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The L.S. Starrett Company
Phone: 978-249-3551
Fax: 978-249-8495
Please visit:
The L.S. Starrett Company
Mailing Address:
121 Crescent St.
Athol, MA 01331 US
Visit Starrett's Site for their Full Line of Precision Tools & Gages
The L. S. Starrett Company
Starrett, founded in 1880, manufactures more than 5,000 variations of Precision Tools, Gages, Measuring Instruments and Saw Blades. Headquartered in Athol, MA, in the heart of New England, the words "quality" and "Starrett" are virtually synonymous. The company employs 2,800 people worldwide, with approximately half of them based in the Athol plant. Starrett is the last remaining full line precision tool company to be proudly manufacturing their products within the U.S.A. The broad Starrett product line includes precision tools (micrometers, calipers, rules, etc.), tape measures, levels, electronic gages, dial indicators, gage blocks, granite surface plates, optical measuring projectors, vision systems, coordinate measuring machines, vises, M1 lubricant, and precision ground flat stock. Starrett tools are essential for inspecting and cutting an endless number of products that are measured, cut, formed or assembled. In addition to tools, Starrett is also a prominent leader in saw blade products, having an impressive line of band saw blades, hacksaws, hole saws, and jig and reciprocating blades. There are blades available to cut anything from metal and wood to exotic space age materials. By far the largest consumer of Starrett tools is the metalworking industry in general, and more specifically the automotive, aviation, marine and appliance industries, farm equipment shops, machinists, "do-it-yourselfers" and professional tradesmen. In addition to Athol, there are manufacturing plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Brazil, Scotland, England, Puerto Rico and Canada. Also, there are sales/warehouse branch offices in the U.S. - Chicago, Arizona and one in Canada (Toronto). At Starrett, making quality products is more than a job - it's a way of life - making it no wonder that the Starrett brand name is arguably the strongest in the metalworking/industrial marketplace today.
Spindle Square Simplifies Milling Machine Head Tramming
The L.S. Starrett Company offers the 649 series spindle square for tramming the head of a vertical milling machine.
Spindle Square Simplifies Milling Machine Head Tramming
The L.S. Starrett Company offers the 649 series spindle square for tramming the head of a vertical milling machine.
Solar Car Team Relies On Starrett Measuring Tools
The L. S.
Multi-Sensor Inspection Systems Offer Speed, Accuracy
The L. S.
Precise Multi-Sensor Vision System
The L. S. Starrett Company introduces the Galileo AV350 video measurement system.
Carbide-Tipped Band Saw Blades Available In Two Configurations
Advanz carbide-tipped band saw blades feature a high-quality, submicron-grain carbide tooth tip cylinder with a triple-chip grind, which is welded to a tough, ductile back. These blades also feature quality carbide-to-back bonding and offer fatigue, shock, wear and strip resistance when cutting difficult-to-machine materials, the company says. The blades are available in "FS" and "TS" configurations.
Carbide-Tipped Band Saw Blades
The Advanz line of carbide-tipped band saw blades features a special tooth tip cylinder of high-quality, submicron-grain carbide with a triple-chip grind. The blades, which feature quality carbide-to-back bonding, offer fatigue, shock, wear and strip resistance when cutting difficult-to-machine materials. The FS blade configuration is designed for a range of challenging materials such as Fiberglass, masonite, plastics, composites, aluminum castings and abrasive wood.
Wireless Data Collection System
L. S. Starrett's DataSure wireless data collection system features smaller, coolant-resistant end nodes and a user interface.
Video-Based, Precision Inspection System
The Galileo KineMic from L. S. Starrett is an entry-level, modular, video-based inspection system designed for quality assurance, receiving inspection, training, manufacturing, assembly, research, documentation and a variety of other applications.
Wireless System Automates Data Collection
Wireless Data Collection Readies Surgical Toolmaker For Full SPC
This surgical tool manufacturer strove to ensure part quality with stringent inspections, but its manual data-entry process and hardwired measurement tools limited productivity. After purchasing a radio-based wireless data collection system, the shop witnessed a 25-percent reduction in its inspection process.
Compact Vision System Inspects Small Parts
Contamination-Resistant Electronic Micrometers
Extended-Range Electronic Calipers With Slim Profile
Video Measurement System With Automatic Edge Detection
Wireless Collection Of Measurement Data
In manufacturing, reacting to measurement data in a timely fashion is critical. A fast response to undesirable trends can prevent scrap or rework. The problem is, it can be slow and cumbersome to collect, deliver and analyze measurement data. Recent efforts to expedite this process have included shop-wide cable networks with bar code readers and other automated devices. The latest development along these lines is wireless data handling.
Systems Execute Simple And Complex Parts Measurements
Saw Blades Feature Customized Tooth Design


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- Home
- Publications
- Projects
- Contact
I am a Senior Researcher in the Computer Vision Group at MSR Cambridge. My research focuses on the application of machine learning algorithms for automatic visual recognition.
- New paper on Decision Jungles at NIPS 2013.
- Tutorial on Decision Forests and Fields at ICCV 2013.
- 7-Scenes dataset now available!
- New papers at CVPR 2013 on Scene Coordinate Regression Forests and Geodesic Entanglement.
- Information on our Decision Forests book, including tutorial slides and a software library available here.
- We are looking for exceptional candidates for post-docs and interns (PhD students, usually in 2nd year or above) in computer vision. Please email me for more information.
Research Highlights
For work before I joined MSR, please see my external site.
Short Biography
Jamie Shotton studied Computer Science at the University of Cambridge, and remained at Cambridge for his PhD in Computer Vision and Visual Object Recognition. He joined Microsoft Research in 2008 where he is now a Senior Researcher in the Machine Learning & Perception group. His research interests include human pose and shape estimation, object recognition, machine learning, gesture and action recognition, and medical imaging. His work on machine learning for body part recognition for Kinect was awarded the Best Paper award at the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2011, and the Royal Academy of Engineering's MacRobert Award 2011. He and the Kinect team received Microsoft's Outstanding Technical Achievement Award in 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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New Arrivals
mouse over photo to zoom click for larger image
Jacquard 5-Pocket Ankle Pant
Extended Sizes In Select Colors
Romance meets texture with tonal jacquard on a chic pair of ankle pants.
- Crafted with stretch for a smooth fit.
- 28" inseam.
- 96% cotton, 4% Lycra®.
- Machine wash. Imported.


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MobileMpd.Net is a small program that can be used to control a MPD (Music Player Daemon) server using a WiFi enabled Windows Mobile device. The software supports the start, stop, next, prev, repeat, and random functions, volume control, playlist addition and removal, and a music directory treeview.
NLog is a .NET logging library designed with simplicity and flexibility in mind. With NLog you can process diagnostic messages emitted from any .NET language, augment them with contextual information, format them according to your preference, and send them to one or more targets. The API (application programming interface) is similar to log4net, and the configuration is very simple. NLog uses a routing table while log4net uses a logger hierarchy with attachable ppenders. This makes NLog's configuration very easy to read and maintain.
OO Bench compares the speed of the same object-oriented tasks in several object-oriented languages. C++, Objective-C, and Java are currently supported. Support for Smalltalk, CLOS, CSharp, and Eiffel are in development. It aims to be simple, easy to understand, and easy to port. It also aims to follow the idioms and best practices advised by each language as much as possible. It is designed to make it easy to look up how a particular problem is best solved in another language.
QuantLib is a cross-platform, quantitative finance C++ library for modeling, pricing, trading, and risk management in real-life. It is also wrapped as Python/Ruby/Scheme modules. Extensions for Excel, R, and Mathematica are available. Other such extensions are under consideration. QuantLib offers tools that are useful both for practical implementation and for advanced modeling. It features market conventions, yield curve models, solvers, PDEs, Monte Carlo (low-discrepancy included), exotic options, VAR, and so on.
SOHT (Socket over HTTP Tunneling) allows you to tunnel socket connections through an HTTP proxy. Restrictive firewalls often prohibit all outgoing trafic except for HTTP. This application allows you to tunnel socket connections over the HTTP protocol. This application consists of a server that serves as a proxy and a client which tunnels a socket connection over an HTTP connection to the server. The current server is written in Java, and there are clients in Java and .NET.


