‘Masonic kiddie ride?’

     

At a local carnival this ride appeared to be kind of popular. Named Pharoah’s Fury, it is a giant swing with a long boat-shaped car that seats several dozen.

It’s hard to discern, but that is a triangle at the top, with the eye inside. Here's a blurry photo:

And the moving part of the ride itself kind of looks like the form of the compasses with the quadrant. And at each end of the car is this anxious-looking Tut-type of face:

This ride is so scary, even King Tut is nervous!

Okay, it’s 2:30 in the morning and sleep is coming slowly.
    

‘The Bernie’

  

Monday night was the annual occasion of “The Bernie,” the dinner-lecture hosted by Shiloh Lodge No. 558. In its fifth year, it is formally known as the Bernard H. Dupee Memorial Lecture, and it was instituted by Bro. Matthew Dupee in honor of his father, a very devoted brother who missed only three stated meetings in more than 52 years of lodge membership, and who is remembered as “Brother Bernie,” the happiest Mason anyone knew.

Needless to say, it was a great night. Two hundred Masons filled the large dining room at the William Penn Inn (est. 1714) for a tasty meal, charming company, and an enlightening lecture by none other than RW James W. Daniel, Past Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, and Assistant Secretary of Quatuor Coronati 2076, and Secretary of Lodge No. IV… of St. John Baptist Day 1717 fame, among other noteworthy handles. I wish I possessed some of his public speaking skills because he is able to communicate his information clearly while using humor to keep his audience engaged. It was a pleasure to listen to him.

RW James Daniel

His topic was provocative. In the migration of Freemasonry across the Atlantic, we always think first of the export of Craft degrees from the British Isles to the Americas, or of France’s “higher degrees” reaching the Caribbean. Bro. Daniel turned us around to see the transfer of certain degrees from the United States to England in his paper titled “Anglo-American Masonic Relations, 1871-90 (Or the U.S. and Us, 1871-90).”

I especially appreciated his effort to contextualize Masonic doings within the real world outside. It seems to me that many Masons, perhaps because our meetings are tiled, look at Masonic history as the story of something always apart from the world outside, as though the fraternity was a monastic order and its brethren frozen in time, cloistered behind their guarded doors. Of course that is not so; we go to lodge to escape the “concerns and employments” of the world for a short time before inevitably returning to it. Things take place outside that have obvious and lasting impacts on the tiled lodge. (Trust me. Talk to the accountant who completes your 990, or to the insurance agent who did away with your candles.)

Anyway, Daniel painted a picture of Anglo-American relations, and it is not what you might expect based on how things always have been during our lifetime, or even the fact that the American population during Daniels’ timeline was almost entirely descendant from ancestors from the British Isles. “The populations of the two countries were in the habit of disliking each other,” he explained. “Most Americans, when they thought of the British, disliked, distrusted, and sometimes feared them” out of tradition or habit.

Within Freemasonry at least there was one means of conciliating true friendship, namely the sharing of information. Thanks to Freemasons’ Quarterly Review, the magazine started by Bro. Robert Crucefix, Masons in England were able to read dispatches from American grand lodges, even on the unmentionable subjects concerning the Morgan scandal. “In tracing the various publications from the Grand Lodge of New York, we have been much gratified to observe that there is no studied concealment of facts; on the contrary, the Craft is fully informed of the circumstances that led to them, and what resulted,” the magazine reported, helping to change the image of Americans, prevalent among the English, as primitive, unsophisticated louts.

The flow of this information also abetted the sharing of entire Masonic rites. You probably are aware of the importation into England and Wales of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite from the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction during the 1840s, but you might not know other systems of degrees also made the voyage. Of the Cryptic Rite, Daniel shared a statement from the period:

“We cannot but look upon the introduction of Cryptic Masonry in England by an American Grand Council as one of the most important events in the Masonic history of this country tending to not only draw still closer the fraternal bonds that now happily unite the fraternity of the United States with that of our mother country, Masonically as well as politically, and also as being a preliminary step toward assimilating the Masonic systems of the two greatest nations.”

A powerful statement.

