Film scholars credit the picture as the first color 3-D feature. But it also marked the beginning of the end for mainstream stereoscopic cinema, leading a long line of movies seen more as kitsch than craft.

As 3-D entered the realm of motion pictures, the attempts at creating a practical viewing technology proved varied and largely unsuccessful. In the 1890s, British inventor William Friese-Greene patented a system that projected two images alongside each other. The audience used viewers called “stereoscopes,” which joined the pictures to form a single three-dimensional image.

Other inventors like Edwin S. Porter and Frederick Eugene Ives dabbled in 3-D in the early 1900s; still it wasn’t until the ’20s and ’30s that it evolved commercially with studios such as MGM. The real boom hit in the early ’50s to sooth the sting of a new rival called television. United Artists responded with its distribution of Bwana Devil. It was a critical disaster.

Time called it “a dog.” New York Times critic Bosley Crowther dismissed it as “a clumsy try at an African adventure film, photographed in very poor color in what appear to be the California hills.” He further described the 3-D experience as “an illusion that fluctuates greatly and is crudely and artlessly used.”

This “artless” use was one of the reasons for 3-D’s rapid commercial demise. The boom that started in 1952 had fizzled out by 1953.

With today’s digital projection, however, 3-D is making a comeback, and it’s attracting the attention of A-list studios, filmmakers, and audiences. Indeed, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) recently drew a staggering $116 million in its opening weekend, besting James Cameron’s Avatar (2009), which earned an impressive $77 million.

Such figures should come as little surprise to anyone who’s ever experienced the new 3-D and, in 2007, I had the distinct pleasure of talking with the man largely responsible for bringing it to theaters around the world—Lenny Lipton of RealD. In light of their recent success, I thought I’d revisit our conversation, during which Lipton talked about the formation of the company, how its patented projection system works, and what sets it apart from earlier attempts at three-dimensional cinema.

Lenny Lipton, chief technology officer of RealD and creator of the ZScreen, which makes this cutting-edge 3-D possible (Photo courtesy of Lenny Lipton)

How did RealD come about?

The founders of RealD—Josh Greer and Michael Lewis—both believed there was an opportunity for stereoscopic projection in the theatrical cinema. Lewis had . . . produced IMAX movies in stereo [3-D], and he said they did very well as a return on investment. He realized people liked looking at stereo movies. Josh Greer had been at Walden Media, and he was working with Jim Cameron on [his] two IMAX movies [one of which was Ghosts of the Abyss].

About five years ago [around 2002], they began to promote the idea that stereoscopic movies were viable in the theatrical cinema, but they had no technology. They were just promoting the idea out of an office in Beverly Hills.

Then they researched the technology, decided that I was the key inventor in the field and that my company, StereoGraphics Corporation, owned the important intellectual property in the field. So we negotiated a licensing agreement for technology that would allow them to use a single digital projector.

Five years ago, I wrote an article that appeared in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Journal, which described in complete detail the system that we are presently shipping. It used a component called the ZScreen that I had invented many years ago.

I founded the company in 1980 [and] created the electronic stereoscopic display industry. Over the years, we sold over 200,000 systems to people in molecular modeling, aerial mapping, CAD, medicine, and in something we called industrial virtual reality, which were presentations for managers.

We used an electro-optical modulator that I invented in the projection of these presentations. It’s called the ZScreen. That’s what Greer and Lewis licensed from StereoGraphics to use with RealD.

What exactly does the ZScreen do?

The ZScreen is an electro-optical modulator that changes the characteristics of projected light. It switches between the left and right images 144 times a second, so you no longer need two projectors to create a stereoscopic picture.

I talked to RealD about a business combination because I believed in the stereoscopic cinema, and they found a way to buy StereoGraphics. The sale was contingent upon my becoming a part of RealD, so I’m here now as chief technology officer.

Where does RealD fit into the cinema industry?

We’re a projection company. What we do is make deals with theaters. Our relationships are directly with the exhibitors. We also have a very close relationship with the studios and the filmmakers because it’s necessary to get their support. One of my jobs is working with their technical teams to make sure that the images they create will look good in our theaters.

What is the visual difference that moviegoers notice between RealD and older 3-D?

RealD uses polarized light for image selection, so there won’t be any retinal rivalry [when the retinas are simultaneously focused on two different images]. When you have the red and blue glasses, you’re really looking for trouble.

