Conjoined Twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins who are joined together somewhere in the body, most often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis. They are monozygotic twins, in the sense that they share the same zygote.
The formation of this twin type is believed to be the result of late twinning. When the twinning occurs more than 12-13 days after fertilization of the egg, it may lead to the formation of conjoined twins because the embryo may not split completely.
Conjoined twin births are very rare, amounting to around one birth in every 100,000 births. The ratio of female and male sets was found to be three to one. There is a slightly higher chance of conjoined twins from Africa and Southwest Asia.
Depending on where they are joined, some may share some vital internal organs.
Classification of conjoined twins
There are several ways to classify these unique twins.
75 percent are joined at the chest wall or upper abdomen (thoracopagus and omphalopagus)
23 percent are joined at the hips, legs or genitalia (pygopagus and ischiopagus)
2 percent are joined at the head (craniopagus)
While conjoined twins are typically classified by the point of fusion they may also be divided into two broad categories: homogenitally conjoined twins, who shared a single set of genitalia, and heterogenitally conjoined twins, with two distinct sets of genitalia.
Conjoined twins, sometimes referred to as Siamese twins, named after the famous conjoined twins, Eng and Chang Bunker from Siam. Chang and Eng were joined at the torso by a band of flesh, cartilage, and their fused livers. In modern times, they could have been separated.
Survival rates
Conjoined twins rarely survive because of the complexity of the bodies. 40% are stillborn or die within twenty-four hours after birth (35%).
Conjoined twins can only be separated surgically if none of the vital organs are involved. The success of the separation surgery depends on many factors, mainly where the twins are connected and which structures they share. Only 60% of the surgically separated cases survive.
Some people consider the separation as unethical if it involves death or disability of one of the twins. Those that extensively share vital organs can generally not be separated as separation might lead to the death of one or both twins. This presents some ethical dilemmas in the surgical management of conjoined twins, but the overall decision still lies with the parents.
Conjoined twins, if they survive, can lead healthy lives. There are instances where some have even married and become parents. The famous Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, fathered twenty-one children in thirty-one years.
Other kinds of conjoined twins
There are also some rare kinds of conjoined twins, such as parasitic twins (where one twin is not completely formed and depends on the other twin to sustain life), and fetus in fetu (where one twin’s fetus is present inside the body of the other twin).
Twinfo provides a connection to resources, information, products and service providers who specialise in supporting multiple births at every stage of their life.
Connect with the Twinfo community via the Twinfo Website, FaceBook Page, Facebook Group, Pinterest or via the Twinfo Instagram page.
by TwinfoBabies and Toddlers, Blog
Talking Twins and More. S2 – Ep 18.
Five reasons why backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins, triplets or more are GREAT!


Ex-Im Guarantees PNC Loan to Finance Solar Power in Barbados; Supports Small Business Jobs in Five States
Steve Horning (202-565-3200)
Washington, D.C. - Ex-Im Bank provided a $6.4 million loan guarantee to finance the export of solar modules from West Coast-based SolarWorld Americas to Williams Industries Inc.-Williams evergreen Ltd. of St. Thomas, Barbados. This project, one of the largest in the Caribbean, includes engineering services and solar-system racking exported from two American companies.
Ex-Im export financing for this deal supports several American businesses and helps support jobs in five states, including California, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington, said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. Our financing is good for American jobs, boosts American manufacturing and supplies clean, renewable energy to Barbados.
Williams Industries-Williams evergreen Ltd will use the solar-power system to provide 1.4 megawatts of on-site power to ten sites within the Williams Group portfolio. The immediate savings in power costs will also furnish a hedge against future increases in electricity prices. Williams Industries, established in 1972, controls 13 wholly owned and 17 joint venture companies in Barbados, St. Lucia and other Caribbean islands. These companies are active in manufacturing, electrical engineering, construction, agriculture, tourism waste recycling, real estate development, and water desalination.
Worker in Barbados installs American-made solar panels. Ex-Im Bank provided a $6.4 million, 10-year loan guarantee to PNC Bank to finance the export of complete solar modules which will provide 1.4 megawatts of electricity to Caribbean industries.
(Photo courtesy of Williams Industries Inc.)
Without the assistance of Ex-Im Bank, Williams Industries through its subsidiary Williams evergreen would not have been able to build 1.4 megawatts of solar capacity over the last six months, said Williams Industries chairman Ralph Bizzie Williams. As a Feed In Tariff is legislated for Barbados, we are looking forward to working with the Ex-Im Bank to build a very significant expansion of our output of electricity from the sun.
SolarWorld Americas, a subsidiary of SolarWorld AG, employs about a thousand U.S. workers at its headquarters manufacturing facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, and its sales and marketing hub in Camarillo, California. Engineering corporation CH2M HILL of Colorado provided engineering services to the project. The Tucson, Arizona manufacturing plant of Schletter Inc. US exported the necessary solar-system racking.
With its sun-drenched tropical setting and reliance on imported oil for energy generation, the Caribbean is an ideal location for solar, said Raju Yenamandra, vice president of sales and business development for SolarWorld. In Williams Industries, we found a perfect partner for island solar development. By combining SolarWorld's high-quality solar equipment with Williams' knowledge of the Caribbean electrical sector, we can provide significant oil savings to the island and lower payments for Williams. With Ex-Im Bank financing, this project makes good economic and environmental sense.
The Bank partnered with PNC Bank to provide the $6.4 million, 10-year loan guarantee. Barbados accounted for approximately $ 3.8 million of the Bank's worldwide credit exposure as of the end of FY 2011. The Bank's Environmental Export Program offers enhancements such as repayment terms of up to 18 years for eligible U.S. exports to renewable energy and water-related projects.
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.
Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.


Hurkacz Halts Harrison
12 Jan Hurkacz Halts Harrison
Posted at 19:10h in Newswire	by	Tomi Garguilo 0 Comments
By STEVE DORSEY
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Hubert Hurkacz put the brakes on Christian Harrison’s remarkable storybook run at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com Tuesday afternoon and in the process took another step forward in his quest to claim his second career ATP Tour title.
Hurkacz advanced to his second Tour final with a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-4 victory on the Stadium Court at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in a match that featured outstanding shot-making by both players. He will face the winner of tonight’s other semifinal match between Cameron Norrie of Great Britain and American Sebastian Korda.
Harrison’s setback in the first semifinal of his ATP Tour career ended a captivating run here that included a win over top-seeded Cristian Garin after going through qualifying to earn a berth in the main singles draw. Despite falling short of reaching his first ATP Tour final, the 26-year-old American’s five singles wins here this week will pay huge dividends for him in the world rankings. He arrived here ranked No. 789 and now is projected to improve on that by an astounding 444 points.
“That’s crazy. It’s definitely the most points I’ve ever gotten in a tournament by a lot,” said Harrison, who has persevered through eight various surgeries since 2009, never giving up on his desire to continue competing as a professional. “I’m just going to keep trying to play events and then keep trying to pile on, and hopefully by the end of the year I can see where I’m at and start getting back into the bigger tournaments.”
Hurkacz complimented Harrison’s effort, but the world No. 35 Pole made a couple more shots at key junctures of both sets to end Harrison’s run. Hurkacz, the No. 4 seed here this week, made numerous superb returns and had outstanding court coverage for a 6-foot-5 player.
The first set was indicative of how closely matched the two players were. There were 81 points in the set that needed a tiebreaker, with Hurkacz winning 41 to Harrison’s 40. Neither player broke the other’s serve until the seventh game of the second set when Hurkacz broke to go up 4-3. They then traded two more breaks to make it 5-4 before Hurkacz held to close out the set and match.
“Christian was playing very well,” Hurkacz said of Harrison’s performance. “He was serving tricky. He was slicing and kicking and then placing the ball really well. So I was struggling with that, especially the first set.”
Harrison, who also has a doubles semifinal with his brother as his partner tonight, was equally complimentary of Hurkacz’s effort.
“I’m a big fan of his game. I have a lot of respect for him,” Harrison, the second-lowest-ranked semifinalist in Delray Beach Open history, said. “It was a great match, so I have a lot to be proud of right now.”
Hurkacz, who received a first-round bye in the 28-player field, has won all three of his matches here this week in straight sets. If he can duplicate that on Wednesday, he’ll claim the Delray Beach title.
“It’s a great start to the year,” Hurkacz said. “I’m looking forward to playing the final.”


