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646_14 | Sorghum beer
In southern Africa, sorghum is used to produce beer, including the local version of Guinness. In recent years, sorghum has been used as a substitute for other grain in gluten-free beer. Although the African versions are not "gluten-free", as malt extract is also used, truly gluten-free beer using such substitutes as sorghum or buckwheat are now available. Sorghum is used in the same way as barley to produce a "malt" that can form the basis of a mash that will brew a beer without gliadin or hordein (together "gluten") and therefore can be suitable for coeliacs or others sensitive to certain glycoproteins.
In November 2006, Lakefront Brewery of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, launched its "New Grist" gluten-free beer, brewed with sorghum and rice. It is one of its most successful lines. It is aimed at those with coeliac disease, although its low-carb content also makes it popular with health-minded drinkers. |
646_15 | In December 2006, Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, Missouri, introduced their new "Redbridge" beer. This beer is gluten-free and is produced with sorghum as the main ingredient. Redbridge was the first sorghum-based beer to be nationally distributed in the United States.
African sorghum beer is a brownish-pink beverage with a fruity, sour taste. Its alcohol content can vary between 1% and 8%. African sorghum beer is high in protein, which contributes to foam stability, giving it a milk-like head. Because this beer is not filtered, its appearance is cloudy and yeasty, and may also contain bits of grain. This beer is said to be very thirst-quenching, even if it is traditionally consumed at room temperature.
African sorghum beer is a popular drink primarily among the black community for historical reasons. It became popular with the black community in South Africa in part because it was exempt from the prohibition that applied only to black people and which was lifted in 1962. |
646_16 | Sorghum beer is also associated with the development of the segregationist "Durban System" in South Africa in the early 20th century. The turn of the 20th century saw growing segregationist tendencies among the white populations of South African towns. Fearful of the alleged diseases of black residents, the white populations of these towns sought to prevent black Africans from gaining permanent residence in urban areas, and separate them from the white communities. Within this context, two municipalities, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, devised a system by which black Africans in their locality would be housed in 'native locations' outside the main towns, with their segregated accommodation paid for from revenues from the municipal monopoly over sorghum beer. This solved the problem of white rate-payers having to foot the cost of segregation, and ensured the whole scheme paid for itself. After the passage of the 1923 Natives (Urban Areas) Act, all municipalities in South Africa were |
646_17 | given the powers to enforce racial segregation, and the Durban System was extended throughout the union, ensuring that segregation was paid for from African rents and beerhall monopolies. |
646_18 | Sorghum beer is called bjala in northern Sotho and is traditionally made to mark the unveiling of a loved-one's tombstone. The task of making the beer falls traditionally to women. The process is begun several days before the party, when the women of the community gather together to bring the sorghum and water to a boil in huge cast iron pots over open fires. After the mix has fermented for several days, it is strained - a somewhat labor-intensive task. Sorghum beer is known by many different names in various countries across Africa, including Umqombothi (South Africa) burukuto (Nigeria), pombe (East Africa) and bil-bil (Cameroon). African sorghum beer brewed using grain sorghum undergoes lactic acid fermentation, as well as alcoholic fermentation.
The steps in brewing African sorghum beer are: malting, mashing, souring and alcoholic fermentation. All steps, with the exception of the souring, can be compared to traditional beer brewing. |
646_19 | The souring of African sorghum beer by lactic acid fermentation is responsible for the distinct sour taste. Souring may be initiated using yogurt, sour dough starter cultures, or by spontaneous fermentation. The natural microflora of the sorghum grain maybe also be the source of lactic acid bacteria; a handful of raw grain sorghum or malted sorghum may be mixed in with the wort to start the lactic acid fermentation. Although many lactic acid bacteria strains may be present, Lactobacillus spp. is responsible for the lactic acid fermentation in African sorghum beer. |
646_20 | Commercial African sorghum beer is packaged in a microbiologically active state. The lactic acid fermentation and/or alcoholic fermentation may still be active. For this reason, special plastic or carton containers with vents are used to allow gas to escape. Spoilage is a big safety concern when it comes to African sorghum beer. Packaging does not occur in sterile conditions and many microorganisms may contaminate the beer. Also, using wild lactic acid bacteria increases the chances of spoilage organisms being present. However, the microbiologically active characteristic of the beer also increases the safety of the product by creating competition between organisms. Although aflatoxins from mould were found on sorghum grain, they were not found in industrially produced African sorghum beer. |
646_21 | Other uses
Sorghum straw (stem fibres) can also be made into excellent wallboard for house building, as well as biodegradable packaging. Since it does not accumulate static electricity, it is also used in packaging materials for sensitive electronic equipment.
Little research has been done to improve sorghum cultivars because the vast majority of sorghum production is done by subsistence farmers. The crop is therefore mostly limited by insects, disease and weeds, rather than by the plant's inherent ability. To improve the plant's viability in sustaining populations in drought-prone areas, a larger capital investment would be necessary to control plant pests and ensure optimum planting and harvesting practices. |
646_22 | In November 2005, however, the US Congress passed a Renewable Fuels Standard as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, with the goal of producing 30 billion litres (8 billion gallons) of renewable fuel (ethanol) annually by 2012. Currently, 12% of grain sorghum production in the US is used to make ethanol.
An AP article claims that sorghum-sap-based ethanol has four times the energy yield as corn-based ethanol, but is on par with sugarcane.
Diseases
Growing grain sorghum
Sorghum requires an average temperature of at least 25 °C to produce maximum grain yields in a given year. Maximum photosynthesis is achieved at daytime temperatures of at least 30 °C. Night time temperatures below 13 °C for more than a few days can severely reduce the plants' potential grain production. Sorghum cannot be planted until soil temperatures have reached 17 °C. The long growing season, usually 90–120 days, causes yields to be severely decreased if plants are not in the ground early enough. |
646_23 | Grain sorghum is usually planted with a commercial corn seeder at a depth of 2–5 cm, depending on the density of the soil (shallower in heavier soil). The goal in planting, when working with fertile soil, is 50,000 to 300,000 plants per hectare. Therefore, with an average emergence rate of 75%, sorghum should be planted at a rate of 2–12 kg of seed per hectare.
Yields have been found to be boosted by 10–15% when optimum use of moisture and sunlight are available, by planting in 25 cm rows instead of the conventional 1-meter rows. |
646_24 | Sorghum, in general, is a very competitive crop, and does well in competition with weeds in narrow rows. Sorghum produces a chemical compound called sorgoleone, which the plant uses to combat weeds. The chemical is so effective in preventing the growth of weeds it sometime prohibits the growth of other crops harvested on the same field. To address this problem, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service found two gene sequences believed to be responsible for the enzymes that secrete the chemical compound sorgoleone. The discovery of these gene sequences will help researchers one day in developing sorghum varieties that cause less soil toxicity and potentially target gene sequences in other crops to increase their natural pesticide capabilities, as well. |
646_25 | Insect and diseases are not prevalent in sorghum crops. Birds, however, are a major source of yield loss. Hybrids with higher tannin content and growing the crop in large field blocks are solutions used to combat the birds. The crop may also be attacked by corn earworms, aphids, and some Lepidoptera larvae, including turnip moths.