The perception of strain or discomfort when using the red and blue glasses, or anaglyph glasses, is something that some people don’t mind and others can’t stand. Looking through a red filter with one eye and a blue filter with the other can produce retinal rivalry.

For most people, it’s not a pleasant experience. I think that the darnedest thing about it is that, in the popular press, the anaglyph glasses are cemented into the consciousness of reporters as the way stereo projection takes place. There’s a very deep association with those glasses and the stereoscopic projection medium.

The polarizing lenses used by RealD's stereoscopic projection system are a far cry from the uncomfortable, red- and blue-lensed anaglyph glasses of the 1950s (Photo courtesy of Lenny Lipton)

With RealD, we use polarized light, which is neutral. The filters in polarizing glasses are neutral gray. What we’re doing is very comfortable. For one thing, ours is the only commercially viable projection system that uses a single projector. You have to understand that throughout the history of motion pictures, there has been no technology that has prevailed in the projection booth that used more than one machine.

The RealD projection system depends on only one projector, and it’s no harder to project a RealD movie than it is to project a normal movie. Projectionists are scarce in the theatrical motion picture business, so the kid at the candy counter has to be able to work the RealD system.

And how does it work?

It’s easy to set up. It only takes about 45 minutes to convert a conventional theater to a RealD theater. The projector is an existing digital projector. You add the ZScreen, which is mounted to the front of the projector lens and can swing out of the way for conventional 2-D movies.

It’s a very simple mount. The ZScreen looks like a big, flat filter about six by nine inches. It just rotates out of the way or into the optical path. Then there’s an electronics box about the size of a hi-fi tuner. It drives the ZScreen in synchrony with the video field rate.

When did RealD take off in terms of theatrical cinema?

The first film was Chicken Little in November 2005. We had 89 theaters—85 in the United States, two in Mexico, and two in Canada. Right now, for Meet the Robinsons, we have 704 theaters in 14 countries. There’s a U2 concert coming out in September, and for that I think we’ll have well over 1,000.

In November, there will be Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf. This film is motion-capture CGI [computer-generated imagery] that’s photo realistic. No one’s ever really seen anything like it, and in 3-D no less.

With this technology, are filmmakers still able to shoot on standard Panavision and Arriflex camera systems?

They are because something incredible has happened. There are several companies now that can take a 2-D movie and turn it into a 3-D movie. It’s labor intensive, and these guys are doing a decent job.

One studio is going to be using this sort of production pipeline. They’re shooting a movie that’s going to be release in 3-D, but they’re shooting a lot of it in 2-D. There’s a company in Canada called Conversion Works. There’s a company near L.A. called In-Three, and another called Sassoon.

How do filmmakers produce a 3-D movie?

The main way to produce stereoscopic movies that’s been used with Monster House, Meet the Robinsons, and Chicken Little is computer-generated imagery (CGI). This is because CGI productions intrinsically use a 3-D database.

Ultimately, the entire filmmaking pipeline will have to undergo changes and modifications for stereo from production design to projection. Actually, the most perfected parts of it are projection and CGI production.

Up until now, the movies that have been released on RealD screens have primarily been planar [2-D] movies. The stereo has been an afterthought. There’s been a paradigm shift in the business over the past few months. People are now articulating the following thought: “Let’s make a 3-D movie from the get-go, and that will be the primary mission. The 2-D version will come out of that.”

That’s what DreamWorks is doing. All of their future movies are going to be in 3-D, and they’re designing them to be in 3-D from the start. They’re creating a 3-D pipeline.

How much does it cost?

It can cost millions of dollars to convert a feature, but if you’ve got something like Titanic that you want to release in 3-D, what’s $20 million if you think you’re going to make hundreds of millions at the box office.

The studios are going back and looking at their libraries. They’re going to look at it in terms of the present audience and cherry pick. Just imagine Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones.

Do you think the days of 2-D films are numbered?

The only way to answer that question and not look like a fool is to look at historical precedent. There are certain characteristics of the introduction of technology that give you a handle on what’s going on. The introduction of sound and the introduction of wide screen are interesting. You have to look at what happened financially and what happened creatively.

When sound was introduced, there was a period of confusion and experimentation. The silent cinema had created an art form that consisted of pantomime, montage, and the reading of title cards. It was universal in the sense that language was almost irrelevant because title cards could be inserted for different markets.

