text:
Nicola Davidson Reed (Focus Photography exhibition)
Nicola is a Photographer because she has a drive to capture raw moments in time a compulsion a need, a passion.
Nicola feels as fulfilled taking a snap shot as she does photographing a structured set with a model, although it is the spontaneity of the street which is so exciting. When working with photography, Nicola is reminded that she exists, conversely she also disappears into a monochrome world with occasional visits to colour.
Nicola's work finds her, through so many avenues and alleyways. Inspiration is the biggest driving force but so are dreams, time, emotions, patterns, ideologies, expectations, roles in society, affluence and the absence of it, textures, family, towns, cities, the countryside, photographers of the past but above all love and all that comes with it (including the not so cool emotions!)
Nicola's photography work is her own take on the world its strengths and fragility.
Nicola Davison Reed | Photographer/ Mother | Nottingham
Karoline Rerrie (Portfolio)
Karoline is an illustrator who creates intricate and delicate images by hand using drawing, painting, silk screen printing and Japanese Gocco printing.
Karoline does not see her work as art but sees her work as a craft and strives to maintain a handmade element which is what initially led her to explore printmaking. She now designs, makes and sells a range of multiples including greetings cards, small books and prints.
Collaboration and participation are also important elements of her creative practice; and are key elements of craft as a whole. She shares her skills and ideas with others through a variety of projects. These include co-ordinating group exhibitions and the publication of limited edition postcard books, fanzines and colouring books featuring her artwork and that of other women illustrators. Karoline also has considerable experience of facilitating workshops in a variety of settings such as schools, galleries and libraries.
She works with a wide range of ages and abilities including children, young people, adults and people with learning disabilities.
Roman Sakovich (Half | FOUR - Barnaby Festival 2013)
Half highlights the drastic physical effects of substance abuse.
London based photographer Roman Sakovich creates split images that simultaneously portray an individual prior to and post addiction, leaving the viewer with a stark visualization of the damaging effects of drug use on our bodies.
The project was inspired, in part, by the experience of the artist's own friends. In the series, he specifically focused on the dramatic change in appearance that a person undergoes while addicted to crystal meth. By showing the before and after images of the individual in the same frame, the snapshots reveal the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the psychoactive drug.
But look again, if you think the series is just an example of photoshopping trickery. The unsettling images have been created using talented make-up artists and costume designers in camera rather than post production.
Natasha Sabatini (Image Conscious)
Natasha Sabatini
Natasha Sabatini is a young visual artist who believes her work has a strong and stimulating visual impact.
With a simple twist on the traditional theme of the landscape in Natasha's work, the audience will be thrown off balance as gravity falls weak and the ground is pulled from underneath their feet. The large scale of the photographs will envelope the audience, throwing them up into the sky.
Focusing on the earth as a planet and the surface in a wider universe, the hobbit view is undermined.
Natasha's photographs are intriguing, initially they appear simply as photographs hung upside down, but the more you delve into them, the form, colour and composition of the urban landscapes draw you in. The unique, possibly mundane fragments of life captured by Natasha are then pushed further. The concept of looking at the world from a different perspective, and the beauty found in the shapes and contrasts of our world.
Natasha Sabatini | Photographer | Inkjet prints |
Sonny Ross (The Real Draw | Illustration exhibition)
I am an Illustrator and Risograph print specialist.
Making picture books and working freelance in my time off.
My work has shifted towards simpler, more dynamic reduced colour pieces over the last year, in line with my work with risograph printing.
I like wearing big coats and making lovely books!
Catherine Sales (Image Conscious)
Aurora hunting
Catherine Sales is a freelance photographer based in London, graduating in 2012 from Middlesex University with a BA in Photography. Catherine has a passion for travel which she combines with her photography skills to shoot impressive travel landscapes.
The photographs on display are a collection of works capturing the Northern Lights in Iceland in beautiful detail. These same photographs were selected as Highly Commended in the New Talent category in The 2012 Travel Photographer of the Year Award.
Catherine's photography work is her own take on the world; its strengths and fragility. The photographs are striking, capturing not only the dazzling illuminations, but also the life that exists underneath. The natural vivid lights in the sky paired with the subtle flickering lights from the houses and streets beneath this phenomenon speak wonders. The intense colours within each photograph capture the viewer's attention immediately.
Aurora Hunting is shot with a Nikon D90 and Tamron 12-24mm lens and they are printed on fujifilm paper using an inkjet printer. No Photoshop has been used on any of them.
Prizes and awards:
Highly Commended in New Talent category in the 2012 Travel Photographer of the Year Award
Shortlisted for The Art Gemini Prize 2013.
Catherine Sales | Travel photographer| London
Karen Smith (The Real Draw | Illustration exhibition)
My name is Karen Smith and I am freelance artist and illustrator based in Sheffield. My ideas are based on the quirky and inspiring ditties of life and whilst fun and communicative, are different and thought provoking. I am very observant, searching for ideas in almost anything using my sketchbook as my bible.
My style varies as I find one particular direction isn't enough for me - I like to experiment with different effects and ideas, using sketch first and then composing the final piece digitally. I often use my own photography as part of my artworks too. I have undertaken commissions for council run art projects (logos, posters and fliers) to promote events etc and this has kept my creative juices flowing
Frances Seba Smith (Cheshire Open Studios)
Frances has showed some of her prints with us in the past but we could not resist her latest works, featuring pop turquoises and lush lime greens to really highlight features within the landscapes.
Using up to six layers within her printing process a real catalogue of colours and forms are created, ultimately combining to create a stunning and unique scape.
Frances Seba Smith is an artist, and printmaker trained in Canada and the UK. Exhibits worldwide and in Manchester at the Wendy Levy Gallery. Her recent work consists of drawings, paintings and prints of Cheshire and Anglesey.
Frances Seba Smith | Block prints | Cheshire
Lucy Sparrow (Sew your soul)
Working at the intersection of contemporary art and craft, Lucy Sparrow's work sets the agenda for textiles within the urban art scene. She works mainly with felt and wool, creating over-sized soft versions of existing objects and major art works The aim of this 'feltism' is to question, playfully, the politics of artistic production and to tackle (often collaboratively) some of realities of contemporary living, dealing with issues concerning the politics of consumerism, social exclusion, gender, and neurological diversity.
She have advanced her arts practice and social agenda through her own solo shows ("Imitation", 2012, Hoxton Gallery, London; "Softcore", 2013, Crocus Gallery, Nottingham), and her work has been shown alongside notable street artists, including Banksy, in the "Urban Take-Over", the Victoria & Albert Museum's touring Street Art exhibition and in the "Urban Art Show" (Louise T Blouin Foundation, 2013). She also have works in private and corporate collections in the EU and the US. As part of the strategic vision she has for this field of practice, she curated the "Craftivism" Group Show (W3 London, 2013), reflecting critically on the intersection of fine art, craft, politics and social change. She has been an invited contributor to over 35 group shows, including the annual Modern Panic exhibition (2009-2013) and the City Art Institute of Mental Health Exhibition (Nottingham, 2013-14). Alongside her gallery based practice, she have developed a series of participatory high profile public art projects, including activist work with Greenpeace, and "mini-structures' a six month long commission for Time Out.
In August 2014, Lucy will unveil an 8-month long project to create an entire cornershop out of felt for a month in Bethnal Green, London. It will then move to Brighton in October 2014.
Matthew Spencer (Portfolio)
Matthew's focus is our landscape, our everyday environments, how our world is represented to us through visual information and how this influences our comprehension of the world around us, including the processes and materials that we form our landscape with and in turn how this forms our sense of identity.
He sources his materials from large DIY stores, to ensure that they have a soulless feel to them, cheap mass produced things are bought and sold in bulk, going on to form our everyday environment. Matthew takes them before they go on to that stage and transforms the raw material into something that questions soulless bulk mass producing.
Old abandoned buildings, vehicles, sometimes vandalised or burnt out amidst woods and forests are some of the subject matter that occupies Matthew's disenchanted landscapes. They originate from images of man-made structures and trees found online. Visual information in the online environment forms a large amount of how we now come to experience things. Matthew is interested in how this visual information can be altered and manipulated to form alternate interpretations of our world.
To explore this, he projects multiple numbers of these images (for a single painting) onto MDF, these images become the foundation for the drawing process, partly an accurate representation and partly from imagination. Premixed shades of matt monochrome household paint contribute to the raw, abandoned, gritty aesthetic of the landscapes which stems from his cynicism of utopian notions surrounding our relationship with the natural world.
Matthew cuts them with an electric jigsaw and uses fretsaw blades between his fingers to produce the fine detailing in place of using a CNC laser or router machine for the outlines of the trees and braches.
Matthew's current paintings, displayed here, have stemmed directly from earlier work which involved the same painstaking hand cutting of very detailed tree branches in MDF, often taking hundreds of hours but without the use of any paint. This element of his work was/is a response to the effect mechanical production is having on our landscape and the alienation to the natural world it produces when our everyday environments loose resemblance to nature and become based on themselves.
Liz Sterry (Image Conscious)
Liz Sterry is a visual artist based in Chelmsford.
