text:
ARVC Business Forum Reports on Industry
June 11, 2010 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on ARVC Business Forum Reports on Industry
This week's ARVC Business Forum, held on the campus of Keystone RV Co. in Goshen, Ind., featured a typically lively give-and-take among the leadership of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds and some of the nation's key campground vendors.
Forum members met in conjunction with the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Committee Week and Annual Meeting functions held not far away in downtown South Bend. The week's agenda also included an industry party in recognition of what RVIA has designated in 2010 as the RV industry's centennial.
The ARVC Business Forum brings together members of the ARVC Executive Committee and key players in the RV parks and campground business to discuss topical issues.
Shane Ott, director of campground relations for Thor Industries Inc., Keystone's parent company, who helped orchestrate the meeting at Keystone, said the forum meeting at an RV company, a first for the forum, will help narrow "the huge gap" between the campground and RV industries. "There is no reason we shouldn't do this more often," he said.
A few forum highlights:
Mark Anderson, former ARVC chairman and owner of Camp Chautauqua Camping Resort, Chautauqua, N.Y., reported that his park and many others in the East "had almost a perfect Memorial Day weekend," providing "a great start" to the season. The summer's outlook for the Northeast is good as travel is up, he added. He noted that while the state of New York is "broke," the governor found funds to reopen the state parks, which Anderson considers "an important baseline to private campgrounds."
Vic Nolting, vice chairman of Leisure Systems Inc., franchisor of the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts, Milford, Ohio, began by summarizing, "In general, things look oh so much better than last year." He then deferred to LSI's COO, Rob Schutter Jr., who went into greater detail. Schutter echoed Anderson's holiday observation. He said business in the Northeast is "leveling out" after "a disaster last year," due to weather.
Schutter, noting that Yogi operators are seeing an upturn in campers' ancillary spending after a 2%-3% downturn in such spending last year, reported that the rental market at Jellystone Parks is "through the roof," thanks in part to its non-dependence on good weather and the growing number of visits of campers new to the Jellystone system.
LSI's rental business was up 8% in 2009 and he expects another rise this year. The rental business, which puts campers into lodges and cabins, is bringing a lot of non-traditional or first-time campers, added Nolting. They explained that many Jellystone Parks maintain good working relationships with area chambers of commerce and hotels, which also spurs business. Cabin rental rates were $145 a night in 2009 and have been raised by $10 a night for the 2010 season, said Schutter, adding that LSI opened its first company-owned park this year in Bloomington, Ind.
Cindy Halley, publisher of the Trailer Life RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory and vice president of Good Sam Club marketing, Ventura, Calif., reported that TL's rep teams are well underway in their collection of data and advertising sales for the 2011 directory. Team members "are very upbeat and expect a better year overall," she said. On the club side, membership growth is exceeding forecasts and currently totals about 950,000. Good Sam Club members average 62 years of age and are typically retired, empty nesters. However, she added, the club is always trying to recruit younger members.
Eric Stumberg, president and co-founder of Wi-Fi provider TengoInternet, Austin, Texas, reported that TengoInternet's acquisition of Nomad ISP is complete with Nomad's clients integrated into Tengo's in May, bringing its market penetration to some 800 parks and between 67,000 and 100,000 guests a month, depending upon the season.
Wi-Fi remains a key criteria in RVers' decision on where to camp, he noted. He sees mobile point of sale terminals, such as an ice cream cart that accepts credit card swipes, becoming the next popular phase in parks and campgrounds. He is targeting 25% growth for 2010.
David L. Berg, ARVC chairman and owner of the Red Apple Campground in Kennebunkport, Maine, said business appears to be "back to where we used to be." He had sold out his 140 sites for the July 4 holiday by Memorial Day and his tent and popup trailer sites sold out first for the first time ever.
Berg, at the same time, said he remains "boggled" by the growth and popularity of the cabin business. He charges $120 a night for a cabin, even though "the motel down the street charges $29." He can explain the willingness to pay more because customers "want it all today, the safety, the experience…" He also is getting into the RV rental market, charging about $1,000 a week to rent a unit on-site.
Al Johnson, president of Recreational Adventures Co., an 11-park chain based in Hill City, S.D., reported "an exceptional Memorial Day" and stated that nine of his 11 KOA-affilitated properties are ahead of plan so far this year. He has begun to replace aged cabins with new park models. He is putting on hold an overhaul of RV sites until he can better determine size requirements for the next RV generation. He, too, saw more guests with tents and folding camping trailers last year, but said it's too early to tell whether that trend will continue this year.
David Gorin, who wore multiple hats to the forum as a campground consultant, ARVC lobbyist, park owner and state association director, reported that his Holiday Cove RV Resort in Bradenton, Fla., experienced a 25% increase in business last year, with his rental business up 20%-25% annually.
Gorin says he sold approximately half of the lots for sale in his park in the last 19 months. As director of the Virginia Campground Association, he said that state's parks are looking for a good year, but that they're concerned about whether the Gulf oil spill will make its way eventually up the East Coast. Meanwhile, Gorin says his Best Parks in America network has grown from 22 to 63 parks in the past year, has recently finished a long-term strategy session and will be publishing its first print directory. Finally, Gorin announced that he will be building a new 250-site RV park in Palmetto, Fla.
Ann Emerson, ARVC Business Forum chairwoman and vice president of Woodall Publications, publisher of the Woodall's North American Campground Directory, Ventura, Calif., said sales consultants are reporting overall that most parks are doing well. In general, parks near metro areas are still faring better than those in remote areas. And there's a serious concern among tourism-related business operators — parks among them — in many Southern and Southeastern locales regarding the long-term impact of the Gulf oil spill, prompting some owners to defer decisions on marketing expenses.
Emerson began a discussion on the explosion of social media in the campground business. At her parent company, Affinity Group Inc. (AGI), parent company of RV Business and Woodall's Campground Management, almost all the websites have a Facebook page and each publication has at least one staff member assigned to increase its social media presence and AGI is developing a SmartPhone "app" for both of its campground directories. This discussion elicited comments on mobile marketing, which fueled a wider discussion on the explosion of mobile phone use in society. Some 90% of all U.S. homes have cell phones, and a significant percentage of Woodall customers have SmartPhones, she said. Stumberg noted that one study showed that almost as many people today access the Internet via their SmartPhones as from personal computers.
Bruce Hoster, president of Coast to Coast Resorts, the membership camping wing of AGI, said, "We think membership camping is due for a renaissance." He cited a number of ways Coast to Coast is attracting new parks and members to the concept. As an aside, he observed that membership campgrounds are finding new revenue streams by developing storage facilities for their members' RVs while they are not camping. For example, one membership park developed a 7-acre storage facility and realizes an estimated $1 million in revenue in annual storage fees. He reported that Camp Club USA, AGI's discount camping club, "has come back strong after seeing a slight dip during the recession" with high renewal rates and is up to nearly 50,000 members. Coast to Coast, which has taken membership camping under its wing, sponsored a membership camping conference in February in Las Vegas and will sponsor another in February in New Orleans. He is working to make inroads with developers of hotel and condo complexes to consider integrating campgrounds into their projects, he said.
Pat Hittmeier, president of Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA), Billings, Mont., said camping was "soft" over the winter, hindered by cold weather in its Southern campgrounds. But it's taken off since May and was up 7% through Memorial Day. KOA is projecting an 8% increase through Labor Day, said Hittmeier, adding that use of the Internet to make reservations is up 12% over last year, a reflection of more business in general and the migration of campers to the Internet.
KOA has 4,000 units in its lodging pool and that business is strong, he said. Lodges make up 13% of the total KOA sites, but the company is aiming to raise that figure to 20% at 50% of its campgrounds. KOA also is looking to increase its first-time visits, which now make up 15% to 19% of its total guests.
ARVC loyalist Ian Steyn, owner of Jellystone Castle Rock Campground, Castle Rock, Colo., noted that his business is up 38% year-over-year, and 2009 was a good year for his business. He discussed an integrated approach to promoting the outdoors with other hospitality businesses in his community seeking to make it the epicenter for outdoor recreation in his state.
Larry Weaver, park model sales manager for CrossRoads RV, Topeka, Ind., briefly outlined the preferred park model program his parent company, Thor Industries Inc., has established with ARVC. Weaver stressed that campground owners should make sure they buy "ruggedized" park models for their rental units and refrain from features such as carpeting that will not hold up well under the rigors of long-term use.
AGS Partners with Top RV, Camping Brand Names
May 26, 2010 by RVBusiness · 1 Comment
Affinity Guest Services (AGS), the industry leader in providing guest services guides to campgrounds and RV parks and resorts, is partnering with three of the most powerful camping brands in the business – the Good Sam Club, Woodall Publications and Trailer Life RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory – to expand its lineup of Internet benefits for customers.
The new partnership will allow campgrounds and RV parks and resorts to display custom AGS site maps as part of the park's online listing on each of the three major brands' websites – www.goodsamclub.com, www.woodalls.com and www.trailerlifedirectory.com, according to a news release. In addition, all three websites will showcase area businesses included in AGS guest services guides. This added benefit is available exclusively to AGS Guide customers, offering them an opportunity to reach millions of potential guests, an advantage that only AGS can offer.
"These three websites draw 4.9 million visitors every year," explained Ann Emerson, vice president and publisher for Affinity Guest Services. "And these visitors are active and affluent RVers who come to our websites looking for places to stay in their RVs, and for things to see and do while in a community. It's a perfect fit to include AGS site maps for our RV parks and campgrounds, as well as information on our guide advertisers, as a valuable benefit for our customers at no additional cost."
RV park and campground owners have depended on AGS for 24 years to create custom guest services guides designed to showcase the unique features of their business, as well as the surrounding area, keeping guests for longer stays and bringing them back year after year.
"AGS continues to provide benefits to our customers that bring real value to their businesses. Our ability to package our printed products with the Internet is crucial in today's environment," continued Emerson.
In addition to guest services guides, AGS offers a complete range of products and services to the campground, RV park and camping resort industry, including Internet services and promotional products. AGS is a part of Affinity Media, a division of Affinity Group Inc. (AGI), the nation's largest provider of outdoor recreation clubs, services, media and events.
For more information, contact Kathleen Ferguson at (800) 245-9666 ext. 266 or email email@example.com.


