"It's because of China." The extreme right and its scapegoat strategy
Dirk De Block
Solidaire.org
Inspired by Donald Trump, the far right around the world has adopted the same motto: "It's because of China that we have this coronavirus. China must pay." After an initial joint campaign against the UN pact on migration, the far-right network is now carrying out coordinated attacks against China.
During the first phase of the coronavirus crisis, the extreme right had difficulty positioning itself in relation to this health crisis. In France, Marine Le Pen fell by 3 % in the polls at the start of the crisis. In Italy, Matteo Salvini, who was responsible for many austerity measures in the previous government, saw his popularity fall by 10 %.
In recent weeks, however, the far right has found a new common narrative. "It's because of China that we have this coronavirus. China must pay." In Belgium, the fascist Vlaams Belang party is also very clearly prepared to put the financial means to spread the 'anti-China' message in Flanders. Thus, the party did not hesitate to sponsor Facebook ads saying "Lest We Forget, Lest We Forgive: China lied about the virus", and "Let's stop being dependent on China". This sudden interest in China is part of an international far-right campaign, that is also taking place in Europe, at the instigation of Donald Trump. After an initial joint campaign against the UN pact on migration (known as the "Marrakesh pact"), the far-right network is now carrying out coordinated attacks against China.
Don't defend Trump, criticize China instead
The most immediate objective of Trump's campaign against China is to win the elections. Indeed, the US President's disastrous reaction to the coronavirus crisis cost him dearly in terms of credibility. Because of its slowness in implementing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the country has paid a heavy price for the virus, with over 100,000 deaths and mile-long queues at food distribution points. He is also facing increasing social protest. An official document describes the (re)election strategy of Trump and the Republican Party as follows: "Don't defend Trump. Criticize China instead." Marie-Cécile Naves, research director at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), summarizes the situation in the Belgian daily Le Soir: "For Donald Trump criticizing the WHO's management of Covid-19 and accusing the organization of making a deal with China is to say that the WHO and China are responsible for the crisis. He is looking for scapegoats to silence criticism of his own disastrous approach to the pandemic."
This propaganda war gives pride of place to fake news and other conspiracy theories. Dozens of authoritative studies by virologists, biologists, the WHO and even Trump's own security services have already refuted the claim that the virus was created in a laboratory. Yet the White House occupant keeps coming back with these theories, supported in this by an international far-right network. All over the world, far-right politicians are repeating the same motto : it's China's fault. In Brazil, a minister in the Bolsonaro government even went so far as to claim that the coronavirus was part of a Chinese plan for world domination.
Protecting American multinationals at all costs
In the medium term, this campaign against China aims to protect multinationals and shareholders during the worst economic crisis since 1929. It's becoming more and more obvious that not everyone is in the same boat. The richest 1% is not "as hard hit by the crisis" as Theo Francken of the N-VA (New Flemish Alliance, right nationalist) claims. Billionaires are the only group in society to grow collectively wealthy despite this crisis... or rather because of it.
Trump's aid plan has freed up over $4 trillion to bail out big business first and foremost. However, growing social protest in the United States is becoming increasingly critical of this cheque offered to multinationals. There are increasing calls for a rescue plan for workers and, in both Europe and the United States, the idea of having multimillionaires contribute through a 'Corona Tax' is gaining ground.
A campaign blaming China for the coronavirus crisis is therefore a golden screen to preserve the ultra-rich. Indeed, by blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump concludes that it must also bear the financial cost. And he hammers: "Make China Pay!".
In order to achieve his aims, he is considering further increasing the customs duties on Chinese products. Thus, this anti-China campaign fits in perfectly with the trade war that Washington has been waging for some time now. The slogan ' Make America Great Again ' wants to teach American workers to hate China, instead of demanding explanations as to why Donald Trump was so slow to implement the WHO guidelines.
The right-wing populist German magazine Bild ran the headline "What China already owes us" and calculated that China should pay Germany 150 billion euros. The president of the Spanish far-right Vox party also wants China to pay for what the party, like Donald Trump, systematically calls the 'Wuhan virus'.
In Flanders, the extreme right-wing news website Doorbraak has cleverly translated 'Make China Pay' into 'China must pay for the coronavirus crisis'. Doorbraak even advocates a 'Corona tax' on goods made in China and not on multimillionaires. Vlaams Belang has actively contributed to the dissemination of this article. With this campaign against China, the far right wants to protect the ultra-rich, as was very clearly demonstrated by the behaviour of Vlaams Belang in Parliament, when they voted against a proposal to subject multimillionaires to a Corona tax.
Donald Trump's Cold War against China
The campaign against China also has a strategic objective. It's about preparing the minds for a cold war against America's 'strategic' enemy. For twenty years now, the most reactionary and aggressive forces in the US establishment have been convinced that the United States must fight China to maintain its global hegemony.
The first anti-Chinese strategies were developed under the presidency of George W. Bush by the think tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC). One of the ideologues of the time was Samuel Huntington, author of the 'Clash of Civilizations', a book that was used to justify wars in the Middle East. Huntington claimed that these wars were not meant to control oil or raw materials. He argued that conflicts were inevitable because Western civilization was incompatible with Muslim civilization. What is less well known is that he considered a conflict with China just as inevitable, since Chinese civilization, based on Confucianism (named after the philosopher Confucius), had different values and norms from those of Western civilization.
Barack Obama, for his part, has put forward the 'Pivot to Asia' strategy, shifting American attention from the Middle East to the Far East and now assumed by the 'Committee on the Present Danger: China' (CPDC). It brings together former CIA officials, former military leaders, representatives of the arms industry, NGOs, international allies, conservative journalists and media experts, including Steve Bannon, Trump's former far-right consultant, who was behind the creation of the committee.
According to the CPDC, China poses a military, economic and ideological threat to the United States that must be fought. To find the shock troops that will lead the fight on the ground, the committee can count on the far-right network that Bannon is setting up. The man always applies the same tactics. Right-wing extremist campaigns on social networks are paving the way. Then, relatively respectable but extreme right-wing media and opinion-makers take up the story, or at least raise the issue and start a controversy, which is eventually picked up by the mainstream media.
This far-right anti-Chinese campaign is contributing to a rapid increase in anti-Chinese racism around the world. In one week, more than 600 cases of physical and verbal abuse against people of Chinese origin were reported. These people were invected, beaten, stabbed or otherwise molested. In some schools, Chinese students have even been denied access to classrooms. Since January, the number of Americans who see China as an enemy has tripled. In Europe, too, the extreme right is portraying China as an enemy. For example, in Spain, members of the far-right Vox party have spread racist messages against Chinese citizens and tourists in Spain. In Belgium, Vlaams Belang recently tabled resolutions in Parliament questioning China's membership of international institutions such as the WHO.
The cold war logic of the far right: not in our name!
Progressives around the world must be aware of the danger of the Cold War logic into which Trump and his extreme right-wing troops want to push us. We must defend a social and solidarity-based alternative against their vision and strategies.
International solidarity vs the 'every man for himself' logic
International solidarity and the existence of the WHO as an international organisation is a thorn in the side of the extreme right. On the other hand, the coronavirus is a pandemic, which by definition does not stop at borders. If one country loses the fight against the virus, all the others lose as well. This logic goes totally against narrow nationalism and the 'our country first' principle dear to the extreme right. It is absurd to believe that the United States, or the West, will win if China loses.
These two points of view also clashed at the last WHO General Assembly. Both China and the European Union were calling for a public and universally accessible vaccine. Trump opposed it and stuck to his 'America First' principle.
Austerity or investing in a strong healthcare system
Moreover, for the WHO, highly developed health systems are essential factors in the response to the pandemic, which also runs completely counter to the vision of Donald Trump, who is determined to undermine social security and universal health insurance. In 2014, the chairman of Vlaams Belang, Tom Van Grieken, also advocated in his party's programme 4.4 billion euros of savings in real health spending.


Hậu Giang plans $69 million agribusiness project
Pipeapple is a special fruit of the southern province of Hậu Giang. — nongnghiep.vn
HÀ NỘI — The southern province of Hậu Giang is building a project on strengthening competitiveness through promoting agribusiness in the period 2021-26.
The project is being finalised with consultancy support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project is designed to have capital investment of VNĐ1.6 trillion (US$68.8 million), of which VNĐ780 billion is expected from ADB, VNĐ46 billion is non-refundable aid and the remainder is the province’s counterpart capital.
It has four parts including innovation and technology transfer; infrastructure construction and equipment; supporting information technology development, organisation and coordination of value chains and credit support; and project management and backup.
In the plan, the loan from ADB is expected to build infrastructure and equipment serving the project and developing the growing area of vegetables, mushrooms, medical mushrooms and orchards in seven districts and townships of the province. It aims to have at least 20 per cent of safe vegetable and fruit qualified for VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards and have two or three brand names of typical agricultural products by 2025.
Speaking at the meeting between local leaders and ADB representatives held in the province on Monday, Deputy Chairman of Hậu Giang People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Tuấn said the project was very important, contributing to building a stable growing area of vegetables and fruits and developing rural areas in the future.
“The province will conduct this project and pay attention to its efficiency,” Tuấn said.
Nguyễn Minh Cường, principal country economist at ADB, noted the province’s ideas. He said ADB wanted the project to be implemented at the same time as the provincial People’s Council’s medium investment plan in the period 2021-25.
At the meeting, Tuấn also proposed ADB to support Hậu Giang in upgrading infrastructure systems for water supply, waste water drainage, preventing climate change, electricity, healthcare, transport and agriculture and rural development. — VNS


“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” –Thomas Jefferson
Looking to get involved in the student self-governance process? Looking to make a meaningful impact at the University? Apply to serve on the University Board of Elections!
The UBE will be accepting applications for the 2019-2020 University Board of Elections until May 12th at 11:59 PM. Take a look at the position descriptions. If you’re interested, apply here.
Details on Membership
The University Board of Elections (UBE) is the Special Status Organization created to regulate and conduct student elections and referenda at the University of Virginia. The UBE was empowered through a series of student referenda and through delegation of authority from the Rector, Board of Visitors and the President of the University of Virginia.
The UBE is composed of eleven members drawn from across the whole University. The Board is appointed by a selection process that includes input from school presidents and ultimate selection by a committee of the outgoing chairs of the Honor and University Judiciary Committees, Student Council and Fourth Year Trustee Presidents and the UBE Chair.
The function of the UBE is crucial to the continuation of student self-governance at the University. Board members are expected to commit several hours a month during the school year in addition to additional roles and commitments during the fall and spring election seasons. Please review the following UBE constitutional requirements for membership:
The applicant must be a full time student of the University of Virginia.
The applicant must be in good academic standing as defined by The Record of the University of Virginia.
The applicant must commit that if appointed to the Board, the applicant will resign any executive or leadership position of a student organization that endorses in elections under the Board’s jurisdiction.
The applicant must not currently hold or seek any electoral office that is overseen by the University Board of Elections.
If appointed, a Board member may not:
Publicly support any candidate or position in a referendum.
Become involved in any student election overseen by the University Board of Elections.
Become involved in any organizational candidate endorsement process.
Undertake other actions that could lead to an appearance of bias.
For more information, please email [email protected].


