#Chicago Blower

[canadablower]

Ventilation by Exhaust Fans

An exhaust fan is a mechanical ventilation device that helps to draw out stale and impure air from your home and bring in fresh air, thereby improving the quality of indoor air. Exhaust fans are typically ducted to the exteriors of your house, through which bad indoor air can effectively be removed from your living space.

Exhaust fans are classified into various types, mainly depending on the type of mount and the location where you need to install the fans. The different types are:

Ceiling Mounted Exhaust Fans: As the name suggests, ceiling exhaust fans are those which are installed in the ceiling. Such fans expel stale air from your home upwards through the roof. The fan is connected to ducting, which is exhausted outside the home via an external vent, like a roof cap or soffit exhaust vent.

Inline Exhaust Fans: Unlike ceiling exhaust fans that are installed directly into the ceiling, inline exhaust fans are typically mounted in-between ducting, hence the name inline fan. For instance, if you wanted to ventilate an area that did not have clearance or space for a ceiling mount fan, you would make use of inline exhaust fans to ventilate such areas. The exhaust fan would be placed in between the ductwork and the stale air would travel through the ducts and ultimately be expelled from your home. Since inline fans are not mounted directly to the ceiling, they are very quiet. When installing an inline fan, to reduce noise, we recommend using an insulated flex duct that is at least eight feet long from the intake port on the ceiling to the inline fan. Inline exhaust fans are ideal for exhausting areas or rooms where you cannot, or do not wish to install the exhaust fan directly. Since these types of exhaust fans are mounted in remote areas, they are also referred to as remote mounted exhaust fans. Inline exhaust fans can either be single-port (exhausting from a single area) or multi-port (exhausting from multiple areas).

Wall Mounted Exhaust Fans: These exhaust fans are installed on walls. Since they are installed on exterior walls of the home and not on interior walls, the stale air has a direct route to the outside of your home and thus no duct work is required in installing these exhaust fans.

Combination Exhaust Fans: Exhaust fans are also available as combination units. You have the choice of a fan-light combination where the exhaust fan provides illumination as well, or heat-fan-light combination wherein you get a heater, light and ventilating fan all in a single device.

Exterior Remote Mounted Exhaust Fans: While most other exhaust fans are installed inside your home and push stale air out, exterior remote mounted fans are installed outside your home and pull out stale indoor air instead of pushing it out. The main benefit of these exhaust fans is that regardless of however noisy they are, most of the noise remains outside your home.

Kitchen Range Exhaust Fans: These fans are mounted inside the range hood over your kitchen stove. Such fans not only help to rid your kitchen of stale air but also help to expel bad odors and reduce moisture levels in your cooking area.

These several types of exhaust fans can be used for complete ventilation of your bilding including intermittent local ventilation for baths, kitchens, dryer rooms; continuous whole building ventilation, and for exhausting hard-to-air spaces such as crawl spaces, attics, and basements.

Canada Blower exhaust fans are very effective at ventilating your home and other living spaces. Without proper ventilation, the air inside your home can get filled with harmful contaminants and disease causing pathogens.

Pollutants such as pesticides, harmful gases, smoke, pet dander, lead, asbestos, dust mites, paint fumes, grease etc get released into indoor air due to daily activities such as cooking, smoking, burning fuel, bathing, renovating etc. In addition to these pollutants, activities such as bathing, cooking, and washing also release excess moisture in the air and make indoor air extremely humid. If not ventilated adequately, these added pollutants and increased moisture levels can decrease the quality of indoor air greatly, thereby leading to various problems such as:

Health problems including asthma, allergies, nose bleeds, skin rashes, headaches, nausea, and other breathing disorders. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, a large percentage of the over 20 million annual asthma cases in the US alone can be attributed to bad indoor air quality.

Split, warped and rotted furniture due to excess humidity.

Cracked and peeling paint on the walls.

Formation of fungus, mold spores, and mildew, which in turn lead to severe health problems.

Thus, by using exhaust fans to ventilate your building efficiently and completely, thereby improving indoor air quality, you can avoid of all these problems ventilating.com fanblower.com highpressureblower.net industrialblowerfan.com industrialfanblower.net industrialfanblower.com pressureblower.net northernindustrialsupplycompany.com industrialpressureblower.com tenderall.com chicagoblowercanada.com cbblower.com buffaloblower.com buffalofan.com nis-co.com canadianblower.com olegsystems.com canadablower.com abbblower.com acmefan.net industrialblower.net fansandblowers.net americanblower.net barryfan.com cincinnatifan.net canadafans.com barryfan.net.

When sizing a Canada Blower exhaust fan that does not open directly to the outside but is ducted, it is important to ensure that the exhaust fan has the capability to move stale air throughout the duct and ultimately to the outside. Here, we first need to understand what static pressure and equivalent duct length is.

Inside every duct, there is a constant pressure being exerted at any point from all directions. When an exhaust fan moves air through the duct, the air counters resistance from this pressure which is known as static pressure. Thus, an exhaust fan has to have the ability to overcome the static pressure in a duct so as to effectively duct stale air to the outside of your home. This can be done by calculating the equivalent duct length of any duct.

[vague-humanoid]

Increasingly, it is not safe to be in public, to be human, to be fallible. I’m not quoting breathless journalism about rising crime or conservative talking points about America falling into ruin. The ruin I’m thinking of isn’t in San Francisco or Chicago or at the southern border. The ruin is woven into the fabric of America. It’s seeping into all of us. All across the country, supposedly good, upstanding citizens are often fatally enforcing ever-changing, arbitrary and personal norms for how we conduct ourselves.

In Kansas City, Mo., Ralph Yarl, a Black 16-year-old, rang the wrong doorbell. He was trying to pick up his younger brothers and was simply on the wrong street, Northeast 115th Street instead of Northeast 115th Terrace, a harmless mistake. Andrew Lester, 84 and white, shot him twice and said, according to Ralph, “Don’t come around here.” Bleeding and injured, Ralph went to three different houses, according to a family member, before those good neighbors in a good, middle-class neighborhood helped him.

In upstate New York, a 20-year-old woman, Kaylin Gillis, was looking for a friend’s house in a rural area. The driver of the car she was in turned into a driveway and the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, 65, is accused of firing twice at the car and killing Ms. Gillis.

In Illinois, William Martys was using a leaf blower in his yard. A neighbor, Ettore Lacchei, allegedly started an argument with Mr. Martys and, the police say, killed him.

Two cheerleaders were shot in a Texas parking lot after one, Heather Roth, got into the wrong car. One of her teammates, Payton Washington, was also shot. Both girls survived, with injuries.

In Cleveland, Texas, a father asked his neighbor Francisco Oropesa to stop shooting his gun on his porch because his baby was trying to sleep. Mr. Oropesa walked over to the father’s house and has been charged with killing five people, including an 8-year-old boy, with an AR-15-style rifle. Two of the slain adults were found covering children, who survived.

At a Walgreens in Nashville, Mitarius Boyd suspected that Travonsha Ferguson, who was seven months pregnant, was shoplifting. Instead of calling the police, he followed Ms. Ferguson and her friend into the parking lot and, after one of the women sprayed mace in his face, according to Mr. Boyd, began firing. Ms. Ferguson was rushed to the hospital, where she had an emergency C-section and her baby was born two months early.

And sometimes there is no gun. On Monday, Jordan Neely, a Michael Jackson impersonator experiencing homelessness, was yelling and, according to some subway riders, acting aggressively on an F train in New York City. “I don’t have food, I don’t have a drink, I’m fed up,” Mr. Neely cried out. “I don’t mind going to jail and getting life in prison. I’m ready to die.” Was he making people uncomfortable? I’m sure he was. But his were the words of a man in pain. He did not physically harm anyone. And the consequence for causing discomfort isn’t death unless, of course, it is. A former Marine held Mr. Neely in a chokehold for several minutes, killing the man. News reports keep saying Mr. Neely died, which is a passive thing. We die of old age. We die in a car accident. We die from disease. When someone holds us in a chokehold for several minutes, something far worse has occurred.

A man actively brought about Mr. Neely’s death. No one appears to have intervened during those minutes to help Mr. Neely, though two men apparently tried to help the former Marine. Did anyone ask the former Marine to release Mr. Neely from his chokehold? The people in that subway car prioritized their own discomfort and anxiety over Mr. Neely’s distress. All of the people in that subway car on Monday will have to live with their apparent inaction and indifference. Now that it’s too late, there are haunting, heartbreaking images of Mr. Neely, helpless and pinned, still being choked. How does something like this happen? How does this senseless, avoidable violence happen? Truly, how? We all need to ask ourselves that question until we come up with an acceptable answer.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The Orbitron

The Orbitron is a custom car built by Ed Roth and feared lost until its rediscovery in Mexico in 2007

A second generation to Roth's original Beatnik Bandit, which was built in 1960, the Beatnik Bandit II features a one-of-a-kind fiberglass body with PPG lemon meringue pie paint, stylized Rat Fink designs on the sides, and chrome by Metal Masters of Salt Lake City, UT. 

Beatnik Bandit II includes many unique design features, including an electronic console which operates the digital instrument panel and other features such as a digital readout of the car's latitude and longitude. 

The lack of a rearview mirror is not a problem on this car. A "TV mirror" video monitor is mounted on the console with the actual camera mounted in the rear panel. The bubble top is also lifted electronically. 

Beatnik Bandit II was built entirely by Roth, who credits "Revelations from Father in Heaven" for his achievement. The car has been shown in major U. S. cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, as well as in Yokohama, Japan.

The Beatnik Bandit

Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth was an artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s The Beatnik Bandit was one of his first creations from the early 1960s. It was built from a 1949 Oldsmobile, the chassis was shortened 5 feet, the Olds engine was given the classic hotrod look with GMC blower and twin carbys, everything was chromed except the blower belt. The white interior featured single joystick, that operated turning, throttle and braking. The bubble top was created using compressed air to inflate a sheet of plastic into a dome in a pizza oven. On display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno

Mysterion

Ed Roth built the Mysterion in 1963, he got the idea from the multi engine dragsters he had seen at the dragstrips. He combined two Ford engines, two transmissions, plus two welded rear ends for the foundation. It featured an offset headlight and the typical Ed Roth bubble top. On display at Galpin Auto Sports.

The Road Agent by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

Mysterion

Custom builder and artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth completed the Mysterion in 1963. The bubbletopped custom featured a completely original fiberglass body and twin Ford big-block engines. The weight of the engines was too much for the frame to bear, and the Mysterion fell apart. Tribute versions have been built, including this precise replica from Galpin Auto Sports.

The Surfink

The Surfink, created by Mark Glaz as a tribute to Ed Roth and Ratfink, features a large Ratfink figure atop a surfboard complete with a blown V-8 engine.

