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Alex Lifeson and the Kidney Foundation of Canada - Where Hope Resides

As The Kidney Foundation of Canada marks its 50th Anniversary in 2014, their 50th Anniversary magazine includes 50 Canadians affected by kidney disease who have shared their own very personal stories. Included is Alex Lifeson; in "Where Hope Resides", he tells of his father's own diagnosis and kidney failure. You can read it here. - Thanks to Rushfanforever for the headsup!

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"Alex Lifeson On John Wesley" in Guitar Player, October 2014 issue

The new October issue of Guitar Player magazine (featuring Slash on the cover) includes a major feature on John Wesley (Porcupine Tree) titled "Dose Of Reality; John Wesley's No-Holds-Barred Rock Reflections".  Wesley's new album, Disconnect (cd/itunes), includes a guest appearance by Alex Lifeson on the track "Once A Warrior".  The Guitar Player feature includes the sidebar "Alex Lifeson On John Wesley" written by Alex himself. - Thanks to Anil Prasad for the headsup!

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Rush News

Rush Photo On "The Carrie Diaries"

Two weeks ago, during the October 25th season premiere of The Carrie Diaries, at the 18:04 mark Carrie comments how her friends are at a bar without out her that is "the place for rock and roll".  A series of 70s/80s rock bands are shown, including this photo of Rush featuring the doublenecks!  You can see the full episode here at - Thanks to Greg Nosek for the headsup and John Patuto for the screen capture!

Alex Lifeson's "Self Portrait" Sells for $7,600 To Benefit "A Brush Of Hope" 2013 Auction

Alex Lifeson's self-portrait has sold for $7,600 in the 2013 "A Brush Of Hope" celebrity auction benefiting Canada's Kidney Foundation.  This is Alex's sixth contribution to A Brush Of Hope over the last seven years, and his paintings have raised thousands for the cause.

The massive online auction kicked off October 24th and will ran through November 3rd at; Alex's auction is here.  The proceeds of the auction benefit those suffering with kidney disease.  Click here for more information; visit their Facebook page.

Wall Street Journal premieres new live version of 2112 from "Clockwork Angels Tour"

Today the Wall Street Journal posted a 90 second sample of 2112 Overture from the new Clockwork Angels Tour live release coming November 19th.
"The indefatigable Toronto trio performed “2112″ as the final song of its encore in Dallas, Texas, last November. The Clockwork Angels tour, in support of the band’s 19th studio album, incorporated many songs from the 1980s that hadn’t performed in years. The shows also featured a live string section, a first for the band. The 11-month tour coincided with another unusual occurrence for Rush: accolades from the rock establishment. Last spring, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." -, October 28, 2013
The live concert, filmed in Dallas last year, is available for preorder on all formats here.  Check out 2112 sample below.

An Interview with Mike Portnoy -

Andrew Olson sat down with drummer Mike Portnoy to discuss his latest album and tour with The Winery Dogs with bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist/vocalist Ritchie Kotzen.  A variety of topics are discussed including The Winery Dogs, drums, Rush, Neil Peart, Vapor Trails Remixed, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, lyric writing, and his Oscar predictions. Check it out here. - Thanks Andy for the headsup!

John Petrucci Of Dream Theater On The Band’s New Album & Rush

In a new interview with UltimateClassicRock, John Petrucci Of Dream Theater discusses their new self-titled album, working with engineer Rich Chycki, and the influences of Rush and Alex Lifeson.  Check it out here. - Thanks to Jeffrey Lucas for the headsup!

"A Brief History Of Time, Part 11"

John at has added another installment of Rush: A Brief History of Time. In this the 11th installment, John has added 93 new articles and advertisements spanning 40 years from 1973 through present day. - Thanks to John at for the headsup!

Rush EuCon 2013 A Success!

The Rush EuCon 2013 event, “EuCon Of Steel” was held recently in the UK and was again a success.  With over 200 attendees and through the fundraising efforts of everyone involved, Eucon raised the amazing sum of £2650.00 for the fantastic charity “Guide Dogs For The Blind”, and as a thank you the convention's organizers are getting to name a puppy, so they have created a poll on the Rush EuCon group page on Facebook with a handful of Rush-related names.  The three most popular names will be submitted to the charity today for their approval. To vote visit the Rush EuCon group Facebook page.

On the day, representatives from the charity came along with some guide dog puppies and one of the representatives gave a brief talk on the good work that the charity does. Later the Rush tribute band “Bravado” played a blinding set of Rush classic songs, old and new, to rapturous applause.  For photos of the event visit the EuCon group Facebook page. - Thanks to William Winsborough for the headsup!

"Closer To The Heart" heard on CBC's "Battle Of The Blades"

Battle Of The Blades is Dancing With The Stars with a Canadian twist, as retired NHL hockey players are paired up with figure skaters.  On Sunday night's show, Amanda Evora and Scott Thornton performed their figure skating routine to Closer to the Heart.  You can watch their performance here, and they discuss the track selection here. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

"Clockwork Angels Tour" Video - Premier of "The Garden"

The Clockwork Angels Tour video is coming in just over a month, but today RollingStone has posted a complete viewing of "The Garden".
"When Rush hit the road last year to support their new album, Clockwork Angels, they decided to do something they'd never done before: invite additional musicians onto their stage. The new material had been recorded with a string section, and they wanted to do the album justice by bringing an eight-piece string ensemble on the road.  The tour – which featured a ton of 1980s tunes the band hadn't played in ages – was a huge success, and they recorded a show in Dallas for a DVD and CD that hits shelves on November 19th. (Click here to pre-order the DVD.) Here, you can watch an exclusive preview clip of the band playing "The Garden," the grand finale of Clockwork Angels." -, October 17, 2013

The live release is available for preorder on all formats here.

Neil Peart featured on "Walk The Walk" Premier

UPDATE: Following up on the show's premier, check out "Neil Peart, Nelly Furtado, Tom Cochrane Shock Selfless Canadians at, October 17, 2013

Walk the Walk
is a special six part documentary series which will debut on Global TV Saturday October 12th at 10:00 pm.  The series will honor the good work being done by everyday community heroes by surprising them with a visit from a superstar from Canada's Walk of Fame.  Included among those heroes is Neil Peart, who honors the works done by Karl Sloman.  Below is the episode description from the Walk The Walk Facebook page; click here for a video preview.
Saturday October 12th - 10:00 p.m - Global TV

Karl Sloman is a drummer and music teacher who is innovative and giving. He broke the world record for continuous drumming by playing for 60 hours to benefit a Children’s Care Centre. Karl is passionate about teaching special needs students and leads a band of disabled musicians called Train Wreck. He invents and builds specialized electronic instruments for his students to play.

Neil Peart, drummer with the band Rush, is one of Karl’s biggest influences and heroes. Neil is widely recognized as one of the world’s most proficient players and both his drumming and drum kit are legendary among rock fans. One of the most successful and long-lasting rock bands, Rush has been inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Walk of Fame in 1999 and has 24 gold and 14 platinum records.