Home > Trout Unlimited: A Leader in Dam Removal
Trout Unlimited: A Leader in Dam Removal
6/30/1999 -- -- TROUT UNLIMITED AND DAMS: Founded in 1959 in Grayling, Michigan, Trout Unlimited is America's leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization. TU's 100,000 members in nearly 500 chapters nationwide are dedicated to the conservation, protection, and restoration of North America's trout and salmon and their watersheds. Almost from the beginning, Trout Unlimited has been a national leader in defending America's trout and salmon fisheries from the harm caused by dams.
Dams are one of the most significant and visible obstacles to restoring the integrity of riverine systems. They can alter natural flow patterns, fragment habitat, block migration corridors and degrade water quality. Entire ecosystems can be transformed by dams through fluctuating water temperatures, decreased oxygen availability, fishery changes and disrupted hydrologic regimes. Trout Unlimited and other conservation groups are involved with dam issues to ensure that all factors, from environmental impacts to economics, are carefully considered in decisions to construct, repair, or remove dams nationwide.
EARLY ANTI-DAM EFFORTS: By 1965, TU was already establishing itself as a national player in trout conservation. In that year, TU won its first national campaign: Halting the construction of Reichle Dam on Montana's Big Hole River and protecting over 20 miles of wild trout water. TU's work to halt ill-conceived dam projects continues to this day.
In 1971, TU initiated two important legal actions to protect fish from dams. The first, today considered perhaps the most important early application of the Endangered Species Act, stopped the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River. While the victory was thwarted by an eleventh-hour congressional appropriations rider, it put TU "on the map" as a major environmental organization. The second was aimed at saving Idaho's Teton River and its cutthroat fishery from a proposed dam. TU ran out of money to prosecute the case; the dam was built but failed five years later, killing 14 people. In 1978, TU spearheaded a successful campaign to protect the Yellowstone River, America's largest remaining free-flowing stream, from the Allenspur Dam. Trout Unlimited also led efforts against the ill-conceived Two Forks Dam in Colorado.
SMALL DAMSctnIn partnership with the River Alliance of Wisconsin, which has pioneered dam-removal efforts at the local and state level, TU has developed The Small Dams Project. This four-part initiative will assist communities and others facing hard decisions on dam repair or removal. The simple goal of the project is to ensure that the dam removal option is considered on its merits. The project initially focuses on Wisconsin, while developing materials applicable to small dam issues nationwide.
FERC-LICENSED DAMS: Consideration of the "4H's" - habitat, hydro, harvest, and hatcheries - guides TU in its mission to protect and restore the nation's coldwater fisheries. "Hydro," the second "H," is often used as an abbreviation for hydroelectric dams, most of which are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). TU is involved in the FERC process to ensure that the needs of trout and salmon are represented in dam licensings.
Visit American Rivers at http://www.amrivers.org/edwardsremoval.html#details
Download A River Reborn: Benefits for People and Wildlife of the Kennebec River Following the Removal of Edwards Dam at http://www.tu.org/library/conservation.asp
Download the Trout Unlimited and American Rivers draft report on dam removal success stories at http://www.tu.org/library/conservation.asp


Eddie Mair 4pm - 6pm
Health Secretary announces new payment for people isolating in high risk areas
The scheme will be trialled in high risk areas, such as Oldham in Greater Manchester. Picture: PA
By Maddie Goodfellow
@MaddieGoodfell2
People on low incomes who need to self-isolate in areas where there are high numbers of coronavirus cases will be able to claim a maximum of £182 from the Government, Matt Hancock has announced.
The health secretary has confirmed that as of Tuesday September 1, people on either Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit, who are required to self-isolate and are unable to work from home, in areas with high incidences of Covid-19, will benefit from a new payment scheme.
Starting with a trial in Blackburn, Darwen, Pendle and Oldham, eligible people who test positive for the virus will receive £130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation.
Other members of their household, who under the current rules have to self-isolate for 14 days, will be entitled to a payment of £182.
The Department for Health and Social Care added that non-household contacts who are advised to self-isolate through the NHS Test and Trace system will also be entitled to a payment of £13 per day up to a maximum of £182, dependent on the length of their isolation period.
The payment will not reduce any other benefits that a person may already receive, the department said.
Payments will be provided within 48 hours of the eligible person providing all the necessary evidence, and to receive the payment people will be asked to provide a notification from NHS Test and Trace and a bank statement.
To be eligible, an individual must have tested positive for Covid-19 or received a notification from NHS Test and Trace asking them to self-isolate, have agreed to comply with the self-isolation guidance and provided contact details to the relevant local authority, be employed or self-employed, be unable to work from home and be losing income as a result and be currently receiving Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Employed people will be asked to show proof of employment, while self-employed people will be required to show evidence of trading income and that their business delivers services which the local authority reasonably judges they are unable to carry out without social contact.
The department added that checks will be undertaken on all applicants to ensure they are self-isolating.
Local authorities will be able to check the NHS Test and Trace system to confirm an individual has been asked to self-isolate, if an individual is unable to provide this information, and will put in place checks to prevent fraud, the department said.
It added that there will be a rapid review of the pilot scheme in Blackburn to assess how effectively vulnerable people have been reached and transmission has been reduced.
If the approach is successful, the scheme will be quickly applied in other areas where coronavirus cases are prevalent, DHSC said.
But Labour's shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said "everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate".
Ms Dodds said: "Effective local lockdowns depend on people self-isolating when they're supposed to. Labour has been warning for months that the Government needs to make sure that people can afford to do the right thing, but once again ministers have taken far too long to realise there's a problem.
"Just last week the Chancellor suggested there was no need to change the system for people who have to self-isolate.
"Now the Health Secretary - who confessed that Statutory Sick Pay in the UK isn't enough to live on - thinks the solution is to offer people who aren't currently eligible the same limited level of support.
"It's concerning that this will only apply to a limited number of areas with high rates of Covid-19. The instruction to self-isolate applies to everyone in the country, so everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate."
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, added: "I have been calling for weeks for the Government to provide financial support for those asked to self-isolate. I am pleased they have at last acknowledged this issue but am sorry to say this move goes nowhere near far enough.
"The Health Secretary has already said that he couldn't live on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) at £95 a week. So how can an announcement like this work?
"For many workers in Greater Manchester, this will not provide the support people need to cooperate with NHS Test and Trace. Having belatedly acknowledged that something needs to be done, Government must now accept the calls of the 'Time Out to Help Out' campaign and support people across the country to self-isolate on full pay."
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Virginia Appellate Court History
Learn about the history of Virginia's appellate courts, the judges and justices who have served, and the cases that have helped shape the commonwealth and the nation.
Justices of the Supreme Court
A short history of the Supreme Court of Virginia
About the biographies
About the portraits
Judges of the Court of Appeals
About the Court of Appeals of Virginia
A Short History of the Court of Appeals of Virginia
Oral History Highlights
Virginia’s Judicial History
Breaking Down Barriers
Judicial Trailblazers
G. Steven Agee, 2003-2008
https://scvahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Agee_-small_HD720P.mp3
Listen to an audio recording of an oral history interview of U.S. Circuit Court Judge G. Steven Agee with Connie Doebele on September 26, 2017, at his chambers in Salem, Virginia, or read the transcript:


Center for Advanced Mineral and Metallurgical Processing at Montana Tech Forms Partnership with Space Propulsion Group
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Along with the business partnership, SPG and CAMP now share equipment essential to the fabrication of rocket test motors. A 3-axis, 30-foot long filament winding machine is now housed at the Montana Tech Research Center. This winder will be used to not only fabricate the rocket motor casings up to 5 feet in diameter for testing but for production of rocket casings for various programs for NASA and the US Air Force. CAMP personnel will oversee the daily operation of the winding facility and will also provide academic guidance for undergraduate and graduate work for composite materials fabrication projects.
The addition of a filament winder has been a goal of CAMP Materials Scientist Ronda Coguill. “Having the capability to do advanced fabrication of composite materials is essential to the Materials Science program at Montana Tech,” noted Coguill. “With this state-of-the-art machine, we can now provide realistic training for our students who are interested in working with advanced materials such as fiberglass and carbon composites. Working with SPG will be a perfect fit for CAMP, which specializes in the characterization and analysis of materials from basic mineralogy to structural performance.”
For more information, please contact Ronda Coguill at 406-496-4808.


