Estoy aquí y le doy de comer a los cisnes. Exactamente después de 5 minutos, vuelve a aparecer un espía del servicio secreto de Alemania Occidental y (como siempre) comienza a filmar con mi teléfono inteligente. Justo en mi cara. Funciona todos los días. La mujer tiene una cara estúpida, unos 45 años, ojos azules, cabello rubio oscuro y delgado. Se bebe con vino caliente.

La comida decorativa para pájaros está hecha para cisnes, pero no tiene cisnes en el envase, sino flamencos que no viven aquí. Las gaviotas de cabeza negra ya no pueden sentarse en el muelle de vapor porque la sociedad de vapor es demasiado vaga y tiene bandas de aleteo colgadas allí. Pero no hacen nada contra los manifestantes de los padres del estado.

Gaviotas de cabeza negra, patos silvestres, palomas, gansos de ganso silvestre y cisnes se comen aquí. Pero los cisnes también están alimentando a otros ciudadanos ordenados que no están aquí como espías y espían a las personas. Los cisnes están hartos hoy, pero tienen que llenarse porque saben que habrá menos comederos nuevamente.

Llega una mujer hermosa y me sonríe, lo que creo que es genial. Ella es rubia y tiene lentes.

Los autobuses y tranvías están llenos y muchos de ellos son estúpidos porque dejan espacio sin decencia. ¿Por qué tengo una tarjeta de suscripción cuando no puedo ir conmigo?

De lo contrario, las personas son socialmente poco atractivas y aburridas. Solo les interesa mostrar cosas y autos con vino caliente. Te miran como si no fueras uno de ellos. Un niño está arrasando contra una bicicleta de alquiler.

 

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Ich bin hier unf füttere Ziervogelfutter für die Schwäne. Exakt nach 5 Minuten kommt wieder ein Spitzel vom Westdeutschen Geheimdienst und fängt (wie immer) mich gleich an mit dem Smartphone an zu filmen. Direkt in mein Gesicht. Jeden Tag geht das. Die Frau hat ein dümmliches Gesicht, 45 Jahre alt ungefähr, blaue Augen, dünnes, dunkelblondes Haar. Betrinkt sich mit Glühwein.

Das Ziervogelfutter ist für Schwäne gemacht, hat aber keine Schwäne auf der Verpackung, sondern Flamingos, die hier nicht leben. Die Lachmöven können nicht mehr Dampferkai sitzen, weil die Dampfergesellschaft zu faul ist und dort Flatterbänder aufgehängt hat. Gegen Randalierer von Staatseltern machen die aber nichts.

Lachmöven, Stockenten, Stadttauben, Graugänse und Schwäne essen sich durch mich hier satt. Aber auch andere, ordentliche Bürger, die nicht hier als Spitzel stehen und die Leute feindlich ausspähen, füttern die Schwäne heute auch. Die Schwäne sind heute satt, aber müssen sich vollstopfen, weil sie wissen, dass es dann wieder weniger Fütterer geben wird.

Eine schöne Frau kommt an und lächelt mich an, was ich toll finde. Sie ist blond und hat eine Brille.

Die Busse und Straßenbahnen sind voll und dazu sind viele von denen Dumm, weil ohne Anstand Platz zu machen. Wozu hat man eine Abo-Karte, wenn man nicht mitfahren kann?

Sonst sind die Leute sehr sozial unattraktiv und langweilig. Die interessieren sich nur für das Zeigen von Sachen und Autos mit Glühwein. Die schauen einen an, als wenn man nicht zu denen gehören würde. Ein Kind tritt randalierend voll gegen ein Leihfahrrad.

 

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Я здесь и кормлю птицу кормом для лебедей. Ровно через 5 минут снова приходит шпион из западногерманской секретной службы и (как всегда) начинает снимать меня с моего смартфона. Прямо в моем лице. Это работает каждый день. У женщины глупое лицо, около 45 лет, голубые глаза, тонкие темные светлые волосы. Пьет сам с глинтвейном.

Декоративная пища для птиц сделана для лебедей, но на упаковке нет лебедей, а есть фламинго, которые здесь не живут. Черноголовые чайки больше не могут сидеть на причале парохода, потому что пароходное общество слишком лениво и там повешены трепетные полосы. Но они ничего не делают против мятежников государственных родителей.

Черноголовые чайки, кряквы, голуби, серые гуси и лебеди питаются здесь. Но лебеди также кормят других простых граждан, которые здесь не шпионы и не шпионят за людьми. Сегодня лебедям надоело, но им приходится набивать себя, потому что они знают, что кормушек снова будет меньше.

Приходит красивая женщина и улыбается мне, что я считаю великолепным. Она блондинка и носит очки.

Автобусы и трамваи переполнены, и многие из них глупы, потому что они освобождают место без приличия. Почему у меня есть подписная карточка, когда я не могу пойти со мной?

Иначе люди очень социально непривлекательны и скучны. Их интересует только показ вещей и машин с глинтвейном. Они смотрят на тебя, как будто ты не один из них. Ребенок неистовствует против проката велосипедов.

 

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我在这里为天鹅喂鸟饲料。恰好5分钟之后，西德情报局的一名间谍再次出现，并且（一如既往）开始用我的智能手机拍摄我。就在我脸上这个女人每天都有工作，这个女人有一张愚蠢的面孔，大约45岁，蓝眼睛，稀疏的金色金发。用热红酒喝酒。

装饰性鸟类食品是为天鹅制成的，但包装上没有天鹅，但这里不生活着火烈鸟。黑头鸥不能再坐在轮船码头上了，因为轮船社会太懒惰了，那里悬挂着颤动的带子。但是他们并没有对暴动的州亲父母做任何事情。

黑头鸥，野鸭，鸽子，灰雁和天鹅在这里吃饱。但是天鹅也养活了其他普通民众，他们不是这里的间谍和间谍。天鹅今天已经受够了，但是不得不塞满自己，因为他们知道再有更少的饲养者。

一个美丽的女人到来并对我微笑，我认为这很棒。她是金发，戴着眼镜。

公共汽车和有轨电车已满，许多人愚蠢，因为他们腾出的空间不雅致。为什么我不能和我一起去时有订阅卡？

否则，人们在社交上就没有吸引力并且很无聊。他们只对展示带有甜酒的东西和汽车感兴趣。他们看着你，好像你不是其中之一。一个孩子正对出租自行车狂奔。

 

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나는 여기에 백조를 위해 새 사료를 먹입니다. 정확히 5 분 후에 서독 비밀 서비스의 스파이가 다시 와서 항상 스마트 폰으로 나를 촬영하기 시작합니다. 내 얼굴에 여자는 약 45 세의 멍청한 얼굴, 파란 눈, 얇고 어두운 금발 머리를 가지고 있습니다. mulled 와인으로 자신을 마신다.

장식용 새 음식은 백조를 위해 만들어졌지만 포장에 백조가 없지만 여기에 살지 않는 홍학이 있습니다. 기선 사회가 너무 게으르고 설레는 띠가 있기 때문에 검은 머리 갈매기는 더 이상 기선 부두에 앉을 수 없습니다. 그러나 그들은 주 부모들의 폭동에 대해 아무것도하지 않습니다.

검은 머리 갈매기, 청둥 오리, 비둘기, greylag 거위 및 백조가 이곳에서 먹습니다. 그러나 백조는 또한 스파이와 스파이로 여기에없는 다른 일반 시민들에게 먹이를주고 있습니다. 백조는 오늘 먹이를 먹지만 피더가 더 적을 것이라는 것을 알고 있기 때문에 스스로 먹어야합니다.

아름다운 여인이 도착하고 미소를지었습니다. 그녀는 금발이며 안경이 있습니다.

버스와 시가 전차는 가득 차 있고, 많은 사람들은 고요함없이 방을 만들기 때문에 바보입니다. 나와 함께 갈 수 없는데 왜 가입 카드가 있습니까?

그렇지 않으면 사람들은 사회적으로 매력적이지 않고 지루합니다. 그들은 mulled 와인으로 사물과 자동차를 보여주는 데에만 관심이 있습니다. 그들은 당신이 그들 중 하나가 아닌 것처럼 당신을 봅니다. 어린이가 자전거 대여에 반대하고 있습니다.

 

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I am here and feed the bird feed for the swans. Exactly after 5 minutes a spy from the West German secret service comes again and (as always) starts filming me with my smartphone. Right in my face. It works every day. The woman has a stupid face, about 45 years old, blue eyes, thin, dark blonde hair. Drinks himself with mulled wine.

The decorative bird food is made for swans, but has no swans on the packaging, but flamingos that do not live here. The black-headed gulls can no longer sit on the steamer quay because the steamer society is too lazy and has flutter bands hung there. But they don't do anything against rioters of state parents.

Black-headed gulls, mallards, pigeons, greylag geese and swans eat their fill here. But the swans are also feeding other ordinary citizens who are not here as spies and spy on people. The swans are fed up today, but have to stuff themselves because they know that there will be fewer feeders again.

A beautiful woman arrives and smiles at me, which I think is great. She is blonde and has glasses.

The buses and trams are full and many of them are stupid because they make room without decency. Why do I have a subscription card when I can't go with me?

Otherwise people are very socially unattractive and boring. They are only interested in showing things and cars with mulled wine. They look at you as if you weren't one of them. A child is rampaging against a rental bike.

 

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私はここにいて、白鳥のために鳥の餌を食べます。ちょうど5分後、西ドイツのシークレットサービスからのスパイが再び来て、（いつものように）スマートフォンで私を撮影し始めます。私の顔に。女性は、約45歳、青い目、細い、暗いブロンドの髪の愚かな顔をしています。グリューワインを飲みます。

装飾的な鳥の餌は白鳥用に作られていますが、包装には白鳥はありませんが、ここには生息しないフラミンゴがいます。汽船社会はあまりにも怠zyであり、そこにフラッターバンドがぶら下がっているので、黒頭カモメはもはや汽船岸壁に座ることができません。しかし、彼らは州の両親の暴徒に対して何もしません。

黒頭のカモメ、マガモ、ハト、ハイイロガン、白鳥がここで食べます。しかし、白鳥はまた、ここにいない他の普通の市民にスパイや人をスパイしている。白鳥は今日うんざりしているが、彼らは再びより少ないフィーダーがあることを知っているので、自分で詰めなければならない。

美しい女性が到着し、私に微笑みます。それは素晴らしいと思います。彼女は金髪で、眼鏡をかけています。

バスと路面電車は満員であり、それらの多くは愚かさのない部屋を作るので愚かです。一緒に行けないのに、なぜサブスクリプションカードを持っているのですか？

そうでなければ、人々は非常に社会的に魅力的で退屈です。彼らは、グリューワインのあるものや車を見せることにのみ興味を持っています。彼らはあなたを彼らの一人ではないかのように見ます。子供がレンタル自転車に暴れ回っている。

Germany's energy crisis threatens a family-run business:

youtu.be/YwNPpw3xb-4

 

The Duran: Putin delivers confident Federal assembly speech, suspense start nuclear treaty:

youtu.be/fGQF_tvIhb0

 

en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/70565

 

Presidential Address to Federal Assembly

Vladimir Putin delivered his Address to the Federal Assembly. The ceremony took place in Gostiny Dvor, Moscow.

February 21, 2023 13:50

 

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,

 

Members of the Federation Assembly – senators, State Duma deputies,

 

Citizens of Russia,

 

This Presidential Address comes, as we all know, at a difficult, watershed period for our country. This is a time of radical, irreversible change in the entire world, of crucial historical events that will determine the future of our country and our people, a time when every one of us bears a colossal responsibility.

 

One year ago, to protect the people in our historical lands, to ensure the security of our country and to eliminate the threat coming from the neo-Nazi regime that had taken hold in Ukraine after the 2014 coup, it was decided to begin the special military operation. Step by step, carefully and consistently we will deal with the tasks we have at hand.

 

Since 2014, Donbass has been fighting for the right to live in their land and to speak their native tongue. It fought and never gave up amid the blockade, constant shelling and the Kiev regime’s overt hatred. It hoped and waited that Russia would come to help.

 

In the meantime, as you know well, we were doing everything in our power to solve this problem by peaceful means, and patiently conducted talks on a peaceful solution to this devastating conflict.

 

This appalling method of deception has been tried and tested many times before. They behaved just as shamelessly and duplicitously when destroying Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. They will never be able to wash off this shame. The concepts of honour, trust, and decency are not for them.

 

Over the long centuries of colonialism, diktat and hegemony, they got used to being allowed everything, got used to spitting on the whole world. It turned out that they treat people living in their own countries with the same disdain, like a master. After all, they cynically deceived them too, tricked them with tall stories about the search for peace, about adherence to the UN Security Council resolutions on Donbass. Indeed, the Western elites have become a symbol of total, unprincipled lies.

 

We firmly defend our interests as well as our belief that in today’s world there should be no division into so-called civilised countries and all the rest and that there is a need for an honest partnership that rejects any exclusivity, especially an aggressive one.

 

We were open and sincerely ready for a constructive dialogue with the West; we said and insisted that both Europe and the whole world needed an indivisible security system equal for all countries, and for many years we suggested that our partners discuss this idea together and work on its implementation. But in response, we received either an indistinct or hypocritical reaction, as far as words were concerned. But there were also actions: NATO’s expansion to our borders, the creation of new deployment areas for missile defence in Europe and Asia – they decided to take cover from us under an ‘umbrella’ – deployment of military contingents, and not just near Russia’s borders.

 

I would like to stress –in fact, this is well-known – that no other country has so many military bases abroad as the United States. There are hundreds of them – I want to emphasise this – hundreds of bases all over the world; the planet is covered with them, and one look at the map is enough to see this.

 

The whole world witnessed how they withdrew from fundamental agreements on weapons, including the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles, unilaterally tearing up the fundamental agreements that maintain world peace. For some reason, they did it. They do not do anything without a reason, as we know.

 

Finally, in December 2021, we officially submitted draft agreements on security guarantees to the USA and NATO. In essence, all key, fundamental points were rejected. After that it finally became clear that the go-ahead for the implementation of aggressive plans had been given and they were not going to stop.

 

The threat was growing by the day. Judging by the information we received, there was no doubt that everything would be in place by February 2022 for launching yet another bloody punitive operation in Donbass. Let me remind you that back in 2014, the Kiev regime sent its artillery, tanks and warplanes to fight in Donbass.

 

We all remember the aerial footage of airstrikes targeting Donetsk. Other cities also suffered from airstrikes. In 2015, they tried to mount a frontal assault against Donbass again, while keeping the blockade in place and continuing to shell and terrorise civilians. Let me remind you that all of this was completely at odds with the documents and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, but everyone pretended that nothing was happening.

 

Let me reiterate that they were the ones who started this war, while we used force and are using it to stop the war.

 

Those who plotted a new attack against Donetsk in the Donbass region, and against Lugansk understood that Crimea and Sevastopol would be the next target. We realised this as well. Even today, Kiev is openly discussing far-reaching plans of this kind. They exposed themselves by making public what we knew already.

 

We are defending human lives and our common home, while the West seeks unlimited power. It has already spent over $150 billion on helping and arming the Kiev regime. To give you an idea, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the G7 countries earmarked about $60 billion in 2020–2021 to help the world’s poorest countries. Is this clear? They spent $150 billion on the war, while giving $60 billion to the poorest countries, despite pretending to care about them all the time, and also conditioning this support on obedience on behalf of the beneficiary countries. What about all this talk of fighting poverty, sustainable development and protection of the environment? Where did it all go? Has it all vanished? Meanwhile, they keep channelling more money into the war effort. They eagerly invest in sowing unrest and encouraging government coups in other countries around the world.

 

The recent Munich Conference turned into an endless stream of accusations against Russia. One gets the impression that this was done so that everyone would forget what the so-called West has been doing over the past decades. They were the ones who let the genie out of the bottle, plunging entire regions into chaos.

 

According to US experts, almost 900,000 people were killed during wars unleashed by the United States after 2001, and over 38 million became refugees. Please note, we did not invent these statistics; it is the Americans who are providing them. They are now simply trying to erase all this from the memory of humankind, and they are pretending that all this never happened. However, no one in the world has forgotten this or will ever forget it.

 

None of them cares about human casualties and tragedies because many trillions of dollars are at stake, of course. They can also continue to rob everyone under the guise of democracy and freedoms, to impose neoliberal and essentially totalitarian values, to brand entire countries and nations, to publicly insult their leaders, to suppress dissent in their own countries and to divert attention from corruption scandals by creating an enemy image. We continue to see all this on television, which highlights greater domestic economic, social and inter-ethnic problems, contradictions and disagreements.

 

I would like to recall that, in the 1930s, the West had virtually paved the way to power for the Nazis in Germany. In our time, they started turning Ukraine into an “anti-Russia.”

 

Actually, this project is not new. People who are knowledgeable about history at least to some extent realise that this project dates back to the 19th century. The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Poland had conceived it for one purpose, that is, to deprive Russia of these historical territories that are now called Ukraine. This is their goal. There is nothing new here; they are repeating everything.

 

The West expedited the implementation of this project today by supporting the 2014 coup. That was a bloody, anti-state and unconstitutional coup. They pretended that nothing happened, and that this is how things should be. They even said how much money they had spent on it. Russophobia and extremely aggressive nationalism formed its ideological foundation.

 

Quite recently, a brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was named Edelweiss after a Nazi division whose personnel were involved in deporting Jews, executing prisoners of war and conducting punitive operations against partisans in Yugoslavia, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Greece. We are ashamed to talk about this, but they are not. Personnel serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian National Guard are particularly fond of chevrons formerly worn by soldiers from Das Reich, Totenkopf (Death’s Head) and Galichina divisions and other SS units. Their hands are also stained with blood. Ukrainian armoured vehicles feature insignia of the Nazi German Wehrmacht.

 

Neo-Nazis are open about whose heirs they consider themselves to be. Surprisingly, none of the powers that be in the West are seeing it. Why? Because they – pardon my language – could not care less about it. They do not care who they are betting on in their fight against us, against Russia. In fact, anyone will do as long as they fight against us and our country. Indeed, we saw terrorists and neo-Nazis in their ranks. They would let all kinds of ghouls join their ranks, for God’s sake, as long as they act on their will as a weapon against Russia.

 

In fact, the anti-Russia project is part of the revanchist policy towards our country to create flashpoints of instability and conflicts next to our borders. Back then, in the 1930s, and now the design remains the same and it is to direct aggression to the East, to spark a war in Europe, and to eliminate competitors by using a proxy force.

 

We are not at war with the people of Ukraine. I have made that clear many times. The people of Ukraine have become hostages of the Kiev regime and its Western handlers, who have in fact occupied that country in the political, military and economic sense and have been destroying Ukrainian industry for decades now as they plundered its natural resources. This led to social degradation and an immeasurable increase in poverty and inequality. Recruiting resources for military operations in these circumstances was easy. Nobody was thinking about people, who were conditioned for slaughter and eventually became expendables. It is a sad and dreadful thing to say, but it is a fact.

 

Responsibility for inciting and escalating the Ukraine conflict as well as the sheer number of casualties lies entirely with the Western elites and, of course, today’s Kiev regime, for which the Ukrainian people are, in fact, not its own people. The current Ukrainian regime is serving not national interests, but the interests of third countries.

 

The West is using Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia and as a testing range. I am not going to discuss in detail the West's attempts to turn the war around, or their plans to ramp up military supplies, since everyone is well aware of that. However, there is one circumstance that everyone should be clear about: the longer the range of the Western systems that will be supplied to Ukraine, the further we will have to move the threat away from our borders. This is obvious.

 

The Western elite make no secret of their goal, which is, I quote, “Russia’s strategic defeat.” What does this mean to us? This means they plan to finish us once and for all. In other words, they plan to grow a local conflict into a global confrontation. This is how we understand it and we will respond accordingly, because this represents an existential threat to our country.

 

However, they too realise it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield and are conducting increasingly aggressive information attacks against us targeting primarily the younger generation. They never stop lying and distorting historical facts as they attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church and other traditional religious organizations in our country.

 

Look what they are doing to their own people. It is all about the destruction of the family, of cultural and national identity, perversion and abuse of children, including pedophilia, all of which are declared normal in their life. They are forcing the priests to bless same-sex marriages. Bless their hearts, let them do as they please. Here is what I would like to say in this regard. Adult people can do as they please. We in Russia have always seen it that way and always will: no one is going to intrude into other people’s private lives, and we are not going to do it, either.

 

But here is what I would like to tell them: look at the holy scripture and the main books of other world religions. They say it all, including that family is the union of a man and a woman, but these sacred texts are now being questioned. Reportedly, the Anglican Church is planning, just planning, to explore the idea of a gender-neutral god. What is there to say? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

 

Millions of people in the West realise that they are being led to a spiritual disaster. Frankly, the elite appear to have gone crazy, and it looks like there is no cure for that. But like I said, these are their problems, while we must protect our children, which we will do. We will protect our children from degradation and degeneration.

 

Clearly, the West will try to undermine and divide our society and to bet on the fifth columnists who, throughout history, and I want to emphasise this, have been using the same poison of contempt for their own Fatherland and the desire to make money by selling this poison to anyone who is willing to pay for it. It has always been that way.

 

Those who have embarked on the road of outright betrayal, committing terrorist and other crimes against the security of our society and the country’s territorial integrity, will be held accountable for this under law. But we will never behave like the Kiev regime and the Western elite, which have been and still are involved in witch hunts. We will not settle scores with those who take a step aside and turn their back on their Motherland. Let this be on their conscience, let them live with this – they will have to live with it. The main point is that our people, the citizens of Russia, have given them a moral assessment.

 

I am proud, and I think we are all proud that our multi-ethnic nation, the absolute majority of our citizens, have taken a principled stance on the special military operation. They understand the basic idea of what we are doing and support our actions on the defence of Donbass. This support primarily revealed their true patriotism – a feeling that is historically inherent in our nation. It is stunning in its dignity and deep understnding by everyone – I will stress, everyone – of the inseparable link between one’s own destiny and the destiny of the Fatherland.

