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Cronache da Gaza
Cari tutti,
mi permetto di inviarvi questo report da Gaza, inviato dal volontario Vittorio Arrigoni, forse l'unico testimone italiano presente a Gaza attualmente, visto il divieto d'ingresso che il governo israeliano ha imposto ai giornalisti stranieri. Ciò consente di farci una idea di quanto stia succedendo in quella regione.
L'amministratore
Vittorio Arrigoni
Diario da Gaza,
un giorno in ambulanza
«Alla gente innocente di Gaza: la nostra guerra non è contro di voi ma contro Hamas, se non la smettono di lanciare razzi voi vi troverete in pericolo». E' la trascrizione di una registrazione che è possibile ascoltare rispondendo al telefono queste ore a Gaza. L'esercito israeliano la sta diffondendo illudendosi che i palestinesi non abbiano occhi e orecchi. Occhi per vedere che le bombe colpiscono quasi esclusivamente obiettivi civili, come moschee (15, l'ultima quella di Omar Bin Abd Al Azeez di Beit Hanoun) scuole, università, mercati, ospedali. Orecchie per non udire le urla di dolore e terrore dei bambini, vittime innocenti e eppure predestinate di ogni bombardamento. Secondo fonti ospedaliere, nel momento in cui sto scrivendo sono 120 i minori rimasti uccisi sotto le bombe, su un totale di 548 morti, più di 2700 feriti, decine e decine di dispersi.
Due giorni fa all'ospedale della mezzaluna rossa nel campo profughi di Jabalia, la notte non è mai calata. Dal cielo gli elicotteri Apache hanno lanciato ordigni illuminanti in continuazione, tanto da non farci accorgere di una qualche differenza tra giorno e notte. Il cannoneggiare ripetuto di un tank posto a meno di un chilometro dall'ospedale ha crepato seriamente le mura dell'edificio, ma abbiamo resistito fino alla mattina. Verso le 10 circa, bombe sul campo incolto adiacente all'edificio, fuoco di mitragliatrice tutt'attorno: per i medici della mezzaluna rossa quello era un messaggio dell'esercito rivolto a noi -evacuazione immediata, pena la vita. Abbiamo trasferito i feriti in altre strutture ospedaliere e ora la base operativa delle ambulanze è sulla strada di Al Nady, il personale medico sta seduto sui marciapiedi in attesa delle chiamate, che si susseguono febbrilmente.
Per la prima volta dall'inizio dell’attacco israeliano ho visto negli ospedali dei cadaveri di membri della resistenza palestinese. Un numero piccolo, di fronte alle centinaia di vittime civili, che dopo l'invasione di terra si sono moltiplicate esponenzialmente. Dopo l'attacco alla moschea di Jabalia (coinciso con l'entrata dei tank) che ha causato 11 morti e una cinquantina di feriti, per tutta la notte di sabato scortando le ambulanze ci siamo resi conto della tremenda potenza distruttiva dei proiettili sparati dagli israeliani. A Bet Hanoun una famiglia che si stava scaldando nella propria casa dinnanzi ad un fornellino a legna è stata colpita da uno di questi micidiali colpi di cannone. Abbiamo raccolto 15 feriti, 4 casi disperati. Poi verso le 3 del mattino abbiamo risposto ad una chiamata d'emergenza: troppo tardi, davanti alla porta di un'abitazione tre donne in lacrime ci hanno messo in braccio una bambina di quattro anni avvolta da un lenzuolo bianco, il suo sudario, era già gelida. Ancora una famiglia colpita in pieno, questa volta dall'aviazione, a Jabalia, due adulti con in corpo schegge di esplosivo. I due figli hanno riportato ferite lievi, ma da come strillavano era evidente il trauma psicologico che stavano vivendo, qualcosa che li segnerà indelebilmente per tutta la vita più di uno sfregio su una guancia. Anche se nessuno si ricorda di citarli, sono migliaia i bambini afflitti da gravi turbe mentali procurate dal terrore dei continui bombardamenti, o peggio dalla vista dei genitori e dei fratellini dilaniati dalle esplosioni.
I crimini di cui si sta macchiando Israele in queste ore vanno oltre i confini dell'immaginabile. I soldati non ci permettono di andare a soccorrere i superstiti di questa immensa catastrofe innaturale. Quando i feriti si trovano in prossimità dei mezzi blindati israeliani che li hanno attaccati, a noi sulle ambulanze della mezzaluna rossa non è concesso avvicinarci, i soldati ci bersagliano di colpi. Avremmo bisogno della scorta di almeno un'ambulanza della croce rossa, in coordinamento con i comandi militari israeliani, per poter correre a cercare di salvare vite: provate a immaginare quanto tempo porterebbe via una procedura del genere, una condanna a morte certa per dei feriti in attesa di trasfusioni o di trattamenti di emergenza. Tanto più che la croce rossa ha i suoi di feriti a cui pensare, non potrebbe in nessun modo rendersi disponibile ad ogni nostra chiamata. Ci tocca allora stazionare in una zona «protetta», eufemismo qui a Gaza, e attendere che i parenti ci portino i congiunti moribondi, spesso in spalla.
Così è andata verso le 5.30 di stamane, abbiamo arrestato col motore acceso l'ambulanza al centro di un incrocio e indicato tramite telefono la nostra posizione ad uno dei parenti dei feriti. Dopo una decina di minuti di snervante attesa, quando aveva già deciso di ingranare la marcia ed evacuare l'area per andare a rispondere ad un'altra chiamata, abbiamo visto girare l'angolo e dirigersi verso di noi, lentamente, un carretto carico di persone sospinto da un mulo. Una coppia con i suoi due figlioletti. La migliore rappresentazione possibile di questa non-guerra.
Questa non è una guerra perché non ci sono due eserciti che si danno battaglia su un fronte; è un assedio unilaterale condotto da forze armate (aviazione, marina, ed esercito) fra le più potenti del mondo, sicuramente le più avanzate in fatto di equipaggiamento militare tecnologico, che hanno attaccato una misera striscia di terra di 360 kmq, dove la popolazione si muove ancora sui muli e dove c'è una resistenza male armata la cui unica forza è quella di essere pronta al martirio.
Quando il carretto si è fatto abbastanza vicino gli siamo andati incontro, e con orrore abbiamo scoperto il suo macabro carico. Un bimbo stava sdraiato con il cranio fracassato, gli occhi letteralmente saltati fuori dalle orbite, lo abbiamo raccolto che ancora respirava. Il suo fratellino invece presentava il torace sventrato, gli si potevano distintamente contare le costole bianche oltre i brandelli di carne lacera. La madre teneva poggiate le mani sul quel petto scoperchiato, come se cercasse di aggiustare qualcosa.
Un ulteriore crimine, e nostro ennesimo personale lutto.
L'esercito israeliano continua a prendere di mira le ambulanze. Dopo il dottore e
l'infermiere morti a Jabalia 4 giorni fa, ieri è toccato ad un nostro
amico, Arafa Abed Al Dayem, 35 anni, che lascia 4 figli. Verso le otto e
mezza di ieri mattina abbiamo ricevuto una chiamata da Gaza city, due
civili falciati dalla mitragliatrice di un tank; una delle nostre
ambulanze della mezzaluna rossa è accorsa sul posto. Arafa e un
infermiere hanno caricato i due ferti sull'ambulanza, hanno chiuso gli
sportelli pronti a correre verso l'ospedale, quando sono stati centrati
in pieno da un proiettile sparato da un carro armato. Il colpo ha
decapitato uno dei feriti e ha ucciso anche il nostro amico;
l’infermiere se l'è cavata ma è ora ricoverato nello stesso ospedale
dove lavora. Arafa, maestro elementare, si offriva come volontario
paramedico quando c'era carenza di personale. Siamo sotto una pioggia di
bombe, nessuno se l'era sentita di chiamarlo in una situazione di così
alto rischio.
Arafa si era presentato da solo, e lavorava conscio dei pericoli,
convinto che oltre la sua famiglia c'erano anche altri essere umani da
difendere, da soccorrere. Ci mancano le sue burle, il suo irresistibile
e contagioso sense of huomor che rallegrava l'intero ospedale Al Auda di
Jabalia anche nelle sue ore più cupe e drammatiche, quando sono più i
morti e i feriti che confluiscono, e ci sente quasi colpevoli, inutili
per non aver potuto fare qualcosa per salvarli, schiacciati come siamo
da una forza micidiale inesorabile, la macchina di morte dell'esercito
israeliano. Qualcuno deve arrestare questa carneficina, ho visto cose in
questi giorni, udito fragori, annusato miasmi pestiferi, che se avessi
mai un giorno una mia progenia, non avrò mai il coraggio di tramandare.