The Orbitron

Built in 1964, the vehicle was powered by a 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet V8 and was backed by a Powerglide automatic transmission. The body was hand-laid fiberglass, hiding Roth's extensive chrome work to the chassis. The cockpit, set at the extreme rear of the vehicle in the manner of a dragster, was lined with fake fur and featured an 11-inch General Electric "1-Touch" portable television inserted in the console. Topping the cockpit was a custom-made, hydraulically operated Plexiglas bubble top. One of a series of ordinary doorbell push-button switches atop the hood activated the top from the outside.

Other mechanical features included a 1956 Chevrolet rear end, dropped Ford front axle beam, Buickbrake drums and early Ford brakes. The frame was handmade of rectangular 2x4 inch steel tubing. The engine was a leftover from one of Roth's 1955 Chevrolets, having been removed to make way for a then-new Mark IV big-block given to him by General Motors. It was one of the very few completed cars Roth deemed to be a "mistake" because he felt the car did not show well since the heavily chromed engine and most of the chassis were hidden. The Orbitron was, in fact, one of his few customs to have a hood. Reportedly, the hydraulically operated hood did not fit well due to rushed fiberglass work.

The vehicle's most distinctive feature was its asymmetrical front end with red, green and blue tinted headlamps. It was thought that the three beams when combined would produce an intense white light; the idea came from the then-new medium of color television.

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4069, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973582

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4066, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973591

The Baja Bandeeto

Custom car builder and renowned painter Fritz ‘Spritz By Fritz‘ Schenck recreated with his bubble top roadster; the Baja Bandeeto.

[ashiemochi]

anubussy - v

✠ Anubussy ↳ sorry, i don't want your touch ↳↳ it's not that i don't want you

➶ pairing: OC x Leon S(exy) Kennedy. ➶ genre: fluff, more angst, gore, longer smut/suggestive themes ➶ word count: no

NOTE: ✠ = time skip ✠✠ = switching povs/characters

prev -> next

When I was a kid…

The morgue was always a depressing place. Whether it had bodies or not, the name was dreadful in itself. The smell of it was just a reminder of how fragile humans can really be. 

They are all born the same, if not living different lives, and they will always end up in a place like a morgue. 

I used to think about the kind of man I’d grow up to be.

Leon made his way down the long room where his fallen comrades were zipped up in a body bag. All of his men were gone, and he was their leader. Everything was going smoothly till a whistle-blower fucked their shit up. The fact he was the only one alive ruined him on the inside even more.

Usually, he’d have someone to go to for reassurance or a sense of comfort – but for almost a year and counting, he had no one. He was left to deal with this alone once again.

Leon stared solemnly at one of the body bags, not entirely zipped. It filled him with dread and self-hatred. He should’ve been in one of those bags but alas, he had no choice. He truly hated losing his squad – anyone who was ever around him would always get hurt.

Back in Raccoon City, Marvin and hundreds and thousands of people he could’ve saved but was too late.

Luis Serra, Mike, and Jack Krauser in Spain. He failed them.

JD during the Eastern Slav Republic civil war – god, he wanted to know his actual name.

President Adam Benford during the C-Virus outbreak and all the survivors always died, in the end, no matter how hard he tried to keep them alive.

An infinite amount of lives could’ve stayed if only he was fast enough. And those who lived – Buddy and her – were left mentally scarred to no end. 

A gargled snarl took his attention away from the slightly opened body bag, snapping his eyes to the writhing bag right across from him. The sound itself inclined him to pull out his gun and shoot it; an instinct at this point.

Each shot he took was precise, azure eyes sharpening down to a glare, lips forming a faint scowl.

I never thought my life would turn out this way.

✠✠

Willis Tower Chicago, Illinois. Four months later.

“Have you seen the news lately?”

“All I do is watch the news, So Ah – you gotta be more specific.”

“Another terrorist attack,” So Ah elaborated, “But this time, it was targeted at a biotechnology university in Ontario.”

“Big surprise.”

The wind brushed against the huddled-up girl, making her shiver but she still wouldn’t look away from her phone.

For this chilly night of Autumn, she had gone for an off-white short-sleeved shirt and tucked it into a pair of high-waisted black shorts reaching her mid-thighs, being held up by a black-coloured belt. For warmth, she wore a dark denim button-up shirt – which she left undone – followed by an oversized knitted brown cardigan.

Lastly, black tights and a pair of black upper-knee-length high-heeled combat boots. 

Her black bomber jacket – having to buy a new one – was folded neatly aside. She’d change into it before she’d have to make the run for it to try and blend in with the crowd below.

She was by the edge of the tower, back against the wall, having gone down to a deep squat with her knees to her chest. 

“It’s like that bomb in Washington, remember?” So Ah asked, “Several weeks ago… And those viral attacks…”

“It’s strange. There are no traces of any virus – they just… Turn.” 

“Ugh, hate it when they do that…” So Ah shivered, lips pressed into a thin line as she tried to brush off the nagging in her head. 

Knowing who they were waiting for, she was going to make the moment worth it. Their current and final target was Charles Wilson – a medic who was in his early to mid-forties. The same man who was in charge of the creation of the tracker. 

As if it knew it was being thought about, the chip let out a mild zap in an attempt to reset and work again. She winced, hand shooting to soothe the stinging sensation in the back of her neck. Piers must’ve heard her yelp.

“Is it still doing that thing?” He asked, knowing it’s been happening ever since So Ah’s first bloodshed.

“Yeah,” She answered quietly, “They’re getting desperate.”

“With their men dying out one by one, they’re bound to be a bit on edge.” Piers pointed out.

“Good.” So Ah hummed, visibly unphased by the whole thing. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the BSAA trucks and cars surrounding the Alexander Institute of Biotechnology – the university. 

“Do you think Chris knows?” She questioned, feeling her heart starting to pound at the mere thought of her captain seeing her in this state. 

A snicker came from the other end, “Most definitely. He was the one in charge of you and your family – he’d be the first to know. He probably figured it out himself too. You can’t really run away from him, So Ah.”

She bit on the inside of her bottom lip, growing nervous. The device next to her beeped, indicating her target was within range.

“He’s here.” She informed, setting her phone aside and getting into position with her perched-up sniper.

“Let’s get this show on the road. Last one, huh?” Piers spoke his thoughts.

The Han girl stayed quiet and focused, watching Charles move through the opposite building. He was in the hallway, quite possibly heading to his office which, luckily for her, had a window facing her. It’d be an easy kill with no suspect or witnesses.

“We could try and interrogate him to find out why he planned the tracker in the first place, you know?” Piers said, subtly trying to get her to put down the gun, “He’s one of the big guys at the BSAA. Maybe he knows something useful. Like how to take the chip out.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong – but how could So Ah be sure that he would even cooperate? What if he rats them out? It was a risk she was not willing to take.

“If you’re so against what I do, why are you still helping me?” So Ah shot back, eyebrow twitching at the faint footsteps reaching her ears.

Piers seemed a bit taken aback by her tone, mimicking her sharp voice, “Because if it weren’t for me, you would’ve been caught long ago. Not to toot my horn or anything.”

A quiet shuffle made her turn her head around to peer behind her but nothing. She could feel someone was around or watching her. Might be God finally noticing her but either way; the idea of someone else being up here with her was gut-churning.

“Consider your horn tooted.” So Ah mumbled, returning her attention to Charles, magnifying the scope closer with her finger close to the trigger.

“So Ah, reconsider this.” Piers pressed on, “It won’t bring you satisfaction.”

Another sound perked her up and she straightened up, brows furrowing deeply, “Shh.”

“Did you just shush me?”

“Someone’s here.” She whispered back in a hushed tone, keeping her eyes on the spacious roof behind her. 

She hastily reached into her bag and pulled out her tactical combat dagger. The handle felt cold under her grip despite wearing her leather gloves. Slowly, she pulled herself up to her feet, opting for a silent spar, as she carefully walked forward. Her knife was up in an alarmed fashion, letting her eyes dart around for anyone.

The massive and tall white antennas made it a bit difficult to navigate around the roof. She stopped, looking over at the door leading down the stairs. It was closed and she blinked; was her mind playing tricks?

Her fear of heights was probably getting the best of her again – not to mention, tens upon tens of lives on her shoulder, she was bound to start growing a little paranoid. 

Shift.

In an instant, she threw the knife to her left. It hit and got stuck in the exterior of one of the antennas – right next to Chris’ face.

Her eyes widened, dryness taking over her throat. He hadn’t changed one bit – if anything, his eyes had grown gentler. Whether it was because it was his first time seeing her in a little less than a year or whatever, So Ah could tell he was concerned.

And quite possibly mad as fuck.

He was in his tactical suit, short-sleeved, but no gun was in sight. Okay, he wasn’t here to take her down. 

“Nice throw,” Chris mused, yanking the dagger out, “You’ve improved a lot.”

Even his voice was filled with such worry – and pure and utter ‘what the fuck are you doing with yourself’. It wasn’t easy to differentiate between them.

So Ah stayed quiet, growing anxious as she tried to think of a way to turn this around. Her weapons were on the opposite side of the roof – behind him. 

Chris followed her eyes to the perched-up sniper, giving her a look, “May I?”

It wasn’t even a question because he just went ahead to inspect her little hideout up close, kneeling. So Ah followed him but kept her distance, watching him toss her dagger onto her jacket and pick her sniper up to peek at who she was aiming at. A hum emitted from him, setting down the weapon.

“I see you’ve been busy.”

“How did you find me?” 

Chris looked up at her, “How do you think?”

He pulled his device from his pocket, showing Piers’ face – a video call. The soldier gave her an apologetic look with a smile.

“Sorry, So Ah – no hard feelings, right?”

The girl’s wide eyes twitched, understandably feeling a bit betrayed but also a little stupid – no one would ever be on her side when it came to killing people. If there was a way where she could go back and take it all back, she would. 

If she could change her future at the Green Life facility and had succeeded in sacrificing herself to take down Frederic and George, she would – but someone saved her back then.

He kept her alive.

“I’m not here to take you in, So Ah.” Chris reassured as he stood up, setting his phone back into his pocket, “You can relax.”

“Kind of hard to do so,” She retorted, her body all tense, looking around her for a moment, “Not after everything I’ve done.”

Chris gave her a firm look, “I came alone – I just wanna talk.”

So Ah pursed her lips into a thin line, eyes narrowing at him. She still held such huge respect for him – but she was so close to taking revenge on the same man who killed her the moment he implanted that chip. Then she’d be back home, safe and sound. 

Everything would be fine.

“About what?” So Ah asked; if anything, she’d try and make the run for it through the doors. If he comes close, then she’d have to put her training to good use.

Chris exhaled for a second and he started, “Why are you doing this?”

“Didn’t your little spy report everything to you?” She couldn’t help the poison in her words and Piers’ voice came through the earpiece.

“Still here, sunshine.”

“He told me enough,” Chris said, eyeing her for her side of the story.

“Then there you go.” She deflected, returning the stare but defiantly.

Not just the chip and vengeance – but what pushed her to commit bloodshed? 

There was something deep lying beneath that chip excuse and he wanted to know. He will know.

