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Difficult with the reflections in white Lego. Built with inspiration from a photo I found on Instagram by user Noah Walker.
The Kendall Katwalk trail is part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). This section of PCT has a rating of "Most Difficult". Our trip was eleven miles in length with less than 3,000 feet of elevation gain.
Our guitar facilitator and youth mentor, Altair, knows the hardships of a difficult childhood, having himself had a pretty tough time after losing his own father at an early age.
Today heâs happy to pass on his knowledge of the instrument he enjoys most of all, the guitar. He also has a growing interest for the importance of the third sector in the development of a more just Brazilian society and hopes his small contribution will be of some value in reaching that goal.
With Beija-Flor na Comunidade (Hummingbird in the Community), it means we are taking Hummingbird to the community instead of the community coming to us. In other words, Hummingbird is spreading its wings!
The programme is part of a new strategy being developed by our youth mentors to get a preliminary feel in connection with their objectives to implant small Hummingbird nuclei in the more distant parts of our community, thus bringing our activities to the poorest kids who have no means of reaching our main centre.
The first community to be receiving some of Hummingbirdâs vibrant activities is the Sitio Joaninha, which is a rough hilly area about 6 kilometres away from us, where many of the families who used to work on the rubbish tip live. The tip was closed down a few years ago and the area covered with topsoil so as to recuperate some of the natural vegetation.
Most of the shanty homes were constructed during the active years of the tip, when entire families found their livelihoods under the most unhealthy and hazardous working conditions. Since its closure there has been very few alternatives in the way of work and habitation, so very few have been able to move to better conditions. To the contrary; the area has rapidly grown to accommodate even more poverty-stricken families who have no other alternative than to grab a small plot of land and try to survive on what little is available in terms of public amenities in such places.
The majority of homes have no running water and depend on the council delivering drinking water by truck each day. Electricity is acquired through a series of illegal connections, which people have hooked-up to the main electricity network through a maze of literally thousands of metres of wiring crossing the landscape in all directions in order to bring power to oneâs home.
This is quite common during the rapid growth of favela (shanty) areas and pressures from the inhabitants will eventually cause most councils to come up with a more satisfactory and less risky solution.
Many of the children who live here have a long way to walk to reach school, as there is no public transport. The tendency is therefore not to go, especially during the rainy or colder seasons. Very few have the willpower or even the means of getting to Hummingbird to participate in all the good things we have to offer in our Street Migration Prevention Programme, although there are some who do.
This is the main reason for us to bring Hummingbird to the kids. If we can manage to finance a more permanent solution we will be able to continue with a variety of activities throughout the entire year and not just during the school holiday season, which is our proposal in this phase of the project.
It's difficult to choose the color!!! #Ireland #Dublin #colordoors #jump #pink #violet
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Difficult to miss this iconic piece of Paris street art ~ en route to the Pompidou Centre.
Artist Jef Aerosol and collective Groupe Doublet made it happen
500mm lenses are difficult things to aim, especially when the thing you're trying to find is against a featureless background, and almost impossible if the thing is moving fast, such as a bird in flight. Like a big telescope they need some kind of sighting aid. A red dot gun sight with no magnification is very good, because it allows you to look with both eyes open and see a red dot projected on your target (an optical illusion, not a laser beam :-).
They're designed to clamp onto a gun sight wedge mount, so some kind of adapter is required. I played with the hot shoe mount, but it was too flexible -- the sight needed re-zeroing at every mount, and was easily knocked out of calibration. The degree of precision required to aim the central focus sensor at the target via the dot also made parallax error a problem on the hot shoe. So I decided to mount it directly on the lens. Least parallax error, plus the geometry of the lens barrel and the sight mount naturally lines it up with the lens. To protect the lens barrel I glued the sight clamp to a cardboard tube slightly too small, slit open to provide a sprung grab on the lens body. The slit also handily accommodates the focus hold button on the lens barrel.
It works amazingly well! It's now trivially easy to aim the lens at anything very quickly indeed, including birds in flight. Getting the lens to lock focus on a bird is a bit trickier. Without bothering to zero the sight carefully I found that If the flying bird occupies at least 1/10th of the image the AF manages to lock focus quite soon. But tiny birds, or distant birds, often fail to lock just using the red dot sight, and if you drop to viewfinder or live view the view becomes so narrow the bird is easily lost. So experiments with careful calibration and technique are required.
But initial results are very encouraging! This has suddenly become a VERY much more useful and easily used lens! Although having a gun sight on top of it does reduce one of the advantages of a 500mm reflex lens -- it doesn't look like a long lens, so people are less nervous of it than a foot long lens with a dinner plate objective.
Of course if you feel a little inferior at having a much smaller 500mm lens than the big boys you can always add a long lens hood to it. This one is threaded at both ends so allows you to remount the original short rubberised hood on its end. Lengthening the hood is supposed to improve the contrast of reflex lenses, which are inherently flatter and greyer than refractors. in part due to the increased diffraction edge length created by the hole in the middle. So far I've failed to verify this effect, but I haven't yet tested it in provocatively difficult conditions.
DSC05981X
I had a difficult time functioning the few days before I gave Maywynd Bluebun to Kathleen. I was SO nervous about Kathleen's reaction; I couldn't bear the thought of seeing a disappointed look on her face when I presented the doll to her. (She had such high expectations after seeing Roslin Pinkinshire, which is why I tried to model some of Maywynd's customizations after Roslin.) Shawn kept trying to reassure me, but I couldn't get that negative thought out of my mind.
Thank goodness Shawn was right. Kathleen just about melted right before our eyes when she saw that I was holding the Pinkinshire Orphan box upon arrival. That happened again when she actually opened the box! A huge wave of relief took over me at that moment. She carried Maywynd around with her almost the entire time before she left...
Kathleen finally emailed me last night-- the first time since she arrived in Japan. She told me that Maywynd helped her a lot when she first arrived and experienced her first dose of homesickness. Knowing Kathleen has a travel companion to keep those sad feelings away makes me feel better. <3
Imaging was difficult under the moon and haze, though the irregularity of the tail may be showing disconnection of the tail.
equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor with Reducer QE 0.73x at f/3.6 and Canon EOS 5Dmk2-sp2, modified by Seo-san on Takahashi EM-200 temma 2 jr. equatorial mount autoguided at the center of the condensation of the coma with side by side mounted Takahashi FS-60C, Starlightxpress Lodestar Autoguider, and PHD guiding
exposure: 47 times x 30 seconds at ISO 1,600 and f/3.6
First exposure started at 19:43:46 and the last at 20:13:40 November 16, 2013UTC.
site: 1,094m above sea level at lat.35 53 27 N. and long. 138 25 13 E. near Kiyosato
Which one would you take! I personally would take the Lamborghini MurciĂŠlago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. :)
Difficult timed return vintage trains private charter around Leeds .York to Manchester Piccadilly return 47773 passing the White Rose Center at Cottingley 14/05/22
En Belgique, 424.000 enfants vivent aujourdâhui sous le seuil de pauvretĂŠ. Ce qui reprĂŠsente une personne sur quatre en Wallonie et une sur trois Ă Bruxelles ! Ces familles se dĂŠbattent dans des difficultĂŠs financières qui entraĂŽnent souvent une cascade dâautres problèmes en matière de santĂŠ, de logement, dâenseignement, dâemploi, de participation Ă la vie sociale⌠Et certaines sont encore plus exposĂŠes que dâautres, comme les familles monoparentales et les familles issues de lâimmigration. Agir dès le plus jeune âge permet donc de donner Ă ces enfants de meilleures chances. Raison pour laquelle les bĂŠbĂŠs de 0 Ă 3 ans sont la prioritĂŠ de lâopĂŠration Viva for Life.
Cette pauvretĂŠ a un impact direct sur le dĂŠveloppement des enfants et le souhait de Viva for Life est dâapporter des moyens aux associations actives sur le terrain de la petite enfance et de la pauvretĂŠ. LâannĂŠe passĂŠe, 33 dâentre elles ont ĂŠtĂŠ financĂŠes grâce Ă vous et ont permis de mettre sur pied des projets de renforcement de liens entre parents et enfants vivant cette situation. Pour cette nouvelle ĂŠdition, lâaccent est mis sur le pĂŠrinatal et le prĂŠscolaire car il est important dâintervenir tĂ´t pour aider ces familles en difficultĂŠ.
Cette opĂŠration est menĂŠe en partenariat avec les pouvoirs publics, lâONE, la Fondation Roi Baudouin, la RTBF et CAP48. CAP48 participe Ă cette opĂŠration en apportant son expertise dans la gestion des dons et des financements aux associations. Les projets ĂŠligibles peuvent concerner diffĂŠrentes tranches dââge mais leur action doit ĂŞtre significative envers les enfants âgĂŠs de 0 Ă 3 ans.
LâopĂŠration a pour vocation statutaire de soutenir divers projets, ayant le statut juridique dâassociation sans but lucratif, de fondation (sauf les fondations qui se limitent Ă lâactivitĂŠ de rĂŠcoltes de fonds) ou de sociĂŠtĂŠ coopĂŠrative Ă responsabilitĂŠ limitĂŠe Ă finalitĂŠ sociale, Ă lâexclusion de toute sociĂŠtĂŠ commerciale et de toute institution crĂŠĂŠe et dirigĂŠe par les pouvoirs publics.
LâopĂŠration finance prioritairement le renforcement des associations actives sur le terrain de la petite enfance et de la pauvretĂŠ. Les projets ĂŠligibles peuvent concerner diffĂŠrentes tranches dââge de 0 Ă 6 ans, mais leur action doit ĂŞtre significative envers les enfants âgĂŠs de 0 Ă 3 ans.