Daniel’s presentation was received with hearty applause. Let me tell you it was quite an audience. With Matt Dupee was Tom Jackson, Brent Morris, Ed Fowler, and other VIPs. Aaron, Jan, George, Chuck, and Jerry were among the familiar Pennsylvania brethren. I heard it said the New Jersey contingent outnumbered the Philadelphians! There was Mohamad, Henry, Nick, Rob, Howard (2011 recipient of The Bernie), John, Rich, and others.

Bro. Daniel's Bernie jewel.

Oh, The Bernie! Actually the Bernard H. Dupee, PM Medal for Masonic Excellence. Past recipients are Fowler, Howard Kanowitz, Reese Harrison, Yasha Beresiner, and Thomas Hopkins. And Bro. Daniel joins their ranks.

Presented in tandem with the jewel is a pair of purple socks, a tradition recalling the late Bro. Dupee’s own sartorial statement of individuality. And maybe proper attire for the Cryptic Rite.

Shame on me for not attending previous Bernie dinners. I even was approached about speaking once, but I chickened out and recommended Howard. Obviously that was the better move, but I’m kicking myself. This was a really great night.

Save the date: April 29, 2013 for the next Bernie.

Thomas Jackson and James Daniel.

Bro. Daniel receives the traditional Purple Socks from Bro. Dupee. I have a lot of respect

for Matt Dupee, based in no small measure on his having imparted a valuable lesson

in justice to his grand lodge in a court of law. You gotta respect that. Or at least I do.

     

‘Terrible news from New York’

    
I have been sitting on this news about New York grand masters for about a week, not knowing whether to share it here or what, but some out there in Masonic cyberspace insist full disclosure is the only way to fix the problems in Freemasonry, so here goes:

The Magpie Mason will be the guest speaker at Grand Master’s Day this October.

Sunday, October 7

2 p.m.

DeWint House

20 Livingston Street

Tappan, New York

There will be a brunch beforehand at The ’76 House, and then we will begin the festivities at DeWint House, the historic site owned and operated by the Grand Lodge of New York which served repeatedly as Washington’s Headquarters during the Revolution.

Click here to see a bunch of photos and some more information on DeWint House.

And, hey, don’t shoot the messenger, okay?
    

‘The True Masonic Light’

  
Listen, when Brent Morris takes you aside twice in one night and tells you to post more often, you do what the man says. So here we go.

There actually is a lot of catch-up to do. Just in the past week or so was the Emulation ritual at Walkill Lodge, two of my nearly acceptable speaking engagements, the Scottish Rite symposium at Lexington, and — last, but certainly not least — The Bernie of 2012 on Monday night. I’m tired from just trying to remember it all. Magpie coverage of the above to come shortly, but first, because I posted this on ML a few hours ago unleashing the huge secret, is this bit of news.

Some weeks ago I mentioned there are things underway in New Jersey Freemasonry that portend a brighter future here. Well, I’m quarterbacking this one.

With a committee of six brilliant, audacious, and damned handsome visionaries, I am in the process of starting a new Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection. If Supreme Council issues the requested charter, it would be named Architects Lodge of Perfection, inspired by the Grand Master Architect (12th) Degree of traditional Scottish Rite Masonry.

Click here to read a bit of Ill. James Tresner’s Vested in Glory, courtesy of the Valley of Bakersfield in California.

Its purpose would be to serve as a philosophical research society. It will not confer degrees, but instead would provide the academic study of Scottish Rite rituals, past and present, from Entered Apprentice to Royal Secret. The brethren would meet several times a year to discuss the rituals, symbols, and ideas. Readings of rituals, commentaries, histories, etc. would be assigned in advance with plenty of time to prepare for these meetings.

As the Master Architect Degree (A&ASR-SJ) says: “Wisdom is the True Masonic Light.” The degree synopsis in Ill. Arturo de Hoyos’ Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide says: “The ceremonies of this Degree are brief, but its significance is profound. Here you are taught the symbolic meanings of the Master Architect’s tools, the most important of which instructs us to solve the great problems presented by the universe, to know and understand the lofty truths of philosophy and to communicate it freely to others, particularly by our actions. Only the best and wisest in us and among us should rule. For if it be any other, the low and the ignoble will presume, and soon prevail.”

