Railroad Barons - made Florida?

Plant and Flagler took their money and 'created' Florida.
Or so it seems, after reading about the two magnates.
Both made their money from good realty/land investments, corn, oil, etc.
Then turned around and built monumental houses, hotels, railroads...
Both men were married, Plant twice, Flagler thrice.

Henry Bradley Plant concentrated on the West/Golf regions and built several luxury hotels, the most famous one in Tampa,
NOW housing the University of Tampa and the Henry B Plant Museum.

He basically built Port Tampaa few miles away from shallow Tampa Bay, to enable deep ocean craft to moor with access to railroads for easier loading and unloading.

St.Pete Forum(*)

Hillsborough River(*)

Tampa is also known as 'cigar city' and is the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team which plays at St. Pete's Forum

Mascot BOLT of  the
Lightening(*)

'Green Men' Fans at TB Lightening Game (*)



Henry Morrison Flagler pictured here ca 1882,

Alligator (*)

concentrated on the East/Atlantic region.
He wanted to ride his own rail car to Key West and eventually did so.
His engineers used all available technical advances, but relied heavily on man power to dig, shift, built embankments where none existed on these flat little pieces of sandbanks rising a scant foot or so above the ocean, and lay the railroad.

Between him and Plant, the made Florida the tourist destination of the times, and it still is, hurricane season notwithstanding!

Mangrove swamp

Spending most of his money to build and rebuild an railroad over water,
 and through almost impenetrable mangrove swamps, besieged by mosquitoes, yellow fever outbreaks,
and several hurricanes which interrupted the progress.


Hurricane tracks over Florida

 And shortly before his death at 84, he did it!


New AND old  (see left) bridge spans

 . 

After the Labor Day 1935 hurricane, the worst recorded to strike the USA, most of Flagler's railroad to Key West was destroyed with heavy loss of workers' live and lives of inhabitants of the Keys.



US 1

So the RR sold the land for a pittance to the State of Florida which used many parts of it to build US 1.


Breakers, a historic hotel



Flagler's hotels:
 "The Breakers" and others still are iconic destinations for the luxury trade in Miami, San Augustine and elsewhere!



Royal Poinciana Hotel in West Palm Beach ca 1920 now extinct.

There is a monument to him on  Flagler Island in Biscayne Bay,

and the  Flagler College  in St. Augustine. 
It's the former"Ponce De Leon" Flagler hotel.

Flagler County, Flagler beach in Florida and Flagler, Colorado  (by request of his daughter who liked the area) are also named for him.
His former home, Whitehall, Palm Beach,
is open to the public as the Henry Morrison Flagler Musem with his private railcar No. 91 preserved inside a Beaux Arts pavilion built to look like a 19th Century railway palace.

These two men had visions, followed through tenaciously, spending their own funds to achieve them and -
in effect - gained  immortality through the results.
Those were the days of no taxes, little government regulations and emerging technical advances.
But above all, these were times when immense personal drive overcame adversities seldom encountered before.
 That vaunted American Spirit alive and well:
We Can and Will Do It!

(*) Photos by artandhockey.

What's brewing Operatically?

For HGO we will have:
The Barber of Seville and
Fidelio in the fall,
Followed by
La Traviata and
The Rape of Lucretia in the winter and finishing the season with
Don Carlos (The long French version) and
Maria Stuarda.
And in Memoriam of 9/11 HGOCo is planning a song cycle for small venues ...

And at The Met one will see and hear
“Anna Bolena” (Oct. 15)
“Don Giovanni” (Oct. 29)
“Siegfried” (Nov. 5)
“Satyagraha” (Nov. 19)
“Rodelinda” (Dec. 3)
“Faust” (Dec. 10)
“The Enchanted Island” (Jan. 21)
“Götterdämmerung” (Feb. 11)
“Ernani” (Feb. 25, 2012)
“Manon” (April 7, 2012)
“La Traviata” (April 14, 2012)

I shall post others as they become known.