Her haunting imagery is made even more surreal when the viewer discovers many are self-portraits. Liz is interested in the performance of how a piece of self-portraiture work is created.
Liz explores the wonderful moment in self-portrait photography between setting up the camera and then posing in front of it. The strange moment where the artist skips back and forth between the two. The performance between this relationship with the camera and behind the camera.
Performance is however also created in the characters Liz creates in front of the lens, in each image she is almost a different person. An interesting subject in today's society of manipulation of a photograph and what it can portray.
Liz uses performance, popular cultural tropes and widely accessible photographic tools to create her images. There is a surreal dreamlike quality to the images created by various techniques. Some, like 'lately I've been drinking too much whiskey' are long exposures; others are photoshoped like "London", "factory" and "you're holding something back". Then "moth story" is made using the 'free-lensing' technique.
Liz Sterry | Performance Photographer | Chelmsford
Ben Thompson (Portfolio)
Ben Thompson grew up in York, North Yorkshire. Having achieved a BA Honors First Class in Illustration and Animation at Manchester Metropolitan University, he continued studies with a Masters at the Royal College of Art, London. Currently BT resides in London where he freelances as an artist, illustrator, animator, video/filmmaker, teacher, theatre costume and set designer/builder. Throughout his studies and professional career BT has concentrated on the creation of experimental film, video, sound and performance, however over the past few years this focus has become directed toward composing Collages or 'Faux-Documents' as he regards them.
BT's collages are composed by hand using imagery direct from publications unless otherwise stated.
From a continuously central focus on the mechanisms of the mind and their effects in/on the physical world, Ben's work finds its base in the experiencing, exploring and expressing of various aspects, or rather notions, of mental "being". Drawing upon an array of creative influences from the areas of fine art, film, video, literature and his own practical and academic progressions in the field of animation, Ben thus makes consistent use of the collage technique across his employed mediums of video, sound, image and text. His dyslexia also serves as a catalyst, whether willingly or unwillingly, for much of his creative output and he has found respite from the potential difficulties of external communication through the philosophies and writings of 20th Century literary figures such as William S. Burroughs and R.D. Laing. Interest in the latter and his book "Knots" in particular has emerged from his investigations into the effectiveness of successful communication with others owing to the earlier adoption of a personally devised and interpreted form of spelling, grammar and syntax, illustrated more prominently in his written work but making frequent appearance in practical manifestations and, as can be seen in the video installation "3tu4", their titles and subtitles.
David W. Jones, January 2012
Steve Thornhill (Focus photography exhibition)
Steve Thornhill - Lives locally in Macclesfield with fellow artist Carol Hutchinson. Self-taught and with no formal training he has developed his own style of photography as he sets his own rules and follows none.
A keen film photographer in his 20's he fell out of favor with the expense and slow processes of the time. Fast forward 25 years and he re-discovered his love of the still image and fully embraced the digital age. Buying a pocket point and shoot in early 2008 he was amazed by the shots it could produce.
Upgrades followed and kit now includes Sony A550 and canon 7D cameras.
Hooked again and with the added advantage of digital, instant results and the ability to manipulate images how he wants to see them he found himself lost in a world of 'digital artistry' sometimes spending hours manipulating the same image.
No subject is taboo and he likes to explore a darker side.
Steve Thornhill | Self Taught Photographer | Macclesfield
Full Leather Jacket
"Full Leather Jacket, features Steve's own vintage biker jacket from his old motorcycle days and takes its name from a spin on Kubrick's cult classic, Full Metal Jacket.
Steve said that the exhibition explores our urban landscape with models from all walks of life, though all of them are connected by a common bond: the same leather jacket.
"I personally have a lot of empathy with the jacket having owned it for the last 20 years.
"I kept seeing my jacket (no longer worn) hung in the garage with lots of happy bike-riding memories attached to it, so I'd never throw it away. I'd been thinking about using it in a shoot for some time, but never knew what," he added.
The idea for 'Full Leather Jacket' was inspired by seeing a fellow photographer stopping random people in the street, asking each one of them to pose in the same way.
"This gave me the idea to shoot different people but to link them together in some way and 'Full Leather Jacket' was born."
You can expect to find muted tones and a very gritty style consistent throughout the exhibition. No subject is considered taboo.
Steve likes to explore the darker side to life's situations in still form, often leaving the narrative of the images open to interpretation, encouraging thinking and debate from his audiences.
Several models helped bring the concept together with some images purposefully reflecting the passions and lifestyles of the models themselves"
Wesley Young | Freelance Copywriter | 2013
Adam Quinn (Macarbe Macclesfield & Portfolio)
Adam's layered and instinctive paintings are a development of his ideas, processed through painting, printmaking and sculpture. Often a piece of Adam's work is an expression of all three processes.
The way in which Adam approaches a piece of artwork is very instinctive with an inventive use of colour, line and composition, often using found objects as a starting point.
Adams work is currently inspired by Klee, Basquiat and Gary Hume and his Artist studio in Congleton is truly worth a visit to understand the workings of an artist!
Sean Roh (The Collection)
People can read the point of view between the manipulation Sean would like to tell and reality after watching the photos without the manipulation which seems to be manipulated. There are the events people don't feel them at all though they always happen around the world, on the contrary, there are the ones they think they happen due to the several collected evidences though they don't happen actually. Those two phenomena look like very opposite, but they look like very similar to people. And, whatever the truth about those is, it is difficult for people to feel the event because it is so unrealistic or they behaviour more than necessary because they know that based on intelligence. Anyhow, those two have something in common which is felt like unrealistic though they are real.
Such things are felt like trivial though they are really great like the air that performs the thankful works enabling us to breathe and live and on the contrary, they are felt like so great if they learn it from the knowledge though it is very natural if following the origin of life on earth.
Such thing is shown to the people who are experiencing the global warming, however, it influences on the ecosystem of earth as a lot of media already insisted on the phenomena of global warming and its risk and it is the scaring phenomenon that risks the existence of human seriously as well as other animals on earth if it lasts for long time. On the contrary, there are people who say that it is not big problem realistically because the time of measuring data so far is terribly shorter than the whole life of the earth, but how do the ordinary people who accept such phenomenon recognize that assuming those are all true? If they are not some of scientists or the people who are interested in ecosystem of nature, it is difficult for people to feel it directly because this phenomenon is so abstract and unrealistic and also hard to find the people who are really concerned and afraid of it because there are many more realistic and serious prior tasks to be resolved. All the more the people are concerned about it extremely are rather called as paranoid often. Of course, it is true that the waste is separated and collected owing to the frequent promotion and national policy or people's interest are raised a lot, but it is difficult for them to the basis of the insistence saying that people's concern over the global warming is not abstract.
Like this, though the certain issues are sometimes so abstract that people cannot feel it as they are, it is hard to disregard them because they are so realistic. This project was begun to show the gap between such reality and recognition, however, it shows the reality we are facing and another reality which is difficult to forecast or accept it as it is because it is so abstract by showing the unrealistic shape which there is nothing to be melted down in reality but the unhardened paint flows down on the surface, all the more which the paint gets hardened in reality.
Robin Ross (Print)
Image is all there is for me be it from my head, a camera or a sketch book.
Kerouac, Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robbie Robertson...... they all influenced somewhere along the way.
The Seri - grafff journey continues.
Stuart Royse (The Collection)
Themes such as frost, sand, ice, woodland, rock structures and the effects of water in the natural environment have always held great interest for Stuart. He endeavours to keep the image very simple, concentrating on formal aesthetics such as form, colour, tone and texture. The work is very specific, showing close detail and often the images are made in a series, in order to represent a more complete experience of a place - which perhaps could not be conveyed in a single image. Some of the work can be subject to chance or opportunity, especially the frost and sand work and it is exciting to witness something that is so transient and will cease to exist even minutes later.
With 'Flooded Woodland' Stuart explored an area of 'wet' woodland located on the edge of a reservoir in the Peak District, and documented the seasonal changes over the period of one year. This series shows the visual transformation throughout the seasons of just one small area and highlights just how different the same place can appear when viewed over such an extended period of time.
In order to produce this project he had to draw upon not only the traditional skills and values as a photographer, but also embrace new digital technology. To achieve such a wide view he took 14 separate frames horizontally. Even specialist software could not cope with the fine intricacies of the twigs and leaves, so he had to 'manually stitch' them together to form one complete image.
More detail of Stuart's projects and professional reviews of his work can be found at: www.stuartroysephotography.co.uk/personal.htm
Will Sharpe (The Collection)
"… In the ancient caves of Lascaux, France, for example, the reason for mankind to make pictures was to ''bannen', to fix it, to bring out, to capture the demons, because when you name them, they'll lose their power. That was the first reason people started to paint…. I think that is a lot like film, because cinema is like a modern cave, people come together - that's why the darkness is so important - and you have a screen like a wall in caves. And the aim is to put a spell on demons. To exorcise, if you want. But we have other demons today, because our civilization is different from old cultures."