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Share this Event
Duration: 60 minutes
All organizations are striving to make better business decisions faster to gain stronger competitive advantage and improve business performance. This is where business analytics solutions should be providing answers. However, many times functional teams work independently -- resulting in a lack of best practices, integration and optimization, and increased time-to-value. Answers to questions based on the most current, relevant data -- especially at the point of customer interaction -- may be challenging to answer:
When choosing an analytics solution to help respond to these types of questions, is your business considering the importance of non-functional requirements like system availability, acceptable response times and IT complexity? These are critical to the success of any analytic solution and can be a significant contributor to cost if they are not addressed early in the planning process.
Join IBM for a complimentary webcast as subject matter experts share their technical insight into current analytic and data warehousing requirements. They will also discuss new cost-effective approaches that take advantage of the IBM® System z® mainframe to help you keep pace with rapid user and data growth while improving return on investment. You'll learn how organizations are bringing analytics to
System z to better harness their data and gain greater business insight, while reducing complexity.
Join us after the webcast for a live question-and-answer session. This session will also be available for replay after the event.
Featured Speakers:
Jonathan Sloan, Senior Certified Consulting IT Specialist, Data Warehousing on System z, IBM Software Group
Ann Jackson, Business Analytics & Data Warehousing Solutions Development, IBM Software Group


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A.J. Silva had a day at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs in Reed's 7-6 home win over North Valleys, a game that was postponed from Saturday. It also ended a streak of eight straight league losses by the Raiders, who last won a league game on March 31 against Damonte Ranch.
"Anytime we can get a win, we're very happy," Reed baseball coach Ray Charles said.
It didn't look good initially for Reed.
North Valleys starting pitcher J.P. Vanemmerik lived on the outside corner and the Raiders looked baffled. The Panther lefty struck out the first five batters of the game until Jake Means' two-out double in the bottom of the second. Means and Silva traded places when Silva sliced an RBI double down the right-field line, cutting the Panthers' lead in half, 2-1.
North Valleys scored two runs in the top half of that same inning when leadoff hitter Justin O'Brien took advantage of the strong jet stream blowing toward the outfield by lofting a high fly ball that carried to the warning track in right field. O'Brien's double plated a pair of runners.
Reed tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third. After No. 9 hitter Brett Chaney singled, Ryan Butler came to the plate and smoked a run-scoring triple to center field.
While Reed starting pitcher Jeff Copple dodged bullets in the first and third innings by getting out of jams with five runners stranded in those two innings combined, he couldn't keep North Valleys off the scoreboard in the top of the fourth.
The visitors posted a three spot thanks two back-to-back doubles by Gage Clark and Schuyler Rullman, which pushed across a trio of runs for a 5-2 lead.
Copple buckled down from that point and let his offense get the Blue and Gold back in the game.
"I thought Jeff battled. Early on it looked like I'd have to go out there and get him," Charles said. "He settled down and got his command. He worked out of a couple jams. He did a good job and started working ahead of hitters."
Reed's big inning came in the fourth also with the help of three Panther errors.
Tanner Parris led off with a base knock and eventually scored on Silva's infield single. An error put a second runner on base for Butler, who skied a shot off the fence in right field to pick up his second and third RBIs of the game with a double. More importantly, it tied the game at 5-5.
A heads-up steal of third by Butler allowed him to score when Alex Young reached on an infield fielding error, putting the Raiders in front for the first time in the game, 6-5.
Silva knocked in what proved to be the game-winner in the bottom of the sixth. North Valleys' outfield was playing him to go the other way. Instead, Silva went dead center with a screaming liner. Silva's double allowed Means to score, making it a 7-5 score.
Copple was still on the mound in the seventh inning when the Panthers tried to mount a comeback. Reed's ace left-hander struck out the first two batters of the seventh before getting into trouble. He loaded the bases with a single and two walks before handing the ball over to Means for him to shut the door.
North Valleys got one run on a wild pitch, but a groundout to second ended the game, giving Copple the win and Means the save.
Copple gave up six earned runs on 11 hits, while walking five and striking out 10. The Panthers left 10 runners on base, while Reed only stranded two.
Vanemmerik took the hard-luck loss. Five of the runs were earned and he allowed nine hits in 5 2-3 innings of work. He struck out 11 and only walked one.
"I don't know if they scouted us, but he had good command of that outside corner and kept nailing it," Charles said of Vanemmerik. "When you face a lefty and his ball is moving and his breaking ball is working, you have to make adjustments. He pitched good."
O'Brien, Mauricio Varela and Mike Mendoza all chipped in with two hits for the Panthers in the losing cause.
Reed (9-15, 4-11 in Northern 4A) concludes its High Desert League series with North Valleys today at 3:45 p.m. at the north Reno school.


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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
Sometimes, an SSRS subscription fails for some reason. It can be annoying, particularly as the appropriate response can be hard to see immediately. There may be a long list of jobs that failed one morning if a Mail Server is down, and trying to work out a way of running each one again can be painful. It's almost an argument for using shared schedules a lot, but the problem with this is that there are bound to be other things on that shared schedule that you wouldn't want to be re-run.
Luckily, there's a table in the ReportServer database called dbo.Subscriptions, which is where LastStatus of the Subscription is stored. Having found the subscriptions that you're interested in, finding the SQL Agent Jobs that correspond to them can be frustrating.
Luckily, the jobstep command contains the subscriptionid, so it's possible to look them up based on that. And of course, once the jobs have been found, they can be executed easily enough. In this example, I produce a list of the commands to run the jobs. I can copy the results out and execute them.
select 'exec sp_start_job @job_name = ''' + cast(j.name as varchar(40)) + '''' from msdb.dbo.sysjobs j join msdb.dbo.sysjobsteps js on js.job_id = j.job_id join [ReportServer].[dbo].[Subscriptions] s on js.command like '%' + cast(s.subscriptionid as varchar(40)) + '%' where s.LastStatus like 'Failure sending mail%';
select 'exec sp_start_job @job_name = ''' + cast(j.name as varchar(40)) + '''' from msdb.dbo.sysjobs j join msdb.dbo.sysjobsteps js on js.job_id = j.job_id join [ReportServer].[dbo].[Subscriptions] s on js.command like '%' + cast(s.subscriptionid as varchar(40)) + '%' where s.LastStatus like 'Failure sending mail%';
Another option could be to return the job step commands directly (js.command in this query), but my preference is to run the job that contains the step.
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Even better control on re-sending SSRS report on demand see below link
Hi Nimit,
Thanks for the link.
The suggestion in that tip is similar to what you get if you return js.command, but my preference is to rerun the job rather than calling the AddEvent procedure.
Hi Gents,
Since all the metadata of the subscription is known, is there a way to insert a subscription directly into these tables and create a job without using SSRS pages.
I am working on a project where all subscription data is maintained in user defined tables.
Thoughts ?
I got a requirement recently to email the same report to 70 users but before sending, I had to change the user parameter on the report to the specific user and also change the emailid each time before kicking off the subscription. I dint want to create 70 subscritions for same report and just change the user & email id.
So I created a table with the user# and email id and created a sp to loop 70 times and update the subscription table to change the "Parameters" & Extensions fields and then kick off the subscription. Edited the agent job which kicks off the subscription and removed the statement and put a call to the sp. But when I ran the loop was so fast that it just emailed the 70th user with his user report. So I put a wait for 1 minute after each update so that the report finishes the first update and email and then continues. It takes 70 mins for the job to finish but since it runs in the night I am ok with that.
Any other suggesstions?
Jimmy & Nav,
Yes, there are lots of ways to skin this particular cat. For the kind of things that you're both describing I prefer to use the SSRS Web Services and call a variety of methods, including Render(). Everything you can do with Report Manager can be done with the Web Services, so it's even very feasible to roll your own Data Driven Subscriptions.
My code is about re-running ones that have failed because of things like a Mail Server outage. If other settings need tweaking I'd go with the Web Services almost every time.
You can use this application to rerun subscriptions- for failed subscriptions and for subscriptions that have not failed and need to rerun for example- a failed ETL process.
I know this is an old post, but along these lines, I have a question. when you open a subscription job in SSMS, the first thing you see is
"This job is owned by a report server process. Modifying this job could result in database incompatibilities. Use Report Manager or Management Studio to update this job."
is it safe to enable Notifications of failure without messing up the subscription, and then using your query manually run the subscription? maybe include them in a 2nd step based on step 1 failure?
Hi Robert,
It should be safe, but you can't guarantee that any further changes you make won't destroy your Notification.
So... your mileage may vary. Good luck though. :)
but there should be no problem enabling notifications on the SQL Agent job for failure, correct?
Correct. Probably fine.
Perfect quick and easy - THANK YOU
Forgive me my ignorance, but can you go into detail about the stored procedure 'start_job' as listed above? We recently had a whole series of reports fail due to another server being down at the scheduled run time and after painstakingly running each report manually and sending out I began researching how to do so via a more controlled, automated method. I was able to modify the where clause on your above example to get what I needed but obviously I haven't built sp_start_job. I'm a bit new to SSRS in general so forgive me if this is a stupid request. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Scratch that, I'm a silly man and it's in the MSDB database. I did want to follow up and say thanks for the solution on this! You just saved me a ton of manual work (and the risk associated with trying to run 30+ reports manually with different parameters) the next time a DBA forgets to enable remote connections after a nightly backup. Hooray!
Alan - I guess you've answered your own question. I'm pleased it's helped!