It is a very high nitrogen-feeding crop. An average hectare producing 6.3 tonnes of grain yield requires 110 kg of nitrogen, but relatively small amounts of phosphorus and potassium (15 kg of each). |
646_26 | Sorghum's growth habit is similar to that of maize, but with more side shoots and a more extensively branched root system. The root system is very fibrous, and can extend to a depth of up to 1.2 m. The plant finds 75% of its water in the top metre of soil, and because of this, in dry areas, the plant's production can be severely affected by the water holding capacity of the soil. The plants require up to 70–100 mm of moisture every 10 days in early stages of growth, and as sorghum progresses through growth stages and the roots penetrate more deeply into the soil to tap into hidden water reserves, the plant needs progressively less water. By the time the seed heads are filling, optimum water conditions are down to about 50 mm every 10 days. Compacted soil or shallow topsoil can limit the plant's ability to deal with drought by limiting its root system. Since these plants have evolved to grow in hot, dry areas, it is essential to keep the soil from compacting and to grow on land with |
646_27 | ample cultivated topsoil. |
646_28 | Wild species of sorghum tend to grow to a height of 1.5–2 m; however, due to problems this height created when the grain was being harvested, in recent years, cultivars with genes for dwarfism have been selected, resulting in sorghum that grows to between 60 and 120 cm tall. |
646_29 | Sorghum's yields are not affected by short periods of drought as severely as other crops such as maize, because it develops its seed heads over longer periods of time, and short periods of water stress do not usually have the ability to prevent kernel development. Even in a long drought severe enough to hamper sorghum production, it will still usually produce some seed on smaller and fewer seed heads. Rarely will one find a kernelless season for sorghum, even under the most adverse water conditions. Sorghum's ability to thrive with less water than maize may be due to its ability to hold water in its foliage better than maize. Sorghum has a waxy coating on its leaves and stems which helps to keep water in the plant, even in intense heat.
Nutrition
Sorghum is about 70% starch, so is a good energy source. Its starch consists of 70 to 80% amylopectin, a branched-chain polymer of glucose, and 20 to 30% amylose, a straight-chain polymer. |
646_30 | The digestibility of the sorghum starch is relatively poor in its unprocessed form, varying between 33 and 48%. Processing of the grain by methods such as steaming, pressure cooking, flaking, puffing or micronization of the starch increases the digestibility of sorghum starch. This has been attributed to a release of starch granules from the protein matrix, rendering them more susceptible to enzymatic digestion.
On cooking, the gelatinized starch of sorghum tends to return from the soluble, dispersed and amorphous state to an insoluble crystalline state. This phenomenon is known as retrogradation; it is enhanced with low temperatures and high concentrations of starch. Amylose, the linear component of the starch, is more susceptible to retrogradation. |
646_31 | Certain sorghum varieties contain antinutritional factors such as tannins. The presence of tannins is claimed to contribute to the poor digestibility of sorghum starch. Processing in humid thermal environments aids in lowering the antinutritional factors.
Sorghum starch does not contain gluten. This makes it a possible grain for those who are gluten sensitive. |
646_32 | After starch, proteins are the main constituent of sorghum. The essential amino acid profile of sorghum protein is claimed to depend on the sorghum variety, soil and growing conditions. A wide variation has been reported. For example, lysine content in sorghum has been reported to vary from 71 to 212 mg per gram of nitrogen. Some studies on sorghum's amino acid composition suggest albumin and globulin fractions contained high amounts of lysine and tryptophan and in general were well-balanced in their essential amino acid composition. On the other hand, some studies claim sorghum's prolamin fraction was extremely poor in lysine, arginine, histidine and tryptophan and contained high amounts of proline, glutamic acid and leucine. The digestibility of sorghum protein has also been found to vary between different varieties and source of sorghum, ranging from 30 to 70%. |
646_33 | A World Health Organization report suggests the inherent capacity of the existing sorghum varieties commonly consumed in poor countries was not adequate to meet the growth requirements of infants and young children. The report also claimed sorghum alone may not be able to meet the healthy maintenance requirements in adults. A balanced diet would supplement sorghum with other food staples.
Sorghum's nutritional profile includes several minerals. This mineral matter is unevenly distributed and is more concentrated in the germ and the seed coat. In milled sorghum flours, minerals such as phosphorus, iron, zinc and copper decreased with lower extraction rates. Similarly, pearling the grain to remove the fibrous seed coat resulted in considerable reductions in the mineral contents of sorghum. The presence of antinutrition factors such as tannins in sorghum reduces its mineral availability as food. It is important to process and prepare sorghum properly to improve its nutrition value. |
646_34 | Sorghum is a good source of B-complex vitamins. Some varieties of sorghum contain β-carotene which can be converted to vitamin A by the human body; given the photosensitive nature of carotenes and variability due to environmental factors, scientists claim sorghum is likely to be of little importance as a dietary source of vitamin A precursor. Some fat-soluble vitamins, namely D, E and K, have also been found in sorghum grain in detectable, but insufficient, quantities. Sorghum as it is generally consumed is not a source of vitamin C.
Comparison of sorghum to other major staple foods |
646_35 | The following table shows the nutrient content of sorghum and compares it to major staple foods in a raw form on a dry weight basis to account for their different water contents. Raw forms of these staples, however, are not edible and cannot be digested. These must be prepared and cooked as appropriate for human consumption. In processed and cooked form, the relative nutritional and antinutritional contents of each of these grains is remarkably different from that of the raw forms reported in this table. The nutrition value for each staple food in cooked form depends on the cooking method (for example: boiling, baking, steaming, frying, etc.).
See also
3-Deoxyanthocyanidin
Apigeninidin
Baijiu, an alcoholic beverage distilled from sorghum
List of antioxidants in food
Push–pull technology pest control strategy for maize and sorghum
References |
646_36 | External links
FAO Report (1995) "Sorghum and millets in human nutrition"
FAO "Compendium on post-harvest operations"—Contains discussion on origin, processing and uses of sorghum
Alternative Field Crops
National Grain Sorghum Producers
National Sweet Sorghum Producers and Processors Association
Sorghum Growth Stages
Sequencing of the Sorghum Genome
Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Association
Examples of projects using sweet sorghum as an input feedstock for the production of renewable energy
Cereals
Tropical agriculture |
647_0 | The Mississinawa Moraine begins in Ohio east of Lima in Hardin County, then running in a shallow arc to the south of Grand Lake St. Marys and St. Marys in Mercer County towards Fort Recovery, Ohio. Just west of Fort Recovery, the moraine again arches southward towards the Mississinewa River. The moraine follows the eastern bank of the river northwestward to where it enters the Wabash River at Wabash, Indiana. Angling towards the north and a little east, the Mississinawa moraine merges with the Packerton Moraine north of the Eel River in Whitley County near Columbia City. The moraine does not end here, but continues in a northeasterly direction through the three corners area of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio until reaching Ann Arbor, Michigan where numerous moraines intermingle. |
647_1 | Note: There are two common spellings of the name. Mississinawa (an A) is commonly used in the older reports. Mississinewa (an E) is the modern usage and the spelling used on modern maps and projects associated with the river. Both spellings are used interchangeably in this article, based on the source material. |
647_2 | Location
The Mississinewa moraine runs northeast from the Wabash River at Lagro through Wabash, Whitley, eastern Noble and western and northern Steuben counties, into Michigan. Continuing to the northeast, the moraine crosses into Hillsdale County and the northwestern corner of Lenawee County, where it merges with the younger Wabash moraine. The southern arm runs to the southeast from the Wabash along the northern shore of the Mississinewa River from which it takes its name. It crosses the northeast and eastern half of Grant County and its county seat, Marion. Turning eastward across Blackford County, entering Ohio south of Fort Recovery in Mercer County. In a sweeping arc across northern Mercer County, the Mississinewa moraine merges with the St. Johns moraine in Auglaize and Shelby counties. Running parallel, the Mississinewa is renamed as the Broadway and Powel moraines in Hardin County. The St. Johns moraine is the Ohio continuation of the Salamoine moraine in Indiana. |
647_3 | Description
The morainic system south of the Wabash River is from to wide and will separate into two or more ridgelines. It has a steep rises from to above the surrounding plains. Its drift is largely clay till and has few boulders. The neighboring plains are of stiff clay till with a few knolls.
