Thursday, June 30, 2016
OSHA orders Dearborn Heights School District to pay $193K to employee punished for warning of asbestos exposures at city school
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/296aDPr
OSHA cites food manufacturer after worker dies after 24-foot fall at the company's Jersey City warehouse
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/29jkCyQ
OSHA fines Johns Manville after employee suffers hand amputation
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/29bULtv
Safety 2016: Dr. David Michaels: Public Recordkeeping Will Reduce Incidents
Dr. David Michaels outlined OSHA’s continuing plans to reduce the number of workplace safety injuries in his address to Safety 2016 attendees.
He first touched on OSHA’s Severe Injury Reporting Program which requires employers to notify the agency about any hospitalizations or amputations within 24 hours, a requirement which took effect on January 1, 2015.
In its first year, 10,388 severe injuries were reported – 2,644 amputations and 7,646 hospitalizations. There was an average of 30 worker injuries every day of 2015.
from Safety http://ift.tt/295U0Du
US Department of Labor announces new rules to adjust civil penalty amounts
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/297xw30
OSHA fines underground utility contractor $52K for exposing workers to repeat, serious excavation hazards
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/296nVaF
Safety 2016: Proper Training, Clothing Key to Heat, Cold Stress Prevention
from Safety http://ift.tt/295bOtZ
OSHA National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health schedules fifth meeting of the Emergency Response and Preparedness Subcommittee
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/297y6go
20 Years of OSHA Violations, Now $3.42 Million in Proposed Fines for Ohio Auto Parts Manufacturer
Sunfield Inc., a motor vehicle metal parts stamping operation established in 1993, nearly broke a record, but not in a good way. The Hebron, Ohio site is the only U.S. plant of parent company, Ikeda Manufacturing Co. LTD. which is headquartered in Ota-City, Gunma, Japan. Sunfield, which has a daily workforce of 175 workers, faces $3.42M in fines after an OSHA investigation determined the company willfully exposed temporary workers to machine hazards.
from Safety http://ift.tt/29cJmet
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Sinatra: Strangers in the Night
In the Wall Street Journal today, I write on Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night—the single and the album (go here). Fifty years ago this week, the single went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album soon a chart topper in July, resulting in four Grammys the following year. For the article, I tracked down Jimmy Bowen, the song's legendary producer, and Artie Kane, the organist who gave the album its fresh and snarky pop feel.
In the early summer of 1966, I was 9 but still vividly remember Strangers in the Night. So much so that just hearing the opening sweep of the strings today takes me back to those summer nights and the smell of cotton candy and popcorn. As I recall, there was a heat wave then with talk of drought. Air conditioning didn't exist yet for average families. Not in cars or bedrooms. Before turning in, you took a wash cloth, soaked it in cold water, ran it over your body and left yourself wet with the big square floor fan thumping away on medium as you fell asleep.
In early July, school had just let out for the summer. In my neighborhood in Manhattan's Washington Heights, parents began taking turns driving a carload of kids across the George Washington Bridge to Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. There was no camp or summer homes back then. At dusk, as we neared the amusement park's, you'd see the neon signs from the rides and attractions blurring into the humid evening air. Strangers in the Night seemed to be everywhere. We heard it on the car radio on the way over and it was playing on the midway. I even heard it at night in my bedroom drifting from parents' living rooms in the apartment building. Amid the pre-teen Fab Four fever, parents were having their last laugh and a last hurrah. Their music played most often on hulking living-room consoles could still overtake ours.
As I write in my Strangers in the Night essay, the song was the result of a series of accidents. Originally it was an instrumental called Beddy Bye by easy-listening maestro Bert Kaempfert for a movie called A Man Could Get Killed, which opened in March '66. The publisher of Kaempfert's song played it for producer Jimmy Bowen, who was working with Sinatra at Reprise in Los Angeles. Jimmy loved it and asked Fine for lyrics. Let Jimmy pick up the story:
"In 1966, Hal Fine was the head of Roosevelt Music and published Bert Kaempfert's music for the movie A Man Could Get Killed. Hal had a good ear. He sensed that Beddy Bye, an instrumental, had Frank written all over it, so he came to me and played the track. I liked it immediately. The song was perfect for Sinatra, and I told Hal if he got the right lyrics I’d bring it to him. Fine went to lyricist Eddie Snyder, who worked on the song’s words with co-lyricist Charles Singleton and Kaempfert while sitting around a piano. They renamed the song Strangers in the Night.
