1

S

2

www.oceansideimages.net

Joe Parlett Location Portraiture

3

This month we tackle Shark Finning, local

government, and also take a look at some

very cool architecture, including High Line

Park in NYC, and an inside scope of Dennis

Hopper‘s Venice Beach compound. We were

also very lucky to get an excellent Mugshot

shoot from Morgan Barbour. Also, this sum-

mer‘s surfer rules, how flies fly, and the

Menhaden report…

Left, I am trying to explain why Martinis re-

quire a splash of Vermouth while holding a

garden fresh tomato. I hope you enjoy our

late summer edition of Asses and Villains….

Picture of the Month: Old Window at the Ford Building

And, because it’s still summer, we sprinkled some of Gil Elvgren’s pinups throughout...

Photo by

Wayne Creed

4

In this Issue...

Terror on the CBBT Page 5 Shark Finning Page 7 Shore Little League Page 13 Heat Wave Page 16 How do Flies Fly? Page 19 Shoofly Pie Page 21 Best Burger in Cape Charles Page 23 Save the Brown Bat Page 25 High Line Park Page 27 Mug Shot: Morgan Barbour Page 33 Smashing Pumpkins: Review Page 40 Menhaden Update Page 43 MadMen Mainframe Page 45 Dennis Hopper House Page 47 Story 150 Page 53 Ranting & Raving: comments Page 54 Surfer Rules Page 57 Tats of the Month Page 63

The cover was shot in early spring, in the cold wind. The more uncomfortable you are, the bet-ter Bay Shore Concrete looks. Still, at night, our favorite view of the town.

5

Would a

Terrorist

Attack

the CBBT? By Wayne Creed

The failed bombing attempt in Times Square was a reminder that the threat of an asynchro-

nous terrorist attack is still very real. Yet, living on the Eastern Shore, with our creeks, wet-

lands, beaches and sunsets, the possibility of being engaged by some form of terrorist activity

seems remote at best. Last week however, while traveling to Virginia Beach, I was stopped at

the CBBT toll booth while the Norfolk Bomb Squad, including bomb detection K-9s, ran-

domly inspected vehicles going both north and south. As the bomb squad performed its ma-

neuvers, it struck me that the Eastern Shore is not really as far removed from the threat as we

might hope to believe.

The American system of commerce is the heart of our society, and it is understood that asyn-

chronous terrorist activity will be focused more and more on vital, yet less protected infra-

structure such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Despite its quiet, passive beauty, the

CBBT is one of the east coast‘s major commercial arteries, where billions of dollars of reve-

nue travel from Florida to Canada each year. It is not too hard to imagine a few trucks and

boats, loaded Timothy Mcveigh-style involved in a simple, coordinated attack.

Socially, the bridge provides freedom and mobility to the Shore population—those who re-

member the pre-1964 era do not take that lightly. It should be noted that the CBBT is also a

geographic ―choke-point‖, whose loss will effect not only basic transportation, but postal and

shipping. Agriculture, the production and distribution of food, provides the fundamental exis-

tence for Northampton County. Losing the CBBT would affect supply chains of seed, fertil-

izer, as well as processing, production, and packaging.

As citizens of the Eastern Shore, it is vital that we recognize the CBBT as a critical resource,

and as such, we must assume part of the responsibility for its security. We can do that by al-

ways being vigilant, while fishing, boating or driving. We know this place better than anyone,

and if we pay attention, we notice when things are just not right. It is important to report un-

usual activities to the appropriate authorities immediately. The Coast Guard program Amer-

ica‘s Waterway Watch http://www.americaswaterwaywatch.us/ is a good way to report suspi-

cious activity, yet, when time is of the essence, use Channel 16 or call the Marine Police

Eastern Shore office (757) 414-07139.

6

2010 Times Square car bombing at-

tempt

The dark blue Nissan Pathfinder SUV

(right) in Times Square, 27 minutes after

the attempted attack. The vehicle's rear

hazard lights are on. Eric Holder said that

Shahzad's intent had been "to kill Ameri-

cans" ...Really?

Our security professionals provide better protection than ever, but there are 95000 miles of

shoreline, and over 290,000 square miles of water in the US. They can‘t be everywhere, so it is

up to us to fill in the gaps. It is an active, engaged citizenry that is the soul of the second

amendment ―A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right

of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.‖ In the 21st century, those Arms are

also our eyes and ears, and we should use them to pro-

vide the actionable, tactical intelligence needed to pro-

tect our critical infrastructure.

It wasn‘t Homeland

Security, or the FBI

that found the bomb

in Times Square—it

was Duane Jackson, a

handbag vendor.

7

Shark Finning: How’s the Soup?

By Wayne Creed

According to a recent report by the marine conservation organization Oceana, Hong Kong

imports up to 10 million kilograms of shark fins(over 73 million sharks annually). The in-

creased demand for shark fins is largely driven by the increasing Chinese middle class,

and its voracious appetite for Shark fin soup (which can sell for $100 per bowl).

This spring, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

rejected the US-sponsored proposals for listing hammerhead and white-tip sharks on the

endangered list. Over fishing of these two species has led to an 80 percent global decline.

Sue Lieberman of Pew Environment Group argues that lack of management is the biggest

issue in declining shark populations ―The problem today is not there is serious misman-

agement of trade in sharks, as for tuna, but that there is no management at all.‖

―We see clearly now the Japanese motivation for opposing all these marine species pro-

posals,‖ says Anne Schroeer of Oceana. ―For the whales they say we are catching it tradi-

tionally. For the bluefin tuna, they say we are eating it. But for the sharks, there is nothing

but pure economic interest.‖

8

―The international shark fin trade is a multibillion dollar business that is pushing many shark

species to the brink of extinction,‖ said Oceana fisheries campaign manager Elizabeth Griffin in

a prepared statement. ―Hammerhead sharks are primarily caught for their fins. Hammerhead

shark fins are among the most commonly traded into the Hong Kong market. These shark spe-

cies are threatened by the international consumer demand for shark fin soup.

