Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest: We Have a Winner!
The 2019 "Beer for a Butterfly" contest is over.
And the winner is…drum roll…
Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology.
Shapiro, who has sponsored the annual contest since 1972 as part of his scientific research to determine the first flight of the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, netted it--a male--at 1:12 p.m., Friday, Jan. 25 near the Suisun Yacht Club, Solano County.
Shapiro recorded it as the fourth earliest flight of a cabbage white butterfly in Suisun in 47 seasons.
The professor provides a pitcher of beer or its equivalent to the person who collects the first cabbage white butterfly of the year in the three-county area of Sacramento, Solano and Yolo.
He will have to drink his own beer.
"I was two days behind to do Suisun, due to various commitments on campus," Shapiro related. "I kept Friday open because I had the overwhelming feeling yesterday that the first flight of Pieris rapae was due."
So on the train ride to Suisun, he took a net with him. "That was silly insofar as rapae always starts later at Suisun than in, say, West Sacramento, so the odds of seeing the first one of 2019 there were minuscule," Shapiro commented. "In fact, if I recall correctly, the first of the year was only recorded at Suisun once, Jan. 31, 2011. But I went prepared, if I saw one."
"And I did."
Shapiro described the day as "the warmest Jan. 25 at Suisun since the Medieval Warm Period: 68F, wind E-5 mph, clear." His notes read: "Very little in bloom: many dandelions, one Eucalyptus, three Hirschfeldia (mustard), two Raphanus (radish), many Malva (mallow) and a few Picris (sunflower family). Site still 30 percent flooded. I went to all the usual Vanessa (butterfly) places and found nothing. I searched more than 100 Malva plants for larvae and found nothing."
"But near the Suisun Yacht Club (703 Civic Center Blvd., Suisun City) at 1:12 p.m. I saw a rapae. It didn't land and I had to take it in the air. It's a small and very heavily infuscated male." It had just eclosed that day, he said.
Shapiro placed it in a glassine envelope and returned to Storer Hall, home of the Department of Evolution and Ecology,- where administrative staff "certified that it was alive and kicking."
It was the only butterfly Shapiro saw in Suisun during the two-plus hours of record warmth. "I said rapae is usually later at Suisun than elsewhere near sea level. The year 2011 was the exception. It was out at Suisun on Jan. 31 but at Gates Canyon (Vacaville) not until Feb. 7; West Sacramento, Feb. 6; North Sacramento, Feb. 13; and Rancho Cordova, Feb. 23."
However, something just as exciting awaited him when he returned to the Davis train station. When he exited the parking lot at 3:06 p.m., a "painted lady, Vanessa cardui, an immigrant from the desert, flew right in front of me in migratory mode. It was unambiguously old, worn, and 'desertic,'not locally bred. That was more of a surprise than the rapae! In 47 years of data, I have two earlier cardui records—Jan. 18, 1987 and Jan. 23, 2014 and one tie, Jan. 25, 2009."
"If anybody sees more, let me know," he said. "This could be the start of something big..."
Since 1972, the first flight of the cabbage white butterfly has varied from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22, averaging about Jan. 20. In 2018, Shapiro collected the winner at 11:23 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19 in one of his frequented sites—a mustard patch by railroad tracks in West Sacramento, Yolo County.
Shapiro, who maintains a research website at http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu, usually wins his own contest. He has been defeated only four times, and all by UC Davis graduate students.
Shapiro has monitored butterfly population trends on a transect across central California for 47 years and records the information on his research website. His 10 sites stretch from the Sacramento River Delta through the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada mountains to the high desert of the Western Great Basin. He visits his sites every two weeks "to record what's out" from spring to fall. The largest and oldest database in North America, it was recently cited by British conservation biologist Chris Thomas in a worldwide study of insect biomass.
Shapiro, a member of the UC Davis faculty since 1971 and author of the book, Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley Regions, has studied a total of 163 species of butterflies in his transect.
Inside this glassine envelope is the first-of-the-year cabbage white butterfly, ready to fly. It's a male collected in Suisun City.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, holds a glassine envelope containing the winner of the 2019 Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
First flight dates of the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, in contest in three-county area of Sacramento, Solano and Yolo.
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden
Tags: Art Shapiro (193), Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest (3), cabbage white butterfly (38), Pieris rapae (35), Suisun Yacht Club (1), UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology (29)
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Iran as World Class Exporter of Covid-19 to Its Neighbors
Apr 2, 2020 @ 21:10 Apr 2, 2020 @ 21:10 Giora Shamis 2201 Views DEBKA Weekly
Tehran is fudging the figures, Damascus is in denial, Lebanon is looking to Hizballah for help; Iraq is getting help from China, and Afghanistan is swamped with the largest cross-border repatriate migration ever from plague-ridden Iran.
These countries have limited or no capacity for testing and tallying the scale of the coronavirus pandemic or the medical facilities to cope with it. Anyway, Iranian officials and their militias continue to crisscross their borders on Islamic regime business.
US sanctions have been accused of hobbling Tehran's capacity to contend with the virus plague, which by April 1 had accounted for 3,000 deaths and 64,000 confirmed cases.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the administration's penalty policy on Tuesday, March 30. He stressed that the sanctions do not apply to humanitarian and medical supplies. However, according to Human Rights Watch, "broad restrictions on financial transactions… have drastically constrained the ability of Iranian entities to finance humanitarian imports, including vital medicines and medical equipment."
The UN secretary general has moreover repeatedly called on Washington to ease economic penalties on Tehran for combating the virus.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Pompeo did not rule out the possibility of lifting some sanctions on Iran and granting waivers to other nations to help fight the pandemic. "Would we ever rethink? – Of course," he said.
The Islamic regime in Tehran meanwhile appealed for the first time to
the International Monetary Fund for $5bn in emergency aid to battle the virus.
Any such aid will be too late to save Iran's neighbors, especially Afghanistan. Close to 200,000 Afghans have fled across the border from Iran bringing an unknown scale of infection with them. Some are laborers; others recruited by Iran for the Shiite militias that fought for Assad in the Syrian civil war and who brought their families over.
The government in Kabul warned this week that the refugees scattering across the country could bring uncontrolled infection to many millions of people and cause tens of thousands of deaths. The official figure of 174 confirmed Afghan cases is not taken seriously by the World Health Organization, any more than the figures of Iran's other neighbors.
Iraq is trying to get a grip on the crisis. A countrywide lockdown was enforced up until April 11, after 728 cases and 52 deaths from the respiratory disease were officially confirmed. The real figures are believed to be much higher but could not be established without broad tests in the population of 40 million. Therefore, in response to an appeal from Iraq, a new covid-19 testing lab built by Chinese experts was inaugurated in Baghdad on March 25. with equipment donated by Beijing to provide the missing testing facilities.
Iraqis are among the dozens of Shiite militiamen deployed to Syria to fight for the Assad regime under the command of Iran's Revolutionary Guards officers. Although the forces posted near government military positions in the northern Idlib and Aleppo battlefields were ordered to observe quarantine conditions, militiamen of Kataib Hadrat Zaynab, Kataib al-Imam Hossein and Liwa al-Imam al-Rida staged religious ceremonies and sports events in the last two weeks.
Syria's Assad regime itself spent two months in denial until on March 17, Damascus finally admitted to the presence of coronavirus in the country. While its propagandists turned the virus into a rallying call for domestic and international support, Damascus continued to mess with the facts. On March 30, its health ministry reported 10 cases and 2 deaths, whereas four days earlier, doctors reported 50 deaths of the coronavirus at a single Damascus hospital
The Lebanese Hizballah alone appears to have come around to confronting the deadly plague, after initially keeping the truth dark in obedience, like Syria, to Tehran's orders. In Deir ez-Zour in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, Hizballah has tried to impose restrictions for containing the spread of covid-19. The Shiite group is also trying to control the disease on its home turf, Lebanon. There, no more than 400 cases are officially confirmed, but the disease is believed to be rife, especially in the teeming Shiite community where there may be thousands of unrecorded cases.
The secret finally outed when Hizballah acted to enforce quarantine on the badly hit Shiite towns and villages of southern Lebanon, sending its fighters to enforce isolations and forcibly evacuating suspected carriers to unknown locations. However, Hizballah and Lebanon are badly short of doctors, nurses, hospitals and equipment for beginning to contain the spreading disease and treating the victims it has struck down.


Winds of Plague - Decimate the Weak
Well, they ALMOST managed to not suck...
Let's get something out of the way really quickly. Yes, Winds of Plague's image is incredibly stupid. While I'm sure they weren't aiming for it, their metal aesthetic is so far off the mark that one really can't be blamed for being put off this band before even hearing a single note. Their hilariously bad music video for "The Impaler" sure as hell didn't help matters either. They look like (and probably are) a bunch of kids who were into hardcore that fell in love with Job For A Cowboy's infamous EP, Doom. They needed something to help them stand out in the flooding deathcore scene, so they chose to incorporate keyboards. To be completely honest with you, it worked very well, because I would have never been interested in hearing the band if it weren't for the symphonic prefix. But the bottom line is that merely doing something different isn't enough to legitimately garner genuine praise. It's been said several times before, but just because you're the first guy to train an elephant to piss in its own mouth, doesn't mean it's great purely because it's new. But here's the strange thing about Winds of Plague, they aren't really all that awful down at their core.
I'll give you a second to collect your socks that inevitably just flew off.
