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Lester Felion, known to all as "Tweeter," is by all accounts one of the last of "the old school." Born in Leicester, one of 11 children, Tweeter started logging after the 8th grade when his family could not afford high school tuition in neighboring Brandon. Sixty years later, he's still at it. His crew hasn't changed much—brother Ron for 40-plus years, son Lester Jr. for 30-plus years. Nor has his Yankee frugality—his bulldozer and skidder are well past being senior citizens of the forest. What makes Tweeter, Tweeter is his longstanding woods ethic: "Leave the woods better than you found them."
"I Know What Hard Times Are"
I was born in 1937 right after the Depression. I'm the oldest of 11 siblings, so I know what hard times are. When I started working on the cross cut with the old man, I was small and couldn't bear on it. He'd pull that handle so hard that the blade would fly by and almost hit me in the head. And then I started with the axe, splitting wood, so my father wouldn't have to when he got home. His axes were always sharp and if you messed up on 'em, you'd get some good bruises to show for it. "Tweeter" Felion
"The Old School Looked to the Future"
The old school looked to the future. They took out the trees that were big enough and had to come out. Then they'd go back in 20 years and do it again. So you always had regeneration. The old school knew you left it better for the next guy. There wasn't so much of a rush then and guys still made money. "Tweeter" Felion


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A couple of heart-related local news stories came up the other day and I was struck again by the importance of AED's and the factors that come into play in determining whether or not an SCA crisis has the best possible outcome. Usually it seems that most of life "out there in the big world" is beyond our control, but there are some crucial pieces of the emergency response puzzle that make a huge difference in life or death outcomes of SCA events. Working individually and with our communities, we can take concrete steps to improve survival rates for SCA right where we live!
PITTSBURGH, PA--A hallmark of the Citizen CPR Foundation's Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update (ECCU) conference, scheduled for December 5-8 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans is a track devoted to sudden cardiac arrest survivors, family members, and rescuers.
CLEVELAND, OH--The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated as 'Giving Tuesday' – a day earmarked for doing for others or donating to charitable causes.
And while we might think that giving only benefits the recipient of the gift, according to Joseph Rock PsyD, of Cleveland Clinic, that's not entirely the case.
He said our brains experience joy when we are the giver too.
"Part of your brain gets activated when you do charitable giving or engage in altruistic behavior, so we really do receive biochemical, physical pleasure from doing things for other people," said Dr. Rock.
Despite majority of U.S. states requiring CPR training, wide variability exists
WASHINGTON, DC--Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is known to improve survival of cardiac arrest; however, there is a disparate geographic variation in cardiac arrest survival and only a small number of the U.S. population is trained in CPR annually. According to the Institute for Medicine (IOM), high school students may be an excellent target for CPR training. A review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that over half of U.S. states require some form of CPR training in high school, but there is wide variability in instruction.
Dr. Vinay Nadkarni recognized for his lifetime contributions to cardiac arrest resuscitation science
TORONTO, ONTARIO--Screening programs for cardiac conditions are not an effective way to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in competitive sport, and may prevent healthy athletes from participating, a new study suggests.
More than 80 per cent sudden cardiac arrests in competitive sports could not have been predicted by screening programs, according to the study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital identified a total of 3,825 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests among persons aged 12-45 during the six-year study period.
ANAHEIM, CA--Students as young as sixth-graders can learn and perform CPR effectively and should be targeted for training, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.
Researchers assessed the ability of 160 sixth-graders (average age 12) to perform Hands-Only CPR for adults, using music and a video game to help the students attain the correct compression rate.
ANAHEIM, CA--Sitting in, or standing close to the charging port of a Tesla electric vehicle didn't trigger a shock or interfere with implantable defibrillator performance, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.
Researchers examined the potential effect of electromagnetic interference while charging an electric vehicle battery at 220 Volts. The study included 26 men and 8 women from Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, average age 69, with implanted cardiac defibrillators of various types.
Study Highlights:

subset: commoncrawl


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Casalino is back!
A star in the seventies and forgotten in the eighties, Casala wanted to re-edit a chair called Casalino in the year 2007. But where were the moulds? After much research, the Dutch company Lauena found something in Antalya, Turkey. The moulds waited unknowingly in a store in the beloved tourism capital along the Turkish Mediterranean. Casala brought these moulds back to re-create the once-forgotten classic, which has been honoured with the "Die gute Industrieform" (good industrial form) award at the Hanover fair in 1971.
Casalino 2007 is not a remake; it's an original, made by designer Alexander Begge. "The work made me happy, so that I forgot everything around me," remembers Begge regarding the creation process.
And this enthusiasm of plastic-pop and move-desires of the seventies proves that a lose life-feeling can also have its practical sides, since Casalino still lives on 40 years later: The chairs flow inside each other seamlessly when they are stacked up to four, so that they only occupy one-third of a cubic metre. Casalino is elegant and still robust, one can wash it and its colours will not bleach-out in the sun. It looks great inside the house, as well as in the garden, in the office and the balcony. And since it is also antistatic, it is adapted to modern textiles.
Since children handle modern furniture more careless than adults, let us say here: Casalino is pretty and will remain pretty. It is shock-resistant, scratch-resistant (since it is painted thoroughly) and especially important: it has no harmful-edges.


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These healthy rhubarb bars are easy to make and delicious. They're vegan and free from added refined sugar and as well as having a portion of vegetables they're also packed full of goodness from dates, nuts and chia seeds.
Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable?
Rhubarb is one of my favourite summer vegetables. Yes – it is a vegetable, even though it's usually treated as a fruit, in British cooking at least. I think many people agree, in fact my refined sugar free simple rhubarb compote recipe is the most popular recipe on my site at the moment.
I've always loved rhubarb. I remember the pink and green stems clearly from my own childhood – with an allotment growing dad and a greengrocer grandad we had a lot of fresh produce around.
For me rhubarb is as much a symbol of summer as trips to the beach and hot dusty days at the local park. It features heavily in my childhood memories, usually eaten in a crumble, sometimes stewed with cream or ice cream, always with a lot of sugar.
My kids are less keen on rhubarb though
It's hard to get my own children to eat it though. I think they're perhaps put off by its appearance as well as its natural tartness. But I'm loath to serve them a pudding that contains almost the same quantity of added sugar as it does rhubarb!
I only had a one out of three success rate with these rhubarb bars – and it was Miss R, 5, who liked them. R wouldn't even try them and Little S did give them a go but wasn't keen. Perhaps rhubarb will have to join broccoli as one of the rare things that he doesn't like.
But the two adults in the house – me and my husband – absolutely loved these and couldn't get enough of them.
Here's how to make healthy vegan rhubarb bars:
To make these rhubarb bars I first stewed the rhubarb and then added a little maple syrup to sweeten it and some chia seeds to thicken it into a jam.
If you haven't tried making chia jam yet then you really must give it a try – it's so much easier than you might think and has delicious results. Try my mixed berry chia jam or these raspberry jam tarts made with chia jam.
Healthy vegan rhubarb bars
For the base
- 125 g walnuts
- 75 g dates chopped
- 50 g coconut oil or vegan butter
- 30 g wholemeal flour I used spelt or ground oats
For the rhubarb jam
- 400 g rhubarb chopped
- 4 tbsp chia seeds
- Juice of half a lemon
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Pulse the walnuts and dates together in a high powered blender or food processor.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and rub in the coconut oil or butter and spelt flour with your fingers.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds until it comes together into a dough.
Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the rhubarb and the lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat gently until soft and broken down.
Add the chia seeds and maple syrup, stir well, set aside and leave to cool and thicken. You can put it in the fridge once cooled if you don't want to make the bars straight away.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
Grease and base line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. A loose-bottomed tin is ideal but if you don't have one leave a little bit of baking paper hanging over the edges to make it easier to remove the bars when they've been cooked.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Press into the bottom of the tin.
Spread the rhubarb chia jam over the top and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin then cut into slices and remove.


