text:
Whisky glass 'for women' condemned as sexist
A whisky glass designed to fit in a woman's hand is being launched next month.
In which we move the 'transparency' debate forward.
For those coming late to the saga, please read this, this and this first.
Before we start, a quick clarification. This issue has never been about castigating the SWA, which does a sterling and complex job. It was abiding by the rules which it drew up, having been instructed to do so by its members, who in turn approved them.
It's easy to apportion blame in incidents like this. In fact, in this case no-one is to blame. A situation has arisen which was unforeseen a few years back. The question now is: how should it be addressed?
Neither was the writing of an open letter an attempt to cajole firms into taking a position. It was to try to ascertain what the feeling in the whisky distilling community was on the issue. It was asking whether the law as it stands is overly restrictive and, if it is, whether it can be altered to permit a greater degree of openness.
Nor, incidentally, should we be dragged down blind alleys to debate the business practices of various firms involved in the wider discussion. Quite how that has become part of the issue smacks of some of the darker elements of spin doctor's art, though somewhat crudely applied.
And so to the responses. No-one who replied said transparency was a bad idea, so there's a positive. Some said openly that the current legislation should be looked at to see if there was the possibility of an option to disclose.
Others replied saying that they were following the SWA's opinion. That's ok as well, because the SWA's 'line' on this is (and I paraphrase): 'As the law stands, this level of disclosure is not allowed, but if our members instruct us to look at whether we can change the law to permit it, then we will.'
I'll also take this 'we are happy with the SWA's opinion' response in a positive fashion as it opens the door to the possibility of there being a debate.
Perhaps some firms want partial transparency along the lines of: here are the principles behind our NAS whiskies, but we can't tell you precise details. No problem with that being part of the debate.
Some firms might like to go further, but no-one is suggesting that transparency should be mandatory. That would be impossible as the recipe for most blends, for example, cannot be revealed because a) that recipe is confidential/commercially sensitive; and b) it will change in order to achieve consistency.
As soon as it becomes compulsory to declare openly the percentages of each whisky used, then the recipe is fixed and any deviation from it would mean that blender has effectively broken the law. Quite rightly, no-one would vote for that.
In fact, the question we are still posing is: should there be an option to be able to disclose in some way – perhaps through publicity material rather than on the label – what the constituent parts of a whisky are?
This is a complex issue and, while it would be ideal for the debate to be conducted in a public forum, I can see how the discussions over some of the minutiae would best take place in what used to be smoke-filled rooms.
Should there be a willingness to debate it fully – or partially – in public, we would be happy to moderate or provide a platform for all sides of the argument to be explored.
It is, of course, entirely possible that some discussions on this are already under way. We don't know. The nature of smoke-filled rooms is that they are opaque. An indication of whether the process is happening might be useful, however.
Not alone: Compass Box is by no means the only distiller to be open about its whiskies
Insights from the manner in which the Scotch Whisky Regulations have been reviewed in the past – and an understanding of how the same process operates in Cognac – lead me to believe that it would be surprising if there weren't already regular discussions on fine-tuning the laws. In other words, I'd like to think there is a willingness to examine this issue.
What has been lost in all of this is why so many firms (not, remember, just one) were open about the contents of some of their whiskies. Education. Specifically, education about NAS whiskies.
I still maintain that transparency can be an important aid in explaining what the principles are behind NAS whiskies, whose emergence has become an increasingly toxic topic. Saying: 'Look, folks, this is what we do and this is why we do it' would surely help to lance that particular boil.
Unless Scotch finds a way of addressing the issues surrounding NAS, it will continue to lose credibility. Is transparency the solution? I don't know, but maybe we should be talking openly about whether it could be part of one.
It is naive to think that the castigation of NAS will go away. The two issues are linked. Let's talk.
On a book promo trip to the US recently I, amazingly, had some free time in Washington DC, so my wonderful minder Liz recommended we head to the Freer Museum to see Whistler's Peacock Room.
Charles Freer, for those of you who don't already know, was an American who made his fortune building railway cars (or, I suspect, getting other people to do so) and who then invested heavily in Asian art, eventually donating his collection to the nation and building a museum in which it could be housed. A good guy.
The Peacock Room is the museum's big draw. It was commissioned in 1876 by the Liverpool shipping magnate Frederick Leyland as a dining room in which he could display his collection of blue-and-white Chinese porcelain.
Leyland, who had already commissioned Whistler to paint portraits of his family, hired the artist to decorate the room – and then went away on business. Fatal mistake.
In his patron's absence, Whistler created an opulent chamber in blue, green and gold. It's gilded, the ceiling is made of oxidised brass, every surface is patterned, the shutters carry pictures of golden peacocks.
The artist then presented Leyland with a bill for 2,000 guineas (about £50,000 in today's money). Leyland baulked at the sum, paid £1,000 and bankrupted Whistler.
Before the bankruptcy hearing, Whistler finished the room with a painting of two peacocks: one aggressive, the other wounded. Silver coins litter the ground. He called it Art and Money. The Story of the Room.
In 1904, Freer, another of Whistler's patrons, bought the room, and installed it in his home in Detroit to display his collection of ceramics, which is what we see in the museum today.
Opulent: Whistler's Peacock Room (Photo: Freer Gallery of Art)
It's wider-ranging than Leyland's, more subtle and thoughtfully assembled. It's a proper collection, juxtaposing large and small, humble and grand – the pieces chosen not just for beauty, but for the tone of their glaze, their flaws.
The room makes more sense with the Freer ceramics. Freer got Whistler, he got Asian art. Leyland, you feel, didn't. He acquired and displayed.
The room is extraordinary – a remarkable achievement – but eventually becomes claustrophobic, so I headed to an exhibit of artworks by the 17th-century Chinese artist Bada Shanren – prince, Zen monk, artist and, some say, madman. My kind of guy.
The pieces were simple, almost abstract, filled with allusion, their often huge blank spaces as important as what was filled in.
I mused, as one should in a museum, about how little has changed. Rich collectors are still asking the same of artists – except it's now 'give me something to go with the sofa'.
Names are more important than quality, the pieces no more than eye candy. Whistler's analogy of the peacocks still holds true.
The Peacock Room had seemed strangely familiar. Now I knew why – it was like a bar with the ceramics as bottles. Leyland's collection was the type of bar where all the bottles are behind glass, Freer's chosen because of the pleasure they gave.
Woe betide us if whisky ever gets into the situation where it is only the rich who can commission bottles and the producers (the artisans) oblige. Could it happen? It already is.
I then thought of how I still preferred the space of the paintings, the room to breathe, contemplate and enjoy, away from the clutter, noise and the sounds of peacocks squabbling.
That holds true for whisky as well.
'It was a bad score. He only gave it 6+.' This was a post by someone on a blog regarding my scores for the recent Balvenie DCS whiskies.
I knew it would happen. It's the trouble with scores – they trip you up. They are also so all-pervasive that we are beginning to organise our lives around them without perhaps realising what they signify.
Want to book a restaurant? Go to Tripadvisor – look at the one with the most stars. Need a hotel? Hie thee to booking.com, look for the top scores and make the selection.
Only once that filtering system has taken place do any of us bother to then read the words. I'm as bad as anyone. Get Mojo and Uncut, scan the scores and then read. Who has the disposable income to take a punt on a three-star album?
If, however, we take the time to read first, then a more accurate picture emerges. That restaurant/hotel has lost a couple of stars because there's someone lurking in the comments section who clearly has a grudge.
'They didn't make my child a pizza.'
'We went to this sushi restaurant, but my partner doesn't like fish.'
'The view of Torquay from my hotel bedroom window wasn't good enough.'
I even read one review of the Lofoten Islands which advised people not to go because the midnight sun didn't perform a perfect V in the sky. Result? The score went down.
And so back to our own scoring system. It was peer pressure which made us impose one in the first place – everyone else scores so we should as well. We might not like the reductive nature of scores, but it's now the norm.
We have, however, decided to use a proper 10-point scale: ie one that starts at zero and goes up to 10. The scale is outlined on our Tasting Notes Explained page, to which each note is linked – but does everyone read it? Of course not, because we understand the nature of numbers.
Or so we think.
There are some 10-point scales which start at 6. They then can be broken down into decimal points, making a 40-point scale. There are 100-point scales which only start at 80, which makes them 20-point scales.
Equally, there are no 20-point scales which start at zero – most people who use them start them at 10 and then get around that issue by giving half-points, creating a warped 20-point scale.
Still with me?
Lies, damned lies...: Scoring systems can be fiendishly complicated
So, we said 'enough of this', and started at nought and moved up in decimal points to 10, which I suppose makes this both a 10-point and a 100-point scale. Then again, it is possible for a whisky to score zero (and, indeed, 10.0), making it technically a 101-point scale. Never say we don't give you better value at Scotchwhisky.com.
As I said, we knew the questions would come. Our 6 is another's 7.9, someone's 3 stars, another's 15, someone else's 80. No wonder people are confused.
Why then, you might ask, are we further muddying the waters? Because if we have to use bloody numbers, then we felt we should use them properly.
If you are judging from 0-10 and a whisky is average in quality, then it should logically be given 5 points. If it's above average, then it gets 6. Seems sensible? Good. So 6 is not a bad score, it means this is a good dram, one that we'd be happy to buy.
I appreciate that there will be teething problems as people get used to the new scoring system. The solution to this potential confusion is to READ THE WORDS. They give the reasons for the score.
Now… what's on the tasting table this week?
The spirit of old East Berlin had clearly possessed me. The audience looked… confused. That isn't all that unusual. My talks are planned in terms of overall theme, what needs to be said, what drinks will help support this framework (and stop people getting too bored), but quite how I get from A to Z is… well… fluid, which seems appropriate.
