Every Henri Texier‘s project deserves attention – why would this one be different?
Henri Texier Azur Quintet:
Henri Texier – bassBojan Z – pianoGlenn Ferris – tromboneSebastien Texier – saxTony Rabeson – drums
Daily Archives: March 11, 2016
KENNY GARRETT QUINTET: live at Jazzwoche Burghausen 2015
It’s been a year since this concert by the Kenny Garrett Quintet, a lot happened there, it’s time to remember it!
Kenny Garrett – alto sax, soprano sax Corcoran Holt – bass Trevor Watkis – piano Marcus Baylor – drums
Rudy Bird – percussion
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CP files preliminary proxy statement for NS shareholder resolution
Canadian Pacific Railway filed a preliminary proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that outlines the shareholder resolution that the railroad wants considered at Norfolk Southern Corp.‘s upcoming annual meeting.
The resolution will ask shareholders to approve the resolution that would require the NS board to promptly engage in good faith discussions with CP regarding the Canadian railroad’s merger proposal.
CP has proposed taking over NS to create a transcontinental railroad that CP executives argue would have the scale and reach to deliver better safety and service to customers of both railroads. To date, NS has rejected CP’s three offers to merge and has declined to meet with CP to discuss it.
CP Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison said he hopes the resolution will convince NS executives to sit down and discuss a merger.
“This is an opportunity for NS shareholders — who have been telling us since the beginning that they are in favor of the proposed business combination – to speak up and be heard by NS’ board of directors,” said Harrison in a press release. “We are not asking NS shareholders to vote on the business proposal itself, but to vote in favor of the shareholder resolution calling for NS to engage in good faith discussions with CP regarding a potential combination.”
In a Feb. 29 filing with the SEC, the NS board encouraged NS shareholders to oppose CP’s proposal.
“We believe that by rejecting the CP proposal, shareholders will send a clear message to CP that Norfolk Southern shareholders support greater value and regulatory certainty from CP,” the NS filing states. “If CP were to state a willingness to meaningfully increase the consideration it is offering and were to receive a declaratory order from the Surface Transportation Board [STB] validating its proposed voting trust structure, then the Norfolk Southern Board would engage in good faith discussions regarding a potential business combination.”
CP is seeking a declaratory order from the STB on the railroad’s proposed voting trust structure and has “consistently indicated its openness to discussing the terms of previous offers,” Harrison said in the press release.
“With a vote ‘for’ the shareholder resolution, we hope to get NS to the table to discuss all the elements of the proposed business combination in an open and constructive manner,” he added.
NS has not yet announced a date for the annual meeting.
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A public hearing on Astoria subway lines
In preparation for the opening of the new Second Avenue subway line, New York City Transit will host a public hearing to gather public input on proposals that would change service on the N and Q lines between Astoria and Manhattan; and restore the old W train to replace Q service that no longer would run in Queens.
The hearing will begin at 5 p.m. on April 7. It will take place at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s transit headquarters at 2 Broadway, on the 20th floor. The Second Avenue line is scheduled to open later this year or in early 2017, according to the MTA.
Once it starts up, the Q train will run under Second Avenue from 96th Street to 72nd Street, serving new stations at 96th Street, 86th Street and 72nd Street, requiring that it be rerouted away from the Astoria line across the Queensborough Bridge.
South of 72nd Street, the Q will connect to Lexington Avenue/63rd Street, where a cross-platform transfer to the F Line will be possible. West of the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street stop, the new service would connect to the Broadway Line express tracks at the 57th Street-7th Avenue station and continue south.
The restored W line will replace the existing Q subway service in Astoria, then operate local service in Manhattan, where it will, according to plan, terminate at Whitehall Street
The W was originally shut down in June 2010, one of several subway lines and bus routes that were eliminated or scaled back during an MTA budget crisis.
Under the plan, N subway service would operate express in Manhattan between Canal Street and 34 Street-Herald Square.
Registration is required for members of the public as space may be limited. RSVP online at mta-nyc.custhelp.com/app/hearings/register/h_id/6; by telephone at (646) 252-6777; or in person on the day of the hearing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the hearing. Members of the public who cannot attend this hearing are invited to submit feedback online at mta-nyc.custh.