 

My dear friends, I would like to thank everyone, all the people of Russia for their courage and resolve. I would like to thank our heroes, soldiers and officers in the Army and the Navy, the Russian Guards, the secret services staff, and all structures of authority, the fighters in Donetsk and Lugansk corps, volunteers and patriots who are now fighting in the ranks of the BARS combat army reserve.

 

I would like to apologise that I will not be able to mention everyone during today’s speech. You know, when I was drafting this speech, I wrote a very long list of these heroic units but then removed it from my text because, as I said, it is impossible to mention everyone, and I was afraid to offend anyone I might leave out.

 

My deepest gratitude to the parents, wives and families of our defenders, the doctors and paramedics, combat medics and medical nurses that are saving the wounded; to the railway workers and drivers that are supplying the front; to the builders that are erecting fortifications and restoring housing, roads and civilian facilities; to the workers and engineers at defence companies, who are now working almost around-the-clock, in several shifts; and to rural workers who reliably ensure food security for the country.

 

I am grateful to the teachers who sincerely care for the young generations of Russia, especially those that are working in very difficult, almost front-line conditions; the cultural figures that are visiting the zone of hostilities and hospitals to support the soldiers and officers; volunteers that are helping the front and civilians; journalists, primarily war correspondents, that are risking their lives to tell the truth to the world; pastors of Russia’s traditional religions and military clergy, whose wise words support and inspire people; government officials and business people – all those who fulfill their professional, civil and simply human duty.

 

My special words go to the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. You, my friends, determined your future at the referendums and made a clear choice despite the neo-Nazis’ threats and violence, amid the close military actions. But there has been nothing stronger than your intent to be with Russia, with your Motherland.

 

(Applause)

 

I want to emphasise that this is the reaction of the audience to the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Once again, our deepest respect for them all.

 

We have already begun and will expand a major socioeconomic recovery and development programme for these new regions within the Federation. It includes restoring production facilities, jobs, and the ports on the Sea of Azov, which again became Russia’s landlocked sea, and building new, modern road,s like we did in Crimea, which now has a reliable land transport corridor with all of Russia. We will definitely implement all of these plans together.

 

Russia’s regions are currently providing direct assistance to the cities, districts and villages in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. They are doing it sincerely, like true brothers and sisters. We are together again, which means that we have become even stronger, and we will do everything in our power to bring back the long-awaited peace to our land and ensure the safety of our people. Our soldiers, our heroes are fighting for this, for their ancestors, for the future of their children and grandchildren, for uniting our people.

 

Friends, I would like to ask you to pay your respects to our fellow soldiers who were killed in the attacks of neo-Nazis and raiders, who gave up their lives for Russia, for civilians, the elderly, women and children.

 

(A minute of silence)

 

Thank you.

 

We all understand, and I understand also how unbearably hard it is for their wives, sons and daughters, for their parents who raised those dignified defenders of the Fatherland – like the Young Guard members from Krasnodon, young men and women who fought against Nazism and for Donbass during the Great Patriotic War. Everyone in Russia remembers their courage, resilience, enormous strength of spirit and self-sacrifice to this day.

 

Our duty is to support the families that have lost their loved ones and to help them raise their children and give them an education and a job. The family of each participant in the special military operation must be a priority and treated with care and respect. Their needs must be responded to immediately, without bureaucratic delays.

 

I suggest establishing a dedicated state fund for bringing targeted, personalised assistance to the families of fallen fighters, as well as veterans of the special military operation. This entity will be tasked with coordinating efforts to offer social, medical support and counselling, and also address matters related to sending them to health resorts and providing rehabilitation services, while also assisting them in education, sports, employment and in acquiring a new profession. This fund will also have an essential mission to ensure long-term home care and high-technology prosthetics for those who need that.

 

I am asking the Government to work with the State Council Commission on Social Policy and with the regions to resolve the organisational matters as quickly as possible.

 

The state fund must be transparent in its work, while streamlining assistance and operating as a one-stop-shop, free from red tape or administrative barriers. Every family without exception, and every veteran will have their personal social worker, a coordinator, who will be there for them in person to resolve in real time any issue they might face. Let me emphasise that the fund must open its offices in all regions of the Russian Federation in 2023.

 

We already have measures in place for supporting Great Patriotic War veterans, combat veterans, as well as participants in local conflicts. I believe these essential elements will be added to the state fund’s mission moving forward. We need to explore this possibility, and I am asking the Government to do so.

 

Make no mistake: the fact that we are establishing a state fund does not mean that other institutions or officials at other levels of government will be relieved of their responsibility. I expect all federal agencies, regions and municipalities to stay focused on veterans, on service personnel and their families. In this context, I would like to thank the senior regional officials, mayors, and governors who routinely meet with people, including by visiting the line of contact, and support their fellow countrymen.

 

On a special note, let me say that today, career service personnel, mobilised conscripts, and volunteers all share frontline hardships, including in terms of provisions, supplies and equipment, remuneration, and insurance payments to the wounded, as well as healthcare services. However, there are complaints that make it all the way to my office, as well as to the governors, as they have been telling me, and to the military prosecutor’s office and the Human Rights Commissioner, showing that some of these issues have yet to be resolved. We need to get to the bottom of each complaint on a case-by-case basis.

 

And one more thing: everyone understands that serving in the special military operation zone causes immense physical and mental stress, since people risk their lives and health every day. For this reason, I believe that the mobilised conscripts, as well as all service personnel, and all those taking part in the special military operation, including volunteers, must benefit from a leave of absence of at least 14 days every six months without counting the time it takes them to travel to their destination. This way, every fighter will be able to meet family and spend time with their loved ones.

 

Colleagues, as you are aware, a 2021–2025 plan for building and developing the Armed Forces was approved by a Presidential Executive Order and is being implemented and adjusted as necessary. Importantly, our next steps to reinforce the Army and the Navy and to secure the current and future development of the Armed Forces must be based on actual combat experience gained during the special military operation, which is extremely important, I would even say absolutely invaluable to us.

 

For example, the latest systems account for over 91 percent, 91.3 percent, of Russia's nuclear deterrence forces. To reiterate, based on our newly acquired experience, we must access a similarly high quality level for all other components of the Armed Forces.

 

Officers and sergeants who act as competent, modern and decisive commanders, and they are many, will be promoted to higher positions as a matter of priority, sent to military universities and academies, and will serve as a powerful personnel reserve for the Armed Forces. Without a doubt, they are a valuable resource in civilian life and at governments at all levels. I just want our colleagues to pay attention to that. It is very important. The people must know that the Motherland appreciates their contribution to the defence of the Fatherland.

 

We will widely introduce the latest technology to ensure high-quality standards in the Army and Navy. We have corresponding pilot projects and samples of weapons and equipment in each area. Many of them are significantly superior to their foreign counterparts. Our goal is to start mass production. This work is underway and is picking up pace. Importantly, this relies on domestic research and the industrial base and involves small- and medium-sized high-tech businesses in implementation of the state defence order.

 

Today, our plants, design bureaus and research teams employ experienced specialists and increasing numbers of talented and highly skilled young people who are oriented towards breakthrough achievements while remaining true to the tradition of Russian gunsmiths, which is to spare no effort to ensure victory.

 

We will certainly strengthen the guarantees for our workforce, in part concerning salaries and social security. I propose launching a special programme for low-cost rental housing for defence industry employees. The rental payments for them will be significantly lower than the going market rate, since a significant portion of it will be covered by the state.

 

The Government reviewed this issue. I instruct you to work through the details of this programme and start building such rental housing without delay, primarily, in the cities that are major defence, industrial and research centres.

 

Colleagues,

 

As I have already said, the West has opened not only military and informational warfare against us, but is also seeking to fight us on the economic front. However, they have not succeeded on any of these fronts, and never will. Moreover, those who initiated the sanctions are punishing themselves: they sent prices soaring in their own countries, destroyed jobs, forced companies to close, and caused an energy crisis, while telling their people that the Russians were to blame for all of this. We hear that.

 

What means did they use against us in their efforts to attack us with sanctions? They tried disrupting economic ties with Russian companies and depriving the financial system of its communication channels to shutter our economy, isolate us from export markets and thus undermine our revenues. They also stole our foreign exchange reserves, to call a spade a spade, tried to depreciate the ruble and drive inflation to destructive heights.

 

Let me reiterate that the sanctions against Russia are merely a means, while the aim as declared by the Western leaders, to quote them, is to make us suffer. “Make them suffer” – what a humane attitude. They want to make our people suffer, which is designed to destabilise our society from within.

 

However, their gamble failed to pay off. The Russian economy, as well as its governance model proved to be much more resilient than the West thought. The Government, parliament, the Bank of Russia, the regions and of course the business community and their employees all worked together to ensure that the economic situation remained stable, offered people protection and preserved jobs, prevented shortages, including of essential goods, and supported the financial system and business owners who invest in their enterprises, which also means investing in national development.

 

As early as in March 2022, we launched a dedicated assistance package for businesses and the economy worth about a trillion rubles. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this has nothing to do with printing money. Not at all. Everything we do is solidly rooted in market principles.

 

In 2022, there was a decline in the gross domestic product. Mr Mishustin called me to say, “I would like to ask you to mention this.” I think that these data were released yesterday, right on schedule.

 

You may remember that some predicted that the economy would shrink by 20 to 25 percent, or maybe 10 percent. Only recently, we spoke about a 2.9 percent decline, and I was the one who announced this figure. Later it came down to 2.5 percent. However, in 2022, the GDP declined by 2.1 percent, according to the latest data. And we must be mindful of the fact that back in February and March of last year some predicted that the economy would be in free fall.

 

Russian businesses have restructured their logistics and have strengthened their ties with responsible, predictable partners – there are many of them, they are the majority in the world.

 

I would like to note that the share of the Russian ruble in our international settlements has doubled as compared to December 2021, reaching one third of the total, and including the currencies of the friendly countries, it exceeds half of all transactions.

 

We will continue working with our partners to create a sustainable, safe system of international settlements, which will be independent of the dollar and other Western reserve currencies that are bound to lose their universal appeal with this policy of the Western elite, the Western rulers. They are doing all this to themselves with their own hands.

 

We are not the ones reducing transactions in dollars or other so-called universal currencies – they are doing everything with their own hands.

 

You know, there is a maxim, cannons versus butter. Of course, national defence is the top priority, but in resolving strategic tasks in this area, we should not repeat the mistakes of the past and should not destroy our own economy. We have everything we need to both ensure our security and create conditions for confident progress in our country. We are acting in line with this logic and we intend to continue doing this.

 

Thus, many basic, I will stress, civilian industries in the national economy are far from being in decline, they have increased their production last year by a considerable amount. The scale of housing put into service exceeded 100 million square meters for the first time in our modern history.

 

As for agricultural production, it recorded two-digit growth rates last year. Thank you very much. We are most grateful to our agricultural producers. Russian agrarians harvested a record amount – over 150 million tonnes of grain, including over 100 million tonnes of wheat. By the end of the agricultural season, that is, June 30, 2023, we will bring our grain exports to 55–60 million tonnes.

 

Just 10 or 15 years ago, this seemed like a fairy tale, an absolutely unfeasible plan. If you remember, and I am sure some people do remember this – the former Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture are here – just recently, agrarians took in 60 million tonnes overall in a year, whereas now 55–60 million is their export potential alone. I am convinced we have every opportunity for a similar breakthrough in other areas as well.

 

We prevented the labour market from collapsing. On the contrary, we were able to reduce unemployment in the current environment. Today, considering the major challenges coming at us from all sides, the labour market is even better than it used to be. You may remember that the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent before the pandemic, and now, I believe, it is 3.7 percent. What is the figure, Mr Mishustin? 3.7 percent? This is an all-time low.

 

Let me reiterate that the Russian economy has prevailed over the risks it faced – it has prevailed. Of course, it was impossible to anticipate many of them, and we had to respond literally on the fly, dealing with issues as they emerged. Both the state and businesses had to move quickly. I will note that private actors, SMEs, played an essential role in these efforts, and we must remember this. We avoided having to apply excessive regulation or distorting the economy by giving the state a more prominent role.

 

What else there is to say? The recession was limited to the second quarter of 2022, while the economy grew in the third and fourth quarters. In fact, the Russian economy has embarked on a new growth cycle. Experts believe that it will rely on a fundamentally new model and structure. New, promising global markets, including the Asia-Pacific, are taking precedence, as is the domestic market, with its research, technology and workforce no longer geared toward exporting commodities but manufacturing goods with high added value. This will help Russia unleash its immense potential in all spheres and sectors.

 

We expect to see a solid increase in domestic demand as early as this year. I am convinced that companies will use this opportunity to expand their manufacturing, make new products that are in high demand, and to take over the market niches vacated or about to be vacated by Western companies as they withdraw.

 

Today, we clearly see what is going on and understand the structural issues we have to address in logistics, technology, finance, and human resources. Over the past years, we have been talking a lot and at length about the need to restructure our economy. Now these changes are a vital necessity, a game changer, and all for the better. We know what needs to be done to enable Russia to make steady progress and to develop independently regardless of any outside pressure or threats, while guaranteeing our national security and interests.

 

I would like to point out and to emphasise that the essence of our task is not to adapt to circumstances. Our strategic task is to take the economy to a new horizon. Everything is changing now, and changing extremely fast. This is not only a time of challenges but also a time of opportunities. This is really so today. And our future depends on the way we realise these opportunities. We must put an end – and I want to emphase this – to all interagency conflicts, red tape, grievances, doublespeak, or any other nonsense. Everything we do must contribute to achieving our goals and delivering results. This is what we must strive to achieve.

 

Enabling Russian companies and small family-run businesses to successfully tap the market is a victory in itself. Building cutting-edge factories and kilometres of new roads is a victory. Every new school, every new kindergarten we build is a victory. Scientific discoveries and new technologies – these are also victories, of course. What matters is that all of us contribute to our shared success.

 

What areas should we focus the partnership of the state, the regions and domestic business on?

 

First, we will expand promising foreign economic ties and build new logistics corridors. A decision has already been made to extend the Moscow-Kazan expressway to Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen, and eventually to Irkutsk and Vladivostok with branches to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. This will, in part, allows us to considerably expand our ties with Southeast Asian markets.

 

We will develop Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports. We will pay special attention to the North-South international corridor, as those who work on this every day know. Vessels with a draft of up to 4.5 meters will be able to pass through the Volga-Caspian Sea Canal this year. This will open up new routes for business cooperation with India, Iran, Pakistan, and the Middle Eastern countries. We will continue developing this corridor.

 

Our plans include expedited modernisation of the eastern railways – the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM) – and building up the potential of the Northern Sea Route. This will create not only additional freight traffic but also a foundation for reaching our national goals on developing Siberia, the Arctic and the Far East.

 

The infrastructure of the regions and the development of infrastructure, including communications, telecommunications and railways will receive a powerful impetus. Next year, 2024, we will bring to a proper condition at least 85 percent of all roads in the country’s largest metropolises, as well as over half of all regional and municipal roads. I am sure we will achieve this.

 

We will also continue our free gas distribution programme. We have already made the decision to extend it to social facilities – kindergartens and schools, outpatient clinics and hospitals, as well as primary healthcare centres. This programme will now be permanent for our citizens – they can always request a connection to the gas distribution system.

 

This year, we will launch a large programme to build and repair housing and utility systems. Over the next ten years, we plan to invest at least 4.5 trillion rubles in this. We know how important this is for our people and how neglected this area has been. It is necessary to improve this situation, and we will do it. It is important to give the programme a powerful start. So, I would like to ask the Government to ensure stable funding for this.

 

Second, we will need to significantly expand our economy’s production capabilities and to increase domestic industrial capacity.

 

An industrial mortgage tool has been created, and an easy-term loan can now be taken out not only to purchase production facilities, but also to build or upgrade them. The size of such a loan was discussed many times and there were plans to increase it. It is a decent amount for a first step: up to 500 million rubles. It is available at a rate of 3 or 5 percent for up to seven years. It sounds like a very good programme and should be put to good use.

 

New terms for industrial clusters took effect this year, including a lower fiscal and administrative burden on resident companies, and long-term state orders and subsidies to support demand for their innovative products, which are just entering the market.

 

According to estimates, these measures will generate high-demand projects worth over 10 trillion rubles by 2030. Investment is expected to reach about 2 trillion this year alone. Please note that these are not forecasts, but existing benchmarks.

 

Therefore, I would like the Government to expedite the launch of these projects, give a hand to businesses and come up with systemic support measures, including tax incentives. I am aware that the financial bloc does not like to provide incentives, and I partly share this approach: the taxation system must be consistent and without niches or exemptions, but this particular case calls for a creative approach.

 

So, starting this year, Russian companies will be able to reduce their revenue taxes if they purchase advanced domestic IT solutions and AI-enhanced products. Moreover, these expenses will be credited at one and a half times the actual cost, meaning that every ruble invested in purchasing such products will result in a tax deduction of 1.5 rubles.

 

I propose extending these deductions to purchases of all kinds of Russian high-tech equipment. I would like the Government to come up with a list of such equipment by specific industry and with the procedure for granting deductions. This is a good solution to reinvigorate the economy.

 

Third, a crucial issue on our economic development agenda to do with the new sources of funding investment, which we have been talking about a lot.

 

Thanks to our strong payments balance, Russia does not need to borrow funds abroad, kowtow and beg for money, and then hold long discussions on what, how much and on what conditions we would pay back. Russian banks are working stably and sustainably and have a solid margin for security.

 

In 2022, the volume of bank loans for the corporate sector increased, I repeat, increased. There was considerable concern about that, but we have reported growth, an increase of 14 percent, or more than we reported in 2021, before the miliary operation. In 2021, the figure was 11.7 percent; last year, it was 14 percent. The mortgage portfolio went up by 20.4 percent. We are growing.

 

Last year, the banking sector as a whole operated at a profit. It was not as large as in the preceding years, but it was considerable nevertheless: 203 billion rubles. This is another indicator of the stability of the Russian financial sector.

 

According to our estimates, inflation in Russia will approach the target figure of 4 percent in the second quarter this year. I would like to remind you that the inflation rate has reached 12, 17 and 20 percent in some EU countries. Our figure is 4 or 5 percent; the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry are still discussing the figure, but it will be close to the target. Given these positive dynamics and other macroeconomic parameters, we are creating objective conditions for lowering long-term interest rates in the economy, which means that loans for the real economic sector will become more affordable.

 

Individual long-term savings are a vital source of investment resources around the world, and we must also stimulate their attraction into the investment sphere. I would like the Government to expedite the submission of draft laws to the State Duma to launch the relevant state programme as soon as this April.

 

It is important to create additional conditions to encourage people to invest and earn at home, in the country. At the same time, it is necessary to guarantee the safety of people’s investment in voluntary retirement savings. We should create a mechanism here similar to the one used for insuring bank deposits. I would like to remind you that such savings, worth up to 1.4 million rubles, are insured by the state on guarantee deposits. I propose doubling the sum to 2.8 million rubles for voluntary retirement savings. Likewise, we must protect people’s investment in other long-term investment instruments, including against the possible bankruptcy of financial brokers.

 

Separate decisions must be taken to attract funds to rapidly growing and high-tech businesses. We will approve support for the placement of their shares on the domestic stock market, including tax benefits for both the companies and the buyers of their stock.

 

Freedom of enterprise is a vital element of economic sovereignty. I will repeat: against the backdrop of external attempts to contain Russia, private businesses have proven their ability to quickly adapt to the changing environment and ensure economic growth in difficult conditions. So, every business initiative aimed at benefiting the country should receive support.

 

I believe it is necessary to return, in this context, to the revision of a number of norms of criminal law as regards the economic elements of crime. Of course, the state must control what is happening in this area. We should not allow an anything-goes attitude here but we should not go too far, either. It is necessary to move faster towards the decriminalisation I mentioned. I hope the Government will consistently and seriously conduct this work together with Parliament, the law-enforcement bodies and business associations.

 

At the same time, I would like to ask the Government to suggest, in close cooperation with Parliament, additional measures for speeding up the de-offshorisation of the economy. Businesses, primarily those operating in key sectors and industries should operate in Russian jurisdiction – this is a fundamental principle.

 

Colleagues, in this context I would like to make a small philosophical digression. This is what I would like to single out.

 

We remember what problems and imbalances the Soviet economy faced in its later stages. This is why after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its planned system, in the chaos of the 1990s, the country began to create its economy along the lines of market relations and private ownership. Overall, this was the right thing to do. The Western countries were largely an example to follow in this respect. As you know, their advisers were a dime a dozen, and it seemed enough to simply copy their models. True, I remember they still argued with each other – the Europeans argued with the Americans on how the Russian economy should develop.

 

And what happened as a result? Our national economy was largely oriented to the West and for the most part as a source of raw materials. Naturally, there were different nuances, but overall, we were seen as a source of raw materials. The reasons for this are also clear – naturally, the new Russian businesses that were taking shape were primarily oriented toward generating profit, quick and easy profit in the first place. What could provide this? Of course, the sale of resources – oil, gas, metals and timber.

 

Few people thought about other alternatives or, probably, they did not have the opportunity to invest long-term. This is the reason other, more complex industries did not make much headway. It took us years – other governments saw this clearly – to break this negative trend. We had to adjust our tax system and make large-scale public investments.

 

We have achieved real and visible change. Indeed, the results are there, but, again, we should keep in mind the circumstances in which our major businesses developed. Technologies were coming from the West, cheaper sources of financing and lucrative markets were in the West, and capital started flowing to the West as well. Unfortunately, instead of expanding production and buying equipment and technology to create new jobs in Russia, they spent their money on foreign mansions, yachts and luxury real estate.

 

They began to invest in the economy later, but initially the money flowed rapidly to the West for consumption purposes. And since their money was there, that is where their children were educated, where their life was, their future. It was very difficult and almost impossible for the state to track and prevent these developments, because we lived in a free market paradigm.

