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Gary Numan Manchester Nov ©Phil Newall 2018 for Louder Than War

Gary Numan & The Skaparis Orchestra
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Saturday 17th November 2018

Many artists have experimented with orchestrated variants of their music – some to great success, others less so; I would rate Midge Ure’s ‘Orchestrated’ as a triumph for he didn’t just add layers of strings over the original pieces, he completely reimagined the tracks and had the material performed by an orchestra, the forthcoming Killing Joke ‘Symphonic’ project has been over two years in the making but again sees the source material played entirely by an orchestra, with the added advantage of the St Petersburg Symphony Choir.

Echo & The Bunnymen took a slightly differing route and have been accompanied by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sigur Ros adopted the same tack for the album ‘Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust’ utilising The London Sinfonietta chamber orchestra and a choir.

Numan alongside the fledgling Manchester based Skaparis Orchestra for this series of performances seems to have settled for somewhere at the mid-point, and tonight within the magnificent, and acoustically optimal surroundings of the Bridgewater Hall he elevated the occasion with the addition of the Kantos Chamber Choir delivering a truly compelling set built around his current ‘Savage’ album with a few old favourites added.

The stage layout saw The Skaparis Orchestra conducted by Simon Robertshaw, albeit minus brass and woodwind, in an arc to the rear of the compact stage, the Kantos Choir are positioned on a dais shadowing the orchestra; Numan and band to the fore in their traditional layout, the Orchestra are dressed in tour T-shirts, some with ‘Savage’ face paint whilst Numan and his band are in the now familiar post-apocalypse Savage outfits.

Gary Numan Manchester Nov ©Phil Newall 2018 for Louder Than War (3)

Opening with ‘Ghost Nation’ it was obvious from the outset Numan had invested a great deal of time into ensuring these performances were something special; eight tons of lighting rig washed the stage in an array of complementary colours whilst five enormous rear screens projected images of the ‘Savage’ promo clips; Numan had worked alongside Robertshaw to ensure each element complemented the other; as such the sound was magnificent, Skaparis adding tonal nuances as they illuminated tracks like ‘Metal’ and ‘Bed Of Thorns’ which took on a stronger more beguiling eastern tone, Numan himself cavorted around the stage weaving between guitarist Steve Harris, and Tim Muddiman.

‘Films’ could have been written with orchestration in mind, the strings and additional percussion adding depth to the originals dark majesty; ‘Everything Comes Down To This’ is slick, muscular, and despite the aggression of the track is given a level of subtlety only spoilt by an array of audience voices repeatedly chanting “Numan, Numan” at every opportunity…sadly, this continued throughout the evening… ‘Down In The Park’ saw those familiar synth lines buoyed by the Skaparis strings, stretched out, menacing, complimenting the banks of stark blue lasers now piercing the dry ice.

Gary Numan Manchester Nov ©Phil Newall 2018 for Louder Than War (1)

The grace of ‘Broken’ was evocative, despite the shouting from a few in audience, before buckling beneath a cavernous bass bolstered by dark cello; similarly evident during ‘Here In The Black’ which took on new levels of foreboding, Numan’s own stage antics saw him narrowly avoid mishap as he collided with Steve Harris, recovering into ‘My Name Is Ruin’ sadly his daughter Persia was not onstage, though this allowed the Kantos Choir to shine; I was pleased to hear ‘Jagged’ which in this context morphed into a razor sharp behemoth; ‘Mercy’ was enormous, percussive pulses, scorched earth bass and the ascending voices of the Kantos Choir, this really was something to behold, whilst ‘Are Friends Electric?’ smouldered, the orchestra fully understanding the power of the space within the song; Numan at times having to concede the vocals to the entire audience as he was visibly overcome with emotion before accepting the applause and leading his band from the stage.

Returning to encore with four further tracks; the darkly atmospheric ‘This Wreckage’ the additional strings amplifying the tracks brooding melancholy, the perfect lead into ‘The End Of Things’ which transformed into a glowering soundtrack to a yet to be made dystopian film epic, and ‘A Prayer For The Unborn’ – perhaps the highlight of the night; strings shimmering in the darkness, Numan wrapped around his mic stand ahead of the thunderous reverberating sounds; this was spine tingling stuff.

Gary Numan Manchester Nov ©Phil Newall 2018 for Louder Than War (2)

Numan took the time to thank both Orchestra and choir before introducing ‘It Will End Here’ the lead track from the current ‘The Fallen’ EP; he hadn’t provided either with the music so this one was left to his band, further demonstrating that Numan is far from prepared to rest on his laurels; he is continuing to develop musically, forging ahead on his terms.

Numan at Bridgewater Hall was a moment to remember, every track delivered with precision, yet retaining a dark intensity; despite a career stretching back some 40yrs, Numan is perhaps only now hitting his prime.

1. Ghost Nation
2. Metal
3. Bed of Thorns
4. Films
5. Everything Comes Down to This
6. Pray for the Pain You Serve
7. Down in the Park
8. Broken
9. Splinter
10. Here in the Black
11. My Name Is Ruin
12. Jagged
13. Mercy
14. My Breathing
15. Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
16. This Wreckage
17. The End of Things
18. A Prayer for the Unborn
19. It Will End Here (without orchestra/choir)

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Phil Newall is 47, from The Wirral - he earns his living not writing about music nor playing music...though sorely wishes he could. He was fortunate enough to see many of the first generation punk bands when they played the U18's matinee shows at Eric's, Liverpool. As an attendee at Eric's he was exposed to punk rock, dub reggae, art rock, and all manner of weirdness; as a customer at Probe Records he was variously served and scowled at by Pete Wylie and Pete Burns - he has written for Record Collector, Whisperin & Hollerin, and Spiral Scratch and wanted to write a book detailing the Liverpool punk scene; however with 'Head-On' Julian Cope beat him to it...and frankly did a much better job.

  1. Yes it was an unforgettable performance, definitely in the top 3 of all the times I’ve seen him.,only slightly spoiled by the two fat cunts in front of us and elsewhere who wouldn’t shut there stupid gobs at every opportunity.

    • Not just near us then, why do these pricks spend so much money just to chat and spoil it for everyone else!?!?!?!
      It seems to be every gig now, not just Numan, I’ve got one mate so pissed off with these morons that he’s calling it a day on live performances.
      Totally agree on the ‘Numan’ chants too, go for it between tracks but shut the fuck up during a song!!!
      To finish on a positive, we were at the RAH & Shepherds Bush, thought they were incredible!

  2. Have to agree the shouting of “Numan…Numan” at all the wrong parts, ie when you had the synth, choir and string breaks was really annoying. It did spoil it a bit for me, but obviously goes on elsewhere ?

    • Yes agreed on the “Numan” chanting at inappropriate times, I think many forgot we were watching a fantastic orchestra too. Great review

  3. What a fantastic way to spend Saturday night my hero and my best friend.Gary numan even had time while on stage to shake my hand never to be washed again nuuuumaaaan we love you

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Cupcakes, Food, Recipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Want to know what I’m obsessing over at the moment? These tasty treats! Take a dark chocolate cupcake, stuff it with a peanut butter filling and top it with swirls of peanut butter frosting for the ultimate sugar hit! These cupcakes were demolished almost instantly at work which I take as a great sign.

I thought after making Peanut Butter Pupcakes for my dog, it would only be polite to make some human PB treats too. While the dog version had to be on the bland side of things, the human version is filled with sugar, chocolate and all those things that make desserts taste so good!

My love for peanut butter is strong, and I look for any excuse to feature it in a dessert. From PB granola, and cookies to slice and pie, it works well with nearly all types of desserts and the cupcake is no exception.

I used my favourite dark chocolate recipe which is flavoured with coffee to bring out the deep, chocolate taste, and moistened with oil instead of butter which produces a light and fluffy cupcake that is not dry or heavy.

The peanut butter filling is dense and rich and is the perfect hidden treat inside these cupcakes. And quite possibly my favourite part would have to be the fluffy peanut butter frosting. I ate way too much of this straight from the bowl!

I kept the decoration pretty simple in these cupcakes and let the swirls of peanut butter frosting shine. But some fun and delicious ways to top these include chopped up Snickers bars or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to keep with the PB theme!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time55 mins
Servings: 24
Author: Swah

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1⅔ cups plain flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 cup brewed coffee
  • ½ cup flavourless vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract/essence

Peanut Butter Filling

  • 1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
  • 3 tbsp butter softened
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2-4 tbsp milk

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • 2 cups/500g smooth Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup/125g butter softened
  • 4 cups icing sugar

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
  • Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
  • Combine the non-dairy milk, vinegar, coffee, oil and vanilla extract in another bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined.
  • With the mixer on low, carefully add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined (the batter will be very thin).
  • Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full with mixture and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Filling

  • In a small mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter and soft butter.
  • Mix in the icing sugar until combined.
  • Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy.

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • Place the softened butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth with electric beaters.
  • Gradually add in the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time.
  • Beat for around 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy.