What I mean is that when they stick to trying melodic death metal, they're passable. Not great, but passable. Nobody in the band is a particularly strong songwriter, but the keyboard melodies actually seem to work over the generic chug riffing most of the time. While there aren't too many bands doing what they are doing here, it's still not very adventurous. There aren't too many strange riffs or exploratory melodies, but they do the job well enough to obscure the biggest problems with the album when they are in top form. For example, "Angels of Debauchery" has a churning middle section that focuses more on the atmosphere created by the keys, and they manage to give a somewhat soaring quality above the bland heaviness underneath. It manages to slow the song down despite frequent blast beating, giving it a somewhat mystical quality that the rest of the album sorely lacks.
Sadly, that's where the praise ends. The rest of Decimate the Weak is every bit as bad as the general opinion seems to reflect. I mentioned that nobody here is a very good songwriter, but the disjointed cut/paste style that most tracks feature is extremely irritating. It seems like these fellas enjoy deathcore, hardcore, melodeath, and symphonic metal, but they haven't the slightest clue how to actually blend them into a cohesive beast. Several songs will awkwardly jump from a generic melodeath riff into a cliche deathcore breakdown with absolutely no warning. The opening track, "Anthems of Apocalypse" is a perfect example. The song begins immediately after the pointless symphonic intro track with a typical metalcore/melodeath riff and a simple chord progression on the backing keys. The song follows that general template until suddenly stopping and turning into a hilariously brutal breakdown. I swear, you can hear the hardcore dancers in the back of your head start masturbating once it starts. The vocalist spurts a few ultra low, sounding like a deathcore parody, syncopated vocal lines before the song randomly switches back to where it was when it started. I sat stunned at the completely out of place breakdown upon first listen. "Maybe I just don't understand it" I thought to myself, as I was still early in my deathcore quest at the time and still didn't understand the thought process behind most of the decisions that seemed questionable to me. But before my thought was even finished, another asinine breakdown crashes through and stinks up the place. The hardcore "YOU WANNA SEE US FAIL?! NOT TODAY MOTHERFUCKERS!" yelling over the top was the icing on the cake. There was absolutely no way the band could redeem themselves after that insipid move. Yet, when the breakdown ended (as abruptly as it started, I should add), it was replaced by an adequate blasting section accompanied by the first riff I wouldn't describe as retarded. That's just the first song folks, and it never improves. Sometimes there's an unnecessary key only section and sometimes there's a big, dumb slamdown, but it never follows a logical flow. Winds of Plague is trying so hard to be against the grain and in support of throwing away conventions that they forgot to actually write a coherent song. I don't allow Opeth to do this shit so there's no way in hell that these tools get a free ride either.
Which leads me to my next point, this vocalist is fucking terrible. He has the common decency to not distort the shit out of his vocals like Suicide Silence, but there's no power behind any of his styles. He sounds like he just recently got into the music and just listened to a few similar bands in order to get the general idea down, as opposed to actually training his voice to growl with ferocity. Merely changing the way your voice sounds does not count as death metal vocals. He seems more rooted in hardcore and therefore has a voice that's incompatible with the melodic death metal that takes up a majority of the record. He only truly sounds like he belongs on a few choice spots, like near the end of the title track. Apart from being crappy and incompatible, he also spews some of the most retarded lyrics I've heard since Five Finger Death Punch. I'll concede that I don't know who the primary lyricist is, but nothing changes the fact that Jon Cook is the one whose mouth they are regurgitating from. I mean, for god sake, look at this choice excerpt from "Reloaded"
We've got the world in the palm of our hands.
Bustas fall down when we're barking commands.
Atlas ain't got shit on our steez.
Kick out the chair and get on your knees.
I really, really wish I was making that up. That reads like a mallcore parody, and yet here is this grown man making a complete fool of himself by yelling this drivel with honest conviction. Angsty teenagers write better than that, which is an absolutely pathetic line to be under. Sorry guys, but either ditch this fool or just give up, because despite the fact that he is so forgettable and easily blocked out when listening, he is the weakest link in a chain already made out of Twizzlers.
Decimate the Weak is bad, no two ways around it. I feel like they actually have some potential beneath the bad songwriting, lame image, and gimmick (ooh look, we have a chick in our band, here's a picture of her boobies, buy our albums please). If you've got tattoos covering both arms and use the word "fuck" like it's a punctuation mark, you are most likely the target demographic, but I can't even guarantee you'll like it considering some of my deathcore friends have complained about the sub par quality of the record. I guess if you enjoy the genre and don't mind a bit of experimentation, it's at least worth a listen. It's different, but far from being good. If they gave up on the breakdowns, hired a vocalist who actually carries a powerful set of lungs, and focused more on the light keys over fast heavy riffing, they could be okay. They flirt with that idea a few times here, but mostly tend to play simple melodies over simple chugging patterns, which frankly, takes about as much skill as being able to pick your nose without drawing blood.
Labels: Deathcore
Vielikan - Emotional Void
Unburied - Slut Decapitator
PanzerBastard - 2006 - 2009
Nahar - La Fascination Du Pire
Kiuas - The New Dark Age
Hod - Serpent
Embryonic Depravity / Gorevent - Malignant Opus of...
Deicide - Till Death Do Us Part
Five Finger Death Punch - The Way of the Fist
Alter Self - Ashes over Eden
Amputated - Wading Through Rancid Offal
1349 - Revelations of the Black Flame
Xerath - I
Wolf - Wolf
Witchaven - Totalitarian State of War
Vicious Attack - 2009 Demo
Vader - Impressions in Blood
Vader - Black to the Blind
Tiran - Demonia
Timeless Miracle - Into the Enchanted Chamber
The Sword - Age of Winters
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Twilight of the Idols
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Down Among the Deadmen
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Stormwarrior - Stormwarrior
Stormtroopers of Death - Speak English or Die
Starseed - Cosmic Conspiracy
Spearhead - Deathless Steel Command
Soulthreat - Storm of Time
Skyclad - Vintage Whine
Six Feet Under - Commandment
Sinergy - Suicide by my Side
Signs of Decay - Intoxiggedon
Shadow Warriors - Power of the Ninja Sword
Sadus - Illusions (Chemical Exposure)
Sabaton - Primo Victoria
Rattlehead - Step Inside for the Slaughter
Psycroptic - Ob(Servant)
Primordial - To the Nameless Dead
Persuader - Evolution Purgatory
Northland - Freezing Sadness
Norther - N
Nocturnal Breed - Fields of Rot
Necrophagist - Epitatph
Nadimac - Drzavni Neprijatelj Broj Kec
Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation
Mortal Fungus - Back to the Lombrosary
Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve
Mercyful Fate - Nuns Have No Fun
Melechesh - Sphynx
Masterpiece - Colors of Conflict (II)
Lumsk - Troll
Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
Kiuas - Spirit of Ukko
Karl Sanders - Saurian Meditations
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Into Eternity - The Scattering of Ashes
Impurity - Unearthly Affinity
Icarus Witch - Songs for the Lost
Human Mastication - Grotesque Mastication of Putri...
Human Filleted - Hideous Sculptures of the Dead
Hellrazor - In the Wild
Helloween - The Dark Ride
Hatchet - Awaiting Evil
Hackneyed - Death Prevails
GWAR - War Party
Gojira - From Mars to Sirius
Goatwhore - A Haunting Curse
Gamma Ray - No World Order
Gamma Ray - Majestic
Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver
Evile - Enter the Grave
Ensiferum - Victory Songs
Ensiferum - Iron
Ensiferum - Ensiferum
Eluveitie - Slania
Dismantle - Satanic Force
Diamond Plate - Relativity
Deicide - The Stench of Redemption
Decrepit Birth - Diminishing Between Worlds
Death - The Sound of Perseverance
Death - Symbolic
Death - Leprosy
Dark Vision - Bestial Remedy
Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal
Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King
Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder
Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
Burzum - Daudi Baldrs
Brain Drill - Apocalyptic Feasting
Black Asylum - Truths of the Blood
Behold... The Arctopus - Nano Nucleonic Cyborg Sum...
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
Assedium - Rise of the Warlords
Artillery - By Inheritance
Arsis - We Are the Nightmare


Disability and Guardianship Project
ADA Complaint to Washington Supreme Court
Complaint to Supreme Court
Letters to U.S. Department of Justice
On March 16, 2016, Spectrum Institute submitted a report to the Washington Supreme Court. (https://spectruminstitute.org/gap/) Along with the report were a set of exhibits that provided detailed support for the findings and recommendations in the report. The report, titled The Justice Gap, highlighted deficiencies in the state's guardianship system, particularly in the legal services component involving attorneys appointed to represent respondents in guardianship proceedings. Many of these deficiencies were identified as violations of federal law, especially of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A set of ADA-compliant performance and training standards were supplied to the court. (https://spectruminstitute.org/white-paper/)
Now that more than 18 months have passed, and no significant changes have occurred to correct these deficiencies, Spectrum Institute has filed a formal complaint with the Supreme Court pursuant to Title II regulations. Section 35.107 requires public entities with more than 50 employees to have a grievance procedure by which to process complaints of ADA violations. An informational copy of the complaint has been sent to the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Among the supporting documents filed with the complaint is an essay suggesting that the Supreme Court should review a new administrative law rule on ADA accommodation. The administrative rule could serve as a guide to the court in crafting a court rule on the appointment of counsel in guardianship proceedings. Such an appointment may be a necessary ADA accommodation in order to give people with serious cognitive a communication disabilities access to justice in these proceedings. The court's own Access to Justice Board has supported the appointment of counsel or a "suitable representative" as an ADA accommodation in administrative hearings.