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The Huffington Post UK | By Ned Simons and Chris Wimpress Posted: 21/03/2012 13:31 Updated: 21/03/2012 16:45
George Osborne has used his 2012 Budget to cut taxes at both ends of society, by raising the threshold at which people start to pay income tax and by cutting the 50p top rate of tax for the wealthy.
The Chancellor announced that people will not have to pay income tax on any earnings below £9,205 which he said would leave millions of working people £220 better off every year.
The "further and faster" acceleration towards a £10,000 income tax threshold can be seen as an attempt to offset a potentially unpopular decision to give wealthier Britons a tax cut as well.
Click here or scroll down for live updates
Osborne unveiled a cut in the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p on earnings over £150,000 a year, a move sought by many Tory backbenchers, but the change will not come into force for a year.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Osborne said his Budget would help create a tax system "where millions of the lowest paid are lifted out of tax all together" as well as one "more competitive for business than any other major economy in the world".
He said the the 50p tax rates had "caused massive distortions" as £16bn of income was deliberately shifted into the previous tax year at a cost to the taxpayer of £1bn.
"No chancellor can justify a tax rate that damages our economy and raises next to nothing it is a simple as that," he said.
"Thanks to the other new taxes on the rich i have announced to day we will be getting five times more money every year from the wealthiest in our society."
The tax cuts are to be funded by stiffer penalties on stamp duty for the most expensive homes, along with making it harder for the wealthy to avoid paying the taxman.
"Most wealthy people pay their taxes and without them we could not afford the public sieves upon which this country depends," he said.
But Osborne said tax evasion and excessive avoidance was "morally repugnant" and the government would take action to curb it.
And he said stamp duty on properties worth over £2m would now be 7%. "If you buy a property in Britain for residential purposes, we will expect stamp duty to be paid," he said.
The move to raise the income tax threshold was a key Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge and the party are likely to take credit for today's decision.
Ed Miliband attacked the decision to axe the 50p tax rate at a time when public spending was being cut.
"We know the driving ambition of this budget for the chancellor was to deliver a tax cut for people earning over £150,000," he said.
"Let me tell him, every time in the future he tries to justify an unfair decision by saying times are tough, we'll remind him: He's the man who chose to spend millions of pounds on those who need it least."
And the Labour leader suggested the government front bench would benefit personally from the decision. "Hands up in the Cabinet if you are going to benefit from the income tax cut?" he asked.
"For ordinary families it's hurting but it's not working. This government has been cutting too far and too fast."
He added that the Budget was: "Unfair, out of touch, for the few not the many, an unfair Budget built on economic failure, an unfair budget from the same old Tories."
Osborne also revealed the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had forecast that Britain is set to avoid second recession with growth forecast for this year revised upwards to 0.8%, 2.7% in 2014 and 3% in 2015-2016. And the chancellor said the OBR expected one million more jobs to be created over the next five years.
This Budget was possibly the most leaked in history, with a large number of the measures trailed in the press over the past week and there were few surprises today.
Among the other measures announced by the chancellor were tax breaks for the film and video game industry, council tax relief for members of the British armed forces, a 1% cut in corporation tax and the examination of regional pay rates for public sector workers and a 5% rise in duty on cigarettes.
He also watered down proposals to cut child benefit from high earners. Osborne had planned to take it away from people earning around £40,000, but this was raised to £50,000.
The chancellor also said the withdrawal would be tapered so 1% of child benefit would be taken away for every £100 a parent earned over £50,000. Only those who earn more than £60,000 will lose it completely.
|@ guywalters : It's a #grandpatax as well you know
|@ joyless60 : #grannytax Dot Gibson gen sec of Nat pensioners convention 5m will be worse off. #bbcnewschannel Passionate advocate for pensioners
|@ eljmayes : The BBC's Norman Smith has just stated that his mum wouldn't be impressed by the supposed #GrannyTax- bias towards Labour?
|@ CallumJonesBlog : @BBCNormanS on Treasury's follow up to #grannytax: "my mum won't be happy with that argument"
|@ anthonypainter : The irony is that by leaking everything else, the Coalition has focused attention on the #grannytax ! Genius. #budget2012
|@ RicHolden : IoD: 'This budget brings three items of good news for pensions' http://t.co/gbouGq5y #Budget2012
|@ MirrorJames : Top Lib Dems distancing themselves from 50p - should try putting some yellow water between themselves and the #grannytax #Budget2012
|@ 1957AJB : Danny Alexander ashamed of #grannytax http://t.co/gjwtNPEQ And so he should be
|@ gordoh : Personal view: #grannytax fuss is overblown. Hits some but impact modest. Too many reactions verging on hyperbole. #budget2012
|@ faisalislam : Its not really a #grannytax though is it? The HMRC costing says 58% paid by male over-65s.
|@ AndrewPageCFP : RT @janemerrick23: Key about #grannytax Osborne has spectacularly failed Daily Mail Test by punishing readership: middle class pensioners
|@ AndrewPageCFP : RT @janemerrick23: Key about #grannytax Osborne has spectacularly failed Daily Mail Test by punishing readership: middle class pensioners
|@ Simon_Nixon : Stamp duty hike is in fact another disguised #grannytax since it will be ultimately be paid by home sellers in form of lower house prices.
|@ jamiesont : Osborne lucky the #grannytax didn't leak yesterday or The Queen would have shoved his smug face through that stained glass window.
|@ BBCNormanS : Age UK say pensioner with an income of 10500 pounds a year cd be 259 pounds a year worse off cos of #grannytax
|@ tom_watson : I'm distracted from #Budget2012 and #grannytax by news from a police station in Milton Keynes: http://t.co/P4uVL6x6
|@ SimonBatchelor1 : Anybody surprised the only bit of the #budget2012 not to leak was the #grannytax No thought not #bbcbudget
|@ martinnicholls : Osborne's #grannytax own-goal is surprising given the number of Tory voters it'll piss off. Unusually clumsy bit of politics #budget
|@ johnprescott : My latest #giveitbackdave #grannytax poster - made here http://t.co/xHDefEFw http://t.co/uSWBa9ux
|@ jamesrbuk : Am thinking @helenlewis is right. Someone should write a defence of the #grannytax in relation to intergenerational justice etc.
|@ RichardJMurphy : Gordon Brown had his 10p tax fiasco and his 75p pension rise. Osborn tries to do both with his #grannytax charge on all new pensioners
|@ martinnicholls : RT @edstaite: #grannytax is trending and not just with Lobby hacks. Osborne team need to hit back quick & hard #speedkills
|@ PatJHennessy : Why didn't the LibDems raise a fuss about the #grannytax ?
|@ chrisshipitv : 230,000 pensioners will be brought INTO paying income tax. 360,000 OAPs lose £285/year. Did Treasury not think controversial? #grannytax
"It's about simplification, it was never going to be an easy decision but it had to be done at some point."
The source says the furore was expected and planned for, but they insist that simplifying the personal allowance is in the public interest.
But expected or not, 4.5 million pensioners are going to be affected and it's rapidly becoming the story of the day.
|@ FelicityParkes : I've just queued up with half a dozen people, all buying cigs like it was going out of fashion. Eat my smoke, Chancellor! #budget2012
|@ gavinshuker : George Osborne's #grannytax means 4.5m pensioners will lose out. £3bn squeezed from over 65s over the next four years.
|@ ShippersUnbound : Could the #grannytax be Osborne's 10p fiasco? Discuss...
She tells HuffPost:
"This is an outrageous assault on decent middle-class pensioners.
"This Budget contains an enormous stealth tax for older people. Over the next five years, pensioners with an income of between £10,000 and £24,000 will be paying an extra £3 billion in tax while richer pensioners are left unaffected.
"There is nothing in this Budget for savers, there is nothing to improve the annuity market, nothing to appease the damage of quantitative easing and nothing to support ISA changes and shelter older people's money in cash. This Budget is terrible news for pensioners.""It is good to hear that we will be able to harness the power of pension funds to improve UK Infrastructure but in short, this Budget is another shocking example of the Government's attack on poorer and older people. It is dramatically unfair."
Richard Exell: This Was Not a Robin Hood Budget - But the Sheriff of Nottingham Would Have Been Proud of it!
Iain Anderson: You Pays Your Taxes and You Makes Your Choice on This Budget
BBC News - Budget 2012: George Osborne cuts 50p top tax rate
Budget 2012: Lord Lawson says losing 50p tax rate will be good for ...
The budget and the 50p tax rate: Inside the mind of George Osborne ...
Budget 2012: 50p Tax Should Remain, Say Majority Of Voters In ...
Osborne: Budget is for 'working people' (but 50p tax is set to go) - UK ...
Budget 2012: George Osborne Increases Income Tax Threshold ...
Budget 2012: Labour's Rachel Reeves on why the 50p tax rate ...


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Sounds like new hw tank time.
The expansion tank can be anywhere in the system (after the pressure reduction valve)...pick one that make it easy to install and service.
Can't help on the other items. If a major leak is a potential problem, consider a pan. Also, consider a device from Tacohvac.com called the WAG. I've never used one, but it looks interesting. I'm not a pro...good luck.


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James R. "Wes" Perrin, 63, of Telluride, Colorado died on Tuesday, March 19, in Denver, from cancer at the Denver VA Hospital Community Living Center.
He was born on May 18, 1949, in Detroit, Mich., to Matthew Perrin and the late Audrey Perrin. Wes married to the late Lita Colleen Hallam in October 1968 in Grand Rapids, Mich., where they resided until her passing in 1972.
Wes served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He studied creative writing at Grand Valley State College in Allendale, Mich. After moving to Telluride in 1973, Wes worked as a deputy marshal in the Telluride Marshal's Department, with Telski and served on the San Miguel Power Association Board of Directors.
Environmentalism led him to pursuing work for renewable energy solutions, in the Southwest region, which stemmed from his love of hiking in the mountains and his desire to preserve the natural beauty of the area.
He is survived by two children: Joshua Perrin and his wife Anjalee, of Denver, Colo.; and Nichole Perrin and her husband Christopher Polley, of Whitefish, Mont. He is also survived by his father, Matthew Perrin of Grand Rapids, Mich., and three sisters: Linda Behm, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Kathleen Perrin, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Judy Perrin of Kalamazoo, Mich.
In memoriam, please make contributions in Wes' name to:
Thank you to Rick "Chance" Leof and Marta Unars, Bob Saunders, Chris Myers and Michael Saftler for the care and support given.
A memorial is being scheduled for mid-May, in Telluride.