 

Recent events have clearly shown that the image of the West as a safe haven for capital was a mirage. Those who failed to understand this in time, who saw Russia only as a source of income and planned to live mostly abroad, have lost a lot. They just got robbed there and saw even their legitimate money taken away.

 

At some point I made a joke – many may still remember it – I told Russian businesspeople that they will make themselves sick running from courtroom to courtroom and from office to office in the West trying to save their money. That is exactly how it turned out.

 

You know, I will say something that is quite simple, but truly important. Trust me, not a single ordinary citizen in our country felt sorry for those who lost their assets in foreign banks, lost their yachts or palaces abroad, and so on. In their conversations around the kitchen table, people have all recalled the privatisation of the 1990s, when enterprises that had been built by our entire nation were sold for next to nothing and the so-called new elites flaunted their lavish lifestyle.

 

There are other key aspects. During the years that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, the West never stopped trying to set the post-Soviet states on fire and, most importantly, finish off Russia as the largest surviving portion of the historical reaches of our state. They encouraged international terrorists to assault us, provoked regional conflicts along the perimeter of our borders, ignored our interests and tried to contain and suppress our economy.

 

I am saying this because big business in Russia controls strategic enterprises with thousands of workers that determine the socioeconomic well-being of many regions and, hence, the overall state of affairs. So, whenever leaders or owners of such businesses become dependent on governments that adopt policies that are unfriendly to Russia, this poses a great threat to us, a danger to our country. This is an untenable situation.

 

Yes, everyone has a choice. Some may choose to live in a seized mansion with a blocked account, trying to find a place for themselves in a seemingly attractive Western capital, a resort or some other comfortable place abroad. Anyone has the right to do that, and we will never infringe on it. But it is time to see that in the West these people have always been and will always remain second class strangers who can be treated any way, and their money, connections and the acquired titles of counts, peers or mayors will not help at all. They must understand that they are second class people there.

 

There is another option: to stay with your Motherland, to work for your compatriots, not only to open new businesses but also to change life around you in cities, towns and throughout your country. We have quite a few businesspeople like this, real fighters in our business community, and we associate the future of our business with them. Everyone must know that the sources of their prosperity and their future can only be here, in their native country Russia.

 

If they do, we will create a very strong and self-sufficient economy that will not remain aloof in the world but will make use of all its competitive advantages. Russian capital, the money earned here, must be put to work for the country, for our national development. Today, we see huge potential in the development of infrastructure, the manufacturing sector, in domestic tourism and many other industries.

 

I would like those who have come up against the predatory mores of the West to hear what I have to say: running around with cap in hand, begging for your own money makes no sense, and most importantly, it accomplishes nothing, especially now that you realise who you are dealing with. Stop clinging to the past, resorting to the courts to get at least something back. Change your lives and your jobs, because you are strong people – I am addressing our businesspeople now, many of whom I have known for years, who know what is what in life.

 

Launch new projects, earn money, work hard for Russia, invest in enterprises and jobs, and help schools and universities, science and healthcare, culture and sports. In this way, you will increase your wealth and will also win the respect and gratitude of the people for a generation ahead. The state and society will certainly support you.

 

Let us consider this as a message for your business: get moving in the right direction.

 

To be continued.

What an amazing place this is. It used to be a thermal bath house. It was built in the 19th century and what beautifully decorated. It will soon be converted into a posh hotel.

When we entered early morning we were the first explorers setting up our gear. Within an hour the place was crowded with explorers from all over Europe and it was hard to take a decent picture.

Apparently it is hard for other people to wait until others who were there earlier are done. I gave them a hard time by just standing in 'their' way while taking a shot. Have some decency people and be patient!

 

Please visit www.preciousdecay.com for more pictures and follow me on Facebook on www.facebook.com/Preciousdecay.urbex

In the 1980s, Eastern Electricity bought a number of these lorries fitted with British manufactured Atlas cranes to replace older vehicles which had the ubiquitous Swedish HIAB. I seem to remember we were going through a, "Buy British" period, as promulgated by the Daily Express, of course. These versatile devices were equipped with excavators, grabs, pole borers, hooks – indeed anything you can think of to fit on the end of an hydraulic crane assembly. Someone at HQ made a good choice.

 

A Linesmen at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, took one of these vehicles to site to deliver some poles. It was extremely cold and icy. Parked on a track, offloading his cargo into a field at a much lower level, he realised the lorry had started sliding down the bank and was likely to turn over. He had the presence of mind to extend the crane to its fullest extent and support the weight of the lorry on it, preventing it falling into the field and so maintaining it upright. He was able to summon help from the local garage and the lorry was rescued without damage, other than to the crane.

 

Initially, he was dragged in front of the depot engineer who gave him a telling off for allowing this to happen. My attitude, as the local overhead line engineer, was that, by doing what he did, he saved the Board the cost of considerable damage to the vehicle (which I think had cost about £25,000 new at the time). The crane of course had suffered but only cost about £700 to repair. A very reasonable sum under the circumstances. The main column was never quite upright again but the crane worked perfectly well, without leaking, which, in engineering terms, is all you require.

 

A little while after this incident, our local transport engineer wrote me a memo querying its fuel consumption. The 1980s is a long time ago and I can't remember the actual figures but he said that this overhead line lorry was using derv at (say) 8 mpg whilst the local average for this size of vehicle (not all used by overhead line gangs) was (say) 10 mpg. I, being the obliging sort (?), replied that I would try to improve on this. A month or two later, I received another memo saying that fuel consumption was now (say) 7 mpg. What was I going to do about it? I again replied that I would try to improve this, as you do.

 

A few months later, the figure was (say) 6.5 mpg. His memo was in terms of desperation – what was going on? Feeling a little (but not, very) sorry for him I wrote a reply along the lines ...

"Ideally the fuel consumption of this vehicle should be 0 mpg. It was purchased and equipped to dig pole holes and then plant the poles. If it spent all its time doing so, then I would be totally satisfied that it was working at maximum efficiency, and achieving 0 mpg. Of course, we do have to get the poles from the depot to site and also to drive it from pole hole to pole hole, so 0 mpg is never going to be achievable. But I am pleased to be reducing the mpg, month by month."

 

I didn't get a written reply, nor any more complaints. He did have the decency to phone me and agree with my logic.

 

All for human kind 'indulgence'. url below. For some years, I've laboured under the false notion that we and I mean the world populations living at peace, already had a global ban on ivory and whatever trade there was continued only in the shadows! So what is the EU position on this! Well Avaaz report this morning...

"Momentum is growing for a complete global ban on ivory -- but the European Commission has just come out against it!" Incredulous... barbaric. Please forgive me for posting this terrible image and I understand there is so much barbarism to people and children in the world but the fact that we in Europe appear to have never managed to help bring the strongest support to a ban beggars belief. We must expect a basic decency in nations that claim and pride themselves to be civilized nations. Nothing progressive here and no wonder there is a market for this misery in some parts of the world.

Avazz continue... "The elephant crisis is heartbreaking. In some areas these magnificent, sensitive creatures are so terrified of people they only come out at night, and mourning baby elephants refuse to leave the butchered corpses of their mothers. Now 29 African governments have said if Europe gets its way, it will spell extinction for our elephants, and they need our help." Take action...

secure.avaaz.org/en/global_ivory_ban_loc_en2/?birjfab&amp...

Why? BBC Newsround Oct 2015 reports "In China and Hong Kong, ivory is seen as precious material and is used in ornaments and jewellery. It's also sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Some rich Chinese people think that owning ivory makes them look more successful. Others think that ivory will bring them good luck.

China has the biggest ivory trade in the world and wildlife experts believe that around 70 per cent of the world's ivory ends up there.

Are things changing? "This year China agreed to ban ivory tusks and ornaments coming into the country for twelve months.

The government has said it wants to completely ban ivory sales soon but it is still legal to sell older carvings and ornaments.

Some people don't want ivory to be banned in China because they say that carving it is an old Chinese tradition that should carry on.

But more and more people in China disagree. A recent survey found that 95 per cent of people there wanted ivory to be banned to protect the elephants."

12.07.2016. Tuesday. I really need a walk with ms mcgonigal.

UN staff in New York gather at the “Knotted Gun” sculpture at the UN Visitor’s Centre entrance at 12:00 noon on Wednesday 15 March to call for an end to the six years of conflict in Syria. Staff held signs with photos of six year old Syrian children with the hashtag #notatarget as part of their action to stand in solidarity with the people of Syria.

 

UN Staff Statement: We, the staff of the United Nations wish to express our profound concern and outrage over the suffering of the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

The crucible of war continues to hold the people, and especially the children of Syria, hostage. For six years, Syrians have experienced appalling violence and flagrant disregard for human life. For six years, the world has watched in horror. Human decency and conscience demands that we end the carnage now.

 

The United Nations was founded on principles of human rights and respect for humanitarian values. It is our duty as individuals and as a collective to uphold these principles. We therefore stand in solidarity with the civilians and particularly the children who are suffering from abuses, indignity and destruction caused by ongoing violations of international norms. We stand united in solidarity with the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

We call upon the Member States of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to take urgent action to end the bloodshed in Syria.

 

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Morality would frown upon

Decency look down upon

The scapegoat fates made of me

But I promise you, my judge and jurors

My intentions couldnt have been purer

My case is easy to see

 

Im not looking for a clearer conscience

Peace of mind after what Ive been through

And before we talk of repentance

Try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

 

Youll stumble in my footsteps

Keep the same appointments I kept

If you try walking in my shoes

If you try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

 

"Walking in My Shoes" - Depeche Mode

Phoenix Navarathna is clearly a hybrid on a mission, trying to zero in on Jenna’s scent through the various levels of stench which clung to the city. She glances at Blair as she passes, offering a quick wave and flit of tail before continuing on. Her search finds her at the entrance of the Sari Mart, an expression of distaste settling upon her features as she steps gingerly inside. As she’d suspected, both wife and child are inside the establishment which inspires a rapid lifting of her arm. “Ah ha!” She extends a single finger while pointing toward the two, deliberate steps carrying her toward them. “Are you insane?” She executes an erratic gesture while clearly indicating the city as a whole. “What in the hell are you doing out here? With HER?”

 

CaptainJenna Gravois went all wide eyed as if she were a deer caught in the headlights, "I ... I've been stuck in the bunker for...like....EVER," she rasped. Her voice was yet to recover from screaming so loudly last night. She puffed out her bottom lip, as she looked down at Angel, "She's not doing so hot on just the breast milk. I had to get the supplement. Do you know how to work a breast pump?" she pointed with her free hand towards the counter. The distraction would likely not work too well. Nix was too clever for all that, but this would not stop Jenna from making the effort.

 

Phoenix Navarathna: “No, no, no…” She slowly shakes her head, drawing a single step forward while adopting confrontational posturing. “You have people for that.” Eyes flit to the bundle in the other’s hands before lifting to mingle with baby blues. “How many times have we dogged women for dragging their kids in public? Hmm?” She tilts her head, claiming a dramatic pause while allowing the rhetorical question to hover between them. “And then you go and do it?” She lifts her arms in a grand show of exasperation. “Unbelievable.”

 

CaptainJenna Gravois tilted her head, "I've actually never," she paused to clear her throat, "never actually said anything like that. I complained about all the kids running around without parents." Her tone was sing song but gravely so it didn't quite carry the whimsical note intended. She squinted one eye, "Although ... I have mentioned how I could never understand coming into public, especially this town with all it's rapists, scantily clad. Was everything in the wash? I mean, good lord honey, I've seen Peep Show girls at the beach swinging it with more clothing on." Turning the tables? This was gonna get ugly.

 

Phoenix Navarathna slowly licks her bottom lip, head only barely tilting to one side as she stares at Jenna for what might feel like an eternity. “You didn’t.” Spoken with little inflection as faux greens form narrow slits. “Did you just call me a whore?” She lifts a hand, fingers splayed against her own chest as she takes yet another step forward. “Because you’re her mother.” Her free hand juts forward to indicate the child before dropping to the only button upon her own shirt. “Not mine.” The object is liberated as the white material is separated and then shrugged from her shoulders, leaving the redheaded hybrid standing near-topless in a black lace bra. “Because, here’s the thing.” She spins the fabric in mid air before tossing it across the room. “I was actually starting to feel a little overdressed.”

 

CaptainJenna Gravois opened her mouth to say something, but her jaw just stayed lowered for a moment. She slowly pressed her lips together as she squinted both eyes, focusing through the lenses of her slightly bent glasses, "Put that back on. You're making a scene," she rasped, "And if front of our daughter. I am not calling you a," she paused to look down at Angel and then back up at Nix, "a w-h-o-r-e," she spelled, as if the baby could comprehend, "You know better than that. What's gotten into you woman?" She couldn't help but stare. Her wife was hot as hell. She couldn't help but smirk a little bit, "Phoenix Gravois have some...decency...please. You're a parent too you know." She sighed, "I just wanted some fresh air, and I'm not about to let those gorillas watch after my baby. If I had known you were nearby, I would have called. I didn't wanna interrupt anything you were doing though," she frowned.

UN staff in New York gather at the “Knotted Gun” sculpture at the UN Visitor’s Centre entrance at 12:00 noon on Wednesday 15 March to call for an end to the six years of conflict in Syria. Staff held signs with photos of six year old Syrian children with the hashtag #notatarget as part of their action to stand in solidarity with the people of Syria.

 

UN Staff Statement: We, the staff of the United Nations wish to express our profound concern and outrage over the suffering of the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

The crucible of war continues to hold the people, and especially the children of Syria, hostage. For six years, Syrians have experienced appalling violence and flagrant disregard for human life. For six years, the world has watched in horror. Human decency and conscience demands that we end the carnage now.

 

The United Nations was founded on principles of human rights and respect for humanitarian values. It is our duty as individuals and as a collective to uphold these principles. We therefore stand in solidarity with the civilians and particularly the children who are suffering from abuses, indignity and destruction caused by ongoing violations of international norms. We stand united in solidarity with the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

We call upon the Member States of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to take urgent action to end the bloodshed in Syria.

 

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

 

What an amazing place this is. It used to be a thermal bath house. It was built in the 19th century and what beautifully decorated. It will soon be converted into a posh hotel.

When we entered early morning we were the first explorers setting up our gear. Within an hour the place was crowded with explorers from all over Europe and it was hard to take a decent picture.

Apparently it is hard for other people to wait until others who were there earlier are done. I gave them a hard time by just standing in 'their' way while taking a shot. Have some decency people and be patient!

 

Please visit www.preciousdecay.com for more pictures and follow me on Facebook on www.facebook.com/Preciousdecay.urbex

Washington DC, The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the afternoon of March 1, 2015. Around one hundred social justice activists affiliated with Code Pink, Jewish Voice For Justice, AVAAZ, US Campaign To End The Israeli Occupation, Boycott From Within, Answer Coaltion and other peace and faith groups demonstrate in front of the Convention Center to protest the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) yearly DC meeting. AIPAC is regarded by many as the most powerful lobbying group in town. AIPAC has a policy agenda that's out of step with the values of most Jewish Americans and other participants in civilized society but they call the tune because our corrupt political culture is fueled by money, not decency. In an act of peaceful civil disobedience, five demonstrators, all women, were arrested for failing to obey police orders to remove themselves from the granite in front of one of the Convention Center's many doorways. They were given three warnings before being arrested. I photographed one of the women as she was being lead away in plastic handcuffs. "I'm a Jewish mother!" she proclaimed. I gave her the 'thumbs up'. It was great to see Jews, Muslims, Christians and others joining together to promote peace. Maybe the people themselves will do what governments apparently no longer can? Am I just dreaming?

Most of the DC cops kept their cool but when some of the demonstrators got in their face a brief scuffle ensued. Some of us locked arms and and helped lift up one of the Code Pink ladies who was almost knocked down onto the steps by a DC officer who lost it.

I have decided to use this new setup as my primary for taking pictures, what do you guts think - i for one think it's a lot better than my old crappy one... I hope you guys enjoy these 3 tests...

If you favourite then please have the decency to comment, I don't mind if you don't but I would much like it :) Decal by Eturior

Catching up on some back shots from the beginning of the year

 

On a walk around the Addington Cemetery with a wonderful Flickr friend. February 13, 2016 Christchurch New Zealand.

 

There is so much damaged in the cemetery because of the earthquake we have had. It is such a pity as I don' think it will ever be fully repaired.

 

The Addington Cemetery was established in 1858 when the Scottish Presbyterians of St Andrew’s Church purchased land for a cemetery in Selwyn Street. Although not the first cemetery in Christchurch, Addington was in fact the first “public” cemetery, “being open to all persons of any religious community” and allowing the performance of any religious service “not contrary to public decency”.

 

The first burial took place on the 10th of November 1858. The cemetery has several persons of note buried within its grounds including activist Kate Sheppard, Christchurch Mayor Tommy Taylor and members of the pioneer family, the Deans.

For More Info:http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/addington-cemetery/

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

The Elizabeth Home for Girls, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, was constructed in 1891-2 as a refuge for homeless girls by the Children’s Aid Society (CAS). Designed by renowned architect Calvert Vaux in a picturesque, High Victorian Gothic style in brick and sandstone with a Dutch-influenced stepped gable, this building was one of approximately twelve that the architect created for this organization in the 1880s and 90s. It was the only lodging house designed for girls and one of only a few surviving CAS buildings. The Children’s Aid Society was founded by Charles Loring Brace in 1853 to help New York’s poorest children improve their lives through education and the advantages of “home-like” living quarters. Brace believed that it was necessary to remove poor children from the bad influences of their environment, where they often had no one to care for them and no opportunities for education, in order to improve their lives and alleviate the crushing poverty of the city.

 

He was able to enlist many wealthy supporters and established a strong organization that continues to exist for the benefit of children and their families today. The Children’s Aid Society employed several approaches to achieve its goals, including sending orphan children to homes in the Midwest where they could enjoy the “benefits” of a home in a more rural setting, lodging houses for homeless children and industrial schools where they were trained for trades and employment. The Children’s Aid Society ran the Elizabeth Home in this building until 1930 when it was sold to Benjamin Lust, a practitioner of a natural “water cure” for illnesses, who coined the term naturopathy. In 1946, the building was purchased by the Florence Crittendon League and used again as a residence for girls without other places to live, called Barrett House. In 1984, the building changed ownership again and was converted to co-op apartments.

 

Its picturesque façade is significant for its architecture and as an evocation of the working class history of the Lower East Side.

 

Development of the East Village Area

 

Prior to the arrival of European fur traders and the Dutch West India Company, Manhattan and much of the modern-day tri-state area was populated by bands of Native Americans from the Lenape tribe. The Lenape traveled from one encampment to another with the seasons. Fishing camps were occupied in the summer and inland camps were used during the fall and winter to harvest crops and hunt. The main trail ran the length of Manhattan from the Battery to Inwood following the course of Broadway adjacent to present day City Hall Park before veering east toward the area now known as Foley Square. It then ran north with major branches leading to habitations in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side at a place called Rechtauck or Naghtogack in the vicinity of Corlears Hook. In 1626, Dutch West India Company Director Peter Minuit “purchased” the island from the Lenape for sixty guilders worth of trade goods.2

 

Under the Dutch, most inhabitants of New Amsterdam lived south of Fulton Street, where they could be close to each other for protection and close to the harbor for the essential shipping activities on which the colony depended. North of the settlement, many wealthy families owned large estates, used as farms and plantations and as country retreats, especially for those recurring times when epidemics threatened the crowded population on the island’s tip. The area now known as the Lower East Side and the East Village was divided into a series of large farms, which by the mid-eighteenth century were owned by three families: the Stuyvesants, Rutgers and De Lanceys.

 

The Rutgers property ran from Chatham Square to Montgomery Street between the East River shore and Division Street. The De Lancey holdings consisted of two large parcels (approximately 340 acres) abutting the Rutgers property on the north and east, acquired by Lieutenant Governor James De Lancey around 1741. Peter Stuyvesant, who came to the colony in 1647, owned a large working farm he called his Bowerie. It lay between present day 5th and 20th Streets, from Fourth Avenue to the East River.3 He owned about 40 slaves, most employed in farm work. This property remained in the ownership of Stuyvesant’s descendents for many years. By the mid-nineteenth century, Peter Stuyvesant’s grandson Gerardus still lived in the original family house. Gerardus’ sons, Petrus and Nicholas lived nearby and divided the property between them. Nicholas called his section Bowery while his brother’s was called Petersfield, and this area included the property on which the Elizabeth Home was constructed.

 

After slavery was outlawed in New York in 1827, many former slaves settled in several black enclaves, including that near the Bowery, another in Greenwich Village, and still another in the growing slum area that came to be known as Five Points. During the eighteenth century Greenwich Village had been a small rural hamlet, but also was the site of a number of summer estates for wealthy families from downtown Manhattan. Its population swelled during the large cholera and yellow fever epidemics that struck in the early nineteenth century. The 1830s brought a huge economic boom to New York, attracting many more people and a great need for more commercial space as well as housing. African-Americans and other poor people were forced northward as more land was opened to development for the upper classes.

 

The areas around Great Jones, Bleecker and Bond Streets were all being paved and built up with “genteel residences”4 while Lafayette Place and St. Mark’s Place developed into some of the city’s most fashionable addresses. Seeking to take advantage of this boom, Petrus Stuyvesant began to subdivide his property in the 1830s and sell lots for development in the 1840s. Many of the buyers of these lots were large landholders who purchased extensive property and built speculative homes here, waiting for the housing need to catch up. These individual houses were first rented, and then sold to middle class families.5 Middle class residents however, did not stay too long in this section.

 

By the 1850s, the population of New York soared, due primarily to an influx of European immigrants as well as newly-freed African-Americans who were drawn to Manhattan because of the availability of jobs.6 Immigrants had been arriving in New York continuously and already by 1825, over one fifth of the population of New York was foreign born. In the 1840s, many of these immigrants were Irish who started coming in large numbers looking for work after the collapse of Irish agriculture and the rapid industrialization that displaced many workers.