The theaters were able to charge more with the introduction of sound. They had made a capital investment in sound equipment, which in those days was very costly. This took a few years to unfold and required a significant investment on the part of the studios and the exhibitors.

There’s still one theater that shows silent movies just a couple of miles from here, but this is Hollywood. Out of the 135,000 screens in the world, who would go to a silent movie? People don’t do it. Maybe that argues that with the introduction of the stereoscopic cinema, it will prevail and become ubiquitous.

With the introduction of sound, color, and wide-screen, that’s what happened. You can’t go to the movies and see anything in the Edison aspect ration, and you can’t go to the movies and see black-and-white movies, and if you do, it’s rare. I think there’s a strong likelihood that the same thing will happen for the stereoscopic cinema.

I think you can argue based on historical precedent that the stereoscopic cinema will ascend and, in a matter of a few years, take the place of the conventional theater. The movies in our theaters do three times better than 2-D movies. These are industry figures. Meet the Robinsons, which was released about six weeks ago, immediately reestablished that pattern. Out of 3,500 theaters, 600 in the United States were stereo and those theaters all did about three times better than the planar theaters.

[By 2009 estimates, there are about 8,000 RealD screens in theaters worldwide.]

How have theaters responded to RealD?

They’re happy. They’ve learned that the system is dependable and reliable, and it produces very good results. People can tip their heads any way and still see a good picture.

Several members in the group of 15 needle-workers began knitting and crocheting their scarves just before last Christmas to have them ready to donate to WomenHeart during the annual club and committee fair at the independent living retirement community on Feb. 26.

Creative Hands member Dorcas Doering recalls the group embracing the project after hearing a presentation on heart disease, its prevalence and its impact on women and their families. 

“We’re a group that knits and crochets a lot and we’re not unused to knitting for good causes, so we jumped into this project very excitedly,” Doering said. 

According to Doering and others at Tallgrass Creek, many positive outcomes came from this project, including a hall tree at the group’s display at the fair resplendent with one-of-a-kind scarves and the good feeling among Creative Hands members at being able to bring comfort and support to so many women coping with heart disease with a few clicks of needles and skeins of yarn.

Plus, the group may be growing in number. Doering notes that with so many red scarves being made at the same time, people were taking extra notice of the project. “We’ve really inspired people to get involved,” she said.

Cathy Porter with WomenHeart of Kansas City was equally inspired by the group’s effort. “I was so touched to see the scarves and to meet the women who embraced the project,” she said. “Groups like Creative Hands are so important to the life of this program and the women who are so touched by the gift. Each red scarf is meant to offer comfort, support, and encouragement for women with heart disease and become a part of her healing journey. As a heart survivor, I know what it means to have the support of others and I can’t begin to tell you what these scarves will do for the women who will be receiving them.”

Porter has been a part of WomenHeart in the Kansas City area for three years. The group, which commemorated its three-year anniversary in April, now includes 21 hospitals in the Kansas City area, and WomenHeart volunteers have delivered more than 1,900 HeartScarves gift bags since its inception.

About Tallgrass Creek: More than 200 people live at Tallgrass Creek, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities.  Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of 20 communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “2009 Best Companies to Work For®.”

For more information about this story, please contact Lorraine Willmot, public relations manager, 443-604-6337.

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“Only the men can go,” said Herb Schaffer, a Wind Crest resident and defacto leader of ROMEO. “Some of the guys have asked about bringing their wives, but they were voted down. It’s a very democratic process.”

The women did not take the exclusion lightly. They banded together and formed their own club.

“JULIET — Jolly Upbeat Ladies Into Eating Together — is our answer to ROMEO,” Wind Crest resident Grace Breffle said with a laugh. “We even meet on the third Friday of the month like they do.”

ROMEOS
On average, 10 ROMEOs gather at the restaurant of the month to eat and enjoy social conversation.

“We talk about everything — interesting things we’ve seen, movies we watch at Wind Crest, and politics,” said Bill Kamsler, a member of ROMEO almost since its inception. “It keeps us younger and mingling with other people. Last month, there was one person at the restaurant who had been living at Wind Crest for some time, but I don’t remember seeing him. We look forward to it. For me, the most enjoyable part of each lunch is seeing people and the exchange of ideas.”

Schaffer agrees that the camaraderie is enjoyable, but his driving motivation is appetite.

