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Here's a few nice pics of the gallery, and news of some of the new artists we have in. Firstly we have some new prints from WSA, James Bourne, Stevie Copter, Glen Anderson and and Emma Duggan. Emma also makes bags and brooches, more info coming soon, on the Bags front we just had a delivery of tote bags from tsz on toast too, hand made one offs, very nice.
The Outcrowd will be selling there wares at Sonar festival, Barcelona in two weeks so if your planning on going or live there come visit us in the market area, what doesn't sell there will be stocking the shelves of the gallery soon after so watch out for some new prints, stickers, badges etc from the crowd.


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South Lake denial drives 4:20 concert to Reno
A South Lake Tahoe medical marijuana dispensary's planned 420 celebration featuring musician Julian Marley this Easter Sunday went up in smoke after a permit dispute with the city on Tuesday.
The 4:20 show will go on at The Knitting Factory in Reno 8 p.m. Sunday, organizers announced on Thursday.
South Lake Tahoe officials twice denied a temporary activity permit for the show in the last two weeks. They cited parking and security concerns as well as the impacts for neighboring property owners, some of who did not support the event.
"We are in true disbelief that we have to announce a venue change at this late date," Awake Nation Promoter Cody L. Bass said. "The City of South Lake Tahoe denied Awake Nations the permit on private property that had been granted for the past three years without a single incident. They (the City) have threatened to shut down our dispensary if we hold the 4:20 TWC (Cannabis Cup.) We won't back down though and will continue to negotiate with them and prove the legality of our events."
The ticket price for The Knitting Factory is $25 online or at the door. The show begins at 8 p.m. Besides Marley, performers include Perfect, Iqulah Rastafari, Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi, Mr. Rodgers, Roommate, and Christafari.
Bass also recently applied for a special use permit to offer the concert for free without the cannabis cup at Lakeview Commons, the site of a summer music series on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. He argued that would be a better site than Bijou Park, but city officials showed no appetite in expediting the untimely application for a permit that normally requires 90 days to review and approve.
"We tried to move it to Lakeview Commons and make it a free show for the whole community, but the city wouldn't accommodate that either," Bass said.
City officials countered that the show would not go on in South Lake Tahoe primarily because of poor planning on the part of its organizers.
City officials also said the venture would violate city ordinances for medical marijuana dispensaries. The dispensary's permit expired March 27 and was temporarily extended by City Manager Nancy Kerry while it is being reviewed for renewal.
Entering its fourth year and growing, the 420 celebration and concert would have been held in the parking lot at Tahoe Wellness Cooperative, 3445 Lake Tahoe Blvd., the city's only authorized dispensary. It was advertised to include a "cannabis cup" for medical marijuana patient judges to sample up to 42 different strains of marijuana.
Over the last two weeks, Bass and city officials have unsuccessfully gone back and forth over the permit terms that would need to be met. Last year's event triggered noise and loitering complaints, according to Chief of Police Brian Uhler.
"Sgt. (Josh) Adler responded and reported there was music playing and that there was marijuana smoke wafting so much so across the highway that it could be smelled from cars when driving past," Uhler told the City Council.
Bass appealed the permit denial but was unable to convince South Lake Tahoe City Council to overturn it. Council members unanimously upheld the decision and maintained that city planning staffers had done everything they could to help Bass get a permit at his proposed site or even find a different location for the show, such as Bijou Park.
There also was confusion as to whether the marijuana dispensary or one of two event promotions companies linked to Bass was organizing the show. One of the promotion businesses was listed as the permit applicant and not licensed in South Lake Tahoe, said Hilary Roverud, the city's development services director.
The first permit application did not reflect the nature of the event as it was being advertised or represented on promotional materials, Roverud said. It also did not address any parking, security or trash cleanup concerns, while a second application still did not adequately address those concerns, she said.
"This is so far and above what a (medical marijuana) dispensary was intended to do and support. On that alone I have a problem," Mayor Hal Cole said about his decision to reject the appeal.
With a major headline act, the celebration and concert was expected to draw anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 people. Councilman Tom Davis said the event has simply outgrown its location.
"It's just too big, too complex of an event and you don't have permission of the adjacent owners. That's huge to me," Davis said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Saturday, August 16, 2008
First Day of First Grade
Rhianna started back to school on Thursday, August 14...a few days late since we were having so much fun in California. She wore her new Disney shirt for the first day and so we also put Rand and Seth in their new Disney shirts. So here is a look at our now First Grader - who gets to eat outside at lunch by the way!! - and our 2 boys:
(I should also tell you that Rhianna chose a Tinkerbell Polly Pocket for her toy and then bought another Polly Pocket set with her money.)
(Rand wanted us to buy him a set of Cars...and then used his money to buy this Mickey Mouse sword that lights up that he is pointing with in the picture.)
Posted by Anonymous at 4:41 PM
2 comments:
- Becca and fam said...
Happy first grade Rhianna!
- August 20, 2008 at 11:10 PM
- Maria said...
Enjoy 1st grade Rhianna. That was my favorite year of all of grade school. Rand, I love your sword. You look very tough!
- August 21, 2008 at 1:17 PM
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text: We have been hearing endless rumors about the upcoming Galaxy S III from Samsung. There were leaked images floating around Reddit the other day that appeared to be a press shots, but they could have very well been simply a mock-up. Today, we get a little more proof that the original images might have been the real deal with similar images being leaked by GSM Helpdesk (via The Verge). The only issue with the images, as pointed out by Verge, is there are inconsistencies between the original leaked images and the new ones in terms of the TouchWiz UI overlay. GSM Helpdesk seemed to point to a May 22 launch date that would also back up earlier rumors.


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SEO and CRO: How Can These Digital Marketing Disciplines Work Together?
There's a longstanding misconception which SEO (search engine optimisation) and CRO (conversion speed optimization) run contrary one another. Google "SEO CRO" and you'll be greeted with a showcased snippet titled "CRO vs. SEO: Which Generates Higher ROI?"
The combativeness is established around a misunderstanding of both SEO and CRO, and of course digital advertising as a whole.
So now I am going to talk about the way that misunderstanding came about, why it's untrue, and what you need to focus on rather.
Where Does It Come From?
SEM and CRO are both aspects of digital advertising, but in case you just went off headlines, you might get the idea that they are two ways for arriving at the exact same thing. Not so.
Digital advertising, when you cut away all of the fat, has only 1 purpose: to generate income. That's true for many advertising, actually. Any and all marketing approaches are only means to that end.
But here is where the confusion begins.
CRO's focus would be on maximizing conversions, be that they purchases, quotes, or e mail signups. One of the most effective methods to make this happen is through landing pages that are concentrated on acquiring a conversion. Because of that focus, landing pages tend to be short–to reduce attention fatigue–and visual–since the brain reacts to pictures faster than words.
By comparison, SEM's (search engine advertising's) focus is mostly around getting pages to rank high in search engines, whether that is through paid ads or natural search. I'm generalizing, but the best items for SEO have a tendency to be length and completeness of information on a webpage.
Therefore, to an inexperienced digital marketer, it feels like there is a decision to be made: make a webpage visual and concise so that it transforms, or earn a page long so that it rankings.
Except that is not the way it works.
Why It Is Bogus
For any digital marketing strategy to succeed, you will need the two SEM and CRO to operate collectively. Search is a large channel whereby individuals find answers to things they have questions to. Ignoring it could be tantamount to ignoring television ads in the 1960s and '70s. And without conversions, the internet would have almost no more ability to generate any revenue in any respect.
What actually happens is that SEM and CRO operate as a kind of digital advertising one-two punch. Focusing on search gets your website and articles before the folks who want to view it. But when someone clicks from a search list to your website, SEM's task is finished. A site's search look doesn't matter as soon as you're actually on the site, after all.
Once an individual is on your site, what matters is the way optimized for conversion it is, and that's when it is CRO's turn to deliver.
Hunt is Conversion-focused too
When inventing a SEM strategy, the first two steps are understanding your audience and picking the keywords and phrases that you would like to look in search for. This might sound trivial, but there is a enormous variation in a person's willingness to convert based on the key words they utilize in search. Compare Both of These questions:
- SEO firm
- Best deal on digital advertising Cincinnati
The very first searcher could be on the lookout for any number of items–information on the best way to begin an SEO company, pricing, comparisons between different companies. They may also be looking to purchase SEO services, and that's what a marketer could need. But given that the vagueness of the term, it's pretty much impossible to say that definitively. The next term, on the other hand, obviously signifies some want to purchase digital marketing services within a particular area.
In the event you were choosing keywords, you would be silly to not decide on the next one as a goal.
All this to say, SEM cares a great deal about convertibility. And of course that conversions are a key statistic tracked in SEO anyway.
Thus, SEM has a focus on conversions by the very start.
Informational Content Has Conversion Value Too
Thus, should search engine marketers only focus on phrases which appear going to convert? Not exactly, and here's why.
Let's use two search phrases as illustrations:
- How to Boost my business' online presence
- Hire SEO company Cincinnati
The next term clearly signals intent. The first one expresses an interest in the advantages SEM delivers a company (an increased search presence), but in addition, it signals an interest in learning how to enhance the online presence oneself. Seeing that the searcher of the very first phrase would rather understand by themselves than hire out advertising support, the naive search engine marketer may ignore it completely. However, that omits an important part of the sales process: trust.
Consider Moz. Moz is a thought leader in the SEO area that sells a package of SEO tools called Moz Pro. They are one of the top sources for SEO-related info online. Plus they blog about SEO. A great deal. Given what they offer, it makes perfect sense. In case people are interested in SEO tools, they are also likely looking to learn more about SEO or for strategies to make the SEO process easier.
Even so, a lot of Moz' articles is purely informational. By that, I would suggest that the material has a poor (or no) call to action, and it is not centered around a keyword that's likely to convert.
But that informational article builds trust with its subscribers. And that trust is really important in gaining conversions.