To assemble

  • Take a small, sharp knife and cut a cone shaped piece out of the centre of each cupcake.
  • Put the peanut butter filling into a sandwich bag, cut off the tip of a corner, and use it to carefully fill each cupcake.
  • Spoon frosting into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes.

I hope you love baking (and eating) these cupcakes as much as me!

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  • Reply Zahid Shekh November 26, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    Waw! these cupcakes are looking so amazing and yummy, want to taste it.

    • Reply Swah December 7, 2018 at 11:39 am

      I can confirm they are VERY yummy!

  • Reply queens park pizza May 9, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    Woooww, I can’t wait to try it, Thanks for sharing….

  • Leave a Reply

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Malta’s First Coronavirus Patients ‘Had Food Delivered To Their Door’ To Respect Self-Quarantine Rules

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Medical experts on the frontline of dealing with the coronavirus in Malta have praised the country’s first three patients, saying their sense of civic duty meant the island was spared an outbreak.

“These patients were very responsible,” said Charles Mallia Azzopardi, physician of Mater Dei’s Infectious Disease Unit, when asked by Lovin Malta to respond to harsh and sometimes virulent criticism that the patients, a 12-year-old girl and her parents, have been subjected to on social media.

Several people have cast doubt on whether the family had indeed self-quarantined after returning from Northern Italy, stating that they must have left the house to buy food at some point.

However, Mallia Azzopardi said the family had actually had food delivered to their door so as to avoid contact with other people in case they had contracted the virus while on holiday.

“They were very responsible, they didn’t leave the house at all after arriving in Malta and they had food delivered to their door,” he said. “It’s important to send a message that it could have been me, you or anyone and we should respect whoever it is. These particular people were very responsible.”

Prof. Michael Borg, infection control officer at Mater Dei, added that the family deserves a thank you from Maltese society.

“In other countries, the first cases hadn’t self-quarantined, and they ended up spreading the virus to several people before their symptoms developed, making it a huge problem to trace it.”

“These people were so responsible and had such a sense of civic duty that, thanks to them, we managed to isolate this case and will definitely keep it isolated.”

The three patients are being kept in isolation at Mater Dei and Mallia Azzopardi described their condition as “very good, with no indication that it is deteriorating”. However, it is too early to tell when they will be discharged.

READ NEXT: Malta Developers’ Head Sandro Chetcuti Fought Against Government Register And Licensing Of Contractors, Vice President Of Chamber Of Architects Claims

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Diana Ward clarifies potential changes to Title IX

Diana Ward clarifies potential changes to Title IX

Diana Ward, Deputy Title IX Director

Last week an article ran in The Maroon on the proposed Title IX changes. The university would like the opportunity to clarify a few points about the proposed changes the Department of Education has released.

First, the guidelines are simply proposals at this point. As was stated in the article, the Department of Education has just recently closed the comment period where members of the general public provided their thoughts on the guidelines. The review of these comments will likely take a considerable amount of time before the final guidelines are promulgated. Until final guidelines are published, the university will make no changes to the way we handle Title IX cases at Loyola as a result of these proposed rules.

Regarding the New Definition for Sexual Harassment

Per the Department of Education’s website, “The proposed rule would require schools to respond meaningfully to every known report of sexual harassment and to investigate every formal complaint. Consistent with U.S. Supreme Court Title IX cases, the proposed rule defines sexual harassment as unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.”

However, please know that regardless of how the new guidelines will define sexual harassment that Loyola stands firm in our opposition to sexual harassment in any form. In fact, Loyola University New Orleans currently has many mechanisms to hold individuals on our campus accountable for their behavior including our Discrimination and Harassment Policy for Faculty and Staff, Title IX policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Thus, it’s important that anyone experiencing, witnessing or hearing about sexual harassment report the behavior.

Regarding Standards of Evidence

Loyola University New Orleans uses the same evidentiary standard for determining responsibility in both conduct and Title IX cases. To be found responsible for an alleged violation at Loyola, the evidence must establish that the violation was committed by the charged person or group by a preponderance of the evidence (not beyond a reasonable doubt or by clear and convincing evidence). This means “the greater weight of the evidence favors either the finding of a violation or the finding of a non-violation. In other words,the evidence (which consists of the full totality of the circumstances) must establish that it was more likely than not that the person committed the alleged violation,” according to the Student Code of Conduct for 2019.

The proposed guidelines state that schools may use either a clear and convincing standard or a preponderance of the evidence standard, but they may not use a higher standard for Conduct cases and a lower standard for Title IX cases. Since, Loyola already uses a uniform standard, preponderance of the evidence, for both conduct and Title IX cases, there will not be a change to Loyola’s standard of proof even if the proposed guidelines were to become final as they are currently written.

Regarding Mediation and Live Hearings

Per the Department of Education, “Colleges and universities would be required to hold a live hearing where cross-examination would be conducted through the parties’ advisors. Personal confrontation between the complainant and respondent would not be permitted.” Again, this is the proposed guideline; we do not yet know how the guidelines might change in light of the comments submitted by the public or in light of legal challenges that may be filed regarding the guidelines. It’s important to note though that the proposed guidelines do not allow for personal confrontation between the alleged victim and alleged perpetrator.

For mediation to occur the complainant has to agree to it and the respondent has to agree to it. Both are given information on what this process looks like so that they can make an informed and voluntary decision. Students are not pressured to make a choice one way or the other. In addition, Loyola provides students with information and time to make a choice. We also connect students with resources, like a counselor, so they can have support if they’d like it as they make this choice.

Regarding the Final Rule

Ultimately, Loyola will be sure to stay in compliance with any future changes to federal guidelines. We will always work to make sure our campus is a safe place where no one is unable to access their education or participate in educational programs or activities because of their sex. We will also always work to make sure that our Title IX process provides due process. If you have questions or concerns, Deputy Title IX Coordinator Diana Ward is available to meet and discuss; you can schedule an appointment with her by calling (504) 865-3428.


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Posts Tagged With: Glasgow

Let Glasgow Flourish!

Today marks our 101st post since we began the Luggage Tags blog back in June. We thought that was a nice little achievement worth noting. We’re proud that we’ve managed to blog almost every single day. Huzzah us!

Great buildings. Look up for stone cutting that's top notch!Hello again from Scotland! The weather outside is cold, wet and windy but that’s pretty much par for the course for Glasgow in October. It’s not hard to see why all the Scots we’ve met make so many jokes about their crappy weather. We’re currently hold up in a tremendous cafe called Artisan Roast near the university. A place like this can keep us cozy and warm while we plan our next steps over hot cups of long black and Ethiopian Chemex drip. Yeah, somewhere between Singapore and Copenhagen we became coffee aficionados. The coffee bean has become our unofficial sponsor and mandatory fuel for this trip. So far, we’re both really relishing our time in Scotland. I particularly dig the city’s motto: Let Glasgow Flourish. We packed it in yesterday with a stop to a famed city museum, grabbing tickets to a lunch time one-act play, and soaking up a football match over some traditional Scottish pub grub. A nice, full, if not tiring day in Scotland.

After knocking out some well-past-due laundry, our first stop of the day was a short trek down Argyle Street to visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Much to our delight, Glasgow boasts a substantial number of historical buildings and museums that offer free admission, including the much cherished Kelvingrove. Given our budget, Brooke and I are definitely making good use of that. The Kelvingrove, opened as a city museum way back in 1901, is a beautiful, big, old structure that is fantastic just as a building in and of itself. You get the impression that some of the same money that built the City Chambers we visited yesterday was used to construct this place as well. We’ve seen our fair share of museums on this trip so far, but we’re going to go ahead and put the Kelvingrove in the top tier.

Part of the Expressions Exhibit at KelingroveThe museum quickly impressed us with a diverse balance of fine art galleries, historical exhibits, zoological displays and more. Themed galleries spread over the different wings made the expansive museum accessible and easy to digest. We learned all about the local artists known as “The Glasgow Boys”, soaked up displays on the biggest and smallest features of animals around the world, and I got a particular kick out of the pristine collection of fierce looking 14th through 17th century armor. There were some notable oddities like the legendary, albeit somewhat disturbing, locally beloved 100 year-old stuffed Elephant named “Sir Roger” and the striking collection of floating fiberglass heads in the “Expressions” exhibit. The crown jewel of the museum is probably the moving, 1951 Dali crucifixion painting “Christ of St. John of the Cross”. Very cool, very different. We wish we had another hour or two to explore (and maybe enjoy an organ recital), but we had to hustle off to A Play, A Pie and A Pint!

After another short walk in the rain, we took in a show at an old converted church turned bar/club/theater/event space aptly named “A Play, A Pie and A Pint.” This is such a fantastic concept that it is begging to be introduced in the United States: A ticket costing ten pounds get you a traditional meat or cheese pie, a pint of your favorite drink (beer, wine, juice, etc) and a performance of a one-act play that changes every week. Genius! With daily shows, this is a fantastic way to spend any lunchtime. We managed to catch “Faith Fall” which showcases three actors in front of microphones performing a play about love, cancer and the devil on an empty set. The show itself was unique, thought provoking and quite good. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a stripped down, dialogue intense one-act play. There was a nice big crowd on hand nibbling away at pies and quiet sips of beer. As Brooke mentioned yesterday, Glasgow clearly has a remarkably strong dedication to the arts and culture. I have a feeling that when Glasgow was struggling with a seriously down economy a few years back, the town poured energy and money into establishing a strong arts scene. And it shows.