This particular one at Berlin Bar Convent was on a history of gin in seven drinks, each one a waypoint in the spirit's evolution. I was extemporising on genever's success from the 17th century onwards, and how it had come about directly as a result of pressure on distillers to make a non-wine-based spirit for the local bourgeoisie, whose supplies of wine and brandy had been cut off thanks to the Eighty Years' War.
'Actually,' I continued, 'gin's story is one of class warfare.' This is when the faces began to look puzzled.
I plunged on regardless, outlining a theory (which was forming in my head as I spoke) that, whenever gin was the drink of the proletariat (judging by the faces, a term not heard in East Berlin since 1989), it had a toxic reputation.
Only when it became acceptable to the middle classes, acquired bourgeois acceptability, if you like, would it become popular. The spirit's history and popularity swings between these two poles.
I stand by this theory, by the way – Gin Craze? Working class. Old Tom? Working class. London Dry? Middle class. Martini and G&T? Middle class.
Gin Lane: the craze immortalised by Hogarth was a working-class phenomenon
There's even a class element with regard to gin's collapse in the 1980s, when it was identified as being stuffy, boring, old-fashioned – and irredeemably middle class, the drink of ladies of a certain age, and chaps who wore pink trousers on the weekend. Its current renaissance has been driven by a widening of its appeal to all-new, younger, drinkers.
Could Scotch whisky's story be told in a similar way? I don't think so. Yes, Scotch's initial boost came when toddies, then whisky and soda became acceptably middle-class drinks in London, but the difference between Scotch and gin was that the former always transcended class boundaries.
When growing up, I could go into the Rogano (Glasgow's great classic bar) and see someone having a dram. I could go across the road to the Horseshoe and see a working class guy having the same.
I would see the G&Ts and Martinis being drunk at the former, but never at the latter. Scotch's long-term success was based on its ability to appeal to all classes. Its decline in the '80s wasn't driven by class, but by a lack of fashionability.
It has been this appeal to a wider demographic internationally which has been one of Scotch whisky's greatest assets. It was aspirational at all levels – a standard blend was as much of a treat for the working-class drinker as a deluxe whisky was for the rich.
That is why the current narrowing of focus by many firms is so worrying. Scotch is not just a drink for the elite, for speculators, for 'celebrities', it has succeeded because it is the people's spirit.
Concentrating on one stratum of society is ultimately counter-productive. Just look at gin.
It used to happen every month, then every fortnight. Soon it was every week. Now it seems like it is every day that the topic of No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies inveigles its way into conversation. I'm fully expecting my wonderful and long-suffering postie, Rose, to stand on the doorstep tomorrow and say: 'Dave, what is it with all these NAS whiskies?'
My line has remained the same. Nothing inherently wrong, difference between age and maturity, allows whisky makers a freer rein, necessity at time of stock squeeze/excessive demand.
With one caveat: as long as the whiskies replacing (or accompanying) the existing age statement expressions are as good as or better than the products they are replacing/joining, and that producers educate consumers and trade as to what their rationale is.
An integral part of that education, I'd argue, is being transparent. It's not just a matter of what's going on, but what's going in. After all, what's to hide? If the whiskies being used include young and old, then why not tell us the age and the cask type?
That then opens out the (much needed) discussion of the difference between age (a number) and maturity (a character).
It allows distillers to talk about wood programmes and cask influence, it demonstrates the fundamentals of blending.
It explains whisky to a consumer who wants to have whisky explained. It helps detoxify the debate.
Now it would appear that telling consumers everything about what is in a bottle is, in fact, illegal. The latest disagreement between the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and Compass Box (it's never the other way around) is surely the most ridiculous one yet.
Transparency: but the openness of John Glaser and Compass Box is also illegal
The SWA does sterling work and, in this case, all it has done is to act on behalf of one of its members (though wouldn't you love to know who complained, and why?). In addition, its hands appear to be tied thanks to an EU law originally drafted in 1989.
The SWA is following the letter of the law, and all the firm that complained is doing is hiding behind the SWA.
The question here is twofold. Can the law be changed? Is there a willingness on the part of the SWA (or its members) to push for that change in the law? I'm no Edinburgh lawyer, but I seem to recall that only a few years ago the SWA did just that, around labelling.
The reason? The old descriptors were confusing to the consumer. They were, in other words, lacking in clarity, and so the law was changed. Saying: 'I know it's wrong, but I'm afraid it's the law,' is not a credible defence.
It might be that derogation from EU law is more problematic than changing a UK law which then becomes EU law. Derogation, however, means 'an exemption from or relaxing of [my italics] a rule or law'.
Is there then a possibility that this clause can be relaxed to permit the option of an open declaration of the composition of a blended product in the case of Scotch whisky? The SWA is a lobbying organisation. Is this worth lobbying for?
If one of the body's members asked for this possibility to be explored, would the SWA act? History has shown that if there is sufficient demand from its members for change the SWA can change.
So here's a question. Which of the members of the SWA doesn't agree with there being an option to declare fully the make-up of an NAS whisky – and why?
Maybe it has something to do with hotels. In the excellent book The Beechwood Airship Interviews, Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers tells author Dan Richards how he likes to write in hotels because they are neutral spaces with none of the distractions of home life. Not even a kettle (Stop it with the kettles – Ed).
Wire's theory certainly seemed to be proven when I made my way down to the lobby of the hip place in which I stayed recently. There in the gloom – gloom is so 2015 – was an ocean of floating white apples.
Death pallor faces. Grey light chiaroscuro. The ticking of nails on keys. Peck, pick, gaze downwards. The regular hiss of the espresso machine. In the café, the same scene was repeated. Silence. Gloom. Pick. Peck.
It wasn't just there, it's everywhere. Every social space has been taken over by screen zombies. The only faint flicker of a smile appears when they come across an image of a cute kitten. Where, I wondered, has happiness gone? Where is the joy?
What, even, is joy? The dictionary defines it as 'a feeling of great pleasure and happiness'. In whisky terms, joy for me is the feeling of tasting the dram which signifies the end of work.
It might be in a bar or pub, it could be at home, it might be neat, with water, or in a highball. Joy is in the combination of liquid and moment and psychological state. Joy is being human. In this case, it is about gaining pleasure from whisky.
Here's the question, though. These days, are you allowed to say that having a drink makes you happy? I suspect not. Happiness infers that the drink has altered your state. Saying whisky makes you happy contravenes a code, written or unwritten.
How much further?: in modern life, joy is a precious – and rare – commodity
A general – but also deliberately detached – sense of joy is possibly as close as you are allowed to go towards happiness before the lawyers come and get you. In this world, the liquid doesn't provide the joy – some abstract notion about a brand does.
That's not a criticism. I'm, er, joyful that there is someone out there trying to get round the restrictions and say, in a subtle way, that whisky can make you smile.
The question is, looking at the screen zombies, where is the joy? It's not in front of you. It's in the streets, it's in company, it's in the Apple-free irises of other people, it is in conversing and sharing.
The irony that you will be reading this on a screen is not lost on me, by the way. Walk away, switch off. Go outside, even if it is raining, and breathe.
Pour yourself a dram. Better still, pour whoever is next to you one as well. Whisky – taken in moderation – makes you happy. If we can't say that in advertising, we have to find new ways of communicating that message. Maybe talking might help?
The guitar on the wall was unnecessary. It's not that I want to moan. Perhaps it's because I spend a considerable part of my life in hotels that I've become (over-)sensitive to their design.
Take the other weekend. Between Friday and Monday I was residing in an achingly hip one in Shoreditch, where my room was stuffed with suitably ironic touches. A pencil sharpener attached to the wall? Yes, of course I used it.
It has to be said that the room was rather lovely and tried to make you feel as if you were, if not at home, then a guest at someone else's, perhaps the new hipster mate you ran into at Callooh Callay the night before and who had offered you a bed when you realised you'd missed the last train home (does that sort of thing still happen?).
Anyway, I felt comfortable – which is what hotels are about. Apart from the guitar, perhaps.
I mean, the last thing you want in a hotel is everyone serenading themselves, or trying to impress their partner with Smoke on the Water or, even worse, seeing that guitar as a symbol of their inadequacy.
'Oh, can you play?'
'Er... well… no.'
End of budding relationship.
Still, there was a kettle. I need a kettle. I get grumpy without my tea (and I mean my tea). It also had an iron. I get grumpy if there isn't one of those either. Iron over guitar every time. Kettle over iron. It's the way I roll.
The guitar was an example of how hotel designers over-think rooms. There was the central London hotel which had an electric guitar – and amp – in the room (double inadequacy, double irritation as Smoke on the Water echoes from 50 bedrooms).
There was, however, no kettle. Or iron, come to think of it. Maybe the thinking was that no-one who plays an electric guitar would ever need to have a pressed shirt… or a hot drink. I'm sure Robert Fripp would.
There was another east London establishment which had a hot water bottle on the bed. A lovely, quirky thought that made me feel all fuzzy.
There was, however, no kettle, meaning the only way you could try and force hot water into the bottle was via the espresso machine in the corridor.
Of course there was an espresso machine in the corridor! Hipsters don't drink tea. The result was that I was insanely grumpy.
Impeccably turned-out: the neatly ironed Mr Fripp (Photo: Sean Coon)
Over-thinking might not be the worst aspect of modern life, but it is symptomatic of the way in which 'irony' (which in this case is, for once, truly ironic as there are so few irons) has replaced any form of deeper thinking.