“The best part for me is culinary,” Schaffer said. “I’ve always enjoyed food. My favorite is Asian food, Thai, but it’s nice to be able to get out and try different restaurants. The conversation is also good. We talk about news of the day, Wind Crest activities — where we’re going to eat next.”

JULIETs
Like ROMEO, JULIET is a social club that meets at pre-determined restaurants on the third Friday of each month for good food and socializing.

“The idea is just to go out, have a good time and gossip,” Breffle said. “In order for someone to join a JULIET lunch, they have to belong to Wind Crest’s Woman’s Club or be a guest. We’ve also taken husbands with us on some of the things we’ve done. We’re not too restrictive.”

When it comes to the food, Breffle agrees with Schaffer that it’s key to the group.

“The food is very important,” she said. “We’re fortunate. We have had very good food at all of the meetings so far.”

ROMEO and JULIET?
With the two groups meeting on the same day, the law of averages dictates that occasionally both will decide to meet at the same restaurant.

“That happened one time — last summer,” Breffle said. “We did by accident, but it went over fine. It was a riot, really. They arrived at the restaurant before we did, so they were finished before us. When they were leaving, they came over to serenade us. They sang ‘I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.’ It was the only song they knew.”

With that much fun, Breffle said the JULIETs are tempted to deliberately stage a meeting next time to cross paths with the ROMEOs.

“I’ve thought about arranging the JULIETs at the same restaurant as them,” she said. “The ROMEOs have their sign up sheet in Wind Crest’s library now, so we know where they will be. We could always do that.”

The next meeting for both groups is Friday, March 19. Whether ROMEO and JULIET will meet again at the same restaurant is a fate that William Shakespeare himself could not have foretold.

About Wind Crest: Wind Crest is an Erickson full-service retirement community. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free, active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. FORTUNE named Erickson a Top 100 “2009 Best Companies to Work For®.”

For more information about this story, please contact Jason Connors, public relations manager, at (703) 923-4690.

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Lindo Meli, Seabrook resident and producer and director of the show said, “The show is about people in New York – tourists, cops, crooks, gamblers and all kinds of people. The flavor of this show gives you a feel of what city life is really about. Our production was a great one filled with energy and quite a few surprises thrown in for good measure.”

The Seabrook Performers have also put on other shows over the past year, including “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the original show “Six at Seven-Thirty.”

About Seabrook: More than 1,400 people live at Seabrook, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. In 2008 and 2009, Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “Best Companies to Work For”® and Seabrook was recently named the 14th “Best Place to Work in New Jersey” by NJBIZ Magazine.

For more information about this story, please contact Tony Ciavolella, public relations manager, at 732-918-9100 or 732-425-4635.

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Jones, senior editor and vice president at Alfred Knopf publishing in New York, has spent a lifetime discovering and developing a list of first-rate cookbook authors. The most famous work, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, was published in 1958. A re-issue of this culinary classic is currently ranked third on the New York Times Best Sellers List. 

Jones, also an accomplished writer, detailed her latest work, “The Pleasures of Cooking for One,” during a question and answer session with residents and staff in the auditorium.

Vinson Bankoski, Dining Services director at Charlestown, was in the midst of planning a cooking class for singles at Charlestown when he read Michael Williams’ front-page article and interview with Jones in the November 2009 issue of “The Erickson Tribune” and decided to invite Jones to visit the community.

“Charlestown was proud to host a true legend of publishing, Judith Jones,” stated Bankoski. “Combined with her fascinating knowledge of the culinary world, her warm, approachable style was a hit with the residents. And the dishes created under her guidance were absolutely delicious.”

During the demonstration, Jones and Bankoski prepared recipes for a soufflé, fish cakes, and Schrafft’s butterscotch cookies, dishes detailed in “The Pleasures of Cooking for One.” 

Bankoski presented Jones with a chef’s jacket, and bestowed upon her the title of “honorary executive chef” of Charlestown.

About Charlestown: More than 2,200 people live at Charlestown, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve physical and mental health. Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “2009 Best Companies to Work For®.” 

For more information about this story, please contact Jeff Getek, public relations manager, at 410-882-3262, ext. 3189.

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At three events held last week at Cedar Crest, residents signed up to use email to receive announcements, and instead of using the typical pen and pad to sign up, they typed their name on a laptop — conserving paper.
 