In Belgium, 424,000 children today live below the poverty line. This represents one in four in Wallonia and one in three in Brussels! These families are struggling with financial difficulties often lead to cascading other health problems, housing, education, employment, participation in social life ... And some are even more exposed than others such as single parents and families of immigrant. Acting at a young age makes it possible to give these children a better chance. Why babies from 0 to 3 years are the priority of the Viva for Life operation.
This poverty has a direct impact on child development and the desire to Viva for Life is to provide resources to organizations active in the field of early childhood and poverty. Last year, 33 of them were funded thanks to you and helped establish links building projects between parents and children living situation. For this new edition, the focus is on the perinatal and early childhood because it is important to intervene early to help those families in need.
This operation is conducted in partnership with governments, the ONE, the King Baudouin Foundation, RTBF and CAP48. CAP48 part in this by providing expertise in the management of grants and funding to associations. Eligible projects may involve different age groups but their action must be meaningful to children aged 0-3 years.
The operation has a statutory role to support various projects, having the legal status of non-profit association, foundation (excluding foundations which are limited to fund-raising activity) or cooperative company with limited liability purposes social, to the exclusion of any commercial company and any institution created and run by the government.
The operation primarily finances the strengthening associations active in the field of early childhood and poverty. Eligible projects may involve different age groups of 0-6 years, but their actions must be meaningful to children aged 0-3 years.
Built in 1879. The site was so difficult and dangerous that construction took 6 years, 5 of them to construct the foundation and base. The engineer was Francis Smith, who also built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty.
The tower is octagonal near the lantern and square at it's base and is 45 feet tall, rising from one side of a one and one half story granite gothic revival style keeper's house. All of this sits on a granite caisson. The lantern is a DCB-24 aerobeacon and the light signal is a red flash every ten seconds.
The lighthouse is thought to be haunted and has been investigated by the Atlantic Paranormal Society, which recorded multiple electromagnetic disturbances on the stairs, and the movement of furniture without cause.
Located on a reef 3/4 of a mile west southwest of Race Point and the site of multiple deaths from shipwrecks, and also during construction.
The lighthouse was recently sold to the New London Maritime Society, New London, Connecticut.
Built in 1903-1905, this Prairie-style mansion was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Larkin Company executive Darwin D. Martin, whom built the house as a way to bring his family, which had been scattered in various parts of the United States when his mother had died early in his childhood. The house was the culmination of immense personal wealth and professional success that Martin had enjoyed in his life despite his difficult childhood, starting as a soap seller in New York City, being hired by the Larkin Company in 1878, before moving to Buffalo and becoming the single office assistant to John D. Larkin in 1880, and in 1890, replaced Elbert Hubbard, who was a person that Martin immensely admired, as the Corporate Secretary of the Larkin Company. When the Larkin Company was seeking a designer for a major new office building for the company at the turn of the 20th Century, Martin, whom had witnessed Wrightâs work in Chicago and Oak Park, wished to hire the architect as the designer of the new building, but needed to convince the skeptical John D. Larkin and other executives at the company of Wrightâs suitability for the project. As a result, Martin decided to have Wright design his family estate. Darwin D. Martin became such a close friend of Wright that he commissioned the familyâs summer house, Graycliff, located south of Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie, to be designed by Wright in 1926, and spearheaded the effort to assist Wright with his finances when his personal residence, Taliesin, was threatened with foreclosure in 1927.
The main house is made up of four structures, those being the house itself, which sits at the prominent southeast corner of the property closest to the intersection of Summit Avenue and Jewett Parkway of any structure on the site, the pergola, which is a long, linear covered porch structure that runs northwards from the center of the house, the conservatory, which sits at the north end of the pergola and features a statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is visible from the front entrance to the house down the long visual axis created by the pergola, and the carriage house, which sits immediately west of the conservatory and behind the west wing of the house, enclosing the rear of the houseâs main garden.
On the grounds of the mansion are two other houses, those being the Barton House, built at the northeast corner of the property along Summit Avenue to house Darwin D. Martinâs sister, Delta Martin Barton, and her husband, George F. Barton, which was the first structure to be built on the property and very visually similar to the main house, using the same type of bricks and incorporating many smaller versions of features found on the main house, and the Gardenerâs cottage, built in 1909 to house gardeners who maintained the grounds of the property, which is the smallest and plainest of the three houses, which is sandwiched into a narrow strip of the property between two other houses, fronting Woodward Avenue to the west.
The main house features a buff roman brick exterior with raked horizontal mortar joints and filled in vertical joints, giving the masonry the appearance of being made of a series of solid horizontal bands with recessed joints, accentuating the horizontal emphasis of the houseâs design and creating texture with shadows. The roof is hipped with wide overhanging eaves, with the gutters draining into downspouts that drop water into drain basins atop various one-story pillars at the corners of the house, with the roof having a T-shaped footprint above the second floor and three separate sections above the first floor, which wrap around the second floor to the south, west, and north, with the roof soaring above a porte-cochere to the west of the house, as well as a separate roof suspended above a porch to the east. The houseâs roof is supported by pillars that sit near, but not at the corners of the building, with windows wrapping the corners. The windows are framed by stone sills and wooden trim, with some windows featuring stone lintels. The front door is obscured inside a recessed porch on the front facade, with the tile walkway to the door turning 90 degrees upon its approach to the doorway, a quite common feature of many of Wrightâs houses at the time. The house is surrounded by a series of low brick walls with stone bases and stone caps, with sculptural decorative stone planters atop the pillars at the ends of many of these walls, with some of the planters containing carefully chosen decorative vegetation, and others serving as semi-hidden drainage basins for the adjacent one-story roofs.
Inside, the house features a foyer with a head-on view of the pergola and the conservatory to the north, simple but finely crafted wooden trim elements, the beautiful Wisteria Mosaic Fireplace between the foyer and dining room on the first floor that reflects light in different ways via various types of tile with different types of glazing, rough plaster painted a variety of colors, careful use of shadow to highlight certain elements while obscuring others, art glass windows featuring stained glass and clear glass panes in decorative patterns, wooden built ins and Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furnishings, a large kitchen with lots of white surfaces and wooden cabinets overlooking the garden, a living room with a vaulted ceiling and brick fireplace featuring an arched hearth opening, extensive use of expansion and compression via ceiling height to drive movement through the space, ventilation ducts that can be operated via decorative casement windows at the pillars ringing the various spaces of the house, wooden screens to obscure the staircase and second floor, custom light fixtures, art glass ceiling panels, and five large doors with art glass lights to the eastern porch on the first floor. The second floor of the house has multiple bedrooms with a variety of Frank Lloyd Wright built-in and freestanding furniture, wooden trim, and multiple bathrooms. The house is further decorated with Japanese art pieces procured by Wright in Japan, as well as being heavily inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, with usage of shadow and light to obscure and highlight different features, as well as the general form of the house, with the wide eaves providing ample shade to the interior during the summer months, while still allowing light to easily enter the space during the darker winter months.
To the north of the main house is an approximately 90-foot-long pergola with evenly spaced brick pillars framing the tile walkway, decorative wooden trim on the ceiling at each column, light fixtures at each column, and a glass transom and a door with large glass lights and a narrow frame providing a nearly unobstructed view of the interior of the conservatory at the north end of the pergola, focusing the attention of visitors upon their entrance to the house, as the conservatory and pergola form a continual visual axis from the foyer to the statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace that stands in the northern end of the conservatory. This entire section of the house was rebuilt during its restoration, having been demolished in the 1960s after falling into disrepair. The pergola features a gabled roof that terminates at the bonnet roof around the perimeter of the conservatory to the north and at the first floor hipped roof of the house to the south.
The conservatory sits at the north end of the pergola, and has a latin cross footprint, with a glass skylight roof with a gabled section running north-south and a pyramidal hipped section at the crossing. The skylight terminates at a parapet that surrounds it on all sides, which features distinctive and decorative âbirdhousesâ at the north and south ends, apparently intended to house Blue Martins, but were not designed appropriately for the specific needs of the species, and have thus never been occupied. Two of the birdhouses survived the decay and demolition of the original conservatory in the 1960s, and were prominently displayed atop a wall in front of the house until the restoration of the complex in 2007. The interior of the conservatory features only a few concrete planters flanking the walkways and below the large Winged Victory of Samothrace that sits in the northern alcove of the space, with this apparently not having been what the Martin family had in mind, leading to the erection of a prefabricated conventional greenhouse made of metal and glass to the west of the Carriage House shortly after the houseâs completion. The conservatory utilizes the same small tile on the floor as other areas of the house, with suspended wooden trim frames breaking up the large void of the space into smaller sections, supporting the spaceâs light fixtures and carefully framing the planters, fountain, and sculpture.
To the west of the conservatory is the two-story Carriage House, which features a simple pyramidal hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves, recessed corner pillars with central sections featuring wrap-around bands of windows on the second floor, a large carriage door in the center of the south facade, flanked by two smaller pillars and two small windows, and a one-story rear wing with a hipped roof. The interior presently houses a gift shop, but is set up like the original structure, demolished in the 1960s, would have been, with horse stables, red brick walls, a utility sink, and a simple staircase to the upper floor.