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For more than 25 years, Don and Ruthie Roth of Morton, have sent Christmas wishes to all of their neighbors and friends with their beautiful and elaborate Christmas display on their lawn. Scores and scores of families drive by their home each Christmas season to see and hear their "lighted" Christmas card. As one drives by their home, the music of Handel's Messiah is being played on their outside stereo.
Merry Christmas to ALL
By: jburdetteSubscribe Channel: Weather Location: corner of Bal;timore and Greenwood in Morton, Illinois
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What's your favorite song??? OKE, I'know it's hard to choose so pick two than....
I'm really curious how different everyone thinks about the songs..LLR Cora
On Sun, Nov 11, 2012 at 7:16 PM,
This is a very tough question.... I have so many favorites. One for every mood.
On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 12:56 PM,
Tam, It's so true! "There's an LK song for everything in my life". :)
On Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 1:43 PM,
Cora! Is that a question?? HAHAH!! WE ALL DO! Hiiiihaaa!
On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 2:50 PM,
My absolutely favorites are Let Love Rule and also Fly away...but in fact I love all of his songs :)...I couldn´t say about one which I disliked...there is no one
On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 12:02 PM,
Ana Mena
I love I'LL BE WAITING and DREAM very much.
I tend to like his quieter ones when listening the cd but prefer the rock ones when going to his concerts.
On Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 1:33 PM,
Cora LLR
thanks for the reactions, my faves are Circus, the other side, sister...and more.. it's true that you listen to songs that reflex your mood (hope that's normal english)
my moods are not so great lately i think. Having a lot on my plate lately and struggeling through life at the moment! ;)
On Fri, Oct 26, 2012 at 6:19 AM,
"Anything he writes, I 'd listen!!!" I'm with you on that Hungry10! Let Love Rule.
We used' I Belong to You' in our wedding video...i love that song too!
On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 10:39 PM,
Anything he writes, I 'd listen!!!
On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 11:07 AM,
I love "Yesterday Is Gone (my dear Kay) ...it touches my soul when I hear him sing that song!
On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 10:27 PM,
I think my fav is I Belong to You
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Discussion about math, puzzles, games and fun. Useful symbols: ÷ × ½ √ ∞ ≠ ≤ ≥ ≈ ⇒ ± ∈ Δ θ ∴ ∑ ∫ π -¹ ² ³ °
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#1 2012-01-22 18:37:21
Interactive learning brainstorming
I have always felt that the potential of educational software has been vastly under-appreciated and as a result, vastly under-funded. I'm trying to brainstorm different ways to fix this, and this is one of my ideas. I just dished this up quickly so it's not supposed to look professional, it's just a brainstorm idea. Please tell me what you think about this and if it's in the right direction. Also any thoughts on learning in general would be greatly appreciated.
Evolving into a game... and my more distant daydreams
I optimistically believe it is possible for this to evolve into a full RPG game with characters and a story to captivate. The quests would be new discoveries in science, and the powers would be the abilities you have gained. It would be challenging and rewarding. Perhaps it would be hard for a math game to go RPG, but I believe it would be very easy to turn a physics or chemistry, or biology game (Come to think of it, a biology game would work REALLY WELL) into an RPG of some sort. One can dream of a mega-RPG where you can learn anything. Perhaps that would end up being a virtual Earth. Anyhow, even one tiny successful piece of software may start a revolution in education, and make textbooks redundant. It is a shame that the huge budgets and production values of today's best games are not also used for educational software, since I believe that the budgets used for those games could easily make the next World of ScienceCraft possible today.
Last edited by Identity (2012-01-22 18:47:34)
#2 2012-02-22 00:29:00
Re: Interactive learning brainstorming
hi Identity,
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei


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Samantha's Invincible Summer: Samantha Uphold Benefit
photo of Ivy by Samantha Uphold
The photo above was taken a couple years ago, the first time I really got a chance to hang out with Samantha. I guess it was the moment we finally made a connection. She told me I'd love The Story People and oh my goodness did she get me. She told me about some wishes she has, and they haven't come true yet. Her time here is not done, that's all I know. Later she emailed me a funny outtake from our photo shoot, with these words.
A couple years later and I shared some of my secret wishes with her, and they came true. She hasn't been well enough to see it, and to know her heart-hand in it. I just hope she can feel it and know it.
I know her, and I feel like I know her heart, but I have not known her for a long period of time, and maybe you haven't either. Maybe you've never met but you've seen her photos. I ask that you please consider to come to the benefit this Friday night.
Friday June 17, 6 PM at Cornucopia Coffee Company 210 E Lincolnway in downtown Valparaiso
$10 donation gets you live music & a raffle ticket to win many awesome prizes including photo shoots, gift certificates, event tickets, & more. Proceeds will benefit Samantha Uphold and her fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Find out more info on the event's Facebook page here. I will be there.
*Edited to add: it grieves me to have to update this post, but shortly after I published this on Monday I found out Samantha passed away. The benefit will continue as planned, now also as a memorial to Samantha and her phenomenal life and big heart and blue eyes and radiant smile.
Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she's babysteph .


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Eagle Ridge Elementary School Calendar
Eagle Ridge Elementary is a Leader in Me School working towards becoming a Lighthouse school. This means our school follows and teaches the Franklin Covey 7 Habits program. The program integrates timeless leadership principles into elementary school culture and curriculum, providing students with practical character and life skills relevant for today's 21st century challenges. The Leader in Me provides our school with the vision and language to lead the school in a way that addresses all areas of development. (More about The Leader in Me)
March Leaders of the Month
Subway @ ERE
Subway will be a lunch choice every Friday, starting April 4th.
Orders must be placed by 4pm on Wednesday to ensure delivery to students during their lunch. Read more...


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Educator Resources
As an educator, you play a vital role in developing the next generation of engineering and design innovators. We want to give you all the help we can.
Click on the links below for more career development and teaching resources:
SolidWorks STEM Grant
The SolidWorks STEM Grant is a 30-hour online course that includes the SolidWorks Curriculum and Courseware DVD, which contains PowerPoint slides, exercises and projects. You can register for the STEM Grant by clicking here!


