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Article on the street gang "The L.A.D.S. - who protected the old punk scene and kept out alot of undesirables and pranksters who were just there to cause it all to fall apart.Cheers!
"...We were offered an unseemly Faun who perpetrated vile, bestially erotic movements, and disgustingly shameless gestures - nothing more than that. Well-deserved hisses greeted the only-too-realistic mime, the ill-shaped animal body, and the countenance even more repellent in profile than in full face. The public will never accept so brutish a reality.
"Mr. Nijinsky, little accustomed to such a response and ill-prepared for such a role, showed us his other face fifteen minutes later with his exquisite rendering of Mr. J. L. Vaudoyer's charming 'Spectre de la rose.' This is the kind of show the public wants, embodying French charm, French taste, French wit. Whoever seeks, during a long evening, to win the applause of an audience by dint of poetry, emotion, imagination, and beauty will ever seek to draw on these clear wellsprings. The other is doomed to oblivion." [Gaston Calmette in "Le Figaro," May 30, 1912]
So much for French insight.
Nearly 1,000 Students to Participate in WSSU Commencement on May 15
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Christina Wareâs story is one of the many inspiring testimonials of the nearly 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students from near and afar who are expected to participate in Winston-Salem State Universityâs commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15, at 9:45 a.m., at Bowman Gray Stadium, 1250 South Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
Academy Award-winning recording artist, activist and actor Common will be the keynote speaker. There are no guest limits or ticket requirements for the ceremony.
It is conceivable that Wareâs story of work ethic, undeniable spirit and enthusiasm encapsulates the sentiment of her graduating 2015 classmates.
Ware, 43, of Winston-Salem, is quite active on and off campus as a mentor to other students, a member of the non-traditional student organization, the first president of Epsilon Chapter 130 of Tau Sigma National Honor Society at WSSU, a wife and proud mother of two. She is also legally blind. She wants to blaze trails, set examples and raise the bar for others with disabilities.
âIn 2007, I lost my eyesight. After a six-month pity party, I decided to continue my education and make a difference for others. Since 2008, I have spent every day of my life proving to society that having a disability does not mean we are weak. I am now an advocate for persons with disabilities,â Ware, a business major, said, "We are not handicapped, we are handy capable!"
Ware, who can be described as always pleasant and having an unlimited enthusiasm for life, says every day alive is like Christmas. She demands to be treated like everyone else and has been noted to say, âI may physically fall, but mentally I can get back up and pull a 4.0 semester.â After graduation she wants to start a Kosher/Halal foods business and become active on community boards.
The China Connection
From the City of Harbin, the capital and largest city of the Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China, WSSU Master of Arts in the Teaching of English as a Second Language and Applied Linguistics students Yaowen Xing and Chunling Zhang have found a second home at WSSU and in Winston-Salem. They perhaps have come the farthest distance attend the university.
With a population of more than five million people, Harbin is situated in the northeast region of China so close to Russia that only the Songhua River separates the two countries. Nicknamed the Ice City, the average winter temperature is -3.5 °F with annual lows hitting -31.0 °F. Itâs no wonder the students say the warmer weather here in the Piedmont Triad has not been lost in translation with them and itâs one of the things they enjoy.
âWe really love the weather in North Carolina, especially the long summer time, since our hometown is so cold with snow for almost 6 months of the year,â Xing, 30, noted. âWe also love the people at WSSU and the faculty who all are nice and it has been a really good experience.â
Xing and Zhang, 35, are in America as part of a Chinese education immersion program to help exchange the cultures between China and America. They enjoy working as cultural ambassadors to students in both the cultures. The two came to the U.S. in 2013 and have been teaching at Konnoak Elementary school during the early hours and studying and researching later in the day. âComing to America was a dream for me after learning about it through books, movies and music, and my time here it has been amazing,â Xing said.
Zhang, said she didnât know much about WSSU or Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUâs), but after a short time here she knew WSSU would be was special part of life. âI have met many African- Americans who have been friendly and helpful. I now can say I truly have many black friends,â Zhang said. She and Xing have taken advantage of the HBCU experience. They have been often seen attending evening lectures and presentations, sports events, musical and visual arts events. With their WSSU master degrees they will return to China one day in the future to make an impact on teaching and the quality of education there.
The All-In Approach
Olivia N. Sedwick, 21, a political science major from Indianapolis, has taken âthe all-in approach" to her WSSU experience. The current WSSU student government president (SGA), honorâs student and champion athlete, chose WSSU over other schools she could have attended.
Featured in a USA Today article highlighting the HBCU experience released last June, Sedwick is quoted as saying about WSSU, âI fell in love with the school.â She says, âWe talked about things that I had never had the chance to before coming from a predominantly white high school.â
Liking the intellectual and social environment, she was comfortable becoming involved around campus. In her first year, a walk-on athlete for the womenâs track and field team, she was a 2013 CIAA Indoor Womenâs Track and Field All-Conference competitor and the WSSU womenâs shot put record holder until earlier this year, although she never competed in the throws until coming to college. In her second year she served as the sophomore class vice president while also being appointed to serve on many committees throughout the university. In that same year, she was a delegate to the UNC Association of Student Governments (UNCASG), representing WSSU students on a state-wide level. At the end of that year, she became the first African-American female elected senior vice president of UNCASG and served in that capacity for the entirety of her third year while being active as the chief of staff for the WSSU student government association that year also. Toward the end of her term in UNCASG, she decided to run for student body president and has served as the voice of the students for the duration of her last year. With all of her activities, she has maintained a 3.95 GPA throughout her time in college.
Sedwick has been selected as a UNC General Administration Presidential Intern, which begins in July. Upon completion of the prestigious one-year appointment, Sedwick plans to attend Howard University School of Law.
A Drum Major who will March for a Noble Cause
Willie Davis, 22, a social work major from Fayetteville, N.C., who has led WSSUâs Red Sea of Sound Marching Band as a drum major for his senior year, will now march to lead the charge for helping veterans and their families cope with typical and unique challenges of serving in military. Davis will be one of four Cadets with the distinct honor of being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant U.S. in the U.S. Army during this yearâs commencement ceremony. Despite that professionally Davis will help vets, military and families with things like dealing with emotions, he said, âI donât think I will be ready for the commissioning part (of commencement) emotionally.â
Readiness for Davis is an understatement. The youngest of three siblings, who was age 10 when his father died, Davis has been an A average student throughout life. He was in the top ten of his high school class and the first generation in his family to attend college. At WSSU, besides maintaining high academic achievement and serving in the U.S. Army ROTC, Davis has been active with the WSSU Band, the University Choir, a Campus Ambassador, a mentor to freshmen students, vice president of the WSSU chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, a Veterans Helping Veterans Heal intern and a member of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem.
After graduation, Davis is going to graduate school at the University of South Carolina. He plans to complete that program in one year and begin his military duties. As a clinical social worker, his responsibilities may range from clinical counseling, crisis intervention, disaster relief, critical event debriefing, teaching and training, supervision, research, administration, consultation and policy development in various military settings. He wants to specialize in helping military veterans who suffer from different traumas such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), paranoid schizophrenia and other conditions.
news.cincinnati.com/article/20120705/BIZ/307050154/Washin...
Washington Park's makeover complete
'Every neighborhood needs a center'
By: Lisa Bernard-Kuhn
July 5, 2012
Hundreds of local residents are expected at Friday’s opening of historic Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, which has undergone a $48 million makeover.
A full day of programs and celebrations starts at 10 a.m. at the park’s bandstand, where local leaders including Mayor Mark Mallory, City Manager Milton Dohoney and officials from Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and PNC Bank will deliver keynote addresses.
The ribbon cutting marks the end of a nearly 20-month-long construction project that has expanded the park from 6 to 8 acres and added a full menu of amenities including a dog park, interactive water fountains, refreshed public restrooms, a concession building and 450-car underground parking garage.
For 3CDC, which led the plan in partnership with the Cincinnati Parks Board, a remade Washington Park is key to anchoring the nonprofit developer’s work to revitalize Over-the-Rhine. In the last six years, 3CDC has invested $162 million in the neighborhood, delivering more than 250 renovated condominiums and apartments and 85,000 square feet of storefronts.
“This project could not have happened without the individuals and organizations who believed in it,” said Stephen Leeper, president and CEO of 3CDC. “Every neighborhood needs a center – a civic space where its residents and visitors can come together, enjoy well-maintained amenities and feel safe.”
The park’s remake has not been without challenges.
Before any major work could begin, 3CDC had to hire a crew of archeologists to take on the delicate task of relocating human remains that were part of four 19th century cemeteries in the park that had been covered over time.
Among the biggest feats was excavating for the underground parking garage, just south of 14th street, where more than 110,000 cubic feet of dirt had to be removed. That’s enough to fill more than two stories of an office tower. Last June record rainfall forced crews with Megen Construction Co. and Turner Construction Co. to work overtime to keep the project on track, and keep rainwater from welling up in the 80-foot excavated hole that spanned nearly two city blocks.
Following Friday’s ribbon cutting, attendees can sample free Popsicle from Street Pops, waffles and tea from Taste of Belgium and enjoy a performance by the Japanese Children’s Choir. Also on Friday, The World Choir Games will present a free friendship concert from 5-7 p.m. at the bandstand.
Going forward, the nearly 150-year-old park will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. 3CDC will manage a weekly schedule of programming beginning July 11 with live bluegrass music on Wednesday nights. Weekend days are expected to include family focused programs hosted by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Cincinnati Museum Center and Cincinnati Parks Board. A line-up of programs is available at www.washingtonpark.org.
How do you feel and think about jewelry? Can you recognize quality pieces and are you aware of the different types of pieces? The tips in the article which follows will help you to navigate the sometimes complex world of purchasing jewelry for any situation. Read the following tips for the guidance you need to understand how to buy, care, and enjoy your jewelry.
Polish your jewelry regularly with a jeweler's polishing cloth. This is a natural way to shine all of your jewelry without relying on abrasives or other harsh chemicals. Use the two-sided cloth to polish your jewelry like you were cleaning glass. Use a two-sided cloth to clean your jewelry, one for polishing, and the other for shining.
Make sure a piece of jewelry is still in fashion before you buy it. It is better to get a gorgeous bauble on sale!
Know how to keep your jewelry beautiful. Each kind of setting, metal, and stone possesses its own particular maintenance need. Cleaning and maintenance techniques that work perfectly on one stone might damage another. If you're not sure of how to properly care for your jewelry, seek advice from a reputable jeweler.
Costume jewelry does require some special care. Often, stones will be glued into their settings, which makes them more prone to falling out than regular jewelry. Do not dip your jewelery in chemicals that may harm them. Use a gentle cloth, like microfiber, to clean it. One wet, then another, dry. This will help your costume jewelry to continue looking great.
This will accent the belt, and will add a lot of visual interest. Think about placing it near your hip or at waist level.
Ask about any insurance a jeweler may offer when you are buying jewelry. Then, you will get peace of mind knowing it can be fixed or replaced if anything happens. Sometimes you can even get replacement coverage for loss or theft.
Follow this article's tips when you wish to purchase jewelry for someone or yourself. You may save money by recognizing an agreement on a great item. Jewelry taste requires nothing more than an trained eye and solid background education about the subject. bellybuttonringsshop.com/
Venice...floods about 100 times a year, beginning in October and running through late winter. I'm attaching an excellent article from Rick Steves's website that explains this, and also adding my personal observations and discussions with locals.
First, Steves's article, "Is Venice Sinking?":
www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/is-ven...