InlandPolitics: Supreme Court: Final brief filed in Colonies appeal
Friday, May 10, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
In a strange turn of events, state prosecutors now say it’s no longer necessary for the California Supreme Court to throw out two long standing case law precedents, and more than a dozen underlying appellate opinions, in order to reinstate key bribery and conflict of interest charges against defendants in the well-publicized case involving the 2006 Colonies Settlement.
The new spin, one of many executed by prosecutors during the appeals process, comes in the final reply brief filed by the California Attorney General on Tuesday. State prosecutors along with the San Bernardino County District Attorney are scrambling to have bribery and conflict of interest charges reinstated against Rancho Cucamonga Developer Jeff Burum and Former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin.
In October, the Riverside-based Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, upheld the dismissal of core charges to a 2011 grand jury indictment.
Burum, Erwin along with co-defendants, Former County Supervisor Paul Biane and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff to Supervisor Gary Ovitt have all adamantly denied any wrongdoing. At issue in the case is the assertion by the defendants that prosecutors, after spending years trying to find credible evidence of misconduct, knowingly fabricated an illegal charging scheme to engineer a 29-count criminal indictment. So far, both the San Bernardino County Superior Court and California Court of Appeal have agreed with that premise.
The defendants, who last appeared in court January 2012, are awaiting the chance to file dismissal motions before the trial judge.
The case now awaits oral argument before the high court’s seven justices, which is expected to occur sometime in late summer.
To read the People’s Reply Brief, click here: People’s Reply Brief On The Merits
Filed under: County of San Bernardino, Courts, Law Enforcement, Legal, Mike Ramos, State of California, State Supreme Court
29 Responses to this post
Anonymous on May 10th, 2013 11:48 am
In re Doe, 801 F. Supp. 478, 480 (D.N.M. 1992).
Prosecutors are “Shepherd[s] of justice.” When Government lawyer, with ENORMOUS RESOURCES at his or her disposal, ABUSES POWER and ignores ethical standards, he or she not only undermines public trust, but inflicts damage beyond calculation to system of justice. This alone compels the responsible and ethical exercise of this power.
Fout v. State, 4 Tenn. 98 (1816)
“ He is to judge between the people and the government; he is to be the safeguard of the one and the advocate for the rights of the other; he ought not to suffer the innocent to be oppressed or vexatiously harassed, any more than those who deserve prosecution to escape; he is to pursue guilt; he to protect innocence; he is to judge the circumstances, and according to their true complexion, to combine the public welfare and the safety of the citizens, preserving both, and not impairing either; he is to decline the use of individual passions and individual malevolence, when he can not use them for the advantage of the public; he is to lay hold of them where public justice, in sound discretions, requires it.
Appeal of Nicely, 18 A. 737 (PA 1889)
“ The District Attorney is a quasi-judicial officer. He represents the commonwealth and the commonwealth demands no victims. It seeks justice only–equal and impartial justice– and it is as much the duty of the district attorney to see that no innocent man suffers as it is to see that no guilty man escapes. Hence, he should act impartially. He should present the commonwealth’s case fairly, and should not press upon the jury any deductions from the evidence that are not strictly legitimate. When he exceeds this limit, and in hot zeal seeks to influence them by appealing to their prejudices, he is NO LONGER AN IMPARTIAL OFFICIAL, but becomes a heated partisan.”
Bailey v. Commonwealth, 193 Ky. 687, 237 S.W. 415, 417 (1922).
“ [T]he duty of a prosecuting attorney is NOT TO PERSECUTE, but to prosecute, and that he should endeavor to protect the innocent as well as to prosecute the guilty. He should always be interested in seeing that the truth and the right shall prevail….”
American Bar Association Standards for Criminal Justice
3-1.2(c): The Function of the Prosecutor
The duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, NOT MERELY TO CONVICT.
Berger v. U.S., 295 U.S. 78, 88 (1935).
“… therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the SERVANT OF THE LAW, the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape nor innocence suffer. … But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from IMPROPER METHODS CALCULATED to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one.”
United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 256 (1967) (Justice White, concurring and dissenting).
“ Law enforcement officers have the obligation to convict the guilty and to MAKE SURE they do not convict the innocent. They must be dedicated to making the criminal trial a procedure for the ascertainment of the TRUE FACTS surrounding the commission of the crime
From a letter read at the retirement dinner of Manhattan District Attorney William Travers Jerome, New York Times, May 8, 1909, p.2.
“ [T]he prosecuting officer occupies a semi-judicial position; that he is charged with a large discretion, and that, while it is his duty to bring to justice those whom he believed to be guilty, it is equally his duty to protect the innocent and to refrain from prosecuting those against whom no sufficient or reasonable proofs can be found. In the course of his duties he sometimes has to stand between an incensed public sentiment, voiced by a clamorous press, and suspected persons against whom no proofs of crime can be produced.”
Repairman on May 10th, 2013 3:24 pm
The underling has more charges then the mastermind? And the underling is still helping the mastermind? What’s that tell ya?
Maybe the mastermind will put a couple of buck’s on the underling’s prison commissary credit card for Christmas or every once and awhile, while the mastermind and his friends eat caviar, and laugh at said underling, who was willing to spend years of his life in prison to protect them ( that is really taking one for the team). I think we’ll ALL have a good laugh over that one! Well except for said underling, who’ll probably just go ahead and laugh anyway, not really knowing why, trying to figure what the hell went wrong with the perfect plan. But I think it will be alright, I hear they treat corrupt ex-officers with great respect in prison. Hopefully the underling’s dance card won’t be too full.
Maybe the mastermind will send the underling some post cards from his travels around the world, spending the money the underling is in prison for, but I doubt it. I think as soon as the underling is in prison the mastermind will stop taking his call’s and forget about him as no longer being useful.
It makes me wonder if the mastermind has something on the underling?
Anonymous on May 10th, 2013 4:38 pm
Repairman!
Please don’t WANDER into irrelevant, personal, or some non-criminal past…you wouldn’t want anyone “wondering” what kind of a past YOU have “Repaired” from.
Where you are heading is not a legal issue and will only throw us off track into the wilderness- it’s unfair and wrong of you to go into such diggings!
Let Mr. Larson take this baby THE DISTANCE without any irrelevant gossipy sideshows.
A few observations;
1. The fact that the Supreme Court decided to hear this case suggests that a number of the judges of that court think that the Court of Appeals made a mistake. If that were not the case the entire court would have merely declined to hear the case, as they usually do in about 98% of the cases.
2. As a general rule this court will go out of its way to make sure that the public is protected by the laws. What I mean is that this court if it decides to intervene will do so on behalf of of the public, not on behalf of of a criminal defendant. While this Theory is not 100% foolproof it tends to survive the test of time. The fact that the appeal to the Supreme Court was filed by the prosecution suggests that this is probably the case.
3. While it is understandable that Mr. Larson and the defense would like to portray the prosecution’s position in the
appeal as being basically ridiculous, an actual reading of the briefs suggests that the Atty. Gen. has a number of legitimate questions and positions for the court to decide. This theory would suggest that the odds are not in favor of the
defendants in this appeal.
Now it could be that this analysis is completely flawed and incorrect. But a historical reading of the California Supreme
Court in cases where the prosecution has appealed tend to favor the prosecution in the end.
Anonymous #6
I’m not sure where you keep getting the extra “ed” from, but reading some of your ramblings, I chalk it up to cognitive difficulties.
I think whether or not the mastermind has something to hang over the head of the underling would be vary relevant. The theory is the mastermind has used threats, extortion and, coercion on more than one person, who knows who else?
And as for as shining a light into the shadows , somehow throwing you into the wilderness, Maybe you need a light shined on you.
As far as Mr. Larson goes, I think he’s meet his match.
I’ll let your “lemming” remarks about me pass…because I’d like to believe the “ed” DOES apply- besides we all needed a laugh.
You state, “I think whether or not the mastermind has something to hang over the head of the underling would be vary relevant.”
Yes, you would think. However, not in this case!
This case is based on the written LAW, no need to go in the gutter looking for past gossip when in the end- and when all is said and done- that will be IRRELEVANT, so please don’t go there.
You also claim, “As far as Mr. Larson goes, I think he’s meet his match.”
>>>>>>>> “the ultimate test of cerebral fitness”
But a historical reading of the California Supreme Court in cases where the prosecution has appealed tend to favor the prosecution in the end.”
Do you mean as in “rubber stamp”- regardless of the defenses presented and lack of proof on the prosecution side?
As #1 stated: When you add this all up, you get $165 million spent, and not too much to show for it.
Repairman on May 11th, 2013 6:34 am
What lemming remarks? Better get your med.s strait.
legallyminded on May 11th, 2013 9:59 am
Repairman:
If there is dirt or evidence to support the prosecution it would have come out by now, the investigators have leaked all they have in this case. You and the prosecutors probably should stick to your television and enjoy your Lifetime movies, because most in the legal field already know the ending to this one, and based upon your written opinion you are not going to enjoy this ending.
Observer of Facts on May 11th, 2013 11:28 am
As I recall, the charge that Rex Gutierrez was prosecuted for was running a political operation out of the assessor’s office at taxpayer expense. It seems to me that this is precisely what Mike Ramos is doing: ruining a political operation out of the District Attorneys office at taxpayer expense. Perhaps his day will come as well.
As to the “mastermind” using “threats, extortion, and coercion,” what did he use them for? To get far less money than he was entitled to and most likely going to be awarded when the damages phase of the trial took place. Does that make any sense?
“Like promises that they will be made better then whole, when all is done.”
Or they could be forced to do so, under threat.
Or the mastermind decided those people were no longer useful, so no longer needed, and just quit taking their calls.
There were no “promises”, no “threats”, nor did the “mastermind” EVER have any control to decide who is “useful” or who is not, who is “needed” and who is not… that’s all make believe gossip and repeated false information to “create” a new twist on a case that had already been handled by the lower courts.
“If there is dirt or evidence to support the prosecution it would have come out by now” Yea, it has, the grand jury took a look at it and that is why the mastermind is on trial now. I guess you forgot about that, it didn’t end well for him then, and I doubt it end any better for him at trial. Now go give your boss a big butt kissin, and tell him everything is going to be okey-dokey and he’ll be getting off. Ha Ha
Observer of Facts
No I think the “mastermind” using “threats, extortion, and coercion,” was awarded much more than he should have been. Now that makes sense.
And as far as Ramos “ruining a political operation out of the District Attorneys office at taxpayer expense” why don’t you tell someone? hasten his day of reckoning.
Anonymous #16
You have absolutely no idea what was said or done by the mastermind in secret.
Repairman on May 12th, 2013 10:39 am
legallyminded on May 12th, 2013 10:45 am
You are all bark no kiss!
Repairman, you state:
Hmm, and YOU do I suppose!
legallyminded,
“The grand jury’s indictment will be dismissed for a multitude of reasons; ”
IT MAY BE FAR FETCHED, but would Fruit of the Poisonous Tree doctrine apply here? Especially for the two MAIN witnesses?
You know, the one’s pursued and threatened- one in full blown paranoia while high as a kite, the other so painfully stupid and scared he would have confessed to killing anyone if the DA investigators wanted him to.
” (also known as the Derivative Evidence Doctrine) is a rule in criminal law that makes evidence that was derived from an illegal search, arrest or
>> INTERROGATION inadmissible.
“a rule that prohibits, with some exceptions, evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment from being admitted in criminal trial proceedings.
I have been told there are problems with the initial search warrants in the case due to bad fruit from Aleman, evidently they forgot to mention his plea to the judge that signed them based upon his statements.
Little Stevie Wonder on May 12th, 2013 12:10 pm
This blind dude subscribes to the SELECTIVE PROSTITUTION theory to the tune of $200M in taxpayer dollars for LEGAL SERVICES FRAUD by DA Mikey, orchestrated by the real politically-motivated MASTERMIND-O-CORRUPTION in San Berdoo doo County and with the Good-old-boy GOP connection to the OC, that government hack Davey-boy Ellis.
In the know on May 13th, 2013 8:53 pm
Legally minded,
Investigators failed to disclose Aleman’s arrest and falsification of evidence to a grand jury to a superior court judge, who signed the initial warrants.
Mr. big “A” Anonymous #23
I have no idea what the mastermind said, never claimed I did. What I said was you have no way of knowing what the mastermind said or did in secret.
legallyminded #24
You’ve been told? By vary credible sources I’m sure. But their just keeping it secret for now? Only telling people like you? waiting for the perfect time to blow the case wide open, just like Perry Mason?
Yea, good luck with that, Sport.
In the know #27
Why don’t you and legallyminded go tell somebody who cares, all that you know about about what has happened, and maybe this whole thing will end, finally going away and leaving these poor people alone.
And there were some County Supervisors that thought it was worth nothing.
That is where this trail of intrigue starts.
Repairman on May 17th, 2013 12:23 pm
I guess that’s where the theory of the Red Hill judges come from.
I imagine he would be if he could. And you really couldn’t blame him for it.
Little Stevie Wonder on May 18th, 2013 1:05 am
Can’t have SELECTIVE PROSTITUTION W/O CORRUPT JUDGES… wake-up Observer and Repairman and SMELL THE CORRUPTION.
No kidding, have you ever read this blog before?


