fc 777 casino login philippines download 2021
FAN EXPO San Francisco brings three-day adventure of comics, sci-fi and morePrime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a two-month suspension of GST on selected goods, in Sharon, Ont., on Nov. 21. This boondoggle will change what people will buy and when, incentivizing them to minimize their tax burden rather than maximize their welfare, and imposing administrative and compliance costs that are a drag on our already struggling economy. Chris Young/The Canadian Press William Robson is president and chief executive of the C.D. Howe Institute. Don Drummond is the Stauffer-Dunning Fellow and an adjunct professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, and fellow-in-residence at the institute. Canadian governments are loudly zealous about protecting us from potentially addictive stuff that could hurt our physical and mental health – think of junk food, booze and other drugs, or misinformation and other online “harms.” Yet they themselves are pushing fiscal junk. The federal government’s latest – a goods and services tax holiday from mid-December to mid-February, 2025, and a $250 handout to everyone with earned income under $150,000 – is yet another feel-good move that undermines our fiscal and economic health. As with the Ontario government’s recent pledge of a $200 handout for its taxpayers, one big question is: Will the bribe buy the government a bounce in the polls? If the move works tactically – if they hook us on this junk – there’s trouble ahead for our tax system, government finances and economic growth, and even our democratic politics. Taxes are a necessary evil. We need them to fund government programs. But taxes do harm – the obvious direct cost to people paying them and less obvious indirect costs, such as less reward from working, saving and investing, and distorted decisions about what and when we make, sell and buy. The best taxes raise the most revenue with the least harm – taxes with broad bases, low rates and predictable application, such as the federal GST and the harmonized sales tax that works alongside it in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. But populist pushers are poking holes in bases. The federal government’s exemption of home heating oil from the carbon tax was particularly egregious because the comprehensiveness of the carbon tax was a key legal as well as economic argument for the federal government levying it in the first place. The base for the GST/HST has been under constant pressure as well – and with every new exemption, the rates of these taxes, and on all other taxes governments need to fund their programs, will inevitably be higher than they would otherwise need to be. Now the federal government proposes a temporary suspension of the GST on certain items over the holiday season. This boondoggle will change what people will buy and when, incentivizing them to minimize their tax burden rather than maximize their welfare, and imposing administrative and compliance costs that are a drag on our already struggling economy. And alcoholic beverages are on the list! In the bad old days, political parties offered free drinks at the polls. How is this any different? The feds’ $250 handouts are no better. Like tax breaks on specific items and at specific times, they will need to be paid for – with higher taxes now, or with borrowing that brings higher taxes later, and with the discouragement of work, saving and investment that higher taxes inevitably create. Being so widely available so far up the income scale, the payouts do relatively little for the poor and will not even accomplish much redistribution. They are also crazy expensive – the total cost of the handouts and the two-month GST holiday will be one-quarter more than two months’ worth of Canada’s defence spending over that period. Proponents of Ontario’s and Ottawa’s handouts need to tell us why, if the payouts are such good things, we should not double or triple them and finance the extra spending with higher personal income taxes. Most proponents would think that is silly – yet that is the path we are on. Populist fiscal policy isn’t just about goodies. It is also about additional taxes aimed at unpopular groups or businesses, such as special levies on cars, boats and airplanes or banks and insurers. It is also about piling up huge debts for programs we want now while passing the bill forward. The common element is that populist policies appeal to the wrong part of our brains – instant gratification no matter the long-term cost. These latest tax doodles and handouts make more acute the question: Are the pushers of this stuff getting better at hooking us? Maybe not. The exemption of home heating oil from the carbon tax caused too much resentment and controversy to rate as a political success. Deep down, Canadians still want their governments to tackle deep and persistent challenges such as stagnant productivity and wages, inadequate access to health care and unaffordable housing. But like sugary snacks, drugs and online idiocy, junk fiscal policy can condition us to want more. If we vote for it, we will get it. Canadians need to break the cycle before the pushers of fiscal junk make the Canadian economy and Canadians sicker.
Teenage West Ham goalkeeper dies aged 15 after cancer battle
Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here . Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Middle East latest: Israeli ambassador to US says Hezbollah ceasefire deal could come 'within days'Newsom says California could offer electric vehicle rebates if Trump eliminates federal tax creditChick-Fil-A in fresh attempt at UK launch
Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Acquires New Holdings in Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE:SNDR)
The national furor in recent years around on race and gender in public schools is intensifying as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to shut down the Department of Education, emboldening conservatives to end “wokeness” in classrooms. Battles over books in have become emblematic of the country’s larger culture wars over race, historical revisionism and gender identity. A found book bans increased by nearly 200% during the 2023-24 school year, including titles on sexuality, substance abuse, depression and other issues students face in an age of accelerating technologies, climate change, toxic politics and fears about the future. Book censorship has shaken and divided school boards, pitted parents against parents, and led to . It is part of an agenda driven by conservative parental rights groups and politicians who promote and voucher systems that could weaken public education. The issue goes to the heart not only of what students are taught but how federal and state education policies will affect the nation’s politics after one of the most consequential elections in its history. “It’s not just about taking a book off a shelf,” said Tasslyn Magnusson, an author and teacher from Wisconsin who tracks book censorship across the U.S. “It’s about power and who controls public education. It’s about what kind of America we were and are. We’re trying to define what family is and what America means. That comes down to the stories we tell.” She said she feared Trump’s return to the White House would further incite those calling for book bans: “I don’t have lots of hope. It could get a lot worse.” Over the last year, PEN counted more than 10,000 book bans nationwide that targeted 4,231 unique titles. Most were books dealing with gender, sexuality, race and LGBTQ+ storylines. The most banned title was about a school shooting that included a short description of date rape. Florida and Iowa — both of which have strict regulations on what students can read — accounted for more than 8,200 bans in the 2023-24 school year. “This crisis is tragic for young people hungry to understand the world they live in and see their identities and experiences reflected in books,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read Program, said in a statement. “What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives.” Trump’s calls to close the would need congressional approval, which appears unlikely. Although public schools are largely funded and governed by state and local institutions, the department helps pay to educate students with disabilities, provides about $18 billion in grants for K-12 schools in poor communities and oversees a civil rights branch to protect students from discrimination. But Trump’s election has inspired conservative parental groups, including Moms For Liberty and Parents Defending Education, to strengthen efforts to limit what they see as a liberal conspiracy to indoctrinate children with books and teachings that are perverse, amoral and pornographic. Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has criticized schools that she says spend too much time on diversity and inclusion when only about one-third of U.S. children are reading at grade level: “We’re talking about public school libraries and content for kids,” Justice told NewsNation after Trump’s victory. “I think it’s very clear that there are certain things that are appropriate for kids, certain things that are appropriate for adults. We’re just getting back to commonsense America.” Trump’s threat to to schools that acknowledge transgender identities could affect curricula and the kinds of books school libraries stock. During his rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Trump — who has has accused schools of promoting sex change operations — said his administration would get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.” Vice President-elect JD Vance has accused Democrats of wanting to “put sexually explicit books in toddlers’ libraries.” Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, told Newsmax that she was excited about Trump’s calls to remake education and “clean up a lot of the mess” he has inherited from the Biden administration. Trump “has centered parental rights back in his platform, which is incredible. He has prioritized knowledge and skill, not identity politics,” she said. “American children deserve better, and it is time for change.” In nominating to be his secretary of Education, Trump appears to be pushing for more conservative parental control over what is taught and read in classrooms. A former professional wrestling executive, McMahon chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-connected organization that has criticized schools for teaching “racially divisive” theories, notably about slavery and a perspective about the nation’s founding it views as anti-American. “Today’s contentious debates over using classrooms for political activism rather than teaching a complete and accurate account of American history have reinvigorated calls for greater parental and citizen involvement in the curriculum approval process,” the institute’s website says. Culturally divisive issues, including race and LGBTQ+ themes, cost school districts an estimated $3.2 billion during the 2023-24 school year, according to a recent study called The survey — published by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at UCLA — found that battles over books and teaching about sexuality and other topics led to increased expenses for legal fees, replacing administrators and teachers who quit, and security, including off-duty plainclothes police officers. “Are we really going to spend our tax dollars on these kinds of things?” asked Magnusson. “After Trump was elected, I saw a bunch of middle-class white ladies like me who were saying, ‘This isn’t America.’ But maybe it is America.” One school superintendent in a Western state told the study’s researchers that his staff was often consumed with correcting misinformation and fulfilling public record requests mainly from hard-line parental rights activists attempting to exploit cultural war issues to discredit the district. “Our staff are spending enormous amounts of time just doing stupid stuff,” the superintendent said. “The fiscal costs to the district are enormous, but [so are] the cultural costs of not standing up to the extremists. If someone doesn’t, then the students and employees lose. ... It’s the worst it’s ever been.” The survey found that 29% of 467 school superintendents interviewed reported that teachers and other staff quit their profession or left their districts “due to culturally divisive conflict.” Censoring books in school libraries grew out of opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. A number of conservative parental groups, including Moms for Liberty, which invited Trump to speak at its national convention in August, turned their attention to lobbying against “liberal indoctrination.” Their protests against what they criticized as progressive teaching on sexuality and race were focused on increasing conservative parental control over a public education system that was That strategy has led to a national, right-wing effort that is “redefining government power to restrict access to information in our schools,” said Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. “This movement to protect the innocence of our children believes if children never read it in a book they won’t have to know about it and can go on to lead harmonious lives. But books teach us cautionary tales. They instruct us. You can’t protect innocence through ignorance.” School districts across the country have removed “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson, which are about gender identity and include graphic depictions of sex, along with titles by renowned writers such as Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Maya Angelou and Flannery O’Connor. Related Articles Surveys show that most Americans do not favor censorship. The Florida Freedom to Read Project and similar organizations around the country have called for thorough public reviews of challenged books to prevent one scene or passage from being taken out of context. Moderate and liberal parents groups over the last two years have also become more active in school board politics. They have supported school board candidates who have defeated those backed by Moms for Liberty in Texas, Florida and other states. “People say the pendulum will swing back,” said Ferrell. But, she said, conservatives want to “stop the pendulum from swinging back.” Picoult is accustomed to conservatives attempting to censor her. Her books have been banned in schools in more than 30 states. Published in 2007, “Nineteen Minutes” explores the lives of characters, including a girl who was raped, in a town leading up to a school shooting and its aftermath. “Having the most banned book in the country is not a badge of honor. It’s a call for alarm,” said Picoult, whose books have sold more than 40 million copies. “My book, and the 10,000 others that have been pulled off school library shelves this year, give kids a tool to deal with an increasingly divided and difficult world. These book banners aren’t helping children. They are harming them.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Jimmy Carter , the 39th President of the United States, has died at 100. The longest-living president in U.S. history died almost two years after entering hospice care in his Georgia home in lieu of continued medical intervention for his various health issues. Carter was a one-term but popular president, holding office from 1977-1981, and was unseated by Ronald Reagan. The former Commander in Chief’s nonprofit organization announced he was entering hospice care in February 2023. “After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the February 18 Twitter announcement read. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.” Carter had undergone multiple hospital stints in recent years for various health issues, such as melanoma and several falls. On August 2, 2015, Carter underwent surgery to remove a small cancerous mass in his liver, and he recovered easily. However, the procedure revealed further health complications. On August 11, 2015, it was announced that the cancer had spread to other parts of Carter’s body. In an August 20, 2015 press conference, his doctor revealed the melanoma had spread to four parts of his brain. The politician-turned-humanitarian had a history of cancer in his family. Carter’s parents and three siblings (two sisters and a brother) all died of different forms of cancer. His mother died of breast cancer; his father and siblings all died of pancreatic cancer. Age 90 at the time of his melanoma diagnosis, Carter believed he was nearing the end of his life but was at peace. “I just thought I had a few weeks left, but I was surprisingly at ease,” he said at the time, per ABC News . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I have thousands of friends...so I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was.” The former president underwent treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy) to “extend” his life as much as possible. The treatment was successful, with Carter announcing in March 2016 that doctors stopped his treatment. Carter was hospitalized again the next year for dehydration due to building homes for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg, Canada. He was back at work on the homes the next day after some hours of observation. In May 2019, Carter broke his hip in a fall on his way out of his Plains, Georgia, home to go turkey hunting. He had a hip replacement a few days later and suffered another fall in October 2016, needing stitches over one of his eyebrows. In November 2019, he underwent surgery to address pressure in his brain caused by bleeding from the falls and recovered fine. Carter first served as a Georgia senator from 1963 to 1967 and then served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He beat incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election. The 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner sought to make the government “competent and compassionate” during his tenure. His accomplishments as president include creating the Department of Education, bolstering the Social Security system, hiring a record number of minority groups in government jobs, and protecting/improving the environment. Part of that effort was successfully adding 103 million acres of Alaskan land to the national park system. Carter was determined to see the U.S. switch from fossil fuel to clean energy with renewable resources. To that end, he had 32 solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing in the summer of 1979, hoping to set an example for the future of renewable energy. The panels were used for seven years before Reagan had them removed. While he had notable accomplishments, rising energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions made it difficult for Carter to meet the high expectations he set for his administration. He shepherded in nearly eight million new jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit (per WhiteHouse.org ), but near record-high inflation and interest rates of the time, and the efforts to fix them, triggered a short recession in the economy. In foreign affairs, Carter led the Camp David Accords in 1978, a political agreement between Egypt and Israel reached through 12 days of secret negotiations at the President’s Maryland country retreat. His focus on human rights didn’t sit well with the leaders of the Soviet Union and some other nations. He obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, set up diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and finished the negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. Born James Earl Carter, Jr. on October 1, 1924, Carter’s family ran a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. Talk of politics and his Baptist faith were tenets of his childhood. He graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946, serving seven years as a naval officer. Carter married his wife, Rosalynn Carter — who died in November 2023 — after graduating from the Academy in 1946. They share three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn. Carter became a career politician in 1962 when elected to the Georgia State Senate. After his presidency, Carter focused his public efforts on humanitarian aid. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” More Headlines:Instead of riding a Santa rally, US stocks have been stuck in a slump. However, stock inflows in the last month and a half have been exceptionally strong. Here are the four sectors that investors are moving their money to now. Christmas has come and gone, but the so-called " Santa Claus rally " that US stocks enjoyed in past years is nowhere to be found . The S&P 500 is down in December and is over 2% away from its all-time high set earlier in the month — a modest, but meaningful, dip. Other major indexes are struggling even more, as the growth-oriented Nasdaq Composite is 2.5% from its peak and the Dow Jones Industrial Average and small-cap-focused Russell 2000 are 4.6% and 8% away from recent highs, respectively. Those pullbacks come after a furious postelection rally fueled by optimism about forthcoming policies under President-elect Donald Trump. Stocks caught fire in the wake of that news but have since stagnated and given back some of those gains, as is often the case after big moves. But investors don't seem to be discouraged by those declines. Instead, they've reflexively been buying stocks in droves during this slump, seemingly confident that they'll be rewarded soon. US stock inflows were positive for seven straight weeks through December 20, Bank of America strategists led by Jill Carey Hall wrote in a late December note. Net equity inflows in that span reached $10 billion, which is the second-biggest figure since 2008, according to BofA. The only other time since the financial crisis inflows were bigger was in January 2017, which also happens to be in the wake of the last time Trump won the election. Investors are buying the dip in 4 sectors Investors have prioritized single stocks over exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and large caps over smaller firms lately, BofA found. Money also flowed into six of the 11 market sectors, though four saw outsize attention: technology, communication services, industrials, and consumer staples. It's no shock that those first two growth-heavy groups are popular, as they've easily been the best-performing sectors in 2024. What's more surprising is that industrials and staples saw their biggest inflows last week since February 2022 and April 2024, respectively. Both sectors have had middle-of-the-pack showings this year, and industrials have had the largest average weekly outflows of any sector in the last 12 months. Staples has been slightly better in that span, but it also has negative weekly flows. Conversely, the healthcare and consumer discretionary sectors had the biggest outflows last week. Mixed signals abound within Bank of America's latest sector flow data. It's not as if investors are positioning for an economic boom or bust, since the industrials-staples and healthcare-discretionary pairings are both combinations of cyclical and defensive sectors, while tech and communication services tend to grow in any backdrop. Even still, it's worth tracking where investors are placing their bets — and it's also helpful to note which sectors are most recommended by leading investment firms heading into 2025.
Stock market today: Wall Street rises toward more recordsMike Mitchell Jr. leads hot-shooting Minnesota over Morgan State
Arcadia Biosciences ( NASDAQ:RKDA – Get Free Report ) and Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares ( NASDAQ:ORIS – Get Free Report ) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership. Institutional and Insider Ownership 17.7% of Arcadia Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Arcadia Biosciences shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Earnings and Valuation This table compares Arcadia Biosciences and Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Arcadia Biosciences and Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares, as reported by MarketBeat. Arcadia Biosciences presently has a consensus price target of $6.00, indicating a potential downside of 1.80%. Given Arcadia Biosciences’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Arcadia Biosciences is more favorable than Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares. Profitability This table compares Arcadia Biosciences and Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Summary Arcadia Biosciences beats Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks. About Arcadia Biosciences ( Get Free Report ) Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. produces and markets plant-based food and beverage products in the United States. The company develops crop improvements primarily in wheat to enhance farm economics by improving the performance of crops in the field, as well as their value as food ingredients. Its food, beverage, and body case products include GoodWheat, Zola coconut water, ProVault topical pain relief, and SoulSpring. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. About Oriental Rise Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares ( Get Free Report ) Oriental Rise Holdings Limited engages in planting, cultivating, processing, and selling processed tea in Mainland China. It offers processed white tea, black tea, and refined tea products to wholesale distributors and end-user retail customers. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Ningde, China. Receive News & Ratings for Arcadia Biosciences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arcadia Biosciences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Driving a feed truck on a farm means steering a 60,000-pound vehicle inches away from a concrete feed trough that would wreck the truck. While augers are shoveling food out of the truck to the hungry cattle below, drivers have to drive perfectly straight. “It’s just one of the most demanding jobs in one of the worst environments out there,” said Jacob Hansen, the CEO of ALA Engineering. “And so food truck drivers, specifically, do not stick around very long.” Jacob Hansen, CEO of ALA Engineering, explains how the company’s automated feed truck works during the Nebraska Ag Expo on Dec. 12 at Sandhills Global Event Center. ALA Engineering, a startup based in Scottsbluff that also has an office at Nebraska Innovation Campus, hopes to change the livestock industry with driverless technology. The company showed off its concept for a driverless feed truck at the Nebraska Ag Expo in Lincoln earlier this month. Hansen said the truck could help farmers deal with labor shortages and food costs. The ALA Navigator is still being developed, but the company brought its technology attached to a normal feed truck to the Ag Expo. ALA Engineering’s driverless feed truck aims to help farmers who have to drive large trucks with precision to feed cattle. Once the truck is on the market, it would drive a predetermined route with lane limits. The truck will also have sensors in order to see any obstacles on the road ahead while it is dumping feed. Hansen, who studied software engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the predetermined routes that will be used by the truck means that autonomous vehicles in agricultural settings are safer than a driverless car in city traffic. “When larger robotaxi companies and stuff make big public mistakes, it shines negatively on the autonomy industry as a whole,” Hansen said. “And it’s worth knowing that agricultural and industrial and off-highway autonomy is a lot different than kind of urban autonomy, especially when it comes to safety.” Although the company’s trucks may be less likely to crash, there are still big stakes. “If you plant a week late it’s a big deal,” Hansen said. “If you don’t feed cattle for a week, it’s the end of the world.” The engineering company is building multiple different sensors into the truck so that it can operate day after day in whatever weather conditions a state like Nebraska might throw at it. The backup sensors even have backups. Asher Khor, the senior embedded engineer for the company and a UNL graduate, said the truck can be accurate within less than an inch. Asher Khor (left), the senior embedded engineer for ALA Engineering, shows off the company’s automated feed truck at the Nebraska Ag Expo on Dec. 12 at Sandhills Global Event Center. “If you’re a few inches off, you will hit the bunk,” Khor said. “They’re major vehicles and so we need really, really precise accuracy of the vehicle.” The truck is meant to solve problems like inaccuracies in food distribution and crashes. Hansen also said the agriculture industry as a whole has experienced labor shortages. The average farmer was unable to hire 21% of the workforce they would have hired under normal circumstances, according to a 2022 National Council of Agricultural Employers survey. The vehicle is set to go into production in 2026, Hansen said. Before then, the company will work on commercial pilot programs and complying with different regulations. The truck will be ALA Engineering’s first product. Hansen said the company had built a driver-assistance program but decided to keep engineers working in research and development, building toward the end goal of an autonomous vehicle. The startup’s goal isn’t to replace all of a farmer’s trucks or employees, Hansen said. He said good employees are often more useful elsewhere in a stockyard. “As your oldest truck ages out of your fleet, bring in one of ours,” Hansen said. “As you lose an employee, or you have an unfilled position, bring in one of our trucks.” The invention of the round baler is credited to the Luebben family of Sutton, with the patent issued in the early 1900s. This advertisement of Ummo Luebben circulated in 1909 and mentions a Beatrice manufacturer of the invention. Appropriately located in a former horse stable, the Ford Livery Company at 1314 Howard Street was America's first car rental company, dreamed up in 1916 by Joe Saunders. He and his brothers expanded their company, later renamed Saunders Drive It Yourself System, to 56 cities by 1926. They sold to Avis in 1955. Cary Steele checks one of his seven computer monitors while taking a 911 call in 2014 at the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center. Although the system was first used in Alabama, Lincoln is credited as the home of the 911 system's invention. Inspiration for the chocolate-coated ice cream bar came from a candy store in Onawa, Iowa, in 1920. But it wasn’t until owner and creator Christian Kent Nelson took his invention to a Nebraska chocolatier named Russell Stover that the Eskimo Pie went into mass production. Many variations of the delicious treat are available in grocery and convenience stores worldwide. Union Pacific Railroad mechanical engineering employees determine a comfortable speed at which the world's first ski chairlift should operate during a test at the railroad's Omaha railcar and locomotive repair shop complex in the summer of 1936. The next time you sit on a ski lift on the way to the top of a mountain, think of bananas and the Union Pacific Railroad. Credit them with the modern-day chairlift system used by ski resorts around the globe. Seventy-five years ago, Jim Curran, a structural engineer with U.P., came up with the idea of adapting a system used to load bunches of bananas onto boats into one to move people up steep, snow-covered slopes. His design called for replacing the hooks for bananas with chairs for skiers to sit on while wearing skis. The chairs would be suspended from a single cable running overhead. Curran's idea was so out of the box for its day that his co-workers thought it was too dangerous and his boss tried to shelve it. Fortunately, Charlie Proctor, a consultant brought in by the railroad to help plan the Sun Valley Resort in Idaho, saw Curran's design, which he had slipped in with some approved designs, and thought otherwise. Proctor, a famous skier from Dartmouth College, convinced the railroad's top management to allow Curran to make his idea a reality. This winter ski season, the Union Pacific and Sun Valley Resort are marking the 75th anniversary of the world's first chairlift operation, which was invented not in the mountains but in the flatlands of Nebraska in Omaha. "From our side ... it's kind of unusual that a railroad would invent a chairlift," U.P. spokesman Mark Davis said. The railroad did so to serve a need, "and it turned out to be groundbreaking for the skiing industry," he said. During the 1930s, Union Pacific Chairman W.A. Harriman saw Americans beginning to embrace winter sports and knew his railroad operated through some of the most scenic and mountainous territory in the western United States, according to the railroad's history. Harriman's vision: Develop a world-class winter sports resort served by the Union Pacific. Other railroads were thinking the same way. Harriman enlisted Austrian sportsman Count Felix Schaffgotsch to find land for such a resort. In winter 1935, the count came across the area that would become the world-famous Sun Valley Resort in south-central Idaho, about 100 miles northeast of Boise. "Among the many attractive spots I have visited, this (location) combines more delightful features than any place I have seen in the United States, Switzerland or Austria, for a winter sports resort," Schaffgotsch wrote to Harriman. Based on Schaffgotsch's recommendation, the railroad bought 4,300 acres adjacent to the Sawtooth Mountain National Forest. The Sawtooth Mountains, running east and west, would protect the future resort from northern winds. The mountains also surrounded a small basin, with hills and slopes largely free of timber. Snowfall and sunshine were abundant. And natural hot springs would provide outdoor swimming year-round. Schaffgotsch had found the perfect spot for a winter sports resort. Construction of the ski lodge and other facilities began in April 1936. Meanwhile, nearly 1,200 miles away in Omaha, members of the railroad's engineering department were investigating ways to transport skiers up slopes, including by rope tows, J-bars and cable cars. But those designs were put aside after Curran's chairlift idea was championed by Proctor. Soon prototypes of the lift were being built and tested at the railroad's locomotive and railroad car repair shops, on land that is now home to the Qwest Center Omaha and the new downtown baseball stadium. To help determine how fast a chairlift should travel up a mountainside, engineers attached one to the side of a truck for tests. Because it was summer and relatively flat in Omaha, engineers wore roller skates to simulate skis running over snow. Their conclusion: 4 to 5 mph would be a comfortable speed to