The Washington WINGS group, created by the Supreme Court to study ways to improve the state's guardianship system, has been researching the issue of mandatory appointment of counsel. A sub-committee issued a report in early 2017. The report failed to take a position on a requirement that an advocacy attorney be appointed to represent guardianship respondents in each case. Instead, the report presented options for a larger policy committee to consider. No position has yet been taken by Washington WINGS on this issue. A dissent was filed by one member explaining that mandatory appointment of counsel is the only position that would be consistent with the requirements of federal due process and the meaningful access to services requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. By winding down its activities without taking a position on the right to counsel in guardianship proceedings, Washington WINGS has answered the question posed in an essay sent to it last year. Washington WINGS has tacitly sided with the status quo of many guardianship respondents not having a legal advocate and therefore not receiving access to justice. Although the national WINGS organization has joined with the American Bar Association in supporting the appointment of counsel for guardianship respondents, the Washington Wings group has tabled the issue. As a result, the Washington Supreme Court must address the matter without a recommendation from its own advisory committee.
Title II Regulation
on ADA Complaints Supreme Court's
ADA Obligations Supreme Court's
Statutory Authority ABA/WINGS
Action Tool
About Thomas F. Coleman - Legal Director, Spectrum Institute
Throughout his 43 years as a civil rights attorney, Thomas F. Coleman has advocated for a variety of causes and minority populations, including cases and projects promoting justice and equal rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As legal director of Spectrum Institute, Coleman has worked closely with Dr. Nora J. Baladerian on issues involving abuse and disability. He is the primary author of "The First Report: Victims and Their Families Speak Out" – an analysis of the 2012 Survey on Abuse of People with Disabilities, which is the largest national survey on abuse and disability ever conducted in the United States.
For the past few years, Coleman has directed the Disability and Guardianship Project of Spectrum Institute. Starting his focus in California, Coleman's advocacy for guardianship reform has broadened to become a national cause.
Coleman, Baladerian, and a team of supporters converged on the nation's capital in June of this year, attending a conference on guardianship reform, meeting with lawyers at the Department of Justice about the applicability of the Americans with Disabilities Act to guardianship proceedings, and seeking support for guardianship reform from members of Congress. Coleman's advocacy efforts have gained him awards from The Arc of California and the international organization known as TASH.
More about the activities of Spectrum Institute
on Disability, Abuse, and Guardianship


July 26, 2012 July 25, 2012 David
Man Utd., Premier League
Manchester United IPO Postponed
Manchester United has "temporarily" paused plans to launch its $300m initial public offering in the US. While the Glazers press machine blames market volatility but the real reason is weak investor demand at the valuation/share structure demanded by the Glazers.
Its a huge slap in the face for the Glazers who have previously failed with IPO's in Hong Kong and in Singapore after demand for its shares fell short. It had looked to raise as much as $1bn as part of its aborted Singapore float.
The New York IPO was not as large, expected to be around £300m which would have been used to pay down the clubs net debt of £425m.
So what does the Glazers do now, and how does it effect United's summer transfer plans. United have been linked with a £30m bid for Lucas and are said to have offered Arsenal £15m for Robin van Persie. With the expected influx of cash from the IPO now gone, will SAF have to sell players (Nani and Berbatov) before he can buy?
And long-term what does this mean to the Glazers. Singapore, Hong Kong and New York have all said no thanks to their IPO. That only leaves London as a possible financial market, but the problem there is that the Glazers will get a much lower valuation than they would in the other markets.
The other option is for the Glazers to see a part of the team to another party. The sticky point there, much like the failed IPO's, has always been the Glazers valuation of the club.
Without the IPO we are back to United have to spend over £45m in interest payments each year. Money that is not being invested in the team.
Liverpool Lose To Roma 2-1 At Fenway Park
Chelsea Announce The Signing Of Brazilian Wonderkid Oscar
More from Man Utd.
Manchester United Face Liverpool In FA Cup Fourth Round


How much can we believe in information, numbers, and facts coming out of China? Far back on 16 November 2002, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) began in China's Guangdong province, near Hong Kong. Just like this time then also the Chinese government tried to cover up the outbreak of SARS, which rapidly spread to many countries and later declared as a pandemic.
The People's Republic of China notified WHO about this outbreak on 10 February 2003, reporting 305 cases and five deaths. But the truth came out as the outbreak in Guangdong had started in Nov 2002 and there are many more deaths than reported in 2003. However, their notification was false and the true number in Feb 2003 is 806 cases of infection and 34 deaths.
In the time of SARS, the Chinese Government suppressed its press from reporting on the pandemic and initially did not provide information to the world about this virus disease outside Guangdong province in China. They tried to cover the cases from the WHO team that traveled to Beijing, but they do not allow them to visit Guangdong province for several weeks. This resulted in international criticism.
Likewise this time also, they delayed the information about the coronavirus and tried there best to suppress journalists, doctors and everyone who got to know about the coronavirus and related information in 2019. Unfortunately, China does not appear to have learned lessons from the SARS epidemic.
But the question is why WHO defends China when they hide information about any disease. WHO's officials quoted in an interview that January is a season of flu and influenza that is the reason China had not taken it seriously. But the truth is WHO needs to recognize that there are shortcomings in China and because of that China originated many serious epidemics in two decades and which became very much worse because of the non-Transparency of information.
Is it the reason that China which is a nuclear power country is a veto country in UNO or because of their economical and political status does not allow anyone to question why the serious epidemics started from China and why they are not doing anything to stop this kind of diseases to spread in the world. The whole world is suffering because of Coronavirus and doctors are fighting daily in the frontline but the World Health Organization is keeping Mumm on it.
Let see if WHO is going to take some strict measures and actions against China in the future or any other virus is on the way from China which will also become a global health threat.
About the Author: Mahima is a student of Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (4th Semester) in the Centre of Media Studies at the Allahabad University. She is an active writer who write articles on different topics such as current issues and many other matters also.
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7 responses to "China aspires to be the boss of the world"
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Chinese people also now have to suffer from this disease.
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Home Movies Sorry 'Batgirl', Warner Bros. will continue focusing on mainline DC Superheroes.
Sorry 'Batgirl', Warner Bros. will continue focusing on mainline DC Superheroes.
Ankit (aKi)
Image Credits: Warner Bros. and DC
I wonder if DC wants to expand its universe. Aren't we bored of repeated Superman, Batman movies yet? DC has a stronger and much bigger pool of Superheroes than Marvel, but I wonder, what their future goals are, as DC and Warner Bros. in a report said that they want to focus on main superheroes like Batman, Wonder Women, and Superman.
Reason? 'Joss Whedon' exited the Batgirl project this February. Joss who is famous for movies like Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Justice League said "It took me months to realize that I don't have a story for Batgirl"
Warner Bros. after 'Zack Snyder' stepped down, brought in 'Joss Whedon' to direct some parts of the Justice League. It's not clear now if 'Joss' will continue to work with Warner Bros. or DC characters anymore. Thus, Warner Bros. has lost Batgirl's, Joss Whedon.
But it's sad, to witness the latest news from 'The Wrap' that Warner Bros. will now focus on the DC mainline characters while might be, dropping the other projects. Warner Bros. will try to expand the Justice League universe members like 'Batman', 'Superman', 'Aquaman', 'The Flash' and 'Wonder Women' – Emmm possibly the 'Green Lantern' as well. But 'Cyborg' is not mentioned in the news so far.
Warner Bros. will discontinue the focus on spinoff DC characters like 'Batgirl' 'Nightwing' 'Lobo' and 'Deathstroke'. I personally don't think it's the right approach. DC needs spinoff movies to engage bigger and broader audience.
Batgirl and Nightwing. Image Credits: Warner Bros. and DC
Maybe 'DC' fans are only interested in the mainline characters and don't want to see any other DC superheroes. But I believe, DC Fans will appreciate, if Warner Bros. introduces the other characters nicely. But I might be wrong:
So play safe DC it's isn't a right time to introduce new characters to the world, especially when a Marvel's Spinoff character 'Black Panther' movie has done such a great business recently.
I hope Warner Bros. doesn't end up making 50 Superman and 50 Batman movies… What's your view on the same? Let me know in the comments below.
Love DC's Constantine
Ankit Malik (aKi)
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https://www.ankit2world.com
Delhi Blogger with more than 8 Years of Digital Marketing Experience. Hollywood Movies Maniac, Chilled-Beer Lover, Big-time Foodie, Video Gamer, Traveller, a Dreamer who believes in a motto i.e. 'YOLO' You Only Live Once.
Ankit (aKi) - November 25, 2020


Home classical	Stefan Eleferiu releases 'Quantum Gates', blending classical music and rock into an experimental musical journey
classicalRock
Stefan Eleferiu releases 'Quantum Gates', blending classical music and rock into an experimental musical journey
Stefan Eleferiu has defied expectations, not letting anything get in his way to produce the music he loves. Growing up in Communist Russia under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, he was taught that rock and electronic music promoted non-conformity, and that the possession of any music of these genres was dangerous.
Stefan turned to buying vinyls and tape from the black market, refusing to allow a dictatorship to hold back his passion for music. Alongside creating his own illegal synths, Stefan remained undercover throughout his career as a classically trained violinist for the Romanian National Opera, while working tirelessly on the side to bring his electro-rock vision to life.
He created this vision by building his own synthesiser by reverse-engineering the blueprint of a friend's Korg MS-10, allowing him to utilise his technical skills in electronic engineering as well as his skills as a composer to create a DIY sound beyond what anyone in Russia was producing at the time.
Throughout the 80s, Stefan was involved in a range of projects, including scoring his first sci-fi film 'Son of the Stars' in the 1980s. His work has lead up to his latest release 'Quantum Gates', a blend of his personal inspirations consisting of Vangelis, Pink Floyd, Enigma and Kraftwerk. The end result features 10 tracks of musical explosion, pushing the boundaries of electronic music as we know it.