 

Germans had always had a strong presence in New York, but after the failed revolutions of 1848, 70,000 more arrived in New York, fleeing “land shortages, unemployment, famine and political and religious oppression.”7 Many were poor and unskilled and tried to find housing in Manhattan’s notorious slum known as Five Points but the Irish and free Blacks who were already there did not welcome them. Although they were all classified as German, this name covered a multitude of ethnicities, and people tended to subdivide themselves, preferring to live among others who came from the same native communities and regions. The German immigrants first congregated in the five-block span between Canal and Rivington Streets, but the newcomers were forced to look elsewhere as landlords continued to crowd more and more people into inhuman living conditions.

 

They moved northward, up the eastern side of Manhattan island, pushing out existing residents of this area, including the African-Americans who had been there.8 Some of the existing homes in what is now the East Village9 were subdivided or changed into boardinghouses, while others were torn down to make way for tenement buildings, constructed to fit more people into the same space. Eventually the area north of Division Street up to 18th Street and from Third Avenue to the East River filled with German immigrants until it became the third largest concentration of German speakers in the world.10 This section came to be known as Kleindeutschland, Little Germany, Dutchtown, or Deutschlandle and was “the first large immigrant neighborhood in American history that spoke a foreign language” and remained the major German-American center in the United States for the rest of the century.11

 

German businesses congregated near Broadway creating a lively commercial strip, while various German groups created institutions to remind them of home and to help ease their way in their new lives. The Staats-Zeitung was the most popular of many German language newspapers. The German Dispensary (a designated New York City Landmark) helped with the health needs of the community, while the Ottendorfer Branch of the Free Circulating Library (a designated New York City Landmark) provided books in their native tongue. Social and other support organizations (vereins) organized around a place of origin or a particular outlook or activity. German shooting clubs became popular12 as did clubs for music, such as the Aschenbroechel Verein. Beer gardens and dance halls such as Scheffel Hall (a designated New York City Landmark) provided places for lively entertainment.13

 

The City’s Poor

 

The poor German immigrants who lived in Kleindeutschland did not have the wherewithal to take advantage of these institutions. They could barely find a place to sleep and a way to feed their families.

 

Since its earliest years, New York has dealt with the poor and helpless among its population with a combination of benevolence and disdain. When the Dutch West India Company sent a group of Dutch orphans to the colony “to be bound out as apprentices and servants” in 1656, Peter Stuyvesant established the first public home for orphans and an “Orphan Masters’ Court.”14 Generally however, under the Dutch, religious organizations were expected to care for the city’s poor. Under the English, in 1693, the Common Council passed its first “poor rate” tax to enable them to distribute fuel, clothes, food and cash to the “deserving” poor and established an almshouse on Broad Street for those who were unable to care for themselves.15 A two-story brick building was constructed on the Common in 1736, housing a mix of the city’s poor along with the unruly as well as convicted criminals, all of whom were required to attend prayer services and work if they were physically able, so they would not be a “Burthen to the Publick.”

 

With time, the gap between the rich and poor grew, and increasing numbers of people needed financial help to overcome problems that were sometimes created by illness or the death of a spouse. The city provided more and more “outdoor relief” and also had to build more almshouses to accommodate the growing need. Religious and philanthropic organizations also helped, their efforts usually involving “education in the habits of self-discipline and the self-reliance necessary to survive in a wage-based economy… to instill prudence, decency, sobriety, thrift, punctuality” since poverty was usually seen as “moral turpitude, not misfortune.”17 In 1806, the Isabella Graham Society for the Relief of Poor Widows opened an orphanage where poor children “could be brought up to lead productive lives,” that eventually led to the formation of the Orphan Asylum Society.18

 

By the early nineteenth century, only half of all children in New York attended school even though the traditional apprenticeship system for learning trades and behavior no longer existed. Many children were caught stealing or engaging in otherwise disruptive behavior and the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents began in 1823 to try to deal with these problems. The first New York House of Refuge opened in 1825 to house children under sixteen years old, and the authorities used religion and education to try to redeem the children brought there.19

 

By the 1850s, conditions for the poor were only getting worse. The huge numbers of immigrants coming into New York increased the competition for jobs and housing, and crowded conditions led to higher rates of illness and crime. Efforts of groups such as the American Tract Society were comprised of preaching and giving away bibles, while the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor was able to attract the interest and donations of many of New York’s wealthiest citizens. They managed to get more needy people into almshouses on Blackwell’s Island, build a new one for the able-bodied poor, and get a new truancy law passed that enabled the police to round up delinquent children to get them off the streets.20

 

Children’s Aid Society

 

The Children’s Aid Society, another in a wide variety of efforts to deal with the problem of poor and uneducated children, was started by Charles Loring Brace (1826­1890) in 1853 and continued under his leadership for the next 37 years. Brace graduated from Yale University and studied theology at the Union Theological Seminary. After a trip to Europe, during which he traveled in England with Frederick Law Olmsted,21 Brace began serving with Rev. Pease at the Five Points Mission in 1852. He was discouraged that the traditional methods of outreach were not helping change the lives of the people he saw. He also was struck by the large numbers of boys and girls who apparently had nothing useful to do and no one to look after them, and who seemed to be headed only for lives of crime. He decided that the most effective way to change conditions for the poor was to reach these children and try to change their circumstances

 

He wanted to “help the helpless, neglected children of the city to help themselves to become good and useful citizens.”23 Typically, their families could not care for them and they were sent out on the streets to fend for themselves, or to find some way to bring money or food back home.24 Because they were small, they were often preyed on by unsavory types who sent them out to steal, or they sold things on the streets or helped organ grinders in their trade. Boys would steal, sell newspapers or hawk matches, while many girls were forced into prostitution. 25 Street gangs developed to offer some protection for these wretched children who often slept on steam grates or in the remains of burned out buildings.

 

Brace believed that if he could show these children that someone cared about them, educate them to have good habits such as industry and self-control, and help them achieve some basic skills, they could get jobs and improve their lives. He felt that “home life was better than institutions and that self-help was better than alms.”26

 

From its beginning, the work of the Children’s Aid Society involved several separate efforts. The most radical and well-known was “placing out.” Over the course of the first forty years, the organization took 97,738 children from New York, (some orphans, others from difficult home situations) and sent them by train (“the Orphan Trains”) to situations away from New York City, usually with “Christian families” in the Midwest where they were supposed to enjoy the benefits of a good home life in a rural setting. While some did in fact become essentially members of these families and benefitted from the experience, others were put to work in stores and on farms, in conditions close to indentured servitude. Brace felt that this effort was very positive because he believed that it was important to completely change the circumstances of these children’s lives in order to have a positive impact.

 

“The effort to place the children of the street in country families revealed a spirit of humanity and kindness, throughout the rural districts, which was truly delightful to see.”27

 

Since Brace could not remove every poor child from the bad influences of the city, he also made local efforts. These included the development of a series of lodging houses and industrial schools located around the city. The lodging houses were places a homeless child could come so he or she did not have to sleep on the street, with separate facilities for boys and girls. A young person could stay for a night or two if his difficulty was temporary, or he could stay for extended periods, and be assured of receiving food and a bath, as well as shelter. If they could pay, the children were asked for a small amount so that they felt they were paying their own way, rather than accepting charity, or they were asked to help with certain chores. These lodging houses eventually offered evening or morning classes to help the children with reading and writing, and specific skills that could help them gain employment.

 

The Newsboys’ Lodging House was opened in a building at Fulton and Nassau streets in 1854. The liveliness and ingenuity of the newsboys had a special resonance with Brace, who admired these qualities but felt they needed to be channeled into some productive enterprise. By 1928, the Children’s Aid Society ran seven lodging houses, located throughout the city.28

 

Brace saw that many poor children did not attend public school, either because they could not afford proper clothes, or because they had to work to help their families, so Brace established the Industrial Schools of the Children’s Aid Society to educate these children.29 The Industrial Schools taught reading and writing and character building, as well as skills such as carpentry for boys and cooking and laundering for girls. They also trained children to work on machines that might help them gain employment, such as sewing machines and typewriters, filling a gap left by the public schools. They provided clothes if needed, as well as a hot meal, and were non-sectarian. The Children’s Aid Society found that different groups had different needs, so they organized specific schools for Italian, German and “Colored” children, and later started medical and dental clinics for these children as well.

 

They became active in legislative efforts to promote their cause, such as working for the passage of the Compulsory Education Law of 1874. They started mothers’ groups to train them for this most important task, and day care centers for those who had to work. They eventually opened homes for sick and convalescing children, a school for crippled children, kindergartens, summer camps and playgrounds. While the Children’s Aid Society no longer runs lodging houses and schools, it continues to exist today, providing a variety of social services to New York children and their families.

 

Elizabeth Wheeler Home for Girls

 

The first lodging house for girls, called “The Girls’ Temporary Home,” was opened at 27 St. Mark’s Place in 1863 and during its first nine months, this building served 597 girls. The intention of this facility was to be “a resting place, a temporary home for any girl without friend or family in the city . . . to gain time to seek reputable employment” as well as a place where they could get help and advice.30 The Annual Report of the Children’s Aid Society of 1889 called this girls’ home “one of the most successful and economical of all the branches of the Society,” but noted that there was a great need for an additional building for this facility.31 In the Annual Report of the following year (1890) the writer was even more adamant. “. . . we feel deeply the lack of accommodations, and look forward earnestly to the time when, with increased facilities, much more can be accomplished.”32

 

They reported that during the previous year, there had been 15,533 lodgings in the house, 49,324 meals served, 45 girls trained on typewriters and 72 girls trained on sewing machines, with 178 girls sent to situations and employment.33

 

In July 1891, the property at 307 East 12th Street was purchased by Emily Wheeler and conveyed by her to the Children’s Aid Society.34 The home was given by Mary B. Wheeler, Mary B. Ceccarini and Emily B. Wheeler in memory of Elizabeth Davenport Wheeler.35 The Elizabeth Home was designed by the preeminent architectural firm of Vaux & Radford.36 The home opened with a festive dedication in 1892, and included dormitories as well as single bedrooms for girls, sitting rooms, a reading room, office, dining rooms and kitchen, and rooms fitted with sewing machines and typewriters.

 

Calvert Vaux

 

Calvert Vaux (1824-1895)37 was one of the most prolific and influential architects working in America during the second half of the nineteenth century. His picturesque buildings and romantic landscape designs were constructed in numerous cities and towns and his books had a wide-ranging audience, contributing to the vogue during this period for interesting and picturesquely styled buildings. Vaux, trained in architecture, landscape design and planning, came from England to the United States in 1850 to work with A. J. Downing in Newburgh, New York as a partner in his Bureau of Architecture. They specialized in the creation of picturesque English country houses and also began the planning of the grounds around many government buildings in Washington, D.C. After Downing’s death in 1852, Vaux began a partnership with Frank Clarke Withers, with whom he designed the Jefferson Market Courthouse (1874-77, a designated New York City Landmark).

 

Vaux’s book of house designs, Villas and Cottages (published originally 1857) was modeled on Downing’s highly popular Cottage Residences and became a standard for the genre.

 

Vaux relocated to New York City where, in 1858, he and Frederick Law Olmsted entered the competition for Central Park with their plan for a “Greensward,” the first public park in the country (a designated New York City Scenic Landmark). Their design, based on the tradition of English landscape gardening, became a major influence in the development of public parks throughout the country. Vaux was responsible for the design of many of the architectural features of the park, including the bridges, and the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. He went on to design numerous projects with Olmsted under the auspices of the landscape firm, Olmsted, Vaux and Company (1865-72). These included Prospect Park in Brooklyn (1865, a designated New York City Scenic Landmark), Riverside, Illinois (1868-70), Morningside Park (1887-94, from earlier plans), and Riverside Park (1873-88).

 

Vaux designed many public buildings, institutions and grounds in various cities. These included the Hartford Retreat for the Insane in Connecticut (1865, with Olmsted), Hudson River State Hospital and Grounds (1867-72), the Grounds for Gallaudet College in Washington (1866), the grounds of Parliament buildings in Ottawa (1873-79), and the park system for Buffalo, NY. With Jacob Wrey Mould, who had come earlier from England and contributed many designs for Central Park, Vaux developed a Master Plan for the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1874-80) and the American Museum of Natural History (1874-77, both designated New York City Landmarks).

 

Around 1873, Vaux began a partnership with George Kent Radford (dates undetermined), a civil engineer, that was to last for eighteen years. This partnership was formalized as the architectural division of Vaux & Co., Landscape Architects in 1876. In addition to numerous designs for the Children’s Aid Society during the last part of his career, Vaux designed a High Victorian Gothic townhouse for Samuel J. Tilden in New York (1881-4) and the grounds for Tilden’s country estate, Greystone, in Yonkers, New York (1879-80). Vaux had a long and varied career, from private homes for the wealthy to model tenements for the poor, from the landscape of individual estates, to the layout for entire cities. His designs helped establish the standard aesthetic of the late nineteenth century, both in building and landscaping and he is known as one of the founders of the field of landscape architecture.

 

Calvert Vaux and the Children’s Aid Society

 

Vaux became increasingly interested in the way architecture could be used to better the lives of unfortunate members of society and devoted much of the last part of his career to this cause. He was a careful observer of the first model tenement competition in 1879, sponsored by the journal, Plumber & Sanitary Engineer. In 1880, he designed a block of model tenements on First Avenue between 71st and 72nd Streets for the Improved Dwellings Association. These apartments had windows in each room, central courtyards for improved air circulation and roof-top gardens for the residents.38

 

Calvert Vaux was a friend of Charles Loring Brace who lived in a house Vaux designed in Hastings, New York. By the late 1870s, Brace’s organization was successful and well-funded enough to want to construct its own lodging houses, in order to create the exact type of structure they needed. In 1879, Vaux designed their first purpose-built building, the East Side Boys’ Lodging House and Industrial School on East Broadway and Gouveneur Street (demolished). The picturesquely designed, 3 ½ story, brick and brownstone building had steeply pitched roofs and held dormitories, classrooms, and a well-furnished reading room as well as a dispensary and sick room. The free-standing building was a far cry from the dingy tenements of the area and was hailed in the press as “Christianity solidified in brick and mortar.”39

 

Vaux went on to design more than a dozen buildings for the Children’s Aid Society in New York, a very important part of his work. These included four lodging houses, among them the West Side Lodging House at Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street (1883, demolished) and the Tompkins Square Lodging House and Industrial School at 8th Street and Avenue B (1885, a designated New York City Landmark), and five industrial schools that had similar facilities without the beds. This latter type included the Mott Street Industrial School at 256-258 Mott Street (1888, a designated New York City Landmark), and the Fourteenth Ward Industrial School (1888-89, a designated New York City Landmark).

 

The 44th Street Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School (1888-9, demolished) was the first to display a large, front-facing, stepped gable. According to the Society’s 46th Annual Report of 1888, this element came from “an old Nuremburg house called the ‘Petersen’ building, [which] is one of the most picturesque in the city.”40 This lodging house was marked by steep gables, dormer windows and oriole towers, in keeping with Vaux’s intentions to create a home-like and visually interesting composition, but also was “appropriately reminiscent of the city’s Dutch heritage.”41 Most of Vaux’s buildings that were built in the following years employed this design element.

 

The Children’s Aid Society buildings were both domestic and institutional, intended to be an ornament to a part of the city the ugliness of which is particularly in need of some relief. It is a fortunate circumstance that the objects of the Children’s Aid Society require it to undertake its building operations in quarters where, but for its efforts, it is unlikely that there would be any architecture worth looking at or discussing.42

They were usually free-standing structures, with highly varied rooflines that provided visual interest and variety. Vaux believed that,

In any architectural design, the separate groups of forms may be, in themselves, attractive, or the building may be splendid in its general conception of masses, or rich in its varied and charming detail, but it will be defective as an architectural composition if it fails in its sky-line.43

 

Vaux’s rooflines were usually faced with slate or tile, and consisted of mansard roofs with steeply pitched towers, conical roofs or front-facing stepped gables. These buildings were built of brick and sandstone, common and inexpensive materials that were deemed to give a picturesque effect. Vaux tried to site them on corner lots because he felt that two perspectives gave him a chance to create a more interesting design. He used projecting oriels, large windows, dormers and chimneys in an attempt to create a home-like atmosphere for the neglected children who came here. Faithful to his earliest design theories, Vaux worked to evoke the imagery of a snug country inn in the middle of New York City.44 By varying the placement of the entrance as well as the size and placement of the window openings, he created a lively façade, ornamented solely with decorative brickwork such as string courses and recessed panels.

 

Design of the Elizabeth Home for Girls

 

The Elizabeth Home for Girls, the last of this group designed by Vaux has the picturesque characteristics common to Vaux’s other designs although its 40-foot-wide, mid-block site required a more restrained composition. It has two asymmetrical sections, with the entrance sited off center, in the western side. The eastern section is topped by the typical stepped gable while the western side has a mansard roof with two dormer windows, a reverse arrangement from that of the House of Reception on West 23rd Street (1890, demolished). The windows are placed along continuous sills, providing some unity in a façade of varied window sizes, shapes and groupings. Unlike many of the other CAS buildings, this one has no projecting oriel window, but here the entrance is given special emphasis by its projecting surround topped by a balustraded balcony.

 

While not as elaborate as some of the other CAS buildings, the Elizabeth Home is a distinctive building that would have provided the sense of “hominess” so desired by both the architect and the organization. Located on a block of brick-fronted rowhouses, this building is obviously different, but not enough to be jarring. Rather, it continues to add interest and variety to the streetscape.

 

Subsequent History

 

In 1895, the Children’s Aid Society hired architects Clinton & Russell to create a two-story addition on the north of the building to house a laundry.45 Another alteration, in 1915, added bedrooms in three floors above this addition.46 In 1901, the Children’s Aid Society acquired the adjacent property at No. 311 East 12th Street and converted it into an addition to the Elizabeth Home.47

 

In 1930, the Society moved its operations to West 134th Street and sold both of these buildings to Dr. Benedict Lust, a promoter of natural healing.”48 Lust, a German immigrant with degrees in osteopathy and medicine, believed in natural healing, including a “water cure” and organized the Naturopathic Society of America. He established the American School of Naturopathy which offered a post-graduate curriculum in naturopathy, chiropractic, massage and physiotherapy.49

 

Upon Lust’s death, the buildings were purchased by the Florence Crittenton League and remodeled and reopened in 1948 as a private shelter for girls aged 16-21, called Barrett House.50 The Crittendon League was started in 1883 by Charles N. Crittenton, a wealthy New York drug supply manufacturer.51 Originally called the Florence Crittenton Rescue Home for Girls and Night Mission for Fallen Women (later the National Florence Crittenton Foundation), it was named after his late daughter and was established as a shelter for troubled and runaway young girls, many of whom were orphaned, and as a mission for women of ill repute. In the late 1880s, the group started a shelter and mission on Bleecker Street that gained renown for its midnight gospel readings. By the turn-of-the-century, the Crittenton Foundation operated in many large

 

U.S. cities and was expanding its services in New York. In 1913, the group relocated its headquarters to West 27th Street and in 1946 purchased the former Children’s Aid Society buildings in order to be able to care for more residents and offer expanded services. The home’s residents were generally referred there by courts, clinics and private agencies and given a variety of therapies to help them emotionally, while keeping them out of the House of Detention.

 

In 1982, the building was sold to a developer and in 1984 it was re-opened as co­op apartments.

 

Description

 

The Elizabeth Home for Girls is a four story brick-faced building set on a raised basement. Built originally on a street of townhouses (East 12th Street), the forty-foot-wide façade blends in by appearing to be two buildings. The western section is two bays wide and holds the building’s main entrance, in the eastern bay of the first story. The raised basement has a pair of large windows framed by a sandstone lintel and watertable and fronted by an iron grille, while the areaway is marked by a non-historic iron fence. The entrance, reached by a short concrete stairway with non-historic iron railings is emphasized by a projecting brick enframement embellished by small, terra-cotta ornament, string courses and globe lights. It is capped by a projecting hood supported on stone brackets. The entrance consists of a paneled door with a large glass light flanked by paneled side sections.

 

A plain, sandstone lintel separates it from the large, round-headed glass transom that is subdivided into small squares. A pair of plain rectangular windows on a continuous sill is in the western bay of the first story. The second story has a single window in the western bay and, in the eastern bay, is a double multi-light, non-historic door that leads to a small, balustraded balcony formed by the projecting hood over the entranceway. At the third story, two pairs of narrow, rectangular windows share a common sill and a smooth sandstone lintel. A simple, corbelled brick cornice separates the roof from the floor below. This section has a mansard roof pierced by two dormer windows with bell-shaped roofs and flanked on the western side by a stepped parapet wall that projects above the roof.

 

A tall, prominent chimney rises between the two sections. Its plain brick facing is marked by several narrow string courses. The section on the east is topped by a stepped, front-facing gable with a decorative sandstone molding that echoes the steps. Each floor contains grouped window openings linked by continuous sills and sometimes lintels. The fourth story has three, round-headed windows capped by a continuous, rounded brick molding. The third story has four evenly-spaced windows under a plain, continuous stone lintel, while the second story has two pairs of windows under stone lintels and a sill that runs across the entire section. There are five windows with transoms and a continuous stone sill and lintel at the first story, and two individual windows fronted by iron grilles at the basement level. A third window (on the eastern bay) has been converted to an entrance, with a non-historic door and light.

 

A broad sandstone lintel and watertable is located at the top of the basement level, creating a strong distinction between it and the rest of the building. A non-historic iron fence shields the areaway.

 

- From the 2008 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report

Have I no sense of decency?

EFM 178H. I always found as very ordinary and hated the crude metal decency screen behind the driver. It wasn't particularly fast and sounded pretty flat. Well, that was until it's last couple of months in service when it received a 2nd hand exhaust system from another RE and boy, did this make a difference! Overnight it became the loudest Gardner powered machine in the fleet.