In fact, Moz found that on average, someone visits their site around seven days before they sign up for a free trial of Moz Pro. Of these 7 visits, a few of them are to the site.
What is more, Moz found that when someone visited their site less than seven days, that person was much more inclined to allow their free trial expire without becoming a paying customer.
So bear in mind, informational articles has value, too.
Extended Content May Also Convert
Conversion-optimized pages have a reputation for being short. That's because once you strip away all of the fluff, what's left is usually a clear and concise invite to convert. But content can also convert. Take a Neil Patel experiment where he hired a CRO company to optimize his (small) homepage for conversions. They made it larger–much bigger–and ended up raising conversions by 30 percent!
Subsequently, Neil hired CopyHackers to additional raise his homepage's convertibility. The result was a webpage which was 60% smaller compared to the large homepage earlier, and it further increased conversions by another 13 percent.
This to say, long or short doesn't automatically call a page's ability to convert. You are able to go long or short provided that you've got a strategy in place.
The Way You Ought to Think About Them
As a marketer, you should not care about visitors alone. 100,000 visits per day don't matter if not one of these visits convert (unless your website makes money from advertising revenue, but then you probably understand what you are doing already). All you should care about is qualified traffic. If you are getting a lot of visitors but few conversions, it might be time to reexamine your search attempts and go for more qualified traffic. If you receive a lot of qualified visitors but it doesn't convert, it's time to begin taking a look at the architecture of your pages and examining what it is that is getting rid of your own clients.
But either way, SEM and CRO are inseparable components of an overall digital marketing strategy. So make sure to have one.
For more articles like these, make certain to sign up for our email list!
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Elfin Saddle
As most now know, Jordan McKenzie passed away accidentally on 18 January on Hornby Island, British Columbia. We are shattered and saddened and our hearts go out to his beloved partner Emi, and to his family and friends.
Click here to read our longer post dedicated to Jordan's memory; Elfin Saddle's full band biography is listed below.
Click here to read our longer post dedicated to Jordan's memory; Elfin Saddle's full band biography is listed below.
Elfin Saddle is the musical project of Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie, both of whom are also practicing visual artists working in a variety of media, with an emphasis on scavenger art installations, kinetic sculpture (often with an audio component) and video work. Their work often engages with questions of (over)consumption, waste/detritus, and the degradation of lived and natural environments. The music of Elfin Saddle similarly reflects all these techniques and concerns; the group uses a wide array of found objects, junkyard percussion and other recuperated instruments (mostly acoustic: accordion, xylophone, ukelele) to create an avant-folk global protest music that combines Japanese and Canadian folkways with postpunk, drone, noise and other 21st century influences and sensibilities.
Honda, originally from southern Japan, moved to Vancouver Island in the late 90s and was immediately fascinated with the lush landscape and local flora. She began gardening and building visually complex, mechanical assemblage sculptures, which she exhibited in local galleries. McKenzie, who was also living on the island and working a similar vein in art school, happened upon one of these sculptures. Recognizing the eerily similar themes in each other's work and sharing various affinities, the two quickly became friends, triggering waves of artistic collaboration. Sound Stories, a early musical project of Jordan's that incorporated homemade sound machines, prepared records, storytelling, and a revolving cast of friends, was eventually joined by Emi. The two also began playing as a duo and made several recordings that were released on Westhome, Jordan's own small imprint. They also collaborated on multi-sensory art installations, comprising rooms full of scavenged objects, organic materials and plastic detritus, rigged up with old motors, timers, gears and wires to create carefully composed otherworldly landscapes with auto-kinetic loops of micro-mechanical routines and sound-generating processes. A series of exhibitions with fellow Victoria artist Scott Evans in the mid-2000s was the culmination of this work and of Honda and McKenzie's time as practicing artists on the west coast.
Emi and Jordan relocated to Montréal in 2006; presented with the collaborative spirit and wide range of venues in their new environment, they began pursuing music-making and live performance as Elfin Saddle more intensively. They home-recorded the first official Elfin Saddle albumGigantic Mother/Wounded Child and released it on Kill Devil Hills Records in early 2008. Continuing to gain musical momentum, they recruited upright bass and tuba player Nathan Gage (Shapes & Sizes) and captured a clutch of striking new tunes for their second proper full-length and first for Constellation, Ringing For The Begin Again (2009), at the Hotel2Tango with Efrim Menuck (Silver Mt. Zion, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) at the helm for recording and mixing.
Emi and Jordan completed their first major video work the following year, the 23-minute stop-motion film Wurld, which went on to receive a world premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival and a Canadian premiere at the Montreal Museum Of Contemporary Art. Both of these screenings included a live Elfin Saddle performance, and the Montreal concert was documented for eventual inclusion, along with various other materials, in a special limited-edition handmade release of Wurld on DVD/10" vinyl released at the end of 2010. The superlative visual artwork of Honda and McKenzie is on especially fine display in the deluxe packaging for this release and is a striking component of every Elfin Saddle album.
Elfin Saddle spent 2011 writing new music, developing a new longform video project, gigging around Eastern Canada, and adding cellist Kristina Koropecki (who had guested on Ringing) as an official fourth member of the band.
Elfin Saddle's latest album Devastates was released in March 2012 to broad critical acclaim. The group is making some of the most intelligent, vital-sounding, genre-defying acoustic protest music we've heard in recent years.
Jordan McKenzie – artist, musician, co-founder of Elfin Saddle – died accidentally on 18 January on Hornby Island, British Columbia. We are shattered and deeply saddened. Our hearts go out to his beloved partner Emi, and to his family and friends.
We got to know Jordan in Montréal in 2008 as he was playing shows with Emi in their band Elfin Saddle, and we had the profound pleasure of becoming friends with him and Emi, and releasing their work over several years. Alongside Elfin Saddle, Jordan and Emi also pursued an inspiring visual, installation, and video art practice which informed and infused their work as a musical group. Perennially grappling with the confines of city life, Jordan and Emi moved to Hornby Island in late 2013 to pursue their dream of breathing fresher air and living more closely and harmoniously with nature. Last fall Emi became pregnant and their daughter is expected in the spring.
In a eulogy published at The Globe and Mail, Sean Michaels wrote, "I was always marvelling at his kindness, the way his tenderness could live alongside pragmatism, discernment and an explosive sense of humour." During the week since Jordan's death, love and support for Emi from friends and collaborators in the music community, in Montreal and across the country, has flowed with great abundance, and friends from Hornby Island launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Emi through the coming months. If you're able please contribute.
Jordan was a brilliant, inspired, sensitive, compassionate, gentle, creative, serious, and thoughtful soul – truly one of the finest people we've had the privilege of knowing and working with. Emi is one of those people too, and she is very much in our thoughts. To all who were fortunate to know Jordan, our condolences on the passing of this beautiful person.
OSO BLANCO (feat. COLIN STETSON), SALTLAND, ERIC CHENAUX & RADWAN GHAZI MOUMNEH, PACHA, ELFIN SADDLE, HANGEDUP, NICK KUEPFER
OSO BLANCO (feat. COLIN STETSON), SALTLAND, ERIC CHENAUX & RADWAN GHAZI MOUMNEH, PACHA, ELFIN SADDLE, HANGEDUP, NICK KUEPFER
Okay, so it's May in Montreal! Admittedly the volume's been turned down a bit since last year, but the basics are all there: the water fountains are turning on, the Solidarity Across Borders Status For All march is this weekend and the Anarchist Bookfair the weekend after, you can still get arrested every damn time you leave the damn house, because protest is basically illegal now...
And of course, it also means that SUONI PER IL POPOLO, the best music festival in the world, is right around the corner!
As usual, the festival will bring dozens of truly amazing acts to the city all through June, and as usual a whole bunch of local CST friends and allies will hit the stages at Casa del Popolo and Sala Rossa. See below for a brief roundup, along with audio and video samples. Have a look, and then head over to the Suoni site to check out the full program.
NICK KUEPFER + LEE RANALDO w/ STEVE SHELLEY
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June 6 • Sala Rossa • $17/20 • Info/tickets
This year Suoni will host two appearances of Nick Kuepfer, Montreal weirdo genius and master sculptor of rickety, immersive soundscapes built up from guitars and tape machines and piles of scavenged ephemera.
On June 6 he'll open for Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley. You know those guys, right? They were in some bands? Anyways, this Ranaldo character is going to play some acoustic stuff of his own, accompanied by Mr. Shelley; should be nice.
MP3 - NICK KUEPFER: "Corpse in the Wildflowers" (from Avestruz)
MP3 - NICK KUEPFER: "Winter 2" (Soundcloud)
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June 9 • Casa del Popolo • $10/12 • Info/Tickets
His stunning New History Warfare trilogy concluded with the April 30 release of To See More Light, mind-bending saxophone juggernaut Colin Stetson will lend his formidable lungs to Oso Blanco, alongside three similarly virtuosic players on trumpet, drums and violin.
Opening will be Hraïr Hratchian - multidisciplinary artist and performer, past Jerusalem In My Heart collaborator - leading a nine-musician ensemble in a performance of "Bardézoum vartér patsvadz" a 100-year old Armenian folk piece by composer Krikor Dalian.
MP3 - COLIN STETSON: "High Above A Grey Green Sea"
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June 11 • Sala Rossa • $10/12 • Info/Tickets
Pierre-Guy Blanchard spent years studying various percussion techniques and compositional modes of Turkish, Balkan and Middle Eastern musics. His project, Pacha, is a thrilling fusion of intense propulsive rhythms and gloriously fried synth lines. Affaires Étrangères, Pacha's debut, was released last year as part of Musique Fragile Vol. 3, and its live iteration is an explosive thing: heady and precise, while guaranteed to get sweaty.
Nouveau Zodiaque is a shifting group of musicians rallied by Les Momies de Palerme's Xarah Dion, pulling on various threads of folk and world musics to form a gorgeous, cohesive and strangely danceable synthesis.