1988, Artists, Music, Top 40
Top 40 Songs This Week – August 27, 1988: Songs 30-21
August 26, 2014 Paul Stroessner	5 Comments
Welcome back to this week’s countdown. If you missed the first 10 songs, you can still check them out. Now, let’s Return to the week ending August 27, 1988, and continue the countdown.
30. “Love Bites” by Def Leppard
This ballad by Def Leppard is probably my least favorite song by them. But, it was the band’s only song that became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, so what do I know?
29. “Missed Opportunity” by Daryl Hall & John Oates
This song is OK. I much prefer their hits from the early ’80s.
28. “Please Don’t Go Girl” by New Kids On The Block
Today’s songs aren’t exactly starting out strong. This was The New Kids’ breakout hit. The lead vocals og this ballad was sung by Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, and spoken by Danny Wood.
27. “Just Got Paid” by Johnny Kemp
This was a fun dance song. However, I think that at the time that this came out, I got paid on Thursdays, so I couldn’t relate to this song.
26. “I Hate Myself For Loving You” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Joan Jett just plain rocks.
25. “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin
Ugh. Just when things were starting to get good, one of my most hated songs of the ’80s gets thrown in the mix!
24. “Here With Me” by REO Speedwagon
OK, now I’m happy. I always liked REO Speedwagon. I think it’s funny and presumptuous when new songs get introduced on a greatest hits album, as is the case with “Here With Me.” Well, this song proved that it was worthy to be on REO’s greatest hit album, The Hits.
23. “Rag Doll” by Aerosmith
This would have been a good song if it wasn’t played to death.
22. “One Good Woman” by Peter Cetera
I’m loving this countdown again! This is one of my favorite Peter Cetera songs.
21. “Hold On to the Nights” by Richard Marx
Good. Today’s songs end on a good note. This is one of those songs that got played a lot, but I still liked it anyway. I still like it a lot. This was the fourth and final single released from Richard Marx’s self-titled debut album.
Wow, that was a schizophrenic list of songs for me today! I loved some songs and hated (or am totally sick of) others. What do you think of this countdown so far? This countdown will get better. So come back and see for yourself as we continue tomorrow.
Previous PostRemember That Song: 8/26/14Next Post1984-a-thon Day 2
5 thoughts on “Top 40 Songs This Week – August 27, 1988: Songs 30-21”
The countdown got slightly better today, so I’m trusting you that it will continue to do so.
I forgot about “One Good Woman”! Great song! Also liked Hall & Oates, Richard Marx…and yes…even Bobby McFerrin. But I heard his song quite a bit on my trip to Myrtle Beach that summer, so it kind of became the theme song of the trip.
Oh good! I was hoping somebody would like this more than me. But for me, the songs that were good were REALLY good. Tomorrow’s will be better. The top 10 isn’t bad either. That one might be on Friday.
I was wondering if I remembered that Hall & Oates one! And yes I do agree though their mid to late 70’s into Early 80’s very much better!
Yes, I love there music from their early days. They just had hit after hit. It just really brings me back to a good place when I hear their late ’70s early ’80s music.
Love how it was left off with a Chicago two fer! Peter Cetera and Richard Marx!


FRC Denounces Decision by New York State Legislature to Redefine Marriage
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins reacted to the vote by the New York State Senate, releasing the following statement:
"Enormous political coercion has resulted in a profound failure of moral courage in the New York Senate. A clear majority of the people of New York oppose counterfeit 'marriage,' but Gov. Cuomo and anti-family lawmakers have shown that their allegiance is to a small but vocal minority seeking to redefine marriage and family.
"The so-called religious protections that were tacked on to the bill will ultimately do nothing to protect the religious rights of New York citizens. As we go forward there is little doubt that the "incentives," some taxpayer funded, used to sway votes, especially Republican ones, will be exposed.
"While it was the Democrats who were pushing this agenda, it is the Republicans in the NY Senate who ultimately allowed this to happen, especially Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Sadly, the families of New York are not represented well by either of the state's major parties on this issue. This battle however, is not without its heroes. State Senator Ruben Diaz, Rev. Duane Motley, Jason McGuire and the National Organization for Marriage worked tirelessly for the families of New York in this battle, and they should be praised for their work - it is not all for naught.
"The New York state legislature's denial of its citizens a chance to vote on the issue of marriage shows it is long overdue that the U.S. Congress begin taking these threats to marriage seriously. They should move to allow the people of the U.S. the right to vote on an issue they clearly understand, as evidenced each time the issue of marriage is put to a direct vote of the people," concluded Perkins.
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« The Social Conservative Review: The Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News--Special July 4 Edition


Filters: Author is Van Manen, Frank Teunissen [Clear All Filters]
Van Manen, Frank Teunissen, and Michael R. Pelton. "Data-based modelling of black bear habitat using GIS." In International Union of Game Biologists, 323-329., 1993.
Van Manen, Frank Teunissen. Black Bear Habitat Use in Great Smoky Mountains National Park In Ecology . Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee, 1994.
Pelton, Michael R., and Frank Teunissen Van Manen. "Benefits and Pitfalls of Long-Term Research: A Case Study of Black Bears in Great Smoky." Wildlife Society Bulletin 24, no. 3 (1996): 443-450.
Van Manen, Frank Teunissen, and Michael R. Pelton. "A GIS Model to Predict Black Bear Habitat Use." Journal of Forestry 95, no. 8 (1997): 6-12.
Van Manen, Frank Teunissen, Barron Allen Crawford, and Joseph D. Clark. Correlates of Red Wolf Repatriation Success in the Southeastern United States In Final Report. Knoxville, Tennessee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998.
Wilds, Stephanie, John Roland Boetsch, Frank Teunissen Van Manen, Joseph D. Clark, and Peter S. White. "Modeling the Distributions of Species and Communities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 27, no. 1 (2000): 389-392.
Van Manen, Frank Teunissen, Joseph D. Clark, Scott E. Schlarbaum, Kristine D. Johnson, and Glenn Taylor. "A Model to Predict the Occurence of Surviving Butternut Trees in the Southern Appalachian Region." In Prediciting Species Occurrences Issues of Accuracy and Scale, edited by Michael J. Scott, Patricia J. Heglund, Michael L. Morrison, Jonathan B. Haufler, Martin G. Raphael, William A. Wall and Fred B. Samson, 491-497. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2002.
Boetsch, John Roland, Frank Teunissen Van Manen, and Joseph D. Clark. "Predicting Rare Plant Occurrence in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA." Natural Areas Journal 23, no. 3 (2003): 229-237.
Clark, Joseph D., Frank Teunissen Van Manen, and Michael R. Pelton. "Bait Stations, Hard Mast, and Black Bear Population Growth in Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Journal of Wildlife Management 69, no. 4 (2005): 1633-1640.
Settlage, Katie E., Frank Teunissen Van Manen, Joseph D. Clark, and Timothy L. King. "Challenges of DNA-Based Mark-Recapture Studies of American Black Bears." The Journal of Wildlife Management 72, no. 4 (2008): 1035-1042.
Laufenberg, Jared Scott, Frank Teunissen Van Manen, and Joseph D. Clark. "Effects of Sampling Conditions on DNA-Based Estimates of American Black Bear Abundance." The Journal of Wildlife Management 77, no. 3 (2013).


Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO) is a pioneer organization in combating "caste-based discrimination and untouchability’’ and promoting equality and dignity of Dalit in Nepal. NNDSWO, established in 1982, is a first registered non-government organisation by Dalit for Dalit rights.
NNDSWO is the legitimization of the social movement against caste based discrimination and untouchability started in 1950s by small groups of Dalit activists in different corners of the country to voice against untouchability. The leaders of the time realising the importance of a registered organisation at national level to unite the movement established Nepal National Social Welfare Organisation, later renamed as NNDSWO. The registration of NNDSWO is itself a milestone in the history of the Dalit movement in Nepal. It became a national platform for Dalit activists working in different corners of the country establishing its district chapters in more than 50 districts in the time of registration. In the same spirit it has strengthened its local initiatives building linkages with regional and international human rights advocacy.
NNDSWO has been advocating the issues from human rights perspective as the issue of CBD&U is not only of Dalit community rather an overall human rights issue of the nation. As an institution, NNDSWO is evolving gradually, expanding its intervention areas and building on strategic approaches.


Chris Hemsworth is one of the most famous Australian actors in recent years, and he is one of the highest-paid leading men in today’s films. He is best known for his portrayal of the superhero Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, in which he as portrayed the character 8 times.
He has also had many other film roles, avoiding the trap of being known only for one character (Thor). He has had roles in series like Star Trek, Men in Black, and the reboot of Ghostbusters in 2016.
He was born in 1983 in Melbourne and is the middle child of 3 boys. Both of his brothers are also professional actors, but Chris is the most famous of the family. He has said that his earliest memories are of being around the cattle farms in the Australian outback hanging around buffalo and crocodiles.
He got his early roles in the iconic Australian soap opera series ‘Home and Away’. His first major Hollywood role was portraying James’s Kirk’s father in the 2009 Star Trek reboot by J. J. Abrams. While his on-screen performance was less than 5 minutes in the film, he caught a lot of attention and was flagged as the next big male lead.
He greatest breakthrough was undoubtedly in portraying Thor in the move of the same name. In the role, Hemsworth displayed his signature comedic portrayal of Thor that also managed to get serious when the film called for it, advertising his impressive range as an actor.
His inclusion in the first ensemble Avengers film cemented him as a forced to be reckoned with in Hollywood, and he became a household name due to the film’s international success. Ever since he has been known as Australia’s top male actor in recent years.