Although Neil Peart is famously private, when he hears about Karl’s work with Train Wreck, he decides to surprise Karl with a special meeting and a once-in-a-lifetime experience at one of Rush’s concerts." -
Walk The Walk Facebook page, August 29, 2013

Neil Peart guest on Vertical Horizon's "Echoes From The Underground"

As previously announced, Vertical Horizon's new album Echoes From The Underground was released October 8th.  Vertical Horizon's Matt Scannel's good friend Neil Peart performs on two tracks: "Instamatic" and "South For The Winter".  Last week posted an exclusive video of Neil Peart laying down the drum track for the song "Instamatic".  On recording with Neil, Matt said:
"It was an absolute blast to record. Neil's drum performance is simply stellar. Lyrically, it's just your average spy thriller/espionage/blackmail/love song.” - Matt Scannell,, October 2, 2013
UPDATE October 15: On Friday, Scanell spoke to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette about the new album:
"'Instamatic' is one of my absolute favorite drum tracks of all time and it's on my new record… I hear elements of all the different stages of (Peart's) career from 'Clockwork Angels,' all the way back to 'Hemisphere' and beyond," Scannell said. "It's an incredible moment for Neil as a performer. It is shocking. He is on fire on this song …"

Peart also contributes to the somber and introspective "South for the Winter," despite some initial reservations. "Are you sure you want me to play on 'South for the Winter'? It's so not what I normally do. I don't know what I'll bring to that song." Scannell recalled Peart saying. "And I said, 'Well, that's exactly why I want you to play on it, because I don't know where it will go but we'll go somewhere beautiful.'"

It was originally written for the troops overseas, but Scannell shifted the focus on "Song for Someone" to include everyone, including soldiers' respective wives, husbands, families, friends and neighbors back home.

"There's a Plato quote that actually Neil Peart told me about, 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,' and it sort of shook me because it's so true," Scannell explained. "We do need more compassion and more kindness towards each other. So that song really was written with that in mind."

Neil also appeared on Vertical Horizon's last album, Burning The Days, performing on the tracks "Welcome To The Bottom", "Save Me From Myself" and "Even Now".

Richard Chycki on recording Dream Theater, Rush and Jagger -

Musicradar has posted a new interview with producer Richard Chycki, where he tells of working with Dream Theater, Rush and Jagger.  Of Rush he says:
“I got a call from Rush’s management in 2004 when they were doing a charity event in Canada. I was asked to do the recording and mixing for the TV broadcast. We had a lot of chemistry. They’re all really funny guys. We spent the time just laughing our faces off.

"A few months later, Al Lifeson asked me to mix their new R30 DVD. In the nine years since then, we’ve had 26 platinum and gold sales awards for all of the DVDs and albums we’ve done. Their main mantra at this point is to continue putting out music for their fans – they have done everything.

“The first time I really got to know Neil [Peart] was on Snakes And Arrows. He was warming up on his kit and I was setting up microphones. When the kit is so large I measure the distance of microphones to drums with a tape measure so that we have the best phase coherence that we can have, because we have so many open mics around the kit. Neil was doing these press rolls on his snare, and I was literally putting the tape measure down on his snare as he was playing. He was looking at me like, ‘What are you doing?!’

“With those guys, if they hear something they like, they say, ‘That’s great – let's go.’ They can be hands on, but a lot of the time it is hands off because they will hear what they want and say, ‘Let's just record.’”

Vapor Trails Remixed opens at #35 on the Billboard Top 200

Vapor Trails Remixed landed on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #35.  It also debuted at #3 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, as well as #9 on both Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts. - Thanks to for the headsup!

When it was originally released, Vapor Trails opened at #6 and spent five weeks on the Billboard Top 100.

Vapor Trails Remixed was released September 30th, and is available on CD, Vinyl, iTunes and The Studio Albums 1989-2007.

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Geddy Lee will appear on VH1's "On Tap" Tonight

Tonight Geddy Lee will appear on VH1's "On Tap" with Nik Carter.  On Tap is a syndicated radio show, click here for a list of stations that carry it. - Thanks to John @ for the headsup!

David Bottrill on Rush’s “Vapor Trails Remixed” -

In a new interview with, producer David Botrill weighs in on Vapor Trails Remixed, now available CD, Vinyl, iTunes and The Studio Albums 1989-2007.
"When I approach any mix, I will reference any rough or previous mix lightly, to find balance or tones that the client might like. But in this case, I was aware that the band weren’t happy with the final mixes they had, so I just approached it fresh with little referencing to the originals. My philosophy was that they didn’t like what they had, so I would just work with the material they gave me and do what I thought would work best for each song. The first mix took the longest to complete, but that was only a couple of days. Once we were into the groove, the band usually only had little tweaks or suggestions and went mostly with what I presented them with.  There was very little direction prior to starting. I did a test mix for them as did some other engineers and producers. They liked most of them, but I think that they had wanted to try to work with me for some time, so perhaps that swayed their opinion towards my mix as opposed to others. Andy Curran, who works with the band, is also a friend of mine and I think he was pulling for me to do the remix as well — and this may have had an influence.  Nothing new was added. The band weren’t present for the mixes as they were mostly on tour, so there would have been no opportunity to do any further recording."
Regarding the "new" guitar solo heard in Ceiling Unlimited:
"It sounded good to me. As I said, I just worked with the material they gave me. I didn’t really check the originals to see what they used or didn’t use. I liked that solo and put it in. I don’t think many people have complained about that one so far. When a record is made, often times there are things that are recorded that are left out of the final mix. I had no attachment to the older mixes or what was left in or out. I just put in all the mixes what I thought worked the best. I don’t think I left much out from the tracks they gave me. There was no really grand plan for the mixes. I just tried to make the songs all shine as much as I could. There was some talk in the fan press that the tracks were distorted in the recording process or that there have been new recordings done. Neither is true. The source recordings are top quality and we didn’t add anything new from those early recordings."
  - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Geddy Lee Dives Into Rush's Video Timeline -

Yesterday posted a new interview "Geddy Lee Dives Into Rush's Video Timeline", where Geddy gives his thoughts on ' 2112,' the Hall of Fame jam and bad haircuts.  You can check it out here.

Alex Lifeson on God, police brutality and more in Classic Rock, November

The November issue of Classic Rock magazine includes a one page interview with Alex Lifeson in the Heavy Load ongoing feature. The interview has the subtitle "Alex Lifeson on God, police brutality and 'disco biscuits'". You can read the full feature here. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

Andy VanDette Discusses Mastering "RUSH – The Studio Albums 1989-2007"

Today posted a short Q&A with remastering engineer Andy VanDette.  Andy discusses remastering the Atlantic catalog, as well as his thoughts on the original Vapor Trails mixes.
Vapor Trails. I remember hearing it before it came out, and thinking 'Wow, I guess this is why I will never work with Rush.' The snare and vocal were so overshadowed by low end....I see why they had a hard time remastering the original mixes. So much of their energy is in the bottom octave 20-40Hz. You can roll it off, but so much of the mixes’ punch came from that. It was just mixed that way. The David Bottrill remixes are very well balanced and musical."
You can read the entire Q&A here. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Hemispheres SACD from AudioFidelity Now Available

The AudioFidelity SACD (Super Audio CD) gold disk edition of Rush's Hemispheres has finally been released, hitting store shelves on October 1, 2013.

Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, this is a limited edition release, so order now!

This is AudioFidelity's second Rush SACD release.  Counterparts was released on March 3rd of this year.

New Alex Lifeson TV spot for the Kidney Foundation of Canada

Alex Lifeson appears in a new TV commercial for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, talking about the need to get screened for kidney disease if you are at risk.  Check it out here. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!


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DOH on alert for leptospirosis cases

Posted at Aug 28 2012 07:31 PM | Updated as of Dec 01 2016 01:26 PM

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The Department of Health is now on blue alert because of a rise of leptospirosis cases in the country. - ANC Top Story, August 28, 2012


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Buoyant French economy ahead of election a boon to eurozone

LONDON — A buoyant French economy ahead of the presidential election has helped push economic growth across the 19-country eurozone to a six-year high during April, a survey showed Friday.