Joshua Abrams - Chicago native, prolific musical experimentalist, co-founder of Town & Country and Sticks & Stones (with Matana Roberts) - has of late been leading ensembles on a unique trajectory of trance-like, slightly psychedelic exploration, pulling from North and West African traditions, minimalism and out jazz. Check out last year's totally killer Represencing to get an idea.
MP3 - PACHA: "L'Aeroport de Charlo"
MP3 - LES MOMIES DE PALERME: "Solis"
MP3 - JOSHUA ABRAMS & CO.: Live Dublab session
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June 14 • Sala Rossa • $11/13 • Info/tickets
I Thought It Was Us But It Was All Of Us, the debut album from Rebecca Foon's Saltland project - "captivating", "modern and mesmerizing", "alluring and intoxicating" - was released this week. For this official release show Foon will join her compositions for voice and cello to ornate, buoyant arrangements for electronics, percussion and contrebass courtesy of Jamie Thompson and Aaron Lumley, and it will be breathtaking.
Eminent guitar handler and heart-rending balladeer Eric Chenaux will join forces with sound engineer, boxer, all-around CST go-to guy and Jerusalem In My Heart musical mastermind Radwan Moumneh for a performance certain to be as affecting and beautiful as it is indescribably abstract.
Wormholes is an audio-visual project of Beirut-based improvisational musicians Mazen Kerbaj and Sharif Sehnaoui. Solo guitar manipulations meet light tables projections with live drawing. We're told by those in the know that this rare performance is unmissable.
MP3 - SALTLAND: "Treehouse Schemes"
MP3 - JERUSALEM IN MY HEART: "Yudaghdegh..."
MP3 - ERIC CHENAUX: "Amazing Backgrounds"
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June 18 • Sala Rossa • $12/14 • Info/tickets
Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie have for years been crafting small DIY dystopias and rich, sparkling soundworlds with quiet reverence and humble anger. As Elfin Saddle they've produced three albums of urgent, ramshackle folk (the most recent, Devastates, released last year), a stop-motion film staged over several months in their backyard, and most recently "Music Temple": a multimedia installation at Montreal's MAI gallery involving automated musical instruments, film projections and live performance. An abridged version of the "Music Temple" installation will be brought to this one-of-a-kind performance.
The mighty viola and percussion duo of Hangedup is rolling once again. Since ending a long hiatus in 2010, they've played a handfull of shows in Montreal, kicked our asses around Europe as part of our 15th anniversary celebrations, and released Transit of Venus, an epic, towering collaborative LP with minimalist legend Tony Conrad. Gen Heistek and Eric Craven deliver a clattering, cavernous racket with a soft, graceful touch.
Nick Kuepfer, once again, is our hero (see above).
MP3 - HANGEDUP & TONY CONRAD: "Principles"
MP3 - HANGEDUP: "Alarm"
MP3 - ELFIN SADDLE: "The Changing Wind"
Of course there are a ton of other highlights: our fearless leader Don taking part in a panel discussion called "Beneath the Surfaces (Discussion on audio formats)", shows with Maica Mia, Avec Le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche + Oneida & Rhys Chatham, Jen Reimer & Max Stein + Gambletron, Grouper, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma + Le Révélateur, Kevin Drumm, Ratchet Orchestra, and on and on... Really, there's just so much good stuff. Liberate your ears.
The full calendar, with links to buy tickets online, is right here; tickets are also available in the usual shops.
Constellation celebrates its 15th Anniversary with a series of five mini-festivals in Europe this November: the locations are Bern, Paris, Munich, Vienna and Leipzig, in partnership with some of our favourite venues and partners that have supported the label and its artists over the years,
Go here for an at-a-glance round-up of the line-ups, locations and ticket links.
Read here for a longer post about the events.
See below for a rendering of the commemorative screenprinted poster that will be available at the events (being printed by the Dis-patch Collective from Belgrade, Serbia – whose Constellation artwork exhibit will also be on display in Bern and Vienna) and a little video clip we produced for the celebrations.
The Paris 15th Anniversary CST shows are now sold out.
Information about all CST 15th events can be found HERE.
Nous invitons nos camarades français à prendre note des autres concerts en France en novembre, ainsi que de nos événements à Berne et à Bruxelles...
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While we realise it's a bit of an extra journey for the good people of France, we remind everyone that about 50 passes still remain for the CST fest in Bern, Switzerland.
CST Heartland Festival passes for Bern are available here.
The Bern event is a Constellation takeover of the Heartland Festival and represents an expanded 4-day affair, with a CST art exhibit curated by Dis-patch Collective (Belgrade) and performances by several artists who cannot make the Paris weekend: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Colin Stetson, Hrsta, Nick Kuepfer and Khora.
Details for each night of the Bern event (and single night tickets) can be found HERE.
If you are looking for information about Bern accommodations, we encourage you to contact Dachstock@Reitschule HERE.
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We would also like to note the following Constellation-related concert dates happening in France and Belgium as the label celebrates throughout November with many artists on tour:
16.11.12 Metz FR Musiques Volantes Festival TIX
15.11.12 Nantes FR Stakhanov
16.11.12 Limoges FR Centre Culturel John Lennon
19.11.12 Tourcoing FR Le Grand Mix TIX
20.11.12 Strassbourg FR La Laterie TIX
14.11.12 Brussels BE Ancienne Belgique VZW TIX
20.11.12 Poitiers FR Confort Moderne TIX
21.11.12 Rennes FR UBU1 TIX
22.11.12 Nantes FR Pôle Etudiant
23.11.12 Gent BE Theaterzaal Vooruit TIX
24.11.12 Rouen FR Le 106 TIX
25.11.12 Tourcoing FR L'Hospice d'Havré - Maison Folie de Tourcoing TIX
26.11.12 Brussels BE Atelier 210 TIX
As previously announced, this November we're staging some mini-festival events in France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany to celebrate our 15th year as a record label. These have come together really nicely, more artists have been added in recent weeks, and a whole new city (Munich) as well!
Check this page for confirmed lineups and ticket links, and keep reading below for further details and testimonials.
We truly feel the present is a great moment to take stock of what we've done over the past decade and a half. Bands with whom we have some of our longest-standing relationships continue to make music among the most vital and inspiring to grace our ears, while in the past few years we've begun new relationships with artists producing equally jaw-dropping work, whose vision and integrity remind us why we started doing this in the first place.
We've felt an outpouring of warm support from our many friends and allies in Europe and around the world in organizing these events, while back home we've had the privilege of participating in the inspiring and unprecedented (in Canada) popular movement protesting tuition increases and the fraud of neo-liberal "austerity" economics that took over the streets of Montreal this spring. These days we truly feel more connected than ever to the local and global communities we consider ourselves part of, accountable to, and inspired by.
We're deeply grateful to everyone who's found occasional or sustained meaning and common cause with Constellation thus far, and genuinely look forward to spending time and celebrating with everyone that can make it out to these events in Europe.
And it goes without saying, we are utterly humbled and honoured by the support we've received from all of our presenting partners in these five European cities, most of whom we've had a long-standing relationship with in various respects. We set out to collaborate with the people who historically have meant a lot to us and our artists, and could not have hoped for more. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts.
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While the mighty Siskiyou has sadly had to pull out of any further appearances this year (read a message from the band here), our European mini-fest anniversary shows continue to be anchored by Do Make Say Think and Silver Mt Zion, along with Sandro Perri (backed by a full band), Eric Chenaux, Elfin Saddle and Hangedup. These six artists will be present at all four of our previously announced events in Bern, Paris, Vienna and Leipzig.
We have also now confirmed the participation of Carla Bozulich and Matana Roberts at all four of these events as well - whether as part of the "main stage" line-ups or in interesting site-specific or off-site performances. We're still ironing out a few of those ideas and logistics, but rest assured no performances will be running concurrently.
Additionally, we'll have Hrsta at most engagements, and have managed to yank Colin Stetson out of his crisscrossing solo tour schedule to appear on the final night of the Bern fest.
The Bern weekend will be truly epic, with a minimum of eleven CST bands appearing over four days, and the Dis-patch Art Collective from Belgrade, Serbia installing their wonderful exhibit "Ce côté en haut: The Fragile World of Constellation" - an exhaustive retrospective of the label's album and poster artwork. Looks like there will also be a label-related photo exhibit in Bern, as well as a couple of day shows, art talks and other off-site things going on too.
Also: Munich! The excellent Feierwerk venue in Munich has come on board to host two nights featuring 3-band bills each evening, with DMST, Perri and Chenaux playing on Nov 19 and SMZ, Hrsta and Matana Roberts playing on Nov 21.
Again, click HERE for a re-cap of the main stage line-ups in each city along with ticket links, and/or watch the video clip at the end of this post for a listing of those main stage line-ups at each event.
Other cool things we can tell you about:
It's already pretty darn exciting that Do Make Say Think will be performing their classic album Goodbye Enemy Airship The Landlord Is Dead in its entirety for their live set, but our presenting partner the Viennale will additionally be programming a series of experimental films to be projected during the band's set in Vienna. Since the Viennale is one of Europe's most respected and iconoclastic film festivals, this is sure to be a very special visual accompaniment to a very special musical performance.
Mike Moya was a founding member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor back in the early 1990s but pulled back from the band by the end of that decade to concentrate on Montreal-based projects as well as his excellent psych-folk group Hrsta throughout the 2000s. Moya then re-joined GY!BE when the group came off hiatus in 2010 and has been back in the third guitar chair with them ever since. Hrsta will perform at all the CST European events except Paris, and will be joined by new Godspeed drummer Tim Herzog, GY!BE/SMZ violinist Sophie Trudeau and Musique Fragile artist Nick Kuepfer for these sets.
Carla Bozulich will be premiering new material in a non-Evangelista guise; admittedly the distinction between these two identities has always been somewhat fluid, but we are super excited about the new music Carla has been working on and this will be a first opportunity to hear some of this stuff live.