Bartender at Work!As with just about every city, we managed to take a ride on the city Subway (they are back to being called Subways instead of Metros). While each city has a slightly different set up, Glasgow’s limited system has surprisingly tiny trains that look like squished sausages. I felt like I was crammed into a torpedo and the bumpy ride almost gave us a case of whiplash! Definitely unique! Later that evening, we visited a pub to watch the National Scottish team take on Belgium in a World Cup qualifier. I’m a bit slow on the doings of international sports, but I’m still amazed that there are qualifying games for a World Cup tournament that’s almost two years away. Apparently this one was a “win or it’s over” scenario for the Scots even though qualifying games continue into 2013. Given the weak performance of the team thus far, the crowd at the pub already seemed partly resigned to a loss before the game even started. The 2-0 win by Belgium was less of a surprise than seeing “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties” as a meal option on the menu. By the way, among the endless taps of beer found at every bar here, Guinness has started offering handles with “Extra Cold Guinness” in which the beer comes out two degrees colder. Is it any better? Who knows, but chalk one up for beer marketing teams. We’ve had a busy, full day in Glasgow, but there is still more to see and do! Tomorrow, we’re going to take a short train ride to Blantyre to explore some of my family history.

Brooke with pies, plays and pints

Part of the Excellent Armor Collection at Kelivngrove

It’s just a wee subway for the lads and lassies of Scotland!

Brooke Enjoying the Scottish Weather this morning

Categories: Bars, Beer, City Visits, Museums, Reflections, Scotland, Self Guided Tours, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Glasgow, Scotland

GlasgowWhen we told people we would be heading to Glasgow, almost all of them asked, “Will you got to Edinburgh?”  Time after time people told us there isn’t much to do in Glasgow and we shouldn’t spend too much time here.  After spending the day exploring this city, we are so chock-full of things we want to do that we are considering extending our stay one more day.  Filled with great food and culture, Glasgow appears to be a wonderful city with tons for us to see and do.

We began our day the way anyone should while in Scotland–with a traditional breakfast. Pulled in by the sign that said “Scottish Breakfast £2.99”, we sat down in Wetherspoons.  I went for the breakfast wrap, but Phil is in full Scottish mode and ordered the Traditional Breakfast.  When his plate came, it was a feast of all things protein:  fried egg, fried sausage, bacon, and beans on toast.  Figuring this to be the perfect way to start our day in Scotland, we cleared our plates and then headed into the city.

As you have seen if you’ve read other blog posts, we really enjoy the Hop-on/Hop-off City Sightseeing bus tours.  Doing this upon arrival to a new city really helps to understand the layout and what it has to offer.  In the past, we have always had the pre-recorded tours.  This allows for greater flexibility as the tours can be given in several different languages.  This company also has that option, but the bus we got on had a live tour guide.  It didn’t take us long to realize how much better a live tour is than a pre-recorded one.  Having grown up in Glasgow, this gentleman could speak to the way things were when he was a boy compared to today.  He kept us updated on current events regarding construction projects and city news.  Most importantly, he was much more entertaining than a recording.  His dry sense of humor had us questioning a few times whether he was joking or not.  On the tour, we explored the city’s centre, west end and river front.  We were unaware of Glasgow’s rich ship building history and learned that the town still engages in this trade today.

After the tour, we stopped for a warm bowl of soup to warm us up because let me tell you–it is cold here.  Maybe 45 degrees today, everyone seemed cheered that at least the sun was shining.  Our tour guide joked that we were all baking in the hot sun at the top of the bus and added that maybe the sun would come out again in another 3 years.  In fact, all day we heard joke after joke about the gray, rainy, cold weather which is commonplace here.  We realize we might be very lucky to be graced by sunshine today and we should enjoy it while we can. (The weather for the rest of the week looks like a lot of rain.)  Once sufficiently warmed by some sweet corn chowder, we ventured back into the cold only briefly to head to the City Chambers, the headquarters of Glasgow’s City Council.  This beautiful old building is situated in the center of the city, just off George Square.  When we heard they offered free tours of the interior, we figured it would be a great way to learn a little bit more about the city’s history.  The building was completed in 1888 and is a display of decadence and wealth.  It has two staircases, the white and the black, so named for the material which was used in building them.  In days of old, only the wealthy nobility and royals were allowed to use the white marble staircase.  The other was reserved for servants and working class visitors. On our tour we visited the banquet hall, the council chamber and the art gallery, where each Lord Provost throughout history has a portrait hanging.  All in all, our tour was really interesting and a good start in helping us to understand the Scottish brogue (I swear, sometimes it sounds like a totally foreign language).

After switching our luggage from our previous night’s hotel to our new Air BnB stay, we went looking for our first pint of the day.  We discovered The Grove, an old man bar if ever there was one.  With horse racing on the TV screen and talk of the Scotland v. Belgium football game tomorrow, it was a great place for a drink.  Phil opted for a Guinness while I tried a Belhaven, all for a mere £5.  At this price, I imagine we’ll be back here again tomorrow! From here, we went to a place called Neighborhood Bar to take advantage of their 2-for-1 deal on dinner.  Then, we headed to the famed King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut for some live music.  We haven’t really caught too many live shows on the trip yet, and King Tut’s is known for having all kinds of different bands each night of the week. (Their claim to fame is being the bar where Oasis was discovered.)  The lineup tonight consisted of bands we have never heard of, but that is half the fun of going to a show like this anyway.  The first act, Jonny Jack, was a young rock band.  Well rehearsed, they played together tightly, but their music wasn’t terribly original.  The lead singer’s voice reminded us of Rob Thomas from his Matchbox 20 days.  Next was a solo artist named Luke Sital-Singh, who played slow, sad songs on his guitar that would have been perfect if we were terribly depressed.  His voice was great, but the songs started to all sound the same after a while.  The headlining act, Fossil Collective, seems to have been around a while since they definitely had some regular fans there to catch the show.  Following the footsteps of many other modern bands, they have a multi-vocal, full harmonic sound along with their many guitars.  They sound a bit similar to Grizzly Bear with a voice like My Morning Jacket.

But the gem of the night was Cherry Grove.  We knew we were in for a treat when they began setting up their stage.  Instruments include your basic keyboard and guitar, but then they also had a violin, harp and accordion.  These incredibly talented musicians played a great set.  Sometimes with vocals, sometimes only instruments, they modernized traditional music and instruments in a creative and innovative way.  They seemed to genuinely have fun on stage, and you got the sense that they probably all met at a music conservatory because they have mastered their instruments.  They were releasing their first EP tonight, and it was clear to see that much of the audience came to see them.  The show would have been worth it even if Cherry Grove was the only band we saw.

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut has a midnight curfew to respect their neighbors, so once the bands were done we walked home, huddled together to keep warm.  We are so pleased with our first day in Glasgow and we can’t wait for all that we have in store for tomorrow.  We will do a nice variety of museums, exploration, and sport.  As long as we don’t freeze first!

Beautiful view of the Clyde River.

Phil in the City Chambers.

Brooke always wants to be in charge.

One Lord Provost chose to have his portrait done by an artist with a very unique style. It is very intriguing.

Categories: Bars, Beer, City Visits, Destinations, Diversions, Eating, Europe, Exploring, Landmarks, Music, Scotland, Tours | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Month to Go

We have officially hit the “One Month Left” mark on our round the world trip. It is amazing how fast the whole thing has gone! It seems like we only just began except that we have seen and experienced so much. It is hard to believe we have a whole month more left to see and do. Now that we have been on the road for a while, whenever we meet people or even talk to friends and family back home, we get many of the same questions. We thought we’d address some of those here for all of you. Here are some of our Frequently Asked Questions:

Lovely Wellington

1. What has been your favorite place?

This is a toughy. Favorite for what reason? The people? The food? Favorite as a place I’d like to visit again or as in a place I could see myself living? If you have been reading lately, then you know that Dubrovnik, Croatia certainly gets top billing when it comes to scenery. And if you’ve spoken to us, you know that Hanoi, Vietnam is a strong contender due to its vibrant nature and the ways it is vastly different from our own lives back home. However, if we had to choose and overall favorite, a place where we could see ourselves living, that has delicious food and beer, a place with friendly locals: Copenhagen, Denmark (with Wellington, New Zealand a close second). A surprise, right? It is an all around cool city and we wish we could have spent a little more time there. (I could go for one of those delicious hotdogs right now!) Although after a few days in Munich, it could easily fit the same bill. The truth is, there are just so many great places out there, it is hard to choose!