In a further signal that the region's economy has gathered pace at the start of the second quarter, financial information company IHS Markit said its purchasing managers' index — a broad gauge of business activity — rose to 56.7 points in April from 56.4 the previous month. That's the highest level since April 2011.

Anything above 50 indicates expansion, with the latest reading pointing to quarterly economic growth of 0.7 percent, which would be above the region's long-run average and at rates that would likely see further falls in the region's unemployment levels.

"Such strong growth, if sustained, will inevitably lead to upward revisions to economists' 2017 forecasts," said Chris Williamson, the firm's chief business economist. Most forecasters have penciled in eurozone growth of between 1.5 percent to 2 percent for this year — IHS Markit's April survey, if sustained through the year, would point to something more like 3 percent.

He said the "robust" growth is being seen in both manufacturing and services, with the former "clearly benefiting" from the weak euro, which has also lifted exports to six-year highs. The rise in employment that has accompanied the economic expansion is also shoring up the recovery by encouraging consumers to spend.

On a country basis, the firm found that France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, is doing particularly well with its PMI at 57.4. France is even outperforming Germany's, the region's biggest though both economies are growing at rates not seen in six years, the firm said.

"France's elections pose the highest near-term risk to the outlook, but in the lead-up to the vote the business mood has clearly been buoyant," Williamson said.

On Sunday, French voters go to the polls to see who will contest the second round of the presidential election on May 7. Opinion polls show a tight race, with centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen widely expected to emerge as the front two. However, Thursday's deadly shooting of a policeman in central Paris may influence voting intentions.

Even excluding heavyweights France and Germany, IHS Markit found the eurozone's pace of expansion accelerating to a near ten-year high.

That broad expansion, coupled with a pick-up in inflation, has stoked expectations that the European Central Bank will soon start to consider easing up on its stimulus efforts. Still, few economists think that the ECB will announce any change at next week's policy meeting given that underlying inflation remains weak.

Ironically, the growth in the eurozone has helped cushion the British economy over the past few months, even at a time of uncertainty related to the country's exit from the European Union.

However, a survey in Britain suggested that the recovery seen since last June's Brexit vote is weakening. The Office for National Statistics found that retail sales in the country fell by a whopping 1.8 percent in March, reversing the previous month's 1.7 percent rise. Retail sales, a key constituent of British economic growth, fell by 1.4 percent during the first quarter, the first quarterly decline since 2013.

Kate Davies, the agency's senior statistician said price increases appear to be behind the retail sales reverse.

One major consequence of Britain's Brexit vote has been the sharp fall in the pound. Though that's helped exporters pick up business, it has pushed up inflation by raising the cost of imports such as food and energy.


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Official: Marvel Casts Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch

Official: Marvel Casts Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch

by Christopher DillardNovember 25, 2013

Like we didn’t already know? Marvel has cast Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch for the upcoming Avengers 2: Age of Ultron film with the actors we already knew about. However, read on for the official press release!

ComicUI – Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver

ComicUI – Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen have officially joined the Avengers family as the brother-sister duo of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the highly-anticipated sequel to 2012’s smash-hit “Marvel’s The Avengers”! “Avengers: Age of Ultron” arrives in theaters May 1, 2015.

Taylor-Johnson broke out with his roles as Dave Lizewski in the “Kick-Ass” franchise and with his portrayal of a young John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy,” for which he won an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. Since then, Taylor Johnson has starred in 2012’s critically-acclaimed “Anna Karenina” and director Oliver Stone’s “Savages.”

Since making her big screen debut in 2011 with “Silent House” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” for which the actress garnered a number of awards and nominations, Olsen has gone on to star alongside the likes of Robert DeNiro and Sigourney Weaver in “Red Lights,” Josh Brolin and Samuel L. Jackson in director Spike Lee’s “Oldboy.”

Taylor-Johnson and Olsen will share the screen as leads in the highly anticipated “Godzilla” remake scheduled for a May 2014 release.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” will bring the Marvel Universe’s biggest heroes together again to face one of their biggest villains, with “Marvel’s The Avengers” director Joss Whedon returning to write and direct the sequel.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” was released in 2012 and went on to earn $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the third-largest grossing movie of all time.

In addition to “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on April 4, 2014; “Guardians of the Galaxy” on August 1, 2014; and “Ant-Man” on July 31, 2015.

About The Author
Christopher Dillard
Author for Nerdtraffic, co-host of Superhero Slate podcast, and co-founder of ComicUI. I love Marvel, Star Wars, Halo, and the Muppets. Just your run-of-the-mill nerd.

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Media Coverage

December 30, 2014

The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) plans to test a system that allows people to hail electric, autonomous cars, reports Kelly O’Brien for These “cars would be an efficient way to get people from their homes to a T stop or commuter rail station,” O'Brien explains.

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New York Times

January 26, 2015

In this New York Times video, James Gorman explores new MIT research examining how rainfall produces a scent. The researchers found that when raindrops hit porous surfaces they release aerosols. The scent is “not from the rain itself,” explains Prof. Cullen Buie, “it’s from the earth.”

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Penn State Beaver alumnus wins Keystone Press Award

Penn State Beaver alumnus Justin Vorbach is the winner of the 2012 Student Keystone Press Award in the category of Cartoon/Graphic Illustration. He was honored for photo and cover illustrations and an editorial cartoon he contributed to spring semester editions of The Roar, Beaver’s student newspaper, during his senior year.

The Student Keystone Press Awards recognize college and high school journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers.
Vorbach graduated from Beaver with a bachelor’s degree in business in May 2011 and began working as an admissions counselor and the Lion Ambassadors adviser at Penn State New Kensington in October.

In 2010 Vorbach was a co-recipient of the Gold CUPPIE Award in the Advertising Campaign category from CUPRAP: The Association of Communicators in Education. The award was for ‘Get In On The Secret,’ a campaign featuring personalized postcards and T-shirts packaged as books that were mailed to prospective students.

In his senior year at Beaver, Vorbach received the 2011 Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award, a prestigious honor given to one student at each Penn State campus who demonstrates outstanding character, scholarship and leadership.

Vorbach can be contacted at or 724-334-6018.

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Last Updated February 20, 2012


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People tend to exaggerate influence of political ads on others

University Park, Pa. -- The push for campaign finance reform may be driven by a tendency to overestimate the power of political messages to influence other people's opinions, according to researchers.

In an experiment, people who viewed negative political advertising said the advertisements had little effect on their own opinions, but believed the ads would have a greater influence on others, said Fuyuan Shen, associate professor, communications, Penn State.

"People have a tendency to overestimate the effect media messages have on others," Shen said. "The perception is that negative messages, like television violence and pornography, in mass media affect others more."

Shen added that when the message is socially desirable, such as donating money, the perception is reversed; people think the message has more of an effect on themselves than on others.

"There is a gap in perception," he said.

The exaggerated perception of media power may prompt people to believe that media censorship and campaign finance reform are necessary to limit media influence, according to Shen.

"People have a tendency to overestimate the media's impact, especially when we don't necessarily like the message," said Shen. "And this belief could have larger behavioral implications on censorship and the regulation of media content."

In the experiment, the researchers, who reported their findings in the current issue of the Journal of Political Marketing, showed 129 students negative television advertisements created by for the 2004 presidential election. The ads focused either on then-President George W. Bush's character or on political issues, such as the Iraq war and the environment. About 45 percent of the participants identified themselves as Bush supporters and 55 percent considered themselves opponents of the president.

Both supporters and opponents indicated that the effect of the ads on others was significantly greater than their own reaction to the ads, said Shen, who worked with Frank E. Dardis, associate professor, communications, Penn State, and Heidi Hatfield Edwards, associate professor, communication, Florida Institute of Technology.