Fred Kelemen.
Will has been studying photography at Manchester School of art for three years and during his progression he has developed a great fascination for the Grotesque and the constructed image. His pictures illustrate how the grotesque and the monstrous body are disclosed in physical representations of the invisible and the unseen. Filmmaker Fred Kelemen states the art of image-making is to "capture the demons", however in Will's work, his images evoke the idea of unleashing the inner demon, constructing grotesque scenes that illustrate worlds of the unconscious mind, the spiritual world or the internal body.
Subjects like anatomy, the spiritual world, the supernatural, unconscious, divinity and demons are inclusive to the idea of being invisible or unseen, and are all associated with the grotesque.
As a result of creating tableaus for photographing, Will's work is notably multidisciplinary and he considers himself not only to be a photographer but also a set designer, sculptor and draughtsman; working in the disciplines of photography, 3D and drawing.
Sarah Sharpe (Print)
Sarah's interest is in the landscape of the human condition and what makes us who we are. Her fairy tale inspired work is captures childhood but with a dark and menacing twist.
Her work is inspired by old and new stories; often poetry and folk law, but also stories of the here and now.
She is drawn to those who engage with their inner world and favour the imaginative as opposed to the literal image and landscape. Writers and artists such as Emily Dickinson, C. G. Jung, William Blake, and modern day depth psychologists such as Donald Kalsched inspire her.
Sarah works primarily in media such as intaglio etching, paint and stitch. She would call her work Narrative Art.
Sarah's print work is primarily intaglio etching, working on aluminium plates. She strives to work with non-toxic materials to explore the full potential of Aluminium."
Sarah Sharpe | Intaglio etching
Julia Snowdin (Abstracted) & (Barnaby Festival)
According to the eating disorder charity Beat (2009), there are 1.6 million people suffering from an eating disorder in the UK, and the majority are adolescents, adolescents who spend more time watching television than any other activity, apart from sleeping. (Cash, 2002, p.91)
• The average model is 20% underweight (Byron, 2008)
• If a person is 15% under-weight they are considered Anorexic (Morgan, 2000, p.4)
Has the media created a thin, unhealthy ideal? Are adolescents influenced by commercial media and advertising strategies? Do celebrity trends glamorise thinness, making it seem virtuous and desirable? How are we shaped by the media?
A Beauty Disaster responds to these questions. A hanging installation made from 160 spirals represents 0.01% of the people suffering from an eating disorder in the UK. Each downward spiral comments on the emotional and psychological impact of having an eating disorder, and the winding layers of the spirals allude to the secrecy, vulnerability, and fragility of the condition. Out of 1.6 million suffers in the UK, only 8% decide to share their problem, 92% (1.5 million) of sufferers choose to keep it a secret. 92% of the spirals in this installation stand in the dark, hiding their secret in shame. (Beat, 2006)
Lucy Sparrow (Pop, print & stitch)
'Lucy Sparrow is a roaming artist (she lives in a caravan). She works mainly with felt and wool to create over-sized soft versions of existing objects which, when placed in different surroundings, convey an altogether fantastical approach to life. This playful affection she has with her work relieves the conditions that are often put upon artists to produce something deeply profound and monumental.
Lucy's 'Feltism' plays on the distorted scale of childhood and the dreamlike quality to textures. Whilst taking a walk through the surreal fabric landscape where giant sardines lollop next to an innocently blunt pen-knife, the land of the soft conquers the harshness of a sharp edged reality.
The subject matter that she uses with her work is often one that provokes nostalgia and a wish for all things to remain unharmful; a kind of felt Utopia if you like.'
Amy Sterly (Print)
Now that Amey has moved to rural wales her work is influenced by themes relating to the meaning of 'homes/house' - how is a building valued?
Whilst having a serious thread, the investigation results in a quiet playful set of works, a reflection of how we really value properties and why.
The property market uses buildings only as a commodity and does not acknowledge the deeper value of a house or it's placement in the landscape. The traditional woodcut prints of rural scenes are subverted with comic asides and discount stickers. She is playing with the images of a 'rural idyll' and the cheapening of our own homes.
Amey is clearly interested in comics and graphic art, the simple line and flat depth of field allows the images to be clear and direct.
Amey Sterly | Printmaker | Wales
Ritty Tascum (Pop, print & Stitch!)
Oksana Veber (Abstracted)
There are different sources on which we feed in our quest for peace, equivalence and harmony. Artist Oksana Veber founds harmony in the beauty of the landscape, still life, woman's face, which, transferred into the harmony of colors and forms continue they life in art work. Guiding her through the need for equivalence and exploring themes like peace, harmony and emptiness, the artist - influenced by the ideas of Taoism and Eastern philosophy - transferred her longing and revelation on the canvas. From her first works to the present days she developed her work relayed on that same philosophical thought, developing her work by changing it through different styles and exploring the medium of painting and yet modulating it according to her spirit and inspiration she founds inside herself. Female portrait is main motive in most of the paintings. It is usually shown as sensual figure, with full lips, almond eyes, and slightly tipped head, that leads us in world of dreams and fairytales. Two paths lead us when we follow this mystic. One has roots are in Jugendstil (Art Noveau) and further in art of Japan that was inspiration to Jugendstil, and in Russian fairytales that we can find in work of Chagall, and the other in tendency toward harmony in choosing colors that evoke Kandinsky and Marc. Artist settles her characters on the background defined with colorist effects, that are, unlike in her early works when they were much expressive and with vivid tones, tranquil and given in pastel tones of blue-gray combination and beige in gradations. Colors, painted in wide brush-strokes combine anintrusivly and melt one in another, making abstraction that in some works could be defined piece in manner of abstract expressionism. On that background painter successfully adds figuration with tiny, playful black lines that give sparkle to meditative tranquility of background and open space to a new story. Much more than in early works now appear double portraits or even more characters on one painting. To former motifs of landscapes and dreamy female figures author adds new inspiration - motif of birds, fishes, music instruments and pottery that she brings in correlation with main subject. She paints them like the main motif with the same, almost calligraphic, brush-strokes and intensifies some silhouettes fulfilling them with color. In adding those motives, although they bring their own poetry, we can feel transfer to greater opening to the world. Now characters are not so alone, closed up in their dreams and wrapped in shroud of mystic, on contrary, they have opened path forward observer through subtle communication with objects it is surrounded with.
Mike Von Nixon (Macarbe Macclesfield)
Mike likes to explore ways in which to use objects in new ways and to find avenues with which to transform everyday familiar objects into something entirely new and unique. He finds his inspiration from a variety of sources , such as steampunk, humourous things, classic cars and his own overactive imagination!
Mike works in range of media, does not limit himself when it comes to what he uses to make art, always trying to incorporate a high level of experimentation and a willingness to try new things.
He paints, sculpts, builds and draws, but most of all he is guided by his imagination and desire to create something that provokes a reaction, wherever that be laughter, reflection or any number of emotions.
John Walter (Focus photography exhibition)
Sherrie-Leigh Webb (Print)
Sherrie's stunning, delicate and layered works are Fragments of collaged material, perspective; colour, space and scale mix in a fluid manner skewing our preconceptions between objective and imagined realities.
Jewel like in their appearance the work is situated between states of consciousness and dream. Often serene and playful, undefined by time or space, a sense of escapism is aroused with imagery that is familiar yet distant. Suggested narratives offer transportation to mythological realms, made tangible through personalised and fantastical portals.
The works are a mixture of screen printing onto blocks with collage layers to create an extra depth.
Sherrie Leigh Webb | Printmaker and collage artist
Natalie Whitehurst (Image Conscious)
Into the night
Natalie explores the themes of childhood, nursery rhymes, family, dreams and memories through her work. Through the playful exploration of scale, composition and layers each individual photograph tells a story.
Found objects and ephemera are sourced by the artist to create each unique and original photo collage.
The series of photographs 'Into the Night' is exhibited here at Marburae Art Gallery. The work is based upon children's dreams; it focuses on the symbols and imagery that were present in each child's experience.
The carefully constructed layers re-imagine and interpret the children's dreams. The collection of photographs displayed represents the emotions felt in these dreams; fear, aspirations and hope are visible, and seem somewhat familiar.
There is also a strong sense of surrealism, communicated through the use of layered imagery, but also the underlying theme of the unconscious mind.
Natalie Whitehurst is a Manchester based fine art photographer, currently studying at Salford University.
Natalie Whitehirst | Photographer | Manchester
Hannah Williamson (Select)
Hannah is interested in questioning location points in time/space. As subjects; Landscapes, organic forms and the body in space are compelling matters through which her ideas can be considered. Hannah investigates these subjects through exploring different processes to making while questioning her role as an artist.
The interplay between mark and space is vital in the delivery of her imagery. The tension, suggestions and disintegration of boundaries which occur between the accidental and deliberate, dislocated and fixed offer a language through which the meaning of the work is best articulated. The process of 'drawing' is used in both in literal and conceptual senses. The landscape of form is negotiated through a mixture of marks, where colour, form, space and scale are paramount.
Despite teaching full time for the last several years, has been been consistent in researching and developing her artistic practice.