I spend three days and four nights in Venice in December 2019 (whence come these pictures). On two of the three days, high tide made it challenging to get around.
For those of you who have been to Venice, you know the main part of the city ("downtown," if you can call it that) is made up of 118 islands connected by over 400 (416, I think?) bridges and bisected by the Grand Canal. It's a maze. Even with Google maps, it's literally a maze, because not every bridge takes you easily from one island to another. Some are dead ends, etc. This is when it's dry.
Now, add the extra layer of rising tides that cut off even more avenues of the maze and it's an absolute headache getting around.
All of these pictures were taken as I tried (and failed) to walk across the island from Piazza San Marco on the south to the northern end of the island -- Cannaregio -- where my apartment was.
In dry conditions, this is about a 30 minute walk if you're good at navigating the maze. On this afternoon, I made it about 80% of the way back with no viable routes to walk the last 5 (well, certainly less than 10) minutes. My choices were either wait until the tide rolled out (1-2 hours) or pay a water taxi to take me. I couldn't wait and ended up paying an exorbitant fee of 60 euros to a taxi (from the train station) to take me on what would have been a 20 minute walk from there. Ouch.
Once I got back, I asked my friend Alexia whether this is normal, if it's global warming, bad luck, or what?
I was curious about whether it was normal as most of the Venetians seem prepared for this. Many had on knee high or thigh high rubber/plastic boats and slowly made their way through.
She told me that it's very normal in November, but not so much in December. It's not that the tides aren't normal (they happen every day, of course). It's the height of them.
Last month, in November 2019, I recall reading an article about Venice flooding with pictures that surprised me. On the day in question, the tide rose to 187 cm. (For those in the west, that's only 2 inches shorter than NBA star Steph Curry or, for those who know me...it's my exact height.) I'm not exactly short, by comparison, so that's a pretty tall change for a few hours.
In the pictures you see here, the tide was 120 cm./4 feet. That's certainly enough to flood the island.
Venice's quick solution to this is to throw up elevated wooden platforms as temporary sidewalks. In the main areas -- St. Mark's Square, specifically -- think of all the tourists you would normally have bottlenecked and you can imagine the slight headache of free motion. Before the tides (when it's dry), you see these supports and wooden slats stacked up and may wonder what they're purpose is. Tides more than answer that.
The following day, the city flooded again. As I was walking from my apartment to the southern end of the island to go to a museum, I got to the Grand Canal near Rialto Bridge and found myself at an impassable point...that was right in front of a gondola service. (I think I could have backtracked and made it, but no guarantee.)
I hadn't actually been on a gondola before and -- they're expensive, by the way...especially for a solo traveler (80 euro for about 30 minutes) -- decided to take one because it's Venice and if you're ever going to ride a gondola, it should be here.
The gondolier took me from just south of the Rialto Bridge up the Grand Canal just past the Rialto Market, and back. All in all, not very far (and I didn't check time, but I doubt it was 30 minutes).
However, we got to talking. I asked how the flooding impacts tourism and business and he says there are far fewer tourists now who are simply scared of floods. (The attached Rick Steves article points out why you may not need to worry much.)
The gondolier said that the tide on Sunday reached 125 cm (4'2"), though it didn't seem nearly as high as the previous day. I did actually walk across half the island reasonably easily, so I was thinking he's probably toning down the reality a little because it affects his livelihood. However...just a little. The things he said that I believe are that, "When the tide reaches 140 cm., this is a bit too much for the city to handle."
He also told me some facts about the city that have nothing to do with the flooding, yet I found interesting: There are 50,000 residents on the main islands and an apartment/house of 90 square meters (900 square feet) runs about 400,000 euros. So if you're in the market to move to Venice for the joy of wading through water, that's the cost of it.
After the gondola ride, I ended up hopping on a vaporetto (city bus, but on the water). They run up and down the Grand Canal. (You can see a "stop" in some of my Snapshots of Venice pictures; it's a little enclosed building with yellow trim around the top of it.)
Normally, vaporettos run 7.50 euro for a ticket valid for 75 minutes. They come by every 15 minutes or so. However, I never saw where to buy tickets so ended up taking a handful of vaporetto rides for free. I think three in total.
This particular one took me from next to the gondola service down to Accademia. The Gallerie dell'Accademia is there (lots of Tintoretto, Titian, Tiepolo, Bosch), directly in front of the Ponte dell'Accademia. For my purposes, the Guggenheim Collection is also here, but about a five minute walk on dry land to get there.
However, it was isolated by the tides and I ended up taking off shoes and socks, rolling up my pants, and wading through some bitingly cold (but not dangerously so) water to get there. All told, it was probably about 100 yards at most in water that was just over ankle deep. But, you still have to walk it slowly. Afterwards, I think it took my feet about 10 minutes to regain normal warmth/sensation. (Fortunately, after an hour in the museum -- which was nice, but not as nice as I had hoped -- the tide had receded enough that I didn't have to wade out. The sidewalk was still completely underwater, but only an inch or two by this point, which you can walk through. You tend to see locals walking through water like this balancing on their heels and keeping their toes in the air.
Am I personally satisfied that Venice isn't sinking? No. The Steves article does mention Italy's long-term solution to this, but I don't buy it. I don't know what the future holds, though, and won't be around to see the worst effects of it, I feel. I can say that the city's future is tenuous at the moment, but the present...is fine, if sometimes slightly inconvenient.
"Malus ecclesia: The Oldest Eden" - genetically modified apple tissue containing the DNA translated story of Innana and her garden from the old sumerian texts. The edition of this work was made especially for the Article biennale.
Joe Davis collaborated with scientists Paul Reginato from Wyss Institute, Harvard and Kristin Aaser Lunde from CORE - Centre for Organelle Research, UIS.
Read more about the project here:
article.no/en/artists/2016/joe-davis
Article biennale is produced by i/o/lab
Curators for Article 2016 is Nora Vaage & Hege Tapio
Ronacher
This article deals with the Ronacher theater in Vienna. For other uses, see Ronacher (disambiguation).
Ronacher Theater
The Ronacher, earlier Etablissement Ronacher, is a theater in the first Viennese district Innere Stadt, located between Himmelpfortgasse, Seilerstättee and Schellinggasse. It forms together with the Raimund Theater and the Theater an der Wien the venues of the United Stages of Vienna and via the Vienna Holding to nearly 100 per cent owned by the City of Vienna (Rudolf Klausnitzer holds a minority interest ).
History
(Pictures can be seen by clicking on the link at the end of the page!)
The Vienna City Theatre shortly after the construction
Facade of the Ronacher (2008)
It was initially as Vienna municipal theater from 1871 to 1872 by the architects Ferdinand Fellner the Elder and Ferdinand Fellner the Younger for a private Ltd. of journalist Max Friedlander and theater playwright and conductor Heinrich Laube built. The two with it wanted to establish that a bourgeois theater which - without censorship - should compete against the imperial court theaters. The house was opened on 15 September 1872 with Schiller's Demetrius in a revion of Laube. Twelve years after the opening the house burned on 16 May 1884 down. Since the building is not free on all four sides, a reconstruction as a playhouse was not admitted because of the fire protection regulations valid in the meantime. 1886 Anton Ronacher bought the burnt-out ruins and had in turn by Ferdinand Fellner the Younger (who had meanwhile founded the office Fellner & Helmer) 1887-1888 on it build a concert hall and ballroom. The wall paintings were pictured by Eduard Veith. The main staircase was built with steps from Kaisersteinbruch. The new variety theater was attached a large ballroom and a hotel, in addition, it could already use electric light, contained promenades and a conservatory.
The new Ronacher was no playhouse but equipped with tables and chairs. During the performance was allowed to drink, to eat and to smoke. Due to the poor economic situation, however, Ronacher had to give up the house later. From 1890 appeared more often artists what increasingly attracted suburban population and was frighten away the aristocracy. Later, the program was supplemented by revues, operettas, dance and vocal performances. The house was in the process again and again rebuilt and adapted to the needs of modern vaudeville operation (1901, 1906 and ongoing 1907-1916; always by Ferdinand Fellner the Younger).
After the Anschluss in 1938, the theater by linearization (Aryanisation) passed over from its previous owner Samuel Schöngut, who then died in a concentration camp, to Bernhard Labriola.
After the Second World War was the Ronacher to 1955 alternative stage for the by bombs damaged Burgtheater. Then appeared again vaudeville artists before 1960 Austrian television used the premises for TV productions. After a ten-year vacancy, in 1986 for the first time the performance of an operetta took place, this time Cagliostro in Vienna of Johann Strauss (son). 1987 bought the United Stages of Vienna the house and performed the musical Cats and two operas. An architectural competition resulted in 1987 as a winning project a "deconstructivistic" increase. The project of Coop Himmelblau was however target of fierce public criticism and was in August 1991 sidelined. 2003, 2004 and 2008 was the Ronacher host of the gala ceremony of the Nestroy Theatre Prize.
After several years as a guest house for international productions and festival events the Ronacher was expanded by 46.9 million euros to a musical stage. By mid-2008 stage technology has been modernized and lowered the floor of the stage to two meters, which means the view to the stage has been improved. The increase of the building by architect Günther Domenig was carried out despite massive political and townscape preserving concerns.
The Ronacher currently disposes of 1,001 seats and 40 standing places. The exact number of seats and standing places varies depending on the production.
Performances
Ronacher logo
Ronacher Interior
Detailed view of the Ronacher
Cats, musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (1988-1990)
Chicago, musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1999 )
Falco - A Cyber Show, by Joshua Sobol and Manker (2000 )
The Producers, musical by Mel Brooks, German-language premiere (30 June 2008 to 22 February 2009)
Spring Awakening , musical by Michael Mayer and Bill T. Jones, German-language premiere ( 21 March-30 May 2009)
Dance of the Vampires, musical by Michael Kunze and Jim Steinman (16 September 2009 to 25 June 2011)
Sister Act, A heavenly musical based on the eponymous film starring with Whoopi Goldberg (15 September 2011 to 31 December 2012)
Legally Blonde, musical by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin (February 21, 2013 to December 20, 2013)
Der Besuch der alten Dame, Musical von Christian Struppeck und Moritz Schneider (19. Februar bis 29. Juni 2014, 120 Vorstellungen (+5 Previews))
Mary Poppins, Musical von Cameron Mackintosh und Disney (1. Oktober 2014 bis 31. Januar 2016, 371 Vorstellungen (+10 Previews))
Evita (Musical), Musical von Andrew Lloyd Webber (Musik) und Tim Rice (Libretto), (seit 9. März 2016)
Don Camillo und Peppone, Musical von Michael Kunze (Buch und Liedtexte) und Dario Farino (Musik), (27. Jänner bis 25. Juni 2017, 117 Vorstellungen (+2 Previews))
Tanz der Vampire
Captain Charles Fitzgerald, born Kilkee 1791 (the son of a country gentleman of the old Irish school. (Fathers name Robert) was Governor of Gambia 1844 to 1847 also Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855. He is buried at Killfearagh graveyard on the Carrighaholt Rd. Outside of Kilkee. (Protestant side)
Captain Charles Fitzgerald spent his retirement years in Kilkee and was noted in the press for attendance at meetings in support of establishing the West Clare Railway.
In 1857 Captain FitzGerald was appointed C.B., and retired to his home, Geraldine House. Geraldine place. Kilkee, where he died aged 96 on 29 December 1887.