The experiment also indicated that watching more negative ads increased the effect. People who watched from three to five ads perceived that the influence of the advertisements was greater on others compared to people who just viewed one ad.

"The more ads you see, the more you believe that those ads are affecting people," said Shen.

The researchers tried to create the most natural conditions for the experiment as possible, Shen said. The experiment featured actual political advertisements and was conducted a few weeks before the election when attention on the election was at its height.

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Last Updated August 10, 2011


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Mysterious planet-like object reveals its surprising identity

University Park, Pa. — A mysterious planet-like object orbiting a not-quite-starlike "brown dwarf" is the most recent enigma discovered by astronomers with their ever-more powerful telescopes. Kamen Todorov, a graduate student at Penn State, and a team of co-investigators including Kevin Luhman, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, used the keen eyesight of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini observatory to directly image the planet-like object. The team's discovery, which resulted from a survey of 32 brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region, will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

The astronomers estimate that the smaller orbiting object is five to 10 times the mass of Jupiter and that it orbits at roughly the distance from the Sun to Saturn or Uranus, which makes it planet-like, but it formed only 1 million years ago -- much faster than the time some theories predict is needed to build a planet.  Their investigations of the nature of this mysterious object and its companion brown dwarf have revealed a new mechanism that Nature can use to make orbiting planetary-mass objects.  "Our research demonstrates that nature can make planetary-mass bodies through the same mechanism that builds stars -- and that the mystery object has both planet-like and star-like characteristics," said Luhman, who is a researcher at the Penn State Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.

But what is the true nature of this object?  Is it really a planet?  To answer this question, the scientists considered the three possible ways such an object could form: 1) dust in a circumstellar disk slowly merges to form a rocky planet 10 times larger than the Earth, which then accumulates a large gaseous envelope; 2) a lump of gas in a circumstellar disk quickly collapses to form an object the size of a gas-giant planet; or 3) rather than forming from the dust in a circumstellar disk, a companion forms from the collapse of the vast cloud of gas and dust in the same way as a star or a brown dwarf forms.

"The third scenario is the likely solution because this star-like object is too young to have formed by the first scenario, which is very slow," Luhman said.  Although the second mechanism does occur rapidly, the disk around this central brown dwarf probably did not contain enough material to make an object this large in mass.

"The most interesting implication of this result is that it shows that the process that makes binary stars extends all the way down to planetary masses -- so it appears that nature is able to make planetary-mass companions through two very different mechanisms."

If the mystery companion formed through cloud collapse and fragmentation, as stellar binary systems do, then it is not a planet by definition because planets build up inside disks.  Further supporting evidence comes from the presence of a nearby binary system that contains a small red star and a brown dwarf.  Brown dwarfs are objects that typically are 10s of times the mass of Jupiter and are too small to sustain nuclear fusion to shine as stars do. Luhman thinks that all four objects may have formed in the same cloud collapse, making this in actuality a quadruple system.  "The configuration closely resembles quadruple star systems, suggesting that all of its components formed like stars," said Luhman.

Images related to this story are on the Web at

Last Updated November 18, 2010


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Frederick A. Hermann Jr.: Businessman Gave Back To St. Louis For God, Country, Family | St. Louis Public Radio

Frederick A. Hermann Jr.: Businessman Gave Back To St. Louis For God, Country, Family

Jan 19, 2015

Dr. William H. Danforth, chancellor emeritus of Washington University, is by any reckoning our region’s First Citizen. It is not only proper but also sensible that he be called upon to discuss the life and character of a recently deceased friend, and fellow civic pillar, Frederick A. Hermann Jr. For Mr. Hermann he provided without hesitation this simple but profoundly sincere description.

“He was wonderful.”

Frederick A. Hermann Jr.
Credit Provided by the family

And so it went across the past week. Anytime family members, friends or acquaintances spoke of Mr. Hermann, who died at home at 90 of infirmities of age on Wednesday, Jan. 14, they’d say, “He was wonderful, simply wonderful.”

This repeated encomium wasn’t one of those hollow, obligatory, generalized descriptions meant to get you off the hook. If you ever sat next to Frederick Albert Hermann Jr. at luncheon, or talked to him about matters related to his world of God and Country and Family, you simultaneously felt his genuine warmth and experienced his generosity. You’d know, therefore, that  “wonderful” fits this man as comfortably and as wrinkle-free as a bespoke suit.

“My God, My Country, My Family” is the title of his memoir, published in 2011; his resume is an iteration of it. Because, in addition to the list of clubs and associations in which many prominent St. Louisans share memberships, there also appear the names of boards on which he sat, some of which he helped to found. Most all fit neatly in the category of “helping” institutions.

“Fred was a gentleman and a gentle man, very proud of his wonderful family, and with good reason,” said Dr. William Peck, Wolff Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine and head of the Center for Health Policy at Washington University. “His strong intellect and intellectual curiosity yielded a wide range and depth of knowledge that he applied wisely, but was displayed with modesty. He was also a raconteur of the first order, and spoke eloquently of his World War II experiences.

“In addition to our personal friendship,” Peck continued, “I had the privilege of working with him during his service as a board member of the Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospital, now a component of Washington University’s Siteman Cancer Center. His advice and counsel were superior.

"Barnard's mission, to provide various forms of assistance for needy patients and a public information center, has been a calling for Fred. He also served most effectively on a committee to assist in organizing what ultimately became the Siteman Cancer Center.”

'Helping' Boards

His family also tells of his service on the boards of such organizations as the Edgewood Children’s Center, the Family Resource Center, Care and Counseling of the Episcopal City Mission, the Washington University Medical Center, Mary Institute-Country Day School and the Mercantile Library Association. He was a founder of the Cancer Information Center and the VP Fair, now called Fair St. Louis.

He was a vigorous man, a snow and water skier, a rider of horses, a golfer and tennis player, a man with absorbing interests in subjects such as botany and theology, and on and on.

St. Louis lawyer Stuart Symington Jr., a friend of seven decades to Mr. Hermann, brought up something else -- his appreciation of beauty. Symington recalled the evening parties in Florida when friends were invited to the Hermanns’ house to come together and to enjoy the celestial pleasures of sunsets.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be with him on the pilgrimage of life,” Symington said. Symington too is a World War II veteran. “He was,” Symington said, “a hero in many ways.”

Service Business

From 1943 to 1946, Mr. Hermann fought in France and Germany under Gen. George S. Patton. He was a corporal in the 14th Armored Division and was awarded the Bronze Star for “unusual versatility and tireless devotion to duty.”

After the war, in 1948, he re-established his family’s Hermann Oak Leather Co., originally founded in 1881 and served as its president and CEO. Also, he founded Halo Cup Company, a pioneer manufacturer of foam-polystyrene cups in 1968.

Danforth was his friend since their days at St. Louis Country Day School and at Princeton University, from which Mr. Hermann graduated in 1946. Danforth spoke of his friend’s joie de vivre and found his enthusiasm inspiring.

He also noted Mr. Hermann’s love of his large and talented family and of his devotion to his wife of 62 years, the late Sally Loughborough Keyes Hermann, who died in 2011. She was, as Danforth observed,  “a marvelous person very much in love with him” -- as were all the members of his family, Danforth said.

Mr. Hermann is survived by his brother, the businessman and civic leader Robert R. Hermann Sr., and his five children: Lawrence Shepley Hermann (Robin), Frederick "Rick" A. Hermann III; Sally "Holly" Gulick (David); Evelyn "Lyn" Grace (Warren); Mary Lemkemeier (John), all of St. Louis; and 11 grandchildren.