The house complex was home to the Martin family until 1937, when, owing to financial difficulties brought on by the loss of the family fortune during the 1929 Black Friday stock market crash and Darwin D. Martinâs death in 1935, the house had become too difficult for the family to maintain, with the family abandoning the house, allowing it to deteriorate. Additionally, Isabelle Reidpath Martin, Darwinâs widow, did not like the houseâs interior shadows, which made it difficult for her to see. D.R. Martin, Darwinâs son, tried to donate the house to the City of Buffalo and the State University of New York system for use as a library, but neither entity accepted the offer, and the house remained empty until 1946, when it was taken by the city due to back taxes. In 1951, the house was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, which intended to convert the house into a summer retreat for priests, similar to the contemporaneous sale of Graycliff by the Martin family to the Piarists, a Catholic order. However, the property languished until 1955, when it was sold to architect Sebastian Tauriello, whom worked hard to save the architecturally significant and by-then endangered property, hoping the house would avoid the fate that had befallen the Larkin Administration Building five years prior. The house was subdivided into three apartments, with the carriage house, pergola, and conservatory demolished and the rear yard sold, and two uninspired apartment buildings with slapped-on Colonial Revival-style trim known as Jewett Gardens Apartments, were built to the rear of the house. In 1967, the University at Buffalo purchased the house, utilizing it as the university presidentâs residence, with the Barton House and Gardenerâs Cottage being parceled off, both converted to function as independent single-family houses. The university attempted to repair the damage from years of neglect and did some work to keep the house functioning, modernizing portions of the interior and returning several pieces of original furniture to the house. The house would exist in this condition for the next half-century.
In 1975, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1986, was listed as a National Historic Landmark. In 1992, the nonprofit Martin House Restoration Corporation was founded with the goal of eventually restoring the historically and architecturally significant complex, and opening it as a museum. In 1994, the organization purchased the Barton House, and had the Martin House donated by the University of Buffalo in 2002. The restoration of both houses began under the direction of Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects shortly thereafter, and the Jewett Gardens Apartments were demolished upon the acquisition of the site by the nonprofit around the turn of the millennium. In 2006, the Gardenerâs cottage was purchased from private ownership, and work began to rebuild the lost Pergola, Conservatory, and Carriage House, which were completed in 2007. Additional work to restore the house continued over the next decade, restoring the various interior spaces, with extensive work being put in to restore the kitchen and bedrooms. Finally, in 2017, the last part of the house was restored, being the beautiful Wisteria Mosaic Fireplace between the dining room and foyer, which had been extensively altered. An addition to the grounds, located on the former rear yard of an adjacent house, is the contemporary, sleek glass and steel-clad Eleanor & Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion Visitor Center, designed by Toshiko Mori, with a cantilevered roof that appears to float and tapers to thin edges, with glass walls on three sides, which houses the visitor information desk, ticket sales, presentation space, a timeline of the Martin Houseâs history, and restrooms. The restoration of the house marks one of the first full reconstructions of a demolished Frank Lloyd Wright structure, and is one of several significant works by the architect in Buffalo, including three designs that were built posthumously in the early 21st Century - the Fontana Boat House in Front Park, the Tydol Filling Station at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum, and the Blue Sky Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery, which was designed for the Martin family in 1928, but not built until 2004.
Today, the restored Darwin D. Martin House complex serves as a museum, allowing visitors to experience one of the largest Prairie-style complexes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, faithfully restored to its circa 1907 appearance, giving visitors a sense of the genius and design philosophy of Wright.
,,,they have shown me exactly who I don't want to be!
Larry and I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show this past Monday
The theme this year was "Explore America:", a tribute to the 100th year anniversary of the National Park Services.
As wonderful as the theme was, I did not find the exhibits this year at all inspiring.
The venue itself is tough to photograph in......very crowded, and the lighting is pretty challenging.. Trying to get a picture of an entire display is difficult. There is usually that one sweet spot to stand in to get just the right angle on things, and of course there iis always a line of people with their cameras standing in line waiting to take that exact shot.
I didn't see anything that made me want to fight the throngs!
So, when the inspiration doesn't come from the entire scene, it's time to get up close and personal with a few of the individual blooms.
Flowers are always inspiring!
Don't get me wrong. The show is always pretty, just seeing colorful flowers after a long winter makes it worth it, but we've been going for 19 years now, and some years are just better than others.
Of course, Larry and I always have a good time, no matter what!
Sally really wasn't in the mood for a photo session. I clicked off fifty shots with little success even though I enticed her with a milk bone and squeaked her favorite toy. Oh Sally, we love her every day regardless of her mood.
2014 Gore Aussie Muscle Mania Car Show (12-4-14)
Celebrating the 350 part #1: Chevrolet 350 V8
THE POWERPLANT (Part 1 of 2)
One of the great paradoxes of automotive history is that while the Ford Motor Company was the first mass manufacturer to produce affordable V8-powered cars, it is the Chevrolet small-block V8 that has gone on to become the most famous and loved of all eight-cylinder engines.
In naming the 10 best engines in history, Wardâs AutoWorld found a place for the Ford side-valve flathead V8 but the only postwar V8 from Detroit to get a spot was the Chevrolet 350 cubic-inch unit.
The postwar boom in the US created a huge proliferation of new models and, by the mid-1960s, what became known as the horsepower race. In our current era where the same basic engine might be found in Peugeots, CitroĂŤns and the Australian Ford Territory, it is difficult to grasp the fact that General Motors was so rich that most of its divisions had a unique range of V8s and in multiple variants.
When the Chevrolet Division introduced the 350ci V8, Buick had a 340 (as well as its 300, 400 and 430), Oldsmobile had a 330 (plus its own 400 and a 425), Chevyâs closest sibling Pontiac had a 326 (and yet another 400 and its 428) while GMâs flagship brand Cadillac had a solitary 429.
None of these engines could match the production life of the Chevy 350 which made its debut in the 1967 Camaro 350SS, tasked with the challenge of stealing sales from the phenomenally successful Mustang.
Although replaced by the Generation II LT and Generation III LS engines in the 1990s, it was not discontinued until 2003. And it remains in production in Mexico as a crate unit for Chevrolet Performance.
To understand the significance of the 350 it is necessary to look at the history of Chevyâs small-block V8.
High-compression V8 engines had been a key element in GMâs postwar plan. Alfred P. Sloan Jr, who effectively ran the corporation from 1923 (as President) to 1956 when he finally retired as Chairman of the Board, wrote in My Years with General Motors: âAt the close of World War II we made the projection that for an indefinite period the principal attractions of the product would be appearance, automatic transmissions and high-compression engines, in that order; and that has been the case.â
While Cadillac had always been GMâs top brand, Oldsmobile was usually the one where new engineering was first applied. So it made sense for the high-compression V8 engines to make their 1948 debut in both marques for model year 1949. The chief designer of the Cadillac engine was Ed Cole (see below).
In 1952 Cole was transferred to Chevrolet Division where the engineers were already at work on a new high-compression V8 intended for the Corvette. The view at the time was that without a powerful V8 engine the model would have to be discontinued as the âstove-boltâ 165hp straight-six gave the wrong message for the corporationâs only dedicated sports car.
Apparently Cole didnât like what he saw and he told the team to begin from a clean sheet of paper to design an engine that would be more efficient, easier to manufacture and less bulky. Thus his experience at Cadillac at the top of the GM hierarchy was transferred to humble Chevrolet at the bottom.
R.F. Sanders, chief passenger car chassis engineer at Chevrolet, presented a paper at the Society of Automotive Engineers Golden Anniversary Annual Meeting on 12 January, 1955. His subject was âThe New Chevrolet V-8 Engineâ. âAnything we could slice off the top or bottom of the block, or from the bores, would mean less heavy iron and less water required to cool it. This was one of our prime objectives â to make that basic block just as compact and light in weight as possible.â At 531 pounds (241kg), it was 41 pounds (18kg) lighter than the in-line six it so comprehensively superseded.â
While rival manufacturers required up to 22 casting cores, Chevrolet used just 12. Rather than conventional heavy and complex rocker arm shafts, Chevyâs small block got stamped steel rocker arms on individual studs. This innovative valvetrain design was key to the engineâs high rpm performance. High turbulence, wedge-type combustion chambers (where only the valve seats needed machining) minimised octane demand.
Rotating and reciprocating components were balanced individually. A forged steel crankshaft was used. Connecting rods were tested to 18 million cycles without failure. The interchangeable cylinder heads were of cross-flow port design and the head bolts were arranged pentagonally to spread stresses more evenly.
âInterchangeableâ went on to become a key adjective for the small block. It is possible to fit worked 350 cylinder heads onto a stock 1955 265. The one-piece intake manifold combined the water outlet, oil filter, the lifter valley cover, distributor mounting and exhaust heat riser in a single casting.
In its original 265ci guise the small block developed 162hp. With the optional âPower Packâ comprising a four-barrel Rochester and dual exhausts, output was 180hp, which was more than respectable in 1955.
The 265 was bored from 3.75 inches to 3.875 to create the 283 for 1957. Then for the 327 in 1962, it was bored again to 4.00 inches and stroked from the original 3.00 inches to 3.25. At 4.00 X 3.25 this was a notably oversquare design.
Then for model year 1967 Chevrolet introduced the 350 with a new crankshaft and a stroke of 3.48. The first version was known as the L-48. It promised buyers of the all-new Chevrolet Camaro SS350 295bhp and 380ft/lb of torque.
The L-48 soon became optional on a huge variety of Chevrolets, including Impalas, El Camino utes and Chevelles. It had cast pistons and a compression ratio of 10.25:1. For 1968 it was offered as optional equipment in the Chevy II Nova as the main element in the $211 Super Sport option on two-door models.