Twice married: first on the 5/5/1837 to Lucy (died 18 NOV 1843), youngest daughter of Dr Austin, and second in 1848 to Eleanora Caroline, (ELVES ELONORA CAROLINE ARABELLA) known as Ellen, eldest daughter of Charles Carey Elwes, of Billing Hall and sister of Valentine Dudley Henry Cary-Elwes Esq. The Elwes were a prominent Northamptonshire family. (The actor Cary Elwes is a descendent of Valentine Cary-Elwes)
ELEANOR CAROLINE ARABELLA FITZGERALD DIED EARLY 1890 AGED 62.
Captain Charles Fitzgerald had two children, neither married.
I recently found a book signed by Eleanora FitzGerald (nee Elwes) from Geraldine House Kilkee. The name of the book was The Modern housewife by Alexis Soyer dated 1849.
Captain Charles’s father was Robert Fitzgerald who died in Kilkee in 1806 aged 63. Robert is buried in Kiltinnaun Bansha near Kilkee (I think his wife was Lucy who died in 1836 at Kilkee house Kilrush)
Roberts father was Edmund Fitzgerald of Abbeyfeale, county Limerick who married Margaret Keane(Her father was Charles Keane of Kildimo: son of "Robert of Ross/near Kilkee)
Captain Charles Fitzgerald’s ancestors can be traced back to Ballymaloe Imokilly Cloyne County cork in the 15 Cent. He was a distant relative of the Duke of Leinster.
Capt Charles had two brothers Robert Fitzgerald Esq. of Kilkee and George Fitzgerald of Kilkee. Robert Fitzgerald's grandson Henry Boyd Fitzgerald was last recorded living in Brighton Square Dublin in 1919. I found very little evidence recorded of Roberts other grandsons James Charles and William of Castleblaney.
Capt Charles fitzgerald's Sister Alicia married a Frank Leyden of liverpool in 1841.
This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, (MUP), 1966
Charles FitzGerald (1791-1887), governor, was the son of Robert FitzGerald of Kilkee, County Clare, Ireland, and a cadet of the ducal house of Leinster. He entered the navy in March 1809, passed his examination in 1815, and was first commissioned in March 1826. He served for a time as a lieutenant in the coastguard, and in 1833-36 commanded first the Cruiser and then theBelvidera on the North American and West Indian Stations. In 1838 he was sent in command of the Buzzard to the west coast of Africa to help suppress the slave trade, and served there with distinction. He was invalided home in 1840, promoted commander, and placed on half pay.
In 1844 FitzGerald was appointed lieutenant-governor of the British settlements on the Gambia. It was a comparatively quiet post, and the only significant event during his administration was an imbroglio in the higher public service, during which the governor suspended his chief justice,(Sir) Richard Graves MacDonnell, who later succeeded him as governor, and still later served as governor of South Australia. FitzGerald returned to England in 1847 and in July was appointed governor of Western Australia in succession to Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Clarke. However, FitzGerald insisted on taking the leave accruing to him from his Gambia appointment, and thus did not arrive in Western Australia until 12 August 1848. He was then 57, and twice married: first in 1837 to Lucy, youngest daughter of Dr Austin, and second in 1848 to Eleanora Caroline, daughter of Charles Elwes, of Great Billing, Northamptonshire.
On arrival in the colony FitzGerald found the local Treasury almost empty and a general despondency hanging over the pastoralists and farmers, nearly all of whom were thoroughly dissatisfied with the high price of crown land, the lack of labour and the interim administration of Colonel Frederick Irwin and his colonial secretary, George Moore. There were fewer than 5000 people in the whole colony. Neither workmen nor capitalists had been attracted to it for many years, and the colonists had already petitioned for convicts to be sent from Britain. FitzGerald was instructed to inquire whether the colonists would accept a small number of well-behaved convicts from Pentonville; after confirming that they would be welcome, he informed Earl Grey in London, who quickly instigated an Order in Council in May 1849 to convert Western Australia into a penal colony. The British government promised to send out as many free immigrants as convicts.
The first two ships carrying convicts arrived at Fremantle in 1850, and thereafter the colony received about three shiploads of felons a year, though their arrival was very irregular and no advance notice of either dates or numbers was given to the colonial authorities. The result was an alternation of surfeits and deficits in the supply of labour. By the end of 1855, the year in which FitzGerald retired, 3668 convicts had arrived in Western Australia, nearly half of them already holding tickets-of-leave entitling them to seek private employment and to be paid wages; if employers were not prepared to take them, they were employed by the government on public works at below-market wages. During these five years FitzGerald was not responsible for the day-to-day administration of the convict system, which was in the competent hands of Captain E. Y. W. Henderson, R.E., and his subordinate officers. However, inasmuch as FitzGerald was responsible for general policy, he had some control over the methods used to employ and to discipline the men, and he acquired the reputation of being at once autocratic, kind-hearted and humane. With more interest in the quick and efficient dispersal of convicts throughout the colony's rural districts than in the construction of a plethora of cheap public works, he adopted a country depot system to help private employers to engage the men. The remaining convicts were employed in building the Fremantle gaol and on other ancillary works. Although the labour supply for public works was never high, FitzGerald was able to claim credit for several notable improvements, especially the new roads from Perth to Fremantle, Guildford and Albany; he also used Aboriginal prisoners on the Perth-Albany project. Other notable improvements around Perth included the draining of several swamps and the erection of the first buildings specifically for use as a hospital and government schools.
During FitzGerald's administration the population of Western Australia nearly trebled, reaching 12,000, of whom about 3000 were convicts under sentence. Although the British government honoured its promise to send out assisted free immigrants, the colonists were not especially pleased with the quality of the English paupers and single Irish girls who were dispatched to counter an alarming decrease in the proportion of women in the colony. Furthermore, most free migrants to the Australian colonies had by-passed Albany and other western ports on their way to the Victorian and New South Wales goldfields. However, there had been little serious crime among the convicts, while the free immigrants had been readily absorbed into the community and the Irish girls showed no reluctance to marry the ex-convicts.
At the same time the economy of the colony benefited greatly from the increased imperial expenditure and the rising population. The fertile lands north of the Moore River in the vicinity of Champion Bay were settled by pastoralists taking advantage of the increased local market for meat and agricultural produce. After his arrival FitzGerald had strongly supported exploration of this district; on a tour of inspection in 1848 he was speared in the leg by Aboriginals and was fortunate to escape with his life. Wool production also improved in the early 1850s, pearl fishing began at Shark Bay, and a little lead was mined at Geraldine on the Murchison north of Geraldton, both place-names commemorating the governor. On the whole, therefore, the colony had recovered from its twenty years of economic depression, and the changing temper of the settlers, as well as the improvements in trade and commerce, confirmed the permanency of the colony.
FitzGerald's autocratic quarter-deck manner did not endear him to the leading settlers, who had been soured by long years of stagnation and were bent on gaining the greatest possible representation and power in the Legislative Council, as well as the quickest possible benefit from convict labour. They had always found Downing Street control of their public finances and land policy extremely galling, and orders from London were not at all palatable when coming from a salty ship's captain, who had been turned into a sort of schoolmaster, and who was more acquainted with giving orders than with receiving advice, especially from a highly critical and frequently intemperate local press.
FitzGerald appeased the opposition a little by appointing non-officials to the Council but by the very nature of the colony he had to remain an autocratic dispenser of his employer's policies. He was also a little unfortunate in his subordinates. With the important post of colonial secretary filled by three different men during his administration, FitzGerald had to intrude into too many petty affairs of government. Nor was he well served in the matter of government finance, which was also unfortunate because he had little business acumen. Any judgment on his abilities as an administrator and on his rather modest and unostentatious achievements must also be tempered by the fact that he governed the most insignificant Australian colony at the time of its greatest depression, and when its acceptance of convict labour was totally at variance with the policies of the other colonies. The critics of Western Australia were legion.
While FitzGerald performed with credit and social aplomb the many minor duties of his office, his young and attractive wife conducted a vigorous social programme revolving around Government House. She excelled at the opening of charity bazaars. She superintended an Anglican Sunday school, and she helped to organize a school for immigrant children. Her stay in Western Australia was probably the highlight of her life. Early in 1854 her husband was informed that his term of office was drawing to a close; in November his successor was appointed, and the FitzGeralds left Western Australia in July 1855.
Captain FitzGerald was probably thankful to be relieved of responsibility for governing a colony which daily became more penal, because he had always maintained that although the immediate economic effects of convict transportation were beneficial, its continuance would keep out the men and capital who alone could make it prosper. Such, indeed, was the tenor of his evidence to a select committee of the House of Lords, which in June 1856 examined him on his administration. In 1857 Captain FitzGerald was appointed C.B., and retired to his home, Geraldine House, Kilkee, where he died on 29 December 1887.
LINK to another version of this photo used in a Vancouver newspaper - 28 July 1908 - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-new-westminster-l...
LINK to another version of this photo with all players identified - (Vancouver Province newspaper - 22 July 1908) - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-the-minto-cup-cha...
LINK to another version of this photo (11 July 1908) - New Westminster Lacrosse Champions Leave for the Trip East - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-new-westminster-l...
LINK to - Record of Players of the New Westminster Lacrosse Team - www.newspapers.com/article/the-victoria-daily-times-recor...
Postcard photograph of the 1908 Minto Cup champions, the New Westminster Salmonbellies Lacrosse Club. C. Spring, C. Galbraith, W. Turnbull, J. Bryson, T. Gifford (Captain), A Turnbull, L. Turnbull, J. Gifford, C.A. Welsh (Business manager), C.D. Peele (team manager), A.B. Gray, T. Rennie, C.P. Latham, J. Feeney, I Wintemute, G. Rennie.
Alexander / Alex Baird "Sandy" Gray, goal-keeper, 23 years, 148 pounds; born in New Westminster and commenced playing senior lacrosse in 1901. A stalwart wall in goal for the New Westminster Salmonbellies at the start of their Minto Cup championship run, Alex ‘Sandy’ Gray was the best goalie on the Coast during the four seasons (1908, 1909, 1910 and 1911) in which he played professional lacrosse for the Salmonbellies. LINK - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/alex-sandy-gray/
(b. 24 June 1884 in Wellington, Nanaimo Regional District, British Columbia or New Westminster, B.C. - d. 28 June 1966 at age 82 in New Westminster, B.C.) - Outside of lacrosse, ‘Sandy’ Gray worked for 34 years as the provincial government agent at the New Westminster courthouse until his retirement in 1949. LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/e3... - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/97005883/alexander-baird-gray LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/nanaimo-daily-news-obituary-fo...
Charley Galbraith, point, 26 years, 170 pounds; came to New Westminster in youth and has been in senior company since 1905.
Charles "Charlie / Charley" Galbraith
(b. August 28, 1881 in Belledune, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada – d. November 10, 1924 at age 43 in Langley, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada) - he played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies Lacrosse team (1905-1911). LINK to his life story - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/charlie-galbra... LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/143533925/charles-galbraith
LINK to his newspaper obituary - Charles "Charlie" Galbraith Obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-charles-char...
Thomas "Tommy" Gifford, cover point (captain), 28 years, 188 pounds; has been playing senior since 1898; went east on both former trips made by team in 1900 and 1902. LINK to his life story - www.clhof.org/index.php/en/about/in-the-news/news/28-old-...
Thomas Stoddart Gifford
(b. 5 June 1880 in Lockerbie, Scotland - d. 4 May 1966 at age 85 in Seattle, Washington) - HOF lacrosse player - he played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies Lacrosse team (1898-1912). LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-obituary-for-thom...