"Hal sent me a demo but I didn't like the first set of lyrics. A week went by and he sent me a new demo with a bunch of other things. It was 2 a.m. and I had just gotten back from the studio. After I listened to it, I flipped. I called Hal and woke him up to tell him how much I loved it. The next day, I called Frank and said we had to meet. Frank told me to come over. After I played him the demo he loved the song. I said, "We have to record it soon." Sinatra said, "Great, how about Monday [April 11]." [Photo above of Jimmy Bowen by Beth Gwinn]
I reached out to arranger Ernie Freeman, who had been working with me on sessions, and I booked United Recording. That Monday, I got there early, around 4 p.m., to make sure the studio was set. I knew Frank liked to have everything ready when he arrived. With a few hours until he would arrive at 8 p.m., I headed out to grab a bite at Martoni's in Hollywood. When I walked in, there was Jack Jones in a booth. I sat down and Jack asked what I was up to. I told him I was recorded Sinatra that night. When I asked how he was doing, Jack said he had just recorded a song called Strangers int he Night.
"I told Jack it was great seeing him, got up and quickly returned to the studio without eating. Hal had shopped the song around. I can't blame him—he didn't know if Frank was actually going to record it. He was hedging his bets.” [Photo of Jack Jones in 1966]
When I got back to the studio, I booked two mastering rooms. Then I sent a guy out to get about $300 in $20 bills. I also had someone in the A&R department round up six guys. As soon as the recording session ended, I planned on making acetate discs of the master. Then I'd have the guys take them to LAX and pay flight attendants to hand them off to Reprise promotion people when they landed in 12 different markets. The promo guys, in turn, would bring them to the radio stations.
"When Frank arrived at the studio at 8 p.m., I didn't tell him about my earlier conversation with Jack [Jones]. Nothing good could come of it. Frank immediately got with his pianist Bill Miller in a another room to warm up. We recorded the song in three takes. On the first two, Frank was having trouble with the key-change modulation, where 'love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away' meets 'Ever since that night...'
"As soon as I heard there was a problem, I stopped the music and came into the studio to talk to Frank privately. Ernie had put that modulation in toward the end to give the arrangement a lift, but Frank had missed it twice. He couldn't find his note in the new key. He was in front of a lot of musicians and I needed to protect his reputation. In the corner of the studio, Frank apologized for screwing up, and I said not to worry about it, that the arrangement had made that transition tough.
"I said, 'Frank, we'll record up to the the modulation. You'll stop. Then you'll hear a bell note on the piano for the new key and you can pick it up. We'll cut the two takes together." Frank said, "We can do that?" I said, "Sure." He said, "OK, great." And that's what we did.
After the three takes, [engineer] Eddie Backett (above) took out his razor blade and we cut and spliced the three takes together in the editing room. I told Frank that I wanted to get the song out fast, that Strangers was a song that would likely be covered by other singers. Once Frank approved the master and left, I started making acetates in two mastering rooms, four at a time. As soon as they were cut, they'd go into envelopes addressed to contacts at the 12 stations around the country that controlled all the national ads. Then I sent the team off to the airport.
"First thing the next morning, I called the stations to let them know the record was coming. It was pretty exciting—stations were waiting for a Sinatra acetate coming straight from the mastering room.
"Jack's single had gone out the traditional way—by mail. In some cases, the single didn't arrive until after Frank's was already on the air. Or it was still sitting in the stacks of singles waiting to be auditioned by the stations' program directors. The acetates would only last through a handful of plays before the quality would fade. But by then, our 45 of Strangers in the Night had arrived." [Photo above of LAX in 1966]
Tomorrow, my full conversation with Artie Kane, the organist on the Strangers in the Night album.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night here. The title song of the album was arranged by Ernie Freeman and produced by Jimmy Bowen. The balance of the album was arranged by Nelson Riddle and produced by Sonny Burke.