2. Have you been able to stick to your budget?

Absolutely. And not at all. It really depends on the region and the day. When we began our trip, we sat down and created a budget for each region we would be visiting. We have a daily budget and a separate one for nightly accommodations and transportation. We spent a lot of time on this, but really it was all a best guess. We came in under budget for our time in New Zealand and slightly over budget for our time in Japan. Not too bad. We were basically right on budget for Southeast Asia and the Cruise. Then we got to Europe. We found in Europe we easily stayed on budget with accommodations (we allowed $65/night), but our daily budget ($70/day) often was not enough and we found ourselves going over our allotted budget each day (I know this sounds like a lot, but keep in mind it is for 2 people and includes everything from museum tickets to pay toilets). This was especially true when we were with our friends both in Budapest and Dubrovnik. For them, they are on short vacation and they have a different mentality towards spending. Looking back, we should have budgeted more for these sections and thought of them more like a vacation from our trip. We allowed ourselves more for the UK ($90/night, $120/day) and hope we might be able to make some of the overage back while we’re here. The most important thing is that we are very conscious of our spending. I write down everything we purchase in my phone and then transfer it into a notebook where we can tally up the totals. This consciousness is very helpful and much advised for anyone on a trip like this because it is amazing how fast the spending adds up.

Brooke in Hong Kong

3. Are you still having fun or are you ready to go home?

We are definitely still having fun and enjoying every single day. However, now that we are one month away from going home, we have started thinking about real life just a little bit more. Not too much, just a bit. There is a lot we miss about home like cooking for ourselves each night and having access to all of our things–clothes, pillows, my hair straightener. We also look forward to being in one place for longer than three days. And oh, a guaranteed good bed and shower each day! But man, there is so much to see and do everywhere we go, how could we not have fun? Each day brings new surprises and we are looking forward to savoring every bit of the last month. But when we get on that plane to head back to the States in November, we’ll be ready.

Hanging out in Belgrade

4. Have you gotten sick of one another?

Before leaving, my dad kept joking that he only hoped Phil and I would come back married. Of course, he was exaggerating, but not too much. Another friend wondered if we were worried about spending so much time together to the point where we might get sick of each other. Because so many people voiced similar concerns, we planned on having one day a week where we spent the day apart. We are happy to be travelling around the world, but it certainly isn’t worth risking our relationship. Surprisingly (or maybe not), we haven’t really needed these planned days apart. We haven’t gotten sick of each other yet. Sure, there are times of frustration and we take 20 minutes to go our own way and meet back up. But generally, that is enough. We really like hanging out with each other and are interested in a lot of the same things. We are so happy with how it has worked out and think it definitely bodes well for our future.

The doors are quite big in Kyoto, Japan

5. What else do you have left?

After sharing all the things we have done already, people always want to know what is left to do. So, we are currently in Glasgow, Scotland where we will be for a few days. After this, we head to Edinburgh then a tour of the Highlands. We will say goodbye to this part of the world and fly south to our final destination: Argentina. Arriving in Buenos Aires, we will spend almost 3 weeks travelling around Argentina and perhaps even make a visit to Chile. Then, on November 14 we arrive back in Cincinnati, Ohio to the warm hugs and kisses of family and friends.

Hopefully, this has answered some questions you may have been having, or at least given you some interesting insight into how we feel about the trip. If there are any other questions, just ask. We are more than happy to share. Now, I must go explore Glasgow! Perhaps a dram of whiskey to get me started!

Categories: Budget, Doccuments, Exploring, Family, Finances, Homesick, Random Thoughts, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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Fragrance Review: Bvlgari Omnia Paraiba

Bvlgari’s extensive Omnia Perfume range got it’s sixth gem Paraiba. The luxurious new perfume is named after Brazilian semi-precious stone Paraiba Tourmaline, known for its blue – green color.

The perfume, which will take you to a tropical region boasts floral, and fruity notes with a hint of wood essence. Bvlgari Omnia Paraiba was developed by perfumer Alberto Morillas. It features notes of Laraha orange, passion fruit and flower, gardenia, sugar cane, vetiver and cacao bean. A hint of passion fruit is a bit rare for perfumes, and Omnia Paraiba blends its warm with peachy notes. The passion fruit here is very enjoyable: tart and zesty, without the sort of musky taste in the actual fruit. However, in longer wearability. Omnia Paraiba just becomes sweeter and sweeter with time, and turns into a fruity hard candy type of sweetness, eliminating the musky scent. The perfumes comes in the usual Omnia bottle in a beautiful blue/green and silver packaging, matching the Brazilian Tourmaline Paraiba stone.

ALSO READ -   Review: A spectacular meal at Tanjore Tiffin Room

A quick try on a blotter might not appeal as much as its wearability on the skin. Omnia Paraiba can stay as much as for nine hours on the skin, with mild sillage. The passion fruit opening transforms to peachy and finally woody in a couple of minutes. It’s a bit sweeter than original Omnia, but a must try for anyone who loves sunny fragrances.

The cheerful Bvlgari Omnia Paraiba is an escape to the tropical zone, and a great pick for Summers. Available in a 45ml and 60 ml bottle, this EDT is priced at Rs. 3,300 and Rs. 4,250 respectively.

The luxe factor

7 Fragrance
6 Staying Power
8 Price
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With a size of about 80 hectares, the park of Villa Borghese is one of the largest green areas in Rome. Located close to the Salario and Pinciano districts, in the area flanked by the Aurelian Walls that connect Porta Pinciana to Piazzale Flaminio, this immense beating heart in the centre of Rome is accessible from nine points. The monumental entrances to the park are admirable examples of Baroque and Neoclassical art. Going up Via Veneto and crossing the magnificent Porta Pinciana you can access from the Portale dei Vasi, built around the middle of the nineteenth century. From this entrance you can reach the small temple of Diana, a circular structure built in 1789, and the Silvano Toti Globe Theatre, a reconstruction of the famous Elizabethan theatre, which from June to October stages some of the most famous Shakespearean operas, including original language versions ( The park, surrounded by centuries-old plants and Italian gardens, contains buildings, monuments and fountains from the Baroque and Neoclassical periods. Bicycles, tandems and rickshaws can be rented near the Biopark and the Borghese Gallery.

The construction of the Villa Borghese Pinciana, inside which the Galleria Borghese is located, was started in 1607, under the guidance of the architect Flaminio Ponzio. The nucleus of the oratory is constituted by the Casina Nobile, realized to host the collection of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. Some buildings, among which the Uccellieria, were completed under the direction of the architect Giovanni Vasanzio, with successive interventions of Carlo Rainaldi, to whom we owe the realization of the Pavilion of the Sundial. Starting from 1770 Marcantonio IV Borghese commissioned a significant renewal of the decorative layout of the buildings to the architect Antonio Asprucci, who was responsible for the construction of the famous temple of Aesculapius and the arrangement of the Casino of Villa Pinciana. At the beginning of the 19th century, commissioned by Camillo Borghese, the Villa was enlarged by architect Luigi Canina, who was responsible for the construction of the neoclassical propylaea that make up the monumental entrance near Piazza del Popolo. Close to the ring of Piazza di Siena, home of the famous international horse racing competition (, there are the Casino dell'Orologio and the Casina di Raffaello, to which the church of the Immaculate Conception was annexed in 1791.

The Borghese Gallery, located in the original nucleus of the Villa, can be visited with a compulsory reservation from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.00 to 19.00, with admission allowed to the public until 17.00. On Thursday the closing time is extended to 21.00 and you can access the structure until 19.00. ( The entrance of the museum is located in Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5, inside the park of Villa Borghese. The large collection, inaugurated by Cardinal Scipione Borghese at the beginning of the 17th century, includes mosaics, sculptures and ancient bas-reliefs. The splendid frescoed rooms display paintings by Antonello da Messina, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio, sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Canova. Inside the rooms you can admire the marble complex Apollo and Daphne, made by Bernini between 1622 and 1625, the sculpture of hermaphrodite and the portrait of Paolina Bonaparte Borghese, made by Canova between 1805 and 1808.

The park of Villa Borghese offers naturalistic itineraries of great charm and charm. In the Garden of the Lake, where you can rent small boats, you can admire the temple of Aesculapius, built on an artificial islet. The Secret Gardens, so defined because originally bounded by high walls that hid them from view, house fountains and plants of unusual beauty. The Bird Garden is part of the three secret gardens of the Casino Nobile; the Garden of the Sundial, also called Garden of Chickens, allows you to admire rare flowers, including lilium, tulips, anemones, daffodils, and jasmine. Near the Bioparco is the Park of fallow deer, the ancient hunting reserve of the Borghese Prince: here are the colossal herms built by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The area in front of Viale delle Belle Arti, near the National Gallery of Modern Art (, houses the Valle dei Platani, a corner of Roman countryside remained intact from the early seventeenth century to the present day.