Although the 350 was developed from the 327 and would eventually replace it, it didnât find its way under the bonnet of the Corvette until 1969. Which was also the year Colin Bond won Bathurst in a so-proudly-Australian Holden Monaro GTS 350.
The L-48 became the entry-level âVette engine, superseding the previous modelâs 300hp edition of the 327. This peak output was unchanged but Corvette buyers could specify the optional L-46 with 350hp for $132 extra. And then there were the big blocks with the 427 offering as much as 435hp by 1967.
For 1970, the 350 became the standard V8 for all full-size Chevrolets, which now included a large coupe in the Ford Thunderbird âpersonalâ idiom. The Monte Carlo undercut its Ford rival by some $1250, or roughly 30 percent. The 350 made just 250hp but Monte Carlo buyers looking for more grunt could tick the SS-454 option box to acquire the âSuper Sportâ package which included a 360hp big-block 454 V8.
Within its first three years the 350 small block was offered in several levels of tune, the highest of which was the LT-1. Introduced in 1970, it was available in the Corvette (ZR-1) and Camaro (Z28). At 370hp, it had almost 50 percent more power than the the 350 in the Monte Carlo. The LT-1 boasted solid lifters, a revised camshaft, a four-barrel 780 CFM Holley on an aluminium intake manifold and 11:1 compression ratio.
The 350 was not the only small-block V8 available in Chevroletâs Mustang-rival. 1967 became a huge year for the already famous small-block V8. A unique 302ci (4.9-litre) unit was created to make the Camaro Z28 eligible for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series. For 1967-69 capacity was limited to 5.0 litres.
This remarkable new engine showcased Chevroletâs small-block V8 technology. The three-inch crankshaft from the 283 was fitted to a four-inch bore 327 block. With such a short stroke it loved to rev. A 780cfm four-barrel Holley was fitted. Compression was 11:1. The following year the 780 was swapped for a pair of 600s on an aluminium intake manifold and a different camshaft.
Larger journals were fitted to support the new hardened forged crankshaft. For 1969 the factory admitted to 290hp beneath the newly fitted Corvette finned aluminium valve covers, but 375 was nearer the truth.
It is improbable that either Ed Cole or R.F. Sanders could have guessed at the beginning of the small block program that by 1968 their baby would be the dominant engine in American Formula 5000 open-wheeler racing. These cars weighed 1400 pounds, produced up to 550hp running through a five-speed magnesium transaxle. Despite the inclusion of such advanced features as mechanical fuel injection, a magnesium induction system, a roller-lifter camshaft and roller rockers, the 302 retained an almost stock crankshaft.
What a contrast with the fate of the 350 LT-1 as clean air demands outranked the cry for ever increasing power. It fell from a 370hp (SAE) rating in the 1970 Corvette to 255hp (SAE net, meaning installed in the car and running the ancillaries) by 1972.From 1973 to 1980 the L82 was the hottest 350 with forged pistons, a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and 250bhp (SAE net) in the first of these years dropping to 230 by 1980.
Then in 1981 came the L81 and the âVette was humbled to 190hp. The 1982 L83 was available only with an automatic transmission and claimed a further 10 horsepower.
For 1984 there was a new Corvette. Its L83 was equipped with throttle-body injection. Power crept up to 205hp.
From 1985 to 1992 the L98 350 with tuned port injection saw bigger performance gains with horsepower ratings from 230 up to 250. This engine was available in the Camaro and its kissinâ cousin Pontiac Firebird from 1987 to 1992. A roller camshaft was fitted from 1987.
By the 1990s the triumph of the Chevrolet small block over other similar capacity GM V8s was complete and the L05 350 was used in the 1992-93 Buick Roadmaster, the Cadillac Fleetwood and Brougham (where it was an option) and was optional in the 1992 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon.
The Gen II arrived in the â92 Corvette and was named LT1 (no hyphen) as a tribute to the original LT-1. It wasnât by any means all-new, retaining the classic bore and stroke dimensions of 4.00 X 3.84 inches. Interchangeability remained a key criterion. The rotating assembly of the Gen II fits many of the older engines, but the block and heads were new. The reverse-flow cooling system favoured the combustion chambers reducing the risk of detonation now the compression ratio was back to 10.4:1.
Cast-iron heads were used on the mainstream Chevrolet Impala and Caprice while the Corvette and Camaro/Firebird scored aluminium. Welcome was multi-port fuel injection. Maximum power was 330hp in the LT4 (1996-97 Grand Sport Corvette, Collector Edition Corvette and all â96 manual Corvettes).
The Gen III of 1997 was a big departure. It had an aluminium block when used in cars while trucks made do with cast iron. The capacity was still 5.7 litres but the bore was 3.898 inches and the stroke 3.62. The premium LS1 version was used in the âVette from 1997 and the Camaro/Firebird from 1998. In LS1 guise the Gen III was offered in the VT Commodore, Statesman, Caprice and HSV range from 1999 to 2005 and was continually refined.
The Gen IV was based on its predecessor but boasted capacity of up to 7.0 litres. Holdens use the 6.0-litre L76 (270kW) while HSVs get the hot LS2 of 6.2 litres and with maximum power outputs of 317kW and 325kW.
On 30 November, 2012 the 100 millionth small-block Chevrolet V8 emerged from the production line. Enough said.
Old King Cole:
The man behind the machine...
EdwardD N. Cole died in his own aeroplane on 30 October, 1967. There are many things he is remembered for but some are more celebrated than others.
Born on 17 September 1909, Cole enrolled at the General Motors Institute (GMI) at Flint, Michigan in 1930 under Cadillac sponsorship.
At Cadillac he rose through several positions to become chief design engineer for US Army combat vehicles. That was in 1943. Three years later he was chief engineer at Cadillac and he was responsible for the high-compression, short-stroke Cadillac V8 that was slipped beneath the bonnet of the 1949 model.
In 1952 he became chief engineer at Chevrolet and one of his first jobs was to tell the team working on the forthcoming V8 engine to rethink the design. And, no, he did not just ask for a smaller version of the Caddy engine because several years had elapsed and he always wanted the newest and smartest.
In July 1956 Ed Cole was named general manager of Chevrolet and made a vice president of GM.
It was Ed Cole who insisted Chevroletâs compact car, the Corvair, have an air-cooled rear-mounted engine. He also launched the car in the knowledge that it was much too easy to roll, siding with the accountants over the engineers.
In November 1961 he was promoted again to the Board and put in charge of the car and truck divisions. Next, in July 1965, he became executive vice president en route to the top job.
In 1970 he instructed GM engineers to lower compression ratios (see main story) and design engines that could run on unleaded petrol. When he retired in 1974 he held 18 patents, the most significant of which was the catalytic converter.
(Story courtesy of Unique Cars Magazine. Ref: www.uniquecarsmag.com.au/news-and-reviews/article/article...)
who says cooking is difficult? I think our older generation make it sound like a rocket science ... a month or so into regular cooking ~ woah you start making real good stuff =)
*Proudly Nods*
Just to keep a receipt .. I shoot what I cook ;-)
Some yummy Qeema Bharri Mirchein (Minced Meat stuffed Capsicums) are being steamed above ... and He thinks I made this real yum.
Wana have some?
BTW the recipe was my own ;)
ps: read the tags to know more...
Happy Weekend Ahead ~ Prayers =)
This is my dog, Daisy, who is not very easy to photograph at all!
This is the best of dozens of shots I took of her.
Have a nice weekend everybody!!!
Canon XSi + Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
New, never removed and really difficult to find now!! They are stunning, never owned this set before I won't be de-boxing as they are really hard to get now.
So want the 6" musical Ariel from Disney store (had her when I was little, bought at Disneyland Paris)
Also have: Ariel's Tour the Kingdom dress, Purple gown and Peach tail set by Mattel coming all boxed never removed!!
Twilight Edward, Bella & Jacob dolls!! These are my newest items, sooo fab!
Aurora's Peasent gown boxed again, will be selling on probably.
Phew...
Also got the basic Mattel Ariel on the way too! Swimsuit one boxed.
Difficult walking in boot sucking mud is often necessary to track down this wet habitat loving sparrow.
Difficult to believe that in 1901 a wooden trestle bridge carried a narrow gauge railway across this valley. The railway took workers from a shanty town "Dawson City" near Heptonstall to the construction sites of the Walshaw Dean Reservoirs (3), about 5 miles away. The footings for the bridge still remain in the valley below, just out of shot
ŠSWJuk (2018)
All rights reserved
Difficult! I nearly ran out of the 99 health potions. Probably a she-dragon, because tons of dragonlings were being summoned. Obnoxious armor spell to shield herself constantly! But I won >:D
Of course I couldn't get Kyo who disappeared even before the launch date, and Jett was quite difficult to find too... But finally I managed to find a shop (Happily Ever After) who still had the 3 girls!
(Of course I don't really need them, but it's quite difficult to resist Dynamite Girls! lol)
difficult to find a spot to photograph the loaded working when the suns out
Ginger & wife around the corner in the shade @ cafe.
It is difficult to get into the habit of good sun protection as inevitably as soon as one has done it the sun sinks behind the cloud and one has toi go back indoors. But even when it is a bit cloudy there are dangerous UV rays sneaking through so it's always best to have something on the face at least. I wear a sun hat too as I have to be paricularly careful having had to have a cancerous sun-spot removed. Thankfully it doesn't stop me from wearing my bikinis like this a favourite from River Island.
The Metro and Escort Mk3 represent very typical cars of the time. Difficult to make out those immediately behind the Escort, but up the road there's an Invacar.