North from the Wabash River, the moraine is from to wide north of Lagro. Northeast of Columbia City it broadens to to wide. The elevation rises from to above sea level when it reaches "Hells’ Point" in Steuben County. The surface is from to above surrounding country.
Teays River
Soil borings used in the investigation Mississinewa moraine and drift located a preglacial valley in Grant and Jay Counties in Indiana. This valley ranged from to respectively in each county. Across its length; it is filed with sand and gravel from the Wisconsin glacial period. This valley may relate to the Teays River. |
647_4 | Correlatives
Kalamazoo Morainic System'''
The Kalamazoo morainic system of the Saginaw lobe is a cross link between the Michigan basin and the Huron-Erie basins. Much of its southern area has been altered by a large outwash apron. It is best seen in western Jackson County. The two moraines merge near Spring Arbor, about west of Jacksonat the edge of Washtenaw County.
See also
Union City Moraine
Salamonie Moraine
Wabash Moraine
Fort Wayne Moraine
Defiance Moraine
List of glacial moraines
References |
647_5 | Moraines of Indiana
Geological history of the Great Lakes
Landforms of Hardin County, Ohio
Landforms of Ohio
Landforms of Michigan
Landforms of Mercer County, Ohio
Landforms of Jackson County, Indiana
Landforms of Wabash County, Indiana
Landforms of Whitley County, Indiana
Landforms of Noble County, Indiana
Landforms of Steuben County, Indiana
Landforms of Hillsdale County, Michigan
Landforms of Lenawee County, Michigan
Landforms of Grant County, Indiana
Landforms of Auglaize County, Ohio
Landforms of Shelby County, Ohio
Landforms of Blackford County, Indiana |
648_0 | The 2019 Alberta wildfires have been described by NASA as part of an extreme fire season in the province. In 2019 there were a total of , which is over 3.5 times more land area burned than in the five-year average burned. The five year average is 747 fires destroying . There were 644 wildfires recorded in Alberta. By May 31, 10,000 people had been evacuated, 16 homes, and the Steen River CN railway bridge, had been destroyed.
The department of Agriculture and Forestry's Forest Protection Division reported that by May 31, there were 29 wildfires still burning with nine out-of-control fires. As of June 20, there are a total of 27 wildfires burning with 6 being considered out of control. Of these, five were caused by humans and two by lightning with 20 still under investigation. |
648_1 | On May 30, NASA reported that the Terra satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) had collected satellite images of five large "hot spots" on May 29. The fire danger level of four of these five areas—the Steen River wildfire HWF066, the Chuckegg Creek wildfire HWF042, the Peace River area, and the Slave Lake area—was extreme. The fifth, at Wood Buffalo National Park was designated as very high.
One fire, described as a fast growing "monster", the Chuckegg Creek Fire HWF042—unofficially known as the High Level fire—had forced the evacuation of 5,000 people in the High Level Forest Area, northern Alberta, and had burned by May 30 and 237,000 hectares by the evening of May 31. |
648_2 | According to Alberta's Department of Agriculture and Forestry (AAF), the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) FireSmart program, Alberta communities are under an increased risk of forest fires because fifty per cent of Alberta is covered in forests and because of Alberta's "wildland/urban interface"—where many communities are nested into forests with buildings and forested areas intertwined. The province's designated Forest Protection Area stretches from north to south of the province along the western border with British Columbia.
For purposes of monitoring, the Alberta's wildfire status map subdivides the Forest Protection Area into these areas: Calgary, Edson, Fort McMurray area, Grande Prairie, High Level, Lac La Biche, Peace River, Slave Lake, and Whitecourt. |
648_3 | There was smoke from Alberta's wildfires over southern Alberta, southern B.C. Interior and the Lower Mainland, including the city of Vancouver as well as the U.S. Pacific Northwest, reaching as far south as Denver, Colorado. Air quality in cities such as Edmonton and Calgary, reached 10+ out of 10 rating, which is considered to be a severe risk.
Historical comparison
In 2019, there have been 644 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area with a total of burned as of June 20. The current 5-year average is 664 wildfires with burned.
Progression
By May 30, in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there were 27 wildfires, ten of which that were out of control, 2 were being held, 9 were under control and 6 were "turned over to the responsible parties".
By May 30, with three major wildfires spreading quickly overnight on May 29, there were about 10,000 wildfire evacuees. Thousands more were waiting on evacuation alerts. |
648_4 | The Department of Agriculture and Forestry's Forest Protection Division reported that by May 31, there were 29 wildfires still burning with nine out-of-control fires. Of these, ten were caused by humans and one by lightning with 20 still under investigation. The total number of hectares burned was 496,739.19 or . There were nine fires that were out of control. compared to six on May 27.
By early morning on June 1, the area had increased to 528,842.99 hectare or . increasing to 571,770.49 hectare or within several hours.
By May 31, 10,000 people had been evacuated, 16 homes, and the Steen River CN railway bridge, had been destroyed.
In terms of the number of wildfires alone, from March 1 to May 30, the number of fires in 2019 was "slightly under the five-year average" but the "amount of land burned is more than 3.5 times higher." |
648_5 | Weather conditions
In an Edmonton Journal interview in the afternoon of May 30, Alberta Wildfire's information unit lead, Christie Tucker, said that from the evening of May 29 through to late afternoon May 30, multiple wildfires were moving faster than they normally would", "even at night when they wouldn't traditionally be moving so quickly" because of the "ongoing dry windy conditions" with "very low humidity", creating a challenge for firefighters.
Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Devin Dreeshen, said on May 30 that there were nine out-of-control fires. He said that this "fight is going to be a tough one" as the weather was "not co-operating for the long-distance forecast for the next two weeks. It's more of the same, of hot, dry and windy conditions. Albertans need to prepare themselves for this situation for the foreseeable future."
Edson District |
648_6 | In the Edson Forest Area, the wildfire that is officially named EWF043, which was detected on May 29 and has burned , was categorized as out-of-control by May 30, 2019. EWF043, which was moving south west, was about south east of Edson.