Jerusalem In My Heart will perform in Leipzig. Date and location specifics have yet to be finally determined, but rest assured this will be very special and very cool. JIMH is the mutli-media project founded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, a musician and sound engineer who is a close collaborator of Constellation on many fronts. He has engineered and/or mixed numerous albums in the CST catalogue, has made films and videos for several CST artists, has performed as part of Land Of Kush, and will be helping to stage-manage the Europe events. JIMH now includes experimental filmmaker Malena Szlam, who will join Radwan for the performance in Leipzig, involving multiple 16mm film projections and his totally unique and intense blend of synthetic and organic Arabic-influenced sound.
The Dis-patch album art exhibit will transition from Bern to Vienna and be installed in an anteroom of the Porgy & Bess venue in Vienna from opening night of the first CST show on Nov 21 through to the end of the 4-day Blue Bird festival on Nov 24.
Dis-patch will also be bringing limited edition screenprinted posters and hand-stitched cotton LP bags which are going to be quite lovely. We'll have 100 posters (4-colour on archival A2 size paper) and 50 bags available at each event in Bern, Paris, Vienna and Leipzig (apologies, but these will not be available in Munich). We promise these are going to be really nice items, reasonably priced and, y'know, all commemorative and stuff.
Anyway, we think these are going to be good times for all.
Now watch a video:
We're very pleased to announce a series of 15th Anniversary concerts that will take place in Europe this fall.
We'll be partnering with some of our favourite venues and arts organisations to present multiple-night mini-festival events featuring a diverse cross-section of artists, including newer groups like Sisksiyou and Elfin Saddle, long-standing roster acts like Sandro Perri, Eric Chenaux and Hangedup, and two of the label's best-known bands: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Do Make Say Think.
Thee Silver Mt Zion will be returning to Europe for the first time since touring behind their acclaimed Kollaps Tradixionales album in early 2010, and premiering new material including pieces released as a tour-only 2x7" in the USA earlier this year. Do Make Say Think, one of the most consistently acclaimed and long-standing instrumental rock groups of the past decade-and-a-half, will be performing their classic sophomore album, Goodbye Enemy Airship The Landlord Is Dead, in its entirety.
At each of the two-night events, Do Make Say Think will close one show and Thee Silver Mt Zion will close the other. Exact line-ups for each night in each town will be confirmed and announced later this summer, but every concert will feature at least 4 bands and sets by at least 8 different artists across the two nights.
The event at Bern's Reitschule is unique in that it runs for a full three days, starting on Friday 16 November with the final European date of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's fall 2012 tour (a golden opportunity to see the group in a smaller, grittier venue with some truly awesome natural room compression).
Here's the plan:
NOV 16-18 • Bern, CH • Dachstock Reitschule
Presented by Heartland Festival and Dachstock
3-night passes available now HERE and HERE
The Constellation event in Bern is a full label takeover and collaboration with Heartland Festival, in conjunction with the Dachstock collective who administer an awesome 700 capacity live room at the Reitschule complex - where many a fine Constellation memory has been forged over the years (and often then half-obliterated in the ensuing post-show massacre of brain cells at the bar).
NOV 17-18 • Paris, FR • La Maroquinerie
Presented by Volume
Running concurrently with the Bern weekend, these two nights at La Maroquinnerie will be anchored by Do Make Say Think and Thee Silver Mt ZIon respectively, with three other bands each night. La Maroq has been a favourite venue of Constellation artists over the years, and the site of beautifully raucous yet wonderfully attentive packed houses for several of the label's artists. Despite the club's literally subterranean and cave-like setting, the full range of Constellation sounds have always gone down perfectly there, from the quietest and most fragile moments to galloping punk-rock explosions. La Maroq brings out the passion and devotion of music-hungry Parisians who don't mind getting a little down and dirty to achieve sustained experiences of musical immersion, levitation and physicality. This will be good times!
NOV 21-22 • Vienna, AT • Porgy & Bess
Presented by Viennale and Blue Bird Festival
Constellation has had a very special and heartfelt relationship with the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival) in recent years, beginning with their production of filmmaker Jem Cohen's "Empires Of Tin" project. We are very proud to be celebrating its 15th Anniversary in conjunction with Viennale's 50th Anniversary this year, and excited to be partnering with the Blue Bird Songwriter Festival as well, which will be expanding to a four-day event with the first two days devoted to Constellation.
NOV 23-24 • Leipzig, DE • UT Connewitz
Presented by UT Connewitz and Southern DE
Another venue and local promoter collective that is close to Constellation's heart, UT Connewitz is a glorious old theatre space that has hosted countless of the label's artists over the years. Like Paris, this will be 4-band bills anchored by Do Make Say Think and Thee Silver Mt Zion each night, in one of our favourite settings, booked by some of the very best people. Simple as that.
Stay tuned for more information and finalized lineups in the coming months. There will be also be special collaborations and other little surprises at various events, for which we will supply more information down the road (or, regarding the surprises, maybe not, so that they in fact remain surprises). In the meantime, here's an assortment of MP3s to tide you over:
Do Make Say Think • The Landlord is Dead
A Silver Mt Zion • Thee Dirty Olde Flag
Hangedup • Klang Klang
Siskiyou • This Land
Elfin Saddle • The Wind Come Carry
Sandro Perri • Love & Light
Eric Chenaux • Dull Lights (White or Grey)
In another attempt to keep us busy while awaiting the start of their European tour - yesterday they gave us their "A Muddy Trail" mixtape - Elfin Saddle now let out another video from Devastates, their latest LP. You may have heard the edited version of "The Changing Wind" we let out a while back (grab that, and "The Wind Come Carry" as MP3's below); this new video treats the song with kaleidoscopic close-up shots of the band's recent installation work, projections of which you'll also be able to catch at their live appearances on this tour. For more in this vein, be sure to check out WURLD, Elfin Saddle's short film project we released on DVD in late 2010.
MP3: "The Changing Wind" (edit)
MP3: "The Wind Come Carry" (edit)
Watch "The Changing Wind" below, and see below that for live dates. More info on Devastates, including streaming audio of the entire album, is available here.
|Amsterdam, NL
|Van Gogh Museum
|Groningen, NL
|Groningen Museum
|Eindhoven, NL
|Lille, FR
|La Peniche
|Luxembourg, LU
|Brugge, BE
|Cactus Festival
with Siskiyou
|Dresden, DE
|Discorporate Festival
|Leipzig, DE
|UT Connewitz
with Charalambides
|Berlin, DE
|Torpåkra, SE
|Torpåkra Ljudstation
|Gerlesborg, SE
|Strömstad, SE
|Restaurang Trädgår´n
|Jönköping, SE
|Eskilstuna, SE
|Eskilstuna teater
|Stockholm, SE
|Udevalla, SE
|Gothenburg, SE
|Clandistino Festival
|Fengersfors, SE
|Not Quite
|Malmö, SE
|Skånes Konstförening
|Hamburg, DE
|Hannover, DE
|Cafe Glocksee
|Nuernberg, DE
|Frankfurt, DE
|Azita Store
|Lucerne, CH
|B-Side Festival
|Geneva, CH
|Buz'Art Festival
With Devastates set for release next week, Jordan and Emi, the group's founding core, give us this self-produced video for "The Wind Come Carry" - the elegant and reverent rallying call that closes this utterly unique album of unsettling yet deeply hopeful DIY folk music. We're also pleased to announce the first batch of dates for their European tour set for late this Spring.
See below for the video and dates, and grab an MP3 of "The Changing Wind", the album opener. Devastates, Elfin Saddle's third full-length, is available March 6. Get more info on the album here, or go straight to the pre-order page.
MP3: "The Changing Wind"
|Amsterdam, NL
|Van Gogh Museum
|Groningen, NL
|Groningen Museum
|Dresden, DE
|Discorporate Festival
|Berlin, DE
|Göteburg, SE
|Clandistino Festival
|Hamburg, DE
|Hannover, DE
|Cafe Glocksee
|Nuernberg, DE
|Lucerne, CH
|B-Side Festival
Out 06 March 2012:
CST087 CD / 180gLP/ DL
Elfin Saddle deepens its compositional and conceptual agenda on Devastates, the band's third full-length album and its most urgent, ornate and impassioned work to date. The Montreal group, led by multi-instrumentalists Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie (who also share vocal duties), has always shown a profound engagement with issues of environmental sustainability and the emotional impact of economic/political ideologies that continually foreclose on the possibility of genuine, progressive renewal and redirection. With Devastates, this is explicit in the lyrical narrative of the album as a whole and implicit in the band's use of found and re-purposed objects to create its soundworld.
The new album weds an operetta-style song cycle to an organic, junkshop aesthetic to great effect, forging a unique hybrid folk music that weaves Honda's trilling vocals (often singing in Japanese) and McKenzie's woodsy, unaffected baritone with threads of clattering steam-engine percussion, ukulele, accordion, glockenspiel and pump organ. The addition of Kristina Koropecki's cello alongside long-standing third member Nathan Gage (Shapes & Sizes) on upright bass allows for a doubly melodic/rhythmic low-end.
This is profoundly un-escapist and engaged folk music that avoids the obvious trappings of folk traditions, grounding the listener in a sonic and narrative terrain that stakes out a highly original and distinctive definition of protest song.
See full release info here, and grab an MP3 of "The Changing Wind" below.
MP3: The Changing Wind (edit)
We'd been writing about this on our old site – reckoned it was a good time to remind and recap on the new one...
Our next release (coming mid-October) is a very special limited edition DVD + 10" vinyl release featuring the Wurld art film by Elfin Saddle co-founders and visual artists Emi Honda and Jordan Mackenzie. Both the DVD and 10"+DVD editions will come in custom die-cut jackets screenprinted on thick 25pt. 100% recycled chipboard, along with a set of 5"x7" art cards and an art print poster, all featuring the wonderful artwork of Emi and Jordan – we think this is shaping up to be one of the loveliest packages we've ever made. (See below for some previews.)