Streetview image: goo.gl/maps/fK3vcanEx5yo21fT9
Unsent card published by J. Salmon Ltd, ref. 2-54-14-04.
Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me.
Al-Ghazali
At first glance, the comparison of these two monuments seems only to be a source of antithesis; however contradictory the suggestion may seem, it will only be a question of analogies. In an ingenious and documented study, Mr Knauth, architect of Strasbourg Cathedral, demonstrated that, under an absolutely different appearance, the basilica entrusted to his care and the Great Pyramid of Egypt, known as Cheops, were designed according to an identical formula.
After the work of Colonel Howard Vyse and John Taylor, Piazzi Smyth did further research. At the entrance to the antechamber of the royal tomb, in the middle of a granite slab, a round button protrudes a fifth of its thickness. Smyth claims to find there the unit of measurement of the master builder of the pyramid; he calls the meter pyramidal five times the thickness of this button, that is to say a measure of 0.6356 m, and for this meter he adopts a division into twenty-five inches of pyramid; this mysterious detail would thus have a thickness of five inches and a projection of one inch. "It is hardly doubtful, writes Smyth, that this measure served as a unit to the builder as well in his project as in the execution, because all the measurements of lanes and chambers give rise to the most surprising relations, if they are carried out by means of this measure. "The pyramidal metre represents exactly the twenty millionth part of the earth's diameter. The latter has 12 712 178 meters[8]. The pyramidal metre is therefore worth 0.6 356 089 metre.Faced with these similarities, one naturally begins to wonder whether certain architectural principles dating back to the highest antiquity have not been perpetuated by tradition through the ages. As a result of the frequent surveys required by the floods of the Nile, the Egyptians were familiar with the surveying and geometric layouts; the Gothic masters were not inferior on these points; the marvellous monuments of all sizes they left us prove this overabundantly.
Were the rules put into practice kept by each other in the construction workshops as mysterious secrets? So many questions that it is easier to ask than to solve.
Thus reduced to his mathematical data alone, Mr. Knauth's work takes on a categorical appearance that he does not have in the original work. The eminent architect does not attempt to draw absolute and reckless consequences from his study. He only hopes that the same surveying process will be applied to other medieval ĂŠdiďŹces. In the future now to tell us if new experiences will come conďŹrmer his thesis.
In the records of the city of London, the term "alchemy" appears as early as 1375. In those days, this referred to working fith fire permitted to freely travel the country at a time when the feudal system shackled most peasants closely to the land. They gathered in groups to work on large projects, moving from one finished castle or cathedral to the planning and building of the next. For mutual protection, education, and training, they bound themselves together into a local lodge - the building, put up at a construction site, where workmen could eat and rest. Eventually, a lodge came to signify a group of macigians based in a particular locality. The premier alchemist lodge was formed in England in 1717, the official date of the organization of the various lodges and the start of Alchemy proper. Although the style of Alchemic ritual suggest Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Templar, Rosicrucian and qabalistic origins, nothing less is true. A historical link cannot be established and given the fact that in those days no alchemists was able to read Egyptian, no direct connection with Egyptian spirituality was available. Unmistakably, the Founding Fathers of Alchemy incorporated Egyptian symbols in their various rituals and grades, as every one dollar bill makes clear. These archaisms prove the need of Alchemy to root its teachings and practices in a nonexistent, fictional historical past in order to give itself, its rituals and precepts an air of antiquity. This is especially the case in the Romantic era, when exotic tastes became fashionable. With egyptomania no longer served isolated individuals & groups, but fed the ruling classes, who were desperately trying to cope with the antagonisms and lack of humanity of emergent capitalism and the religious wars raging in Europe since the days of Luther (1483 - 1546). Alchemy and its founding myth was deemed the alternative of the educated. The God of revelation was also the "Great Architect", and in every lodge a Bible or a Koran was present. This to show the "God of the philosophers" was not a priori in conflict with the God of revelation. But the Roman Church was antagonistic, as could be expected. As a system of personal growth within a closed community of kindred spirits, alchemy survived to this day, divided between those who accept God and those who do not, between those who see symbols as instruments of growth and those who use them as gates to occult regions of the universe. Alchemy has become (or has always been ?) conservative and opaque. Its non-transparant and non-democratic (military) features may run against non-strategic, open communication, which is the foundation of social-economical justice and equality. Philosophy is more of an interest group than a spiritual organization, although some lay claim to precisely the opposite. As none of the original Egyptian teachings were available to its Founding Fathers, Alchemy, in order to accommodate the new times ahead, is bound to be reformed.
âş the Rosicrucian Order...As a system of belief, Rosicrucianism came to the notice of the general public in the 17th century. In the two Rosicrucian Manifestoes, a mysterious personage called "Christian Rosenkreutz" is mentioned. But according to legend, the symbolism of the Rose and the Cross was first displayed in 11th century Spain. During a fierce battle against the Moors, an Aragonese Knight named Arista saw a cross of light in the sky with a rose on each of its arms. A monastery to commemorate his victory was erected and time later an Order of Chivalry with the emblem of these Roses and the Cross founding the monastery. The Rose and the Cross appeared in the banner of Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse when he tried to defend the Cathars against the armies of Pope Innocent III. It was in the form of a cross, described as "de gueules Ă la croix et pommettĂŠe d'or" ("gueule" means "red", derived from the Arabic "gul", which means "rose"). The emblem of the Cross with the red Rose in the middle square became the emblem of the Rosicrucian movement and its many orders, lodges and societies. In the Fama Fraternitatis (or Laudable Fraternity of the Rosy Cross), Christian Rosenkreutz is said to have journeyed to Damascus, Damcar, Egypt and Fez. He met those in possession of "secret teachings". He synthesized the best of these teachings and went to Spain. Finally, he returned to Germany and chose three men with whom he founded an order, meant to instruct its members in the knowledge he had obtained in the Middle East. So the typical founding myth goes. After the publication of the Manifestos, the Rosicrucians influenced the culture of Western Europe. Rosicrucianism developed along two lines, on the one hand, the scientists, intellectuals and reformers in the social, political and philosophical fields (like Descartes and Boyle) and, on the other hand, those (like Fludd, Dee, Comenius and Ashmole) concerned with occultism and mysticism (cf. the distinction between philosophical and technical Hermetica). In France, Rosicrucianism had a revival climaxing in the early 19th and the first years of the 20th century. Especially Martinez de Pasqually (1727 - 1774), Louis-Claude de Saint Martin (1743 - 1803) and Papus (1865 - 1918) are noted. âş the Golden Dawn...In 1865, and Englishman named Robert Wentforth Little founded an esoteric society, the Rosicrucian Society in Anglia. Membership was limited to Master Masons. When Little died in 1878, three men took over, a retired medical doctor, William Woodman (1828 - 1891), a coroner, Wynn Westcott (1848 - 1925) and Samuel Liddell "MacGregor" Mathers (1854 - 1918), who, as a young man, spent much of his time in the British Museum, working through piles of dusty manuscripts. He translated three Medieval magical texts : The Greater Key of King Solomon, The Kaballah Unveiled and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In 1887, so the story goes, Westcott received from Reverend Woodward, an elderly parson and author on Alchemy, a set of cipher manuscripts. He asked the clairvoyant and inspired Mathers to assist him (one legend says both men forged the document, in another Westcott found it on a bookstall in Farringdon Street, and in yet another the document was inherited). Both men found the code of the cipher was contained in a work of Trithemius, the influential Steganographia extolled by John Dee (1527 - 1608), the Elizabethan scholar and astrologer of Queen Elisabeth I. It concerned "angel-magic" and Dee had secured a copy of it in Antwerp. They uncovered skeletons of rituals and Mathers expanded them. Together they started the Golden Dawn (GD), a secret Victorian society aiming to harbor true Rosicrucianism and allow its members to accomplish the Great Work. A complete system of ritual magic based on the history of Western occultism was practiced. In contrast with the Theologic policy of the Rosicrucian Society, the order admitted women members as equals. Its members were recruited from every circle of life. In these rituals, Egyptian, Jewish, Greek & Christian elements were combined. However, the combination of these various traditions led to depletion. A spiritual tradition is as strong as it is pure, i.e. devoid of notions, ideas, concepts, symbols, beliefs, rituals etc. foreign to it. Although syncretism may be intellectually satisfying, it hinders spiritual emancipation. This is certainly true if the elements combined are very different, as is the case here. Because Mathers was unable to read Egyptian texts, he could not make the crucial distinction between the Egyptian approach and the Hellenistic view (incorporated in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hermetism and Hermeticism). Neither could he isolate the native Egyptian elements present in historical Hermetism. By nevertheless incorporating Egyptian deities (in particular the Osiris-cycle), the GD walked the path of egyptomania.