The hearing can be reached via the No. 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green; by the R train to Whitehall or Rector Street; or the 1 train to South Ferry.
It also can be reached by the M5, M15, M20, X1 and X10 bus lines.
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Cocoa eyed for possible All Aboard Florida train station
VIERA — Brevard County officials hope All Aboard Florida builds a train station near Clearlake Road in north Cocoa, offering passengers quick access to Port Canaveral, the beach, State Road 528 and U.S. 1.
This morning, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization unanimously selected Clearlake Road over eight other proposed Brevard station sites along the railroad corridor in Melbourne, Cocoa, Rockledge and Palm Bay.
The Clearlake Road location includes 37 developable acres near the future railroad track’s southward curve, where trains will pass beneath SR 528 and begin traveling parallel with Interstate 95 towards Miami. All Aboard Florida already owns property at this curve, and Florida East Coast Railway owns the 37-acre station target area.
Next, All Aboard Florida will conduct a ridership study to determine if the Cocoa station site makes business sense.
“We appreciate the thoroughness of the process conducted by the Space Coast TPO. This is the first step in a series of activities for the possible introduction of a Brightline station,” said Ali Soule, an All Aboard Florida spokeswoman.
In March 2012, All Aboard Florida announced plans to launch a private passenger train system linking Orlando with Miami. In 2017, Brightline — the name of the rail service — may begin operating 32 trains per day. Train speeds: 79 to 125 mph.
The company is considering a Brevard train station, but no decision has been made.
Bob Kamm, TPO executive director, discussed All Aboard Florida during a Tuesday radio interview on WFME 90.7-FM, Orlando’s flagship National Public Radio member station. He said passenger rail best serves commuters within the “sweet spot” range of 200 to 500 miles, such as trips between Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
“Less than 200, it’s much more effective and efficient to drive. Over 500, it’s better to fly,” Kamm said.
He said a Brevard rail station may accommodate tourists during mid-day off-peak rail hours, perhaps between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and only some Brightline trains would stop there.
Kamm said the rail timeline is dictated by ongoing station construction at Orlando International Airport and the sale of $1.8 billion in bonds — “and the bond market is very soft right now.”
Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter
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How We Got Trumped by the Media
They’re so obsessed with the Donald that they can barely be bothered to cover the other candidates, much less the important issues.
he mainstream media’s obsessive coverage of Donald Trump is warping not just a Republican presidential race that is spiraling out of control, but a Democratic contest that is of equal consequence. And that’s not the worst of it. Major media outlets are now so obsessed with Trump’s candidacy—and so addicted to the clicks and ratings associated with the spectacle it has created—that they can barely be bothered to cover the other candidates, and thus are neglecting the deeper issues and concerns shaping this electoral season.
“Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, and Trump” is how veteran political observer Larry Sabato has summed up coverage of the campaign. By late February, the billionaire had, according to figures cited by The Economist, enjoyed 10 times as much attention on network evening newscasts as Florida Senator Marco Rubio. This overwhelming over-coverage of Trump’s candidacy has made “The Donald” the defining figure in the GOP competition. As Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! put it: “Trump doesn’t even have to go out on the road—he’s piped into everyone’s home.”
But Trumpmania has also redefined the Democratic race. The Republican front-runner has sucked up so much media oxygen that the Democratic contest is gasping for air. The GOP’s turnout is way up, while Democratic turnout is down. Only in a handful of caucus and primary states where the Bernie Sanders campaign has surged is turnout holding steady—or, in some cases, exceeding levels reached in the 2008 competition between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
On Super Tuesday, Democratic primary turnout was down roughly a third from 2008 levels. Barriers created by voter-ID laws and the evisceration of the Voting Rights Act were undoubtedly factors in several states. And it’s hard to compare the 2008 and 2016 Democratic races, since 2008 came after the catastrophic Bush years and was energized by the historic candidacy of Barack Obama. But the decline this year nonetheless has Democrats fretting. There are worries about reports from the Super Tuesday state of Massachusetts, where Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin noted that nearly 20,000 Democrats dropped their party registration in order to vote in the Republican primary.