Thousands of guns in British museums could be 'mutilated' under new law from Brussels
The new EU laws were proposed in the wake of the Paris terror attacks
By James Rothwell And Agency 17 December 2015 • 16:55 pm
File photo: The National Army Museum, London- one of the British army museums who are destroying their collections of guns due to plans to tighten EU gun laws Credit: Photo: Alamy
UPDATE: Since this article was first published, the European Commission has contacted us to make clear that the proposed changes to EU gun laws set out in this article do not affect museums administered by public authorities. We are happy to set the record straight.
British army museums will have to destroy their collections under plans to tighten EU gun laws in the wake of Paris attacks, MPs have warned.
The Royal Armouries Museum and the National Army Museum have said the the plans from Brussels could lead to the "near destruction" of thousands of guns, according to the Conservative MP David Nuttall.
And the Commons leader Chris Grayling warned against "unintended consequences " caused by attempts to remove dangerous firearms from Europe.
He said that the policy "should not be at the expense of historic museums."
The European Commission is seeking to strengthen existing laws following the Paris terror attacks in November.
Speaking in the Commons, Bury North MP Mr Nuttall told Mr Grayling: "The director generals of both the Royal Armouries Museum and the National Army Museum have warned significant damage will be done to their collections of firearms, leading to the near-destruction of thousands of historic guns, if the proposed changes to the EU firearms directive go ahead.
File photo: Chris Grayling, Commons Leader
"So can we have a statement from the Government on what they are doing to stop this happening please."
Mr Grayling replied: "It's important whether it's in this place or in Brussels that new legislation is thought through carefully and that unintended consequences are planned for in advance and dealt with and addressed.
"You have identified (this) in what is absolutely a policy that one can understand because of course we want to see a removal from Europe of dangerous firearms, but it should not actually be at the expense of historic museums and I'm sure the Foreign Secretary will take a careful note of what you say."
Dr Edward Impey, Director General and Master of the Royal Armouries, said their priceless collection of weapons, some of which date back to the 19th century, could be "mutilated" through deactivation.
“The Royal Armouries cares for the national collection of Arms and Armour, comprising over 70,000 items from prehistory to today and from across the globe. These are all displayed or stored with the highest regard to security and long-term conservation," he said,
File photo: The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds
"The proposed changes threaten the Royal Armouries’ ability to discharge its mission in accordance with the National Heritage Act 1983, as it would lead to the mutilation or near-destruction of thousands of historic guns and other items by deactivation."
The threat to the exhibits stems from a proposed deletion of Article 2.2 in the law, which exempts museums from the stricter controls on guns.
File photo: The National Army Museum, London
Dr Impey added: "Deactivation would be a destructive process, usually leading to the loss of those moving parts of the item which are of the greatest interest and significance to the understanding of history and technological change through the study of objects, one of the main missions of museums.
"Deactivation or destruction would also prevent us from carrying out our important work in support of the armed forces and, through the use of our collection for forensic purposes, the justice system. “
The historic guns under threat at the Royal Armouries Museum
Maxim automatic rifle, about 1890
Automatic Maxim machine gun prototype, about 1885
Bren automatic light machine gun, about 1937
Experimental Twin Villar Perosa, about 1916
Colt Armalite AR-15 Model 01
Thompson submachine gun M1921, about 1921
Pen pistol for Lord Mountbatten of Burma, about 1948


Overstock CEO makes blistering speech in New York
Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock, concluded his keynote about investing in blockchain at a Wednesday event in New York hosted by investment bank and brokerage Oppenheimer & Co. with ““Warning! This is all risky, it may all fail.”
The CEO was giving a speech about the transformative potential of blockchain technology to an enthusiastic audience, including 150 Oppenheimer clients.
He began by going through a brief overview of traditional securities trading and its pitfalls — highlighting the fact that due to the arcane structure of today’s market, the ownership of stocks is indirect and somehow dubious, a message he has been trying to drive home for some time.
He had the crowd in fits of laughter when he said: “All the corporate shares in America are owned by the company called Cede & Co, and what you actually have is a contractual claim against a corporation, that has a contractual claim against another corporation, that has a contractual claim against DTCC, that has a contractual claim against Cede & Co. What can go wrong?”
Offering support for the blockchain, he went to talk about the benefits’ of the technology’s transparency and the way in which it minimises the need for trust. He also talked up the fact that blockchain can bring capital markets to a position where “all kinds of systemic risks go away,” such as people meddling with the system or using it dishonestly.
Byrne also reiterated his view that in the course of the next decade all types of securities can be tokenised and even put a figure on the value of new blockchain securities at $914.4 billion.
Nor did he forget to mention tZERO, a security token trading platform that he has long been a fan of. “In December 2015, we applied to issue a public blockchain security — it took one year and $10 million of legal wranglings [but] we issued it,” he said. Overstock has always been ‘SEC-conscious” in its development of tZERO and Byrne said he wants to continue to focus on building tZERO out without violating regulations or otherwise harming his potential users.


The Record�Special Needs Students at Risk Due to Gaps in Bus System
Special needs students are often bused from their home school system to another district, putting them at risk from a spotty system to check drivers.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/watchdog/2018/08/06/school-bus-safety-special-needs-students-risk/853913001/
Education Week--How Private Schools and Districts Partner Up on Special Education
Less than 2 percent of school-aged students with disabilities�about 85,000 of them in fall 2016�are enrolled by their parents in private schools, according to records maintained by the federal government.
But the education of those students, including their rights under federal law and the resources available to them, has taken on an outsized importance since Betsy DeVos was appointed U.S. secretary of education under the Trump administration.
DeVos is a strong supporter of school choice, including vouchers that would allow parents to use public funds to pay for tuition at private schools. Her detractors say that parents may not understand that taking a voucher means that their students lose individual rights to services that are available only to public school students.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/02/how-private-schools-and-districts-partner-up.html
Christina A. Samuels| August 2, 2018
CBS News--Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan says U.S. education system "not top 10 in anything"
Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says that political decisions about education "don't reflect" a desire to have better schools and teachers, saying that Americans "never vote on education." In his new book "How Schools Work" out on Tuesday, writes that the American education system "runs on lies."
Emily Tillett CBS News August 5, 2018, 12:27 PM
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-education-secretary-arne-duncan-says-u-s-education-system-not-top-10-in-anything/


Puslinch Real Estate
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History Corner: Continuation School in Morriston
Morriston Hall
Morriston, May 13, 1920:
“The Morriston Public School Board have been discussing the question of establishing a Continuation School in Morriston. They invited four other school boards to a friendly meeting Friday night last. There were also present the local clergymen, who took part in the discussion. Mr. Woods spoke on the Continuation School Act and Mr. Nash spoke on the moral aspects. Both were in favour of establishing such a class. John Ord thought that all the school boards in the township should be consulted and wondered if Morriston was the proper place for such a school. Mr. McDonnell thought that there ought to be two schools established, one in Morriston and another to the north of Aberfoyle, to accommodate the northern part of the township. Committees were appointed to investigate the matter further and it was agreed to ask all school boards in the township to meet in the Town Hall at Aberfoyle.”
A deputation from Aberfoyle School (S.S. #4) and the trustees of Morriston School (S.S. #8) first petitioned Puslinch Township Council at a meeting held on Jan. 8, 1906 to establish a high school class in the township. However, it was not until 1920 that a Continuation School was opened in Morriston, functioning for a few years in Morriston Hall.
The school offered secondary school courses, probably equivalent to the first two years of high school, to Puslinch students. Most were unable to attend secondary school in a neighbouring Guelph, Galt or Hespeler, as they were geographically too far from the towns. Students from Puslinch, who wished to attend secondary school, were forced either to board in a city or to take a train to the city, if they lived close enough to access a railway station. For this reason of inaccessibility, the education of the majority of Puslinch people ended at the completion of public school, until the advent of the high school bus route in the township. In 1923, a few Puslinch Continuation School students were able to complete “the lower school work for entrance to Normal”. Normal was a training programme for teachers.
Continuation School began on Sept. 7, 1920 in the Foresters Hall in Morriston, with Miss Brydon of Guelph as teacher.
In the Lower School Departmental Examinations, first class required a standing of at least 75%; second class, 66%; third class, 60%; and credit 50%. Pupils in Form One in 1922 were: Christina McLean, Grace Gray, Maud Clark, Isabel Leslie, Charlotte McCuen, Mary H. Clark, Cameron Hingleman and Helen Gray. Subjects studied were grammar, physiography, art, botany, zoology and arithmetic. Pupils in Form Two in 1922 were: Annie D. McLean, Alex Patterson, Isabel Foster, Alma Wise, Della Philpott and Joy Gregor. Subjects studied were history, geography, art and botany.
In September 1923, Miss Margaret Stewart of Puslinch was teacher of the Continuation School.
Pupils in Form I in 1923 were: Tom Hammett, Stella Dandeno, Donald Stewart, Gertrude Binkley, Margaret Hingleman, Hazel McCuen, Fairbanks McDonnell, Annabel McBean, Mildred Walker, Earl Penrice, Walter Westlake, Jean McPherson and Murray McPherson. Pupils in Form II were: Jean Stewart, Eva Schultz, Donald Hanning and Margaret Patterson.
There was also a continuation school in Aberfoyle, where Miss Cootes was teacher. It closed in 1922 and some of the pupils attended at Morriston in 1923.
The Inspector of Public and Continuation Schools, J. J. Craig appeared at Puslinch Township Council on May 30, 1921 to point out the need for a centrally located High School in the township, as the instruction and accommodation of third year pupils would require an extension of the existing equipment and facilities at Aberfoyle and Morriston. He stated that this could be most economically provided for by the erection of a modern building for use by the whole township. He intimated that the Council would be approached by the Township School Boards in regard to the matter.
John A. Ord came to Council on Feb. 6, 1922, on behalf of a committee of the Aberfoyle Continuation School Board, requesting Council to either grant or state a price on a site for a High School on the Township grounds. In February 1922, the trustees from the school sections, who favoured a central continuation school, held a meeting to discuss the prospect. However, the Aberfoyle correspondent stated that a “very large majority” of the ratepayers were not in favour of building a school, as the tax rate was already heavy. As a consequence, no secondary school was ever established in Puslinch.
In the dark year of the Depression, 1931, those Puslinch youth, who could access the Guelph Collegiate, were required to pay a fee of $2.00 per month, which their families could not afford. Puslinch Township Council paid half of the fee for 109 students. However, Council decided to discontinue this measure in January 1932.
During September to December 1938, seven Puslinch students attended McDonald Consolidated School in Guelph Township for grade nine and during January to April three, for which Puslinch Township Council paid the tuition. The same measure was extended to Puslinch students attending the Loretto Academy on Aug. 4, 1941.
In 1948, the Guelph Suburban District High School Board was established and Gladwin Crow was appointed as the representative for Puslinch Township by Puslinch Township Council. One school bus was employed to collect students throughout the township and deliver them to the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute.
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Dez Bryant set to make season debut after being activated by Ravens
Dez Bryant is returning to the NFL, perhaps as soon as this week.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Baltimore Ravens have activated Bryant from the practice squad and placed the wide receiver on the active roster. Bryant could play in Sunday’s game at Indianapolis as a result.
Bryant sent a tweet after the news broke about how excited he is to return to action.
I told you I’m covered confident and thankful.. I don’t care who hate it…
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 7, 2020
Bryant hasn’t actually played in an NFL game since 2017. He has made it clear, however, that he is not going to take his latest chance for granted. The Ravens may be getting a very motivated player, even if he initially plays a limited role as he gets back into the swing of things.