C'è qualcuno là fuori? la desolazione del sentirsi isolati
nell'abbandono è pari alla veduta di un quartiere di Gaza dopo
un'abbondante campagna di raid aerei. Sabato sera mi hanno passato al
telefono la piazza di Milano in protesta, ho passato a mia volta il
cellulare agli eroici dottori e infermieri con cui stiamo lavorando, li
ho visto rincuorarsi per un breve attimo. Le manifestazioni in tutto il
mondo dimostrano che esiste ancora qualcuno in cui credere, ma le
manifestazioni non sono ancora abbastanza partecipate per esercitare
quella pressione necessarie affinché i governi occidentali costringano
Israele in un angolo, ad assumersi le sue responsabilità come criminale
di guerra e contro l'umanità. Moltissime le donne gravide terrorizzate
che in queste ore stanno dando alla luce figli frutti di parti
prematuri. Ne ho accompagnate personalmente tre a partorire. Una di
queste, Samira, al settimo mese, ha dato alla luce uno splendido
minuscolo bimbo di nome Ahmed. Correndo con lei a bordo verso l'ospedale
di Auda e lasciandoci dietro negli specchietti retrovisori lo scenario
di morte e distruzione dove poco prima stavamo raccogliendo cadaveri, ho
pensato per un attimo che questa vita in procinto di fiorire potesse
essere il beneaugurio per un futuro di pace e speranza. L'illusione si è
dissolta col primo razzo che è crollato a fianco della nostra ambulanza
tornando da Auda al centro di Jabalia. Queste madri coraggio mettono
tristemente al mondo creature le quali assorbono come prima luce nei
loro occhi, nient'altro oltre il verde militare dei tanks e delle jeeps
e i lampi intermittenti che precedono le esplosioni. Quali prospettive
di vita attendono bimbi che fin dal primo istante della loro nascita
avvertono sofferenza e urla di disgrazia?
restiamo umani.
Vittorio Arrigoni
Sony RX1 User Report.
I hesitate to write about gear. Tools are tools and the bitter truth is that a great craftsman rises above his tools to create a masterpiece whereas most of us try to improve our abominations by buying better or faster hammers to hit the same nails at the same awkward angles.
The internet is fairly flooded with reviews of this tiny marvel, and it isn’t my intention to compete with those articles. If you’re looking for a full-scale review of every feature or a down-to-Earth accounting of the RX1’s strengths and weaknesses, I recommend starting here.
Instead, I’d like to provide you with a flavor of how I’ve used the camera over the last six months. In short, this is a user report. To save yourself a few thousand words: I love the thing. As we go through this article, you’ll see this is a purpose built camera. The RX1 is not for everyone, but we will get to that and on the way, I’ll share a handful of images that I made with the camera.
It should be obvious to anyone reading this that I write this independently and have absolutely no relationship with Sony (other than having exchanged a large pile of cash for this camera at a retail outlet).
Before we get to anything else, I want to clear the air about two things: Price and Features
The Price
First things first: the price. The $2800+ cost of this camera is the elephant in the room and, given I purchased the thing, you may consider me a poor critic. That in mind, I want to offer you three thoughts:
Consumer goods cost what they cost, in the absence of a competitor (the Fuji X100s being the only one worth mention) there is no comparison and you simply have to decide for yourself if you are willing to pay or not.
Normalize the price per sensor area for all 35mm f/2 lens and camera alternatives and you’ll find the RX1 is an amazing value.
You are paying for the ability to take photographs, plain and simple. Ask yourself, “what are these photographs worth to me?”
In my case, #3 is very important. I have used the RX1 to take hundreds of photographs of my family that are immensely important to me. Moreover, I have made photographs (many appearing on this page) that are moving or beautiful and only happened because I had the RX1 in my bag or my pocket. Yes, of course I could have made these or very similar photographs with another camera, but that is immaterial.
35mm by 24mm by 35mm f/2
The killer feature of this camera is simple: it is a wafer of silicon 35mm by 24mm paired to a brilliantly, ridiculously, undeniably sharp, contrasty and bokehlicious 35mm f/2 Carl Zeiss lens. Image quality is king here and all other things take a back seat. This means the following: image quality is as good or better than your DSLR, but battery life, focus speed, and responsiveness are likely not as good as your DSLR. I say likely because, if you have an entry-level DSLR, the RX1 is comparable on these dimensions. If you want to change lenses, if you want an integrated viewfinder, if you want blindingly fast phase-detect autofocus then shoot with a DSLR. If you want the absolute best image quality in the smallest size possible, you’ve got it in the RX1.
While we are on the subject of interchangeable lenses and viewfinders...
I have an interchangeable lens DSLR and I love the thing. It’s basically a medium format camera in a 35mm camera body. It’s a powerhouse and it is the first camera I reach for when the goal is photography. For a long time, however, I’ve found myself in situations where photography was not the first goal, but where I nevertheless wanted to have a camera. I’m around the table with friends or at the park with my son and the DSLR is too big, too bulky, too intimidating. It comes between you and life. In this realm, mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras seem to be king, but they have a major flaw: they are, for all intents and purposes, just little DSLRs.
As I mentioned above, I have an interchangeable lens system, why would I want another, smaller one? Clearly, I am not alone in feeling this way, as the market has produced a number of what I would call “professional point and shoots.” Here we are talking about the Fuji X100/X100s, Sigma DPm-series and the RX100 and RX1.
Design is about making choices
When the Fuji X100 came out, I was intrigued. Here was a cheap(er), baby Leica M. Quiet, small, unobtrusive. Had I waited to buy until the X100s had come out, perhaps this would be a different report. Perhaps, but probably not. I remember thinking to myself as I was looking at the X100, “I wish there was a digital Rollei 35, something with a fixed 28mm or 35mm lens that would fit in a coat pocket or a small bag.” Now of course, there is.
So, for those of you who said, “I would buy the RX1 if it had interchangeable lenses or an integrated viewfinder or faster autofocus,” I say the following: This is a purpose built camera. You would not want it as an interchangeable system, it can’t compete with DSLR speed. A viewfinder would make the thing bigger and ruin the magic ratio of body to sensor size—further, there is a 3-inch LCD viewfinder on the back! Autofocus is super fast, you just don’t realize it because the bar has been raised impossibly high by ultra-sonic magnet focusing rings on professional DSLR lenses. There’s a fantastic balance at work here between image quality and size—great tools are about the total experience, not about one or the other specification.
In short, design is about making choices. I think Sony has made some good ones with the RX1.
In use
So I’ve just written 1,000 words of a user report without, you know, reporting on use. In many ways the images on the page are my user report. These photographs, more than my words, should give you a flavor of what the RX1 is about. But, for the sake of variety, I intend to tell you a bit about the how and the why of shooting with the RX1.
Snapshots
As a beginning enthusiast, I often sneered at the idea of a snapshot. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to appreciate what a pocket camera and a snapshot can offer. The RX1 is the ultimate photographer’s snapshot camera.
I’ll pause here to properly define snapshot as a photograph taken quickly with a handheld camera.
To quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So it is with photography. Beautiful photographs happen at the decisive moment—and to paraphrase Henri Cartier-Bresson further—the world is newly made and falling to pieces every instant. I think it is no coincidence that each revolution in the steady march of photography from the tortuously slow chemistry of tin-type and daguerreotype through 120 and 35mm formats to the hyper-sensitive CMOS of today has engendered new categories and concepts of photography.
Photography is a reflexive, reactionary activity. I see beautiful light or the unusual in an every day event and my reaction is a desire to make a photograph. It’s a bit like breathing and has been since I was a kid.
Rather than sneer at snapshots, nowadays I seek them out; and when I seek them out, I do so with the Sony RX1 in my hand.
How I shoot with the RX1
Despite much bluster from commenters on other reviews as to the price point and the purpose-built nature of this camera (see above), the RX1 is incredibly flexible. Have a peek at some of the linked reviews and you’ll see handheld portraits, long exposures, images taken with off-camera flash, etc.
Yet, I mentioned earlier that I reach for the D800 when photography is the primary goal and so the RX1 has become for me a handheld camera—something I use almost exclusively at f/2 (people, objects, shallow DoF) or f/8 (landscapes in abundant light, abstracts). The Auto-ISO setting allows the camera to choose in the range from ISO 50 and 6400 to reach a proper exposure at a given aperture with a 1/80 s shutter speed. I have found this shutter speed ensures a sharp image every time (although photographers with more jittery grips may wish there was the ability to select a different default shutter speed). This strategy works because the RX1 has a delightfully clicky exposure compensation dial just under your right thumb—allowing for fine adjustment to the camera’s metering decision.
So then, if you find me out with the RX1, you’re likely to see me on aperture priority, f/2 and auto ISO. Indeed, many of the photographs on this page were taken in that mode (including lots of the landscape shots!).
Working within constraints.
The RX1 is a wonderful camera to have when you have to work within constraints. When I say this, I mean it is great for photography within two different classes of constraints: 1) physical constraints of time and space and 2) intellectual/artistic constraints.
To speak to the first, as I said earlier, many of the photographs on this page were made possible by having a camera with me at a time that I otherwise would not have been lugging around a camera. For example, some of the images from the Grand Canyon you see were made in a pinch on my way to a Christmas dinner with my family. I didn’t have the larger camera with me and I just had a minute to make the image. Truth be told, these images could have been made with my cell phone, but that I could wring such great image quality out of something not much larger than my cell phone is just gravy. Be it jacket pocket, small bag, bike bag, saddle bag, even fannie pack—you have space for this camera anywhere you go.