That summarizes the twin ambitions of this project. The tangible goal is to educate Scottish Rite Masons; the intangible aim is to build a generation of informed Scottish Rite Masons who should raise the standard of leadership for their Lodges, Councils, Chapters, and Consistories.

Membership would be open statewide to Sublime Princes in good standing in their home Consistories (although I can’t see us turning away brethren from other states if any want to participate).

The paperwork is well underway. If all goes smoothly, there could be a charter in August, which would lead directly to an inaugural meeting in September. I will post more about this in the meantime, but please wish us luck!
  

'Re-enactment relocation'

    
The first announcement said Federal Hall. A follow-up notice said St. Paul's Chapel, although I think that was an accident. Now comes word that the Grand Lodge of New York's annual re-enactment of the first presidential inauguration of Bro. George Washington will take place at Masonic Hall.

Bronze likeness of George Washington
taking the presidential oath of office.

Same day: Monday, April 30.
Same time: High Twelve.
Location: Renaissance Room, Sixth Floor, Masonic Hall.

This change was decided due to the lawlessness in the streets (my words, not Grand Lodge's) on and around Wall Street. In the interests of safety and preserving the historic George Washington Inaugural Bible, this very enjoyable celebration will take place under a Masonic roof.

It's a shame decent people cannot use public spaces, but that is where we are today as a society. And no, I do not believe Washington and the other Founders waged the Revolution and founded our free society so that there can be anarchy and filth in the streets. They created a land governed by laws, not a mobocracy. The French Revolution was mob-friendly. The American Revolution was very different. End of lecture. Sorry.

There will be a collation after the ceremony. Details, like cost, menu, etc., are yet to be determined.

If you can get there, please do so. You'll enjoy a singular occurance in Masonic culture.

Masonic Hall is located at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.
    

‘See who wants admission’

     

Two of my favorite people talking
to each other: Bro. Oscar Alleyne,
who helped organize this event,
and Bro. Jason Sheridan, soon
to be Grand Director of Ceremonies
for the Grand Lodge of New York.

It was time for the long awaited evening of Emulation exemplification yesterday, when Wallkill Lodge No. 627 hosted an all-star line-up of ritualists from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex under the United Grand Lodge of England, named the Teddies for Loving Care Masonic Demonstration Team, in the Grand Lodge Room of Masonic Hall in Manhattan.

Click here for a little background.

I think it is safe to say the use of ritual in English lodges is misunderstood by most Masons in the United States. Here, for some seventeen decades, we have been enforcing uniform ritual work in each of our individual jurisdictions, concentrating so intently on perfect memorization and recitation that we really have forgotten the principal point of it all. The brethren in England do that also, I am told, but the difference is diversity of rituals within the single jurisdiction. Although Emulation is thought to be the only ritual in England, the truth is there is no standard work for UGLE. There are many rituals employed.

Watching this was my first experience with Emulation, and it was fun. There are many interesting differences from what I know and have seen in my travels, but nothing so distracting or confusing as to be unrecognizable. And of course it helps to have read the ritual a number of times over the years.

The Teddies for Loving Care Masonic Demonstration Team travels and exemplifies ritual work to raise funds for its philanthropy, the goal of which is to provide teddy bears and other soft toys to children being treated by Accident and Emergency Units in order to calm the children and distract them from the distress of their injuries, making it easier for the medical staff to treat them. (We have a similar program here in New Jersey, where we hand Past Grand Masters highballs of single malt to soothe their anxieties caused by the surrender of authority, and I must say, it works like a charm.) Click here to read more about this clever program in England.

     

'The Templar test'

    
The dates of the next International Conference on the History of Freemasonry have been announced. ICHF will return to Scotland for 2013. Next up will be a repeated call for papers this summer, followed by the release of a list of chosen presenters in the form of a tentative conference agenda early next year.

No one has any idea which scholars will be selected to present which researched subjects, but I hope you will consider this challenge if you have bought into the Templar myth of Masonic origins. I predict no research paper will seek to advance the notion that our Masonic fraternal order has its roots in the medieval military order commonly called the Knights Templar, and I ask you to understand why.