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Comment by ninety-three on What are the reasons to *not* consider reducing AI-Xrisk the highest priority cause? · 2019-08-22T03:10:33.774Z · score: 6 (3 votes) · LW · GW

Without rejecting any of the premises in your question I can come up with:

Low tractability: you assign almost all of the probability mass to one or both of "alignment will be easily solved" and "alignment is basically impossible"

Currently low tractability: If your timeline is closer to 100 years than 10, it is possible that the best use of resources for AI risk is "sit on them until the field developers further" in the same sense that someone in the 1990s wanting good facial recognition might have been best served by waiting for modern ML.

Refusing to prioritize highly uncertain causes in order to avoid the Winner's Curse outcome of your highest priority ending up as something with low true value and high noise

Flavours of utilitarianism that don't value the unborn and would not see it as an enormous tragedy if we failed to create trillions of happy post-Singularity people (depending on the details human extinction might not even be negative, so long as the deaths aren't painful)

Comment by ninety-three on Book Review - Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness · 2018-12-11T23:50:16.303Z · score: 1 (1 votes) · LW · GW

I got all of the octopus questions right (six recalled facts, #6 intuitively plausible, #9 seems rare enough that it should be unlikely for humans to observe, and #2 was uncertain until I completed the others then metagamed that a 7/2 split would be "too unbalanced" for a handcrafted test) so the only surprising fact I have to update on is that the recognition thing is surprising to others. My model was that many wild animals are capable of recognizing humans, and octopuses are particularly smart as animals go, no other factors weigh heavily. That octopuses evolved totally separated from humans didn't seem significant because although most wild animals were exposed to humans I see no obvious incentive for most of them to recognize individual humans, so the cases should be comparable on that axis. I also put little weight on octopuses not being social creatures because while there may be social recognition modules, A: animals are able to recognize humans and all of them generalizing their social modules to our species seems intuitively unlikely and B: At some level of intelligence it must be possible to distinguish individuals based on sheer general pattern-recognition, for ten humans an octopus would only need four or five bits of information and animal intelligence in general seems good at distinguishing between a few totally arbitrary bits.

The evolutionary theory of aging is interesting and seems to predict that an animal's maximum age will be proportionate to its time -to-accidental-death. Just thinking of animals and their ages at random this seems plausible but I'm hardly being rigorous, have there been proper analyses done of that?

Comment by ninety-three on Why Destructive Value Capture? · 2018-06-19T01:50:16.196Z · score: 1 (1 votes) · LW · GW

Could it be that the average customer hasn't thought it through enough to realize they are incinerating $1.67 of time-value, and would thus prefer to pay $15 plus *mumble* time as opposed to $15.25 plus zero time?

Comment by ninety-three on "Taking AI Risk Seriously" (thoughts by Critch) · 2018-05-21T14:06:40.889Z · score: 7 (2 votes) · LW · GW

If you're not saying to go into AI safety research, what non-business-as-usual course of action are you expecting? Is your premise that everyone taking this seriously should figure out their comparative advantage within an AI risk organization because they contain many non-researcher roles, or are you imagining some potential course of action outside of "Give your time/money to MIRI/HCAI/etc"?


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Lyons Public Library

Board of Trustees

Library Board of Trustees

The library is governed by a seven member Board of Trustees, elected by the residents of the Lyons Central School District, at the annual public library budget vote held in May of each year. Trustee terms are for five years, starting July 1st. The Board oversees the policies, budget and direction of the Library and employs a qualified library director to oversee the daily operation of the

Current Board Members:
Gary Bennett, Chairman
James Frind, Vice-Chairman
Joan Wallis, Secretary
Scott Bailey, Trustee
Matthew Owen, Trustee
Marianne Stephan, Trustee                                                                                Penny Tweedie, Trustee

  • Hours

    Monday: 10 am-8:30 pm
    Tuesday: 10 am-8:30 pm
    Wednesday: 10 am-8:30 pm
    Thursday: 10 am-8:30 pm
    Friday: 10 am-5 pm
    Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

  • Get in Touch

    122 Broad Street
    Lyons, NY 14489
    (315) 946-9262
    Fax: (315) 946-3320

  • Find Us


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The Review and Herald

July 19, 1906

Notes of Travel—No. 5

A Visit to Mountain View

On the morning of May 2, we left Loma Linda, and started on our homeward journey. Passing through Los Angeles, we rested an hour or two at the treatment rooms, and took the afternoon north-bound train over the Coast Line. RH July 19, 1906, par. 1

I had planned to spend a day at Fernando, but on account of a severe cold recently contracted, dared not undertake labor there. I did not want to see the ruins of San Francisco, and dreaded to stop at Mountain View. But the next morning, as we neared Mountain View, we decided to stop over for a few hours. RH July 19, 1906, par. 2

The board of managers of the Pacific Press Publishing Company felt the need of counsel, and urged that we remain over the Sabbath. We finally consented to do so. Thursday afternoon we met with the brethren in council. I spoke a short time. The following day I was ill, and very weak. The cold had taken a firm hold on my system. I doubted if I should be able to speak on the morrow. However, I ventured to allow the brethren to make an appointment for me to address the people Sabbath forenoon. I made the Lord my entire dependence; for I knew that unless he should be my helper, I could not speak more than a few words. My throat and head were greatly troubled. I was so hoarse that I could scarcely speak aloud. RH July 19, 1906, par. 3

Sabbath morning I felt no better. At the appointed hour, I went over to the chapel, and found it crowded. I feared I should fail, but began talking. The moment I began to speak, strength was imparted. I was relieved of hoarseness, and spoke without difficulty for nearly an hour. My illness seemed to disappear, and my mind was clear. As soon as I finished speaking, the hoarseness came upon me again, and I began coughing and sneezing as before. RH July 19, 1906, par. 4

To me, this experience was a marked evidence of divine help. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this special miracle of his power, which gave me no chance to entertain any doubt but that he had a message for me to bear to the people. I was very ill in the afternoon, and restless during the night; but Sunday I was able to sit up in bed and write a few pages. Monday, May 7, we returned home, passing through San Francisco en route. RH July 19, 1906, par. 5

The Sabbath Sermon

The last prayer of Christ, as recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John, formed the basis of my remarks. Standing in the shadow of the cross, the Saviour here presented principles that lie at the foundation of all true Christian experience. Lifting up his eyes unto heaven, he said: “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” RH July 19, 1906, par. 6

Fathers and mothers may find special encouragement in these words. Their greatest desire in behalf of their children should be to train them in the knowledge of “the only true God, and Jesus Christ,” who was sent by the Father to bring to us the gift of life eternal. Of Abraham, the great Searcher of hearts declared, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment.” There will be no betraying of truth, no yielding to the temptation of Satan to allow the children and the household to control. By the influence of decided authority mingled with love, the wise parent will rule his household in the fear of God. RH July 19, 1906, par. 7

In connection with the petition of Christ, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth,” I felt impelled by the Spirit of God to appeal to the youth to study the Word. Let every one covenant with God to study the Word. Dear youth, cease to read the magazines containing stories. Put away every novel. In the days of Paul, those who were converted at Ephesus burned their magical books. We would do well to clear our houses of all the story magazines and the publications containing ridiculous pictures—representations originated by satanic agencies. The youth can not afford to poison their minds with such things. “What is the chaff to the wheat?” Let every one who claims to be a follower of Christ, read only that which is true and of eternal value. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” RH July 19, 1906, par. 8

May the Lord help us to appropriate the instruction that Christ gave his disciples just prior to his crucifixion. We are to build up one another in the most holy faith. A Christian can not mingle with worldlings as one of their number. Though living in the world, we are not to be of the world. He who acts as a worldling, while retaining his name on the church book, greatly dishonors God. RH July 19, 1906, par. 9

In his prayer the Saviour has revealed his desire that our conduct be such that the Father can have the same love for us, and the same interest in our salvation, that he had for his only begotten Son. He desires that we shall partake freely of the divine nature, and thus escape the corruption that is in the world. RH July 19, 1906, par. 10

We must prepare ourselves for most solemn duties. A world is to be saved. The work is advancing in a most marvelous manner in foreign lands; and even within the shadow of our doors there are many, many opportunities for communicating to others the saving truths of the third angel's message. Publications are to be distributed like the leaves of autumn. This is the message that has been coming to us from the Lord for many years. In view of the great work to be done, how can any one afford to waste precious time and God-given means in doing those things that are not for his best good or for the glory of God? The Scriptures are to be studied diligently, and are to be made the man of our counsel. None can afford to neglect this source of strength and blessing. RH July 19, 1906, par. 11

A Solemn Message to Our Youth

While in Mountain View, I was instructed, as God's messenger, to appeal to the youth connected with our institutional work. This message is applicable to all young men and young women who claim to be Sabbath-keepers, and especially to those who are laboring in our institutions: RH July 19, 1906, par. 12

Dear youth, there is great need of your examining yourselves. Many perished in the fearful calamity at San Francisco. How many who were destroyed by that awful earthquake, were prepared for death? How many who are still alive, will be admonished? None of us can foretell where the next destructive earthquake may be permitted to come. Who are prepared? RH July 19, 1906, par. 13