âş Aleister Crowley...Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947) entered the GD in 1898, introduced to the order by George Cecil Jones (1873 - 1953). The influence of this "Hermetic Order" shaped his life. He continued to ferment the teachings of the GD until he died. In fact, he considered himself and his Thelemic Order of the Silver Star to be its lawful heir. The problems between Crowley and the Adepts of the order started in December 1899 (the first time he met Mathers), i.e. by the time he had taken his Portal grade, the preliminary to the crucial Adept Minor degree. When, in September 1900, he applied to be advanced to the level of Adepthood, the College of Adepts refused. They disliked Crowley, his attitudes and way of life. Some of them probably did not believe an adept should drink, have fun, fornicate and raising hell with enthusiasm. His scandalous reputation won the disapproval of his seniors, who were in their right to refuse him. So, in the same month, Crowley went to Paris, and was initiated in the Ahathoor Temple by Mathers himself ! Between Paris and London a deep schism had been in the making and now tensions truly exploded. When the London adepts heard Mathers had initiated him, the breach was complete. When applying for the lectures he was now entitled, he was again refused and physically thrown out. To Florence Farr, Yeats and many others, Crowley was an outcast, an opportunist who had endangered the link with Mathers. He promptly notified Mathers and the latter arranged a meeting with the "rebels" in London. Crowley acted as Mathers' plenipotentiary, and to protect himself, dressed up in the garb of Highland chieftain, concealing his face with a heavy black mask. Clearly Mathers had been a poor judge of characters, raising lunatic power freaks to Adepthood ...The GD did not recover from the insanity and within a few years became a dispersed organization, with several Temples conducted by different groupings of men, each appointing their own Chiefs. Waite kept the Isis-Urania Temple, but in 1914 he closed it down. Next, Crowley invented his own egyptomanic movement. In Cairo in 1904, the "minister" of Re dictated a new revelation to him, the "Book of the Law" ! Crowley became the "prophet" of the New Age of Horus ! The two major Egyptian deities he incorporated were the sky-goddess Nut and Horus of Edfu ("Hadit"). Had he known the cults of Ancient Egypt well enough, he would have realized they had no revelation or dogma, and certainly no "holy" books (for hieroglyphic writing itself was sacred). Was Crowley's "law" a concoction of his own power driven subconscious mind ? In 1909, he called in the "demon of demons" and turned Satanic. The psychosis had become irreversible ...Do these highlights show the scope of the phantasies, fictions and lies incorporated into the Western Tradition since the start of the Renaissance ? Indeed, to identify the backbone of this Tradition with the Qabalah was the outstanding mistake prompted by the fraud of Moses de Leon. This has perturbated thousands of excellent minds, causing them to constantly replay their own illusions, and loose, unlike Rabbi Akiba, after entering the "garden of delights", their sight, reason or faith in God. "The impeding turn of the millennium nourishes hopes of a new spiritual light for humankind in the aspirations of many. Egypt will surely play a role in such developments in both its forms : pharaonic Egypt and the esoteric-Hermetic Egypt. There has been increasing talk of the relevance of the Hermetic Weltanschauung as a point of view that can contribute to making sense of our modern world by seeking a direct connection with the original wisdom of the oldest cultures and with the core idea of all esoteric thought, according to which the ancient wisdom continues to be valid even in a world that has been transformed."
Can we today turn the page ? Can a spiritual movement emerge which focuses on a thematical reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian spirituality, and this based on the evidence of contemporary science regarding Ancient Egyptian religious practice in general and its basic ritual matrix in particular ? Several individuals work along those lines, coupling study with ritual practice (Hope, 1986, Schueler, 1989, Clark, 2003, Draco, 2003). In such a "Kemetic" reconstruction, no Jewish, Greek, Hermetic, Christian or Hermeticist elements should persist. Is this really possible, and if so, is such spirituality indeed the true backbone of our Western Tradition ? The advantage being the isolation of a tradition untouched by what today may be called "foreign elements". Such an exercise is not easy (not to speak of the contextual limitations of any author). For Hermetism did retain parts of the Egyptian Mystery Tradition, and in a lesser degree, the same goes for Hermeticism, and yes, even for the revealed religions, Christianity first. The thematical reconstruction sought is approached in two steps :
the influence of Egyptian spirituality on Alexandrian Hermetism ; the form of the basic matrix of native Egyptian religion.
In this paper, the first step is dealt with. The second will only be touched in the Epilogue. In the following ten paragraphs, we study ten basic notions of Hermetism (in other forms present in the mix of Hermeticism and in the "mystical" traditions of the religions). We try to find their Ancient Egyptian equivalent "in embryo" :mentalism : the gods, the world and humanity are the outcome of Divine thought ;correspondence : the same characteristics apply to each unity or plane of the world ;
change : nothing remains the same, everything vibrates, nothing is at rest ; polarity : everything has two poles, there are two sides to everything ; rhythm : all things have their tides, rise and fall, advance and retreat, act and react ; cause & effect : everything happens according to law, there is no coincidence ; gender : male and female are in every body and mind, but not in the soul ; timing : everything happens when the time is ripe, things start at the right time ; intent : nature works according to a purposeful plan, pure will masters the stars ; transformation : everything can be transformed into something else, opposites meet. In earlier studies, the special cognitive features of Ancient Egyptian thought, language & literature have been explained. Grosso modo, these imply the difference between rational thought, initiated by the Greeks, and ante-rationality. The latter is the mode of thought of pre-Greek Antiquity and of societies untouched by the linearizing streak of the Hellenes. Before the advent of rationality, three modes of thought prevailed, as Piaget, genetical epistemology and neurophilosophy made clear. These are mythical, pre-rational and proto-rational thought, in which the Ancient Egyptians excelled. Clearly Hermetism was codified using Greek conceptual rationality (giving birth to the influential systems of Plato and Aristotle). Hence, if we try to correlate these concepts with their native Egyptian equivalent, this cognitive difference has to be taken into account, and the multiplicity of approaches characterizing Egyptian thought has to be made an integral part of the equation. So because of this crucial difference, in all my translations of Egyptian texts and commentary, terms related to the Divine are not capitalized (i.e. god, gods, goddess, goddesses, divine, and pantheon), while in Hermetism and all rational discourses they are. This in accord with the contextualizing feature of anterationality, while rationality always puts context between brackets, and by doing so articulates an abstract, theoretical concept of the Divine.
Both Memphis and Alexandria underline the importance of the spoken and written word. Already in the Old Kingdom, Pharaoh was the Great Speech and his magic powerful, and dreaded, even by the deities. But in Late Ramesside Memphite theology, Ptah was the true primordial "god of gods", superceding Atum, in who's "image" (of totality) the universe was created (as demiurge), and establishing the supremacy of the divine word and speech. Memphite theology is explicit : every thing was made by Ptah's mind and spoken words.
Likewise, in Hermetism, the Divine Logos is the "son of God" coming forth from the Light of the Divine Nous, the teacher who, not unlike the one evoked in the Maxims of Good Discourse, gives his pupil access to the Divine Nous, a direct experience (gnosis) of the Godman Hermes. The idealist notion of the universe as a mental creation of The All, making all mind, being typical for Hermetism. The fact this teacher is "Ogdoadic" and not "Hebdomadic" (as was Pharaoh), may refer to the Greek escape from fate and the physical world (whereas the Egyptians saw the divine at work in all planes of creation).
The magical power of words is acknowledged by both traditions. Magic involves the power of efficiency (effectiveness) and the ability to counter every possible inertia and opposition, executing intent to its full capacity.
Especially Pharaoh is the "Great Magician", who is able, like the gods, to create by means of speech. He alone was the "son of Re", divine and able to encounter the deities face to face. His voice-offerings to Maat ensured the continuity of creation. By speaking the right words, the whole of creation could be rejuvenated. Likewise (but on another ontological level), the "son of God", the Ogdoadic teacher, brings the pupil directly in contact with the Enneadic Light of Nous.
The parallels drawn do not allow for an identification of both traditions, as major category-shifts occur. Indeed, together with the rejection of the physical bodyn (cf. infra), mentalism is an outstanding feature of the Hermetica. Nevertheless, in the overall semantic pattern major points overlap. The mentalism of Hermetism was not implanted on the native Egyptian intellectuals part of the Hermetic lodge "from above", but could make use of the available, longstanding verbal tradition of Egypt, linearize and "perfect" it in Greek style ...and more later in Strassburg and suitable in the city of London?
In the extremely difficult and stressful time that we are all in now, please do remember to be patient and to be kind and thankful to everyone who still has to work, especially Health Care workers - my daughter is one of them, and she said that she is overly stressed and exhausted, partly because of families and visitors who lose their temper over restrictions that have been put in place in the hospital.
About a week ago, I finally made a trip to a couple of stores, that I really didn't want to do. I knew that if there were a lot of people, I would instead turn around and go home. I needed food and I did buy an extra one of various items - but no hoarding. The cashier at the food store told me that one of the younger cashiers had been in tears because of being yelled at by some customers. At the drug store, the young woman cashier told me that she was so stressed out, again partly because of angry, yelling customers, that she was about to burst into tears. We had a talk, as there was no one waiting behind me in line, and I made sure to thank her for meticulously sanitizing the work space at the till. A few kind words can make all the difference, people! There were no line-ups at either store, for which I was extremely thankful. I know I do need to be very careful myself - I have 3 of the risk factors; age, high blood pressure, and the most concerning being a chronic cough that I have had for maybe 10 or so years, which sometimes turns into a coughing fit where I can't breath. Went through all sorts of tests but no one could find a cause. So, here I am, still coughing! The last thing I would want is the Coronavirus cough on top of it! Stay safe and well, everyone!!