The surface is all, the instant, unthinking reaction is all that matters. There is no need to sit down and make a cup of tea and think. All that matters is the sheen, the glance, the smirk, then you move on.
Design has got in the way of function and the core essence of the room – a place to rest – is forgotten or overlooked. Such is it with brands.
Maybe I'm just an awkward customer. Perhaps I just need to get out less.
Welcome, friends, to what we want to be the first stop for any whisky lover on the internet. That word 'any' is important. Geeks can get their fill here, but so can newcomers – and it is this breadth of remit which will make the site prosper.
Whisky is simple, but it is deep. A website such as this therefore needs to be able to offer information which appeals to and satisfies all readers – those who want to plunge in, as well as those who are happy paddling in the shallows. Hey, I live by the sea, it's the best metaphor I could come up with.
If you want in-depth distillery, brand or company information, you will find it here. That in itself is an amazing resource and we believe our Whiskypedia is the most comprehensive database in existence.
If you want to know what that new whisky is like, we will have the review as soon as it is released. If you want to know the thinking behind the big decisions, we will be asking the awkward questions to the executives who make those decisions.
We will make you laugh (we hope), we will be authoritative, critical, stroppy, contentious, obsessive, passionate, amusing and celebratory. That's what whisky is all about, isn't it?
Whisky is also about people, and they will be the heartbeat of the site – not only the amazing writers we have from around the world (whisky is, after all, global); but also the people who are often hidden from view, those forgotten heroes from the past and the present, the keepers of the flame.
It is also our belief that whisky doesn't just sit apart from daily life. It springs from a culture and a landscape, it reflects the interests of the drinker, so we will write about the things which people who like whisky also like, but which aren't whisky.
That means talking to other like-minded craftspeople, artists and artisans to make this a place where whisky becomes part of the world.
We are excited by the possibilities. We hope you are too.
Welcome aboard.
I'm just back from Japan, where the whisky category appears to have been given another boost in sales.
The highball craze may have slowed slightly, but continues to bring new drinkers into whisky – even if not all of them know that a 'Highball' is a whisky drink. Bridging that gap remains an important task.
The category's biggest kick has been given by Massan, the daily morning soap opera on the life of Masataka Taketsuru, which ran from September 2014 until March this year.
Yes, a whisky-related soap. Neighbours with drams. It has, seemingly, so captured the imagination of the public that it has directly boosted sales. Could that happen here? I doubt it.
Massan could even be a further factor in the ongoing squeeze on stock, one topic which was aired at a panel discussion I chaired with four Japanese chief blenders: Shinji Fukuyo (Suntory), Tadashi Sakuma (Nikka), Ichiro Akuto (Venture Whisky/Chichibu) and Jota Tanaka (Kirin/Gotemba).
It used to be that the companies were as reluctant to share a stage as they were to share their whiskies. Things have changed. They laughed with each other, nodded in agreement, complimented each other.
It's a reflection of the new openness which exists within the Japanese industry. What would once have been considered secrets are now freely shared.
Maybe it is confidence that their competitors won't steal techniques, that they now realise that the Suntory way is different to that of Nikka, or Kirin, or Chichibu.
One of the questions was whether they thought Japan could be behind the ball when equilibrium between stock and demand returned.
'No,' was the polite answer, 'because [and I paraphrase] we continue to innovate, believe that quality is paramount, and want to further define and fine-tune what it is to be a Japanese whisky.'
More specifics emerged in a further discussion with Fukoyo which looked at Suntory's new 'The Chita' grain.
'We had always made three styles of grain at Chita,' he explained, 'but the grain whiskies we use for the blends couldn't be the same as we needed for a single grain. It was… boring.'
I've tasted the Chita grains and they're not… but I suppose that also proves a point.
So, he has used the three styles of grain, but aged in a mix of woods including ex-wine casks, and new (fresh) European oak casks.
What is our whisky?: Hakushu's small grain plant is unafraid of experimentation
Fukoyo then went on to outline what was happening at the small grain plant at Hakushu where he has overseen runs of malted barley, wheat and rye, and all at different strengths.
'We always distilled to 94%,' he said. 'Then we asked why and realised it was because that's what the Scots did.
'So now we are distilling at different strengths, using those different grains, mashbills and woods to see what Japanese grain whisky could be.'
This willingness to ask: 'What is our whisky?' is also seen in the creation of Irish Distillers' new experimental distillery at Midleton, which initially will be looking at 19th century recipes.
The reason? They exist, they have been forgotten, they could shed light on Irish whiskey, they could help widen the category.
It all seems so... sensible. Now, I know that there are wild things being trialled in Scotland, but so far there is no evidence of any of it appearing. Keeping these developments behind the curtains simply reinforces the (incorrect) belief that Scotch's template is fixed.
Neither Suntory nor IDL is exactly small. Both are asking, openly: 'Where do we go now? What else can we learn?'
Realising that they couldn't run experimental batches through their existing plants because the batches would be too large, they simply built smaller sites.
Hopefully the Scottish distillers working on similar schemes will show what they have been working on, but – and here my impatient journalist's brain takes over – how will they commercialise these small batches?
Split an existing (small) distillery's production schedule? Build a small site to run them through? Buy a 'craft' distiller and use it as their experimental arm – the model taken by the big American brewers?
As it stands, there are other whisky categories that seem to be more nimble, and are able to see opportunities. They are the ones who come across as wanting to move whisky ever onwards without losing their identity.
It makes Scotch seem as if it is being left behind. Time, I suspect, to throw open those curtains.
One of the best recent developments on long-haul flights has been the addition of box sets to your in-flight entertainment. No longer do you have to eke out the (few) movies you actually want to watch into outward and return viewing.
This time, however, I was stumped as to what to watch. True Detective? I love it, but the mumbling dialogue can't be heard above engine noise. Breaking Bad series three? Haven't yet completed series two.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I chose Outlander. I vaguely recalled it had received good reviews, and it had a Scottish theme.
I knew it was escapist fantasy, but unless you are trying to unsettle the person in the next seat by watching Australian horror movies, that's not a bad way of passing a few hours.
I also figured it would have fewer moments which would induce involuntary sobbing – I'm a blubbering mess at 37,000 feet.
So, I began at the beginning, fully aware that it would require a certain willing suspension of disbelief. I couldn't, however, have anticipated how appalling it was.
Outlander, for those of you who haven't experienced it, mashes together The Wicker Man, Highlander, Quantum Leap, The Perils of Pauline, Macbeth, Braveheart and Balamory (but with more sex and less Archie the Inventor).
Witches, standing stones, time jumps, perfidious English, hunky men running around in kilts, woad, mud, plucky feisty heroine… and an execrable script.
Like Balamory, but with more sex: Outlander
I gave up in a rage. That's the other thing about emotions at 37,000 feet. You either weep uncontrollably (never watch Toy Story 3 on a plane) or become immensely irritated.
So infuriated was I that, on arrival in the US, I searched for Outlander reviews and was amazed by how it was being taken as a mildly exaggerated manifestation of the truth.
Outlander, it transpires, fits in with people's notions of what it is to be 'Celtic' (or, as many of them prefer to spell it, 'Keltic').
Things came into focus on the return journey when I was reading a piece in BA's High Life magazine on modern Scotland by the ever-astute A L Kennedy. She opened with this gambit:
'Scotland is a land rich in interesting history and, should you meet an American or Canadian tourist while you're [there] you will hear a great deal about it…'
Too true. Many is the time I have been asked which clan I belong to by some Tam o'Shanter-ed Yank. To be honest, I reply politely, I'm more busy getting on with being an ex-pat 21st century Scot.
There's the irony, I thought. Scotch whisky is regularly accused of playing up to these stereotypes, even though the reality is that, while the tartan-and-heather approach worked in Edwardian times, it hasn't been part of the arsenal for many years.
'Tartan-and-heather' instead has become shorthand for 'out of touch' and, while I may fulminate on occasion for the need for whisky firms to understand contemporary Scotland, I do think that in this case it's consumers who are out of date.
I'd argue that Scotch needs to be more Scottish – just not clichéd, but maybe drinkers want there to be misty glens and hunky men running around in kilts.
Then I got back home, sat at my desk, started to write this and looked around me. Books of Scottish folk tales, Gaelic poetry, stacks of traditional music, stones chosen not just for shape and colour, but for their connection to a place.
The myths I was dismissive of are alive. I like the fact that on Islay a remedy for toothache is to hammer a nail into a stone in a field above Port Charlotte.
When I'm teaching Scotch, after the talk of reflux and esters has abated, I remind those still awake: 'Don't forget the magic. This spirit is about more than just science.'
So, now I've got a more nuanced view of what Outlander represents. Don't get me wrong, it's still shite, but my objection is its (lack of) quality, its easy embracing of cliché.
The true weirdness that roots Scotland still exists. Scotch treads a fine line between cliché and magic.
Who would be a marketeer?
A whisky glass designed to fit in a woman's hand is being launched next month.
Dave Broom is enraged upon reading a press release announcing the launch of Allt-a-Bhainne.
After the single malt's revamp, has it found its place in the whisky world?
The new Norlan VAILD is designed to focus attention on flavour and aroma in whisky.
Long-haul flights prompt reflections on what it is to be Scottish – and what it is to be Scotch.


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Construction is simple, 5 hardboard panels and 12 x 21mm pine section. Each side panel is framed top and sides with the pine section, then left for the PVA to set. After some tidying up of edges I paired each side and end and joined, the picture below was taken at this point. At this point the volume occupied by a very small layout seems to increase dramatically...
Having assembled the two halves I added the top and once everything was together all the edges were sanded smooth and the timber was given a couple of coats of varnish with a rub down in between. On the top four triangular pieces of plywood are in place to hold the layout in place whilst in use.