Home > Product News and Recalls > Hospital Under Fire Over Mold Infection Deaths
Hospital Under Fire Over Mold Infection Deaths
Posted May 15, 2017 in Product News and Recalls
When we think about mold, most of us probably think of the battle we fight whenever we clean our bathrooms. All it takes, however, is a little bathroom spray mixing with a little elbow grease, and the bathtub and shower are looking as good as new. Other times, we might think of mold remediation in the home. An undiscovered water leak can lead to very unpleasant – and expensive – surprises as the work of cleaning up months or years or toxic mold buildup begins.
Mold can come from the most unlikely of places however, and that is the focus of a new lawsuit filed against UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) over the death of Katherine Landman. A recent story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details the story of the mother of two, and how she was allegedly killed by a mold infection contracted from hospital linens.
Ms. Landman was undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia at UPMC’s Shadyside facility. In preparation for a second bone marrow transplant, she was admitted to Shadyside on July 15, 2015 for chemotherapy treatments. On August 10, just 24 days later, she began showing symptoms of a sinus infection.
That month, she would endure two surgeries, but neither would be for the cancer that initially brought her to the hospital. Instead, they would be attempts to remove the mold infection that had taken root in her sinuses. The attempts would fail, however, and Katherine Landman died on October 11, 2015.
While the death of Ms. Landman is tragic, it is not the most striking aspect of this story. The most striking aspect is that this is the not the first time that an alleged link has been drawn between a UPMC patient’s death and mold. There have, in fact, been six others.
Theories abound as to the cause and all sides are, of course, pointing fingers at anyone but themselves. But a common thread seems to run through all the cases and that is the facility where UPMC has its linens cleaned: Paris Cleaners. In fact, UPMC conducted its own investigation of Paris Cleaners and found mold that was similar to what allegedly killed seven of its patients. The university, however, states that these results of an internal investigation do not link the seven cases. In fact, even after conducting its own investigation, UPMC also references an investigation carried out by the Centers for Disease Control that found no source for the mold within the UPMC system.
Hospital officials are instead focusing their attention on possible external causes for the patients’ mold infections. In one case, they believe a patient may have contracted his infection from gardening. In Ms. Landman’s case, the hospital contends that her sinus infection was pre-existing.
The timeline for how a mold infection takes hold, however, appears to contradict such a conclusion. When the CDC conducted its investigation of UPMC facilities in 2015, the agency stated that a hospital-acquired infection could be deemed “probable” if the infected patient had been in the facility for at least two weeks prior to showing symptoms.
Ms. Landman had been there for more than three.
Tags: mold, paris cleaners, university of pittsburgh, UPMC


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Book Thoughts: Capital and Ideology
I recently finished Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology and wanted to write down my impressions before they fluttered out of my head. On an extremely related note, while almost all of my posts to date have been technology related, I’ve decided that it’s my blog, I can and should write about whatever is interesting to me.
Summarizing the book would be a fool’s errand; the thing is dense. But to give the briefest of introductions, if Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century was all about introducing the magnitude of financial inequality that exists today, Capital and Ideology is more about the history that led to that state, and how the ever-evolving political climate has contributed to that. I have a bit of a pet interest in finance, economics, and yes, I suppose politics, so it was right up my alley.
So. Some lessons that stood out to me:
We Are Bad At Taxes
Unsurprisingly, there was much discussion of tax policy through the years. Piketty makes what I thought were two interesting points. The first is that taxes, especially on wealth and property, are not just useful for redistributing to those less fortunate, but actually intentionally decreasing the wealth of those at the upper ends. I know this thought makes many people bristle, but I am at least glad that he “said the quiet part out loud,” as there are two sides to inequality: it’s not just the poor getting poorer, it’s very much so the rich getting richer!
The text also made me think more about how many not-so-secretly regressive taxes we have in society, especially when many people (even those who just vomited at the paragraph above) agree that a progressive tax code is generally a good thing. Case in point, I love living in Washington, and the state leads the way in many positive initiatives, but having a sales tax instead of an income tax is seriously off-brand and weird.
Patterns in History
There were a couple of patterns that Piketty discussed, that were particularly interesting due to how they cropped up in entirely different parts of the world independent of one another.
A good-sized chunk of the book is spent talking about “trifunctional societies” – civilizations where there were essentially three classes: the nobles, the clergy, and everyone else. This societal organization repeated itself across continents and only finally (mostly) ceased to be in the last couple of centuries. Piketty makes a point to note (and this is really a central thesis of the book) that no matter how crappy a society’s organization looks in the rear view mirror, they all had their own prevalent justifications at the time. Of course, a justification doesn’t have to be good or convincing; but it’s often enough for it to exist, and it can be hard to imagine life in any other way until you have the benefit of hindsight.
The second trend is more recent, which is the shift in political demographics across many countries (though to be fair, mostly Western ones). In general, the trend is that the more educated you are, the more likely you are to vote for left-leaning politicians. This has been a slow shift since about the 1960s until today, when education is an extremely strong predictor of one’s politics. There has also been a shift in economic terms; it is slowly becoming the case that those who are more financially well off are more likely to vote left (though it hasn’t entirely switched this way). These trends, I suppose, were not particularly surprising to me, but above all they made me think about how demographic trends can be spun in both positive and negative lights. It’s easy to say, “Why yes, the parties of the left have the support of the well-educated, because the well-educated are smart enough to know what’s right and just in society.” But it’s also fair to say, “The parties of the left have lost the support of those in disadvantaged and less-well-educated groups, and they should be ashamed, because we should support those most in need.”
Workers on Boards
A specific strategy for decreasing inequality that Piketty endorsed was representation for workers on boards of directors. This is already a practice in some countries, such as Germany (though the workers don't always have a ton of power in the boards they serve on). It made me think about the announcement last year by Very Important Business People that stakeholders other than just shareholders should be considered when a company makes decisions. This was met with skepticism by one of my favorite writers, Matt Levine, as it is a very nice thing to say, but it’s another thing to actually do. Saving seats for workers on the board of directors would be one way to do this, and is a real, actual thing that happens in the world (i.e. it’s not really that far fetched).
There is so, so much more to ponder from this book. Above all, it serves as a really great history lesson, and while still quite Western and Franco-centric, Capital and Ideology views the world with a much wider lense than its predecessor. I know everyone says this, but I think someone who was very-much-not into the idea of anything with the word “social” in front of it could still enjoy it if interested in the topic. At least as a jumping off point for arguing against it!
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Progressives Won the Philly Election? You Sure About That?
The election wasn't the liberal tsunami some have made it out to be.
By Holly Otterbein·	 6/5/2015, 2:08 p.m.
The victorious Jim Kenney on Election Day| Photo by Jeff Fusco
Philadelphia is suddenly a progressive utopia.
At least, that’s what you might believe after reading articles about the city’s primary election in the national media.
“Jim Kenney, a former Philadelphia city councilman who has cast himself as a progressive in the mold of Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, handily defeated five other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for mayor Tuesday,” reads the first sentence of The New York Times article about the race.
The Atlantic went a step further, writing that “progressives scored a victory” because the mayoral race “pitted a crusading left-winger against a charter-school advocate backed by suburban hedge-fund magnates” and “this time, the left-winger … actually won.” Even Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News declared that it was a new day after Kenney, “who ran on the most progressive platform of a major Philadelphia mayoral candidate in our lifetimes,” won in a landslide, at the same time that education activist Helen Gym succeeded in her campaign for City Council.
Yes, “New Kenney,” as Philadelphia magazine likes to call him — an early supporter of LGBTQ rights and marijuana decriminalization, who promised on the campaign trail to expand pre-K and eliminate stop-and-frisk — won the mayor’s race. And that wasn’t the only feather in Progressive Philly’s cap.
As Bunch noted, Gym, the city’s leading advocate for traditional public schools, was victorious in the highly competitive Democratic City Council At-Large race. So was Councilman Bill Greenlee, who spent seven years fighting to pass paid sick leave legislation in Philly and finally prevailed this winter. And Frank Rizzo, the son of the former tough-on-crime mayor of the same name, was defeated in his bid for an at-large seat (hopefully snuffing out the Rizzo flame in City Hall forever).
But Election Day also dealt a number of blows to Philly progressives, especially in the Democratic at-large race.
Allan Domb, a wealthy developer and realtor whose nickname is the “condo king,” succeeded in that battle. He only switched his party registration to Democrat from Independent this year. The city’s GOP, in fact, courted him to run for mayor just this February. He’s also been a big beneficiary of the city’s property tax abatement. Whether all that is good or bad depends on where you fall on the political spectrum. But it’s definitely not progressive.
At the same time, voters kicked out progressive Councilman At-Large W. Wilson Goode Jr., who has been a relentless critic of the same tax abatement as well as a fierce champion of a higher minimum wage. He was endorsed by such liberal groups as Pennsylvania Working Families and Action United.
Paul Steinke and Sherrie Cohen, two gay at-large candidates, also lost. How progressive are Philly voters if they have never, ever in the history of the city elected an out person to City Council?
Meanwhile, Manny Morales, whose Facebook page praised voter ID, questioned abortion rights, and compared gay men to flatworms, came within just 865 votes of winning the 7th District Council race. And Greenlee came within only about 3,000 votes of losing the at-large race.
It should be noted that Derek Green, who finished first in the Democratic at-large brawl, doesn’t fit neatly into either the “win” or “lose” column for the city’s progressives. As a former top aide to Councilwoman Marian Tasco, he is a protégé of Philadelphia’s old guard. But he is also a graduate of the celebrated Center for Progressive Leadership.
Likewise, some may argue the city’s presumptive next mayor isn’t a slam-dunk for progressives. He certainly wasn’t an outsider like de Blasio, and calling him a “left-winger” is going a little far. Kenney’s opponents questioned his progressive bona fides repeatedly during the mayor’s race, pointing out that he was a former staffer to ex-state Sen. Vince Fumo, a past supporter of school vouchers, and a onetime enemy of bikers.
While his legislative record shows that he made a fairly clear and consistent move from being a moderate-conservative to a progressive over a couple decades, it’s also true that many people who cast a ballot for Kenney were likely voting for “Old Kenney.” And those people will be in his ear (and possibly his administration).
The point is, Election Day painted a rather complicated picture about Philadelphia’s political leanings.
What does that mean for the city going forward? Progressives may have won the mayor’s race, but the real battle is just beginning. They’ll have to fight to get Kenney’s progressive agenda passed on Council — and to keep the mayor’s seat from slipping into the hands of Old Kenney.
Derek Green


