Born: 13 September 1903
Old Time Radio, Saint-Mandé, France
Died: 30 July 1996, Speightstown, Barbados
An American actress, and a leading lady for two decades. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures. Initially associated with Paramount Pictures, later gradually Colbert shifted to a freelance actor. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in It Happened One Night (1934), and also received Academy Award nominations in Private Worlds (1935) and Since You Went Away (1944).
Émilie "Lily" Chauchoin (pronounced “show-shwan”) was born in Saint-Mandé (an eastern suburb of Paris), France, to Georges Claude Chauchoin (1867-1925) and Jeanne Marie (née Loew, 1877-1970). Despite being christened "Emilie", she was called "Lily", because she had a aunt living with her. The aunt was her maternal grandmother's adopted child, Emilie Loew (1878-1954), who wasn't a blood relative, worked as a dressmaker, and never married. Colbert's nickname "Lily" came from Jersey-born actress Lillie Langtry. Jeanne Chauchoin and Colbert's grandmother Marie Augustine Loew (1842-1930) were born in the Channel Islands in the British Isles, and they were already fluent English speakers before coming to the U.S., though French was spoken in the family circle. Colbert's brother, Charles Auguste Chauchoin (1898–1971), was also born in Jersey. Jeanne held various occupations. While Georges Chauchoin had lost the sight in his right eye and hadn't settled into a profession, he was a pastry-shop owner in Paris and also worked in banking business but made some inappropriate investments. Marie Loew had already been to the U.S., and Georges' brother-in-law (surname Vedel) was already living in New York City. Marie was willing to help Georges financially but also encouraged him to try his luck in the U.S. After suffering business setbacks, in order to pursue more employment opportunities, her family including Marie and Emilie Loew emigrated into Manhattan in 1906. They lived in a fifth floor walk-up at 53rd Street. Colbert stated that climbing those stairs to the fifth floor every day until 1922 made her legs beautiful. Her parents formally changed her real name to Lily Emilie Chauchoin. Georges Chauchoin worked as a minor official at First National City Bank. She quickly learned English from her grandmother Marie Loew before entering public school and remained fluent in French. Colbert hoped to become a painter since she could grasp a pencil. In 1912 her family was naturalized in the U.S. Jeanne clearly favored her son Charles Chauchoin than her daughter.
Colbert studied at Washington Irving High School having strong art program, where her speech teacher, Alice Rossetter, encouraged her to audition for a play Rossetter had written. In 1919, Colbert made her stage debut at the Province town Playhouse in The Widow's Veil at the age of 15. However, Colbert’s interest in the arts was still towards painting.
Intending to become a fashion designer, she attended the Art Students League of New York, where she paid for her art education by working as a dress shop employee. After attending a party with the writer Anne Morrison, Colbert was offered a bit part in Morrison's play and appeared on the Broadway stage in a small role in The Wild Westcotts (1923). Influenced by her father's middle name Claude, she had been using the name Claudette instead of her first name Lily since high school, and for her stage name she added her maternal grandmother's maiden name Colbert. She formally changed her real name to Lily Claudette Chauchoin. Her father Georges died in 1925 and her grandmother Marie Loew died in New York in 1930.
After signing a five-year contract with the producer Al Woods, Colbert played ingenue roles on Broadway from 1925 through 1929. During this periods, she disliked being typecast as French maid. Colbert later said, "In the very beginning, they wanted to give me French roles … That’s why I used to say my name Col-bert just as it is spelled instead of Col-baire. I did not want to be typed as ‘that French girl’". She received critical acclaim on Broadway in the production of The Barker (1927) as a carnival snake charmer. She reprised this role for the play's run in London's West End. Colbert was noticed by the theatrical producer Leland Hayward, who suggested her for heroine role in a silent film For the Love of Mike (1927), now believed to be lost. The film didn't fare well at the box office.
In 1928 Colbert signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, who were looking for stage actors who could handle dialog in the new "talkies" medium. Colbert's skill as speaker was one of her best assets. At first, Colbert didn't like film acting. During production of the 1929 film, The Lady Lies, she was appearing nightly in the play See Naples and Die. Her earliest films were produced in New York. In 1930 she starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond, which was filmed in both English and French. She co-starred withFredric March in Manslaughter (1930), which was critically acclaimed for her acting as a vehicular manslaughter. She was paired with March in four productions, including Honor Among Lovers (1931) with Ginger Rogers. While these films were box office successes, she also starred in Mysterious Mr. Parkes (1931), which was a French-language version of Slightly Scarlet for the European market, although it was also screened in the United States. She sang opposite Maurice Chevalier in the Ernst Lubitsch musical The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), which was a box office success and critically acclaimed for her ability to shrewdly play a character role opposite Miriam Hopkins. Also her musical voice was featured in the 1933 film Torch Singer, which co-starring Ricardo Cortez and David Manners.
Colbert landed her famous role as a femme fatale in Cecil B. DeMille's films where she wore fetishistic costumes which lose layer after layer of clothing. In the 1932 historical epic, The Sign of the Cross, she starred opposite Fredric March as the Roman empress Poppaea. For an instant, glimpses of her bare breasts and nipples were visible in a scene where her character was bathing in asses' milk, a scene that came to be regarded as an example of Hollywood decadence prior to the enforcement of the Production Code. In 1933, Colbert renegotiated her contract with Paramount to allow her to appear in films for other studios. In Cleopatra (1934), she played the title role opposite Warren William and Henry Wilcoxon. Thereafter, Colbert did not wish to be portrayed as overtly sexual and later refused such roles.
Colbert was reluctant to appear as the "runaway heiress," Ellie Andrews, in the Frank Capra romantic comedy, It Happened One Night (1934), oppositeClark Gable and released by Columbia Pictures. Running behind schedule after several actresses had refused the role, the studio accepted Colbert's demand that she be paid $50,000 and that filming was to be completed within four weeks to allow her to take a planned vacation. Through the filming, Colbert felt that the script was weak, and Capra claimed Colbert "had many little tantrums, motivated by her antipathy toward me;" however, "she was wonderful in the part." After filming was completed, Colbert complained to her friend, "I just finished the worst picture in the world." Capra fretted that the film was released to indifferent reviews and initially only did so-so business. Then after it was released to secondary movie houses, word-of-mouth began to spread and ticket sales became brisk. It turned out to be a major hit, easily Columbia's biggest hit to the 1980s. The film contained at least one scene that is often cited as representative of the screwball film genre and which became well known, being a resounding box-office success. In 1935, after her Academy Award nomination, Colbert decided not to attend the presentation, feeling confident that she would not win the award and instead, planned to take a cross-country railroad trip. After she was named the winner, studio chief Harry Cohn sent someone to "drag her off" the train, which had not yet left the station, and take her to the ceremony. Colbert arrived wearing a two-piece traveling suit which she had the Paramount Pictures costume designer, Travis Banton, make for her trip.
Widespread recognition
Colbert's success allowed her to renegotiate her contract, raising her salary. In 1935 and 1936, she was listed in the annual "Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars", which was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the U.S. for the stars who had generated the most revenue in their theaters over the previous year. Then she received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the hospital drama, Private Worlds (1935).
In 1936, Colbert signed a new contract with Paramount Pictures, and this contract made her Hollywood's highest paid actress. This was followed by a contract renewal in 1938, after which she was reported to be the best-paid star in Hollywood with a salary of $426,924. At the peak of her popularity in the late 1930s, Colbert earned $150,000 a film. Colbert spent the rest of the 1930s deftly alternating between romantic comedies and dramas, and found success in both: She Married Her Boss (1935), with Melvyn Douglas; The Gilded Lily (1935) and The Bride Comes Home (1935), both with Fred MacMurray; Under Two Flags (1936), with Ronald Colman; Zaza (1939), with Herbert Marshall; Midnight (1939), with Don Ameche; It's a Wonderful World (1939), withJames Stewart.
In addition to Lubitsch, DeMille and Capra, Colbert was working with the top directors in the industry: Dorothy Arzner, Preston Sturges, Frank Lloyd, John M. Stahl, Wesley Ruggles, Gregory La Cava, George Cukor, Mitchell Leisen, and John Ford.
Colbert was a stickler for regarding the way she appeared on screen. She believed that her face was difficult to light and photograph, and she was obsessed with not showing right side of her face, to the camera, because of a small bump that resulted from a childhood broken nose. She refused to be filmed from right side of her face, and it often necessitated redesigning movie sets.Film technicians described the right side of her face as "the dark side of the moon." During the filming of Tovarich in 1937, when one of her favored cameramen was dismissed by the director,Anatole Litvak. After seeing the rushes filmed by the replacement, Colbert refused to continue. She insisted on hiring her own cameraman, and offered to waive her salary if the film went over budget as a result. Gary Cooper was terrified at the prospect of working with Colbert in his first comedy, Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938), because he considered Colbert to be an expert in the genre. She learned about lighting and cinematography, and refused to begin filming until she was satisfied that she would be shown to her best advantage. Colbert knew more about lighting than the experts did. Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) with Henry Fonda was Colbert's first color film. However, she distrusted the relatively new Technicolor process and feared that she would not photograph well, preferring thereafter to be filmed in black and white.