His classical background can be clearly identified in his more modern style, creating a cinematic listening experience that is heightened by his experience in film and tv, allowing him to know how to effectively create an image in the mind of the listener.
Stefan as fulfilled his goal of being accepted as an avant-garde artist, fusing genres and paving the way for other experimental artists hoping to break out of the norm. You can listen to Quantum Gates on Soundcloud below and show some support for this ground-breaking artist on social media to stay up to date on what he'll come out with next.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StefanElefteriuMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stefanelefteriu
Website: https://www.stefansound.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/stefan_sound
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uXquOCFBiGsuy2W5V90hh?si=5OxW-6VnRiSKQqqkDcv6-Q
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rXwyOWkt9kqfD3KZtRWFQ
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Boeing's last 747 jumbo jet leaves factory after 50-year run
Pras Subramanian
·Senior Reporter
After 50 years in the sky, the ubiquitous Boeing (BA) 747 has reached the end of its runway.
At the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, the very last 747 is scheduled to leave its massive hangar destined for air cargo client Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings.
The plane, Boeing's 1,574th jumbo jet, will have its test flight tonight before being painted and delivered early next year.
"It's kind of a sad occasion," said Jon Sutter, the grandson of Boeing aircraft designer Joe Sutter, known as the father of the 747.
EVERETT, WASHINGTON - JUNE 13: A Boeing 747-8 Freighter sits on the assembly line June 13, 2012 at the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Boeing says the plant where 747s are assembled is the largest building (by volume) in the world. It was built originally for the start of 747 production back in 1967, with the jumbo jet's first commercial flight coming in 1970. The massive 747 flew hundreds of passengers comfortably and efficiently across the globe — making long haul international travel more attainable to people around the world. Commercial versions of the 747 could easily transport over 400 passengers, with a range that could reach 8,000 nautical miles.
American actor John Travolta stands in front of the first production 747-400 Extended Range jetliner delivered to Australia's Qantas Airways in Everett, Washington on October 30, 2002. Travolta, who is a commercial pilot qualified to fly numerous aircraft including the 747 jetliner, is Qantas' goodwill ambassador. He recently completed a 41,632-mile world tour flying his personally owned 707 jetliner. REUTERS/Anthony P. Bolante APB
The current 747, known as the 747-8, was announced back in November, 2005, with the first cargo version delivered in August, 2011. The passenger versions of the 747 were retired from commercial fleets years ago, while the cargo version of the plane continues to fly.
With the 747 bowing out, Boeing's only other wide-body jets are the 787 Dreamliner and the 777, the world's largest twin-jet plane. However, the next-gen version of the 777, dubbed the 777X, has been delayed multiple times, with Boeing now stating first deliveries will begin in 2025, following FAA certification. The 777X can hold 426 passengers, with a range of over 7,285 nautical miles.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.


Venous endothelial injury in central nervous system diseases
Alexander J
Prouty L
Tsunoda I
BMC Medicine (2013) 11(1)
32Readers
This article is free to access.
The role of the venous system in the pathogenesis of inflammatory neurological/neurodegenerative diseases remains largely unknown and underinvestigated. Aside from cerebral venous infarcts, thromboembolic events, and cerebrovascular bleeding, several inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and optic neuritis, appear to be associated with venous vascular dysfunction, and the neuropathologic hallmark of these diseases is a perivenous, rather than arterial, lesion. Such findings raise fundamental questions about the nature of these diseases, such as the reasons why their pathognomonic lesions do not develop around the arteries and what exactly are the roles of cerebral venous inflammation in their pathogenesis. Apart from this inflammatory-based view, a new hypothesis with more focus on the hemodynamic features of the cerebral and extracerebral venous system suggests that MS pathophysiology might be associated with the venous system that drains the CNS. Such a hypothesis, if proven correct, opens new therapeutic windows in MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology of MS, ADEM, pseudotumor cerebri, and optic neuritis, with an emphasis on the roles of venous vascular system programming and dysfunction in their pathogenesis. We consider the fundamental differences between arterial and venous endothelium, their dissimilar responses to inflammation, and the potential theoretical contributions of venous insufficiency in the pathogenesis of neurovascular diseases. © 2013 Alexander et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Venous
Alexander, J. S., Prouty, L., Tsunoda, I., Ganta, C. V., & Minagar, A. (2013). Venous endothelial injury in central nervous system diseases. BMC Medicine, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-11-219


First SecondSpinning and On a Sunbeam – Comics Worth Reading
Spinning and On a Sunbeam – Comics Worth Reading
By Johanna
Two Tillie Walden books have been holding down the edge of my to-do stack table for years now. And they work well in that function, as Spinning (2017) is just under 400 pages, and On a Sunbeam (2018) is over 540! These are bricks of books, is what I'm saying.
Walden does gorgeous art, spare and thought-provoking and expressive, in a variety of genres. Spinning is an autobiography, the story of her time as a teenage figure skating competitor and when she started making her own decisions, including falling in love with another girl and leaving the sport behind.
There are a variety of layouts, based around squares and rectangles in different page thirds and quarters. Most are against plain white, for the ice, or black, for the early morning darkness of getting up for practice, with daisy yellow for highlights.
After two chapters, 72 pages, we know that she likes skating but dislikes competition and the other girls, and she's moved to Texas, where she has to start again. If her goal was to convey the boredom she feels to the reader, she was successful, as I found the book a chore to get through. So much of it is repetitive, and surprising for a graphic memoir, I didn't have a strong sense of what she really felt. Key moments or explanations — such as an uncaring mother and her resulting search for a parental figure — the reader will need to guess at or will only realize at the end.
It felt to me like a story that benefited the artist more in capturing it than the reader in pushing through it. Walden says in the end note "I'm the type of creator who is happy making a book without all the answers." Which is her choice. I'm the type of reader who would rather an author have a perspective and a point of view. She wants one who will "decide, speculate, guess". (I find that rude when it comes to someone else's life.) Perhaps she wants to tell her story without really letting us in — that would be in keeping with the version of her she shows us. Perhaps this is another example of someone young making a memoir too soon. Obviously, this isn't a popular opinion, as the book won an Eisner for her at the age of 22.
I can't tell you what On a Sunbeam is about, because I gave up a hundred pages in. The pull quotes call it "a slow-burn romance and a found-family space opera", which sounds intriguing, but the alternating chapters and time jumps, conveying two separate stories, hadn't come together for me by that point, so I quit. (When I found out it was originally a webcomic, that made sense.)
It's not all about the numbers, but the longer a book gets, the more time and attention it demands from a reader, the more worthwhile it should be. I'd rather read shorter, more coherent narratives. That's my taste. It is, however, true, that editing in comics is difficult. Many times, creators put a lot of time and energy into work before a publisher commits, and then the cost of asking for rework increases greatly, as redoing pages takes more time when they're drawn, not just written. Given how little many publishers pay, there isn't a lot of incentive for creators to do a huge amount of rework.
I wrote this piece, by the way, not to slam a young creator who clearly has a following, but so people could tell me what I was missing and where I was wrong about her work. (I'm pretty sure the publisher provided these as review copies.)
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Tales From The Road
Yesterday And Today
Other Expressions
All the Bells and Whistles
Zen of Recording
Bluegrass Corner
Recordially, Lou Curtiss
Raider of the Lost Arts
Ask Charlie…
Plot Points: Updates from San Diego's Film Community
Music and the Law
Out of My Head
Hosing Down
Sonic Universse
The Starving Musicians
San Diego Troubadour
Sam Chatmon: San Diego's Own Bluesman Talks with Lou Curtiss
Jacob Najor: Drummer With All the Right Grooves
Holly Hofmann's Jazz Heroics
GRAMPADREW: Existential-CowPunk-Flim Flam Man
Ron Houston: A Long Road Home
Ted Stern: Chasing the Allure of Universal Magic
Jeff Beck: A Tribute
Marcus Petronius Bashore: The Best Seat in the House
Pacific Wave: A Surfin' Safari
The Winter Dance Party 1959: The Night the Music Lived
Back with a Bang! Java Joe's Reunion at San Diego Folk Heritage
Arlo Guthrie and Richie Furay Release New Songs of Pandemic and Patriotism
John Prine: An Appreciation
Remembering a Gentle Soul: David Olney
Ray Bonneville Brings His Musical Masala to San Diego
Dar Williams' Journey Through a Thousand Towns
Examining Bob Dylan's Love Sick Blues
John Densmore: An Invitation to Dance on Fire
A Father's Day Story: The Courtship of Harry Nilsson's Son, Zak
Jazz 88 Keeps Pumping Out the Tunes: Station persists despite numerous challenges over the years, including Coronavirus
Me and Ronnie Earl
San Diego Is (Almost) Famous Again: Cameron Crowe Brings his Movie to the Old Globe Stage
The End of the Line for Mad, the Magazine That Was Satirical, Silly, and Serious
THE HOSPICE BUBBLE and Other Devastating Affirmations: Poems by Lizzie Wann
You'll Get Pie in the Sky When You Die
LENNY BRUCE: Word Blower Supremo (and the brother that you never had)
The Kazoo: Not Just an Annoying Party Favor
Words and Music: The Singing Trees at UCSD
Everything You Didn't Know About Whistles!
Celebrating the Stylophone
The Central Library Concert Series
Limiter: Mastering the Mix Raises the Roof
Jeffrey Joe Morin's Songs for Ginny
Big Quiet Steps: Presonus Moves Studio One into New Directions with Version 6
Critical Ear Theory
A Bluegrass New Year!