Wurld is an installation piece conceived for and captured on video, using a mixture of time-lapse and stop-motion techniques to document a year-long sculptural project that the couple executed in the back yard of their Montreal apartment in 2008-2009. Using a huge pile of found objects along with the cultivation of plants and grasses through the seasons, the Wurld film traces a 23-minute arc of civilization in miniature, from an (imagined?) golden age of harmonious nature to industrialisation and its inevitable weight of detritus and discontent.
Wurld premiered at the Vienna Film Festival (Viennale) in November 2009 and received a Canadian premiere at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) in May 2010.
Both screenings included an Elfin Saddle live concert, and the MACM performance was documented on video and recorded on multi-track audio to produce a concert film that also appears on the DVD. The DVD further includes Wurld outtakes and a couple of other art installation videos by Emi and Jordan, as well as 16-bit WAV and MP3 files of the Wurld soundtrack and three new Elfin Saddle tunes (for a total of 30:00 of audio). A 10" vinyl edition of the release features the audio pressed on wax, with the DVD enclosed.
Full artwork/packaging shots, audio & video previews, and a special pre-order offer will be available to newsletter subscribers next month - you can sign up here.
For now, we have a taste of the artwork and packaging below...
Elfin Saddle - Wurld
DVD cover in 2-colour screenprint with window cut showing 4 different colour postcards.
Elfin Saddle - Wurld
2-colour spot print poster with art by Emi Honda and Jordan Mackenzie.
- The Changing Wind (edit)
- The Wind Come Carry
- Temple Daughter
Ringing For The Begin Again


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Spring is in the Air!
We're getting set to re-open for spring in just 13 days. While the nursery still looks pretty sleepy and empty, plants are scheduled for arrival beginning tomorrow. Buds are cracking, blossoms blooming and our excitement is building. We are thrilled to be here another year to help you with your garden and landscape. Thanks for helping us stick around.
Yes, the blog is new too. We're in the process of figuring all this out, but are looking forward to keeping you better informed of what's going on in the garden and at New Leaf Garden Market.
For the month of March, we'll have "reduced" hours. Here's the plan:
Tuesday- Friday 10 am- 4 pm
Saturday 12 noon- 4 pm
We'll have expanded hours beginning in April.


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SASTM Newsflash
The [
Concerning the disease, also known as "stubble disease", she explained that "it is caused by Junin virus, that affects a region of the country that involves the provinces of Buenos Aires, southern Santa Fe, Cordoba and La Pampa," and that, "it is contracted mainly by people who live or work in or visit the countryside or were in contact with localities invaded by countryside rodents."
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Junin virus is found in certain rodent species in the countryside. The rodents are small (measuring 6-8 cm). Their color is brownish on the back with a white belly [probably referring to _Calomys spp._]. They construct nests in cultivated areas, in weeds along fences, paths, railroad rights of way, mill waterways, river banks, streams and shoulders of roads that cross these localities. They are very rarely found in human habitations, but they invade villages, finding refuge in vacant lots, vegetable gardens and weeds in the front and back of the house.
These rodents continually excrete the virus in saliva and urine, contaminating the environment in which they live, where humans are accidentally infected. The virus is also found in the blood of these animals. Because of this, when agricultural machinery kills these animals, they are contaminated by their infected blood.
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The term Argentine hemorrhagic fever is due to disease that occurs with, among other characteristic symptoms: fever and hemorrhagic tendency, [this is] usually very mild. Only in a few cases and in seriously ill individuals, severe hemorrhage occurs. The term
- -----
The main way to prevent Argentine hemorrhagic fever is through vaccination -- with live Junin virus vaccine Candid 1 -- [this is] highly effective and which is in the official schedule in the 4 provinces and is available in the Ministry of Health dispensaries.
Those people who reside or carry out activities in 4 provinces in the endemic for Argentine hemorrhagic fever, consisting of men and women over 15 - 65 years of age who have not received the Candid 1 vaccine previously should be vaccinated. Individuals not to be vaccinated include: pregnant women or those breast feeding, people with acute or chronic diseases who are receiving systemic corticoids or who present with congenital or acquired immunosuppressive clinical conditions.
As a condition [of vaccination with Candid 1] it is required that [individuals] not have received any other vaccines in the previous month, nor will receive them in the following month after receiving Candid 1 [vaccine]. There is assurance that the dose [vaccine] is available in southern provincial [health] dispensaries.
Concerning other kinds of prevention, she underscored the importance of carrying out careful hygiene, mainly hand [washing] and clothing change every time one has frequented areas with rodents. Houses in rural areas: maintain short grass at least 30 m [33 yards] to keep rodents from coming in, use closed containers for storing grain or animal feed, garbage and waste foodstuff, keep storage areas clean where machinery and other implements are stored and carry out rodent control with rodenticides (poisons for rodents) and placing traps, trying to close holes in houses and storage buildings so that mice cannot enter, keep vegetable gardens far from houses so that the rodents that are there do not come into the house and maintain them weed free.
In towns and cities: maintain weed free the railroad rights of way, vacant lots, around houses and their gardens, avoiding refuges that the rodents might encounter. If weed elimination is not done in springtime or summer, in autumn is it preferable that 1st use rodenticides and then shortly after eliminate weeds. It is also important to maintain the streets and sidewalks clean without trash
accumulation that could promote rodents coming in.
Finally, the Santa Fe Health Office stated that "we all must contribute to control of Argentina hemorrhagic fever," that the person who "lives or works in the risk area must be vaccinated, which is just once in a lifetime," if "[a person] presents with a febrile disease they must immediately [seek] medical attention," and if, "[a person] has had the disease, collaborate by donating blood to provide treatment for other ill individuals."
Communicated by: ProMED-mail
Argentine hemorrhagic fever occurs sporadically in the endemic area mentioned above, including last year (2012). The hosts of Junin virus are rodents, particularly _Mus musculus_, _Calomys spp_. and _Akodon azarae_. The animals have a chronic, asymptomatic infection and shed virus through saliva, urine, and blood. Human infections occur through contact with skin, mucosa, and inhalation of aerosolized particles carrying the virus.
According to the GIDEON database, most cases of this vaccine-preventable disease occur in
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Spring and summer are the best time to play with bright colors. And, pastel make people think of happy, youthful, and fresh, just like spring. In this post, I am sharing three outfits for three different occasions with lovely pastel colors.
Pastel Spring Casual Look: I am pairing peach and mint together, these contrast color can definitely draw attention. Have fun with a colorful shorts, not the plain old denim shorts, and wear a simple white tank top. For the mint color, I am using these beautiful pair of mary jane platform pump to add a feminine touch to this style. You can also find many colorful accessories and nail polishes to go with the look.
Pastel Spring Day Date Look: If you are going on a date with you BF or your BFF, this is a very cute look. This pastel yellow dress will look stunning in a sunny day. Green is close to yellow in the color wheel, so I found this green tote bag goes perfectly well with the dress. A pair of white shoes can brighten and lighten up the look.
Pastel Spring Date Night Look: Last but not the least, here is an outfit for a date night that is a bit more formal and sexy. This body hugging strapless dress is perfect for achieving both. Unlike the usual classic black, the soft pink color makes the dress even more feminine. To boost some sexiness, a pointed toe black pump can always do the trick. Then, finish the look with this elegant pastel blue envelope clutch.
Which style is your favorite?


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HABA Web Site Editor
HABA Annual Forge Fest
Dereck Glaser
Pat Bossart Residence, 8283 CR 209, Plantersville TX 77363
Our featured educator / demonstrator, Dereck Glaser, will be instructing a class in Tool Making on Friday, 10/2. The class size will be limited to 10! Register early before all the seats are taken. On Saturday and Sunday, 10/3-4, Dereck then will be demonstrating joinery, scrolls, riveting, botanicals, candlestick, and sculptural forging. The usual Forge Fest agenda will be followed, with good times and camaraderie in abundance throughout the program!
Dereck Glaser:
Dereck started forging in 1983 at the age of fourteen with a simple smithy of hand/foot-powered tools. Through his school years he pursued metalworking of all forms, developing his own studio and eagerly pursuing the life long task of accumulating the tooling and knowledge necessary to allow him to design and produce artistic metalwork. He earned a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Art Education with a minor in Art from Ohio University in 1992.
Dereck has taught at various craft schools across the country and is a licensed educator in most of New England. His metalwork is spread throughout the Eastern United States.
Dereck started a self directed Journeymenship in 1994, moving through various architectural blacksmith shops between Ohio and New Jersey as manager or head smith. In 1996, Dereck was awarded the People's Choice Award at the ABANA Conference in Alfred, NY and was featured in the Anvil's Ring magazine in 2003. His work reflects a traditional European flavor and emphasizes the methods and reasoning behind traditional joinery and the design aspects of many of the past and present masters that he has studied.
In 1997, Dereck moved his family to Maine to teach Metal arts on a high school level. He is now the Director of the New England School of Metalwork in Auburn Maine, which he helped start in 2000. Dereck has realigned his direction to do everything possible to promote the education of artistic and historic metalwork. He also continues to run his own studio, executing custom architectural metalwork and sculpture.Dereck's web site
New England School of Metalwork
Besides the class and the demonstrations we will have the following activities:
We will be providing lunch on Friday for paid participants of the Tool Making class. Dinner on Friday and Saturday night will be provided for a $10 donation. All other meals are up to the attendees. There are a number of eating establishments within 15 miles in Navasota, Montgomery, Magnolia and points in between or you can bring your own.
WThere will be designated areas for parking and camping. We will have an outdoor shower, as well as porta potties. There will be limited electrical connections supplied by extension cords from the barn. There are several water spigots spread around the camping area. The demonstration area will have bleachers setup.