Mr. Hermann was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Warson and Ladue roads, and his funeral will be conducted there at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 24). The family asks that contributions in his memory be made to the Siteman Cancer Center, St. Peter's Episcopal Church or a charity of one’s choosing.

William Peck said of him,  “We have lost an outstanding person.”


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Lee and Grant together again at Missouri History Museum | St. Louis Public Radio

Lee and Grant together again at Missouri History Museum

May 14, 2008

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: There are good reasons to visit the new "Lee and Grant" exhibition at the Missouri History Museum, beyond the spectacular Civil War objects and artwork that will be on display, said museum president Robert Archibald.

That's not to dismiss the historical gems -- like Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's handwritten terms of surrender imposed on Gen. Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865, or the coat and sword that Lee wore when he surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House.

But the traveling exhibit, organized by the Virginia Historical Society, goes beyond the artifacts to delve into the differences -- and similarities -- between these two battlefield adversaries who were forced to make life-and-death decisions that would impact the nation for generations, Archibald said.

"In this exhibition, the real tension is between Ulysses S. Grant -- a not very flamboyant character, but a general who was willing to fight and who would later became president of the United States -- and Robert E. Lee who has become this mythic figure, love him or hate him,'' Archibald said.

Because both Lee and Grant lived for a time in St. Louis, the History Museum has added items from its own collections that will only be seen while the exhibit is here: a chess set belonging to Grant, household items, correspondence, maps and tools.

Lee worked on the Mississippi River in 1837 as an engineer with the U.S. Army and in the 1850s was commander of Jefferson Barracks.

After graduating from West Point in 1843, Grant was assigned to the Fourth Infantry Regiment at Jefferson Barracks. He married Julia Dent who lived at the nearby White Haven estate and worked, rather unsuccessfully, in farming and real estate in St. Louis.

Archibald said the exhibit also offers a reminder that the Civil War -- so often romanticized in American literature and movies -- was four years of bloody and brutal combat.

"I think it's hard for people these days to realize that 750,000 people died in a country of 30 million,'' Archibald said. "That's a huge, huge death toll. And it's more than the total of all the people killed in wars that America has engaged in since. It's just a horrendous slaughter of a magnitude that is hard for us to comprehend.''

Even 150 years later, Americans remain divided over the war, Archibald added, pointing to the continued debate over displaying Confederate flags, for example.

"And there are debates over racism and the legacy of slavery. And there are debates over whether the Civil War was really fought over slavery or was fought over something else. We still live in a racially polarized society,'' he said. "The Civil War was the great tragic culmination of this country's willingness to -- in the Constitution -- embrace slavery, despite the fact that the Declaration of Independence said, 'All men are created equal.' "


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Missouri House passes public-sector union bill, part of GOP's broad union agenda | St. Louis Public Radio

Missouri House passes public-sector union bill, part of GOP's broad union agenda

Feb 9, 2017

Republicans in the Missouri House are moving on to other labor union regulations a week after the right-to-work legislation passed.

Under the measure that was approved 95-60 on Thursday and sent to the Senate, state employees would have to agree to have their union dues withheld from paychecks. The bill also would prevent those dues from being spent on political endorsements and other things without an employee’s consent.

Republican Rep. Jered Taylor, of Nixa, who sponsored the House bill, said dues are currently being used in ways that don’t help union members.

“Shareholders at any time can stop paying these shares,” Taylor says. “You can’t do that in a public sector union.”

Democrats countered that workers can already prevent their union from withholding dues, and argued that the bill is nothing more than an attack on the working class.

Taylor, who is confident the bill will go to Gov. Eric Greitens this session, disagreed.

“It allows them to choose whether or not they want to be a part of the union rather than having to go through multiple people, do multiple things in order to get out of the union [and] being forced to pay those dues,” he said.

A similar public-sector union bill made it through the Legislature last session, but was vetoed by former Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

Rep. Gail McCann Beatty, the House Minority Floor Leader, said it’s another bad week for Missouri workers. Earlier this week, Greitens signed the right-to-work law, which bars private-sector unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues.

McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, urged people to know the fight is not over, saying that once a referendum comes about in the next couple years, “we will see what the people think.”

House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, said that GOP lawmakers will soon take up two other union-related measures. One would ban a collective bargaining agreement that requires construction projects to use union labor, and the other would abolish prevailing wage, meaning organizations could set their own wage for labor workers instead of the government's going rate.

Follow Krissy on Twitter at: @krissyrlane


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Lee Anne Wong hasn’t had what many would call a traditional relationship with cooking for somebody who is now an acclaimed chef, her website quotes “ [Lee] was not drawn to the kitchen, favouring sports –softball and ice hockey – instead. Though her mother encouraged her to eat unique cuisine, Lee Anne’s tastes were intrinsically tied to American favourites such as pizza, jalapeno poppers, and burgers.”, however after a stint studying at FIT and subsequently cooking for her friends her passion for cooking was ignited and since then she hasn’t looked back this is what she had to say about the cooking Bucket List life:

  1. What does a normal day for a chef look like?

For me, because I have a brunch joint, I get up around 4 am to get to work by 5 am. We start service at 7 am and go till 2:30 pm. Breakdown and post serve ice prep go until about 5 or 6 pm, sometimes later. So we have a long day, but what’s great about having brunch joint is being able to have the evenings to yourself, like a normal person.

  1. How does a chef such as yourself intend to advance her career?

I stay pretty busy. Beyond Koko Head Cafe, I continue to consult on various projects (Sweetcatch Poke, NY), as well as maintain a presence in the media. While shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef America have been great for both branding and visibility, I find the most satisfaction in having Koko Head Cafe be as successful as it is within the Hawaii community, and our restaurant continues to garner both national and international press.

  1. What are the biggest obstacles to becoming a chef?

There’s no easy path to becoming a chef. Most young cooks fresh out of culinary school have very ambitious aspirations, which I feel one should never lose. The difficulty is having the skill set and workplace maturity to follow through, and that always takes time, and I’m talking years. You have to know how to do a lay-up before you can dunk if you know what I mean. The most successful chefs are great managers, beyond their culinary talent.  I’d say half of the difficulty in my daily job is HR, managing both my employees and my customers’ expectations. Cooking is easy. From a female point of view, this is still a male-dominated field, so thicker skin, perseverance, enthusiasm, and sheer will power have become part of the requisite in garnering respect from both colleagues and employees, beyond being able to lead a team through the daily pitfalls of having a restaurant.

  1. What’s your North star? (your ultimate goal) when will you be finished?

My own bed and breakfast with a restaurant attached. I have worked in the hospitality industry since I was a teenager. The dream is a piece of property here in Hawaii, focusing on renewable energy and self-sustained agriculture and aquaculture. The mission is immersive cultural and culinary activities, showcasing the best Hawaii has to offer, in creating custom one-of-a-kind, unforgettable experiences for the guests, and connecting them with our community and area.

5.What’s been the happiest moment of your career so far?

Hard to pinpoint one. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a wealth of culinary experiences, both business and personal. Walking into a busy restaurant every day is always a thrill, and I love my employees and customers dearly. I think my one on one time spent with Chef Andre Soltner when I worked at the French Culinary Institute will always be treasured moments of mentor and student. Spending a month working in a kaiseki restaurant in Japan is still inspiring in what I learned. And all the fun I’ve had both producing food television (part of the first Emmy-winning season of Top Chef), and also starring on various shows (“oh, you mean you want me to go around the country and eat everything in sight and then TALK about it on tv???”) has been so much fun. Honestly, I believe my happiest moments are yet to come. And that’s what’s so exciting about working in this field.