“So Ah–”

“No, Chris.” She shook her head, somehow knowing what he wanted, “I’m not going to do this right now.”

“So, when do you want to do this, huh?” Chris shot back, shoulders squaring as he glared at her, “After you kill another man? Two or three more? Or when you’d be behind bars for life? Would you want to do this then?”

So Ah slammed her mouth shut, eyebrows curling in the middle for a split second. Her tough demeanour was faltering under his eyes. Every reason within her was fighting to come out and spill everything.

Like a cat spitting out a hairball – weird analogy but it’ll do.

So Ah’s voice came out faint, avoiding his eyes as she took a small step back, “You wouldn’t understand…”

“Then help me understand!” Chris demanded in a gentle tone, trying to coax the truth out of her, “Talk to me, So Ah.”

Tears stung her cinnamons, making them seem shinier under the pale lights of the city below and the tower. She took in a shaky breath, the need to have someone to talk to was immense. 

Chris was her captain anyway. He was one of the few people who deserved to know.

“I…” She swallowed before looking at him, “You don’t know what it feels like having every step you take observed like some sort of a lab rat. Every visit to the BSAA was getting worse and worse to no end.” 

“They’d lie and say they’re checking on the status of the virus but they weren’t.” She stopped for a moment, feigning a strong facade, “They wanted to create a virus out of my own blood… They took everything from me – so I took everything from them.”

Chris remained stern, “What about their families back home? Do you think they deserve it? Does your family?” He noticed her tense up at the mention of her parents, “There isn’t a day where they don’t call to ask for updates on you.”

Her eyes widened, shoulders deflating and she whispered, “You… You told them?”

“No, they still think you’re missing.” Chris replied, ticking his head to the side once, “It’s not my job to speak for others.”

He noticed the way she let out a faint sound, relieved that they didn’t know. She was most likely afraid to see their reactions – after all, she was on a killing spree. She yearned to see them again, but at what cost?

“It’s for the best.”

His eyes hardened at this, “You and I know that’s bullshit. So Ah, you abandoned your family–”

“It’s for the goddamn best.” So Ah snapped sharply, mimicking the anger in his eyes, “I broke them the moment I failed my mission back in China. They say it isn’t my fault but I know they’re lying to keep me safe.” 

Growing visibly upset, a snarl formed on her lips as she took one step forward to enunciate her point, “Maybe it slipped your mind but I was tagged like a dog for years. I couldn’t tell anyone because they would’ve killed me – or even worse, killed my own family.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?!” Chris scolded, “I was and still am in charge of protecting you and your family!”

“Yeah, protecting,” She spat in disbelief, making him blink at her tone as she approached him, “There’s nothing you could’ve done. The government has you on a high pedestal. They expect the best from you.”

She went to move past him, sneering in her mother tongue, “Just a golden dog to them.”

Chris went quiet, watching her kneel down in front of her laid-out devices. She was shoving everything into her bag, not paying attention to her special dagger clanking on the ground.

She was understandably upset – and Chris felt like he failed the Han family. It wasn’t necessarily his fault either. The BSAA hid things from him to the point he was about to charge into HQ and demand to know the truth about everything. 

But he also knew about So Ah’s honesty – she’d never lie about something as big as this.

Not to mention, having spent enough time around the South Korean family and flying to Seoul, Chris had no choice but to pick up a few words. 

“So, what’s your plan?” Chris indulged her, gesturing around him with his arms, “Take the lives of those men and then what? You can’t go back home, So Ah. You won’t be able to see your parents and your brother. Not anymore.”

He needed her to see the consequences of her actions before they take her by full force. So Ah was strong and would do anything for the safety of her family and friends – but how far was she willing to go before she falls?

He couldn’t see So Ah’s disheartened face as she attempted to seem unphased, but the girl was aching beyond belief. Her hands were slowing down their ministrations on the duffle bag and the devices.

“Nothing is meant to last forever.” She muttered lowly, but loud enough for him to hear her.

“Nothing?” Chris repeated, incredulous at her dismissive behaviour, “You’re really throwing away Minji’s death like it’s nothing?”

Every control in her self-being snapped at the mention of her name. It shot her up to her feet and she faced him with a look of anger creeping up her features. 

“Who are you to dictate how to depict her death?!” So Ah yelled, her hands clenching hard enough to turn her knuckles white, as she accused, “Your men failed to keep her safe! And it’s my fault for ever trusting your agency to keep shit in order!”

“My men may have failed but they tried!” Chris shouted back, “They really tri–”

But he found himself interrupted by the uncharacteristic tone.

“I TRIED, CHRIS! I. TRIED!” So Ah barked loudly, roughly gesturing to herself, “I was there! You promised to keep her safe! You promised to keep my family safe!” She pointed at him, never relenting but then heaved for air, a hiccup hitching up in her throat.

A sob threatened to leave her lips, “You promise to keep me safe…”

Chris stared speechlessly at her outburst, lips parting but nothing came out. Her body was shaking all over and he could see that same girl back in the facility of Green Life during the H-Outbreak.

An axe in hand with a look of helplessness as she’d run almost aimlessly – anything to find her parents. She never wanted any of this yet, she chose to stay on this side of the world for the sake of keeping her family safe from the grief of all the lives they had indirectly caused.

So Ah was back to being lost – again.

“So Ah…” Chris stepped forward, voice dropping a tone, “I’m–”

“Forget it. I’m not coming with you.” So Ah gulped as she sniffled, wiping away her tears quickly and she turned around to finish packing, voice croaking, “Not this time. Not ever.”

Her shaking hand picked up her dagger, finding memories oozing from it. The BSAA operator watched her hesitate, midnight eyes dropping down to her blade. 

“What about Leon?” 

She froze at the sound of his name and a bingo went off in Chris’s head. 

“He’s still searching for you.” He continued, “He doesn’t give a damn about anything else but to have you back home… And he’s a goddamn mess.”

So Ah looked at him over her shoulder. There was wariness moulded with softness in her doe eyes, her heart already skipping beats. Her ring made its presence more apparent on her skin and her curiosity got the best of her.

“What… What do you mean?”

Chris sighed, folding his arms against his chest, “That viral attack at the academy? It was orchestrated by Glenn Arias – I’ve been tracking him down for four months now.”

“... Glenn Arias?” Her eyes visibly widened and she stood up to face him, dagger in hand, “... He’s–”

“I know. Piers told me.” Chris assured, aware of the H-Virus, “We figured that the strain has similar qualities to that of the Plaga in Los Illuminados.”

“Leon got intel about it that we need. I’m assuming he told you about his mission in Spain to save the president’s daughter?” He received a nod and he ended, “I want you to join me.”

“I don’t see why I’m needed.” So Ah said, confused. 

“If he’ll listen to anyone, it’s you.” Chris revealed.

Nervousness filled her veins at the mere thought of seeing him for the first time – letting him see her. She left without any note but that last call before it dropped. A bullet had hit her phone, taking her only form of communication. 

She could only imagine the emotional turmoil she left on him. Each night was a constant fight to not call him, severely anxious that her call might get traced. Seeing him would be too risky and she’d spend nights sobbing into her pillow, muffling her crying out his name.

If anyone could die of heartbreak, it’d be her.

“... After what I’ve done?” She whispered guiltily, “To him?”

Chris nodded, “You’d be surprised.”

She was unsure, her eyes set on the dagger in her hands, fingertips brushing the curvature of the polished marble. To see him or even just hear his honeyed voice, it was a dream. 

But this wasn't the reunion she dreamt of. Arias was out there attacking universities or something – she didn’t know the full story yet. This was to save people.

Again.

Chris could tell she was close to being convinced, taking a step towards her with a tender voice. 

“So Ah, I’m not asking you as your captain. I’m asking you as your friend.” He said lowly, “If we don’t do anything, Arias’ plan would wipe out millions of lives.”

So Ah trailed her eyes up to him and then over her shoulders to where Charles was. After close to a year of killing and interrogating for information, she was torn about whether to drop her mission and go be the DSO agent the people wanted her to be or cross that last name on the list.

By people, her squad at the agency and the agents she had befriended on the way; Sherry Birkin and Helena Harper.

Chris’s voice took her attention away from the man, “Let me do what I was assigned to do. We’ll take him into custody and provide proof of everything that he and the others have done to you.”

So Ah didn’t look at him, remorse evident in her avoiding eyes, “Am I… Am I gonna go to jail? For…”

“I’ll see to it that you don’t.” Chris reassured, urging her to look at him, “Trust me, So Ah.”

The walls she had put up crumbled. Out of all the BSAA operators she had met, Chris was one of a kind. He was willing to keep his whole team safe, treating them like family. Sure, she had been handpicked by President Benford himself to be transferred to the DSO – but he still saw her as part of his team.

And it showed.

So Ah finally did, turning her back on her own immoral mission. If Leon trusted Chris then so could she.

“Okay…” She breathed out, “I’ll come with you.”

Chris didn’t hide his relieved toothy smile as he nodded, bringing up his index and middle finger to his earpiece, “Alright. Bring it around.”

A massive aircraft flew up, bright lights flashing on our two characters. So Ah stiffened at the sight of it, hair quivering up in the air as she stumbled back at the wind caused by the propellers. 

Her anxious thoughts were quick to think this was a trap all along. She looked over at Chris, warily. 

“I thought you said you came alone!” She spoke loudly over the sound of the aircraft. 

“I did!” Chris gave her a mildly amused look, “I told them to stay put but they didn’t listen!”

A familiar voice came from within the aircraft, connecting to her earpiece, and she could just sense the cheeky grin on his face.

“We learned from the best, Mija.”

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

LIONEL HAMPTON, ROI DU VIBRAPHONE "Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating. I've always been crazy about playing. Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things. Playing gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty kid. I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting better on drums, vibes and piano."

- Lionel Hampton

Né le 20 avril 1908 à Louisville, au Kentucky, Lionel Hampton avait été élevé par sa mère Gertrude. Il n’avait presque pas connu son père, Charles Hampton, un pianiste et chanteur prometteur qui avait été déclaré mort sur le champ de bataille après avoir été porté disparu pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.

Peu après sa naissance, Hampton était déménagé avec sa mère dans sa ville natale de Birmingham, en Alabama, mais il avait surtout grandi à Kenosha, au Wisconsin. Hampton avait fréquenté la Holy Rosary Academy, située près de Kenosha, où une soeur dominicaine lui avait donné ses premières leçons de batterie. La famille Hampton est déménagée à Chicago en 1916. Pendant sa jeunesse, Lionel avait été membre du Bud Billiken Club, un club rival des Scouts.

Hampton était adolescent lorsqu’il avait commencé à jouer de la batterie. Il avait aussi pris des cours de xylophone de Jimmy Bertrandt. Élevé dans la religion catholique, Lionel avait commencé à jouer du fifre (une sorte de flûte traversière s’apparentant au piccolo) et de la batterie à la Holy Rosary Académie située près de Chicago. Il jouait également du piano (avec seulement deux doigts), en plus de chanter à l’occasion. DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE À l’âge de quinze ans, Hampton venait tout juste de terminer ses études secondaires lorsqu’il était parti à Los Angeles pour aller jouer avec les Sharps and Flats de Red Spike. Avant son départ, sa grand-mère lui avait fait promettre de continuer de réciter ses prières à chaque jour.