Undergraduates develop a memory foam attachment for CPAP machines
By MEDHA KALLEM | September 21, 2020
COURTESY OF MIN JAE KIM
The team tested their prototype with a CPR dummy to simulate aerosolization.
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, health-care professionals continue to face new challenges. In a time of need, some health-care professionals have suggested using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines in lieu of ventilators to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients. However, one of the biggest concerns with placing an infected patient on this machine is the aerosolization of viral particles, which can infect others.
A team of Hopkins undergraduates sought to address this problem when they returned home in March at the beginning of the national health crisis.
Min Jae Kim, a junior Biomedical Engineering major, put together a team of undergraduates to create a solution for the rapid spread of the virus using CPAP machines.
Kim was joined by juniors Adam Kenet, Ankur Govil and Joshua Ni, who are all Biomedical Engineering majors, as well as Varahunan Mathiyalakan, who is majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
First, the team conducted preliminary background research for two months regarding COVID-19 and mechanical ventilation. They then reached out to medical professionals at Hopkins, such as Amir Manbachi, an assistant professor of neurosurgery and biomedical engineering, for further advice.
For funding, they applied to opportunities offered by Agara Bio, a student-led community biology lab at Hopkins. Since June, the team has been working on developing a device that can minimize the spread of aerosolized viral particles from an infected patient on a CPAP machine.
“There was one hypothesis that we had that later proved wrong,” Mathiyalakan explained in an interview with The News-Letter. “We initially thought that the main source of leaks was due to [viral particles] escaping through material. Rather, there’s a gap, so the mask isn’t conforming directly to the patient’s face, and that’s where the aerosolized particles are escaping.”
The team then combined their initial research and engineering knowledge to design a device to close the gap. They turned to memory foam because it is a pliable, widely accessible material. They created a memory foam attachment for the CPAP mask. The purpose of this attachment is to close the gap between the mask and the patient’s face so that there is no space for the aerosolized viral particles to leak.
The team has conducted efficacy tests of their prototype by using LED lights to visualize the viral particles released from a patient’s respiratory tract. This aerosol was simulated with the use of a CPR dummy.
“We can then test the efficacy of the prototype by applying a CPAP mask with padded-foam on the dummy, and see if we can visualize the release of aerosol particles via these lights,” Kim explained in an email to The News-Letter.
The team did not comment on the results of these efficacy tests. However, Kim mentioned the prototype is ready for clinical testing and is awaiting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
The IRB requires a sub-approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical efficiency testing of new devices. The FDA provides an exemption for devices that make a minor change to pre-existing FDA devices utilized for their pre-approved purposes. The team is not yet sure if they qualify for this exemption, but they are working towards submitting their first draft of their IRB. They hope for the application to be approved by October.
The team is currently working on designing a new prototype.
“We realized that our early stage, just memory foam [prototype] probably is not going to work,” Mathiyalakan said in an interview with The News-Letter. “Since then, we’ve refined our concept a little bit. We are still in the design phase, but we’re talking with people from the Center for Bioengineering Design, and we’re thinking of a three-pronged approach.”
The three features include a material that conforms to the face, an impermeable material and an adhesive to stick the memory foam attachment onto the mask. The need for an impermeable material is to minimize the amount of aerosol leakage. Although the memory foam prototype conforms to the face to reduce gaps, aerosol can still leak through the foam.
“We would implement an impermeable yet flexible material resembling film to provide an additional mechanism to fully prevent the aerosol leakage for future prototypes,” Kim wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Others have also attempted to address this issue. A pair of Harvard and Yale professors designed a circuit that is able to filter air breathed in and out by patients on positive airway pressure machines. The Hopkins team believes that their design is more useful because of its simplicity.
“A memory foam add-on device would be easier for clinicians to adapt into their workflow,” Kenet said in an interview with The News-Letter. “We would just give them the memory foam padding with some adhesive that they can peel off, and they would just be able to attach it onto their CPAP masks directly.”
To address the potential spread of viral particles from the exhalation port, the team suggested the use of a filter, but no further information was provided regarding this design.
The group is hopeful for their device’s impact in the medical community.
“It could potentially reach beyond just COVID,” Govil said in an interview with The News-Letter. “This could potentially go beyond just the respiratory issues of COVID but other respiratory diseases as well.”
Errata: This article originally stated the students received funding from the SNF Agora Institute. They received funding from Agara Bio. The News-Letter regrets this error.
Tags: science-technology
Hopkins barn owl lab faces scrutiny from PETA
By BAYLEIGH MURRAY and JENNIFER JIANG | December 15, 2020
Public health experts and biostatisticians weigh in on "COVID-19 Deaths: A Look at U.S. Data" webinar
By TRISHA PARAYIL and BAYLEIGH MURRAY | December 14, 2020
A list of a few cognitive biases that you may have experienced this year
By JESSICA KASAMOTO | December 14, 2020