Bolting the layout inside is achieved with four M4 machine screws locating in captive bolts underneath the baseboard, located within blocks of wood. On the left you can see that there is an additional length of stripwood within the box edge. Whilst I would like to say that this is intentional to accommodate the plug sockets that extend beyond the board edge on this side, it is more a case that I was a little too generous in the clearances within the box!

subset: commoncrawl


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Rafa did talk about the Chelsea game at his news conference this afternoon although most reporters were keen to find out more about was happening on the transfer front.
He will use the squad and Rafa doesn't think he will need to use many youngsters since there are enough senior fringe players who need a game.
And Newcastle have proved over the last several games that we can change about five or six players without too much of a change in the way the team plays.
That's (very) good.
Rafa will probably pick his strongest team for next Wednesday night at home to Burnley and use about five different players on Sunday afternoon.
But Chelsea will also play a weakened team, and if we can play well in defense, we will always have a chance to at least get a draw.
This is what Rafa has said about injuries and the game at Stamford Bridge:
"If we have a squad strong enough to compete, we will see. I will use the squad, for sure. We have to do everything right and they have to make mistakes."
I am just focused on my team, my players, and that's it. Before the last game, I said I have good memories of Chelsea and I have good friends there."
"Florian Lejeune has been running. The only player to miss out is Jesus Gamez." "The rest are OK and some have little issues."
"It is an amazing competition (FA Cup) but you have to be realistic. The top six are still there."
"Every game is important. We know how massive it is to stay in the Premier League with the money around."
"With more money, you can improve your team."
Comments welcome.
93 comments so far
Jorgensen can't be written off he's not even our player yet. I can't comment to much but he seems very much a tap in goal scorer, he just needs to be set up in the right areas. We're a counter attacking team, defence first if he's used as a lone striker he'll be isolated the majority of time. Due to his lack of pace will he be a waste of money?? Hope not.
Not the player we need but Rafa obviously rates him.
Who else is available bearing in mind our transfer budget and lack of ambition.
A,B and C options. That's no way to conduct business.
They'll be talking about purples and none purtles next.
If Rafa is happy with that he is part of the problem.
On this Danish lad. Not impressed, we seem to be going back and back at a supposed transfer fee that is unrealistic.
I smell a rat. What's the big attraction.
My prediction. He will be no better than Daryl Murphy.
the chronicle / evening standard
Absolute Classic
re sale of Brixton Village and Market Row
Property sources indicated that the seller, London & Associated Properties, did not deem the billionaire Mike Ashley's interest serious enough to continue the process. £30m bid for Brixton Village and Market Row late last year, but it was confirmed today that Mr Ashley's deal had fallen through.
With two of the three strikers Rafa had on his list ,Slimani & Jorgensen apparently out of the equation could Rafa now turn to Shefki Kuqi? or could Ashley not afford the wages.
My thoughts take a punt on Jorgensen £18/20M Sell Mitro to Anderlecht £12 . Swap Cairney (Fulham for Gayle ) Take Scherle on loan. Bring in Tramp in Goal. Buy Bryan (Bristol City) for £6M
Net spend £12/14. Should still have enough in the pot to buy the midfielder from Real Betis or another striker providing Cashless isn't telling poky pies.
Just get the padlock of your wallet Trashley!
I know Hibbit -just dreaming but I'm preparing myself for the standard January announcement aren't you?
" We tried to get quality players across the line before the window closed but just failed at the last hurdle."
I know January is not the best time to buy especially y a striker but can't the man see he needs to take a punt.
What about Aboubaker (Porto), Jose (Real Sochiedad) or Dembele (Celtic) ?
Unfortunately it looks increasingly likely that we aren't going to sign a striker.
Haggling over a few mill on Jorgenson, not that I'm writing him off, but I don't think he will offer much difference to Joselu or Mitro. He's been in a good run of form over this season and last, but £20mill is a big gamble on a player that's never played in a tested league.
Mitro won't be sold unless it's to a foreign club and there doesn't appear to be any clubs seriously looking at him.
Logically thinking, if Mitro was to be sold then this could then be used as additional transfer money to bring in a better striker for more money, alternatively, Gayle could be sold to a championship club and we then use this extra money to buy a new striker and keep Mitro until summer.


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Streaks pull away in second half to beat Warwick, 41-17
For the second week in a row, Warwick was victimized by an opponent's touchdown in the final seconds of the first half.
Unlike in the Warriors' 34-10 loss to Cedar Crest in week four, however, there was some controversy involved last Friday night in cold, rainy conditions against cross-town rival Manheim Township.
As the clock hit :0.0 at the end of the second quarter with the Blue Streaks leading just 13-10, Township senior quarterback Erik Benjamin called his own number and tried to wedge his way to paydirt.
Warwick was confident that it had made a goal line stand.
Initially, the officials gave no signal, but after a huddling, they ruled that Benjamin had indeed scored, extending the Streaks' lead to 20-10.
"They conferred to make sure that the two (goal line officials) saw the same thing," Warrior coach Bob Locker said. "They said the ball crossed the goal line. Our kids swear it didn't. But they followed protocol, so I can't be mad about that. Momentum-wise, it was kind of a kick in the butt. It would have been nicer to get off 13-10, but … It's always, 'Hey, what if?' But momentum-wise, I think that hurt us a little bit."
Manheim Township capitalized on its its momentum to outscore Warwick 21-7 in the second half, clinching a 41-17 victory in a Section One clash at Joseph Grosh Field in Lititz.
Benjamin passed for 225 yards and three TD's, while rushing for 48 yards and another score, and senior wide receiver John Stutz combined for 172 rushing and receiving yards, to go along with a TD, to lead the Streaks' attack.
"(Stutz) is somewhere past dynamic," Locker said. "Open field, who do we compare him to? Well, everybody says Evan Horn is this and that. I'm sorry, (Stutz) is as elusive as anybody I've seen this year. I mean, he just made plays. He made our people miss. He's a great athlete."
Township's special teams also made a big play early in the game to get things started. After a three-and-out by Warwick, the Blue Streaks broke through to block the punt and Alex Kepler scooped up the loose ball and returned it 25 yards to the house. Jack Rodenberger added the first of his five PAT's to give MT a quick 7-0 lead.
But despite the wet weather, the fireworks weren't done yet. The Warriors needed just two plays to answer, as junior QB Tyler Trimarchi looked left and threw a swing pass to sophomore Patrick Quinn, who benefited from a nice block by Carter Forney and out-legged a Township defender 74 yards to the end zone. Will Mobley split the uprights for the PAT and the game was tied 7-7 with just 2:44 elapsed.
Trimarchi finished 11-of-21 for 143 yards, with one INT and one TD in the passing game.
"We had some calls in (to use) if we see certain things, so we checked to a bubble and Forney made a nice block on the edge," Locker said. "We knew all along Quinn's a pretty fast football player and he beat him to the end zone."
Stutz is pretty fast in his own right, and he appeared to put the Blue Streaks back in front a short time later on a 68-yard catch-and-run. But it was negated by a penalty, and then when Warwick's Isaac Rissinger knocked away a fourth-down pass from Benjamin, the Warriors took over on their own 10.
Overall, the Streaks had 11 penalties totaling 108 yards.
Warwick couldn't capitalize and the Streaks got the ball back with good field position. Benjamin then directed them on a nine-play, 62-yard drive, culminating with his four-yard TD strike to Alex Wade on the final play of the first quarter to make it 13-7. Benjamin was 3-of-3 on the drive, including a pair of passes to Stutz for 35 yards.
"(Benjamin) is obviously a very good quarterback and he gets the ball to 8 (Stutz) and that's probably his job," Locker said.
It was still a 13-7 game when the Warriors took over for their final possession of the half. Behind Rissinger (11 carries, 34 yards), Trimarchi and a pair of MT 15-yard penalties on the same play, Warwick moved the ball into the red zone. Colin Gibble (4-23 receiving) had two receptions on the drive, and senior tight end Justin Smith hauled in a first-down grab.
The drive eventually stalled, but Mobley booted a 34-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the half which cut the Blue Streaks' lead to 13-10.
That, of course, led to what became a big turning point in the game, with Benjamin's one-yard TD run capping an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Instead of the Warriors trailing just 13-10, they found themselves down 20-10. Still, however, Locker had reason for optimism while addressing his players during the break.
"At halftime, our kids seemed not upbeat, but they honestly believed that physically we were OK," Locker said, "and I thought they were too. You can't give up a blocked punt for a TD, that's unacceptable. We had one blocked last week, so we've got to fix that and that's my responsibility. But physically in the first half, I thought our kids played hard."
Unfortunately for Warwick, though, it couldn't stop the Blue Streaks on their opening series in the third. With Warrior outside 'backer Ryan Long and defensive back Quinn banged up, Township marched 84 yards while eating 6:27 off the clock and scored on Nate Seprinski's eight-yard TD to go up 27-10.
MT had four players rush for 47 yards or more in Stutz (1-61), Matt Van Gorden (13-60), Benjamin (13-48) and Pablo Rivera (10-47). As a team, they gained 195 total yards on the ground.
"I think they made some adjustments and decided they'd try to run at us and we had some people hurt at that point," Locker said. "Long was out of the game, Quinn was out of the game, and for being a sophomore, Long is a tough kid. Long's a real good outside linebacker. He's coachable. What he's taught, he applies to the game situation and that's commendable. A lot of the other sophomores &tstr; Quinn, Forney, Rissinger, they're doing good things for being that young. Other people have got to step up when somebody goes out, but I'll go back to this &tstr; tonight was not for a lack of effort. I'm not unhappy with the kids in terms of that. We've just got to cut down on mistakes and we've got to find a way to move the ball in some other ways and just try to get better."