text:
If Danica Patrick wants a new pair of shoes, she knows where to go.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Last month, Patrick was given a pair of shoes by track owner Bruton Smith during a prerace fan question-and-answer session.
MORE: Stewart injury update | Kurt Busch update | Childers leaving | Junior stressed
It wasn't the first time she has gotten new shoes from the track. In 2010, she was given a pair of shoes after NHS officials had her hold a lobster for a promotion earlier in the year and the look on her face was priceless.
Patrick is so happy with the new shoes that she cracked a joke about boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
"Bruton's given me now two pairs of shoes, which is now one more than Ricky," Patrick quipped Friday. "(Ricky) has got a way more upper hand with the boots. He's got him beat.
"Just heels he doesn't."
The 2010 shoes from New Hampshire were Yves Saint Laurent gold platform shoes. This year, they were Jimmy Choo shoes.
"They're very fancy, very dressy," Patrick said. "I haven't found the right occasion for them. I thought I was going to wear them during the ESPYs, but they didn't match my dress right.
"I'll find a home for them, I promise you that."
Patrick has always had a love for fashion and said earlier this year that she has more than a thousand pair of shoes. So she likes the new shoes.
"Sometimes it's just good to be a good girl," she said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tommy Hill Responds & Disses Oschino & Beanie Sigel! "U Never Been Relevant. Your Lame. U Still Drive That Lil Azz Jag & Beanie Is Broke".. "I Got More Money Than All U State Property Niccas Put Together"
Tommy Hill sends shots to Oschino (formerly of Rocafella). Courtesy of Mahad
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
World Voice Day celebrated in Hawai'i for the first time on April 16University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Tina M Shelton, (808) 692-0897
Director of Communications, Office of Dean of Medicine
Aaron Ziegler, (240) 475-6654
Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences & Disorders JABSOM
Director of Communications, Office of Dean of Medicine
Aaron Ziegler, (240) 475-6654
Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences & Disorders JABSOM
Posted: Mar 22, 2013
Most of us become hoarse or experience losing our voice during severe colds, which are common this time of year. But think for a moment how devastating it could be to lose your voice for good.
"Many people never think about the importance of vocal health unless they or someone close to them has experienced a significant voice disorder, yet the voice is vital in communicating at school, work and in everyday social settings," said Aaron Ziegler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the UH Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).
"The long-term consequences of poor voice care can range from damaged vocal cords and chronic hoarseness to deadly head and neck cancers," said Ziegler, a speech-language pathologist and singing voice specialist whose clinical interests are in voice and swallowing disorders. Voice-related health problems are believed to result in annual health care costs of $2.5 billion.
Some people damage their voice by smoking, shouting, drinking too much alcohol, or through poor speaking technique. When problems occur, if treatment is ignored, more significant problems can develop, Ziegler explained. If problems persist longer than three weeks, or recur more than three times a year, you should have your voice checked by a professional.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2013, gatherings will be held around the world to raise awareness about the importance of your voice and how to protect it. For the first time ever, World Voice Day will include a celebration in Hawai`i. "Hoʻohui ana i nā leo nahenahe: A Hawaiian World Voice Day Celebration" will be held at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa Campus Center and the Orvis Auditorium. All of the events are free.
Afternoon: UH Mānoa Campus Center
1:00 -3:00 p.m. Free voice screenings and vocal health fair
Evening: Orvis Auditorium-UH Mānoa
7:00 p.m -. Blessing
7:15 .-7:30 p.m. - UH music and theater student performances
7:30 p.m. - Hawai`i will participate in a global World Voice Day concert, hosted by prominent voice scientist in Sweden, Dr. Johan Sundberg.
8:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m. - Keynote address by Katherine Verdolini Abbott, PhD, University of Pittsburgh (Title: Science & theology; religion & health)
The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) is also promoting the international health observance day for the human voice, by asking members of the public to assess their voice quality and recognize that harmful speaking techniques, use of tobacco and alcohol, and diet and other lifestyle choices can easily and irrevocably damage the voice.
World Voice Day gives vocal health experts an opportunity to bring renewed awareness about vocal health to the general public and to professionals who have built careers around their voices. The AAO-HNS offers a few simple vocal health tips:
• Never smoke.
• Keep yourself well hydrated. Water is the best.
• Reflux can damage your vocal cords - consider what you eat.
• Don't scream or shout. Use a microphone if you need to project your voice.
• Rest your voice if you have laryngitis.
• Get evaluated by an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat physician) if you have persistent hoarseness for more than three weeks.
Launched in Brazil in 1999, World Voice Day has grown to involve countries around the globe, with resources to help the news media cover issues about the care, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders involving the ears, nose, throat, and related head and neck structures.
For a schedule of the Global Day of Voice 24-hour concerts: http://www.world-voice-day.org/global-choral-concert/global-concerts-around-the-clock/.
For more information, visit: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/csd/uhsh/


text:
Oct 16, 2012
Shortly after leaving an interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN's Elise Labott reported that the Secretary said that "the buck stops" with her and that the President and the Vice President should not be held responsible for the lack of security at the consulate at Benghazi. Labott reported that Clinton was trying to "distance the State Department from the White House" by saying "I take responsibility" for the security levels. Labott went on to say that the Secretary did not feel like the State Department was being "thrown under the bus by the White House" because the State Department is responsible for the security at our overseas facilities. Above is a segment of that interview with Secretary Clinton.
These statements are a striking contrast from President Obama and his advisors' previous statements concerning the responsibility of the office of the President. President Obama, David Axelrod and Rahm Emmanuel all used the same Harry Truman analogy during a weekend in July in which they all stated that "the buck stops with" the President or the leader of an organization. President Obama specifically said, "Well, here's what I know, we were just talking about responsibility and as president of the United States, it's pretty clear to me that I'm responsible for folks who are working in the federal government and you know, Harry Truman said the buck stops with you."
This article was posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 2:34 am


text:
Series 1390
District Court (Fifth District : Iron County) Minute books
Dates: 1896-1988.
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Scope and Content
This series contains the minute books from the Fifth District Court in Iron County, with actions from the criminal, civil, and probate divisions appearing throughout. Minute books contain the documentation of daily proceedings of the court but are not transcripts of court cases. Business matters include court site and officers present, jury selection, judicial appointments, expense claims, as well as entries noting the day's proceedings on various cases. A typical case will span multiple dates and will include an indictment or indication of the filed complaint, procedural issues, presentation of the case, witnesses' names, the verdict, and precise sentencing or settlement.
Chronological by date.
Research Note
More detailed information for the Fifth District Court may be found in case files, transcripts, commitment records, and information and indictment records. Blotters provide the minutes in an abbreviated fashion. Judgment books and civil case decisions record the outcome of cases. Naturalization books show further documentation of naturalizations. For appeals to the district courts the lower court records should be checked, as should the supreme court for appeals from the district courts. Registers of action can be used to identify the specific dates for actions recorded in these minute books.
Custody History
These books were originally transferred to the State Archives from the court in 2007. They were transferred to the regional repository at Southern Utah University in November 2009.
Access Restrictions
This series is primarily classified as Public. The secondary classification is Exempt: UCA 78-30-15 (2008). As of 1 July 1999, adoptions become public after 100 years; until then they are sealed and only obtainable through the court. These books include occasional reference to adoptions..
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Gaps in Series
The whereabouts of book 2 are unknown and it is presumed lost.
Processing Note
This series was archivally processed by Jim Kichas and Emily Gurr in May 2008 as part of a NHPRC grant project designed to preserve the historic records of Utah's Fifth District Courts.
Indexing Terms
- Crime--Utah--Iron County.
- Criminal justice, Administration of--Utah--Iron County.
- Actions and defenses--Utah--Iron County.
Page Last Updated October 18, 2012.