Pat is located at 8283 COUNTY ROAD 209, Plantersville, TX 77363. If you look on Google Maps you will get an approximate location but since his place was built in the last couple of years it does not show it accurately. His drive way will be the first one on the left after the dogleg in the road. We will have signs at the entrance to Co. Road 209 and Pat's driveway.
From Houston: Take I45 north to Hwy 105 in Conroe and go west. At Hwy 1774 turn right. At Co Road 209 turn right. After the dogleg (sharp right turn and then a sharp left turn) Pat's driveway will be the first one on the left.
Alternate Houston route: Take Beltway 8 to Hwy 249 and go north. At some point between Tomball and Magnolia it becomes Hwy 1774. This will take you past the Renaissance Festival site and eventually past Hwy 105. At Co Road 209 turn right. After the dogleg (sharp right turn and then a sharp left turn) Pat's driveway will be the first one on the left.
From Austin: Take 290 east and at Brenham pick up Hwy 105. At Hwy 1774 turn left. At Co Road 209 turn right. After the dogleg (sharp right turn and then a sharp left turn) Pat's driveway will be the first one on the left.
From Dallas: Take I45 south to Hwy 105 in Conroe and go west. At Hwy 1774 turn right. At Co Road 209 turn right. After the dogleg (sharp right turn and then a sharp left turn) Pat's driveway will be the first one on the left.
See the meeting flyer.
EJ McCann's
3 Nail Forge
Kinder, LA
The HABA September meeting will be held at EJ McCann's 3 Nail Forge in Kinder, LA. This is a re-schedule of the April meeting that was rained out. EJ will host us at his shop that boasts 20 x 40 shop floor with 10 anvils, a 25 lb Little Giant hammer, a 65 lb treadle hammer and coal and gas forges. He will be able to provide a camping & RV area with water, shower and electricity. He is also going to treat us to some good Cajun cooking on Friday and Saturday nights (gumbo, red beans and rice, etc.).
Last year's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo - Yum!!
Instead of having any set demos we are inviting attendees to come ready to demo something that they have been working on. EJ has some forges and anvils and you can bring your own equipment. And it does not need to necessarily be straight blacksmithing. Any metal work such as copper smithing or other materials and/or specific techniques. No pressure if you don't have anything you want to demo but the door is open. At the very least we will all share what knowledge we have.
Daniel and Chris demonstrate making a hammer last year.
EJ McCann - 3 Nail Forge
From Houston take I10 east past Lake Charles, LA. Turn north on Highway 383, exit 43. After 10 miles turn right on TV Tower Road. EJ will be 1.25 miles down the road, the second driveway on your left after passing Tate Road. EJ will have HABA signs at exit 43, one on TV Tower Road and 383 and one on the entrance to his driveway.
See the meeting flyer.
A Tour of a Colonial House's Iron Work
Calvin Cobb
Calvin Cobb and his wife will welcome us into their colonial style home and give us a tour of the iron work that has been incorporated into the building. Some of it is preserved from that time period and others custom made by local smiths to match the period. Calvin will also show us his woodworking shop. Afterwards we will have lunch at a local restaurant.
From Hwy 290 go north on N. Eldridge Parkway. At Cypress North Houston Road turn left. Take your next right on William Dowdell Drive. Follow the road to 12726 which will be on your right. Google map link.
See the meeting flyer.
Tooling to Mass Produce a Bottle Opener
John Rigoni
Spring Cypress Self-Storage
4305 Spring Cypress Rd.
Spring, TX 77388
John Rigoni will demonstrate the efficient forging of one item with the intent on mass production. He will discuss design issues that may arise and show the tooling needed to forge each step cleanly. He will be using the fly press, swage block, anvil and power hammer along with custom tooling for each. The goal is clean forging with decisive actions for each heat.
Bio: I went to my first HABA meeting in 2004 and began smithing as a hobby, making knives and other small items. I was hooked. Before finishing my BA in History/classical studies I wanted to contact shops in Europe for journeyman work. I was lucky enough to attain a six month work visa and worked and traveled around Europe in 2007. I worked under Andrew Rowe in Wales, Terry Clark in England and finally Uri Hofi in Israel, along with attending conferences and shops in France and Germany. The projects ranged from tooling, to large public sculptures and gates to helping shop owners with farm work and work around the home. After exhausting all of my income it was time to come home. I now have two careers, working as a firefighter and running a small shop with the intent on creating beautiful work.
Look for a series of white metal buildings to the left of Spring Guns and Ammo. The shop is the third building on the left as you drive in. Any questions feel free to call John Rigoni at 281.235.2866<
See the meeting flyer.
"Chain, chain, chain..."
Experimenting with
Decorative Chain Links
HABA Depot Shop, Magnolia, TX
The HABA May meeting will be held at Magnolia Depot Forge. Dana Flanders will show, discuss, and demonstrate the creation of various examples of forged / fabricated chain links. These relatively small-scale exercises will serve to get us talking about enhancing our creativity and design skills, as well as providing a platform for demonstrating a wide variety of basic blacksmithing techniques (punching round and slot, drifting, shouldering, drawing out, tapering, twisting, bending, forge welding, etc.) and tools (top and bottom fullers, bending jigs, bottom dies, bolsters, flatter, etc.). After the initial demonstration, members will practice some of the exercises using the equipment available at the shop and their own gear, which they are encouraged to bring.
The Shop is located in the south corner of the yard for The Depot which is managed by the Magnolia Historical Society, Inc.
See the meeting flyer.
Canceled due to Rain
3 Nail Forge
Kinder, LA
The HABA April meeting will be held at EJ McCann's 3 Nail Forge in Kinder, LA. EJ will host us at his shop that boasts 20 x 40 shop floor with 10 anvils, a 25 lb Little Giant hammer, a 65 lb treadle hammer and coal and gas forges. He will be able to provide a camping & RV area with water, shower and electricity. He is also going to treat us to some good Cajun cooking on Friday and Saturday nights (gumbo, red beans and rice, etc.).
Last year's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo - Yum!!
Instead of having any set demos we are inviting attendees to come ready to demo something that they have been working on. EJ has some forges and anvils and you can bring your own equipment. And it does not need to necessarily be straight blacksmithing. Any metal work such as copper smithing or other materials and/or specific techniques. No pressure if you don't have anything you want to demo but the door is open. At the very least we will all share what knowledge we have.
Daniel and Chris demonstrate making a hammer last year.
EJ McCann - 3 Nail Forge
From Houston take I10 east past Lake Charles, LA. Turn north on Highway 383, exit 43. After 10 miles turn right on TV Tower Road. EJ will be 1.25 miles down the road, the second driveway on your left after passing Tate Road. EJ will have HABA signs at exit 43, one on TV Tower Road and 383 and one on the entrance to his driveway.
See the meeting flyer.
Gary Jameson
Trammel Double Candle Stand
Magnolia Depot Forge, Magnolia, TX
The HABA March meeting will have Gary Jameson demonstrating the creation of a Trammel Double Candle Stand. Here is his biographical description:
I was able to jump head first into all things blacksmithing in the mid 1970's after completing a sculpture/drawing degree, two years in the Peace Corps in Turkey and a few more years recruiting for the Peace Corps. Once back in Illinois, I was mentored by a small town farm blacksmith who shared the fundamentals as well as a great love for ironwork. I soon began doing demonstrations at fairs, festivals and centennials and was eventually asked to teach a summer blacksmith class at the junior college.
From this class a group was formed that is now one of the oldest ABANA affiliates, The Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association (illinoisblacksmith.org). My work has been accepted into the Illinois Artisan Program, a state agency that promotes fine craft in the state. I have continually maintained a one person shop doing one of a kind commission work. I have taught workshops on an ongoing basis with some time out to teach art and in one instance blacksmithing at the university level.
I attended my first ABANA conference in 1976 at the Carbondale campus of Southern Illinois University. In my early years of learning, I sought out illustrations and photos of early colonial ironwork and then attempted to reproduce them by trying to figure out how they were forged. These items included fireplace devices and tools, kitchen utensils, handles and hinges and many types of lighting devices. This process helped immensely to become familiar with all fundamental forging processes and led me to devising my own colonial variations such as the trammel double candle stand that I will demonstrate at the Magnolia event. My work interest ranges from the very traditional to the very contemporary.
Magnolia Depot Forge
The Shop is located in the south corner of the yard for The Depot which is managed by the Magnolia Historical Society, Inc.
See the meeting flyer.
Combo Demo
Steephollow Forgeworks, Bryan, TX
The HABA February meeting will be held in conjunction with the 5th annual Combo-Demo at Steephollow Forgeworks in Bryan,TX. Alan and Jeff Lee host this "Forge Fest" each year. This is a one day mini blacksmithing conference, free of charge, and open to the public. It is a once a year rendezvous of all the blacksmithing groups in Texas and Louisiana with demonstrations, vendors, art displays, auction, iron smelt, tailgating, food, and music. The Combo-Demo is only possible because of the generous support of the blacksmithing community at large. Volunteers are always needed. Auction and donations help pay for the whole thing.
Demonstrations will be from 9:30-11:30am and 1-4pm. a number of demonstrators have been booked including:
Action will be constant following the side by side Demo format.
The following will be showing and selling their latest creations:
James Johnson with Anyang Powers Hammers will demo one of his hammers.
The smelt will be led by Richard DelaHousaye from Carencro, La. The bloom will be tapped near 4pm.
The auction of donated iron artwork at 11:30am is what covers the expenses and is only possible because of the generous donation from the group members of:
HABAPlease consider donating your latest creation and don't forget your checkbook.
Balcones Forge
Goliad Blacksmiths
The Combo- Demo forging competition is a "Doorknocker" this year. The winner gets bragging rights for one year. Show your skills and creativity and bring it! Also bring your latest forged creation for display or sale. Sell your old tools or buy some new ones.