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That is a deep well. Looks like you will need about a 3 HP, 10 GPM. At that depth and pressure it will produce 9 GPM which should be enough for 2 baths. Just get a regular 4" pump, not the variable speed kind.
Need a Deep well pump recommendation in case pump is bad.
Not sure if the pumps in the sticky (variable speed that Terry was talking about) will go very deep. Anyone have recommendations for a good pump?
Thanks in advance,
Type of pump?
Three wire (control box)____x__
Wire Size_________ Wire Length________
Size of Pump?
Motor Horsepower?____3hp______
Pumping from?
Cistern tank___________
Pond, lake, river________
Water Well______x______
Depth of well____840FT______
Depth to water__630_______
Pump Setting___830_______
Pipe Size_________"
Drop Pipe Material
Well Recovery Rate_______gpm - Not sure, we run the pump and it draws down 18 inches.
Well Casing Diameter_______
Rock Well__________ Sand Well__________ Other______________
Date Well Drilled____1998________
Well Casing Material
PVC_____x___ Steel_________ Other_________
Pressure Tank?
Bladder or diaphragm tank (one pipe to tank)___x_______
Size or model of tank______30 gal?______
Air charge in top of tank, with pump off and water drained____40________PSI
(check with car tire gauge)
Plain Hydro Pneumatic tank (two pipes to tank, one in and one out)_________
Size of tank________________
Pressure Switch Setting?
On 30, off 50 ________
On 40, off 60____x_____
Pump Control Method?
Cycle Stop Valve model #_________
Variable speed control #__________
Pump Start Relay (sprinkler timer, no tank)__________
Manually turned on and off____________
Pump Protection
Cycle Sensor_________
Low pressure cutoff switch (lever on side)__________
Filters or Softeners______Yes/both________
Before or after pressure tank_after______
Type of filter_____ whole House______________
Bypass available____Yes____________
Water Used For?
House Use___x____ Number of baths___2____ Number of People__6______
High Flow Showers_______gpm?
Irrigation with timers________
Irrigation with hoses________
Heat Pump______gpm?
Problems Experienced
No Water______x___________
Water only part time________
Water at all times but weak_____
Air in water_______________
Pressure surging___________
Water Hammer (noise)______
Too Much pressure_________
Pump makes clicking or buzzing sounds___x_____
No Sounds______________
Pressure gauge reading________psi
Do you have, and know how to use
an Ampmeter and Voltmeter_____Yes_____________
Describe Problem_______had a period when the water would just start running out. Finally stopped altogether
That is a deep well. Looks like you will need about a 3 HP, 10 GPM. At that depth and pressure it will produce 9 GPM which should be enough for 2 baths. Just get a regular 4" pump, not the variable speed kind.
Thanks for the reply, I talked to some people today. The local pump supply recommends the grundfos pumps with stainless steel pump impellers . The guy that is scheduled to come out sells/recommends Schaefer with the tri flow impellers.
The resident geologist (neighbor) says our wells are in rock/limestone and sand isn't an issue (the selling point for the plastic impellers). What are the pump choices of the pros here?
Last edited by DeepWell; 12-11-2012 at 06:56 PM.
I like Grundfos pumps as well. I don't care for the SQ models which have plastic impellers and spin 10,600 RPM instead of 3450. The 4" pumps do have stainless steel impellers, but they now make them so thin that they are no better than the plastic impeller pumps. I think Franklin (Schaefer) has "tri seal" impellers not "tri flow". But any such names are just marketing gimmicks, there is not much difference in the quality of any pumps on the market these days. They use the same impellers in the pumps at the box stores as they have for contractor pumps. Just that the housings at the box stores are plastic instead of brass or SS as most contractor grade pumps. Choose the pump with the best price that will work for that depth and pressure.
The Grundfos is the better choice. One question though do you plan on replacing the wire down the well? If so you may want to look into the variable speed drive. You would cut the wire size from size#4 to #8 which would be about $1,600 in savings. The new drive will offset that cost as they are expensive. If so go with a goulds drive or a yaskawa. They have a sleep function the franklin drive does not. Also, you may want to look at a larger tank if you stay with the across the line start pump.
hey valveman, whats your position on VFD? btw those digital pressure switches sure look cool
The well guy recommends Schaefer submersible pumps? Are they any good?
Sorry for the long post. But I am sure anyone who knows me already has the popcorn ready for the show. So here goes.
Nothing wrong with Schaefer pumps. They are the old Jacuzzi design that Franklin bought out, and they are as good as any.
Hello Clearwaterpump, welcome to the forum. Your opinions are appreciated. However, if you are going to discuss VFD's, you will have to argue their validity with me. I stopped using VFD's about 20 years ago, so it is nothing new to me. Below is an email I got yesterday, and my reply. This is only an example of the kind of communications I get several times a day.
Hello friends,
About 6 years ago we had a well dug for us and a Franklin Electric Constant Pressure Controller was installed. Since then we have had periodic yet regular loss of water. Lately it has been worse and we have been losing water for 3-4 days at a time. With a family of 5 with 6 dogs loss of water is a nightmare!
We have had the well company out a number of times but we have lost faith in them since every time they come there is a minimum $200 charge and even though they have changed some things the result is the same --- no water. Electricians have located the problem being the above mentioned pressure controller.
AT this point could you give us some guidance please? I could replace the unit myself (I think) but we just are not in the position to pay $1000+ to get the well fixed, nor are we able to manage without water.
I am sorry you are in this mess. That is exactly the way Variable Speed Drives or VFD's are designed to work. The controller usually needs to be replaced several times in 5 years, and then at about 6 years you should need to replace the entire system, pump and all. "Planned obsolescence" at its finest. Manufacturers of pumps, motors, and VFD's will tell you that the VFD saves energy, the soft start makes pumps last longer, the three phase motor cost less, and the wire size is smaller, which also saves you money. All of this is crap. Just marketing lies to con you into purchasing a VFD. Do you think manufacturers would spend all that money advertising VFD's because it saves you a lot of money? No. They spend money advertising what makes them the most profit, which coincidentally comes out of your pocket.
Here is the deal. The Subdrive 75 uses a three phase, 1.5 HP motor with only a ¾ HP pump end. The Subdrive has to spin the ¾ HP pump at 4700 RPM to get 1.5 HP performance. If you fall for the VFD type system, you now have a three phase motor and wire that is too small to use with a single phase motor. This is how they lock you into replacing the $800 to $1200 VFD controller a few times. Replacing the controller is really your only option without pulling the pump and replacing it with a standard single phase motor, the right size pump end for 3450 RPM, and also replacing the wire that is too small. But after replacing the VFD controller a couple of times, most people realize they could have easily replaced the entire system with a standard single phase motor and the right size wire for much less.
Of course this is really the fault of the manufacturers as they heavily push VFD's on all their suppliers and installers. Most installers are not even aware that VFD's are meant to add extra grease to the wheels of manufacturers, keeping the corporate jets fueled, and paying for vacation houses.
The Cycle Stop Valve was designed to replace variable speed pumps. The problem is a Cycle Stop Valve doesn't cost very much, last a long time, and makes your pump last a long time. So many pump installers, supply houses, and especially the manufacturers will say anything to keep you from installing a CSV. They want you to have a VFD instead, so they can continue to get money from you on a regular basis as you have already experienced.
It is rare for a pump/motor to last 6 years when controlled by a VFD. As a matter of fact, Franklin changed their warranty on these things from 5 years to 3 years for that very reason. VFD's create harmonics, voltage spikes, resonance frequency vibration, excessive RPM, and many other things that shorten the life of the pump/motor. On top of that the VFD controllers themselves don't last very long, as you well know.
You can probably replace the pump, motor, and wire for less than the cost of the first replacement VFD controller. Then adding a Cycle Stop Valve will give you constant pressure, and eliminate cycling, which will make your pump system last much longer. Or you can replace the VFD controller again, and be right back in the same boat.
I am sorry you are in this mess and that pump installers (like me) are getting a bad reputation. I will be glad to help you anyway I can.
Here is a link to another example of the same problem.
I have installed VFD's for over ten years and if Motors were failing every six years and controllers every three do you really think I would ever recommend them?
I have used both cycle-stop valves and VFD's. Both work really well when applied correctly. The problems you are reffering to referr to bad applications and mistakes by contractors.
Just my un-biased opinion from a contractor whose signature is not a link to the Cycle-Stop Website
You don't have any Yaskawa drives that are ten years old. They have only been around a few years. If they hadn't renamed them, they would be called the Redydrive4. But I guess they changed the name so people wouldn't realize they had been redesigned so many times in such a short period. The Goulds drives have been through just as many "upgrades". I think the Grundfos SQE is in what they call "generation 6". They are getting better, but they will never be able to solve all the problems.
I am not bragging about it, but rather kicking myself that "sleep mode" is my fault. I taught classes for years in which I would describe a VFD holding constant pressure. As you know because you mentioned this problem with the Franklin drives, always holding a constant pressure doesn't allow for any water to be used from a pressure tank. Therefore with small demands, the VFD controlled pump cycles like crazy. I explained this in a few classes with some VFD engineers sitting in the back, and the next thing I know we have "sleep mode". And yes "sleep mode" helps, but it only solves one of many problems.
Some VFD systems have lasted for many years. I know of some that are 20+ years old. But those are the exceptions to the rule, and installers usually have more problems with VFD systems than they realize. I have had lots of contractors tell me they don't have many problems with drives. Then in a short conversation they will start admitting things like, "well we did have to replace all the drives we put in the first year, something like the cooling fans were running backwards". And "yeah we had a few we think got hit by lightning". Or "come to think of it, we did have to replace a few motors, but the company warranted them, so I had forgotten about it".
VFD's are electronic, so people expect them to need occasional maintenance or replacement. Which is a shame that we have gotten so use to things not lasting very long. Everyday I hear from installers who have been using drives for 5 or 10 years. Then they start to realize they are losing customers. You may not even know of all the problems with the drives you installed, because after you warranted it a couple of times, the customer called someone else. It takes a long time to get good customers, only a minute to lose them, and many times you don't even realize you have lost them. You may not think warranty calls that you do not charge for will bother the customer, but even one warranty call means the customer was out of water, and that makes you look bad.
The real problem is that this is the same argument I have been hearing for over 20 years. "You just need the "new drive" with the faster IGBT's, "sleep mode", Nema 4 enclosure, minimum start frequency, and on and on." I fell for it myself for several years. Then I realized the valves we were using as backup for the VFD's were doing a better job, where more reliable, cost less, and were keeping my customers happy. So I switched all my customers drive systems over to valves and never looked back. My years of training in electronics have been pretty much wasted, except for teaching me the basics that help me understand VFD's can never overcome the laws of physics. They have come up with lots of Bandaids over the years, but filters, line reactors, swinging chokes, critical speed skipping, and anything else they try can't solve the core problems.
Congratulations on your first year in business. I wish you success. I am just an old pump man that has been tailing out pipe for over 40 years. So what do I know? Maybe these newest drives really do have all the problems solved? But my best customers have all gone through this same thing, and we have become good friends, even after I had to say "I told you so".
Thank You for the well wishes on our first year. While this is Clearwater Pump's first year I have been doing pump work since I was in highschool as I am sure most of the pump men on here have. 10 years ago we were using the GP10 drives. Mostly on large irrigation projects.
The pump was removed - turns out it was a Grundfos 2.5hp set at 780' (100' from bottom). Since that pump was barely adequate for the amount of head we have, we opted for the 3 hp, 7 gpm unit.
Our pitiless adaptor was found crooked and was causing the PVC pipe to bend with the pump hanging on it. The well guy used a section of steel pipe made by Jazeera to prevent any problems from it hanging crooked.
It's nice to have water again, and if this pump doesn't last as long, I'll go back in with another Grundfos. Time will tell.
My future plans is to get a 1500gal tank and have it pump once a night, and use a separate pump to supply pressure to the house. This should give the longest life to the well pump and give the house plenty of water/pressure.
780'? I hope that is sch 120 pvc with stainless or brass couplings


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Boulder >Health & Medical Services > Ayurvedic Medicine & Classical
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Tray and Coaster Set
Winterberry is the holiday classic that brings this timeless motif to life in elegantly sculpted dinnerware & serveware, beautiful glassware and joyous giftware. This tray & coaster set is perfect for holiday entertaining. You can easily carry a water pitcher and cooler glasses on the tray, while the coasters are waiting to protect your table surface. The Winterberry tray & coaster set goes great with other Pfaltzgraff Winterbery pieces, like dinnerware sets, juice glasses, tidbit trays and more. Tray & coaster set is wood construction. Includes 12" square tray, and (4) 4" square coasters.