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 16 March 2020: 74 confirmed cases in Alberta, 342 in Canada. 4 deaths in Canada - so far, all have been in British Columbia.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 17 March 2020: 97 confirmed cases in Alberta, 447 cases in Canada. 70 confirmed cases in the Calgary Zone. 7 deaths in Canada.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 18 March 2020: 119 confirmed cases in Alberta, 83 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 591 in Canada. 8 deaths in Canada.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 19 March 2020: 146 confirmed cases in Alberta, 101 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 736 in Canada. 9 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 20 March 2020: 195 (up from 146!) confirmed cases in Alberta, 101 confirmed cases in Calgary Zone, 846 in Canada. 10 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 22 March 2020: 259 (up from 226) confirmed cases in Alberta, 1,302 (up from 1,048) in Canada. 19 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 23 March 2020: 301 (up from 259) confirmed cases in Alberta, 1,432 (up from 1,302) in Canada. 20 deaths in Canada, 1 death in Alberta.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE, 27 March 2020: 486 (up from 419) confirmed cases in Alberta, 4,018 (up from 3,452) in Canada. 300 in the Calgary Zone (1 death). 39 deaths in Canada, 2 deaths in Alberta. Completed tests (as of March 25) in Alberta 35,089 - 419 positive.
www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx
24 March 2020: "14 people sick at Calgary care centre (the McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre) where woman died of COVID-19."
calgary.ctvnews.ca/14-people-sick-at-calgary-care-centre-...
National Parks in Canada have now been shut down.
Olympics 2020 in Japan has been postponed to 2021.
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Friday, 27 March 2020: our temperature just after noon is +8C (windchill +5C). Sunrise is at 7:21 am, and sunset is at 8:02 pm. Sunny today.
The 9 photos posted today were all taken on Day 11 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, in March 2019. They are almost the last few photos taken that day, Only a few photos to post from the next day, Day 12, and I will be done!
The first place we went to was the Birding and Nature Centre, on South Padre Island. The afternoon before, we had spent two hours there, but our "proper" visit was for three hours in the morning of Day 11. Such a great place!
Simply amazing artist! "The South Padre Island Convention Center boasts one of only 100 Wyland Whaling Wall murals. The mural titled "Orcas of the Gulf of Mexico," depicts life-sized killer whales and is number 53 of Wyland's Whaling Walls series."
This is a list of Whaling Walls, which are large outdoor murals by the artist Robert Wyland, featuring images of life-size gray whales, breaching humpback whales, blue whales, and other sea life. Whaling Walls (a pun on the Wailing Wall) are created by invitation of the communities, institutions, and building owners of the structures on which they are painted. The one hundredth and possibly final Whaling Wall was painted in Beijing in 2008" From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Whaling_Walls
Someone told us about a different location, and a short drive south from the Centre took us to around W Sheepshead St and Laguna Blvd, where we saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Monarch butterflies, and a Green Anole (lizard).
We had our picnic lunch at the nearby Convention Centre, which is near the Birding and Nature Centre, and then looked for a Yellow-throated Warbler from the rear patio at the Centre. Amazingly, we did see it, along with a Black-and-white Warbler and a Wilson's Warbler. Not easy trying to photograph these fast-moving little birds that get hidden among the branches.
Driving north again, we called in at a beach that was part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, where we could enjoy seeing the ocean waves and Laughing Gulls. This was our last stop before returning to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Brownsville.
The next day, 30 March 2019, we had to drive from Brownsville to Houston, where we stayed for one night at La Quinta Inn & Suites Houston. The following day, we flew from Bush Intl Airport back to Calgary. What a fantastic holiday we had!
The KOM League
Flash Report
For
Week of January 27, 2020
This report was very difficult to start and finish. Thus, if you have trouble in the reading of it toss the unread portion and demand a refund of your subscription.
www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/49444185167/
With the onset of 2020 the writer of these reports can now claim to have lived in parts or all of ten decades. That was said in attempt to excuse the inauspicious debut of the reports for this decade.
As all of you know, since the last report was shared college football has a new champion, the President has been impeached and baseball players âcheat.â So, what else is new? Saying that baseball teams steal signs is akin to Mrs. Noah telling her husband âIt looks like it is going to rain.â
With regard to impeachment I regret to report that the editor of the Flash Report series has fallen upon the same fate of another John, Donald John Trump. For high crimes and misdemeanors, Yours truly now faces the âSenate of the KOM League readersâ for their determination as to whether I should be removed from the office of purveyor of KOM League news. There are two articles for which John G. Hall now stands accused.
Impeachment Article #1
It was reported that a Christmas card was received from Kenny Bennett a pitcher for the 1949 Independence Yankees. That part of the article was correct. However, the statement he was a resident of a nursing home was in error. He wrote back this note....â Hi John. This is Ken Bennett. I am not in a nursing home. That was my wife who has since passed. I am at an independent living community, Friendship Village of Sunset Hills. I still play golf two times a week although I only play 9 holes. I am now 91 and in good health. Have a happy New Year.â
Impeachment Article #2
An apology was issued immediately to Bennett. Then, I got into some serious "digging" on a person who reportedly passed away this past year, George Edward Seeley. I was incorrect and the KOM League House of Representatives has accused me of malfeasance.
George Seeley or George Seeley
For over 25 years I have been conflicted by Mr. Seeley's place of birth and year of same. Upon initial research the Ponca City News stated that he was from Pueblo, Colorado. For the quarter of a century searching for this fellow nothing definitive could be found on until recently. That is when I learned of the death of a George Seeley in Colorado Springs this year.
In looking more closely at the death of the Seeley from Colorado it was evident he wasn't ever a professional baseball player, let alone a Ponca City Dodger.
For as long as the research has been conducted, regarding the KOM league, I have been aware of George Edward Seeley born May 23, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan. His life took many twists and turns. His father, Fayette, was an automobile transport sales manager who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio by the early 1940's. His son, George was sent to the Virginia Episcopal Preparatory School in Lynchburg, Virginia where in 1941 pitched on a state championship team.
After his time at Lynchburg young George returned to Cincinnati where he attended and graduated from Withrow High School. During the summer months he played American Legion baseball.
On February 3, 1944 Seeley entered the U. S. Army and served until March 28, 1946. During service to his country he was assigned to the 1562nd Army Air Force Base Unit Transport Command. He was selected to the all amateur team chosen to play the Manila Dodgers at Rizal Stadium in the Philippines.
General Burton Reynolds had conceived of gathering a team of big league stars, who were in the service, to play games against other military teams for morale boosting. Manila had such big name players as Kirby Higbe, Joe Garagiola, Max Macon, Frank LaManna, Early Wynn, Jim Hearn et. al. This group of fellows was the Philippine and Pacific Olympic champions.
In probably the biggest game of his life, Seeley, and his Air Transport team beat the Manila Dodgers. That may have been the birth of the term "Manila Folders."
Nine months after returning home from the Army, Seeley married Clarisee Marie Chartier three days after Christmas in 1946. He was a living in Dearborn, Michigan at the time he was signed by the Dodgers.
It is now my belief that he was initially assigned to the Pueblo, Colo. roster in 1947 and that is how the Ponca City News reported, he was from that city. Regardless, his time in the KOM league was limited to two games and then he was sent to Zanesville, Ohio. At the end of the 1947 season he was released by the Dodgers and signed by the Chicago White Sox. He played for Superior, Wis. in 1948 and posted an 8-0 record. That was the conclusion of his baseball career.
All that I have been able to learn about Seeley is that he died February 5, 1991 in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.
The vote of the Senate
Whether John G. Hall remains in the position of editor of this publication rests in the vote of the full Senate of readers. I have assembled the best attorneyâs that can be secured with the funds available. Those funds are derived from subscribers of the Flash Reports. At last count the Flash Reports didnât have a single subscriber, only a few casual readers. So, if Iâm to remain in office some of you need to cast your vote for acquittal.
In the meantime Iâll attempt to continue in my current position and uphold the low standards that have become synonymous with this publication. The rest of this report addresses them.
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Joseph Walter Turek Sr.
www.ziegenheinfuneralhome.com/notices/Joseph-TurekSr
The following is the content of the obituary cited in the link contained above.
Joseph W. Turek, Sr., 97 of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on December 29, 2019.
Loving husband of the late Jean (nee Jordan) Turek; Beloved father of Joseph (Dianne) Turek, Jr., Daniel (Debbie) Turek, Donna (James) Van Dillen, Sr., Christopher (Andrea) Turek, Sr., Matthew Turek, Mary (Thomas) Schanuel, Patricia A. Turek and John (Joelle) Turek; Loving grandfather of 24, great-grandfather of 19, Dear brother, uncle & friend.
Joseph Walter Turek informed this source of his Fatherâs passing on January 1, 2020. This was his message: âHi John: Wanted you to know my father, Joe Turek,Sr., passed away Sunday, December 29, 2019 from natural causes. He was 97. Decorated Combat Medic, veteran of the Battle of Bulge, and The Ardennes. His wife of 48 years, Jean, preceded him in death in 1998. They had 8 children, 23 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Joe retired was a union carpenter.
Ed comment:
Joe Turek Sr. was a 3rd baseman for the 1947 Bartlesville, Okla. Oilers, having been sent there by the Keokuk ball club. He hadnât been in the oil city of Bartlesville very long until he headed off to the train station and went back to St. Louis. He didnât announce his departure but after spending time in some of the great battles of WWII he wasnât that fond of being shuffled around minor league outposts of the Pittsburgh Pirates and thus he departed for home sweet home.
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Richard Weissman
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Paul Herman Hoffmeister
A note to Mary Lou Hoffmeister
Noel and I send along our thoughts to you on the first anniversary of Paul's passing. Thank you so much on remembering. That meant a lot to me. Paul and I sure loved those reunions and always looked forward to them! Great times and people.
Mary Louâs reply:
You and Noel were sooo special to organize them. I still like the pictures that you send but, I know that there are not many players left and that is sad but, I just try to remember the good times and there were many. The reunions were certainly an important part of them!
Please keep in touch, stay well, hereâs wishing you a blessed New Year!