The total of number of residents who have signed up to use email in lieu of paper at the community is 179. This program is a relatively new effort that began on December 29, 2009.

President of the Resident Advisory Council at Cedar Crest Dan Valerio said, “Our community is doing all it can to find innovative strategies to try and conserve and protect the environment. We hope that with this new program, we will realize a reduction in the amount of paper and increase communication through email.”

“Our residents are actively engage in more than 150 different clubs and activities and they receive approximately four to five announcements about them in their mailboxes per day,” Cedar Crest resident Dr. James Gallagher said. “If we can get 500 of them to use email instead, we can conserve half a million sheets of paper per year. The primary reason to do this is to save trees. We have had whole forests destroyed, and trees absorb pollutants in the air and hold the ground to prevent mudslides. Trees need somebody to protect them and that’s why this is important.”

“Residents and staff wanted to work in concert to develop a program that would help protect the environment and meet the growing challenge to find creative and substantial ways to reduce the consumption of paper and the costs to help operate the community efficiently,” Cedar Crest Executive Director Cathy Guttman said. “This was a wonderful team effort that illustrates how even a retirement community can do its part to go greener.”

Cedar Crest Information Technology Site Manager Antoinette Wiesse said, “We wanted to give the residents the opportunity to go green and feel like they are a part of an important project. We determined that the best way to proceed was to create a separate email account that gives the residents privacy and the content that they would normally receive in their mailboxes.”

Last June, Cedar Crest instituted a biodiesel fuel conversion system for its campus shuttles.  Used cooking oil from the community’s restaurants is converted into biodiesel fuel and pumped into the shuttles powering them and reducing pollution.

Cedar Crest produces approximately 500 gallons of used cooking oil per month. The cooking oil will be processed into 80 gallon batches and can be pumped directly into any of the community’s vehicles and equipment that run on diesel. 

About Cedar Crest: More than 1,800 people live at Cedar Crest, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle.  Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities.  Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. In 2008 and 2009, Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “Best Companies to Work For,”® and in 2008, Cedar Crest was named the 14th “Best Place to Work in New Jersey” by NJBIZ Magazine.

For more information about this story, please contact Tony Ciavolella, public relations manager, at 732-918-9100 or 732-425-4635.

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Last week I made a series of necklaces using dyed coral and another using gemstone chips—and a few others that were floating around in my thoughts.

I am obviously drawn to turquoise. It just goes with everything! I’ve heard artists say that they try creating a variety of pieces in order to attract a bigger audience. I think that’s good advice but working with turquoise makes me happy. Ideas incorporating this stone come more naturally to me than with anything else. It is also obvious that I like to use natural elements like gem, stone, shell, or wood beads. I’ve already explored paper beads, which I also love. Maybe one day my passion will lead to fabric, glass, clay, and metals as well. The possibilities are endless. I can already sense the wheels turning in my brain!

Other jewelry posts from ArtSense:

Pink October: Breast Cancer series

More Jewelry

Making Necklaces with Seed Beads

Handmade Mothers Day Jewelry

Paper bead necklaces

Handmade paper bead bracelet

Indeed, many of the stories about the Masons and their dealings are boundlessly imaginative. One tale even places a London-based lodge at the center of the Jack the Ripper murders, all of which were part of a plan to keep secret Prince Albert’s marriage to a Catholic prostitute from the city’s seedy East End.

Hearing such claims soon had the gears in my mind grinding: What are the group’s origins? Who are its members? What do they do? Are the stories about them true?

For the answers, I traveled to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., where I met with Scottish Rite Journal editor Brent Morris. Morris very patiently devoted an hour and a half of his time to going over the group’s history and current role in American society, the fruits of which will appear as an article in the Tribune’s March edition.

Naturally, he touched on the Jack the Ripper theory, and as one might expect, it turned out to be nonsense. But Morris introduced another story from Masonry’s past, one that’s all the more intriguing for its mixture of fact and fiction. Masons call it “The Morgan Affair.”

The year was 1826. The place was a small town in Western New York called Batavia. With a proud and optimistic motto like, “The Right Place. The Right Time,” Batavia must have been an attractive setting for William Morgan, who had spent most of his 52 years on Earth trying to find his place in life.

Born in Culpeper, Va., in 1774, Morgan had wandered much of northeastern America in search of a profession, trying his hand as a militia captain, a brewery owner, and a brick mason. The latter brought him to New York and, purely by coincidence, to Freemasonry in 1825.