During this time she began appearing for CBS' popular radio program Lux Radio Theater, making 22 episodes between 1935 and 1954. She also appeared for another radio program The Screen Guild Theater, making 13 episodes between 1939 and 1952.
In 1940, Colbert refused a seven-year contract that would have paid her $200,000 a year, as she had found that she could command a fee of $150,000 per film as a freelance artist. With her manager, Colbert was able to secure roles in prestigious films, and this period marked the height of her earning ability. Colbert once said that Arise, My Love (1940) was her favorite film of her own.
During filming of So Proudly We Hail! (1943), a rift occurred between Colbert and co-star Paulette Goddard. Asked which of her costars she preferred, Goddard had replied, "Veronica, I think," referring to Veronica Lake. Goddard further commented that Colbert "flipped" and "was at Paulette's eyes at every moment," and said that they continued their feud throughout the duration of filming. Colbert usually had her particular tough standards of professionalism on the filming. Impressed by Colbert's role in So Proudly We Hail!, David O. Selznick approached her to play the lead role in Since You Went Away (1944). She was initially reluctant to appear as mother of teenaged children, but Selznick awared of her sensitivity. Released in June 1944, the film became a substantial success and grossed almost $5 million in the United States. The critic James Agee praised aspects of the film, but particularly Colbert's work. As a result, she received Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
After World War II
In 1945, Colbert ended her association with Paramount Studios, and continued to free-lance in such films as Guest Wife (1945), with Don Ameche. She starred opposite John Wayne in the RKO Studios film Without Reservations (1946), with a storyline and setting intentionally inspired by It Happened One Night. Without Reservations grossed $3 million in the U.S., and the overall popularity of Colbert's films during 1946 led to her making third appearance in the "Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars". While working on Without Reservations (1946), director Mervyn Leroy referred to Colbert as an interesting lady to work with, recalling her habit of not watching where she was going and constantly bumping into things. Praised for her sense of style and awareness of fashion, Colbert ensured throughout her career that she was impeccably groomed and costumed. For the 1946 melodrama, Tomorrow is Forever (1946), Jean Louis was hired to create eighteen changes of wardrobe for her.
She achieved great success opposite Fred MacMurray in the comedy The Egg and I (1947). The film was one of the year's biggest hits, and was later acknowledged as the 12th most profitable American film of the 1940s. The suspense film Sleep, My Love (1948) with Robert Cummings, was also a commercial success. The romantic comedy Bride for Sale (1949), in which Colbert was part of a love triangle that included George Brent and Robert Young, was well reviewed and modestly commercial success. The Pacific war film Three Came Home (1950) was praised for her acting by the critics. However, The Secret Fury (1950), distributed by RKO Studios, was a mystery melodrama that received negative reviews. During this periods, Colbert was unable to work beyond 5 p.m. each day, due to doctor's orders. While Colbert still looked like a young woman, she found it difficult to make the transition to playing more mature characters as she approached middle-age. Colbert once said, "I'm a very good comedienne, but I was always fighting that image, too".
In 1949 she was originally cast in All About Eve, because producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz was enthusiastic about Colbert feeling that she best represented the style he envisioned for the part. Colbert severely injured her back and led her to abandon the picture shortly before filming began. In later life, Colbert said, "I just never had the luck to play bitches."
For tax reason, Colbert traveled to Europe, making fewer films in the early 1950s. She appeared in Royal Affairs in Versailles with Orson Welles, only one film she acted for French director, however Colbert had a supporting role rather than top billing in the film. This film was screened in the United States in 1957.
In 1954 Colbert turned down a million-dollar broadcast deal with NBC-TV, but made pact with CBS-TV to star in several teleplays. After a successful appearance in a television version of The Royal Family, she began acting in various televison programs. From 1954 to 1960, she starred in thetelevision adaptations of Blithe Spirit in 1956 and The Bells of St. Mary's in 1959. She also guest starred on Robert Montgomery Presents, Playhouse 90, and Zane Grey Theater.
In 1958, she went back to Broadway in 1958 doing The Marriage-Go-Round, for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Tony Award.
She made a brief return to the screen in Parrish (1961), playing the supporting role of mother, which received little attention from the press. After that, Colbert instructed her agent to stop his attempts to generate interest in her as a film actress, because there have been no offers.
Her occasional successful acting ventures were appearances on Broadway in The Irregular Verb to Love (1963); The Kingfisher (1978) in which she co-starred with Rex Harrison, and Frederick Lonsdale's Aren't We All? (1985) also with Rex Harrison.
In 1987, Colbert appeared in a supporting role in the television miniseries The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. The production was a ratings success. Colbert won aGolden Globe and received a nomination for an Emmy Award.
Modern critic pointed out that Colbert had a mixture of unique physical assets (her round apple-face, big eyes, curly light hair, slender stooping body), elegant voice, aristocratic manner, sleek acting, a tongue-in-cheek vivacity, witty senses of humor and ladylike alluring charm, that distinguishes her from the other screwball comediennes of the 1930s such as Jean Arthur and Irene Dunne. In her comedy films, she invariably played shrewd and self-reliant women, but unlike many of her contemporaries, Colbert rarely engaged in physical comedy. Her characters were more likely to be observers and commentators.
In 1928, Colbert married Norman Foster, an actor and director, who co-starred with her in the Broadway show The Barker, and in the 1930 film Young Man of Manhattan which received negative reviews as one of her weakest leading men. Their marriage remained a secret for many years while living in separate homes. In Los Angeles, Colbert shared her home with her mother Jeanne Chauchoin, but her domineering mother disliked Foster and did not allow him into their home. Colbert and Foster divorced in 1935 in Mexico.
Four months after her divorce, Colbert married Joel Pressman, a surgeon at UCLA, a throat specialist. The marriage lasted 33 years, until his death of liver cancer in 1968. She gave theBeechcraft Bonanza single-engine plane to Pressman as a present. They purchased a ranch in Northern California, where her husband kept show cattle. During this periods, Colbert drove Lincoln Continental and Ford Thunderbird.
Jeanne Chauchoin envied her daughter's talent of art/acting, and never gave the recognition of Colbert's success. Jeanne let Colbert's brother Charles serve as Colbert's agent. Colbert spent many years of her life getting Jeanne's approval. Charles used the surname Wendling which was borrowed from Rose Wendling who was Jeanne's paternal grandmother. He served as Colbert's business manager for a time, and was credited with negotiating some of her more lucrative contracts in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Colbert was generally respected for her professionalism, with the New York Times stating that she was known for giving "110 percent" to any project she worked on. Hedda Hopper wrote that Colbert placed her career "ahead of everything save possibly her marriage", with a strong sense of what was best for her, and a "deep rooted desire to be in shape, efficient and under control". The writer A. Scott Berg described Colbert had "helped define femininity for her generation with her chic manner." Colbert once said, "I’ve been in the Claudette Colbert business a long time."
In 1954 her aunt Emilie Loew died in the U.S. Virtually retiring from motion picture industry since mid 1950s, she was still financially solvent enough. Despite having a country house in Palm Springs for staying on weekends, she rented a cottage in Cap Ferrat, southeastern France. Adman said, "Claudette was extravagant, I never, ever saw her question the price of anything." In 1963, Colbert sold her residence located in Holmby Hills (western Los Angeles), so Joel Pressman rented a small house in Beverly Hills.
In 1958 she met Verna Hull, a wealthy painter/photographer and the stepdaughter of a Sears Roebuck heiress. They had nine-year friendship and painted together, went for a drive together, traveled together and even rented twin penthouses back in New York. They had a mutual interest in art. When Colbert bought a house in Barbados in early 1960s, Hull also bought a modest house next door.
For years, Colbert divided her time between her apartment in Manhattan and her vacation home in Speightstown, Barbados. The latter purchased from British gentleman was the island’s only plantation house fronting the beach. Its summer house was called "Bellerive" as nickname. However, her permanent address remained Manhattan. Later in life, she was also a staunchRepublican and natural conservative.
Colbert's mother Jeanne died in 1970 and her brother Charles died in 1971, so her only surviving relative was a niece, Coco Lewis, Charles' daughter.
Following a series of small strokes during the last three years of her life, Colbert died in 1996 at her second home in Barbados, where she was employing one housekeeper and two cooks at that time. Colbert’s body was shipped to New York for cremation. A requiem mass was held at St. Vincent Ferrer church in New York City later. Her ashes were buried in the Parish of St. Peter Cemetery, Barbados, along with her mother and second husband.