Ontarians should expect 'modified' holiday season this year, expert says
Codi Wilson Web Content Writer, CP24
@CodiWilson Contact
Published Tuesday, October 20, 2020 9:54AM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, October 20, 2020 11:03AM EDT
TORONTO -- After several months of public health restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, provincial officials are still holding out hope that people will be able to gather with their extended families over the holiday season but one infectious diseases expert says Ontarians should prepare to spend Christmas differently this year.
Earlier this month, officials urged Ontarians only to gather with their household for Thanksgiving as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the province and on Monday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health asked residents in Toronto, Peel Region, Ottawa, and York Region to skip trick-or-treating due to high levels of transmission in those communities.
“My friends, we all know that this isn’t going to be a regular Halloween and the steps we take now will determine what the holiday season looks like this year,” Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference at Queen’s Park on Monday.
“We need to work together this Halloween to protect Christmas and the holiday season this year.”
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also suggested that Canadians still have “a shot at Christmas” if we can bring the number of active cases down, comments that were made just before infections began to spike in the country’s two largest provinces.
Speaking to CP24 on Tuesday morning, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist and researcher at Toronto General Hospital, said he believes some provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, will likely have to impose restrictions on gatherings over the holidays.
“It is a long fall and a long winter ahead and rates of COVID-19 climbed pretty quickly at the end of August and look where we are at now... based on the trajectory we are seeing now, it would not be surprising to me if we are going to have a modified Christmas and New Year holiday,” he said.
“I know no one wants to hear that.”
He noted that the holidays are still several weeks away and it is possible that cases will decline in the hardest hit regions.
“Obviously we need good policy. We need businesses and organizations to do the right thing to create safe environments and we need citizens to do the right thing to make the right decisions,” Bogoch said.
“If we all do our part, we can get case numbers lower and maybe we can have a somewhat… normal holiday season but I think we are going to see some modifications, unfortunately.”
Trick-or-treating can be done safely: Bogoch
Bogoch was one of a number of people who questioned the province’s decision to cancel trick-or-treating this year in the four regions that have been reverted back to a modified version of Stage 2.
At Monday’s news conference, the premier was asked about the province’s logic in keeping patios and dance studios open while at the same time indicating that activities like trick-or-treating are not safe.
In a tweet, Bogoch said the decision didn’t “sit right” with him and said the province should be finding ways to “do things safely rather than cancel.”
“There is a variety of ways that this can be done in a safe manner and I think many people are going to choose to do so,” Bogoch told CP24 on Tuesday.
“You've heard some medical and health leaders say that this can be done safely... there certainly have been some mixed messages. I do think it is important to adhere to the local public health guidelines and I will be adhering to those but of course there are strategies to do this safely.”
The province's top public health doctors have asked people in the four COVID-19 hot spots to spend Halloween with their own household this year and consider activities such as an indoor candy hunt, pumpkin carving, watching movies, and decorating lawns instead of trick-or-treating.


States With the Most Heavily Enforced Traffic Laws
Promoted by Insurify
In the summer, roads are not as congested during rush hour as they are from fall to spring. Yet, the volume of traffic actually increases — by nearly 8 percent, or 21 billion vehicle miles — from June to August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. People across the country take advantage of the warm weather during summer for outdoor activities or for travel.
It may be surprising to learn that this year’s unique circumstances have actually increased traffic volume on America’s roads past usual levels. This is because many who are wary of public transportation due to COVID-19 have opted instead to drive. In fact, according to Apple Maps’ Mobility Trends Reports, June has seen driving rise thirty-four percent above baseline levels in January. Taking seasonality into account, Americans are still driving significantly more than usual this month than they have in previous years. At the same time, the use of public transportation remains low in the United States, hovering around forty-eight percent below baseline.
With traffic at an all-time high in the United States, respecting driving laws is paramount to maintain road safety. And in states where policing is especially strict, doing so eliminates the risk of a traffic ticket; law enforcement on the roads varies by state, as officers in some states may be more inclined to give a ticket than a warning.
Curious to identify where traffic policing is heaviest in America, the data scientists at Insurify turned to their database and ranked each state based on its share of drivers with a traffic infraction on their record. Without further ado, here are the ten states with the most heavily-enforced traffic laws, where drivers should remember to be on their best behavior this summer.
National and regional averages. Across all states, 22.45 percent of drivers have one or more traffic infractions on their record (including an at-fault accident). And while there is greater variation among individual states, no one region is host to significantly heavier traffic enforcement than others. Specifically, traffic enforcement in the four Census Bureau-designated regions falls closely around the national average; 23.85, 23.33, 21.87, and 21.53 percent of drivers in the Midwest, West, South, and Northeast, respectively, have one or more traffic infractions on their record.
America’s speed demons. The most common traffic infraction in all states is speeding, and 10.59 percent of all drivers in the United States have this infraction on their record. And as navigation systems with user-submitted information on police officer locations and speed traps become more ubiquitous, an increasing number of drivers may be tempted to speed where they know they can get away with it. What implications does this have for road safety?
More police officers, more enforcement of traffic laws? Not according to the data. Using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the FBI, Insurify’s data scientists calculated the calculation between the density of police officers in each state and rates of these traffic infractions by state. Namely, they found that states with a high proportion of traffic infractions do not have a correspondingly high density of police officers, either in terms of police officers to drivers, or in terms of police officers to total miles of road.
The data science team at Insurify referred to their database of over 2.5 million car insurance applications, to determine the states with the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. In order to apply for car insurance, drivers disclose personal and vehicle information, including whether they have accumulated any at-fault accidents or traffic infractions on their record. Drivers also list their state of residence. The most common moving violations, including DUIs, speeding, reckless driving, failure to stop infractions, and at-fault accidents, were included in the analysis. At-fault accidents were included in this analysis, as police reports play a highly influential role in determining whether either driver (or both) is at fault in an accident. The proportion of drivers with one or more of these infractions on their record was calculated for each state.
The number of licensed drivers per state, police officers per state, and traffic fatality data come from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s latest Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, respectively. For each state, the density of police officers per state was calculated by dividing the number of police officers by the number of licensed drivers.
States with the Most Heavily-Enforced Traffic Laws
10. Idaho
Percentage of drivers with any prior incident: 27.73% (1.24 times the national average)
Density of police officers: 26 per 10,000 drivers
Kicking off the countdown is Idaho, which ranks tenth in the nation for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. The Gem State also has the tenth-highest rates of DUIs in the nation and the ninth-highest rates of speeding. Idaho is also adopting a new driving law: beginning July 1, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with an electronic device in hand, and drivers risk a $75 fine for a first-time offense. To allow drivers time to adjust to this new law, officers will issue warnings until December 31.
9. Colorado
Colorado ranks ninth in the nation for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. And, despite Colorado’s many mountain roads leading to treacherous driving conditions, drivers continue to speed: Colorado has the eighth-highest share of speeding tickets in the nation. Law enforcement in The Centennial State also has been vigorously battling DUIs via The Heat Is On Campaign. Aiming to reduce drunk driving, crashes, and related injuries and fatalities, The Heat Is On is conducted throughout the year in Colorado, with major enforcements during holiday periods.
Driving in South Carolina is more dangerous than in any other state, so we weren’t surprised to find it ranking on this list. The Palmetto State has the highest rate of traffic fatalities per million miles traveled, according to the NHTSA’s Traffic Safety report. Clearly, law enforcement has been cracking down on misbehaving drivers. Additionally, out of all other states, South Carolina has the sixth-highest share of at-fault accidents and the fourth-highest share of speeding tickets per driver.
7. North Dakota
North Dakota ranks seventh on this list, but it also has the second-highest share of DUI citations and sixth-highest share of speeding tickets in the nation. North Dakota doesn’t rely only on ticketing to discourage unlawful driving behaviors. In fact, The Peace Garden State recently concluded its fifth annual Share the Road Safety Week, during which residents are encouraged to celebrate safe bicycling and walking on North Dakota roadways and to educate themselves and others about safe driving practices.
Sixth in the nation for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws, Nebraska also has the eighth-highest rates of DUIs and at-fault accidents in the United States, and the 10th-highest for speeding. Drivers in Nebraska, in particular, should exercise caution this summer, as the state has experienced one of the greatest increases in driving since baseline levels in January, according to Apple Mobility Trends data. As of the beginning of July, driving is up a whopping 81 percent and shows no sign of decreasing as COVID-19 restrictions loosen in the state.
Wyoming rounds out the top five states in the nation with the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. Like Nebraska, Wyoming’s drivers also have three other dubious distinctions under their belts: drivers in the Cowboy State have the highest share of DUIs, the seventh-highest share of speeding tickets, and the eighth-highest share of red light violations in the nation.
4. Wisconsin
Wisconsin ranks within the top five states in the nation with the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. Law enforcement in the Badger State takes road safety seriously, and this state also has the fifth-highest citation rate for speeding and for DUIs. Drivers in Wisconsin should exercise extra caution this summer; as of the beginning of July, driving in Wisconsin is 76 percent above January’s baseline levels, according to Apple Maps’ Mobility Trends report, and it continues to trend upwards.
With 32 percent more drivers with a prior incident on their record than the national average, Iowa ranks third in the United States for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. Drivers in Iowa are handed speeding tickets 66 percent more frequently than average, landing The Hawkeye State state in third place for the highest share of speeders. Yet despite Iowa’s heavy policing of law-breaking drivers, recent reports suggest that speeders in Iowa have been reaching all-time highs during the pandemic. Many have taken advantage of the open roads, reaching speeds above 125 miles per hour, according to law officials in the state.
2. Virginia
Virginia ranks second in the nation for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws. Like Iowa, law enforcement in Virginia has cracked down hard on drivers with a lead foot. The Old Dominion has the second-highest citation rate for speeding in the nation — 67 percent higher than the national average — where many drivers are caught in the state’s notorious speed traps on interstate highways near Richmond. Running reds isn’t taken lightly in Virginia, either, as the drivers in this state have the ninth-highest share of red light violations in the nation.
1. Ohio
Ohio may have the lowest ratio of officers to drivers, but this state ranks number one for the most heavily-enforced traffic laws in the nation. The Buckeye State also ranks first in the nation for speeding, with 69 percent more speeders on its roads than the national average. Drivers with an at-fault accident on their record are also more common in this state than in others, as Ohio ranks seventh in the nation for this offense.
If you have questions or comments about this article, please contact insights@insurify.com.