6.Three pieces of advice for anybody looking to get into the world of cooking?

It’s hard work. Don’t be fooled. While many dream of being a “celebrity chef” (I despise that term), the reality is you shouldn’t be called a chef until you can actually manage a team of cooks. Be realistic with yourself and what role you want to fill and how you can get there. This playground is big enough for everyone, but it’s a competitive playground in more ways than one and you don’t want to be to one getting blindsided with the dodgeball in the side of the head. Which brings me to my next point(s).

Focus. Whatever you think you know, leave your ego at the door. There are chefs and mentors out there of varying calibres. Find someone who inspires you, who you want to learn from. And listen. Watch. Ask questions. Write things down. Use common sense. Have the desire to understand the science of cooking (for every action there is a reaction). Taste everything. Understand that the only way we get better is through learning from our mistakes. Learn from those around you, in both their victories AND their mistakes. No one is an island. Teamwork is ultimately the key to success in any high-pressure situation. Humility is the first step to greatness. You’re not an artist. You’re more a craftsman who is in the business of feeding people. Don’t forget that.

Beyond all this, stay passionate. While a restaurant situation is not for everyone, there are plenty of career options and lateral movement within the culinary field. Keep yourself educated and abreast of what is happening while forging your own culinary mantra. What do you believe in? What gets you excited about cooking and food? Read, ingest, absorb, commit through repetition. To become a great chef, it takes years of being a sponge, and even when you get there, this is one of those careers where you should never stop learning because the playing field is always in motion. When you get complacent, that’s when it’s time to retire.

Finally, what’s next on your Bucket List?

Hmm. While I’m a seasoned world traveller there are still so many places I’d love to visit and eat my way through (like Italy and South America). I’ll figure all that out in between getting the next restaurant up and running and continuing my culinary adventures here and abroad.

A huge thank you to Lee for sharing her Bucket List journey and knowledge with us and if you’d  like to read some more about Lee’s journey head over to www.kokoheadcafe.com. If you’d like to keep up to date with all our recent Bucket List knowledge then sign up to our mailing list.

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Western Price Survey

Week's End Edition
March 25, 2011
Off-Peak Prices Continue Plummeting; Peak Prices Remain Mixed

Pacific Northwest peak power prices dipped by week's end, while California prices struggled to remain steady another week as soft demand persisted.

During the week, spot prices for daytime power at North and South of Path 15 varied only a couple of dollars. This static pricing barely kept the hubs' average prices in the black during the Friday-to-Friday trading period.

Power demand throughout March on the Cal-ISO grid has remained around 29,000 MW. By Thursday, March 31, use levels in California should start inching toward the 30,000 MW mark.

Here's how average daytime power prices fared in the Friday-to-Friday trading period spanning March 18 to March 25:

  • California-Oregon Border: Down about $2.65 to $26.96/MWh.
  • Mid-Columbia: Down $4.80 to $24.13/MWh.
  • South of Path 15: Up roughly 25 cents to $33.09/MWh.
  • North of Path 15: Up about 5 cents, ending at $33/MWh.
  • Palo Verde: Ended at $28/MWh, down $2.
  • Average off-peak power prices continued to fall in tandem with the rain that has inundated the West Coast, as plenty of hydro in the region is available during light-load conditions. With lots of hydro and low demand, prices at Mid-C and COB in particular have been just barely positive at times (see chart). Palo Verde, meanwhile, posted a nine-year low for nighttime power -- $7.75/MWh. Prices for off-peak in Palo Verde have not been that low since June of 2002, according to Intercontinental Exchange data. South of Path 15, meanwhile, fell to a low of $10.50, a price it has not experienced since last year's June runoff.

    Domestic spot natural gas prices pushed higher this week on colder temperatures in major U.S. population centers, particularly the Northeast. Henry Hub spot prices traded at $4.18/MMBtu on March 23, a gain of 33 cents over the previous Wednesday. By Friday the hub was trading for an average of $4.27/MMBtu.

    Western natural gas values gained during the week. By Friday, March 25, Southern California Border gas increased 25 cents over the previous Friday, closing at $4.13/MMBtu. PG&E CityGate gas was up 21 cents to close at $4.48/MMBtu, and Malin gas increased 18 cents to end at $4.15/MMBtu.

    What's ahead: The San Francisco area should have dry conditions starting Monday, with continued dry, warm weather through the week. Some inland areas may reach the 70s by Wednesday. A warming trend is expected throughout the greater Los Angeles area, with temperatures exceeding seasonal norms Wednesday and Thursday, reaching a 77-degree high Thursday. The situation in the Northwest is a bit more uncertain. Portland forecasters are calling for a warmer, drier week, but more wet weather appears equally likely throughout Washington and Oregon for the period [Linda Dailey Paulson].

    Western Electricity Prices
    Week's End: March 21 -25, 2011
    Hub Peak (heavy) Off-peak (light)
    Alberta Pool (C$) 28.77-983.51 15.23-41.34
    Mid-Columbia 16-28.75 1.50-18.50
    COB 24.75-30.25 5.50-15
    NP 15* 32-33.50 15.50-18.25
    SP 15* 32.75-34.50 10.50-18.25
    Palo Verde 25-29 7.75-17.50

    * Prices represent both day-ahead locational marginal prices (financial swaps, or EZ Gen DA LMPs) and quasi-swap prices (EZ Gen) as reported by ICE.

    Archives of the Western Price Survey for the past year are also available online.

    The Western Price Survey is excerpted from Energy NewsData's comprehensive regional news services. See for yourself how NewsData reporters put events in an accurate and meaningful context -- request a sample of either or both California Energy Markets and Clearing Up.

    Please contact with questions or comments about this site.

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Western Price Survey / Archives

July 21, 2000
Power In, Dollars Out as California Hits Another System Emergency

The best place to be this week, from a power market perspective, may have been on the edges of the Western grid in New Mexico or British Columbia. While Arizona utilities were beset with meeting record loads and California utilities faced back-to-back emergencies and congestion-induced high-prices, New Mexico was nestled in a relatively secure niche between high pressure fronts and right on the money as far as loads were concerned. "We're just watching those California dollars flow into Albuquerque," crowed one lucky seller this week.

Meanwhile, BC traders took time out from counting their sales proceeds to catch up on the Northwest water situation, which bodes well for Canadian suppliers if not so well for their cross-border neighbors.

Though the spikes were not as high as recently experienced, due largely to the new price caps imposed by the California Independent System Operator, energy prices remained at very high levels as a reflection of heat-induced demand.

The California Power Exchange logged two consecutive days of peak period prices above 256 mills/KWh after starting out at 94 mills/KWh and briefly dropping to 81.8 mills/KWh for Tuesday deliveries. Off- peak power moved between 52 mills and 62.4 mills/KWh with the up tick coming during Thursday's bidding.

The daily average index price jumped from 75 mills to 205 mills/KWh as prescheduled loads climbed to 641 GWh for Friday-the highest amount so far this year.

Day-of volumes were also high, hitting a new apparent record of 4,137 MW (combined supply and load-shedding bids) on Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. Add that to the 30,296 MW load prescheduled for that time period and it helps explain why the price pinned at the 499.99 proxy ceiling.

Prices throughout the region mirrored the California levels.

Palo Verde prices climbed well above 200 mills/KWh with the heat; there were reports of PV transactions at 230 mills to 260 mills/KWh, the buyers reported them as a pass-though deals, in which the energy was immediately turned around for re-sale into California at a premium price.

Although there were few physical limitations on transmission reported this week, the rush sell power into California made for some very high congestion pricing along SP15 and Path 26, leading to widely disparate zonal pricing as NP15 prices depressed and SP15 inflated.