The childless Colbert left most of her estate, estimated at $3.5 million and also including her Manhattan apartment and another home Bellerive, to a long-time friend, Helen O'Hagan, a retired director of corporate relations at Saks Fifth Avenue, whom Colbert had met in 1961 on the set of the her last film and became best friend from circa 1970. Though O'Hagan was financially comfortable without the generous bequest, Bellerive was sold at over $2 million to a midwestern U.S. couple. Her remaining assets were distributed between three heirs: $150,000 to her niece Coco Lewis; a trust worth more than $100,000 to UCLA for Pressman’s memory; and $75,000 to Marie Corbin, Colbert's Barbadian housekeeper.
Hollywood Players
Show Count: 3
Broadcast History:
Sponsor: Cresta Blanca
Cast: Bette Davis, John Garfield, Gregory Peck, Claudette Colbert , Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard
Alan Marshall, William Gargan, Claudette Colbert
Broadcast: 1st February 1940
Starring: Hanley Stafford, Fanny Brice, Claudette Colbert , William Gargan, Edward Arnold, Meredith Willson, Alan Marshall, Connie Boswell
Alice Adams
Broadcast: 3rd January 1938
Starring: Claudette Colbert
Archer (Ancestor)
Broadcast: 13th April 1943
Starring: Arch Oboler, Claudette Colbert
Awful Truth, The
Broadcast: 11th September 1939
Starring: Claudette Colbert , Cary Grant
Added: Aug 26 2006
Barker, The
Broadcast: 20th July 1936
Claudette Colbert & Bob Burns & Tommy Dorsey
Broadcast: November 7, 1944
Starring: Claudette Colbert , Verna Felton, Jimmy Durante, Tommy Dorsey, Igor Gorin, Bob Burns, Ken Carpenter, Victor Young, Bonnie Lou Williams, Corina Mura, Corrina Mura
Egg and I, The
Broadcast: January 5, 1950
Starring: Claudette Colbert , Frank Nelson, James Hilton, Frank Goss, Betty Macdonald
Great Lakes Naval Training Center
Broadcast: 5th May 1942
Starring: Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Claudette Colbert
Added: Apr 26 2007
Broadcast: 20th March 1939
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert , Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns
Lady With The Lamp, The
Broadcast: September 27, 1950
Starring: Francis X Bushman, Claudette Colbert , Jane Wyatt, Robert Ryan, Dan O'Herlihy, Irene Tedrow, Herbert Rawlinson, Tudor Owen
Magnificent Obsession
Broadcast: 13th November 1944
Starring: Don Ameche, Claudette Colbert
Added: Nov 15 2008
Broadcast: 20th May 1940
Starring: Cecil B DeMille, Gale Gordon, Don Ameche, Claudette Colbert , Rosemary DeCamp, Lou Merrill, John Lake, Rolfe Sedan, Victor Rodman, Fred MacKaye, Ted Bliss
Movietime USA
Starring: Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Gene Kelly, Claudette Colbert , Donna Reed, John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Jane Wyman, Dan Dailey, Wendell Corey, Forrest Tucker, Joann Drew, Ann Blythe, Leslie Caron, John Derek, Vera Ralston, Mary Alden
Night Elevator
Broadcast: 6th April 1949
Starring: John Dehner, Claudette Colbert , Virginia Gregg, Jimmy Gleason, Jack Kruschen, William Lally, Nancy Olson
Once Upon A Honeymoon
Starring: Brian Aherne, Claudette Colbert
Palm Beach Story, The
Broadcast: 29th October 1944
Starring: Robert Young, Claudette Colbert
Practically Yours
Broadcast: August 27, 1945
Starring: Claudette Colbert , Ray Milland, Peggy Webber, Charles Seel, Fred MacKaye, Herbert Rawlinson, Stanley Farrar, Janet Scott, Griff Barnett, Earl Keen, Sanford Barnett, Charlie Forsyth, Louis Silvers, Ed Emerson, Ramsay Hill, Arthur Q Bryan, Boyd Davis, Franklyn Parker, Bill Martel, John Cromwell, Norman Krasna
Remember The Day
Broadcast: May 18, 1942
Starring: Elliott Lewis, Gale Gordon, Claudette Colbert , Gayne Whitman, Erik Rolf, Louise Erickson, Herb Vigran, Tommy Cook, Robert Armbruster, Homer Fickett, Bud Hiestand, Jack Mather, Conrad Binyon, Janet Beecher, George Barraud
Shop Around The Corner, The
Broadcast: June 23, 1941
Starring: Cecil B DeMille, Don Ameche, Claudette Colbert , Verna Felton, Lou Merrill, Leo Cleary, Fred MacKaye, Felix Bressart, Charles Peck, Melville Ruick, Ferdinand Munier, Sanford Barnett, Louis Silvers, Ann Tobin, George Wells, Arthur Q Bryan, Bruce Payne, Bea Benaderet, Charles Forsyth, Nikolas Laszlo, Jesse Arnold
Sixth Anniversary Special
Starring: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Claudette Colbert , Dinah Shore, Rita Hayworth, Ronald Colman, Jimmy Durante, Jerry Colonna, Sara Berner, Betty Hutton, Ken Carpenter, Ticker Freeman
Starring: Brian Aherne, Cecil B DeMille, Claudette Colbert , Wally Maher, Ray Milland, Leo Cleary, Edward Marr , Melville Ruick, Charlie Forsyth, Louis Silvers, Ann Tobin, George Wells, Allan Scott, Thomas Mills, Lux, Torey Carleton, Samuel Raphaelson, Doris Sederholm, Dick Elliott
So Proudly We Hail
Broadcast: 1st November 1943
Starring: Claudette Colbert , Les Tremayne, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake
Starring: Gale Gordon, Van Heflin, Claudette Colbert , Natalie Wood, Richard Long
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Jack Benny, Claudette Colbert , Edward Arnold, Ernst Lubitsch


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Tony Gairo
Saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, and jazz composer Tony Gairo keeps an active calendar of professional performances, engagements, sessions, and shows while maintaining busy teaching studios at Music Forte, Moravian, Muhlenberg, Lafayette and Mercer County Community Colleges. A 22-year member of the Jazz Faculty at Moravian, he has directed Jazz Combo 1 since 1998 and was awarded the T. Edgar Shields Prize for Distinguished Studio Instruction in 2006. He has directed and conducted the Big Band at Muhlenberg since 2009 and is a former Vice President of the Pennsylvania Jazz Collective (2015-18).
A graduate of Temple University (B.M. Jazz Saxophone Performance), Tony performs with some of the best musicians in the industry including Johnny Mathis, Clay Aiken, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Bob Dorough, and Maria Schneider and has appeared on stage with such luminaries as Phil Woods, Natalie Cole, Al Martino, David “Fathead” Newman, and Bud Shank, among others. Voted the 2004 Jazz Musician of the Year – Lehigh Valley (PA) by Pulseweekly Magazine, he has composed more than 120 works for Jazz Orchestra including The Real Book of Gig (2012), a jazz opera, Collaboration (2007), a jazz ballet, The Never-Ending Saga of Elli and Griff (2013), a jazz suite featuring Phil Woods, and an album, Treacherous (2005), on Sea Breeze Jazz Records which was nominated for a Grammy nomination. Mr. Gairo is an alumnus of the prestigious BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop in New York City (2001-2006) where several of his compositions for Big Band were premiered. He conducted the BMI (NY) Jazz Composer’s Orchestra in concert at Merkin Hall, New York in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Whether as sideman or leader, Tony gig several nights a week and records in disparate musical settings throughout the Northeast Corridor, primarily in the Lehigh Valley of PA, the Greater Philadelphia region, and Princeton NJ with such ensembles as the Franklin Alison Orchestra, the Rob Stoneback Big Band, Band From Mars (a David Bowie Tribute), the Hoppin’ John Orchestra, Swing Easy, Philadelphia Funk Authority, Marah, duos with pianist/vocalist Lou Lanza and guitarist Jason Wolbach, and his own Cross Current Big Band whose book is comprised entirely of his works for Jazz Orchestra. Tony leads various jazz trios, quartets, and quintets including the Hot 3. He is immensely grateful to have had the good fortune and resilience to have made a career of music and absolutely loves what he does for a living.
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Christopher Tolkien, Gil-Estel, Has Retired From Tolkien Estate
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned ‘wilith.
It is a busy time in the world of Tolkien. Fresh off the announcement that Amazon will produce a new series based on The Lord of the Rings, a perhaps more significant change has occurred. According to theOneRing.net Christopher Tolkien, for decades the editor of his father’s work and arbiter of the Tolkien legacy, has stepped down from his role at the head of the Tolkien Estate. While not a shock to some, thanks to his statement in the preface of Beren and Lúthien that “this is (preemptively) my last book in the long series of editions of my father’s writings,” it still feels like the end of an era.