Hampton avait ensuite joué de la batterie pour le Chicago Defender Newboys’ Band dirigé par le major N. Clark Smith. C’est lors de son séjour avec ce groupe que Lionel avait commencé à jouer du vibraphone et du marimba.

Pendant qu’il vivait à Chicago, Hampton avait assisté à un concert de Louis Armstrong au Vendome. Hampton avait raconté plus tard que le public était devenu fou lorsque Armstrong avait fait son premier solo. Lionel s’était installé en Californie en 1927, afin de jouer de la batterie avec les Dixieland Blues-Blowers.

Hampton avait fait ses débuts sur disque en 1929 avec les Quality Serenaders de Paul Howard. Il avait par la suite quitté Culver City afin de jouer de la batterie avec le groupe de Les Hite au Sebastian’s Cotton Club. L’une des marques de commerce de Hampton comme batteur était son habileté à jongler avec ses bâtons sans jamais rater une mesure. C’est à cette époque que Hampton avait commencé à jouer du vibraphone.

En 1930, Louis Armstrong s’était rendu en Californie et avait engagé le groupe de Les Hite pour l’accompagner en concert et dans ses enregistrements. Un jour, Armstrong avait demandé à Hampton de jouer sur un vibraphone qui avait été oublié par inadvertance dans le studio. Hampton racontait: "Louis said, 'Do you know how to play it?' I said, 'Yeah, I can play it.' It had the same keyboard as the xylophone, and I was familiar with that."

Armstrong avait particfulièrement été impressionné par le jeu de Hampton après que celui-ci ait reproduit un de ses solos au vibraphone. C’est ainsi que la carrière de vibraphoniste de Hampton avait débuté. Surnommé ‘’Hamp’’ et ‘’King of the Vibes’’, Hampton avait d’ailleurs enregistré avec Armstrong les deux premiers solos de vibraphone de l’histoire sur les pièces ‘’Memories of you’’ et ‘’Shine.’’ C’est ainsi que le vibraphone était devenu le principal instrument de Hampton.

Inventé dix ans auparavant, le vibraphone était essentiellement un xylophone pourvu de barres métalliques, d’une pédale et de résonnateurs.

Même si Red Norvo est considéré comme le premier musicien de jazz à avoir joué du vibraphone, c’est Hampton qui lui avait donné ses lettres de noblesse en en faisant un instrument à part entière, notamment dans les plus petites formations.

Tout en travaillant avec le groupe de Les Hite, Hampton collaborait à l’occasion avec l’orchestre de Nat Shilkret.

Au début des années 1930, Hampton était allé étudier la musique à l’University of Southern California (USC), même s’il ne semble pas que ce séjour se soit étendu sur une longue période. Hampton avait payé ses études en travaillant comme barman.

Hampton avait formé son propre orchestre en 1934. Deux ans plus tard, Hamptin avait joué dans le film de Bing Cosby ‘’Pennies From Heaven’’ aux côtés de Louis Armstrong (dans une de ses scènes, il jouait de la batterie tout en portant un masque).

En novembre 1936, l’orchestre de Benny Goodman était venu à Los Angeles pour jouer au Palomar Ballroom. Lorsque le producteur John Hammond avait emmené Goodman à un des concerts d’Hampton, il avait été tellement impressionné qu’il avait invité le vibraphoniste à se joindre à son trio formé du pianiste Teddy Wilson et du batteur Gene Krupa. En fait, le trio et le quartet de Goodman avaient fait partie des premiers groupes de jazz mixtes de l’histoire. Hampton expliquait: "Working with Benny was important for me and for black musicians in general. Black and white players hadn't appeared together in public before Teddy Wilson and I began working with B.G. I feel honored to have been a part of that dramatic change."

Avec Goodman, Hampton avait enregistré de grands classiques comme ‘’Dinah’’, ‘’Moonglow’’ ‘’My Last Affair’’ et ‘’Exactly Like You.’’ Durant son séjour de près de quatre ans avec Goodman, Hampton était devenu une véritable institution dans le monde du jazz en raison de sa vivacité de bout-en-train, de son charisme communicatif, de sa personalité colorée et de ses idées novatrices. Hampton avait même temporairement remplacé Gene Krupa comme batteur lorsque celui-ci avait quitté le groupe en 1938.

Hampton était demeuré assez longtemps avec Goodman pour participer au célèbre concert de Carnegie Hall en 1938, et pour faire partie du nouveau sextet du clarinettiste avec le pionnier de la guitare électrique Charlie Christian.

De 1937 à 1939, Hampton avait dirigé une série de sessions avec de grandes vedettes du jazz comme Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Nat Cole, Cootie Williams, Harry James, Red Allen, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie et Charlie Christian. Les enregistrements réalisés sous sa direction sont aujourd’hui devenus des classiques du jazz. Sur ces enregistrements, Hampton jouait surtout du vibraphone, mais aussi du piano et de la batterie. Ces enregistrements avaient aussi permis de démontrer que malgré son tempérament extraverti, Hampton pouvait interpréter des balades avec sensibilité et délicatesse.

Pendant qu’Hampton travaillait avec Goodman à New York, il avait fait des enregistrements avec plusieurs petits groupes connus sous l’appellation générique de Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Il avait également collaboré avec de petites formations créées à même l’orchestre de Goodman.

En 1940, Hampton avait finalement décidé de quitter Goodman afin de former son propre groupe. L’orchestre de Hampton comprenait alors de futurs grands noms du jazz comme Wes Montgomery, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Cleveland et Cat Anderson. On retrouvait au chant Joe Williams, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter et Aretha Franklin.

Parmi les musiciens de l’orchestre de Hampton, certains s’étaient particulièrement distingués. Le guitariste Billy Mackel s’était joint à l’orchestre en 1944 et avait continué de jouer et d’enregistrer avec Hampton presque sans interruption jusqu’à la fin des années 1970.

Le nouvel orchestre n’avait d’ailleurs pas tardé à s’établir comme une formation majeure durant les années 1940 et le début des années 1950. Le troisième enregistrement de l’orchestre en 1942 contenait une version de ‘’Flying Home’’ dans laquelle le saxophoniste Illinois Jacquet jouait un solo qui annonçait le futur Rhythm & blues. Même si Hampton avait déjà enregistré ‘’Flying Home’’ sous son propre nom avec une petite formation en 1940 pour les disques Victor, sa version la plus connue était celle qu’il avait enregistrée avec son big band sur étiquette Decca le 26 mai 1942, sur un arrangement du pianiste Milt Buckner. De fait, l’enregistrement sur 78-tours avait connu un tel succès qu’il avait incité Hampton à enregistrer une nouvelle version de la pièce en 1944, cette fois avec Arnett Cobb comme soliste. Parmi les autres succès du groupe dans les années 1940, on remarquait ‘’Hamp’s Boogie Woogie’’, ‘’Midnight Sun’’, ‘’Million Dollar Smile’’ et ‘’Central Avenue Breakdown.’’

En 1947, Hampton avait interprété le standard ‘’Stardust’’ lors d’un concert ‘’Just Jazz’’ organisé par le producteur Gene Norman, et qui mettait aussi en vedette le chanteur Charlie Shavers et le contrebassiste Slam Stewart. Le spectacle avait plus tard été mis en marché par les disques Decca. Plus tard, l’étiquette de Norman, les disques GNP, avaient rendu publiques les autres pièces du concert.

Lionel Hampton n’était pas demeuré insensible au développement du bebop. Contrairement à certains musiciens plus traditionalistes, il avait tenté de se faire un allié du nouveau mouvement en intégrant les influences bebop à certains de ses arrangements. Cependant, le naturel était vite revenu au galop, et Hampton était retourné à son ancien style axé sur le rhythm n’ blues dans les années 1950.

C’est aussi durant les années 1950 que Hampton avait réalisé deux de ses plus célèbres enregistrements, ‘’September in the Rain’’ (1953) et ‘’Stardust’’ (1955), sur lesquels on pouvait retrouver certains de ses meilleurs solos. LA MATURITÉ Hampton était aussi un participant régulier aux concerts de la Cavalcade of Jazz qui étaient organisés annuellement au stade Wrigley Field de Los Angeles, et qui étaient produits par Leon Hefflin Sr.

Hampton avait participé pour la première fois à la Cavalcade lors de la seconde présentation de l’événement tenue le 12 octobre 1946, qui mettait également en vedette Jack McVea, Slim Gaillard, T-Bone Walker, the Honeydrippers et Louis Armstrong. La cinquième édition de la Cavalcade avait été tenue en deux temps. Un premier concert avait été présenté à Wrigley Field le 10 juillet 1949, tandis que le second avait eu lieu le 3 septembre de la même année au Lane Field de San Diego. Betty Carter, Jimmy Witherspoon, Buddy Banks, Smiley Turner et Big Jay McNeely avaient accompagné Hampton pour l’occasion.

Le 25 juin 1950, la participation de Hampton à la 6e Cavalcade du Jazz avait failli tourner à l’émeute. Hampton était en train de parader sur le terrain avec son orchestre en jouant la pièce ‘’Flying High’’ lorsque l’assistance, estimée à environ 14 000 personnes, était devenue incontrôlable, et s’était mise à lancer toutes sortes d’objets dans le stade. Dinah Washington, Roy Milton, PeeWee Crayton, Lillie Greenwood, Tiny Davis and Her Hell Divers participaient également au concert. Hampton avait pris part à sa dernière Cavalcade du Jazz le 24 juillet 1955 lors de la 11e édition de l’événement qui mettait en vedette Big Jay McNeely, The Medallions, The Penguins et James Moody.

Du milieu des années 1940 jusqu’au début des années 1950, Hampton avait dirigé un groupe de rhythm n’ blues dont les enregistrements mettaient en vedette de nombreux jeunes musiciens qui avaient eu plus tard des carrières significatives. On remarquait parmi ceux-ci le contrebassiste Charles Mingus, le saxophoniste Johnny Griffin, le guitariste Wes Montgomery, la chanteuse Dinah Washington et le chanteur ‘’Little’’ Jimmy Scott. On retrouvait aussi dans le groupe des musiciens établis comme Dizzy Gillespie, Cat Anderson, Kenny Dorham, Snooky Young, Jimmy Cleveland, Jerome Richardson et Curtis Lowe. En 1953, l’orchestre de Lionel Hampton était parti en tournée en Europe. Le groupe comprenait à l’époque Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Anthony Ortega, Mont Montgomery, George Wallington, Art Farmer, Quincy Jones et la chanteuse Annie Ross.