Earlier I alluded to the obtrusiveness of a large camera. If you want to travel lightly and make photographs without announcing your presence, it’s easier to use a smaller camera. Here the RX1 excels. Moreover, the camera’s leaf shutter is virtually silent, so you can snap away without announcing your intention. In every sense, this camera is meant to work within physical constraints.
I cut my photographic teeth on film and I will always have an affection for it. There is a sense that one is playing within the rules when he uses film. That same feeling is here in the RX1. I never thought I’d say this about a camera, but I often like the JPEG images this thing produces more than I like what I can push with a RAW. Don’t get me wrong, for a landscape or a cityscape, the RAW processed carefully is FAR, FAR better than a JPEG.
But when I am taking snapshots or photos of friends and family, I find the JPEGs the camera produces (I’m shooting in RAW + JPEG) so beautiful. The camera’s computer corrects for the lens distortion and provides the perfect balance of contrast and saturation. The JPEG engine can be further tweaked to increase the amount of contrast, saturation or dynamic range optimization (shadow boost) used in writing those files. Add in the ability to rapidly compensate exposure or activate various creative modes and you’ve got this feeling you’re shooting film again. Instant, ultra-sensitive and customizable film.
Pro Tip: Focusing
Almost all cameras come shipped with what I consider to be the worst of the worst focus configurations. Even the Nikon D800 came to my hands set to focus when the shutter button was halfway depressed. This mode will ruin almost any photograph. Why? Because it requires you to perform legerdemain to place the autofocus point, depress the shutter halfway, recompose and press the shutter fully. In addition to the chance of accidentally refocusing after composing or missing the shot—this method absolutely ensures that one must focus before every single photograph. Absolutely impossible for action or portraiture.
Sensibly, most professional or prosumer cameras come with an AF-ON button near where the shooter’s right thumb rests. This separates the task of focusing and exposing, allowing the photographer to quickly focus and to capture the image even if focus is slightly off at the focus point. For portraits, kids, action, etc the camera has to have a hair-trigger. It has to be responsive. Manufacturer’s: stop shipping your cameras with this ham-fisted autofocus arrangement.
Now, the RX1 does not have an AF-ON button, but it does have an AEL button whose function can be changed to “MF/AF Control Hold” in the menu. Further, other buttons on the rear of the camera can also be programmed to toggle between AF and MF modes. What this all means is that you can work around the RX1’s buttons to make it’s focus work like a DSLR’s. (For those of you who are RX1 shooters, set the front switch to MF, the right control wheel button to MF/AF Toggle and the AEL button to MF/AF Control Hold and voila!) The end result is that, when powered on the camera is in manual focus mode, but the autofocus can be activated by pressing AEL, no matter what, however, the shutter is tripped by the shutter release. Want to switch to AF mode? Just push a button and you’re back to the standard modality.
Carrying.
I keep mine in a small, neoprene pouch with a semi-hard LCD cover and a circular polarizing filter on the front—perfect for buttoning up and throwing into a bag on my way out of the house. I have a soft release screwed into the threaded shutter release and a custom, red twill strap to replace the horrible plastic strap Sony provided. I plan to gaffer tape the top and the orange ring around the lens. Who knows, I may find an old Voigtlander optical viewfinder in future as well.
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IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas and Daniel Leigh stand with a copy of the World Economic Report at the International Monetary Fund in Washington.
IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts
26 July 2022
WASHINGTON, DC, United States
Photo ref: _JR34783.ARW
Officials say Ohio voter turnout was 68%
Ohio officials say the voter turnout for Tuesday's election was just more than 68%.
The Ohio Secretary of State's Office reported that about 5.4 million Ohioans cast ballots out of the nearly 8 million registered voters. The percentage was just short of the 70% that turned out for the last two presidential elections, in 2008 and 2004.
The office reported Wednesday that there were more than 119,000 absentee ballots and more than 205,000 provisional ballots outstanding.
Among the counties with the highest turnout were Highland in southwest Ohio, Delaware in the Columbus area and Putnam in northwest Ohio.
How a white, moderate, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
by: Wendy Worrall Redal, November 8, 2012
If there’s one word that seemed to characterize Romney supporters’ immediate reaction to Obama’s victory, it’s “shock.”
A conservative Facebook friend posted this status: “For the first time in my life I am at a loss for words…absolutely baffled by the electorate and the election results, especially considering the current state the country is in.”
A radio reporter interviewed a woman at the Romney campaign party in Denver shortly after the election was called. Her response simmered with anger as she pondered the reality of how more than half the nation had voted: “What don’t they see?? It’s mind-boggling!”
What they don’t see are people like me.
I’m a 50-year-old white woman who lives in the swing state of Colorado. I’m married, I’m a mom, I have a PhD, and I’m a Christian. In Boulder. I can’t imagine trying to explain the world without faith and science. I’m upper middle class, but I come from blue-collar stock.
I believe in capitalism, but I also believe its inevitable excesses must be tempered with regulations – you know, Genesis, original sin, the human propensity for greed and all. I’m pro-life in the fullest sense of the term.
I’m happy for my gay friends who want to marry – I’m all for commitment when it comes to sustaining the social fabric. My evangelical grandmother, whom I treasured, was a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. I’m a Democrat who likes hymns and red wine.
Try squaring all that when it comes to putting me in a political box.
Like a great many voters who helped tip the election to Obama, I see social complexity that the poles refuse to acknowledge. I’m a reasonable centrist. And I think Republicans write us off at their own expense.
If one had spent the campaign watching only Fox News, following only conservative pundits and pollsters, it’s no wonder the election results seemed so inscrutable.
The right-wing radio blowhards think they have it figured out: we’re dupes of the mainstream media, a giant liberal-elite faction engaged in a conspiratorial embrace with the Left; Hurricane Sandy and turncoat Chris Christie joined forces in an eleventh-hour PR move for the president; or – and this is emerging as the dominant narrative – we simply want more stuff that we don’t have to work for. We’re takers, not makers. Romney was right when he talked about the 47 percent, only it was 51 percent – apparently there were more slackers in the country than he counted on.
All of those explanations are as wrong as they are offensive.
I would like for my bewildered Republican friends to know how I could possibly have voted for Obama without being a far-left ideologue who is simultaneously blind, immoral and lacking in patriotism.
I’m more comfortable taking a risk on Obama’s economic agenda than Romney’s. The numbers are starting to look up. I’d rather hedge my bets with Keynes than Adam Smith. Mitt wants to cut spending and slash taxes, and give most of those tax breaks to the richest Americans. That doesn’t square with my sense of what’s rational or what’s just. We’ve tried that before, and that Kool-Aid does not trickle down for me.
I’m willing to take a chance on Obamacare. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than a system that excludes millions and is dedicated to lining the pockets of insurance companies whose primary mission is not to cover care but to deny it. The Affordable Care Act is not “socialized medicine” in which the government dictates my health care. It’s a hybrid system that worked in Massachusetts; I’m ready to see how it goes in the rest of the U.S.
4) I care deeply about protecting this planet, our home. How could we elect a president who is so cavalier about God’s creation that he wants to dismantle the EPA? Really? The clean air and clean water acts established under Richard Nixon aren’t important to keep for our kids? I can’t imagine a world leader not grappling with the problem of global climate change. Solyndra was a debacle, but to suggest that we ought not to pursue green energy isn’t just short-sighted, it’s grave foolishness.
I believe a graduated tax system is the most moral means of structuring an economy. I think that rich folks who benefited so disproportionately from a wildly deregulated Wall Street need to return to shouldering more of our shared burden. Luke 12:48 says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Now, plenty of wealthy business owners are going to argue, ‘This wasn’t given to me, I built it.’ Yes, you did, with a public infrastructure supporting you. But until we have genuine equality of opportunity in this country – including equal pay for equal work – some people can build a lot more than others.
The fact is, we are all in this country together, and we have different needs and means, and we have a lot in common when it comes to teaching kids, fighting fires, cleaning up after storms or caring for our national parks.
Those who have more need to do more, as we work to give the rest not a handout, but a hand up. As for me, I went to college on Pell grants, work-study, scholarships and summer jobs. That combination of my own hard work and a little help from a society that supported my potential is what got me a college degree. That powerful model – public and private in synergy – remains most compelling to me and is the most fundamental reason I voted for President Obama.
I’d rather share the prophetic words of Abraham Lincoln, speaking to a deeply divided America in his 1861 Inaugural Address:
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
May we each appeal to the better angels in one another as we start healing the wounds of this election season.
Standing (left-right): Marc Caira, John J Harris, Werner Bauer, Chris Johnson, Laurent Freixe, Doreswamy (Nandu) Nandkishore, David P Frick, Jean-Marc Duvoisin.
Seated (left-right): José Lopez, Patrice Bula, Paul Bulcke, Wan Ling Martello, Luis Cantarell.
The KOM League
Flash Report
For
August 4, 2020
For those with the courage to open another edition of the KOM League news it is posited at:
www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/50171270986/
This being primary election day, in Missouri, my duty as a citizen was exercised twenty minutes after the polls opened. There was no sign of a crowd so I was in and out, quickly. With a little steam left from the exhausting trip to the voting site it was decided to send out the selection day report.