Bluegrass and the Holiday Season
How to Participate and Enjoy Bluegrass Jamming
Summergrass
Fiddle Contests
The Best Damn Blues Singer in Memphis!
Jody Reynolds and the Storms
How to Produce a Wild Street Fair
Before Tomcat Came to Town
The Live Album
Upward Social Mobility
FUGAZI
Gain, Volume, Loudness
Do You Really Need All of That?
¿Por qué no los dos?
Things I Don't Do…
The Beatles' Covers Chart Top 100 (1963 -2023)
FYI/November Edition
Gone in 48 Hours
Music and the Law: Band Member Agreements
How to Get Your Music Placed in a Film or Television Show
How Much Does an Artist Get Paid per Stream?
Music in Sports: An Interview with California Sports Lawyer Jeremy Evans
The Role of a Record Label
Everything's Riding on This
CALAMITY: Live at Satellite
MIKE POPE: Songs for People (High & Low)
JEFF BERKLEY & THE BANNED: I Can Reach the Stars
JOHN PRIMER: Hard Times
DAVE PRESTON: Alligator Shoes
Lady Brain Presents "Home is Where the Art is" Holiday Party and Clothing Drive
How Did You Get Here?
Aging Rockers and Fixed Incomes
Doors of Change: An Environment of Trust
Notes from Desert Trip
The Value of Things
The Final Cut
Nifty Nasties
Paul and Me (and Ocean Beach)
A Child's Garden of Vinyl
This Is No Parasite
A Look Back at the Year That Wasn't
Viva Troubadour!
I'll Be Doggone
Nothing Spells Success Like Failure
Let's Face It
Notes on On the Beach by Neil Young
Beehives and Hand Claps: The Enduring Quality of Girl Groups
Wow by Moby Grape
Odyssey & Oracle in Wax (or how I found my groove)
School Girl Crush
The Mothers of God
A Light in the Dark
The Open Heart
Art and Memory
The Starving Musicians: Where to Eat in this Town
Where to Eat in This Town
Sam Chatmon: San Diego's Own Bluesman Talks with Lou Curtiss by Lou CurtissMay 2011
Examining Bob Dylan's Love Sick Blues by Ted BurkeMay 2011
John Densmore: An Invitation to Dance on Fire by Terry RolandMay 2011
A Father's Day Story: The Courtship of Harry Nilsson's Son, Zak by Terry Paul RolandMay 2011
Jazz 88 Keeps Pumping Out the Tunes: Station persists despite numerous challenges over the years, including Coronavirus by Michael J. Williams and Jim TrageserMay 2011
Me and Ronnie Earl by Eric LiebermanMay 2011
Lawrence Ferlinghetti: America's Poet by Ted BurkeMay 2011
Q & A with Gabe Lapano: After the Rain and Beyond by Andy RasmussenMay 2011
Remembering Sam Hinton by Paul HomiczMay 2011
Band of Brothers: The Liggins Brothers by Bart MendozaMay 2011
by Lou CurtissMay 2011
Sam Chatmon was one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever known. During the years he spent in San Diego (1966-1982, where he became an important part of the blues scene), I had a lot of chances to sit and talk with him. This excerpt is taken from one of those conversations.
I was born in 1899 at a little place between Jackson and Vicksburg, Mississippi, called Bolden, at a man's place called John Gaddess. There were so many of us in the family then. My Daddy [Henderson Chatmon] had had three wives and my mother had the least [amount of] children of any of them, which was 13. Daddy said he had 60 children with the three wives, but that ain't counting Charlie Patton and all of them on the outside. Papa died in 1934 when he was 109 years old. My grandmother lived to be 125. She said she'd come from the place where they'd caught the slaves on the Niger river. She said, "They's put molasses out and catch them and herd them into a boat." My Daddy was a fiddler in the slavery time too and when we kids messed off he'd tell us about how it was in them days. I remember once going out and playing music at night, and the next morning my brother Bert asked me how much I had made. I complained that I didn't make nothing but a dollar and a half. Daddy'd yell out, "Well you ought to be happy; I had to play every night and didn't get nothing but a whipping."
They used to have long troughs just like you'd have to feed hogs out of and would give you cornbread with as much rat fertilizer in the meal as there was corn. They'd put that old black bread in those troughs for the little children and make them eat out of there just like the hogs. They'd grease their mouths every Sunday with a meat skin on a string. My Daddy would always linger behind and try to get that meat skin, because it would be the only meat he could ever get. Every morning before they left the house, they'd have to come up to the master with a strap and let her whup them. Then she'd say, "You all be good little children. Go ahead now and get your breakfast." And they'd line up at the trough.
My Father would play music with old Milton Bracy, just two fiddles and no other instruments. He didn't play no music like we played, but just those old breakdowns: "Old Grey Mule," "Chickens in the Breadpan Kickin' Up Dough," "Hen Laid the Eggs," and all them things.
Can't get the saddle on the old grey mule
Whoa! Whoa!
He had whiskers down to his waist and sometimes he'd have to tie them to the side with a cord to hold them off the fiddle. He didn't play too much by the time I was around but if my brother Lonnie wanted Daddy to play, he'd just start fiddling one of his old tunes. Then Daddy would say, "Boy, that ain't no way to play it, bring that violin here and let me show you how." Those old square dance tunes took a bow arm to play, but these blues and things takes a pull. Lonnie had learned to play the fiddle by reading the music. He was the only brother that could read. When the white folks wanted us to play something, they'd buy the sheet music in Jackson and give it to us. Then Lonnie would tell us all our parts and it was like we'd known it all our lives.
Music was just a giving thing in our family. I got it from watching my brothers. It's just like driving a car. You sit next to somebody and watch what they do and you can do the same thing with a little practice. If you ain't got nerve to try it you can still make a little stab. My brother's and sisters all played; my Daddy and Mama too. My cousins the McCoys [Joe and Charlie] and the McCollums [Robert, who later became Robert Nighthawk] all played too. We all played so many pieces, I could be here several hours just listing them for you. I wrote the words and Lonnie wrote the music for several of our best known tunes like "Ants in My Pants," "Sittin' on Top of the World," "Stop and Listen," "Corrina Corrina," and "Pencil Won't Write No More." We also did all the old blues and written songs from the sheet music like "Alberta," "Sheiks of Arabee," and "Sleepytime Down South." I started playing guitar when I was four years old. Even before I started to play I remember my older half brother Ferdinand [who made records under the name Alec Johnson] and Charlie Patton singing about the first blues I ever heard, something about "going down to the river" and "if the blues don't leave me I'll rock away and drown." The first tune I learned to pick was "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor." Me and Lonnie put that out later as "If You Don't Want Me, You Don't Have to Dog Me Around" and folks thought it was a new tune that I'd got out. I'd sing a verse and then holler, "Oh, step on it," and Lonnie would get out on that fiddle.
When I was seven, I started playing bass viol with my brother Lonnie — bull fiddle they called it then. I had to carry a box along so I could reach it. I didn't see no banjos until I was 18 in Memphis. I picked up the tenor banjo then tuned it like the first four strings of a guitar. All of us nine brothers played together. Lonnie and Edgar played the violins; Harry played guitar, piano, or violin; Willie and Bert played the guitar; Bo played guitar, banjo, and sometimes violin; and brother Laurie played the drums. I usually played the bass and sometimes guitar. Our cousin Charlie McCoy often joined us on the mandolin and sometimes his brother Joe came along too. Neighbor Walter Vincent joined us in 1921. We usually called ourselves the Mississippi Sheiks but sometimes in different groupings we were Chatmon's Mississippi Hot Footers" and often just Lonnie and I would go out [sometimes joined by Charlie McCoy] as the Mississippi Mud Steppers.
We used to play in the white folks' houses or halls. Sometimes we'd play for a white man at a dance for three hours at six dollars per musician and then work 15 hours in the field for the same man for 50 cents the next day. When we put on a dance for our own people, we'd rent the hall for two dollars and charge them two bits at the door to get in. But mostly we'd work the white folks' dances.
The only other band around was the Carter Brothers and Henry Reed. Lonnie sometimes played with them because he didn't like to farm. The rest of us brothers planted a crop every year and when we were working out crops, Lonnie'd go over to Raymond and play with the Carter Brothers. I don't know any other bands around there then and we were the main band people would call.
We used to play all the time at Cooper's Wells and at Brown's Wells where the healing waters were. That's right near the county seat of Hiche County. Even after I moved to Hollendale in 1928, I'd leave off all the time to play for those people. They usually didn't have much more than 35 couples there; that'd be about all you'd have. Sometimes we'd play for square dances too. In fact, the last dance we did was a square dance [shortly before Lonnie and Harry died]. It was at a hall built over the back of the Sunflower River below Hollendale. They were passing around whiskey in molasses buckets there. We never called the dances; a white man in a long dress coat and a fancy cane would do that. I always liked the blues, foxtrots, and one-steps the best, because on a square dance you'd never get a chance to change chords. Sometimes those tunes would last for a whole hour and just when you thought it was over, someone would call, "Promenade to the bar treat all the women folks to a drink," and then we'd have to start back again.
In 1928, we went to Atlanta and recorded for a fellow named Brock. He's come out to our place and found us there and asked me, Lonnie, Bo, and Walter to go. He didn't want no bass fiddle so I played guitar. Thats where we first used the name the Mississippi Sheiks as we were all from Bolden, Mississippi. They gave me 20 dollars and Lonnie, Bo, and Walter 30 dollars each and no royalties. That's the time we put out "Stop and Listen" and "Sittin' on Top of the World." Bo changed his name to Carter so he could record separate from us. This guy Brock had him under contract. Later on my brothers Lonnie and Harry did the same so they could record separate too. Walter Vincent became Walter Jacob for the same reason. I never changed my name for any reason except at birth. I was named "Vivian" and I changed it to "Sam" because that was a girl's name and I didn't want to be named after no woman.