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Today we're continuing a series of posts from my Father, Lorenz J. Gude. This is number III. Although my Father writes mostly on politics these days over on his blog YankeeWombat, I believe our mutual interest in areas like media and technology are appropriate fodder for a blog like EXCELER8ion.
Corporate Blogging and Network Dynamics
by Lorenz J. Gude
At the end of my last post on corporate blogging and McLuhan I wrote:
McLuhan?'s ideas may be of genuine use to the advocates of corporate blogging to help corporations recognize that, like it or not, they are operating in a new media environment with both new dangers and opportunities.
McLuhan isn't much help identifying those dangers and opportunities – he just tells us that they are going to be there and why we ignore them at our peril. For the particular dangers and opportunities created by a new medium you need a theorist who is interacting with the new medium in question. To see corporate blogs in that perspective we need to back up a little. I first wrote about the application of Eric Raymond's ideas to blogging in general here:
Eric Raymond?s The Cathedral and the Bazaar provides a powerful general explanation of the phenomena of Open Software – Linux in particular. Raymond?s book – available free on line here and well worth reading – is about two different styles of software development. To grossly simplify, the cathedral style is that used by hierarchically organized companies like Microsoft or IBM. The bazaar style is used by open software development projects like Linux. The former uses tightly held propriety code developed by a well supervised team with assigned roles. It is the tried and true method of engineering that has been used to successfully build battleships, bridges, software, and, well, cathedrals for a long time. The latter style, in apparent defiance of common sense, openly posts source code on the Internet where any interested party can change it any way they want, scrutinize it for bugs, and post suggested fixes. The amazing outcome is that Linux has become serious competition for Microsoft even though its developers are all unpaid volunteers. Raymond?s explanation of this phenomena is convincing. Linux can muster a large number of volunteers world wide who bring very different backgrounds and abilities to the code they review. What has emerged is that those best qualified to spot problems and those with the skills to fix them (usually different people) are ?found? by the net – in much the same way that buyers and sellers find each other in a bazaar. Raymond characterized this phenomena as Linus?s law: ?Given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized quickly and the fix obvious to someone.?
The principle that Eric Raymond has elucidated here does not just apply to computer programming, but, I argue can be extended to networked media in general. The network, the Internet, makes any project that requires only attention and labor accessible to anyone with a computer and a connection. You can't mine coal or manufacture car parts with only a computer and an Internet connection, but you can tackle anything that only requires your labor and skill. What the network does is connect skills and attention to a particular task and greatly improves the chances that the persons with the most appropriate skills and the time to put them to work will come in contact with the task.
Blogging has already demonstrated that it thrives in the networked environment. There are 40 million of us the last time I saw a statistic. In this post I want to focus in on a relatively new kind of blogging – corporate blogging – and how Eric Raymond's ideas might help understand and implement it better. With a corporate blog you have a subset of the Internet – the corporate network which is a reflection of a sharply defined entity called a corporation that is normally an organization created for the purpose of supplying goods and services on a for profit basis. The sharpness of the line between the privately held corporation and the public is a critical aspect of corporations that allow them to make a profit. What crosses that line – money, information, people, goods and services are all carefully controlled to maximize the survival and profitability of the corporation. Success and control are closely linked. There are the controls over money both internal and governmental that attempt to keep corporations honest and profitable and find out quickly when they are not. But information is also tightly controlled in the interests of protecting the money. Not only does Dupont keep its formulas secret, it and every other corporation, carefully cultivates what the public knows about the corporation. It protects its 'brand' like a mother tiger, and works hard to avoid negative publicity.
Corporate blogging must make its way into this environment that so values control. Furthermore while corporations will take calculated risks on familiar ground, it is much harder to get them to take risks in unfamiliar territory – like with a new medium such as blogging. If I seem to be building a case against corporate blogging it is because I want to give a realistic picture of the difficulties involved. I also want to avoid a too optimistic view which ignores real problems – something that techno optimists are perennially guilty of doing. In Eric Raymond's terms I am saying that corporations are Cathedral like organizations – hierarchical, controlled from the top down. How do they take advantage of the bazaar like nature of the Internet when considering corporate blogs? The problem is that initially the risks seem to outweigh the rewards, but that once people start doing it successfully, the firm that fails to do it is giving away a possible way to grow and profit. Early adopters of corporate blogging who succeed will gain an advantage – just as companies – for example Wrigley's Gum – that first took advantage of electrically lit billboards as an advertising medium a century ago did well. The obvious advantage is that the company gets better known through a new channel of communication. It is also an opportunity for corporations to develop the public's understanding of them both as customers and potential employees to a level not previously possible. Corporate blogging is a quite different opportunity for the company to tell its story and for its customers to respond. Unexpectedly, that bright kid in college who might be your future CEO can get to know what it is like to work for your company and put you on his short list. In short, blogging can improve the quality of the interaction and if you have something to offer it can get the word out to those most interested who might otherwise never know of the company's existence.
Is that kind of advantage worth the risk of inappropriate blogging – taking workplace gossip and power struggles public or worse putting the kind of destructive material on the Internet that disgruntled employees are famous for? I'll just say this here – it has worked for the US military – an organization even more concerned with control and secrecy than business. Counterintuitively, milbloggers have not compromised operational security or created massive PR problems. Their fresh approach is, in practice, much more effective than the institutionalized (think Cathedral like) efforts of the military public information effort because they reach out to the public directly. Positive or negative, agree or disagree with them, the voices are authentic, and that makes all the difference. The military also deserves credit for not doing what it would be so easy for them to do – simply issue an order prohibiting blogging. Somehow, an institution not famous for recognizing innovation in a timely fashion got this one right and reaped the benefit of their soldier's creativity without paying a prohibitive price.
I would argue that the reason the military succeeded and the general approach to ensuring that a corporate blog is a success will involve the right balance of control and openness. You need the control – as with any corporate activity – to ensure that the activity contributes positively to the company. You need the openness to let the nature of networks – the bazaar effect – to work in your company's favor. There is no way of knowing who on your staff might turn out to be a star blogger. Or what unanticipated approach to blogging they might come up with that benefits the company. It might be the mail girl, the loading dock guy, that loud mouth in sales who no one likes but who always seems to sell the most – it might even be the CEO. You just don't know, but armed with an understanding of the dynamics of networks it should be obvious that it might not work to just task the PR department to create a corporate blog. Here is an example of an alternate strategy based on Eric Raymond's theory.
Keep you blog within the company to start with. There is probably already a password protected corporate network not accessible to the public. Open blogging to anyone in the company on your private network. Let them know that if they are good at it it will go onto the Internet and that the prize might even be a good job. The inhouse blogging phase should reveal the talent and both the opportunities and the problems while controlling risk. That's the place to get the balance right between control and creativity and to create the polices that will let potential corporate bloggers know what they can and cannot do. When the inhouse bloggers are ready for public exposure then you can let them go public with a much clearer idea of what the impact will be. The inhouse blogs can even be kept as a kind of farm team to develop new talent.
This example is intended as a simple demonstration of how to apply a particular theory to the emerging issue of corporate blogging. The larger point I want to make here is that however you do it you must recognize that, in a time of change, risk and opportunity come together and seeing one and not the other is itself risky. Effective corporate people already know this is true in the marketplace. It is equally true, but sometime harder to see, in the arena of emerging new media.
[tags]corporate blogging, Marshall McLuhan, Eric Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Milbloggers, Milblogs, Social Media[/tags]


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St. John Neumann Catholic Church
Charlotte, NC
Category: Worship Leader, Music Minister, Worship Pastor
Posted on: September 04, 2012
Key responsibilities:
Choose and play prelude and postlude at 11am Sunday Mass using our three manual, 60-rank Ahlborn-Galanti electric_noemailan or our Young Chang baby grand piano. Work with the Music Director to provide a_noemailpaniment for anthems, extended works, and other music as needed. Create and foster working relationships with volunteer a_noemailpanists and other members of our music ministry. Attend and play for scheduled weekly choir rehearsals and special rehearsals as they arise. Provide music for other church functions as needed, including but not limited to High Holy Days (e.g. Easter Triduum, Midnight Mass at Christmas, First Communion, and Confirmation Masses), congregational functions and other events as needed. You will also be asked to participate in at least one major musical production annually and may also be asked to prepare an annual recital in collaboration with the music director or other volunteers.
Position requires:
Proficiency in a_noemailpanying under a conductor, strong sight-reading skills, ability to work in social harmony with pastoral staff and volunteers. An understanding of the Roman Catholic Mass and its format are essential. Familiarity with GIA and OCP resources and_noemailmon tunes is encouraged. A good choral singing voice is definitely a plus.
Will be on a contract, per-service basis and will be based on experience and merit. Additional_noemailpensation may be available for weddings and funerals, and for subbing for the music director when absent. The a_noemailpanist can expect to be significantly less busy in the summer months, but more busy during Holy seasons, averaging two services/week. Responsibilities and_noemailpensation may grow with satisfactory performance depending on parish needs.
Please e-mail cv/resumes and three references to peppie@calvar_noemail. No phone inquiries, please. We seek to fill the position immediately.
About our St. John Neumann parish and music ministry:
St. John Neumann's beautiful all-brick sanctuary was dedicated in 1985. A parish of 1400 families in East Charlotte, St. John Neumann serves a highly socially diverse suburban population and a growing Hispanic demographic. Under the leadership of our pastor Fr. Pat Hoare, St. John Neumann has realized a strong resurgence in congregational growth and participation. St. John Neumann holds six Masses every weekend, including a Hispanic Mass and a contemporary Mass following the Lifeteen tradition. Our music ministry has grown steadily over the past five years under the leadership of Peppie Calvar, participating in our annual Diocesan Eucharistic Congress choir in each of the last two seasons as the best represented parish in the Diocese.