Interviews Courtesy of Agence France Presse (AFP)

Quick Notes:

· Shark fanning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the

carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim,

the shark slowly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish.

· Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Shark meat is

considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of transporting the bulky shark bodies to

market.

· Any shark is taken-regardless of age, size, or species.

· Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark

populations worldwide.

· Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored.

· Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins

(for shark fin soup and traditional cures), improved fishing technology, and improved market

economics.

· Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually.

· One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It‘s a multi-billion dollar industry.

Courtesy of http://www.sharkwater.com

9

Why should we care?

Fewer big sharks in the oceans mean that bay scallops, oysters and other shellfish

may be damaged, tying unlikely members of the marine ecosystem to the same fate.

A study funded by the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, Ransom Myers and Julia

Baum Of Dalhousie University have found that over fishing the largest predatory

sharks, such as the bull, blue, dusky, and hammerhead has led to the rapid expan-

sion of ray, skate, and small shark prey species. Large sharks have been function-

ally eliminated from the east coast, no longer performing their ecosystem role as

top predators. Fewer big sharks mean there are more of the fish they once ate, such

as the Cownose ray.

With an average population increase of about eight percent per year, the east coast

Cownose ray population may now number as many as 40 million. Cownose can

grow to be more than four feet across, eat large quantities of bivalves, including bay

scallops, oysters, soft-shell and hard clams in the bays and estuaries they use for

habitat in the summer and spring. This increased predation by cownose rays inhibits

the recovery of oysters and clams which are already damaged by overexploitation,

disease, habitat destruction, and pollution.

10

By 2004, Cownose rays had com-

pletely devastated North Caro-

lina‘s scallop population, collaps-

ing a centuries-old fishery.

As many as 73 million sharks are

killed worldwide each year for

the finning trade, and the number

is rising. Growing demand for

shark fins and meat has led to in-

creased fishing, but a large num-

ber are caught accidentally as ―by

catch‖ by fisherman after other

types of fish.According to Carl

Safina of Blue Ocean Institute,

75% of all fish are captured as by

catch. The danger for Sharks (and

other elasmobranches) posed by

increased fishing pressure, is that

they are long-lived, slow to ma-

ture, and produce few offspring.

Aggressive fishing can take a toll much more quickly on sharks than other fish.

Ecologists have long held that maintaining the populations of top predators is critical for

sustaining healthy oceanic ecosystems; its organisms are interconnected, and changes at one

level have implications at others. An Ecosystem based view of fisheries management states

the necessity of protecting species such as sharks as a primary player in the overall health of

the ecosystem.

But, sharks are also a protected species. The Shark Finning Prohibition Act was signed into

law on December 21, 2000. The Act prohibits people under U.S. jurisdiction from: (1) engag-

ing in shark finning at sea; (2) possessing shark fins aboard a fishing vessel without the cor-

responding carcass; or (3) landing shark fins without the corresponding carcass. And accord-

ing to NOAA‘s Regulatory Changes in Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for At-

lantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks, several species of pelagic and coastal sharks are pro-

tected by Time and Area Closures for commercial vessels with bottom longline gear on board

from January through July off North Carolina.

Yet, without increased enforcement of existing regulations, big sharks may be fished to ex-

tinction. As sportsman, waterman, and stewards of our oceans, it is our duty to protect our

Living Marine Resources and report violations.

11

To help engage the public, the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement adopted

COPPS (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) as a national initia-

tive, designed to empower communities and individuals to actively participate in

their local marine conservation management. The NOAA Fisheries Enforcement

Hotline (1-800-853-1964) provides live operator coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days

a week for anyone in the United States to report a federal fisheries violation.

I know it‘s difficult to worry about the fate of sharks, but losing these top preda-

tors is having a devastating effect on our home waters, damaging the already frag-

ile shell fish habitats and sea grass. This summer, a catch and release policy for

sharks should be in every angler‘s toolbox. Also, be on the lookout for illegal fish-

ing activities. Sharks matter, so please report any and all violations to the NOAA

COPS hotline at 1-800-853-1964.

Comments to Info@assesandvillains.com

12

13

In the past few weeks, we have watched helplessly as oil from DeepWater Horizon pours into

the Gulf, while at the same time learning that members of the White House staff have been

brazenly attempting to buy off US Senatorial candidates with offers of high ranking appoint-

ments. While these dubious events were playing out in the Gulf and Washington DC, our little

league baseball team, the Pirates, closed out their season with a 15-3 win. It‘s tempting to let

national and world events jade you, yet watching these young players mature under the tute-

lage of wonderful coaches, somehow produces a glimmer of hope about our future.

The 2010 season began back in the cold of early spring, and concluded in the heat of early

summer. An important note about this sport is that it is played in the spring and summer, a

time of rebirth and growth, that its games should be played in Parks, Yards or Fields (see Fen-

way, Camden or Wrigley), and that ultimately, the goal is to make it ‗Home‘. Through proper

guidance and exemplary leadership from our coaches, our kids did learn and grow; they gained

a fundamental grasp of the game, yet they also developed the qualities of teamwork, mental

focus, strategy, and physical fitness.

Our league (including the incredible girl‘s softball

league) is blessed with many great coaches, yet I

would like to recognize our Pirate‘s Stuart

Burnley, who, through patience, hard work, com-

mitment and a general good nature, embodies the

soul of Shore Little League, and turned even least

interested players into solid members of the team.

Along the way, he also taught our kids the impor-

tant virtues of character, courage and loyalty—

while he certainly helped build good ball players;

he also taught them the team concept—even

though they are individuals, their actions affect

everyone.