text:
Growers thin chemically and by hand to achieve those goals, but with increasing labor costs they would prefer to do much of the job with chemicals. Unfortunately, chemical thinning is as much an art as a science, but researchers like San Joaquin County Farm Advisor Joe Grant and consultant Mike Devencenzi of Lodi, Calif., have spent countless hours researching chemical thinning strategies, trying to take the mystery out of a practice where so many factors can affect efficacy.
Devencenzi told growers and consultants at the Central California Apple Symposium in Stockton, Calif., recently do not expect to chemically thin in just one pass.
"Take a little bit off and then come back," he said. He and Grant both said carefully evaluate previous hand or chemical thinning before moving to another thinning.
"Work with someone who has experience in chemical thinning," said Devencenzi.
Remove bees or spray only when bees are not foraging, said the consultant.
Heat, said Devencenzi, can increase thinning potential with chemicals, and cool will delay thinning. Optimum thinning temperature range is 70 to 75 degrees. He recommends applying chemical thinning agents early in the morning, just prior to daybreak and before bees are foraging.
If a second thinning application is necessary, Devencenzi suggests treating only the top half to third of the trees in an orchard.
"Consider girdling to help the return bloom next year," he added.
Develop guidelines
Grant and other University of California apple experts have developed guidelines and chemical recommendations for thinning.
--Cool, wet conditions may precondition leaves for greater absorption of thinning agents, leading to increased activity.
--Cool, wet or humid weather prolongs drying, giving great activity. High temperatures following application can cause mild tree stress and increase thinning activity of some chemicals.
--Tree stress from any source (low nitrogen, lack of water, root damage, heavy crop in previous year, shading within canopy) may increase thinning response to applied chemicals.
--Young, excessively vigorous trees are easier to thin than older, moderately vigorous trees.
--Over-thinning may occur when natural post bloom fruit drop is heavy, particularly on Gala and Granny Smith.
--Chemical rates should be adjusted based on bloom density, pollination conditions and fruit set.
--Proper timing, choice of chemical and rate varies dramatically according to variety. Most varieties are thinned at petal fall or shortly after fruit set.
--Sufficient water (150 to 250 gallons per acre) should be used to wet without runoff. Field experience with low-volume application is lacking and is not recommended.
--Remove flowering weeds or cover crops before spraying to avoid damage to bees.
The University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Web site has detailed chemical recommendations for each variety.
Grant recommends "aggressive, but progressive chemical thinning."


text:
I was forwarded a copy of this Cannondale USA official response, the first two parts are excerpts from the warranty info.
Cannondale wrote:FRAMES: (frame, fork structure, swing arm): Cannondale frames (except frames for Freeride, and Dirt Jumping bikes, see below) are warranted by Cycling Sports Group, Inc., 16 Trowbridge Drive, Bethel, CT 06801 against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for the lifetime of the original owner.
Damage resulting from normal wear and tear, including the results of fatigue, is not covered. Fatigue damage is a symptom of the frame being worn out through normal use. It is one kind of normal wear and tear, and it is the owner's responsibility to inspect his/her bicycle. See Section 5. and D.
We consider the case of your frame being part of the normal wear and tear (fatigue). Your frame is therefore not covered under warranty.
The gentleman affected (which is also covered in more detail in this thread on Cannondale Warranty) asks, rightly so, "So what do they cover?". I would like to say that I am surprised at the response by Cannondale, but this is not the first time I have heard this. Selling Cannondales with a Lifetime warranty is misleading if damage as a result of normal use is not covered. A 5 year warranty Realistic and acceptable.
When a buyer purchases a bike with a lifetime guarantee they are highly unlikely to read the terms and conditions or warranty information before purchase - in store a buyer accepts that the frame has a lifetime warranty which is generally understood to include normal usage. To demonstrate the point, Cannondale can state that every breakage is a result of fatigue and normal wear and tear - so the only situation that you could expect (or hope) that it was covered under the lifetime warranty is if it was never riden.


text:
He also went through some sort of weird "fear period" when he would growl/bark at me if I had specific objects in my hand, like the remote for the TV or a fork...
Dogs are very good at reading body language, so if she *thinks* you are intimidated by her growling and it *does* make you go away/leave her alone... you could be *teaching* her to communicate that way more and more.
amalie79 wrote:
The other thing I can say I've noticed is that she doesn't like being pushed around, and will growl or go still if she thinks she's being forced to do something. Sometimes, she doesn't want to be moved from where she is by collar or by picking up her legs. I know that's a bad move
I'm not trying to over-simplify the problem/solution... but some dogs only learn by repetitive conditioning, and there is no quick fix... you know what I mean?
amalie79 wrote:Do you think a light-weight drag line that I can grab if I need to would be sufficient, or would I need to full on tether her to me?
amalie79 wrote:I want her to learn that growling just isn't necessary-- not that it isn't understood.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users


text:
TIME Magazine canonized him with the corny halo of Great American Novelist. He loathes Twitter and Facebook and spits on e-books. Is childless by choice. Waxes passionate about endangered species (songbirds like the Cerulean Warbler). Was devastated by the loss of a beloved friend and fellow writer to suicide. Has strong if owlishly unfashionable opinions on the way we live now. ("It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction"). And was scathing about literary taste-makers who didn't get his work. ("Michiko Kakutani is a national embarrassment.")
TIME Magazine has nominated her to its list of most-influential persons. She finds Twitter distasteful and hasn't watched television in years. Is childless by choice. Waxes passionate about a different endangered species (independent bookstores in Nashville, Tenn.). Was devastated by the loss of her closest friend and fellow writer to a heroin overdose. Has firm opinions on the way we live now, whether it is the sexual revolution ("You can have my birth-control pills when you pry them out of my cold, dead hands") or children playing Angry Birds on iPads ("a terrible idea"). And was scathing about sub-literate suburbanites who didn't get her work. ("If stories about girls who are disfigured by cancer, humiliated by strangers, and turn to sex and drugs to escape from their enormous pain are too disgusting, too pornographic, then I have to tell you, friends, the Holocaust is off-limits. The Russian Revolution, the killing fields of Cambodia, the war in Vietnam, the Crusades.")
Crucially, both are envied purveyors of literary "masstige" – a marketing mash-up of "mass" and "prestige" to tag gourmet but fast-moving consumer goods, or in this case, serious literary novels that are thumping best-sellers. Success – the operatic, breakthrough sort of success that they now command – came late in their writing lives, and, co-incidentally, in the same year, 2001. His first two novels – "The Twenty-Seventh City" and "Strong Motion" – had no foretaste of the electrical blitz that was to be unleashed by "The Corrections." And her first three – "The Patron Saint of Liars," "Taft," and "The Magician's Assistant," and – got only a drizzle of attention compared to the sensational "Bel Canto." "Before Bel Canto," wrote John Updike in the New Yorker, "she had been admired but obscure, a veteran of academic postings and the grant wars."
And – we'll stop now, but this is important – both admire Henry Green, the now forgotten but once acclaimed English novelist referred to as "the writer's writer's writer," whose "Loving," an Irish upstairs/English downstairs story, was featured by TIME on its list of the "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005."
Also – we can't possibly leave this out – for years now, each has had to deal with a quasi-comic albatross. His is called Oprah, hers is called being childless by choice. Being constantly chivvied for not reproducing can be infuriating, but it's a minor irritant compared to "the tsunami of hydrochloric acid" that washed over him for belittling Oprah as low church of literary taste. (Not that TIME, with its arbitrary lists and cover stories is exactly high church, but we'll leave that battle for later). Their respective albatrosses, however, are non-transferable. She has no problem writing for Oprah's magazine, and he, though occasionally asked about not having kids, gets off lightly. He once related how he told his editor at the New Yorker that he was seriously thinking about adopting some Iraqi war orphans. Horrified, the editor, "took two toothpicks from the bar and made the sign of the cross and waved it slowly in front of me as if warding off an evil spirit. And he sensibly pointed out that there are more people in the world who can make good parents than can write good books." Imagine any woman getting away with that.
So is Ann Patchett the female version of Jonathan Franzen?
Despite their delicious points of convergence, the two novelists diverge fundamentally in temperament and writing.
As the unflinching and anxious diarist of the American un-Pastoral, Franzen carefully builds enormous Midwestern family novels around a solidly neurotic moral center. More than any other novelist today, he hears clearly the alarm bells of unease jangling over tree-shaded, stucco-clad Americana. Like Walt Whitman, his pen covers continents of subjects – the environment, the family, America's role in the world, phony liberal pieties, the consumer economy, Capitalism, pharmaceutical skullduggery, social pathology, and love. Like Whitman, he speaks at every hazard.
As someone who is Catholic, believes deeply in the fundamental goodness of the human race and the ties of community, and whose roles models are "childless nuns with their vocations," Patchett explores emotionally complex human relationships with depth, wit, and beauty. Lyrical, and with a profoundly moral core, her novels view the darkling world through the healing optic of optimism. It's not that the battered environment or the fertility-industrial complex or corporate empires are absent from her works. They are there as the background against which intensely challenging power relationships – between captors and captives, teacher and student, father and sons – play out.
If the word 'dysfunctional' crops up in every Franzen review, "redemptive" is the word that Patchett is stuck with. To caricature them, he is Cassandra to her Pollyanna. Quite appropriate, for the assured new owner of the Parnassus bookstore who said, "I may be opening an ice-shop at the dawn of Frigidaire, but that's not going to stop me."
Nina Martyris is a freelance journalist.