There From The Start
Considered the undisputed chief scholar of Tolkien, Christopher has been a part of the creation of Arda since he was a child. As a young boy, he was told the tales of Bilbo Baggins that, after his incessant demand for consistency force his father to write the stories down, became The Hobbit. He served as a sounding board for The Lord of the Rings and, when he was 25, became a member of the Inklings, the Oxford University literary society that also included C.S Lewis, Nevill Coghill, and Charles Williams. And those famous maps of Middle Earth adorning walls, book covers, and body parts? All drawn by “C.J.R.T” a.k.a Christopher John Reuel Tolkien.
Editor and Guiding Hand
But it was his contribution to Tolkien’s lifelong project and arguably magnum opus The Silmarillion that truly ensured Christopher’s importance within his father’s legacy. Gathering up over fifty years of notes, scribbles, and drafts that his father had made over the years, Christopher set out to edit it together into what he hoped would be close to his father’s vision. With character names changing from paragraph to paragraph and an entire legendarium to try to distill into a narrative, it was no easy task. Thanks to editorial decisions that have proved controversial, even ones that he himself later debated, he was able to put the pieces together and release The Silmarillion in 1977, four years after it’s author’s passing.
He followed it up with his edited collections of his father’s writing, Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle Earth-the molten metal from which The Silmarillion was cast. For the first time, fans could see characters like Sauron, Gandalf, and Elrond develop over time. He also released, in the new millennium, more compact and edited works from his father like The Children of Húrin and the aforementioned Beren and Lúthien. He has also helped release some of J.R.R Tolkien’s non-LOTR work like Beowulf, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, and The Fall of Arthur.
Critic and Fierce Protector
In recent years, he has become known for his tight grip on his father’s legacy in the aftermath of an explosion of interest thanks to the Peter Jackson film trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. When said trilogy was announced, his opinion was that the films would lose the “essence” of the film. In a 2012 interview, he further declared the films to have “gutted” the book, calling them “making an action film for 15 to 25-year-olds.” His views on Jackson’s The Hobbit films was seemingly even lower, raising legal objections with New Line and in the aftermath declaring that The Silmarillion would not be touched for “a very long time.”
What This All Could Mean
The biggest question is all this? Whether the Amazon deal is a direct result of Christopher giving up the reins. The estate still counts among its members Christopher’s younger sister Priscilla Tolkien as well as multiple Tolkien grandchildren. But Christopher was always the chief arbiter and, with his orthodox control gone, will the Amazon deal be the first of many? The Tolkien legendarium is ripe for the very cinematic universes that Hollywood is currently desperate for. For better or worse, the new management may seem more amenable to adaptations and expansions than Christopher ever was.
As it is, it’s important for fans to thank Mr. Tolkien for his service to his father’s legacy and we all wish him a very happy retirement.
Nai tiruvantel ar varyuvantel i Valar tielyanna nu vilya.
Image courtesy of New Line Cinema
In this article:Amazon,books,Featured,News,the hobbit,the lord of the rings,the silmarillion
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Historic partnership to be sealed at Westmead
Home / News & opinion / News / September / Historic partnership to be sealed at Westmead
The brightest minds will be brought together as part of a historic partnership agreement between the University of Sydney and Westmead precinct partners announced earlier today.
The partnership includes an initial commitment by the University of Sydney to contribute over $60 million of funding for new education facilities, upgrades to existing spaces, and a suite of new academic programs and initiatives, in addition to its existing staffing contribution of $35 million per year at Westmead.
This increased contribution to the partnership will help ensure that clinicians, students and researchers at Westmead Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and the Children’s Medical Research Institute will be able to continue to meet the needs of the expanding population and increasing health needs of Western Sydney, New South Wales and beyond.
The new facilities and programs will support the expanded expertise and educational opportunities available on the precinct in areas like data sciences, engineering, physics, business management, the social sciences and others.
NSW Health Minister, the Hon Jillian Skinner was present at the announcement and welcomed the partnership agreement.
“I congratulate the University of Sydney and all the Westmead precinct partners on this great partnership. Students all across Westmead – who are our clinicians and researchers of the future - will enjoy the contemporary, flexible technology-enabled teaching, learning and working spaces that are being built as part of this partnership,” Jillian Skinner said.
The University of Sydney investment includes capital funding for:
5,000m2 across two floors of the Westmead Redevelopment’s new acute services building, to become the central location of the University of Sydney’s Westmead Campus
an upgrade and expansion of the current Westmead Education and Conference Centre, within Westmead Hospital, to provide innovative and versatile learning environments
refurbishment of student facilities, to improve the student experience at Westmead
a new simulation ward, which provides facilities for educating students in nursing, medicine and allied health, and training staff at Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
The University spaces will also be available for use by other precinct partners, giving them access to contemporary education facilities that are not currently available at Westmead.
The University is also working with the Westmead precinct partners to develop the proposal for the Westmead Innovation Centre. The Innovation Centre will be collecting and generating ideas and new solutions from patients, clinicians, researchers and other innovators and will be fostering a culture of innovation and knowledge sharing.
“This is such an important part of the University’s work in Western Sydney. A key focus of the next era of strategic growth for the University of Sydney will be in – and for – Western Sydney, and this is the early phase of what we anticipate will be a $500m investment over the next 15 years. Importantly, this investment will help us build on the University’s areas of strength with its partners at Westmead,” University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence said.
Welcoming the investment and the University’s role in helping address the healthcare challenges of the future, WSLHD Chief Executive Danny O’Connor said “Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney have had a long standing partnership, dating back to the official opening of the Hospital, in 1978. This expanded commitment from the University means a greater opportunity to collect and generate ideas and new solutions from students in different disciplines as well as clinicians, researchers, patients and other innovators.”
“Co-locating the education and research activity with the clinical services space means Westmead will extend the quality of its education and research capability for the benefit of our patients and families in Western Sydney and beyond,” said Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Chief Executive Dr Michael Brydon.
The strength of the precinct partnerships has helped deliver on Westmead’s strong track record as a successful innovator in the delivery of healthcare, research and education and helped attract a talent pool that is now the largest concentration of biomedical, scientific and healthcare focused minds in Australia.
The investment is just one part of the $3.4 billion earmarked by government, universities and the private sector for investment at Westmead over the next decade, including new commercial and residential facilities and development of the Parramatta Light Rail.
Our Westmead facilities
Verity Leatherdale
Manager, Faculty Media and PR
verity.leatherdale@sydney.edu.au
Level 7 Jane Foss Russell Building G02


Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Sells Over 17 Million Copies Around World
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Sells Over 1.7 Million Copies Around The World
By: Joseph Allen
It's an auspicious day for Monolith Soft and JRPGs. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has sold more than 1.7 million copies worldwide. This figure makes it the best-selling game in the Xenoblade series as well as Monolith Soft's best-selling game in the West overall.
Monolith Soft's executive director Tetsuya Takahashi revealed the sales figures in an interview with Japanese gaming website 4gamer. Takahashi says this is encouraging and that the environment is getting better for JRPGs in the West. Back in September last year, Takahashi told US Gamer that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had exceeded his sales expectations and that he hadn't expected so many people to buy it in North America and Europe.
We don't yet know what this might mean for the future of Xenoblade. In May 2018, Monolith Soft opened a new studio in Iidabashi in Tokyo. Also, in October, Monolith sent out notices for staff to work on two new unannounced projects. Global market researcher Stealth believes that the two games are likely to be a new IP and the next Xeno game respectively. The strong performance of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will no doubt be encouraging to the studio as they work on these projects. We're also holding out hope for a port of the severely underrated Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the third game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series and the seventh in the Xeno meta-series. It follows Rex, a Driver who is searching for the fabled World Tree. Rex gets caught in a faction war and must evade his pursuers while trying to reach the World Tree. Like the previous two Xenoblade Chronicles games, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an open-world action RPG with an emphasis on exploration, combat, and questing. It's available to buy now on Nintendo Switch along with its standalone expansion, Torna: The Golden Country. You can buy a physical version of Torna: The Golden Country which doesn't require Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to play. We'd still recommend you check out Rex's adventure though.
Did you play Xenoblade Chronicles 2? Will you be checking it out soon? Let us know in the comments below!
Dark Souls changed my life, and I'm here to spread the good news. I like pretty much all sorts of games, but I judge everything by its proximity to our Lord and saviour, Dark Souls.


Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981)
Nationality: Dutch
Born: September 17, 1892, Haarlem Died: April 12, 1981, Haarlem (age 88)
Page 1 of 2 | | | |
All (24) Brass Quintet (1) Cello Sonata (1) Clarinet Sonata (1) Clarinet Trio (1) Duo (10) Flute Sonata (1) Piano Trio (2) Quartet (4) Quintet (4) Sextet (1) String Duo (1) String Quartet (3) Trio (5) Viola Sonata (1) Violin Sonata (1) Wind Quintet (1)
Piano Trio No. 2
Viola Sonata
Violin Sonata
Cello Sonata
Three Inventions (for violin and cello)
Suite for Brass Quintet (for 2 trumpets, horn and 2 trombones)
Quartetto in stile antico for String Quartet
Il pensiero for String Quartet
L'indifférent for String Quartet
Adagio for Clarinet Trio (for clarinet, viola and piano)
Flute Sonata
Choral varié (for 3 trumpets and 3 trombones)
Divertimento a cinque (for flute, oboe, violin, viola and cello)
Clarinet Sonata
Variations on a Theme by Haydn (for oboe and piano)
Canary (for recorder, cello and harpsichord)
3 Pezzi (for flute and harp)
Concert spirituel (for flute, oboe, violin and cello)
1900 2000 WWI WWII Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981) Jurriaan Andriessen (1925-1996) Louis Andriessen (1939-2021)
Louis Andriessen (1939-2021)
Born: June 6, 1939, Utrecht Died: July 21, 2021 (age 82)
Jurriaan Andriessen (1925-1996)
Born: November 15, 1925, Haarlem Died: August 23, 1996, The Hague (age 70)


HomeEntertainmentWBCP Plans 'Friends' Pop-Up Shop
WBCP Plans 'Friends' Pop-Up Shop
Warner Bros. Television Group is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series premiere of "Friends" with a Central Perk pop-up shop and product program.
Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Eight O’Clock Coffee have teamed up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series premiere of "Friends" with a Central Perk pop-up shop and product program.
A pop-up replica of Central Perk, the neighborhood coffee shop frequented by the characters on the sitcom, will open in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood Sept. 17.
The shop will serve free cups of Eight O’ Clock coffee, including the limited edition Central Perk Roast specially created for the occasion.
The fully functioning pop-up coffee bar will remain open through Oct. 18 and will also feature signature props from the show including Central Perk’s iconic orange couch and a range of in-store promotions.
Other highlights of the Central Perk pop-up shop will include:
Special appearances by actor James Michael Tyler who played deadpan barista Gunther on the show;
Photo opportunities on a re-created Central Perk set;
Weekly in-store performances akin to Phoebe’s improvised songs;
Friends-themed merchandise including Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Central Perk Roast and other bagged coffee varieties; and
Special activities and giveaways on Sept. 29, National Coffee Day.
The limited edition Central Perk Roast coffee will also be available at grocery and mass merchandise stores across the U.S.
TAGS: Corporate Brands Food & Beverage Entertainment Live Events Streaming and TV Warner Bros. Consumer Products Central Perk Friends Warner Bros. Television Group Eight O’Clock Coffee


What If March Madness Was Formatted Like the World Cup?
Posted on July 10, 2018 by Shane McNichol
March Madness is the most chaotic sporting event on the calendar each year. The unpredictability of the tournament makes for exciting viewing, but it means the result is often less than perfect. With top teams able to be bounced from contention with a cold shooting night or buzzer-beating defeat, the best team doesn’t always win it all, with hot teams, rather than the best, reaching the Final Four.
The World Cup format provides a buffer zone for the best teams by beginning with group play. There’s still a chance for upset wins or shocking results, yet a true Cinderella needs to sustain their level of play for more than just one game. This year, the soccer world was abuzz as Germany failed to reach the knockout round for the first time EVER. All the Germans needed was a draw versus a solid, but pedestrian South Korea side and they couldn’t manage even that. My Soccer Friend Dennis (everyone has a Soccer Friend) compared it to top seed in March losing to an 8 or 9 seed in terms of shock value. That happens all the time, but Germany had two games prior to the Korea loss to earn their way past the group stage. The Germans also lost to Mexico, sealing their fate.
If Virginia had two more games to survive after losing to UMBC, the upset would mean far less, but would it have been less exciting? Would Virginia have been able to bounce back and advance?
Those are the kinds of questions we’re going to try to answer here today, by taking the field of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and imposing the World Cup draw and tournament format.
For those unfamiliar, it’s somewhat simple to explain. Teams qualify in their respective regional tournaments, just like college basketball teams in their conferences. FIFA then draws the qualifying countries from a series of pots based on their region. For a basketball example, it would be like picking one team from the ACC, one from the Big XII, one from the Big East, and one from the Pac-12 for each group. That process doesn’t exactly work for college basketball, though. FIFA has only five regions. College basketball has 32 conferences.
Instead, for our purposes as we try to recreate a World Cup like situation, let’s use the seeds already awarded by the NCAA Selection Committee as our pots. The top 16 seeds make up the first pot, with the next 16 in the second pot, the next 16 in the third, and the bottom 16 in the fourth (with the teams that lost in the First Four in Dayton not invited for numbers sake).
This way, each of the top 16 seeds could end up in a group with a team as good as Kentucky or West Virginia, or feel safely paired with a team like Missouri. Why doesn’t top seeded Virginia automatically get placed with the bottom team from the next pot? Because soccer is insane and the randomness makes up for the possibility of human error in the seeding process. If this already bothers you, the rest of this post may not be for you!
Each group will have a team that was seeded 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16. This could potentially lead to what soccer fans call a GROUP OF DEATH, with teams seeded 1, 5, 9, and 13 all playing for two spots to advance. This would be wildly unfair and buckets of fun.
Each four team group will play a round robin, at the home gym of the top seed. The top two teams in each group advance to the next round, with (gulp) point differential serving as tie breaker. That gets us to 32 teams, which is why we’ll have ANOTHER DRAW (!) to re-group based on first round performance. Those groups will contain two teams who won their First Round group and two that finished second. We round robin again and have our Sweet Sixteen, seeded into a single elimination bracket. If you are the kind of person worried scheduling, here’s what we’re thinking:
First Round: On-campus games either Wednesday-Friday-Sunday or Thursday-Saturday-Monday. Yes, this is even more than the usual tournament weekends. That’s a good thing.
Second Round: Same schedule as above, but in regional cities, just like the first two rounds are now.
Knockout round: Now it’s just the Sweet Sixteen as usual. Four cities, four teams per city. Final Four and National Championship are just as lovely as they are now.
If you’re lost, stick with me. It will make sense in action. Oh, and we aren’t making any special rules about teams from the same conference being in the same group. Let’s get nuts.
First reactions to this draw:
GROUP OF DEATH ALERT: Remember how UMBC and Loyola-Chicago were the darlings of March and thrilled fans across the nation? They are stuck not only in the same group, but in a group with North Carolina and Kentucky! Only two of those teams will even advance to our second draw. While that may be less fun in a basketball sense, that draw result is already 400 million times more exciting than whatever the hell happened with Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson this year.
Group 4 look familiar? Three of those teams were in the same pod of the NCAA Tournament, playing in Pittsburgh. Radford lost to Villanova, Alabama beat Virginia Tech and Villanova beat the Tide to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Those three teams breathe a sigh of relief drawing Xavier here instead.
Marquee games are everywhere. For those of you thinking this first round lost meaning with this format, can I interest you in some of the games that will happen here? Carolina-Kentucky, Michigan-West Virginia, and Ohio State-Duke (at Cameron) are worth the price of admission, with fun stylistic and rivarly situations happening in Kansas-Butler, Xavier-Alabama, Purdue-Creighton, Cincinnati-Miami, Tennessee-Florida, Texas Tech-Texas, Gonzaga-Clemson, Houston-Wichita State- and Michigan State-Marshall.
Possible Cinderellas pop up all over. Penn no longer needs to beat mighty Kansas, instead tasked with three super inconsistent teams. Bucknell, Iona, Murray State, and St. Bonaventure have to like their draw here more than in real life.
Now, here’s where we get wild. When I pitched this idea to some people, they assumed that this is where the experiment stopped. That’s no fun! We need to Google the phrase “college basketball simulator”, find one that seems effective, and then play out this tournament!
So, that’s exactly what I did.
Here’s how the first round of group play happened (with teams in green advancing):
Every team that went 2-1 or better advanced, with one exception. Nevada, in Group 13, won twice in narrow fashion, but lost to Syracuse. The Orange and Auburn also won twice, finishing with a better point differential. For this to happen in just one of 16 groups is pretty satisfying, especially since we’re comparing to soccer, which features draws and a point system. I can already imagine Dickie V and Jay Bilas screaming about how unfair this system is to Nevada, but hey, they should have beaten Penn by more than six points.
Upsets still exist! Even with the safety of group play, the top two teams in every group did not cakewalk to the next round. Two teams in the top pot failed to reach the next round: Gonzaga and Duke. Five more teams from the second pot failed to advance. Only one team from our bottom feeders survived, with Cal State Fullerton earning a trip to the next round by beating Duke (at Duke!) in what would go down as an all-time great tourney win.
The sim isn’t truly chaotic like March Madness, but it’s worth trusting. Bad teams struggled and the best teams generally did just fine. VIllanova was undefeated with the best point differential. I think this round went well enough to sim some more.
Now that we’re down to 32 teams, our tournament begins to look more like the actual World Cup. We’ll randomly take two teams who won their first group and two who finished second to create eight new groups. The top two from each of those will be placed in a pre-seeded bracket. Here’s how that draw shook out:
GROUP OF DEATH ALERT: Thanks to a first round loss by Virginia (sounds familiar!) and Kansas, those top teams were drawn from our second pot in this draw. That led to a stacked group alongside Wichita State and Texas Tech. Those four teams were initially among the top 16 original seeds, but just two will reach the knockout round. Fun!