The next time I recorded was in Jackson and that was the time all of us brothers were there: Bo, Lonnie, Harry, Seth, Edgar, Willie, myself, and Walter Vincent, Charlie and Joe McCoy were there with Memphis Minnie. I did some duets with Bo and also a couple with Charlie McCoy [Charlie and I had been playing out as a duet in that time]. I didn't go to a session again until 1936 when Lonnie and I recorded as the Chatmon Brothers for Bluebird. After that I was going to record for a man by the name of Williams in Chicago but he tried to beat me out of some money and blackmail me because I didn't belong to the union. So I told him, "I ain't got nothing to do with you."
In the year of 1937 I lost three brothers (including Lonnie and Harry) and two sisters and after that our band didn't play together. Also my picking partner Charlie McCoy moved on to Chicago to join his brother's band (the Harlem Hamfats). I took up picking some with Eugene Powell (AKA Sonny Boy Nelson) but I never did any more recording. I kept farming til 1950. I rented that land and worked it 'til I quit with my own team and all. Then I went to work as a night watchman and bought me a house and a half acre. I didn't play much music until 1965 when Ken Swerilas [a San Diego record collector] came by and talked me into coming out to California to play.
Starting in 1966 Sam started coming regularly out to the West Coast, where he became part of the regular lineup at THE SAN DIEGO STATE FOLK FESTIVAL in 1969. He remained a part of that festival until 1982. During that time Sam made new recordings for Blue Goose, Rounder (which I had the honor of co-producing) and Flying Fish (he also recorded sides that appeared on collections from Advent and Arhoolie and there was an LP on an Italian label recorded by a couple of Italian collectors in his hometown of Hollendale). Shortly before his passing Sam took part in a series done by Alan Lomax called "Confessions of the Noble Old" for PBS television. He died in 1982.
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Utah Appellate Highlights, Utah Supreme Court, February 2018
Case summaries for Appellate Highlights are authored by members of Snow Christensen & Martineau's Appellate Practice Group. For more information, visit our Appellate Highlights page.
A.S. v. R.S.,
2017 UT 77 (Nov. 14, 2017)
The Utah Supreme Court dismissed this appeal for lack of appellate jurisdiction. The timeliness of the notice of appeal hinged on the timeliness of a Rule 59 motion for new trial, which appellant relied on to toll the time for appeal. Appellant had filed his memorandum in support just before midnight on the deadline to do so, but the motion was not filed until just after midnight the following day. Utah's electronic filing system and its guidelines establish that the filing date and time is when a filing is received and posted in the electronic system, even if there are technical difficulties that created a delay from the actual filing. The court held that the motion filed shortly after midnight was untimely, even though the memorandum was filed before midnight. The memorandum did not constitute a "motion"; and Rule 6(b)(2) prohibited the district court from extending the time for father to file his Rule 59 motion.
Porenta v. Porenta,
In the midst of divorce proceedings, Husband transferred the couple's marital home to his mother, intending to void Wife's claim to the home. Before the divorce was finalized, Husband died. At trial, the court held that the transfer was fraudulent, and awarded the home to Wife. Mother appealed, arguing there was no ongoing debtor-creditor relationship as required under the Utah Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA) as this relationship was extinguished upon Husband's death. Affirming the trial court's holding, the Utah Supreme Court held that although the UFTA does require an ongoing debtor-creditor relationship, the death of a spouse during a divorce proceeding does not abate the action in regards to property rights that have been determined by the court, and therefore the debtor-creditor relationship was not extinguished upon Husband's death, and the claim survived against Husband's estate.
In re R.G.,
Two juvenile defendants accused of aggravated sexual assault appealed the denial of a motion to suppress post-Miranda statements to detective. The supreme court held that the juveniles knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waived their Miranda rights, given the totality of the circumstances, even though parents were not present during the interview. In a footnote, the court observed that best practices might include videotaping the interview, notifying parents, inviting a parent to be present, and taking additional steps to ensure that the juvenile understood the import of the Miranda warning.
State v. Rettig,
Under the Plea Withdrawal Statute, a defendant must move to withdraw his or her guilty plea prior to sentencing or pursue relief under the Post-Conviction Remedies Act. In this case, the defendant argued that the Plea Withdrawal Statute infringed upon his right to appeal a criminal case under the Utah Constitution. The supreme court held that the Plea Withdrawal Statute does not unconstitutionally foreclose a defendant's right to appeal, because it merely set out procedural requirements for preserving a direct appeal of a motion to withdraw a guilty plea.
Bylsma v. R.C. Willey,
2017 UT 85 (Dec. 1, 2017)
In this product liability case, the supreme court rejected the "passive retailer" immunity doctrine of Sanns v. Butterfield Ford, 2004 UT App 203, 94 P.3d 301, as a misreading of the Liability Reform Act. It held that, because the Act preserves the doctrine of strict liability, all parties in the product's chain of distribution remain strictly liable for sale of a dangerously defective product. To prevent total fault from exceeding 100%, the court held that fault should be allocated on the basis of duty. Since all strictly liable parties have breached the same duty, they should be treated as a single unit for purposes of fault apportionment. The passive retailer then has an implied indemnity claim against the manufacturer for any amount it might be required to pay under the strict liability claim.
Waite v. Labor Comm'n,
The Utah Worker's Compensation Act has a provision that limits the time an injured worker has to prove a claim to twelve years from the date of the accident. Petitioners, two workers who sought permanent disability benefits more than twelve years after the accident leading to their injury, argued that the provision was an unconstitutional statute of repose under the Open Courts Clause of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court agreed that the statute acted as a statute of repose, as it was capable of cutting off a claimant's right to assert a claim. However, the statute of repose was not unconstitutional because the statute was enacted for the valid legislative purpose of ending prolonged liability for insurance companies and employers, and the twelve-year cut-off was not arbitrary or unreasonable.
Neese v. Utah Bd. of Pardons & Parole,
2017 UT 89 (Dec. 14, 2017)
The defendant filed a petition for extraordinary relief arguing that the parole board violated his due process rights by classifying him as a sex offender and requiring that he complete sex offender treatment as a condition of his parole. The supreme court held that before it can take the refusal of an inmate to participate in sex offender treatment into consideration in deciding whether to grant parole, the parole board must provide timely written notice of the allegations, the opportunity to call witnesses, and a written decision explaining the basis for the determination.
SMS Financial v. CCB, LLC,
In this case, the Utah Supreme Court held the doctrine of equitable conversion protects a buyer's interests in land when a land sale contract becomes capable of specific enforcement by the buyer, including where buyer-friendly conditions have yet to be satisfied.


The former "Cosby Show" star was snapped by a shopper working behind the counter of a Trader Joe's in New Jersey.
(SWNS/NBC via Getty Images)
"Cosby Show" alum Geoffrey Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux, the young doctor who married into the Cosby family on the famous sitcom, was photographed working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey.
The actor, who was on the sitcom from 1985 to 1992, was spotted by a local shopper at the Clifton, N.J. store, standing behind one of the checkout counters and wearing a Trader Joe's staff shirt with a name tag that read, "Geoffrey."
The shopper who spotted the actor told the Daily Mail that she was grocery shopping with her wife, the store's security manager, around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening when she recognized Owens and took some photos.
"I was just in Trader Joe's and I said to my wife, I said, 'Wait a minute, that's the guy from The Cosby Show,'" Karma Lawrence told the outlet.
She continued, "She looked at him and said, 'It looks like him. He's a little heavier.'"
Convinced it was the actor, Lawrence proceeded to look up photos of the actor online.
"I pulled up a site on the internet to look at a picture of him and said, "'That is him,'" she confirmed. "I have never seen him at Trader Joe's before. I was getting a bunch of groceries and he wasn't really looking at anybody, but he said, 'Have a nice day.'"
Pictured: (l-r) Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux, Geoffrey Owens as Elvin Tibideaux.
(NBC via Getty Images)
The 57-year-old actor played Sondra Huxtable's doctor husband on the final five seasons of the hit sitcom.
Owens continued to act and appeared in guest spots on TV shows such as "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "That's So Raven" and most recently starred in an episode of "Lucifer" in 2017.
"The Cosby Show" ran for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. The show's main character, Cliff Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby, was convicted of sex assault in April after previously being accused of sexual abuse by more than 60 women.
"It was a shock to see him working there and looking the way he did. It made me feel really bad. I was like, 'Wow, all those years of doing the show and you ended up as a cashier," Lawrence said of seeing Owens at the Trader Joe's store. "Other fans would be surprised for sure as well."
source : FOX NEWS
'Cosby Show' actor Geoffrey Owens spotted bagging groceries at NJ Trader Joe's
The former "Cosby Show" star was snapped by a shopper working behind the counter of a Trader Joe's in New Jersey…
www.huffingpost.ga


Rush to get Jock Palfreeman home from Bulgaria amid fears courts may send him back to jail
News Rush to get Jock Palfreeman home from Bulgaria amid fears courts may send him back to jail
10:00pm, Oct 17, 2019 Updated: 12:15am, Oct 18
Jock Palfreeman was convicted of murder and attempted murder in 2009 and sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Photo: Dobrin Kashavelov
The federal government has urged Bulgaria to let convicted murderer Jock Palfreeman return to Australia, amid fears "political interference" could pressure courts to order the Sydney man back to jail.
Mr Palfreeman was freed on parole last month after more than a decade inside a Bulgarian jail for killing a university student the 32-year-old Sydneysider maintains had been the violent aggressor in a fight.