text:
Welcome to purchase Ghd Straighteners Black Straightener :
We usually ship out the order to your given address in 1 business days since we confirmed your payment, at the same time, we will email a new invoice to you with the tracking number, you can tracking your order online in 48 hours since you received it .Goods Should be receive within 7 to 12 days.
It may takes us 12 hours to prepare the shipment, once your order has been Delivered Notice: We will do our best efforts to make sure you receive the parcel in time but we are NOT responsible for service transit time. Transit times are provided by the carriers and may vary with package origin and destination, particularly during peak periods. If you do have a deadline for delivery please consult us first and if the parcel does not arrive on time it will not be an excuse to cancel your order.
Please write down your real and correct name and shipping address, including the postal code and your phone number carefully and completely when you ordering online. We will not be responsible for those unsuccessfully delivery caused by the incorrect customer name and shipping address.
Please remember check your email when you finished the payment, we will send the order information to you ,We will inform you about the latest developments in your order, sometimes, we says thanks with our free gifts .so please check your email . Thank you very much !
EMS official site : http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp , Should you have any questions about the shipping method, please free to contact us.
When you received the parcel, please check carefully before you sign your name on the delivery bill, you can refuse to accept it if you think it was damaged or missed something during the delivery, and you must email the details to us, so that we can ask compensate from our courier, and will be send back to our factory automatically .we can consider to ship new parcel or the missed parts to you as well.
If the product itself has the quality question or caused by the manufacturing faults,we would replace/repair the products for our customer unconditionally. You need email us and inform us of the reason,then we will give you the returning address and further instructions. For a variety of reasons, you personally don't like the goods, We do accept returns on all unworn new items within 7 days of receipt of the product. Once the item arrives we will credit your original method of payment, excluding 15% restocking/processing fee and $30 returning fee.The customer is responsible for shipping the item back. Thank you!
We can accept exchanges for a different size or color within 7 days of the original order dispatch date. Please email us your name and your order information, and one of our team members will help you. If you would like to exchange items to a different style, please send us back the items, The customer is responsible for shipping fee (send back & send to you again) , and place a new design or color you prefer. If you would like to refund, we will credit your original method of payment, excluding 15% restocking/processing fee and $30 returning fee. Thank you!
You must contact us to get the shipping address where your parcel can be returned before sending the items back. All items sent back to us must be in their original condition i.e. not worn, altered or washed, with all tags attached.
We do not cover the shipping cost of Return and Exchange, you will be responsible for the return postage and for the shipping and handling cost of shipping the exchanged items back to you. We recommend that you add tracking and insurance when sending items to us for your own protection, as we cannot be responsible for lost shipments. Shipping and handling charges are non-refundable.
Shop a huge range of products. We're sure you'll get your loved.
Comparing with others products site, we promise you can buy the high quality but lowest price product at our site. 110% beneficial guaranteed!
Yes! It's true. No matter where you are, we offer free shipping throughout the entire world without considering the price and distance. We promise our customers that will receive the items promptly and safely.
Yeah, our customers never need to pay extra sales tax if shops on our site.
Whenever before sale, while sale, after sale, Customers satisfication is what we chased.


text:
The Curiosity rover will probably be wielding its drill for the first time on a veined rock on Mars within a couple of weeks, NASA scientists said Tuesday.
Using the drill would be a milestone for the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which has been testing each of the rover's suite of instruments on Martian rocks since landing on the Red Planet on Aug. 5.
"Drilling is in a sense really the most significant engineering thing that we've done since landing," mission project manager Richard Cook said at a briefing at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. "It's really the most difficult aspect of the surface mission, in that we're going to interact with this unknown Mars surface terrain."
The unknown terrain in question lies in an area called Yellowknife Bay, a depression so distinct from the rover's landing site in Gale Crater that "it's like we entered a whole different world," said mission lead scientist John Grotzinger.


text:
Only in Minnesota can you see WNBA defending champions the Minnesota Lynx play home games at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. Come take in a game as the Lynx try to take the championship again in 2014. Minnesota in the summer is teeming with things to see and do. Lynx players and coaches will introduce you to a few of our unique attractions here.
Summer Fun in The Cities
Lynx 2014 Schedule
Keep up on where the Lynx are playing and come see a game at Target Center.
Twin Cities Music Scene
Over the years, Minnesota's music marvels have played a major role in shaping popular music history.
Craft Beverage Boom
Wineries, breweries and now distilleries are enticing visitors with facilities, recipes, events and tastings.
Dining in Minnesota
Our Minnesota dining guide lists and links to hundreds of restaurants,searchable by town, region, and type.