Film Talk July 29, 2018 Dir-prod-scr, Film Talk
Randal Kleiser: “I was very proud to capture Nina Foch’s teachings on video for other people to see”
‘Grease is the word.’ That’s what the summer box office of 1978 was basically all about. The film which depicted the screen romance of 1950s high-school sweethearts Danny and Sandy, was released in the U.S. on June 16, 1978, and its double-LP soundtrack included several songs that topped the Billboard charts: Frankie Valli’s title song “Grease” (# 1), “You’re the One that I Want” (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, # 1), “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (Olivia Newton-John, #3), “Summer Nights” (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, # 5), and “Greased Lightnin'” (John Travolta, # 47). The soundtrack album, which hit the top of the Billboard charts in the summer of 1978, sold reportedly over six million copies. Prior to the phenomenal success of musicals such as “La La Land” (2016) or “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), the “Grease” soundtrack to which everyone was hopelessly devoted to, was way out of everyone’s league.
Filmmaker Randal Kleiser (b. 1946) who directed “Grease” and several other box office champions over the years, including “The Blue Lagoon” (1980), “White Fang” (1991) and “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” (1992), came to the Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) to talk about “Grease,” one of the most successful films ever made. It’s been a long and fascinating journey for Mr. Kleiser, considering Walt Disney was his idol when he was a boy, the parting of the Red Sea in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (1956) was an incredible movie experience that he still remembers vividly, and about a decade later he made a short with his roommate George Lucas. It seems that both were destined to achieve stardom as George Lucas hit the screen with “Star Wars” (1977) and the following year Mr. Kleiser made his first feature, “Grease.”
Mr. Kleiser at Brussels Bozar, introducing a screening of “Grease” at the Brussels International Film Festival. Photograph: © Leo/Film Talk
Luckily, actress and Academy Award nominee Nina Foch (1924-2008) had crossed their paths at the University of Southern California (USC): she was his key mentor, they became friends and she allowed him to videotape her classes. A couple of years after she passed away, Mr. Kleiser and George Lucas took the initiative to produce the DVD compilation “The Nina Foch Course for Filmmakers and Actors.” Click here to check out the Nina Foch Course YouTube channel.
Time to sit down with this very interesting, talented and experienced filmmaker and talk about his craft. The location and the place to be was the lobby of a Brussels hotel.
Mr. Kleiser, about nine years ago we met at the Academy in Los Angeles where they had a tribute to Nina Foch. How important is she to you?
Nina was my teacher and mentor. She taught me everything I know about filmmaking. I did a video of her, and I was very proud to capture her teachings on video for other people to see. It took me many years to convince her to do this project. ‘Nobody wants to know about it,’ she said, but yes, they do. We filmed in 2000 and when we started editing it, she would say, ‘Don’t use that part because I’m being mean to that Asian girl.’ So I knew I had to wait until she was gone to edit it, because I wanted it to be real. Anyhow, the final result is really the way she was and how she thought.
When you were a film student at USC in the 1960s with George Lucas, you made the short “Freiheit” [1966]. It seems that the two of you were discovering the art and craft of filmmaking together?
Absolutely. I saw George last week, and we also talked about that short. That was his first time doing any kind of narrative story, he had done a few abstract movies up until then. “Freiheit” was done during the time when the Berlin wall was up, and that’s what it was about, about escaping through the wall and then the character was being shot. He used a combination of slow motion and stills, and he was really pushing the envelope as a student, more than anybody else. He really was ahead of all of us. We had been roommates for a while, and we were both told that we would never make it in the movie business because we didn’t have any relatives or any contacts. You had to know somebody if you wanted to make it in Hollywood, if not, you’d end up doing educational films or industrial movies. We both proved them wrong, but the strange thing is that when I was twenty, George and some friends took me to Disneyland for my birthday, they blindfolded me, put me in a car, drove me to Disneyland and once we got there, we walked around for a whole day—we both loved Disneyland. And then years later, George and I had attractions at Disneyland across from each other, I had “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” [short, 1994] then, so there we were again. It was just sort of surreal.
“Freiheit,” directed by George Lucas, starring Randal Kleiser, was filmed in the Malibu Canyons
To most people you will always be the man who made “Grease” [1978], yet early on in your career, with TV movies such as “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” [1976] and especially “The Gathering” [1977], you showed everybody that you’re truly an actor’s director. Is that also the reason why you never made for example any action or violent films?
Did you ever see my USC master’s thesis short “Peege” (1973) with Bruce Davison and Barbara Rush? That really got my career going and because of that, I was hired to do “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” and “The Gathering.” It was a film I wrote about my family, about a visit to my grandmother in a nursing home on Christmas day. She was blind and demented, and she was sitting in this chair, so we brought her a lot of presents and tried to get her to connect. Then the whole family leaves, and my character—the character that I wrote about myself [played by Bruce Davison]—he stays behind to talk to her, he touches her and tries to trigger memories. And when he leaves at the very end of the movie, there’s a big close-up of her and she smiles. So that got my career going, and that was the kind of work I intended to do. Jeanette Nolan was the grandmother. She had played Lady Macbeth with Orson Welles [“Macbeth,” 1948], but when I worked with her, I didn’t know that.
Jeanette Nolan isn’t an exception, because you really know how to cast the right people, don’t you? Like Maureen Stapleton in “The Gathering,” or Joan Blondell in “Grease.”
Joel Thurm was very instrumental, he was my casting director for “The Gathering” and “Grease.” He also produced “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” and many years later we worked again on “It’s My Party” [1996]. He was very good at casting, he was the man who really guided me.
“Grease” with Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on the cover of the February 1978 issue of ‘American Film,’ published by the American Film Institute
Could you have imagined at the time when you made “Grease,” that it would become such a phenomenal success, while even today, forty years later, young people still know most of the songs?
It’s crazy, isn’t it? I only knew it was a big Broadway musical before I got involved. The studio thought it was just a little teen musical. I hoped it was gonna go somewhere, or that it would work for the summertime, but we could never have imagined that so many years later, people would still be talking about it. We took it several years in a row to the Hollywood Bowl where 17,000 people show up in the costumes of the movie, they sing along, they cheer after every musical number. That’s simply extraordinary. But you know, what I learned about how to direct a musical was from being an extra in musicals. When I was in film school, I worked as an extra, and I was in “Fireball 500” [1966], “Camelot” [1967], “Thorough Modern Millie” [1967] , “Hello, Dolly!” [1969] and I was in four Elvis Presley movies. In one of them, “Double Trouble” [1966], I had a little moment with Elvis. In the beginning he was dancing on the stage and I’m dancing with this blonde girl. He then comes down, grabs her, pulls her up on stage, dances with her a little bit, and then she jumps back down with me. So I had this moment with Elvis [laughs]. The director of “Double Trouble” was Norman Taurog who was an instructor at USC, and he knew me from school, so that’s how I got cast. And years later, I was working with John [Travolta] who was channelling all of this. So it all works together in some strange way.
From an extra to a successful filmmaker: this is how it all began. Mr. Kleiser—in blue shirt, far left at the bottom from 00:23—dancing in this sequence from “Double Trouble” with Elvis Presley singing ‘Baby If You Give Me All Your Love’
Were there any other instructors at USC that you remember?
Sure, I also studied with Jerry Lewis. Nina and Jerry were the two that I learned the most from. When we first heard that Jerry Lewis was going to be an instructor, we thought, ‘Oh well, he’ll be telling jokes and all that.’ So we were very curious, what would it be like? But it turned out that he was extremely smart about every element of filmmaking. He knew all about camera lenses, sound, visual effects… As an actor, he asked questions to everybody and that’s how he learned everything and became a director, that’s how he learned how to spread a camera, the video feed of the camera—that was his idea. Years later, I interviewed him for the Directors Guild Visual History and I went to Las Vegas, did an interview of about four hours and got all kind of great stuff [click here for a September 2012 interview of Mr. Kleiser with Jerry Lewis at the Samuel Goldwyn theater in LA].
How did you and choreographer Patricia Birch collaborate on the set of “Grease”?
When we rehearsed, I would rehearse the actors, and she would rehearse the dancers, and in the middle of the day, we would rehearse the transitions. They are so important in a musical, because a musical number has to come out of the dialogue and ease into it. It was very important to get that right. So we had to make sure the music came out of the story. Pat Birch also had twenty dancers that we kept through the whole movie, she gave them each a name and a back story and they came up with brutal ideas of their own. If you watch the movie and look at the people in the back, they are always there doing something specific. That’s the difference with extras: they always walk back and forth and they have no purpose.
A number of years ago I met Daniel Selznick, the son of producer David O. Selznick, and he said, ‘My father always knew what his obituary would be like: David O. Selznick, producer of Gone With the Wind, dies at age so and so.’ It didn’t matter that he also made films as “Since You Went Away” [1944] or “Duel in the Sun” [1946], people would only remember him as the man who made “Gone With the Wind.” So considering the success you had with “Grease”…
… I know what mine will be like [laughs]. But that’s okay, I’m used to it after all these years. It often goes that way. It’s like Orson Welles’ first feature “Citizen Kane” [1941], right?
On your website, I noticed that you’re also available for speaking engagements, master classes and seminars. What are the topics that you like to discuss with your audience and film students?
I always channel Nina and try to get her across, using clips from the video I did with her, and I always say what she taught me and several directors. An example would be Ron Underwood who studied with her. Nina always said that on the first day of a movie, the leading man will challenge the director in some way, and Ron tells a story of Jack Palance on the set of “City Slickers” [1991], how he gave him a hard time and how Ron handled it because of what Nina told him. It’s a wonderful story, and that’s an example of her teachings, so in the class I end up doing things like that. Sometimes I bring people up on stage and just do very primitive kind of directing to show them how you have an action and an obstacle, and how you get through it, and I like to show how a director works with actors and non-actors to achieve something. Another thing I talk about is virtual reality, because I’ve been working on a science fiction project “Defrost” starring Bruce Davison, Harry Hamlin, Carl Weathers, Veronica Cartwright and Christopher Atkins. We just finished twelve five-minute episodes. It’s about a woman who’s been frozen for thirty years, comes back to life and meets her aged family. I feel like I’m back in film school because it’s all new and fresh, it’s experimental, figuring out the rules, things like that.