JazzWax clips: Here's the single of Strangers in the Night...
Here's Jack Jones's version of Strangers in the Night, recorded just days before Frank Sinatra's...
from JazzWax http://ift.tt/293YndN
4 Tips for Cleaning Roller Blinds
Cleaning methods for your roller blinds depend largely on the material that your blinds are made of. Here’s how to keep your roller blinds looking their best.
Below are 4 tips for cleaning roller blinds:
Checking
It is important that you follow the care instructions of the blinds, to ensure that you are washing your blinds in a way that won’t damage them.
- If the care label indicates that you can wash the blinds (plastic/vinyl blinds), or your blinds are very dirty, you can thoroughly clean the blinds in a bathtub.
- If the care label indicates that the roller blinds cannot be washed, you’ll need to spot clean them, meaning you’ll only clean the spots that are visibly dirty. Source: wikiHow
Removing
Remove the rolled up blind from the mounting hardware. I’m sliding a knife behind the bracket to release it. This is a Level or blind and they can be removed in a SNAP! (they’re 12 yrs old btw)
Be sure to remove the roller mechanism if you can. You want to safeguard it from the water to avoid damage. Source: SnapGuide
Vacuuming
If your roller blinds will not stand up to being washed, you’ll need to spot clean them. This is where you only clean the bits that are visibly dirty. You can start by vacuuming your blinds as outlined above to remove most of the surface dust and dirt. Source: HomeImprovementPages
Washing
Use the brush attachment on the vacuum to gently brush over the surface and vacuum away any loose dirt, dead bugs, etc. Next, fill the bathtub about half full of warm water.
Add some laundry detergent to the water and mix together until a few suds begin to form on the surface. If the blinds are white, a small amount of bleach can be added to the water as well.
Next, carefully lay the blinds in the tub. If the blinds are long, it is okay to loosely layer them in an accordion fashion. Allow them to soak in the soapy water for a couple of hours.
Next, start at one end of the blinds and gently wipe them back and forth with a soft cloth or sponge. This will help remove any remaining dirt and/or stains. For tough stains, scrub them gently with an old toothbrush. Drain the sudsy water from the tub.
Fill with clean water and rinse the blinds. Repeat until all of the soap is removed. If soap residue remains on the blinds, it will act as a magnet quickly collecting dirt and dust.
If a partner is available to assist, the blinds can be held up and rinsed with a shower sprayer for quicker soap removal. Lay the blinds over a drying rack or outside on a clothesline until they are completely dried. Attach them back onto the roller and reinstall them over the window. Source: HowToCleanStuff
For more tips, don’t hesitate to contact us here:
Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988
The post 4 Tips for Cleaning Roller Blinds appeared first on Universal Blinds, Shades & Shutters.
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4 Tips to Intensify the Benefits of Saunas
Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com
Saunas are used throughout the world for their health benefits. Below are some tips to intensify the benefits of saunas – read on!
Drink Plenty of Water
Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water before going inside the sauna room, holistic physician Lawrence Wilson recommends in “Sauna Therapy.” During the sauna bath, the body produces a therapeutic sweat that eliminates heavy metals and toxic chemicals, Wilson says. Sauna enthusiasts say that the body can lose about a pint of water during a 20-minute sauna session. Source: LiveStrong
Exercise First
Exercise prior to entering the sauna. Since the sauna promotes circulation of the flow of blood through the body, this will help you recover from joint and muscle soreness from your workout. Plan your use of the sauna on days you rest from exercise. While beneficial in conjunction with exercise, it is claimed that a session of 15-20 minutes will give you a workout equivalent to a brisk walk of 1-2 hours. This is due to an increase in your heart rate which is similar to that which occurs during a brisk walk. Source: wikiHow
Choose the Right Temperature
The temperature you create inside the sauna is very important in achieving the most beneficial sauna session. Studies show that it’s best to heat the sauna to a temperature between 176 and 194 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, you will feel comfortable inside the sauna, you will not overwhelm your body with too much heat, and you will benefit from all the good effects of the sauna. Source: AllWomenSites
Alternate Temperatures
After about 15 minutes, you better step out of sauna room to cool down your body in air. It is better to jump into a cold pool or lake. Experts say that shocking your body with hot and cold in succession increases the effects of sauna detoxification and increase the blood circulation in your body.