Past and Present Presidents
The Annual William Willetts Lecture
Our 2019 AGM
The Ceramics of Southeast Asia
CAMBODIAN CERAMICS
MYANMAR CERAMICS
THAI CERAMICS
VIETNAMESE CERAMICS
CERAMICS OF THE MALAY WORLD
SEA Ceramic Periods of Production
Clay Basics
A Glossary of Southeast Asian Ceramic Terms
CERAMIC STORIES
SEACS Publications
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Publications: Articles & Translations
Previously Published Articles by our Members & Friends
What is clay?
Clay is a natural product dug from the earth, which has decomposed from rock within the earth’s crust for millions of years. Decomposition occurs when water erodes the rock, breaks it down, and deposits the eroded particles. The particle size of these minerals is extremely small.
Because it is dependent on the type of rock that it decomposes from, clay is specific to a geographic area. Hence, different types of clays, each with its own particularities, are found in different areas of the world.
Clay can come in a wide spectrum of colours, from white, to red to black, and many colours in between.
Two properties of clay
Clay differs from the inelastic earths and fine sand because of its ability, when wet with the proper amount of water, to form a cohesive mass and to retain its shape when moulded. This quality is known as clay’s plasticity.
A second property of clay is that of shrinkage and rigidity when air-dried or heated. The more water clay holds, the more it will shrink when it dries. To prevent excessive shrinkage which will deform a finished piece, a potter can add in small quantities of materials that do not absorb water to the clay, such as feldspar or flint, called additives.
What are additives used for?
Different types of additives lend different qualities to the clay. Different types of clay can also be mixed together. Ingredients may be added to aid plasticity, change its fired coloration, or to lower or raise the firing temperature. To make the clay materials fuse better, a flux may be added. A common flux agent is wood ash, which was also used extensively in Cambodian and Thai pottery as glazing.
Sometimes potters also use clay that has already been fired and then ground up to add to their mixture. This type of substance is called grog. Grog can be used to add colour to a piece as well, as can flakes of rust or adding chemicals such as manganese dioxide.
The clay and additives are then mixed thoroughly together with water to form a liquid mud, called slop. Once the ingredients are sufficiently blended, the slop must be air dried, so that excess moisture may evaporate, otherwise the clay will not have enough consistency to be shaped.
The resulting compound is the clay body, although we generally use the term clay to describe this composite material that is used to make pottery.
A third property of clay
A third characteristic of clay is that when heated to high temperatures, it partially melts, resulting in the tight, hard substance known as ceramic material. The higher the temperatures, the harder the clay becomes, depending on the type of clay used. Firing also changes the colour of the clay and makes it less porous. Thus, both the type of clay used, and the firing processes, will influence the look and properties of a finished piece.
Pottery, therefore, is not made only from raw clay but a mixture of clay and other materials.
De-airing before shaping
Before a lump of clay can be fashioned into a ceramic object, another step of preparation is needed: clay has to be de-aired to remove any air trapped within it, as air bubbles in the clay can cause cracks in the final product when it is fired. This is because the trapped air will expand in the hot kiln atmosphere and sometimes even cause the object to explode in the kiln, destroying other objects in the process.
Nowadays, a machine called a vacuum pug mill can be used, but in earlier times (and still used by craft potters), a potter had to wedge it by hand. This just means kneading the clay in different directions to push out the air bubbles. Wedging can also help to ensure an even moisture content throughout the body. There are modern methods of wedging, but it is safe to say that the technique of kneading clay has probably remained the same for millennia. Only after all this is done can the clay be shaped into a desired object.
Pottery: both an art and a science
Pottery-making is a long process. In modern society, clay is readily bought and ceramics can be mass produced. But imagine when potters had to dig their own clay from the banks of the river, remove the minuscule impurities from it, mix it with various ingredients that they had to collect themselves, fashion an object from the resulting clay compound, monitor the drying process, fabricate their own glazes, construct their own firing chambers (kilns), gather their own firewood and even sell their own products.
Little wonder then that the objects that have passed through the ages now command such respect from us; respect for their art and craft, for those anonymous, ancient potters, of whom we know so little.
The World's oldest known pottery
The world’s oldest known pottery was found in Xianrendong in southern China in 2012. “Pottery making introduces a fundamental shift in human dietary history, and Xianrendong demonstrates that hunter-gatherers in East Asia used pottery for some 10,000 years before they became sedentary or began cultivating plants.” Read the story of its discovery here.
©2021 Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS)


Apple unveils AirPower charging mat to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at once
Anna Hensel@ahhensel	 September 12, 2017 12:18 PM
AirPower was unveiled on September 12, 2017 and expected to ship in 2018. It disappeared from Apple's web site in September 2018, and Apple stopped commenting on its status.
Image Credit: Apple
As Apple moves toward a wireless charging future, the company has announced that it will be developing a mat to charge multiple Apple devices at once — called the AirPower.
Apple revealed the news on Tuesday at its annual keynote event, after revealing that the upcoming iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X would all have wireless charging capabilities, as expected. The Apple Watch has always had wireless charging.
Users will also be able to charge AirPods on the AirPower, using what Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller called an optional wireless charging case. The AirPods’ current case doesn’t provide wireless charging capabilities, and it’s unclear when Apple plans to launch the wireless charging case.
Apple also announced that the AirPower charging mat will be coming in 2018, but didn’t give a specific date.


The colonial enterprise hard-baked violence in Nigeria: how it can be fixed
October 19, 2020 11.05am EDT
Benjamin Maiangwa, University of Manitoba
Benjamin Maiangwa
Instructor, University of Manitoba
Benjamin Maiangwa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University of Manitoba provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.
University of Manitoba provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR.
The favoured approach to understanding colonial rule, particularly in Africa, is through the prism of political governance – how the colonial authority was imposed through local or native authorities.
In our paper on Nigeria’s colonial history, we apply a different lens. We focus rather on British colonial rule through imperial companies. We argue that the British colonist did not conceive of or organise “Nigeria” as a “nation”. Rather it was administered as a business enterprise in which the Crown depended on companies to “govern” its Nigerian colonies.
The most prominent of these companies was the Royal Niger Company which succeeded the United Africa Company in 1886. It was based mainly in southern Nigeria, but expanded to the northern territories. The company traded in tropical foods and industrial goods. And it established both commercial and governing rights over the territories of the Niger area. It also built a military force to ensure its survival and control of the area.
This business approach of the colonialists existed elsewhere too. For example, the historian William Dalrymple has looked at Britain’s colonisation of Asia through the lens of the East India company. Another historian, Philip J Stern, examined how the East India Company acted like a state and controlled the political, economic and social life of the people of India.
Understanding the use of companies to secure and govern the captured colonies is a departure from the argument that indirect rule in Nigeria started with a pronouncement by Governor Frederick Lugard in the early twentieth century. As the Governor of the Northern and Southern protectorates, Lord Frederick Lugard consolidated the two colonies and created Nigeria in 1914. The colonies were administered indirectly through local chiefs.
We argue that the process of indirect rule actually began with the granting of charter rights to companies like the Royal Niger Company.
The fact that the colonial system in what was to become Nigeria, as elsewhere, was essentially a commercial expedition meant that the outcome was the creation of corporate entities rather than nation states. Consequently, the Nigeria of today is more or less an industrial project rather than a community of people with legitimate rights to determine their own local affairs.
In essence, the Nigerian people and their land were imagined not as people with rights to exist and function as a community or even nations. They were imagined as corporate money making entities whose bodies were enslaved and lands plundered. This system created a problem of unification in the “post-British” era.
The fact that companies drove the colonial process had a number of other consequences. Among them was that it made organised violence and the commodification of people and their socio-political systems possible.
In our view, this history lies at the roots of most conflicts in the post-independence era. And redressing the wrongs of the past hinges on understanding present day Nigeria, not as a nation, but as a corporate entity. Arguably, this knowledge can be useful in creating a new workable reality in Nigeria. This could be based either on the idea of nationhood, or at least, on some form of inclusive governance at the local level. This, in turn, could lay the ground for a system of peacebuilding and societal restructuring based on the legitimate goals and agency of all the groups involved.
The post independence nationalists’ leaders mainly supervised the transition of a corporate machine set up by Britain. Successive leaders continued to treat Nigerians as the workforce of the industrial project. They failed to realise and respect the Nigerian people as legitimate entities with fundamental rights to live and thrive with the resources available to them in their communities.
A company state produced by violence can only further yield violent returns. The military coups that followed after independence were clearly attempts at capturing or seizing the industrial state. The Nigeria-Biafra war and the ongoing terrorism of Boko Haram and the Niger Delta militancy are further pointers to the consequences of the colonial enterprise. The Niger Delta people have been emasculated by successive Nigerian leaders and multinational corporations and left to their own devices. This despite living in one of the most resource-rich places in the world. Their militancy or insurgency is merely a symptom of corporate environmental irresponsibility and degradation.
Other similar groups in the country, left with few livelihood options, are egged on by the idea of Nigeria as a “corporate cake” in which they ought to also seize their share. These include gun-wielding kidnappers and marauders.
Then there are corrupt and lawless politicians. They spearhead a structure of police and military brutality, poor healthcare, abuse of power, poverty and unemployment. They also pursue extractive oil deals with their foreign benefactors, and a systemic discrimination of “outsiders” – those for whom the “corporate cake” was not baked.
Read more: Why disbanding the notorious anti-robbery squad won't stop bad policing in Nigeria
Within such a dishevelled system, it is not surprising that elections turn violent or brutal as opposing groups jostle for the capture of the company-state.
We propose a system of peace building and societal restructuring based on the legitimate goals and agency of all parties involved. The Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung described this kind of peace building as one that legitimises the affected parties as agents in their own right. They are therefore able to identify their needs and goals and work through their contradictions and differences without calling in outside experts. This mode of peace building – or conflict transformation – places enormous power and responsibility on the people affected by social injustices and violence.
The #EndSARS protests gaining momentum in Nigeria may be a step in the direction of social change led by young people concerned about the structural and direct violence of the corporate state in Nigeria.
Critical and emancipatory peace building holds enormous potential for rethinking the terms of violent relations in Nigeria. This rethinking would entail a serious mental effort of self criticism and appraisal. In this process the notions and practice of citizenship, leadership, and nationhood would assume their real meaning and importance.