Fort McMurray District
By May 30, the Fort McMurray Forest Area had one fire, MWF012, which is within CNRL Albian, that is expected to be under control by the first week in June. MWF012 had burned by May 30.
High Level District
In the High Level Forest Area, by May 30, 2019 there were two active and out-of-control (OC) wildfires. The largest is the Chuckegg Creek wildfire, officially named HWF042 which burned . The second was the Jackpot Creek Wildfire HWF066 in the Steen River area which had burned . |
648_7 | According to the federal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale, on the evening of May 31, the province of Alberta requested assistance with "the massive forest fires" near High Level and Slave Lake. In response the Canadian Armed Forces were mobilized to support evacuations, medical assistance, among other things.
Chuckegg Creek wildfire HWF042
The High Level wildfire, officially known as the Chuckegg Creek wildfire HWF042, started on May 12, 2019 due to a lightning strike. At first it burned northwest, reaching a size of 350 hectares before its status was changed to Being Held. |
648_8 | On May 17, the wildfire breached containment due to gusty winds from the southeast. The wildfire reached a size of 1,817 hectares by that evening. By May 18, the wildfire had grown to a size of 25,300 hectares. On May 19, the Chuckegg Creek wildfire was about southwest of High Level, a town with about 4,000 residents. The fire almost tripled in size to overnight on May 19. On May 20, with the fire within of the town High Level, a state of local emergency and an evacuation alert were issued. Due to the fire's proximity to High Level, and the dry weather forecasted for the coming days, the town was placed under an evacuation order on May 20 at 4:00 p.m.
By May 28, Global News described it as a "monster." According to Alberta Wildfire's Christie Tucker, between 12:00 noon on May 29 and 4 a.m. on May 30, the Chuckegg Creek fire grew by 80,000 hectares to 230,000 hectares . Tucker said that it was unusual for a wildfire to move so quickly especially at night. |
648_9 | HWF042 spread northwest near Watt Mountain, and south towards Paddle Prairie in the Peace River Forest Area.
The Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement, which is about south of the High Level on the Mackenzie Highway, had to evacuate without much warning. Fifteen homes in the community were completely destroyed. Concerns were raised about the lack of outside support from structural firefighters. According to Christi Tucker, the heavy smoke made it difficult for outside structural firefighters and structural protection units to fly into the settlement so local structural firefighters were protecting buildings and infrastructure. Tucker also said that the fire was moving so fast it was hard to get ahead of it.
Grande Prairie District
The Grande Prairie Area was categorized as very high danger of wildfires on May 30, 2019. No large wildfires were reported in the region.
Lac La Biche Area
From March to the end of August 2019, there were 142 wildfires in the Lac La Biche Area. |
648_10 | Peace River District
The Peace River Forest Area was categorized as in extreme danger of wildfires on May 30, 2019. Of the 70 wildfires in the Peace River Forest Area in 2019, only five fires were still burning. The Battle Complex (Notikewin and Battle River wildfires) known as PWF052 had already burned 52,322 hectares in size in the Notikewin Area remains out-of-control at 52,322 hectares was out of control. In the Battle River area, the 74.23-hectares PWF054 was under control. Near Keg River, PWF070 had burned 251 hectares. PWF064 burned 0.01 hectares, PWF066 in the Three Creeks area, burned 10.50 hectares.
The High Level Forest Area wildfire, Chuckegg Creek Fire (HWF042), had spread into the Paddle Prairie area in the Peace River Forest Area.
The Battle Complex PCX001-2019 (Notikewin and Battle River wildfires) include PWF052 |
648_11 | Slave Lake District
Since March 1, 2019 when the wildfire season began in the Slave Lake Forest Area, were burned and 79 wildfires reported. By May 30 gusty north winds were causing the wildfires in the Slave Lake area to spread.
Wildfires SWF049 which started on May 18 is part of the McMillan Wildfire Complex. It was out of control by May 30 having grown considerably on May 29. It has burned 133,952 hectares. |
648_12 | The Maria Lake wildfire, SWF069, southeast of Trout Lake, was classified as out-of-control on May 30 as it had rapidly grown to 45,845 hectares. It joined McMillan wildfire SWF049. By June 1, the out-of-control SWF069 fire covered 58,579 hectares.
The community of Trout Lake, which is approximately was issued an emergency alert by May 27, when the fire was 300 hectares in size. On May 31, the evacuation order was issued for Trout Lake as "early-morning southeast winds pushed" the 211,869-hectare fires—SWF049 and SWF069 (Maria Lake fire)—that make up the McMillan Complex were "rapidly toward the area".
SCX001 McMillan Complex
Whitecourt District |
648_13 | Two of the three wildfires in the Whitecourt Forest Area Wildfire Update, WWF028, which burned 20.30 hectares, and the 3.60 hectares WWF033, were under control. The third wildfire, WWF032 is northeast of the Sakwatamau River had already burned 51.9 hectares by May 28, 2019 and was out of control. There were firefighters, airtankers and heavy equipment working to control it. |
648_14 | Evacuations
Voluntary evacuation alerts were issued for High Level and immediate surrounding area on May 19th, followed by evacuation orders issued for High Level and Bushe River Reserve on May 20th, as a result of the Chuckegg Creek Fire. The community of Steen River was evacuated on May 28th. On May 29, further evacuation orders for certain areas such as the La Crete Ferry Campground, Mackenzie County east of the Peace River, County of Northern Lights north of Manning, Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement and the Twin Lakes campground. Later in the day, more evacuation orders were issued for the Hamlet of Wabasca, and Bigstone Cree Nation. The following day, the Hamlet of Sandy Lake was placed under an evacuation order.
By May 30, 5,000 High Level area residents were still unable to return home.
On May 30, a new wildfire forced the evacuation of the Chipewyan Lake Village, which is west of Fort McMurray. |
648_15 | The Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu said that by May 29 there were 9,500 people who had already been evacuated. Additional evacuation orders had been issued on May 30. Madu announced that financial assistance of over 6 million was processed and over 6,200 people had already applied for relief payments. Two days later, on May 31, Global News reported that over 10,000 people had been evacuated and that 16 homes had been destroyed.
On June 3, the evacuation orders for High Level and Bushe River were lifted. The evacuation orders in place for Wabasca and Bigstone Cree Nation were lifted on June 11th.
On June 17, a new evacuation order was put in place for the hamlet of La Crete, and an evacuation alert was issued for High Level. Evacuation orders were also issued for the settlement of Indian Cabins, Trout Lake and Peerless Lake the following day. |
648_16 | Buildings and structures destroyed
In the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in the High Level Forest Area, 11 homes were destroyed by May 30.
The Steen River CN Rail bridge was destroyed by the Steen River wildfire HWF066 on May 29.
Smoke
By May 30, NASA reported that with high north northwest winds, the Chuckegg Creek Fire HWF042 was quickly growing "in a south to southeast direction" and the massive smoke from the fire has reduced visibility and resulted in Environment Canada, Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services issuing air quality warnings with the index reaching dangerous levels in some areas.