James "Jimmy" Stoddart Gifford, first defence, 21 years, 150 pounds; playing senior since 1905. By the time the professional game came along in 1909, Gifford had already earnt the reputation for being one of the hardest and toughest players to take to the field. During the professional era his heated rivalry with ‘Newsy’ Lalonde of the Vancouver Lacrosse Club was legendary, nasty, and relentless. Even in old age Gifford continued to hold a grudge and could not bear being in the presence of Lalonde – even refusing to attend his hall-of-fame induction because Lalonde would also be there receiving the same honour, over 50 years passing since their last bloody battles had been fought. LINK - laxhall.com/2023/09/jimmy-gifford/
James "Jimmy" Stoddart Gifford
(b. 26 September 1886 in Scotland or St. Paul, Minnesota - d. 9 November 1976 at age 90 in New Westminster, B.C.) - he played with the New Westminster Salmonbellies Lacrosse Club from 1905 to 1912. LINK to his life story - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/jimmy-gifford/ LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/b5...
LINK to - James "Jimmy" Stoddart Gifford - Field Lacrosse Great Dies in Royal City - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-james-jimmy-... - and LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-obituary-for-jame...
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George Rennie, second defence, 26 years, 160 pounds; playing senior since 1901; went east on one former trip made by team.
Biography - In 26 years as a lacrosse player with the New Westminster Salmonbellies, New Brunswick - born George Rennie won five national championships and was selected to help represent Canada at the 1908 Summer Olympics. There he earned a gold medal with his team after it won its only match against Great Britain 14-10. He served in World War I, which interrupted his tenure with the Salmonbellies that had begun in 1901, but returned to the club after the conflict. He later served as an officer with the Royal City Adanacs lacrosse club and was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1966. LINK - www.olympedia.org/athletes/17802
George Haddow Rennie
(b. 10 March 1882 in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Canada - d. 13 December 1966 at age 84 in New Westminster, British Columbia) LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-obituary-for... - LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/6b...
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Tom Rennie, third defence, 24 years, 160 pounds; commenced playing senior in 1902; went east with old lacrosse team as reserve man In 1902.
James (Pat) Feeney, centre, 22 years, 145 pounds; born in New Westminster and commenced playing senior in 1904.
W. Turnbull, third home, 22 years, 165 pounds; born in New Westminster and commenced playing senior in 1906.
Irving "Punk" Wintemute, second home, 22 years. 150 pounds; born in New Westminster and commenced playing senior in 1905.
(b. February 24, 1886 – d. March 28, 1937)
New Westminster Salmonbellies (1905-1915; 1919)
‘Punk’ Wintemute was a member of the 1908 Minto Cup team that went East to pry the silver mug from the Montréal Shamrocks. He would then go on to play eight seasons at the professional level for the New Westminster Salmonbellies. LINK to his complete life story - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/irving-punk-wi...
Alexander Turnbull, first home, age unknown, 160 pounds; got into the game about 44 (estimated) years ago; has been with New Westminster team since 1897.
Len Turnbull, outside home, 148 pounds, 19 years; born in New Westminster, and commenced playing senior in 1906.
Jack Bryson, inside home, 160 pounds, 21 years; born in New Westminster, and commenced playing senior in 1903.
C. P. Latham, spare man, 160 pounds, 24 years of age; commenced playing senior in 1902.
C. Spring, spare man, 166 pounds, 19 years; first played senior last year.
With the exception of Alex. Turnbull every man on the team learned the game in New Westminster.
John "Jack" Gifford - Team mascot - Jack Gifford, of Famous Lacrosse Family - Jack, who Is the youngest of the famous Gifford family of lacrosse players, has never taken the interest in the game that his elder brothers did in years past. He has played indifferently and the opportunity to get away from the moll and turmoil of coast lacrosse proved too much for him and he seized with avidity the opening offered.
John Jardine Gifford
(b. 25 November 1895 in New Westminster, B.C. – d. 5 August 1974 at age 80 in New Westminster, B.C.) LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/159549161/john-jardine-gifford LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-obituary-for...
LINK to his life story - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2024/02/27/jack-gifford/
LINK to - Jack Gifford in Munition Corps - www.newspapers.com/article/vancouver-daily-world-jack-gif... LINK to his WWI records - recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record...
C. D. "Biscuits" Peele, the team manager, who will have charge of the aggregation on the eastern tour, commenced in senior ranks and was one of the team which made the eastern tour In 1895. He also played with the 1900 and 1902 teams In the east. He was born here 34 years ago, and has been identified with the game since he was big enough to play. In fact, the Peele family were once known as "the lacrosse family," there being four Peele boys in lacrosse ranks at one time. C. D. Peele left the team in 1905.
Clarence Dale Peele
(b. 28 June 1874 in New Westminster, B.C. - d. 31 October 1933 at age 59 In New Westminster, British Columbia) - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-obituary-for...
Charles Almeron Welsh, the business manager who will 'accompany the team,' has never played lacrosse, but, during his residence in this city, has always followed and been closely associated with the sport. He was president of the club for two years.
Charles was a member of the Harbour Board, and the Royal Agricultural and Industrial Society, the Board of Trade, the City Council and the Police Commission. He was a staunch conservative who ran unsuccessfully against A. Wells Gray in 1927. Fraternally, he was a Mason, a member of King Solomon Lodge, and was a past potentate and honourary life delegate of the Shrine, Gizeh Temple. He was also a member of the local Kiwanis Club. Charles Welsh was a sportsman with membership in the Vancouver Golf and country Club. His main sporting interest was however in lacrosse, where he was on the Board of B.C. Lacrosse Association, was a trustee of the Minto Cup, and was involved with the New Westminster Salmonbellies for many years, with his highlight coming as manager in 1908 when his team won the Minto Cup.
The first Postmaster at New Westminster Sub Office No. 2 was Charles Almeron Welsh from the opening - 1 September 1912 to 9 April 1935. This Sub Office was located in his Grocery Store on 1117 Sixth Ave in New Westminster, B.C.
Charles Almeron Welsh
(b. 17 February 1866 in Midland City, Michigan, USA - d. 25 February 1938 at age 72 in New Westminster, B.C.) - LINK to his newspaper obituary - spokesman.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/106049... LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/77856566/charles-almeron-welsh
Rev. Dr. James Sutherland Henderson - President of the New Westminster Lacrosse team.
(b. 11 June 1858 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - d. 18 March 1940 at age 81 in Vancouver, British Columbia) - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-obituary-for-rev-...
In 1903, Rev. J.S. Henderson became minister of St. Andrew’s Church, in New Westminster, B.C. Ten years, rich in service rendered and full of abundant activities, were passed in the Royal City. In his youth, for two years he had been a member of the champion football team of Ontario. Now lacrosse stirred his blood. For several years he was a member of the executive of the New Westminster Lacrosse Club - familiarly known as “The Salmonbellies,” and in 1908 when this team won the World Championship he was its honored president. LINK to his complete life biography - freemasonry.bcy.ca/grand_masters/henderson_j/henderson_j....
Daniel Trowling McElroy - New Westminster Lacrosse Team Trainer
(b. 5 April 1871 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland - d. 2 October 1941 (aged 70) in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada) - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/143397451/daniel-trowling-mce... - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-obituary-for-dani...
LINK to a newspaper article - Pte. D.T. McElroy injury in France during WWI - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-pte-dt-mcelroy-in...
Son of Daniel McElroy and Jane Geddes
Husband of Mary Ellen Nicholson - married in 1898 - LINK to their marriage certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/bb...
WW1 veteran, Private Daniel Trowling McElroy, Reg No. 790647. Enlisted with the 131st Overseas Battalion CEF in New Westminster, BC on 18 Feb 1916. Served in France with the Canadian Forestry Corps. Was discharged 8 Oct 1918 for being medically unfit for further service. LINK to his WWI records - recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record...
The team's average weight per man is 158 2/3 pounds.
New Westminster Salmonbellies travelled to Montreal for a challenge match. They beat the Montreal Shamrocks for its first Minto Cup (then given to the top senior team in Canada).
1908 was a pivotal year in the history of the Minto Cup when the New Westminster Salmonbellies defeated the Montréal Shamrocks 12 to 7 in their two-game, total-goals series. The first game of the series was a close 6-5 result before the Salmonbellies responded with a commanding 6-2 win in the rematch to clinch the silverware.
LINK to newspaper report - New Westminster Wins First Game of the Minto Cup Match - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-new-westminster-w...
LINK to - New Westminster Wins Minto Cup - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-new-westminster-w...
With the benefit of hindsight, the 1908 New Westminster-Montréal series signaled a changing of the guard and is probably the most historically significant event in the cup’s history until the juniors took over control of the mug. It saw the game’s first dynasty coming to an end with a brand-new one at the opposite end of the country ready to take its place. The victory for the Royal City was notable for two other important reasons: the New Westminster Salmonbellies were the last bonafide amateur team to challenge and win the professional trophy as well as the first club from the Pacific Coast to pry the silver mug from the hands of the Easterners. LINK to the complete article - oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/
- the photographer - Frederick Louis Hacking
(b. 2 July 1880 in Ontario, Canada - d. 20 February 1969 at age 88 in Monterey, California, USA)
He started as a photo printer with the Wadds Brothers, then purchased S.J. Thompson's former New Westminster studio and by 1908 was running his own Vancouver studio at 445 Granville St. in the Fairfield Block. His landscape photographs attacted notice at the 1899 New Westminster exhibition.
The Daily News-Advertiser described his Vancouver studio when it opened in the Fairfield Block (Building) in 1908. Hacking, who was the official representative from BC at the Photographers' Association of the Pacific Northwest 1910 conference in Vancouver, was also elected vice-president for BC that year.
He later immigrated to California and registered for the US World War Two draft in 1942.
VANCOUVER STUDIO (FAIRFIELD BUILDING) DESCRIPTION:
This description of F.L. Hacking's new photo studio was published by the (Vancouver) Daily News-Advertiser on 14 Aug 1908, p. 15. The article was illustrated with three photographs depicting the "Reception Room", the "Skylight Room" and "Another View of Reception Room."
"An Artistic Studio.
A member of the "News-Advertiser" staff visited the new photographic studio of Mr. F.L. Hacking in the Fairfield Building, Granville Street, where for weeks past contractors and decorators have been transforming several suites of rooms and offices into what is now recognized as the most complete and artistic studio in the Province.
On entering the reception room, one is immediately impressed by the beautiful and quaint appearance of the apartment, which is furnished in the early English style. Amongst the many special features one's attention is drawn to the beautiful panelled walls, enriched with copper nailing, the unique fire grate and the casement windows and doors, whilst four heavy clusters of drop lights, suspended from the beamed ceilings--all designed and made especially for this studio--give the room a pleasing and uncommon appearance.
The delightful color scheme, from the rich rug on the floor to the delicate harmony of walls and ceilings, tends to show to advantage the specimens of artistic portraiture displayed, and gives visitors that feeling of repose and satisfaction that assures them that their own work could not be entrusted to better hands.
Leading from the reception room through a massive archway are the dressing rooms, each fitted with long pier mirrors and furnished in the same good taste.
The skylight room, one of the most important features of Mr. Hacking's business, has been constructed to give lighting facilities which will enable photographs to be taken at all reasonable times and under all conditions. The room is large and not encumbered with a hetreogeneous [sic] mass of painfully artificial scenery and paraphernalia; instead you see instruments and accessories of the best lenses by Dallmeyer, of London, England, and Goerz, of Berlin; camera by Anthony, of New York, and the necessary backgrounds are a revelation of simplicity and rich value, all painted especially by Packard, of Boston.