Our young people need to be surrounded with wholesome, uplifting influences. They are to be kept in the love of the truth. The standard set before them should be high. Some feel a desire to be left without restraint, that they may do as they please. Those who are connected with our institutions in positions of responsibility should take upon themselves the burden of caring for the souls of those placed under their charge. RH July 19, 1906, par. 14

The fathers and mothers, too, in the church, are under sacred obligation to watch for the souls of their children as they that must give an account. Let none, neither parents nor the youth, begin to believe that amusements are essential, and that a careless disregard of the Holy Spirit during hours of selfish pleasure, is to be looked upon as a light matter. God will not be mocked. Let every young man, every young woman, consider: “Am I prepared today for my life to close? Have I the heart preparation that fits me to do the work which the Lord has given me to do?” RH July 19, 1906, par. 15

Every youth should make God's Word his guide, and daily gather from the Word the instruction given. If some refuse to be guided by this instruction, they are sowing seeds that the enemy has placed in their hands, and they will not care to reap the harvest. In view of the abundant opportunity given every one to walk in the light of God's Word, is it not sad to think that some are choosing their own way of careless pleasure? RH July 19, 1906, par. 16

Every talent of influence is to be sacredly cherished and used for the purpose of gathering souls to Christ. Young men and young women should not think that their sports, their evening parties and musical entertainments, as usually conducted, are acceptable to Christ. RH July 19, 1906, par. 17

Light has been given me, again and again, that all our gatherings should be characterized by a decided religious influence. If our young people would assemble to read and understand the Scriptures, asking, “What shall I do that I may have eternal life?” and then place themselves unitedly upon the side of truth, the Lord Jesus would let his blessing come into their hearts. RH July 19, 1906, par. 18

O that every church-member, every worker in our institutions, might realize that this life is a school in which to prepare for examination by the God of heaven, with regard to purity, cleanness of thought, unselfishness of action! Every word and act, every thought, is recorded on the record books of heaven. RH July 19, 1906, par. 19

As God's messenger, I am now instructed to speak to all, including the youth: We are still spared; and now we have a precious opportunity to think to some purpose. Some of our Sabbath-keepers who have had great light, have allowed their children to have very much their own way, until the leaven of an evil influence has permeated other households. The parents are to be called to an account, if they do not bring sound doctrine into their home life; for only by doing their duty faithfully may they hope to see sound practises in the lives of their children. The form of sound words is to be fully appreciated; but unless these words lead to right acts, the work has been left unfinished. RH July 19, 1906, par. 20

To all, old and young, the word of the Lord is: Let the truth of God be inwrought in mind and soul. Let your prayer be, “O Lord, preserve my soul, that I shall not dishonor thee.” Let your prayers ascend to God, that he may sanctify the soul in thought, in word, in spirit, in every transaction. Plead with God that not one thread of selfishness shall be woven into the fabric of your character. Let the prayer be offered: “Sanctify my heart through the truth. Let thy angels keep my soul in strict integrity. Let my mind be impressed with the simple, searching maxims in thy Word, given to guide me in this life as a preparation for the future, eternal life.” RH July 19, 1906, par. 21

It is through the power and prevalence of truth that we must be sanctified, and elevated to the true dignity of the standard set forth in the Word. The way of the Lord can be learned only through most careful obedience to his Word. Study the Word. RH July 19, 1906, par. 22


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As a Mizzou Prof, Josh Hawley Took Money from Anti-Gay 'Alliance Defending Freedom'

Attorney General Josh Hawley. - SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE
  • Attorney General Josh Hawley.
In June 2013, Josh Hawley, then a law professor at the University of Missouri, was flown to Phoenix to serve as a faculty member for the "Blackstone Legal Fellowship." The job was cushy — for what appears to have amounted to an hour-long address, Hawley was paid $2,500, given a flight and extra money for expenses, and put up in the Ritz-Carlton.

But the gig also came with some drawbacks — namely, "language guidelines" urged upon all faculty members. Those guidelines stipulated that Hawley shouldn't refer to hate crimes, but rather "so-called hate crimes." They said he shouldn't say "sexual education" but rather "sexual indoctrination," and not "gay," but rather "homosexual behavior."

The speech code was commemorated in writing.

"We are providing a confidential copy — not to be distributed or reproduced — to you because Alan Sears, our President, CEO, and General Counsel, is asking that where at all practicable, all persons serving as faculty conform their remarks, hand-out materials, and audio-visual materials to the Lexicon," the fellowship's organizers explained in an email.

The Blackstone Legal Fellowship is funded and organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, a Christian-based organization that has come under fire in recent years for its emphatic opposition to gay marriage and what its CEO has called "the homosexual agenda." The Southern Poverty Law Center has called it "an extremist group."

Hawley, who is now the state's attorney general and hoping to be its next Republican senator, replacing Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), has ties to the organization going back years. He and his wife, a fellow Mizzou law professor, have earned a collective $8,700 from ADF since 2013, according to his candidate disclosure forms and emails he received at Mizzou.

(So much for the confidentiality the fellowship sought to ensure; because the ADF emails were sent to Hawley's taxpayer-funded email address, they eventually turned up in a Sunshine request.)

Kelli Ford, a spokeswoman for Hawley's campaign, said the candidate had no regrets about his affiliation with ADF.

"The Alliance Defending Freedom is a Christian legal advocacy organization that has won nine cases at the Supreme Court in the last seven years," she said in a written statement. "Josh and Erin were invited to address Christian law students as part of their Blackstone Program. Josh and Erin aren’t going to apologize for their faith. They take their faith very seriously and it’s a privilege to speak with Christian law students."

Ford did not respond to two questions asking whether Hawley had objected to the lexicon. She also did not address whether he agreed that "hate crimes" should be characterized as "so-called hate crimes" or sex ed as "sexual indoctrination."

In its brief on the ADF, the Southern Poverty Law Center notes that the organization's global chapter has argued in favor of laws requiring mandatory sterilization for transgender people seeking to live as a gender other than that on their birth certificate. The executive director of that chapter also praised the 2013 court ruling in India that made homosexuality a crime, saying, "When given the same choice the Supreme Court of the United States had in Lawrence vs. Texas, the Indian Court did the right thing. India chose to protect society at large rather than give in to a vocal minority of homosexual advocates."

Hawley's spokeswoman, Ford, didn't refute those views, instead focusing on the messenger. "The Southern Poverty Law Center has become a liberal advocacy group that attacks anyone who disagrees with their left-wing ideology," she said. "They put Dr. Ben Carson on their 'extreme' list and have attacked nuns, veterans, Christians and anyone else who believes in the Bible and supports conservative values."

Hawley's address at the 2013 fellowship didn't focus on gay rights. The agenda shows he spoke about "Genius, Grace and Guts: The Constitution's Birth and Ratification."

Other speakers, however, put the issue front and center, including the ADF's senior counsel, who spoke on "Same Sex 'Marriage' and Its Relatives," while a senior pastor spoke on "Grappling with 'Gay Theology': What Would Jesus Say About Homosexuality?"

The lexicon, of course, had plenty to say about all that. Legal fellows were urged not to use the word "transgender." Instead, they were told, use "cross-dressing, sexually confused." Also, they were told, don't use "homosexual lifestyle."

"Note," the lexicon read. "Alan notes that it's not a lifestyle — tragically, it's a way that often leads to death (Proverbs 14:12)." The lexicon also notes, "Homosexuality is a personal struggle; however, homosexual behavior is sinful. Alan adds, "It isn't a condition."

The lexicon also instructed attendees not to use the terms "affair," "liaison," or "extramarital relationship" — instead, it said, call it "adultery." But the speech code wasn't entirely Old Testament verbiage. Another term Hawley and his fellow professors were instructed not to use? "Winter holiday/break."

Use instead, the lexicon instructed, "Christmas."

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News » Feature

Weatherman Bob Richards’ Suicide 25 Years Ago Rocked St. Louis

Page 2 of 3

Goofy commercials, like this one with Mike Bush, endeared Bob Richards to viewers. - VIA YOUTUBE
  • Goofy commercials, like this one with Mike Bush, endeared Bob Richards to viewers.

On the morning of March 20, 1994, the producer of the Steve and D.C. show got a phone call from a 34-year-old Farmington, Missouri, woman named Donna L. Henry. She wanted to go on the air and talk about her relationship with Bob Richards. The DJs were in the middle of a segment, so Henry would have to wait.

Two days earlier, a short Associated Press story ran in 100 papers and on fourteen news stations describing a protective order granted to Henry by Judge James E. Pennoyer against Richards. The Missouri adult abuse law had expanded only the previous year to include stalking and harassment; Henry played the judge voicemails, showed him more than a dozen letters from Richards and claimed he had repeatedly flown over her home in Farmington in his private plane.

"He was trying to turn the tables and say I was calling him," the Post-Dispatch reported her as saying at the time. "He gets real angry when it doesn't go his way ... Every time I think it's over, something else happens."

Judge Pennoyer granted a temporary order of protection. "It seemed like the guy didn't want to give her up," Pennoyer said at the time.