Brussels International Film Festival, Brussels
The trailer of “Defrost: The Virtual Series”
FIREBALL 500 (1966) DIR William Ashner PROD Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson SCR William Ashner, Leo Townsend CAM Floyd Crosby ED Eve Newman, Fred R. Feitshans Jr. MUS Les Baxter CAST Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck, Julie Parrish, Douglas Henderson, Randal Kleiser
CAMELOT (1967) DIR Joshua Logan PROD Jack L. Warner SCR Alan Jay Lerner (play by Alan Jay Lerner; novel by T.H. White) CAM Richard H. Kline ED Folmar Blangsted MUS Frederick Loewe CAST Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings, Lionel Jeffries, Laurence Naismith, Estelle Winwood, Randal Kleiser
THOROUGH MODERN MILLIE (1967) DIR George Roy Hill PROD Ross Hunter SCR Richard Morris CAM Russell Metty ED Stuart Gilmore MUS Elmer Bernstein CAST Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, John Gavin, Jack Soo, Pat Morita, Philip Ahn, Beatrice Lillie, Mae Clarke, Randal Kleiser
DOUBLE TROUBLE (1967) DIR Norman Taurog PROD Irwin Winkler, Judd Bernard SCR Jo Heims (story by Marc Brandel) CAM Daniel L. Fapp ED John McSweeney Jr. MUS Jeff Alexander CAST Elvis Presley, Annette Day, John Williams, Yvonne Romain, The Weire Brothers, Chips Rafferty, Norman Rossington, Randal Kleiser
HELLO, DOLLY! (1969) DIR Gene Kelly PROD Ernest Lehman SCR Ernest Lehman (play by Johann Nestroy; based on ‘The Matchmaker’ by Thornton Wilde; book by Michael Stewart) CAM Harry Stradling Sr. ED William Reynolds MUS Lennie Hayton, Lionel Newman CAST Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, Danny Lockin, E.J. Peaker, Joyce Ames, Tommy Tune, Louis Armstrong, Rutanya Alda, Scatman Crothers, Randal Kleiser
GLI ESECUTORI, a.k.a. STREET PEOPLE (1976) DIR Maurizio Lucidi, Guglielmo Garroni PROD Manolo Bolognini, Luigi Borghese SCR Randal Kleiser, Maurizio Lucidi, Roberto Leoni, Franco Bucceri, Nicola Badalucco (story by Maurizio Lucidi, Roberto Leoni, Franco Bucceri) CAM Aiace Parolin ED Renzo Lucidi MUS Luis Bacalov CAST Roger Moore, Stacy Keach, Ivo Garrani, Fausto Tozzi, Ennio Balbo, Loretta Persichetti, Pietro Martellanza, Luigi Casellato
GREASE (1978) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Robert Stigwood, Allan Carr SCR Bronte Woodward (adaptation by Allan Carr; original musical by Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey) CAM Bill Butler ED John F. Burnett CAST John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Didi Cohn, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Sid Caesar, Lorenzo Lamas, Ellen Travolta, Andy Tennant
THE BLUE LAGOON (1980) DIR – PROD Randal Kleiser SCR Douglas Day Stewart (novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole) CAM Néstor Almendros ED Robert Gordon MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Brooke Shields, Christopher Atkins, Leo McKern, William Daniels, Elva Josephson, Glenn Kohan, Alan Hopgood
RICH AND FAMOUS (1981) DIR George Cukor PROD William Allyn [Jacqueline Bisset, uncredited] SCR Gerald Ayres (play ‘Old Acquantance’ [1940] by John Van Druten; screenplay OLD ACQUAINTANCE [1943] by John Van Druten, Lenore Coffee) CAST Jacueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, David Selby, Hart Bochner, Steven Hill, Meg Ryan, Matt Lattanzi, Daniel Faraldo, Fay Kanin, Christopher Isherwood, Paul Morrissey, Roger Vadim, Nina Foch, Gavin Lambert, Randal Kleiser
SUMMER LOVERS (1982) DIR – SCR Randal Kleiser PROD Mike Moder CAM Timothy Galfas ED Robert Gordon MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valérie Quennessen, Barbara Rush, Carole Cook, Hans van Tongeren, Lydia Lenosi, Vladimiros Kiriakidis
GRANDVIEW, U.S.A. (1984) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Peter W. Rea SCR Ken Hixon CAM Reynaldo Villalobos ED Robert Gordon MUS Thomas Newman CAST Jamie Lee Curtis, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Troy Donahue, Jennifer Jason Leigh, William Windom, Carole Cook, M. Emmet Walsh, Ramon Bieri, John Cusack, Joan Cusack
FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Dimitri Villard, Robert Wald SCR Michael Burton, Matt MacManus (story by Mark H. Baker) CAM James Glennon ED Jeff Gourson MUS Alan Silvestri CAST Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Cliff De Young, Veronica Cartwright, Sarah Jessica Parker, Howard Hesseman
NORTH SHORE (1987) DIR William Phelps PROD Bill Finnegan EXEC PROD Randal Kleiser SCR William Phelps, Tim McCanlies (story by Randal Kleiser, William Phelps) CAM Peter Smokler ED Robert Gordon MUS Richard Stone CAST Matt Adler, Nia Peeples, Gregory Harrison, John Philbin, Gerry Lopez, Laird John Hamilton, Cristina Raines
BIG TOP PEE-WEE (1988) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Paul Reubens, Debra Hill SCR Paul Reubens, George McGrath CAM Steven Poster ED Jeff Gourson MUS Danny Elfman CAST Paul Reubens, Penelope Ann Miller, Kris Kristofferson, Susan Tyrrell, Valerie Golino, Frances Bay, Leo Gordon, Anne Seymour, Kenneth Tobey, Benicio Del Toro, Randal Kleiser
GETTING IT RIGHT (1989) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Randal Kleiser, Jonathan D. Krane SCR Elizabeth Jane Howard CAM Clive Tickner ED Chris Kelly MUS Colin Towns CAST Jesse Birdsall, Helena Bonham Carter, Jane Horrocks, Pet Heywood, Bryan Pringle, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud, Shirley Anne Field
WHITE FANG (1991) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Marykay Powell SCR Jeanne Rosenberg, Nick Thiel, David Fallon (novel by Jack London) CAM Tony Pierce-Roberts ED Lisa Day MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Ethan Hawke, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Seymour Cassel, Susan Hogan, James Remar, Bill Moseley, Clint Youngreen
RETURN TO THE BLUE LAGOON (1991) DIR – PROD William A. Graham EXEC PROD Randal Kleiser SCR Leslie Stevens (novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole) CAM Robert Steadman ED Ronald J. Fagan MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Milla Jovovich, Brian Krause, Lisa Pelikan, Courtney Barilla, Garette Ratliff Henson, Emma James, Jackson Barton
HONEY I BLEW UP THE KID (1992) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Dawn Steel, Edward S. Feldman SCR Garry Goodrow, Peter Elbling, Thom Eberhardt (story by Garry Goodrow; characters created by Stuart Gordon, Ed Naha, Brian Yuzna) CAM John Hora ED Michael A. Stevenson, Harry Hitner MUS Bruce Broughton CAST Rick Moranis, Marcia Strassman, Robert Oliveri, Daniel Shalikar, Joshua Shalikar, Lloyd Bridges, John Shea, Keri Russell
IT’S MY PARTY (1996) DIR – SCR Randal Kleiser PROD Randal Kleiser, Joel Thurm CAM Bernd Heinl ED Ila von Hasperg MUS Basel Poledouris CAST Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison, Margaret Cho, Lee Grant, Roddy McDowall, Marlee Matlin, Olivia Newton-John, George Segal, Christopher Atkins, Dennis Christopher, Sally Kellerman, Nina Foch
CANNES MAN (1997) DIR – MUS Richard Martini PROD Tom Coleman, Holly MacConkey SCR Richard Martini, Deric Haddad, Susan Shapiro, Irwin M. Rappaport CAM Dean Lent, Denise Brassard ED Richard Currie CAST Seymour Cassel, Treat Williams, Randal Kleiser, Robert Evans, James Brolin, John Malkovich, Julian Lennon, Jim Jarmusch, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Hopper, Johnny Depp, Menahem Golan, Peter Gallagher, Jim Sheridan, Richard Martini
SHADOW OF DOUBT (1998) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Adam Kline, T.J. Mancini SCR Myra Byanka, Raymond De Felitta CAM Craig Haagensen ED Jeff Gourson MUS Joel Goldsmith CAST Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger, Craig Sheffer, Huey Lewis, Wade Dominguez, James Morrison, Lisa Pelikan, Nina Foch, Tony Plana, Victor Love
LOVE WRECKED (2005) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Joe Anderson, Robert Velo, Wendy Thorlakson, Stewart Hall, Sammy Lee SCR Stephen Langford CAM Gary Capo MUS Stewart Copeland CAST Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jonathan Bennett, Susan Duerden, Fred Willard, Jackie Long, Joey Kern, Lance Bass
RED RIDING HOOD (2006) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Steve Austin, Jonathan Bogner SCR Timothy Dolan (story by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm) CAM David Stump ED Harry Hitner MUS Bruce Roberts, David Tobocman (song ‘Lil’ Red Riding Hood’ arranged by Randal Kleiser) CAST Lainie Kazan, Henry Cavill, Morgan Thompson, Daniel Roebuck, Debi Mazar, Joey Fatone
ALL TOGETHER NOW (1975) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Ron Bernstein TELEPLAY Rubin Carson, Jeff Andrus (story by Rubin Carson) CAM Gene Polito ED Larry Robinson, Bob Wyman MUS John Rubinstein CAST John Rubinstein, Glynnis O’Connor, Brad Savage, Helen Hunt, Dori Brenner, Bill Macy, Jane Withers, Larry Bishop, Adam Arkin
DAWN: PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE RUNAWAY (1976) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Douglas S. Cramer TELEPLAY Dalene Young CAM Jacques R. Marquette ED Carroll Sax MUS Fred Karlin CAST Eve Plumb, Leigh McCloskey, Lynn Carlin, William Schallert, Anne Seymour, Joan Prather, Marguerite DeLain, Bo Hopkins, Anne Ramsey
THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE (1976) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Joel Thurm, Cindy Dunne TELEPLAY Douglas Day Stewart (story by Douglas Day Stewart, Joe Morenstern) CAM Archie R. Dalzell ED John McSweeney, Jr. MUS Mark Snow CAST John Travolta, Glynnis O’Connor, Robert Reed, Diana Hyland, Karen Morrow, Buzz Aldrin, Ralph Bellamy, Anne Ramsey
THE GATHERING (1977) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Harry R. Sherman SCR James Poe CAM Dennis Dalzell ED Allan Jacobs MUS John Barry CAST Edward Asner, Maureen Stapleton, Rebecca Balding, Sarah Cunningham, Bruce Davison, Veronica Hamel, Gregory Harrison, James Karen
ROYAL STANDARD (1999) DIR Randal Kleiser, Rob Metzer, Alex Eastburg PROD Adam Hauck, Anthony Miller SCR Alex Eastburg, Greg Capano, Adam Hauck CAM Clay Westervelt, Cort Fey CAST Scott Cleverdon, Louisette Geiss, Vernard ‘Bone’ Hampton, Ed Marques, Corey Page
DEFROST: THE VIRTUAL SERIES (2016) DIR – SCR Randal Kleiser PROD Randal Kleiser, Tanna Frederick CAM Christopher C. Pearson ED Kevin Joseph Barrett, Alicia Cota, Matt LaCorte MUS Greg O’Connor CAST Bruce Davison, Harry Hamlin, Tanna Frederick, Carl Weathers, Veronica Cartwright, Ethan Rains, Christopher Atkins
Posted in Dir-prod-scr, Film Talk and tagged Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, American Film, American Film Institute, Barbara Rush, Beauty and the Beast, Berlin, Billboard, Bruce Davison, Brussels International Film Festival, Camelot, Carl Weathers, Cecil B. DeMille, Christopher Atkins, Citizen Kane, City Slickers, Daniel Selznick, David O. Selznick, Defrost, Directors Guild, Disneyland, Double Trouble, Duel in the Sun, Elvis Presley, Fireball 500, Frankie Valli, Freiheit, George Lucas, Gone With the Wind, Grease, Greased Lightnin', Harry Hamlin, Hello Dolly!, Hollywood Bowl, Honey I Blew Up the Kid, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Hopelessly Devoted to You, It's My Party, Jack Palance, Jeanette Nolan, Jerry Lewis, Joan Blondell, Joel Thurm, John Travolta, La La Land, Macbeth, Malibu Canyons, Maureen Stapleton, Nina Foch, Norman Taurog, Olivia Newton-John, Orson Welles, Patricia Birch, Peege, Randal Kleiser, Ron Underwood, Since You Went Away, Star Wars, Summer Nights, The Blue Lagoon, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The Gathering, The Nina Foch Course for Filmmakers and Actors, The Ten Commandments, Thorough Modern Millie, University of Southern California, USC, Veronica Cartwright, Walt Disney, White Fang, You're the One that I Want. Bookmark the permalink.
Claudia Cardinale: “I loved working in America, but I always considered myself to be a European actress”
Quote Quentin Tarantino