Nearly every modern equipment known to photography may be found in this up-to-date studio. The developing and finishing rooms are complete in every detail, giving this studio advantages for promptly executing work, a desideratum of no small importance, and one that will be immediately appreciated.
As a capable photographer, Mr. Hacking needs but little introduction in Vancouver. He was apprenticed when a young man in a leading Eastern studio, where high ideals and careful workmanship were early acquired. Eleven years ago he came to Vancouver and after eight years connected with Wadds Brothers' studio purchased the studio in New Westminster formerly conducted by Mr. S.J. Thompson. His artistic work brought immediate success that has necessitated branching out into the broader fields of opportunity offered in Vancouver.
Not being satisfied with anything but the best location and equipment, he finally secured the present quarters in the Fairfield building, the heart of the best district, which our readers are heartily commended to visit and inspect.
Mr. Hacking aptly says that "the aim and purpose of this studio is to turn out only high grade photographs, and the best that experience, artistic training, perfect equipment and skilled workmanship can produce is offered to its patrons." LINK to the complete article - cameraworkers.davidmattison.com/getperson.php?personID=I1...
Today's article from Horse & Hound accompanied by a glamorous photo of me mixing different shades of mud!
..and no, I wasn't interviewed by Hugh Grant!
(And I actually said 'aesthetics versus accuracy' and didn't say 'as an artist' at all (as that wouldn't make any sense) but I guess you have to let these things go. I'm sure people got the gist of it!)
The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It preserves the Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325 acres (132 ha) tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir family. The main site is on the edge of town, in the shadow of State Route 4, also known as the "John Muir Parkway".
John Muir’s home was among the grandest of its time, and costing $20,000 to build, an extravagant amount in its day. An article in the Martinez Gazette, written while the house was being constructed, said “with but one or two exceptions, it will be the finest and most complete private residence in the county.”
The house, completed in 1882, was built for Dr. John and Louisiana Strentzel, Muir’s parents-in-law. The Strentzels gave their original house to John and his bride Louie as a wedding gift. When Dr. Strentzel died in 1890, the Muirs moved into this house.
The seventeen-room home is in the Italianate style of late Victorian architecture, and is constructed mostly of redwood. The architects were Wolfe and Son of San Francisco. The home incorporates key features of the Italianate style, including: a rectangular, symmetrical shape, wide eaves with brackets and cornices, a porch with balustrades, a square cupola and high, double-paned windows with hood moldings.
The interior of the 10,000 square-foot house with 12-foot-high ceilings has retained many of its original features, including the Douglas fir floor and black walnut staircase banister. Note the crack in the transom over the front door, which occurred during the Port Chicago explosion of World War II. Phone service was installed in 1884 by Dr. Strentzel, and the house was one of the first in the area to have it (the phone in the downstairs hallway is not original).
The house suffered some damage during the 1906 earthquake, including two of the Italian marble fireplaces. Muir replaced the east parlor’s damaged fireplace with a large, Mission style brick one. He described it in a letter to a friend, “In particular I've built a big fireplace, almost suitable for mountaineers, into which I roll a jolly pair of logs two feet in diameter and pile a half dozen smaller ones between and back of them making fires that flame and roar and radiate sunny heat like those we built on the frosty Coyote Meadows above the canyon of the Kern.” (January 7, 1907)
Furnishings in the home are from the period, but did not belong to the Muirs or Strentzels. An exception is John Muir’s original desk in his “scribble den,” where he penned most of his published works, including his books—writings that paved the way to preserving our nation’s most beautiful natural lands, or “wild places.”
Upstairs, the small balcony at the end of the hall is where Muir slept on many clear nights, seeming to prefer having the stars over his head to a roof.
When John Muir died in 1914 (nine years after his wife), his grown daughters Wanda and Helen sold the house. It remained in the hands of private owners until local citizens (including those who established the John Muir Association) worked for the historic structure’s establishment as a public treasure. The National Park Service bought the house in 1964, along with nine acres of the Muir’s fruit ranch. In 1993, NPS bought an additional 326 acres, known as Mt. Wanda.
Next to Alhambra Creek, about a mile from the house, Muir was buried next to his wife on what was once part of the original 2,600-acre ranch.
The grounds of the 9 acre main site contain grapevines and an orchard with many types of fruit trees as well as many mature exotic trees from around the world that were growing at the time Muir lived. Also to be found are exhibits and machinery of ranch life in the late 1800's.
A 'must see' on the same property is the preserved Vincente Martinez Adobe home built in 1849.
While living here, Muir realized many of his greatest accomplishments, co-founding and serving as the first president of the Sierra Club, in the wake of his battle to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, playing a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, writing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world, and laying the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.
The park's museum collection includes historic documents and artifacts that relate to the writing, travels, political activities and daily life of John Muir and his family in Martinez. Significant portions of the collections include over 1,000 plant specimens collected by Muir during his many travels, photographs of his travel, correspondence to and from Muir, books from his personal library, and first editions of his published works. Many of Muir's original items were graciously donated by Muir family members.
The collection also includes Victorian era furnishings, clothing, household goods, farm implements, books and textiles that are not unique to Muir or his home; however, these pieces allow us to interpret the day-to-day life on the Martinez fruit ranch. The collections are displayed in the home, carriage house and through exhibitions in the Visitor Center.
The Muir house was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960.
It became a National Historic Site in 1964, is California Historical Landmark no. 312, and National Historic Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1988 nearby Mount Wanda Nature Preserve was added to the Historic Site.
The launch of the euro two decades ago brought tangible benefits to people and companies across the EU. A ceremony in Parliament on 15 January marked the event.
Read our full article here:
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20190...
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How could you go?
Why did you have to go?
My dear dear MJ
When I was a kid, I grew up watching you dance and sing. I was so crazy about you. So was my family, I remember we'd sit and watch your shows on this show that was called the golden Disco or something. The thing is we watched you as a family, my parents who weren't crazy of western music would watch you. That's how much we loved you.
I was the kid who didn't understand the words of Billie Jean but you walking through that street lighting up each stone still bewitches me. Your videos were revolutionary, your music amazing and your dance just out of this world. Your music shaped my life.
I loved every single song of yours, I can't pinpoint just one song that was my most favourite. YOu were the only King of Pop for me. I'd get so angry if anyone criticised you. So much so if anyone said anything I'd just walk away or tell them to stop saying anything about you.
You had to pick 1996 to come to Malaysia! I was so devastated. There was no way my parents would let me go not when we were having our trials at the same time! My whole class had always been fans, yes thank god for that.
We were super crazy about you just as many teens from our era. People who loved you with all our heart, people who were blessed to have grown up watching you.
Yet 2 of my classmates did go and I don't think anyone of us concentrated on our trials. All we could do was relive their moments at the concert. They told us every little thing, in between our papers. We'd finish one paper start talking about you and then sit for the next.
Those 2 still rub it in. the fact that they got to watch you.
That was my lifes biggest regret not watching you in concert. I've always hoped you'd come again, I've always hoped I'd see you perform somehow, I've always wished I could meet you one day.
How am I supposed to see you now?
I'm crying writing this, my moms laughing at me. You didn't even cry at your fathers funeral?
The world has lost an amazing man, musician, the man with no bones who went through so much. I'm losing the icon of my life. He deserves every single tear. You went to soon Michael. 2 months short of your 51st birthday!
God bless you Michael. I will always love you.
29th August 1958 - 25th June 2009
Your crazy fan who is still in shock
Visithra
It was a cloudy and rainy day, I was wandering around in London for nothing. I suddenly saw this huge bottle in front of the National Gallery.
Below is a little article I found about it:
"Nelson’s ship in a bottle", the latest piece of art to be installed on the large empty plinth at the northwest corner of London’s Trafalgar Square, is both witty and wise. A precisely detailed model of Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, is mounted inside a perspex bottle like a seaside souvenir on a mantlepiece, its sails vibrantly coloured. The distinctive sailcloth is something of a trademark for Mr Shonibare, a British artist of Nigerian descent. He loves the fact that textiles which seem distinctively African and artisanal are an industrial product of world trade, inspired by batiks of East Asia and manufactured in Dutch factories.
The colourful super-souvenir embraces the square’s current role as a tourist attraction. It also provides an emblem of contemporary London’s diasporan diversity which sets off the imperial history those tourists see showcased in the square’s greyer, more permanent statuary. But there is continuity as well as counterpoint; a healthy stone’s throw from the front of South Africa House, scene of years of anti-apartheid vigils, the new Victory speaks to the Royal Navy’s suppression of the slave trade during its post-Trafalgar hegemony. The artist’s initials, emblazoned on the bottle’s wax seal, have the letters MBE after them, acknowledging the fact that he was honoured as a member of the most excellent order of the British empire in 2004.
To fit a ship into a bottle is always a little magical. To squeeze a wealth of reference, symbolism, history and charm in there too is true artistry.
source: www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/05/public_art_london
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Venice...floods about 100 times a year, beginning in October and running through late winter. I'm attaching an excellent article from Rick Steves's website that explains this, and also adding my personal observations and discussions with locals.
First, Steves's article, "Is Venice Sinking?":
www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/is-ven...
I spend three days and four nights in Venice in December 2019 (whence come these pictures). On two of the three days, high tide made it challenging to get around.
For those of you who have been to Venice, you know the main part of the city ("downtown," if you can call it that) is made up of 118 islands connected by over 400 (416, I think?) bridges and bisected by the Grand Canal. It's a maze. Even with Google maps, it's literally a maze, because not every bridge takes you easily from one island to another. Some are dead ends, etc. This is when it's dry.
Now, add the extra layer of rising tides that cut off even more avenues of the maze and it's an absolute headache getting around.
All of these pictures were taken as I tried (and failed) to walk across the island from Piazza San Marco on the south to the northern end of the island -- Cannaregio -- where my apartment was.
In dry conditions, this is about a 30 minute walk if you're good at navigating the maze. On this afternoon, I made it about 80% of the way back with no viable routes to walk the last 5 (well, certainly less than 10) minutes. My choices were either wait until the tide rolled out (1-2 hours) or pay a water taxi to take me. I couldn't wait and ended up paying an exorbitant fee of 60 euros to a taxi (from the train station) to take me on what would have been a 20 minute walk from there. Ouch.
Once I got back, I asked my friend Alexia whether this is normal, if it's global warming, bad luck, or what?
I was curious about whether it was normal as most of the Venetians seem prepared for this. Many had on knee high or thigh high rubber/plastic boats and slowly made their way through.
She told me that it's very normal in November, but not so much in December. It's not that the tides aren't normal (they happen every day, of course). It's the height of them.
Last month, in November 2019, I recall reading an article about Venice flooding with pictures that surprised me. On the day in question, the tide rose to 187 cm. (For those in the west, that's only 2 inches shorter than NBA star Steph Curry or, for those who know me...it's my exact height.) I'm not exactly short, by comparison, so that's a pretty tall change for a few hours.
In the pictures you see here, the tide was 120 cm./4 feet. That's certainly enough to flood the island.
Venice's quick solution to this is to throw up elevated wooden platforms as temporary sidewalks. In the main areas -- St. Mark's Square, specifically -- think of all the tourists you would normally have bottlenecked and you can imagine the slight headache of free motion. Before the tides (when it's dry), you see these supports and wooden slats stacked up and may wonder what they're purpose is. Tides more than answer that.
The following day, the city flooded again. As I was walking from my apartment to the southern end of the island to go to a museum, I got to the Grand Canal near Rialto Bridge and found myself at an impassable point...that was right in front of a gondola service. (I think I could have backtracked and made it, but no guarantee.)