Already a member of the Royal Arch branch of Masonry, Morgan applied for membership in its new Batavia chapter, but soon discovered that his fellow Masons had taken his name off of the charter.

“To this day, we can only speculate as to why the Masons denied Morgan a place in the new chapter,” says Morris. “Some think it may have been because of his reputation as an alcoholic, others suggest it was due to Morgan’s nasty temper.”

Most do agree, however, that the snub infuriated Morgan, who now wanted revenge against the Masons. He announced to his former brothers that he was publishing a book that would, once and for all, reveal the group’s precious secrets to the world.

“The story has it that members of the local lodge tried to buy the manuscript from Morgan, and when he refused, the publisher’s office mysteriously caught fire a few times,” Morris says. “Ultimately, all events point to a group of Masons trying to stop the publication of his book through any means possible.”

This task fell to Batavia’s sheriff (also a Mason), who jailed Morgan for a paltry debt of two dollars. Later that night, fellow Masons reportedly posted his bail and forced him into a waiting carriage, his last words in public being cries of “Murder, murder, murder!” as they drove into the night bound for Fort Niagara.

The rest of the story, according to Morris, is a hodgepodge of hearsay and mystery.

“One account is that Morgan’s kidnappers wrapped him in chains and dumped him into the river,” he says. “Another is that they took him across the border into Canada and told him to get lost, and yet another is that he was off living in the Caribbean.”

Just as murky are the details surrounding his kidnappers’ fate.

“We do know that there was an investigation, and these Masons did go to trial,” explains Morris. “But we also know that the grand jury in the case was made up of Masons, as was New York’s governor, DeWitt Clinton. Some of the defendants did time, but their sentences were a few years at the most. That’s a slap on the wrist when you consider the charges.”

Whether these light punishments were due to a lack of evidence or a Masonic cover up is a question that Morris says remains unanswered. One thing is for certain, though. Freemasonry suffered dearly for the controversy surrounding the Morgan Affair. In fact, it almost destroyed the organization.

Over the next eight years, New York State lost 90 percent of its Masonic lodges. In Maryland, it lost half, and in Vermont, all of them folded. At the same time, the anti-Masonic fervor spread to politics.

Abolitionists well known for their hatred of slavery now pursued Freemasonry, viewing the organization as a corrupt government within a government. Out of this powerful movement came the Anti-Masonic Party, which in 1832 held the first presidential nominating convention in the United States; just another consequence that Morris argues was undeserved.

“Do I think that a group of Masons did Morgan in? Yeah, probably,” he remarks. “But where the whole theory of his murder being the result of some Masonic mandate begins to unravel is when you go back to the event that set the story in motion—the book that Morgan threatened to publish.”

The secrets of Freemasonry have been in continuous print since 1723, which predates Morgan’s manuscript by 103 years. By Morris’ estimate, this book wouldn’t have been worth reading let alone killing for because it didn’t reveal information that wasn’t already out there.

The question, then, is where does this leave the story?

“I believe that Morgan was murdered, but the Masonic connection ends with the fact that his murderers happened to be Masons,” notes Morris. “William Morgan is the patron saint of those who hate the Masons, and there are Masons who still write very negative things about Morgan. The truth, I think, is somewhere in between.”

Rick Harrison (center) with his father, Richard, and his son, Corey. Today, the three run the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, which is the subject of the History Channel series Pawn Stars. (Photo courtesy of the History Channel)

As the owner of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nev., Rick Harrison depends on his ability to spot a fake. Whether he’s buying an antique firearm, a 200-year-old map, or a silver tea set, Harrison needs to know that he’s laying his money out for a genuine product.

During our recent phone interview, the star of the History Channel’s Pawn Stars was good enough to give us a glimpse of his world through his eyes and share a few tips on spotting fakes with two items that are favorites among forgers: silverware and Rolex watches.

Silverware

Silverware is among the most commonly purchased goods in Harrison’s pawn shop.

“First off, I have to say that just about everyone who comes in here thinks that his grandmother’s silver is real, but most of the time, it isn’t,” says Harrison. “In fact, most of the silver tea pots and utensils that you see out there are actually silver plated—that is, a thin layer of silver over copper.”

So, how can you tell if your silver is genuine? There are a few things to look for.