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Dame Joan Sutherland, one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th Century, died on Sunday aged 83. Dogged by ill-health over the past couple of years, The Sydney Morning Herald broke the news of her death to a public unaware of her personal battle. In tribute to the singer dubbed La Stupenda, I am re-running an article which explores both her iconic status and her enormous contribution to opera. Dame Joan is survived by her husband Richard Bonynge, and her son Adam.
Antony Lias
Perhaps more than any other singer of the 20th century, Dame Joan Sutherland was the true embodiment of what is sometimes referred to as a vocal "phenomenon". History is full of great singers who have been extraordinary in their own right, whether through blazing dramatic intensity, the ability to surmount all fachs without shying away from the extreme peaks in a veritable Himalaya of great roles, such as Isolde, Norma and Brünnhilde, or by producing feats of barely credible vocal acrobatics, like the acuto sfogato were (in)famous for. The truth is that phenomenons are by their very definition extremely rare.
Sutherland is unusual for the sheer combination of attributes which mark her out as being truly unique in an already crowded field of outstanding exponents. Firstly, we have a voice of truly heroic dimensions singing bel canto. It is doubtful if any soprano in this repertoire has fielded quite so much power and tone as Dame Joan, and this includes Callas and Tetrazzini. The contrast with other sopranos who sing the same roles is appropriately enough stupendous, with rival prima donnas producing small pin points of sound as compared to Sutherlands seemingly endless cascades of full tone. Secondly, we have that extraordinary and much written about technique, which by any standards is little short of astonishing. Whether producing mind boggling divisions, arpeggios, appogiaturas, pinpoint staccati, colossal high notes which lose no quality in delivery, or that unequalled trill, every arsenal of the coloratura is supremely at her command. Finally, we have that distinctive and instantly recognisable timbre. This combination is certainly unprecedented in the 20th century, although to a greater and lesser degree there have been other singers who have possessed some of these attributes, admittedly not in the same protean, almost outrageous quantities. Consequently it is to one of the various incarnations of the "Golden Age" of singing that one must refer to when looking for singers similarly endowed. Angelica Catalani springs to mind, but she lacked Sutherland's musicianship and no doubt heroic tone. Her compatriot Melba similarly possessed a luminous and beautiful tone, but too lacked the same vocal heft and staggering technique. Rather interestingly, Sutherland released "The Art of the Prima Donna" in 1960 to great critical acclaim. In this recording Sutherland sang sixteen arias all dedicated to legendary sopranos of the past, ranging from Mrs Billington, to Pasta to Galli- Curci. On the basis of primitive recordings which exist for some, and contemporary critiques for others, Sutherland emerges with flying colours. In the words of Edward Greenfield, "Daringly she challenged the best of the past, and so far as we can compare in existing recordings she established a degree of consistency that no soprano since Lilli Lehmann had ever matched over so wide a range" (Record Masters: Joan Sutherland, Ian Allan Press, 1972)
John Steane in his "Voices, Singers and Critics" (Duckworth Press, 1992) gave perhaps the most accurate assessment of why Dame Joan was to dominate the bel canto repertory for over three decades. It wasn't just the heroic dimensions of the voice, or the extraordinary technique, but its combination with a vocal tone that was golden and warm. If the tonal spectrum ranges from bright to dark, "Sutherland's place would be near the centre, which is no doubt another reason for her wide appeal." Other singers in a comparable repertoire veer towards bright white sounds, which can at times become intolerable on the ear, whereas Sutherland's distinctive timbre is infinitely warmer, far more lyrical in quality. Like Callas before her, Sutherland was no mere soprano leggero. Categorizing Sutherland's voice has always been extremely difficult, both the size and the sound present definitional problems. The term dramatic coloratura has been coined to try and describe such voices, but this seems to me to be a thoroughly inadequate description. Aside from singing some roles popular amongst coloratura sopranos, Sutherland's voice could not be more different. Fach clearly plays it part in determining an appropriate definition, but perhaps one should simply label them as sopranos, as was the case in the 18th and 19th centuries when such sopranos would sing whatever was required of them. Afterall, coloratura was not then a specialism, the preserve of vocal high wire acts, but an integral part of every singer's technique.
Naturally Dame Joan garnered many plaudits and soubriquets throughout her time, emphasizing the uniqueness of her vocal gifts. Whether being called the "The Voice of the Century", "Prima Donna Assoluta" or "La Stupenda" by a stunned Venetian audience following her sensational Alcina in 1960, they all emphasize her supreme attributes. But it wasn't all plain sailing, for many had misgivings about other aspects of her performances. The biggest of which was the tendency during the 1960's to eliminate consonants in the quest for the perfect sound. Of course the sound was intensely beautiful, but what should have been otherwise marvellous recordings for Decca during the 1960's such as Beatrice di Tenda, I Puritani and La Sonnambula, were ultimately marred by the lack of bite in her diction. Cabalettas were often taken at a frenetic pace thrilling the ear, but anything slower often became languorous, droopy and dramatically empty. Critics naturally complained that the text was rendered all but incomprehensible. There is some truth in this and it cannot be denied, although a fair degree of exaggeration was employed. As an aside it is worth noting that every notable prima donna has garnered as many detractors as supporters. A good example is Maria Callas, a titan of 20th century opera. Was there ever a singer more loved and loathed than her? To some Callas was the absolute embodiment of what opera should be, to others her voice was nothing less than a desecration. Great artists seem to inspire fanatical adoration as well as great antipathy. Both of which seem to lead to questionable judgments being made by both supporters and detractors.
The limited studio recordings from the 1950s are supplemented with some historic live recordings which demonstrate a very different voice from that employed in the 1960s. More steely and silvery, with good diction and shining high notes. Just listen to her 1959 Lucia live from Covent Garden, or her Jennifer in Tippets The Midsummer Marriage to hear the marked contrast from the warmer, golden, less incisive sounds that was to characterise the next decade. The 1970s however, did see a marked improvement in diction, plus a real dramatic commitment to the text of what she was singing. Her Esclarmonde defies belief, hair raising coloratura coupled with burnished Wagnerian tone. Her critically lauded Turandot under the baton of Zubin Mehta was a triumph, with Dame Joan bringing an interpretation which eluded even her most acclaimed rivals. Her Maria Stuarda was volcanic, whilst her second recordings of Lucia, La Traviata and I Puritani were on the whole successful improvements on the first. All of which marks out a development in Dame Joan's career, which has sometimes been overlooked in contemporary criticism. Her progression as an artist is very evident when one overcomes pre-conceived notions of what did or did not happen. To help frame her development we should look at the biographical details.
Early Days
Dame Joan Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE, was born on the 7th of November 1926 in Sydney, Australia. Her mother, Muriel, was a talented mezzo-soprano who was taught by Burns Walker, a pupil of the illustrious music teacher Mathilde Marchesi. Unsurprisingly, Joan was introduced to opera by her mother at a very young age and would often imitate her vocal technique.
Joan's first real breakthrough in her training came in 1945 when, aged 18, she won the John and Aida Dickens scholarship. John Dickens immediately recognised that she was in fact a dramatic soprano and not a mezzo soprano as previously assumed. Much work was done to lift the voice and to overcome her natural shyness and reticence. For a time the young singer was having trouble accepting the idea that she was destined for the great roles of Wagner and Verdi. However, this soon changed as she imagined singing the same repertoire as that of her idol, the great Kirsten Flagstad. It was also during her time with the Dickens' that Joan joined the Affiliated Music Clubs of New South Wales and met for the first time, whilst singing at the Queen Victoria Club, the man who would have the single biggest impact both on her life and her career, Richard Bonynge.
In these "music clubs" Joan would sing selections from La Gioconda, Aida and Tristan und Isolde, amongst others, whilst being accompanied on the piano by Richard. Joan's official public debut came on the 12th December 1946 where, at the Sydney Town Hall, she sang in Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Joan also entered some of the numerous vocal competitions which, were being held throughout Australia to try and find the next great operatic hope, perhaps a Melba or an Austral in the making. The most significant of these competitions was the "Mobil Quest" run by the Vacuum Oil Company. Having come fourth in 1949, Joan entered once more in 1950 and this time emerged victorious. Now armed with the winner's prize of £1,000, her savings and a generous gift of £1,000 from her cousin John, Joan and her mother set sail for London and ultimately Covent Garden.
Covent Garden
Upon arrival in London, Joan and Richard become re-acquainted (they were later to be married, in 1954). She was also introduced to Professor Clive Carey of the Royal College of Music, who advised her to join the Opera School. During these early years in London, Richard noticed that Joan often sang around the house with a different voice to that of her moulded dramatic soprano; it was both more free, natural and placed higher than she would usually sing. Up until now Joan assumed the top of her voice was a rather hard-won top C, and that the bel canto repertoire was one best left to the lighter voice types like Galli-Curci and Pons. Maria Callas showed that it was possible to embody the ideals of bel canto and yet deliver the coloratura pyrotechnics with a voice normally associated with the heavier repertoire, such as Verdi's Aida.
Armed with the knowledge that she did not have perfect pitch, Richard would often get Joan to sing away from the piano. Consequently, she began singing notes far higher than she had ever thought possible. High D's, E's, F's and once even an F# in altissimo. This moment in Joan's life has now entered operatic folklore, but it also marked a break between what she assumed she was and what she was to rightly become, namely the leading soprano in the bel canto revival.
Joan had several auditions at Covent Garden, but although they were impressed by the quality and size of the voice, they found it very difficult to place her voice type. She would often sing both a dramatic aria followed by a coloratura standard, such as "Dich teure halle" and "Qui la voce". Eventually she was offered a contract for the 1952/1953 season at £10 per week, where she was viewed as a suitable understudy/successor to the dramatic soprano Sylvia Fisher. Her first performance at Covent Garden was as the First Lady in The Magic Flute, followed closely by the High Priestess in Aida and Clotilde in Norma. From 1952-1959 Joan sang a variety of different roles at the Garden which, along with its supportive, almost family-like atmosphere, allowed Joan to progress to an artist of the first rank. Her roles both at the Garden and on tour ranged from Aida, Amelia in The Masked Ball, Desdemona in Otello, the Countess in Figaro and Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann, to those which required a bravura coloratura technique. These included the fiendishly difficult role of Jennifer, especially written for Joan by Michael Tippett in his The Midsummer Marriage, Gilda in Rigoletto and Olympia in Hoffmann.
Although garnering many ecstatic press notices throughout these years, it was a performance of Handel's Alcina at St Pancras Hall for the Handel Society, which really caused the critics and the public alike to realise that here was a very special and rare singer indeed, one who could sing the taxing vocal line of Handel's Sorceress, complete with trills, high notes and mind boggling divisions and yet always ensure that her voice remained exquisitely beautiful. This "baroque ideal" was realised again as the Israelite Woman in Handel's Samson at Covent Garden. Here Joan would bring the house down at the end of the evening with a staggering performance of "Let the Bright Seraphim", complete with an exultant high D to cap the aria.
Sutherland Arrives - Lucia di Lammermoor 1959
Following the sensational Alcina, Lord Harewood, David Webster and Richard began campaigning for Joan to have a new production especially mounted for her. It was deemed that the perfect opera for Joan would be Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. After much procrastination and persuasion the production was mounted. The director was Franco Zeffirelli and the conductor Tulio Serafin. Opening night was the 17th of February 1959, a date now famous in operatic history. Her debut as Lucia became a watershed moment in the annals of opera, launching her upon a glittering international career as a top flight soprano. In every sense of the word, her debut was a tumultuous triumph. John Steane in his book "Voices, Singers and Critics", described how the house "blazed with enthusiasm" greeting the arrival of this new and extraordinary star. What made the evening so momentous was that rare combination of deeply serious dramatic commitment to the drama of Donizetti's opera, and the flawless expression of some of opera's most demanding and technically virtuosic music
Dame Joan Sutherland has from time to time been accused of being too cool on stage, for not showing enough fire and emotion in some of her portrayals, yet one has only to listen to the live recording from this debut run, to realise that Joan's portrayal penetrated to the very heart of poor mad Lucy, and that this could be achieved whilst maintaining a pure and perfect vocal line - something which often eluded other performers in this same role. Following her debut as Lucia, the world's operatic citadels began to fall one after the other, Paris; Venice; Milan; Vienna; San Francisco; Chicago; and finally the Metropolitan Opera New York. Invariably she sang Lucia and the result was always the same, a complete and unadulterated triumph. Whether she was shattering records for ovations at the Met, or being hailed "La Stupenda" after giving La Fenice her Alcina, Joan was consistently delivering a standard of singing hitherto considered extinct. This was all the more remarkable when one considers that she was continually battling with various ailments during the 1950's and early 1960's, ranging from chronic sinusitis, to severe and debilitating back and leg pains.
La Stupenda – The Glory Years
During the 1960s Dame Joan Sutherland added many new roles to her repertoire, including Beatrice di Tenda, Amina in La Sonnambula, Elvira in I Puritani, Marie in La Fille du regiment, Violetta in La traviata and Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare. Two of her most notable successes came in the title roles of Rossini's Semiramide and Bellini's Norma. Joan first sang the Babylonian Queen Semiramide at La Scala in 1962. It had long been out of the repertory primarily because the murderous vocal line for all the roles required a command of bel canto long since gone. Joan revelled in the taxing tessitura, bringing the house down after "Bel raggio lusinghier". The other great role which Joan undertook in the 1960s was Bellini's Norma. Often considered to be the pinnacle of bel canto achievement, it has a fearsome reputation for exposing the flaws in a singer's technique and stamina. Lilli Lehmann famously declared it more demanding than all three Brünnhilde combined! Whilst some considered Joan wanting in temperament in this role, there is no doubt that she embodied the musical aspects in a way which was to become peerless. Whether interpolating an unwritten sustained high E-Flat in the duet "In mia man", singing the great aria "Casta Diva" in the original higher key of G, or bringing the house down in her duets with that other paragon of vocal brilliance, Marilyn Horne, Joan's performances were undeniably impressive. Her interpretation of this role, one which she sang more often than any other soprano of the 20th century, grew in greater depth over the decades, culminating in two wonderful, albeit very different recordings with Decca. The 1960s was also the decade in which Sutherland made the first of many musical collaborations with other artists who would sing with her throughout the rest of her career, including Huguette Tourangeau, Margerta Elkins, Monica Sinclair, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti.
Joan Sutherland's partnership with Marilyn Horne is the stuff of legend. It is hard to conceive of a more brilliant pair of vocalists within the recorded history of opera. They first met in New York in 1961 when Joan made her American debut in the title role of Beatrice di Tenda and Marilyn sang the role of Agnese di Main. They performed together frequently in the 1960's and made some extraordinary recordings, most notably Semiramide and Norma. Horne demonstrated time and time again a formidable technique which included a powerful and resonant chest voice, smooth legato and an excellent command of coloratura.
Another illustrious colleague often associated with Dame Joan, is Luciano Pavarotti. Blessed with a beautiful, smooth tenor with ringing high notes, Luciano was in turn to have a truly great and exceptionally popular career. They first met in 1965 when singing together in Lucia di Lammermoor in Miami. Suitably impressed, Sutherland and Bonynge engaged Luciano for the now famous "Sutherland & Williamson" tour in Australia later that year. However, his big splash on the opera scene did not come until he sang Tonio to Joan's Marie in Donizetti's La Fille du regiment at Covent Garden in 1966.
During the 1960s Joan's standing with the critics was often a mixed affair. They marvelled at her clarion high notes, power and command of coloratura, yet were unhappy at the smoothing of consonants, interpreting it as a quest for the perfect beautiful sound. This approach was to change considerably in the 1970s. Not only did Joan's diction markedly improve, but it was accepted time and time again that she was indisputably the supreme technician. The voice also acquired a darker hue at this time, giving the interpretation of the music a grander sense of scale and more dramatic purpose. It also led to Joan taking on some heavier roles, including Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Stuarda, Leonora in Il Trovatore and even (on record only) a fabulous assumption of Puccini's Turandot. Perhaps her most significant role during this period was that of Massenet's extraordinary Esclarmonde.
Esclarmonde calls for an almost inhuman combination of attributes. The lead must have the power of a dramatic soprano to ride Massenet's lush Wagnerian style orchestration, the sensuousness of a lyric soprano for the more tender moments in the opera and a remarkable coloratura technique to cope with some of the score's more hair raising demands. Perhaps more than any other role in her repertoire, it is nigh on impossible to think of another soprano who could command all of these attributes quite so well as Joan.
The Final Years
During the 1980s Dame Joan consolidated her position as one of the great prima donnas of our time. Her "time at the top", was perhaps even more impressive than that of her great Australian predecessor, Dame Nellie Melba. Further roles were added to her repertoire including Adriana Lecouvreur, Anna Bolena and Amalia in Verdi's I Masnadieri, to name but a few. She also continued to record frequently with Decca and performed with more and more regularity at the Sydney Opera House, a venue with which she has become so closely associated since her debut there in 1974.
After 1697 performances, Joan decided to retire from the operatic stage in 1990 so as to leave her fans with a memory of a voice that would be the envy of many other sopranos. Officially, her final performance was that of Marguerite de Valois in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots at the Sydney Opera House in 1990, a role she first performed at La Scala in 1962, opposite Corelli, Simionato and Cossotto. It was both an emotional and suitably resplendent occasion, with the end of her career marked by a wonderful celebration at the end of the opera. Joan however, was to still perform one last time. As befitting the house which launched her international career, Joan gave her final farewell at Covent Garden on New Year's Eve in 1990 as a guest in the party scene from Die Fledermaus. Joined by her colleagues Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti and with her husband in the pit, Joan sang "Home Sweet Home" to a rapturous ovation. Rarely, if ever, has a diva been given such a farewell. But then, few sopranos have achieved such a staggeringly successful career or been blessed with a voice that can rightly be described as a phenomenon. In addition to this, Joan has avoided the whims and caprices of many of the other sopranos labelled correctly or not, as divas. Instead she has shown us that greatness can arrive through a combination of undeniable talent, humility and generosity of spirit.
Recommended Discography
Complete Operas
Puccin's Turandot: Joan Sutherland (Turandot), Luciano Pavarotti (Calaf), Montserrat Caballé (Liu). Conducted by Zubin Mehta. This recording is often considered to be the supreme reading of Puccini's opera, with Sutherland turning in a performance of the icy princess that refuted the suggestion that drama was an unimportant consideration when it came to her interpretations. Unlike the usual implaccable man-hating performance usually turned in by most Turandot's, Sutherlands account is more intensely human, revealing a characterisation previously under-developed by other interpreters. It is also a refreshing change to hear those blazing top C's in "In questa reggia" being sung, as opposed to being merely shrieked! Sutherland is also supported with a cast which can hardly be bettered.
Massenet's Esclarmonde: Joan Sutherland (Esclarmonde), Roland (Giacomo Aragall), Parseis (Huguette Tourangeau). Conducted by Richard Bonynge. Massenet's exotic, almost Wagnerian score provides Sutherland with one of her most celebrated roles. As the titular enchantress Sutherland sings a role that calls for an impossible combination of qualities, namely the power of a dramatic soprano, melting lyricism, thunderous high notes and coloratura.
Bellini's Norma: Joan Sutherland (Norma), Adalgisa (Marilyn Horne), Polione (John Alexander). Conducted by Richard Bonynge. This earlier account is preferable to the more matronly sounds produced in the later recording with Caballé as Adalgisa in 1988. Although we are already beginning to hear the smothering of consonants in this early recording, the voice is limpid and beautiful throughout, singing with an ease that escapes all rival Norma's. Preferable still is any of the "live" recordings of Sutherland's Metropolitan Opera Norma's from 1970, featuring Bergonzi as Pollione and Horne as Adalgisa. It is an electrifying performance, with the great Act I trio, and duets with Horne, veritable masterclasses in the possibilities of bel canto.
Rossini's Semiramide: Joan Sutherland (Semiramide), Arsace (Marilyn Horne), Joseph Rouleau (Assur). Conducted by Richard Bonynge. Sutherland's Babylonian Queen has been unimpeachable since it was first released by Decca in 1966. "Bel raggio" is just one of many highlights on this recording.
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: Joan Sutherland (Lucia), Luciano Pavarotti (Edgardo), Sherrill Milnes (Enrico). Conducted by Richard Bonynge. Perhaps her most famous role, this second recording under Bonynge is preferable to the earlier 1961 account under Pritchard. More incisive in matters of text, with far improved diction, we hear a darker and more penetrating sound from Sutherland.
Donizetti's La fille du régiment: Joan Sutherland (Marie), Luciano Pavarotti (Tonio), Spiro Malas (Sulpice). Conducted by Richard Bonynge. Although this opera was almost universally panned by the critics in 1966 at Covent Garden for being the worst sort of nonsense imaginable, the recording made just one year later has become a huge seller and firm favourite with admirers of the diva. Ebullient throughout and dazzling in coloratura, Sutherland and Pavarotti make ideal lovers in this Donizetti romp.
Recital Discs
The Art of the Prima Donna:
Possibly the greatest recital disc ever recorded. Joan Sutherland sings sixteen arias by composers ranging from Bellini and Rossini, to Mozart and Meyerbeer. A truly staggering performance, it is unlikely to ever be equalled let alone surpassed. A must for any lover of supreme singing.
Romantic French Arias: Recently re- released by Decca, this enchanting recital demonstrates Sutherland's flare for the French repertoire, where happily dicton is much improved. There are many memorable items on this recital, but none more so than the rollicking account of the "Conduissez moi" from Offenbach's Robinson Crusoe, which will leave you open mouthed at the sheer exuberance and vocal agility on display.
First Recital: Sometimes referred to as Sutherland's "Opera Arias" or "Opera Gala", this disc contains excerpts from some of her earliest accounts of the celebrated roles that would later make her world famous. The "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor is in a league of its own when it comes to pure vocalism. Captured just weeks after her celebrated debut as Lucia at Covent Garden, Decca have captured the range, power and haunting quality that was to make her Lucia the most famous of the century. The other tracks are of a comparable quality, although the rioutously heroic "Santo di patria" from Verdi's I Masnadieri was recorded in 1963.
The Art of Joan Sutherland: A six CD set released by Decca in 2004, provides a wonderful retrospective of La Stupenda's recording career. The first CD is dedicated to Handel, Bononcini, Paisiello, Piccinni, Arne and Shield; the second Mozart; the third Verdi and Wagner; the fourth and fifth is given over to French repertoire, whilst the sixth features arias and duets by Bellini, Donizetti, Thomas, Verdi and Weber. At 88 tracks it is pretty comprehensive and should be an ideal way of sampling Sutherland's varied repertoire in one fell swoop.