Offensively, Warwick managed just one first down on its first three possessions of the second half. For the game, it had 79 rushing yards on 25 carries.
"Basically after awhile, they had seven in the box and dared us and were crashing the guys off the ends," Locker said. "They made it so that it was going to be difficult to run and we needed to try to throw the ball a little bit to keep them off balance and we tried to. Tough night to throw the ball, so that's what we tried to do to them as well. We tried to make them run the ball and they made us try to run as well."
Stutz's INT got the ball back for the Streaks at their own 46 late in the third, and Benjamin's I48-yard TD pass to Dillon O'Connor with 1:23 left in the quarter stretched Township's lead to 34-10.
A high punt snap following a three-and-out by the Warriors again put the Streaks in business with excellent field position, and Stutz's 16-yard TD grab from Benjamin with :6.7 to go in the stanza made the score 41-10 heading to the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors recovered a fumble by Benjamin at their own 28 and went to work. Twelve plays later, Trimarchi kept the ball on an option and darted 10 yards for a TD to complete the scoring.
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Founded on a love of racquetball over 20 years ago, Jelco is ever evolving. Progressing from racquetball courts, to the construction and maintenance of athletic flooring, from seating to basketball equipment. As a supplier of flooring, venue seating, backboards, scoreboards and everything in between, Jelco offers the "one stop shop" for all your gymnasium needs.
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Firm Also Introduces New Interactive Reporting & Chart Tools, plus Enhancements for Management & Reporting of Alternatives, in Latest Technology Release
Envestnet | Tamarac has completely redesigned the client portal in its Advisor View portfolio management and performance reporting application. The new client portal will be implemented as part of Tamarac's July 2016 technology release, and seeks to help RIAs create highly customizable client portal experiences to engage their clients and appeal to the next generation of investors. Its enhancements include:
- Greater Branding Capabilities—Advisors can personalize the portal by adding their profile photos to client-facing pages, and customizing the menu and text colors to match their brands.
- More Intuitive, Streamlined Navigation—The menu bar in the client portal has been resized to make more screen space available for data, and now includes notifications that alert clients to unread announcements about time-sensitive activities and developments.
- Simple, Modern Design—The new client portal design allows investors to quickly see a full financial snapshot on a single page thanks to its intuitive tile layout, along with a photo of their advisory team that leads to its members' contact information.
"In today's increasingly digital world, advisors need to leverage the latest in mobile technology to engage their clients and demonstrate the value they provide," said Stuart DePina, Group President of Envestnet | Tamarac. "The enhancements to our client portal are designed to empower advisors to create a more interactive, personalized experience for their clients, in which data, insights, and notifications can be dynamically displayed and discussed—giving advisors a long-term competitive advantage."
Envestnet | Tamarac also rolled out new features to make charts in Advisor View reports more compelling and interactive. Besides being able to leverage updated default colors that give report charts a more modern look, advisors can now zoom in and hover for quick access to data points, seamlessly print charts directly from their dashboards, and easily view details by placing the cursor over a category or data point.
These functionalities can be used in scatter charts as well as bar and pie charts, and a new option—the donut chart. Advisors can utilize these features to make charts more interactive in the following reports: Account Performance, Asset Allocation, Account Analytics, Bond Analysis, Capital Flows, Projected Income, and Summary.
Advisors can also add a tile on the Advisor View dashboard which monitors intraday changes in the values of holdings. This information can then be downloaded into the Holdings report, where it can be displayed under the new "Intraday Value Change ($)" column.
Enhancements to Improve Management & Reporting of Alternative Assets
In addition, Envestnet | Tamarac rolled out the first in a series of updates to enable better management and reporting of alternative assets in Advisor View, such as cost-basis tracking and estimated-value calculations. The enhancements also further streamline the workflows for managing alternative assets by providing:
- More robust reporting, including the newly added ability to specify and report on cost basis and its derivatives, such as unrealized gains.
- A host of usability and workflow enhancements to make managing these assets simpler and more intuitive, including a powerful new data upload, more robust filtering of historical data, and the ability to apply actions to multiple records at once.
- Better data management and retention, such as retaining estimated values after they have been updated to actual values for historical auditing and reporting, and the ability to keep but deactivate historical records. The latter feature enables advisors to exercise more control over reporting without having to delete and replace historical records.
"The enhanced reporting features in Advisor View allow advisors to provide more holistic portfolio management services and insights for their clients—and the capability to seamlessly offer intelligence on both traditional and alternative assets in a single report, and client portal, is key to strengthening client relationships," said Mr. DePina. "As part of our ongoing platform technology releases, we will continue to roll out updates that streamline multiple workflows and foster greater levels of engagement with clients."
The July 2016 technology release also includes updates to Advisor Rebalancing and Advisor CRM.
Advisor Rebalancing
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Envestnet | Tamarac consistently enhances all of the applications that comprise its integrated Advisor Xi technology suite for independent RIAs, rolling out a new round of updates every 60 days.


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|The rear panel and connectors
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|Frequency response curve of both mics.
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The entertainment industry is meant to have glamour in spades: travel to exotic locations, glitzy award ceremonies, fabulous frocks and a rock 'n' roll lifestyle where all you have to do is turn up and smile.
But there are those working in the industry who sometimes need an actual spade to do their jobs. With Auckland Theatre Company opening a play called Filthy Business next week, we asked three of those hidden well behind the scenes about some of the dirtiest jobs in show biz.
George Seton, managing director, and Louise Bettridge, event manager - Clean Event:
Think of a festival — anything from the Big Gay Out to Christmas in the Park — and, chances are, Clean Event has tidied up long after the crowds have packed up and gone home. Or not packed up but just left.
"I think some kids these days have too much money," says event manager Louise Bettridge, nicknamed the Woman in Orange. "We've been to musical festivals where they've packed their bags but left behind tents, sleeping bags, all sorts of perfectly good items…"
Those go to cub, scout and community groups, in keeping with Clean Event's philosophy to markedly reduce the amount of event waste sent to landfill. Both Bettridge and company managing director George Seton say they despaired at watching truck after truck hauling waste to landfills and wanted to do things differently.
Their desire to recycle and/or divert rubbish from landfill motivates them, putting them on the frontline of an increasingly high-profile battle. Since starting in 2012, Seton has seen the environmentally-friendly waste management company grow exponentially as more of us heed messages about recycling or reducing our consumption, especially of single-use plastic.
Clean Event's innovations include installing industrial washers and dryers at its Onehunga base so reusable cutlery and crockery can be used at events. Then there are the bins, about 500 in total, separated by what can be thrown into them: rubbish for landfill, organic waste for composting, glass and recyclables.
Mural and graffiti artist Jonny4Higher created artwork for the bins, stating clearly what can be deposited in them and using vibrant pictures to tell a story of where rubbish ends up if it's not disposed of properly and responsibly. Seton says since the bins appeared, event-goers have become much better at throwing rubbish into the right receptacle.
Bettridge says they'll often stand a staffer next to bins for compostable waste to clear up confusion about what can go into them; it's more than we might think, she says.
Still, some unpleasant things end up in the bins: used condoms, bottles used as urinals, nappies and human waste, maggot-infested food and vomit. In peak festival season, from October-March, the company takes on up to 200 staff who can take anywhere from a few hours to a week to make a site pristine again as up to 30 tonnes of garbage is removed. Unsurprisingly, New Year events are the messiest.
Staff are attracted by the chance to see concerts and be part of the smooth-running of events; others take pride is making a site neat again and, like Seton and Bettridge, doing their bit to make our world a little less trashy.
Jason Brott, owner Prestige Loos
His first thought was, "shit [no pun intended] — someone's dumped a body down this toilet…" It was a body, but of a sheep rather than a human. Still, the carcass rates as the most unusual thing Brott, founder and owner of Prestige Loos, has found down a portable toilet at a music festival.
"They'd lifted the top of the whole unit off and stuffed it down there," Brott explains, shaking his head.
Spend just half an hour with Brott and you'll come away knowing more about toilets — and what we do in them — than you ever thought possible. For 16 years, his business has been in the business of dealing with our business — the kind we don't ordinarily like to discuss but, as he likes to say, Prestige Loos is Number 1 at dealing with Number 2 and he's proud of it.
The firm looks after toilets at festival, events and private functions, on film and television sets and, more recently, construction sites. There are around 2500 toilets at the company's Avondale site but these aren't your bog standard mobile toilets. There's a huge range, including a prestige series range (roomy interior, recirculating flush feature, solar powered internal lights), units that include showers and elite series (a 10-bay vacuum unit).
Waste is pumped, through vacuum systems, into a fleet of trucks that transport it to the firm's Avondale headquarters where it is pumped into a giant tank, broken down — both physically and biologically — and then sent into the sewerage system.
Brott got the idea for his business when he worked in security on TV shows like Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. He says the toilet facilities were so bad, he would hold on all day rather than use them. A friend was importing other equipment for film and TV sets from Australia; Brott asked whether there were any toilets available.
He was looking for style and function and says he based his whole business ethos on what women would want because "you have to sit down". He says the biggest mistake made by function organisers — whether it's a weekend music festival or wedding — is to under-spec the number of toilets needed.
Women don't want to spend hours queuing; no one wants toilets to block. And when people throw clothes — so many underpants — bottles and cans, food scraps, p-pipes, nappies and sanitary pads down them and, yes, sheep bones, they can do that.