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Wednesday November 20, 2019; 02:59 pm EST
Love is great medicine when you're fighting for your life
"Love is about when things look like they cannot get any worse and you still manage," says Debbie Gurley of Edgewater. For 17 years, Gurley and Mike Kinnahan have managed bad and worse with love leavened by hope and laughter.
First relationships after divorce rarely work, they learned the night they met at a support group for the newly divorced. They defied those odds. Gurley and her daughter Elizabeth moved into Kinnahan's house after a year of dating. The plan was to stay until she found a lot where Kinnahan, owner of Annapolis Builder, would build her home.
Carrying out that plan took a leap of faith.
For within months, a mammogram revealed massive tumors in Gurley's breasts; she underwent a bilateral mastectomy in February.
When she could finally take a bath after surgery, she and Kinnahan fashioned a necklace of ribbon to hold four drainage bags out of the water.
"As I was sitting in the tub, Mike was washing my back." Gurley recalls in a voice where Tennessee is still present. "No more breasts. My hair was awful. I'm sitting there with these bags thinking, this has to be true love because nobody else would do this."
Gurley offered Kinnahan a way out.
Leaving "never would have occurred to me," he says. "It would be dishonorable."
Bad grew worse as the couple learned the cancer had spread to Gurley's bones. One physician predicted Gurley had 18 months to live. But another told her to consider clinical trials.
Gurley researched trials at Johns Hopkins, Walter Reed Hospital, National Institutes of Health and Georgetown. She qualified for every one. But would she do it?
"Don't put yourself through this," doctors at one hospital advised.
"Having the diagnosis I did, Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, is liberating," Gurley says. "It leaves you to make the choice easily."
"You struggled with the choice," Kinnahan reminds her.
"I had a soul searching for about 24 hours," Gurley admits. "Then it became pretty clear. I had a 13-year-old. What was I going to do about that?"
One trial involved experimentally high doses of chemotherapy, stem cell transplants and gene therapy.
"So many papers, and the word death was on every one about five times. It was intimidating," she recalls.
After stem cells had been harvested from an artery, Gurley noticed a lump. It disappeared, but severe chest pains sent her to the emergency room. It took Kinnahan's insistence to get action. Doctors discovered a huge embolism in her left lung.
The trial continued after the clot was dissolved.
When Gurley lost her hair, she did without wigs and scarves. "If I'm going through this, why would I make myself more uncomfortable?" she says of her decision. Her baldness made some people uncomfortable, but in others it roused a kinship. "A side benefit was I heard the most interesting stories from strangers," she says.
"She was a good looking bald woman," Kinnahan adds.
A teenager in the mix added perspective.
Mother and daughter had already talked through the hard facts.
"If the cancer's in your bones, they can't remove that," Elizabeth said.
"No, they can't," her mother acknowledged. "But we're going to try something else. The doctors say I might die, but I don't know what's going to happen. I know what I'm going to try to do."
But there were more worries to work through.
Coming upon Elizabeth in tears, Kinnahan called her mother to soothe her. "Everything will work out," Gurley assured her daughter.
"No, Mom, you don't understand," Elizabeth said. "Jimmy doesn't like me."
"Elizabeth," replied Gurley, "I'm so glad that I have you here to remind me that this is not all about me."
Over the hard years, Kinnahan added possibility to the mix.
"I was ready to throw in the towel," Gurley said, "but Mike was looking out for my best interest. What if they're wrong and you survive? he asked."
Because of him, they built the Selby Bay home they now live in.
They have packed a lot of living into their years. After one stretch of chemotherapy, they skied in Austria, with two research nurses tagging along. They have cruised and visited Elizabeth, now 29, in Oregon. They love Halloween and biking. He windsurfs; she is a paddle boarder. Next is a trip to ski in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Gurley's Valentine's Day advice: "Don't leave anything on the table. Make your plans."


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TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Paul Ryan is preparing for the biggest speech of his career on Wednesday, when he will accept the Republican vice presidential nomination in front of a television audience of tens of millions of voters.
Style experts hope he'll find some time to do some clothes shopping as well.
Ryan's budget-cutting plan has made him one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. politics, but many of those who know fashion agree on one thing: The man needs serious help with his wardrobe.
When Mitt Romney added Ryan to the Republican ticket this month, fashion experts panned the 42-year-old Wisconsin congressman's duck-billed loafers, floppy shirt collars and baggy suits.
GQ, the men's magazine, called Ryan's boxy black suit a "suburban dad special," while Esquire compared it to a trash bag. Women's Wear Daily called his choice of square-toed shoes "one of the most grievous mistakes a man can make."
Ryan looks "like a boy wearing his father's suit," said Jesse Thorn, editor of the menswear blog Put This On.
Ryan probably won't need the support of fashionistas to win the vice presidency on November 6, but some clothing experts wonder whether voters might conclude that a man who wears suits that seem to be a couple of sizes too large isn't ready to be one heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
"If the suit's too big for him, it seems like the job is too big for him," said Laurie Graham, a Los Angeles image consultant who works with business clients.
Ryan also gets low marks for wearing his suit without a tie, an increasingly popular look among political candidates striving for the approachable look.
"To me it looks like they had to run out of the house because it was on fire," said David Hodgkins, owner of David Wood Clothiers in Portland, Maine. "It's incomplete, it's like a shoe without shoelaces."
Ryan's appearance could be a reflection of his monk-like focus on fiscal policy. A wonk's wonk, Ryan is known for sleeping in his Capitol Hill office and staying up late studying budget tables, rather than hitting Washington's party scene.
"I wonder if there was some point in his life when he was 15 or 20 pounds heavier, and went into a Men's Wearhouse, had himself measured and wrote it down for posterity," Thorn said.
Ryan's poorly fitting suits threaten to obscure looks that routinely are described as boyishly handsome and a body that has been toned by the vigorous P90X fitness regimen.
TMZ, a gossip website, wrote that Ryan might be "the hottest vice presidential candidate ever." The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, named him one of the 50 most attractive people in politics in 2008.
"Forget the budget: Paul Ryan is hot!" wrote Politico, another publication for Washington insiders.
Unlike female politicians whose clothing and hairstyle choices are dissected endlessly, male politicians typically enjoy less scrutiny and face fewer fashion risks.
For decades, the choice of lawmakers and officials has been a dark suit with a white shirt and red or blue solid tie to convey an aura of power and authority. President Ronald Reagan's brown suits were a rare exception, but they helped to bolster his image as a western outsider with few ties to Washington.
Clothing, however, occasionally can trip up male politicians.
Vice President Al Gore was mocked during the 2000 presidential campaign for heeding the advice of a consultant who told him to wear earth tones. And President Barack Obama drew snickers when he was photographed in high-waisted "dad jeans" a few years ago.
President George H.W. Bush only deepened his blue-blooded reputation when he argued that he wasn't a "Brooks Brothers Republican" because he wore J. Press suits - another brand favored by old-money New Englanders.
For political candidates, a sudden fashion transformation doesn't always work out.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin traded in her turtlenecks and fleece vests for designer outfits after she was chosen as Republican John McCain's vice presidential running mate in 2008. But the $150,000 cost of the makeover led to uncomfortable questions for the campaign, particularly when it became clear that the Republican Party had paid for the clothes.
For Ryan, it won't be too difficult to up his sartorial game when he takes the podium at the Republican convention in Tampa on Wednesday night, fashion experts say.
Black cap-toe shoes, a dark, slim-fitting suit from a maker such as Brooks Brothers or Southwick, a white shirt and a solid or striped tie would convey confidence and authority, menswear experts said. Most importantly, it would not distract from the message Ryan hopes to convey to voters.
"It's his job to look responsible," Thorn said. "His priority should be to look like he has his act together."
Editing by David Lindsey and Leslie Adler


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Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound, Duke University Press (2010). Twenty-four interviews with women who are electronic musicians, DJs, sound artists; with critical introduction on gender and audio cultures.
Essays on the cultural history of synthesized sound
"Toward a Feminist Epistemology of Sound: Refiguring Waves in Audio-Technical Discourse," in Engaging the World: Thinking After Irigaray, edited by Mary Rawlinson, SUNY Press (2016).
"Tinkering with Cultural Memory: Gender and the Politics of Synthesizer Historiography," Feminist Media Histories, 1:4 (Fall 2015), special issue: Women and Soundwork, edited by Michele Hilmes and Kate Lacey.
"Synthesis," in Keywords in Sound, edited by David Novak and Matt Sakakeeny, Duke University Press (2015).
"'What, for me, constitutes life in a sound?': Electronic Sounds as Lively and Differentiated Individuals," American Quarterly 63:3 (September 2011), special issue: Sound Clash: Listening to American Studies, edited by Kara Keeling and Josh Kun: 509-30.
"Into the Woods: A Brief History of Wood Paneling on Synthesizers," Sounding Out! The Sound Studies Blog, May 30, 2011.
Other sound history & theory
"Approaching Sound," in The Routledge Companion to Media Studies and Digital Humanities, edited by Jentery Sayers (New York: Routledge, 2018).
"Cultivating Activist Lives in Sound," Leonardo Music Journal 25 (2015), special issue: The Politics of Sonic Art. (Adapted from a keynote lecture at the 2nd Sound::Gender::Feminism::Activism conference, London College of Communication, October 2014.)
"Toward a Feminist Historiography of Electronic Music," in The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, Routledge (2012), reprinted from the introduction to Pink Noises.
"The Poetics of Signal Processing" (co-authored with Jonathan Sterne), differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 22:3 (Fall 2011), special issue: The Sense of Sound, edited by Rey Chow and James Steintrager, 31-53.
– Also published in German translation: "Poetik der Signalverarbeitung," Zeitschrift für Medienwissenschaft (Media Studies Journal) 5:2 (2011).
"On the Process and Aesthetics of Sampling in Electronic Music Production," Organised Sound 8:3 (2003), 313-20.
– Reprinted in Electronica, Dance and Club Music, edited by Mark J. Butler, The Library of Essays on Popular Music series (Ashgate, 2012); and published in Swedish translation (by Jim Jakobsson) in Mer än Ljud/More Than Sound, edited by Sara Arrhenius and Magnus Bergh (Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag, 2013).
Editing & curating
Guest curator, Her Noise Archive (2012). Review of Daphne Oram's An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics.
Guest curator, Sounds Like Now! CD to accompany a special issue on improvisation and technology, Leonardo Music Journal 20 (2010).
Guest editor, "Sound and the Social Organization of Space," Leonardo Music Journal 16 (2006). A curated special section featuring artist statements from Carrie Bodle, Beth Coleman & Howard Goldkrand, Chris Kubick & Anne Walsh, Trevor Paglen, and Matt Volla.
Artist statements
Stamp Gallery: Patterns of Movement solo exhibition flyer (2012).
"Patterns of Movement: Landscapes, Data + Sound," Fembot Collective: Gender, New Media, and Technology blog (2012).
"How Art and Research Inform One Another; or, Choose Your Own Adventure," Canadian Journal of Communication 37:1 (2012), special issue: Media Arts Revisited, edited by Kim Sawchuk, 155-61.
On the audiovisual installation "Places I've Lived and Traveled To, 1973-2005," Tools of Mind, special issue of FO A RM curated by Matt Marble (2007).
"Butterfly Effects: Synthesis, Emergence, and Transduction," Leonardo Electronic Almanac 14:7-8 (2006), special issue: Wild Nature and the Digital Life, edited by Sue Thomas and Dene Grigar. On a quad sound installation, written in SuperCollider, inspired by behaviors of migrating butterflies.
Truants blog interview with Analog Tara (2018).
New Music Box interview: Building Curriculum Diversity: Pink Noises (2017).
Museum of Portable Sound interview: Media Crafting: Tara Rodgers's Collection of Mini Fiber Arts Audio Gear (2017).
"Pourquoi la techno est-elle si sexiste?" (French translation), Trax Magazine 204 (2017).
Good Tea Leaf blog interview with Analog Tara (2016).
Stamp Gallery: Patterns of Movement pre-show interview (2012).
Vague Terrain: Digital Art/Culture/Technology, "Process" issue (2007).