Mural Honoring Jazz Great Billy Strayhorn completed in Hillsborough, North Carolina
A mural honoring jazz great Billy Strayhorn has been completed in downtown Hillsborough, North Carolina. Max Dowdle, the artist behind the mural, worked with Volume Records co-owner Tony Lopez on the design for the mural, which they named “Take the A Train”, one of Strayhorn’s most well-known compositions.
Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens hopes to see more public art such as this in the future. “Hillsborough has become very much an arts community as well as a place where we preserve our history,” says the Mayor.
The mural was sponsored by the Hillsborough Tourism Development Authority and the Hillsborough Arts Council. According to Stevens, since the mural adorns a building located inside Hillsborough’s Historic District, it had to be approved by the Historic District Commission. “What the Historic District Commission does is review any changes to the exterior of buildings, nothing about the interior, so this falls right under what they do.”
Billy Strayhorn, a renown composer and pianist, burst onto the jazz scene in the late 1930s when he joined Duke Ellington’s band. Although he was born in Ohio and lived in New York City for most of his adult life, he spent much of his childhood visiting his grandparents in Hillsborough.
“Billy Strayhorn came to Hillsborough. This is one of the places where he learned music, so this feels like a local part of our community, and now we have this great art mural,” says Stevens. “It’s quite lovely; that’s the first kind of thing we’ve had like that downtown.” A historical marker located near where Strayhorn’s grandparents house was located also pays homage to the jazz legend.
August 26, 2019 /by Galen Demus
http://billystrayhorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Strayhorn-Mural.jpg 703 1140 Galen Demus http://billystrayhorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Strayhorn_logo1-R-1.png Galen Demus2019-08-26 19:20:292019-08-26 19:20:32Mural Honoring Jazz Great Billy Strayhorn completed in Hillsborough, North Carolina