 

Sheffield bus station 27/08/94, a typical day out chasing RE's:

 

GHY 138K (215) Sheffield - Dinnington

EFM 178H (219) Dinnington - Firbeck

EFM 178H (219) Firbeck - Dinnington

PCH 268L (X60) Dinnington - Sheffield

XAH 873H (X38) Sheffield - Wortley

WWY 70X (X39) Wortley - Sheffield (bowled!)

OCK 350K (208) Sheffield - Dinnington

HRN 106N (216) Dinnington - North Anston (Haughton Rd)

OCK 350K (216) North Anston (Haughton Rd) - Sheffield

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Cropped in the interests of public decency!

Digital image taken with a Lumix GX7 fronted with a manual focus Minolta MD 50mm f/2 lens

 

Editing done via Photoshop Elements 12 with Topaz Labs and NIK Software plug-ins

 

Found and admired at Indian Camp Creek Park near St. Charles, Missouri, USA

My comments which are based on my own specific experience do not in any way refer to to current dispute at Dunnes or any other company currently operating in Ireland.

 

Up until recently I had believed that zero-hour contracts had been banned in Ireland as a result of previous abuses.

 

Many years ago I was a manager with a large turnkey operation that, after having been bought out by a US based multi-national, decided to introduce what was a new idea at the time ‘zero-hour contracts’. Actually it was called a ‘Zero Fifty’ contract … employees were expected to work up to 50 hours at a flat rate [no overtime rates] but were they were not guaranteed any hours in any given week. Local management were horrified by the concept and within months most had moved on.

 

What was once a wonderful working environment became a living hell.

 

As I was a senior manager I was not on a zero-hour contract but it did impact very negatively on my staff and the performance of my department so after about six months I decided to leave. Fortunately all of my staff managed to find alternative employment.

 

Back in 1989 there was an additional down-side for the workers and it was as follows. If you worked for a company and you were on short time [worked only three days per week] you [at the time a working week was assumed to be six days] could claim dole for the days that they did not work but under the system operated by my employer they were unable to claim dole as they did not have advance warning as to what days there was work for them. I do not know if this particular problem still exists.

  

A zero-hour contract is the name given to a type of contract, where the employer purports to have the discretion to vary the employee's working hours, usually anywhere from full-time to "zero hours". These clauses spread widely in the United Kingdom after the global financial crisis, although under UK labour law they are of doubtful legality because it undermines the employee's reasonable expectation to a stable income.

 

The employer typically asserts that they have no obligation to provide work for the employee. The employee may sign an agreement to be available for work as and when required, so that no particular number of hours or times of work are specified. The employee is expected to be on call and receives compensation only for hours worked.

Given that the BNSF Racetrack is the busiest Metra corridor, I figured I'd exclusively see Metra trains. Lucky for me, BNSF dispatch was able to work in a few westbound freight trains. They must know that I really like the BNSF Railway. I discovered that Hinsdale can be a boring place to photograph if you don't notice the details. Applicably, Ferris Bueller touched on this concept by saying, "If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". At the eastern end of the platform, I saw a neat clock installed by the local Rotary Club. Having no public decency, I precariously climbed on top of a nearby bench to frame this shot. Overall, I'm pleased with the result. Lesson learned: you can't let total public humiliation separate you from a neat train picture.

When I was young, in the 50’s, there were no gays in Ireland, no child abuse and no prostitutes … you had to travel to England to find that sort of thing [OK, Oscar Wilde was an exception and Molly Malone was really a good catholic girl].

 

Having worked in San Francisco and in Sweden I have never really considered being gay as being an issue so I was not paying much attention to the recent referendum campaign here in the Republic Of Ireland. I had assumed that the vote would be “YES” but I was amazed by the turnout and the massive majority in favour of changing to constitution.

 

A few hours ago I could not make my way home along Capel Street as it was packed with the gay community celebrating their referendum victory.

 

In case you are not aware Ireland became the first country in the world to bring in same-sex marriage by a popular vote. 62% of voters voted Yes in the same-sex marriage referendum, a result that has been described as a social revolution, an expression of decency and a country coming of age. 1.2 million people voted Yes for same sex marriage.

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Today was a hot, humid summer day in Toronto and I was downtown at Yonge and Dundas Streets, one of the busiest intersections in the city and a corner which is usually filled with preachers, street musicians, political demonstrators, and an unpredictable mix of unusual characters.

 

Today was no different as there was a crown of onlookers surrounding a naked woman curled in the foetal position on the pavement with lettuce and other vegetables around her. She was covered just enough to not offend public decency but it was a very effective attention-getter for the vegetarian cause. Behind her was a phalanx of supporters carrying placards with messages such as “Meat is Murder” and “All Animals Have the Same Parts” and “Go Vegan.” They were obviously committed to the cause and their demonstration, understandably, drew a lot of attention.

 

As a Stranger photographer, of course I pictured meeting this woman, finding out about her, and recruiting her for the project (head and shoulders only, of course). Unfortunately, the scene was a bit of a circus and I realized it would not be feasible to approach her in this crowd to tell her about the project and I moved on.

 

Just a bit further down Dundas Street I spotted a man sitting on a garden ledge by the busy street, smoking what appeared to be an electric cigarette or “ecig.” For those who haven’t seen one, these are devices that mimic a cigarette and can be fitted with a cartridge producing vapour which looks like smoke but isn’t. Cartridges are available with varying amounts of nicotine to allow the “smoker” to satisfy the oral part of the habit and reduce the nicotine content gradually until the smoking habit is broken.

 

I stopped and asked this Stranger if he was smoking an electronic cigarette. He removed his headphones and said yes, he was and showed it to me and enthusiastically told me all about it. What an easy way to start a Stranger conversation. Soon I was sitting on the curb next to him and chatting about smoking and then about the 100 Strangers project.

 

Meet Fais. Fais was a two pack per day heavy smoker until just recently. He got the electronic cigarette and finds it is very helpful as he breaks his habit – much to the delight of his children and wife (who is a doctor). He eagerly told me that he looked at other ecigs but is convinced that this “Ego C” model sold by Joyetech company (www.joyetech.com/) is the best on the market and he explained its features. While I realize that different strategies work for different smokers in quitting, I’m really happy for Fais that he seems to be winning the battle with help from his “ecig.”

 

Fais knew of Flickr and was eager to help me with my project. We tried some poses but the light was challenging with too much sun on his hat and not enough on his face. Fais willingly moved around the corner and sat in better light. I remained standing and photographed from above to maximize the foliage in the mini-garden and minimize the noisy flow of traffic just behind him.

 

Fais, who is 43, is a computer professional who has designed networks for several high-profile businesses in Toronto including the CN Tower and the Sheraton Hotel Centre. He is thrilled to be breaking the smoking habit and hopes that any attention I can give the “ecig” through the 100 Strangers group might help another smoker to quit too.

 

Fais loved the photos and when I offered to send him the best as a thank you, he said he wanted “all of them.” He told me he has very few photos of himself and I agreed to send him “all that are worthy of being shared.” When I asked if there is anything else about himself he wanted to share for this photo story he thought for a moment and said “Well, I’m a biohazard.” Puzzled, I asked what he meant. He said when his wife wants to tease him she refers to him as a “biohazard” so he got a biohazard symbol tattooed on his arm. Laughing, he rolled up his sleeve and showed me (comment photo). Incidentally, I found the following on Wikipedia regarding this internationally recognized symbol: "The biohazard symbol was developed in 1966 by Charles Baldwin, an environmental-health engineer working for the Dow Chemical Company on the containment products."

 

We talked about my project and how challenging it was to start approaching total strangers and ask to photograph them. He said he knows the feeling. He was very self-conscious about smoking his ecig in public (today was his first time to smoke it in public). We laughed and I told him he should be proud that he is conquering his smoking habit.

 

Thank you Fais, for the interesting conversation in the middle of the swirling crowds and traffic of downtown Toronto. It was fun meeting you. I appreciate your willingness to be photographed and I wish you continued success in remaining a non-smoker. You are now Stranger #109/200 in Round 2 of my project.

 

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

 

To browse Round 1 of my 100 Strangers project click here: www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157633145986224/

 

Estoy aquí y le doy de comer a los cisnes. Exactamente después de 5 minutos, vuelve a aparecer un espía del servicio secreto de Alemania Occidental y (como siempre) comienza a filmar con mi teléfono inteligente. Justo en mi cara. Funciona todos los días. La mujer tiene una cara estúpida, unos 45 años, ojos azules, cabello rubio oscuro y delgado. Se bebe con vino caliente.

La comida decorativa para pájaros está hecha para cisnes, pero no tiene cisnes en el envase, sino flamencos que no viven aquí. Las gaviotas de cabeza negra ya no pueden sentarse en el muelle de vapor porque la sociedad de vapor es demasiado vaga y tiene bandas de aleteo colgadas allí. Pero no hacen nada contra los manifestantes de los padres del estado.

Gaviotas de cabeza negra, patos silvestres, palomas, gansos de ganso silvestre y cisnes se comen aquí. Pero los cisnes también están alimentando a otros ciudadanos ordenados que no están aquí como espías y espían a las personas. Los cisnes están hartos hoy, pero tienen que llenarse porque saben que habrá menos comederos nuevamente.

Llega una mujer hermosa y me sonríe, lo que creo que es genial. Ella es rubia y tiene lentes.

Los autobuses y tranvías están llenos y muchos de ellos son estúpidos porque dejan espacio sin decencia. ¿Por qué tengo una tarjeta de suscripción cuando no puedo ir conmigo?

De lo contrario, las personas son socialmente poco atractivas y aburridas. Solo les interesa mostrar cosas y autos con vino caliente. Te miran como si no fueras uno de ellos. Un niño está arrasando contra una bicicleta de alquiler.

 

---

 

Ich bin hier unf füttere Ziervogelfutter für die Schwäne. Exakt nach 5 Minuten kommt wieder ein Spitzel vom Westdeutschen Geheimdienst und fängt (wie immer) mich gleich an mit dem Smartphone an zu filmen. Direkt in mein Gesicht. Jeden Tag geht das. Die Frau hat ein dümmliches Gesicht, 45 Jahre alt ungefähr, blaue Augen, dünnes, dunkelblondes Haar. Betrinkt sich mit Glühwein.

Das Ziervogelfutter ist für Schwäne gemacht, hat aber keine Schwäne auf der Verpackung, sondern Flamingos, die hier nicht leben. Die Lachmöven können nicht mehr Dampferkai sitzen, weil die Dampfergesellschaft zu faul ist und dort Flatterbänder aufgehängt hat. Gegen Randalierer von Staatseltern machen die aber nichts.

Lachmöven, Stockenten, Stadttauben, Graugänse und Schwäne essen sich durch mich hier satt. Aber auch andere, ordentliche Bürger, die nicht hier als Spitzel stehen und die Leute feindlich ausspähen, füttern die Schwäne heute auch. Die Schwäne sind heute satt, aber müssen sich vollstopfen, weil sie wissen, dass es dann wieder weniger Fütterer geben wird.

Eine schöne Frau kommt an und lächelt mich an, was ich toll finde. Sie ist blond und hat eine Brille.

Die Busse und Straßenbahnen sind voll und dazu sind viele von denen Dumm, weil ohne Anstand Platz zu machen. Wozu hat man eine Abo-Karte, wenn man nicht mitfahren kann?

Sonst sind die Leute sehr sozial unattraktiv und langweilig. Die interessieren sich nur für das Zeigen von Sachen und Autos mit Glühwein. Die schauen einen an, als wenn man nicht zu denen gehören würde. Ein Kind tritt randalierend voll gegen ein Leihfahrrad.

 

---

 

Я здесь и кормлю птицу кормом для лебедей. Ровно через 5 минут снова приходит шпион из западногерманской секретной службы и (как всегда) начинает снимать меня с моего смартфона. Прямо в моем лице. Это работает каждый день. У женщины глупое лицо, около 45 лет, голубые глаза, тонкие темные светлые волосы. Пьет сам с глинтвейном.

Декоративная пища для птиц сделана для лебедей, но на упаковке нет лебедей, а есть фламинго, которые здесь не живут. Черноголовые чайки больше не могут сидеть на причале парохода, потому что пароходное общество слишком лениво и там повешены трепетные полосы. Но они ничего не делают против мятежников государственных родителей.

Черноголовые чайки, кряквы, голуби, серые гуси и лебеди питаются здесь. Но лебеди также кормят других простых граждан, которые здесь не шпионы и не шпионят за людьми. Сегодня лебедям надоело, но им приходится набивать себя, потому что они знают, что кормушек снова будет меньше.

Приходит красивая женщина и улыбается мне, что я считаю великолепным. Она блондинка и носит очки.

Автобусы и трамваи переполнены, и многие из них глупы, потому что они освобождают место без приличия. Почему у меня есть подписная карточка, когда я не могу пойти со мной?

Иначе люди очень социально непривлекательны и скучны. Их интересует только показ вещей и машин с глинтвейном. Они смотрят на тебя, как будто ты не один из них. Ребенок неистовствует против проката велосипедов.

 

---

 

我在这里为天鹅喂鸟饲料。恰好5分钟之后，西德情报局的一名间谍再次出现，并且（一如既往）开始用我的智能手机拍摄我。就在我脸上这个女人每天都有工作，这个女人有一张愚蠢的面孔，大约45岁，蓝眼睛，稀疏的金色金发。用热红酒喝酒。

装饰性鸟类食品是为天鹅制成的，但包装上没有天鹅，但这里不生活着火烈鸟。黑头鸥不能再坐在轮船码头上了，因为轮船社会太懒惰了，那里悬挂着颤动的带子。但是他们并没有对暴动的州亲父母做任何事情。

黑头鸥，野鸭，鸽子，灰雁和天鹅在这里吃饱。但是天鹅也养活了其他普通民众，他们不是这里的间谍和间谍。天鹅今天已经受够了，但是不得不塞满自己，因为他们知道再有更少的饲养者。

一个美丽的女人到来并对我微笑，我认为这很棒。她是金发，戴着眼镜。

公共汽车和有轨电车已满，许多人愚蠢，因为他们腾出的空间不雅致。为什么我不能和我一起去时有订阅卡？

否则，人们在社交上就没有吸引力并且很无聊。他们只对展示带有甜酒的东西和汽车感兴趣。他们看着你，好像你不是其中之一。一个孩子正对出租自行车狂奔。

 

---

 

나는 여기에 백조를 위해 새 사료를 먹입니다. 정확히 5 분 후에 서독 비밀 서비스의 스파이가 다시 와서 항상 스마트 폰으로 나를 촬영하기 시작합니다. 내 얼굴에 여자는 약 45 세의 멍청한 얼굴, 파란 눈, 얇고 어두운 금발 머리를 가지고 있습니다. mulled 와인으로 자신을 마신다.

장식용 새 음식은 백조를 위해 만들어졌지만 포장에 백조가 없지만 여기에 살지 않는 홍학이 있습니다. 기선 사회가 너무 게으르고 설레는 띠가 있기 때문에 검은 머리 갈매기는 더 이상 기선 부두에 앉을 수 없습니다. 그러나 그들은 주 부모들의 폭동에 대해 아무것도하지 않습니다.

검은 머리 갈매기, 청둥 오리, 비둘기, greylag 거위 및 백조가 이곳에서 먹습니다. 그러나 백조는 또한 스파이와 스파이로 여기에없는 다른 일반 시민들에게 먹이를주고 있습니다. 백조는 오늘 먹이를 먹지만 피더가 더 적을 것이라는 것을 알고 있기 때문에 스스로 먹어야합니다.

아름다운 여인이 도착하고 미소를지었습니다. 그녀는 금발이며 안경이 있습니다.

버스와 시가 전차는 가득 차 있고, 많은 사람들은 고요함없이 방을 만들기 때문에 바보입니다. 나와 함께 갈 수 없는데 왜 가입 카드가 있습니까?

그렇지 않으면 사람들은 사회적으로 매력적이지 않고 지루합니다. 그들은 mulled 와인으로 사물과 자동차를 보여주는 데에만 관심이 있습니다. 그들은 당신이 그들 중 하나가 아닌 것처럼 당신을 봅니다. 어린이가 자전거 대여에 반대하고 있습니다.

 

---

 

I am here and feed the bird feed for the swans. Exactly after 5 minutes a spy from the West German secret service comes again and (as always) starts filming me with my smartphone. Right in my face. It works every day. The woman has a stupid face, about 45 years old, blue eyes, thin, dark blonde hair. Drinks himself with mulled wine.

The decorative bird food is made for swans, but has no swans on the packaging, but flamingos that do not live here. The black-headed gulls can no longer sit on the steamer quay because the steamer society is too lazy and has flutter bands hung there. But they don't do anything against rioters of state parents.

Black-headed gulls, mallards, pigeons, greylag geese and swans eat their fill here. But the swans are also feeding other ordinary citizens who are not here as spies and spy on people. The swans are fed up today, but have to stuff themselves because they know that there will be fewer feeders again.

A beautiful woman arrives and smiles at me, which I think is great. She is blonde and has glasses.

The buses and trams are full and many of them are stupid because they make room without decency. Why do I have a subscription card when I can't go with me?

Otherwise people are very socially unattractive and boring. They are only interested in showing things and cars with mulled wine. They look at you as if you weren't one of them. A child is rampaging against a rental bike.

 

---

 

私はここにいて、白鳥のために鳥の餌を食べます。ちょうど5分後、西ドイツのシークレットサービスからのスパイが再び来て、（いつものように）スマートフォンで私を撮影し始めます。私の顔に。女性は、約45歳、青い目、細い、暗いブロンドの髪の愚かな顔をしています。グリューワインを飲みます。

装飾的な鳥の餌は白鳥用に作られていますが、包装には白鳥はありませんが、ここには生息しないフラミンゴがいます。汽船社会はあまりにも怠zyであり、そこにフラッターバンドがぶら下がっているので、黒頭カモメはもはや汽船岸壁に座ることができません。しかし、彼らは州の両親の暴徒に対して何もしません。

黒頭のカモメ、マガモ、ハト、ハイイロガン、白鳥がここで食べます。しかし、白鳥はまた、ここにいない他の普通の市民にスパイや人をスパイしている。白鳥は今日うんざりしているが、彼らは再びより少ないフィーダーがあることを知っているので、自分で詰めなければならない。

美しい女性が到着し、私に微笑みます。それは素晴らしいと思います。彼女は金髪で、眼鏡をかけています。

バスと路面電車は満員であり、それらの多くは愚かさのない部屋を作るので愚かです。一緒に行けないのに、なぜサブスクリプションカードを持っているのですか？

そうでなければ、人々は非常に社会的に魅力的で退屈です。彼らは、グリューワインのあるものや車を見せることにのみ興味を持っています。彼らはあなたを彼らの一人ではないかのように見ます。子供がレンタル自転車に暴れ回っている。

Estoy aquí y le doy de comer a los cisnes. Exactamente después de 5 minutos, vuelve a aparecer un espía del servicio secreto de Alemania Occidental y (como siempre) comienza a filmar con mi teléfono inteligente. Justo en mi cara. Funciona todos los días. La mujer tiene una cara estúpida, unos 45 años, ojos azules, cabello rubio oscuro y delgado. Se bebe con vino caliente.

La comida decorativa para pájaros está hecha para cisnes, pero no tiene cisnes en el envase, sino flamencos que no viven aquí. Las gaviotas de cabeza negra ya no pueden sentarse en el muelle de vapor porque la sociedad de vapor es demasiado vaga y tiene bandas de aleteo colgadas allí. Pero no hacen nada contra los manifestantes de los padres del estado.

Gaviotas de cabeza negra, patos silvestres, palomas, gansos de ganso silvestre y cisnes se comen aquí. Pero los cisnes también están alimentando a otros ciudadanos ordenados que no están aquí como espías y espían a las personas. Los cisnes están hartos hoy, pero tienen que llenarse porque saben que habrá menos comederos nuevamente.

Llega una mujer hermosa y me sonríe, lo que creo que es genial. Ella es rubia y tiene lentes.

Los autobuses y tranvías están llenos y muchos de ellos son estúpidos porque dejan espacio sin decencia. ¿Por qué tengo una tarjeta de suscripción cuando no puedo ir conmigo?

De lo contrario, las personas son socialmente poco atractivas y aburridas. Solo les interesa mostrar cosas y autos con vino caliente. Te miran como si no fueras uno de ellos. Un niño está arrasando contra una bicicleta de alquiler.

 

---

 

Ich bin hier unf füttere Ziervogelfutter für die Schwäne. Exakt nach 5 Minuten kommt wieder ein Spitzel vom Westdeutschen Geheimdienst und fängt (wie immer) mich gleich an mit dem Smartphone an zu filmen. Direkt in mein Gesicht. Jeden Tag geht das. Die Frau hat ein dümmliches Gesicht, 45 Jahre alt ungefähr, blaue Augen, dünnes, dunkelblondes Haar. Betrinkt sich mit Glühwein.

Das Ziervogelfutter ist für Schwäne gemacht, hat aber keine Schwäne auf der Verpackung, sondern Flamingos, die hier nicht leben. Die Lachmöven können nicht mehr Dampferkai sitzen, weil die Dampfergesellschaft zu faul ist und dort Flatterbänder aufgehängt hat. Gegen Randalierer von Staatseltern machen die aber nichts.

Lachmöven, Stockenten, Stadttauben, Graugänse und Schwäne essen sich durch mich hier satt. Aber auch andere, ordentliche Bürger, die nicht hier als Spitzel stehen und die Leute feindlich ausspähen, füttern die Schwäne heute auch. Die Schwäne sind heute satt, aber müssen sich vollstopfen, weil sie wissen, dass es dann wieder weniger Fütterer geben wird.

Eine schöne Frau kommt an und lächelt mich an, was ich toll finde. Sie ist blond und hat eine Brille.

Die Busse und Straßenbahnen sind voll und dazu sind viele von denen Dumm, weil ohne Anstand Platz zu machen. Wozu hat man eine Abo-Karte, wenn man nicht mitfahren kann?