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Tax filing, e-file, tax refund, etc are all searches that are ramping up right now. This is a perfect time to jump on a domain like FileMyTax.com. It's never been developed and has been with the same owner for several years.
Make an offer or BIN for $8500
The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward.
– John Maynard Keynes


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|By PR Newswire
Article Rating:
|August 29, 2014 06:59 PM EDT
DUBLIN, August 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dfd2gz/global_private) has announced the addition of the "Global Private and Public Cloud Market in Financial Services Industry 2014-2018" report to their offering.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 )
Financial services are the services offered by the Financial sector that help credit companies, insurance companies, accounts companies banks, and investment funds, and certain finance firms manage capital. Changing technology assists in the growth of the Financial Services industry.
Cloud computing, for instance, when used in the industry, helps reduce ongoing operational costs. Other benefits of cloud computing also includes its ability to help financial industries gain better reach and customers in the market. Both private and public cloud solutions are used in the Financial Services industry. Private cloud solutions are used more often by financial institutions as they offer better security and can be customized in comparison to public cloud solutions. This factor will lead to the increased growth of the Financial Services industry in 2018.
The analysts forecast the Global Private and Public Cloud Market in Financial Services to grow at a CAGR of 24.85 percent over the period 2013-2018.
Key Topics Covered:
01. Executive Summary
02. List of Abbreviations
03. Scope of the Report
04. Market Research Methodology
05. Introduction
06. Market Description
07. Market Landscape
08. Preference of Cloud over On-premises
09. Comparison between Public and Private Cloud
10. Cloud Computing in Financial Services Industry
11. Impact of Public and Private Cloud in Financial Services Applications
12. Geographical Segmentation
13. Key Leading Countries
14. Buying Criteria
15. Market Growth Drivers
16. Drivers and their Impact
17. Market Challenges
18. Impact of Drivers and Challenges
19. Market Trends
20. Trends and their Impact
21. Vendor Landscape
22. Key Vendor Analysis
23. Other Reports in this Series
Companies Mentioned:
- Accenture Plc
- IBM Corp.
- Infosys Technologies Ltd.
- Fujitsu Ltd.
- Amazon Web Services
- Capgemini
- Cisco
- Dimension Data
- Microsoft
- PwC
- Unisys
- Wipro
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dfd2gz/global_private
Media Contact: Laura Wood , +353-1-481-1716, [email protected]
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- 9th International Cloud Expo | Cloud Expo Silicon Valley – Photo Album


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View larger image© Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
There are no additional images for this object.
This button is part of the Luckock Collection. Over 500 buttons collected by James Luckock, a jeweller and button maker in St Paul's Square, Birmingham in the 1780s. Dating from between around 1770 and 1830, they were made at a period when Birmingham buttons had an international reputation.The collection is almost entirely composed of buttons made to be worn on men's coats or waistcoats. This example, of scalloped outline, is carved with concentric designs. It has a drilled brass swaged-in shank.


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Old hat.
That was one of Rasual Butler's nickname in the Pacers locker room. He was with the team for just one season (2013-14), a 34-year-old vet who had earned a spot via summer league and training camp, and ended up having a significant impact on every single person in the locker room.
Four years later, just one player remains from that roster: Lance Stephenson, who was on his second stint with the team.
Their lockers were in the same corner and Butler constantly looked out for Stephenson. After Stephenson answered questions for local media, often times Butler, who looked on intently, would then go over what was said and how to improve for next time.
News got out early Wednesday afternoon that Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle, had died from a single-car accident at 2:25 am PT and it impacted the basketball community.
"Man, I've been thinking about it all day," Stephenson shared Wednesday after the Pacers defeated Memphis by four points. "He was definitely a great mentor. He kept me in check when I got too bad, he was that guy to calm me down especially during the games. Off the court he helped me a lot, how to be a vet and how to take care of yourself off the court. He was one of the main reasons I played so good that year, in 2014.
"It was a sad day, man. That was a really close teammate to me. When I heard the news I was heartbroken. We used to go out to dinner on all the road trips. It's sad, man."
On road trips, Stephenson and Butler would sit together. They would talk about life, relationships, and the various things Butler had experienced with his six previous teams, including one in the NBA's Development League.
While Butler appeared in 50 games for a team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season, his biggest impact was in the locker room. He was a leader of men, whose only intention was, with his warm smile, to have a positive impact on anyone he came across.
"He taught me how to take care of my money, he taught me how to invest," said Stephenson. "He did a lot of stuff underground that nobody would know about. He was definitely one of those guys that mentored me and would have my back."
Darren Collison never played alongside Butler, but the California native remembers their conversations.
"Really good guy. He always said positive things to me. That's how I remember him. He was never negative, always was a hard worker and stayed in the gym. Always stayed in the game. That's unfortunate, but I'm just glad we were able to go out there and try to show a little bit of effort for him. That's the best thing we can do."
Almost two hours before the game, head coach Nate McMillan still hadn't processed exactly what happened. McMillan was in his first year with the Pacers, under Frank Vogel, when Butler wore No. 8 in Indy.
"Just shocking news to hear that," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Painful. A good man, a good player. It's just shocking."
Stephenson brought up Sual, another one of his nicknames, in pregame chapel and said the group prayed about it.
VIDEO: Pacers hold moment of silence to remember Rasual Butler
Eight players from that 2013-14 Pacers team are still in the league, ten players went on social media Wednesday to offer their condolences and to remember those two.
One of my favorite memories of Butler, also known as Bop, extends beyond the court. It was a week before Christmas and George Hill wanted to distribute toys to kids at his neighborhood park off 34th Street.
Butler overheard and wanted to join in. So those two, after buying toys at a local store with their own money, handed out items from the back from Hill's truck in the cold.
"I'm so lost for words right now!" shared Hill, a close friend of his: "This news has taken a huge blow out of me! Teammates come and go but friendships last forever. My years being his teammate were some of my best. Learning from how he carries himself on and off the court, the countless hours he would spend sharpening his craft, the love he displayed for his teammates and the little things in life!"
"Hurt about this one!" wrote Paul George. "I've read almost everyones post about Sul and all of them were spot on about who he was as a person. Truly one of the best human beings I've been around and an unbelievable vet! Gone miss you big bro!"
Solomon Hill, a rookie that season: "Lost an OG today, a true pro, a teacher, and competitor. who was not only a great mentor but also a great father."
According to Stephenson, Butler was closest with David West, a fellow veteran who's a year younger. West always made a point to emphasize that basketball is just a game, so they would have discussions about life and the greater good in the locker room.
"He was very close with David West. Very close," Stephenson recalled. "He was always talking to me next to my locker and stuff, but he and D-West really clicked. They were going on dates, him and his wife, and they would go on trips together."
Butler certainly is missed by the basketball community. Players across the league shared their thoughts on Twitter and Instagram, guys like Dywane Wade, Paul Pierce, and John Wall. He was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the United States Wednesday afternoon.
Butler, a proud father to his daughter from a previous relationship, will be remembered as a kind soul, a positive influence, and a man who understood the greater purpose in life. In his last post, hours before the accident, he wrote "We are here to be Ourselves and No one else!"
(Worth a look: See Rasual Butler's Instagram feed)
Rasul was a basketball player and he appreciated those experiences, but he valued relationships and having intelligent conversations most of all.
He never had to raise his voice, either, because everyone listened. And he will be missed.