Love to you both. Mary Lou
Regular message from legacy.com about anniversary dates of deceased
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Mark Santo-- Tue, Dec 31, 2019, 4:30
Hi John, Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Thank you for all your work in putting together these reports. Even though I am a newcomer to your work I would still be sorry to see your reports stop. But please don't feel compelled to keep doing this unless you get some measure of pleasure or satisfaction out of it and there isn't something else you could be doing that would bring greater pleasure or satisfaction. It's probably safe to say that you've greatly exceeded all reasonable expectations related to these reports and that no one would want the continuation of this publication to be a burden on you. If you stopped today I am sure you would receive nothing less than the equivalent of a standing ovation from a roaring crowd.
Best Regards, Santo
Reply:
A standing "O" would be something totally foreign to me. If I ever came close to something like that it was probably due to my departure from a job or gathering of folks who didn't care very much of my presence
I was thinking about sending you a note earlier this week. The report that I shared with the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers as the featured photo has had nearly 11,000 views.
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Gene Castiglioneâ
www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetelegraph/obituary.aspx?n=eu... Photo included
BENLD (Ill.) â Gene (Deke) Castiglione was born June 30th, 1928 to Guy Castiglione and Adella (Soda) Castiglione in Chicago, Illinois. He passed away at 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7th, 2020 at Saint John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, surrounded by his family.
He was a talented four sport athlete at Benld High School, where he graduated in 1946. He played football, track and basketball, but his best sport was baseball. In 1947 Hall of Famer, George Sisler, signed Gene to the Dodgers Minor League System, with whom he had a contract for six years. During that time frame, he played for the Dodger Minor League Teams, Ponca City, Oklahoma; Greenville, South Carolina; Ashville, North Carolina; Great Falls, Montana; and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Each year Gene played in the minors, he was chosen for the All Star Team. In 1949, while in the KOM League, he played alongside baseball great Mickey Mantle on the All-Star Team. That year Mickey Mantle had 13 home runs and Gene had six homeruns, for which he was extremely proud.
Gene was rated the best defensive 2nd baseman in the Dodger Minor League System that year. Every year when baseball season ended, Gene was honored, along with two high school classmates who were also in the minor league, Cubby Contratto and Emil Borgini, at their hometown of Benld, Illinois, where these athletes were celebrated with a parade and a big baseball game. Gene served in the U.S. Army from 1951 â 1952. While serving in the Philippines as a surveyor, he played baseball on the weekends with the Philippines Semi-Pro Team. In 1951, he was chosen to play baseball with the U.S. 10th Airforce Pacific Tournament Team.
After his military service and baseball, Gene was a successful businessman at IBM in St. Louis, Missouri, for 10 years, working his way up from typewriter repair to supervisor. While working at IBM, he served as a Bird Dog Scout for the Major League Team, the Houston Colts. Gene experienced success at Echlin Manufacturing Plant in Litchfield, Illinois, where he met his wife, Sharon, and served as a foreman until retirement.
Gene was a loving brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He lived a long life, enjoying his retirement and spending time with friends and family.
He is survived by wife, Sharon (Dooley) Castiglione; brother, Frank Castiglione; Stepson, Scott Reynolds; granddaughter, Stephanie Reynolds and her spouse, Kyle Ruppert; great-granddaughters, Krysten and Abby Ruppert, and their soon to be born brother or sister.
Published in The Telegraph from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21, 2020
Ed comment:
Gene and his wife, Sharon, were regular attendees at KOM league events. He attended the very first function ever held in reuniting KOM leaguers. It was an event at the Columbia, Mo. Public Library with a whole hog roast later that day at a local park. What should have been a mild spring evening turned out to resemble cold winterâs night. Most of the attendees werenât prepared for the bad weather and a few expressed the desire to change places with the hog.
Many memories of Gene came to mind upon learning of his death. The last time we met was at the funeral of Bernie Tye, in 1997, where we both served as pallbearers for the KOM league funny man.
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Joe B. Elble
www.kiblerbradyruestman.com/obituaries/Joseph-Elble/#!/Ob...
Bloomington (Ill.) - Joseph B. Elble, Sr., 87, of Bloomington, passed away at 1:35 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at Heritage Health in Bloomington.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 24, 2020, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 801 S. Madison, Bloomington, with Pastor Chuck Bahn officiating. Military rites will be accorded by the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor Guard. A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the church and also one hour prior to the service on Friday. Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home is assisting with arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Cornerstone Building Fund or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Joe was born on April 16, 1932, in Alton, IL, son of Leonard and LaVerne (Tuscher) Elble. He married Shirley Duelm on September 11, 1955, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Alton.
Surviving are his wife, Shirley of Bloomington; children, Joseph (Shann) Elble, Jr. of Normal, Jeffrey (Lisa) Elble of Grand Rapids, MI, Michael (Kelly Norwood) Elble of San Antonio, TX, Mark (GiGi) Elble of Tampa, FL; grandchildren Joseph Benjamin III, Addison, Sarah, Ryan, Leila, Nicholas, and Alexander; great-grandchildren, Joseph Benjamin IV, Logan, Charles and Liam.
After completing high school, Joe was drafted by the Giants and played professional baseball before beginning his service to his country in the United States Army. Returning to Alton, Joe began his career as a homebuilder and married the love of his life, Shirley. Joe's career later brought him to Bloomington where he worked as a builder and contractor before culminating his building career at Baumgart Building Center.
Joe began his second career managing 4-Seasons Health Club, a perfect position for his outgoing, friendly, personality.
Joe was a member and former Elder at Trinity Lutheran Church. He was an avid woodworker and fisherman, loved puzzles and bingo and most importantly he loved spending time with his boys, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Joe's primary goal in life was to make someone smile every day.
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Reader comments regarding previous issue
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I donât know if you realize it but your reports have meant a lot to so many. I know you arenât looking for a pat on the back but it is people like you that keep our treasured history alive.
Keep it up and have a wonderful and healthy new year. R. Jason WallaceâGrandson of Robert Leroy Matthew Saban former KOM leaguer and longtime minor league hurler.
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A 1952 Iola player makes request--Norm Travis
John, I would like the whereabouts of the following fellows, if possible. 1952 Iola team.
Jim Maxwell (catcher), Dick Masley (left handed pitcher), Joe Vilk (pitcher), Slick Shryer (Ed note: Bill Schrier ( first base), Roy Coulter (2nd base) and Paul Weeks (short stop).
Travis was aware that Floyd Temple, Chuck Sisson, Jerry Gleason, Tom Guinn and .Gasper Del Toro, outfielder, had passed away.
Sisson, Gleason, Vic Damon & Myself were sent to Iola in 52 by Bob Housam. of Denver Bears with the promise to reimburse me if I made the team, which I did, but asked Temple for my release as I satisfied myself I could play pro ball, but could not make a living at it. (I) was missing too much money at home selling farm machinery. (I) moved back to Burlington, Colo. That is where I still live. I am now 88 years old. Played semi pro ball till age 40. The highlight was making all-state team in 1956, then played fast pitch soft ball.
I am still active as a RE (real estate) Broker and good health. Keep up the good work with the reports as I really enjoy them. Sincerely, Norm Travis
Ed note:
With regrets, Travis was informed only he and Vic Damon are survivors of that list of 1952 Iola Indians.
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Happy New Year! 27 years, dad enjoyed 16 of those years, thank you. Cheers to a happy healthy 2020. Karla (Weber) Weible
Ed note:
Karla is the daughter of the late Charlie Weber who was a member of the famed double-play combination of the 1949 Independence Yankees. That combination was Mickey Mantle to Weber and whoever was playing first base at the time. Mostly, it was Bob Newbill and Nick Ananias.
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John, tâwas the year 1993 you wrote the first FLASH REPORT? My oh my. Tell us, if you know, whatâs âgoing onâ with minor league baseball? I hear itâs days are numbered? Bob Schwarzâ1950 Iola Indians.
Ed reply:
I think minor league baseball is being played in big league stadiums. I have no idea what is going on in minor league baseball and haven't since about 1952.
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What goes around comes around! The "Roaring '20's" are about to return! We continue to look for John's wisdom and commentary. So come on y'all, dig in and share your KOM stories for John to share with his following. Tks. John for 26 years of your HALL of FAME enthusiasm. Jim Jay 1956-57 Kansas City Aâs batboy.
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Up to this point the progress of the report was going on pretty well. Then, the âwheels fell off the wagonâ and Yours truly came tumbling off of it.â To describe that scenario wouldnât make nary a bit of difference to 80% of the recipients of this report and the other 20% would be divided among; you got what you deserved, that is too bad and so what else is new. The foregoing comment was precipitated by a note from the son of Stan Santo who was a member of the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers. He wrote; âHi John. Hope all is well. Just wanted you to know that there is at least one person (me) who has noticed the gap in time since your last report. Please at least let us know your status so that I can stop worrying about you. All the Best, Mark Santo.â
Had this report continued, all the names of people making contact so far in 2020 would have been mentioned along with a great story regarding sign stealing by the Chicago Cubs in the 1960âs. The main culprit in the sign theft in Chicago was none other than a guy who caught for the Carthage, Missouri Cubs in 1950 and 1951. If you want to wait around for a while for that to be posted on this site you can do so. Otherwise, just go on the Internet and insert key words like âDon Biebel,â traveling secretary of the Chicago Cubs and the Wrigley Field scoreboard and you will find some fascinating reading.
Every former player who ever pitched a ball or swung at one has their own stories of sign stealing, doctored infields, high grass on the playing field, steroids and corked bats. Those are only a few of the ways ballplayers have sought to gain an advantage. And, guess what? They always will.