These turnout patterns frustrate the Democrats. Their party has a serious race on its hands—as the March 8 upset win for Sanders in Michigan confirmed—between candidates who are engaged in a great debate about who better represents the progressive ideals of the grassroots activists who have forced open the current discussions about inequality, failed trade policies, mass incarceration, and climate change. Why isn’t a contest that features an insurgent candidate mounting a vigorous populist challenge to a former secretary of state with strong support from party leaders and key constituencies attracting more votes than a Republican contest where the candidates argue about the size of their… hands?
Anyone who understands how the modern media shape the narrative, as opposed to simply reporting on it, knows the answer. As of late February, the wrangling between Trump and his top two rivals (Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz) was given twice as much time on network TV as the Clinton-Sanders contest.
That’s especially unfair to Sanders, whose challenge to the billionaire class that owns so much of our media has been dismissed and neglected—even as his poll numbers have risen. In December, Eric Boehlert of Media Matters cited Tyndall Report data for 2015, which charted 234 total network minutes for Trump compared with just 10 for Sanders (despite the fact that the candidates were polling roughly equally in their respective contests) and declared that “the network newscasts are wildly overplaying Trump.”
What’s bad for individual candidates is even worse for the democratic discourse. The saturation coverage of Trump has obscured the real story of 2016: Americans are strikingly agitated not just about politics and governance, but about an economic “recovery” that never seems to reach them, about real under- and unemployment figures that far exceed the official numbers, about wage stagnation that has continued for decades, and about the prospect that they are one trade deal or economic downturn away from losing it all.
Grassroots Republicans and Democrats know that the deck is stacked against them. They recognize that the choices being made by Wall Street and Washington threaten to increase their burdens and narrow their opportunities. And they see too little evidence that social divisions and environmental challenges are being addressed.
No 2016 candidate polls as highly as the notion that the country is headed in the wrong direction. The latest Associated Press/GfK polls show that 68 percent of voters think the United States is off course. This is not a partisan view: Democrats as well as Republicans share a concern that the government isn’t making the right choices, let alone the right preparations, for the future. Yet the media fail to open up these deeper discussions about inequality and economic instability; nor do they encourage candidates or parties to speak realistically about how the digital revolution, automation, and globalization are making the “new economy” look an awful lot like the old Gilded Age.
The past 20 years have seen radical changes in the American media: the pandemic downsizing of newsrooms, sweeping layoffs of journalists, and a desperation for clicks and ratings that guarantees that civic and democratic values will always be trumped by commercial and entertainment demands. CBS chief Les Moonves says of the ratings and revenue bonanza associated with the Trump moment: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.” Moonves is right: Media coverage that’s all about Trump, and misses the real story of 2016, is terrible for America.
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The Revolution Is Real, Bernie Can Win It All
s I write this, 92% of the precincts have reported in New Hampshire, and Bernie Sanders has received over 138,331 votes. Donald Trump has received 92,062 votes. Now I know that Donald Trump is part of the establishment, but many of his supporters think they are sticking it to the establishment. I wonder how many reporters and pundits will point out that Bernie has received more votes than the top two Republicans combined. Who else is highlighting that Bernie beat “The Donald” by close to 50,000 votes?
By the way, Hillary Clinton also received over 88,000 votes, while John Kasich, who was 2nd on the Republican side, only had 41,615 votes. Many pundits talked about the record GOP turnout in Iowa but failed to point out that both Sanders and Clinton had 30,000 more votes than Ted Cruz. There is as much excitement on the Democratic side as there is on the GOP side. Granted, with more candidates herding voters to the polls, more GOP voters have turned out.
It looks like Bernie Sanders will beat Hillary Clinton by over 20%. It will be the largest primary victory in a contested New Hampshire primary ever. And as Howard Fineman has pointed out, New Hampshirites do not like Vermonters. The only real regional advantage is Massachusetts, because the most populated part of New Hampshire is in the Boston media market. So when Bill Clinton spun his second place finish as a win over Paul Tsongas, he had a case. Hillary Clinton does not have the same excuse – she led Sanders by 40 points in June.