By Wayne Creed

14

Baseball is a very basic sport, meant to be played outside in the warmth of the sun. The Little

League oath I trust in God, I love my country, will respect its laws, will play fair and strive

to win, but win or lose, I will always do my best, captures the essence of this endeavor. The

lessons we learned this season, how to win and lose, being part of a team, respect for the

game, the umpires, your opponent, your team and yourself, we will carry with us into life,

well beyond the confines of Randy Custis Field. Thanks to the teamwork of all the coaches,

players, parents, and volunteers, the 2010 Shore Little League season was a great success.

15

16

During the sweltering heat wave that enveloped the Northeast, power suppliers

such as Con Edison desperately fought to keep the electric grid operational. Peak

demand spotlighted the tenuous nature of the power supply, and how much energy

we need to operate. As ConEd struggled, Deepwater Horizon continued to spew

oil into the gulf, an event that has renewed urgent calls by Federal, State and Lo-

cal officials to more fully embrace alternative energy goals that they hope will

lead to energy independence, economic growth via green jobs, and a cleaner,

healthier planet (Accomac and Northampton are exploring swaths of photovoltaic

panels).

These goals are laudable, but they are in denial of our complex, and very tenuous

energy situation. They also highlight a disconnect between government and the

citizens, who can‘t bear much more financial stress, and are hungry for concrete

material economic development plans that are based in a boots on the ground real-

ity, and not myth and fairy tale.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels ac-

count for almost 90% of our energy production, and by 2035, the EIA expects our

consumption rate to increase by 14% (it will be hard to offset the tide of popula-

tion growth, which by 2035 is estimated to be 391 million, and all driving cars).

Even as more alternative energy sources come online, they predict that fossil fuels

will continue to account for more than 80% our energy usage (alternative energy

17

sources are expected to be 10% overall). Also, each installation, whether wind, solar or

biomass, will more than likely require some form of backup system (solar doesn‘t work at

night).

It should also be noted that, solar and wind farms are just exchanging one form of pollu-

tion for another. They take up large amounts of landscape (the ratio of land to energy pro-

duced is relatively small), and in the process, are extremely disruptive to the natural envi-

ronment. The Nature Conservancy released a report in 2009 Energy Sprawl or Energy Effi-

ciency: Climate Policy Impacts on Natural Habitat for the United States of America high-

lighting the requirements of thousands of miles of disruptive tranmission lines needed to

transport electricity from those installations (the restrictions in the Mojave desert highlight

this dilemma).

Economically, our dependence on

petroleum is so ingrained, that

premature attempts to move to

less available and portable energy

sources will not be possible with-

out causing serious damage to our

economic infrastructure. A 42-

gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4

gallons of gasoline. The rest (over

half) is used to make products

that are ubiquitous and fully inte-

grated into our culture: toys,

waxes, lubricants, fishing rods,

kayaks and lipstick.

18

It won‘t help to demonize the companies that provide a product that is so essential to our

social, economic, and cultural well being—despite the relative sound record of our drill-

ers, if we decide that we don‘t have the stomach to go after deep water wells in our own

country, we need to be prepared to import oil from the likes of Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Rus-

sia, Venezuela and even Iran. The Deepwater Horizon spill is a horrible environmental

disaster, and worse, it has moved the energy dialog away from the soundest, most practi-

cal engineering solutions, and has given momentum to alternatives (cap and trade, drilling

moratoriums, etc.) that are not in the best interest of either the environment, our economy,

and the most crucial aspect of our American culture, independence.

Locally, Accomac and Northampton need to ask if destroying open green space, habitat,

and migratory bird routes is the most productive option. Given the amount of space re-

quired, how much power will really be generated by solar farms? How many jobs and

how much revenue per acre will be created? From our standpoint, putting solar panels in a

pea field is not really an environmentally friendly alternative, and is no substitute for a se-

rious economic development plan that addresses the real employment needs for two of

Virginia ‘s poorest counties.

Comments to info@assesandvillains.com

19

How Do Flies

Really Fly?

One of life‘s most frustrating endeavors involves attempting to swat an irritating, buzzing house-

fly that, as it mocks you, easily avoids your profane efforts, and easily flies away. Yet, how does

it do it so well?

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and California Institute of Technology

(Caltech) have discovered the underlying mechanisms of the fly‘s motion vision. Long before

the fly leaps, its brain calculates the location of the forthcoming swatting device and in an in-

stant formulates an escape plan— its legs move to the best position(opposite direction) to get it

out of harms way, and this happens in 100 milliseconds after the fly first sees the swatter.

The research suggests that within the fly brain there is a map in which the location of the swatter

"is transformed into an appropriate pattern of leg and body motion prior to take off," Prof Mi-

chael Dickinson of Caltech says. "This is a rather sophisticated sensory-to-motor transformation

and the search is on to find the place in the brain where this happens."

The team at Caltec used superslow-motion video cameras to record the fly‘s aversion technique.

The fly was coaxed to stand on a glass prism, and then, a mini swatter was moved toward the fly

where the video recorded the reaction.

"They perform an elegant little ballet with their legs," says Dickinson. "They move their legs

around to reposition their bodies so that when they do jump, they will push themselves away

from the looming threat."

This ballet only takes a 10th of a second—the fly recognizes the threat with its eyes, determines

the direction of the threat, and then adjusts its legs so it can leap out of the way. Flies process

visual movements in only fractions of a second and can process a vast amount of information

about motion and movement in real time.

20

"We were surprised to find that

'long'-in fly time-before a fly takes

off in response to a predator or

swatter it plans the direction of the

jump by making a rather complex

series of postural movements," says

Prof Dickinson.

"Our experiments showed that the

fly somehow 'knows' whether it

needs to make large or small pos-

tural changes to reach the correct

preflight posture. This means that

the fly must integrate visual infor-

mation from its eyes, which tell it

where the threat is approaching

from, with mechanosensory infor-

mation from its legs, which tells it

how to move to reach the proper

preflight pose."