text:
Beyond Appearances
Checklist with Images
Beyond Appearances offers a sampling of contemporary portraiture, bringing together a group of artists whose works explore the individual beyond the exterior visage. Historically portraiture has always conveyed far more than physical features and these portraits touch on many issues - social, historical, political, ontological - with insight and sometimes humor. The exhibition includes a number of works in which the artist is present as a subject, incidentally in some instances, creating self-portraits. These include the work of Charles McGill, Julie Heffernan, Yasamasa Morimura, Chitra Ganesh, Teun Hocks, Tony Oursler, Orlan, Lucia Pizzani, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, and Andrea Dezsö. There is also a van Gogh self-portrait by Devorah Sperber. There are several collaborative works, some by artists who primarily work individually and others known for their work together. This group includes: husbands and wives Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry and Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison; mother and son Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas; and collaborators Rigoberto Torres and John Ahearn. The exhibition offers a broad range of media – painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video, and multimedia installation – and explores portraiture through the work of artists with diverse approaches.
John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres work together as well as individually. Their collaboration began in the Bronx in 1979 while Ahearn was making direct, life-castings from people in the neighborhood at Fashion Moda, a newly founded alternative space in the South Bronx. Torres became a subject, then an assistant and later a collaborator and artist. Often their castings are made in public places lending an element of performance to their process and further connecting their work to the community. In Beyond Appearances, Romulus and Laica, 2006-07, and Edimar, 2008, are figures from a large public art project created for the Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea, a major art collection with a focus on site-specific work located in the state of Minais Gerais in Brazil. There too the artists worked with the local community, capturing scenes from daily life and the celebratory Afro-Catholic religious practices of Moçambique Congada. Edimar, with festive ribbons in his hat, leads a procession of drummers. The figures are part of a gathering at the Brumadinho bus stop. The guard and dog were cast using a member of the center's security team as a model. (The dog was tranquilized for the casting.)
Performance artist and filmmaker Eleanor Antin probes history, drawing parallels to contemporary life. The Golden Death from The Last Days of Pompeii, 2001 is part of a photographic sequence. Created in the style of 19th century salon painting, they recall artists like Lawrence Alma-Tadema and his depictions of the ancient Rome. Antin's photographs were staged in a villa in the affluent town of Rancho Santa Fe, California, in the hills north of La Jolla. The actors are shown as sybarites devoted to luxury and pleasure. Their languorous figures are literally blanketed in coins. They enjoy the good life while on the brink of destruction, oblivious to the rumblings of Vesuvius – perhaps, like Californians living on geologic faults or more broadly, contemporary society at the edge of disaster distracted by unbridled consumption. The work was completed shortly before September 11, 2001.
Notions of beauty and the pressure brought to bear on women is a theme in the work of several artists, all women - Orlan, Dotty Attie, and Alejandra Villasmil. Dotty Attie appropriates imagery from art history and from popular culture. She has often focused on gender politics and the dominance of male representation, reinterpreting and re-contextualizing the works of the masters. In Attie's multi-paneled work Skin Deep, 2007, she deals with the torturous quest for beauty as a woman submits to a vast array of procedures – facials, girdles, exercise machines, hair curling, high heels – in order to be attractive. Attie paints the small canvases using found images from vintage magazine illustrations and photographs and intersperses them with text panels. In the final panel of the work, the woman is dressed and ready for her man who waits in the background. The text, intended to examine and critique the relative nature of social behaviors, reads: "Sometimes a traveler in foreign lands / Where customs and mores are unfamiliar / Will find / Persistence / and perusal / Mean consent.
Conceptual/performance artist Orlan, known for radical physical transformations to her face and body through plastic surgery, thinks of her body as a Duchampian readymade. She has explored the notion of "ideal" beauty by examining the standards of various art historical periods from Leonardo to Boucher and transforming her. Orlan's operations became orchestrated performances with music, poetry and dance that she choreographed. Her surgeries have been exhibited as installations, photographs, and video. The connections between the pain and beauty have also been present as a subtext in her work. Again drawing on the history of art, Refiguration / Self-Hybridization, Pre-Columbian Nº8, 1998, is from a series of digital alterations that merge stone Olmec and Mayan heads with Orlan's own — without surgery. Here her head, presented against an aqua background, is given pink flesh tones and vivid red lipstick.
Notions of ideal beauty and social expectations also play out in Alejandra Villasmil's series entitled Extreme Makeover. Adding drawing and collage, she intervenes and alters "found images" of women from vintage fashion magazines. Villasmil uses pictures from the 40s and 50s, a time when women's roles were well defined and were restricted by mores. She subverts these portraits with political, social and sexual commentary, using strategies connected with Dada and Surrealism– appropriation, "free association" of images, and collage – to explore dialectical tensions: Censorship / Free Speech; Concealment / Disclosure; Fragmentation / Reconstruction; Glamorization / Degradation.
Yasumasa Morimura appropriates well-known images from art history and pop culture. Using his own face and body – along with make-up, costumes, prosthesises, and sometimes, digital manipulation – he restages iconic images – from the Mona Lisa to Frieda Kahlo and Audrey Hepburn to Che. In Ambiguous Beauty/Aimai-no-bi Morimura recreates the familiar Marilyn Monroe pinup (taken by Tom Kelly in 1949) as part of a multiple edition of 5000, created for the Norton Christmas Project in 1995. (Since 1988 computer software entrepreneur and art collector Peter Norton and his family have commissioned artists to create a multiple edition of their work as a holiday greeting to send to friends and colleagues.)
In 1997 Walker created a pop-up book, Freedom: A Fable by Kara Elizabeth Walker, also for the Norton Family Christmas Project, in which an ex-slave dreams of going to Liberia. Kara Walker is known for her cut-paper silhouettes that explore race, power, sexuality, and the violence of the antebellum South. Often life-size, her figures are drawn from American history and the imagination and they are far more animated than the staid 18th century black paper cutouts. No stranger to controversy, Walker's images often include exaggerated features and negative stereotypes that make everyone uncomfortable. Layered cutouts bring to life the two-dimensional silhouettes.
Ain Cocke explores the shifting nature of societal norms, representation, and meaning. He collects photographs and works with them as a stimulus for the images he paints. In a recent series Cocke explores male identity and relationships in the World War I and World War II era and the period's accepted intimacy among men. In Down in the Valley, 2009, two men pose together with their arms entwined signified camaraderie rather than homosexuality. They are set in a lush mountain landscape with pink highlights and purple shadows. Cocke's style has been compared to that of Rococco artists such as Boucher and Fragonard but it also recalls American painters - the sailors Paul Cadmus and the rosy tones of Maxfield Parrish.
Nina Levy's figurative sculptures probe the psychological as well as the physical appearance. Most recently they explore family dynamics. Levy's son Archer, who was almost two years old, served as the model for Large Head, 2005. It was created from the mold originally conceived for Toss, 2005, an installation in which two life-sized, headless parents on trapezes toss the colossal child's head between them. Levy models her sculpture from observation - they do not involve life casting. Large Head was modeled in Styrofoam and plaster rather than clay, and then cast in polyester resin. Disembodied, the child's head demands attention and turns the tables on viewers in the gallery who become the tiny ones.
Bronx-born Whitfield Lovell creates tableaux that depict the domestic lives of African Americans, illuminating a world rarely seen in the history of art. Skillfully drawn, life-sized portraits on old, salvaged wooden planks are combined with found objects. Lovell collects old photographs and thrift shop items – anonymous objects that come with the patina of use and a history of their own. His interest is the life of regular people and focuses on the period of American history from Emancipation Proclamation through the Civil Rights era. Surrounded by a silver tea service and a table with a lace cloth, the couple in Duece seems informally posed, giving an intimate glimpse of a home and a life. A sugar bowl is attached mid-air between the couple. Perhaps they are "sweethearts."
Chitra Ganesh explores a moment in Indian history in The Awakening, 2004. She poses as the legendary warrior queen Lakshmibai, The Rani of Jhansi, a symbol of resistance to British rule, also known as the "Joan of Arc" of India. The rani died in battle at the age of 21 in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Ganesh dramatically enacts the moment of the rani's death in this staged photograph. Her clothing is modeled after 19th century Indo-Persian armor.
Wepa Woman is a Puerto Rican superhero created by Bronx video and performance artist Wanda Ortiz. (Wepa is a Puerto Rican term of affirmation.) The character was developed when Ortiz was 19 and working with an informal, comic artists collective. She realized the Latina voice was missing and . . . Wepa Woman was born along with Chuleta, her nemesis. The latter, whose name means "pork chop" in Spanish, is a character in Ortiz's performances and a source of humor. In our drawing Untitled, Wepa Woman Strikes Backboard series, 2006, Wepa Woman uses her "Key Chain of Justice," a nod to Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, as a grappling hook to scale a building. Full of chochkas — teddy bears, hearts, Narcotics Anonymous medallions — the keychain becomes a mighty tool in the hands of Wepa Woman.
Dulce Pinzon's "The Real Stories of Superheroes," a series of 20 color photographs, features Latino immigrant workers performing the menial and often dangerous tasks that often are invisible to most of us. Dressed in the costumes of popular American and Mexican superheroes, these ordinary men and women are shown in their workplace. A short text provides the worker's name, hometown, and amount of money they send to their families each month, providing a sense of who they are and why they work so hard. In Spiderman is Bernabe Mendez, 2007, the superhero, Mendez, is from the state of Guerrero, Mexico, and works as a professional window cleaner. He sends $500 a month home.
Kerry James Marshall grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, during the turbulent years of the civil rights era, then moved to South Central Los Angeles and was there during the Watts riots and the shootout between the Black Panthers and the police. His work focuses on the African American experience and brings a social and political perspective to his depiction of regular people and their communities. Den Mother, 1996, offers a beatific portrait of an important community leader. Her skin is an exaggerated black like the figures in many of Marshall's paintings. Her hair is closely cropped and a small nose stud catches the light. Surrounded by the jagged rays of a comic book halo, this leader from Troop 47 is presented as a beatific figure and another everyday superhero.
Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison are known for their staged photographs that probe the relationship of humans and nature. Their poetic and sometimes surreal images depict a landscape savaged by technology and nature badly out of balance. In Ashen Head, 2008, like the photographs, Robert is present as an "everyman" with the bronze castings made from his head and hands. His white starched shirt seen in the photographs, is now dirtied and without the jacket. With long arms extended, the hands gently hold the head. The bronze is rubbed with ash, a reference to death, decay, and renewal — "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The ash is a recycled material the artists collect from fueling their home and studio over the long New England winters.
Dutch painter Tuen Hocks creates large-scale allegorical portraits that explore life's existential dilemmas. He is also present in the work as the protagonist, an "everyman," who bumps up against situations that are both absurd and familiar. Hock constructs large stage-like sets in his studio then photographs the work in black and white. He then paints directly on the print. In Untitled (road that stops), 2004, a lone figure has reached the "end of the road" – a path in the shape of a large question mark. He contemplates a pile of smoldering debris that includes an artist's pallet among other things.
Phong Bui, artist, writer, and curator, is also the editor and publisher of the monthly journal The Brooklyn Rail, which offers critical perspectives on arts, politics, and culture in New York City. His drawings accompany interviews of artists and critics. In this exhibition we have a selection of drawings that have been translated into photoetchings. The subjects, developed from photographs made for interviews, are warm and expressive. The portraits include Matvey Levenstein, Nathalie Provosty, Roberta Smith, Stanley Whitney, Cordy Ryman, Alfredo Jaar, Lisa Yuskavage, Pipilotti Rist, Terry Winters, and Robert Lawlor.
Known for his disembodied video heads that are projected onto three-dimensional objects like pillows and dolls, Tony Oursler's work has always explored the human psyche in ways that are at once very familiar, yet surreal and a little bit creepy. In this exhibition a large aluminum work shaped like an amorphous splat, combines sculpture, painting, video, and performance. Developed as an extension of his drawings and collages, the face is fragmented and painted green to match the aluminum surface. The red-rimmed eyes and mouth move in vivid contrast to the green skin tones. A mouth whispers softly and draws the viewer in closer.
With a background in fiber arts, dance, and haute couture, Nick Cave is probably best known for his Soundsuits, sculptural wearables created from found materials such as fabrics, beads, old bottle caps, sticks, and twigs, that makes sounds when worn. The images visually connect to a number of sources - African ceremonial costumes, Mardi Gras costumes, folk art, and flea market finds. Untitled, 2009, is from a recent series of sculptures incorporating lawn jockeys, a bit of Americana intended to be somewhere between kitschy and offensive. The white-faced figure hoists above him a well-worn homemade rug with concentric bands of color, like a garage sale mandala.
Julie Heffernan's sumptuous allegorical paintings, often set in grand ballrooms or extravagant courts, exist in a world of fantasy, somewhere between the Baroque and the Rococo. In Self Portrait as Wild Hair, 2007-08, the artist is spotlighted in the foreground before a seated monarch whose looming figure fades into the shadows. She is nude, clothed only in her extravagant hairdo. White mice nest in her tresses. The room is filled with birds – hawks, doves, and a vulture with a snake in its mouth.
Hank Willis Thomas skillfully manipulates the symbols and images of pop culture and advertising to explore race, power, and stereotypes. In It Didn't Jest Grow by Itse'f, 1984/2008, two found photographs — one of a woman picking cotton and other, a woman harvesting tea leaves — he uses humor as a gentle reminder that there is often unacknowledged labor involved with the things we use everyday. Smiling as they work, the two women are also reminders of slavery and colonialism.
Charles McGill's Arthur Negro is a fictitious character whose background includes a radical past and a present life golfing in suburban country clubs. McGill's hyper-realistic sculpture Arthur Negro II, 2006-09, is created from a cast of the artist's body. Stylishly dressed in golfing attire, the sculpture is filled with specific references to Arthur's activist days. He is posed with golf bag and clubs, one of which is adorned with dreadlocks. The golf bag offers a collaged overview of social and political history, among them images of Rosa Parks, Redd Foxx, Snoop Dogg, Condi Rice, Frederick Douglass, the Black Panthers, and O. J. The pedestal is a city street with manhole cover (cast on the street in New Rochelle) and its border too is layered with historical references – from Malcolm X to the Funkadelics. McGill approaches the complexities of identity and the expectations of stereotypical consistency with humor. (Another work in this series was commissioned by the Bridge Country Club and can be seen in The Bridge Pro-Shop, Bridgehampton, NY.)
Photographer and photographic historian Deborah Willis uses the camera to explore narratives about family life, often adding text with the image to flesh out meaning. After Madonna, 2008, is part of a series created as a collaboration with Hank Willis Thomas (her son and also in this exhibition with another work). The image is of a friend and colleague, art historian Cheryl Finley who teaches at Cornell. Finley is shown with her four-month-old daughter Noura in a powerful image that resonates with centuries of Western art. The figure is at once traditional in its frontal pose yet contemporary in her direct gaze at the viewer.
The collaborative team of Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry uses a wide range of media to explore social justice, race, and communities. In this exhibition a grouping of mug shots from The Evidence of Things Not Seen Mug Shots, is based on the arrest photographs from the first wave of the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus boycotts. The individual mug shots are painted in oil on linen with an overlaid photographic image of toner on silk. The arrest number is only present on the silk layer. The double layers make a ghostly portrait that seems to shift as the viewer passes. The somber faces, framed like formal portraits, pay tribute to the individuals arrested in the early days of the civil rights movement.
The photographs of Andres Serrano have often been the center of controversy – from religious sculptures photographed in urine to cadavers in the morgue, and portraits of Klansmen. In the late 1980's Serrano began to photograph the homeless. In 1987, he worked near by at the Sharing Community in downtown Yonkers where he photographed clients as well as staff. Untitled, 1987, is study from this series. With the figure isolated against a black background, the skin tones starkly contrast in this color-saturated Cibachrome. The pose and lighting suggest an Old Testament prophet. (Those photographed received a print as a thank you for posing.)
Devorah Sperber's After van Gogh (Self Portrait), 2008, seems to be beautiful abstract patterns until viewed through the optical ball that accompanies the work. The ball renders an inverted pointillist-like image created from 408 spools of thread, into a tiny upright and coherent portrait of van Gogh. There is an "aha" moment when it all comes together. In this series Sperber revisits well-known portraits from the history of art and figures from popular culture. The work combines an unusual approach to materials with sophisticated optics.
Daniel Rosin captures the viewer's portrait in his interactive Peg Mirror. It is a digital work designed with a camera, a computer, and 650 wooden pixel-like pegs, each with its own motor. The non-reflective pegs swivel and cast shadows capturing both still and moving images. Silhouette-like images result when standing at a distance from the work and an articulated pattern of darks and lights reveal a more detailed view of the face when the viewer is closer. Like Devorah Sperber's pixilated image, Rozin's depends on the human perception to make sense of the image. As the work responds to the movements of the viewer, there is a soft clatter, like a gentle rain.
Meticulously detailed from his inquisitive stance to his rumpled jeans, the small almost 8" figure of Gian by Karin Sander is created without the artist's direct intervention. Her subjects choose their clothing and their pose, further removing the artist from the process. Gian 1:5, 2008, is a machine-produced replica of a boy captured in a particular moment in time. In this series, Sander uses three dimensional laser cameras to scan the entire surface of the subject's body. The scans takes approximately 20 seconds and over the course of thirty to forty hours, the figure is built in thin layers by an extruder that digitally reads the scan.
Dawn Black, a New Orleans native, explores masks, costumes, and disguises in a series of small drawings from The Conceal Project. She finds most of her images on the Internet. They seem as familiar as a story on the evening news or a spread in a National Geographic. Black works on beige-toned paper that makes the white gouache pop out in contrast. Her delicate, detailed figures are an incongruous group of characters including a hooded Abu Ghraib captive, a plump ballerina, and a child in a Halloween skeleton costume.
With small mirrors and colored frames, Lucia Pizzani studies the body using photography — not in its entirety but as fragmented parts. Usually shown in groups of photographs, the individual works become part of a larger composition and probe the notion of a post-modern body: hidden, incomplete, and divided. In Untitled, 2007, the body becomes a formalist abstraction composed of bright colors and muted skin tones with its segmented forms defined by negative spaces.
Eugene Brodsky's imagery has a simplicity that belies his process. The line drawings remind you of something you've seen before but can't quite place - the graphic sense of a cartoon or a splash of graffiti or a weathered billboard with earlier posting showing through. Brodsky works with a transfer process; editing and altering; pushing the image into printmaking, video, digital manipulations, or painting; and back again. Each step of the transformation removes the image further from its source. In this exhibition a simple line drawing of a girl is collaged from torn pieces that have been reassembled with her features almost imperceptibly misaligned. She nonetheless seems balanced and composed.
Romanian-born New York-based artist Andrea Dezsö's visual content is drawn from her life—childhood in Romania, family relationships, immigration to Hungary and then to America, life in New York—as well as a rich imagination populated with fantastic creatures and aliens. In this exhibition all three of her Kaleidoscopic Drawings, 2004, include self-portraits. A somewhat more conventional portrait is in the center and is flanked by "Taking a bath with my sister," based on a childhood memory, and the humorous "Self portrait with favorite foods."
Portraiture with is its expansive history is always evolving through the new work of artists who rethink and interpret what exists. In this exhibition – each approaches the subject with different presuppositions, exploring history, the media, or their own interior and allows the viewer insight into a time, a place and a persona.
Susan Hoeltzel