Henry claimed that she had been in a relationship with Richards beginning shortly after they met in 1992, when he spoke at the nursing home where she worked. She later said she broke up with him for the first time in July 1993; they got back together in November when, Henry stated, Richards assured her he was getting a divorce. Presumably, Henry realized that was not the case, and they broke up again in January 1994.

Joseph Layden, managing editor at the Daily Journal in Park Hills near Farmington pitched the story to the AP in St. Louis on March 17. In the meantime, the Post-Dispatch received an anonymous letter that caused them to start digging into Richards; the AP story broke while P-D editors were discussing internally whether or not to run a story.

The AP blurb, buried on the bottom-right corner of page nineteen under the headline "Court Order Against TV Weatherman," included a comment from Richards. He "denied dating Henry. He said he met her while making a personal appearance in the Farmington area about two years ago and that she had been 'a friend for a while.' Richards said Henry had got angry because he 'had not taken her up on her advances.'"

"'I'm a nice guy, and people that know me personally and professionally know that I desire no ill will on anyone,' Richards said. He added that he is 'very happily married.'"

Stratton got a call from Richards when the news blurb hit. She remembers wondering why he didn't just agree to stay away from Henry — who cares?

"Take your ball and go home," she says. "That's the exact words I told him. 'She wants to file a restraining order? Take your ball and go home. Say, 'Fine."' What are you fighting it for?"

Henry was not having it.

"If I remember correctly, she was really more disturbed by the airplane deal than anything, than even the phone calls and the frequency of the phone calls," Wilhelm says. "And I'm telling you, on that first day, obviously we talked about it, but we didn't do a tenth of the stuff that I heard later that other morning shows did. KMOX, their morning show — they were playing airplane sound effects and making fun of it. Frank O. Pinion was doing all these bits with it, and JC Corcoran, they were all talking about it quite a bit. We really had just mentioned it a couple of times but didn't make that big of a deal out of it. We did read the quote on the air that he said, 'Donna Henry is lying. She's just a crazy fan.' We did read that. And I think that's what upset her."

Steve and D.C. had only been reinstated earlier that year after being fired for using racial slurs. Critics would later accuse them of being the ones who played airplane and accordion noises on air and talking about the scandal incessantly, but Wilhelm insists that's not how it went.

"Through the years, a lot of people have gotten that wrong, and they say — I know that Corcoran, for years, has told people that we hunted her down, and that's not true," he says. "She called us and told our producer who answered the phones at the time that she wanted to defend herself and set the record straight due to him saying that she was a crazy fan."

Once Steve and D.C. were done with their segment, they put Henry on the air a little after 7 a.m. She made a case that Wilhelm admits he had not even considered at the time: Farmington is a small town, and she was now a business owner. It wasn't even that she was upset about the relationship, she told them, but rather that she had a reputation to protect in Farmington.

Henry said, both that morning and later, that she had been the one to break off the relationship.

"My name is plastered everywhere," the Post-Dispatch quoted her as saying on air. "He has almost weaseled out of it."

She made reference to the voicemails he'd left her a few times, and then told Steve and D.C. that, as a matter of fact, she'd play them right now.

"Steve and I [were], I remember, both looking at each other like, 'Whoa, wait a minute, that's more than we bargained for,'" Wilhelm says. "We were thinking, 'Is that legal? Is that gonna be an issue?'"

Henry was put on hold while Steve and D.C. conferred with their producer. They got ahold of the station's general manager and confirmed that it was OK for Henry to play the voicemails. (Missouri is a one-party consent state with regard to recordings.)

"I think we only allowed two messages, but they were so obviously him that we really didn't need any more, you know?" Wilhelm says. "It was scary sounding, it really was. It was him — you know his voice from being on TV for so many years, so instantly you kinda got chills when you heard it start, because it's like, 'Oh my gosh, that is Bob Richards.'"

All told, Wilhelm estimates Henry was on the air for no more than 30 minutes between the two segments. At first, Steve and D.C. didn't think it was going to be a huge deal. Around lunchtime, though, they started hearing rumblings.

"We'd met at a couple of appearances," Phillips says of Steve and D.C. "I know they were competitors. I understood what they were doing in the market. They were very talented guys. What they did, they did very well."

Richards called Phillips that morning, "frantic."

"He said that this was going to ruin his life," Phillips remembers. "And I said, 'Bob, there are politicians, preachers and people in high places that have had worse transgressions. Just let it work itself out.'"

Stratton received a similar call from Richards. "He was in a desperate panic at that time," she says. "Total embarrassment. Horrified, humiliated, the whole bit. I'm not saying that he wasn't responsible for his own behavior, [but] it was pretty terrifying for him."

"Initially our reaction was — 'Sorry?'" Wilhelm says. "I really felt like she deserved to be able to tell her side of the story. Because people tend to believe the celebrity — maybe they're telling the truth, maybe she is a little nutty. And I just remember feeling like OK, I understand that you're angry, but you're probably more angry that you're caught than anything else. And at that time, we didn't know that he had several mistresses going on. We just knew about her. But I felt like he was just angry that he got caught. Now, that was about lunchtime. Later in the day we started hearing other things."

Corbett remembers seeing Richards sitting on the curb behind Channel 5, where the news vans were, smoking cigarettes, even though Corbett didn't know him to be a smoker.

"But clearly there was a lot of turmoil in his life, in his soul, that was going on," Corbett says. "I sat down next to him to talk and offered to listen. 'What's going on? Do you wanna talk?' And he's like, 'No, it'll be cool, it'll be cool.' It was a side of Bob I'd never seen before."

The day before Henry's interview, Richards had spoken to then-KSDK general manager John Kuenke about suicidal thoughts. Kuenke offered to give him time off, which Richards repeatedly refused. He refused for the final time on the afternoon of March 22.

Richards did his regular newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. that day.

Around 9:45 p.m., as he was preparing the evening's final newscast, Richards telephoned Phillips and asked him if he would call his wife, Kathy. She had taken their daughter, Tricia, to Chicago and wouldn't speak to him. He gave the number to Phillips, who spoke to Kathy for five or ten minutes. She mostly listened, Phillips recalls, but wasn't argumentative. He told her the same things he had told Richards: Just give it time. It'll work out.

Richards went on at 10 p.m. as usual and called Phillips after the first weather cut-in. Phillips confirmed that he'd talked to Kathy and told Richards what he'd said, adding that she didn't react with much emotion.

"He said something to me that, I don't wanna say it haunts me, but it did for a while," Phillips says. "He said, 'Thank you. You've taken a great weight off of my shoulders.' And I thought that just meant I put him at ease. [Then] I watched him do the last part of the weather. He seemed a little distant when he was doing it, but maybe that was just because I was too close to it — I read more into it than what it was."

After his final 10 p.m. show, Richards called Stratton and said he needed cigarettes — he did indeed smoke Winstons — and coffee. Stratton offered to pick him up and take him to the convenience store across from KSDK's building.

"No, no, no, no — please don't make me go in there," he pleaded.

"OK," she said, and grabbed a cup of coffee and a pack of his cigarettes before picking him up at the station. They drove around for a while, eventually winding up on the old brick street under the Arch, just feet from the Mississippi River. Richards was in the fetal position in Stratton's passenger seat.

"What are you so afraid of?" she finally asked him. He'd been notified that a story was coming out the next day in USA Today and was worried that his parents would read it. Stratton suggested going home to New Jersey for a while, so he could be there when they read it. He listened but it didn't seem like he thought that would help.

"I wasn't quite sure what he really wanted," she says. "He was not himself at this point. He's talking to me but he's ... I was so used to him being bubbly."

KSDK has always maintained that the station did not and never intended to terminate Richards over the situation, but Stratton says she got an anonymous call that said station management had fired Richards that night. Allegedly memos saying as much were placed in everyone's mailboxes at KSDK that evening. If that was true, by the next morning, they had been removed.

"And I would say that's what happened because he was just shaken to the core at that point," she says.

Stratton drove Richards back to the station, and they talked a little bit more. He got out of the car and she drove home. Stratton was so worried about him that she paged him a little later, and he called back.

"Where are you right now?" he asked.

"I'm in bed."

"Good — you just go to sleep and I'll call you tomorrow," he said. Stratton was working early the next morning, so she offered to call him around lunchtime.

"He knew that if I was up watching TV, I'd see it in no time," she says.

After she dropped him off, Richards drove the 35 or 40 minutes to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, where his red Piper Cherokee 180 was housed. Though the airfield closed at midnight, Richards took his Piper up at 12:15 a.m. He climbed 400 feet in the air before changing course at around 100 mph.

Jim Killeen, who worked near the runway, saw the whole thing.

"It almost sounded like in a movie when it starts winding up," he told the Post-Dispatch a few days later. "He definitely had the power in. He was gaining speed and flew it right into the runway, almost perpendicular to the ground.

"It hit in a big cloud of debris and dust. Within a couple seconds it engulfed in flames. I could just tell from impact no one made it."

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Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of St. Louis and beyond.

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News + Opinion » Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Worth 250 Words...