The paper, "Visually Mediated Motor Planning

in the Escape Response of Drosophila," will be

published August 28 in the journal Current Biol-

ogy.

The research was funded by the National Insti-

tutes of Health and the National Science Foun-

dation.

California Institute of Technology (2008, August

29). Scientists Discover Why Flies Are So Hard

To Swat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 15, 2010,

from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /

releases/2008/08/080828135901.htm

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. "Fly's Brain -- A High

-Speed Computer: Neurobiologists Use State-of-

the-Art Methods to Decode the Basics of Motion

Detection." ScienceDaily 13 July 2010. 14 July

2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /

21

Shoofly Pie:

An Amish &

Mennonites

Recipe

When William Penn was seeking colonists for the Pennsylvania area, the gentle Amish and Men-

nonites joined in Penn's "holy experiment" of religious tolerance, a society of godly and virtuous

men (and woman). Several sects of Christian Anabaptists-Mennonites and the Amish came

from Germany and Switzerland, settled near Lancaster

County around 1730.

These early settlers came to North America by boat, bring-

ing nonperishable items that would survive a long trip--

flour, brown sugar, molasses, lard, salt, and spices. Most

arrived in late fall, and had to make do with what they had

brought, at least until the next summer. Thus, they created

a pie known as the shoofly pie.

The Shoofly was loosely based on the English

Treacle Tart(Treacle is the British generic name for

any syrup made during the refining of sugar cane).

During the 17th century, treacle was used chiefly

as a cheap from of sweetener. By the late 1700s,

refined sugar became affordable to the masses in

Britain and overtook treacle as a general sweet-

ener. Molasses was often substituted for treacle in

colonial American recipes. Many early cookbooks

have Molasses Pie recipes.

22

Pastry for a 1-crust 9-inch pie (page 270)

1 cup all-purpose flour

Two-thirds cup light brown sugar, packed

1 rounded tablespoon cold butter

One-fourth teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup light molasses

Three-fourths cup cold water

One-fourth cup hot water

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pie pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan;

set aside.

In a food processor bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Re-

move one-half cup of the mixture and set aside. Transfer the rest to a medium

mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the molasses and cold

water, and blend but do not beat; you don‘t want bubbles in the batter. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the hot water with the baking soda and blend into the molas-

ses mixture. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Pour into the pie shell and

top with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 35 minutes. The pie will appear quivery

but will firm up as it cools. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe Courtesy of

New Recipes from Quilt

Country: More Food &

Folkways from the

Amish & Mennonites

by Marcia Adams

23

Cape Charles Burger Wars

Who dat who gots da Best Burger in Town?

(Criteria: taste, freshness, price, speed of ordering)

5. Firehouse Burger: Not sure what they are doing here. Actually, it‘s a fine burger, but it doesn‘t

seem as if their heart‘s in it, and that they‘d rather be doing something

else.

4. Rayfield’s Cheeseburger: As close to a NJ Diner as you‘re gonna‘

get around here. You may hear the Sysco truck backing up to the door

(beep, beep, beep), but we don‘t care. We revel in this pure and awe-

some grease fest!

3. Kelly’s Pub Burger: these guys are trying really hard with the in-

gredients (real hand pressed patties, using high quality beef from AJ‘s),

but serving it on an English muffin is just gay (not that there‘s any-

thing wrong with that!). The bun is key to a true burger experience (a

good bun should remind you of Britney Spears‘ butt). With a better

bun, we could see this rising to #1 (we must note that now, you can get

roasted duck on raspberry risotto, for $27.00. It seems, in favor of

higher end cuisine, the pub fare has suffered…example: the

fish & chips. What was once the majestic surfboard is now a

couple of greasy blocks with some crappy fries. Bring back

the board with real pub fries!).

2. McD’s Angus & Hardees Thick Burger: Production bur-

gers? Yes! But again, we don‘t care. The McDonald‘s Angus

is surprisingly tasty, with fresh ingredients and a bun that even

Britney would be envious of. The Hardees Thick burger, has a

serious diner-like attitude, is sloppy and delicious.

And..they‘re just $3 bucks, $3 bucks, $3 bucks!

1. Shore Treasures Cheeseburger: best kept secret in town is

the ST. This burger is like Brass Monkey on a bun: it‘s fresh

and kicks serious ass with a Cape Charles low-rider attitude

and flavor. $3 Bucks Baby!….but, we have to mention the kil-

ler Cheese Steak Sub and hyper-intense Mexican Burritos…

and the breakfast sandwiches, made to order, will get you all the way to where you‘re going. This

food can really GO! Tables and cocktails coming soon...

24

25

Save the Little Brown Bat Invasive Disease could lead to Extinction

When I lived in Falls

Church, each spring I

would wait for the bats to

return—they lived in a

small alcove in my attic,

maybe 20 or 30. Each eve-

ning, at twilight, I would

watch them emerge into the

night, ready to feast on the

blood of our robust insect

populace. But now they are

dying. What is happening

to our bats? According to

researchers at the Univer-

sity of California, Santa

Cruz an invasive (possibly

brought over from Europe)

The fungus, known as white-nose syndrome, tends to affect hibernating bats.

Author of the report, Winifred F. Frick, a UC Santa Cruz graduate who is now a post-doctoral

researcher in UCSC's Environmental Studies department, notes that the disease is spreading

across the northeastern U.S. and Canada affecting seven bat species.

"Bats perform valuable ecosystem services that matter for both the environments they live in

and have tangible benefits to humans as well. Bats affected by this disease are all insect-

eating species, and an individual bat can consume their body weight in insects every night,

including some consumption of pest insects," Frick said. "Our results paint a grim picture of

a once-healthy population of an abundant and widely distributed species now experiencing

unprecedented losses."