Please give it your best shot to consume some of this report. It took a whole bunch of effort to piece it together due to the vicissitudes of life. Bet you all know what that means and have experienced similar challenges.
___________________________________________________________________________
Feedback regarding recent article.
Hey John. Thank you for this latest report. I have to say that this was both a fascinating story about the life of James Wesley and a great piece of detective work on your part. In my humble opinion, it is probably one of the best pieces from you that I've read. Entertaining and inspirational at the same time. So glad you decided to head down the stairs.
As far as the raccoon goes, I feel bad about the birds but I also think that the raccoon has a good argument that his actions were justified by the laws of nature. I would go easy on him. Stay well and keep up the faith. Mark Santo—Son of Stan Santo—1951 Ponca City Dodgers
Ed comments:
In the story regarding James Wesley the account of his time with the 1946 Miami Blues was not cited. Thus, the note from Santo prompted me to put a little more effort into finding it. On August 6 of the initial year of the KOM league the Bartlesville Oilers were in Miami for a twi-light doubleheader.
Game summary--Note that all items in parenthesis were added by the editor of this report.
In the second inning Miami scored three times on singles by (Loren) Packard, (Oscar) Engel, (Dale) Burich and (Laverne) Dennis and a walk to (Bill) Chandler. In the fourth, the Blues added three more on bingles by Engel, Burich, (Ralph) Marler and (Jimmy) Cooke and an outfield error by (Whitey) Woods. The final tally in the ninth came on a walk to Cooke, (Newt) Keithley's infield single, a passed ball and Packard's infield safety. Joe (actually Oscar Engel and Loren Packard led the visitors at the plate, each pounding out three hits in five attempts. Manager (Adolph) Arlitt of the Cards, the league's No. 1 hitter most of the season, was blanked last night, failing to connect in four attempts. N. A. Keithley (Stood for Newton Arthur), who has been closing in rapidly on the big first sacker for batting honors,
The Blues didn't yield, however, scoring two runs which were driven across by N. A Keithley and Joe (Oscar) Engel. Joe (Oscar) batted in four runs in all with his three base hits. Each club scored once in the tenth, but the Oilers clinched the argument in the top half of the 13th, when outfielder (Gerald) Cross singled with the bases loaded to plate a pair of teammates.
James Wesley makes his Miami debut
Fans who stuck out the full program, which began at 6:30 p. m., got a glimpse of all three new mound prospects, including James Wesley, righthander from Wetumka; Bob Dennany, southpaw hailing from Paris, Ill., and the right-handed (Robert) Chambers of Sapulpa (Okla.). Of the three, only Wesley lasted more than two innings, his appearance coming in the second game after Dennany was greeted with a five-run attack in the initial stanza. Chambers lasted less than two heats in the first game, during which Ralph MarIcr sparkled in a relief role until a leg injury forced him to retire. Bill Morgan also showed to advantage in the opener after being nicked for a couple of earned runs in the seventh.
On August 10 Dennany was on his way home and it is believed Wesley left the club about the same time. Never do Wesley and Dennany show up in another Miami box score. Thus, it could be said that Wesley never appeared in a KOM league game although he pitched three innings of the second game of the August 6th doubleheader. That second game was called because of the curfew and the game was to be replayed from the start, ten days later, when Bartlesville made a return visit. By that time only Chambers, of the three new pitchers appearing on August 6th, was still on the roster.
On August 6, Ralph Marler pitched well for Miami and a week later he was featured in a Miami News Record feature article. This game summary was presented for August 13 after another win by Marler. “Blasting Oscar Walterman, Carthage's ace pitcher, for eight hits in the first four innings, the Miami Blues took a commanding lead and went on to win handily, 7 to 3, last night for the Sooners' sixth straight KOM league victory. The triumph left the Blues only one and one-half games out of the lead since Chanute was rained out with Bartlesville. Ralph Marler kept five Card hits well-spaced in seven innings on the mound and was credited with the victory. Joe Beran hurled the final two frames. After Walterman was driven out, newcomer Cloyd Boyer, young right-hander, toiled four innings for the Cardinals was relieved in the ninth by Buzz Arlitt after developing a sore shoulder.”
Items on the August 13th sports page that few would notice and connect.
Ralph Marler most likely first saw Walterman when the Carthage hurler was a member of the 1941 Springfield, Mo. Cardinals. One of Walterman’s teammates went by the name of Stan Musial and the clubhouse boy at the time was Joe Garagiola who the St. Louis Cardinals were trying to hide from other teams. Also in that July 13th edition of the Miami News-Record was a column that featured Musial taking over the batting lead in the National league. So, Marler beat a pitcher he most likely saw play as a 17 year old and maybe read about Musial’s accomplishments of leading the league in hitting. But, and that is a very big “but,” he may have missed the sports column entirely for there was story on that same page dedicated solely to him and not much of anything in it related to baseball.
Trial run
Prior to placing the article in this report, written by a 21 year-old young lady, it was shared with a lady I have known for 60 years and has never been hesitant to give her opinion when asked. Sometimes she doesn’t even need that much urging. The article follows and the readers who are prone to respond can share with me what they think. For those sharing their opinion they will in turn be rewarded with the comment my “First Wife” made.
Special note:
Nearly a week ago a photo of Ralph Marler, from 1949, was posted on the Flickr site announcing the next edition would feature this former player. His name wasn’t mentioned and anyone finding that site, quite by accident, was offered a special citation if they could guess his identity. Well, very few people came across that item. However, the fellow who gave up major league baseball for 2020 in favor of reading these reports over and over spotted it. Your attention is directed to the comment section as the terminus of this report if you have quit watching MLB. Which brings up the question, how do you spell MLB backward?
Ralph Marler Toils Hard On Mound for the Blues-- BY BERNADINE LOWE
(Photo of Marler taken circa. 1949 is the feature photo of this report)
On Jan. 29, 1925 in Springfield, Mo., a poet was born He is Ralph Wesley Marler. There is poetry in his eloquent brown eyes, and when he speaks it is like listening to a haunting melody. He is sharply aware that he is too impractical for this world and has begun to fight against his lack of initiative, determination and his indecision, He lives in a dream world because he says in that he can accomplish what he thinks he cannot in reality, He thinks life is wonderful arid wants to wring every iota of happiness out of every minute,' for once a moment passes, it is forever lost. He realizes that he works so hard at trying to enjoy his life that he defeats his purpose. Music is one of the most important things in his life. He thinks "Claire DeLune" is the most beautiful piece of music ever written. He loves people and likes to study them. He will enter college this fall to study to be a psychiatrist. Any subject appeals to Ralph until he has mastered it. He works hard to achieve something, then when it is within his reach, he finds he doesn't want it anymore. He is never completely happy. Reading provides for him an escape from reality, and he likes to read of unusual people possessed of strong character. Shakespeare is one of his favorites. He likes an imaginative girl with expressive eyes and the ability to understand him. To begin a perfect day, he would stand on a high hill and watch the sun rise. Then he would like to stroll through the country, talking with someone who understands him. He sees beauty in the heavens, in every tree, in every blade of grass, in the common dirt of the road, life is so precious to him. He would like to travel in Egypt and China, the cradle of civilization. He spent three years in the Army, eleven months in combat in Europe. The Army brought him disillusionment and stark reality. In sharp contrast to his predominant personality, he loves to pitch, thrills to applause, loves to be noticed. He works hard to win, for he is exuberant in victory, but the slightest defeat will plunge him into deepest despair. He wants to be someone of great renown; a great poet, a great composer of music, a great writer, a brilliant psychiatrist. He should be an outstanding success as a writer, for his method of expression is sheer beauty.
Curiosity aroused;
After reading the Bernadine Lowe article curiosity took over and it had to be determined if Marler lived up to the expectations she espoused.
An advantage of writing about history many questions are answered about predictions and assumptions made many decades previous. What this source knew about Ralph Wesley Marler was that he was born January 29, 1924 in Springfield, Mo., not 1925 as the article by Miss Lowe stated. He passed away July 3, 1978 in Springfield.
Following his stint at Miami, in 1946, Marler was off to Independence, Kansas in 1947. That was brought about since Tom Greenwade was the Yankee scout at Willard, Missouri and Goldie Howard from nearby Branson, Mo. were close friends and both of those guys knew about Marler’s ability from his Springfield high school days as well as his time playing against Howard’s 1946 Chanute team. This is his Sporting News card.
digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/166021...
Marler was initially signed by Tom Greenwade, as a third baseman in 1946, and sent to Joplin, Mo along with other local Springfield boys such as; Lou Michels, Sam Richisen and Don Harliss. All those young men had made a name for themselves with local teams such as Springfield General Tire (Thus known as the Springfield Generals.) Later in history Whitey Herzog would also play on that team when he was stationed at Fr. Leonard Wood during the Korean War.
Arriving at Joplin on April 13, Marler was fighting for a roster spot along with other guys such as Kansas Citian, Harry Bright. Over a decade later (13 years) Bright finally saw the “bright lights” of big league baseball Marler, along with Lou Michels, Robert Cobb and Hercules Varellas were cut from the Joplin team on April 28 and were escorted by Jim Adlam-manager to their new team, the Fond du Lac Panthers of the Wisconsin State league. One can’t pass commenting on a famous name. For those wondering how large Hercules was, in this case he was 5’ 8” and weighed 164. He was from Chicago and a high school all-sport athlete including wrestling.