Traders in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest were bystanders, unless they had excess power to sell to the south. Prices rose to 170 mills at Mid-Columbia, the California/Oregon Border and other bilateral hubs.

Sporadic generation outages briefly put some holes in traders' portfolios.

Four Corners No. 5 dropped offline Tuesday morning, but its 770 MW of capacity was returned to service Thursday.

The Columbia Generating Station fell to 75 percent of capacity Tuesday evening on a faulty control rod diode. The unit was quickly repaired and back to 100 percent Wednesday [Arthur O'Donnell].

Gas Plummets After Storage Report but This Time Does Not Rebound

Once again, natural gas price benchmarks dove by about $0.25/MMBtu following the American Gas Association's weekly storage report on Wednesday. Unlike last week, though, the prices just seemed to sit in a trough rather than rebounding. One reason, according to traders, is that hot weather appears slackening rather than looming.

Still, some pointed to certain market indicators that would argue for increasing prices, such as continued demand from electric generation that caused a low-inventory OFO on the PG&E pipeline midweek. The pipe was as much as 500 MMcfd below capacity and shippers were told to get their withdrawals within 1 percent of balance or face penalties. The action seemed to work and by Thursday, capacity was not only near full but perhaps a little too full. "They might be overcorrecting," a trader noted.

The NYMEX screen dynamic set the pace for border and basin prices. SoCal Border prices dropped from $4.75 to about $4.63/MMBtu, San Juan Basin tracked about $1 lower and Permian Basin stood at $3.88/MMBtu after starting the week at a strong $4.17/MMBtu.

Malin moved in the $3.88 to $4.03 range, centering at about $4.01 on Thursday. PG&E CityGate prices came in at $4.47 to $4.50, which was either cheap or expensive depending on whether one was a seller or buyer.

The Alberta index price collapsed from $(C)4.40/Gigajoule to $4.24/Gj [A. O'D.].

California System Emergencies Triggered by Southwest Heat

An extended heat wave over the Southwest not only pushed three major Arizona utilities to new peak load records this week, it also forced the California Independent System Operator to declare consecutive days of system emergencies.

The interplay of utility load growth, hot weather and high power prices led to a big disparity between forecast loads and available resources for the fourth time.

The first wave of market impacts was felt in Arizona on Monday when Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service reported new demand records, as consumers turned to air-conditioning relief from sustained temperatures over 110 degrees F. Those new peaks were surpassed repeatedly, and Tucson Electric Power joined the circle on Wednesday and Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the new demand records for the utilities (preliminary figures) stood at:

APS-5,501 MW;

SRP-4,881 MW;

TEP-1,850 MW.

The prior load milestones for these utilities were set in 1998 and each cited tremendous load growth as the major reason for record demand.

The draw on power from the desert communities did not prevent a rush to sell power into Southern California, as utilities and the Cal-ISO appeared to underestimate demand to a fairly significant degree and prices zoomed.

The California Power Exchange's day-ahead market saw hourly prescheduled peak period loads top 31,000 MW routinely this week, but that was not enough to meet demand in Southern California. The CalPX hour-ahead ahead market cleared more than 2,499 MW in a single peak hour on Wednesday; 1999 MW was incremental supply and 500 MW of decremental demand at 499.99 mills/KWh.

The hour-ahead market accelerated even more on Wednesday with 3,629 MW of added supply and 507.6 MW of load reduction bids clearing at the same 499.99 mills/KWh price. These figures appear to establish a new record for volume scheduled on this particular market.

Day-ahead loads and prices did not approach previous records, largely because the imposition of lower caps on the Cal-ISO serve as a proxy ceiling on CalPX prices. Still, the daytime averages on the Power Exchange reached a sustained 256 mills/KWh level Thursday and Friday, signaling a premium price situation.

After warning market participants of an impending situation via a "no touch day" notification, Cal-ISO jumped directly into a Stage Two Alert Wednesday afternoon, citing especially high loads in Southern California. The second-level emergency triggered customer curtailments of approximately 920 MW of load-880 MW in Southern California Edison territory and 40 MW from San Diego Gas & Electric customers who are under interruptible contracts. Cal-ISO loads reached 41,680 MW Wednesday afternoon.

The situation extended into Thursday and the system operator declared a Stage One Alert beginning at 11 am, although it did not proceed into the next level. Load peaked at 41,781 MW on Thursday, according to the Cal-ISO [A. O'D.].

Western Electricity Prices
Week of July 17-21, 2000
Hub Peak (heavy) Off-peak (light)
Alberta Pool (C$) 58-499 25-63.25
California PX (WAC) 81.8-257 52-62.4
Mid-Columbia 85-170 60-70
COB 90-170 65-75
Palo Verde 95-260 55-60

Archives of the Western Price Survey for the past year are also available online.

The Western Price Survey is excerpted from Energy NewsData's comprehensive regional news services. See for yourself how NewsData reporters put events in an accurate and meaningful context -- request a sample of either or both California Energy Markets and Clearing Up.

Please contact with questions or comments about this site.

Contact Shauna O'Donnell, editor with questions regarding Price Survey Content.

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A new teaser for Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader's 'The Canyons' has emerged, boasting a 1930s influence along with more Lindsay Lohan, porn star James Deen, and yes, it's still not looking very good.

We're not sure what the deal is with 'The Canyons.' Written by Bret Easton Ellis ('American Psycho,' 'The Informers') and directed by Paul Schrader (writer of 'Taxi Driver,' director of 'American Gigolo'), the film was shot on a super low budget made possible by a crowd-funding campaign.

First there was a noir-style teaser. Then there was a grindhouse teaser. And now, as the Facebook page promises, comes the last stylish teaser, this time inspired by the 1930s. Each teaser has relied on a superficial gimmick to sell the film -- do they not realize they cast Lindsay Lohan and a porn star?

The synopsis is what you expect from Bret Easton Ellis -- a group of superficial people in LA deal with their intertwining lives of sex, lies, and betrayal in the modern age. And the teasers sort of confirm that, but don't particularly sell the story to anyone unaware of the plot or unfamiliar with Ellis.

Lohan's acting has been -- how do you say -- mediocre at best in recent years, and it doesn't appear that James Deen (whom we love in, um, his other films) is pulling a Sasha Grey in the 'Girlfriend Experience' performance here.

Then again, it's hard to tell with these teasers, which are selling us on style over substance -- and how do you even sell an audience on a style not used for the final product? Bizarre.

Check it out for yourself below. 'The Canyons' still doesn't have a release date, presumably delayed while Ellis and Schrader scramble to find a flux capacitor so they can release it in 1984.


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Danica Patrick won the pole of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, becoming the first woman in NASCAR history to win the pole position of a Cup Series event. Patrick turned in a qualifying speed of 196.434, besting fellow drivers Jeff Gordon, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman and teammate Tony Stewart.

Gordon was the only other driver to exceed 196 mph. He and Patrick will be on the front row for next Sunday's Daytona 500, the first points race of NASCAR's 2013 Sprint Cup season. The remainder of the field for the race will be decided through qualifying races in Daytona on Thursday.

Patrick zipped around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in 45.817 seconds. While she became the first woman to win a pole in any Cup Series event, Patrick won the pole for the Nationwide event at Daytona last year.

Patrick had the best lap — 196.220 mph — during Saturday's practice, while Stewart had the second-fastest run.


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South Carolina’s star sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn knee ligament and cartilage damage during the Gamecocks’ 14-12 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Lattimore came into the game leading the SEC in rushing, but left after carrying the ball 17 times for just 39 yards.