Pauline Woolley (Image Conscious)
Pauline Woolley is a Visual Artist based in the East Midlands and graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1997 with a degree in Fine Art.
The aesthetics in science, geology, space and the natural world have underpinned her work for the last 15 years. This includes a deep interest in the terrain of Iceland in which she visited in 2009 and 2011. The first visit to the country concluded in a three-week residency at the 'Goldfactory' in Nottingham in which photography, drawing and painting pulled together the primary research from the trip to produce a series of paintings.
Her more recent work has seen a move into photography and camera less methods of image making, often combining digital and analogue techniques to explore these areas of interest in a new way.
In 2012, she was invited by Rednile Projects to participate in one of their Factory Nights Events. The event saw 7 artists travel 1100 metres down and 6 miles out underneath the North Sea to the workface of Boulby Potash Mine in Cleveland. Potash is the name for mined salts that can be used as a fertilizer.
Health and safety prevented any use of photographic or electrical recording devices underground so the creation of the work pulled extensively from a few jotted notes, visual memory and samples of potash taken from the trip.
Digital photography, drawings, photograms and darkroom printing have been used in constructing this series of work which aims to create a romanticized otherworldly meaning of the mine that also encompasses the writing of fellow Boulby artist Joanna Brown.
'Rock is crumbling somewhere, falling apart from the earth, into the hands of man, somewhere under the North Sea. We are in the Earth, and if I stress this, it is because it is so…
…This is more than simply being underground.
We are in ground.'
Excerpt from 'Grace is the art of the fall ascending' by Joanna Brown
This recent series 'Subterranean (and above)' was show at the Lakeside Art Centre, University of Nottingham in May 2013 with three pieces travelling to GV Art, London in July 2013 for the show 'Nature Reserves'.
Phillip Woolway (Image Conscious)
"There are things that are warm and familiar, they serve to reassure, there is no threat as all is known and comforted are we. There are things that are dark and surreal, they often cause unease, there is a threat with things unknown and uneasy now we be. We may not want a look at them but alas we can't resist, we'll even cover eyes with hands but still peep through the gaps. We may not want to speak of them but undoubtedly we will, with gasps and exclamations our experiences are relayed. While warm things are forgotten, the dark surreal will stay, we are bewitched and powerless by the curious mystic spell."
The collection of work Curious exhibited here in Marburae Art Gallery has a very strong sense of surrealism, a cabinet of curiosities.
If curiosity entices you to seek the unusual, then you may be (un)fortunate to discover a mysterious shop which rarely opens, except upon request.
From the period of the Victorian Curiosity Cabinets or Wunderkammers to the sometimes unnerving world of surrealism, these shops, with their heady mix of intrigue and superstitious fear, can possess the most wondrous and unimaginable things beyond your wildest dreams or nightmares.
A fur ball from a cow, a carved skull from Borneo or even a hunchback's spine; all very desirable and the 'must have' items for the wealthy Victorian gentleman eager to impress.
But what if your decor and taste are more contemporary, what would you then choose to consider?
Eastern European prosthetic and stainless steel testicle covers are quite popular at the moment apparently but if you are seeking that quintessential, unnerving object d'art, then the iron lung is the guaranteed show-stopper (especially in pastel green). The work radiates the feeling of unease, and uncertainty, slightly dark without being gruesome. The sharp colours and strange contraptions depicted lure the viewer in to the weird and wonderful creations.
Curious is subtly uncomfortable but impossible to stop looking at, contemporary photography, dedicated to the challenging.
Philip Woolway ARPS | photographer | Southsea
Keith Wright (Focus Photography exhibition)
Keith's photography is inspired by industrial landscapes and the built environment.
Drawn to marks and patterns that have been created naturally or by mistake. Even the most mundane road, wall or pavement can contain beautiful colours, patterns and design. In situ these can be missed or ignored as they form only a small part of the visual information our eyes and mind experience. Keith wants to share the hidden natural beauty created by use, the elements and passage of time.
After spending some time seeking out and mentally recording these marks, he realised that some of the most fascinating sights were of a temporary nature and when he visited again they had been changed destroyed. As a result Keith began to capture these markings photographically and began to create a series of work based on these images.
He closely crops and carefully arranges these images into grids removing all context, scale and location. The resulting artwork is often visually abstract but with the contrast and accessibility of a geometric composition
Keith Wright | Photographer | Nottingham
Marc Yeats (Sound As I See It | FOUR - Barnaby Festival 2013)
Sound As I See It
Dynamic, expansive, explosions of colour.
Marc Yeats has created this sound and visual installation by employing methods of painting that investigate chance and random effects.
The planet like works have been created through glazes and tonal densities, so as to explore the relationship between time, event (subject material), and space.
The installation also compromises of an electroacusmatic piece of music 'Sound surface No.1' composed by Marc Yeats especially for the exhibition. The piece reflects the process and structure of Marc's visual works.
Marc states that in music, all elements are set in time and against a background of silence or non-event. The paintings therefore visualise the sound loops that Marc has composed.
Piano recital featuring two world premiere composed by Marc Yeats Sunday 16th June 11am
Artist Talk | Sunday 16th June 12.30pm
Marc Yeats is a nationally renowned composer and artist. As his talents span the two art forms that Marburae art gallery and Shackleford Pianos is all about. As such, we have asked him to compose a piano recital alongside a collection of his artworks to be showcased over the Barnaby Festival.
Marc has a special interest in communicative, challenging work that pushes boundaries, including immersive installations combining music, visual art, dance, word and digital media.
He is currently Chair of DIVAcontemporary in Dorset. DIVAcontemporary is an artist-led organisation committed to creativity and experimentation in the arts and practice-based research, working internationally, nationally and locally to his home town of Bridport, Dorset.
With a core development team of practicing artists, producers and curators, DIVAcontemporary has extensive expertise across the creative and cultural industries.
Marc is also a founding partner of SATSYMPH, (composer and visual artist Marc Yeats; poet, writer and context-aware media director and producer, Ralph Hoyte; and coder, composer and audio engineer Phill
Phelps). SATSYMPH compose 'context aware soundworlds' - located high quality contemporary soundscape experiences outside in the real world triggered by GPS (satellite) signals.
Marc is also a composer-in association with Thumb Ensemble (Birmingham UK), Manchester Pride (Manchester UK), and most recently, Chamber Cartel, (Atlanta US).
His visual art has been exhibited and collected across the UK and abroad and he has paintings in the collections of several public galleries in Scotland including An Tobar, An Tuireann and The Pier Art Centre, Orkney.
Hannah Wooll (Select)
Hannah Wooll was born in Norfolk, England. In 2000 she
graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a 1st Class Degree in
Fine Art, Painting. Wooll then went on to study at the Royal Academy Schools,
London, graduating in 2003 and receiving the May Cristea Award for Fine Art.
Since graduating Hannah Wooll has been living and working in
London, Newcastle, East Anglia, and the North West, England
Shows include "Radical Art", Jerwood Space, London, 2005; "New London Kicks", Wooster Projects, New York, 2005; "Jerusalem", Dean Clough, Halifax, 2006; and "Fastest with the Mostest", Carter and Gallagher, London, 2007; "The Future Can Wait", Atlantis Gallery, London, 2007; "Contemplating Life and Stuff", solo show with Comme Ca, Lowry Hotel Manchester, 2007; "Dysyopia For All", Carter Presents at the Wharf Road Project, London, 2008; "Jerwood Drawing Prize 2009", Jerwood Space, London, 2009 and 2010.
This series of works pays homage to the depiction of women within art history tethered with the apathy and frivolity of more contemporary media imagery. Large brimming eyes, flowing hair, smart mouths, bony fingers and faithful pets borrow from religious icons, plastic dolls, German old master blondes, society heiresses, and Gainsborough's girls.
Simon Woolham (Select)
Simon's enchanting work is concerned primarily with occupied spaces and the narratives that unfold in them.
Showcased here are a selection of Simon's delicate attempts to unearth this unpredictable and fragile process of his childhood memories, he uses biro drawings, paper interventions, animation, video and text.
The work is unassuming, made from simple materials and with seemingly modest aspirations. It is their quotidian qualities, however, that charges them with emotion, not that those emotions are easy to identify. It is not that these works are personal or autobiographical that obscures their emotional content, it is the fact that they are irreducibly, irrevocably unsettling. These sites are the scenes of humiliation as well as innocent play, of rejection and failure as well as fantasy and adventure.
Engaging drawings of school playing fields, junked underpasses. Through these glimpses of dilapidated environments comes to life a skint version of enchantment: a tree stump or broken fences are filled with the meanings of the events that go on around and about them.
Paul Worpole (Select)
Our selection of Paul's playful photography showcases minute detail in his sharp shots but also his quirky side, in Scream 1 and Scream 2. The photographer's view of the world has always fascinated me and Paul's work is a clear example that perspective, colour and a little sense of humour can go a long way.
Paul Worpole grew up in London's East End and from the day he picked up his father's Kodak, he decided that "keeping the world in a 35mm frame" was a challenge he would relish.
Having initially taken a course in Industrial Design at Southampton College of Art, Paul eventually settled in the Art and Graphics department. After leaving formal education he worked in a commercial photographic studio.
His biggest influences are David Bailey, Rankin, Duffy, Annie Leibovitz and Jill Greenberg
"I am always looking to show something the eye doesn't usually see; emphasising some detail in the way the light falls on the subject. Most
of my work is commercial, but from time to time I get the opportunity to go out, have fun and just create an image of whatever catches my interest!"