I hadn't actually been on a gondola before and -- they're expensive, by the way...especially for a solo traveler (80 euro for about 30 minutes) -- decided to take one because it's Venice and if you're ever going to ride a gondola, it should be here.
The gondolier took me from just south of the Rialto Bridge up the Grand Canal just past the Rialto Market, and back. All in all, not very far (and I didn't check time, but I doubt it was 30 minutes).
However, we got to talking. I asked how the flooding impacts tourism and business and he says there are far fewer tourists now who are simply scared of floods. (The attached Rick Steves article points out why you may not need to worry much.)
The gondolier said that the tide on Sunday reached 125 cm (4'2"), though it didn't seem nearly as high as the previous day. I did actually walk across half the island reasonably easily, so I was thinking he's probably toning down the reality a little because it affects his livelihood. However...just a little. The things he said that I believe are that, "When the tide reaches 140 cm., this is a bit too much for the city to handle."
He also told me some facts about the city that have nothing to do with the flooding, yet I found interesting: There are 50,000 residents on the main islands and an apartment/house of 90 square meters (900 square feet) runs about 400,000 euros. So if you're in the market to move to Venice for the joy of wading through water, that's the cost of it.
After the gondola ride, I ended up hopping on a vaporetto (city bus, but on the water). They run up and down the Grand Canal. (You can see a "stop" in some of my Snapshots of Venice pictures; it's a little enclosed building with yellow trim around the top of it.)
Normally, vaporettos run 7.50 euro for a ticket valid for 75 minutes. They come by every 15 minutes or so. However, I never saw where to buy tickets so ended up taking a handful of vaporetto rides for free. I think three in total.
This particular one took me from next to the gondola service down to Accademia. The Gallerie dell'Accademia is there (lots of Tintoretto, Titian, Tiepolo, Bosch), directly in front of the Ponte dell'Accademia. For my purposes, the Guggenheim Collection is also here, but about a five minute walk on dry land to get there.
However, it was isolated by the tides and I ended up taking off shoes and socks, rolling up my pants, and wading through some bitingly cold (but not dangerously so) water to get there. All told, it was probably about 100 yards at most in water that was just over ankle deep. But, you still have to walk it slowly. Afterwards, I think it took my feet about 10 minutes to regain normal warmth/sensation. (Fortunately, after an hour in the museum -- which was nice, but not as nice as I had hoped -- the tide had receded enough that I didn't have to wade out. The sidewalk was still completely underwater, but only an inch or two by this point, which you can walk through. You tend to see locals walking through water like this balancing on their heels and keeping their toes in the air.
Am I personally satisfied that Venice isn't sinking? No. The Steves article does mention Italy's long-term solution to this, but I don't buy it. I don't know what the future holds, though, and won't be around to see the worst effects of it, I feel. I can say that the city's future is tenuous at the moment, but the present...is fine, if sometimes slightly inconvenient.
Description: Article by Julia Ward Howe printed in the Christian Register, "Summons Woman to Her Greater Task", 1924. Page 1 of 2.
Full Text: Summons Woman to Her Greater Task: A remarkable prophecy of the new day [By] Julia Ward Howe
I WILL NOT DENY that I am somewhat given to visioning, by which word I would describe a purely mental process which sometimes gives me only a passing impression, sometimes leaves behind it such a trace as a Battle Hymn of the Republic. The vision that I now recall was of the latter sort, albeit that no poem has been given me-only two impressions to work after.
I had been ill for some days with bronchial trouble, and my nights were disturbed by a racking and pitiless cough. On one of these nights I awoke suddenly and completely but without the cough. I seemed to be held to attention, while some-thing seemed to say to me: "They have found the right thing at last, the secret of the world's conversion to good, the moral sanitation of mankind." And when I questioned "How?" the voice said: "Look at these groups of men and women work-il1g together for the public good! See how they, working to one end, continually inspire each other with fresh courage, with new interest. They will stop at no tedium, at no disgust. They will find the sources of evil, and the measures necessary for its prevention."
How wonderful is this change by which a new persuasion brings with it a new work, a new happiness! By what magic is it that even the most pleasure-loving have discovered that they have work to do more important than the gratification of their personal tastes? The nauseous study of the world's evil is imposed upon them, and they thank God for the task, because its results are of the weightiest importance to the society of which their descendants' are -to form a part. Their work is already rewarded by the discovery that human nature is not intrinsically mean, false, and base. It is ignorant, undisciplined, uninformed. It asks for instruction. It seeks the light. The study of evil brings with a most blessed hope. All that is human is fallible, yes; but also, all that is human is redeemable. And what is redemption? It is turning the noble forces of man's intellect to their legitimate employment.
There shall no longer be anyone outside the pale of possible redemption-no solitary wretch condemned to an unloving and unloved eternity. No; the golden gates stand ever open, the silver trumpets ever sound, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
But my vision was twofold. I not only saw the groups of busy workers, toiling like insects at tasks of infinite and infinitesimal detail, but I saw that they were working in the brightness of a new light which seemed to inundate the heavens with the broad luster of a new day. I ask now, what was this new light? And I reply that it is the light of the higher education conceded to our sex, and with it that of the new interpretation which makes Christ's gospel a gospel of life and not of death. For the voice of the vision kept saying to me: "It is by Christ's life, not by his death, that we are saved. The living influence, the spirit and example, rein the world to-day like a gigantic flower blossoming from an obscure planting. Christ likened his labor to the sowing of the mustard seed. It was indeed a small beginning. Three years of teaching among the despised fishers, the despised Jews. Who shall say what the blossoming is! It brightens the whole year with its
gracious...glow. I will not impiously limit it with a name. 'It doth not yet appear what we shall be.'
I become aware of a twofold power granted to my sex in this work of redemption, namely, the power of a minute and patient industry, and the still greater power of an unyielding hope and enthusiasm. On the one hand, I see the fine, tireless fingers busied in unraveling the intricacies of the social web. They are guided by the logic of faith. Everything that is or happens has its reason for being or happening. What task so momentous as to explore the tendencies and influences which make for good or evil in human life? What result so fortunate as to bring to the correction of evil the good appointed by nature to oppose it? Oh, maidens and matrons, it is better than dressing and dancing! You are finding this out, and will more and more.
When we consider the extraordinary growth -and multiplication of women's clubs in our -land, we must wonder at the power, once latent in our sex, which has made itself evident in these associations. Whence has it come, this new social function which has done so much to alter the objects and pursuits 'of society-always, I must think, for the better? Upon the old supposition that "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do," one fears that much of it may have been employed in ways not contributing to the betterment of society. A good deal of it may have been wasted in vain and foolish regret at being "only a woman"-a minus quantity in the efficient administration of public interests. Petty ambition and personal rivalries .had, no doubt, their share in the old-time administration of woman's ...
Date: 1924
Creator: Christian Register
Format: text
Digital Identifier: AG28-19-2
Biographical note: Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was an author, lecturer, poet, activist, abolitionist and leader in the Women's suffrage movement. Born in New York City to affluent parents, Ward Howe was well educated but expected to be a wife. In 1843 Ward Howe married Samuel Gridley Howe the founding director of Perkins after meeting him at a tour of the school. Despite conventional expectations that she not live a public life she initially published work anonymously before becoming a social activist that wrote, spoke, and worked for many social causes. She is commonly known for writing the words to “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and in 1908, she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts. In 1988 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Source: Hale, Jen. (2022) ”Julia Ward Howe”. Hale, Jen. “Julia Ward Howe” Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA, October 26, 2022
Rights: Samuel P. Hayes Research Library, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA
From an article published April 12, 2025 in Texas Highways:
“A Dallas-based writer and professor, George Getschow is working to preserve what was McMurtry’s self-proclaimed 'temple of books'—his famous storefront Booked Up in Archer City, Texas. McMurtry acquired all the volumes inside the shop, and his touch is obvious. Some copies are hand-marked for sale or noted with comments; others are knocked down in cost for being 'too sentimental' or repriced if McMurtry changed his opinion of the book after finishing it. The shop is where he married Faye Kesey, widow of writer Ken Kesey, and the place where he directed his ashes be kept. He used the store to redefine the 'bookless' town he grew up in and build a tradition of literary appreciation.
“Getschow spent some 15 years in and out of that bookshop, working and socializing with McMurtry, who died in 2021. After McMurtry’s death in 2021, there was no one to operate Booked Up, and the store closed its doors seemingly for good. But on March 8, after months of planning and de-cluttering, the building reopened as something new: the Larry McMurtry Literary Center. . .” [Excerpt from the article by Alice Scott at TexasHighways.com]
Larry McMurtry is most often associated with Texas, but he lived in the Washington, D.C. area for many years where he operated a bookshop in Georgetown from the early '70s onward. That's where I met him as I often visited "Booked Up," his shop on 31st and M Streets, NW.
By 1989, Larry McMurtry was back on the street where he started in Archer City, Texas, just down the road from the white frame house where he grew up. There, he collected over 450,000 books in four "Booked Up" stores. He passed away in March 2021, at the age of 84, but "Booked Up" remains, thanks to old friends like George Getschow who “just want to keep his flame burning.” Also remaining are novels such as "Lonesome Dove," "The Last Picture Show", "Terms of Endearment," "Leaving Cheyenne," "Comanche Moon," "Streets of Laredo," and dozens of his screenplays for motion pictures and television series.
Ronacher
This article deals with the Ronacher theater in Vienna. For other uses, see Ronacher (disambiguation).
Ronacher Theater
The Ronacher, earlier Etablissement Ronacher, is a theater in the first Viennese district Innere Stadt, located between Himmelpfortgasse, Seilerstättee and Schellinggasse. It forms together with the Raimund Theater and the Theater an der Wien the venues of the United Stages of Vienna and via the Vienna Holding to nearly 100 per cent owned by the City of Vienna (Rudolf Klausnitzer holds a minority interest ).
History
(Pictures can be seen by clicking on the link at the end of the page!)
The Vienna City Theatre shortly after the construction
Facade of the Ronacher (2008)
It was initially as Vienna municipal theater from 1871 to 1872 by the architects Ferdinand Fellner the Elder and Ferdinand Fellner the Younger for a private Ltd. of journalist Max Friedlander and theater playwright and conductor Heinrich Laube built. The two with it wanted to establish that a bourgeois theater which - without censorship - should compete against the imperial court theaters. The house was opened on 15 September 1872 with Schiller's Demetrius in a revion of Laube. Twelve years after the opening the house burned on 16 May 1884 down. Since the building is not free on all four sides, a reconstruction as a playhouse was not admitted because of the fire protection regulations valid in the meantime. 1886 Anton Ronacher bought the burnt-out ruins and had in turn by Ferdinand Fellner the Younger (who had meanwhile founded the office Fellner & Helmer) 1887-1888 on it build a concert hall and ballroom. The wall paintings were pictured by Eduard Veith. The main staircase was built with steps from Kaisersteinbruch. The new variety theater was attached a large ballroom and a hotel, in addition, it could already use electric light, contained promenades and a conservatory.
The new Ronacher was no playhouse but equipped with tables and chairs. During the performance was allowed to drink, to eat and to smoke. Due to the poor economic situation, however, Ronacher had to give up the house later. From 1890 appeared more often artists what increasingly attracted suburban population and was frighten away the aristocracy. Later, the program was supplemented by revues, operettas, dance and vocal performances. The house was in the process again and again rebuilt and adapted to the needs of modern vaudeville operation (1901, 1906 and ongoing 1907-1916; always by Ferdinand Fellner the Younger).
After the Anschluss in 1938, the theater by linearization (Aryanisation) passed over from its previous owner Samuel Schöngut, who then died in a concentration camp, to Bernhard Labriola.