Brott calls his staff "loo-tenants" — and says they're always on hand to clean toilets and deal with the unexpected. He makes sure the company pays well, has incentive and training schemes, and is family-friendly in order to provide incentives for staff to join and stay.
"People will actually come up to us and thank us for the work we're doing."
When he started, people used to snicker when he told them what he did; now, given that he's part of a billion-dollar industry — not making a billion himself but doing very nicely, thanks — Brott has the last laugh. Especially when you consider that dealing with human effluent is becoming more of an issue for the entire world.
He's constantly looking at ways to reduce the company's carbon footprint — new trucks, new flush systems, solar lights and ways to transport toilets — and tries to keep the yard spotless: "Just because we work with shit, doesn't mean we have to look like it."
Eliza Josephson-Rutter, freelance stage manager
Josephson-Rutter's first job in theatre was as a "seal wrangler" on a production called
, a job which didn't even have the (possible but unlikely) "cute factor" of working with a real seal. Instead, she helped the actor playing the seal slither in and out of an extremely heavy and smelly rubber suit. She had to carry around the suit, which might have been fine but it involved a lot of crawling underneath a purpose-built stage.
Watching then stage manager Gabrielle Vincent, now a bigwig at the Basement Theatre, inspired Josephson-Rutter. She liked the idea of pulling the various strands of a production together and being canny enough to pre-empt any backstage dramas.
Five years on, she's worked mainly for Auckland Theatre Company as a stage manager and clearly thrives on the backstage buzz, saying the most important qualities for the job are adaptability, superb communication and organisational skills and creative thinking.
"You're responsible for everything on stage and that includes the actors — the warm props — and when the director and the designers have finished their work, the show is in your hands to look after," she says. It's like your baby for however long it runs.
"People think it's not creative but with all you have to do I think it's one of the most creative roles around," she says. "Your job is to keep the drama on the stage so no one knows what might be happening backstage. With significant mishaps — an injury or a costume malfunction — you have the ability to slow the scene changes or go to blackout for a bit longer in order to fix things.
In 2015, Josephson-Rutter had to ensure 1000 soft toy pandas, part of the set for The Doll's House, were neatly arranged in a sunken pit. By the end, she never wanted to see another soft toy panda again and gave one to her dog as a chew toy.
A year later, she was making fake vomit — baby food works really well, she says — for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then nightly bleaching the set's white floor to remove all traces of said vomit.
"There was a puppy and a rat in that show, too," she recalls. "They say never work with animals but they behaved quite well. Except that we were using alternate rats — so the same one never had to appear two nights in a row — and one rat bit the actor. That rat never came back…"
Amadeus was probably the biggest challenge. The set used some 10,000 sheets of white paper to symbolise music manuscripts and the paper needed to be scrunched back into shape after every performance.
"As the stage manager, you'll often get to the theatre up to four hours before a show starts and then stay for a couple of hours after. It can take that long to do all the laundry after a performance."
What: Auckland Theatre Company — Filthy Business
Where & when: ASB Waterfront Theatre, August 14 — 29


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Letter from the CEO
FY 2016 has been an exceptional year in many respects. In operational terms, 2016 was again a year of substantial growth for CreditAccess Asia. Its activities in India continued their solid growth path in line with previous years, in Indonesia growth gained momentum by leveraging its expanded branch network, while in the Philippines the organisation accelerated the roll out of new branches to reach the necessary scale. Furthermore, preparations were made to expand our activities into Vietnam where we expect to start operations by the end of 2016.
To finance our growth strategy, we have established a strategic partnership with Olympus Capital Asia ("Olympus") whereby they have invested US$30 million to fund our operations. Given their extensive experience in financial services and presence in our key markets, Olympus is the ideal partner to help accelerate our growth plans driven by tapping new geographical markets in Asia and via the expansion of our product range to meet our clients' needs.
Results boosted by robust top line growth and economies of scale
Interest income and fees grew 81% to € 74 million in FY 2016 which was driven by the strong growth of loan book. This fast growth pace was achieved by all our operations although the Philippines reported the fastest growth from a low level due to its startup phase. The operating result came in at € 5.1 million, compared with € 1.9 million in FY 2015, fueled by top line growth and our focus on cost containment. The net result of the Group amounted to € 2.9 million negative. Similarly to FY 2015, the consolidated net result was affected by a number of extraordinary nominal items, in particular linked to the agreements for the purchase of the non controlling interest of Grameen Koota. Had these items been excluded from the profit and loss accounts, the net result would have been € 4.5 million positive, a substantial improvement compared with € 1 million in FY 2015.
Sound financial position retained in FY 2016
The net cash flow for the period was € 10.3 million, whereas the operating activities generated a cash flow of € 154 million negative (typical dynamic of a growing business where disbursements for new loans are higher than reimbursement from old loans), and the financing activities contributed to € 160.8 million net cash flow. Finally, the investment activities contributed € 3.5 million. The debt to adjusted capital ratio remained solid at 410%. Portfolio at risk 30 days remained stable compared to FY 2015, or as low as 0.2% on the total loan book. Overall, CreditAccess' sound financial position remained as strong as ever in FY 2016.
New growth opportunity in Vietnam
Management attention in FY 2016 was not only geared towards increasing our existing activities, but also towards exploring new growth opportunities in the region. In line with our strategy of starting up new activities in one or two more countries by 2020, we found exciting possibilities in Vietnam to expand and diversify our activities. With the organisational template and strategy in place and the hiring of key managers underway, we expect to start up operations in the course of this financial year.
Focus on Corporate Social Responsibility across the Group
CreditAccess' Corporate Social Responsibility policy forms an integral part of its day-to-day operations. It focuses on the well-being of its clients, employees and the local communities it operates in. To accomplish this, the Company aims for the highest level of transparency, integrity, fairness and professionalism in all its operations. In the past year, we have invested in the certification of our businesses in order to receive the Client Protection Certification ("CPC") for each of the Operating Companies. CAA-GK received a re-certification, while CAA-BAV received the pre-assessment report of the CPC Certification in December 2015. We will continue our efforts to have the entire Group certified, since we are convinced that our success starts with satisfied clients who understand and appreciate our products.
Way forward
The Company will continue to focus on executing its ambitious growth plans, thereby maintaining its leading position in the microfinance industry across India and Southeast Asia. This entails the expansion of its position in the geographical markets in which it is active, increasing its loan portfolio and client base organically, while at the same time focusing relentlessly on optimising operational processes, leveraging cross synergies and implementing technological innovations to stay ahead of competition. Furthermore, we will start up activities in Vietnam which should only slightly contribute to the results in financial year FY 2017 and FY 2018, but will have a great potential for the years thereafter. All in all, we believe that these are exciting times for all of us, expanding the Company in a profitable manner, maintaining its competitive and leading position, and taking the next step in becoming a publicly listed Company in due course. The successfull IPO of Equitas on the Mumbai Stock Exchange, which was then followed by the listing of Ujjivan (India) mark, very important graduation for the whole industry which is now backed by the large mainstream financial investors and no longer by only a few specialty or industry focused financial players. Last but not least, the Company is currently in advanced negotiation with strategic institutional investors for a primary issue of capital of up to € 65 million and for the early conversion of certain convertible debt financing securities. The Board of Directors will present the outcome of the negotiations to the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company for final deliberations. This round of capital increase is instrumental in meeting the financial needs of the Group under the strategic plan and would mark a further strengthening of the shareholders base which is a key success factor in view of the listing on the capital markets. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank all our staff whose hard work and commitment has made these achievements possible. I look forward to your continued efforts in maintaining our competitive position and building on our future success every day.
Paolo Brichetti
Chief Executive Officer


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All American Indoor Sports offers Lil' Kickers classes all year long. Enrollment is always open and classes are pro-rated!
All American Indoor Sports is your ultimate birthday party destination! Our party packages are guaranteed to entertain your pint-sized party animals.
Our 4V4 leagues offer fast-paced games with fewer players competing on a smaller size field. Games allow young soccer players to develop their skills in a fun environment.


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Crochet Afghans by the Pound Book
- Brand: Leisure Arts
Wonderful yarn companies know that when it comes to yarn, crocheters think big. So they've created for use great big balls of yarn that weight a whole pound - sixteen ounces - each. A pound is a LOT of yarn. A pound will let you make a baby afghan or a small throw; add another pound or two, and the afghans you can make are endless.
These big one-pound skeins come in a wide range of favorite colors, and you will find them addictive, a bit like chocolates. So get your hook and a few pounds of yarn and start making Afghans by the Pound.
Paperback; 32 Pages
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All new freshmen who will complete a degree at CSC are required to take First Year Inquiry (FYI) for a total of 6 credit hours. FYI courses help students develop the inquiry, critical thinking, research and communication skills need to be successful in the classroom and the workforce.
Students can take one 6 credit FYI course OR two 3 credit FYI courses. When completing your Ready to Register form, you have the option to choose from a selection of FYI courses with open seats. Changes to your FYI can be made at a New Eagle Registration & Orientation, where additional choices may become available to you.
Choose an FYI based on a topic you will ENJOY an this is imperative to your success in the course. You will find a list of FYI courses and their descriptions below.
In this course, you will examine the challenges of answering questions about prehistoric people's adaptation to a changing environment through the application of historical and earth science tools and techniques. Ultimately, you will explore the dynamics of communicating scientific information in the form of natural and cultural history with the public.
This course examines the history of the American highway in the twentieth century--how highways came to be and what consequences they had for American history, literature and film. The road has been the means by which the western frontier has been expanded; it has also been the locus of escape, exile, dispossession and self-discovery. The road, both actual and imagined, has created a body of literature and film that is distinctly American.