The New Documentary, Part I: “Going Clear”
In the late 90s, I took a UCLA Extension course in directing whose instructor declared, “There is no more objective truth in documentaries than [in] feature films.” I couldn’t have disagreed more. Documentary films–as opposed to the opinion piece or docu-drama–are the converse of feature films, with a distinct set of rules:
1. Don’t make things happen. Rather than forming an opinion and then trying to prove it, documentary filmmakers shoot first and organize later.
2. The script comes last. Any narration is based on the footage, as is the structure of the film. Documentaries are made in the editing room.
3. Don’t mess with the timeline. With the exception of interviews, events are shown in the order of occurrence.
4. No pictures, no story. All narration must be illustrated by images, preferably moving images, followed by still photos and illustrations. Re-enactments, if any, are a last resort.
Because I’ve followed these rules in all my documentaries, I’ve had to make hard choices, particularly where images are concerned. When Jim Thompson’s heir failed to follow through on his promise to let me use family photographs, I had to cut short the section on Jim’s youth. Later, a total lack of photographs of Peter the Hermit, the original Hollywood costumed character, led me to drop his story from “Under the Hollywood Sign.” In the same film, I reluctantly made a re-enactment of Peg Entwistle’s final hour because I lacked photos and artifacts. In both Peter and Peg’s cases, I later received a flood of photographs and information, some of which can be found on this blog, but in Peter’s case it came too late to be included in the film.
While I don’t regret my strict approach, it doesn’t jibe with recent trends. The preferred model for new documentaries is the three-act screenplay, which requires a dramatic arc. Stories unfold like police procedurals, with satisfactory conclusions, while unrecorded events are generously re-enacted, often in lurid slow-motion. All of this makes for compelling entertainment, but is it real?
Alex Gibney’s “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” is a good example of the new approach. Essentially a filmed version of Lawrence Wright’s book of the same name, the film employs traditional elements–interviews, archival footage, B-roll of Scientology landmarks. But it is also loaded with re-enactments that tell L. Ron Hubbard’s story and those of his disaffected followers. So we see recreated auditing sessions using the E-Meter, typewriters, explanatory charts and lots and lots of stars (the planetary kind, though there are archivals of John Travolta and Tom Cruise as well).
Absolutely nothing is left to the viewer’s imagination. To illustrate his subjects’ retelling of Scientology’s creation myth, Gibney creates a colorful montage of 1950s Americana, spaceships, volcanoes and planets. And in case the term “Operating Thetan” proves too difficult to comprehend, he inserts a shot the words, neatly typed, on a piece of paper. The paper is still in the typewriter, one of many such shots, lest we forget that L. Ron Hubbard was a writer.
Gibney’s treatment of the interviews is curious. Though his interviewees–who include not only Wright but former Scientologists Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe and Spanky Taylor–are without exception eloquent, compelling and worthy of screen time, Gibney does everything possible not to show them talking. When not cutting to re-enactments, he cuts to graphics–anything to avoid screen time for a talking head. The result is an undermining of the interviewees, whose stories, after all, are the crux of “Going Clear.”
Next time: “The Jinx.”
Beachwood Canyon in the 1940 Census, Part I: Cosmopolitan, Occupationally Diverse, and Stable
A Page from the 1940 Census/Courtesy http://www.the1940census.com
For the past week, I’ve been mesmerized by the 1940 Census records for Beachwood Canyon. A time capsule loaded with demographic information, the Census shows a neighborhood that was largely upper-middle class, yet diverse in national origins and occupations. (Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t much racial diversity; apart from a few Lebanese and Egyptians in nearby Bronson Canyon, everyone in the area seems to have been of European extraction, including live-in servants.)
As I expected, movie industry employees were well represented in the Canyon, which crawled not only with actors but directors, producers, sound engineers, cameramen, and executives. But I didn’t think musicians would be as prevalent: conductors, singers, pianists, violinists, teachers and coaches, most not connected to the movies, abounded in the Canyon. It’s a reminder of the fact that Los Angeles, with its burgeoning population of urban sophisticates, was a center for live music long before the existence of the Music Center, let alone Disney Concert Hall.
Another notable element of Beachwood’s 1940 population was the number of residents born outside California. Unsurprisingly, the largest number came from the Eastern Seaboard, with significant numbers from the Midwest, notably Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. Others came from Kansas, Nebraska and other Plains States. More surprising is the number of foreign-born residents, who were so common that every page I reviewed had at least one. The most common foreign birthplaces were England, Germany, Canada and Russia.
In 1940 the United States was still emerging from the Great Depression, an economic reality that was reflected in Beachwood’s households. Multigenerational families were common, not only where adult children lived with their parents, but in households containing three generations. For example, the house next door to mine, notable for having been designed by a famous architect, housed not only the architect’s sister, her husband and two sons but her widowed mother and middle-aged brother, as well as a maid from England. Although they undoubtably were the richest family on the block–the husband was a manufacturing executive with an income in excess of $5000 per year, the highest category on the Census, and his wife worked as an apartment manager–the house is far from palatial. A family of three lives there today, and the house doesn’t seem too big for it.
Another significant difference between Beachwood then and now is the number of households with live-in servants. Maids were common in 1940, as were trained and practical nurses, most in charge of babies and toddlers. Other households listed lodgers–which, ironically, are common again in today’s tough economy. The prevalence of rented rooms in circa 1940 Hollywoodland belies the idea that houses above the Gates were intended as single-family homes: lodgers, it seems, have always lived here.
The Census contains a last surprise, one that puts to rest the idea of Los Angeles as a way station for vagabonds. It asks respondents where they resided five years earlier, on April 1, 1935. Overwhelmingly, Beachwooders responded “same place.”
Next time: Discovering the original owner of my house.
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Messier Monday: Messier's Greatest Mistake, M40
By esiegel on April 1, 2013.
"It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character." -Dale Turner
This April Fools' day, even though the rest of the internet revels in trickery, happens to fall on a Monday. Over here at Starts With A Bang, that means it's time for Messier Monday, an in-depth look at one of the 110 deep-sky objects catalogued by Charles Messier in the 18th Century to help comet-hunters avoid confusion. Today, the catalogue boasts 107 spectacular deep-sky clusters, nebulae and galaxies of various sorts, as well as three -- to be polite -- curiosities.
Image credit: SEDS' Messier Catalogue, via Hartmut Frommert and Christine Kronberg.
Today, for April Fools' day, we'll take a look at the most foolish of all 110 objects in the Messier catalogue, an object that could not possibly, conceivably ever be mistaken for a comet: Messier 40, a mere double star in the sky. You may wonder, amidst hundreds of extended objects, open clusters, globular clusters, spirals and more, how such an obvious blunder could make it in? Well, I'll tell you. But first, here's how to find it for yourself.
Image credit: Me, using the free software Stellarium, via http://stellarium.org/.
The Big Dipper is an asterism -- a configuration of stars in the sky -- that you're all familiar with. Along with Orion and the Summer Triangle, it's one of my favorite starting points for finding deep-sky objects. To find M40, you don't need to wander very far. Simply take a good look at Megrez, the bright star where the dipper's handle connects to the cup, and look slightly above (or north of) the star itself.
Image credit: Me, using the free software Stellarium, available at http://stellarium.org/.
There are a few bright-ish stars near 3rd-magnitude Megrez, denoted by their Hipparcos catalog numbers, above. And near the just-barely-naked-eye star, HIP 60212, a little farther away from Megrez, are two faint stars, very close together in the sky.
That, my friends, is Messier 40.
Image credit: © 2006 - 2012 by Siegfried Kohlert, of http://www.astroimages.de/.
It's just a double star, nothing more than that. It's somewhat remarkable because of how close these two stars are to one another, as they're separated by less than one arc-minute (one sixtieth of a degree) on the sky. And it's the most obvious mistake in the Messier catalogue, as no one in their right mind would confuse this with a comet.
Image credit: NOAO / AURA / NSF.
Not in the visible, which is what all telescopes were back in Messier's day, nor in the infrared, as the 2-micron All-Sky-Survey shows, below.
Image credit: 2MASS.
And yet, Messier included this object as the 40th one in his catalogue. What gives?
The story goes back 100 years before Messier, to the famed 17th Century astronomer, Johannes Hevelius.
Image credit: Johannes Hevelius, retrieved from Tom Michalik of Randolph College.
Hevelius discovered numerous comets, was the last naked-eye astronomer to make significant contributions to the field, became the first noted lunar topographer and measured the longitudinal libration of the Moon. He -- along with many other astronomers before Messier's time -- had compiled a list of extended, deep-sky objects to steer potential comet-hunters clear of such patches in the sky.
But you haven't heard of the Hevelius catalogue, or any other astronomical catalogues of deep-sky objects that predate Messier's. There's a good reason for that; Messier's objects actually exist, and they actually exist where he said they are!
Image credit: Fred Espenak of http://www.astropixels.com/.
That's why Messier 40 is such a bummer. There were many objects that were in previous catalogues that turned out to be spurious, and Messier chose not to include them in his 18th Century compendium. And yet, when he came across Hevelius' cataloguing of this object from 1660, he made his own observations, and wrote the following:
The same night of October 24 to 25 [in 1764], I searched for the nebula above the tail of the Great Bear, which is indicated in the book Figure of the Stars, second edition... I have found, by means of this position, two stars very near to each other and of equal brightness, about the 9th magnitude, placed at the beginning of the tail of Ursa Major: one has difficulty to distinguish them with an ordinary [nonachromatic] refractor of 6 feet... There is reason to presume that Hevelius mistook these two stars for a nebula.
In other words, Messier knew that there were no nebulae there, and yet recorded this "object" anyway!
Image credit: user egres of http://www.astrobin.com/, via http://www.astrobin.com/4334/.
We now know that these two stars are unrelated to one another; according to these guys, one of the stars is around 500 light-years distant, while the other is closer to 2,000 light-years away! In other words, it's only by a chance alignment at this moment in time that these two stars even appear as a double star.
And yet, if there were a much more powerful telescope at Messier's disposal, he might have found that there were, in fact, a slew of deep-sky objects within half-a-degree of this double star!
Image credit: Me, using the free software Stellarium, again.
In fact, just a few years later -- in 1789 -- William Herschel would discover a pair of spiral galaxies that formed an equilateral triangle with Messier 40 and HIP 60212: NGCs 4290 and 4284. (There's a smaller, third galaxy there, too, that wouldn't be discovered until much later.)
Image credit: Courtney Seligman of http://cseligman.com/.
And if someone had continued the line from HIP 60212 to Messier 40 and beyond, they would have found four more spectacular galaxies in roughly a straight line, with William Herschel once again discovering the three bright "NGC" ones in 1789.
Images credit: Courtney Seligman of http://cseligman.com/, stitching by me.
But this is Messier Monday, not NGC-never-gonna-complete-it (with 7,840 objects), and so this April Fools' Day, now you've learned all about the most foolish of all Messier's entries, M40! Including today, we've taken a look at the following Messier objects:
M1, The Crab Nebula: October 22, 2012
M8, The Lagoon Nebula: November 5, 2012
M13, The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules: December 31, 2012
M15, An Ancient Globular Cluster: November 12, 2012
M30, A Straggling Globular Cluster: November 26, 2012
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy: February 25, 2013
M37, A Rich Open Star Cluster: December 3, 2012
M40, Messier's Greatest Mistake: April 1, 2013
M41, The Dog Star’s Secret Neighbor: January 7, 2013
M44, The Beehive Cluster / Praesepe: December 24, 2012
M45, The Pleiades: October 29, 2012
M48, A Lost-and-Found Star Cluster: February 11, 2013
M52, A Star Cluster on the Bubble: March 4, 2013
M53, The Most Northern Galactic Globular: February 18, 2013
M60, The Gateway Galaxy to Virgo: February 4, 2013
M65, The First Messier Supernova of 2013: March 25, 2013
M67, Messier’s Oldest Open Cluster: January 14, 2013
M72, A Diffuse, Distant Globular at the End-of-the-Marathon: March 18, 2013
M74, The Phantom Galaxy at the Beginning-of-the-Marathon: March 11, 2013
M78, A Reflection Nebula: December 10, 2012
M81, Bode’s Galaxy: November 19, 2012
M83, The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, January 21, 2013
M97, The Owl Nebula, January 28, 2013
M102, A Great Galactic Controversy: December 17, 2012
Come back next week, where we’ll learn about a real deep-sky object here, on another Messier Monday!
messier monday
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Messier Monday: A Young Open Cluster in the Summer Triangle, M29
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! The first accurate, large catalogue of fixed, deep-sky objects, Messier's 110-object-strong catalogue features galaxies,…
Messier Monday: A Very Unusual Globular Cluster, M71
"The image is more than an idea. It is a vortex or cluster of fused ideas and is endowed with energy." -Ezra Pound It's time for another Messier Monday, where we profile one of the 110 deep-sky objects that make up the Messier catalogue! This was the first large, accurate catalogue of fixed, non-…
Messier Monday: A Big, Blue, Bright Baby Cluster, M47
"Do not look at stars as bright spots only. Try to take in the vastness of the universe." -Maria Mitchell It's time again for Messier Monday, where we highlight the various wonderous deep-sky objects of the night, and show you how to find them against the expansive backdrop of stars. The (almost)…
Messier Monday: Messier's First Globular Cluster, M2
“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die.” -Bill Watterson Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! With each new Monday, we take an in-depth look at a prominently visible random object…
Hurry up already and do an article on M87 :)
By Brian (not verified) on 01 Apr 2013 #permalink
It wasn't a mistake. Like you say, it was even noted as being a double before writing down. I get the feeling that he either had a soft spot for Hevelius. Maybe his funder did.
There are more "absolutely could not be confused for a comet" markings in the catalogue, so I rather suspect he put these in because he kept getting people asking him to put them in. It would be one way to shut them up...
By Wow (not verified) on 02 Apr 2013 #permalink
Ethan, you do have a talent -- you can even make a pretty ordinary double star seem interesting. Thanks for Messier Mondays!
By JoeB (not verified) on 02 Apr 2013 #permalink