Scores of accomplished academics and other skilled scholars from around the world will present their findings on a dizzying variety of subjects during the three days of this conference, but I don't think anyone will attempt to advance the supposition, which was born in about the mid 18th century, that Freemasonry descended from the medieval Templars. My challenge to you is simply to ask yourselves why that might be. In the very land where the Templars allegedly appeared out of nowhere to vanquish the English and save Robert the Bruce's rear end at Bannockburn, a three-day conference on Masonic history will make no claim of paternity against these alleged forefathers of Freemasonry.

Remain calm, be open-minded and circumspect, ask yourselves why that is, and form an objective answer.
    

'Sotheby's to auction Mozart letter to Mason'

    
If your lodge has a spare $400,000 laying around, you might cause your trustees to cast their eyes to Sotheby's, which will auction a letter signed by Bro. W.A. Mozart in which he seeks financial assistance from a brother Freemason.

Described by Sotheby's:

Mozart, right, in lodge.

Autograph letter signed "W.A. Mozart" to Michael Puchberg, June 1788. A frank and revealing appeal by Mozart for financial assistance, in which he discusses his famous string quintets in C major and G minor and the piano trio in E major, K.542.

Estimate: 200,000-300,000 GBP

It is the auction institution's May Musical Manuscripts sale, 29 documents in all, including a Mozart fugue not listed in Köchel(!), and a corrected music exercise by pupil Thomas Attwood. These papers are among the highlights on exhibit in New York City through Friday. The gavel of the auction will sound in London May 29.

For more information, contact the auction house's specialists in London.
   

‘Beethoven’s Tenth discovered in Masonic library’

  

Beethoven, by Andy Warhol, 1987.

WQXR host Naomi Lewin reports today on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday that a manuscript described as two movements of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 10 has been discovered in the archives of the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library, located in Masonic Hall, the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of New York.

Livingston Library Executive Director Tom Savini is quoted only briefly, but the report explains that the manuscript may have seen the light of day already, just more than a century ago, when Masonic archives were being transferred from the previous Masonic Hall to the current building, and may even have been seen by Gustav Mahler, then the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, who was known for rearranging certain Beethoven works.

It never has been established if the great composer was a Brother in the Craft, although the themes of some of his best known works show Masonic thinking, and some of his collaborators, like Schiller, who wrote the Ode to Joy libretto for Symphony No. 9, were Freemasons.

The 5:35 audio of this Sunday, April 1 story can be heard here.

'99 Degrees of fun!'

    
"That's ninety-nine degrees of fun right there!"

Bro. Colin Peterson
Indiana


One of those wonderfully positive developments pending in New Jersey Freemasonry I mentioned in a post somewhere below is the symposium the Scottish Rite will host on May 19. Coming to the podium are Ill. Robert Davis of the Valley of Guthrie, Oklahoma; Ill. Chris Hodapp of the Valley of Indy; and Ill. Brent Morris of the Valley of, among others, Washington, DC.

I believe the reputations of these nationally treasured scholars and brethren speak for themselves, and I predict you'll learn not only some more about Freemasonry from their presentations, but also be shown new ways to look at our Craft.

Click here to register. It's only $50 per person, which covers breakfast and lunch, and souvenirs. This is open to (regular/recognized) Master Masons.

This is a Mohamad-Moises Production, so you are guaranteed an unforgettable day.
    

'Emulation exemplification'

  
Wallkill Lodge No. 627 will meet in the Grand Lodge Room in Masonic Hall to host brethren from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex of the United Grand Lodge of England for an exemplification of the Master Mason Degree in Emulation ritual.

Friday, April 20 at 7 p.m.
Masonic Hall, Second Floor
71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan

Often thought to be the official or—gasp!—only Craft ritual in the United Grand Lodge of England, Emulation actually is one of many rituals in England, but it is the most widely used within UGLE, and is the best known by those of us outside UGLE. (Of course UGLE has no official ritual. Imagine that.)

About twelve years ago, when I was a relative newbie in Masonry, I purchased from Bro. Yasha a weathered copy of the second edition (1970) of Lewis Masonic's printing of the ritual. Its introduction explains the history of Emulation.