Wayne Cochran, ’60s rhythm-and-blues showman, dies at 78
Flamboyant soul singer Wayne Cochran poses for a publicity shot circa the mid-1960s in Miami. Credit: Getty Images / Michael Ochs Archives
By The Washington Post Updated November 26, 2017 10:30 PM
For a few years in the 1960s and 1970s, one of the music world’s most extraordinary showmen was a Georgia-born rhythm-and-blues singer named Wayne Cochran. Inspired by the vocal styles of soul superstars Otis Redding and James Brown, he was once billed as the “White Knight of Soul.”
With his gravelly voice, gravity-defying hairstyle and outrageously dynamic performances, Mr. Cochran became a cult favorite and was an influence on Elvis Presley. He had an unforgettable stage presence that led entertainer Jackie Gleason to call him “the wildest guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Cochran died Nov. 21 at his home in Miramar, Florida. He was 78.
The cause was cancer, said a grandson, Jason Cochran.
Cochran began his career in the 1950s, singing country and rockabilly music and writing songs. One of his tunes, “Last Kiss,” became a major hit for two other groups, 35 years apart.
In the 1960s, he was a headliner in Las Vegas and appeared on national television and at the Apollo theater in Harlem. He recorded several albums and was sometimes proclaimed “the King of Blue-Eyed Soul” and “the white James Brown,” after whom he patterned much of his stage style.
Writing for the website Allmusic.com, musician Steve Leggett called Mr. Cochran “one of the true unsung heroes of rock & roll.”
His band, the C.C. Riders, included backup singers and a blazing horn section, all performing slick, choreographed moves. His shows had no stopping point: The band kept vamping from one song to the next, as the music and audience reached a point of frenzy.
In Las Vegas, where he once made $14,000 a week, Cochran began wearing custom-designed capes and rhinestone-studded jumpsuits — a style later picked up by Presley, who also borrowed some of Mr. Cochran’s songs.
Cochran’s records never became big hits, and life on the road took its toll. Drugs and marital problems left Cochran in despair and, by his own account, he once held a gun to his head, ready to pull the trigger.
“I had had everything,” he said in 1997. “I had gone from nothing to everything and was heading back to nothing.”
Except for occasional stage or television appearances, Mr. Cochran largely abandoned his music career at 40 and turned to preaching. For the rest of his life, he was the born-again pastor of the Voice of Jesus ministry near Miami, which featured Bible readings, shouts of hallelujah and a state-of-the-art sound system, for whenever Cochran felt the urge to sing.
By The Washington Post
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Ferebyrne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name Ferebyrne comes from its first bearer, who was a person with attractive, youthful looks, or someone who was noted as having been a beautiful child. The surname Ferebyrne is derived from the Old English words fair, which means lovely, and bearn, which means child. However, the name Ferebyrne may also be a local surname applied to someone from the settlement of Fairbourne in Kent or Fairburn in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In this case, Ferebyrne belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
Early Origins of the Ferebyrne family
The surname Ferebyrne was first found in North Yorkshire at Fairburn, a small village and civil parish in the Selby district that dates back to before the Domesday Book when it was listed as Fareburne c. 1030. A few years later in 1086, the Domesday Book lists the placename as Fareburne [1] and literally meant "stream where ferns grow," having derived from the Old English fearn + burna. [2]
Some of the first records of the family were Augustin and Robert Fayr(e)barn(e) who were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297. [3]
By the time of the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, spellings were quite varied: Johannes Fayrebame; Willelmus Fairebarn; and Robertus Fayrebarne were all listed there at that time as holding lands. [4]
In Scotland, the name literally means "beautiful child" [5] and the first record of the family was "Stephen Fairburn, burgess of Berwick on Tweed, [who] held the hostelry of the abbot and convent of Arbroath in Dundee c. 1327." [6]
Early History of the Ferebyrne family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferebyrne research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1297, 1327, 1644, 1680, 1742, 1685, 1686, 1688, 1690, 1692 and 1693 are included under the topic Early Ferebyrne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ferebyrne Spelling Variations
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Ferebyrne has been spelled many different ways, including Fairbairn, Fairbairns, Fairbarn, Fairborn, Fairborne and many more.
Early Notables of the Ferebyrne family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Andrew Fairbairn; and Sir Palmes Fairborne (1644-1680), an English soldier and Governor of Tangier. He was "the son of Colonel Stafford Fairborne of Newark, and probably related to the Yorkshire family of that name." [7] Sir Stafford Fairborne (d. 1742), was Admiral of the fleet and the eldest son of Sir Palmes Fairborne. "In June 1685 Stafford was lieutenant of the Bonadventure at Tangiers, and during the illness of his captain commanded the ship in a successful encounter with some Sallee vessels at Mamora. On 12 July 1686 he was...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferebyrne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Ferebyrne family
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Ferebyrnes to arrive in North America: Robert Fairbarn landed in 1763. William Fairbarn joined many of his fellow Fairbarns when he purchased land in Philadelphia in 1835.
Subsidy Rolls
The Ferebyrne Motto +
Motto: Nec cede arduis
Motto Translation: Not high yield
^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
^ Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Ferebyrne (English)


7 Badass TV Moms Who Run It Like a Boss
June 21, 2020 June 21, 2020 / Parenting / By Andrew Kreeger
Over the past several years, we’ve seen an explosion of more complex characters being explored on the small screen. Imparticular, TV moms are thriving and their stories have gotten grander, bolder, and more complicated than dated storylines solely about domestic life. We all know that mom’s kick ass. Edie Falco‘s performance as Carmela in The Sopranos was one of the pioneers who carved out this space in TV dramas. Her character was tough as nails and felt closer to the actually lived experiences of many families whose matriarchs hold it all together even though flaws exist.
A few years later when Desperate Housewives premiered in 2004, the show felt subversive in all the right ways. The show featured juicier, more unconventional roles for women than many of us were accustomed to seeing on broadcast television. Ever since then, TV has been the place to see moms as more robust and three-dimensional characters. We love a badass mom! Here are 7 of our favorite TV moms who continued to break the mold over the last several years.
Lady Olenna – Game of Thrones
Love it or hate it, there was no denying that Lady Olenna from Game of Thrones was one of the smoothest and most ruthless political actors from the entire series. She fought for her children and their legacy at every turn including devising elaborate assassination plots, getting a seat at every table, and just telling it like it is. Cheers to this amazing TV mom who gave us more zingers than any other on the show.
Alicia Florrick – The Good Wife
After her husband, the state’s attorney is caught up in a sex/corruption scandal, Alicia Florrick is forced to return to practicing law to provide for her family. What ensues is a personal revolution that sees Alicia transform from being a “good wife” into one of the most powerful attornies in the city of Chicago. While she might not plot a poisoning like Lady Olenna, Alicia’s dedication as a parent and intrepidity as a lawyer prove that she definitely earns a spot on this list.
Rainbow Johnson – Black-ish
Black-ish is an extremely funny comedy, but every episode delivers a message about the joys and difficulties of parenting in modern America as a Black family. For Bow, who raises and captains the entire family, she’s got even more to contend with outside the home as an anesthesiologist. Her fierce loyalty to her family and her ability to always handle hard situations with wisdom is truly remarkable. We love this badass mom.
Catherine Cawood – Happy Valley
Woo! Happy Valley is one of the most intense crime dramas we’ve ever seen. The protagonist, Catherine Cawood is a police sergeant who stumbles into a crime with implications for her own dysfunctional family. This tough cop literally kicks butt and will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of her orphaned grandson. Although she cannot always put into words how deeply she feels for members of her family, her actions speak louder.
Maeve Millay – Westworld
Westworld, for all of its production valley and beautiful imagery, is often completely unhinged with various plot holes and complications that make it very hard to follow. However, Maeve’s devotion to her daughter is a constant that anchors the first seasons of the show. Maeve might be a robot, but she uses her machinery to her advantage to transcend the limitations of a human body. The character dismantles an entire power structure by orchestrating a robot uprising to ensure the safety and wellbeing of her child. She proves that even robot moms will stop at nothing for their children.
Angela Abar – Watchmen
We were pleasantly surprised by HBO’s Watchmen when it premiered last Fall. It features one of the most badass characters ever written: Angela Abar AKA Sister Knight. After becoming a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Angela and her partner were attacked in a massacre by a vigilante group. Her partner and his wife die as a result. Angela takes it upon herself to adopt his two orphaned children and raises them as her own. She kicks butt left and right! When she’s not unraveling a very knotty mystery. we are treated to tender moments of her with her kids, expertly explaining the realities of this world.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Comparing the 10 Worst TV Character Moms with the Actresses Who Portrayed Them
Elizabeth Jennings – The Americans
Elizabeth Jennings’s relationship with her daughter, Paige has tremendous highs and lows over the course of the show’s six-season run. Elizabeth is a Russian spy, posing as an American whose missions often put her odds with her Americanized children. And boy, can she rock a disguise! Elizabeth rarely loses sight of a mission which makes it hard for her to convey her deeper feelings to Paige until Paige is an adult herself. Elizabeth Jennings is one of the greatest spy characters ever put on screen.
Andrew Kreeger
Chicago based writer who enjoys finding the best of the internet. Cheese and crackers are a mood.