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Local Security Bug in GNU Emacs
A vulnerability in the extended text editor GNU Emacs gives local attackers the ability to run arbitrary code.
Developer Drake Wilson disclosed the vulnerability on the Debian Security mailing list. The error is caused by incorrect behavior of the "hack-local-variables" function if it is set to ":safe". The documentation for the function states that Emacs only runs variables that are declared as safe in this case, but this is not true: Emacs actually ignores the function and uses any local variable. An attacker could exploit this to modify the current user's init file and execute code by means of a carefully crafted Emacs Lisp file.
The bug affects Emacs version 22.1 and possibly others. The Emacs 22.1 package in the Debian Etch repository does not have the bug says another developer. A fix is available from the CVS repository. The vulnerability has been assigned CVE ID CVE-2007-5795. The GNU Emacs maintainer has been notified.
Issue 163/2014
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Tag Cloud
KDE Announces Software Compilation 4.13
New release comes with better semantic search and improvements to Kontact.
Coverity: Open Source Code has Fewer Defects
Annual code quality report shows FOSS is more secure at all project size levels.
An Even Smaller Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced an even smaller version of the tiny computer that will fit into a DIMM slot.
Freaky Privilege Escalation Attack
A new class of problems lets a malicious app pre-configure an invisible privilege update.
Facebook Rolls Out New PHP-like Programming Language
New Hack language adds static typing and other conveniences.
Fedora Announces Innovative Crytography Policy System
New crypto policy system will offer easier configuration and more uniform security.
Shuttleworth Calls for Declarative Firmware
Ubuntu founder denounces insecurity in proprietary, close-source software blobs.
New TLS Attack Takes the S out of HTTPS
Vulnerability affects many Linux web servers
Munich Adopts Kolab
The Bavarian capital shuns Microsoft, Google, and other alternatives to implement an open source groupware solution.
Canonical Announces Ubuntu Smartphones
Phone vendor partnerships bring Mark Shuttleworth's dream of Ubuntu on a phone a step closer to reality.