But a day later, instead of enjoying the new-found freedom, Mr Palfreeman was transferred to immigration detention.
Jock Palfreeman didn't have a passport when he was released, but an emergency document was organised. Photo: Facebook
In an unprecedented step, the country's prosecutor-general had lodged an application to have the case against Mr Palfreeman reopened.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was concerned "a range of non-legal considerations" were at play in the case.
"While the parole decision itself cannot be appealed, the prosecutor general is questioning technicalities about the handling of the case," Senator Payne told Parliament.
"We understand that this is outside Bulgaria's normal legal process and we would be concerned if non-legal issues were seen to have an influence."
The senator is not alone in worrying if decisions about the Australian man's fate may not be just about justice.
Since his arrest at age 21, Mr Palfreeman, his family and supporters (among them human rights advocates) have suspected interference from powerful political influencers.
Mr Palfreeman told ABC on Thursday he believed it was possible he would be set up and imprisoned again, adding he felt "anything" could happen in Bulgaria's legal system.
"They would put drugs in my room. They would get a false witness against me. They would set me up to try to get me another sentence and to put me back into maximum security," he told the ABC.
The murder case
Mr Palfreeman was convicted of after premeditated murder after Bulgarian law student Andrei Monov was fatally stabbed in the early hours of December 28, 2007.
Mr Monov, 20, was stabbed once in the chest, while 19-year-old Antoan Zahariev received a slash wound to the body.
The prosecution insisted Mr Palfreeman had been out to kill, and – along with the victim's family – wanted the court to impose a life sentence.
Jock Palfreeman in his prison cell, which he managed to fill with books. Photo: ABC
Mr Palfreeman's version of events
Since his arrest over the 2007 death, Mr Palfreeman has maintained the stabbing had occurred as he rushed to defend a group of Roma people being attacked on the street.
He was out with friends in the city of Sofia, and had been carrying a pocket knife.
He claims he went to defend a Roma man, knowing that Roma (Gypsy) people had been targeted in violent attacks.
"A couple of months before my fight … there were a couple of murders whereby neo-Nazis had beaten Roma to death," he told the ABC on Thursday.
"And so on that night in December 2007, I clearly understood what the situation was and I wasn't going to allow a murder to happen in front of me … I wasn't going to allow these guys to beat this guy to death."
The defence also criticised the police for failing to secure the crime scene, get CCTV footage or call all the important witnesses to give evidence.
The mystery CCTV footage
In September this year, security vision was released of the night of the stabbing.
It had never been shown at the trial.
The footage appears to show Mr Palfreeman run to the aid of a man being attacked.
Mr Palfreeman's lawyer Kalin Angelov said it was clear the CCTV backed up the version of events that Mr Palfreeman was acting in self-defence and in defence of another person.
Krassimir Kanev, the president of human rights organisation Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, said it was clear "courts failed to analyse properly the situation of self-defence".
"Whether it was legitimate or excessive self-defence should have been in the centre of the court's analysis … For sure, it was not an intentional killing deserving a 20-year prison sentence," Mr Kanev told ABC.
The theory about political interference has been strengthened by the fact the stabbing victim's father was at the time a powerful politician.
Following the parole verdict, Hristo Monov – a former Bulgarian Socialist Party MP – called for the judge who presided over the appeal to be sacked.
He blasted the judges for their decision. He has been outspoken in his grief and criticism of Mr Palfreeman, who he has previously labelled a "sociopath".
"They (judges) will carry a moral disgrace on their own," Mr Monov told local radio station Darik Radio.
"The biggest problem in this country is the judicial system, and that's not the prosecution, but the court."
In response to the politicians' outrage, Bulgaria's judges union said politicians needed to respect the separation of powers.
"Instead the Bulgarian judge receives a clear and categorical sign that if they don't rule in accordance with the public opinion and wills of the political parties and their specific political leaders, they are going to be abused, vilified, physically persecuted and maltreated," the union wrote.
Boris Johnson proclaims 'great' Brexit deal, but DUP dampens prospects of success


Tom Stevenson, Julius Caesar and the Transformation of the Roman Republic. London; New York: Routledge, 2015. Pp. x, 212. ISBN 9781138808218. $44.95 (pb).
Reviewed by Jason P. Wickham (wickham04@outlook.com)
On an already well-trodden topic,1 Julius Caesar and the Transformation of the Roman Republic is an excellent beginner's biography of Caesar. By balancing the important socio-political developments of the first century BCE with a biography of Caesar, Stevenson guides the reader through a pivotal period in Roman history. With a strong focus on Caesar's political career, Stevenson's monograph is a welcome contribution to the core reading of any course concerning Caesar or the end of the Roman Republic. More informed readers will critically engage with the main thesis of the book, which argues that Caesar never actively sought kingship in order to supplant the conservative oligarchy.
The book is easy to navigate, with excellent use of sub-headings, concluding sections after each chapter with recommendation lists for further reading, and a clear linear progression that makes for easy browsing. The bibliography is more than adequate for undergraduates and general readers, who are also assisted by a list of ancient writers with recommended translations. Students will certainly appreciate the familiar textbook style, and the aforementioned further reading sections at the end of each chapter may prove useful as a literature review for those preparing lectures or courses on Caesar.
The first two chapters introduce Caesar as an historical figure and explain the social, economic and political landscape of Rome at the dawn of the first century BCE. Stevenson points out that ancient writers tended to view Caesar from one of two extremes: either as an extraordinary man who eliminated a corrupt faction in the senate opposed to popular measures or as a selfish man obsessed with sole power (p. 9). Many historians of the nineteenth and early twentieth century portrayed Caesar in a positive and heroic manner. Mommsen for example portrayed Caesar as a visionary who saw a need for a monarchy to overthrow a corrupt oligarchy; it is well known that this portrayal owed much to Mommsen's personal disdain for the Prussian Junkers, whom he equated with the Roman optimates.2 Stevenson finds fault with such approaches, which tend to judge Caesar's character in terms of the political situation of a scholar's own era. Instead, Stevenson chooses to analyse Caesar's life within the context of his time, focussing on the contemporary concepts used to describe him and to explain his political rise (e.g. through concepts of dignitas and clementia (pp.13-14).
Chapters three to five encapsulate the life of Caesar up to his first consulship in 59 BCE. In discussing the early life of Caesar, Stevenson gives a general overview of the typical experience of a young Roman noble in the late Republic: his education, military service and early steps within the cursus honorum. Stevenson points out that Caesar's conduct in politics in his early years suggests that he was not in a strong position to believe that he could later challenge for higher ranks in politics (p. 42). His becoming flamen Dialis would have effectively secured his position for life, though as a flamen he would have been unable to embark on a military career, and therefore unable to hold magistracies. Inevitably, Sulla prevented Caesar from becoming flamen Dialis, and he took up military service in Asia in 81 BCE. Caesar's career during the next decade is described by Stevenson as "…regular, though decidedly energetic" (p. 60). What is remarkable about Caesar's attempt to run for the flaminate, and later his successful election as pontifex maximus, is that there is little evidence to indicate Caesar was, by modern standards, religious. Here Stevenson does well to acquaint the reader with the pervasive nature of religion in Roman society, and to counsel against drawing anachronistic distinctions between religion and politics, hence questioning Caesar's devoutness.
Chapters six to eight cover Caesar's years in Gaul (58-50 BCE). Stevenson emphasises the personal ambition of Caesar during these years to surpass the dignitas of Pompey as the first man in Rome through military gloria. As a general Caesar was decisive and bold; as a leader he was charismatic and energetic. Stevenson regards him as an orthodox strategist and argues that much of his success must be attributed to the professionalism and fighting qualities of the legionaries under his command.
By 56 BCE the relationship between Pompey and Crassus had broken down, but through personal meetings with the other triumvirs Caesar managed to convince them to renew their alliance. Stevenson points out that, in his negotiations with Pompey and Crassus for equal shares in power, Caesar demonstrated that at least at that point he did not have designs for political supremacy (p. 92). At this point any biography of Caesar intended for a general audience must venture away from the man himself, in order to explain the rapidly changing political scene in Rome which would inevitably spoil the cooperation between Caesar and Pompey. Here Stevenson balances well the activities of Caesar abroad with the turmoil in Rome, and readers are informed of the looming conflict and the opposing perspectives of Caesar, Pompey, and the optimates.
Stevenson details the military strategy of Caesar during the Civil War in greater detail than in the Gallic wars,perhaps because it is during the Civil War that Caesar best demonstrated both his brilliance and his recklessness. Plutarch recalled that Pompey's caution was later criticised by Caesar himself, and many of Pompey's colleagues grew tired of his strategy of attrition and forced him to commit to battle, a battle they ultimately lost.3 However, Stevenson defends Pompey's strategy, noting "yet so far Pompey had not put a foot wrong with inexperienced forces" (p. 128). Stevenson cautions readers against viewing Pompey as indecisive and over-rated and Caesar as decisive and invincible. The situation on the ground was far more precarious than such an assessment suggests, and fortuna had a lot to do with the eventual outcome. As was the case in Gaul, Caesar's veteran legions proved a deciding factor in his success at Pharsalus and again at Alexandria and at Thapsus.