It is believed that the fungus disrupts the bats' hibernation, causing them to awake early, and

lose critical fat reserves. This, along with erratic behavior, can lead to death. Left unabated, it

is believed that the little brown bat will be extinct in less than 16 years.

fungus is showing up in the northeastern United States and has killed millions of bats. If un-

contained, the disease could cause the regional extinction of the little brown bat species, once

recognized as one of the healthiest and most useful mammals on the East Coast.

26

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by A&V staff) from materials pro-

vided by University of California - Santa Cruz. The original article was written by Guy Lasnier.

Journal Reference:

1. Frick et al. An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse of a Common North

American Bat Species. Science, 2010; 329 (5992): 679 DOI: 10.1126/science.1188594

MLA

University of California - Santa Cruz (2010, August 6). Bats facing regional extinction in North-

eastern US from rapidly spreading white-nose syndrome. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 10,

2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/08/100805142945.htm

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Image courtesy of Sheri Amsel and www.explorignature.org

27

High Line Park NYC The High Line is a 1.45-mile (2.33 km) New York City park built on a section of the former ele-

vated freight railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of

Manhattan; it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway.

The High Line Park will eventually run from Gansevoort Street, one block below West 12th

Street, in the Meatpacking District, up through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side

Yard, near the Javits Convention Center, but currently it ends at 20th Street.The High Line was

built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side

Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the

streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980.

According to The Highline's official website:

The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Man-

hattan's streets. Section 1 of the High Line will soon open as a public park, owned by the City of

New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Rec-

reation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the

park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks

Department.

28

When all sections are complete, the High

Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long ele-

vated park, running through the West Side

neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District,

West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. It

features an integrated landscape, designed

by landscape architects James Corner Field

Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio

+ Renfro, combining concrete paths with

foliage and plantings. Fixed and movable

seating, lighting, and special features are

also included in the park.

29

30

The park's plantings are meant to invoke the original nature of the self-seeded landscape that

grew on the abandoned tracks; as you follow the trails, surprising views of the city leap out in

front of you. Pebble-dash concrete walkways completes the trails, and the planting embedded in

railroad gravel mulch, along with railroad track and ties recall the High Line's former use.

Most of the planting, which includes 210 species, is of rugged meadow plants, including clump-

forming grasses, liatris and coneflowers, with scattered stands of sumac and smokebush. At the

Gansevoort end, a grove of mixed species of birch already provides some cooling shade by late

afternoon.

31

Ipê timber for the built-in benches has come from a managed forest certified by the Forest

Stewardship Council, to ensure sustainable use, conservation of biological diversity, wa-

ter resources, and fragile ecosystems.-www.highline.com

The park will eventually extend from Gansevoort Street north to 30th Street where the

elevated tracks turn west around the Hudson Yards development project to the Javits Con-

vention Center on 34th Street. The northernmost section, from 30th to 34th Streets, is still

owned by the CSX railroad company, but the New York City Planning Commission has

announced a move toward City ownership of this section.

32

Much of the first section of the High Line is

located in the Meatpacking District. Around

1900, the district was home to more than 250

slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants. Be-

fore the High Line was built, trains on street

level, as well as barges and ships from the

Hudson River, brought goods to the district for

processing. When the High Line was built, it

carried freight trains full of meat and other

goods directly to the upper floors of these

meatpacking plants and factories.

The High Line‘s northernmost section runs

through the southern section of the Hell‘s

Kitchen neighborhood which was part of the

2005 Hudson Yards Rezoning.

The last freight

train to journey

over the High Line

went through in

1980 and carried

a load of frozen

turkeys.

Eli Siegel: ―All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is

what we are going after in ourselves.‖

Sources: NGU License, Wikipedia. & www.thehighline.org Photos courtesy of

www.thehighline.org

33

Mugshot: Morgan Barbour We met Ms Barbour last summer during the Eastern Shore Shakespeare Festival’s production of Twelfth Night, where Morgan stepped in and performed several roles, including Curio, one of the gentlemen attending Olivia..

Bio

I‘m a sophomore at Virginia

Commonwealth University. I‘ve

been told my hair looks like

Rainbow Brite and the Kool Aid

man had a love child. I pay the

bills as a seasonal entertainer

and freelance artist (which

sounds much more pretentious

than it is in reality) and spend

the rest of my time planning

outlandish ideas for projects that

are probably way over my head,

playing with my cats (at this

rate I‘m on the path to crazy cat

lady-dom), studying film, play-

ing D&D, and harassing my

friends. Speaking of which, hi

Brandyn! Editors, please leave

that in; I made a promise to

mention him and he‘s infinitely

cooler than any of my rambling.

Editor’s Note: This layout is a fascinating visual collaboration between Morgan and

fashion and image photographer Joe Parlett. It reminds us of the French New Wave

(Jean Luc Goddard’s Alphaville), as well as American Noir, such as Welles’ Touch of

Evil.

Got a Mugshot? To submit it, contact us at: info@assesandvillains.com

34

35

What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?

Graduate from college with a BFA in either theater or photography, maybe a minor in

creative writing, with more work published and making enough to pay the bills in any-

thing but a conventional job. I hope to have the chance to actually be good at Spanish

again, and maybe study oh…I don‘t know, nanoscience? Okay, that last part is a bit of a

stretch. But in all seriousness, I hope to be pursuing my ―dreams‖ (cue sappy teenage

drama theme music here) and doing everything in my power to avoid falling into the

role of a ―starving artist‖ – flipping burgers in some greasy joint, hating life and yelling

at those finicky hippie kids to get off my lawn.

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37

38

39

Who is your favorite

photographer?

Why?