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No time to finish this up when I get home tonight (damned GMT!!), so here's what I got.
Here's my final entry. Thanks everyone for the feedback in the wip thread :)
What a fun challenge! Good luck all!
WiP #1
WiP #2
So this will be my final.Moved the snake so it comes up more from behind the eye, where it cant see it;) The one in the back has got eyeballs but she cant see.
Sorry for rhe ugly wip links, but Im too tired to care, so good night and good luck you all!
great round everyone! was fun joining in on the action again!! all the images came out amazing!!
WIP#1 - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1257833&stc=1&d=1308362947
WIP#2 - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1257834&stc=1&d=1308362983
WIP#3 - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1258908&stc=1&d=1308520095
WIP#4 - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1258909&stc=1&d=1308520135
Wip One
Wip two
Wip Three
Click to enlarge
(The idea is that when they hold the eye stone that a giant third eye opens on their forehead, otherwise they are blind. They also have a sharp tooth stone which causes teeth come out of their jaws, otherwise they are toothless.)
banjaxedmdt:nickybeats (because I previously saw your pics in the WIP thread I'll allow your entry, but WIP links should direct to the WIP thread on this forum in future)
oh woops, sorry about that! ill remember that next time.
my votes are for :
really nice scene you put together here man! loving the folds, and cloth work. also i just love that stylised brush work! a man after my own heart haha.
Voluspa, you really handled the lighting well in this scene. and i do like the trees sort of framing the whole thing. you pulled this one off nicely!
a very solid image! its tough to keep a really pale skin tone on a character like these, usually it would lack real depth, but you managed it nicely!
Evesweater - i really wished you had taken this one a bit further because it has alot of potential!! you should keep working on it even though the challenge is over!
Solomon - this one was awesome dude! i did really like it, but i just had to go with the other artists because they had more time to really refine their pieces, i think if you had jumped in earlier you would have been up there.
great challenge everyone!! hope to see you all again in one of these soon!!!!
My votes are
1. Smolin
2. Nickybeats
3. Voluspa
Great work all.
2. Voluspa
3. Mariasahlberg
1) voluspa
2) Smolin
3) nickybeats
1) Voluspa - I've probably said this a thousand times already, but this looks like a classic storybook illustration to me. The sisters have a ton of personality and the lighting is so well realized and delicate. Beautiful piece.
2) NickyBeats - Great rendering and texture on that central face, and also a lot of personality there.
3) Solomon01 - A completely innovative rendition. You brought something weird and new to the subject, with great character design, too. I'd love to see you work it up to a higher level of finish.
mariasahlberg.com - You gotreally natural poses on the figures, but it could use more modelling of the forms: because the skin tones are so light and without much variation, they start to fade out a bit.
evesweater - I really like the action you created here, but the colors flatten things out for me. Also, placing the focal point of the image in the extreme corner of the composition is risky, because it leads our eyes off the page.
2. Solomon
3. Nickybeats
For comments I refer back to the WIP thread, except for Solomon who posted wip's at the very last minute! - Sol, I think you did a great job on the three sisters. I wasn't entirely sure about the eye and the tooth but suspected you meant it like you describe above. I also think that of all of us you might have captured their characters best - if their characters are anything like their names (Dread, Horror and Alarm). As others have mentioned though, it doesn't feel entirly finished and could become an even greater piece!
© Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 200885.


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Jeanne C Dau
Office: 3011 - Lumpkin Hall
Phone: 217-581-2913
Email: email@example.com
Jeanne Dau is the Director of the Business Solutions Center (BSC) for the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. Jeanne has an extensive background in working with businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups to develop and satisfy their training, consulting and research needs. Prior to this appointment, she was the director of the Small Business Development Center in Chillicothe, MO, where she provided training and one-on-one counseling to more than 500 businesses in the region. She has started two successful service businesses, worked in corporate communications, and coordinated and marketed meetings as part of her responsibilities as the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Chancellor Hotel/University Inn in Champaign, IL, sales manager for Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort in Galena, IL, and conference facilitator for the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens, GA. Jeanne looks forward to meeting you and exploring how the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation's Business Solutions Center can help you build and grow your business.
Frequently Taught Courses
Jeanne Dau has been selected as the instructor for the Coles County Entrepreneurship Class. Dau, with the support of the Business Solutions Center at Eastern Illinois University, will also develop a business success network fostering interactions and relationships between students and community leaders, bankers, entrepreneurial mentors, and other resources in the county.


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