You need not to get your body chilled. When you start feeling cold, you better come back to the sauna room and stay there until you start sweating again. You have to repeat this heating and cooling of your body three to four times for best results. Just be sure not to exceed 45 minutes in total in the sauna room.
When you are finished, cool yourself with fresh air, not cold water, to settle your body temperature. Take a cold bath afterwards to remove any dead skin cells. Source: StepByStep
Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com
The post 4 Tips to Intensify the Benefits of Saunas appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.
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OSHA reminds employers to protect workers from dangers of handling fireworks
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/296JN6z
Ohio auto parts manufacturer faces $3.42M in fines after OSHA finds company willfully exposed temporary workers to machine hazards
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/29dRk7i
OSHA finds Waupaca company lacked proper precautions for using sulfur dioxide at its foundry core manufacturing, metal coating facility
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/296JV6l
OSHA Penalizes Woodworking Manufacturer and Staffing Company $63,600 for Several Amputation Hazards
Architectural woodworking manufacturer Terrill Manufacturing Company Inc. racked up $63,600 in serious violations after several complaints sparked an OSHA investigation which began in January 2016.
OSHA cited Terrill for 18 serious violations including lack of lockout/tagout procedures and allowing rotating rollers, belts, pulleys, sprockets and chains to operate without safety guards.
OSHA also issued serious violations for
from Safety http://ift.tt/2951tj7
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
West Coast Jazz: Early Sounds
West Coast jazz has no real beginning and no specific founder. It's a sound that evolved from a range of influences, including Lester Young's relaxed sound on the tenor saxophone, Count Basie's swing and classical counterpoint. But West Coast jazz is also a product of experiences, including the beach breezes, the vastness and tranquilizing effect of the Pacific Ocean, the car culture, and the optimism of suburbia.
When I interviewed Howard Rumsey in 2009, the bassist who managed The Lighthouse club in Hermosa Beach, Calif., home of West Coast jazz jam sessions, said the chief architects of the music were Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne and Gerry Mulligan. All were East Coast transplants who made expansive use of harmony and round-robin soloing. Early on, jazz associated with the West Coast was a more laid back form of bebop, or, as Howard told me, "It's the music of happy—in a hurry."
We know that the properties that define West Coast jazz—zig-zagging melody lines, dry-roasted solos and tight harmony configurations—were pretty much in place by 1951 on Shorty Rogers' Modern Sounds album for Capitol. But where did the sound on this album come from? What's the genesis? Let me take a stab at it.
If we assume Shorty Rogers (above) had the greatest influence on shaping the early West Coast jazz sound, then we need to track his footprints back from Modern Sounds. During the late 1940s, Rogers was in Woody Hermans' band, specifically the one in 1947 that recorded Jimmy Giuffre's Four Brothers. This reed-centric, highly melodic recording was harmony-rich but it didn't really carry the architecture of West Coast jazz. Instead, it was more of a bebop line fleshed out with saxes.
In January 1950, Rogers joined Stan Kenton, where he found an orchestra with much more power and musical muscle for his arranging style. In February '50, the band recorded Rogers' arrangement of Jolly Rogers, which had inklings of his circle-of-fifths progressions and stepped sectional approach...
But here, the music was more like a snapping electrical cable than the cubist approach that would become Rogers' hallmark sound. Not until September '50, with Kenton's recorded Rogers' Round Robin, do we start to hear the West Coast jazz sound emerge. Where Jolly Rogers is blistering, Round Robin had a more tempered thing going. There are plenty of fireworks thanks to Maynard Ferguson's trumpet, but they are used merely for splash and punctuation. What dominates is the seductive descending progression and stop time figures that would be used often by Rogers in the years that followed. We also hear more relaxed solos by Rogers on trumpet, Bud Shank on alto sax, Art Pepper on alto sax and Don Bagley on bass...
Compare Round Robin with Apropos from Shorty Rogers' Modern Sounds album, recorded in October '51. By then, the West Coast sound was formed. Though Mulligan would be on the West Coast the following year, where he formed his pianoless quartet, the octet format pioneered by Rogers would become the most efficient ensemble size to handle West Coast jazz....