I don‘t think it‘s possible to just

have one ―favorite‖. There are so

many talented photographers out

there, both those whom I would

sell a kidney for the chance to

work with, and those whom I

have already had the pleasure of

posing for and being tutored by.

But I suppose if I really had to

pick a bucket list of artists, it‘d

have to go to such talent as Sarah

Small, Christopher Lee Dono-

van, Neil Nakahara, Jake Garn,

T. H. Taylor, Elizabeth May,

Gary Breckheimer, Joshua Hof-

fine, Sylvie Blum, Rosie Hardy,

Sito Alvina…okay, that‘s more

like a mile long list of photogra-

phers that I absolutely idolize

artistically. It‘s practically im-

possible to narrow it down any

smaller; I would probably cry if

any of the aforementioned ever

offered to let me pose for them.

I‘ve drawn inspiration from quite

a few for my own photography

and artwork as well. Who knows

– maybe someone reading this

will find their own inspiration in

such amazing photos. Also,

while not as renowned, my mom

is a brilliant film photographer

who took amazing – and admit-

tedly rather embarrassing – pho-

tos of me and my siblings

through our childhood and really

was the source of me falling in

love with still photos.

Got a Mugshot?

To submit it, contact us

at: info@assesandvillains.com

40

Smashing Pumpkins Still Just a Rat in a Cage

@

The Norva July 15th

Billy or William Patrick

Corgan to you, is still a rat

in a cage. If you were look-

ing for a greatest hits al-

bum, this wasn‘t your

night. But, if you love the

Pumpkins, the show at the

Norva July 15th was all of

it. They did not play

"1979," yet they cured our

lust for the early 90s with

"Bullet With Butterfly

Wings" and "Tonight." , as

well as

―Hummer‖ ("Siamese

Dream") and

―Today‖ ("Siamese

Dream").

Here‘s what Billy told

Mike Doyle of the Va Pilot

"I don't think you have to

play the older songs or hits.

It's more of a contract you

have with your audience,

that you're gonna try to

meet them in the middle

between what they would

despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage, despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage

someone will say what is lost can never be saved, despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage

41

Photography by Chris Glennon

42

at today. The way I look at it is, I take the new material and figure out what I'm going to play, and

then I'll build around that the songs that would make the most sense for the show - to keep the show

exciting and relevant - and, at the same time, honor my whole musical history with the Pumpkins.

"I like to touch on different eras because it brings different energies, feels and grooves to the show.

I've found a nice balance between past, present and future. I don't feel any sense of compromise, I

can tell you that." The Virginian-Pilot © July 15, 2010

For many, they may still be yearning for the old days of Jame Iha and D'arcy Wretzy , yet the new

lineup of Jeff Schoeder on guitar and Nicky Fiorentino on bass is as dynamic as ever (many of us

still have soft spot for Nicky when she played with latter incarnations of Veruca Salt).

The show ended after twenty minutes of the tome "Gossamer."…Corgan walking off stage, the gui-

tar ringing, looping and spinning a fine, sheer thread of ageless feedback.

Astral Planes (new song) Ava Adore ("Adore") Hummer ("Siamese Dream") A Song for a Son ("Teargarden by Kaleidyscope") Today ("Siamese Dream") Bleeding the Orchid ("Zeitgeist") Eye ("Lost Highway" soundtrack) Stand Inside Your Love ("Machina/The Machines of God") Bullet With Butterfly Wings ("Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sad-ness") United States ("Zeitgeist") Widow Wake My Mind ("Teargarden by Kaleidyscope") Perfect ("Adore") Cherub Rock ("Siamese Dream") That's the Way (My Love Is) ("Zeitgeist") Owata (new song) Tarantula ("Zeitgeist") Tonight ("Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness")

and I still believe that I cannot be saved and I still believe that I cannot be saved

and I still believe that I cannot be saved and I still believe that I cannot be saved

43

Menhaden Update

The first meeting of the Virginia Menhaden Panel, co-chaired by Senator Ralph Northam, con-

vened on July 15th at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Newport News. The panel is

made of up several groups interested in the menhaden, including state legislators, environ-

mental and conservation groups, as well as Marine officials from the Virginia Marine Re-

sources Commission, and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council. Five of the nine members

of the General Assembly sitting on the panel oversea marine resource issues

The main question for the panel revolved around just how many Menhaden are actually in the

bay, and are they being over fished?

"We need science that's specific to the Chesapeake Bay and not the entire Atlantic stock," said

Sen. Ralph Northam.

Menhaden migrate up and down the east coast, spawn offshore, after which the eggs and larvae

eventually make it into the Chesapeake Bay, where they mature to 0 to 2 years, and then leave

the bay for more open waters. The juveniles in the bay are thought to be a major forage source

for predators such as striped bass and osprey. There are concerns that too many of the young

fish are being harvested from the Bay (some years have shown that up to 90% of the total land-

ings come from the Bay) before they have the chance to mature and spawn.

Senator Northam's panel is investigating the possibility of shifting more control of the stock

away from the General Assembly, and onto the VMRC. The success of VMRC's management

of the blue crab population is mentioned as one of the reasons for exploring this process.

44

Jack Travelstead, deputy commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resource Commission, made sev-

eral points about how the fishery is managed. First, whether menhaden are managed by the Gen-

eral Assembly, or VMRC, they would each still be taking direction from recommendations of the

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. He also mentioned that, even as the menhaden fish-

ery is Virginia's largest, the state currently spends $0.00 on research and management. This, in a

way has led to the current debates about the science and the actual role of the menhaden as a filter

and forage fish. Mr. Travelstead indicated that it would take $500,000 per year to adequately

monitor the stock.

The consensus among conservationist panelists, including the Virginia League of Conservation

Voters and Coastal Conservation Association, was that they would like a definitive answer, one

way or the other, whether the stock is truly healthy, or whether it is being overfished. Much of the

concern comes from anecdotal evidence produced by members of the recreational fishing commu-

nity, who, are convinced that they have witnessed a noticeable decline in menhaden over the last

several years. Senator Northan echoed that sentiment, noting that many of his constituents have

voiced concern about Omega boats in the Bay.