My photo of Burlington city councilors checking the Red Sox game in the middle of F-35 testimony inspired an Off Message blog post entitled “In Burlington City Hall, Eyes on the Ball” [October 29] and also a short write-up in last week’s Last 7. In both, Norm Blais told Seven Days reporter Charles Eichacker he just quickly checked the score. In fact, he was on his computer checking scores and email for most of the latter part of the meeting. Karen Paul was doing likewise. I made several rounds of the mezzanine, and, every time I came back, there they were, diligently surfing the web. ESPN, MLB, Facebook, Gmail, texting on the phone, checking stock markets, back to the game.

It wasn’t just them. The mayor and city attorney were both online, and one over-the-edge shot caught while I was futzing with the flash shows Scott Schaffer’s computer displaying hockey. Was that why he was having so many “technical difficulties” with the timekeeping?

While Councilor Sharon Bushor was introducing her amendment, was Norm paying attention or busy with Gmail? When Councilor Rachel Siegel introduced her amendment, was the reason that Councilor Paul voted no that she was distracted checking Facebook? When I asked Councilor Tom Ayres what the score was after the game, he laughed and asked if I could really see what they were doing. Maybe if he had been paying as much attention to the debate he would have at least voted for the nonbinding request.

The whole thing had the foul stink of a dog-and-pony show, there to give the illusion of democracy while the council does whatever it intended from the start. President Joan Shannon made it clear that she didn’t want the testimony to affect anyone’s decision, threatening to censor opponents if people didn’t conform to her narrow definition of free speech and chastising Councilor Bushor for not telling her before the meeting that she was going to add an amendment. How can our government represent us when the people are systematically ignored?  Don’t we deserve better?

Ben Eastwood

Translation Needed

I live in Essex Junction and love shopping at Namaste [“Bringing Home the Bok Choy,” October 23]. It frustrates me, however, that I have no idea what most of the stuff is and how to use it. I wish they labeled the produce in English and, better yet, offered recipes. Finally, I would love it if they offered cooking classes. I bet their sales would soar!

Dawn McGinnis

Essex Junction

Whose Porch?

I read with great interest [“Is Vermont’s Front Porch Forum Moderating Civil Discussion — or Censoring Free Speech?” October 23]. The simple answer is: yes, they censor. A private citizen may unilaterally decide what to publish as well as to decide who can speak to whom. Key points to consider:

• If you are not a customer, then you are the product. FPF makes money via advertising and sells based on numbers.

• When I subscribed, I was not able to connect with neighbors I could see out my window — artificial boundaries.

• The system is not open, nor transparent, yet taxpayers are footing the bill. If bidding on government projects, they need to be more transparent on pay and policies.

• The FPF privacy policy contains the words: “A message from a member that is accepted for publication...”

• Also: “FPF does not sell its members’ email addresses to others for use in spam or bulk-email solicitations.” OK, so what exactly do they do with the email addresses? What if there’s a change of control of the company?

I consider Vermont to be my community, not just Williston, CVU district or Chittenden County. The current structure is actually creating micro-communities as well as the censorship issue. Don’t even get me started on the fact that it is using email as the delivery mechanism.

Mitch Lieberman

Geospace Age

First, I would like to thank Kathryn Flagg for writing [“Broken Records? Vermont Takes Its First Steps in the Direction of ‘Open Data,’” October 16]! I do want to point out a few things that were not included in the article. The event referred to was the Vermont Open Data Summit held on October 8 and hosted by the Vermont Center for Geographic Information. All of the people quoted were presenters or attendees at that event.

Also, Vermont was actually an early adopter of the “open data” concept, at least in relation to geospatial data. VCGI was created 20 years ago by the state to ensure that digital public mapping data would be easily accessible by public and private entities. As a result, the state has reduced duplication of effort and stimulated economic development. We hope that a wider variety of state (public) data is made accessible in coming years!

Leslie Pelch

Developer’s Mantra

[Re “Demand for Urban Housing Brings Building Projects to Burlington’s Old North End,” October 16]: The mantras of housing developers that “city regulations make it hard for builders to make even a modest profit in Burlington”; that they are “not going to make money on the inclusionary zoning units” or on “retail space”; and that they are “making just enough on the rest of the project to justify doing it” are not just boring, they are neither credible nor useful. They should be put to rest.?If developers want to be believed, and if they want — as they should — to be accepted as legitimate partners in the equitable growth of our city, they will have to move the housing costs discussion to a factual basis and work toward fair and rational solutions. If they continue to insist that costs are the problem, they should give us their data and show us their books.

Louis Mannie Lionni

A blog post about last Monday’s Burlington City Council meeting that was excerpted in the paper’s Last 7 feature [October 30] gave the impression that F-35 opponent Doug Dunbebin used his two-minute speaking opportunity to play a recording of the noise generated by the next-generation fighter plane. In fact, he spoke for two minutes and then started the recording, in defiance of time limits announced in advance by Council President Joan Shannon.


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Fresh Murray confident he can run Roger ragged on court

AFTER earning his place here in the Australian Open semi-finals for the fourth year in succession, Andy Murray said he hoped that Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would "play for four or five hours" as they fought for the right to meet him next.

The Scot almost had his wish as the Swiss and the Frenchman crossed swords for more than three and a half hours before Federer won 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.

Whether Federer's exertions will tell on him when he meets Murray today for the fourth time in Grand Slam tournaments remains to be seen.

Asked if the victory over Tsonga had taken much out of him, 31-year-old Federer replied with a smile: "I'm young, you know. I'll recover quickly."

Murray, who beat Jérémy Chardy 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 with what he regarded as his best performance of the tournament so far, should go into the semi-finals as the freshest of the four men left in the tournament.

All the top-four seeds have made it to the last four, as they did last year.

The only difference this time is that one Spaniard, David Ferrer, has replaced another in Rafael Nadal.

The Scot is the only one who has not dropped a set so far.

The only previous time when he has reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam event without conceding a set was here three years ago.

While Murray's five matches so far have kept him on court for eight hours and 55 minutes, Federer has played for 10 hours and 47 minutes.

With both semi-finals and Sunday's final to be played at night in the Rod Laver Arena, Murray's advantage may be countered by the fact that he has yet to play in the evening here this year.

Federer, in contrast, has played his last four matches under lights.

However, the weather has generally been kind to the players this year and has largely nullified any advantage from playing at night.

Murray has no complaints about the scheduling - "It's tough to make it perfect for every single player" - but attempted to redress the situation by practising last night under the lights of the Hisense Arena, the second of the show courts. He plans another evening session today.

The world No 3 rejected any suggestion that he might be at a disadvantage because he had not yet faced a severe test.

"I can't be disappointed about being in the semis of a Slam without dropping a set," he said.

"That would be silly."

Federer agreed. "I would probably rather be in his shoes," the Swiss admitted.

Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning his Quarterfinal match against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France during day ten of the 2013 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning his Quarterfinal match against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France during day ten of the 2013 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

Tomorrow's match will be Murray's 20th against Federer.

The Scot, through to his 12th Grand Slam semi-final, goes into it with a 10-9 advantage - Gilles Simon is the only other opponent he has beaten as many times - but Federer has come out on top in their three previous meetings at Grand Slam level, in the finals at the US Open (2008), Australian Open (2010) and Wimbledon (2012).

Federer has reduced Murray to tears in their last two Grand Slam meetings.

In Melbourne three years ago, after pushing Federer hard over three sets, Murray sobbed at the post-final presentation: "I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can't play like him."

At Wimbledon last summer, having won a set in a Grand Slam final for the first time at the fourth attempt, Murray wept during his on-court interview.

At first he could manage only two words: "Getting closer."

Four weeks later, however, on the same court, Murray beat Federer in the Olympic final, which is the only other occasion when they have met in a best-of-five-sets match.

Murray went on to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, beating Djokovic in the final, and has played Federer twice subsequently: the Scot came out on top in a semi-final in Shanghai, while the Swiss won at the same stage of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Murray, who is aiming to become the first man in the Open era to follow up his first Grand Slam title with victory in the next event, said he felt "a little bit calmer than usual" at this stage of the tournament following his triumphs at the Olympics and US Open.

However, he stressed: "I still have an understanding of how difficult it is to win these events. With the players that are still left in the tournament, it's going to be a very tough, tough few days if I want to do that. I'll just stay focused, work hard in my next couple of practice sessions and hope I can finish the tournament well."

Federer, who is through to his 10th successive semi-final here, admitted that his match against Tsonga could have gone either way.

The Frenchman, who knocked Federer out at the same stage at Wimbledon two years ago, levelled the match in the fourth set with some outstanding attacking play, but Federer never looked back after making the early break in the decider.

Murray had a much more straightforward victory over Chardy, beating the 25-year-old Frenchman in an hour and 50 minutes.

With a big serve and powerful forehand Chardy can be a dangerous opponent, but Murray kept him under constant pressure with the power and accuracy of his ground strokes. Murray broke serve eight times.

Chardy admitted: "I played a good match, but he was too good for me. I had a chance and I tried many things, but there was no chance for me. He was too good."