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Karl F. Hampl, Sidonie Heinzmann-Wiedmer, Igor Luginbuehl, Christoph Harms, Manfred Seeberger, Markus C. Schneider, Kenneth Drasner; Transient Neurologic Symptoms after Spinal Anesthesia : A Lower Incidence with Prilocaine and Bupivacaine than with Lidocaine. Anesthesiology 1998;88(3):629-633. doi: https://doi.org/.
Download citation file:
© 2019 American Society of Anesthesiologists
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Cold, Rainy Spring
For the first time ever–in 13 years–I was not able to burn my prairie gardens this spring. Too wet, too cold, or too windy. So I finally had to have it cut down, raked up, and tied up or stuffed into waste bags.
I don't have a place to compost this much stuff, so I put it out for the city to collect and compost. My gardens won't be fertilized by the ashes of all these dead leaves and stems that grew here, breaking nature's cycle. How will this affect my gardens this year? Should I apply some organic fertilizer? Blood meal, bone meal? I don't know.
Believe it or not, though, Spring is coming!
Get your native plant gardens started with plants from Northern Kane County Wild Ones Plant Sale on Saturday, May 5, at the Elgin Nature Center.
or call 847-794-8962


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With over 25 years' experience.
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Alpha Chartered Certified Accountants was set up in March 2009 in Small Heath in Birmingham. The sole partner in the company, Amjad Rayaz came from a background which started at a small firm and then spent 12 years working for big firms, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He immediately realized issues in the local area when it came to clients and accountancy firms. Most of the local firms were not qualified and were providing a poor service and enticed clients by offering cheap prices. Many clients were totally oblivious to the fact that their accountant was not qualified.
It also became clear those who were using qualified firms were being charged excessive fees due to a lack of qualified firms in the area.
Hence the mission of Alpha Chartered Certified Accountants was to educate clients about the importance of using a qualified firm but at the same time offer them a reasonable price.
Over the years Alpha Chartered Certified Accountants has built its reputation as a practice that offers a quality service at a reasonable price.
Our aim is to be honest with clients, not take advantage of their situation and be clear on our fees and service we can provide.
Having run the practice for a number of years it became clear we needed to advance ourselves in the ever changing accountancy field. With many changes in the pipeline we firstly decided to move to a more convenient location with modern offices and to provide a service in line with the requirements of clients today.
Hence at our new offices where we moved to in February 2017 we aim to provide a modern service making full use of online technology, software and provide in house services beyond the standard services a practice normally provides.
With over 25 years of experience dealing with both small and large clients we have built a practice that can provide you with a quality service.
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Easy Diabetic Recipes
(Recipe Collection)
15 Recipes Created by PATRICIAROSE7
Here are some yummy recipes that don't take that long to create....Hope you enjoy making them and sharing these recipes with others.
They are in alphabetical order...
Recipes in this Collection
Submitted by JKHEIMBACH
Submitted by JOANNSOM
Easy dinner for 2Submitted by WINKATYOU
Tastes great with the Chicken and Green GrapesSubmitted by READGREEKEASY
Serve with a side of brown rice and you've got a tasty meal.
Light banana bread with flax seed- a great breakfast or nice for a treat!Submitted by KIMBERLY922
A simple twist transforms this traditional recipe into a vegetarian entree.
Submitted by PATRICIAROSE7
Submitted by PATRICIAROSE7
Pat's favorite Ricotta Cheese Dessert with Pineapple tidbits. What a taste!Submitted by PATRICIAROSE7
94 cals eachSubmitted by DREAMERZZZ
An interesting but tasty dessert, perfect for a cool evening.
Submitted by SUNNYMEADOWS
Home-made version of tofu choc. cake.Submitted by RENEE1213
Submitted by CHIQUITASANA


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How to Find the Good Girl
I'm about to blow your socks off….
YES she does exist!!
And believe it or not, she's actually waiting to meet you.
But like the magical unicorn, you'll have to have the right eyes to be able to see her.
You see, lots of media gets thrown at you as to what you should look for in your special girl.
Movies, advertisements, television shows, music, magazines and lots of advice that you read online.
With all that's being marketed to you, the truth is the women that you're told you should go after have nothing to do with what you actually want.
Let me give you some examples:
You should want a boss.
Well okay, but maybe that's not your personality. Perhaps you want someone who's more supportive?
You should want a sexual deviant.
Well okay, but maybe that's not your style. Maybe you're turned on by the more bashful type.
You should want a model.
Well okay, but maybe you don't want a woman who's very focused on her looks and you'd prefer for her to focus on more humanitarian aspects of life.
Now while there's nothing wrong with any of these types of ladies, the challenge is it's not what you're particularly looking for.
That's when it's not right because it's not right for you.
Instead of being told what you want, why not take the time to really ask yourself what priorities stand out to you in a woman.
What is it that you really want?
The more clear you get on what you want, the more likely you'll be able to see your unicorn.
Because you'll be looking through your lenses as opposed to the ones that you're being told to wear.
Your unicorn is out there, you just have to have the right eyes to see her.
Having a hard time finding your unicorn? Don't go looking on your own, join a group of men who are serious about finding their dream woman like you!
Men just like you, making moves and getting the right woman!
Take the Attraction Quiz!
November 2019


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How To Bookmark Favorite Web Pages in iPad Safari
Using Safari, you can browse the Internet on your iPad. If you find a new favorite web page, bookmark it in Safari so that you can easily revisit the page when needed.
1With a site you want to bookmark displayed, tap the Add icon.
A menu of options appears.
3Edit the name of the bookmark, if you want.
The name that comes up is the name assigned to that page by the person who created it. Sometimes that name is not descriptive enough to allow you to remember why you saved the bookmark in the first place. To edit the bookmark name, tap the name of the site and use the onscreen keyboard to edit it.
4Tap the Save button.
The bookmark is added to the Bookmarks menu.
5To go to a particular bookmark, tap the Bookmarks icon.
The Bookmarks menu appears.
6Tap the bookmarked site you want to visit.
The web page you selected from the Bookmarks menu appears.
If you want to sync your bookmarks on your iPad browser to your computer or useyour MobileMe account, connect your iPad to your computer and make sure that the Sync Safari Bookmarks setting on the Info tab of iTunes is activated.
When you tap the Bookmarks icon, you can use the Bookmarks Bar that appears to create folders to organize your bookmarks. When you next add a bookmark, you can then choose from the dialog that appears, any folder to which you want to add the new bookmark.


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CEO Compensation
#231 Jeffery R Gardner04.22.09, 06:00 PM EDT
|Previous: Richard K Templeton
|Next: Stanley A Lybarger
|Total Compensation
$5.84 mil
5-Year Compensation Total
$12.733 mil
Jeffery R Gardner has been CEO of Windstream (WIN) for 3 years. Mr. Gardner has been with the company for 11 years. The 49 year old executive ranks 5 within Telecommunications Services
College: Purdue University
Graduate School: The College of William & Mary MBA
|Jeffery R Gardner's Compensation Vs. Telecommunications Services Medians
|$0.98 mil
|$1.00 mil
|$1.79 mil
|$0.95 mil
|$3.07 mil
|$1.48 mil
|Stock Gains
|$0.00 mil
|Total Compensation
|$5.84 mil
|$5.39 mil
4001 Rodney Parham Road
Little Rock, AK 72212
|< Previous:Richard K Templeton
|Next:Stanley A Lybarger >
|Rank |
Name |
Age |
Company |
Total Compensation | 5 Year Compensation | Market Value
Compensation rank is based on total compensation for latest fiscal year. Total compensation for each chief executive includes the following: salary and bonuses; other compensation, such as vested restricted stock grants, LTIP payouts and perks; and stock gains, the value realized by exercising stock options. Efficiency rank is based on our chief executive's performance/pay score. Ranks are given only to chief executives who have a six-year tenure and six-year compensation history. The most efficient rank is 1 and least efficient is 179.
Total returns and value of stock owned (including all classes) is based on Apr. 9, 2009 stock price. Compensation percent change is based on combined salary and bonus. Annualized total return during tenure covers the tenure of the executive or from the time of the IPO or available stock history. Relative to market is the ending value of $100 invested in the stock, divided by the ending value of $1 invested in the S&P 500 (a score of 100 = the S&P 500). NA: Not available or not applicable.
2Four-year total.
3Three-year total.
4Less than 0.01%.
5Prior-year data.
6New chief executive; compensation may be for another executive office.
7Less than $100,000.
8Received options or restricted stock in lieu of portion of salary.
9Received options or restricted stock in lieu of portion of bonus.
10Includes shares indirectly held.
Sources: Company SEC Filings; FT Interactive Data and LionShares via FactSet Research Systems; Forbes
Intelligent Investing | Data | Knowledge | Insight | Wisdom


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The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit over whether a same-sex Des Moines married couple should BOTH stay on their daughter's birth certificate. The Polk county district court already ruled in favor of the couple.
Representing the Iowa Department of Health was Deputy Attorney General Julie Pottorff. She argued opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples remain different in one immutable way. Only opposite sex couples can conceive a child.
"This doesn't mean that Heather and Melissa Gartner love their child any less and it certainly doesn't mean that Heather and Melissa Gartner provide a less than a desirable home and it does not diminish the importance of family relationships," Pottorff said.
Porttorff said nothing in the 2009 Iowa Supreme court ruling that paved the way for same sex marriage actually mandates both parents be listed on the birth certificate and that should be reserved for biological parents. But speaking outside the courthouse after the arguments, one of the mothers Melissa Gartner, says not being on her daughter's birth certificate poses a lot of challenges.
"What if something did happen to Heather?," Melissa Gartner told reporters outside the courthouse. "I don't want to think that way, but then I have to file guardianship papers on my own child."
National gay rights advocate Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit. They said because the couple's legally married, they're both legal parents.