Stevenson argues that Caesar's policy of clementia contrasts with any interpretation that he sought to remove the corrupt nobility (pp. 157-60), and suggests that it was perhaps a decision of expedience given his earlier portrayal as a defender of the libertas of the Roman people against an obstinate oligarchy.4 Though clementia was, in part, intended by Caesar to distance himself from the dictatorship of Sulla, it undermined his intended position as a democratic ruler. According to Stevenson, his extension of clemency to fellow senators was viewed by many nobles as exercising tyrannical power. Unlike Sulla, Caesar did not retire from his autocratic position. Dictator perpetuo, and with it a permanent autocracy "meant the suppression of noble competition and popular determination. This was the end of libertas, and it was this fact, rather than any specific political or religious affront, which fuelled the conspiracy [to assassinate Caesar]" (p.160).
In the final chapter Stevenson asserts his case that Caesar did not seek kingship. He argues that Caesar operated within the confines of the political system of his day, seeking at first to climb the cursus honorum by conventional means and then to surpass all his contemporaries in dignitas. His goal was by no means different from that of other aspiring Roman nobles; however, such were the stakes in surpassing Pompeius Magnus that he became a de facto autocrat. Any notion that Caesar gained his position in order to reform politics is dispelled by his ad hoc and limited reforms. Stevenson ends by posing a philosophical question regarding the role of individuals in shaping history. Here, in agreement with Badian, he opposes Meier's view that Caesar must be held accountable for precipitating the events that led to the destruction of the Republic.5
The intended audience for the book has clearly limited Stevenson's case in refuting Caesar's desire for monarchy. It is easy to argue against any grand scheme for monarchical rule during Caesar's early career. Yet, in the last years of his life, when Caesar gained unparalleled honours and did little to deny them, it is far more difficult to argue against his desire for such powers. It is true that he shrugged off the title of Rex and symbolically refused the diadem,6 but he was denying the title and guise of a monarch only: as Stevenson states, he held monarchic power in all but name (p. 170). An argument in favour of Caesar's desire for monarchical powers is strongest in the few years leading up to his death, but it is precisely here that Stevenson no longer examines Caesar's possible motives, apart from his attempts to avert being overtly portrayed as a king.7 Surprisingly little evidence is examined outside literary sources. Stevenson notes that Caesar began funding the building of the Forum Iulium through proceeds from his Gallic campaign, but very little is said of the impact that such a large scale project would have on Caesar's image in Rome, nor what political statements may have been implied in its construction. Those who are aware of Caesar's building programme and iconography as dictator may feel their scepticism insufficiently addressed in Stevenson's analysis of Caesar's ambition.
Julius Caesar and the Transformation of the Roman Republic is excellently pitched for undergraduates and general readers; it is clearly presented, well mapped, and maintains a clear and consistent thesis – a further lesson for students to emulate. Stevenson gives a brief but useful introduction to the Roman world of the first century and a balanced overview of Caesar's life within the socio-political landscape of his day. More knowledgeable readers may feel that Stevenson's main argument is weakened by this contextual approach, but should not be deterred from it, as it still offers a well-constructed analysis of Caesar's political machinations and motivations. Ultimately this book will be a staple of future reading lists concerning Caesar and the end of the Roman Republic.
1. In the previous decade at least fourteen books concerning Caesar were published in English alone: R. A. Billows, Julius Caesar: The Colossus of Rome. (London 2009); M. Griffin, ed., A Companion to Julius Caesar (Oxford 2009); W.J. Tatum, Always I Am Caesar (Malden 2008); P. Freeman, Julius Caesar (New York 2008); L. Canfora, Julius Caesar: The People's Dictator, trns. M. Hill and K. Windle (Edinburgh 2007); A. Kamm ed., Julius Caesar: A Life (London 2006) A. Goldsworthy, Caesar: Life of a Colossus (New Haven 2006); J. Osgood, Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire (Cambridge 2006); A. Riggsby, Caesar in Gaul and Rome: war in words (Austin 2006); G. Woolf, Et tu, Brute? The Murder of Caesar and Political Assassination (London 2006); M. Wyke, ed., Julius Caesar in Western Culture (London 2006); M. Parenti, The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People's History of Ancient Rome (New York 2003); P. Southern, Julius Caesar (Stroud 2001); R. Jimenez, Caesar Against Rome (New York 2000). There are equally numerous treatments of Caesar outside of English. More recent publications on Caesar include: L. Canfora, Jules César: le dictateur démocrate (Paris 2012); M. Wyke, Caesar in the USA (Berkley 2012); M. Koortbojian, The Divinization of Caesar and Augustus: Precedents, Consequences, Implications (Cambridge 2013).
2. Th. Mommsen, Römisches Staatsrecht Vol. III (Leipzig 1888). J. Froude, Caesar: A Sketch (London 1879) also offered a highly favourable depiction of Caesar.
3. The comment of Caesar, Plutarch, Pompey 65.5. Pompey's senatorial colleagues chomp at the bit for battle, Plutarch, Pompey 67.1-4.
4. Caesar, Commentaries on the Civil War Book 1.
5. C. Meier, Caesar (Berlin 1982) = C. Meier, Caesar: A Biography, trns. D. McLintock (New York 1996). E. Badian Review of Meier 1982 in Gnomon 62 (1990) 22-39.
6. Suetonius, Life of Julius 79.2 Caesarem se, non regem esse. Caesar rejected the diadem from Antony according to Plutarch, Caesar 61.3-4.
7. The comments of R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford 1939) pp. 52-4 on the brevity of Caesar's dictatorship and his possible motives are still worth noting here.


2013 COLLEGE/PRO BASEBALL SHOWCASE at Centrefield Sports Facility
Centrefield Sports is home to the biggest baseball showcase in Canada. Each year, over 100 athletes from all over travel to our facility to showcase their talents to the top scouts from across North America. Some of the top athletes have been captured below. If you are interested in joining our annual showcase, please contact the facility to be added to our contact listing.
Scouts who attend our showcases… Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB Scouting Bureau, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, University of Oklahoma, Miami of Ohio, University of Missouri, Eastern Michigan, University of Buffalo, Southern Illinois University, Northern Kentucky, University of Illinois, University of Akron, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, University of Utah, Siena University, Indiana State, Boston College, Niagara University, Bowling Green University, Wayne State University, Tiffin University, University of Indianapolis, Defiance College, Geneva College, University of British Columbia, Presentation College, Davenport University, Kellogg Community College, Niagara College, Jackson Community College, McComb Community College, Cuyahoga Community College.
2013 CFS Baseball Showcase Results
60 Yard Sprint
Nick Hamilton
Byron Reichstein
Royce Ando
Austin Oulds
Catcher Pop Times
Luke Van Rychegham
Max Wright
Andrew Yerzy
Zach Fascia
Pitchers Velocity
Zach Pop
Tristan Clarke
Michael Brettell
Dalton Harvey
Our extensive list of both College and PRO Scouts is always growing. See the list below for scouts who've attended our showcases.
MLB Club Scouts: Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamond Backs, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, LA Dodgers.
Division 1: Miami, Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Indiana State, Illinois State, Butler, Ohio University, Eastern Michigan, University Michigan, Michigan State, University of Buffalo, Niagara University, Canisius College, University of Utah, Northwestern, Southern Illinois University, Eastern Kentucky University, Youngstown State University, University of Oklahoma, Bowling Green State University
Division 2: Findlay University, St. Josephs University, Wayne State University, Tiffin University, Lockhaven University
NAIA: University of British Columbia, Davenport University, Presentation College
JUCO: Cuyahoga


Amshoq 48 - Solo Exhibition by Mustafa El Husseiny
From September 16 to October 18, 2018
We are happy to begin our artistic season with "Amshoq 48", a solo exhibition by Mustafa El Husseiny. And we hope this will be the beginning of a long-term and fruitful collaboration with El Husseiny.
About El Husseiny:
He is a Cairo-based visual artist, graduated from Faculty of Art Education, Helwan University in 2014. He participated in a number of workshops and exhibitions in Cairo as part of the 'Street Atelier'. Moreover, he co-founded the street art group 'Mona Lisa Brigades' in 2012, under which he participated in a number of developmental projects such as "The People of Ard El-Lewa" funded by the British Council in Egypt. Furthermore, El Husseiny conducted his own fabric printing workshops for children. He also took part in the "From Rags to Riches" project, which was organized by Mashrabia Gallery.
In "Amshoq 48", El Hussieny boldly shows us what he came across during his walks through the cemetery in search of a way to reconnect with his late father.
Artist's Statement:
At the foot of mount Mokattam lies the Lesser Qarafa, which extends from Salah Salem Street to the outskirts of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. This area is very difficult to reach and recognise and is known as the graveyard of al-Shafi'I for it is confined between the dome of al-Shafi'i and the foot of Mokattam.
Since my last attempts to recall the image of my father, I may have succeeded in refreshing my memory and painting his image by recalling his conversations during the war of 1973 and through my uncle's stories about the region where he served in the 80s.
While visiting my father's cemetery, I couldn't remember the route to the graveyard anymore. Since 2009, I have visited this place only once. The features of the cemeteries of Imam al-Layth Ibn Sa'ad have changed and new graveyards have emerged in memory of the dead in 2018. I recall the moment that I wanted to meet my father, for at least one more time. Is there any way I can meet him?
Maybe there's a way to do it. In 1998, my uncle went blind and died four years later after the magic practices of a sheikh who tried to exorcise an evil spirit from his body. I didn't use to believe in these stories, but this is what my eyes saw at that time. Maybe magic could enable me to see my father again.
I began wandering around the cemeteries of Imam al-Layth Ibn Sa'ad intermittently. I used to go there at 1 pm during the summer. Thursdays and Fridays were ideal visiting times, and during the weekdays only the residents were present. Moving around was easy on the three days when visitors came from all over. On my first two visits I didn't reach my father's grave. There were walls with papers on them. I imagined they were Koranic verses someone left, but it was when I opened a paper that the search really began.
Mono Print
Sculpure
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