few journalists who had come on. I got chatting to them and managed to secure a couple of placements and it evolved from there as I got my first proper job as a junior reporter for the Wishaw Press newspaper which was a weekly newspaper for Lanarkshire in Scotland. I was earning absolute pennies, and I had to give up the radio to do it but that was my first proper job in news."
Now you're working for Sky Sports as their North-East Football reporter, could you roughly describe what an average day is like in the job?
"It's so different. I mean today I'm here sitting talking to you and in a roundabout way I kind of see this as part of my job because I want to help other people. I know what it's like to be in your situation when you still have it all in front of you. It'd be better describing it as an average week.
"So for example, I'd have a Monday looking back at the weekend. The other week when Newcastle beat Chelsea 2-1 and Matt Ritchie kicked the corner flag when it hit that guy in the testicles, I had to try and find that guy on the Monday. Tuesday would be a Sunderland/Middlesbrough match. Wednesday, sometimes we'll do a shoot. So for example tomorrow I was meant to be doing one with Jonathan Woodgate because they've got a new players room and a food bank so that's a community type shoot, but they don't happen every week. Thursday, you normally have the ICS interview which is when a player is put forward by the club every week to do a sit-down interview. Friday, it's usually a press conference. Steve Bruce has a press conference really early on a Friday morning. If it's not a busy day I could be done by 10.30am in the morning and then I've got the rest of the day to myself to do what I want. Last week, I went for lunch with an agent/contact who I just wanted to touch base with so you're maybe not always filming but there are other elements to the job like meeting people, keeping contacts, making calls. There are a lot of different strands to the job and no week is ever the same.
What one thing in particular do you enjoy most about your job?
"My favourite thing about the job is breaking stories and that's what got me into it and that is what drives me on and gives me hunger. When the transfer window is open, I never get a bigger thrill out of anything in my job than breaking a story. More often than not in the job I do, it's either transfer stories, manager sackings or appointment stories.
"I think there's too many people now, and too many journalists coming through who don't try and do that and there just happy to take what they get. I've always been taught from my time in Scotland to moving down here to put a real importance on breaking stories. But I think you've either got that hunger or you haven't.
"For example, when Newcastle sign a player and I get the tip off first and I track him down and take pictures of him when everyone else is just scrambling around, it gives you a good reputation in the industry if you're able to do that."
Was there anyone in particular within the industry who you looked up to when you were young and said 'I want to be like him'?
"Very good question. You know, without sounding bad there's probably a couple of people I looked up to and thought 'that's who I want to be' and I've actually surpassed them. What I'm doing now is significantly bigger and better than what they were doing. But then, I look back then and the guy who used to cover my team Hearts' for the local newspaper. I'd just pore all over his stuff and just think 'I just want that job'. If someone said to me now 'Do you want that job?', that would be a step down for me. The person whose taught me the most is one of my close friends who reports for STV in Scotland. He really kind of taught me about getting stories first, how you go about it and just journalistic integrity. As a TV journalist, on a daily basis he was beating the national newspapers in Scotland for back-page stories."
Given the North-East is your patch, what do you make of football in the region at present? Is it in decline compared to when you first arrived in the area?
"I wouldn't say it's stood still, but it's not changed a whole lot. Obviously with Sunderland dropping down two divisions that's taken away quite a lot of my workload. We still go now and again, but I've gone from going there twice a week to now having only gone three or four times this season. Yes, there a big club and we (Sky Sports) give them more coverage than any other club in League One, but you still have to remember there in League One and we're obsessed by the Premier League and that's where it's at. It's the same in Middlesbrough to a lesser extent with them being in the Championship, but unless there pushing for promotion it's not a huge news story for us either.
"My workload in the last six-and-a-half years has definitely dropped, because when I first started it was Newcastle and Sunderland in the Premier League and Middlesbrough pushing for promotion in the Championship. Now I've got Newcastle fairly comfortable in the Premier League, Middlesbrough tredding water in the Championship, and Sunderland in League One who have just dropped off the edge of a cliff.
"Is it in decline? You look at the Sunderland situation and you would have to say yes. There still a massive club despite that, and the fanbase is still there. I think there back on the right road, but I think it's gonna be a long road. They had to hit rock bottom before they started building again. I've never thought in the six years I've been here that there's been this potential for the teams to do anything anyway. I've never felt like there's been this desire to be in Europe or desire to want to win trophies. I would say there has been a decline due to the fact I now have one Premier League team and two have essentially disappeared.