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Mark A. Boyer, executive director of the International Studies Affiliation, would ordinarily spend this week pulling together the ultimate particulars for his group's annual convention, which usually draws about 6,500 social scientists and academics and kicks off in two weeks in Baltimore. HOME also takes direct motion to aid first-time homebuyers and households with homes underneath the threat of foreclosures. Do not embrace personal or financial info like your Nationwide Insurance coverage quantity or credit card particulars. The phrase home can be used for varied varieties of residential group establishments by which individuals can dwell, reminiscent of nursing , retirement homes for seniors, foster homes , and so forth. Understand that there are QUITE A FEW Grownup Family Homes and Foster Homes that are run by couples in addition to singles. Now turn the card over and you will note what they can work on, as yours can be boilers look for boilers, if they do not have boilers on the card then they can not work on your new boiler. Mortgage rates legitimate as of date/time and assume borrower has wonderful credit score (together with a credit score score of 740 or larger).
Trulia is an all-in-one actual property site that offers you the native scoop about homes on the market, apartments for lease, neighborhood insights , and real property markets and trends to help you figure out precisely what, where, and when to purchase, promote or hire.
A primary-12 months resident at the Cleveland Clinic, she was forced to go away the U.S. hours after touchdown at New York's John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport on Saturday, Jan. Data exhibits homeowners sometimes get an 80 p.c return on funding on the time of sale after they build a deck.
Marketed APR is predicated on a set of mortgage assumptions that embody a borrower with excellent credit (740 credit score score or greater); your actual APR may differ relying in your credit score historical past and loan characteristics. The foremost problem you will be facing is the essential challenge of getting back your credit scores in an excellent level and you require some finances basically to realize this. What you possibly can afford relies on your revenue, credit rating, current month-to-month bills, downpayment and the interest rate. You can contract with Foster Homes and Grownup Household Homes and do the shopping for them.
Greater than half expressed fear that there would be uncertainty sooner or later about whether a green card or permitted visa would be considered valid for entry to the United States, and multiple in 4 predicted that the manager order would lead to an extended-term discount in enterprise journey.


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* Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Britain to tackle evasion
* France's Moscovici says bank secrecy outdated
* Austria rejects bank data exchange as offence to privacy rights
By John O'Donnell and Jan Strupczewski
DUBLIN, April 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's six biggest countries agreed on Friday to cooperate in the fight against tax havens, piling pressure on Austria to follow Luxembourg in ending bank secrecy.
The finance ministers of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Spain and Poland announced their plans to push for more bank transparency within Europe and beyond.
"Nobody can deny that bank secrecy is outdated, that we need an efficient system to tackle evasion strategies," French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici told reporters, flanked by his counterparts from the other countries. "Our mission is to create momentum. When these six major capitals of Europe move together, it creates a strong signal which nobody can resist."
George Osborne, Britain's finance minister, said he was pushing for more transparency from the UK overseas territories of the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands.
"The places that you can hide are getting smaller and smaller," he said. "We are in advanced stages of discussions," he said of talks with the two territories. "They are in no doubt about what we expect."
The announcement adds to pressure on Vienna to sign up to EU rules for the automatic exchange of information on bank depositors. It follows Luxembourg's decision this week to share foreign bank account details with EU governments from 2015, bringing it into line with all other member states bar one - Austria.
Earlier, however, Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter dismissed exchanges of information as an invasion of privacy and criticised other countries for failing to tackle what she called the real "hot spots" of money laundering.
"Austria is sticking to bank secrecy," Fekter told reporters, placing her country in a minority of one when discussions on the issue among 27 EU ministers get fully under way on Saturday.
She attacked the Group of 20 top economies for not taking "any step to close the money laundering in all the islands like Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands or ... in Delaware".
Fekter faces a difficult fight. Tax evasion deprives EU governments of roughly 1 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) annually. France, in particular, wants to underscore its determination to tackle tax fraud.
France's former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac is under investigation for fraud after admitting lying about having a Swiss bank account, an affair that has prompted criticism of French President Francois Hollande.
It is unclear if Fekter will have her way even in Austria, with some voices pushing for a more moderate approach, including Chancellor Werner Faymann. He has said it would be possible for Austria to share information on foreigners' accounts without violating banking secrecy.
EU leaders will also discuss how to combat the tax haven issue when they meet next month, said the president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.
"We must seize the increased political momentum to address this critical problem," Van Rompuy, who chairs meetings of EU leaders, said in a broadcast statement.
Saturday's discussion could see some frank exchanges between Germany, whose finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has campaigned against bank secrecy, and Fekter, who has promised to fight "like a lion" to keep it.
"Every country is independent in its own tax policy but this also means they should abstain from preventing other countries to legally tax their own citizens," Schaeuble told journalists.
Confidentiality is so cherished in Austria that banking secrecy is anchored in the constitution. It has deep traditional roots.
"Automatic exchange of information involves a massive interference in people's privacy rights," Fekter said on Friday. "Here the state sniffs around deep into the private affairs of account holders."


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We also receive project specific support from other government bodies, philanthropic organisations, corporate donations and individuals.
For more information please see our Artistic Program
To enquire about becoming a partner or supporting our work, please forward your details and we will be in touch.
You can become an ICE Breaker or make a donation.