Marler, after starting the 1946 season at Fond du Lac, was on his way to Miami, Okla. by the middle of May..
Probably the best scorecard format in KOM league history was that of the 1946 Miami club On the front cover were 15 photos of the individual team members. In my possession are various versions of that cover. When the season opened the photo in the middle of the fourth row belonged to Robert Field of Hutchinson, Kansas. (On 8/27/2020 Bob Field, the oldest living former KOM leaguer, will celebrate his 98th birthday.) Three weeks into the season the photo occupying that spot was that of Ralph Marler. For those owning a purchased, borrowed or stolen copy of the “great tome” The KOM League Remembered, that photo is depicted on page 12. If you don’t have that book you might find it by searching the Internet since some pages of the book are displayed for free. www.google.com/search?q=The+KOM+League+Remembered+arcadia
Miami had a working agreement with the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1946, but Marler was never affiliated with the Dodgers. He would only have been had they selected him as one of the six Miami players they wished to retain as a result of the working agreement.
Going backward
Prior to World War II about all that could be learned of Ralph Marler was his days at Springfield Central High School where he played all sports. The school’s yearbook was called “Ozarko” and he was in it many times. One of the more interesting items was his high school baseball team in 1940. In glancing at it the first couple of times not much attention was paid to the other names. Then, a name finally popped out at me. It was R. F. Smalley. Sure that was familiar. R. F. graduated from high school a couple of years after Marler. When Marler was fighting in Europe the not as yet old enough to enter the army, R. F., was in Los Angeles playing for the Angels. R. F. was in the army shortly thereafter and returned to civilian life and took over the shortstop position for the Chicago Cubs. Everyone then knew him as Roy Frederick Smalley, Jr. www.google.com/search?q=Roy+Smalley%20sr. (Note: The record books show Smalley graduating from a Catholic high school in Springfield. However, in 1940 he was in the public Springfield Central high school. (If memory serves me correctly the Catholic school was called Greenwood and later changed to St. Agnes. If memory doesn’t serve me that well then I’ll get mail from the masses.)
With the exception of a former KOM leaguer, Chris Kitsos, Smalley held that position until Ernie Banks came along. Phil Cavaretta lost his job over the Kitsos/Smalley issue. Mr. Wrigley announced at the start of the season Banks was his choice and Cavaretta said Kitsos was his man. History and common sense tells you who won that argument. Cavaretta lost his job over someone he wasn’t “banking” on.
When Marler got back from his army service he tried baseball during the summer and attending Southwest Missouri State in the fall and winter sessions. While in college he became the point guard for teams 1946 through 1949. At SMS the team played at the NAIA level and was a powerhouse. The star of that team was Preston Ward who made his home in Springfield after his birth right here in Columbia, Missouri. He happened to enter the world in “Mizzou City” for his parents, both teachers, were attending summer school.
A number of former KOM leaguers were also members of athletic teams at SMS during that era and could play any sport except baseball. Included on the basketball teams with Marler and Ward were Frank Hungerford and Bob Gott. Baseball scouts from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Browns were frequent visitors to “The Queen City of the Ozarks—Springfield.”
For a few hours of fun at the old computer it would be easy to enter names such as all those just listed along with Jerry Lumpe, Norm Sieburn, Bob Speake, Dale Ward and learn more of the rich history of baseball in the Ozarks.
Totally unrelated to baseball is another fellow who was playing football at SMS and his senior picture is on the same page with Marler’s. That person was a coach at the high school I attended from 1953-57. The coach also taught social studies. In his classes he told of playing college football and delved into issues of a political nature. There are not many class sessions that are memorable from my high school years but that coach and teacher, Jim Mentis, posed a question one day. It went something like “Who will be the Russian leader remembered longer than any of the others?” Hands shot up from the class and Joe Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Nikita Khrushchev all got votes. Mentis disagreed and asked for more guesses. Mine right hand went into the air and he asked my opinion and when I uttered “V. M. Molotov” he said I was right. Of course, that was due to V. M’s fame as the advocate of using the simple bottle of gasoline with a rag as a wick. Looking around the world and this country, currently, maybe the teacher and student were prescient.
In a strange bit of coincidence Mentis was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and died in a veterans home at Mt. Vernon, Missouri
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Coming to the end
Find A Grave—https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81094506
Did Marler follow the path predicted for him in the Miami-News Record of 8/13/1946? Read for yourself.
Springfield News Leader July 4, 1978--Ralph Marler
Ralph Wesley Marler, 54, of 2002 Swallow, died about 6 a. m. Monday in St. John’s Hospital of a heart ailment.
Mr. Marler was a building contractor and member of Covenant Presbyterian Church. The Springfield native was a veteran of World War II.
He graduated from Southwest Missouri State University, where he was a basketball letterman. Mr. Marler received his master’s degree from University of Missouri.
Survivors include his with, Ginger, a son, Mark Wesley of the home, and a daughter, Mrs. Nancy Shea, Kirkwood; his parents Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Marler, 1712 S. National; two sisters, Mrs. Virginia Coon, 2111 S. Luster, and Mrs. Marilyn Coon, Boute 1, Sparta, and a grandchild.
Memorial donation to be made to the SMS Educational Foundation.
Graveside services will be at 10:320 a. m. Wednesday in Maple Park Cemetery with Rev. Curtis a March officiating. Burial will follow under direction of German-Scharpf-Abbot.
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First baseman for the 1947 Carthage Cardinals passes away.
Nicholas Frederick Casaletto passed away April 9, 2020 in Summit, Illinois. His cause of death was listed as Coronavirus. He was born 2/9/1926 in Lyons, Illinois
Most of what is shared regarding the first baseman for the 1947 Carthage, Missouri Cardinals is found in the form of URL’s. Read it over and if there are any questions regarding his life, let me know. He was contacted in the early days of researching the KOM league and had many fond memories of playing minor league baseball after his days as a Marine in World War II.
www.foranfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Nicholas-Casaletto/#!...
Obituary for Nicholas F. Casaletto
Nicholas F. Casaletto, Veteran Marine Corps. World War II, Beloved Husband of the late Eleanor, nee Master. Loving Father of Gregory (Elaine), Candace, and Kenneth (Sherry) Casaletto. Proud Grandfather of Nicole, Brian (Sara) and Matthew. Dear Great-Grandfather of Grace and Emily. Cherished Son of the late Rocco and late Victoria, nee Dziadura, Casaletto. Fond Brother of Jerry (Linda) and the late Eugene (late Pat) Casaletto.
Due to the COVID-19 concerns Nichols’ family is having a private burial. A Celebration of Nicholas’ Life with a Memorial will be scheduled for a later date.
www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=casale...
This is the link to his Sporting News card. digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/7846/r...
With the passing of Casaletto only two roster members of the 1947 Carthage Cardinals remain. They are Hank Zich and Christopher Haughey. John E. O’Grady has never been located so his fate has not been determined.
Since O’Grady was mentioned in the previous paragraph, as “missing,” an all-out effort has been made to determine his whereabouts or fate. The list has been narrowed to two people and for sure when the determination is made it will be regarding O’Grady’s fate, not whereabouts.
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One of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s most time-honored traditions, new cadets are required to report to the senior cadets during Reception Day to demonstrate fundamental military skills under pressure. The more than 1,200 new cadets reporting over three days from June 26-28 will be tested on physical fitness and learn military fundamentals ahead of six weeks of Cadet Basic Training. (U.S. Army photo by CDT Hannah Lamb).
Visit my shop: retrogoodies.co.uk
A lovely professional portable tape recorder - Uher 4000.
I used one in Canada, way back, a 2000 Report L.
This later model is trying to look like a Nagra, I think!
I found this at the local garbage tip, paid about £5. It doesn't work.
They are not allowed to sell electrical items any more which is a real shame nor are charity shops, you know, "health 'n Safety" :-(
All these classics which could be saved will just go into landfill.
Nestlé Health Science accelerated its ambition to shape a new industry between tradtional nutrition and pharma in 2012.
Chocolate cake made using Nestlé Dessert chocolate, the leader in the baking chocolate segment in France for more than 40 years.
Toghill, Leslie C
TOGHILL, LESLIE CYRIL
Rank: Sergeant
Service No: 612946
Date of Death: 12/02/1942
Age: 23
Service: Royal Air Force, 49 Sqdn.
Panel Reference Panel 95.
Memorial RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Son of Frederick Henry and Grace Ellen Toghill, of Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1808883/TOGHILL...