After the Second World War was the Ronacher to 1955 alternative stage for the by bombs damaged Burgtheater. Then appeared again vaudeville artists before 1960 Austrian television used the premises for TV productions. After a ten-year vacancy, in 1986 for the first time the performance of an operetta took place, this time Cagliostro in Vienna of Johann Strauss (son). 1987 bought the United Stages of Vienna the house and performed the musical Cats and two operas. An architectural competition resulted in 1987 as a winning project a "deconstructivistic" increase. The project of Coop Himmelblau was however target of fierce public criticism and was in August 1991 sidelined. 2003, 2004 and 2008 was the Ronacher host of the gala ceremony of the Nestroy Theatre Prize.
After several years as a guest house for international productions and festival events the Ronacher was expanded by 46.9 million euros to a musical stage. By mid-2008 stage technology has been modernized and lowered the floor of the stage to two meters, which means the view to the stage has been improved. The increase of the building by architect Günther Domenig was carried out despite massive political and townscape preserving concerns.
The Ronacher currently disposes of 1,001 seats and 40 standing places. The exact number of seats and standing places varies depending on the production.
Performances
Ronacher logo
Ronacher Interior
Detailed view of the Ronacher
Cats, musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (1988-1990)
Chicago, musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1999 )
Falco - A Cyber Show, by Joshua Sobol and Manker (2000 )
The Producers, musical by Mel Brooks, German-language premiere (30 June 2008 to 22 February 2009)
Spring Awakening , musical by Michael Mayer and Bill T. Jones, German-language premiere ( 21 March-30 May 2009)
Dance of the Vampires, musical by Michael Kunze and Jim Steinman (16 September 2009 to 25 June 2011)
Sister Act, A heavenly musical based on the eponymous film starring with Whoopi Goldberg (15 September 2011 to 31 December 2012)
Legally Blonde, musical by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin (February 21, 2013 to December 20, 2013)
Der Besuch der alten Dame, Musical von Christian Struppeck und Moritz Schneider (19. Februar bis 29. Juni 2014, 120 Vorstellungen (+5 Previews))
Mary Poppins, Musical von Cameron Mackintosh und Disney (1. Oktober 2014 bis 31. Januar 2016, 371 Vorstellungen (+10 Previews))
Evita (Musical), Musical von Andrew Lloyd Webber (Musik) und Tim Rice (Libretto), (seit 9. März 2016)
Venice...floods about 100 times a year, beginning in October and running through late winter. I'm attaching an excellent article from Rick Steves's website that explains this, and also adding my personal observations and discussions with locals.
First, Steves's article, "Is Venice Sinking?":
www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/is-ven...
I spend three days and four nights in Venice in December 2019 (whence come these pictures). On two of the three days, high tide made it challenging to get around.
For those of you who have been to Venice, you know the main part of the city ("downtown," if you can call it that) is made up of 118 islands connected by over 400 (416, I think?) bridges and bisected by the Grand Canal. It's a maze. Even with Google maps, it's literally a maze, because not every bridge takes you easily from one island to another. Some are dead ends, etc. This is when it's dry.
Now, add the extra layer of rising tides that cut off even more avenues of the maze and it's an absolute headache getting around.
All of these pictures were taken as I tried (and failed) to walk across the island from Piazza San Marco on the south to the northern end of the island -- Cannaregio -- where my apartment was.
In dry conditions, this is about a 30 minute walk if you're good at navigating the maze. On this afternoon, I made it about 80% of the way back with no viable routes to walk the last 5 (well, certainly less than 10) minutes. My choices were either wait until the tide rolled out (1-2 hours) or pay a water taxi to take me. I couldn't wait and ended up paying an exorbitant fee of 60 euros to a taxi (from the train station) to take me on what would have been a 20 minute walk from there. Ouch.
Once I got back, I asked my friend Alexia whether this is normal, if it's global warming, bad luck, or what?
I was curious about whether it was normal as most of the Venetians seem prepared for this. Many had on knee high or thigh high rubber/plastic boats and slowly made their way through.
She told me that it's very normal in November, but not so much in December. It's not that the tides aren't normal (they happen every day, of course). It's the height of them.
Last month, in November 2019, I recall reading an article about Venice flooding with pictures that surprised me. On the day in question, the tide rose to 187 cm. (For those in the west, that's only 2 inches shorter than NBA star Steph Curry or, for those who know me...it's my exact height.) I'm not exactly short, by comparison, so that's a pretty tall change for a few hours.
In the pictures you see here, the tide was 120 cm./4 feet. That's certainly enough to flood the island.
Venice's quick solution to this is to throw up elevated wooden platforms as temporary sidewalks. In the main areas -- St. Mark's Square, specifically -- think of all the tourists you would normally have bottlenecked and you can imagine the slight headache of free motion. Before the tides (when it's dry), you see these supports and wooden slats stacked up and may wonder what they're purpose is. Tides more than answer that.
The following day, the city flooded again. As I was walking from my apartment to the southern end of the island to go to a museum, I got to the Grand Canal near Rialto Bridge and found myself at an impassable point...that was right in front of a gondola service. (I think I could have backtracked and made it, but no guarantee.)
I hadn't actually been on a gondola before and -- they're expensive, by the way...especially for a solo traveler (80 euro for about 30 minutes) -- decided to take one because it's Venice and if you're ever going to ride a gondola, it should be here.
The gondolier took me from just south of the Rialto Bridge up the Grand Canal just past the Rialto Market, and back. All in all, not very far (and I didn't check time, but I doubt it was 30 minutes).
However, we got to talking. I asked how the flooding impacts tourism and business and he says there are far fewer tourists now who are simply scared of floods. (The attached Rick Steves article points out why you may not need to worry much.)
The gondolier said that the tide on Sunday reached 125 cm (4'2"), though it didn't seem nearly as high as the previous day. I did actually walk across half the island reasonably easily, so I was thinking he's probably toning down the reality a little because it affects his livelihood. However...just a little. The things he said that I believe are that, "When the tide reaches 140 cm., this is a bit too much for the city to handle."
He also told me some facts about the city that have nothing to do with the flooding, yet I found interesting: There are 50,000 residents on the main islands and an apartment/house of 90 square meters (900 square feet) runs about 400,000 euros. So if you're in the market to move to Venice for the joy of wading through water, that's the cost of it.
After the gondola ride, I ended up hopping on a vaporetto (city bus, but on the water). They run up and down the Grand Canal. (You can see a "stop" in some of my Snapshots of Venice pictures; it's a little enclosed building with yellow trim around the top of it.)
Normally, vaporettos run 7.50 euro for a ticket valid for 75 minutes. They come by every 15 minutes or so. However, I never saw where to buy tickets so ended up taking a handful of vaporetto rides for free. I think three in total.
This particular one took me from next to the gondola service down to Accademia. The Gallerie dell'Accademia is there (lots of Tintoretto, Titian, Tiepolo, Bosch), directly in front of the Ponte dell'Accademia. For my purposes, the Guggenheim Collection is also here, but about a five minute walk on dry land to get there.
However, it was isolated by the tides and I ended up taking off shoes and socks, rolling up my pants, and wading through some bitingly cold (but not dangerously so) water to get there. All told, it was probably about 100 yards at most in water that was just over ankle deep. But, you still have to walk it slowly. Afterwards, I think it took my feet about 10 minutes to regain normal warmth/sensation. (Fortunately, after an hour in the museum -- which was nice, but not as nice as I had hoped -- the tide had receded enough that I didn't have to wade out. The sidewalk was still completely underwater, but only an inch or two by this point, which you can walk through. You tend to see locals walking through water like this balancing on their heels and keeping their toes in the air.
Am I personally satisfied that Venice isn't sinking? No. The Steves article does mention Italy's long-term solution to this, but I don't buy it. I don't know what the future holds, though, and won't be around to see the worst effects of it, I feel. I can say that the city's future is tenuous at the moment, but the present...is fine, if sometimes slightly inconvenient.
via WordPress ift.tt/2az4jlc
Most of us won’t have even heard of the word ‘eleemosynary’ , but Indian origin 10-year-old Rhea spelled this word correctly and won the crown of Brainiest child in Britain .
Meet Rhea, this 10-year-old girl is originally from India but shifted to the UK with her family from US 6 years back. A resident of West London Rhea whose surname has not been revealed shot ahead in the beginning of the final round, with six correct answers more than the opponent who was at two points. But later she drew equal on nine points with her opponent Saffy, as they entered the final head-to-head question round.
via
The quiz was hosted by Richard Osman, who hailed this year’s show as “the greatest final in the history of Child Genius”, said, “the audience were left gasping as the finalists calculated sums including ’14 times 3, minus 16, times 3, divided by 2, plus 44′, and answered questions such as which nationality was composer Gustav Holst (English).”
via
Rhea who aspires to go to Oxford or Cambridge to train to be a doctor, won the trophy which was as big as her. She won the title after correctly spelling polydactylous (meaning having many digits) and thelytokous (which means producing only females).
In the final round, she had to answer a series of fiendish questions on her specialist subject – the influence of Miss Nightingale on military and domestic health care reform from 1853 to 1914.
Controversy
The controversy came in account when Rhea’s mother, Sonal who left her job as an obstetrician to train her intervened when her daughter missed one point.
via
The question was, “To which medical officer did Florence Nightingale report to in the Crimea?” After Sonal’s intervening, independent adjudicator Olivia van der Werff agreed it had been too general and accepted Rhea’s answer of Dr. Duncan Menzies.
via
The answer to this question avoided a tie-break with Birmingham-born Stephen with Saffy and Rhea securing their place in the final.
Rhea spelled the word “eleemosynary” correctly and won the award of Child Genius 2016, after which she said, “It’s meant getting up early, going to sleep late, studying. It just feels really, really great.”
via
The program was watched on Channel 4 on Tuesday by an average of 1.3 million viewers.
Questions which are responsible for her victory are –
What was the name of the artist who painted Harmony in Red?
In the navigational term GPS, what does the letter P stand for?
In which year of the 18th century was America’s Declaration of Independence?
The conflict between Britain and Spain which began in October 1739 was the so-called War of Jenkins’ ___?
Three hydrogen atoms and one nitrogen atom make up one molecule of what?
Which British Prime Minister was a neighbor of the Nightingale family?
Who, in a letter to the Duke of Cambridge, famously said of Nightingale ‘I wish we had her in the war office’?
Answers: 1) Henri Matisse, 2) Positioning, 3) 1776, 4) Ear, 5) Ammonia, 6) Lord Palmerston, 7) Queen Victor
How many of these could you answer ?
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www.arts.ufl.edu/art/Programs/ceramics.asp
Artist Statement and bio:
Artist Statement
Figurative sculptures set within tableaux reflect my search for serenity and the quiet moments when this inner state becomes apparent. Sculpting the human body and placing it within a context permits me to explore consciousness by mirroring it outwardly. It also reflects my perspective about the universal connectedness within our inner and outer worlds. As a sculptor my intent is to convey a sense of the psychology of the female attribute and intuitive nature. The temporal quality of human existence is an underlying theme implicit in the choice of clay as a sculptural material. Contemplative in nature the sculptures combine sepia toned photo decal imagery with the female figure to picture memory and to indicate a sense of its timelessness.
Biography
Nan Smith is a figurative sculptor and installation artist who is a professor of art at the University of Florida. Born and raised in Philadelphia she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art and her Master of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. She holds degrees in Ikebana and Japanese Tea Ceremony having completed independent studies at the Japan House at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the faculty at UF, Smith taught at the University of Illinois and The Ohio State University.