Lattimore finishes the season with 818 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns during the Gamecocks’ 6-1 start. From the start of the 2010 season until now, Lattimore has been the most productive runner in the SEC, ranking first in the conference in rushing yards (1,357) and second in touchdowns (15).

South Carolina has a bye this week. Head coach Steve Spurrier said freshman Brandon Wilds would get the start at running back when the Gamecocks return to action October 29 against Tennessee. Spurrier had hoped to redshirt Wilds this season, but now has to start him due to a rash of injuries to South Carolina’s stable of running backs. In addition to Lattimore, running back Shon Carson and fullback Matt Coffee have also suffered season-ending injuries, while backup running backs Kenny Miles (wrist) and Eric Baker (ankle) have missed time.

Alabama’s Trent Richardson is now the leading rusher in the SEC, with 912 yards and 15 touchdowns.

[Sporting News]


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The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.

Hurricanes hit Floridaâ€TMs poorest the hardest

by C.P. Pandya

Sept. 8, 2004 – Over 93,000 Floridians with nowhere to go in the aftermath of Hurricanes Charley and Frances are staying in state shelters and sleeping in crowded gymnasium floors. They are among the more than one million Florida residents who have evacuated their homes as a result of the hurricanes, with most leaving the state or staying in hotels.

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The poorest in Florida, unable to pay for pricey hotels or transportation to leave the state, are relying on limited state assistance for shelter. Low-income Floridians living in mobile homes that have been wiped away by the weather are left homeless and in many cases unemployed.

President Bush asked Congress for $2 billion to help Florida, a political "battleground" state, recover from the Hurricanes. The money will be used to pay for debris removal, repairs to utilities and infrastructure, emergency food and shelter. Many Florida residents say the piecemeal aid is not enough to cover the many billions in damage.

Those Floridians who still have homes to go back to and could afford insurance face significantly higher deductibles when claiming damage insurance checks. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992 the state legislature passed new rules generously easing the payout burden for insurance companies, which were leaving in droves because of the $15.5 billion worth of insured damage caused by Andrew.

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The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.

C.P. Pandya is a contributing journalist.

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Creative photography

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Commercial “realism”

Authenticity by Birmingham photographer Barry Robinson

New Street Photography specializes in providing “Authenticity” in the images from headshots for actors and models, to social media, and marketing campaigns, and corporate events.  We specialize in location-based photography and come to you, fully equipped and prepared to shoot.

Specific images available through,, and

Built on years of experience in reportage and studio photography, New Street Photography works in the evolving field of social media. We provide both rapid delivery and the kind of image authenticity demanded by a social media savvy public. With every job, we strive to deliver a genuine authenticity that engages your audience.

If you have a brand in the marketplace and want tailored conceptual, yet authentic images that represent it, we can deliver them…

With a growing list of happy and satisfied clients, New Street Photography is becoming recognized as the alternative to traditional studio photography, capturing the essence of people and organizations in everything from headshots to portraits, culled from unguarded moments, socially situations, and formal events…

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Event photography

All our pricing is based on the rates that are expressed in the pricing tab. If you want a location shot you will be charged the same hourly rate as a studio session, unless what you want presents extreme difficulties.

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Whichever way you choose please give us a go. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised by the outcome, and you have nothing to lose. If you’re not completely satisfied with the results, you don’t have to pay the balance of our fee.

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Test your Speaker's Frequency Range (20 Hz - 20kHz) and more

Aug 26, 2013

Human can hear from 20Hz to 2000 Hz (20KHz). So, how long your speaker support you in music. Here is very simple test to test your speaker quality in Frequency Range. If you can hear voices in this video from Start then it supports from 20 Hz frequency which is good. You must probably be listening till 20 KHz (marked in Video) and after that you won't hear as even if your speaker support frequency after that you (human) wont hear after 20 KHz.

Want to test your Headphone more rigorously?
 Here is the best option for testing various things in Speaker. Read the article and download all small wav files to test your newly purchased headphone. Downloaded file can give you better clarity on your headphone as network issue wont be there, it put your testing effort in right direction!If you have gone through this and everything is fine then stop testing your headphone and start enjoying your music. :) Do not forget to like the post!

If you have time and want to hear music which can test your headphone quality as well then here this playlist on YouTube.

Still here! Ok, here are few points to ponder

  • Listening to music through headphones while exercising can be dangerous. Blood may be diverted from the ears to the limbs leaving the inner ear more vulnerable to damage from loud sound. A Finnish study recommended that exercisers should set their headphone volumes to half of their normal loudness and only use them for half an hour. More...
  • At above 160 kbps, sound is near to original. At 320kbps, it is almost equal to original.
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Cran-Raspberry Flavor Ola Loa ENERGY

Truly the best of the berries—the tartness of cranberries tempered by sweet, ripe raspberries. Ola Loa Cran-Rapsberry ENERGY is so delicious you may forget you’re also getting your daily multivitamins. It’s our most popular flavor—with only 1 gram of sugar. It’s really easy to use too. Simply add the contents of a packet to a half-glass of water, and you’re ready to drink your vitamins! Ola Loa’s award-winning ENERGY Multi Vitamin contains 1000 mg of non-acidic Vitamin C; a doctor-formulated B complex; fat soluble vitamins A, D and E; and Vitamin K. Ola Loa ENERGY also provides a daily immune boosting mineral formula with over 70 complexes, plus amino acids and enzymes.

This product is sold in boxes of 30 packets for $41.99.

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Eats Shites & Leaves

While this book by Antal Parody (I think this is a nom de plume, considering the type of books written by said author) seriously needs some updating, it's pretty entertaining to read.

A fool and his money are soon partying.

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Late to bed and early to rise, keeps a twinkle in the eyes.

A thing of beauty keeps you broke forever.

Soup should be seen and not heard.

All's fair in love and golf.

The proof of the pudding is the box it came in.

All work and no play makes Jack a rich boy.

Where there's a will there's a family at war.

Behind every successful man, there's a woman telling him that he isn't so great.

God helps those who are caught helping themselves.

Gossip is the art of letting the chat out of the bag.

Does it improve your English? NO.

Does it make you laugh? YES.

Conclusion? READ IT.

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Friday, January 15, 2010

How to commit suicide with your lover and not die

She has to be... a love doll.

A 50yr old Shanghai man leapt from his 6-floor apartment clutching his young lover. Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud bang, like a tyre exploding. Upon approaching the unconscious man, they were freaked out because they could not see his lover whom he landed on, just some hair and a pile of woman's clothes.

They belatedly realised that it was a sex doll. The man had been a widower for some years, raising his son on his own. Now that his son was studying overseas, the man felt that he was growing older and very lonely. He didn't want to be a burden to his son, so he jumped.

Poor thing, but don't worry, he survived. Now he will die of humiliation instead.

Read full translated article @ ChinaSmack now.

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Thursday, 1 July 2010

Comments on Beginning JavaServer Pages, by Chopra, Jones Li, Bell

On the bright side, the text is quite well written, with only a handful of misspellings for a 1252 pages huge book, as presented at its errata page linked here:,descCd-ERRATA.html
The source code of the book is complete, working (with the exception of the Struts chapter 19) and mostly reusable. The tutorial form of the text makes it easy to follow, so that you can practice further on your own, working on open source tools and frameworks, such as Apache ant, JUnit, JMeter, Hibernate, Tiles and the Tomcat web container.
On the dark side, the book does not delve into Servlets theory, nor does any use of any open source integrated development environment.
All in all, the book serves well the novice to intermediate reader, both as an introductory text at first and as a reference book in a later stage.