Softer groups appear to lead to easy advances. The top team in Group 7 is Florida, who was a 3-seed in real life (as was Houston). Over in Group 3, just one team reached the Sweet Sixteen in reality. Meanwhile, Alabama and Texas luck into each other, rather than one of the more stacked pools.
Sim time!
Gasp! Villanova is out! Faced with a tough pool, the Wildcats will not be our fictional champions. They managed to beat Butler, their Big East foe and one of the few teams to knock them off this season. It was the rest of the pool that proved too difficult. Purdue, armed with a healthy Isaac Haas, and Kentucky nipped Villanova to send them home. If you’re looking for parallels to the World Cup, Villanova is our Germany. Or maybe Duke was. I don’t know.
Only one group was decided by tiebreaker! That’s pretty encouraging. Just 2 out of 24 total groups needed to be settled by point differential. In terms of fairness, that’s a good sign. This time, rather than three teams tied at 2-1 fighting for two spots, we had three teams at the bottom of a group tied at 1-2. Alabama moves on by just one point, but beat Texas, the team they nearly tied, head-to-head (but lost to Ohio State, who Texas beat, and so on, in a circle). There are worst things than getting Collin Sexton into the Sweet Sixteen. We’ll live with it.
The sim went far different than the actual tournament. Obviously this is just a thought experiment, but it is interesting to see than just four teams from the real Sweet Sixteen are still alive here (Kansas, Texas A&M. Purdue, Kentucky). That speaks to the unpredictability of not just bracket play, but this format as well.
Michigan State should join the SEC. Sparty made quick work of its Southern foes, with an undefeated second round.
Let’s simulate the next weekend of play.
Ok, things are getting weird. We lost all of our true Cinderella stories, with the entire Elite Eight coming from the top two original pots and power conferences. I started to worry than maybe the simulator was a little too favorable to the top teams. But then Seton Hall made the Final Four, so I stopped worrying about that.
Some of these games are making me salivate. UNC and Kansas? Virginia and Arizona? Florida beats Xavier by 1? Creighton over Alabama by just a bucket? These look, feel, and sound like real tournament games. That’s all we can ask for.
Time for the Final Four:
Wait, what? No, like, uh, what. What happened? I understood Arizona making a run, since the computer doesn’t know the team was embroiled in scandal and drama. I got why great teams like UNC and Michigan State were advancing. I do not understand how or why the simulator loved Seton Hall. It really, really loved them. The Pirates went 9-1 this Fictional March and cut down the nets as National Champions. I couldn’t be fake happier for these fake computer generated players.
In conclusion, the World Cup format might not be as wild as a single elimination bracket, but it isn’t far off. This formatting change gave us more games, more basketball, more drama, and more random silliness. I can’t say it’s an improvement, especially in the one regard we expected it to be: choosing a worthy champion. Yet we still got chaos and madness, and that’s good enough for me.
Shane McNichol is the founder, editor, and senior writer at PalestraBack.com. He has also contributed to ESPN.com, Rush The Court, SALTMoney.org, Larry Brown Sports, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.
Don't play hero ball, pass the rock:
Tags: college basketball, college hoops, March Madness, World Cup
Shane McNichol is the founder, editor, and senior writer at PalestraBack.com. He has also contributed to ESPN.com, The Action Network, Rush The Court, Larry Brown Sports, RotoBaller, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain. You can find every post from this blog on Twitter by following @PalestraBack. If you have any suggestions, tips, ideas, or questions, email them to palestraback@gmail.com.


Game 3: FMP-Serbia 74, Team USA3 73 - FINAL
Updated: Jan. 11, 2019, 2:38 a.m. | Published: Aug. 09, 2008, 12:20 a.m.
By Tim Brown | The Oregonian/OregonLive
This game was easily the best of the afternoon so far, and it even provides an Oregon angle as Portland's own Mike Moser (6'7, 179) is playing for Team USA3 as they take on FMP-Serbia. Also, playing for Team USA3 will be Rivals.com No. 1 recruit for the class of 2009, John Wall (6'3, 188) out of Word of God Christian HS in North Carolina. Wall is being recruited by the University of Oregon.
Tim Brown / OregonLive.com
John Wall of Team USA3 drives past FMP-Serbia's Nikola Markovic during the first half of game 3 at the 2008 Nike Global Challenge.
Things looked good for FMP-Serbia in the beginning as they quickly went up 3-0 on a foul shot and then an easy lay-up off a fast break. However, Team USA3 came roaring back in the first quarter to take the lead behind excellent interior play that included a slew of baskets coming from
DeShaun Thomas (6'9, 210)
Daniel Orton (6'9, 260)
. Orton especially was a handful inside where Uros Lukovic (6'11, 209) was trying to guard him, but to no avail. Every time Orton touched the ball it was either a foul by Lukovic to stop the play, or two easy points on a short jumper. John Wall led the US team in the first half with 9 points, but he had a bunch of silly turnovers where he stepped on the end line, or missed a ally-oop dunk as he tried to cock the ball back to far on the flush.
FMP-Serbia was more than solid in the first half. In fact they did just enough to tie the game going into the half (37-37) with some timely buckets from long distance including one with under a minute to play in the half by Ivan Smiljanic (6'6, 203) that really got the FMP bench fired up as they hopped to their feet hollering in approval. However, it was the early baskets from Nikola Markovic (6'9, 216) that really helped FMP get an early lead he burned a few defenders with nice footwork in the post and excellent decision-making on the run. Another big contributor for FMP was the nig man, Dejan Musli (7'0, 255). He had a thunderous dunk in the first half and then another one that made the crowd happy as he hammered it down and then hung on the rim for a good 2-3 seconds of emphasis. However, the most important part of the Serbian team was Filip Covic (5'10, 163) who not only was able to keep John Wall from exploding in the first half, but kept the tempo up for his squad which led to a lot of easy baskets for FMP. He had a great game.
In the fourth quarter, It seemed as though Team USA3 had the game all but locked up, but to their surprise, it was far from over. With under two minutes to play, a steal by Nikola Markovic for an easy two made it a two possession game. After a quick jumper missed for Team USA3, Milojko Vasilic canned an open three off the drive and dish by Filip Covic. That made it a three point contest, and after another miss followed by another quick two for FMP-Serbia, they were down by only one. A turnover on Team USA3 gave the ball right back to FMP-Serbia who raced down court with the ball. The initial shot was long by Vasilic, but Nikola Markovic was there for the tip in and that gave FMP-Serbia a one point lead. Team USA3 had 10.7 seconds to get a basket, but an ill-advised drive by John Wall was easily blocked and time ran out giving the Serbians a 74-73 victory. Man, they are extremely hyped about the win as well. Nikola Markovic ran over to FMP coach Aleksandar Glisic and tried to pick him up over his head, but they both fell down into some chairs, then Markovic belly flopped onto the floor and started slamming his hands on the ground. Pretty funny stuff, and yes... I got it on camera... I'll upload the video later tonight.
Official Basketball Box Score
Serbia vs USA THREE
08/08/08 6:30 pm at Nike Global Challenge, Hillsboro, Ore.
VISITORS: Serbia 1-0
TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
04 Covic, Filip........ *  3-7    0-2    1-2    0  2  2   3   7  6  7  0  2  35
06 Zivanovic, Stefan... *  1-7    1-3    1-2    0  0  0   2   4  0  3  1  2  29
09 Markovic, Nikola.... *  6-12   1-2    4-5    5  8 13   2  17  4  2  0  5  37
11 Lazic, Branko....... *  3-4    0-0    1-2    0  2  2   3   7  1  1  0  1  25
15 Musli, Dejan........ *  7-9    0-0    0-4    2  4  6   3  14  0  7  1  1  26
05 Zaric, Aleksandar...    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  1  0  0  1   0
07 Vailic, Milojko.....    1-2    0-0    2-2    2  0  2   2   4  0  2  3  0   8
08 Dimic, Milos........    4-6    1-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   9  1  0  0  1   5
10 Djokic, Dejan.......    1-3    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   2   2  0  2  0  1   6
12 Smiljanic, Ivan.....    3-11   1-7    0-0    1  5  6   0   7  0  0  1  0  21
13 Stojadinovic, Marko.    1-2    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  1  0  0   7
14 Lukovic, Uros.......    0-0    0-0    1-2    0  0  0   2   1  0  0  0  0   1
Team................                            4  4
Totals..............   30-64   4-17  10-19  11 25 36  20  74 13 25  6 14 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-30 50.0%   2nd Half: 15-34 44.1%   Game: 46.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-6  16.7%   2nd Half:  3-11 27.3%   Game: 23.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-14 42.9%   2nd Half:  4-5  80.0%   Game: 52.6%    4
HOME TEAM: USA THREE 0-1
05 Dotson, Aaron....... *  1-3    0-1    2-2    1  2  3   2   4  2  0  0  1  14
06 Wall, John.......... *  8-15   2-4    0-0    1  2  3   1  18  2  3  2  4  30
09 Richmond, Jereme.... *  0-1    0-1    0-2    1  3  4   1   0  0  3  0  1  16
10 Moser, Mike......... *  0-2    0-2    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  1  0  0  1  20
13 Tyler, Jeremy....... *  3-7    0-1    0-0    1  1  2   3   6  0  2  0  1  11
04 Franklin Jr, Gary...    4-10   4-8    0-2    0  8  8   1  12  2  0  0  1  25
07 Gilchrist, Michael..    0-3    0-0    1-2    1  2  3   1   1  1  3  1  0  11
08 Waiters, Dion.......    2-6    0-2    2-2    1  2  3   3   6  3  4  1  5  24
11 Jennings, Milton....    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   0  0  0  0  2  10
12 Thomas, DeShaun.....   11-18   0-0    0-0    4  2  6   3  22  0  2  0  1  17
15 Orton, Daniel.......    1-3    0-0    2-6    1  5  6   3   4  1  3  2  0  22
Team................                         4  1  5
Totals..............   30-68   6-19   7-16  16 28 44  19  73 12 20  6 17 200
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-12 25.0%   2nd Half:  3-7  42.9%   Game: 31.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-8  25.0%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 43.8%    6
Officials:
Technical fouls: Serbia-None. USA THREE-Team.