Hampton avait continué d’enregistrer avec de petits groupes et de participer à des jam sessions durant les années 1940 et 1950, notamment avec Oscar Peterson, Buddy DeFranco et plusieurs autres. En 1955, pendant qu’il se trouvait en Californie pour le tournage du film ‘’The Benny Goodman Story’’, Hampton avait enregistré avec Stan Getz. Il avait aussi fait deux albums avec Art Tatum. En 1968, Hampton s’était produit avec Louis Armstrong et la chanteuse italienne Lara Saint-Paul au Sanremo Music Festival en Italie. Le concert avait causé toute une sensation auprès du public italien et s’était terminé sur une jam session. La même année, Hampton avait été décoré par le pape Paul VI.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES ET DÉCÈS

Dans les années 1960, Hampton avait décidé de lancer sa propre maison de disques (il en avait fondé une seconde en 1977-78). Il avait également fait de longues tournées en Europe, en Afrique, au Japon et dans les Philippines. À l’époque, Hampton vivait sur sa réputation et avait cessé depuis longtemps de se renouveler. Hampton s’était concentré sur les valeurs sûres et se contentait de jouer ce qui avait fait son succès au début de sa carrière. Hampton avait également participé à de nombreuses réunions avec le quartet de Benny Goodman, plus particulièrement en 1973 lors du Festival de jazz de Newport, quelques mois avant la mort de Gene Krupa.

À partir de février 1984, Hampton avait commencé à se produire au festival de jazz annuel de l’Université de l’Idaho. Ce dernier avait d’ailleurs été rebaptisé le Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival l’année suivante. En 1987, l’école de musique de l’Université de l’Idaho avait été renommée École de musique Lionel Hampton. C’était la première fois qu’un musicien de jazz se méritait un tel honneur. Durant la majeure partie des années 1980, l’orchestre de Hampton était formé de Thomas Chapin, Paul Jeffrey, Frankie Dunlop, Arvell Shaw, John Colianni, Oliver Jackson et George Duvivier.

En janvier 1997, même si un incendie qui s’était déclaré dans son appartement avait détruit ses trophées et la plus grande partie de ses biens, Hampton s’en était miraculeusement tiré indemne.

Véritable force de la nature, Hampton attirait toujours des salles combles à travers le monde jusqu’à ce qu’une attaque survenue à la salle Bobino de Paris en 1991 l’empêche de terminer un concert. Cet incident, conjugué à des années d’arthrite chronique, l’avait contraint à réduire considérablement le nombre de ses performances. Confiné dans un fauteuil roulant depuis 1995, Hampton avait cependant continué de donner des concerts. Le gérant du marketing Jim Catalano se rappelait avoir vu Hampton jouer en 2001 au Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival de Moscow, en Idaho. Catalano avait déclaré: "What an event. Several thousand kids participate and they bring in the top jazz artists from around the world to perform. Even at the age of 93, Lionel was able to play his famous 'Midnight Sun' along with his jazz orchestra."

Hampton avait présenté son dernier concert au Smithsonian National Museum of America History en 2001, quelques mois avant sa mort.

Lionel Hampton est mort le 21 août 2002 au Mount Sinai Hospital de New York, à la suite d’une attaque cardiaque. Il était âgé de quatre-vint-quartorze ans. Hampton a été inhumé au Woodlawn Cemetery, dans le Bronx. Ses funérailles ont eu lieu le 7 septembre 2002, et comprenaient une performance de Wynton Marsalis et du Gully Low Jazz Band de David Ostwald à l’église Riverside de Manhattan. La procession funéraire avait débuté devant le mythique Cotton Club de Harlem.

Le 11 novembre 1936, Hampton avait épousé Gladys Riddle à Yuma, en Arizona. Excellente femme d’affaires, Gladys avait été la gérante de Hampton durant la majeure partie de sa carrière. Plusieurs musiciens se plaisaient à déclarer que si Hampton dirigeait la musique, c’était Gladys qui gérait les affaires. Gladys est décédée en 1977. Le couple n’avait pas eu d’enfants.

POSTÉRITÉ

Dans les années 1950, Hampton avait développé un grand intérêt pour le judaïsme et avait commencé à recueillir des fonds pour Israël. En 1953, Hampton avait composé une suite en l’honneur du roi David qu’il avait présentée par la suite en Israël avec le Boston Pops Orchestra. Plus tard, Hampton était devenu membre de l’Église de Scientologie. Il était également membre des Francs-maçons.

Doté d’une très grande conscience sociale, Hampton avait fondé la Lionel Hampton Development Corporation, une organisation qui avait pour but de favoriser la construction de logements sociaux pour les démunis. Les premiers projets de construction de la corporation avaient été lancés dans les années 1960 avec l’érection des Lionel Hampton Houses à Harlem. Le projet avait été rendu possible grâce au soutien du gouverneur républicain Nelson Rockfeller. L’épouse de Lionel, Gladys, était également impliquée dans des projets de construction à son propre nom, les Gladys Hampton Houses. Dans les années 1980, Hampton avait développé un autre projet de construction à Newark, au New Jersey, sous le nom de Hampton Hills.

Opposé à la ségrégation raciale, Hampton était aussi un grand défenseur de Nelson Mandela et de Malcolm X.

Républicain convaincu, Hampton avait été élu comme élu comme délégué dans plusieurs conventions du parti. Il avait aussi été vice-président du New York Republican County Committee durant plusieurs années. Il était également membre de la New York City Human Rights Commission. Hampton avait aussi été directeur des Événements spéciaux lors de la campagne de réélection du président Gerald Ford en 1976. Au cours de sa vie, Hampton a fait don d’environ 300 000$ au Parti républicain. En 1996, Hampton avait finalement décidé d’appuyer la candidature démocrate de Bill Clinton et d’Al Gore, en ajoutant que s’il avait appuyé les Républicains jusque-là, c’était parce que c’était le parti d’Abraham Lincoln, mais que celui-ci ne représentait plus les modérés comme lui depuis longtemps.

L’implication politique de Hampton ne datait pas d’hier. Dans les années 1960, le président Dwight Eisenhower l’avait nommé ambassadeur de bonne volonté dans le cadre de ses tourn.es autour du monde. Dans les années 1990, le président George Bush l’avait nommé à la direction du Kennedy Center.

Lionel Hampton a remporté de nombreux honneurs au cours de sa longue carrière. Lauréat d’un Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award remis à titre posthume en 2001, il avait également obtenu un Harlem Jazz and Music Festival’s Legend Award en 1996. La même année, Hampton avait été admis à l’International Jazz Hall of Fame. En 2002, le Kentucky Music Hall of Fame lui avait remis le Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Hampton a obtenu quinze doctorats honorifiques de différentes universités à travers le monde, dont trois doctorats en musique de l’Université Harvard (1978), de l’University of Southern California (1983) et du New England Conservatory of Music (1993).

Lionel Hampton a également une étoile sur le Hollywood Walk of Fame depuis 1981. Il a été intronisé au sein du Jazz Hall of Fame Award en 1984. Lauréat d’un Hall of Fame Award de la National Association of Jazz Educators en 1987, la carrière de Hampton avait été couronnée par la remise d’un National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship en 1988. Admis au Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame en 1992, Hampton a également été élu commissaire honoraire des Droits civiques en 1995. La même année, le président Bill Clinton lui avait décerné la National Medal of Arts. L’un des vibraphones de Lionel Hampton fait aujourd’hui partie de la collection du Musée National d'Histoire Américain.

Lorsqu’on demandait à Hampton quelle était sa philosophie musicale, il déclarait simplement: "Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating. I've always been crazy about playing. Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things. Playing gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty kid. I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting better on drums, vibes and piano."

Lionel Hampton a composé plus de 200 pièces au cours de sa carrière, que ce soit à titre de compositeur ou d’arrangeur. Hampton a aussi influencé plusieurs musiciens de jazz. Le vibaphoniste Milt Jackson du Modern Jazz Quartet avait déclaré à son sujet: "Lionel Hampton inspired me to play the vibraphone. He was the first one of note to play it, but more important, I liked how dynamic he was. And the way he blended with groups and the way he played in front of a band were inspirational." Quant au vibrationiste Gary Burton, il affirmait: "I always think of Hamp as the guy who really got us established.’’ Dans une autre entrevue, Burton avait précisé:

"I saw Hampton when I was about 12 years old. He was playing at the Evansville (Indiana) Armory for a dance. Since I couldn't go in the evening when they would be serving alcohol, my father took me down there in the afternoon, thinking we might run into the band. Sure enough, they were doing a soundcheck and setup. My father told Hamp that I played the vibraphone, and Hamp was really gracious. He asked me to play, so I played a standard tune or blues in F or whatever, and Hamp had the band join in and play with me."

© 2023-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique. SOURCES: ‘’Lionel Hampton.’’ Wikipedia, 2022. ‘’Lionel Hampton, American Musician.’’ Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023. MATTINGLY, Rick. ‘’Lionel Hampton.’’ Encyclopedia Universalis, 2023.

[cleanairductprofessionals]

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[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.8 (after 1960)

1962 – Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, and is soon accused of treason. 1967 – Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. 1969 – The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago. 1970 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature. 1973 – Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions. 1973 – Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule. 1974 – Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States. 1978 – Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia. 1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions. 1982 – After its London premiere, Cats opens on Broadway and runs for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000. 1990 – First Intifada: Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock. 1991 – Upon the expiration of the Brioni Agreement, Croatia and Slovenia sever all official relations with Yugoslavia. 2001 – A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people. 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security. 2005 – The 7.6 Mw  Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless. 2014 – Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies. 2016 – In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900. 2017 – A series of fires break out across Northern California, including the 2nd most destructive wildfire in California history. 2019 – About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland. 2020 – Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha. 2023 – The 2023 Israel–Hamas war is declared following the Hamas attack the day prior.

[balderdashboard]

I can't help but think king midas would work so well for Nevada. He goes in thinking las Vegas and ends up with desert.

Rapunzel has gotta be set in a skyscraper city and Chicago would be cool mainly so that the boy who cried wolf could be a whistle-blower on wall street

Ugly duckling I imagine would be some sort of beauty pageant thing...Alabama?

And finally, I'm bad at geography but stone soup has got to be set somewhere in the rockies

Okay, odd question: If you were going to adapt potentially up to 50 fairy tales of your choice, moving the action to the United States, but were supposed to set only one story in each state (doing that fairy-tale-shared-universe thing where each story takes place in a different kingdom in the same world, and then treating states like kingdoms), what are some stories you would chose to pair with particular states?

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

BUD FREEMAN, PAS COLEMAN HAWKINS MAIS...

Né le 13 avril 1906 à Austin, une banlieue de Chicago, en Illinois, Lawrence "Bud" Freeman avait commencé à s’intéresser au jazz sous l’influence de groupes comme le Original Dixieland Jazz Band, les New Orleans Rhythm Kings, et surtout le Creole Jazz Band de King Oliver qui mettait en vedette à l’époque Louis Armstrong et Johnny Dodds. Freeman avait d’ailleurs assisté à des performances du Creole Jazz Band au Lincoln Gardens avec McPartland.