Adolescence spans the years from eleven to nineteen, a time of dramatic physical, emotional, and intellectual changes. Early, middle, and late adolescent development is a unique time of life as puberty, changing gender roles, and more autonomous relationships with parents as peers grow and develop. Adolescent development will be explored from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives.
This course aims to give students the needed foundation for both a physically and financially healthy life by addressing the components of each and how they are interrelated.
A study of the historic, political, economic, psychological, and social influences of fashion in the global community. Critical thinking and practical reasoning skills will be incorporated with the inquiry process to develop informed, conscientious consumer decisions.
Humans are social creatures. We live our lives in community with others. We are also imperfect creatures. We continually make mistakes, and these mistakes often bring harm to other humans within our communities, thereby damaging those social relationships on which we depend. As a result, we engage in various practices aimed at repairing this damage. One of these reparative practices is the practice of forgiveness. In this class, we will examine this human practice of forgiveness from a variety of different perspectives: psychology, religion, politics, and philosophy. We will consider questions about the value of forgiveness and the challenges of forgiving.
This course is designed to teach students to be literate consumers of media in its multiple forms. The course situates media in the capitalist economic system and provides students with techniques of interpretation and analysis of media texts and practices. Students will analyze various media content through group discussions, exercises and essays that will culminate in the production of a digital media critique.
This course will emphasize principles of skeptical inquiry and scientific reasoning to prepare students to critically analyze promotional claims made in the health marketplace for products, services, and practices. The course is designed to help students distinguish health-related fact from fiction and to spot health-related schemes, scams, superstitions, sensationalism, fads, fallacies, frauds, quackery and general bunk. Students will engage in critical thinking, critical inquiry, and creative problem solving as they learn and discuss how consumers can improve the value and validity of their health-related expenditures.
The course focuses on the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, with an emphasis on human ecology, as explore and expressed through disciplines in both the arts (writing, film, the visual and performing arts, etc.) and the sciences (especially in the arena of agriculture and rangeland management). Wherever possible, emphasis will be placed on examples from the Great Plains Region and close to home. The three thematic units include: The Land (rangeland ecology); The Homestead (animal science and livestock management); and The Wilderness (hunting, recreation and wildlife management).
Students will examine diverse disciplinary contributions to an understanding of learning as an art of engaging the world creatively.
This course investigates the relationship of humans and animals by examining the role animals play in human society and culture, and the interactions humans have with animals. Students will examine these relationships through the lens of the emerging interdisciplinary field of human-animal studies which comprises work in social sciences (sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science), humanities (history, literary criticism, philosophy, geography), and the natural sciences (ethology, veterinary medicine, animal welfare science, and comparative psychology), as well as the fields of wildlife management and agriculture.
Students will describe and practice skills involved in critical inquiry and creative problem solving through interdisciplinary, collaborative engagement of information and knowledge as power in the business and educational setting.
Our inquiry will focus on experiential learning that engages in service opportunities within our community as an integral part of our course. According to a recent study, "Service-learning enhances a 'traditional learning' course by allowing students the opportunity to link theory with practice, apply classroom learning to real-life situations, and provide students with a deeper understanding of course content" and that "service-learning may strengthen students' sense of civic responsibility as well as aiding them in dispelling any stereotypes they may hold regarding the population in which they are interacting." Students in such courses benefit from increased awareness of career options to which they might apply their learning, reinforcement of career choices, greater civic responsibility and commitment to service, enhanced critical thinking, communication skills, leadership, awareness of social responsibility and respect for cultural diversity.
This course will be a critical inquiry into deceptive behavior. Deceptive behavior will be identified and explored through: verbal statements, physical illustrators, behavioral analysis, and written documents. Students will actively participate in identifying these deceptive behaviors through group activities, a critical analysis of interviews and interrogations, fingerprint identification, and linguistic statement analysis.
Discussion of various sports and the relationships of the sports to exercise science and mathematics. We will explore how the body works when hitting a baseball, hitting a golf ball, playing billiards, shooting a basketball, and playing tennis. From this, we will integrate mathematics through the use of statistics, geometry, and trigonometry. Students will be asked to participate in various aspects of each of the above named activities.
Opinions-we all have them. They vary widely on many topics and issues. But how do we form them and how well do we express them? Our opinions say a lot about who we are and what we stand for. In this course, we will explore the critical thinking skills necessary to develop informed opinions. In honestly evaluating our beliefs and those of others, we will also be on the lookout for the emergence of surprising and unexpected insights for it is in the examination of these new insights that we reaffirm current opinions or begin to shape new ones. Students will develop skills to enhance critical thinking and communication by engaging in such activities as reading and writing opinion columns, documentary film reviews, and social problems perspectives. Students will also read, listen to, write, and record personal philosophy essays for submission to National Public Radio.
The purpose of this course is to examine our culture's fascination with monsters and magic in Film, TV, Literature, and other mediums of entertainment, using methods and practices of inquiry from Literary, Gender, Film, and Race Studies.
Music is omnipresent in film, television, and advertisements. Artists, cinematographers, and advertisers all use music to influence their target audience. This course examines the fundamentals of music, the psychology of music, and how music is used and manipulated to illicit an emotional response in the listener. Your Brain on Music explores the psychology of music and the connection between music and the human brain. This course culminates with a project combining music and images.
A recurring issue in American life is overweight and obesity. This course provides the opportunity for you (students) to inquire and come to conclusions about weight loss methods and diets (weight management), based on the science of nutrition and the theme of wellness. Whether you desire to lose weight, or you want to work with others in resolving their weight issues and maximizing wellness, this course may be for you! This course will help you unlock the mysteries of nutrition, weight, and wellness.
Music is universal to world cultures, and music can act as a language. However music is not a universal language. How is music produced? What are the fundamental components? What is common to different cultures? Opening Pandora's Music Box explores the physiology and cultural aspects of creating music. Students will explore the motivation for the creation and appreciation of music. The course culminates with a project creating new sounds.
The interaction of mankind and plant-derived products will be explored in a critical inquiry of conditions and issues of cultivation, harvesting, and preparation; religious and medicinal use; trade and economics; and social and societal consequences.
Human relationships in the 21st century will be explored in all dimensions: Social and familial, biological and physical, cognitive and psychological. Development of positive interpersonal relationships, improved communication skills, personal sexual health awareness, responsible decision-making, and critical thinking skills will be the focus of this study.
A common theory studied in developmental courses is Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs. This course is a study of Maslow's theory as it applies to the traditional college age student. From the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, to the higher needs of esteem and self-actualization, this course asks students to discover the methods and means of making considered choices, regarding basic needs.
This course will explore zombies in popular culture and address a broad range of zombie representations: race, gender, war, the other democracy, wealth inequality, family, loss and trauma and the pleasure of consumption. The course will incorporate readings from a variety of disciplines: media studies, political economy, film studies, consumer culture, and philosophy. Students will produce critical essays and a group project presentation.


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Blog Archive | LGBT Rights
Senator Bacik calls for debate on homophobia and free speech
Posted on February 04, 2014
Order of Business
Senator Ivana Bacik: First, I wish our colleague, Senator Feargal Quinn, well. I understand today marks an important anniversary in that it is his 21st year in the Seanad. I know all of us will want to join in those good wishes to him.
Senator Bacik calls for debate on climate change, and welcomes Minister Shatter's comments regarding children of same-sex couples
Posted on January 22, 2014
Order of Business
Call for a debate on homophobia - draconian Russian laws (Order of Business)
Posted on June 18, 2013
Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Section 37.1)
Posted on March 13, 2013
Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Senator Ivana Bacik: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and thank her for taking the Bill on behalf of the Government.
Senator Bacik asks for the remit of the ASAI to be extended
Posted on June 28, 2012
Order of Business Thursday, 28 June 2012
Senator Ivana Bacik: I know the Leader will address the issue of the insolvency Bill. I do not think there will be any difficulty about sitting longer to have that debate. I said previously that the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality report on the insolvency Bill, following two days of hearings, would be a useful topic for debate.
Senator speaking on the report of the Garda Inspectorate, Domestic Violence and the Civil Partnership Bill
Posted on January 28, 2010
Order of Business
Senator Ivana Bacik: I add my voice to Senator Alex White's tribute to the very distinguished public servant who died this week, Mr. Paddy MacKernan. He was a former Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs and I knew him personally. He was a remarkable man, warm and generous, with a distinguished public service career serving as a diplomat in many Irish embassies and as Secretary General. I note his passing and extend my sympathies to his wife Caitríona and his family.
Senator Bacik calls for debates on the ownership of national schools, the Climate Protection Bill, and the Civil Partnership Bill.
Posted on June 17, 2009
Order of Business
Senator Bacik speaking on Crumlin Children's Hospital.
Posted on June 16, 2009
Order of Business
Senator Ivana Bacik: I join my colleagues in congratulating former Senator Alan Kelly on his election to the European Parliament. Not only did he run a great campaign but he was, I think, the only candidate to have his own rap song, which I understand has become a cult classic on YouTube. I also congratulate the councillors who were elected lord mayor, particularly Emer Costello, the new lord mayor of Dublin. I concur with other Senators on the need for local government reform to ensure real powers for people in those offices.
Posted on October 23, 2008
Order of Business
Senator Bacik speaking on Universal Access and Civil Partnership
Posted on October 22, 2008
Order of Business


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Gold futures were a little higher Tuesday early morning as U.S stocks were set for a rough start following the other day's rebound.
On a day bereft of first-tier economic data, a speaker from the Federal Reserve was again the focus of traders.
Cleveland Fed President Mester said she sees inflation slowly moving up to 2% target over next one to two years. That suggests the Fed needs to raise interest rates at a speed "comparable" to last year's three modest rate walkings, she added.