The exit polls provided us with the real reason Bernie Sanders won big in New Hampshire.
First off, Sanders won the women’s vote by 7 points, most of that margin coming from his massive support among young women.
90% of New Hampshire Democratic voters believe the U.S. economic system generally favors the wealthy, a Sanders battle cry.
New Hampshire voters see Sanders as more honest and trustworthy than Clinton, and they felt he shares their values more than she does.
71% of New Hampshire Democrats voted for the candidate who shared their position on the issues, while only 29% voted based on experience.
Income inequality and jobs were the most important issues to Democrats, and most sobering for Hillary Clinton. Two-thirds of voters support replacing the current health care system with a “single-payer Medicare for all,” a policy Sanders has championed.
The Clinton campaign can claim that Bernie had the home field advantage, but in reality they are losing to a better candidate. People know what Bernie Sanders stands for and they believe in his message. Hillary Clinton’s only argument is that she has the experience to take the helm. The problem is people aren’t looking for someone with the experience to maintain the status quo. They are looking for someone to shake things up. They want someone to change the political and economic system.
I remember when the Clinton campaign said they had a firewall in the South. Bernie’s campaign manager correctly responded by saying it’s a weakness to need a firewall and we’ll show them that a firewall can’t stop a prairie fire. Bernie has that kind of momentum now.
Van Jones on CNN argued that the myth that Bernie can’t win enough African American votes in South Carolina is wrong. He predicted Sanders would get over 30% of the African American vote and that just as Bernie dominates with young women, he could do equally well with young black voters.
It looks like the general election is shaping up to be a race between the anti-establishment candidates: one who has been fighting the establishment his whole career, and the other who has an ownership stake in the establishment but is running as the candidate they can’t buy.
For those on the left of center, Bernie Sanders is their candidate. Those on the right are responding to Donald Trump. Bernie has the advantage since he can unite his party while Trump cannot.
The Revolution is real. On to Nevada!
By Scott Galindez
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Steampunk technology fuels NYC subway system
New Yorkers and tourists alike love to complain about the NYC subway, but I’ve been riding it regularly since I was 16 years old and rode it daily throughout my 20s. I found that overall, it’s a dependable system. And while you get the idea that it’s 100 years old from the horrible screeching sounds the cars sometimes make (along with the awesome vintage tile work in many of the stations), it’s surprising to realize that the the technology running the cars is almost as old.
I was shocked and a little dismayed to watch the video above, which comes from the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) about the system’s absolutely ancient tech.
It’s like stepping back in time, isn’t it? Not exactly what you’d expect from a city as large and wealthy as New York, or one that transports 5.6 million people a day, with some lines running 24/7. But the subway has been operating, more or less continuously, since it opened in October 1904, and with 468 stations (the largest number in the world). Any changes will take years to implement across the whole system.
The 1930s technology is so old that when it needs repair, the city has to make the new parts in its own machine shop — because the companies that used to make the parts no longer exist. We’re talking cloth-covered cables here — remember those? (The electro-mechanical relays at the 2:14 mark in the video are my favorite part. How about yours?)
NYC isn’t the only city with seriously old technology running its subway cars, by the way. The London Underground‘s is almost as old, and so is Singapore’s. Upgrades are slow to happen there as well.
It’s clear the system needs updating, and that’s what’s happening. The Communications-Based Transit Control (CBTC) has been installed on the L train in the city, which runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back, and they are now working on the 7 train. And of course, the new Second Avenue Subway, which is being built on the East side of Manhattan, will have all-new technology when it’s completed sometime in the 2020s.
Some engineers point out that there are advantages to the old system; it’s quirks and issues are known and it has been running reliably for 100 years, though some New Yorkers would say certainly not reliably enough. And others point out that a mechanical system like the one in NYC makes it safer from terrorists — because it’s not wireless or connected to the Internet, it can’t be hacked.