In the official Casualty Communique number 173, printed in Flight Magazine on the 19th November, Sergeant L C Toghill is listed amongst those who were “Previously reported missing, now presumed Killed in Action”
12 February, 1942: In recent months, Bomber Command had dropped over 3,000 tons of bombs on the battle cruisers 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau' and the light cruiser 'Prinz Eugen' as they resided in the French port of Brest. The two larger ships had both been badly damaged, and the threat of further damage had prevented the ships from sailing out into the Atlantic on another raid against allied shipping. In a daring and well-executed operation, the Germans sailed their 3 ships straight up through the English Channel to bring them back to the greater protection of a German port. What followed on the part of the British Command has since been labelled as a catalogue of catastrophes, needless to say that the German warships achieved their destination unharmed. Heavily armed and protected by the Luftwaffe, the Germans exacted a heavy toll during the gallant British attempts to stop their breakout; Fighter Command lost 16 aircraft and the Fleet Air Arm had 6 Swordfish destroyed. Bomber Command's part in the action involved 244 aircraft of which 15 were lost in action, and a further 2 crashing on return. Only 5 Group had been on a 4 hour 'stand by', as bomber Squadrons made frantic efforts to prepare their aircraft. Eventually, 5 Group contributed 64 Hampdens and 15 Manchesters to attack the German warships; 9 Hampdens were reported missing and one crashed on return. 49 Squadron's participation was prompted by a signal from Group received at 10.00hrs requesting 20 aircraft to attack the 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau' at sea! Cpl Trevor Simpson recalls the urgency with which the preparations were carried out, and he is almost certain that this was the occasion when the Hampdens were taxied into a hangar, bombed up and then taxied out!
In low cloud and rain with extremely poor visibility, only 3 of the squadron's aircraft found the primary target.
It is now believed that two of the aircraft were shot down by German fighters, AE132 piloted by F/Sgt Charles Pollitt and AE396 flown by Sgt Edward Phillips. What we do know for certain is that these two crews plus that of Sgt Mervyn Holt (AE249) disappeared into the dark waters of the North Sea without trace; they are all remembered at Runnymede.
Hampden AE396 (EA-W)
Sgt E.W. Phillips Pilot (Missing)
Sgt A. Jackson W/OP (Missing)
Sgt K.W. Heard Pilot (Missing)
Sgt L.C. Toghill A/G (Missing)
www.bomberhistory.co.uk/49squadron/Roll%20of%20honour/Rol...
Sergeant Edward Walter Phillips, aged 21 - Son of Edward A. and Mary E. Phillips, of Conisbrough, Yorkshire.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1804294/PHILLIP...
Sergeant Alexander Jackson, aged 20 - Son of Alexander William and Elsie Jackson, of New Wortley, Leeds, Yorkshire
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1800975/JACKSON...
Sergeant Kenneth William Heard, aged 20 - Son of John Edward and Emily Winifred Heard, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/1799831/HEARD,%...
Tuck, Derrick B
TUCK, DERRICK BERNARD
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Air Gnr.
Service No: 3000563
Date of Death: 25/06/1945
Age: 19
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Grave Reference 2. E. 10.
Cemetery MOASCAR WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Albert George and Mabel Gertrude Tuck, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2114827/TUCK,%2...
MOASCAR WAR CEMETERY, Egypt.
Historical Information
Moascar was the name given to the military camp near the town of Ismailia. The desert cemetery was started at Moascar by the military authorities for the burial of war casualties, mainly from the Canal Zone. After the war, further graves were moved into the cemetery from a number of burial grounds in the vicinity where permanent maintenance was not possible.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2009801/MOASCAR%20W...
I can’t find a reference to Derrick in the Official Casualty Lists held at the Flight site, but they are poorly indexed.
I could not find any reference to a crash in Egypt on this day.
.
Winter, Russell H
WINTER, RUSSELL HARRY
Rank: Flying Officer
Trade: W.Op./Air Gnr.
Service No: 169680
Date of Death: 28/07/1944
Age: 29
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 78 Sqdn.
Grave Reference Grave 11.
Cemetery ST. JORIS COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of George and Lilian Winter, of Norwich; husband of Irene Mabel Winter, of Upper Hillesdon, Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2253042/WINTER,...
Another one who wasn’t readily traceable through the official casualty lists as printed in Flight Magazine.
78 Squadrons were flying Halifax’s at this time.
Bomber Command Diary
27/28 July 1944
30 Mosquitos to Stuttgart and 12 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
28 July 1944
199 aircraft - 159 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos, 20 Stirlings - of Nos 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked two launching sites and made two further separate raids on the Forêt de Nieppe storage site. All bombing was through cloud but the various methods used were believed to have led to accurate results. 1 Halifax lost from one of the Forêt de Nieppe raids.
28/29 July 1944
494 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups in the last raid of the current series on Stuttgart. German fighters intercepted the bomber stream while over France on the outward flight; there was a bright moon and 39 Lancasters were shot down, 19 per cent of the force.
307 aircraft - 187 Halifaxes, 106 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos from Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups - to Hamburg. German fighters again appeared, this time on the homeward flight, and 18 Halifaxes and 4 Lancasters were lost, 12 per cent of the force. The Halifax casualties were 9.6 per cent; No 431 (Canadian) Squadron, flying from Croft airfield in Co. Durham, lost 5 of its 17 aircraft on the raid. This was the first heavy raid on Hamburg since the Battle of Hamburg just a year earlier. The bombing on this raid was not well concentrated. The Germans estimated that only 120 aircraft bombed in the city area, with no recognisable aiming point, though western and harbour areas received the most bombs.
119 aircraft of Nos 1, 4 and 8 Groups attacked the flying bomb stores area at Forêt De Nieppe again. No aircraft lost.
Support and 95 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 13 Mosquitos to Frankfurt, 41 RCM sorties, 50 Mosquito patrols, 5 Halifaxes minelaying in the River Elbe. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,126 sorties, 61 aircraft (5.4 per cent) lost.
www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jul44.html
Other casualties from 78 Squadron who died the same day and who are buried in the St Joris Communal Cemetery:-
Flight Lieutenant William Gladstone Hoffman, aged 21, Pilot.
Son of Eagar and Hazel Hoffman; husband of Nan Hoffman, of Forres, Morayshire.
www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2253038/HOFFMAN...
The headstones can be seen here
www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/stjoris.htm
A closer shot of the headstone shows the Star of David.
twgpp.org/information.php?id=2903832
There is a bit more about the cemetery, which attributes Russell Winter and William Hoffman as members of the same crew, of Halifax MZ340 on this Dutch Language site.
translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=ht...
There is actually a monument to the crew of the plane, for which there is a photograph on the same site. I’ve tried to tidy up the Google translation of the original piece in Dutch.
Took off at 16.04 on the 28th July from RAF Breighton, England, with a target of the V1 sites and stores in the Forest of Nieppe. 8 miles from the Belgium coast it was hit by German Flak from unit Abt 252 located at Mariakerke, Ostend. The pilot avoided Nieport City, and dropped 16 225kg bombs between St Joris and Kappelle, accidentally killing two civilians at St Joris. The pilot stayed with the damaged aircraft so that the crew could escape. Wireless Operator\Air Gunner Harry Russell Winter was found drowned in the canal with a torn parachute. Halifax EY-X with Pilot William Hoffman aboard crashed at 17.59 at a farm near Great Noordhof.
The crew who survived the crash were F/O W I F Bell, (Navigator), F/O Ronald E F Collier (Bomb Aimer), P/O Kevin W Burns, (Flight Engineer), Sergeant George R G Marley, (Mid-Upper Gunner) and Sergeant Robert C Laing, (Rear Gunner). They were all taken Prisoner. There is a book about the crash, “The Last Flight of Halifax Mk 111 MZ-340 EY-X” by Jean-Pierre Vandorpe.
www.aviationheritage.eu/nl/content/monument-slachtoffers-...
A local comments on a Dutch Forum site that he witnessed the crash, Russell is believed to have struck his head on the door frame and was unconscious when he fell. His parachute did not open.
www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopic.php?t=8897&s...
Wakefield, Charles A,
WAKEFIELD, CHARLES ALBERT
Rank: Yeoman of Signals
Service No: C/J 39854
Date of Death: 15/02/1942
Age: 42
Service: Royal Navy, H.M.S. President III
Panel Reference 58, 2.
Memorial CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Son of Albert and Mary Louise Wakefield; husband of Ethel Wakefield, of Norwich, Norfolk.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2473562/WAKEFIE...
On the 1900 census, the 1 year old Charles A, (Born Hellesdon, Norfolk) was recorded at 159 Aylsham Road, Norwich. At that time this part of Aylsham Road fell within the Parish of St Mary Hellesdon.
This was the household of his parents, Albert E, (aged 25 and a Brickmaker from Heydon, Norfolk) and Louisa, (aged 22 and a Tailoress from Horsford, Norfolk).
The most likely match on the GRO index of marriages is that of a Charles A Wakefield to an Ethel Crossfield that took place in St Georges, Hanover Square, London in the July to September 1929 quarter.