text:
UC Davis School of Medicine alumni honored for service, humanitarian efforts and leadership
Posted on Sept. 19, 2012
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the founding of the UC Davis School of Medicine, the school's Alumni Association honored three of its distinguished graduates on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. Among the honorees was Ernie Bodai, the Sacramento-area physician who led a remarkable lobbying effort to persuade Congress and the U.S. Postal Service to issue the renowned Breast Cancer Research Stamp.
"It is a privilege to honor three people who embody and promote the values of the UC Davis School of Medicine," said Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis. "This year's awardees are good physicians who have excelled in our profession. Each of them truly represents our school's dedication to improving lives and transforming health care for all."
John P. Iguidbashian
John P. Iguidbashian received the school's Distinguished Alumnus Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to society and distinguishing himself through outstanding achievements in medicine.
After a general surgery internship and residency at UC San Diego, Iguidbashian made his mark at UC Davis in 1994 as the School of Medicine's first Thoracic Surgery Fellowship graduate. Today, with an impressive surgical career of nearly 20 years, Iguidbashian directs congenital heart surgery at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Ore. He is the hospital's only children's heart surgeon, where he is well known for taking care of the smallest patients with some of the biggest surgical challenges.
Iguidbashian's extraordinary achievements include performing urgent heart surgery on a conjoined twin shortly after surgical separation, a lifesaving operation on a young girl who had 14 surgeries before the age of 2 for congenital heart defects and repairing a rare heart condition that caused a 17-year-old football player to suffer cardiac arrest during a game. He also has demonstrated the empathy and altruism of the medical profession by taking part in volunteer medical missions to the Dominican Republic through the International Children's Heart Foundation.
D. Dawn Motyka
D. Dawn Motyka received the Humanitarian Award for her outstanding contributions to the community through a deep commitment to public service.
Motyka is a 1987 School of Medicine graduate. In addition to her clinical practice at the Scotts Valley Medical Clinic in Santa Cruz, Motyka has been a radio voice for medicine and health education along the Central Coast of California for nearly 20 years. Her current radio program, "Dr. Dawn," helps people navigate the nation's often challenging health-care system. She assists listeners in understanding a vast amount information about health conditions, treatment options and disease prevention. Motyka is well known for answering questions that patients sometimes hesitate to ask their own physicians.
Her radio program is distributed as a podcast over National Public Radio each week, generating an international audience of listeners who call into her show and send a constant stream of e-mails and letters. Motyka, who receives no financial compensation for her radio program, also provides free medical consultations to low-income members of the Western Service Workers Association, which represents field laborers, child-care providers, housekeepers, landscapers and construction workers.
Balazs "Ernie" Bodai
Balazs "Ernie" Bodai was honored with the School of Medicine's Transformational Leadership Award for achievements and contributions that have enhanced the medical profession, improved the public welfare, provided for personal distinction and brought honor to the university.
Bodai's ability to overcome challenges began very early in life when he fled Hungary at age 6 with his parents and two brothers after the Soviet takeover during the Hungarian revolution in 1957. The family arrived in the U.S. penniless and unable to speak English. Twenty years later, in 1977, Bodai graduated from the School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship, residency and fellowship.
As a physician who became frustrated with the slow pace of funding for cancer research, Bodai is credited with lobbying Congress to have the U.S. Postal Service issue a Breast Cancer Research Stamp. The stamp was the first in the nation's history to sell at more than its face value. Today, nearly a billion special stamps have been sold, providing more than $73 million in breast cancer research funding.
Bodai, who has served as a clinical professor of surgery at UC Davis Medical Center and as chief of general surgery for Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, now directs Kaiser's Breast Health Center in Sacramento. He has authored more 250 medical articles, published five books, holds 13 medical-device patents, serves on medical advisory boards of numerous biomedical companies and has received many awards, including the UC Davis School of Medicine Humanitarian Award in 1999.