Meanwhile Europe is in an uproar about the recent World premiere of...
ANNA NICOLE, the opera.
Background
A young Playboy model, an octogenarian billionaire husband, intrusive media fascination and a tragically early death. This is a roller-coaster of a real contemporary life for a blockbuster of a contemporary opera by the acclaimed opera composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (Greek and The Silver Tassie) and librettist Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer: the Opera). The story of Anna Nicole Smith is under the brilliant and idiosyncratic direction of Richard Jones and the baton of Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, to make this a major event of the Royal Opera Season.
Sex, extreme language and drug abuse are part of the opera – after all, they were ingredients in a life that went from the dubious glamour of the sex symbol, through long and vicious legal struggles to a fatal overdose. How Anna Nicole was treated and how she was viewed is as much a reflection of the society that hounded her as of her own feelings and ambitions –
Eva-Maria Westbroek creates what is a challenging and complex central role.
This new opera is provocative in its themes, exciting in its bravura style and thrilling with its sheer contemporary nerve. Anna Nicole Smith’s life made the news – this world premiere has done soo, too.
Among the cast  and production are some reputable names:
Composer: Mark-Anthony Turnage
Librettist: Richard Thomas of Jerry Springer fame ;-)
Director: Richard Jones
Set designs: Miriam Buether; Costume designs: Nicky Gillibrand
Co-Lighting Designers: Mimi Jordan Sherin, D M Wood
Choreographer: Aletta Collins
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Anna Nicole: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Old Man Marshall: Alan Oke (seen at Santa Fe)
The Lawyer Stern: Gerald Finley (seen at The Met's Doctor Atomic)
Four Lap Dancers: Y. Barclay, A. Catt, A. Floyd, K. Batho
Four Meat Rack Girls: K. Lyness, M.Cotterill, L. Armit, A. Hazell
Onstage Band: John Parricelli (Guitarist), John Paul Jones (Bass Guitarist), Peter Erskine (Drummer)

Westbroek

The Real Anna Nicole





Pole Dancers scene

Westbroek and Oke





These pictures came to me via email.

Photo credist are listed on each one.

Is it just "Another Personality Opera"?

Well guess, we will have to wait for an USA premiere?  Unless, of course, you, chers readers, have this urge to fly over the pond to take a gander at it in London! If one can believe all ones reads and hears it was a huge success!

We've had:

• An opera about Abraham Lincoln
• Jerry Springer, the opera!
• Alberto Gonzales, the oratorio!
• Joe Lewis, Shadowboxer, an opera!
• And others I may have missed-if you know of one such, do communicate !
• And of course, the Twitter opera, all posted about much earlier!

Who/what will be next?

Some ideas are floating about:

"Off pitch" music by Catan (about Aguilera-in Spanish)?

"Glove Glitz", music by ?? (about Michael Jackson)?
 "The Underwood/Fisher Saga" with music by herself and performed on ice!
And so I shall leave you  - with an earful.. and an eyeful!

Excuses, Excuses...

"My alarm didn't go off"
"Wolves hunt better in packs under a full moon"
"The crowd energy was missing"

Which one do you prefer?

Kinda like the wolves and full moon one, myself.
Although it was morning and the moon had set!
Sure seems obvious, after several NON evening games, the Aeros are no matitutinal
rather they are nocturnal creatures.

Guess it was "Warm up" time during the first period - with just 7 shots on goal to the Wolves 12 and 1 PP goal by Deveaux for which he got the Nr. 3 Star.
Revving it up after, undoubtedly some pointed talking to by the coaches, in the 2 to 15 and still no score!

On the other hand the Wolves scored 2 in rapid succession despite a ready Anton.
They slowed down a bit in the third to just 13 SOG BUT..
Our thanks to THE Captain the team went home with at least ONE PP goal!


Peters on the draw

Tell me, what's going on behind my back, Sifers?

THE MAN(nino) in the Wolves net, almost had a shut out.
But Di Salvatore said NO to that late in the third.
And so ended the 'undervisited High School Career Game'.
IMO too many High Schoolers stayed home or took advantage of the day off ;-)! Just a few lonely and relatively quiet souls were sprinkled about the TC. And no earplugs were needed this morning!

Not this one, oh no sirs!

And of course a respectable number of die hard hockey fans must
have taken the day off to be there. Afterwards a large number were observed taking solace with numerous beers, to stave off the return to work, perhaps.

Mercifully, the game seemed to be over quickly.

And Better Half and I headed to the Symphony Box Office to get our tickets for the all Mahler Concert in May, then to KIM SON for some sustenance.
Watching Hockey in a cold arena makes one real hungry!

 Earl and THE MAN real close?

 Crouching 'tiger'

The Trio in Waiting

Catch me a puck!

Goalie on watch

Deveaux is ready for the PP goal puck





Captain, Oh my Captain in place?

Hark...

hear not the angels sing.

It's the chest tones one hears - a lot - the last few days.

Cough, cough, cough, hack, hack, wheeze, wheeze - argh.

Basses better watch out.. 

my voice sounds suspiciously like a basso profundo...

ahem, bassa profunda ?

So there it is,

the chest cold with a dry cough that may produce sputum, mild fever - yes, I am HOT (no, not that way) just really HOT, 

fatigue - not so's you notice right now-at least mentally ;-), 

tightness in the chest -  lots of that - and not caused by a tight corset;-)!,

and wheezing - boy, am I wheezing...kept even me up last night.. too noisy by half!