Score by Periods                1st  2nd  3rd  4th   Total
Serbia........................   14   23   12   25  -   74
USA THREE.....................   21   16   20   16  -   73
Full Bracket and box scores
can be found on PrimeTimePDX.com


Great Pentecost sermon on the signs of the times (e.g., the Obama’s HHS mandate and his war on the Church)
Posted on 1 June 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
It is the Octave of Pentecost. We can should and review Pentecost during the Octave.
A friend of mine, Fr. Richard Jacobs, OSA, gave this sermon for Pentecost Sunday:
One of the Fathers of the Church, St. Cyril of Alexandria, wrote the following statement describing the presence of the Holy Spirit alive and at work within us:
It’s quite natural for people who have been absorbed by the things of this world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook and for cowards to become people of great courage.
On this Solemnity of Pentecost, what would it mean for those who have been absorbed the things of this world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook and for their cowardice to be transformed into great courage?
I know for sure what our nation’s Catholic bishops are saying it requires: Confronting the threats being posed today to religious liberty.
As you may know, this past week the nation’s Catholic bishops filed 12 lawsuits on behalf of 43 different Catholic institutions and groups to defend religious liberty. The focus of the lawsuits is the Department of Health and Human Services’ healthcare mandate. While many in the media have called the bishops’ lawsuits part of the Vatican’s larger “war against women” and a dispute that’s of concern “only to a tiny minority of Catholics who hold rather peculiar views about human sexuality,” that kind of vitriol is purposely intended to deflect attention away from the merit of the substantive argument, which is the slow but steady erosion of conscience protections for religious institutions and individuals in what’s for the most part a secular society…one having no religious roots.
The substantive issue being contested can be stated in the form of a question: Does the federal government possess the right to mandate Church-sponsored institutions and individuals to promote what its moral teachings forbid?
More practically, should an organization—like Catholic Charities—be compelled by the federal government to provide its employees access to contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortafacients? Or, should Catholic Relief Services—one of the world’s premiere disaster assistance organizations—be compelled by the federal government to provide “the full range of reproductive services,” including abortion, when attempting to aid people who have been afflicted by natural disasters?
The bishops’ lawsuits are not contesting those practicalities, but something that’s much more fundamental, the constitutional principle guaranteeing free expression of religion. The bishops believe this principle has been gradually eroding in such ways that the federal government and its agents now believe they possess the authority to make those practicalities the issue.
HHS Secretary Sebelius has maintained that the goal of her mandate is to protect women’s health. That may be, depending upon what it means “to protect women’s health.” But, Ms. Sebelius’ mandate has the intentional effect of compelling religious institutions and individuals to facilitate and to fund services that violate their beliefs and, worse yet, within their own institutions. The irony is that, in fact, those services are already widely and for the most part cheaply available, and most employers provide coverage for them.
What the mandate is, is bad enough. It’s nothing other than an unprecedented assault by agents of the federal government to compel religious institutions and individuals to violate their deepest moral convictions. But, there’s something even more insidious about Ms. Sebelius’ mandate. If government policy can close down or force religious providers of healthcare, social services, and education to serve as agents of the government’s policy, then the federal government will have consolidated its monopoly over those services, making the government all-powerful in those areas.
The President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said: “Never before have we faced this kind of challenge to our ability to engage in the public square as people of faith.”
But it’s not just the nation’s Catholic bishops who are concerned. Baptist, Orthodox Jew, Orthodox Christian, Mormon, and other religious leaders gathered this past week for a daylong summit in Washington, DC, at the Ethics and Public Policy’s American Religious Freedom Program. There they discussed the eroding state of religious freedom in the United States and formulated a plan to confront this moral malignancy.
Then, too, in what would have been impossible to envision even just six decades ago, the largely evangelical Protestant group sponsoring the summit awarded Archbishop Lori of Baltimore the “American Religious Freedom Award” for his “vigorous but gracious defense of religious liberty in the face of increasing hostility and legal and policy challenges.” Then, too, in response to the bishops’ defense of religious freedom, the one-time Baptist minister, former Arkansas Governor, and Fox News host, Mike Huckabee, flatly declared, “We’re all Catholics now.”
Today’s scripture reminds us that when the Holy Spirit is alive and at work within us, people who don’t comprehend what they are saying to one another as well as what they are debating or arguing with one another about, miraculously understand one another.
Today’s scripture also reminds us that when the Holy Spirit is alive and at work within us, differences in race, nationality, and creed—externals that would otherwise divide people—suddenly disappear.
Today scripture also reminds us that when the Holy Spirit is alive and at work within us, people who possess different talents and capabilities don’t use them exclusively for their personal aggrandizement or benefit, but offer those talents and capabilities for the good of all.
In sum, the presence of the Holy Spirit alive and at work in us makes all of this possible since the source of all these differences is God. And, when people realize the divine source of these differences and root themselves in God, it’s possible for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control to overcome all of the immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like that are rooted in all of those differences, not in the divine source of those differences.
Because, as we heard in the Sequence, the presence of the Holy Spirit “heals wounds,” “bends stubborn hearts and wills,” and “guides the steps that go astray.”
Allow me to suggest that what we may be witnessing on this Solemnity of Pentecost are religious leaders who for all too long have been absorbed in the things of this world suddenly becoming entirely other-worldly in outlook, as their cowardice is being transformed into great courage. As Cardinal Dolan said to Bob Scheifer on “Face the Nation” back on April 8: “We didn’t ask for this fight, but we won’t back away from it.”
Surveying all of these events, I’m wondering whether this series of events may be one of those “signs of the times” the Second Vatican Council said we should be alert to and, in particular, what may be a sign of the Holy Spirit making possible the first concrete step in authentic ecumenism. For once, religious leaders are rooted in upholding God’s law rather than defending who was right and who was wrong in religious battles that took place centuries ago. If that doesn’t demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit alive and at work in those religious leaders, then I don’t know what possibly could. And, if it is, then it’s time for all of us to get to work confronting the threats being posed to religious liberty.
On this Solemnity of Pentecost, let’s those of us who have been absorbed in the things of this world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook, as St. Cyril of Alexandria reminds us, by allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our cowardice into great courage.
This entry was posted in Dogs and Fleas, Mail from priests, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice and tagged Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Cyril of Alexandria, health care, HHS mandate, Kathleen Sebelius, Obama Administration, Pentecost, Pres. Obama, religious liberty, reproductive services. Bookmark the permalink.
Poor Green Lantern.
I’m SHOCKED! LCWR rejects the Holy See’s reform
1 June 2012 at 4:35 PM
There will be conversions to Catholicism because of this fight. But, we shall lose some Catholics as well. As in any war, there are heroes and casualties.
Legisperitus says:
The war being waged is against Christ. His life, death, and resurrection change and inform everything. The banner we take up, more than the banner of liberty, must be the banner of Christ because He is the true Enemy and Victim of those who oppress the Church. The liberty of the Church is the freedom of Christ’s action in the world. Sooner or later, it will have to come down to a stand on the question of Christ. “Who do you say that I am?”


File photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Burned vehicle in Port Moody linked to Coquitlam, B.C., shooting, police say
Nine-year-old boy who was in the back seat was not injured
Police say they believe a suspicious vehicle fire in Port Moody, B.C., is connected to a shooting that occurred minutes before in nearby Coquitlam.