En 1922, Freeman avait fondé avec ses camarades de classe un groupe appelé le Austin High School Gang. C’est dans le cadre de ce groupe que Freeman avait commencé à jouer du C-melody saxophone, un instrument dont la taille et la sonorité se situait entre le saxophone alto et le saxophone ténor. Freeman était passé au ténor en 1925. Plusieurs des membres du groupe étaient devenus plus tard des musiciens de jazz importants, dont le trompettiste Jimmy McPartland, le banjoïste et guitariste Eddie Condon, les clarinettistes Frank Teschemacher et Benny Goodman, le contrebassiste Jim Lannigan et les batteurs Gene Krupa, George Wettling  et Dave Tough.  À la même époque, Freeman avait également travaillé avec les Wolverines de Husk O’Hare, Bix Beiderbecke et Frankie Trumbauer.

En plus de jouer du saxophone ténor, Freeman excellait également à la clarinette. Le style doux de Freeman combiné à un profond sens du swing était considéré à l’époque comme une alternative à la tonalité plus rude de Coleman Hawkins. Très influencés par les New Orleans Rhythm Kings et Louis Armstrong, les membres du Austin High School Gang avaient progressivement bâti leur propre style basé sur celui de l’école de Chicago.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après s’être installé à New York en 1927, Freeman avait travaillé comme musicien de studio tout en collaborant avec de grands noms du jazz de l’époque comme Red Nichols, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack et Joe Venuti. Freeman avait fait ses débuts sur disque les 8 et 16 décembre 1927 en enregistrant quatre pièces avec les McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans, qui comprenait également McPartland, Teschemacher, Sullivan, Condon, Lannigan et Krupa.

Au cours de la même période, Freeman avait brièvement joué avec le groupe de Ben Pollack aux côtés de Goodman et McPartland. Freeman avait enregistré deux pièces avec le groupe avant de faire un séjour de quelques mois en Europe avec le batteur Dave Tough. À son retour à Chicago, Freeman avait entregistré avec Wingy Manone avant de diriger sa première session d’enregistrement. La session avait donné lieu à la publication de la version originale de son succès “Crazeology” ainsi que de la pièce “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man.”

Après être retourné à New York, Freeman avait travaillé à son compte durant quelques années, collaborant notamment avec Irving Mills dans un groupe qui comprenait le clarinettiste Pee Wee Russell et le tromboniste Jack Teagarden. À la même époque, Freeman avait également collaboré avec les Louisiana Rhythm Kings, Benny Goodman, Red Nichols, les Cellar Boys, Hoagy Carmichael, Bix Beiderbecke, les Mound City Blue Blowers (aux côtés de Coleman Hawkins et Fats Waller), le Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, Jack Teagarden, Chick Bullock et Joe Venuti.

Freeman avait livré une de ses plus remarquables performances de l’époque sur un enregistrement de 1933 d’Eddie Condon intitulé ‘’The Eel’’. Freeman avait d’ailleurs été surnommé ‘’The Eel’’’ en référence à ses longues improvisations. Après avoir joué avec de petits groupes dans le cadre de collaborations avec Adrian Rollini, Mezz Mezzrow et Wingy Manone en 1934, Freeman, qui n’appréciait pourtant pas tellement de se produire avec des big bands, avait joué avec les orchestres de Joe Haymes (1934-35), Ray Noble (1935), Tommy Dorsey (1936-38) et Benny Goodman (1938). 

Freeman avait particulièrement apprécié son séjour dans l’orchestre de Dorsey, où il avait été très apprécié comme soliste. Mais Freeman avait détesté son passage dans le groupe de Goodman où il avait souvent eu l’impression d’être un simple numéro et d’avoir été un peu trop pris pour acquis. Lorsque Freeman avait finalement quitté l’orchestre de Goodman en 1938, il s’était juré de ne plus jamais travailler avec un big band.

Beaucoup plus à l’aise comme soliste, Freeman avait participé le 4 décembre 1935 à une session mettant en vedette un sextet comprenant Bunny Berigan et Eddie Condon. En 1938, Freeman avait réalisé un de ses meilleurs enregistrements dans le cadre d’une session en trio pour les disques Commodore. Parmi les pièces enregistrées par le trio qui comprenait Jess Stacy au piano et George Wettling à la batterie, on remarquait des versions de “You Took Advantage Of Me”, “I Got Rhythm”, “At Sundown” et “My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms.” Le batteur Wettling avait particulièrement excellé au cours de la session. Outre sa collaboration avec le trio, Freeman avait été une des vedettes du groupe Windy City Seven d’Eddie Condon avec qui il avait participé à deux sessions mémorables pour Commodore qui avaient permis d’enregistrer les pièces “Love Is Just Around The Corner” et “Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland.” À la même époque, Freeman avait également collaboré à une session de Condon avec la chanteuse Billie Holiday et fait une apparition sur l’émission de radio de Martin Block avec un groupe tout-étoile composé de Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden et Fats Waller.

Après avoir quitté le groupe de Goodman, Freeman avait fondé son propre groupe, le Summa Cum Laude Orchestra, qui était demeuré en activité de 1939 à 1940. Le groupe de huit musiciens comprenait Max Kaminsky à la trompette, Brad Gowans au trombone, Pee Wee Russell à la clarinette et Eddie Condon à la guitare et au banjo. En plus d’avoir participé à plusieurs sessions d’enregistrement avec le groupe, Freeman avait également collaboré à d’autres sessions dirigées par Condon.

Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Freeman avait dirigé un groupe de l’armée dans les îles Aléutiennes, ce qui l’avait malheureusement empêché de participer aux célèbres concerts de Condon à Town Hall.

Après sa démobilisation en 1945, Freeman était retourné à New York et avait dirigé ses propres groupes, tout en maintenant d’étroites relations avec les groupes de Condon et en collaborant avec des formations de type ‘’mainstream’’ comme celle de Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff, Vic Dickenson et Jo Jones. De 1945 à 1955, Freeman avait dirigé à la fois ses propres groupes et enchaîné les collaborations avec des musiciens comme Condon, Muggsy Spanier, Bing Crosby, Wingy Manone, Will Bradley, George Wettling, Louis Armstrong (avec qui il avait enregistré quatre pièces avec les All-Stars en 1954) et même la chanteuse Sophie Tucker.

Bien que John Coltrane et Elvin Jones s’étaient rendus célèbres en enregistrant de longs duos ténor-batterie dans les années 1960, on oublie souvent que le premier duo saxophone-batterie avait été enregistré par Freeman et le batteur Ray McKinley dans le cadre de la pièce “The Atomic Era” en 1945. Freeman était d’ailleurs retourné périodiquement vers ce format au cours des trente années suivantes.

De 1955 à 1960, Freeman avait continué de diriger des sessions pour différentes compagnies de disques comme Grand Award, Bethlehem, Stere-o-craft, Swingville et Dot. Parallèlement, Freeman avait continué de participer à des sessions dirigées par Condon, Wettling, Pee Wee Russell, Bob Crosby, Art Hodes et Jimmy McPartland. Il s’était aussi produit avec les Newport All Stars de George Wein dans le cadre du festival du même nom. En 1957, Freeman avait également retrouvé plusieurs de ses anciens collaborateurs dans le cadre de l’album ‘’Chicago/Austin High School Jazz In Hi-Fi.’’ En 1960, Freeman avait aussi écrit le livret et les chansons de la comédie musicale de Broadway ‘’Beg, Borrow or Steal’’, qui comprenait la ballade "Zen Is When", qui avait été enregistrée plus tard par le quartet de Dave Brubeck sur l’album ‘’Jazz Impressions of Japan’’ (1964).

Même si les années 1960 avaient été particulièrement difficiles pour les musiciens de swing, Freeman avait continué à tirer ses marrons du feu. Freeman avait notamment participé en 1961 à une émission spéciale de télévision intitulée Chicago And All That Jazz qui comprenait des retrouvailles avec des pionniers du jazz de Chicago des années 1920. En 1962, Freeman avait collaboré à un album des guitaristes George Barnes et Carl Kress, tout en faisant de nouvelles apparitions avec les Newport All-Stars. Continuant de voyager en Europe, Freeman s’était rendu en Angleterre où il avait travaillé avec le groupe d’Alex Welsh avant de faire une tournée du continent en 1967 avec la comédie musicale  Jazz From A Swinging Era. De 1967 à 1974, Freeman avait également collaboré de façon intermittente avec The World’s Greatest Jazz Band, un groupe qui comprenait les trompettistes Yank Lawson et Billy Butterfield, le clarinettiste Bob Wilber, les trombonistes Vic Dickenson et Lou McGarity, le pianiste Ralph Sutton, le contrebassiste Bob Haggart et le batteur Gus Johnson.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Freeman avait passé la seconde moitié des années 1970 à Londres. Demeuré très actif à la fin de sa carrière, Freeman avait continué de se produire en Europe et en Australie et d’enregistrer plusieurs albums par année. Au cours de la même décennie, Freeman avait également passé un certain temps sur l’île de Man comme invité du musicien Jim Caine.

Toujours au sommet de sa forme en 1980 à l’âge avancé de soixante-quatorze ans, Freeman avait enregistré l’album  ‘’The Dolphin Has A Message’’.

Plus tard dans les années 1980, Freeman s’était finalement décidé à ralentir ses activités en raison de sa mauvaise santé. En plus d’avoir publié deux livres de souvenirs, ‘’I You Don’t Look Like A Musician’’ (1974) et ‘’If You Know Of A Better Life, Please Tell Me’’ (1976), Freeman avait collaboré avec Robert Wolf dans le cadre d’une troisième autobiographie intitulée ‘’Crazeology’’ (1989). Après être retourné à Chicago en 1980, Freeman avait publié deux derniers albums en 1982 et 1983. Après avoir tourné un vidéo avec le pianiste Art Hodes in 1985, Freeman avait terminé sa carrière en enregistré deux chansons sur un album de l’accordéoniste Mat Mathews en 1986.

Bud Freeman est mort le 15 mars 1991 au Warren Barr Pavilion, une maison de retraite de Chicago. Il était âgé de quatre-vingt-quatre ans. Le décès de Freeman était survenu deux jours à peine après la mort de son ancien collègue du Austin High School Gang, Jimmy McPartland.

Caractérisé par un large vibrato et un son plutôt ‘’cool’’, Freeman était considéré comme un des pionniers du saxophone ténor, un instrument qui contrairement au saxophone alto et le C-melody saxophone, n’avait commencé à s’établir comme instrument majeur qu’après que Coleman Hawkins se soit joint au grand orchestre de Fletcher Henderson en 1923. Avant cette date, le saxophone ténor était surtout considéré comme une curiosité, plus particulièrement dans le cadre d’un groupe connu sous le nom de The Six Brown Brothers. Si Isham Jones s’était illustré comme excellent saxophoniste ténor dans le cadre de ses propres groupes au début des années 1920, il avait éventuellement abandonné l’instrument pour se concentrer sur la composition et la direction de son orchestre. À l’exception de Jones, Hawkins s’était donc retrouvé pratiquement seul pour développer son propre style, collaborant notamment avec les Jazz Hounds de la chanteuse de blues Mamie Smith de 1921 à 1923 avant de faire partie de l’orchestre de Fletcher Henderson durant plus d’une décennie.