The government of the Yukon Territory issued a smoke advisory for Watson Lake on May 21 and by May 23 the smoke plume had reached Dawson City. By the end of May there were already eighteen wildfires in Yukon but these fires were not responsible for the smoke. |
648_17 | By the early morning of May 30, Alberta Air Quality Health Index had rated the air quality in the Edmonton metro region at 7 out of 10, which is high risk and 5 out of 10 later in the morning. Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park.
By May 30, smoke from Alberta's forest fires had reached as far south as Denver, Colorado. In some cities, such as Minneapolis and Milwaukee in Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan and Kansas City, Missouri the "sun was obscured by smoke" from Alberta's wildfires, according to the National Weather Service's Twin Cities Branch. By May 31 the smoke plume had reached Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. Three cities in Montana had air quality warnings.
By early evening May 30 Calgary's air quality was rated as 8 out of 10, which is high risk.
By the morning of May 31, the Air Quality Health Index for Calgary was registered at 10+ which is a very high risk. |
648_18 | By May 28, smoke had flowed to southern Alberta, southern B.C. Interior, to the Lower Mainland, including "Metro Vancouver and much of the U.S. Pacific Northwest".
Aerosols
According to NASA, aerosols have been "growing more dense" in the area affected by the smoke from Chuckegg Creek fire with particulates rising into the atmosphere. By May 23, NASA had published an "image of the aerosols stretching from Alaska to the Atlantic". May 23 images captured by the Suomi NPP satellite's Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) sensor and the Visible and Infrared Imaging Sensor (VIIRS) showed that aerosol levels Chuckegg Creek fire near High Level showed "medium to high level amounts of pollution, particulates in the form of smoke, dust, and ash". The "higher levels of smoke coincide with the areas of red on the aerosols image and the areas where the smoke is less dense coincide with the lighter yellow areas of the aerosols image as would be expected."
Fire Radiative Power (FRP) |
648_19 | According to Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)'s senior scientist, Mark Parrington, the 2019 Alberta wildfires's Fire Radiative Power (FRP) up to May 29, placed fifth in the list of the "most intense annual FRP totals since 2003."
Causes
By May 30, the cause of 20 fires was still under investigation (UI). One was caused by lightning and 10 were caused by humans.
Climate change
University of Alberta professor Mike Flannigan, said the extended wildfire season, which used to start April 1 and now officially starts on March 1, and that he and his colleagues "attribute that to human-caused climate change." The Calgary Herald reported that because of climate change, in the coming years, the prairie provinces would "see a longer fire season, more frequent wildfires, heat and drought.” |
648_20 | Fire-fighting
By the evening of May 30, there were 600 firefighters in Alberta and more on the way, from other provinces, including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, and Prince Edward Island.
The managing director of Alberta Emergency Management Agency, Shane Schreiber, said in a May 30 interview that the government had raised the Emergency Operations Center to level four. Level four means that all provincial government departments as well as federal departments such as the Department of National Defence and Public Safety Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, some industrial organizations such as CN Rail, and NGOs are helping to coordinate support. Schreiber said that by May 30 approximately "200 structural firefighters and structural protection units" arrived in the affected areas from Albertan communities to protect buildings and infrastructure. |
648_21 | By May 31, across northern Alberta, there were 737 people working in 61 wildland Firefighting Crews (WFC) with 6 Airtankers (A/T), 11 Rotor Wing Lights (LIT), 38 Rotor Wing Intermediates (INT), 63 Rotor Wing Mediums (MED), 10 Water Trucks (WT), 44 Dozers (DZ), and 3 Skidders (SKD) fighting the fires.
On May 31, Alberta requested assistance from the federal government with the huge forest fires that threatened High Level and Slave Lake. The Canadian Armed Forces will help support evacuations, including airlifting evacuees, transporting supplies and providing medical assistance, among other things.
Agencies
The Department of Agriculture and Forestry (AAF), is responsible for "fire bans, FireSmart, wildfire compliance and enforcement, wildfire maps and data, wildfire operations, wildfire prevention, and wildfire status".
Devin Dreeshen was named as AAF minister on April 30, 2019 by the newly elected Alberta Premier, Jason Kenney. |
648_22 | At the provincial level, the Emergency response and recovery is responsible for "emergency and disaster response, recovery, legislation and supports". The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) is responsible for "fire reporting, and search and rescue".
The Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) FireSmart program which operates under the AAF department, reported that Alberta communities are under an increased risk of forest fires because fifty per cent of Alberta is covered in forests. Alberta's "wildland/urban interface" means that in many communities buildings and forested areas intertwined. The province's designated Forest Protection Area stretches from north to south of the province along the western border with British Columbia.
As of 2017, Alberta's designated Forest Protection Area stretched from north to south of the province along the western border with British Columbia. |
648_23 | At the federal level, Natural Resources Canada on May 30, announced a $500,000 grant to the Canmore-based Rockies Institute, to develop a "multi-partner, multi-year" "wildfire resilience project" called "Fire With Fire". The Rockies Institute plan to build on a "pilot project undertaken with the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta. In the fall of 2018, the Institute submitted their project for funding under the federal government's Building Regional Adaption Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) program, which is "under the umbrella of the federal government's $18 million strategic investment program—Adaptation and Climate Resilience. The collaborative approach uses scientific knowledge of fire management that includes the best practices based on scientific knowledge which incorporates "Indigenous scientific knowledge of fire management" "for local, regional and provincial climate change adaptations." For example, indigenous communities, that have for many years managed used the methodology of |
648_24 | "prescribed", "deliberately set" smaller burns at different times of the year. Australia has incorporated this methodology since at least 1999. |
648_25 | See also
List of disasters in Canada
List of fires in Canada
Boreal forest of Canada
2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
2018 British Columbia wildfires
Notes
References
External links
2019 in Alberta
2019 North American wildfires
Natural disasters in Alberta
Wildfires in Canada
2019 disasters in Canada
May 2019 events in Canada |
649_0 | Charna Halpern (born June 1, 1952) is an American comedian who is co-founder of the ImprovOlympic, now known as iO. Upon iO's founding, in 1983, with partner Del Close, she began teaching Harold to many students in the Chicago theater community. Many prominent comedians performed at iO, from Neil Flynn (The Middle) to Jack McBrayer (30 Rock). Also appearing were up and coming comedic minds such as Craig Cackowski (Drunk History).
Halpern opened the iO West located in Hollywood, California, in the early 2000s. In February 2018, she made the decision to close the theater citing the reasons as the neighboring nightclub and lack of attendance.
She and Close co-authored the book Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation with editor Kim "Howard" Johnson in 1994. She published Group Improvisation in 2003 and Art by Committee in 2006. |
649_1 | The remaining theater in Chicago, originally located in the Wrigleyville neighborhood was forced to relocate due to neighborhood development. In 2017, the theater reopened in the Clyborn North Area across from a Whole Foods flagship store, and next to VIPs strip club.