pick up and drop off skiers. It's the summer of 1936, in Omaha, as the world's first snow ski chairlift is ready for a round of testing to determine a comfortable speed for snow skiers to get on and off the lift. The world's first two first snow ski chairlifts were debuted by Union Pacific Railroad at the opening of its Sun Valley, Idaho ski resort in December 1936. (Courtesy Union Pacific Railroad) When Union Pacific opened the Sun Valley resort on Dec. 21, 1936, the world's first two chairlifts went into operation. As with anything new, it took skiers awhile to get used to the newfangled invention that changed the sport forever. The railroad sold the Sun Valley Resort in 1964. In 1896, 17-year-old Carl A. Swanson borrowed enough money from his sisters to travel from his native Sweden to Omaha. Without knowing a word of English, he began working on a farm near Wahoo, then moved to Omaha, where he continued studying English, business and accounting. While working in a grocery store, he met John Hjerpe, who sold produce for farmers on a commission, and in 1898 went to work for him. After saving $125, Swanson put his nest egg into a partnership with Hjerpe and Frank Ellison for a net capital of $456. Although the enterprise was intended to be called the Hjerpe Commission Co., the sign painter accidentally eliminated a letter and the firm was spelled Jerpe from that day forward. In 1905, the partnership became a corporation with $10,000 in capital and within a decade moved from a commission firm to paying cash for all purchases. With Ellison's death at the beginning of World War I, the corporation assumed his stock and began moving seriously into butter production and, a short time later, into poultry in general. Swanson bought out Hjerpe's interest in 1928 but retained the name Jerpe. About 1923, Clarence Birdseye developed fast-freezing as a method of not only preserving food but also retaining fresh flavor, which had not worked well with conventional freezing. As the Depression lessened, Jerpe Co. became a distributor for Birdseye, which was purchased by General Foods and inexplicably named Birds Eye. By the beginning of World War II, Jerpe's had grown to the point where Swanson was known as the "Butter King," one of the four largest creameries in the United States. During the war, production again was diverted, with the firm becoming one of the largest suppliers of poultry, eggs and powdered eggs to the military. At the end of the war, the firm's name was changed to C.A. Swanson & Sons, its major brands being called "Swanson Ever Fresh." With Carl Swanson's death in 1949, management was assumed by sons Gilbert and Clarke, who had been apprenticing for the position for some time. A year later, after considerable experimentation with crust recipes, the company introduced a frozen chicken pot pie using some of Birdseye's techniques. Although some of the story of frozen dinners may be apocryphal, it is simply too good not to repeat. Two ill-fated versions of the idea, the Frigi-Dinner and One-Eye Eskimo, already had been attempted. Then an overpurchase of 500,000 pounds -- 10 refrigerated boxcars -- of turkeys sent the Swansons scrambling for a solution. One of the less probable versions of the incident said that the only way the boxcar refrigeration worked was when the cars were in motion, which necessitated their constant movement from Omaha to the east, then back. Back in Omaha, Gerry Thomas discarded the previous metal trays and perfected an aluminum compartmentalized container with turkey, cornbread dressing and peas, which could be retailed for 98 cents. Because the box design resembled a rectangular television screen, the product was dubbed the TV Dinner. Unsure of the salability, 5,000 were produced and instantly sold in the first year, 1952. The second year, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce were added and an astounding 10,000,000 were sold. Not resting on the success of the TV Dinner, 1953 also saw the Swansons as one of the nation's largest margarine producers. Despite their success in butter and margarine, both products were discontinued in 1954 to allow the company to concentrate on its main items of canned chicken fricassee, boned chicken and turkey, frozen chickens, drumsticks, chicken pot pies and TV Dinners. In April 1955, Swanson merged its more than 4,000 employees and 20 plants with the Campbell Soup Co., which ultimately dropped the famous TV Dinner label, thinking it limited their market. Still generically thought of as TV dinners, the frozen dinner joins butter brickle ice cream, raisin bran and maybe even the Reuben sandwich as an Omaha original. Historian Jim McKee, who still writes with a fountain pen, invites comments or questions. Write in care of the Journal Star or e-mail jim@leebooksellers.com . Dean Sicking of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility examines a SAFER barrier on display at the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed on Friday, Oct. 21, 2011. (ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star) Don't turn until you know where to turn. Mac Demere watched the car in front of him lose control and veer left toward the inside of the track. He tried to anticipate the car's next move, not wanting to turn until he knew where the other car was headed next. Don't turn until you know where to turn. He finally swerved far to the track's outside. But as the other car regained traction, it veered sharply to the right, directly toward Demere, and Demere's car smashed into its right side. "I can't tell you what caused him to lose control," Demere said of the 1983 crash at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York. "It happens so fast." Demere, now 57, walked away from that crash, but the other driver suffered a broken ankle. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you crash, said Demere, a former racer from South Carolina and longtime motorsports journalist. That certainly seemed to be the lesson at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway a week ago when 15 cars crashed, killing two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. He was the first IndyCar driver to die on a track since Paul Dana was killed during a practice run at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006. On Oct. 16, two cars went airborne -- Wheldon's and Will Power's. Wheldon hit a catch fence built to protect spectators from crash debris. He died later at a hospital of head injuries. Power hit a barrier designed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. He walked away. The tragically different fates of Wheldon and Power have raised concerns about the catch fence at NASCAR and IndyCar tracks and have highlighted the safety performance of the UNL-designed SAFER barrier. Dean Sicking, director of the safety facility at UNL, said the SAFER -- or Steel and Foam Energy Reduction -- barriers now are in place at all NASCAR and IndyCar tracks. There have been no fatalities involving crashes into those barriers since 2004, when all of the barriers were fully installed at NASCAR tracks. Before those barriers were installed, 1 to 1.5 drivers died each year at NASCAR tracks alone, Sicking said. In an especially cruel span of 10 months in 2000 and 2001, NASCAR crashes claimed the lives of budding stars Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper, and one of the sport's legends, Dale Earnhardt. The trapezoidal barriers designed at UNL are made of insulation foam that is waterproof and effective at absorbing the impact of cars going well over 100 mph, Sicking said. Steel tubes serve as a barrier between the foam blocks and track. The SAFER barriers protect drivers from the unforgiving nature of concrete walls. Sicking -- whose office is decorated with a photo of him shaking hands with former President George W. Bush, as well as numerous awards -- related the story of how the UNL center got the contract to design the barriers. In 1998, Tony George, the longtime former IndyCar president and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO, wanted a new racetrack barrier. The concrete barriers simply weren't good enough. IndyCar designers had developed a new barrier made of sheets of plastic, but it broke into 50- to 100-pound chunks that littered the speedway when hit too hard. George asked the UNL center to improve the design. "He said, ‘Can you fix this?'" Sicking said. "We never admit we can't do something." Initially, Sicking wasn't convinced it would be worth the extra effort. Then his assistant director, Ron Faller, convinced him it would drive the UNL center to find new solutions to road safety and new materials with which to build them. Sicking agreed and asked George for $1 million. "He said, ‘When