A statement from Port Moody police says officers responded to a report of a silver sedan that was found burning on Saturday after being abandoned.
Mounties in Coquitlam say they’re now investigating any connection between the burned vehicle and the shooting, which may have been targeted.
They say the victim, who was not known to police, was taken hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
They say his nine-year-old son, who was in the back seat, was not injured.
The RCMP say in a statement that there is not enough evidence to establish or rule out a link between the shooting and gang conflict in the Lower Mainland, “but police do not believe this was a completely random act.”
They say a silver sedan with a description matching the burned vehicle was seen leaving the area and police are asking anyone who was in the Westwood Plateau or Maude Court areas between 4:20 and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday to come forward with any information that could be helpful.
B.C.’s storm recovery ‘trending in the right direction,’ but gas rationing to remain
Nelson ecologist questions B.C.’s roll-out of old growth strategy


This is my Day-to-Day Weblog on the Japanese Economy. For More Detailed In-Depth Commentary, Analysis and Links on Japan's Continuing Economic Crisis See the Japan Page on My Website
Japan's Job-Loss 'Recovery'
I'v made myself a promise to try and look a bit more at Japan this week, since I'm sure I've been neglecting things there. This piece serves to kill two birds with one stone, since it also relates to the ongoing 'structural reforms' theme. I think the argument demonstrates two things: that job creation is getting harder everywhere, and that the Asia Times (following on from the previous post) is a neglected source of good-quality information. BTW I've put the 'R' word in scare quotes, since that is the topic I will be trying to investigate this week.
Japan: the rising specter of unemployment By Hussain Khan
TOKYO - Higher labor costs, yen appreciation resulting in the outsourcing of production facilities and growing computerization all point to a long-term structural increase in Japan's jobless. Due to heavy losses in labor-intensive sectors, companies are planning further outsourcing of their production facilities to countries where labor costs are much lower.
It is difficult to describe how profound these changes are in Japanese society. They are breaking down a system of lifetime security for the low-paid but loyal sarariman (salaryman) of legend, whose antecedents sociologists trace back to the samurai system in which a warrior class dedicated their lives to their feudal lords. In modern society, the Japanese company has served as the locus of social stability for the sarariman, with loyalty to the firm resembling earlier fealty to nobles. Today, as outsourcing continues and jobs go overseas, the essential nature of the country�s work force and its values are being challenged in an unprecedented way. The office lady, who joined her equally inefficient sarariman colleague in the work force, is also likely to be a victim of the aggressive rationalization of Japan's notoriously disorganized office operations.
Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 5.1 percent in August, the lowest level since the 5 percent posted in August 2001, according to a report released by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. That means that during the last two years, employment has not improved. Rather it has deteriorated. The number of part-time workers fell for the first time in 20 months, while the total of all people who worked during the month also dropped 100,000 from a year before to 63.61 million, the first negative growth in four months, indicating that the nation's employment situation remains bleak. The number of employed people decreased by 160,000 year on year to 53.47 million.
The number of people out of work due to corporate restructuring and other reasons related to their employers totaled 970,000. This was the first time since January 2002 that the figure had fallen below 1 million, an indication that corporate restructuring may have run its course. But this optimism over a drop of mere 3 percent in one month is not justified after 1 million have been unemployed for the last 20 months.
The weakening dollar and the stronger yen had not taken their toll as the Bank of Japan heavily intervened in the currency market. But after John Snow, the United States Treasury Secretary, criticized Japanese exchange rate intervention in a congressional committee in Washington, the yen rose as high 107 yen to US$1, breaking the psychological barrier of 108 yen. Speculation is for a trend toward 105 yen and more yen appreciation shortly.
Under such a scenario, the pressure is increasing for further corporate restructuring, and with it further job losses. The one-month drop of 3 percent and the 20-month old trend averaging more than 1 million unemployed can be expected to resume with greater force as long the yen continues to appreciate, since a lot of export-related corporations have started fresh plans to outsource their production facilities, especially in the electrical white goods sector.
Even apart from the pressure of yen appreciation, corporate restructuring is continuing, with no signs of abating. Although the banking sector has been the main beneficiary of the recent stock market rise, some banks like the Resona Group expect to cut employees, with the group dismissing some 4,000 employees,reducing its staff from 19,000 to 15,000 by March 2005 in a bid to complete its revised restructuring program two years ahead of schedule.
A draft of Resona's new restructuring plan also calls for reducing outstanding loans to smaller businesses at fiscal year-end next March by 1 trillion yen on the year as an attempt to shift its focus from quantity to quality. The draft fails to set the schedule for repaying public funds, foreseeing that the group's profits will remain flat from fiscal 2004 through fiscal 2006. It also calls for skipping all dividend payouts through fiscal 2004, including those to the government. The latest plan by the banking group, which is effectively under the government's control, is expected to be finalized by the end of next month for submission to the Financial Services Agency.
This is a revised version of the business reconstruction plan crafted in June after the government decided to inject about 2 trillion yen of taxpayer's money into the group. Under the updated plan, Resona group is to also reduce its number of branches to 495 by the end of fiscal 2004, 20 more than called for under the current plan. With these aggressive restructuring efforts, the group's expenses as of the end of March 2005 are projected at 90 billion yen less than those of two years earlier. The ratio of labor and property costs to gross operating profit is to be slashed to 52 percent from 59 percent as well.
The banks are not alone in their restructuring plans. Sanyo is emblematic of the new and unsettling Japan. In the electrical goods manufacturing sector, as a part of its effort to provide secure employment, Sanyo continued to produce white goods at its domestic plants. But with the white goods business unlikely to stop bleeding red ink in the immediate future, Sanyo has decided to downsize its operations in Hyogo Prefecture and another in Shiga prefecture. The Hyogo plant is to cease production of vacuum cleaners, massage chairs and all other products by year-end and focus on research and development. The Shiga plant is scheduled to stop making microwave ovens, washing machines and double-tub washing machines by the end of this fiscal year.
As a result, sales from domestic production are expected to account for about 20 percent of the firm's overall home appliance sales, down sharply from the current 60 percent. Sanyo intends to reduce employees at the two plants from the current 1,250 to around 900 by April 2004 through relocations to other divisions and transfers to subcontractors. The company plans to maintain its product lineup by outsourcing production at the two plants to outside firms and transferring it to overseas factories. Sanyo's home appliance division recorded a 10.5 billion yen operating loss on a consolidated basis for the fiscal year ended March 31, making it the only one of the firm's six divisions to be in the red.
Other companies in the same or related sectors like Futjitsu and Hitachi have also announced losses. Like Sanyo, these companies also must reduce employees to meet their restructuring goals. Fujitsu, the major computer maker, said that it posted a consolidated net loss of 58.5 billion yen for the fiscal first half ended September 30, mainly due to money-losing operations in the computer software service division caused by a general decline in information technology investment among corporate clients.
Profit from the software division, the firm's core operation, declined by more than 40 percent. The manufacturing sectors for electronics parts and for information and telecommunications stayed in the red despite cost reduction efforts, according to company officials. The company reported a special profit of 34.4 billion yen, mainly from sales of its stockholding in Fanuc Ltd, the major industrial robot maker, but the gain was not enough to offset the net loss.
As for Hitachi, growing losses from a hard-disk drive business it acquired the previous year were the main contributor to a 5 percent fall in consolidated net profit to 5.3 billion yen in the fiscal first half, even after Hitachi sold portions of its stock in affiliate Nitto Denko Corp, which generated a special profit of more than 90 billion yen. Hitachi officials said that an increase in pension payments and other factors reduced operating profit by 67 percent to 20.2 billion yen.
Hitachi�s heavy and industrial machinery division also suffered a decline in profit due to cutbacks in investment, mainly among electric power companies. Earnings from refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances were also weak because Japan experienced an unusually cool summer. Unlike Sharp Corp and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, neither Fujitsu nor Hitachi is a major player in the fast-growing digital home appliances sector, which is another factor for their poor performance.
The effect of computerization on employment cannot be neglected. On the second day of the Nikkei Global Management Forum, Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer of US computer firm Sun Microsystems Inc, said information technology will bring about drastic changes in the corporate world. Since the spread of IT will render obsolete conventional ways of working, personnel ability and corporate activities, companies will have to adapt to the changes, for example, by reorganizing their employment structure, he said.
McNealy pointed out that companies can enjoy the benefits of a ubiquitous computing environment such as improved productivity and the need for less office space. The Sun executive noted that companies also need to accept the negative aspects of IT, such as changes in working conditions and increases in corporate bankruptcies as the natural consequences of a computerized society. He said that although governments tend to try to stop such changes, companies should be forward-looking.
That means that if Japan's companies are to become more competitive, the job cuts will continue, changing long-held standards of Japanese society. Those changes are bound to be painful for a society not used to pain.
Source: Asia Times
This is my Day-to-Day Weblog on the Japanese Econo...
Japan's Job-Loss 'Recovery' I'v made myself a...