In 2020 during a forced shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a targeted racial justice outcry, she closed the only remaining Chicago location. |
649_2 | Early Life: College Years to Meeting Del Close |
649_3 | Halpern graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1974 with a major in English and Speech. Following graduation, she set out to find work as a teacher and eventually found herself working for a juvenile delinquency school called The House of Good Shepherd under a grant offered up by the institution. Halpern continued to work at the school for three years until her programs grant finished. Around the same time that her grant ended, she returned to her father’s newly built McDonalds in Dixon, Illinois. As an English and Speech major, she had a lot of exposure with performance in her undergraduate studies. Often finding herself doing theatrical performances as a requirement for the major. Yet, it was during her time in Dixon that she solidified her passion for improvisation. As a promotional platform for the McDonalds, Halpern’s father hired an interviewer from a local radio station to exhibit the reactions of locals in correlation to the towns first fast-food restaurant being |
649_4 | opened. Halpern, wanting to help, jumped in as an interviewer. Not long after the interview questions began, Charna was offered a job on the radio show. She worked on the radio for a year before embarking on a separate journey to pursue live improvisation. |
649_5 | Halpern’s strategy to entering the improv performance space was two-fold. On one end, she attended classes at the famous Second City Player’s Workshop. On the other side of things, Halpern had created an improv troupe called ImprovOlympic, an idea she got from a similar troupe located in Canada. The idea was to get a collection of improv troupes under the same roof and practice improvisational games. Within a year, the ImprovOlympic reached commercial acclaim. Although her business seemed to be successful, Halpern was tired playing improv games and felt that there was more to her new venture. All of this changed when she met Del Close in 1981. |
649_6 | Halpern first met Close at an art gallery on Halloween. Her first interaction with Del Close was not superb. At the time, she was new to the study of meditation. While going to make a first impression on Close she found him conjuring the spirits of demons, a practice that was antithetical to the transcendental practice of white lighting. She took offense to this, scolding him on the way out the door. It wasn’t until a month later that Halpern saw Close again at one of her performances. She offered him 200 dollars and some pot in return for a three-hour improvisation lesson. From that day until Closes’ death 19 years later, Close and Halpern were partners. |
649_7 | The iO Years
After the two met in 1981, the team worked together, on and off, hosting competitive improv tournaments under the iO brand. Two years later, in 1983, Halpern made a massive change in how the iO would operate. Instead of competition between different troupes, all troupes would work together to create a shared comedic narrative. This was a long-form improvisational style that Close had been creating over the years called the Harold. Their type of improvisation was reliant on the audience’s response to the actors. The audience would throw out a suggestion and the troupes would work cohesively to create a shared improv routine. For the first few years, Halpern and the iO were known around Chicago as a group of misfits that ran from place to place. This resulted in a sense of shared community that was often missed at already established comedy clubs such as Second City which were for performers that were already notable. |
649_8 | Some say that Halpern adopting Close into the iO world saved him from a long-standing battle with substance abuse. To a large extent, Halpern was the “hidden architect” behind the iO. Although Close was the main creator of the Harold it was Halpern that was in charge of making the executive decision for the iO. On one end of the relationship, Halpern offered Close a refuge by which he could pass down his passions for improvisation. Since he was an admitted drug addict who had lost his job at the acclaimed Second City in 1982 not many people welcomed him into their comedic bubble. On Halpern’s side of things, having Close be a part of the iO legitimized her theater and helped her learn more about improv as an art form. |
649_9 | After years of working together, Close and Halpern decided to establish the iO (originally called the ImprovOlympic) in a more permanent location in 1995 by Wrigley field. They were so successful that they opened the iO West in 1997 in Los Angeles. After Close died in 1999, Halpern was left to run the theater on her own. Although they lost one of their largest assets, Halpern continued to make major strides in producing some very notable alumni including: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Jack McBrayer, Neil Flynn, Adam McKay, Chris Farley, and Mike Myers. Eventually the theater rose to such acclaim that the iO became a staple stomping ground for Lorne Michaels in recruiting comedians to work for Saturday Night Live. |
649_10 | The iO's Closing and Charna's Retirement |
649_11 | There were a number of factors at play when it came time for Halpern to make a decision on the iO’s future. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the iO fell into a great deal of debt. According to one journalistic article the theater owed a $100,000 property tax bill which reduced the theaters income to virtually zero. Halpern claimed that when Chicago mandated all theaters to be closed due to the pandemic, she knew that the theater was doomed. On top of the insurmountable amount of debt that the theater took on, Halpern was criticized by the QBIPOC community pretty heavily . This criticism comes after a student of the iO in California claimed that she was harassed by a director. After exposing the iO for sexual harassment, other avenues of discrimination unraveled. People who have interacted with the theater, historically, had claimed instances of racism by the theater as an institution and individual racism by Halpern. Overall, Halpern has been receptive to this criticism and has |
649_12 | suggested the implementation of a more diverse range of people associated with the theater. There was a Change.org petition started to combat racism and exclusivity in the workspace. Halpern had said in an interview that closing down the iO had nothing to do with criticism in respect to QBIPOC inclusion. |
649_13 | Halpern listed the building on 1501 N. Kingsbury Street, a prime real estate location in Chicago, for sale in the fall of 2020. She understands that the trademark she has built for the company is highly reputable and hopes that whoever buys the building also considers taking the brand as well as the location.
Charna's Legacy |
649_14 | Halpern built the iO into a comedy enterprise. She successfully turned the iO from a small mom and pop theater into a massive operation with four theaters, beer garden, party room, a reputation for producing celebrities, and cult like following of her partner Del Close. Yet handling Covid-19 has turned into a challenge for Charna. The amount of space they have and all that has been offered through the space is now unusable. Ultimately, they’ve been forced to close down. With that said, a lot of work still has to be done to ensure that people associated with the theater are not left high and dry. One of the big things that Halpern still has to figure out is how to redeem people for advanced payments for improvisational lessons. During a non-Covid summer, the theater would be holding a thirteen-hundred-dollar intensive training session. It’s one of the theaters landmark programs. With the theater having an unexpected closure, customers are furious. Additionally, they have not been |
649_15 | informed on how they’ll be refunded the money. Halpern’s reputation is on the line. As of now, her legacy is uncertain. On one hand people respect her for being one of the most influential people in improvisation and comedy more generally. On the other hand, she’s been coined a racist that has done a poor job of being transparent in refunding her clients. How she goes about handling allegations of institutionalized racism at her theater as well as bringing redemption to people who have put a portion of their life savings into her theater will ultimately determine how she is remembered. With the theater officially closed and having no intention of making any income, both will be tricky feats for Halpern to overcome. |
649_16 | Notable students
Stephen Colbert
Chris Farley
Tina Fey
Kate Flannery
Bill Hader
Seth Meyers
Mike Myers
Amy Poehler
Jason Sudeikis
Vince Vaughn
Bob Odenkirk
Scott Adsit
Vanessa Bayer
Matt Besser
Maria Blasucci
Paul Brittain
Kipleigh Brown
Aidy Bryant
Kay Cannon
Wyatt Cenac
Andy Dick
Kevin Dorff
Rachel Dratch
Jon Favreau
Neil Flynn
Rich Fulcher
Peter Gwinn
TJ Jagodowski
Angela Kinsey
David Koechner
Steve Little
John Lutz
Jack McBrayer
Adam McKay
Tim Meadows
Susan Messing
Jerry Minor
Joel Murray
Mick Napier
Masi Oka
David Pasquesi
Danny Pudi
Andy Richter
Rick Roman
Mitch Rouse
Eric Stonestreet
Cecily Strong
Stephnie Weir
Amber Ruffin
Bibliography
Truth in Comedy, 1994
Group Improvisation, 2003
Art by Committee, 2006
References
External links
An interview with Charna on Blackout presents: Radio
An interview with Charna about Del Close on The Poor Choices Show
1952 births
Writers from Chicago
Living people
Comedians from Illinois |
650_0 | The 1956 World Sportscar Championship was the fourth annual FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was a contested by sportscars over a series of five races from 29 January to 12 August 1956.