Beverly Erschell – Internationally Known Painter Located in Northern Kentucky
June 25th, 2014	| Published in * | 2 Comments
by Laura A. Hobson
A visitor winds her way off interstate roads to reach artist Beverly Erschell’s home, tucked away in a house overlooking the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky. There, Erschell, 79, paints in a home studio. “All my paintings are discoveries,” she said. “I paint to learn.” Her preferred medium is oils, but she has also worked in transparent watercolor and acrylics. “Painting has no purpose other than to transport a person from one world to another. I’m not making a political or moral statement in my painting,” Erschell commented.
At an early age, she discovered art. Attending Miss Doherty’s (now part of Seven Hills School) for seventh and eighth grades, she wanted to go to a coed high school and graduated from Highland Heights High School in Kentucky. “There, the only thing I did well was art. I’ve always been an artist. It was a punishment to read,” she said.
Erschell – View of Cincinnati from Newport
By 17 she enrolled in Stephens College in Missouri to study fine art. After she received her associate’s degree from that college, she obtained her bachelor of fine arts in 1969 and master of fine arts in 1971 from the Design, Art and Architecture College of University of Cincinnati. This training she put immediately to use by teaching part-time at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University and UC. Her subjects included art history, painting, art appreciation and drawing.
Inspired by such teachers as UC professor Martin Tucker, who taught painting with an emphasis on self-expression, and local artist Robert Fabe, who taught tempura at UC, she also found ideas in her trips to Europe as well as from scenes of Cincinnati. Arthur Louis Helwig (1899 – 1976), instructor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, gave her a background in painting, particularly value, i.e., an element of art which refers to the lightness or darkness of color. Erschell said a sense of drama in a painting can be intensified by more contrasting values.
Erschell – I Don’t Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Academic life wasn’t for her she decided at an early age and after a bout with cancer, treated successfully. She rented a studio in Newport in the early 1970’s and began her professional life. In 1971, Erschell took a picture to Miller Gallery on Hyde Park Square. She sold it in a week. Thus began a partnership of over 30 years.
Other galleries where she exhibited include the Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery run by director Armand Bolling in Boca Raton, Florida and the Marin-Price Gallery headed by Francisco Marin-Price in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Closer to home, she showed at the Malton Gallery on Edwards Road. Later, she began exhibiting her pieces in regional juried art shows at such national recognized art museums as the Contemporary Arts Center and The Dayton Art Institute. Dianneand her now deceased husband Jay Dunkelman donated one of Erschell’s painting to the permanent collection of the Cincinnati Art Museum, which began Erschell’s association with the museum. After the contribution, Erschell attended CAM sales, got to know the CAM staff and eventually brought in prints, cards and ornaments to sell at the gift shop.
Nationally known, she has also exhibited in New York City and Dallas, Texas. Her work is represented in private and corporate collections including Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati Financial, Frisch’s and Cincinnati Bell. Eisele Gallery of Fine Art represents her in Cincinnati with eight pieces currently shown there. Selling over 1,000 paintings in her career, Erschell also has cards and prints for sale at the Cincinnati Museum Center and Fabulous Frames on Fourth St.
What contributes to her success is her longevity in the field, according to Erschell. She said she paints what other people enjoy. “I had great advisors and gallery dealers,” who helped guide her way. “People love to help,” she said. “I work hard and do whatever comes along.” Advice she gives to up and coming artists is to work as hard as you can. “I learned to say yes with anything that comes in. I was not a teacher; I would rather grab a brush. I am a studio artist,” she said,
Now returning artistically to interiors from Cincinnati scenes, Erschell is rejuvenated by watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, which take her to the realm of tension, mystery and suspense. Currently, she has on her easel a challenging, commissioned piece of the ocean in North Carolina. In addition, she wrote and illustrated “The Lucky Greyhound,” a story of her dog, Maple, in 2013.
“Modern artists who have influenced my work include David Hockney and Marsden Hartley,” said Erschell. British artist Hockney (1937-1963) who painted using vibrant colors, became an influential force in the 20th century. “I liked the way Hockney has the figures and negative space,” she said. American painter Hartley (1877-1943) influenced her with his clear lines and undecorated style.
Her work is often brightly colored, reminding the viewer of Henri Matisse, a French artist (1869 – 1954). When she is stymied artistically, she goes to the masters. In Matisse, she finds bright color and dramatic composition. Additionally, Erschell looked at Impressionist and post-Impressionist works in particular. Van Gogh and Gauguin are obvious influences, while Matisse’s spaces are key influence on her interiors. Her work with interiors inside a room with a balcony on the outside are a reflection of Matisse in the 1930’s.
Taking photographs and drawings of subjects, Erschell would bring home her ideas and put them to work on canvas. She loved the water; its transparency as a device for depth. It took her back to Mirror Lake at Ryland Lakes Country Club, south of Covington, near where she grew up. “Water has a mystery for me.”
Some oil paintings take months to develop. Two recent unreleased paintings accompany this article. One is “The View of Cincinnati from Newport,” which depicts a Cincinnati urbanscape and the other is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (title taken after the book written by Dr. Maya Angelou in 1970), which captures her interest in interiors. She emphasizes strong color, fluid line and spontaneity.
The Art of Beverly Erschell by Sue Ann Painter published in 2009 brings together representative examples of the artist’s paintings and works on paper over four decades. In the preface, Cincinnati Art Museum Director Aaron Betsky said, “Beverly Erschell has a way of bringing out the joy of painting. Her work is always full of the sensual pleasures of everyday life, the beauties of landscape and the strength of form as the artist observes it.”
“In Erschell’s work we encounter the liberation of color, the reduction of space and form, a tendency toward abstraction and spontaneous brushwork. She frequently combines landscape, still life and portraiture into a single painting,” said Phillip Long, director emeritus, Taft Museum of Art.
“The pictures are all puzzles for me; and I try to solve them,” she said.
To return to the community which has embraced her and her work, she established the Beverly Helmbold Scholarship Foundation at the University of Cincinnati. UC officials asked Erschell if she wanted the money to go to students with talent or need. Her reply was talent. The foundation is designed to help graduate students in fine art. She started with $25,000 and adds money to it every year. A worthy student receives $1,000 for tuition each year.
“There’s not as much government funding now,” she said. “Some (students) can go to college if there’s an endowment there,” said Erschell. “I did enough teaching to realize the importance of an education. You have to be tough today to go out and deal with the galleries and museums. It’s a tough world out there,” she added.
Erschell is married to Fritz, a retired funeral director at Dobbling, Muehlenkamp Erschell with locations in several Northern Kentucky towns. They have two children, Barbara Sweet and Viktoria Grimme, and seven grandchildren.
Erschell has built a successful career: one step at a time.
Judy Greene says:
July 8th, 2014at 9:26 am(#)
I was immediately drawn to Beverly’s art and talent and her warm fun personality is contagious. This artist’s work makes one smile and brings a room to life. I have Beverly’s art displayed in my home along with her book The Art Of Beverly Erschell. Beverly is a true treasure. An artist that I have had the pleasure to know and love.
Barbee Yung Carson says:
July 9th, 2014at 10:45 am(#)
I fell in love with City Scapes and some of Beverly’s earlier paintings I have always been a fan of hers. Her paintings are beautiful.