First, there are usually characteristic markings at the bottom of the item. For instance, it might say “sterling,” list an abbreviated form of the world as “ster,” or show a number value that usually ranges anywhere from 800 to 950 depending on the amount of silver in the item.

If your stamp reads 800, that means that the item contains 80% silver. If it reads 950, it contains 95% silver. According to Harrison, most of the silver in the U.S. is sterling, which contains about 92.5% silver.

He also notes that, on rare occasions, you might find the marking “coin,” which means that your item is made of silver derived from melted coins. Of course, people can fake these markings, too, so the only way to truly tell whether silver is genuine is to use nitric acid, WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT TRY AT HOME.

The way professionals like Harrison perform the test is, nevertheless, something worth noting. He starts by making a small mark on the bottom of the item using a file. The objective here is to get below the silver plating to determine just how deep the precious metal runs.

Next, he places a small drop of nitric acid over the file mark. When the acid makes contact with genuine silver, it will turn a creamy white color. If the item is only silver plated, however, the acid will turn creamy white around the file mark and green inside it.

Rolex Watches

The first thing to remember about a genuine Rolex, according to Harrison, is that there should be nothing wrong with it. Everything on it is perfect.

You won’t find distorted hands and dials or smudged serial numbers. If something isn’t right when the watch comes off the assembly line, Rolex discards it.

Next, if your Rolex is genuine, you should be able to put it under water without experiencing any fogging or other damage related to water getting inside the watch. A fake Rolex, on the other hand, will usually leak.

Third, you will never come across a stainless steel Rolex with the day and date on the face. You will only find those features on the 18 ct. gold and platinum models.

Furthermore, the little magnifying glass that you commonly find above the date is called the “cyclops.” On a Rolex, this device will provide a magnification of two and a half times. On a fake, it will only be about one and half times.

You should have no trouble seeing the date on a genuine Rolex. On a fake, it’s more difficult.

Finally, it’s a belief among many that all Rolex watches have a sweeping hand, and that if you have a second hand that ticks rather than sweeps, you’re holding a fake. Harrison stresses that this is not true. Rolex makes both, so don’t use that as a way of spotting a fake.

“There are new fakes of everything that comes out, and I mean everything,” says Harrison. “I’ve been doing this for decades, and I still get burned every once in a while. In this business, you can’t be too careful, and having a few tips like these in your pocket can really go a long way.”

“Hingham Square,” painted by Burt Longenbach

Linden Ponds resident Burt Longenbach teaches a watercolor painting class for residents at the community. Sixteen of them banded together to paint watercolor paintings of scenes of Hingham based on the book Postcard Series Hingham, created by local author James Pierotti. The paintings were on display at the community throughout the month of October.

The book is a collection of approximately 200 old postcard photo scenes of Hingham, some dating back to the late 1800s.  Longenbach projected enlarged photos from the book for the resident artists to produce the preliminary sketch for painting. Some residents created more than one of the large paintings, which measure 22 inches by 28 inches in size.

Longenbach said, “The painters gained some information and appreciation of what the town was like during the time period represented.” 

After the residents sketched the postcard photos, the painting began. The colors chosen to use were raw sienna, burnt sienna, and burnt umber, so that the completed paintings would reflect the brown coloration of early photography.

Longenbach said, “From the standpoint of those painting, it provided a learning challenge to accomplish a single color tonal representation in the painting of the image rather than a full palette of colors. They rose to the challenge and the paintings exceeded all expectations.”

“This painting project is a perfect example of the abundance of talent that the residents here at Linden Ponds possess,” said Linden Ponds Executive Director Nina Holt. “Mr. Longenbach is an inspiration to all older adults who seek to explore new and exciting hobbies.”

A former resident of Westfield, New Jersey, Longenbach is an artist who was very active with the New Jersey Watercolor Society. He said that he enjoys sharing his painting experience with others and that this project is a perfect example of sharing ideas, talent and passion. 

“First of all there was a correlation with the community – many people are from this area and so they have a strong understanding of Hingham,” said Longenbach. “For many people it was a reflective experience. For those not familiar with the town it was still quite an experience. It was very pleasing seeing residents come out and look at the paintings.”

About Linden Ponds: More than 1,000 people live at Linden Ponds, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “2009 Best Companies to Work For®.”

For more information about this story, please contact Tony Ciavolella, public relations manager, at 973-839-9377 or 732-425-4635.

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