Grand responsable de la nouvelle popularité du ténor, Hawkins avait pratiquement exercé un monopole sans partage jusqu’à ce que Lester Young se joigne au big band de Count Basie à la fin de l’année 1936. À l’époque, Hawkins avait une telle influence que même des saxophonistes comme Ben Webster et Chu Berry avaient été contraints de l’imiter.

Ce qui n’avait pas empêché Freeman d’avoir rapidement développé un style très personnel. Même si Freeman n’avait jamais été aussi dominant que Coleman Hawkins, il avait exercé une influence majeure sur des saxophonistes comme Lester Young (même si ce dernier, tout en exprimant son admiration pour l’originalité de Freeman, avait affirmé qu’il avait plutôt été marqué par Frank Trumbauer), Eddie Miller et Bob Crosby, dont le son était très similaire à celui de Freeman même s’il était beaucoup plus simple et non moins apparenté au swing. Quant à Hawkins, il avait lui-même exprimé son admiration pour le talent de Freeman et applaudi sa décision de façonner son propre style plutôt que de s’approprier celui de quelqu’un d’autre. Parmi les albums les plus importants de Freeman, on remarquait The Bud Freeman All-Stars (enregistré avec Shorty Baker en 1960) et ‘’The Big Challenge’’, un album enregistré en 1957 avec le groupe de Cootie Williams et Rex Stewart, qui lui avait permis de retrouver son éternel rival Coleman Hawkins.

Bud Freeman a été admis au sein du Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame en 1992.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

‘’Bud Freeman.’’ Wikipedia, 2023.

‘’Bud Freeman.’’ All About Jazz, 2023.

‘’Bud Freeman, American musician.’’ Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023.

YANOW, Scott. ‘’Bud Freeman.’’ The Syncopated Times, 30 juin 2020.

[the-firebird69]

Chicago - Saturday In The Park (1973)

This is actually our song and it's about Chicago when Superman goes there it's also about this carnival and how it started things up again and what's sabertooth is thinking and that's one of his names and the scene where he hits someone I think it's the movie salt he's looking at a light thing I see the light what it means is we're doing the sex with physical feats and smaller troops and it's amazing stuff and we can do it and we were there in the carnival doing stuff they were doing and we know how to do it this is wonderful what an idea and he says I'm not there yet damn it but really we have to have like the summer program he probably won't be big for a while and we don't know how long it will take we have the real dates and estimates but he's been loading up with salts and other things that will actually run it it goes the other way it won't preserve it I preserve it as well but only certain ones and not really the ones he's on anything we just need to come out of it before him who are on it after him

Bja

He has a lot of lipoma because he was a baby and they're not going to weigh much and there's some in there and we calculated it and that's why I fight club they're talking about that when they do the liposuction and they want to threatened him to get him there and all the stuff and does nothing truthfully folks it will be a few months before you see any changes and we think maybe end of April so 3 months then it's going to be 100% biological and it will be off and on and he's going to start growing slowly probably like an inch a month for 3 months and eventually he'll be six foot in 3 months and then he'll grow like faster and he'll be eating a lot and he's going to be getting funding so it's coming up but it will take 6 months for him to get in shape and big and bulky to do any kind of lifting like that and probably not that much weight up over his head but he could pull it he could clear it I mean the deadlifted and it would be impressive to anyone and you can do other things with less weight but anybody who won't move it and he's got lines and things he wants to say and he's a ham and he's going to become famous for it and he's going to say stuff like the weight on the stone trying to move it and yeah his dumbbell idea that was his I got 300 lb dumbbell and he wants to come up and lift it up with one arm and one hand and no strap and people will be amazed and it's going to be a good time I mean he's going to be working out with weight like that and it's dangerous but he's going to get in shape for it this is going to be a lot of fun folks I can't wait

Thor Freya

He's telling us he's withdrawing into the shell and I'm speaking very quietly I will tell you this is the time for us we've got the firebird going and the guys helped out a lot and her son and daughter and they were nuts today but this is the system and when you pull those things in to fit they all come out the same so it's a go they say and they say yeah it is and that's what's going to look like it's going to be professionally made and with new moles but those are going to come out within a day or two from now and be everywhere and people who make them are going to be famous and they're going to be rich these cars are so fast there's a motor it's like a LS2 it starts off at 5:50 horsepower you do the top end and the exhaust and you do the top end so the induction still works it works like a blower at about 75 miles an hour and if it's not raining you are going to have an intense ride that car goes almost 800 miles an hour and if you did a few more things to it it would go a lot faster but we're not going to see why that's way too fast the LSU isn't just a 350 you're going to blow any of these supercars off the road with a firebird and Pontiac will be in demand in probably one week already they're getting so many calls we think it might be what gets them but no it's really the sale of Raytheon which is supposed to be tomorrow

Zig Zag

So help me God Trump if you sell that I'm going to kill you myself and we need it okay

Mac Daddy

You know Trump I'd like to kick a like a hundred bucks in on top of what Mac just did to get you to sell it.

Zues Hera

Hey what are you trying to do here

Trump

No really it's just being stupid

Zues Hera

Hahaha 😂

Dave

It's not funny I really mean it I'm going to break your bones and grind you to a pulp in the movie is going to be real if you do that you're not to sell it to them or a secret you idiot you treason is bastard

Mac Daddy

Olympus

[630hoarder]

Commercial Cleaning Services Chicago 

As a result of heavy daily usage, any office or work space requires a thorough, extensive and regular cleanup of their premises, both interiors and exteriors. This is only possible, when you’ve hired a licensed commercial cleaning services Chicago company that has a team of trained workforce. They arrive at the project site with all the latest vacuum cleaners, pressure cleaners, blowers, dusters, moppers and brushes; cleaning every nook and corner to perfection. In this way, a space looks spic-n-span, till you require another bout of cleaning activity.

[meanwhileinstasiville]

Silver cooper at soroptimist, and since my friend who died was English; let's go over this.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/TheLastAmericanVirgin (Janneke is in here, and that's not the point but a movie that matters)

A cooper there means

• A food pantry that's empty but for yellow stuff

• A soundtrack indicative of musical theater, in Market of Choice *right time wrong me chorus* in exact synch with my coming through the checkout, complete with *won't stop raining* *soul so in despair, woman stalker from lithia park standing behind me in yellow* *empty pleas for contact, lyrics about crying*

And phil would have had better luck with "The second flavor of this occurs in the Cowboy Bebop episode "The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)", when Vicious kills the leaders of the Red Dragon and takes over the syndicate, executing one of them by slashing him across the eyes and making him "shed tears of scarlet".

Although, his sf MO was in all probability closer to "While the team celebrates Helen Morton's promotion to DCI, Annie meets someone in a restaurant, calls Banks from an alley nearby, and she is stabbed after telling him where she is. Banks and the team begin the painful job of finding out exactly who was responsible for Annie's death."

(London kings road skinheads *love those chef's knives*, and wouldn't you know it, it's where skinheads are from) But I digress.

A soundtrack at *MoC* like that means

•Something in the vicinity of the palm inn, a sweeper with a blower blowing crap into my eyes, as I reached the span of the turn in, see crying above

•A car stalker, notable for not being one, but several short distance to mountain avenue *where a yellow honda* was waiting to turn down mountain, AND a yellow motorcycle but not before *BOTH* 211-gah AND 122668

A palm inn experience like that one forecasts,

•A soundtrack at Safeway, and boy is there, Lionel Richie "you need to forget about me" in musical theater synch as I go through with *one item* "Does the music ever make you crazy?" I ask the *Filipino* cashier who's open

(Safeway had Don't You Forget About Me the last time I was in there, I think)

Safeway like that can only mean,

•A set of people who are supposed to look like me, either in dress or nose (a broken nose of ten or more times; always the stuff you're sensitive about) Ashland library staged and ready to go combatively when I walk in the door

(A ryan as reference girl is wearing stripes but the *shelver spy* ryan got a job here, hasn't tried to crowd me, yet. "You would die" she said when I offered that this was a way (her behavior) that ryan could get killed and that was *a very long time ago*)

And yes, would ryan have gone after Janneke in highschool or whatever, he would've been the idiot at the pawn shop from that movie. Sex makes men dumb, but *only the heterosexual ones* would agree Chris Horton.

And yes, this shit is *every day*, as the food pantry downstairs was empty and "hunger is the best spice" was the top promoted Google result when I searched the Real Folk Blues quote. So ***what*** exactly *is* ms13??? Is it Chicago's CIA or something?

Afterword, a sunflower girl I *randomly* encounter around a park often (read always) contain one of the following,

•"You should steal things and then sell them" entrapment

•"You're saying you're a murderer??" implication and in response to *any reference to violence past present news future*

•"You're a robot" discredit-ish

*fat librarian flashes "heart" "honor the wild" book covers in rapid succession* how's your health, ryan?

• "I'm a wood rabbit" saloon girl reference to "being chased around a track" diminutive

• "It's a pimp" in reference to a mark on her face

(Her attempts at giving me the "Gang Leader for a Day" experience that Indian guy wrote a book about, and that I read in one sitting at the talent library years ago)

It's not getting the hell killed out of myself by a street gang, so I can complain but it doesn't mean anything until I'm dead.

•She "likes to lay in the grass", prostitution costs money that she thinks I have and that would snk attract the attention of the fbi or something, story of my life; people *only ever* interact with me because they want something.

It's going to turn out to israel or something, isn't it, ms13? Escobar was based on england's opium trade in China and was reputed to be semitic himself; hope you guys know what you're doing, Charlton Heston caused a lot of mass shootings with one NRA speech.

All those cars piss me off because an empire of atrocities has finally taken over Ashland, I guess. My late friend thought the Chinese were going to save the world.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"G-MEN KILL 2; FBI CHIEF HERE," Chicago Tribune. Decembeer 29, 1942. Page 1 & 6. --- GANGSTERS IN FLAT BUILDING ARE AMBUSHED --- Police Hear Touhy's Pals Slain. ---- (Pictures on page 6.) Two men, reported to be members of the "Terrible Touhy" gang that staged a daring escape Oct. 9 from the Stateville prison, were shot and killed late last night by federal bureau of investigation agents on the second floor landing of an apartment building at 1256 Leland avenue.

The slain men were reported reliably to have been St Clair McInerney, 31, safe blower and robber, and James O'Connor, 36, bandit. Both were serving life sentences.

Two other members of the gang were reported to have been captured.

Witnesses who viewed the bodies said that a high powered rifle lay across the chest of one of the slain men, which police said was an indication that they were aware of the identity of their ambushers.

Hoover Takes Charge. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, entered the Bankers building at 105 West Adams street at 1:15 this morning and proceeded immediately to the 21st floor where the FBI offices are located.