So in effect, I'll venture to say that West Coast started with Shorty Rogers' arrangement of Round Robin for Stan Kenton in 1950. While the sound might not have been fully formed yet, all the parts were in place.
from JazzWax http://ift.tt/29aOxMs
OSHA finds workers exposed to amputation dangers at San Angelo woodworking manufacturer; company, staffing agency fined $63K
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/292bHRE
OSHA orders tour bus operator's former owner to pay $11K for retaliating after employee refused to drive unsafe bus
from OSHA News Release http://ift.tt/28YhLYU
Could the EU Referendum Impact Worker Safety and Health?
The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, is warning against any slackening of pace in efforts to reduce what it calls “the unacceptable burden of work-related ill health in the UK and internationally” following Britain’s historic referendum vote to leave the European Union.
In a statement, the society highlighted the enormous death toll associated with occupational health hazards:
from Safety http://ift.tt/291htCQ
Monday, June 27, 2016
Interview: Jan Persson
Back in May, I posted on a Bill Evans Trio rehearsal in Denmark in 1966 that was captured on tape for TV broadcast. In the TV studio that day was Evans on piano; Eddie Gomez on bass; Alex Riel, a Danish drummer; cameramen; and a director. There also was a photographer. His name was Jan Persson.
Last week I caught up with Jan to chat about his career, how he happened to be in the studio with Evans that day in '66 and his thoughts on the pianist [photo above from the rehearsal tape, with Alex Riel, left, Jan Persson and Bill Evans]...
JazzWax: Where did you grow up?
Jan Persson: I grew up in Copenhagen and lived there most of my life until 20 years ago, when I left for the countryside 40 miles south of the city. I first became interested in photography when I was 12.
JW: Which photographers did you admire most and why?
JP: There were so many great European and American photographers working in the jazz field. Among the ones I admired most were Herman Leonard, Don Hunstein, William Claxton (above), Dennis Stock and others. There also are younger ones, like Jimmy Katz.
JW: How did you first become interested in jazz?
JP: In Denmark at the time, at the start of the 1960s, there was a jazz club in virtually town of a certain size. At one point, there were upward of 80 American jazz musicians living here. [Photo above of Stan Getz performing at Jazzhus Montmartre]
JW: How did you come to be the photographer at the Bill Evans rehearsal?
JP: I was working as a freelance photographer for daily newspapers and magazines here. I knew the people at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation—a very active part of the Danish jazzlife—so I didn't have a problem being there.
I think Bill Evans did about six sessions for Danish television over the years. The first was in 1964, with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker.The second was in 1966 with Eddie Gomez, Danish drummer Alex Riel and Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund. On this occasion, he arrived in Europe without a drummer so he used Alex for a part of his gigs. [Photo above of Bill Evans and Monica Zetterlund in 1966 by Jan Persson]
JW: Did you talk to Evans?
JP: No. I was 23 and a shy young man. At that age you don't disturb a superstar. But I felt he was a very nice person and very dedicated and concentrated on his work. [Photo above of Bill Evans by Jan Persson]
JW: What were you trying to capture about Evans with your camera?
JP: I was trying to capture the atmosphere in the studio.The very concentrated hard working and dedicated Bill Evans. [Photo above of Bill Evans by Jan Persson]
JW: Which jazz or rock musicians gave you the most trouble and why?
JP: As an interviewer, you know that musicians are rarely the problem. It's all the people surrounding the musicians who make a living from stars who can be difficult.
JW: What’s your favorite portrait and why?
JP: IIf we are talking about my favorites, I'd have to say Herman Leonard's image of Dexter Gordon with all the smoke. There's a lot of jazz feeling in there. I look at it every day because I have a signed copy of it it on my office wall.
If you are asking me which portraits of my own, I'd have to say my images of Miles Davis. The three images (above) are from Copenhagen in 1964, Berlin in 1971 and Aarhus, Denmark in 1987. They say everything about the man and his music. Through these images, you can see his development from jazz artists to rock musician. That's quite a transformation. [Photos above of Miles Davis by Jan Persson]
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