Following the major accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans that killed 80 spectators, 1955 champions Mercedes-Benz officially withdrew from motorsports and thus did not defend their title. This led to the fewest factory-backed competitors for many years.
The championship was won by Ferrari.
Championship summary |
650_1 | The 1956 World Sports Car Championship was ultimately contested over five races. While much of the controversy surrounding the tragedy at Le Mans had subsided by January 1956, those in the international racing community were still contending with the fallout. The organisers of the 24 Heures du Mans introduced regulations reducing the maximum engine capacity for prototype cars to 2.5 litres, which caused the race to lose championship status, but would return to the championship in 1957. Both the RAC Tourist Trophy and Carrera Panamericana were given championship status, but neither was run amid safety concerns. The RAC Tourist Trophy would never return to the Dundrod Circuit, and the Carrera Panamericana, the 1955 edition also cancelled, in spite of many attempts would never return. Returning to the championship was the 1000 km Nürburgring after being cancelled in 1955. Since championship regulations required at least five qualifying events actually be held, since Le Mans no longer |
650_2 | qualified, and the Tourist Trophy and Carrera Panamericana cancelled, the Sveriges Grand Prix was upgraded to championship status in recognition of a successful race in 1955. |
650_3 | The championship remained as a contest for manufacturers, with the factory teams of Scuderia Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin and Jaguar leading the way. As in previous seasons, the majority of the fields were made up of amateur or gentlemen drivers, often racing against professional racing drivers with experience in Formula One. |
650_4 | For Ferrari's assault on the 1956 championship, they settled on using virtually identical four- and twelve-cylinder-engined machines. Both cars shared exactly the same chassis and similarly styling. Carrozzeria Scaglietti built the aluminum bodies for both. The more successful of the two was the V12-engined 290 MM, which was driven to a debut victory in the Mille Miglia by Eugenio Castellotti. In the season finale, Phil Hill and Maurice Trintignant added a second win to the 290 MM's tally in only its third major race. The sister 860 Monza had an equally impressive first outing, with a one-two victory in the Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance. During the remainder of the season, the big fours supported Ferrari's chase for the championship with valuable podium finishes. With three very convincing wins in the five rounds, Ferrari were crowned World Champions at the end of the season. For the third time in four seasons, the title had gone to Maranello. |
650_5 | Ferrari's chief rivals, Maserati hired Stirling Moss for the season, and prepared a works team for all the rounds of the championship. At the opening round, the 1000 km Buenos Aires, the factory efforts paid off, when all the large 4.0-litre Ferraris suffered mechanical problems, and Moss and local hero, Carlos Menditéguy took overall victory, in a 300S. For the next rounds at Sebring and the Mille Miglia, Maserati prepared the 350S. The cars were on pace but succumbed to the competition. The Internationales ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen auf dem Nürburgring changed this when Moss and Jean Behra took over a second car and drove it to victory. The championship ended at the Sveriges Grand Prix and Maserati had high hopes to gain enough points to win over Ferrari. Despite bringing five cars, all the Maseratis retired, leaving Ferrari to take all the top five places and the championship.
Race schedule |
650_6 | Points system
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1.
The best result per marque at each race counted.
Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained.
Championship standings
Note:
Points earned for race results but not counted towards the championship totals are shown within brackets in the above table.
As the fourth and fifth placed cars at the Sveriges Grand Prix were ineligible for points, the sixth placed Jaguar was awarded points as if it had finished fourth.
The cars
The following models contributed to the net championship point scores of their respective makes.
Ferrari 860 Monza & Ferrari 290 MM
Maserati 300S
Jaguar D-Type
Aston Martin DB3S
Porsche 550 Spyder & Porsche 550 RS
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
References
Further reading
János L. Wimpffen, Time and Two Seats, 1999, pages 170–200
The Automobile Year Book of Sports Car Racing, 1982 |
650_7 | External links
Championship race results & points table at wspr-racing.com
Championship race results, programs and images at www.racingsportscars.com
World Sportscar Championship seasons
World |
651_0 | Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in April 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar and producer) and Carl Palmer (drums and percussion). With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US, and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide, they were one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands in the 1970s, with a musical sound including adaptations of classical music with jazz and symphonic rock elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and piano (although Lake wrote several acoustic songs for the group). |
651_1 | The band came to prominence following their performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970. In their first year, the group signed with E.G. Records (who distributed the band's records through Island Records in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America), and released Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970) and Tarkus (1971), both of which reached the UK top five. The band's success continued with Pictures at an Exhibition (1971), Trilogy (1972), and Brain Salad Surgery (1973, released on ELP's own Manticore Records label). After a three-year break, Emerson, Lake & Palmer released Works Volume 1 (1977) and Works Volume 2 (1977). After Love Beach (1978), the group disbanded in 1979. |
651_2 | The band reformed partially in the 1980s as Emerson, Lake & Powell featuring Cozy Powell in place of Palmer. Robert Berry then replaced Lake while Palmer returned, forming 3. In 1991, the original trio reformed and released two more albums, Black Moon (1992) and In the Hot Seat (1994), and toured at various times between 1992 and 1998. Their final performance took place in 2010 at the High Voltage Festival in London to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. Both Emerson and Lake died in 2016, leaving Palmer as the only surviving member of the band.