Nan Smith has exhibited her sculpture in over 100 exhibitions throughout the United States. Most recently her sculpture was included in the World Ceramics Exposition, Yeoju, Korea, "Taking Measure: American Ceramic Art at the New Millennium", 2001, “RAWSPACE “ and The Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts Special Exhibit; “Intuitive Balance”, SOFA Chicago 2004, “21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada”, Canzani Center Gallery, Columbus College of Art and Design, 2003, “Clay Body Rhetoric: Ceramic Figures of Speech”, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, “Figured Ceramics”, a national invitational of figurative ceramics presented by the Northern Iowa University, 2002, and the national installation exhibition "Beyond the Physical: Substance, Space and Light" (during NCECA Charlotte 2001). Her sculpture also appeared in the NCECA Invitational 2000, "A Glimpse of the Invisible", and in solo exhibitions at the Appleton Museum of Art and Hand Workshop, Virginia Center for Crafts.
Nan Smith was the 2000 University of Florida Research Foundation Professor from the College of Fine Arts. Other awards include a National Endowment for the Arts regional award for sculpture sponsored by the Southern Arts Federation, three Florida Individual Artists' Fellowships, and Humanities and Fine Arts Faculty Scholarship Enhancement Fund Awards, 1998 – 2001, and 2003. In 2002 she received an award from the UF Academic Technology Faculty Development Program – Notebook Track. She has presented workshops on latex and airbrush for Ceramics throughout the U.S. Nan Smith was a conference Demonstrator at the 1999 NCECA Conference. She was a resident artist at the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, in 1999 and 2004. Selected collections include: The WOCEK International Ceramics Collection housed at the Ichon Ceramics Center, Korea, American Express/IDS Corporation, Minneapolis, MN; Lamar Dodd Art Center, La Grange College, La Grange, GA.
Selected Publications:
Books including publication of images: "Smashing Glazes", "The Craft and Art of Clay" and "Contemporary Ceramics", author Susan Peterson, "Clay and Glazes for the Potter", co‑authors Daniel Rhodes and Robin Hopper, "Ceramics: Mastering the Craft", author Richard Zakin, "Making Ceramic Sculpture", author Raul Acero, "Resist and Masking Techniques", an AC Black Publication authored by Peter Beard.
Periodicals: World Sculpture News; Volume 7 Number 2, Spring 2001. "Articulating Consciousness", by Glen R. Brown, Ceramics Technical; No. 11, 2000, "Color, Air, Illusion", by Nan Smith, The Studio Potter; v.28 No 1, December 1999, "Flexible Mold Making" by Nan Smith, The Studio Potter; v.26 No 2, June, 1998, Cover and feature page "Potters of Northern Florida", Ceramics: Art and Perception; Issue 25, 1996, "Feminist Visions in Clay" by Nancy Kapitanoff, Ceramics: Art and Perception; Issue 21, 1995, "Transforming Consciousness: Nan Smith's Spiritual Ceramics", by William Doty, Ceramics Monthly; "Controlled Drying and Firing", May 2000, by Nan Smith, Ceramics Monthly; February 1996, "Flexible Molds for Ceramics" by Nan Smith, Ceramics Monthly; March 1991, Cover and feature article "Blending Intuition and Logic" by Nan Smith, Sculpture; May ‑ June 1994, "Nan Smith" an essay by Donald Kuspit, American Craft; June ‑ July 1993, Portfolio page.
Photographer is Allen Cheuvront
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (C), Mission Chief Nigel Chalk (2nd R), Division Chief Stephan Danniger (L), Director Alejandro Werner (2nd L) and Communications Director Gerry Rice (R) hold a joint press conference on the conclusion of the 2016 US Article IV consultation June 22, 2016 at the IMF Headquarters In Washington, DC. IMF Photo/Fiona Muhleisen
Helina obscurata (I think - if anyone knows any different, please let me know).
I sat and watched this fly blowing bubbles for at least 20 minutes. I got bored before he did; he didn't care at all that I was poking a lens at him, and firing off the flash from various angles.
Here's a link to some info about bubble blowing. There are plenty of theories, but no one has yet confirmed why flies do this.
Swarovski Crystal Stones beadwoven and embellished to create a stunning pair of handmade, OOAK earrings.
The colours within these earrings are Swarovski's Tanzanite, Palace Green Opal and Cyclamen Opal. Thrown in with this lovely mix are some very small vintage, matt Mauve English cut glass beads.
Teeny tiny Seed Beads and Delicas have been sewn together using peyote stitch to form the beadwoven bezels.
Sterling Silver earwires complete the earrings and one of my makers marks, enscribed with Social Butterfly has been sewn into the reverse beading of one of the earrings. These too are cast in sterling silver.
Article of clothing is a blouse that is almost see through and has a solid shell of the same color to wear under it. 6-07-09
SH 101 #98
At the Court
This article is about the place in Vienna. See also: Am Hof (White Castle), Bavaria, or At the court of King Arthur, movie.
The square Am Hof with the Marian Column and the former Civil armory
Basic Information
City of Vienna
District Innere Stadt
Roads leading to the square Am Hof, Heidenschuss, Färbergasse, Drahgasse, Schulhof, Bognergasse, Irisgasse
Buildings, church Kirche am Hof, palais Collalto, Marian Column, Central Fire Station
Use
Usergroups; foot traffic, bicycle traffic, car traffic
Square design, partially one-way
Am Hof historically is one of the most important places of Vienna. It is located between Bognergasse, Naglergasse, Heidenschuss, Färbergasse, Jews square and Schulhof in the oldest part of the city in the immediate vicinity of the medieval ghetto.
History
Am Hof (1865) with armory (left), Marian column, "House to the Golden Ball", palais Collalto and Kirche am Hof (right)
Market life before the Radetzky monument Am Hof, about 1890 (watercolor by Carl Wenzel Zajicek)
The body of the lynched War Minister, Count Latour is hanged on October 6, 1848, on a lantern
The Civil armory 1737
The square Am Hof was already part of the Roman military camp Vindobona and was uninhabited in the early Middle Ages.
Between 1155 and about 1275, the completion of the New Castle at the site of today's Swiss tract of the Hofburg, was here the Court of the Babenberg, that Henry Jasomirgott built himself in 1155/56, after he had moved his residence from Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria) to Vienna. This residence was a complex of buildings around an open space, so a court, with the home of the Duke as a center. To the north-west and southwest the "court" leaned against the wall of the Roman fort, into town, it was limited by gates against the bourgeois Old Town and Jewish Town. Here received Heinrich Jasomirgott and his wife Theodora in 1165 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who was on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land.
Under Henry's son Leopold V was the tournament and subsequent market place 1177-1194 scene of glittering events where singers and poets such as Reinmar of Haguenau and his student Walther von der Vogelweide appeared in minstrelsy-contests.
With the move of the Prince Regnants in the Swiss wing of the then much smaller Hofburg in 1275, came the "Babenbergerpfalz" (Am Hof) in the late 13th century to the Princely Mint. The houses no. 10 and no. 12 the neighboring ghetto around the Jews square were incorporated. From 1340 At the Court were held markets. In 1365 it came to the temporary accommodation of the Carmelites in the Mint, 1386 to the official donation by Albrecht III., the place for the first time being called "Am Hof". The Carmelites instead of Roman Mint court chapel (Münzhofkapelle) erected a three-nave Gothic monastery church, that they finished about 1420. The Gothic choir still today is visible from the alley behind it. The Carmelites had already owned the house of the Jew Muschal, to that they obtained yet more houses, inter alia, the by Albrecht III. purchased house of the poet Peter Suchenwirt.
The place was originally isolated from the nearby Freyung by houses that left only a narrow connection alley and were demolished in 1846. As early as from the 14th century, it was used as a market, later also as a place of execution. 1463 was here the mayor Wolfgang Holzer on command of Albrecht Vl. executed. 1515 the Habsburg-Jagellonian double wedding of Emperor Maximilian I was held here. In the 16th and 17th centuries the place was also called Crab market, since saltwater fish and crabs were offered. In the 18th century at the market only vegetables and fruits were sold.
After the handing over of the church and convent to the Jesuits in 1554, the square was listening to the name of "At the Upper Jesuits" and was the scene of spiritual performances of the Jesuits before their church. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773 the place was again called "Am Hof". The convent building of the Jesuits was 1783-1913 the seat of the Imperial War Council and the War Ministry.
1782 Pius VI. from the terrace of the church gave the blessing Urbi et Orbi. On August 6, 1806 also from the loggia of the church announced an Imperial herald the end of the Holy Roman Empire, at the top of which the Habsburgs had stood for over half a millennium, and the abdication of the Imperial crown by Francis II.:"... that We the band, which has bound us until now to the body politic of the German Empire, as having been dissolved consider".
Took place on 14 March 1848 in the wake of the 1848 revolution the storming of the Arsenal, on 6 October the minister of war Theodor Count Baillet von Latour was pulled out from the building, killed and by the crowd hung in the middle of the square on a lantern. The place for a short time was called "People's Square".
1842-1918 and 1939-1942, the Christmas market Am Hof enjoyed great popularity. In 1973, arose here the Vienna Flea market, which in 1977 due to space limitations was relocated on the Naschmarkt. Today again yearly a Christmas market is taking place.
In 1892, before the building of the k.k. Hofkriegsrathsgebäude (the War Department), the equestrian statue of Field Marshal Radetzky of Caspar von Zumbusch was unveiled, which was transferred in 1912 before the newly constructed building of the War Department At Stubenring. The place of the Hofkriegsratsgebäude in 1915 took the Headquarters of the Länderbank.
Furthermore, Am Hof was still the main police station (Hauptwache), the Nunciature and the Lower chamber office.
In Carol Reed's film "The Third Man" (filmed in 1948) the place Am Hof appears prominently, on it stands the advertising column, through which one enters the underworld of the Vienna sewer system.
1962-63 in the course of excavations for an underground garage under the square Am Hof remains of the Roman settlement have been found. In the basement of the present fire station in original location a piece of the main channel of the camp can be visited, which absorbed the wastewater from the southern camp and led it into the Deep Ditch to the brook Ottakringerbach.
Pope John Paul II. did as his predecessor had done and gave in 1983 on the occasion of his visit to Vienna from the loggia also the Easter blessing.
On September 7, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI celebrated with approximately 7,000 people in the pouring rain as the first major program of his Austria trip one Stational Mass. After just six minutes, the microphone of the Pope and the video walls became inoperative, which is why the speech of Benedict XVI. had to be stopped.
Century 21 Exposition | 1962 Seattle World's Fair
Seattle, WA
Image description from Ford Times article "Preview of 2000 A.D.", author Warren O. Magnuson (U.S. Senator from Washington): "The Space Needle rises far above the fair's brightly patterned exhibition buildings"
Image source: Ford Times (September 1962)
© The Ford Motor Company
Illustration: James Peck
Read more about this story on my blog. The article is now published online.
Grab today's RedEye (Friday, December 11, 2009) and flip to page 10. For over two years at my job I have worked very hard to perfect the data, the database and the web application that shows bike parking information to the public.
Just before I was temporarily laid off, I built an advanced search page that allows anyone to grab just the information they want and export it as an XLS file, compatible with Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org Chart.
This is a screenshot of the RedEye PDF provided by the paper: 118 MB PDF.
See where the RedEye go their data: from the Chicago Bike Parking Public Interface.
I interviewed a beekeeper, here's the story!
www.publicbroadcasting.net/kcur/news.newsmain/article/0/1...