Sonst sind die Leute sehr sozial unattraktiv und langweilig. Die interessieren sich nur für das Zeigen von Sachen und Autos mit Glühwein. Die schauen einen an, als wenn man nicht zu denen gehören würde. Ein Kind tritt randalierend voll gegen ein Leihfahrrad.

 

---

 

Я здесь и кормлю птицу кормом для лебедей. Ровно через 5 минут снова приходит шпион из западногерманской секретной службы и (как всегда) начинает снимать меня с моего смартфона. Прямо в моем лице. Это работает каждый день. У женщины глупое лицо, около 45 лет, голубые глаза, тонкие темные светлые волосы. Пьет сам с глинтвейном.

Декоративная пища для птиц сделана для лебедей, но на упаковке нет лебедей, а есть фламинго, которые здесь не живут. Черноголовые чайки больше не могут сидеть на причале парохода, потому что пароходное общество слишком лениво и там повешены трепетные полосы. Но они ничего не делают против мятежников государственных родителей.

Черноголовые чайки, кряквы, голуби, серые гуси и лебеди питаются здесь. Но лебеди также кормят других простых граждан, которые здесь не шпионы и не шпионят за людьми. Сегодня лебедям надоело, но им приходится набивать себя, потому что они знают, что кормушек снова будет меньше.

Приходит красивая женщина и улыбается мне, что я считаю великолепным. Она блондинка и носит очки.

Автобусы и трамваи переполнены, и многие из них глупы, потому что они освобождают место без приличия. Почему у меня есть подписная карточка, когда я не могу пойти со мной?

Иначе люди очень социально непривлекательны и скучны. Их интересует только показ вещей и машин с глинтвейном. Они смотрят на тебя, как будто ты не один из них. Ребенок неистовствует против проката велосипедов.

 

---

 

我在这里为天鹅喂鸟饲料。恰好5分钟之后，西德情报局的一名间谍再次出现，并且（一如既往）开始用我的智能手机拍摄我。就在我脸上这个女人每天都有工作，这个女人有一张愚蠢的面孔，大约45岁，蓝眼睛，稀疏的金色金发。用热红酒喝酒。

装饰性鸟类食品是为天鹅制成的，但包装上没有天鹅，但这里不生活着火烈鸟。黑头鸥不能再坐在轮船码头上了，因为轮船社会太懒惰了，那里悬挂着颤动的带子。但是他们并没有对暴动的州亲父母做任何事情。

黑头鸥，野鸭，鸽子，灰雁和天鹅在这里吃饱。但是天鹅也养活了其他普通民众，他们不是这里的间谍和间谍。天鹅今天已经受够了，但是不得不塞满自己，因为他们知道再有更少的饲养者。

一个美丽的女人到来并对我微笑，我认为这很棒。她是金发，戴着眼镜。

公共汽车和有轨电车已满，许多人愚蠢，因为他们腾出的空间不雅致。为什么我不能和我一起去时有订阅卡？

否则，人们在社交上就没有吸引力并且很无聊。他们只对展示带有甜酒的东西和汽车感兴趣。他们看着你，好像你不是其中之一。一个孩子正对出租自行车狂奔。

 

---

 

나는 여기에 백조를 위해 새 사료를 먹입니다. 정확히 5 분 후에 서독 비밀 서비스의 스파이가 다시 와서 항상 스마트 폰으로 나를 촬영하기 시작합니다. 내 얼굴에 여자는 약 45 세의 멍청한 얼굴, 파란 눈, 얇고 어두운 금발 머리를 가지고 있습니다. mulled 와인으로 자신을 마신다.

장식용 새 음식은 백조를 위해 만들어졌지만 포장에 백조가 없지만 여기에 살지 않는 홍학이 있습니다. 기선 사회가 너무 게으르고 설레는 띠가 있기 때문에 검은 머리 갈매기는 더 이상 기선 부두에 앉을 수 없습니다. 그러나 그들은 주 부모들의 폭동에 대해 아무것도하지 않습니다.

검은 머리 갈매기, 청둥 오리, 비둘기, greylag 거위 및 백조가 이곳에서 먹습니다. 그러나 백조는 또한 스파이와 스파이로 여기에없는 다른 일반 시민들에게 먹이를주고 있습니다. 백조는 오늘 먹이를 먹지만 피더가 더 적을 것이라는 것을 알고 있기 때문에 스스로 먹어야합니다.

아름다운 여인이 도착하고 미소를지었습니다. 그녀는 금발이며 안경이 있습니다.

버스와 시가 전차는 가득 차 있고, 많은 사람들은 고요함없이 방을 만들기 때문에 바보입니다. 나와 함께 갈 수 없는데 왜 가입 카드가 있습니까?

그렇지 않으면 사람들은 사회적으로 매력적이지 않고 지루합니다. 그들은 mulled 와인으로 사물과 자동차를 보여주는 데에만 관심이 있습니다. 그들은 당신이 그들 중 하나가 아닌 것처럼 당신을 봅니다. 어린이가 자전거 대여에 반대하고 있습니다.

 

---

 

I am here and feed the bird feed for the swans. Exactly after 5 minutes a spy from the West German secret service comes again and (as always) starts filming me with my smartphone. Right in my face. It works every day. The woman has a stupid face, about 45 years old, blue eyes, thin, dark blonde hair. Drinks himself with mulled wine.

The decorative bird food is made for swans, but has no swans on the packaging, but flamingos that do not live here. The black-headed gulls can no longer sit on the steamer quay because the steamer society is too lazy and has flutter bands hung there. But they don't do anything against rioters of state parents.

Black-headed gulls, mallards, pigeons, greylag geese and swans eat their fill here. But the swans are also feeding other ordinary citizens who are not here as spies and spy on people. The swans are fed up today, but have to stuff themselves because they know that there will be fewer feeders again.

A beautiful woman arrives and smiles at me, which I think is great. She is blonde and has glasses.

The buses and trams are full and many of them are stupid because they make room without decency. Why do I have a subscription card when I can't go with me?

Otherwise people are very socially unattractive and boring. They are only interested in showing things and cars with mulled wine. They look at you as if you weren't one of them. A child is rampaging against a rental bike.

 

---

 

私はここにいて、白鳥のために鳥の餌を食べます。ちょうど5分後、西ドイツのシークレットサービスからのスパイが再び来て、（いつものように）スマートフォンで私を撮影し始めます。私の顔に。女性は、約45歳、青い目、細い、暗いブロンドの髪の愚かな顔をしています。グリューワインを飲みます。

装飾的な鳥の餌は白鳥用に作られていますが、包装には白鳥はありませんが、ここには生息しないフラミンゴがいます。汽船社会はあまりにも怠zyであり、そこにフラッターバンドがぶら下がっているので、黒頭カモメはもはや汽船岸壁に座ることができません。しかし、彼らは州の両親の暴徒に対して何もしません。

黒頭のカモメ、マガモ、ハト、ハイイロガン、白鳥がここで食べます。しかし、白鳥はまた、ここにいない他の普通の市民にスパイや人をスパイしている。白鳥は今日うんざりしているが、彼らは再びより少ないフィーダーがあることを知っているので、自分で詰めなければならない。

美しい女性が到着し、私に微笑みます。それは素晴らしいと思います。彼女は金髪で、眼鏡をかけています。

バスと路面電車は満員であり、それらの多くは愚かさのない部屋を作るので愚かです。一緒に行けないのに、なぜサブスクリプションカードを持っているのですか？

そうでなければ、人々は非常に社会的に魅力的で退屈です。彼らは、グリューワインのあるものや車を見せることにのみ興味を持っています。彼らはあなたを彼らの一人ではないかのように見ます。子供がレンタル自転車に暴れ回っている。

Anne became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain.

 

Born: 6 February 1665, St James's Palace, St James's

Died: 1 August 1714, Kensington Palace, London

Coronation: 23 April 1702

Spouse: Prince George of Denmark (m. 1683–1708)

House: House of Stuart

Children: Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, Anne Sophia, Mary, George

 

Around 1671, Anne first made the acquaintance of Sarah Jennings, who later became her close friend and one of her most influential advisers. Jennings married John Churchill (the future Duke of Marlborough) in about 1678. His sister, Arabella Churchill, was the Duke of York's mistress, and he was to be Anne's most important general.

 

Anne and George of Denmark were married on 28 July 1683 in the Chapel Royal and Sarah Churchill was appointed one of Anne's ladies of the bedchamber.

 

In what became known as the "Glorious Revolution", William of Orange invaded England on 5 November 1688 in an action that ultimately deposed King James. Forbidden by James to pay Mary a projected visit in the spring of 1687, Anne corresponded with her and was aware of the plans to invade. On the advice of the Churchills, she refused to side with James after William landed and instead wrote to William on 18 November declaring her approval of his action. Churchill abandoned the unpopular king on the 24th. Prince George followed suit that night, and in the evening of the following day James issued orders to place Sarah Churchill under house arrest at St James's Palace. Anne and Sarah fled from Whitehall by a back staircase, putting themselves under the care of Bishop Compton. They spent one night in his house, and subsequently arrived at Nottingham on 1 December. Two weeks later and escorted by a large company, Anne arrived at Oxford, where she met Prince George in triumph.

 

In January 1689, a Convention Parliament assembled in England and declared that James had effectively abdicated when he fled, and that the thrones of England and Ireland were therefore vacant. The Parliament or Estates of Scotland took similar action, and William and Mary were declared monarchs of all three realms. The Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 settled the succession. Anne and her descendants were to be in the line of succession after William and Mary, and they were to be followed by any descendants of William by a future marriage. On 24 July 1689, Anne gave birth to a son, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, who, though ill, survived infancy. As King William and Queen Mary had no children, it looked as though Anne's son would eventually inherit the Crown.

 

Soon after their accession, William and Mary rewarded John Churchill by granting him the Earldom of Marlborough. Resentment soon grew between the sisters, Mary and Anne, over Anne's wish to become financially independent. From around this time, at Anne's request she and Sarah Churchill, Lady Marlborough, began to call each other the pet names Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman respectively, to facilitate a relationship of greater equality between the two when they were alone. In January 1692, suspecting that Marlborough was secretly conspiring with James's followers, the Jacobites, William and Mary dismissed him from all his offices. In a public show of support for the Marlboroughs, Anne took Sarah to a social event at the palace, and refused her sister's request to dismiss Sarah from her household. Lady Marlborough was subsequently removed from the royal household by the Lord Chamberlain, and Anne angrily left her royal lodgings and took up residence at Syon House, the home of the Duke of Somerset.[69] Anne was stripped of her guard of honour; courtiers were forbidden to visit her, and civic authorities were instructed to ignore her. In April, Anne gave birth to a son who died within minutes. Mary visited her, but instead of offering comfort took the opportunity to berate Anne once again for her friendship with Sarah. The sisters never saw each other again.

 

When Mary died of smallpox in 1694, William continued to reign alone. Anne became his heir apparent and the two reconciled publicly. He restored her previous honours, allowed her to reside in St James's Palace, and gave her Mary's jewels but excluded her from government and refrained from appointing her regent during his absences abroad. Three months later, William restored Marlborough to his offices.

 

Soon after her accession, Anne appointed her husband Lord High Admiral, giving him nominal control of the Royal Navy. Anne gave control of the army to Lord Marlborough, whom she appointed Captain-General. Marlborough also received numerous honours from the Queen; he was created a Knight of the Garter and was elevated to the rank of duke. The Duchess of Marlborough was appointed Groom of the Stole, Mistress of the Robes, and Keeper of the Privy Purse.

 

The Whigs vigorously supported the War of the Spanish Succession and became even more influential after the Duke of Marlborough won a great victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Many of the High Tories, who opposed British involvement in the land war against France, were removed from office. Godolphin, Marlborough, and Harley, who had replaced Nottingham as Secretary of State for the Northern Department, formed a ruling "triumvirate". They were forced to rely more and more on support from the Whigs, and particularly from the Whig Junto—Lords Somers, Halifax, Orford, Wharton and Sunderland—whom Anne disliked. Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough, incessantly badgered the Queen to appoint more Whigs and reduce the power of the Tories, whom she considered little better than Jacobites, and the Queen became increasingly discontented with her. In 1706, Godolphin and the Marlboroughs forced Anne to accept Lord Sunderland, a Junto Whig and the Marlboroughs' son-in-law, as Harley's colleague as Secretary of State for the Southern Department. Although this strengthened the ministry's position in Parliament, it weakened the ministry's position with the Queen, as Anne became increasingly irritated with Godolphin and with her former favourite, the Duchess of Marlborough, for supporting Sunderland and other Whig candidates for vacant government and church positions. The Queen turned for private advice to Harley, who was uncomfortable with Marlborough and Godolphin's turn towards the Whigs. She also turned to Abigail Hill, a woman of the bedchamber whose influence grew as Anne's relationship with Sarah deteriorated. Abigail was related to both Harley and the Duchess, but was politically closer to Harley, and acted as an intermediary between him and the Queen.

 

The division within the ministry came to a head on 8 February 1708, when Godolphin and the Marlboroughs insisted that the Queen had to either dismiss Harley or do without their services. When the Queen seemed to hesitate, Marlborough and Godolphin refused to attend a cabinet meeting. Harley attempted to lead business without his former colleagues, and several of those present including the Duke of Somerset refused to participate until they returned. Her hand forced, the Queen dismissed Harley.

 

The following month, Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, attempted to land in Scotland with French assistance in an attempt to establish himself as king. Anne withheld royal assent from the Scottish Militia Bill 1708 in case the militia raised in Scotland was disloyal and sided with the Jacobites. She was the last British sovereign to veto a parliamentary bill, although her action was barely commented upon at the time. The invasion fleet never landed and was chased away by British ships.

 

The Duchess of Marlborough was angered when Abigail moved into rooms at Kensington Palace that Sarah considered her own, though she rarely if ever used them. In July 1708, she came to court with a bawdy poem written by a Whig propagandist. that implied a lesbian relationship between Anne and Abigail. The Duchess wrote to Anne telling her she had damaged her reputation by taking up such a friend. Whilst some modern commentators have concluded Anne was a lesbian, most have rejected this analysis. In the opinion of Anne's biographers, she considered Abigail nothing more than a trusted servant, and was a woman of strong traditional beliefs, who was devoted to her husband.

 

At a thanksgiving service for a victory at the Battle of Oudenarde, Anne did not wear the jewels that Sarah had selected for her. At the door of St Paul's Cathedral, they had an argument that culminated in Sarah offending the Queen by telling her to be quiet. Anne was dismayed. When Sarah forwarded an unrelated letter from her husband to Anne, with a covering note continuing the argument, Anne wrote back pointedly, "After the commands you gave me on the thanksgiving day of not answering you, I should not have troubled you with these lines, but to return the Duke of Marlborough's letter safe into your hands, and for the same reason do not say anything to that, nor to yours which enclosed it."

 

Anne was devastated by her husband's death in October 1708 and the event proved a turning point in her relationship with the Duchess of Marlborough. The Duchess arrived at Kensington Palace shortly before George died, and after his death insisted that Anne leave Kensington for St James's Palace against her wishes. Anne resented the Duchess's intrusive actions, which included removing a portrait of George from the Queen's bedchamber and then refusing to return it. With Whigs now dominant in Parliament, and Anne distraught at the loss of her husband, they forced her to accept the Junto leaders Lords Somers and Wharton into the cabinet. Sarah continued to berate Anne for her friendship with Abigail, and in October 1709, Anne wrote to the Duke of Marlborough asking that his wife "leave off teasing & tormenting me & behave herself with the decency she ought both to her friend and Queen".[162] On Maundy Thursday 6 April 1710, Anne and Sarah saw each other for the last time. According to Sarah, the Queen was taciturn and formal, repeating the same phrases—"Whatever you have to say you may put in writing" and "You said you desired no answer, and I shall give you none"—over and over.

 

As the expensive War of the Spanish Succession grew unpopular, so did the Whig administration. The Duke of Marlborough was for the time being allowed to remain in charge of the army but in January 1711, Anne forced Sarah to resign her court offices, and Abigail took over as Keeper of the Privy Purse. Having lost her most trusted advisers, Anne created 12 new peers, Abigail's husband included and dismissed the Marlboroughs on the same day. The peace treaty was ratified and Britain's military involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession ended.

 

Anne was buried beside her husband and children in the Henry VII chapel on the South Aisle of Westminster Abbey on 24 August. Author David Green noted, "Hers was not, as used to be supposed, petticoat government. She had considerable power; yet time and time again she had to capitulate." Professor Edward Gregg concluded that Anne was often able to impose her will, even though, as a woman in an age of male dominance and preoccupied by her health, her reign was marked by an increase in the influence of ministers and a decrease in the influence of the Crown.[203] She attended more cabinet meetings than any of her predecessors or successors,[204] and presided over an age of artistic, literary, economic and political advancement that was made possible by the stability and prosperity of her reign.

 

Abridged (believe it or not) from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne,_Queen_of_Great_Britain

   

Trying to squeeze her tush into the smaller, old carrier.

 

Luckily she has such a fluffy bum... Poppy's decency has been saved! :)

To watch the entire video : www.youtube.com/PausaManzothaBEEF

 

"The Struggle Against Unreality"

 

Contains Video Footage From:

 

Do The Right Thing -

Tetsuo:The Iron Man -

Cannibal Corpse:decency defied -

Banned From Asia -

Berzerker:reality -

Cannibal Corpse:devoured by vermin -

Cold Cave:love comes close -

Anal Solvent:summer wind -

ZU ( with Mike Patton):soulympics -

various Japanese manga -

Mission of Burma:1, 2, 3, Partyy -

The Decline of Western Civilization -

Morbid Angel:where the slime live -

Monty Python's And Now For Something Completely Different -

Saudek 's Photographs

  

Contains Audio From:

 

Matmos: les folies francaises -

Venetian Snares + Speedranch:molly's reach around -

Stunt Rock:that last song blew -

Zeni Geva:Alienation (Part 1) -

Syrian immigrant "Lil" Joe Halaway bought the Emerald Cafe in 1948, eventually changing the name to Lil Joe's. Lil Joe was famous for his loving nature and generosity, greeting customers with a smile and a "God bless you." Those words are now etched in the concrete before the restaurant's door. He stood by his employees and helped those who were down on their luck with free meals frequently.

 

And he saw a lot of people down on their luck. Shortly after he bought the restaurant on highway 40, Del Paso Boulevard was bypassed by a new freeway, and began a long decline. The area was, and still is (although it is starting to come out of it with major redevelopment efforts), beset by vacant buildings, empty lots, liquor stores, adult book stores, prostitution, drug use, and violence. According to the Sacramento Bee, police would avoid going to Lil Joe's (which used to be open 24 hours) because they didn't want to eat among the people they would be arresting later. The low point came in 1993, when a customer responded to being asked to put his cigarette out by stabbing the waiter to death.

 

When he was hospitalized in early 2002, the city council unaminously voted to honor Lil Joe with a lifetime achievment award for his assistance to the poor, sponsorship of youth sports, and general contribution to the community. He died a few months after being hospitalized. His son George, who started working the restaurant at the age of 14, carries on his legacy.

 

I first saw Lil Joe's in the summer of 1997 on a bus ride from Arden Fair Mall to the Arden/Del Paso lightrail station on my long trek back to Davis (I didn't have a car then). Every time I saw it I was charmed by the building and its neon sign. I don't recall if I ate there before then, but once I moved to nearby Arden-Arcade in August of 2002, I started going there frequently, mainly for the incredibly low prices.

 

Now there are several upscale art galleries in the neighborhood, townhomes are going up in bunches nearby, upscale contemporary projects are planned by New Faze Development, and the Sacramento News & Review well be moving their headquarters to the old Van's Market/Cardinal Grocery Store building on Del Paso. I'm guessing the people coming to the neighborhood will be more interested in grabbing a frappucino from the new Starbucks up the street than sitting on ripped pink vinyl to eat a burger (although I like espresso, I hope somebody will have the decency to shoot me if I ever order a frappuccino). I hope Lil Joe's survives.

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

The thing about The Mole was that he knew all of the players.

 

He knew everyone in the department.

 

Shit... he even knew the people they knew.

 

The Mole knew their wives, their girlfreinds, their mistresses, their enemies, their kids... he went to their weddings, their kids communions and their funerals... he gave them advice when they found themselves all jammed up.

 

The Mole used to be 'family.'

 

He knew who owed who a favor too.

 

And why.

 

The Mole rose through the ranks and was being groomed for the Chief's position until he got screwed because of politics and he was forced to retire.

 

He blamed it all on 'The Old Man.'

 

And he genuinely felt wronged.

 

The Mole was pretty bitter about it even after all these years.

 

He felt used and let's face it... no one likes to feel used.

 

That kinda goes without saying but that feeling was really the core of his motivation here.

 

About half of the department hated the guy and the other half loved him.

 

The guy was 'politics' personified.

 

He had connections everywhere though.

 

Solid connections.

 

Even on other departments.

 

The Mole knew who could be trusted and who could not.

 

And if he didn't, The Mole knew who to call to find out.

 

If he said a guy was good... the guy was good.

 

He never seemed to be wrong.

 

Not once.

 

If he told me to 'watch out for that guy' you can bet I'd be careful with that one.

 

He was right on that note more than a few times and his advice definitely saved me from some grief.

 

The thing was... like me... The Mole had a score to settle too.

 

He was 'the enemy of my enemy' and that's what made everything fall into place.

 

'What they did to you and your family was wrong' he said... 'these people got no sense of decency... all you asked 'em to do was the right thing and they just couldn't bring themselves to do it... my heart goes out to you."

 

Then he'd tell me all about what they did to him.

 

We had a common enemy in the 'regime.'

 

And it would bring us both untold amounts of joy and satisfaction to see that regime fall.

 

It would also bring us a lot of hurt before it was over.

 

The Mole told me about Skeevy... the former Chief who now worked for another department... he was still pretty much running Deadwood... because Deadwood's chief was an idiot.

 

Skeevy was the guy that got the idiot the job.