Senator Northam acknowledged that if the General Assembly is tasked with managing the fishery,

he, as an advocate for the Bay, wanted to do it the right way, using the best science and most accu-

rate information. The next session of the Menhaden panel is scheduled for September.

Comments: info@assesandvillains.com

Currently, Omega Protein of Reedville is the only reduction fishery for Menhaden, and is allowed

to land 109,020 metric tons of fish each year from Virginia waters. With the latest ASMFC stock

assessment showing that the coastal menhaden population has declined 88% since 1984 to a his-

toric low, it has raised concerns that current reference points used to measure the health of stock

are not adequate, and may not reflect the true health of the fish. An Atlantic States Marine Fisher-

ies Commission report earlier this year stated the menhaden is not overfished.

Omega Protein, as well as the NAACP, the Waterman‘s Association and the Bait Association de-

clined to participate in the session, suggesting that the panel would not focus on accurate science

and would be dominated by panel members that already have their minds made up concerning the

health of fishery.

45

zEnterprise: IBM‘s New MadMen Mainframe

The new hybrid mainframe, the zEnterprise System from

IBM has made its début. Big Blue promises a design that will

trim data center sprawl and be a consistent conduit to the

cloud computational model. It‘s also a throw back to the big

iron days of the 60s, when Mainframes and MadMen ruled!

IBM is looking to bridge enterprises that run on mainframes

with other industry standard servers. While hardware vendors

take shots at each other, the reality is that most data centers

have multiple hardware components. The goal is to integrate

hardware components,handle massive computing load, while

consolidating data center space and energy usage.

Thirty of IBM's top customers kicked in $1.5 billion in R&D

Top Notes:

* The zEnterprise contains 96 processors running at 5.2 GHz each. The server can handle 50

billion instructions per second.

* Central governance and mainframe management tools and extend them to Power7 and

System X servers.

* Faster analytics capabilities.

* zEnterprise will be up to 60 percent faster than the predecessor System z10 and use the

same amount of energy.

*Reduce acquisition costs by 40 percent with total cost of ownership falling 55 percent.

IBM’s statement:

Using the zEnterprise System with the zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension and IBM zEnter-

prise Unified Resource Manager, a financial services company that is managing credit card

transactions on the mainframe and using an IBM blade optimized for analytics, can gain in-

sights from the information in seconds rather than waiting hours for the two disparate systems

to integrate their databases. IBM estimates that complex database queries can experience up to

a ten-fold performance improvement in this hybrid environment. In addition, with IBM‘s new

architecture, the financial services company can extend the mainframe‘s unique, always-on,

ultra-secure and reliable qualities to its customer service applications running on IBM blades.

46

Tech Notes:

* The IBM zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension will be managed running IBM‘s flavor of

Unix, (AIX), with Linux coming to the mainframe next year.

* Software called Unified Resource Manager will allow the system can manage more than

100,000 virtual servers.

* IBM claims that the zEnterprise 196 will run Oracle workloads for 74 percent less than

x86 systems. The system also has a water cooling system that can connect to standard chilled

water systems in data centers. The server also has a bundle of IBM software from Tivoli and

can be optimized to work with Cognos and SPSS for analytics. Rational and Lotus are also in

the mix.

According to Bill Miller, president of BMC Software, a

leading mainframe software management company,

―IBM‘s mainframe approach brings the cloud opportunity to the forefront. This

could be a lot more than a traditional server and with its split personality could

offer scalability like nothing else out there.‖

Will 1960s white shirts and ties be making a comeback too? Data Center fash-

ion by Madmen.

47

Photos by Simon Berlyn, courtesy of the official listing at Jade Mills Estates.

Not much to say here. The house pretty much speaks to the man’s film, painting and photography career. All part of a life’s work….

The Dennis Hopper House

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50

51

Dennis Lee Hopper

May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010

52

Patricia Neal January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010

53

I spilled the martini down the front

of my pants, as my future father-in-

law shook his head and walked

back to the shrimp platter. The

band was playing Midnight Blue,

and I heard my fiancé calling after

me, but it was too late.

It looked at her, and then vomited onto the table where her aunt and uncle had

just left to go dance.

"You're ruining the party!" she cried.

And then, in tears, turned and ran into her father's arms. He said something to

her, and then came walking towards me—he took a swing, for the second time

in our lives. He missed, again, and then, off balance, slipped and fell in my

vomit.

He looked up at me and said, ―You‘ll never marry her you son of a bitch‖

I left him there, and went back to the bar for another martini.

54

The devastating news that Shore Me-

morial was moving to Accomack

came on the heels of reports ranking

Northampton‘s employment at

among the lowest in the state. Forth-

coming Census data is predicted to

show a continued downward trend of

a population that is both decreasing

in size and increasing in age, lending

to an even less sustainable economic

situation.

All this should not come as a sur-

prise—this is the direct result of

years of insipid County and Town

policies that are anti-business, anti-

smart growth, fundamentally anti-

environment, and tend to embrace

industries that exploit rather than build and nurture a work force. As this hostile business en-

vironment continues to force the younger generation to search for opportunities elsewhere,

more and more of the tax burden will fall on the last 4578 workers still left standing on the

lower end of the Shore.

Whether or not having a regional wastewater system in place would have saved the hospital,

is certainly up to debate, yet by not adopting the parts of the public/private Webtide proposal,

which addressed infrastructure deficiencies in the northern and southern points of the county,

and meant to foster at least a notion of smart growth and business development, certainly had

to be a factor. When Riverside purchased Shore Memorial, it became apparent that years of

neglecting basic infrastructure could become a factor in whether the hospital stayed or

moved. The County‘s late rush to create a PSA seemed reactionary, desperate, and not well

thought out—when Treasurer Nunez suggested that she had no idea that the PSA's top con-

sultant was under indictment, I believe her. From what we‘ve seen in Northampton and Cape

Charles, a person like that would have little trouble ‗fitting in‘.