can you start?'" It didn't take the UNL center long to figure out the IndyCar plastic barrier would never perform as well as foam, and Sicking worked to convince a skeptical George. Finally, George relented. In 2002, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway installed the SAFER barriers, and, seeing how well they performed, NASCAR CEO Bill France Sr. ordered them installed at all NASCAR speedways by the end of 2004 at a cost of $100 million. The UNL center oversaw installation. "No one can ever put it in right," Sicking said, laughing. The barrier has earned the UNL center numerous awards, including the prestigious 2002 Louis Schwitzer Award, presented in conjunction with the Indianapolis 500. IndyCar senior technical director Phil Casey called SAFER barriers the greatest achievement for safety in automobile racing. The barriers were installed at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2003, and the speedway where both Petty and Irwin Jr. died has had no fatalities or serious injuries since, said speedway spokeswoman Kristen Costa. "It's better on impact. It moves with the vehicle," she said. Costa said the speedway reconfigured its catch fence in 2009 to make it safer as well. Sicking said catch fences at motorsports facilities need to be re-examined. "The catch fence is a difficult safety issue, a tough nut to crack, but I think it can be," he said. Sicking said IndyCar is reluctant to invest the large amount of money required to redesign the catch fence, and NASCAR isn't as interested in redesigning it as its cars rarely go airborne like the open-wheel Indy cars are prone to do. While nothing has been determined, the UNL center could end up leading the investigation into the crash that killed Wheldon, as it did with the 2001 crash that killed Earnhardt, Sicking said. The UNL center has examined nearly 2,000 crashes under federal contract. "Any time you have a big wreck, we normally get to look at it," he said. Demere, the former racer who now is pursuing a master's in journalism from UNL, said it appears Wheldon tried to slow down by lifting his foot off the accelerator and tried to direct his car toward the gearbox of the slowing car in front of him. But his car's nose lifted, and, traveling at more than 200 mph, his car quickly took to the air. With 15 cars involved, it was simply impossible for Wheldon to avoid the carnage, Demere said. He said drivers try not to think about getting seriously injured or killed while they're racing. They simply try to focus on the track and the racers around them. "We all know that it might happen to us," he said. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised that it didn't happen to me." Before the Internet and Wikipedia, the distinctive yellow-and-black covers of CliffsNotes adorned the bookshelves of many a college and high school student. The series of study guides (which are not to be used as a substitute for reading the actual text, OK?) was launched in Lincoln by Cliff Hillegass and his wife Catherine. From the original 16 Shakespeare titles, CliffsNotes has grown to include hundreds of works and has saved many a student. Nebraska history shows many inventions have originated in the Cornhusker state, some by women and a few that have lasted for more than a century. One of them that is often overlooked began with a promise and came to be after a dream by a Crete woman. John Quincy Robb’s daughter Elizabeth Jane was born in Washington, Illinois, in 1858, but the family moved to a farm near Tecumseh a short time later. Elizabeth married William Wallace Douglas and moved to Missouri, then to Glenwood, Iowa, before moving to Crete near the beginning of the 20th century. Although both were teachers, William was employed by the Burlington Railroad as a land agent. In 1904, Elizabeth attended a talk by a missionary from Tibet sponsored by a Crete Methodist church and was so taken by his story that she pledged $20,000 to his campaign. Not only was this an incredibly large amount of money, she had no idea where she might come up with it. That night, Elizabeth dreamed of “an old man with a long white beard who told her to make a steel collapsible voting booth,” which would ensure her wealth enough to fulfill her promise and prosper. The concept of voting booths at the time came from the introduction of the Australian balloting system and employed wooden booths. Because of the waste and amount of labor involved in building, then dismantling them, demand for a lightweight, collapsible, reusable booth that could be quickly reassembled by unskilled labor was obvious. The only obstacle was manufacturing a booth with those requirements that also would meet all local and national requirements. The next morning, Elizabeth began to build a prototype with paper, pasteboard and pins. With the idea and working model, the next step was securing a patent. She contacted Albert Litle Johnson, C.C. White’s partner and brother-in-law at Crete Mills, for financial help. Patent 828935A was issued to Johnson and Elizabeth Douglas in August 1906. Dempster Manufacturing in Beatrice then built a small number of booths that were sold locally. In 1909, the Douglas family moved to Los Angeles, where a small factory was built and 1,000 two-stall booths with red, white and blue canvas screens were sold to a local government with William as salesman. Within months, he sold an additional 4,000 booths for $40,000. The family returned to Crete in 1912 and leased property at 1530 Pine St. from the Burlington Railroad, where a factory was established. In less than a decade, a new building had been constructed and employed 10 workers with four salesmen. Elizabeth designed a new booth concept in 1923 resulting in another patent in her name alone the following year. Although William died in 1930, the business prospered until 1945, when the factory burned. A new building was quickly constructed. Elizabeth died in Friend in 1952, but Douglas Manufacturing continued in family ownership. I.B.M. approached the firm in 1970 and subsequently contracted for Douglas to build metal media storage containers. 1980 saw a second fire but the facility was again rebuilt with an expansion. In 1990, the leased land was purchased from Burlington and two years later a third fire was met with yet another expansion, with the firm reporting having 25 employees. Today, Douglas Manufacturing still builds voting booths with as many as five stalls per unit, now using aluminum instead of steel and vinyl attached with Velcro in place of canvas. Elizabeth and William’s great-grandson Roger C. Douglas is now president of the firm, which also produces ballot boxes, election signs, media storage boxes and even flash drive containers. Patents secured through the years for ideas never produced included retractable steps for Pullman railroad cars, a mail cart and shut-off valves for gasoline pumps. Sadly, the company is closing. Douglas broke the news Dec. 30 to the four remaining workers, according to longtime employee Tim Smejdir, who said business had been "very slow, so the decision was made to terminate." Douglas is selling or auctioning equipment and plans to retire, Smejdir said. Douglas Manufacturing was the oldest manufacturer of election equipment in the nation. Interesting, too, is that the election supply company was formed by a woman over a decade before women received the right to vote. Dr. Roger Mandigo, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of animal science poses with a McRib sandwich inside a meat locker at the UNL Animal Science Complex on Thursday, November 4th, 2010. Mandigo invented a process to bind meat together into different shapes. The technology is often associated with the famous McRib sandwich. Move over, Richie Ashburn and Bob Gibson. Another Nebraskan has made it to the hall of fame. Of course, University of Nebraska-Lincoln meat scientist Roger Mandigo never had Ashburn's ability to hit to all fields or Gibson's ability to back batters off the plate with an inside fastball. His induction Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz., was into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame. And his biggest claim to fame outside that industry is research that led to the introduction of McDonald's McRib sandwich in 1981. His company is no less exclusive. Among the 10 other honorees were Col. Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken; Dave Thomas,founder of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers; and Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's. And it just happens that Mandigo's return coincides with what the Wall Street Journal describes as the first nationwide featuring of Mc-Donald's McRib sandwich at 14,000 restaurants, including more than a dozen in Lincoln,in 16 years. Wouldn't this be a great time for a big guy - squeezed into a small, obscure, windowless office during an $18.3 million renovation at the Animal Science Building - to step up, at last, and claim credit for his highprofile work? "I get credit for inventing the McRib fairly often," Mandigo conceded in an interview earlier this week. But taking credit was not something he did back in 1981. And he won't be doing it now, in his 44th year at UNL. That's because, despite common misperception, it's just not true. "We played an important role in the technology to bind pieces of meat to each other.I didn't invent the McRib sandwich," he said. "Mc-Donald's did that." All this is said with the kind of smiling patience that a McDonald's associate is supposed to demonstrate when asked for the 44th time during the lunch rush to hold the pickles. Pickle slices, by the way, are part of the standard preparation of the McRib. As its ravenous fans, including Steve Glass of Walton, know so well, a McRib is a pork patty that's also garnished with raw onions and smothered in barbecue sauce. Glass, 47, had two McRibs on his lunch tray Thursday as he made his way to a table at the McDonald's near the intersection of 10th Street and Cornhusker Highway. That's right, two. "I haven't decided whether to eat the one now or eat it later,"he said. Rapid progress on the first one seemed to leave the choice between one and two very much open to question for a guy who likes "something different - not a burger." Glass is not one to worry about what's under the barbecue sauce."It's like a hotdog," he said. "What's in a hotdog? If it tastes good, go ahead." Decades ago, it was Mandigo who was going ahead with a research initiative launched by the National Pork Producers Council. Its members were looking for another reliable source of demand for pork shoulder. There were never any royalties associated with the results, Nebraska's newest hall of famer said. And to this day, the McRib comes and goes from the McDonald's menu for reasons that have to do with its intense popularity and a national supply of pork trimmings that's typically a lot more limited than the supply of beef trimmings. "If you suddenly start to buy a large amount of that material,"said Mandigo,"the price starts to rise." As the cost to McDonald's rises, the McRib tends to go out of circulation again. And then the same parts of a hog tend to flow back into the processing lines for Spam, Vienna sausages and other specialized products. Anything else that goes into periodic McRib feeding frenzies is not for Mandigo to analyze. "It's a function of a business strategy and that's McDonald's decision, not mine." The official word on that subject comes from Ashlee Yingling at the headquarters of McDonald's USA. The McRib is in something called "a national limited time promotion for the month of November in the U.S.," Yingling said by email. This is only the third time that's happened in the 29 years since it hit the market. The rest of the time, the company has chosen a regional strategy. "To keep it relevant and appealing," Yingling said, "it will continue to be offered as a limited-time promotion on a regional basis." Does Mandigo eat this sandwich that he did NOT invent? "Every chance I get," he said. Virtually no one, anywhere in the world, is unfamiliar with the iconic photos of a drop of milk above a white haloed crown just as the previous drop hits a flat surface, or a bullet as it exits a just-pierced apple. Few outside the state, however, realize that Harold Edgerton is a native son and graduate of the University of Nebraska. Harold Eugene Edgerton was born in Fremont on April 6, 1903. Harold’s father, Frank, was born in Iowa, then graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1900 as president of his senior class. After teaching in the Fremont public schools, he returned to Lincoln on the staff of the then-new Lincoln Star. After earning a law degree from George Washington University, Frank again returned to Lincoln in 1911, becoming the assistant attorney general of Nebraska and prominent in state politics before becoming county attorney in Hamilton County. Harold’s interest in science came early; in 1910, he told of attempting to build a searchlight on the roof of the family home and realizing tin cans were unable to produce a tight beam of light. While attending junior and senior high school in Aurora, he became interested in photography and, with the help of an uncle, set up his own darkroom. In 1921, Harold entered the University of Nebraska and at his father’s suggestion, he earned half of his tuition by wiring Lincoln homes for electricity and working on a line gang for the Nebraska Power & Light Company. It was here that he observed how, in the darkest night, his coworkers became suddenly visible in lightning flashes and just as suddenly again were invisible. As a student, Harold joined Acacia, chose a major in electrical engineering and was active in the annual E-Week open houses. Interestingly, although there is no record of which exhibits Edgerton participated in, one of the demonstrations during his student days involved stop-motion photography that employed either 120 flashes per second or an exposure of 1/50,000ths of a second depending on which report is to be believed. The demonstration featured an electric fan with the letter N painted on the blades. The room was darkened, the “strobe light synchronized to the fan, thus making the N stand still ... people could hardly believe their eyes.” After graduating from Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1925, Edgerton moved first to Schenectady, N.Y., then entered MIT. He received his master's degree, having developed the stroboscope, which employed a reusable flash bulb that was linked to a camera. Edgerton married his high school sweetheart, Esther Garrett, in 1927, received his doctorate in 1931 and became an associate professor at MIT. As he further perfected his stop-motion photography, some of his work was shown at the Royal Photographic Society’s convention in London. In the 1930s, Edgerton and two of his students formed Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier, later becoming simply E.G.&G. Corp., which manufactured Rapatronic cameras, consulted with the U.S. Army during World War II, had contracts to do photographic research surrounding atomic explosions for the Atomic Energy Commission, was instrumental in the establishment of the New England Aquarium in Boston and ultimately had 47 operating divisions with more than 23,000 employees in several countries. Often forgotten is Edgerton’s film “Quicker 'n a Wink,” which won an Academy Award for best short subject in 1941. Myriad awards followed, with perhaps the most prestigious being the Medal of Freedom for his nighttime reconnaissance photos during WWII. In 1947, his photo essay on hummingbirds was published in National Geographic magazine, and in 1953, he began working with Jacques-Yves Cousteau to develop an underwater camera using side-scan sonar technology. These experiments led to discovering the USS Monitor, which sank in 1862, and producing the first real photos of the Titanic in 1986-87. Closer to home, in October 1967, Edgerton donated two strobe lights to be mounted on Nebraska’s State Capitol tower as an aircraft warning meant to be visible for 150 miles when extended to their operational capacity, seemingly to fulfill federal aeronautics regulations. Working with Bob Newell, the Capitol building superintendent, Edgerton had his mother standing by to activate the experiment. The low-power version of the lights on the east and west sides of the building were turned on as she said “let there be light,” as instructed by her son, and almost immediately complaints began to pour in. The experiment lasted only briefly before being abandoned. Ultimately, the strobe light was perfected to the point where the light burst lasted only one-billionth of a second with his stop-motion photos of bullets, hummingbirds, Stonehenge, milk droplets, etc., known worldwide. Edgerton died at MIT on Jan. 4, 1990, and five years later the Edgerton Explorit Center opened as a museum in his honor in Aurora. Reach the writer at nfranklin@journalstar.com or 402-473-7391. On Twitter @NealHFranklin Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.Strolling down Ginza Maroni-dori, you might be forgiven for thinking that The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, with its sleek glass facade, is one of the area’s fancy boutiques. But white curtains rather than shop displays suggest something else; likewise, luscious, landscaped walls that mirror the greenery of the tree-lined avenue. This picturesque