The Emulation Ritual's Master Mason
tracing board, as depicted in the 1970
printing of the ritual by Lewis Masonic.

Emulation Working takes its name from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement whose committee are the custodians of this particular ritual.... The Emulation Lodge of Improvement for Master Masons first met on 2nd October 1823. The Lodge was formed for Master Masons only, and worked, in its earliest years, only the Masonic lectures. However by about 1830 in accordance with general practice the ceremonies were also being rehearsed—always with considerable attention to accuracy, so that no alteration might inadvertently become practice. The Lodge of Improvement has met uninterruptedly since those days, so soon after the settling of the ceremonies by Grand Lodge in 1816, for the purpose of demonstrating unchanged, so far as has been humanly possible, the Emulation Ritual in accordance with the original method. Since June 1965 the variations permitted by the Grand Lodge Resolution of December 1964, with consequential amendments, have also been periodically demonstrated.

There was no officially sanctioned publication of the ritual until 1969.

One cannot reveal on the web the differences between this ritual and our rituals that might further induce you to attend this event, but differences are present, and are obvious in symbols and Working Tools. In fact, as regard the Compasses, Emulation makes a striking theological point that is bound to raise eyebrows. And of course there are "Americanisms" that are absent from this English work.

Believe me, if you read this blog regularly, a guy like you has nothing better to do on a Friday night. Get to Masonic Hall. Bring your regalia and identification.
    

'ALR on the 29th'

     

The American Lodge of Research will convene its 353rd Stated Meeting on Thursday, March 29 at Masonic Hall.

71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

     

‘Tree of Life Seminars’

    
The brethren of the Scottish Rite of Washington, DC and the fratres of the Masonic Rosicrucians of DC will co-host a series of seminars beginning next month, featuring knowledgeable speakers offering eight approaches to learning about the Tree of Life as a “Pathway to Enlightenment.”

More great news: one need not be physically present in DC. These sessions will be available via the web. Admission to all eight seminars, whether in person or via the internet, costs $90, but those who register before Saturday, March 10 will benefit from a discount, bringing the total cost to $75.

You can’t go to the movies eight times for $75. Or $90.

The schedule: All sessions will take place on Sundays, from 4 to 6 p.m. Panelists for discussion: TBA.

March 25 – Kabbalah and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Dr. Darryl Carter.

April 22 – Sufism and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Dr. Julianne Hazen, Director of Sufi Studies, Sufi Center, Medina, New York.

May 20 – Vedanta Yoga and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Ill. George R. Adams, 33°, GC.

June 17 – Science and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Dr. Pierre Gaujard, Physicist.

September 16 – Buddhism and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Ven. Bhante Katugastota Uparatana, Buddhist Chaplain, American University, Washington.

October 7 – Esoteric Christianity and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Fratre Marcel Derouches.

October 21 – Taoism and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Dr. Darryl Carter.

November 11 – Freemasonry and the Tree of Life, Pathway to Enlightenment, presented by Ill. George R. Adams.

Read about the presenters here.
   

‘Masonic Week 2012: The Badge of a Mason’

     

“...more ancient than the Golden Fleece
or Roman Eagle; more honorable than
the Star and Garter, or any other Order....”

We have it all wrong, you see. We Freemasons go about it backward. My own opinion of the Freemason's apron is that the youngest Entered Apprentice ought to be presented a lavish, gleaming garment, embroidered in bullion, bejeweled brilliantly; fashioned by “a man skillful to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, stone, and in timber; in purple, blue, fine linen, and in crimson.” But then, as the brother progresses through the degrees, along the path of places and stations, improving in his labors, his apron should lose these embellishments, gradually, until the time he deserves the white lambskin. When he has mastered his Craft.

Admittedly, this sounds laughably romantic—and I know it is unworkable and impossible, so I won't pitch the idea to anyone but you—but it would do us so much good.