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MarineMax Extends Financing Facility With GE Capital
MarineMax announced that it has extended its existing financing facility with GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF).
The facility provides for up to $150 million of floorplan financing. The facility has a three-year term, expiring in June 2015, and it has two, one-year options to renew, subject to lender approval. Borrowings under the facility are secured primarily by the company's inventory that is financed through the facility and related accounts receivable. The company's real estate is not pledged. No significant changes were made to the existing facility. The facility contemplates that other lenders may be added by the company to finance other inventory not financed under this facility, if needed.
Michael H. McLamb, executive vice president, chief financial officer and secretary of MarineMax stated, "Our over 14 year relationship with the GE Capital team continues to remain very strong and provides the stability in a lending partner that allows us not only to meet today's financing requirements, but also our growth plans for the future."
Bruce Van Wagoner, president of CDF's Marine Group, stated, "We have enjoyed our long relationship with MarineMax. We are glad we remain their inventory finance lender and believe this program will help them to achieve their growth goals and objectives."
Previously on abfjournal.com:
MarineMax Extends Financing Facility With CGI Finance, Monday, July 09, 2012
MarineMax, Lenders Agree to Credit Facility Amendment, Friday, September 11, 2009

subset: commoncrawl


text: Agrimarket, Finland In DIY and hardware stores the size of products ranges from small items to large machinery. This is why the flexibility of shop fittings is important. Davidsen Håndværkerbutik, Denmark In connection to three new warehouses in Odense, Davidsen opened a new craftsman shop. Davidsens Tømmerhandel, Denmark Due to an increase in demand on Funen & Zealand, Davidsen built three new warehouses of a total of 6000 square meters in Odense. K-rauta, Finland Shop fittings and storage systems were essential requirements in their shop, storage and outdoor locations. XL Byg, Denmark In order to secure a more effective service for both professional workmen and do-it-yourself people, XL Byg needed some smart storage solutions.


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SASA will once again award a Thought Leader Award in 2018 to one of its members due to the generous sponsorship from SAS South Africa. A Though Leader is a person who has made an impact within the South African statistical community across a wide range of activities and has made significant contributions in academia, industry, government and elsewhere. The criteria include contributions and impacts made in Leadership, Knowledge Generation, Human Capital Development, Impact of the Work and Research and Attracting Funding.
We invite SASA members to submit nominations for the Thought Leader for 2018. Please also submit all supporting documents, including full CV, of the nominated person with your nomination to the SASA Past President.
Past Winners
2013: F Lombard
2014: R de Jongh
2015: NJ le Roux
2016: LM Haines
2017: DJ de Waal
2018: T de Wet


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Updated 11:57 a.m.: The Swedish hockey officials have confirmed that Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom missed the gold-medal game Sunday in Sochi after testing positive for a banned substance. Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski first reported that Backstrom violated the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping policy.
"I got the message two hours before the game, that there was something wrong," Swedish Coach Par Marts told reporters in Sochi, according to the Post's Dave Sheinin.
An emotional Backstrom, 26, met with reporters in Sochi as well to explain that he has been taking the allergy medication Zyrtec-D for seven years. While Zyrtec-D is a permitted drug, it contains pseudoephedrine that in levels over 150 micrograms per milliliter is banned by the IOC. Backstrom's level was at 190 according to Dr. Mark Aubry, chief medical officer for the IIHF.
Backstrom was tested following Sweden's quarterfinal win against Slovenia on Feb. 19 but wasn't informed about the positive result, and that he wouldn't be able to play in the gold-medal game until hours before puck drop Sunday.
Backstrom near tears: "I was ready to play probably the biggest game of my career, and 2 1/2 hrs before game I got pulled aside. It's sad."
— Dave Sheinin (@DaveSheinin) February 23, 2014
"It's an innocent blunder but it's still a blunder," Capitals Coach Adam Oates said Sunday at the team's practice facility in Arlington. "I feel for him because it's a game he obviously wanted to play. He's been a big contributor for that team and it's the biggest game of his career maybe to date. And he can't play for that? That's terrible."
The NHL released a statement from Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly about Backstrom testing positive for a substance banned by the IOC but that it is not banned by the NHL, which means this ruling isn't expected to impact the center's ability to play for the Capitals once he returns to North America.
"It is our further understanding that the positive test was the result of a common allergy medication taken by the player knowingly, with the approval of the team doctor and without the intention of gaining an illegal or improper performance-enhancing benefit," Daly said in the news release. "Subject to confirmation of the facts as we understand them, and given the fact that the substance is neither prohibited in the NHL nor was used in an improper manner here, we do not anticipate there being any consequences relative to Nicklas' eligibility to participate in games for the Washington Capitals."
The Capitals also released a statement reiterating that Backstrom's positive test was the result of "allergy medication he has been taking intermittently for seven years, including this season while playing for the Washington Capitals to combat severe allergies. The medicine was approved by the Swedish national team."


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Here's a rockin' deal on dole fruit smoothie shakers at Safeway!
Dole Smoothie Shakers on sale BOGO (2/$2.50)
Buy 4
Buy 4, Get $1.50 Catalina
Use (2) $.75/1 coupons from 1/6 SS insert or $1/2 coupon – direct link
Use (2) Safeway doubles (-$1)
Pay $2.50, Get $1.50 Catalina
$.25 each after coupon & Catalina
These also qualify for the 25% off frozen food coupon but you would need to buy $10 more of frozen food to hit the $15 threshold.
Safeway doubles most manufacturer's coupons to to $.50 each in Oregon and SW Washington.
Find more Safeway deals here.
This post may contain affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for more information.


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Welcome to the official website of Christian Fiction and Ladies Bible Study author, Monica Mynk. So glad you could make it!
Happy 2018! The last six months have been a whirlwind for me, and I have taken a small hiatus from writing and limited my online presence. This has allowed me to spend time taking care of family commitments and preparing to teach college-level physics for the first time in my career. Whew! So, a lot of work and a little rest, and I'm ready to get back into the writing game.
This hiatus has forced a delay in the 2017 release of Conceded and 2018 release of Athena's Baby, but trust me, both books will be better for the time away from writing. I've actually scrapped the entire Conceded manuscript and started from scratch. It's a much better plot line. I think Callie fans will be pleased. At this time, I'm not planning to commit to release dates for either book, but I'll make an announcement as the manuscripts are closer to completion.
2017 brought many blessings, including opportunities to travel across the country to speak at several ladies days. I am so grateful to all the women who worked so hard to host me, and especially to those who have supported me in my writing career. I now have so many new, special friends. Sisters!
I am fortunate to start 2018 in a much better place mentally, spiritually, and physically, and ready to see where the mighty pen leads me.
I even have some new novel ideas and thoughts on turning The Billboard Bride into a series. Several of Melanie's friends have been nagging my thoughts.
Blessings to you all, and Happy New Year!!!
My most recent release: The Billboard Bride, now available on Amazon in print and Kindle.


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The College Experience
Camp takes place on the domain of The University of the South. Campers get a taste of college by living in University dorms, eating in the University dining hall, working with University faculty, taking advantage of University facilities such as the chapels and gyms, and experiencing one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States.
Campers who are interested in attending Sewanee will have the option to meet with admissions counselors from the College of Arts and Sciences. Those interested in a future of graduate theological study and those interested in ordination in the Episcopal tradition will have the opportunity to meet with a representative from the School of Theology.


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2014 The lama question: violence, sovereignty and exception in early socialist Mongolia, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
2004 Truth, History and Politics in Mongolia: the Memory of Heroes London: RoutledgeCurzon. Paperback edition, 2014.
1999 Editor, Twentieth Century Mongolia (translation of B. Baabar's XX zuuny Mongol) Cambridge: White Horse Press (Reprinted in 2005 by Global Oriental; and reprinted multiple times in Mongolia as The History of Mongolia).


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Welcome to
The Choice of Motherhood
Becoming a mother is HARD! Becoming a mother while single has it's own unique challenges and adventures. Join me on my journey to becoming a single mother by choice and learn about trying to conceive while single, IVF, adoption, surrogacy, being vegan, and more!


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Bogawanthalawa police has arrested a man for illegally transporting bottles of liquor.
The arrested was made last night.
Police suspects that the liquor were transported to be sold at a higher price as alcohol is banned on the Poya day.
The suspect will be produced before the Hatton Magistrate's Court tomorrow.


text: Things I'll miss from old cars: 1. Shifting gears with a manual transmission. 2. Push starting manual transmission cars when they have dead batteries. 3. Spare tires. 4. Manual mechanical locks. 5. Having my window down, elbow on the bottom of window opening, hand on the top of window opening. (tall waistline on most new cars makes this not work anymore) 6. Swapping out car stereos. 7. The lack of buffeting with window down. (it's a puzzle trying to get the right combination of windows at different levels to counteract the buffeting on most newer cars) Some of these are addressable in newer cars, if manufacturers would think about them. Some thoughts on improvements: 1. Don't need a transmission with electrics, but maybe a performance oriented model some day could bring back 2 or 3 gears with manual shifts. 2. On an EV, maybe have a special charge mode where the 12v battery can get a boost from the traction battery to achieve power up and limited operation? Another limp mode, if you will? 3. Start putting spare tires in again. Make it an option, if necessary. Look, I don't miss not having a spare tire...yet. But the first time I get a blowout that can't be fixed with tire goo, I'll be missing it something fierce. 4. I don't have a solution for this, other than integrating a mechanical lock back into maybe just the driver door. I just know some day I'll be locked out with the keyless entry not working and will be screwed. 5. No suggestion. 6. No suggestion. 7. Maybe have something integrated in with the power folding mirrors that can adjust the airflow to eliminate buffeting under all/most/more scenarios. Feel free to share your own. I love newer cars and EVs, but I can't help but miss a few things, and thought it would be fun to think about those things and if there are suitable solutions or substitutes.