Homemade remedies suggested are:

1. Drink 8 - 12 glasses of water per day. Liquids help thin out mucous in the lungs so it can be coughed out
2. Get some extra rest. Let your energy go to healing.
3. To help relieve aches and pains, there are over the counter medications like aspirin to take.
4. To quiet a dry hacking cough, use  cough suppressant that contains dextrometorphan.

Avoid cough suppressants that contain more than 1 active ingredient.
5. Breathe moist air in hot shower, or a sink filled with hot water.

Or one could do this - sorta:

This is an Indian Onion Dosa Dish (Uthappam)-
maybe a poultice alike :-)

Chop onions finely, place onto cloth, secure edges  and

place the poultice on the patient's chest or soles of the feet. The sole of the foot quickly absorbs herbal treatments, in fact, some people rub ointments like Vick's on the feet when they are sick. (hmmm, gotta try that!)

One can also place the poultice on sore joints and behind the ear for an ear infection.
Check every 15-30 minutes to make sure that there's not any skin irritation'

And for sore throats:

Honey is a natural partner with apple cider vinegar. Adding honey not only helps to dull the unpleasant taste of the vinegar but it helps to coat the throat and keep it moist and pain free.

Cayenne pepper is another ingredient that is known to help kill an infection in the area and get rid of a sore throat. Just how one does apply that? I have yet to find instructions!

Perhaps as in "Hand me my Cayenne Pepper Snuff box"?

Add to the onion poultice?
Add to the Apple cider vinegar/honey?
Swallow a raw spoonful?

Now all these remedies are tested and trued, not just old wives tales, or so many herbalist will have it.

I do remember putting on 'vinegar soaked socks', taking aspirin to induce sweating,
and drinking limeblossom infusions with honey while sweating it out under layers of featherbeds
and it worked!

Now I am drinking hot green tea with honey, lots of water (not hot-not icy), take aspirin,
and try to rest the weary bones....

If that does not work I may have to resort to onion poultices - so
If you feel like you're near a hambuger joint whilst in my presence...blame it on those onions!

Onions to the rescue!

NHL Trade Rumors are flying

NHL Trade Deadline is inching closer.....
Who will "sell' and who will "buy".
Who is available?
Who is needed to flesh out teams?
Teams are scrambling to add to their lines before the battle for the Stanley Cup begins.

 

Some trades  already have been done:

Mike Fisher to Nashville

Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim

Kris Versteeg to Philadelphia

Other players, as they become UFA's or otherwise ending their contracts,

will be put up in trades for whatever power/talent teams feel the need to add.

And other, such as financial, considerations come into play as well.

Trade one BIG expense  item for several excellent - but cheaper - prospects, perhaps.

Below an - incomplete - list of possibly available trade offers. There may be,

and surely will be, others that have not been rumored about as yet! 

• Anaheim Ducks could offer: LW Jason Blake, D Andreas Lilja, D Paul Mara, C Todd Marchant.
• Atlanta Thrashers: F Nik Antropov,  F Niclas Bergfors
• Boston Bruins offering: D Andrew Ference, D Mark Stuart, W Blake Wheeler
• Buffalo Sabres: C Tim Connolly, RW Mike Grier, C Jochen Hecht, C Rob Niedermayer, D Craig RiverCalgary Flames:  maybe  D Jay Bouwmeester, LW Curtis Glencross, C Olli Jokinen
• Carolina Hurricanes: perhaps RW Erik Cole, RW Chad Larose, D Joni Pitkanen
• Chicago Blackhawks available: D Nick Boynton
• Columbus Blue Jackets: C Derrick Brassard, G Steve Mason, D Fedor Tyutin, D Jan Hejda, F Jakub Voracek, G Steve Mason
• Dallas Stars: C Mike Ribiero,  F Brad RichardsDetroit Red Wings: RW Patrick Eaves, D Ruslan Salei
• Edmonton Oilers: RW Dustin Penner, D Ladislav Smid, C Shawn Horcoff, F Ales Hemsky
• Florida Panthers have lots to offer:  RW Radek Dvorak, LW Rostislav Olesz, LW Chris Higgins, D Bryan McCabe, LW Cory Stillman, G Tomas Vokoun\
• Los Angeles Kings: C Michal Handzus, LW Alexi Ponikarovsky
• Minnesota Wild: could offer LW Andrew Brunette, C John Madden, RW Chuck Kobasew, RW Antti Mietinen, G Jose Theodore
• Montreal Canadiens: C Scott Gomez, LW Andrei Kostitsyn, D Yannick Weber
• Nashville Predators: RW J.P. DumontNew Jersey Devils:  C Jason Arnott, D Colin White, LW Brian Rolston, C Dainius Zubrus
• New York Islanders: D Radek Martinek, D Milan Jurcina, C Zenon Konopka, C Doug Weight
• New York Rangers: D Matt Gilroy, C Todd White, D Michael Del Zotto, F Marian Gaborik
• Ottawa Senators: D Chris Campoli, D Sergei Gonchar, C Chris Kelly, RW Alex Kovalev, D Filip Kuba, D Chris Phillips, C Peter Regin, LW Jarrko Ruutu
• Philadelphia Flyers: RW Nikolai ZherdevPhoenix Coyotes: D Adrian Aucoin, RW Lee Stempniak, RW Radim Vrbata
• Pittsburgh Penguins: RW Aaron Asham, C Michael Rupp
• San Jose Sharks: RW Devon Setoguchi, D Niclas Wallin
• St. Louis Blues: D Eric Brewer, C Brad Boyes, D Erik Johnson
• Tampa Bay Lightning: LW Simon Gagne, G Dan Ellis, G Mike Smith
• Toronto Maple Leafs: G J.S. Giguere, D Tomas Kaberle, D Mike Komisarek,
• Vancouver Canucks: need everything, cannot offer anyone :-)
• Washington Capitals: D Scott Hannan, C Matt Hendricks