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CNE Railway Tour 2016
Here is a sneak peek at the cover of the guide book for the CNE Rwy
historical tour starting at Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie on 3
April. Buses will roll about 9:00 AM. The book contains 234 pages of
photos and stories about the Maybrook Line from Poughkeepsie to
Maybrook. After lunch we will come back across the river to Hopewell Junction to explore the restored Depot and the new replica of switch tower ss 196. Lunch is included and everybody gets a copy of the guide book.
There are still seats available for this all-day trip. If you are
interested you can send a check for $55 to Joe Mato.
Joseph Mato CNE 2016
Joe Mato
62 Wood RD CNE 2016
Redding, CT 06896
(home): 203 938-9992 e-mail: joemato@sbcglobal.net
Be sure to include your E-Mail address so we can contact you if we need to.
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The Leadership Qualities Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, and Gandhi Have in Common
Unforgettable world leaders are those who are firmly imprinted in our minds forever: Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Gandhi, and Warren Buffett.
They have mastered the art of leadership, built powerful empires, attract unbelievable talent, and have millions of followers watching their every move–all the while inspiring others as bystanders look on in disbelief.
Qualities of Unforgettable World Leaders
What separates these unforgettable world leaders from the rest?
If you delve into the mountains of research available on leadership, from the countless studies conducted to fascinating personal interviews along with the sensational life stories outlined in the autobiographies, there are three qualities that consistently arise of world leaders.
These exemplary qualities have had the greatest impact on one’s ability to effectively lead and to build and maintain thriving empires.
1. Equanimity
Equanimity refers to staying calm, particularly in times of stress. Our emotional energy can change from moment to moment. Rapidly changing from high to low levels of energy creates our emotions.
In life, there are times when you feel exceptionally excited or happy. Likewise, there are times when you feel sad, disappointed, or angry. When we get addicted to either extremity, our emotions drain our energy.
Let me ask you: Have you ever been deliriously delighted about an opportunity only to have it slip from your fingers?
Why does this happen?
Opportunities disappear right before our very eyes when we are not ready for them. The proof is found in your level of emotional maturity, your response to a situation.
According to Dr. Travis Bradberry of TalentSmart, an expert in emotional intelligence, 90 percent of top performers are skilled at remaining calm in times of stress.
When we maintain a state of calm, this is when we are most powerful, inspiring, intuitive, decisive, and perform at our absolute best.
Aim to operate from your state of calm on a consistent basis. Unforgettable world leaders take everything in stride and choose when to engage in high or low levels of emotion.
2. Discipline
Discipline is the ability to follow a set pattern of behavior irrespective of emotions or external circumstances. Ultimately, these behaviors create long-term success.
In a study on best-performing leaders, “Three Leadership Skills That Count,” by Morten T. Hansen, published in Harvard Business Review, one of the skills was “fanatic discipline,” meaning “consistency of action.”
Leaders continue moving forward, whatever the challenges or emotions that arise. They employ success rituals, often starting in the morning with one that sets a positive tone for the day ahead. Other types of rituals may involve productivity, health, wealth, attitude, or spirituality.
The secret is to organize your daily schedule in line with your priorities and goals and to follow that pattern of behavior consistently.
3. Intuition
Intuition is the magic elixir, our inner guide to making decisions in business and life.
Intuition can be referred to as a hunch, sixth sense, or feeling you get about something or someone.
In her book What I Know for Sure, Oprah Winfrey says she has listened to her intuition her entire life. She made mistakes when she didn’t follow her intuition.
Other leaders concur. Donald Trump states, in his book Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life, that people have their greatest successes in life when they listen to their intuition. Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett all say they use their intuition.
Using your intuition is similar to building muscle at the gym: The more you use it, the easier it becomes to trust. There is an abundance of clarity and wisdom to be found using your inner guide.
All too often, people seek others’ advice and ignore their intuition. If you do this on a regular basis, it prevents you from trusting your intuition.
Focus on Mastery
Unforgettable world leaders have mastered these skills to achieve phenomenal success in business and life. Equanimity effectively manages your emotions and helps you primarily operate from a state of calm; discipline requires consistency of action; and intuition involves listening to your heart.
Who knows if one day you could be the next unforgettable world leader?
PenneyVanderbilt 