A reporter who recognized him asked, "You're Mr. Hoover, aren't you?" Hoover nodded his head, and the reporter continued, "Have you any comment to make on the shooting?"

The FBI chief replied that he would have no statements to make "before several hours."

The shooting occurred after federal agents sprung an elaborate trap. Ambushes had been set inside and outside the building. FBI automobiles, their motors kept running, were parked in strategic locations on the street and in adjacent alleys, and armed agents commanded all en- trances and lower floor windows. The agents also took over several apartments in the building, including apartment 31 on the third floor, which was occupied by the gangsters, and apartment 21 on the second floor commanding the stairway.

Let Four Men Enter Ambush. It was shortly before midnight when four men, attired in workmen's garb, entered the building. They were known to the waiting federal agents to be the men they wanted and were permitted to enter the building unmolested.

Once inside, two of the men apparently became alarmed and fled toward the rear, while the others mounted the steps, to be met at the landing with a blast of machine gun and shotgun fire. Both, police said, were killed instantly.

Police, who later were barred from the premises, were admitted shortly after the shooting and viewed the dead men. Lt. Robert Welling of the Town Hall station said that neither was Roger Touhy, leader of the seven gangsters who fled prison, or Basil [The Owl] Banghart, his chief lieutenant.

Identify O'Connor as Tenant. Mrs. Anthony Battaglia, manager of the apartment building, is reported to have identified photographs of O'Connor as the man who rented the apartment from her on Dec. 10 under the name of Peterson.

She and other occupants of the building also are reported to have identified pictures of Touhy and Banghart as frequent visitors to the "Peterson" apartment. Other members of the gang who fled Stateville prison are William Stewart, 43; Matthew Nelson, 40, and Edward Darlak, 31, all criminals under life sentences. All save McInerney and Darlak were members of the Terrible Touhys.

The Touhy gang was sentenced to life imprisonment, after a career of crime and terrorism that has few parallels in Chicago, upon conviction of the kidnaping of John [Jake the Barber] Factor.

Watched Place for Weeks. The federal agents were reported to have laid their trap with extreme care. They were said to have known of the presence of the suspects for several weeks, but reportedly refrained from staging a raid in the hope that the entire gang could be seized.

The elaborateness with which they prepared their ambush recalled the thoroness of the planning which led to the death from FBI bullets of John Dillinger as he left the Biograph theater, 2433 Lincoln avenue, on July 23, 1934.

Since shortly after the alleged gangsters' occupancy of the apartment, federal agents, posing as workmen and professional men, had maintained constant tenancy in the building, first in one apartment then another, it was reported.

Their identification of the men was effected thru the simple expedient of entering the apartment when its occupants were gone and looking for fingerprints, it was said. These were said to have been found in abundance upon more than 50 half gallon beer bottles Police reasoned that the gangsters refrained from returning the bottles, as is usually done, for fear that their prints might fall into police hands.

Victims Carry Big Sums. Considerable sums of money were reported found on the bodies of the two slain men, it was reported $1,000 in the pockets of one, and $500 on the other. Mrs. Battaglia said that the man who was known as Peterson informed her that he wanted the apartment for himself and his wife. He paid his rent by the week, and on Christmas day, she said, he knocked at her door and handed her $10.

A 16 year old boy, David Black, who lives at 1260 Leland avenue, immediately adjacent to the Norwood apartment building in which the gangsters had their hide-out, was a witness to part of the affray.

Boy Sees Two Men Flee. He said his attention was attracted by gunfire, presumably from a ma- chine gun. Running to the window he saw the darkened cars parked along the street and in the alley, armed men standing in readiness. During the shooting, he said, he saw two men run north into the alley, then the G-men poured out of their cars with guns in their hands."

HISTORY OF TOUHY GANG Touhy, once the head of the murderous Terrible Touhy gang, andBasil (The Owl] Banghart, the gang's machine gunner, led the escape of five other desperadoes over the walls of Stateville prison last Oct. 9.

Prison officials found in an investigation later that the convicts had obtained four pistols while in the prison. They also procured ladders inside the walls, and when the stage was set began their carefully planned break,

With Touhy and Banghart were James O'Connor, an undersized bandit who had escaped twice before from the same prison; William Stewart, lanky Chicago bandit leader; his old time associate, Matthew Nelson; Edward Darlak, 31 years old, murderer of a Chicago policeman, and St. Clair McInerney, 31, a safeblower and bandit. The latter two, prison officials said, may have escaped in the confusion which followed the Touhy break, but are listed as missing with them.

The first move came when a garbage truck driven by Jack Cito, a convict, stopped at the prison's kitchens.

Touhy dashed out of the bakery in which he worked armed with a pair of scissors. He slashed at a guard, knocked him down, and drove off with the truck. He drove a mile and a half across the prison grounds to the mechanical shops and stores, picking up somewhere en route his other pals.

The truck, with Touhy at the wheel, backed down a ramp into a loading tunnel under the machine shops. Touhy and Banghart jumped out immeditely and beat William Dahler, foreman of the mechanical shop who was working a gang of convicts there preparing scrap metal for loading.

Slugged with Gun. They hit him with a gun and slashed a 2 inch gash in his scalp. Touhy left Dahler to the others of the gang and went feet first thru the service window into the mechanical stores room, confronting Samuel Johnson, the guard on duty there. He snipped telephone wires with his scissors and aided by Banghart, who came thru the gate door, armed, demanded ladders.

They loaded the ladders onto the truck. Lt. George Cotter arrived in the tunnel and was beaten and dumped on the truck. Touhy and Banghart took the white caps that, Johnson and Cotter wore to identify themselves as guards and drove the truck toward the northwest prison gate at tower No. 3.

There they opened fire on Herman Kross, the tower guard, wounding him. They set up their ladders, took Kross's keys to the outer tower stairway and calmly went down the outer tower stairway and to Kross's automobile, parked outside. They made their escape in the car, which was found abandoned near a filling station at St. Charles road and Villa avenue in Villa Park, DuPage county,at 10:45 p. m. the next night,

Kross, 51 year old resident of Lockport, and two other guards, Roy C. Everton, 51, of Plainfield, who was in tower No. 2, and Joseph L. Montonye, 31, of Lovington, who was in tower No. 4, were discharged as a result of the investigation which followed the escape. Kross was only slightly wounded by the desperadoes' bullets.

Manhunt Is Widespread. The hunt for Touhy and the desperate men he led blanketed the United States.

The FBI, circularizing their descriptions, described Touhy and Banghartas "two of the most desperate and dangerous criminals at large today." They were variously reported as having been seen in Chicago and suburbs for a week or more after the escape. Police in far distant places also were told that the convicts had been seen, but no one found an actual trace of them.

BLAME GUARD IN ESCAPE Two guards at Stateville prison yesterday testified that Herman Kross, suspended guard, could have frustrated the Oct. 9 escape of Roger Touhy, Basil Banghart and five other convicts had he used the guns or bombs with which he was equipped.

The two guards, Lt. George R. Cot-ter and Officer Samuel Hill, gavetheir testimony at a hearing before Robert L. Hunter, president of the Illinois civil service commission, in the Will county courthouse.

Kross testified that he had seen the garbage truck which the prisoners had commandeered coming across the prison yard, but had attached no significance to it. He did not realize that an attempted escape was in progress until the prisoners leaped from the truck, placed a ladder against the tower, and started shooting.

Asked why he did not return the fire, or toss a bomb, Kross said that he was sick from the effects of a bullet that had nicked him, and was too confused to act. Hunter said the civil service commission would review the testimony and decide whether Kross will be formally discharged. Kross is charged with failure to perform his duty.

"FBI Agents Slay Two In Raid on North Side Flat," Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1942. Page 6. ---- Clockwise from top left: Roger Touhy, leader of band of escaped convicts who were believed to be target of FBI raid on northside last night when two men were slain.

Basil (The Owl) Banghart, who fled prison with Touhy and five other men last fall.

St. Clair McInerney, who wa sbelieved to have been slain in the FBI raid last night. He escaped from prison with the Touhy gangsters.

James O'Connor (left), who was believed to have been one of the men slain, and Matthew Nelson. Both were members of the Touhy gang who participated in the prison break.

[jmreyes9]

Photos from the Internet

 APRIL FOOLS CAME 13 DAYS LATE

By Jesse Reyes 

As I peered through my window, I could not believe my eyes.  I tried to pinch myself to make sure this was not just a dream.  I think I pinched myself too hard, because I hollered “ouch” when I did it!

What? It’s snowing? Don’t they know it’s the middle of April? They must have messed up the computer that determines the weather.  These thoughts came to my mind as I tried to shake my body, hoping what I was seeing wasn’t real.  Unfortunately it didn’t change.  And the snow continued to fall, albeit only in small flakes.

Snow in April in Chicago is almost unheard of, although Johnny Mathis must have seen snow in April because he mentions it in his song “The Twelfth of Never” where there are lines that go:

“Hold me close, never let me go,

Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow.”

 “The Twelfth of Never” which was written by Jerry Livingston, was one of my favorites when I was in high school and college in the Philippines. I would listen to the “cool” voice of Johnny Mathis as he sang, “Melt my heart like April snow”.

We never had snow in the Philippines, although there may have been some in the high mountains.  I never dreamed that the words April snow would come true when I came to live in Chicago.

So today, the 14th of April, I again saw my backyard blanketed with the “celestial confetti” and the leafless branches of the trees in my backyard which I had named after the three stooges—Curly, Larry and Moe—were draped with snow.  The tulips which had started to bloom, wilted and were sorry they had bloomed so early.  The temperatures hovered in the low 30’s.  A total accumulation of about 2 inches fell the whole day.  

The snow did not stick in my driveway, though.  So there was nothing to shovel or use the snow blower with. But even if it was necessary, my snow blower was ready and it still had enough gas for yet one more journey.

Written in Chicago, IL. in 2019. Published in Cyberlink April 2019 edited by Edna Domingo.  Posted on FB May 2023.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events (after 1940)

1941 – World War II: During the preliminaries of the Battle of Rostov, German forces reach the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol. 1943 – World War II: Around 30 civilians are executed by Friedrich Schubert's paramilitary group in Kallikratis, Crete. 1944 – World War II: Captain Bobbie Brown earns a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, just outside Aachen. 1952 – The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash kills 112 people. 1956 – The New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series. 1962 – Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, and is soon accused of treason. 1967 – Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. 1969 – The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago. 1970 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature. 1973 – Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions. 1973 – Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule. 1974 – Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States. 1978 – Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia. 1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions. 1982 – After its London premiere, Cats opens on Broadway and runs for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000. 1990 – First Intifada: Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock. 1991 – Upon the expiration of the Brioni Agreement, Croatia and Slovenia sever all official relations with Yugoslavia. 2001 – A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people. 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security. 2005 – The 7.6 Mw  Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless. 2014 – Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies. 2016 – In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900. 2019 – About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland. 2020 – Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.