Directions to Steephollow Forgeworks:
Steephollow Forgeworks is located at 7286 Mesco Dr., Bryan, TX 77808. From Houston take 290 west. Turn right (North) on State Highway 6. Exit to FM 1179 and go right. Mesco Drive will be about 2.5 miles down the road. Google Maps link
Check out the meeting flyer here.
The Efficient Farriers Forging Techniques
and Bladesmithing Forging Demonstration
Daniel Riffe's Forge, Needville, TX
Daniel will start the demonstration by describing the progression of his forging career from selling ornamental items at farmers markets to forging hammer, tools, and knives through to deciding to expand his capabilities to include a career as a farrier. There will also be a discussion of how his shop's capabilities have progressed as well as the reasoning behind what equipment and tools were deemed important during each evolution of his journey as well as the how and why of the location, construction, and mounting requirements.
In order to make a living, farriers must be adept at quickly assessing a horses shoeing requirements, determining the stock dimensions required to make the shoes, and then working quickly, efficiently and precisely when forging the shoes. Over many hundreds of years, farriers have continually worked at improving upon their forging techniques and analytical skills. At first blush, and because of the speed with which they accomplish their task, the farriers' ability to forge and shape a shoe may appear to be a singular effort with a very defined goal. And it is; the ultimate goal being to improve the horses life and the farriers ability to make a living through pleasing their clients. However, upon closer examination of the farriers efforts you find that their work may be dissected into many discrete forging elements that all smiths may benefit from understanding and applying. Daniel will be demonstrating and discussing many of the efficient methods applied by the horseshoer.
Daniel will also be demonstrating the various forging techniques he applies when forging knives. He will forge a blade from the most often utilized flat stock (in this particular case; a farriers rasp). However, Daniel will also demonstrate the much lessor utilized but very efficient methods of forging knives from round stock and bar stock. In addition, Daniel will discuss his successes and experience in making Damascus from bandsaw blades and steel strapping material as well as the idiosyncrasies of forging brass.
Daniel Riffe's Forge
Hwy 288: Go south on Hwy 288 to 1462 and go west towards Rosharon. Pass through Rosharon and turn right on 762. Go past Brazos Bend State Park. The road will sharply turn left and then right again. At the next sharp left go straight onto Peters Road. Take Peters Road to Rawlings Road and turn right. Turn left onto Oakwood Drive.
Hwy 59: Take Hwy 59 south to Hwy 36 and go south. Turn left onto FM 1994. Turn right onto 762. At the sharp right turn, turn left onto Peters Road. Take Peters Road to Rawlings Road and turn right. Turn left onto Oakwood Drive.Google map link and Meeting Flyer
If you need help with directions, call (281) 974-0296.
HABA Controlled Hand Forging at ABNC
HABA will be holding a Blacksmithing meeting at Armand Bayou on the 2nd Saturday of each month. The focus of the meetings will be to have a group of interested members work their way through the controlled hand forging progression as a means of learning the basics of forging iron. The progression starts with the basic techniques for moving metal and shaping it. It eventually leads into advanced techniques. Along the way, participants will create various artifacts that are of use both in pioneer societies as well as the modern world. Please see our Armand Bayou Monthly Meeting Flyer for details.
To participate in the meetings one must be a member of HABA which only costs $20.00 per year. The public is welcome to observe without charge and we will have displays of items made by members.
The meetings will take place in front of the hay barn next to the wood working shop. We usually have some good shade and there is plenty of room for working. We will have at least 3 anvils, a leg vice or two and two forges. So if you don't have all the equipment we can share these.
Armand Bayou requests that we limit vehicle traffic between the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM. So if you are bringing something that needs to be transported be sure to arrive before 9 AM. Another reason to arrive before 9 AM is to be able to enter the area without paying the Armand Bayou entry fee of $4.00 per person.
Details of each upcoming meeting will be announced in the HABA Update email. If you want to be put on the list send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
On Bay Area Boulevard 7 miles east of I-45, approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Houston, 30 miles northwest of Galveston, and on the southeast boundary of Pasadena.ABNC is the neighbor of NASA/Johnson Space Center, University of Houston Clear Lake and the Lunar Planetary Institute, the Bayport Industrial complex and is surrounded by significant residential development.
General Meeting Information:
HABA Update is a great email service to our members and friends
Board Member Pete Farrell is our Communications & Event Coordinator, and has been publishing a routine update by email to our members and interested friends called The HABA Update. This includes rpeorts of current and future activities of HABA and our regional friends.
Contact Pete at email@example.com be added to this distribution if you are not already receiving this.
A link to this Update and our Facebook page hosted by Dana Flanders is included in the link list on top left of our main page.
HABA Calendar for 2015 is Online
It's the annual clean-up and revise season here in the web shop. If something seems put away too good please let your web feller know. The 2015 meeting schedule and topics are announced on our HABA 2015 Calendar page which will be updated as often as possible. We hope you can attend and contribute to each meeting demonstration.
This front page of meetings announcement was trimmed back in December, and the complete listing for all of 2014 is still available at HABA 2014. Each of these sites contain links to each summary, photos, and announcement page we published for your convenience.
Please Join and be a part of HABA today to receive the current Newsletter ! Contact Pat Bossart (832-656-4836) for the latest information. To receive your Family Membership Card or to update your records please send Pat an email with a Membership Application.
Family Membership for are still only $20. Special offers are available for the 3 and 5 year Memberships. See the HABA Membership page and ask Pat about these for this year!
Thanks for your continued support!
HABA Events Calendar for 2015
Notes about this Website This website is Under Development and will continue to evolve for HABA Members.
This website is Under Development and will continue to evolve for HABA Members.
and Sponsors
which may be visited at
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ABANA Hammer's Blow
ABANA Anvil's Ring
ABANA Forums
ABANA Demonstrator Guideline
ABANA Controlled Hand Forging
North Texas
Blacksmiths Association
Balcones Forge
Louisiana Metalsmiths
Gulf Coast Blacksmith
Four States Iron Munchers
Saltfork Craftsmen
River Bluff Forge Council
Mississippi Forge Council
Alabama Forge Council
Florida Artist Blacksmith Association
North Carolina ABANA
Central Virginia Blacksmith Guild
New England Blacksmiths
Appalachian Area Chapter of ABANA
Appalachian Blacksmiths
Southern Ohio
Forge & Anvil
Blacksmiths Association
of Missouri
Illinois Valley Blacksmith
Upper Midwest Blacksmiths
Arizona ABA
Rocky Mountain Smiths
California Blacksmiths
Western Canadian
British Artist
Blacksmiths Association
National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association
Arkansas Knifemakers
American Bladesmith Society
The Guild of Metalsmiths
National Ornamental Metal Museum
Anvil Museum Collection
Magnolia Historical Society
Historic Magnolia Depot FB
Magnolia Depot Day
Magnolia Depot HABA Blacksmith Shop
Rockdale Depot Blacksmith Shop
Zilker Blacksmith Shop
Beautiful Iron
Styles Of Forges
Brick And Steel Forges
A tale of two shops
Blacksmith's Coal Forge
Blacksmith's Coal Forge 2
Blacksmith's Coal Forge 3
Steel Sidedraft Forge
Chimney building
The Steel Sidedraft Forge Hood
Furrer Wootz Making
I Forge Iron
Anvilfire Forums
Anvilfire iForge Projects
Anvilfire Anvil Weight Calculator
Anvil Museum
Metal Artist Forum
Metal Smithing How-To
Anvil Online
Anvil Forum
Blacksmith's Journal
Blacksmith's Gazette
Forge and Anvil
Anvil Magazine
Anvil Talk
Tillers International
Google Search
U.S. Time of Day
Vulcan Restoration Project
Vulcan Park Birmingham
Armand Bayou Nature Center
Katy's Outdoor Learning Center
The Pearl Fincher Museum
Copper Metal Prices
Prevent Copper Theft
Cultural Arts Council
of Houston/Harris County
Houston Center
for Contemporary Craft
Bayou City Art Festival
Texas Accountants and
Lawyers for the Arts
Blacksmithing Art
The American Blacksmith
The Village Blacksmith
Anvil Types
Anvil Info
Anvil Testing
Excavations at a Blacksmith Shop
Museum Of Our Industrial Heritage
Carriage Museum of America
Blacksmithing in the 21st Century
Spark Chart
Heat Colors
Thermal Colors
Tempil Color Guide
ABA Coal Info
History of Bolts
Tool & Shop Tips
LAMA Electric Welding
Blacksmithing Stories
The Blacksmith Anvil
Blacksmith Tools
Romancing the Hammer
Men and Women of Iron
ABA Timelines
Rural Craft Pulications-UK
Heat Treating Data E-Book
Tillers International
Lost Crafts
Practical Blacksmithing 1888
Last of the Blacksmiths
John Lienhard and
Modern Blacksmithing In 1902
Crafticulation & Education Conference
..these Blacksmithing sites!


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Love Necklace
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Color: Yellow Gold
One Size
Size & Fit Information
Length: 17.25-18.25in / 43.5-46.5cm
Please Select A Size
We offer free express shipping across the globe. Learn more
We offer free express shipping across the globe. Learn more
A return shipping label is included with every order - and returns on USA orders are FREE within 15 days. Return policy
A return shipping label is included with every order - and returns on USA orders are FREE within 15 days. Return policy
- Cubic zirconia
- 18k gold vermeil
- Lobster-claw clasp at back
- Made in the USA
- Additional jewelry sold separately
- Charm necklace
Style #SHASH40945
Length: 17.25-18.25in / 43.5-46.5cm
In love and want to shout it from the rooftops? This Shashi Love Necklace is a pretty, subdued alternative.