text:
Three Kingston University fashion students have clinched top jobs at American clothing giant Abercrombie and Fitch. Mark Taylor has landed a post as a menswear designer at the company's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, where he will be joined by coursemates Emma Gudgion and Kristen Tonge, who specialise in womenswear. The trio will head to the United States next month.
Mark, who was born in Kent but lived in Indonesia and Washington DC before moving back to England with his family five years ago, impressed Abercrombie and Fitch after assisting with the launch of its Ruehl label last summer. "I helped the designers working on a new sportswear range including shorts, trousers and jackets and it was an amazing experience," the 21 year old said. "I actually have a couple of Abercrombie tops hanging in my wardrobe at home and I can't believe that other people will soon be walking around in clothes I've designed for the company."
Kristen, from Brigg in North Lincolnshire, also proved her talent to company bosses on a work placement at the company's Ohio base last summer during which she designed women's shirts. She is now gearing up to work as a womenswear designer on the firm's Hollister range next month. "Their surf-style collection suits me down to the ground because I love to produce garments that are bold, colourful and use a lot of graphics," Kristen said.
Emma, meanwhile, is about to become an assistant womenswear designer on the company's Ruehl collection. "I've always dreamed of working in the United States so I jumped at the job offer," the 23 year old, from Moggerhanger in Bedfordshire, said. "My favourite designers are American and I can't wait to get started."
Course director Elinor Renfrew isn't surprised that her students are in such high demand. "We prepare them for the realities of working in the industry and provide them with the skills they need to succeed," she said. "As Mark, Emma and Kristen have proved, our students are reaching an extremely high standard which means they stand an excellent chance of being offered design positions anywhere in the world."
The designs that caught the Abercrombie and Fitch bosses' eyes go on display at the Banqueting House in London's Whitehall tomorrow (June 15) when Kingston University stages its annual fashion show. Mark's menswear collection is centred on an apron theme, while Emma's has been inspired by her late Faroese grandmother. Kristen will be presenting a range based on uniforms and badges worn by scouts.
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Courts: Tests' Equity Remains Issue
Experts agree that educators can expect more court challenges to the practice of teacher testing, but they disagree over whether, in the final analysis, courts will find that such testing is a valid means of determining who is qualified to enter the profession.
In fact, courts have thus far tended to question not testing per se but the fairness of testing procedures and criteria in light of their disparate impact on minority groups.
In a summary decision offered without a written opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in 1978 a three-judge district court's decision upholding South Carolina's use of the Educational Testing Service's National Teacher Examinations for certification purposes.
That action, says G. Pritchy Smith, a leading expert in the field of teacher-competency testing, was seen by the states and by proponents of the tests as a clear legal precedent for their use. And it provided the impetus, he says, for the rapid acceptance of certification tests by other states.
But test critics have maintained that the Court's decision in the South Carolina case cannot be automatically extended to include the use of teacher-competency testing in general--or, in fact, to all states requiring a certifying exam.
"It does not mean there won't be other challenges," said Albert H. Kauffman, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Individual tests "can still be attacked," he said, both on constitutional grounds and under federal civil-rights laws.
"You have to look at each test and how it's used," said Mr. Kauffman. "The proponents of teacher testing exaggerate the importance of the South Carolina case. And if I were them I would too."
In fact, establishing a constitutional violation under the 14th Amendment's equal-protection clause, which would involve proof that a state's use of the test was motivated by racially discriminatory intent, is a difficult proposition. But it is not impossible, Mr. Kauffman and other opponents argue.
The opponents contend that although competency tests are employed to achieve a valid purpose--improving the schools--official knowledge of the test's disproportionate impact on minorities makes unintended discrimination intentional.
While the argument has not yet been fully tested in the courts, most legal experts say rulings to date give a clear indication that tests that fairly separate the qualified from the unqualified will be upheld regardless of their impact on minority groups.
1976 Ruling
They cite in particular the Supreme Court's 1976 ruling in Washington v. Davis, which upheld the use of a District of Columbia test for police recruits, even though the test had an unequal impact on blacks.
Testing opponents counter, however,that the Court also said in that opinion that discriminatory intent might be inferred from "the totality of the relevant facts," including a proven finding "that the law bears more heavily on one race than another."
And opponents were further buoyed last August, when a federal judge temporarily enjoined the state of Texas from requiring a preprofessional skills test for entry into state-approved teacher-training programs.
Blacks and Hispanics had failed the test at rates of 88 and 80 percent, respectively--evidence, the judge concluded, that the test's intent may have been to lower the number of minority students admitted, a violation of the constitutional right to equal protection under the law.
But since the High Court's Washington v. Davis decision, testing cases have more frequently involved Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which offers specific protection against employment discrimination in both public and private entities, when it is based on race, sex, religion, or national origin. Ability testing is allowed under the statute, however, unless it can be proven to be "designed, intended, or used" to discriminate.
Other federal statutes which forbid discrimination in programs receiving federal funds--Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972--have also been the basis of suits.
Inconsistent Precedents
But variation among the states in the type, purpose, standards, and use of teacher tests--and in their results--has meant that no one ruling has been universally applicable.
Figures compiled by J.T. Sandefur, the dean of education at Western Kentucky University, show that 28 states use all or portions of a national standardized test, usually the ets's National Teacher Examinations. Sixteen use state-developed or "customized" tests. Even on the national tests, however, each state sets its own standards and scoring cutoff points.
Virtually all teacher-testing litigation to date, according to Patricia M. Lines, former director of the Education Commisssion of the States' Law and Education Center, has concerned use of the n.t.e.
In an ecs monograph titled "Teacher Competency Testing: A Review of Legal Considerations," Ms. Lines notes that the ets designed the test to measure only the minimum knowledge base required of beginning teachers and has been careful to warn states against its use for any other purpose. The testing firm also suggests no minumum score and recommends that states avoid the arbitrary establishment of high cutoff points.
Ms. Lines indicates that courts have tended to accept the ets recommendations--ruling in several cases that scores required for certification were unjustifiably high--but have limited their examination of other legal issues involved in the testing process.
And though lawyers on both sides of the debate predict continued challenges to testing laws, as their impact on minority groups becomes more apparent, they say that few if any cases are likely to result in rulings that question the legal soundness of the practice.
Those in the testing field agree. If states give adequate notice and preparation for the tests, they maintain, and if exams are carefully designed, reviewed, and validated, so that they fairly and accurately measure what they are intended to measure, teacher testing is on solid legal ground.
But, writes Ms. Lines, "the wisdom of teacher testing is another matter, to be determined after a full public debate."--br & msr
Vol. 05, Issue 12
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VLADIVOSTOK, February 26 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's Pacific Fleet in the next six months will take part in three large-scale international naval exercises, including joint drills with the navies of India, China and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the fleet's spokesman said Wednesday.
According to Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov, Russia and India are holding talks on preparation for INDRA-2014 naval exercises scheduled to be held in the Sea of Japan in summer.
Martov said the drills will start with a visit of a group of Indian warships to Russia's far-eastern port of Vladivostok in July.
Since 2003, India and Russia have conducted seven large exercises under the so-called INDRA series of joint ground and naval drills. The last such exercise was held between Russian and Indian army units in October at India's Mahajan field firing range.
In 2011, Russia canceled joint naval drills with India in the Pacific Ocean, citing the tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan.
Boosting its military ties with China, Russia is sending warships from the Pacific Fleet to hold Maritime Cooperation-2014 joint drills with the Chinese navy in the northern part of the East China Sea in May-June, Martov said.
The active phase of the exercise will involve several simulated missions and live-firing drills against sea and air targets, he said.
In addition, a Pacific Fleet task force led by Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov will join the 2014 KOMODO multilateral joint exercise in March to improve naval cooperation capabilities in disaster relief.
The exercise will be held off the coast of Indonesia and involve all 10 country members of ASEAN plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States.