entrance is a fine first impression to the 14-storey hotel designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Officially opened in December 2023, it is the second Edition property in the bustling metropolis – a big deal considering that New York is the only other place in the world with two Edition hotels in one city. The Tokyo Edition, Tonamoron, also designed by Kuma, opened in September 2020. “Opening two Edition hotels in the same city was a well thought-out process, to provide two distinct experiences tailored to different types of guests. While both are exceptional, The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon is renowned for its nightlife and vibrant energy, whereas The Tokyo Edition, Ginza caters to those seeking a calmer stay and focus on shopping,” said Fabio Testa, the general manager of The Tokyo Edition, Ginza. Tokyo has many sides and the two hotels reflect that. The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, which has 206 guestrooms and suites, is perched in the top levels of the Kamiyacho Trust Tower and offers panoramic views. With only 86 guestrooms and a lobby directly leading into the street, The Tokyo Edition, Ginza is a lot more intimate. Testa explained that Kuma was the choice architect for both hotels for his deep understanding of Japanese aesthetics, which was crucial in creating an Edition-style hotel aligning with local culture. “Additionally, he has the ability to craft original spaces that are bold, yet refined and modest. This unique balance resonates with Edition’s ethos, as well as the cultural essence of Japan,” Testa elaborated. I entered the hotel through double doors helmed by attentive doormen, leaving the consistent patter of shoppers behind. The double-volume lobby, furnished like a sophisticated home, is washed with soft light through ivory curtains. The cosy environment is accented by something else unseen – Le Labo’s Black Tea fragrance, used in all Edition hotels. It brings up the memory of staying in my very first Edition hotel nine years ago, which was The New York Edition along Madison Avenue. Scent as a way of branding is powerful indeed, I thought, as I felt an immediate affinity with the hotel brand. “Guests frequently comment on the distinctive Edition Le Labo fragrance, nothing that they can catch its scent even from outside the hotel,” agreed Testa. The recollection includes The New York Edition’s iconic spiral staircase. Here in The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, the lobby’s staircase is also graphic and sculptural, but a zigzag metal version with sharp angles. Its gleaming whiteness is matched with comfortable, white lobby furniture that includes a curvaceous sofa and twin Saint-Germain armchairs from Liaigre – all posh and pretty against walnut timber veneer walls. Facing the entrance, a glossy bar with gilt elements welcomes guests ‘home’ with cocktails and coffee from Tokyo’s beloved Little Nap Coffee Roasters. “Ginza is now lined with foreign brand stores but in the past, most of the stores were family owned and had been around for a long time; these developed and supported the town. Ginza is the most famous, and perhaps, exclusive shopping area in Japan but it is also a unique district with an intimate and warm atmosphere. I wanted to convey this history and mood of Ginza in the hotel,” said Kuma via email. He wanted to recreate the feeling of walking into the living room of a house directly from the street, hence the distinctively residential feel. The architect, who founded Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKHA) in 1990, is renowned for his creative use of materials, as well as mastery of detail that give human scale to his photogenic, landmark building designs. These include the Japan National Stadium and Nezu Museum. Here, he wrapped the facade of The Tokyo Edition, Ginza in a wave of metal strips akin to a chequered menswear pattern. The lobby is a more subtle variety of the ‘social lobby’ – a gathering space for guests and city dwellers – conceptualised by Ian Schrager when he opened Morgans Hotel New York, sparking the boutique hotel trend. When he founded the Edition brand together with Marriott International in 2013, this idea continued, together with an upscale party vibe leftover from his stagey Studio 54 nightclub days. In The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, the theatrical buzz comes in the form of a neon fuchsia light wall at the lift lobby. It is fun, unexpected and according to Tomoko Matsumoto, director of marketing communications and public relations for both Edition hotels in Tokyo, a very popular Instagram magnet. The lobby’s white theme continues to the guestroom corridors, which are lined with plush white carpeting – foolhardy by any hotelier but definitely luxurious for guests. Kuma highlighted that his design scheme paid extra attention to the fabrics used in the hotel. In the 86 pared-back guestrooms, which include 10 suites, soft carpets layer upon walnut timber floors. The warm surface continues up the walls, giving the rooms a somewhat mid-century modern feel. In the bathrooms, a block of green timber for the vanity counter lends colour and a dash of understated luxe to the scheme. Japanese photographer Takay’s black-and-white photographs, timber furniture and minimal lighting fixtures decorate contribute to the restful atmosphere. The amenities are also very considered; belted yukata robes, cast-iron teapots and curated local snacks reflect Japan’s strong craft culture. Toiletries are Le Labo, of course. What I also love are the expansive windows that let one peek down at the streetscape below and see Ginza from another perspective. The room sizes are generous by Tokyo standards, starting with 41 sq m for the entry-level deluxe rooms. Premier rooms come with timber-lined alcove seating, while the largest is The Penthouse, with living and dining areas as well as a kitchen catering to parties. For lunch, I headed to Sophie on the 14th storey. The modern, brightly lit brassiere is dressed in refreshing chartreuse and moss shades. The dishes were equally light and fresh. A three-course set meal of Hokkaido Flounder Crudo, Grilled Niigata Pork and Creme Caramel with pear compote and vanilla ice cream offered a glimpse of the restaurant’s repertoire. The dinner menu adds on more filling signature dishes for sharing, such as roasted whole chicken with Tokyo miso and Yuzu kosho , as well as a hearty lobster Bouillabaisse infused with saffron. On the second floor, The Punch Room, decked up like a gentleman’s club with plush velvet and timber walls with trimmings, offers a contrasting mood to Sophie. The menu showcases a dazzling infusion of Japanese influences: in Choco Banana & Apple are ingredients like le rum, egg white, black tea and Aomori apples; Dirty Maiko has notes of Haku vodka, pistachio, olive and sencha. “The Punch Room is the first place in Japan where you can enjoy authentic punches. It’s tucked away from the busy streets of Ginza and you may feel you have been invited into the house of your friend for its cosy atmosphere. An elaborate coffered ceiling, often observed in traditional Japanese architecture, is applied,” described Kuma. The entire hotel’s design was really homage to Ginza, envisioned in a modern language. “We wanted some dim yet warm colouring that evokes an old shop in Ginza. From the pale green in Sophie to the pink of the light wall, subtle colours are creating an image of good old days of Ginza,” Kuma said. The Roof – Ginza’s first natural wine bar – crowns the variety of experience at the top of the hotel, surrounded by lush planting. For those in need of some exercise, there is a small, 24-hour gym in the hotel that looks out to Ginza’s treetops. For more elaborate workouts, guests of this property can take a 10-minute car ride to the The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon’s larger wellness centre, which includes a swimming pool and spa. I had brought my running shoes but partly due to the lack of time and because here I was right smack in the middle of Ginza, I decided to take my exercise to the streets, ambling in and out of shops. A staggering number of amazing choices are within a five-minute walk: Issey Miyake, Bvlgari, upscale departmental store Matsuya Ginza and famous Japanese confectionery shop Higashiya Ginza by design guru Shinichiro Ogata, among others. No doubt, The Tokyo Edition, Ginza is a great location for shoppers and mealtime excursions to the area’s many Michelin-starred establishments. But more than that, the mixture of good design, comfort and thoughtful menus make the hotel a destination in its own right.
Army-Navy Game 2024: Black Knights must beat their rival to make season 'great'