 

And he did it to maintain some power within the regime... the new chief was his 'made man.'

 

He was his 'representative' on the inside now that he was out.

 

Skeevy had interests to protect and secrets to keep.

 

And the new chief 'Hot Dog' owed him everything.

 

Chief Hot Dog would fall too before it was all over.

 

The Mole was always there for Skeevy when they worked together... but Skeevy threw the Mole to the jackals after he had no more use for him.

 

The Mole really resented that on a deeply personal level.

 

It was one of the things that I could tell really hurt him inside.

 

Knowing where the strings were being pulled from and who was pulling them helped me a lot.

 

Now I could understand the 'why.'

 

The first time The Mole and I hooked up on the phone I was really nervous... I mean... I didn't know the guy... I didn't know if he was one of them or what.

 

It was true that 'Double D', my Godfather vouched for him and all, but still...

 

I could be spillin' to an infiltrator.

 

I could be tellin' them everything I knew.

 

It left me feelin' kinda exposed.

 

So the first few conversations were just us 'feelin' each other out.'

 

I kept the information tight in the beginning... I had some good dirt... I had loads of really good dirt but I'd let it out a little at a time to see if the mole was leaky.

 

Sometime's I'd let go of a juicy piece of 'misinformation.'

 

Just to see if it got out there.

 

I'm sure The Mole did the same thing.

 

There were a half a dozen guys feeding me information... but none of them were as dedicated to screwing these guys as The Mole was.

 

And none of them had as much information.

 

I was always really protective of my sources and no matter how much I trusted anyone I never let out the names... that was pretty much a given from all directions.

 

If I guy thought you were a 'loose cannon' he'd dry up with the information right away.

 

The Mole knew I wasn't a plant or anything... the story was all over the newspapers and on tv.

 

My picture was in the papers too.

 

They interviewed me on TV.

 

They had me talkin' on the radio.

 

In London even.

 

It was pretty obvious that I had a score to settle.

 

The Mole saw our working together as an opportunity to advance his agenda and I saw him as a great resource in understanding the relationships behind the names.

 

I knew the 'who' but it was only because of The Mole that I'd know the 'why.'

 

All along I'd been taunting them on the internet.

 

I wanted to shift the 'battle' there after the firebomb incident.

 

It was always David versus Goliath and the internet was my slingshot.

 

I let them know I wasn't going to back down... that I wasn't afraid of them and their badges and their guns.

 

The media was on my side too.

 

They loved the story.

 

At least the parts of the story that they knew... and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

 

The whole thing was such an irony and it made for great soundbites.

 

It didn't take long for The Mole and I to gain each others trust and respect.

 

I genuinely liked the guy... we became good friends and we looked out for each other... we had each other's backs through the whole thing.

 

Our relationship was like two guys playing a very important and strategic game of chess against the regime.

 

We started to bounce every move off of each other.

 

We'd discuss the ramifications of putting this information out... who that would piss off... whose toes would get stepped on by that comment... where it would seem like that information came from...

 

We debated what hand that we'd play... what cards we'd hold and where we better fold.

 

The Mole was ever cool and The Mole was always calculated.

 

The Mole was also pretty paranoid about things.

 

He'd pause when we spoke on the phone and there was a strange clicking sound... 'did you hear that' he'd say.

 

He thought that they were tappin' the phones.

 

At first I just kinda laughed it off as conspiracy babble but later The Mole'd be proven right.

 

The Mole was always right.

 

He knew what these people were capable of.

 

He knew what they'd done before.

 

The Mole always told me to watch my back.

 

He'd been to hell and back in Vietnam in the late sixties and he would say 'man if I had you on my side when I was over there we'da won that war.'

 

The Mole loved to tell stories about what went on there on the inside.

 

He told them really well... he was a great story teller and I really enjoyed listening to the tales.

 

Some of them scared the shit out of me.

 

He told me about 'Secret Squirrell'... the officer with a fetish for high powered weaponry... the one who drove around with a trunk full of weapons that would make Al Quieda jealous.

 

Wasn't it Jesus who said 'know your enemy so you can screw them better'?

 

Wait, that was Sun Tzu... the ancient Chinese General that wrote the book 'The Art of War' which sat next to my computer on my desk through this entire debacle.

 

I'd find myself referring to 'The Art of War' almost on a daily basis.

 

Jesus said 'love your enemy' and that was just as good.

 

Ask anyone going through a divorce.

 

I loved to hear the stories about their exploits.

 

The stories painted a picture in my head.

 

And I'd use that picture to get in their heads.

 

After a while I started to feel like I knew people I had never met.

 

I knew who left her checkbook in the mayor's truck.

 

I knew that the mayor's wife found it.

 

I knew that the mayor's wife knew about it and she said to a friend 'why would I want to divorce a millionairre?'

 

I also knew that that woman who left her checkbook in the mayor's truck later 'won' the village's charity raffle for the Jeep Wrangler.

 

Legend had it that she was actually ordering the options before the raffle even took place.

 

She insisted on leather seats and a CD player.

 

The Old Man was the one who drew the 'winning' ticket.

 

The Jeep was 'hush money' and everyone knew it.

 

That's how this kind of corruption works... the people doing it don't consider it evil... but they know it's wrong... kinda like lying to a chick you really wanna score with... tellin' her you know somebody you really don't just to impress her...

 

What they do know is that if they get you in to it they can keep you there.

 

You'll be on the inside forever... or at least until they don't want you there.

 

I make it so you win the Jeep, you ain't gonna say I'm corrupt.

 

You might whisper it... elbow it around in closed company and stuff... but you ain't gonna go on some 'anti corruption crusade.'

 

Because you're just as dirty now.

 

You're one of us.

 

Corrupt is corrupt and the only difference is in the amount of the corruption.

 

The Old Man was the king of corruption.

 

I don't even think he did it so much for 'personal gain.'

 

I haven't heard a single tale of him putting any dough into his bank account.

 

It was pretty clear he was using the taxpayers money to maintain some of his property... even improve it... but I think he looked at that as makin' the town a better place to live.

 

He just happened to make a lot of money off of it at some point.

 

'The Old Man' graduated from the 'Polish School' of politics... the philosophy was 'we're all gonna work really hard... we'll cut up the pie and everybody who tows the line'll get a piece... but if you don't tow the line not only will you not get any pie but I'll crush you with my iron fist.'

 

The Old Man liked to tell people that he 'ran this town with an iron fist.'

 

At a council meeting once when he was trying to get a garbage incinerator built on some property he owned... a deal that would've made him a substantial amount of money... and he wouldn't let opponents of the deal speak... he said:

 

'This is my democracy.. I started it' he said 'if YOU want a democracy you can go start your own.'

 

He was a tough old bag... I really kinda admired him for that... and in almost forty years of runnin' the place he'd never gotten a 'no' vote from his rubber-stamp council.

 

If you were on The Old Man's good side you were golden.

 

You got on his bad side and you'd come to learn what he meant by 'iron fist.'

 

The Old Man got rich in trucking and transportation.

 

He didn't need the money that all the corruption around him made.

 

I don't think he took a penny directly.

 

He spread it around.

 

He gave it back to the people in the form of a tax rebate.

 

It was in his mind the way that Robin Hood would do it.

 

Which was ironic because the Old Man was rich.

 

'Turning his head' and spreading out the money became the source of all of his political power and he knew that better than anybody.

 

Until I came along nobody had ever gotten in his way.

 

It all started in that dark parking lot on a cold December evening.

 

They were the ones who started it.

 

Nobody ever thought that would be the spark that brought it all down.

 

Like most wars, nobody involved at the beginning even knew that a war had been started.

 

Not even me.

 

And I just happened to find myself right there at 'ground zero.'

Washington DC, The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the afternoon of March 1, 2015. Around one hundred social justice activists affiliated with Code Pink, Jewish Voice For Justice, AVAAZ, US Campaign To End The Israeli Occupation, Boycott From Within, Answer Coaltion and other peace and faith groups demonstrate in front of the Convention Center to protest the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) yearly DC meeting. AIPAC is regarded by many as the most powerful lobbying group in town. AIPAC has a policy agenda that's out of step with the values of most Jewish Americans and other participants in civilized society but they call the tune because our corrupt political culture is fueled by money, not decency. In an act of peaceful civil disobedience, five demonstrators, all women, were arrested for failing to obey police orders to remove themselves from the granite in front of one of the Convention Center's many doorways. They were given three warnings before being arrested. I photographed one of women as she was being lead away in plastic handcuffs. "I'm a Jewish mother!" she proclaimed. I gave her the 'thumbs up'.

Most of the DC cops kept their cool but when some of the demonstrators got in their face a brief scuffle ensued. Some of us locked arms and and helped lift up one of the Code Pink ladies who was almost knocked down onto the steps by a DC officer who lost it.

To be clear: most non-sexual and non-harassing nudity is legal in Canada. Two federal laws (Section 173 and 174 of the Criminal Code) apply:

 

Section 173 prohibits "indecent acts" done either:

- in a public place, or

- in any place, if done with the intent to "insult or offend"

It also forbids "exposure of genital organs" for a "sexual purpose" to someone under the age of 16. Exact definition of these terms is up to courts to decide. Various Provincial courts have decided that:

- simple nude sunbathing is not indecent.

- streaking is not prohibited under the law.

- the inside of a car can be a public place if it is viewable from the street.

- the doorway of a home can be a public place.

 

Section 174 prohibits being "so clad as to offend against public decency or order" while exposed to public view. Courts have decided that nude swimming is not within the range of this law.

 

Check it at official site of Canada Criminal Code.

 

Same sign in 2010

New sign in 2011

New sign in 2012

 

Flagged SAFE

UN staff in New York gather at the “Knotted Gun” sculpture at the UN Visitor’s Centre entrance at 12:00 noon on Wednesday 15 March to call for an end to the six years of conflict in Syria. Staff held signs with photos of six year old Syrian children with the hashtag #notatarget as part of their action to stand in solidarity with the people of Syria.

 

Pictured: Khetsiwe Dlamini, Chief of Staff, UN Women, addresses the gathering

 

Text of the UN Staff Statement:

We, the staff of the United Nations wish to express our profound concern and outrage over the suffering of the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

The crucible of war continues to hold the people, and especially the children of Syria, hostage. For six years, Syrians have experienced appalling violence and flagrant disregard for human life. For six years, the world has watched in horror. Human decency and conscience demands that we end the carnage now.

 

The United Nations was founded on principles of human rights and respect for humanitarian values. It is our duty as individuals and as a collective to uphold these principles. We therefore stand in solidarity with the civilians and particularly the children who are suffering from abuses, indignity and destruction caused by ongoing violations of international norms. We stand united in solidarity with the people and especially the children of Syria.

 

We call upon the Member States of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, to take urgent action to end the bloodshed in Syria.

 

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

 

Today is International Women's Day, and the centenary of its introduction, so congratulations and have a brilliant day anyone celebrating and participating .............. it seems to have a lot of different themes across different continents and countries.................. some places have emphasis on achievements or victories and celebrating the roll and achievements of exceptional women..................... some places put emphasis on female education......... empowering women through education and knowledge.............. in some other parts they are emphasizing ending violence against women and girls.......... all mighty and of course very worthy.

 

I always think of women taking leading rolls in political struggle on International Women's Day............... Here, above, is a Palestinian woman demanding the release of her arrested brother dragged away as he protested against and threw rocks at Israeli soldiers..............

 

As violence and protest spread across the Middle East and North Africa I wonder how many brave women are involved in protest and civil unrest in an attempt to win social and political justice.

 

I really hope that the women (and men) on the streets of Egypt and Libya get their yearned for justice and democracy. I'm not certain all their revolutions are even set to succeed yet. Hopefully they will overthrow Gaddafi soon without too much loss of life. Hopefully Egypt will get some kind of democracy with a modern space for women to participate.

 

I am slightly afraid that Tunisia is already falling backwards towards islamic intolerance of modern equality. With the once banned veil becoming necessary as a safety mechanism for women who fear attack for not wearing it.

 

Sadly I fear all this hope for decency and change will be stifled by Islamism.......... This would be particularly unfair to the women who have joined men on the streets at great risk to themselves possibly only to find they have won less social justice and freedom than previously ........... I hope it does not happen like that........ but there are already horrid attacks on some women in Tunisia.......... Depressing.

 

Hey I'm being a bit of a downer......... lets try to be a bit more optimistic.......... It is one hundred years of the International Women's Day after all.............. Viva the women of the Middle East !!!!!!!! Viva the Women of the World !!!!!!!!!!! :-))))))))) XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Here is a lovely thing from [@anjkan](http://twitter.com/#!/anjkan) music [mixtape for International Womens day to download](http://www.neumagazine.co.uk/mixes/article/international-womens-day-inspirational-tracks).......... and an interesting thing from harv a [surprising 007 on International Womens Day](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/07/james-bond-video-womens-day)

 

www.jezblog.com

Here we see a very flirty Joni "tripping the light fantastic" as she shamelessly poses on the steps of Jersey City's City Hall in New Jersey, while flashing a gartered stocking top for the camera. Actually, this pose wasn't intended for the camera and a Flickr audience as much as it was the guy handling the camera. It seems Joni had travelled north back to New Jersey after Thanksgiving for a Jets game and some personal business and was encamped in a hotel some distance from Jersey City. Looking for something to do on a Saturday night, Joni decided to venture out to a relatively new club in downtown Jersey City which she wasn't aware of when she had lived in New Jersey before relocating to South Carolina. Indeed, it may not have even existed back then. I forget the name, but it was a pretty cool place with multiple floors.

 

As fate would have it, Joni's considerable charms (?) caught the eye of a younger gentleman who hit on Joni. There was conversation and a dance, and he had the decency to buy Joni a drink. The guy was in his 40's and reasonably good looking and he was playing touchy-touchy in the club with his hands and his feet. He made it clear he wanted to take this new friendship to the next level, and he wasn't talking about the upper floor of the club. Having been deprived for a long time during the pandemic, Joni, against her better judgment, caved and began to morph into the teenage nymphomaniaic of her younger years. She was willing.

 

As closing time approached, the gentleman suggested they go some place. Joni suggested her hotel, but he didn't have a car and it would have been impractical for Joni to drive him back and forth in the early morning hours to his apartment which he indicated was only a few blocks from the club. Fine, ''Take me to your apartment." Joni said. "No can do.", he replied. "I have a roommate." ''Well then we have a problem", said Joni, her ardor suddenly beginning to fade. "Maybe we can just park some place and kind of "make out", you know what I mean?" Oh yeah, Joni knew what he meant. "In Jersey City? Where?", she inquired with a measure of skepticism. "Take me to your car. I'll find a place.", he responded with an air of confidence. Joni took him to her car and they drove around as the guy kept trying to find a "place". Unfortunately, the night was getting late and Joni was getting up early the next morning. The guy kept trying to stoke Joni's diminishing flames of passion by massaging Joni's thighs as she drove along with a few bonus kissy-kiss kisses thrown in while stopped at traffic lights. It was nice, but Joni was beginning to sense that she was wasting time and gas as they searched for his "place".

 

Finally, an exasperated Joni pulled the plug and informed the guy that she couldn't wait any longer for him to find that "place". The guy reluctantly agreed it wasn't going to happen and Joni offered to drop him off at his apartment. The guy said that would be fine, but then after a few blocks he asked to be dropped off at a corner on Kennedy Boulevard, a couple of miles away from the club he previously claimed to live nearby. Joni dutifully dumped him off as requested and they exchanged pleasantries, but she wondered as she drove off why so many of the guys who hit on her are so strange? Hopefully for him, Joni wondered if the buses in Jersey City ran in the early morning hours. It was cold out. . . .

 

Getting back to the photo above, Joni asked the guy to take a few quick photos of her with her camera as they passed by the City Hall on their way from the club to her parked car. He was more than willing to accommodate Joni's request as there was still hope in the air at that moment that the guy would find a suitable "place" for them to park and "make out" like teenagers. So Joni wasn't adverse at that moment to tease the young Lothario with a seductive peek at what might lay ahead. . . . Sadly, the logistics don't always work out. Of course, it wasn't a total loss. Joni enjoyed some cheap thrills as her legs and thigh-hi stockings were massaged and groped by the younger gentleman as he methodically worked his way up Joni's legs toward a "promised land" that he, like Moses, never reached, And there were some promising kisses. . . . It just didn't work out! Sometimes, it's like that!

This month's highlight relates to the moral behaviour of citizens. Written on the 24th February 1810 and signed by Macquarie, the following is titled "Illicit Intercourse, evils arising therefrom." While some may see this as a moral sermon on the perceived evils of immorality and cohabiting without marriage, Macquarie also points out to women the practical difficulties which will be encountered legally on the death of their partner. If their partner dies Intestate without a legal marriage they will not be entitled to the man's possessions.

 

» Lachlan Macquarie Gallery

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Illicit Intercourse, evils arising therefrom

By His Excellency

Lachlan Macquarie Esq.

Captain General etc etc etc

 

Proclamation

Whereas, His excellency the Governor,

has seen with great Regret, the Immorality and Vice, so pre-

valent among the lower classes of this Colony, and whereas, he

feels himself called upon in particular to reprobate & check

as far as lies in his Power, the scandalous and promiscuous

custom so generally and shamelessly adopted, throughout

this Colony of Persons of different sexes cohabiting and

living together unsantioned by the legal ties of matrimony

And whereas the Consequences of this Immoral and illicit

intercourse has been found (as might have been Expected)

not only highly injurious to the interests of the Society

at large, but often times attended with grievous calamity

to the Parties themselves, and the innocent offspring of

this Misconduct, And whereas such Practices are a

scandal to Religion, to Decency and to all good Go-

vernment, and whereas, also, frequent applications have

been made on the part of Divers women to the

Court of Civil Jurisdiction for the grant of Letters

of Administration of the Goods and Effects of Persons

dying intestate, on the sole ground of having lived

for a number of years with the Deceased in a State

of illegal and criminal Intercourse. His Excellency

the Governor anxious to promote the Interests of

Virtue, upon which those of Society must ever

rest by the Encouragement of lawful Marriage

to preserve Morality and Decorum, and to protect

the innocent sufferers from the consequences of such

practices, and hoping that the frequency of such con

nexions may be in a great measure, owing to an

Ignorance of the Calamity which will probably result

from them, and that a more Extended Knowledge of this

580

 

circumstance may be the means of checking the formation of

such Engagement in future, feels it is his duty hereby

publicly to make known to the Inhabitants of this

Colony that the mere circumstance of illegal cohabita-

tion (for whatever length of time) with any Man

confers no valid Title upon the Women to the Goods

and Effects of such persons, in case he should Die

Intestate, and that letters of Administration of the

Goods and Effects of Persons dying intestate, cannot

be legally granted to any applicants upon such

grounds and under such circumstances as aforesaid

and that the distressful consequences which must be

felt in particular instances from the refusal of such

Applications, can alone be awarded by the formation

of honourable and legal Engagements.

 

His Excellency the Governor, aware

of the frequency of such illicit connections, and see-

ing the shameful and open manner in which they

are avowed, to the utter subversion of all decency

and Decorum, is compeled to express in this public

manner, his high disapprobation of such Immorality,

and his firm resolution to suppress by every means

in his power all such disgraceful connexions, and

publicly declares that neither favour, nor patronage

will ever be extended to those who Contract or

Encourage them.

 

On the other hand, his Excellency

the Governor is anxious to hold forth every induce-

ment to the formation of lasting and virtuous connexions

and to Encourage Lawful marriage by every possible

Means, as he is convinced, that from such connexions

also, can be Expected to arise, either habits of

Industry or Decency of Conduct those therefore,

who from such connexions, and whose lives and conduct

are sober, Decent and Industrious, may ever look up to

His Excellency for all reasonable Encouragement.

 

As a further means of effecting

that improvement which he so earnestly wishes, His

Excellency cannot forbear to make known his indignation

581

 

towards those persons, who in Defiance of all Law and De-

cency, scandalously Keep open during the night the

most licentious and Disorderly Houses for the reception

of the abandoned of both sexes and to the great En-

couragement of dissolute and disorderly habits, and

he publicly avows his resolution to give street orders

to the officers of the Police, to report to him, the

Proprietors of all such Houses, and to punish such

offenders to the utmost Extent allowed by law.

 

His Excellency the Governor,

sanguinely hopes that the measures he is now a-

dopting will not be ineffectual in producing that

Decorum and Morality, that want of which, is at

once so Disgraceful and so Detrimental to Society

and he trusts, that when the inhabitants of this Colony

shall that favour and Encouragement are to be ob-

tained only by a strict observance of the Rules of

Morality and Decorum, they will become sensible

of the Error and Folly of a longer indulgence of habits

of Profligacy and Irregularity.

 

Given under my hand etc

This 24 Day of February 1810

God Save the King

Signed L Macquarie

J T Campbell Secretary

 

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

that now famous command, issued by the Italian Coast Guard Comandante Gregorio De Falco, to the cruise ship Capitan Schettino. Literally, "climb onboard, (expletive!)".

 

I'm sure that's on a t-shirt somewhere, and I was tempted to get one, but the tragedy of the event rinses away any humor for me.

 

Now the news reports the 14-story luxury Princess Star cruise ship passed by 3 Panamanian fisherman, whose small boat was spotted adrift. A Portland birdwatcher onboard spotted the dying men, but the ship's crew and captain ignored maritime law, and basic human decency, and steamed on.

 

There's a special commitment to being captain of a ship, people step aboard, subscribing to a certain understanding. From the smallest kayak to an aircraft carrier--there's a Code that these "cruise ship captains" ignored. They're "Captains" in name only, Night Motel Desk Operators in performance. (no criticism of night hosting staff here, many have befriended me over the years--not unlike Pizza Delivery guys!)