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About the Designer
Global jewelry redefined in a modern collection that celebrates the world and true individuality. Shashi jewelry designs are driven by the beauty and cultures of exotic destinations around the globe. Shashi's chic, playful bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings are thoughtfully designed and handcrafted in New York. Each jewelry piece is a treasured accent, rooted in spirituality and eye-catching personal style. See all Shashi reviews
Cute Necklace for Summer
I purchased this because I wanted a necklace that I could wear in the summer with my lower cut tees, without worrying about ruining it with the summer heat and sweat! It looks more expensive than it really is - I think Jennifer Zeuner had a "love" necklace like this that I had been eyeing, but you can't beat the price with this one. Glad I purchased this. Hopefully, it'll last past this summer! Highly recommend!
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THE Necklace
This is far by my favorite necklace. Its delicate, affordable and looks real!
Sizing: True to Size / As Expected
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Experience the splendor of our mountain guest ranch!
Are you tired of waiting in line? Are you sick of daily traffic jams? Would you like to escape the rush of city life? Come to J/L Ranch, a small, privately owned guest Ranch and Outfitter/Guide business. This beautiful guest Ranch is located in a remote area surrounded by Ashley National Forest and Ute Indian Reservation. The ranch holds a "Special Use Permit" issued by Ashley National Forest. Some of the many activities provided at the ranch include: excellent fishing, spectacular bird watching, extensive hiking trails, Alpine mountain scenery and nearby access to mountain biking, golfing, river rafting, boating, Dinosaurland Quarry, and Fremont Indian rock art.
The nearby towns of Vernal and Roosevelt, Utah provide local points of interest as well as friendly, small-town atmospheres. The elevation at the ranch is 7,200 feet above sea level and is located 150 miles from Salt Lake City and 300 miles from Denver. For our guests staying at the dude ranch we offer our two Luxury log cabins. They are decorated in "Cowboy Style" furnishings. Chepeta Cabin sleeps four people and The Bunkhouse sleeps six. They each have a full bath, living room and fully equipped kitchens. Treat yourself to the best nature has to offer and the comfortable retreat of a cozy cabin.


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blog about sewing, knitting ,cats, quilting and whatever strikes my fancy
oh those glads are such a pretty color!! Love those rosey pinks...hugs, Julierose
Beautiful flowers, my flags have started blooming. One color will bloom , then another. They take turns
Very pretty flowers. I finally have a few blooming.
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As I reflect on my time here at Milano, there are a few things that I think about. One is that I'm going to miss many of the people here after we go our different ways. I've met some brilliant, kind, passionate people here. Another thing is that the policy analysis framework is something that I anticipate will be useful far down the road.
But there's another thought that I have, a thought that I didn't expect to have when I came into the program. Certain policy issues and neighborhoods tend to be invisible at Milano. In other words, we just don't see them.
I came to Milano because I have a burning desire to serve my community of Harlem in particular and urban black neighborhoods in general. I thought that at Milano, I would find a community of aspiring policy makers and scholars actively engaged in urban policy matters that directly impact urban communities of color. Sadly, this is not the case. This is not to say that Milano is completely devoid of any discussion of urban communities of color, but there is not the level of emphasis I would like to see in a program that is supposed to offer an alternative to Columbia's SIPA and NYU's Wagner. We only have a couple of courses that directly address issues of race, and both of them, to my knowledge, are taught by one professor – Darrick Hamilton. I think Leigh Graham's classes may also address issues of race, but her Economic Development course wasn't offered this semester and she's off to another university next fall. Karen Merson has led the Making a Difference course, but my understanding is that the course is more of a general question-your-assumptions survey of oppression.
I think an urban policy program rooted in social justice should have greater emphasis on the plight and assets of urban communities of color and the potential policy options to improve the lives of people living in these communities.
Now, I should note that the Laboratory in Issue Analysis and Community Development Finance Lab has featured neighborhoods of color including Harlem, the South Bronx, and Brownsville. Political Economy of City definitely includes discussions of race and class but its only a piece. The course helps students understand how ghettoes came to be but doesn't take the next step in examining possible policy solutions.
I think that a large reason why urban policy impacting communities of color is noticeably absent at Milano is because urban policy aimed at the improvement of communities of color is noticeably absent from government at all levels (notwithstanding Bloomberg's Young Men's Initiative). Ironically, we learn about neoliberalism and the devolution of government over the past 30 – 40 years, but we do not examine potential policy alternatives to compensate. Just because the Federal Government isn't funding community action programs and community development corporations like it was in the 1960's doesn't mean that problems that gave rise to such programs have been solved. It seems that once the Empowerment Zones money ran out, once Boyz N the Hood became cliché, and once hip-hop became the best-selling music genre, the problems facing urban communities of color weren't "sexy" policy issues anymore. At best, we look at pieces – urban education (charter schools vs. district schools), affordable housing, and food deserts. But what about the whole picture?
How can we send policy makers out into the world without ensuring that they have a full understanding of how urban policy has impacted urban communities of color? How can we do this and claim to be a social justice institution? The Obama Administration was supposed to shine a new light on urban policy in America, but the President's urban policy efforts seem to be going nowhere fast. As a heterodox and social justice-oriented institution and program, we should not be constrained by what's hot right now. Of course there is the reality of offering programs and courses based on demand. I'm not challenging that, but what I am saying is that Milano should not just be driven by consumer demand, it should encourage students to engage issues that are overlooked in the popular policy discourse. Milano needs to have a greater emphasis on race, class, and what's going on in communities of color across the city.
EDITED TO ADD: I also have to give a shout out to Robert Zdenek's Community Development course. Unfortunately it's not being offered next year. Supply and demand.


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While everyone else spent their Memorial Day weekend binging on Netflix's new Arrested Development episodes or actually spending time with their families, I spent the holiday weekend catching up on BBC America's stunningly brilliant new show Orphan Black. The first season, only ten episodes long, ends this Saturday after the season finale's airing at 9PM. However, BBC America is kindly airing an Orphan Black marathon, beginning June 1st at noon and featuring the first nine episodes before Saturday's finale.
Here are some reasons why you should tune in.
1. Tatiana Maslany
Orphan Black's lead actress plays not one, not two, but six different characters throughout the show. Not one of the characters is similar to another; all of them come equipped with their own accents, styles of speech, movements, and various nuances that all fully-fleshed characters contain. Tatiana Maslany plays these various characters (who not only frequently appear on screen together, but also range from an uptight suburban soccer mom to a crazed, self-abusing assassin) so unbelievably well that I was constantly reminding myself while watching that each character was played by the same actress, and I still find myself forgetting when I watch. She's that good.
2. The Twisty, Complex Plot
I started this show blind, only vaguely aware of the plot, and I definitely don't want to give anything spoiler-y away here. The basic premise involves a broke woman named Sarah Manning who witnesses the suicide of another woman who looks exactly like her on the subway station. With the intention of robbing the dead woman, Sarah Manning instead finds herself impersonating her dead doppelganger in an attempt to discover how the two identical women are connected.
The show is one of the most fully-realized and well-written sci-fi shows I've ever seen, easily in league with heavy hitters like Battlestar Galactica. As the show progresses, Orphan Black's uniquely envisioned world further unravels and expands, and never does the increasingly-complex storyline overshadow the show's excellent characters. If anything, Orphan Black has only gotten better at balancing story with emotionally-charged scenes of character development since its beginning. Also, though the storyline is often serious, the writers manage to sprinkle humor throughout the drama in an easy, natural way that's reminiscent of a Whedon show.
3. The Supporting Cast
Though Tatiana Maslany covers a huge chunk of the cast all on her own, the supporting cast manages to keep up with her fairly well. Most notable are Jordan Gavaris, who plays Sarah's hilarious and brutally honest foster brother, Felix, Kevin Hanchard, a detective who knew Sarah's dead doppelganger, and Dylan Bruce, who plays Sarah's dead doppelganger's boyfriend (a mouthful, I know). Honestly, there's not a weak character to be found here (with the possible exception of Sarah's deadbeat ex-boyfriend, Vic), and all of them are only getting better as the story progresses.
So, if I haven't yet convinced you, then check out the official trailer yourself, below.


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We're in the home-stretch finally, here's where we're at:
60 hour stream of EVERY episode and EQG movies back to back, as a countdown to the anniversary on the 10th.
Kickoff will be at NOON (that's 12:00PM) EST on October 7th. The stream will then continue straight through the weekend, with a live showing of the new episode on Saturday.
I have collected 42 Steam game Gift codes to giveaway so far, and a $50 steam gift card to distribute over the course of the weekend
(if you have more that you would like to contribute to the prize pile send it to my email: email@example.com)
Additionally we'll have our annual Skype / Discord meetup chat and group video games, and we have a few volunteers to make artwork and some other stuff.
Use this copypasta:
"Greetings, fellow Pony fans.
We have been sent here from /mlp/ to extend an invitation. An invitation for you and your site's membership, to join us for one day in celebration of the 6th Anniversary of the premier of My Little Pony Friendship is magic. It is one day annually that we put aside our differences and enjoy pony together.
The party begins at 12:00 NOON EST on October 7th, 2016
We will have games, music, merchandise giveaways, story telling, special guests, a stream of every episode back-to-back, and much more.
We hope you will join us as we usher in the 7th year of fun.
See you then!


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I make my living in customer service so this may seem like an odd topic. Done well, delivering a quality experience to customers can be an engine for satisfaction, retention, and growth. Done poorly, it can also cause organizational misalignment
Can't Miss Ways to Improve Customer Experience
The methods below represent some of the most thought-provoking, simple, and underused ways to improve the customer experience.
Navel-Gazing… Your Worst Enemy
Umbilicus intuens can be extremely debilitating. Indeed, I worked with a leader who once remarked that his organization was full of navel-gazers… those who spent more time looking within the company than outside the company. Sir Winston Churchill's wry description
Einstein's Theory of Employee Rankings
Want engaged employees? Want better performance from your employees? Don't compare them to their peers. If you do, achievers lose their drive to achieve and under-achievers surrender. Comparing employees to their peers de-motivates people. Iwan Barankay's study supports the conclusion