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The first system will be installed on the Vestland Cygnus, a Wärtsilä VS485 MKIII. The vessel will undergo a conversion program at the Fjellstrand shipyard where an accommodation unit will be installed to raise the total capacity to 134 persons on board. Furthermore a knuckle boom crane with subsea capabilities and Safeway's motion compensated gangway system will be installed.
"Safeway's unique gangway features enable us to offer our clients unsurpassed workability and safety which is crucial for Walk-to-Work capabilities. The smart and innovative technology used in the Safeway really stands out from current available technologies in the market" says Hans Martin Gravdal, board member of Vestland Offshore. "The unique gangway performance in combination with the well-proven Wärtsilä design allows us to operate in increased weather windows and safely transfer offshore personnel at a year-round basis on demanding projects including the North Sea".
The main features of Safeway's (patent pending) system are:
Roll compensation; To safely transfer people at heights of 20 meters above sea level it is a must to compensate for the vessel's roll movement, as otherwise the workability is very limited, especially in deteriorating sea states.
Height adjustment; a 10 meter step-less vertical height adjustment allows horizontal landings in all tidal conditions and on a large variety of elevations above sea level.
Counterweight; The bridge is mechanically balanced through a counterweight and can stay connected to the offshore structure for longer periods which greatly reduces power consumption, improves safety and eliminates the risk of overloading the landing area of the offshore structure.
"Safeway has been overwhelmed with positive feedback from the market since its introduction during OTC Houston in May 2015, offering a best-in-class personnel transfer solution. The unique and patent pending features are such a big step forward in technology and safety that we can truly call Safeway the arrival of the next generation of motion compensated gangways" says Wijnand van Aalst, Safeway's CEO. "We are very pleased with this first contract from Vestland Offshore which proves that operators are seeking smart innovative solutions and trust our capabilities".
Vestland Offshore is an integrated ship owning group with a very experienced senior management, that owns vessels and performs all operating activities in-house. Today, Vestland Offshore operates a fleet of twelve (12) modern, large platform supply vessels and operates offshore support and seismic vessels.
Safeway is a Dutch company, part of the van Aalst Group which has developed a strong name in the marine industry by having developed and supplied cargo handling systems for more than 850 vessels worldwide.


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Oh, yes we did. Piggybacking on the internet trend of the moment, my Succulent Wife pals and I bring you this silly video. Grab your readers and some Activia and enjoy!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
3 Reasons I'm Excited for Superbowl Sunday
I'm not a big football fan, but I'm looking forward to the Superbowl as much as anybody, and here's why.
1. Ro-tel Queso Dip
|Yum, Velveeta & Ro-tel Dip!
Image via Ro-tel
Ordinarily, I do not eat Velveeta cheese. Any dairy product that can sit on a supermarket shelf for six months can't be good for you. But on Superbowl Sunday, nothing is yummier than a cut up brick of Velveeta mixed with a can of Rotel and melted in the microwave to form a warm, spicy bowl of luscious goop. It's a perfect dip for Fritos or Tostitos or spooned directly into the mouth. I could roll in it like a dog.
2. Tom Brady is hot!
I'm sorry, Eli Manning, I'm sure you have a much better personality, but Patriots QB Tom Brady possesses a superhuman gorgeousness that can't be denied. And he's 34, old enough to be within my Cougar range without getting icky, so I can crush on him guilt-free (see calculation below.)
|Tom Brady, image via Wikipedia
Cougar rule of thumb: divide your age in half and add seven years.
For me, that's: 48/2 = 24, + 7= 31.
According to this rule, any man over 31 is fair game. I'm not looking for a relationship, just a way too amuse myself over the course of a long game when I don't care who wins. Hey wait, the Giants Manning is exactly 31; I can check him out too. Score!
3. Madonna's Half Time Show
|My girl Madonna
image via Wikipedia
Here's what's rumored to be her set list: Gimmie All Your Luvin (new), Ray of Light, Vogue, Music and Holiday.
What are you looking forward to this Sunday? Please share here!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A chat with a famed Sexpert - Dr. Laura Berman
|Dr. Laura Berman
image via MakeitBetter.net
Famous sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman answers these questions and more in my interview for Make it Better. Here's an excerpt, but follow the link for the full piece, which includes a video of our conversation.
Part of the problem for parents is that it's hard to escape their kids. Do you think it's bad for kids to know their parents are having "private time"?
Absolutely not. I think the opposite. You're the model of what a loving, intimate relationship looks like. Obviously children do not need to know the details of your sex life or see you having sex—that's why you always put a lock on the door. But for them to know that you guys have special private time—you can even set a timer or say "after this cartoon Mommy and Daddy will be right back" —I think that's a really important message to give your kids about what to expect in their own loving relationships.
Full interview at my colomn, Sex & The Suburbs, MakeitBetter.net
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Knut Lundberg
Knut Lundberg is an experienced financial planner who has worked in the financial services industry since 2001. He specializes in comprehensive plans and also offers à la carte services, including:
- Portfolio-management strategies
- Retirement planning
- Estate-planning strategies
- Tax planning
- Protection planning
- Cash management and income strategies
Knut is an Investment Adviser Representative with Commonwealth Financial Network®. He works with a range of clients and is committed to building plans that are disciplined yet flexible enough to accommodate clients' age, financial goals, and changing needs.
He has a solid background in financial services:
- Obtained his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations in 2001
- Began working as a financial advisor for American Express Financial Advisors (AEFA)/Ameriprise Financial (AMPF) in February 2002, gaining 27 new clients in his first year
- Ranked among the top 5 percent at AMPF in terms of total production nationwide in 2007
- Achieved AMPF's #1 insurance producer ranking in New Jersey
Knut left AMPF in early March 2008 and joined Commonwealth Financial Network as an independent advisor. He retained nearly 100 percent of his clients in this transition.
Born in Norway, Knut pursued studies as a civil economist, earning a master's degree in management from the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, majoring in finance with an emphasis on portfolio strategies. He moved to the U.S. in 1992, and in 1995, he earned an MBA from Seton Hall University, majoring in finance with an emphasis on portfolio strategies. He is currently a candidate for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioner certification.
Professional Background
One of Knut's strengths is his business background. When he first came to the U.S., he was a manufacturers' representative in New England for Tufoil lubricant products. He was also a tax compliance manager for Lucent Technologies in Warren, New Jersey, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Prior to that, he worked for Saga Petroleum, now part of Norsk Hydro, as an internal auditor and as a financial services manager for Coca-Cola in the Scandinavian region. Knut also worked for General Electric's Gas Turbines USA in Kaarsto, Norway.


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We have all seen a young lad knocking on doors in the neighborhood with a grass mower at the end of the driveway trying to make a few bucks. Once in a blue moon you may have also seen something other than a grass mower. It looked odd and while it had the shape of the grass mower the bottom and had a series of spikes or blades. What on earth could this machine be used for?
Thatch is basically dead roots, grass and other plant material that have not yet decomposed. When you dethatch a lawn you're essentially cutting away at the thatch with blades while simultaneously removing the excess debris. We can do this through a detaching machine or manually through a rake specifically designed for thatching.
The main reason for dethatching or removing this layer is to ensure exposure of carbon dioxide to your soil. This will not only sustain the health of your existing roots but it will also stimulate new growth as well. Dethatching also allows moisture to connect with the root system effectively. By removing the layer of dead leaves, roots, grass and other plant material this will ensure any water will reach deep within the grass roots.
Dethatching is maintenance task that should be done every other year. Please view this video for more information.
Clear Cut Group offers Grass Cutting in Mississauga, Oakville and surrounding areas. We offer competitive rates and a professional staff. Give us a call and our team will be happy to take care of your lawn care needs.
The best practices for hiring a grass cutting company in Mississauga are discussed in a completely impartial and unbiased manner.
Grass Cutting Division
Head Office
Address: 6447 Longspur Road, Mississauga ON L5N 6E4
Call: 905-824-6597
Contact Us
Clear Cut Group
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Frank Curcio
[email protected]
Work experience
Registered Associate
Salomon Smith Barney
Aided Financial Consultants in increasing client base and gross production.
Interacted daily with Operations staff to address and resolve trading discrepancies.
Jun 2007
Mar 2009
Branch Monitoring Liaison
Citigroup/Smith Barney
Assist Branch Regional Management with the tracking and monitoring of Branch Supervision.
Oversee various systems projects. Work with various systems areas to create and develop supervisory tools/reports for the branches.
Monitor regional/retail branch supervision from a quantitative standpoint.
Run Branch, Regional level filters on Compliance/Audit items. Track timely use of Management Supervisory tools to ensure support staff understands and follows all rules and regulations of the regulatory agencies as well as Firm policy and procedure.
Work with various systems areas to create and develop supervisory tools/reports for the branches.
Jun 2005
Jun 2007
Assistant Operations Manager
Smith Barney
Assist in managing the daily work of branch operations staff.
Assist Operations Manager in supervising and coordinating operations staff and work assignments..
Supervise a weekly audit of unused checks, and receipts to ensure security.
Review branch examination findings with Operations Manager; assist in responding to audit and implementing recommendations.
Be alert for compliance violations and developing client problems, report any unusual or unethical situations to the Operations Manager.
Feb 2002
Jun 2004
Branch Compliance Administrator/JPMorgan Chase Escalation Compliance Officer
JPMorgan Chase Investment Services Corp
Monitored sales and daily trade blotters to ensure compliance with appropriate rules, regulations and Firm policies. Conducted customer due diligence to ensure compliance with Firm policies regarding authority, documentation and suitability.
Reviewed all incoming & outgoing communications, E-mail and Mutual Fund surveillance, New Accounts, AML & KYC Compliance literature as well as the continuing education program.
Approved advertising and marketing materials, annuity and mutual fund sales literature.
Investigated and resolved complex, time-sensitive, high-impact problems for the broker/dealer and the insurance agency in order to maintain and heighten the client relationship.
Served as liaison by remunerating clients and/or helping maintain the integrity of the firm. Write detailed correspondence in response to Executive Office complaints.
Responded directly to NASD, SEC, and FRB inquiries for the Compliance Department.
Jun 1998
Jul 2001
New Accounts Clerk
Salomon Smith Barney
Assisted Financial Consultants and support staff with questions pertaining to documentation and account title formatting.
Cross Trained as Cashier, which included processing securities, guaranteeing proper delivery and receipt.