"Despite all of that, Newcastle are still a massive, massive club who take a lot of attention. There's a lot of spotlight on them whether they're doing well and Sunderland have got that as well. While the fanbases remain that'll never change."
As someone who has a broad knowledge of the industry given your wealth of experience, how do you see the future of journalism? Are there more or less opportunities around than there were when you first started in the trade?
"Probably more if I'm honest. Look at the way things have exploded with social media, and all the online websites. When I first started out, it was just like 'these are the newspapers, these are the radio stations, these are the TV companies'. As much as there are more opportunities, I think there's more people out there who are either trying to be a journalist or think they are a journalist. They think by just ripping off someone else's story that that is journalism. That's not journalism, so the whole landscape has changed. There are more opportunities and there are more jobs out there without doubt, but equally there's a lot more competition.
"I think if you're good, and you show the right attitude and willingness to learn, you will be able to make it. I always say to people, don't take no for an answer, because I've been told that so many times that over the years. You need to just get your head down, keep working and I always think the opportunities will come if you do things the right way."
Being a journalist means you have to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices. When you get the chance, how do you like to chill out and kickback?
"I play golf, watch football which is a bit ridiculous but it becomes part of your life. I've actually got to the stage where I can't even watch a full game anymore, because we live in this world where everybody consumes things in bitesize chunks.
"My family are up in Scotland, so I go up and see them when I can. I go to Cheltenham (the Festival) most years, go to the Scottish Grand National. It's pretty difficult to have a quiet lifestyle when you live in the North-East of England."
Who has been the sports star you've got the biggest kick out of interviewing?
"The one that gave me the biggest thrill is when I went to do a sit-down interview with Sir Alex Ferguson when he was the Man United boss. We were doing a documentary at Rangers TV about his time in Scotland as a Rangers player.
"We were told we were only gonna get ten minutes of his time, and he ended up sitting with me for an hour. We got an amazing interview, and then he said: "hang around guys, have a bit of lunch with us". So we hung around and ended up watching training with (Wayne) Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and I was just this wide-eyed 25-year-old.
"I then sent him a copy of the documentary once it was finished, and I got a letter from him to say how much he'd enjoyed it. I was like "Wow, this is Sir Alex Ferguson" and he was at the top of his game at the time."
Finally, what golden piece of advice would you give to aspiring sports journalists like myself?
"Listen, you obviously need to be keen. But I notice these days, and I don't think I was like this, but I notice a lot of people who have almost got a sense of entitlement about what they should be doing, how they should be doing it and it just doesn't happen easy. The best come through by ability, and by personality and by treating other people with respect. I see a lot of people on social media who seem to have a sense of entitlement where they don't realise what you've gone through or had to fight against to get to where you are. That bothers me when I see that, and I see lots of examples of it when I speak to people online. If I was to help someone or give advice to someone, it would be someone who I see a bit of me in and think 'you know what they've got the right attitude'.
"Yes, be keen. Yes, knock on doors. Yes, don't take no for an answer. But you've got to do that with respect as well. I was maybe too respectful in my time, I maybe should have been a bit more pushy, but it's not really held me back as such. There's too many youngsters these days who think they know what it takes, but if they were to be put in the situation where the shit hits the fan they wouldn't know how to deal with it.
"Crucially, you need to be able to speak to people from all walks of life. Whether I'm sitting down with the chief executive of a football club or one of the youth team players or a supporter, just be able to speak to people from all walks of life in a way you're going to be able to get information from them."
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Being a soldier in the Revolutionary War was risky business, and not just because of the battles. If the war itself did not kill a soldier, seeking medical treatment for a wound or illness might. Statistics show that a soldier had a 98 percent chance of survival on the battlefield but only a 75 percent chance in a hospital. Thankfully, modern medicine has come a long way, but just what did soldiers during the Revolutionary War have to look forward to if they needed medical help?
To practice medicine today, doctors undergo years of intense study and training. However, that was not the case in colonial America. People could call themselves doctors and begin practicing medicine after just a few years of apprenticing with another doctor. Medicine of the time was practiced based on theories rather than on real scientific knowledge. Many doctors believed that illness was caused by an imbalance of the humors, which were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Because of this belief, doctors often prescribed bloodletting or medicine to induce vomiting or bowel movements to restore the balance.