History |
651_3 | 1969–1970: Formation and first gigs |
651_4 | The band originated in late 1969, when The Nice keyboardist Keith Emerson and King Crimson bassist and vocalist Greg Lake met when both groups were on tour. Emerson was looking to form a new band and Lake wished to leave King Crimson, and after initial discussions about the possibility of forming a group in New York City, the pair met two months later in December 1969 when The Nice and King Crimson were billed together for concerts at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. During a soundcheck before one of the shows, Emerson described the first time he and Lake played together: "Greg was moving a bass line and I played the piano in back and Zap! It was there." When the Nice split in March 1970 and Lake left King Crimson a month later, the pair began the search for a drummer, which turned out to be a difficult process. They initially approached Mitch Mitchell, who was at a loose end following the breakup of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and suggested a jam session take place amongst the |
651_5 | three of them and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. The session never happened, but it caused the press to report rumours of a planned supergroup named HELP, an acronym for "Hendrix Emerson Lake Palmer", which Lake later debunked. |
651_6 | As part of auditions for a drummer at a studio by Soho Square, Emerson's manager, Tony Stratton-Smith, suggested Carl Palmer of Atomic Rooster and previously The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Palmer enjoyed the chemistry, though was initially reluctant as Atomic Rooster were starting to gain attention; it was only after several weeks of further sessions that Palmer agreed to join. Triton was a group name that Emerson said "was buzzing around" for a little while, and Triumvirate and Seahorse were also in contention, but they settled upon Emerson, Lake & Palmer to remove the focus on Emerson as the most famous of the three, and to ensure that they were not called the "new Nice". |
651_7 | After rehearsals at Island Studios in Notting Hill, the band formed a live set featuring "The Barbarian", an arrangement of the piano piece Allegro barbaro by Béla Bartók, "Rondo", an arrangement of the jazz standard "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by Dave Brubeck that Emerson had recorded with the Nice, an arrangement of "Nut Rocker" as an encore, and a rock adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky that Emerson wished to do after seeing it performed with an orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London when he was in the Nice. The group wished to enhance their live act, and spent £9,000 on a sound mixer and £4,000 on a Moog modular synthesizer imported from America that was adapted for better performance on stage. |
651_8 | The trio's first live gig followed at Plymouth Guildhall on 23 August 1970, supported by local band Earth. They travelled to the venue in a transit van previously owned by fellow progressive rock band Yes, and were paid around £400 for the gig. A small venue outside London was deliberately chosen in case the concert was a failure, but the concert was well received. Their second gig took place on 29 August with a set at the Isle of Wight Festival which was attended by an estimated 600,000 people and drew considerable attention from the public and music press. At the end of "Pictures at an Exhibition", the band fired two cannons that Emerson had tested in a field near Heathrow Airport. |
651_9 | The success of the group's debut, as well as Lake's prior association with King Crimson, led to ELP's signing management and recording contracts with E.G. Records, who distributed their records through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records' Cotillion Records subsidiary in North America. Emerson believed that Atlantic's chief Ahmet Ertegun agreed to take the band on "because we could sell out 20,000-seaters before we even had a record out. That was enough for him to think that a lot of people would go out and buy the record when it did come out."
1970–1971: Debut album, Tarkus, and Pictures at an Exhibition |
651_10 | In the months surrounding their debut gigs, the band recorded their first album, Emerson Lake & Palmer, at Advision Studios. Lake took on the role of producer, which he had also done in King Crimson, with Eddy Offord as their engineer. The album included studio versions of "The Barbarian" and "Take a Pebble", "Knife-Edge", based on the first movement of Sinfonietta by Leoš Janáček and the Allemande of French Suite No. 1 in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, Palmer's drum solo "Tank", the three-part "The Three Fates", and "Lucky Man", an acoustic ballad that Lake wrote when he was twelve. The album was released in the UK in November 1970, and reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 18 in the US. "Lucky Man" was released as a single that peaked at No. 48 in the US. |
651_11 | From September 1970 to March 1971, the band completed their first concert tour with shows across the UK, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Their performance on 9 December 1970 at the Lyceum Theatre in London was filmed and released in UK theatres in 1972 with added psychedelic effects including characters from Marvel Comics. |
651_12 | During a break in their first tour in January 1971, Emerson, Lake & Palmer returned to Advision Studios with Offord to record their second album, Tarkus. Friction between Emerson and Lake during the early recording sessions almost caused the group to disband as Lake disliked the material that Emerson was writing. Following a meeting with the band and management, Lake agreed to write his own songs and continue recording. The album was recorded in six days. The album's first side is occupied by the 20-minute title track, a seven-part song based on reverse evolution that was recorded in four days. Its cover art was designed by painter and graphic designer William Neal. Tarkus was released in June 1971 on Island Records. It was a commercial success after it reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. The band resumed touring with their first North American tour, starting 24 April 1971 at Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania and continued until the end of May. Further dates across |
651_13 | Europe followed until the end of the year. |
651_14 | Emerson, Lake & Palmer released their third album, Pictures at an Exhibition, in the UK in November 1971. They recorded their performance of it at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971 and decided to release it with the concert's encore, "Nut Rocker". The group wished to release it as their second album, but Atlantic Records declined to as it is a classical-oriented piece and claimed it would not sell or receive any radio airplay, and offered to release it through Nonesuch Records which handled more budget, classical, and avant-garde albums. The band refused, and delayed its release on purpose until after Tarkus; Emerson said the delay was to also show to the press and public that they could write their own songs and were not merely a "band that did classical music". Following Island Records' decision to import 250,000 copies into the US which sold within a short amount of time, helped by radio DJ Scott Muni playing the entire album uninterrupted on WNEW in New York City, Atlantic |
651_15 | decided to release it through Cotillion as a budget album in January 1972. The album peaked at No. 3 in the UK and No. 10 in the US. |
651_16 | 1971–1974: Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery, and touring
Trilogy, the band's third studio album, was recorded at Advision Studios with Offord between October 1971 and January 1972. Its cover art was designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. "Hoedown" is an adaptation of Rodeo by Aaron Copland. Released in July 1972, Trilogy reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 5 in the US. "From the Beginning", an acoustic ballad featuring an extended synthesizer solo, was released as a single which reached No. 39 in the US. Lake has picked Trilogy as his favourite studio album by the band. The album was supported with a North American tour in March and April 1972 which included a spot at the Mar y Sol Pop Festival in Manatí, Puerto Rico on 3 April. Following dates across Europe, including their first in Italy, the band performed at the Concert 10 Festival at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania on 9 July 1972. This was followed by their first dates in Japan in July. |
651_17 | In early 1973, the band formed their own record label, Manticore Records, and purchased an abandoned cinema as their own rehearsal hall in Fulham, London. In June 1973, Emerson, Lake & Palmer began recording Brain Salad Surgery in London at Advision and Olympic Studios which lasted until September that year. Offord was not present for the recording sessions as he was working with Yes, leaving engineering and mixing duties to Chris Kimsey and Geoff Young. Lake wrote the album's lyrics with Peter Sinfield and its sleeve was designed by H. R. Giger and includes the band's new logo. Formed of five tracks, the album includes a rendition of "Jerusalem" which features the debut of the Moog Apollo, a prototype polyphonic synthesizer. "Toccata" is a cover of the fourth movement of Piano Concerto No. 1 by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera and contains synthesised percussion in the form of an acoustic drum kit fitted with pick-ups that triggered electronic sounds. The 29-minute track "Karn |
651_18 | Evil 9" is the longest song recorded by the group. Brain Salad Surgery was released in November 1973 and reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 11 in the US. |
651_19 | From November 1973 to September 1974, the band toured North America and Europe which included a headline spot at the inaugural California Jam Festival on 6 April 1974 at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, to an attendance of 250,000 people. Their performance was broadcast across the US. The band's live shows exhibited an unorthodox mix of virtuoso musicianship and over-the-top performances which received much criticism. Their theatrics included Emerson playing a piano as it spun, suspended, end-over-end; Palmer playing on a rotating drum platform; and a Hammond organ thrown around the stage to create feedback. Emerson often used a knife, given to him by Lemmy Kilmister who had roadied for the Nice, to force the keys on the organ to stay down. Emerson used a large Moog modular synthesizer on stage but it was unreliable as heat affected its sound. The band carried almost 40 tons of equipment for the tour. ELP were one of the top world concert draws during 1973-74. |
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