15/02/1942
Empire Spring, steamship
BROWN, Walter T, Act/Able Seaman, C/JX 186153, (President III, O/P), MPK
CHAPMAN, Charles O, Ordinary Telegraphist, P/JX 197809, (President III, O/P), MPK
COX, Albert E G, Convoy Signalmam, C/JX 174046, (Pembroke, O/P), MPK
DIBBEN, Arthur D H, Captain, (Eaglet, O/P), MPK
HARRISON, Arthur, Act/Able Seaman, D/JX 214735, (President III, O/P), MPK
JEFFS, Alexander G, Ordinary Signalman, C/JX 185518, (President III, O/P), MPK
STARKEY, Herbert J, Act/Able Seaman, C/JX 223501, (President III, O/P), MPK
THOMPSON, Robert, Leading Signalman, C/JX 185536, (Pembroke, O/P), MPK
WAKEFIELD, Charles A, Convoy Yeoman of Signals, C/J 39854, (Pembroke, O/P), MPK
WATSON, Lewis T, Convoy Signalmam, C/JX 174071, (Pembroke, O/P), MPK
www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1942-02FEB.htm
Empire Spring
Empire Spring was a 6,946 GRT CAM ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 8 March 1941 and completed in June 1941. Torpedoed on 14 February 1942 and sunk by U-576 in the North Atlantic.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Empire_ships_(Si%E2%80%93Sy)#Empire_Spring
She had left the Mersey on the 5th February 1942 in Convoy. The convoy broke up on the 15th February 1942 and the Empire Spring went missing, presumed hit by German Submarine U-576 and sunk with her crew of 42 and 5 Gunners.
www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?30961
Watson, Arthur C.
WATSON, ARTHUR CHARLES
Rank: Chief Engine Room Artificer
Service No: C/M 34510
Date of Death: 24/08/1940
Age: 37
Regiment/Service: Royal Navy, H.M.S. Penzance
Panel Reference 37, 2.
Memorial CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Son of Henry and Alice Watson; husband of Elsie Edith Watson, of Norwich, Norfolk.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2473733/WATSON,...
At 20.38 hours on 24 Aug, 1940, HMS Penzance (L 28) (Cdr A.J. Wavish, RN), escorting the convoy SC-1, was hit by one torpedo from U-37, broke in two and sank in a few minutes southwest of Iceland. When the stern section sank the unsecured depth charges detonated, killing some of the survivors swimming in the water and slightly damaging the U-boat. Nevertheless two ships from the convoy stopped to pick up survivors. Twelve men were picked up by the British steam merchant Fylingdale, but one of them later died of injures and was buried at sea. Seven men were picked up by the Blairmore, which was torpedoed and sunk by the same U-boat later that night. All men from the sloop survived the second sinking, were rescued after about 17 hours by the Swedish motor merchant Eknaren (Master Erik Kallstrom) and landed at Baltimore.
Complement 108 officers and men (90 dead and 18 survivors).
www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/474.html
Webster, Stanley G
WEBSTER, STANLEY GORDON
Rank: Serjeant
Service No: T/45514
Date of Death: 08/07/1942
Regiment/Service: Royal Army Service Corps
Grave Reference 3. G. 7.
Cemetery BEIRUT WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Thomas William and Florence Elizabeth Webster, of Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2188096/WEBSTER...
Woods, Charles W.
Probably
WOODS, CHARLES WILLIAM
Rank: Driver
Service No: T/221302
Date of Death: 14/01/1944
Age: 32
Regiment/Service: Royal Army Service Corps
Grave Reference II. D. 26.
Cemetery BARI WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of William and Florance Woods, of Norwich; husband of Hannah Elizabeth Woods, of Norwich.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2077260/WOODS,%...
Yallop, John S
(Only match)
YALLOP, JOHN SIDNEY
Rank: Able Seaman
Service No: C/J 96159
Date of Death: 17/09/1940
Service: Royal Navy, H.M.S. Kent
Panel Reference 36, 2.
Memorial CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Husband of M. M. Yallop.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2474343/YALLOP,...
Photograph of HMS Kent
www.naval-history.net/Photo06caKent1NP.jpg
September 1940
17th Carried out bombardment of Fort Cappuzo.
Hit by torpedo from Italian aircraft during air attacks and disabled.
Taken in tow by HMS NUBIAN.
19th Arrived in tow at Alexandria, where emergency repairs were carried out.
www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CA-Kent.htm
John was one of 33 crew members killed in the attack including a father and son.
On 15 September 1940 the battleship Valiant, the aircraft carrier Illustrious, Kent, the anti-aircraft cruisers Calcutta and Coventry, and seven destroyers left Alexandria bound for Benghazi. During the night of 16/17 September 1940, aircraft from the Illustrious mined the harbour of Benghazi. They also attacked shipping in the harbour with torpedoes and bombs, sinking two destroyers and two merchant ships. Kent and two destroyers were detached to bombard Bardia while returning to Alexandria. During the night of 17/18 September 1940 the ship was hit in the stern by a torpedo from Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers from the 279th Independent Torpedo Squadron (Italian: Squadriglie Autonomo Aerosiluranti) led by Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia. She was towed back to base by the destroyers with great difficulty.[
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Kent_(54)
The Italian Army had crossed the Libyan border into Egypt a few days earlier and had re-taken Fort Capuzzo. The British Army had retreated to prepared position, leaving only a light screen of troops to delay the Italians advance. Part of the deception was to make the screen seen much stronger than it was. In deterring the Italian advance up the coastal road, the Royal Navy bombardment was part of that deception.
'Crecer Bien' is a nutrition education programme for children aged 3-8 years, implemented by Nestlé Peru.
Il report medico sull'infortunio di Manolo Gabbiadini finalmente è arrivato. L'attaccante
infortunio, gabbiadini, report, medico articolo completo: www.diggita.it/v.php?id=1503881
We awarded the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value to Fundación Paraguaya for its 'Self Sufficient Agricultural School' model. This rural development programme in Paraguay gives high school students in rural communities the entrepreneurial and practical skills they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard bearing no studio name. The card has a divided back.
Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Cochran's Mills, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, U.S. on the 5th. May 1864. However, Elizabeth was better known by her pen name Nellie Bly.
Nellie was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg.
She is also noted for her exposé in which she worked undercover to report on a mental institution from within. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism.
-- Nellie Bly - The Early Years
Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born in "Cochran's Mills", now part of the Pittsburgh suburb of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
Her father, Michael Cochran, born about 1810, started out as a labourer and mill worker before buying the local mill and most of the land surrounding his family farmhouse. He later became a merchant, postmaster, and associate justice at Cochran's Mills (which was named after him) in Pennsylvania.
Michael married twice. He had 10 children with his first wife, Catherine Murphy, and 5 more children, including Elizabeth Cochran, with his second wife, Mary Jane Kennedy.
Michael Cochran's father had immigrated from County Londonderry, Ireland, in the 1790's. Michael died in 1871, when Elizabeth was 6.
As a young girl, Elizabeth was often called "Pinky" because she so frequently wore that color. As she became a teenager, she wanted to portray herself as more sophisticated, and so dropped the nickname and changed her surname to "Cochrane".
In 1879, she enrolled at Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for one term, but was forced to drop out due to lack of funds.
In 1880, Cochrane's mother moved her family to Pittsburgh. A newspaper column entitled "What Girls Are Good For" in the Pittsburgh Dispatch reported that girls were principally for birthing children and keeping house. The article prompted Elizabeth to write a response under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl".
The Dispatch's editor, George Madden, was impressed with her passion, and ran an advertisement asking the author to identify herself. When Cochrane introduced herself to the editor, he offered her the opportunity to write a piece for the newspaper, again under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl".
Her first article for the Dispatch, entitled "The Girl Puzzle", was about how divorce affected women. In it, she argued for the reform of divorce laws. Madden was impressed again, and offered her a full-time job.
It was customary for women who were newspaper writers at that time to use pen names. The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck.
-- Nellie Bly's Career
-- The Pittsburgh Dispatch
As a writer, Nellie Bly focused her early work for the Pittsburgh Dispatch on the lives of working women, writing a series of investigative articles on women factory workers.
However, the newspaper soon received complaints from factory owners about her writing, and she was re-assigned to women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening, the usual role for women journalists.
However Nellie became dissatisfied, and still only 21, she was determined "to do something no girl has done before." She travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent, spending nearly half a year reporting on the lives and customs of the Mexican people; her dispatches later were published in book form as 'Six Months in Mexico'.
In one report, she protested against the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticising the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Díaz. When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. Safely home, she accused Díaz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press.
-- Nellie Bly's Asylum Exposé
Burdened with theatre and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman.
Penniless after four months, she talked her way into the offices of Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper the New York World and took an undercover assignment for which she agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island, now named Roosevelt Island.
It was not an easy task for Bly to be admitted to the Asylum: she first decided to check herself into a boarding house called Temporary Homes for Females. She stayed up all night to give herself the wide-eyed look of a disturbed woman, and began making accusations that the other boarders were insane.
Bly told the assistant matron:
"There are so many crazy people
about, and one can never tell what
they will do."
She refused to go to bed, and eventually scared so many of the other boarders that the police were called to take her to the nearby courthouse. Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island.
Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions first-hand. After ten days, the asylum released Bly at The New York World's behest.
Nellie's report, later published in book form as 'Ten Days in a Mad-House', caused a sensation, prompting the asylum to implement reforms, and brought her lasting fame. She had a significant impact on American culture, and shed light on the experiences of marginalized women beyond the bounds of the asylum as she ushered in the era of stunt girl journalism.
In 1893, Bly used the celebrity status she had gained from her asylum reporting skills to schedule an exclusive interview with the allegedly insane serial killer Lizzie Halliday.