text:
By Jack Gallagher
TOKYO, Japan -- "The nail that stands out gets pounded down."
This an old Japanese proverb that signifies what happens when a person tries to be different from the group and doesn't go along with the program.
When Shohei Otani -- the much-heralded right-hander from Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture -- announced Sunday that he had reversed his decision to bypass Nippon Professional Baseball for the majors, signing instead with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, one could not help but think that history was repeating itself.
The 18-year-old Otani, who stands 6-4 and possesses a 100-mph fastball, informed Japanese clubs back in October that he did not want to be drafted and would not sign with a club if he was. In NPB's amateur draft more than one of the 12 clubs can select a player in the first round. If this occurs there is a lottery to see which team gets the rights.
Only the Fighters, based in Sapporo, ignored Otani's wishes and chose him with their first-round selection. The move was certain to exert intense pressure on Otani, and that's exactly what it did.
A dozen MLB teams had scouted Otani, with the most ardent pursuers said to have been the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. Sources said the Dodgers appeared to be the most eager of the group. Otani would have been banned from playing in the NPB for three years if he had signed with an MLB club.
"I think I will start in the minor leagues, but I want to challenge in the majors," said Otani initially. "It has been my dream since entering high school. I felt that I wanted to go (to the majors) while I was still young. I have admiration for Japanese pro baseball too, but more so for the major leagues."
Just two months later he was singing a decidedly different tune when he met with reporters on Sunday alongside Nippon Ham manager Hideki Kuriyama.
"I thought that it would be better to get my career [in the majors] off the ground quickly so I would be active for a long time," he said. "But my feelings changed gradually, and ultimately I made the decision [to stay] after discussions with my family."
According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper, the Fighters prepared a 25-page dossier for Otani detailing the difficulties facing young athletes going abroad. This document was said to be pivotal in dissuading the youngster.
"There were things I didn't know," Otani said. "The material made me change my perception."
It's hardly a surprise that giving Otani a file full of negative details and anecdotes had a profound impact. This, along with using Otani's parents -- who clearly wanted him to stay in Japan -- as a wedge, put the star on the defensive. Suddenly his great ambition had been questioned and now he had to find reasons to justify it. One can only wonder whether, if Otani had instead been given a file full of the positive experiences of the nearly 25,000 Japanese studying at U.S. universities, his outlook might have been different.
With nobody pushing back from the other side of the Pacific, the battle for Otani's talents became a one-sided affair. Nippon Ham met with him several times and, in predictable fashion, he caved in to their advances. Otani agreed to a ¥100 million ($1.2 million) signing bonus and ¥50 million ($600,000) in incentives. His first-year salary will be ¥15 million ($180,000). Nippon Ham also offered Otani -- who has not yet played one game in the pros -- the No. 11 uniform worn by Texas Rangers hurler Yu Darvish when he starred for the team.
Though he certainly could have made more money at the outset by signing with an MLB club, Otani chose to stay home for less. The Fighters reprised a ploy executed by the Seibu Lions with another pitcher at Otani's high school three years ago. Southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, who stated his desire to play in the majors in 2009, was courted by approximately 20 MLB and NPB teams. Kikuchi ultimately caved into the cultural pressure exerted by those close to him and joined Seibu.
Best-selling author Robert Whiting, author of the classic "You Gotta Have Wa" and "The Meaning of Ichiro," feels Nippon Ham played its cards just right with Otani.
"I think the Fighters skillfully pointed out the advantages to him staying in Japan and made him some kind of promise to let him go MLB via posting after 5 or 6 years or so," he said. "I think they handled it quite well. If I was Otani, I would have done the same thing."
Though many feel Otani did make the right decision by trying to start out in the Japanese system before going to the majors, there is no guarantee that he will ever get the chance. Numerous young players have had their arms ruined by a system that often sees pitchers tossing as many as 200 pitches a day during training camp.
Some cite Daisuke Matsuzaka's struggles Stateside as a prime example of a pitcher who had much more mileage on his arm than his age would have indicated when he arrived in the majors.
"I do think Otani's choice is best," said Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player to appear in the majors when he pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964-65, and now a baseball analyst for NHK television. "He would have been going up against a lot of young players from the Dominican and South America in the minors in the States, which would not have been easy.
"He will receive more instruction at this age in Japan than he would have in the States," Murakami stated. "I don't think there is much coaching and teaching in the minors these days. If a kid has talent he will stand out."
What's most interesting is how Nippon Ham is being portrayed as almost benevolent in their concern for Otani by the Japanese media. The only problem with that viewpoint is they stand to take make a fair sum of a cash if Otani eventually does go to the majors, just like they did when Darvish made the jump last year and garnered a $51.7 million posting fee.
Which raises other issues.
Was there a quid pro quo to Otani joining the Fighters? Like a promise to post him after a certain number of years? Or an illegal payment to the family, as has been alleged in several instances in the past involving NPB clubs?
Was this entire incident just a shell game to dissuade other NPB teams from drafting Otani so he would only be selected by the Fighters?
There is a precedent for this type of maneuver. Back in the 1980s, star PL Gakkuen pitcher Masumi Kuwata told NPB clubs he was going to attend Waseda University in Tokyo and not to waste a draft pick on him.
Sure enough, all the teams passed on him except one -- the Yomiuri Giants. The other clubs cried foul, but there was nothing they could do, and Kuwata went on to join and have a long and successful career with the Giants.
When the identical situation occurred with Otani, it didn't sit well with some of those influential in the game.
"There were a lot of backroom discussions," Rakuten Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino told Nikkan Sports on Monday. "If you are going to have such things going on, it could ruin the draft."
One NPB general manager, who requested anonymity, traced the problem in the Otani case to the setup between the NPB and the amateur ranks.
"NPB clubs are prohibited from contacting amateur players until they submit a document stating their intentions to turn pro," he said. "This usually happens in September. So we have only a month and a half to talk with the prospects before the draft. This is a real problem."
The GM says this is how Otani began dreaming of playing in the majors straight out of high school.
"My understanding is that MLB scouts have been talking to Otani since he was in junior high," he said. "He was essentially brainwashed by these guys into thinking it would be an easy path to the majors. He didn't have enough information to be able to compare the NPB with the MLB."
With MLB clubs having invested considerable time and resources in courting Otani, does the GM think the pitcher has hurt his chances of playing in the majors with his reversal?
"I don't think that is going to happen," the GM said. "If he is good enough he will get an MLB contract and good money."
NPB Commissioner Ryozo Kato, a former Japanese Ambassador to the U.S., said back in October that he didn't think Otani should be ostracized for wanting to be different.
"I think we should respect his (Otani's) decision," Kato commented. "If there is a proposal I think it will be debated, but basically I believe it is important that Japanese baseball becomes more attractive to players. Looking ahead at the future, I think all of the 12 teams must think about ways of making it more attractive."
The reality is that nothing has been done in the ensuing two months to make the game here more attractive. The Fighters simply utilized an old strategy and broke Otani's will with questionable data and intense pressure.
They pounded the nail down.
* * *
Gallagher is the executive sports editor of The Japan Times in Tokyo. He has been a sports journalist in Japan for 18 years and has been honored for his writing both domestically and internationally. He was previously an executive in public relations for the NBA and NFL Europe.