Koivu vs Kaberle

And more by Frank Tallis

The author of "A Death in Vienna", about which I posted some time ago.

And the titles are:

Each one reaffirms this reader's fascination with the subject(s) and the literary prowess of the author.



Cafe Museum



He places all his novels (read thus far) in Fin de Siecle Vienna depicting her music, culture and atmosphere in great depth.  Such as the Cafe society in Old Vienna!

He mixes police procedural, suitable to the times when crime lab procedure was in its infancy, if existing at all, with the then current chaotic politics of early 20th-century Austria.

Then tosses in a quite a bit of psychoanalysis based on the then new discoveries by
 Siegmund Freud , Krafft-Ebbing and others, bringing the readers rather deep insights into the workings of the mind.

And finally, adds soupcons about literature, such as Arthur Schnitzler and poetry.

About 'house'music when people got together to sing Schubert Lieder and play  chamber music. 

Schubert Grave

Here  Schubert's "Der Doppelgaenger"

Interestingly one of the subjects in Tallis' Books



About women's lib's first toddling steps in the Vienna of late 1800's which actually antedate the rise of sufragettes in the UK.

Klimt and his mistress Flogge (wearing her REFORM Dress)

Viennese women started to protest against the restrictive fashions of tightly laced corsets and began to wear "reform or Freedom" Dresses as designed by Klimt and his mistress Flogge.

He does not shy away from controversial subjects such as antisemitism, religious fanaticism, venereal disease, prostitution, and, being crime fiction, murder and mayhem.

In Vienna, affairs of the heart (every man is entitled to his mistress)   are  openly (more or less) carried on. 

The Viennese' preoccupation with "A schaine Laich" -'pretty death'('pomp and circumstances' as applied to burials) are both subjects he deals with frankly, incorporating them into his fiction in one form or another.

As far as I am concerned, these novels are interesting and never boring to read. Equally interesting to crime fiction buffs as to history buffs. And by history I refer to actual political events in Vienna in those times, as well as medical history.



Gustav Klimt-Hygeia-part of a mural at Med. Faculty Vienna

an perfect example of the marriage between art/culture/medicine in 'Old Vienna' at right......................

University of Vienna and
Allgemeines Krakenhaus (Hosp. originally est.1693 as Soldier's Hospital by Emperor Leopold 1.

After all, those were the days when progressive and innovative developments at the University of Vienna (established 1365) formed the basis for much of modern medicine...

Narrenturm- formerly Psych. Ward in the OLD Hospital

Blood groups discovered, for instance and, of course, the basis of psychology and psychoanalysis.

 Here is list for anyone interested (not complete, I think) 

of Tallis' output - in both the mystery and non-fiction genre:

The Liebermann Papers:

A Death in Vienna (2006) (Originally published as Mortal Mischief in Uk 2005)

Vienna Blood (2006; 2008 in US)

Fatal Lies (2009)

Vienna Secrets (February 2010) (Originally released as Darkness Rising in UK Dec 2009)

Vienna Twilight (January 2011 in US)

Other novels:

Killing Time (1991)

Sensing Others (2000)

Nonfiction

How to Stop Worrying (1990; 2009)

Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions: A Self-Help Manual (1992)

Changing Minds: The History of Psychotherapy as an Answer to Human Suffering (1998)

Hidden Minds: A History of the Unconscious (2002)

Love Sick (2004)