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NAACP Florida Conference could address 'racist' national anthem
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) – The NAACP Florida Conference will have an opportunity soon to decide about pushing to get rid of the Star-Spangled Banner as America's national anthem. The California NAACP chapter describes the song as "one of the most racist" and say its rarely heard third verse celebrates the deaths of slaves who joined British troops to gain their freedom, according to a WTOL story.
Lee County Branch Files Complaint
Lee County NAACP files complaint, alleging minority students more likely to be disciplined
CLOSE A complaint filed by the Lee County NAACP alleges that minority students in the public school system are more likely to be disciplined and end up in the school-to-prison pipeline than their white peers.
Branch Honors Local Leaders
NAACP honors local leaders
ANDERSON – The Madison County NAACP branch celebrated local leaders at the annual B. Harry Beckham Freedom Fund Banquet on Saturday. The banquet focused on finding ways to ensure young black people have a brighter future and find consciousness and understanding in a world that still breeds racism and hate.
Portsmouth Branch Call For Further Investigation
Portsmouth NAACP calls for further investigation into inmate's death
Published: WATCH: The NAACP and family of Pamela Riddick hold a news conference in Portsmouth. App users can watch it here . PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – The Portsmouth NAACP says it wants a special grand jury to investigate the death of a woman inside the city jail this summer.
Baltimore President Resigns
Baltimore NAACP president resigns
Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP for the last seven years, said she resigned from the organization Monday. In an interview Tuesday, Hill-Aston, 68, cited completing key goals, such as hosting the national NAACP convention this past summer, as contributing to her decision.
Cobb County Banquet
Cobb NAACP's fundraiser and awards banquet set for Oct. 28
The Cobb County branch of the NAACP will honor leaders in the community for their work and raise money to fund the branch's programs at the 36th annual Oscar Freeman Freedom Fund Banquet on Oct. 28. The event, part awards ceremony and part fundraiser, starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:15 p.m.
Candidate Forum
WTVM : Phenix City-Russell County NAACP chapter hosts council candidate forum
PHENIX CITY, AL (WTVM) – A local NAACP chapter working Monday to make sure their city council vote gets the attention they think it deserves. The Phenix City-Russell County branch of th
NAACP Response To Dallas Cowboys Owner
Baltimore, Maryland- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation's original civil rights organization, today responded to the assertion by Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, that players on his team who choose not to stand for the National Anthem will not be allowed to take the field.


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I finally got motivated to decorate a little bit more for the 4th... on the 4th. Nothing like waiting until the last minute!
|The banner was found on the i should be mopping the floor blog. You can print the banner for free by clicking here.
|I punched holes on each corner of the flags and used string to put them together.
|Since the banner is printed on card stock, it won't hold up to the elements so I put it under our covered porch.
|Each of these are 6' long.
My father in law painted the following pallet. You've probably seen this done on pinterest. He did a great job!
Hope you all had a fun holiday weekend!


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Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Mimi Faust and Nikko Smith[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Sammi Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Charlie Sheen and Scottine Sheen[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
We've all been in a relationship that, despite all of our best efforts, has had more than its fair share of dysfunction. But through the ups and downs, the makeups and the breakups, some couples in the celebrity world have tried to keep the flames going. Nowadays, which celeb couples have been known for their friction as well as their fame?
Whether their drama played out on reality TV, or they quelled their spats out of public view, there's no denying that some stars have been trying to weather their stormy relationships for quite some time. So who are the couples that are still together, currently giving their rocky relationships another shot?
Take a look through our gallery to find out who's hoping that love truly conquers all.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
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Do you hide your journal in the closet and bring it out in the middle of the night? That's what I used to do. It had everything in it. My gripes of the day, poems, pictures I drew of my guinea pigs, lesson plans, goals, prayer requests for people I couldn't even remember, heartaches, books I read, and on and on. I actually loved my yellowing journals which I kept for nearly 20 years. When I married my current husband, I reread some of my entries, and thought, "What a whiney individual you are, Marsha Lee. Someone (Vince's son) is going to find this after you die, and think you are a shallow woman." That did it. I shred those puppies. And I cried. I missed them. But I was no longer shallow! (hahaha) You can't prove it anyway! 🙂
My new friend Andrea and I discussed journals and blogging, and the similarities and differences. We both have destroyed paper journals along the way of life. Anyway blogging is sort of like a journal on steroids. You write, and people actually listen and respond. It's amazing. But what if you want to write something just because you're a graphomanic? What if you have secrets that you need to confess. God listens, and I believe he even forgives, but after you've confessed for the 1,000th time, maybe you'd better write it down so you know you're forgiven. Maybe you want to remember some juicy gossip about the neighbor (husband, wife, boss …) – just in case. Maybe bits of conversation that may show up in your next best-selling novel should be recorded in a journal, but not on your blog. I don't know why people need to write journals, but some of us do. What do you do to keep them safe from prying eyes – your mother-in-law, your teenaged kids, your dad? hmmm
I have two secret stashes. One is Google Drive, and the other is a private blog that I've shared with just a few trusted friends because the work is SO unfinished. I also use Dropbox a lot, but not for my journal. I can get that on my phone and my computer without signing in, and so that is not secret enough for my deepest, most sordid tales.
What about you?
An other question came from one of my favorite new blogging friends, JT Weaver. He asked me if I was Marsha Lee or Marsha Ingrao. A lady at work asked me the same thing when I first started my blog. She thought I'd gotten a divorce. Sorry all you handsome 80 + year old men who think I still look young at 61. (Actually my mom's 88 year old cousin would rather have a 20 year old – go figure!) But, no, Jane and JT, I'm still married.
Lee is my middle name, and I hated it most of my life. Then my friend, Anna León, who was also my boss at the time, started calling me Mar'cha Lee', and I loved it. After that, I used my name with pride. When I started this blog, I was nervous about telling anyone who I REALLY was – (like I was famous or something!!! hahaha). So I used Marsha Lee to throw people off! I actually thought it sounded kind of cool. Maybe I'm Chinese??? Sordid fact: I almost dated someone named Mark Lee once, and decided 1) he was kind of weird, and 2) I didn't want to be Marsha Lee Lee.
I still think Marsha Lee sounds kind of cool, so I keep it. That's who I am now. I'm still a little nervous about being Marsha Ingrao online, but Dianne is Dianne Gray, and Maddie is Maddie Cochere. I guess I can be Marsha Ingrao. But I like Marsha Lee, too. 🙂
Send me your questions – anything. I'll
see what I can do with answer them as best I can.
I'm excited! The Eternal Traveler asked me to do a guest blog post for her blog. It will be coming out sometime next week, I think. In the meantime, if you don't already, check out her site.