Biographer Brooke Kroeger wrote:
"Bly's two-part series in October 1887 was
a sensation, effectively launching the decade
of “stunt” or “detective” reporting, a clear
precursor to investigative journalism, and one
of Joseph Pulitzer’s innovations that helped
give “New Journalism” of the 1880's and 1890's
its moniker.
The employment of “stunt girls” has often been
dismissed as a circulation-boosting gimmick of
the sensationalist press. However, the genre
also provided women with their first collective
opportunity to demonstrate that, as a class, they
had the skills necessary for the highest level of
general reporting.
The stunt girls, with Bly as their prototype, were
the first women to enter the journalistic mainstream
in the twentieth century".
-- Around the World in 72 Days
In 1888, Bly suggested to her editor at the New York World that she take a trip around the world, attempting to turn the fictional Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) into fact for the first time.
A year later, at 9:40 a.m. on November 14, 1889, and with two days' notice, she boarded the Augusta Victoria, a steamer of the Hamburg America Line, and began her 40,070 kilometre journey.
Nellie took with her the dress she was wearing, a sturdy overcoat, several changes of underwear, and a small travel bag carrying her toiletry essentials. She carried most of her money (£200 in English bank notes and gold, as well as some American currency) in a bag tied around her neck.
The New York newspaper Cosmopolitan sponsored its own reporter, Elizabeth Bisland, to beat the time of both Phileas Fogg and Bly.
Bisland travelled the opposite way around the world, starting on the same day as Bly.
Bly, however, did not learn of Bisland's journey until reaching Hong Kong. She dismissed the cheap competition. She stated:
"I would not race. If someone
else wants to do the trip in less
time, that is their concern."
To sustain interest in the story, the World organized a "Nellie Bly Guessing Match" in which readers were asked to estimate Bly's arrival time to the second, with the Grand Prize consisting at first of a free trip to Europe and, later on, spending money for the trip.
During her travels around the world, Nellie went through England, France (where she met Jules Verne in Amiens), Brindisi, the Suez Canal, Colombo (Ceylon), the Straits Settlements of Penang and Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.
The development of efficient submarine cable networks and the electric telegraph allowed Bly to send short progress reports, although longer dispatches had to travel by regular post, and thus were often delayed by several weeks.
Bly traveled using steamships and the existing railway systems, which caused occasional setbacks, particularly on the Asian leg of her race. During these stops, she visited a leper colony in China and, in Singapore, she bought a monkey.
As a result of rough weather on her Pacific crossing, she arrived in San Francisco on the White Star Line ship RMS Oceanic on the 21st. January, two days behind schedule.
However, after New York World owner Pulitzer chartered a private train to bring her home, she arrived back in New Jersey on the 25th. January 1890 at 3:51 pm.
Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. She had circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone for almost the entire journey. Bisland was, at the time, still crossing the Atlantic, only to arrive in New York four and a half days later.
She also had missed a connection, and had to board a slow, old ship (the Bothnia) in the place of a fast ship (Etruria). Bly's journey was a world record, although it was bettered a few months later by George Francis Train, whose first circumnavigation in 1870 possibly had been the inspiration for Verne's novel.
Train completed the journey in 67 days, and on his third trip in 1892 in 60 days. By 1913, Andre Jaeger-Schmidt, Henry Frederick, and John Henry Mears had improved on the record, the latter completing the journey in fewer than 36 days.
-- Nellie Bly The Novelist
After the fanfare of her trip around the world, Bly quit reporting and took a lucrative job writing serial novels for publisher Norman Munro's weekly New York Family Story Paper.
The first chapters of Eva The Adventuress, based on the real-life trial of Eva Hamilton, appeared in print before Bly returned to New York.
Between 1889 and 1895 she wrote eleven novels. As few copies of the paper survived, these novels were thought lost until 2021, when author David Blixt announced their discovery, found in Munro's British weekly The London Story Paper.
In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the New York World.
-- Nellie Bly's Patent for an Improved Milk-Can
In 1895, Bly married millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. Nellie was 31 and Seaman was 73 when they married. Due to her husband's failing health, she left journalism and succeeded her husband as head of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co., which made steel containers such as milk cans and boilers.
In 1904, Iron Clad began manufacturing the steel barrel that was the model for the 55-gallon oil drum still in widespread use in the United States. There have been claims that Bly invented the barrel, although the inventor was registered as Henry Wehrhahn.
Nellie was, however, an inventor in her own right, receiving U.S. Patent 697,553 for a novel milk can and U.S. Patent 703,711 for a stacking garbage can, both under her married name of Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman.
In 1904, Robert Seaman died, and for a time Nellie was one of the leading women industrialists in the United States, but her negligence, and embezzlement by a factory manager, resulted in the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. going bankrupt.
According to biographer Brooke Kroeger:
"She ran her company as a model of social
welfare, replete with health benefits and
recreational facilities.
But Bly was hopeless at understanding the
financial aspects of her business, and ultimately
lost everything.
Unscrupulous employees bilked the firm of
hundreds of thousands of dollars, troubles
compounded by a protracted and costly
bankruptcy litigation".
Back in reporting, Nellie covered the Woman Suffrage Procession of 1913 for the New York Evening Journal. Her article's headline was "Suffragists Are Men's Superiors" and in its text she accurately predicted that it would be 1920 before women in the United States would be given the right to vote.
Nellie also wrote stories on Europe's Eastern Front during the Great War. Bly was the first woman, and one of the first foreigners, to visit the war zone between Serbia and Austria. She was arrested when she was mistaken for a British spy.
-- The Death of Nellie Bly
On the 27th. January 1922, Nellie Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital, New York City, at the young age of 57. She was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.
-- The Legacy of Nellie Bly
-- Honours
In 1998, Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Bly was one of four journalists honoured with a US postage stamp in a "Women in Journalism" set in 2002.
In 2019, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation put out an open call for artists to create a Nellie Bly Memorial art installation on Roosevelt Island. The winning proposal, 'The Girl Puzzle' by Amanda Matthews, was announced on the 16th. October 2019.
The New York Press Club confers an annual Nellie Bly Cub Reporter journalism award to acknowledge the best journalistic effort by an individual with three years or less professional experience.
-- Nellie Bly in the Theatre
Nellie was the subject of the 1946 Broadway musical 'Nellie Bly' by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. The show ran for 16 performances.
During the 1990's, playwright Lynn Schrichte wrote and toured 'Did You Lie, Nellie Bly?', a one-woman show about Bly.
-- Nellie Bly in Film and Television
Bly has been portrayed in the films 'The Adventures of Nellie Bly' (1981), '10 Days in a Madhouse' (2015), and 'Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story' (2019).
In 2019, the Center for Investigative Reporting released 'Nellie Bly Makes the News', a short animated biographical film.
A fictionalized version of Bly as a mouse named Nellie Brie appears as a central character in the animated children's film 'An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster'.
Anne Helm appeared as Nellie Bly in the 21st. November 1960, 'Tales of Wells Fargo' TV episode "The Killing of Johnny Lash".
Julia Duffy appeared as Bly in the 10th. July 1983 'Voyagers!' episode "Jack's Back".
The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in 'American Horror Story: Asylum' is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum.
Bly was also a subject of Season 2 Episode 5 of 'The West Wing' in which First Lady Abbey Bartlet dedicates a memorial in Pennsylvania in honour of Nellie Bly, and convinces the President to mention her and other female historic figures on his weekly radio address.
Bly has been the subject of two episodes of the Comedy Central series 'Drunk History'. The second-season episode "New York City" featured her undercover exploits in the Blackwell's Island asylum, while the third-season episode "Journalism" retold the story of her race around the world against Elizabeth Bisland.
On May 5, 2015, the Google search engine produced an interactive "Google Doodle" for Bly; for the "Google Doodle" Karen O wrote, composed, and recorded an original song about Bly, and Katy Wu created an animation set to Karen O's music.
-- Nellie Bly in Literature
Nellie Bly has been featured as the protagonist of novels by David Blixt, Marshall Goldberg, Dan Jorgensen, Carol McCleary, Pearry Reginald Teo and Christine Converse. David Blixt also appeared on a 10th. March 2021 episode of the podcast 'Broads You Should Know' as a Nellie Bly expert.
A fictionalized account of Bly's around the world trip was used in the 2010 comic book 'Julie Walker Is The Phantom' published by Moonstone Books.
Bly is one of 100 women featured in the first version of the book 'Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls' written by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo.
-- Eponyms and Namesakes
The board game 'Round the World with Nellie Bly', created in 1890, is named in recognition of her trip.
The Nellie Bly Amusement Park in Brooklyn, New York City, was named after her, taking as its theme Around the World in Eighty Days. The park reopened in 2007 under new management, renamed "Adventurers Amusement Park".
A fireboat named Nellie Bly operated in Toronto, Canada, in the first decade of the 20th. Century.
From early in the twentieth century until 1961, the Pennsylvania Railroad operated an express train named the Nellie Bly on a route between New York and Atlantic City. In its early years, it was a parlour-car only train; in 1901 it crashed, killing 17 people.
This was sent in a few days ago to me. I hate to say this, but I kind of like this tag as far as tags go, but from what I understand it was on the guy's house. -Design Crack