In the meantime, belated Magpie coverage of Masonic Week 2012 continues with a quick stop at the table of The Craftsman's Apron, staffed by Bro. Patrick Craddock. The vendors at Masonic Week change every year, and most of those present this time are easily forgotten, thanks to their marked up mail order goods. And then there is Bro. Patrick. Despite photographing his wares and chatting with him here and there, I managed to forget to shoot a photo of him, but the following is a display of his work. (Pardon the watermark on each shot.)

Bro. Craddock custom makes aprons, designing them to the clients' specifications, but look under the flap, and you'll see what makes the apron unique to he who wears it. INSET: Another variation on the personalization under the flap.

About a month ago, I started a discussion in my mother lodge's Yahoo! Group about aprons. I had been perusing the new catalog from one of the overpriced mail order companies, when I got to thinking about plain white aprons, and how the brethren in New Jersey do not own their own. It's some kind of absurd custom that Masons here, when attending their lodges or visiting others, wear whatever regalia is provided in the anteroom. Many lodges do not give the matter much thought, resulting in aprons that should have been retired ages ago still being made available for use. Past Masters and grand lodge officers own, care for, and carry their own regalia. All Master Masons should. They should buy themselves white aprons, and the carry cases needed for proper care. It's a matter of respect and responsibility for oneself and for the Order.

Anyway, it didn't take long for that discussion on-line to go off-topic. I complained about our grand lodge's endless laws and rules that, in this case, needlessly require everyone here to wear the exact same regalia. (The inspiration for this, I suspect, is the same mentality that stifles other aspects of individuality and creativity, namely there are those who cannot bear to see someone enjoy what they themselves cannot. As a past grand master told me one night near the end of his term of office years ago, governing New Jersey Masons requires treating us like children.) But my main point still stands: Master Masons should exercise choice and responsibility by acquiring their own regalia, and having it ready to wear when needed. Like adults.

It saddens me to know New Jersey Masons never will have the freedom
to wear regalia of their own design.

Look at the potential for greatness here! Where lodges have the freedom to adopt their own regalia, they may devise a design of their own, or work with Bro. Patrick on a design, or just select an appropriate symbol or two with their lodge name and number. To do something unique is a great privilege, brethren, don't pass up the opportunity!

Bro. Craddock makes the regalia of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

And, as you'll see on his website, Bro. Patrick
offers a variety of personal items too.

Coverage of Masonic Week will continue with Knight Masons, Allied Masonic Degrees, and, of course, The Masonic Society!

     

‘Lunch with Trevor’

Bro. Trevor Stewart in the spotlight.

One of the changes made at Masonic Week this year was the addition of a Friday luncheon. It was hosted by the Grand Council of Knight Masons, which seems determined to liven up things a bit. Like an idiot, I slept through the Grand Council’s annual meeting at eight in the morning (in all fairness, I had just driven down to Virginia, arriving at the hotel at 6 a.m., and I was bushed), which included degree work and other “must see” attractions. But I wasn’t about to miss lunch, especially with Trevor Stewart slated to speak!

(If you haven’t attended a Grand Council of Knight Masons annual meeting at Masonic Week before, then you cannot appreciate how necessary the changes wrought at this meeting are. It was at the 2011 meeting, approximately three-quarters through an intricately detailed financial report of some 30 minutes, that I cried out “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?”)

This luncheon was a success, as shown by the production value from start to finish. The officers entered the dining room in a formal procession, led by a bagpiper. (Knight Masonry originates in Ireland, and our degrees are dubbed “The Green Degrees.”) A talented harpist provided perfect music for ambiance. Dull formalities were minimized. Host and guest exchanged presents. And of course there’s Trevor.

He spoke on the nature and history of knighthoods, mentioning some—it probably is not possible to list them all—of the knighthoods among the many colorful titles in Freemasonry, before explaining the more general and historical purposes and meanings of various knighthoods. I didn’t take notes, but I did shoot some photos:

From left: our harpist, Past Great Chief Kevin Sample, Trevor, Cousin X, and Cousin Aaron.

Our bagpiper. (Sorry, didn’t catch his name.)

The exchange of gifts: Kevin gave Trevor a beautiful fountain pen, and Trevor reciprocated with a copy of his book Looking Back, Looking Forward.

Trevor Stewart is one of the best speakers on the Masonic scene today.