55

The whole endeavor reeks of being pathetic,

stupid and after the fact (PSA), and its mem-

bership, not what one would label an Algon-

quin Roundtable, certainly prompted the Tif-

fany‘s blue box sophisticates from Riverside to

scurry towards the enduring comfort of seven

course meals at the Charlotte.

Losing a major economic engine like Shore Memorial due to lack of foresight and expertise is

going to be a hard hit, yet our anemic economy suffers from another fundament problem—an

unhealthy reliance on the tourism industry. No one would argue that tourism creates revenue,

yet not all revenue is created equally. The fact is that tourism creates short term employment

opportunities that are low wage, low benefit—in the end, most of the revenue winds up back in

the greasy tills or bloated government projects. And when the tourism industry then refuses to

hire local, and imports Eastern Europeans for those same jobs, it adds insult to injury.

An example of our government‘s mind numbing disconnect is the way Cape Charles has

usurped1.5 million dollars in taxes to renovate rustic School Park, giving it a makeover that

resembles the outlet malls that litter sea-

side towns all up and down the east

coast. This may make the New Jersey

tourists feel more at home, but it does

little to relieve the stress of those that

need work to raise their families.

Instead, the 1.5 million could have gone

towards public/private renovations of

our dilapidated buildings as part of an

economic development plan meant to

leverage HubZone status, and to attract

industries (hi-tech sales, IT support, af-

ter market shipping, etc.) with high

revenue and job growth potential, which

also come with the added benefit of hav-

ing a small ecological footprint.

56

Despite the fundamental weakness of

our economy, I am sure that the

landed gentry, agricultural elites, and

trust fund babies, with subsidies, tax

breaks, and access to cheap imported

labor, will continue to thrive. The rest

of the 4578 who are working for a liv-

ing and bearing the majority of the tax

burden, will continue to have to take

what they‘re giving. For now. The

complete and utter incompetence (as

well as the total disregard for the

working class) that enshrined the loss

of Shore Memorial is a cue for us to

radically re-evaluate our standing in

this community—politically, eco-

nomically, culturally, and fiscally.

...and don‘t forget those election cycles!

57

1. Always take the beach road. Even when there is a modern highway right next door, where

you can drive 55 or 60, pull off onto the beach road, turn off the AC, roll down the windows,

and cruise at a healthy 25 mph. Take the beach road.

2. Drive south. This is a metaphorical rule, but in most

cases, it seems to fit. When you reach the ocean, there is

invariably a T in the road where you can go north or south.

Go south.

3. If you need more than a board (surf, boogie, skim, etc.),

fishing tackle and something to boil shrimp in, you‘re in

the wrong place.

58

4. Avoid restaurants that advertise

‗All You Can Eat‘ seafood buffets.

5. Eat at Dune Burger. Try and eat at

a Dune Burger, or something simi-

larly named. You know the place,

kind of a shack where you order from

the sliding window, and it has greasy

picnic tables outside. Although this

meal may be your last, eat at Dune Burger.

59

6. Surf and swim naked. Avoid intellectual stimulation.

Think less, live more. Ride waves.

7. Avoid beach destinations that offer activities: author

readings, children‘s story times and exercise classes

should be avoided at all costs. Outlet malls are strictly

forbidden.

8. If you live in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts,

Pennsylvania or Maryland, stay there. You have nice

beaches; the Jersey Shore, the Hamptons, Cape Cod,

Dewey. Go to yours and stop crowding ours. Plus, you

drive too fast trying to get here.

9. Eat Wanchese shrimp. Every beach has something

that is uniquely theirs; the Outer Banks has Wanchese

shrimp. Eat local.

10. Breakwaters suck. If a

place needs a breakwater, it‘s

not a beach. At some point, if

you continue to build that close

to the water, you have to allow

the sea to take back what be-

longs to her.

11. Never jog on the beach.

And please, no socks and run-

ning shoes.

12. Never play Putt-

Putt. Especially avoid themed

courses with Pirates, Dinosaurs

or Jungles.

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13. Long boards are okay, especially for us old, arthritic, bald, short guys.

Hot Chicks like guys with Long Boards!

14. A Bikini is a fashion that is earned. Now look, we‘re not trying to be overly critical,

but if you are 30 to 50 pounds overweight, do not put on that string bikini and display

your belly button piercing. A black, triangle cut one piece is slimming and a better idea.

15. Never pay more than $2.00 for flip flops.

61

16. If you are at the beach, always shower out-

side. Use a hose if you have to.

17. Eat breakfast at the Nags Head Pier. Every

beach town has

a pier, with a

little wooden

diner, where

the coffee is

strong and the

waitresses are

nice.

18. Use bloodworms for bait. Technically not a

surfing rule, but you can catch anything with a

bloodworm.

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"SURFNYL RULES!!"--Birdie

19. Own at least one pair of Birdwell

Beach Britches. We know Oneal and

Billabong make great stuff, but you need

at least one pair of britches made out of

Surfnyl.

This is by far not an exhaustive

list. If you have your own surfer

rule, send it to:

info@assesandvillains.com

20. If someone mentions that they remember when the beach

road was sand, stop and listen. It might be Pete Smith.

63

Tats of the Month: Russian Crime and All-American Pinups

Russian Tattoos from Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I: 1

Danzig Baldaev (Author), Sergei Vasiliev (Author), Damon Murray (Editor), Stephen Sorrell (Editor)

PinUp Tattoo from

http://www.everytattoo.com

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