 

My boatyard buddy, enjoying a siesta on the water, understands the distinction. "You're either on the bus or off the bus. You do what you must. To the Ships! Damn the Torpedoes, Full Steam Ahead." My Jolly Sailor Bold

           

Like I said in the description of the Rod Serling toon, as soon as I saw hastingsgraham's photo of Rod and Robbie at www.flickr.com/photos/31472241@N03/4505755150/ I knew what my next one was going to be. And, as I said in my comment at her pic, it was pretty coincidental that the very day she posted it, some three or four hours before I got home and saw it, I was sitting there at work and (seemingly) out of nowhere I got the urge to pull out brother Robert's "The Left Seat" and re-read it--something I've done once every two or three years since that thunderstorm-y spring afternoon in high school forty-plus years ago when I bought the Popular Library paperback edition at Dougherty's Drug Store in Lancaster, started it while waiting for Mom at the doctor's office. and finished it at two or three in the morning because, as the saying goes, I just couldn't put it down. The love story between Mac McKay and Barbara Deering, and those of Paddy O'Brian and Pat Donovan, and Les Culver and "Mitch" Mitchell, are schmaltzy enough to bring a blush to the cheeks of the purple prose-iest writer of heaving bosom romances, the cockpit procedures and crash investigation details are all anyone who loves "Airport" the "High and the Mighty" and "Fate is the Hunter" could ever want and more, and the story of the U.S. airlines from the end of WW II to the transition era, as illustrated by the growth of the fictional Midwest Airlines, is the history of the Golden Age the way it ought to be told. All in all, it's one of the greatest books I've ever read again and again and again. Which is why, even as I started on the Rod Serling toon, I knew the next one was going to be for Robert.

 

While the story is set in the heyday of the pistons, and Mac McKay faces his moment of truth in a DC-7, the Lockheed Electra is in the background for three reasons. For one thing, "The Electra turned away. So did Captain MacDonald McKay". For another, I just always thought the Electra was one of the best looking airplanes ever, which led a friend to point out, rather harshly, that that's like saying the most attractive employee at the house of ill-repute was suffering from an STD (although, to be sure, Captain Hilbaak used somewhat more colorful language), which brings us to the third reason.

 

The Electra was bedeviled by a series of fatal crashes a few months after it entered service, caused by something called "whirl mode", with the prop wobbling instead staying in its correct plane of rotation. This set up a flutter in the wing which, which caused the prop to wobble even more, which caused greater flutter in the wing, the two feeding each other in a cycle of ever-increasing viciousness until eventually, like a paperclip being bent back and forth until it breaks, the wing snapped off in flight.

 

The first of these crashes involved a Braniff flight out of Houston heading for Dallas, over Buffalo, Texas, in September of 1959. In his non-fiction book on crash investigation and airline safety, "Loud and Clear" (which I bought because I'd read "The Left Seat" and wanted more), Serling described the initial clue that would eventually lead the investigators to the cause: almost all the witness agreed that when it happened, every dog for miles around started howling. Of course, they were just reacting naturally to sound of the prop tips going supersonic, but somehow the way Robert Serling conveyed the idea of all those dogs baying out their unheeded warning in that Texas autumn night just sent chills down my spine in a way nothing Rod Serling put on "The Twilight Zone" ever did.

 

When hastingsgraham posted her picture and I got the idea for this, I went surfing the web to see what I could find on Serling, and was happy to see he was still with us. I thought it would be pleasant for a change to do a tribute to one of my childhood influences that wasn't "in memory of". I even toyed with the idea of sending him a copy, as a small token of appreciation of all the pleasure his books had given me over the years (there were a dozen more, novels and non-fiction, besides "The Left Seat" and "Loud and Clear"). But, as you can see by the dates, I didn't make it. Even as I working on the tribute to his brother and thinking ahead to this one, the domino had fallen off the mantle for good this time.

 

It will take a little of the joy out of re-reading and remembering it, knowing he's gone, but I'm sure I'll keep doing both until I'm gone myself. Aside from the fact that it's a good read, re-reading it brings evokes the nostalgia of being a kid again, of reading it the first time, and the dreams it inspired. Somehow, I knew even then I didn't have the command charisma to be a MacDonald McKay, the devout religiosity and decency to be a Paddy O'Brian, the romantic charm to be a Les Culver, the lovable Dutch Uncle crustiness to be a Johnny Shea, or the dignified competence to be a Barney Barnwell; but...while it's probably a little late in life to still be clinging to childhood fantasies, I still cherish some secret hope of growing up to be Snorkel Snodgrass.

  

Session Americana and Peter Wolf playing at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wolf

www.peterwolf.com/

www.facebook.com/PeterWolfMusic?v=wall

Life and career

 

Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York. He planned a career as an artist, but he got a job in the late 1960s as a disc jockey on then-cutting edge Boston FM radio station WBCN and began exploring his interest in blues and rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth" (as mentioned in the intro to "Must of Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album). Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa. He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. Wolf was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the microphone stand. He and keyboard player Seth Justman were responsible for most of the songwriting. Creative differences followed their Freeze-Frame album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.

 

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Photo: Catharine Anderson

Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984) was produced by Michael Jonzun of the Jonzun Crew, features Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single the same year, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, John Lee Hooker, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett to name just a few.

Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends, Johnny A. and a Bob Dylan backup band member, Stu Kimball. Tim Archibald (Bass) and Brian Maes (keys and backing vocals) who are both members of "Ernie And The Automatics", played on the record and Toured in support of "Long Line." His next two solo albums, Fool's Parade and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Jann Wenner in Rolling Stone, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lesh.

Wolf toured in 2008 with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed "Love Stinks" solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Musta Got Lost", "Centerfold" (from the J. Geils album Freeze Frame) and "For What It's Worth".

The J. Geils Band re-united for a series of shows in 2009, including opening night at the Boston House of Blues.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.[2][3]

 

www.facebook.com/pages/Session-Americana/53199003969

 

www.sessionamericana.com

www.myspace.com/sessionamericana

www.hi-n-dry.com/session_americana

www.exploitboston.com/music-musings/grab-new-music-from-s...

Session Americana - www.sessionamericana.com

 

This ad hoc acoustic supergroup started around a table at a small pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Conway, Sean Staples, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting and other friends gathered to swap songs and stories. Their lively performances and inspired versions of tunes from the dusty backroads of America's past were such a hit with fans that they decided to take their musical conversation into the studio. The two-CD debut Tabletop People ups the ante with stellar appearances by folksinger Rose Polenzani, Twinemen's Laurie Sargent, Dennis Brennan, Asa Brebner, Merrie Amsterburg, Dan Kellar, Presidents of the United States' Chris Ballew, Jabe Beyer, Tim Gearon and other luminaries. And the 18 gritty, funny, soulful performances included span a gamut of emotions and tastes that should please both adult and younger listeners.

 

"Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard:...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston

and vocals that do the same"

— Performer Magazine

 

Session Americana sit tightly around a small cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the whole sound of the voices and instruments. A suit-case drum kit, an old electric bass, a bunch of acoustic instruments, a field organ: This format feels very theatrical and though the musicians face each other, the audience feels drawn into the circle by the warmth, joy and camaraderie that emanate outwards by the all star cast of characters seated around the table. What keeps you coming back show after show is the same thing that any audience member longs for, great songs performed by a great band. The six core members of the band have brought enviable careers worth of experience to the “table”, featuring (current and former) members of Treat Her Right, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, The The, Dennis Brennan, Kris Delmhorst. The group has grown from a rag tag jam at a local pub to a regional institution, playing gigs from church coee houses to urban nightclubs to regional festival tents to large halls.

 

Band: Ry Cavanaugh, Billy Beard, Dinty Child, Jim Fitting, Sean Staples and Jon Bistline.

 

*Winner “2005 Best Folk Act” - The Boston Music Awards

*Winner “Best Roots Act 2006” - Improper Bostonian “Best of Boston” Issue

*Winner “Best CD” 2007 - Improper Bostonian

*Nominated “Best Roots Act” 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

*Nominated Best Live Act 2007 - The Boston Music Awards

*Nominated Best Americana Act 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

 

“Genius ... Jaw-dropping vocals ... Session Americana is blessed in this regard: ...musicianship that sets the standard for the genre in Boston and vocals that do the same”

— NE Performer Magazine

 

“No egos, no big production, just some great songs stripped down to their bare essentials and performed with a real genuineness of spirit and emotional authenticity... it’s beautiful.” (Brian Mosher)

— The Noise

 

“An eclectic, swinging tour de force” — The Boston Globe

 

“[This] local country-folk megagroup’s double CD is one of the most loose, spontaneous, warm, and homespun acts of community and decency since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

 

— The Boston Phoenix

“the cream of the Somerville/Cambridge community" - No Depression (read less)

 

ROMA ARCHEOLOGICA & RESTAURO ARCHITETTURA 2022. Gualtieri finisce sul Nyt: L'eterna crisi dei rifiuti a Roma ha unito il declino urbano, con i cinghiali nel centro storico. Gualtieri poco o nessun progresso; in: NEW YORK TIMES & La Repubblica (29-30/08/2021) (testo integrale).Vedi anche: il sindaco Marino e il degrado di Roma; in: Nyt (22/07/2015). wp.me/pbMWvy-36x

 

________________

S.v.,

--- RARA 2022. Roberto Gualtieri - Sindaco di Roma / Er Monnezzaro = Disservizi + Immondizia + Degrado + Cinghiali + Incendio (21/10/2021 - 21/10/2022). Fonte: ROMATODAY (06/09/2022). www.romatoday.it/social/segnalazioni/degrado-urbano/

________________

 

Foto: LOCAL TEAM / YouTube (09/07/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52324893351

 

1). ROMA - Gualtieri finisce sul New York Times: "Mentre Roma brucia (o almeno i suoi rifiuti), un sindaco osa sognare."La Repubblica (30/08/2021).

 

Il quotiano statunitense dedica un articolo all'immondizia della capitale, all'Ama ma soprattutto al sindaco che vuole il termovalorizzatore, "sicuro che qualcosa cambierà"

 

Un sindaco a Roma "osa sognare". Così definisce gli incubi di Roberto Gualtieri un lungo articolo uscito New York Times di Jason Horowitz. Che pubblica online foto di e dei suoi cassonetti carbonizzati oltre alla foto del sindaco alla scrivania assorto a guardare i fogli del progetto sul termovalorizzatore.

 

Foto: Nyt (30/08/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52325323054

 

"Da anni ormai" si legge sul Nyt, "nulla simboleggia la caduta di Roma più della sua crisi dei rifiuti. Un serraglio di cinghiali, gabbiani violenti e ratti si riunisce per banchettare con i detriti della capitale". "E proprio quando sembrava che la puzza dei rifiuti di Roma non potesse peggiorare, una disputa sulla costruzione di un nuovo inceneritore per la città è emersa come motivo di un ammutinamento politico che ha fatto cadere il governo Draghi a luglio". Poche righe a riassumere l'effetto domino catastrofico.

 

Ma ecco che qui arriva Gualtieri: "Formalmente il motivo sono io", avrebbe dichiarato lasciando trapelare un tono sorpreso, ingenuo, al limite del compiaciuto.

 

Il quotidiano lo descrive come "un veterano della politica di sinistra", un uomo che "con l'autorità di accelerare la costruzione di un impianto di termovalorizzazione dei rifiuti per Roma da circa 600 milioni di euro, spera di avere successo dove altri hanno fallito". In fondo, avrebbe aggiunto il primo cittadino, "non si tratta di scienza missilistica. È solo spazzatura".

 

Foto: Nyt (30/08/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52325212963

 

Roma e New York svettano nella classifica delle città più sporche del mondo, un gemellaggio tossico. E se anche il Nyt dipinge il sindaco che osa sognare, lo fa su uno sfondo di rifiuti in fiamme, autobus che si auto-incendiano, buche "profonde come pozzi d'acqua, una "giungla dove mancano solo i boa costrittori" e una miriade di "altre indecenze". Come Malagrotta. Il sindaco, dice e non dice, che "c'è una cospirazione per fermare me" e il progetto.

 

L'articolo ricorda quindi che Gualtieri però "in qualità di ex ministro dell'Economia, ha contribuito personalmente a ottenere miliardi di euro di fondi dell'Unione Europea per l'Italia, con una fetta significativa per Roma. E ha già avuto successo nell'attrarre investitori privati per finanziare il nuovo inceneritore". Insomma, "il problema non è il denaro".

 

E mentre Roma è costretta a spedire i suoi rifiuti a costi elevati in impianti fuori città, "in quello che secondo Gualtieri è un salasso per le sue risorse, un contributo all'inquinamento e forse un favore agli interessi di elementi della malavita (...), la sfida più grande per ripulire Roma potrebbe essere la città stessa". Anche se i romani tendono ad avere "comportamenti non corretti" quando si tratta di buttare la spazzatura.

 

"I ristoranti spesso riempiono i bidoni riservati ai cittadini. I cittadini reagiscono mettendo in equilibrio i sacchetti dell'immondizia sopra i cassonetti come giocassero a Jenga".

 

Ed è qui che il sindaco sogna. Sogna una revisione dell'Ama e sogna che i rifiuti brucino in fiamme lecite. Sempre che i Cinque Stelle smettano di opporsi adducendo "motivi ambientali, e considerandolo un ipocrita". Perché "egli" sostiene che il termovalorizzatore "migliorerà Roma e sarà redditizio, un incentivo per gli investitori a entrare nel progetto. Una nuova età dell'oro". I sogni d'oro del sindaco di Roma.

 

Fonte / source:

--- La Repubblica (30/08/2021).

roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/08/30/news/roma_rifiuti_n...

--------------

 

Foto: Gianluca Ferrara / Facebook (27/03/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52324089937

 

2). ROME - As Rome Burns (or at Least Its Garbage), a Mayor Dares to Dream. Could a solution to Rome’s perpetual trash crisis really be in sight? Mayor Roberto Gualtieri would like to think so. NEW YORK TIMES (29/08/2021).

 

ROME — For years now, nothing has symbolized the fall of Rome more than its garbage crisis. A trash menagerie of wild boars, violent sea gulls and rats convene to feast on the capital’s overflowing debris. Early this summer, a spate of suspicious blazes at garbage plants and scrapyards — literal dumpster fires — darkened the skies, choked the air, and raised the specter of arson and organized crime.

 

Then, when it seemed the stench of Rome’s garbage troubles could get no worse, a dispute over building a new incinerator for the city emerged as the stated reason for a political mutiny that brought down the national unity government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi in July.

 

On the day of the revolt, as he monitored the unfolding political drama from his office overlooking the Roman forum, Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, seemed bemused by the role he and his city’s garbage problem had played in the government’s unexpected collapse. “Formally, the reason is me,” he said.

 

Foto: Il Messaggero (22/06/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52325323139

 

At least Mr. Gualtieri, a veteran of leftist politics, emerged from the wreckage with the authority to fast track the building of a roughly 600 million euro, or about $601 million, waste-to-energy plant for Rome, which he hopes will allow him to succeed where others had failed.

 

“It is not rocket science,” he said. “It’s garbage.”

 

But garbage, and the degradation of Rome that it symbolizes, is a force not to be taken lightly. Even in an oft-sacked city that has seen it all over the centuries, where people have more recently grown accustomed to self-immolating buses, potholes as deep as water wells and myriad other indignities, the garbage — pervasive, pungent and unrelenting — has become the true metric of Rome’s decline.

 

Since Rome closed its sprawling Malagrotta landfill, among Europe’s largest, as an environmental disaster in 2013, trash has overwhelmed two mayors, including Mr. Gualtieri’s predecessor, Virginia Raggi of the Five Star Movement, the party that touched off the rebellion that brought down the national government.

 

In 2018, prosecutors sequestered the landfill — owned by a businessman dubbed “er monnezzaro,” or King of Garbage — for failing to contain its toxic spillage. No actual garbage has been dumped there for years, but its treatment plant was still being used to process up to 1,500 tons of garbage a day, before being shipped elsewhere.

 

Foto: La Repubblica (12/08/2022).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52325212983

 

That is, before it went up in flames this summer.

 

“An enormous plume, gray,” Luigi Palumbo, the court-appointed manager of the landfill, said as he recalled the toxic blaze and cloud that closed nearby preschools and summer camps and laced parts of central Rome with an acrid odor.

 

“It’s unknown where it started,” he said as he approached the plant, its concrete scorched and its melted aluminum panels hanging over the building like carpets hung out to dry.

 

He turned to a burned heap of garbage that had been inside the plant. It was filled with thousands of scorched and bulging plastic bags, melted plastic fruit crates, stray cloths and tires and cans. It, too, has now been sequestered as evidence — but of what, no one seems quite sure.

 

The Malagrotta blaze was not an isolated incident, but one of a rash of trash fires that broke out around the city this summer.

 

Mayor Gualtieri sought to sidestep the theory that “there is a conspiracy to stop me,” and his incinerator, by preserving a system in which myriad players, some of them shadowy, profited from Rome’s garbage crisis. But, he added, “of course you consider this possibility, how was it possible this really is happening exactly when we are trying to …” Then he stopped himself.

 

He noted a well-established connection between waste management and criminal enterprises. Experts had determined it was “not self-combustion,” he said. “So that was man made.”

 

And it has exacerbated Rome’s already noxious disposal problem.

 

Rome now has to ship its garbage at high cost to plants outside the city, in what Mr. Gualtieri said was a drain on its resources, a contributor to pollution and possibly a favor to the interests of underworld elements who benefit from Rome’s sanitation paralysis.

 

But while prosecutors continue to investigate the fires, the greatest challenge to cleaning up Rome may be the city itself.

 

Rome had “little sense of responsibility for its own garbage, because it’s always thought that public things, being public, belong to no one,” said Paola Ficco, an environmental lawyer who edits Rifiuti, or Waste, a journal about laws regarding garbage. “And we forget that, being public, it’s all of ours.”

 

In the meantime, she added, Rome was a mess, with high grass and garbage everywhere. “It’s a jungle,” she said. “Only boa constrictors are missing. Then we’ll have it all.”

 

Mr. Gualtieri, himself a Roman, acknowledged that his city bred unique character traits. Romans tended to have “behaviors that we find that are not good,” he said, when it came to throwing out the garbage.

 

Restaurants often loaded up bins reserved for the public. The public had a tendency to respond to the packed bins by balancing trash bags on top of them, like a vile Jenga game, or throwing garbage at their sides, forming archipelagos of uncollected trash that attracted all sorts of interesting fauna.

 

But even while the burned plant remains out of commission, the mayor is confident that the new incinerator, on which construction is set to begin next year, and the introduction of tougher fines for a variety of infractions would create a more civilized Roman context. Within it, he said, Romans would become “more sensible about doing their part” and give “the best and not the worst.”

 

Foto: Amazing Walking Tours / YouTube (19/06/2022)

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52324893366

 

As a former economy minister, he had personally helped procure billions of euros in European Union funds for Italy, with a significant chunk for Rome and other plants in the city’s waste plan. He spoke of an additional 1.4 billion euros from the Italian government to help prepare for pilgrims visiting the city and the Vatican during the 2025 Holy Year as if it were a done deal. And he already had success in attracting private investors to finance the new incinerator.

 

“Money is not the problem,” he said.

 

The system is.

 

The mayor presented an organizational chart of AMA, a company that, among other things, manages collection of solid waste in Rome, and of which the city is the sole shareholder. He said that under previous administrations, AMA had changed chief executive officers five times in seven years, had become inflated with patronage jobs and had directed the majority of resources to garbage collection areas where it was not needed. Last winter, Rome paid bonuses to its workers just to show up for work during Christmas time.

 

“This is a joke,” he said. “This should be studied in university, what you should not do.” Overhauling AMA was a part of the mayor’s three-phase plan to clean up the city.

 

He said the city will have actually hired about 650 people by the end of the year to clean the streets while cracking down on an army of loafers. Officials had begun conducting thousands of checks on employees who perpetually present doctors’ notes certifying that they can only do desk work.

 

“You can see people heal,” the mayor said of the spot checks. “Miracles.”

 

In the second stage, within two years, the city would put new dumpsters on Rome’s streets, and a third phase would begin in 2025, toward the end of his five-year term, when the waste-to-energy incinerator is expected to come on line.

 

When he campaigned for the job, Mr. Gualtieri said he did not think such a plant would be necessary and that he would improve things by Christmas. He said that it was only when he took office that he understood the mind-boggling reality of Rome’s garbage. His critics, chief among them Five Star, which opposed the new incinerator on environmental grounds, consider him a hypocrite.

 

Foto: 7Colli (11/07/2022)

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52209791423

 

But, as summer vacation ends and the city fills back up with Romans and their trash, he argues the waste-to-energy incinerator will improve Rome’s environment and be profitable, an incentive he said for investors to get in on the ground floor.

 

All of Rome, he insisted, was on the brink of a new Golden Age.

 

“I can tell you why,” he said, anticipating the natural Roman skepticism and calling Rome an undervalued asset. “It has a lot of margin for improvements.”

 

Fonte / source:

--- NEW YORK TIMES (29/08/2021).

www.nytimes.com/2022/08/29/world/europe/rome-garbage-fire...

 

S.v.,

 

Foto: Nyt (22/07/2015).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/52325212978

 

--- ROMA ARCHEOLOGICA & RESTAURO ARCHITETTURA 2022: Il degrado di Roma sul New York Times: Marino più interessato ai ricchi stranieri che ai cittadini, THE NEW YORK TIMES (22|07|2015), p. A4; LA REPUBBLICA & Forexinfo.it (23|07|2015).

 

ROME — The grass in some public parks sways knee high. Disgruntled subway workers have slowed service to a crawl. Fire has rendered the city’s largest airport crammed and chaotic. The arrests of public officials pile up, revealing mob infiltration of the city government.

 

It all adds up to what Romans call “degrado” — the degradation of services, buildings and their standard of living — and the general sense that their ancient city, even more than usual, is falling apart.

 

Not all those troubles are necessarily the fault of Mayor Ignazio Marino, a former surgeon whose own integrity remains unblemished. But, strangely enough, in Rome, his decency is not necessarily seen as part of the solution, either.

 

Fonte/source:

--- THE NEW YORK TIMES (22|07|2015), p. A4.

 

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