To seek treatment for any serious ailment, a soldier would have had to go to a hospital of sorts. Military regiments had a surgeon on staff to care for the men, so the soldier's first stop would be with the surgeon. During battles, the surgeon could be found in a makeshift or "flying" hospital that consisted of a tent, an operating table, and some medical equipment. If the surgeon could not treat the soldier, he might be sent to a hospital. Many regimental hospitals were in nearby houses, while general hospitals for more in-depth treatment were sometimes set up in barns, churches, or other public buildings. The conditions were often cramped, which resulted in the rapid spread of contagious illnesses and infections.
Supplies during the Revolutionary War were incredibly sparse. That was in part because most medicine had previously been brought in from England by ship, but since the Americans were fighting the English, that source was eliminated. This problem was alleviated by an alliance with the French in 1778, who then provided medicine and other supplies to America.
Even if a doctor could get his hands on some medicine for his patients, the options were still limited. Doctors used opiates as painkillers, but anesthetics had not been invented yet. Other common medicines included mercury compounds, lavender spirits, and cream of tartar.
Woe to the soldier who required surgery after being wounded on the battlefield! The conditions in "flying" hospitals were deplorable. Not only was the operating room simply a table in a tent, but there was little thought given to keeping the table and tools clean. In fact, wounds were sometimes cleaned using plain water from a bucket, and the used water would be saved to clean out the next soldier's wounds as well.
If a soldier was shot with a musket ball, which had a diameter of about three-fourths of an inch, the damage was devastating, and he would most certainly require a visit to the surgeon. Since there was no anesthesia at the time, the soldier was strapped to the table to keep him restrained while the musket ball was dug from his body using tools that probably had not been washed after being used to treat the last soldier. If the musket ball struck a bone, the damage was usually so bad that the only option was amputation, which was also performed right there in the makeshift hospital tent. Patients were strapped down and given something to bite down on, like a piece of wood or some leather, to keep them from biting off their own tongues as they endured the agony. Of course, none of this did anything to dull the pain; if the doctor and the other patients in the tent were lucky, the man's screams would stop when he passed out. If the patient survived, he was given opiates for his pain, but the infection caused by unsanitary conditions was frequently the cause of death.
The General Hospital at Mount Independence: Read a report written about a hospital that operated during the Revolutionary War.
Colonial Medical History and Practices: Excerpts from the archives of History Quarterly reveal the history of medicine and common practices during colonial times and the Revolutionary War.
Doctors in Colonial America: Find out how doctors used opiates and bodily fluids to treat ailments.
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Lesson Plan: Learn more about science and medicine during colonial times, including how medicine was practiced in the army.
Medical Preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Lewis and Clark Expedition did not include a trained medical doctor. Find out who stood in as the expedition's doctor and how he prepared.
Revolutionary War Army Hospitals (PDF): Pennsylvania saw a great deal of casualties during the Revolutionary War. Read how the hospitals were affected by the war and what they did to keep up with the demands of treating wounded soldiers.
Dissection Tools: The Smithsonian Museum houses a collection of tools used by medical students around the time of the Revolutionary War. See pictures of the tools and learn what part they played in a medical student's training.
Amputations: Amputation was a grisly and all too common practice during the Revolutionary War. Discover why and how amputations were performed.
Famous Revolutionary War Doctors: Read a history of medicine and learn about famous Revolutionary War doctors.
The Role of Women: Women served as nurses during the Revolutionary War. Find out more about the job here.
Military Medical Salaries: How much did surgeons and nurses make working at hospitals during the Revolutionary War? This page has the answer along with more information about hospitals of the time.
Colonial Apothecary Writings: Learn about apothecaries and the books they wrote during the colonial era.
Medicinal Herbs: Read a list of herbs used to treat illnesses and ailments in early America.
Colonial Medical Theories: Discover how colonial doctors believed fluids affected the health of a body.
Colonial Body-Snatching: Body-snatching played an important role in advancing medical science. Learn about Harvard University's involvement in colonial body-snatching.
Disease and Treatment in Philadelphia: Read how doctors and hospitals in early Philadelphia treated diseases that affected the population.