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Sea level has risen about 8 inches in the last century, and heat records have been broken, only to be broken again, and again.
In human time, this is new, but the Earth has been here before, bathed in a warming atmosphere, and has left clues for scientists like University of Florida geochemist Andrea Dutton. In the rocks is a geologic archive, the history of rising seas, and by following the clues, Dutton hopes to inform the future.
One archive is the Seychelles, the planet's oldest ocean islands along the equator in the Indian Ocean. In 2013, Dutton was examining the islands' fossilized corals, some as much as 129,000 years old, when she got a jolt.
"I found a fossilized coral that was 8 meters above present sea level," Dutton says. "I literally sat down in the field. That's really high, it's 26 feet. I thought, 'People are not going to like this.'"
Her next thought: "How am I going to explain this?"
Current sea level rise is due to thermal expansion of seawater as it heats up and melting of mountain glaciers, and the scientific consensus was that, at current warming trends, sea level would rise 3 to 6 feet by 2100. That estimate includes only a minor contribution from Antarctic ice melt. The only way to explain a water volume that would have submerged the fossilized corals she found, Dutton realized, was ice melt on a massive scale.
Dutton uses temperature to find analogs in the past for today's heat, although the heat of the past occurred without the contributions of 7.6 billion humans. The fossil coral held an ominous message because the coral was found in rock from a period 116,000 to 129,000 years ago known as Marine Isotope Stage 5e, only one degree Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels.
"People had debated whether the West Antarctic ice sheet collapsed during this time period, and this was one of our first indications that it did," Dutton says. "That was a real eye-opener."
At a temperature roughly as hot as it is today, the Seychelles was under more than 20 feet of water.
At that level, South Florida, the Florida Keys and the Everglades disappear.
Water, Water Everywhere
Sea level rise is like a flood that never recedes. Think of photos of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath in 2005 — the costliest flood in U.S. history — and imagine if New Orleans still looked like that today.
Now, take a look up and down the coast of Florida, the state with the most people and the most property vulnerable to sea level rise. About 80 percent of the state population lives on a coast, coastal economies are worth $2 trillion, and the coast is not only low but flat, meaning a little bit of sea level rise goes a long way inland. The inland flow of seawater would soak the limestone sponge that holds about 90 percent of Florida's drinking water, contaminating it.
If Florida is vulnerable, Miami is ground zero, and Thomas Ruppert, a Florida Sea Grant coastal hazard specialist based in Miami, spends his days trying to help local governments address rising seas, doing presentations to share his research and writing.
"My job is to inform and to get them to think about these issues," Ruppert says. "In Miami, you can't talk polar bears. But if you can get local government managers to talk about money, talk about legal liability, that gets their attention. This is going to be expensive.
"From a citizen's perspective, who do you think is going to pay?" Ruppert asks. "If the local government is paying, that's you. This is going to cost you a lot of money."
Ruppert came to Sea Grant in 2010, when it advertised for an attorney with expertise in coastal planning and zoning.
Ruppert had been working with UF's Levin College of Law in its Conservation Clinic, and was well-versed in coastal issues. His legal background is increasingly valuable.
One question he often gets after a public talk is what a citizen can demand of his local government. What is the local government required to do to help him cope with rising water? The answer, quite often, is nothing. Local governments are long on authority to do a variety of things, but are not required to do those things.
"People assume government has to help them," Ruppert says, "and it's not always true."
Take drainage, for example. Local governments do not have to provide drainage. If they do, they are required to maintain what they build, but not required to expand it.
Still, a local government with deep pockets and high-value real estate might decide to improve drainage, and a case in point is Miami Beach, which is spending $400 million to $500 million on pumps after grappling with periodic "sunny day" flooding from extreme high tides. The tide gauge on nearby Virginia Key has registered a 2.5- to 3-inch increase in sea level in just the past 16 years, and that makes drainage, designed to use gravity to take water downhill, an issue. Water, after all, won't flow up. The pumps, 60 are planned, will suck water from the streets and toss it back into the Atlantic Ocean or Biscayne Bay.
Miami Beach is also repaving to raise the level of streets. A Publix that once had seven steps at its entrance, now has two, thanks to higher streets. An almost 100 percent increase in stormwater fees is financing the changes, Ruppert says, and in coming decades drainage will be a multimillion-dollar question for other communities as well.
"If you require local governments to provide drainage in the future that provides the same service as in the past," Ruppert says, "you'd bankrupt some of them."
Drainage and pumps are extremely expensive, and that brings up the societal cost of sea level rise, Ruppert says. The more communities invest in drainage, the less they can invest in education, roads, parks, community centers, the things that make a place worth living in. What happens to communities without Miami Beach's deep pockets?
"In Florida, we're just really unwilling to stop and look at this," Ruppert says. "In a way, the emperor is wearing no clothes in regard to what we're doing on our coastlines."
Starting a Conversation
Researcher Kathryn Frank has met that metaphorical emperor in her work to help communities plan for rising seas. When she started working in Northeast Florida in 2011, the steering committee for the project shunned the term "sea level rise." Then Hurricane Sandy swept up the East Coast in 2012, taking chunks of Northeast Florida beaches with it. On Sandy's heels, a smaller storm that would have been unremarkable even a few years ago eroded the shore even more.
"They decided to just call it sea level rise, and it was fine," says Frank, an assistant professor in the College of Design, Construction and Planning. "They were ready to start the conversation."
Frank works at the community and regional scale to help communities assess their vulnerability to rising seas and then look for adaptation strategies for economics, safety, natural resources, and heritage.
"They care about all those things, and they want to keep all of them," Frank says.
At UF's GeoPlan Center, Associate Director Crystal Goodison has noticed smaller communities getting started without waiting for someone to tell them to plan. Regional transportation agencies, in particular, are clamoring for information.
Goodison points them to resources on the GeoPlan website: a map viewer that shows sea level rise over time, a wealth of data, and geographic information systems (GIS) software that allows users to create their own sea level rise scenarios using their own data.
The tools were developed for the Florida Department of Transportation, but are open to anyone. GeoPlan developed an interactive map that allows sea level to be mapped at high, medium and low levels every 20 years from 2020 to 2100, and it allows FDOT to overlay locations of railroads, highways and bridges in making decisions about hugely expensive infrastructure built to last many decades, even into the next century.
"Think how important transportation is in our economy," Goodison says. "If roads come to a standstill, we're not moving people to work, we're not moving freight, we're not moving tourists."
Goodison and Frank say it's heartening to see communities begin to plan, some using new state laws that allow towns to consider adaptation to sea level rise in their comprehensive plans.
Part of building resilience is helping citizens come to grips with uncertainty, Frank says. When will sea level rise, by how much? No one knows. But Floridians don't know when the next hurricane will hit or how strong it will be, and they prepare nevertheless.
"There is so much uncertainty," Frank says. "How do you internalize that way of thinking about the future?"
Frank has worked in the Matanzas Basin on the Atlantic Coast and on the Gulf Coast in Cedar Key, where change washes in on the tide. The town turned to clam farming when its commercial fishing economy was devastated by a state net ban. More recently, its oyster industry collapsed. Cedar Key has been resilient; life has gone on.
Today, Frank talks to Cedar Key and other communities about life-spans. Just as people and pets, houses and cars, have lifespans, so do communities. Mitigation and adaptation help, depending on how the seas rise.
"We accept lifespans in other areas of our lives," Frank says. "There is a different lifespan going on here. Some things we can move, other things we can enjoy while they're here. Sea level is going to keep rising; some places are going to be under water. It's just a matter of when."
Awareness of sea level rise varies widely, Frank says. Recently, she spoke at Flagler College, which started out in 1888 as the Hotel Ponce de Leon, built by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler. The college is in St. Augustine, which just celebrated its 450th anniversary. A student came up to her afterward.
"He was almost in tears. He got it, cognitively and emotionally," Frank says. "When people get it, it's like an a-ha moment."
Money, Money Everywhere
In South Florida, where residents witness sea level rise, Ruppert has different conversations. During the last king tide, in October, Ruppert pulled on rubber boots and went to survey the flooding. On a postcard-perfect day, boats were floating at seawall level, cars were marooned, water was gushing up out of storm drains. Along one canal, portable barriers were duct taped together in an effort to keep the canal out of the street. In front of one swamped home, the homeowner ran up to him with a question.
"He wanted to know, 'What are they going to do about this?' Who is they?" Ruppert asks.
For now, pumps and higher streets are the government response. Some residents are elevating homes and building seawalls and crossing their fingers. But seawalls, built on the porous limestone that is Florida's foundation, don't work; water comes up under them. And once your home is elevated, how do you get to it? Seawalls and stilts won't necessarily save the coast.
"One neighbor without a seawall can flood the entire neighborhood," Ruppert says. "Any action at the parcel level is flood mitigation, not adaptation. Adaptation takes collective action at a community or regional level. The approach has to be systemic."
In Miami, in the midst of the South Florida economic engine that funds one third of the state budget, there are resources for sea level rise.
At least 30 high-rises are under construction in downtown Miami. But the expense of coping with rising seas is not a burden everyone can bear equally, Ruppert says. Even on Miami Beach, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates 17.5 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The middle class will be affected when sea level rise affects the ability to insure a home, or sell it.
"Something positive can come out of this if we can actually start a real conversation about public policy, property, the government's role," Ruppert says. "It's an insurance issue, it's a banking issue, it's a local government tax base issue."
Ruppert wonders if a bill is coming due for past coastal real estate booms. So many beach towns, he says, may be a beach in name only in the next century.
"Our barrier islands are a few hundred feet wide in some places. There's no way that's a smart place to build, but there was always so much money to be made," Ruppert says. "We need to realize our actions today set a course for the future."
People ask how to fix the problem, they want solutions. There is no solution, Ruppert says, for the Atlantic Ocean. Sea level rise is like growing old; we know the ending. But people can choose to age gracefully, and Ruppert says communities can choose to adapt gracefully, too. Doing so will just require a much greater level of planning.
High Tide
Florida has been here before, swallowed by a rising sea, and has left evidence behind for archaeologists like Paulette McFadden at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Examining sediment cores in Horseshoe Beach along Florida's Gulf Coast, she found clues to how pre-Columbian inhabitants as far back as 4,000 years ago adapted to sea level rise.
"These people likely had generations of knowledge of sea level rising, so it was ingrained in their culture, the expectation they would have to move. It doesn't mean that places didn't have meaning, that it wasn't sad to lose them, but they had an experience of living on a coast that was changeable," McFadden says. "They didn't have a multimillion-dollar skyscraper sitting on the beach."
McFadden also found evidence in the sediment cores of variability in the rate of sea level rise. In some cases, sea level rose slowly, and the marshes stabilized as they took on more water. In others, sea level appears to have been more sudden.
"We see these punctuated events in these cores, and they correlate closely with the dates of changing settlement patterns," McFadden says. "These populations were much more vulnerable to a large pulse in sea level rise."
That pulse is what Dutton and other geologists want to quantify. Polar ice melting little by little is bad enough. The collapse of a sector of the Antarctic ice sheet into the ocean is another thing entirely.
The West Antarctic ice sheet is larger than Mexico and sits on ground that is below sea level. That makes it vulnerable to a warming ocean, lapping at its edges. The ice sheet, however, is the bulwark for the inland ice mantle. Inland, the ground slopes downward, so without the West Antarctic ice sheet, the warm ocean could spill in.
The ice sheet, however, is the bulwark for the inland ice mantle. Inland, the ground slopes downward, so without the West Antarctic ice sheet, the warm ocean could spill in.
That kind of ice melt is hard to model, Dutton says, because humans have never seen it happen before, and scientists don't yet understand the boundary parameters or physics that constrain the process.
"The retreat of the ice, especially in Antarctica, could speed up very rapidly. Once it retreats past the grounding line — which some think we have passed — we reach positive feedback: the more ice you melt, the more ice you melt," Dutton says.
"The real question is how fast that process can happen, how fast can this ice discharge into the ocean?"
Geologic timescales get lost in the political cycle. In geologic time, Florida's life above the sea has been very short. But the rocks tell a story about the choices humans have made to sustain life on Earth, and future geologists will find signs of today's choices in the geologic record, perhaps.
"People talk about saving the Earth, saving the planet, and as a geologist you kind of have to chuckle to yourself," Dutton says. "The planet is going to be here, the planet is going to survive.
"Will we?"
- Andrea Dutton, Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences
- Thomas Ruppert, Sea Grant Climate and Policy Coordinator
- Kathryn Frank, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
Related Websites:
Related Videos:
Andrea Dutton searches for the answer to melting ice sheets causing rising sea level in the Florida Keys.
Andrea Dutton discusses sea level rise with The Bob Graham Center on Vimeo.
Kathryn Frank discusses sea level rise with The Bob Graham Center on Vimeo.
This article was originally featured in the Summer 2016 issue of Explore Magazine.


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Sunday, March 20, 2016
Blown Out - Supernormal 2015 - Live Transmissions iii
Heavy swirling space psych out of Newcastle. Epic jams recorded live at Supernormal 2015. Stream the first track below and head over to
Evil Hoodoo's site
to snag a vinyl copy.
- Dan
Supernormal 2015 - Live Transmissions iii by Blown Out
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Congratulations, Weston Lambert!
It's always great to have fun and talented friends around, but it's especially great to work with artists who are fun, talented and generous. Weston Lambert is such an artist, and I'm still thankful to him for all his help at our exhibition in 2008 for SOFA Chicago.
A graduate of the University of Hawaii's sculpture program in Manoa with high honors, Weston wrote to me this afternoon with the news he received a full scholarship to Pilchuck this summer, as well as a full-ride scholarship for the MFA program (glass scupture, I'm presuming, since he didn't quite say...) at Tulane University in New Orleans under professor Gene Koss. Weston will be starting in August, and joins another Micaela Gallery artist, Michelle Knox, another full-ride MFA awardee at Tulane!
Bravo! Go!