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Crowdfunded BiiSafe improves personal safety with new smart jewellery
- Smart jewellery can provide a discreet way to increase personal safety
- Crowdfunded smart button BiiSafe focusses on increasing wearer's safety and security in addition to traditional wellness tracking
- First crowdfunded on Indiegogo in 2014, BiiSafe is now raising equity crowdfunding on Invesdor
First there were smart watches and bracelets, now increasing amounts of technology are being crammed into items such as rings and necklaces: we are entering the era of fashion tech, or smart jewellery.
So far, the main uses of smart wearables have been tracking health-related activities such as exercise and sleep. Finnish BiiSafe is taking a different route and putting safety first.
"The most beneficial purpose for smart wearables is increasing safety and security," says CEO Sauli Kiuru.
According to a study published by Ericsson this summer, personal safety wearables are sought after because consumers want to have a discreet way to send an alert for help in a threatening situation. A user's first thought when seeing the BiiSafe Buddy, a disc the size of a small cookie, is probably to hang it on their key chain. However, thanks to BiiSafe's collaboration with Finnish jewellery brand Kalevala Jewellery, the Buddy can also be worn embedded in pieces of jewellery.
"For example, the BiiSafe Buddy can be carried around inconspicuously in a necklace and used as a 'panic button' when the wearer encounters a threatening situation," says Kiuru.
In addition to keeping its wearer safe, the BiiSafe Buddy keeps track of important items, such as keys or phones. It can even be used to keep loved ones, such as family members and pets, safe. Of course, the Buddy also tracks the usual wellness metrics such as steps.
The company has sold more than 50,000 units of the BiiSafe Buddy in approximately 30 countries; exports account for more than 90% of the company's sales. BiiSafe is now getting ready to launch the next generation Buddy, which will connect to the cloud via low-power WiFi, ZIGBEE hub or Bluetooth 4.2. connection. To support the launch and sales, BiiSafe is raising equity crowdfunding on Invesdor. BiiSafe is no newcomer to crowdfunding as the BiiSafe Buddy's development was originally funded by 310 backers on Indiegogo in 2014.
"BiiSafe is doing big things with a great product in an interesting industry, and they have crowdfunding experience to boot," says Invesdor CEO Lasse Mäkelä. "We are happy to be able to help BiiSafe in its growth."
BiiSafe is issuing shares on Invesdor's equity crowdfunding platform with a goal of raising €220,000–550,000. Investors can read the materials and invest at Invesdor.com/biisafe.
Sauli Kiuru, CEO, BiiSafe Oy
firstname.lastname@example.com, +358 40 526 2410
Mikko Savolainen, Communications manager, Invesdor Ltd
email@example.com, +358 40 747 5205
BiiSafe in brief:
BiiSafe Ltd. is a Finnish company founded in 2011 that develops, markets, manufactures and sells software, peripherals and service platforms related to security and wellness services. The Company's vision is to provide advanced and easy-to-implement products and services which enhance security and well-being of both individuals and organizations. BiiSafe creates a security and wellness service platform, which combines the Company's products and services into a globally working seamless and be easy-to-use package.
www.biisafe.com facebook.com/biisafe twitter.com/biisafe
Invesdor in brief:
Invesdor operates an online investment platform that connects ambitious European growth companies with investors worldwide. Invesdor has helped raise more than 15 million euros and hosted more than 60 successful equity crowdfunding campaigns.
A financial technology (fintech) company founded in Finland in 2012, Invesdor is the Nordic market leader in equity crowdfunding measured in invested capital and revenue in 2015. Invesdor's clients include private and publicly traded companies from Finland, the UK, Norway and Denmark as well as investors from more than 50 countries. Invesdor has offices in London and Helsinki.


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Courtenay Henderson, better known as Zaakir Muhammad of Jurassic 5, sits across from me at Los Angeles' Canter's Deli on a cold, rainy Black Friday afternoon. He's beaming—the remnants of his first successful jaunt as a solo artist. His tour didn't include any hometown shows in Los Angeles, OC or San Diego. Instead, the rapper was flown to Portugal by an eager promoter who got word about the MC's first collection of his own material.
As we chomp into our sandwiches, Henderson recounts the details of his trip. The gigs were sold-out. The crowds were raucous and supportive. Even though he wasn't the main headliner, the fact that he was doing his thing onstage in front of an excitable group of people was reason enough to smile. This time last year, he wasn't sure it was an opportunity he'd ever get again.
Months earlier, the MC who'd founded one of the most recognized LA groups in history was barely making ends meet, working the graveyard shift at a retail store to survive. In recent years, he'd even been homeless. Fast forward to Coachella 2013, and Jurassic 5 are signing contracts to perform after seven years, and Henderson is running back and forth across the stage in Indio in front of thousands of screaming fans at the double-weekend festival. On Thursday, he was cleaning bathrooms. On Friday, he was hobnobbing with Paul McCartney.
"[The reunion] wasn't at Red Lobster or the Viper Room. It was at Coachella," Henderson says between bites of his sandwich. "I never would have ever expected us to get the reaction we did. I just couldn't believe it was happening."
By the late '90s, Jurassic 5 had gradually evolved from an underground sensation to a critically acclaimed collective, peaking with 2002's Power In Numbers. The dynamic chemistry between Henderson and fellow MCs Akil (Dante Givens), Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Marc Stuart (Mark 7even), and DJs Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Macfadden (Cut Chemist) made their shows the stuff of legend since their days at LA's storied venue the Good Life Café.
But between those days and the 2005 recording of "Red Hot," for the band's fourth LP, Feedback, there were cracks in the Jurassic 5 foundation. Cut Chemist left the group. Henderson says "immature bullshit" eventually led to the group disbanding in 2006.
After the split, Henderson started working on solo material. There were also tentative plans for an album with Mark 7even that never came to fruition.
The rapper relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, to start anew. But after a few years, things went horribly wrong. Not immune to the 2008 economic meltdown, Henderson lost his home and returned to LA. At the time, the only former band mate he was on speaking terms with was Mark 7even, with whom he stayed for a few months. Henderson refused to call on his father in LA, as, the rapper says, he used to belittle him about his circumstances. He didn't want to tell his mother, who lives in Louisiana, about his dire situation either. By 2010, the J5 founder resorted to sleeping on the street with nothing but a pillow of clothes under his head.
Then he got a phone call. Henderson went to his father's house to see if he had any messages; he had applied for a job at a soon-to-open Nordstrom. Once he started working again, Henderson slowly started piecing his life together. [Full disclosure: Henderson and my wife worked together at this location, which is how we met.]
The job wasn't glamorous. Every morning at 1 a.m., Henderson would catch a bus to the Santa Monica store, where he handled the overnight shift as a custodian. He worked tirelessly and anonymously. A few co-workers recognized him, and he would acknowledge his former career when asked. It was during these quiet days that he had time to reflect on his life and his music career and realize he was hungry for what had slipped away.
"[Working at Nordstrom] really made me get it together," he says. "I was like, 'I guess I'm grown up now.' And that's how I looked at it."
Then he got the second call that would change his life.
For years, Jurassic 5 received reunion-show offers, but nothing ever came to be. Finally, near the end of 2012, the group met face-to-face for the first time in nearly six years to mull over Goldenvoice's Godfather-esque offer to play at Coachella. This time, the guys were happy to see one another and tepidly agreed to perform.
Still, Henderson wasn't completely sold. As great as it was to return to the stage for such a renowned festival, he was concerned that the past problems that plagued the group would re-emerge. Not to mention the question of whether or not a Jurassic 5 reunion would really be relevant to Coachella fans.
But all of that worry melted away when the group members picked up their mics. They proceeded to deliver one of the most-talked-about sets of that year's extravaganza. Henderson even gave a shout-out to his Nordstrom people. Backstage at the festival, Henderson's demeanor with his musical brothers made it hard to believe he was the same skeptical guy from a few weeks earlier.
Jurassic 5 soon booked more dates. Henderson turned in his mop and bucket, said goodbye to his friends at Nordstrom, and moved forward with the reunion. The hip-hop collective played festival dates around the world and sold out a European tour.
And the MC had gotten the itch to write new material. "I finally got the confidence to go through with it," he says. "Before, I'd have stuff, and I'd write songs and go over them a couple of times, and I'd be feeling it. But then I'd listen and think, 'This shit ain't happening.'"
Realizing he finally got the second chance he craved, Henderson started recording verses, mostly based on stuff he'd think about while at Nordstrom. He's working with DJ Burt Blackarach (Method Man, Redman, Public Enemy) on his solo debut EP, titled Still In Fullee Love. It's a glimpse into the music that shaped Henderson and combines his smooth flow and sharp lyrics with a touch of R&B and soul—stuff he'd grown up with as a kid.
After we finish our lunch, we walk outside and see a hubbub across the street. There's a line outside Odd Future's OF store that wraps around Melrose. OF leader Tyler, the Creator is there, hanging out and chatting with fans. Henderson cracks a smile.
"Tyler is young, so he's enjoying this now," he says with the wisdom of a man who's been in those shoes. "Unless he's careful, it's not gonna last forever."
Daniel Kohn is a writer based in Southern California. With bylines in an assortment of outlets, Kohn primarily specializes in music with other interests ranging from sports to food. As a transplant, Kohn loves the beautiful weather and is glad he no longer has to deal with brutal winters. If you see him, say hi and of course, he's always willing to down a beer or two…if you're paying.


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Tis' The Season! is
as easy as 1..2..
(That's it!)
Don't get caught up in planning the presents and parties so much that you forget about the Holiday Guest essentials! Are you prepared for the unexpected rush of family and friends?
Tell us your needs, and let us present a custom page, just for you, featuring purchasable items that you need for this Holiday Season.
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Once we present options to you, don't wait too long to make a selection. Delivery time always takes at least 1-2 weeks, if not more during the holiday season. Items are in-stock at time we present them to you, but if you wait too long to purchase, they may be out-of-stock. (In which case, we will send you an alternative option free of charge.) Please make sure to place all orders ASAP!! We are happy to send you a new list, but beware that revisions take 3-4 business days.
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We understand your needs, and we know our vendor's products. We guarantee quality on everything we ship. You may not be used to a certain color or material, but we promise it will all look great. If for any reason you are unhappy with the items, we can arrange for unused items to be returned in a timely manner.
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Enjoy a one-time fee of only $99 per room, and 2 items from each type of item you need. (Example, if you needed bedding and a sleeper sofa for your guests, two different bedding sets and sleeper sofas within your style needs will be offered to you.)
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