text:
Netflix Exec Claims That Delaying Movie Rentals For A Month Benefits Customers
from the assuming-you-didn't-want-to-see-that-movie-when-it-was-released dept
The most practical reason is that the savings derived from this deal enable us to be in stock completely on day 29. Remember that we're a subscription service and the way that you manage the economics of a subscription service is to manage the demand of any disc, depending on the economics of the disc. In the case of the most expensive disc, which in this case is a Warner Bros. disc, purchased through a 3rd party, those discs were out of stock for far longer than 29 days for most Netflix subscribers.I'm still trying to parse this, but it really does sound like he's saying that Netflix couldn't handle the demand for new releases before, so by getting rid of them entirely, it may be able to handle them on the 29th day, since fewer people will care about renting that movie then. Now, you could claim that's a better customer experience if you ignore the 28 days in which no one on Netflix can rent the movie (though they can get it elsewhere). But if you realize that you're now taking away the ability to serve all of your customers for nearly a month at the point when their demand is likely to be the highest... well, that doesn't seem very customer friendly at all.
So what were able to is create a deal with them that gave them a little open running room in terms of creating a sell-through window ahead of rental, for us, and hopefully that they'll find enough value in that it'll extend to other retailers and other studios will take note and it'll extend across other studios as well. The net savings derived from technically creating a better customer experience have been redeployed in additional streaming content for all customers.


text:
Hello: Henry Poggi
Alabama bangs, Michigan commit.
Michigan's next commitment has been the subject of much speculation since Maurice Hurst Jr. pledged to the Wolverines on Saturday and proclaimed he'd be joined by another imminently. Now the guessing game is over, as Baltimore (MD) Gilman DT Henry Poggi has announced his choice to become the 20th commit in Brady Hoke's class of 2013, via GBW's Sam Webb. The consensus four-star is Michigan's second defensive tackle in the class, joining Hurst and defensive end Taco Charlton on the D-line.
|24/7 Sports
#135 Ovr
#52 Ovr
#105 Ovr
Poggi is univerally regarded as a four-star, and only ESPN doesn't consider him one of the top 150 recruits in the country. Rivals is the most bullish, putting him all the way up at #52 overall. All save ESPN list Poggi at 6'4" and between 260 and 270 pounds; ESPN is a serious outlier at 6'3", 245.
Football runs in the family for the Poggis; Henry's father, Biff, is his coach at Gilman, while his older brothers Sam (Duke) and Jim (Iowa) each earned BCS football scholarships. His father, for what it's worth, says Henry is the best player in the family.
ESPN's evaluation isn't particularly glowing, largely due to concerns about Poggi's size and potential status as a tweener ($):
As a D-Lineman he flashes a good initial burst, but is inconsistent and can be a beat slow at times. He does need to watch his pad level, but displays the ability to fire off the ball low and gain leverage. He is a hard nose player who can make good contact and be tough at the point of attack. He is active with his hands, but needs to do a better job of consistently separating from blockers. He is a coach's son and comes across as a fairly smart player who reads schemes well and can get himself in good positions. He is a physical and high effort player who works to get around the ball. He is a good tackler who tries to drive through the ball carrier and wrap-up. He does display some rigidness and could struggle in space to quickly re-direct and wrap ball carriers up. As a pass rusher he comes up-field hard. Will try and attack half-a-man and displays the ability to be violent with his hands. ... While Poggi looks to carry his weight well, he may be somewhat limited in the good size he can add making him an undersized D-Tackle or more of a swing player if he stays on defense at the next level.
Poggi will likely come to campus as a three-tech DT, but there's also a chance he ends up at five-tech DE if he can't add the necessary bulk to play on the interior. The criticisms about his technique shouldn't be of great concern; remember, he's a junior in high school and Michigan has three defensive line coaches to work out any kinks at the next level.
Rivals—unsurprisingly, given his comparative rankings—was much more positive in their evaluations of Poggi than ESPN; here's MDHigh.com's Wayne Yarborough after scouting a Gilman game last October ($):
At 6-4, 255, Poggi has a great frame; he's a tall, thick defender with a wide base, stout legs and broad shoulders. He plays with a low pad level, which makes him difficult to move off the ball. He also has tremendous upper- and lower-body strength, allowing him to collapse the pocket and toss offensive linemen around like a dog with a chew toy. Indeed, Poggi can be a bully up front; he likes to scrap inside and goes at it like he has a massive chip on his shoulder. What's more, Poggi is very nimble for a big man. He showed surprising quickness and closing speed on stretch runs and a relentless rush on passing plays.
Gilman assistant coach Hank Russell echoed the praise for Poggi's strength, pad level, and motor in a March article on MDHigh.com ($):
Henry (6-3, 250) is a big, country-strong lineman who moves extremely well for his size. He has quick, heavy hands and gets off blocks exceptionally well. He is very powerful at the point of attack and can [overwhelm opponents]. Then Henry has a non-stop motor; he just will not stop coming at you. [Fundamentally], he plays with a low base and consistently keeps his pads low. He has great lower-body strength, which makes him very difficult to move off the ball. He's just a tough kid to block; he can [occupy] multiple blockers and break through double-teams.
Russell also told Scout's Kristen Kenney($) that Poggi "plays with incredible passion and has a non-stop motor." In short, Poggi may not have ideal size for a tackle, but he has great strength and pad level, relentless energy, and very solid athleticism for a lineman.
Poggi chose Michigan over Alabama and also held offers from the likes of Auburn, Cal, Florida, Iowa, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Mizzou, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and others. Needless to say, he's got a strong list of suitors.
Poggi recorded 49 tackles, 11 TFL, ten sacks, and a forced fumble as a junior in 2011.
247 lists a 4.70 40 time for Poggi, which merits a three FAKEs out of five.
Junior highlights:
You can see some additional highlights in this video feature on Poggi in which he also answers a few questions. His dream prom date will be met with approval around these parts, I'm sure.
Here's where I get lazy and slightly modify what I said about Hurst on Saturday:
If he ends up at three-tech,
HurstPoggi should get a redshirt year since Michigan brought in Willie Henry, Matt Godin, and potentially Chris Wormley at the position in the 2012 class. After that redshirt year, he'll be in position for fight for time against those three and a senior Kenny Wilkins; given that he's got a higher recruiting profile than all the '12 recruits save Wormley, he's got a good shot at contributing as a redshirt freshman.
Hey, that worked. Poggi could also end up at strongside DE, where he'd be competing against Wormley, Tom Strobel, and Keith Heitzman for time. Neither position that Poggi projects to play has much at all in the way of upperclassmen, so he's got a good shot to make a relatively early impact regardless of where he ends up. That said, a redshirt year will likely be a necessity to allow him to add some good weight.
If Poggi comes in at the three-tech, I assume the coaches will see how Hurst holds up at the nose unless Michigan takes another lineman who better fits there.
The Wolverines now have three or four spots remaining, in all likelihood. One of those is reserved for IL WR Laquon Treadwell, while it's becoming clear the coaches would like another defensive back in the class—MD CB Kendall Fuller and FL CB Leon McQuay III are the top targets, while AZ CB Cole Luke and NJ CB Nadir Barnwell are also possibilities. Michigan also is in the market for another running back—or at least an elite-level back—with the coaches pursuing VA RB Derrick Green and TN RB Jordan Wilkins.
I'd expect the class to be filled out with a receiver, running back, and cornerback, with the coaches taking a best player available type or possibly a strongside DE if there's another open spot. The options should narrow down considerably with so little room left in the class, a process we've already seen in motion along the offensive line and at linebacker.


text:
Dana Delany is a Actress from United States. She was born in New York, NY on March 13, 1956. She is listed on FreeOnes since 2001 and is currently ranked 11392th place. She currently has 7 gallery links in her own FreeOnes section.
Our records show that Dana Delany is currently active which means she is still making movies, doing live shows and/or doing photo shoots.
Currently we have only a few links of Dana Delany. You can help us out by submitting more photos and videos links to Dana Delany galleries.
To submit new links please click here
No need to register!