Portland is home to some of the most crafty and talented people in the country, and homemade goods are important when it comes to not only protecting the small businesses that populate our community, but also protecting our planet with resources that are natural, healthy, and good for our homes. That's where Geoffrey and Valerie Franklin come in—the owners of Walnut Studiolo, Geoff and Val are a tag team couple that runs a leather goods shop in Portland, where they create amazing pieces from scratch!
This week, I have them both on the podcast to talk all about their amazing shop, how they got started, and the sort of pieces they make that serve not only the Portland area but the country as well! Tune in as we discuss the heart of the Portland area, small and locally owned businesses, and why they're such an important staple in a place that focuses on community, and team building. Let's get started!
How Geoff and Valerie got this business started! They work together to create an old-fashioned mom and pop shop sort of atmosphere, and they each have their own area of expertise. Valeria handles customer service, shipping, logistics, and website management. Geoff is in charge of coming up with ideas, and bringing them to life! He's the chief designer and maker, and crafts every piece from scratch.
Geoff and Val tell us where their name, Walnut Studiolo, came from! Geoff says that he read the word "studiolo" in a book, and it stuck into his head. Studiolo is actually an Italian architectural term, referring to a private studio and office space, and it seemed to fit their aesthetic. The cute aspect that defines the "little" studio is also relevant to how the business itself got started!
Val and Geoff tell us how the business itself got started! Geoff began his journey by making bicycle accessories for himself, as a bike commuter. His bike became super important in his life, and he spent a lot of time looking for things he could personalize on his bike—however, the materials used were things he wasn't a fan of. With a history of growing up on a farm and caring for horses, Geoff was already familiar with leather, and combining that crafting skill with his need for new bike accessories got him started. Once he was making prototypes, Val asked him if she could put some of them on her Etsy should. She did, and within a couple of months, the first prototype sold!
Val talks to us about how their Etsy shop took off. They were started at the beginning of the recession, and they were unsure of what would happen. After making their first sale in a couple of months, they found out that one of the biggest bike hubs in the Northwest, Bike Portland, held a bike craft fair every year. They set-up a table there had a blog post written about them, and their business seemed to take off! To this day, their Etsy shop is still running, and provides about half of their sales, with the other half coming from their online store.
Geoff talks to us about his process, stating very clearly that everything is handmade and hand stitched. Through the use of exact blades and straight edge, he explains that his process is as old school as you can imagine. They purchase their hide from a US tannery—only a small percentage of hides are tanned in the US—and from there, he cuts the leather, hand dyes everything, gets the leather edged and glossed, and pieces it together into something wonderful.
Val and Geoff talk to us about the products they use to create their pieces, stating that they mostly use leather and wood. They've also experimented with brass and metals as well. The business itself started out with them just making things for their own use, but since then, it's evolved into a variety of products that people can use. They find that they're constantly replacing things that are mass produced with things they can make better through their own materials, and those things often get morphed into highly refined and highly vetted designs that get offered to the public! They are their own guinea pigs.
Val and Geoff talk to us about their cannabis series! Made in celebration of the legalization of recreational use of cannabis, they both knew it was coming, and they worked on a number of products. With their slogan leading the way—"we go from 'far out, man', to 'well done, sir,"—they aim to take the stigma of hiding your cannabis-related products away. By talking to customers, family, and friends, it's an open and honest way to bring up the subject, and be honest and open about using it recreationally.
Val and Geoff talk to us about their best selling products! First, there's a bicycle bench that's designed to carry a six pack of beer on the back of your bicycle. However, it has multiple uses, and they often receive photos and emails from customers showing them exactly how it makes their lives easier! Additionally, they create a frame handle for bicycles that Geoff states are the product that he's put the most energy, though, and design into. It took 2 years to bring it to life, and they launched the product on Kickstarter to get a good foundation. Afterward, the Museum of Modern Art picked it as one of their favorite products!
Val talks to us about how they manage their business, stating that they're very focused on SEO and referral traffic. They prefer earned media rather than advertising, and honestly, don't do much in ways of paid ads. They've benefited from word of mouth traffic, though they're still constantly adapting to the latest trends.
Did Geoffrey and Valerie not get to answer a burning question on your mind? No problem! You can get ahold of them at this email, or through the social media listed above. Handmade goods are an important staple of our community, and the way we do business, and the incredibly well-crafted goods that Geoff and Val make at Walnut Studiolo are well worth the cost. Browse through their collection to see if they've got something for you!