Gold was up $4 at $1330 an ounce, additional trimming lst week's decrease. Gold rates have been fairly stable during the current collpse in U.S. stocks. The precious metal is valued in times of financial unpredictability or market changes.
The material has been offered by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com


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Organized by last name.
|2019 - 2020
Room 110, STATE CAPITOL, 651.296.5560
MINNESOTA SENATE ninety LEGISLATURE
|2019 - 2020
Chief Author List
Saturday, February 16, 2019
SF 219 Marty; Eken; Bakk; Torres Ray; Lourey
HF 358 Bly
Revisor No.: 17-1198
Topic: Health and Health Department (MDH)
Short Description: Minnesota health plan, Minnesota health board, Minnesota health fund, office of health quality and planning, ombudsman for patient advocacy and auditor general for the Minnesota health plan creation and appropriation
SF 596 Marty; Senjem; Cohen; Pappas; Hawj
HF 716 Lesch
Revisor No.: 17-2305
Topic: Zoos
Short Description: Como Zoo habitat preservation exhibit renovation bond issue and appropriation
SF 597 Marty; Cohen; Pappas; Hawj; Senjem
HF 715 Lesch
Revisor No.: 17-2304
Topic: Zoos
Short Description: Como Zoo and conservatory appropriation
SF 828 Marty; Cwodzinski; Dziedzic; Dibble; Torres Ray
Revisor No.: 17-0981
Topic: Plants, Seeds, and Nurseries
Short Description: Plants and nursery stock labeling requirements modification
SF 829 Marty; Dziedzic
Revisor No.: 17-0983
Topic: Motor Vehicles
Short Description: Electric vehicle promotion program establishment
SF 1082 Marty; Clausen; Carlson; Cwodzinski; Wiklund
HF 2139 Dehn, R.
Revisor No.: 17-3070
Topic: Resolutions
Short Description: Resolution requesting that Congress clarify that the rights protected under the Constitution are the rights of natural persons and not the rights of artificial entities and that spending money to influence elections is not speech under the First Amendment; asking that Congress propose a constitutional amendment to provide such a clarification
SF 1083 Marty; Laine; Carlson
HF 645 Liebling
Revisor No.: 17-0838
Topic: Legislature
Short Description: Former legislators and certain legislative employees lobbying activities prohibition
SF 1084 Marty; Dziedzic; Pappas; Laine; Klein
HF 1174 Hausman
Revisor No.: 17-2839
Topic: Arts
Short Description: Bell Museum of Natural History expanded programming, operations and maintenance appropriation
SF 1299 Marty; Eaton; Klein; Hayden
HF 1894 Liebling
Revisor No.: 17-3407
Topic: Health and Health Department (MDH)
Short Description: Primary care case management program establishment; medical assistance (MA) and MinnesotaCare direct contracting authorization
SF 1318 Marty; Torres Ray; Eaton; Hawj; Carlson
HF 1965 Flanagan
Revisor No.: 17-2996
Topic: Wages and Salaries
Short Description: Minimum wage increase, working family credit increase; child care assistance increase to all low-income workers, MFIP grants increase and appropriations
SF 1387 Marty; Eken; Clausen; Cwodzinski; Frentz
HF 879 Rosenthal
Revisor No.: 17-0720
Topic: Senior Citizens
Short Description: Financial exploitation of seniors and vulnerable adults education and outreach program establishment and appropriation
SF 1488 Marty; Pappas
HF 1520 Lesch
Revisor No.: 17-2508
Topic: Legal Proceedings
Short Description: Merchant private precharge programs prohibition
SF 1532 Marty
HF 437 Schultz
Revisor No.: 17-0632
Short Description: Economic welfare measurement establishment and inclusion in state budget forecast authorization; genuine progress indicator appropriation
SF 1854 Marty; Dibble; Lourey; Torres Ray; Dziedzic
HF 2246 Maye Quade
Revisor No.: 17-3615
Topic: Health and Health Department (MDH)
Short Description: Conversion therapy with children or vulnerable adults prohibition and medical assistance (MA) coverage for conversion therapy prohibition
SF 1855 Marty; Wiger; Wiklund; Relph
HF 2174 Jessup
Revisor No.: 17-3705
Topic: Counties-Specific
Short Description: Ramsey county supported work program for people with disabilities positions selection
SF 1873 Marty; Wiger; Kent; Clausen
HF 97 Freiberg
Revisor No.: 17-1003
Topic: Education-Pre-Kindergarten-12
Short Description: State education system innovative incubator service-learning grants program establishment and appropriations
SF 1949 Marty; Clausen; Kent; Dibble
HF 1972 Freiberg
Revisor No.: 17-3839
Topic: Associations and Societies
Short Description: Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration grant appropriation
SF 1975 Marty; Clausen; Dziedzic
Revisor No.: 17-0554
Topic: University of Minnesota (U of M)
Short Description: Forever Green Agriculture Initiative grant appropriation
SF 1976 Marty; Carlson; Laine
HF 2503 Lee
Revisor No.: 17-3950
Short Description: Conference committee and budget negotiations open to public requirement; public officials economic interests disclosure modification; former public servants lobbying restriction and disclosure; lobbying activity reports; campaign contributions disclosure; expressly advocating and electioneering modifications
SF 1977 Marty
HF 348 Hornstein
Revisor No.: 17-1034
Topic: Taxation-Corporate
Short Description: Domestic corporations definition expansion to include foreign corporations incorporated into tax havens
SF 2003 Marty; Laine; Klein; Wiklund
HF 1848 Kunesh-Podein
Revisor No.: 17-3672
Topic: Health and Health Department (MDH)
Short Description: Health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements for persons with liver or pancreas diseases authorization
SF 2059 Marty; Eken; Lourey
HF 750 Bly
Revisor No.: 17-0564
Topic: Agriculture and Agriculture Department
Short Description: Organic agriculture transition grants appropriation
SF 2250 Marty; Clausen; Dziedzic
HF 1076 Bly
Revisor No.: 17-2932
Topic: University of Minnesota (U of M)
Short Description: Forever Green Agriculture Initiative grant appropriation
SF 2251 Marty; Clausen; Cwodzinski
HF 2318 Ward
Revisor No.: 17-3894
Topic: Environment
Short Description: Low and zero-emission school buses support and emission reduction activities grants appropriation
SF 2316 Marty; Torres Ray; Carlson
HF 2605 Hausman
Revisor No.: 17-4365
Topic: Transportation and Transportation Department (DOT)
Short Description: Metropolitan council and greater Minnesota transit systems transit fares reduction requirement
SF 2326 Marty
HF 2710 Hausman
Revisor No.: 17-4449
Topic: Constitutional Amendments
Short Description: Constitutional amendment providing for single house legislature
SF 2593 Marty; Hawj; Latz; Bigham
HF 3517 Slocum
Revisor No.: 18-5227
Topic: Consumer Protection
Short Description: Security freeze regulation and fee prohibition
SF 2647 Marty; Cwodzinski; Hawj; Jensen
HF 3176 Kunesh-Podein
Revisor No.: 18-5641
Topic: Constitutional Amendments
Short Description: Constitutional amendment changing process for filling vacancy for office of lieutenant governor
SF 2750 Marty; Laine; Limmer; Nelson; Hall
HF 3184 Kunesh-Podein
Revisor No.: 18-6032
Topic: Crimes and Criminals
Short Description: Nonconsensual, intentional touching of another person's clothed buttocks fifth degree criminal sexual conduct exclusion elimination
SF 3112 Marty; Dziedzic; Cohen; Hawj
HF 3489 Hausman
Revisor No.: 18-6202
Topic: Arts
Short Description: Bell Museum of Natural History grant appropriation
SF 3164 Marty; Laine; Carlson; Eaton
Revisor No.: 18-6533
Topic: Elections
Short Description: Campaign contributions acceptance conflict of interest establishment; penalties, lobbyist contributions disclosure requirements; public subsidy payments for candidates provisions modifications
SF 3215 Marty; Pappas; Hawj
HF 3476 Lesch
Revisor No.: 18-6243
Topic: Zoos
Short Description: St. Paul Como Zoo asset preservation grant bond issue and appropriation
SF 3396 Marty; Dibble; Eaton
HF 3319 Clark
Revisor No.: 18-6160
Topic: Mines and Mining
Short Description: Mining operations estimated costs of adverse human health impacts for financial assurance determination
SF 3397 Marty; Frentz; Dibble; Simonson
Revisor No.: 18-6390
Topic: Energy
Short Description: Solar energy incentive program modification
SF 3946 Marty; Dibble
HF 4219 Wagenius
Revisor No.: 18-7376
Topic: Energy
Short Description: Rental properties energy conservation grant program creation and appropriation
SF 3965 Marty; Hawj; Cohen
Revisor No.: 18-7581
Topic: Cities and Towns-Specific
Short Description: St. Paul Cameroon Plaza community center appropriation and bond issue
SF 4007 Marty
HF 4436 Hornstein
Revisor No.: 18-7648
Topic: Corporations and Partnerships
Short Description: Foreign corporations federal provisions relating to taxation adoption
SF 4054 Marty; Eken; Jensen; Klein
HF 4491 Liebling
Revisor No.: 18-5404
Topic: Legislature
Short Description: Per diem payment to the legislature preclusion
SF 4086 Marty; Torres Ray; Hawj; Champion; Dibble
HF 4517 Bly
Revisor No.: 18-7799
Topic: Energy
Short Description: Minnesota Carbon Assessment and Rebate Act
SF 4113 Marty; Eaton; Carlson; Laine
HF 4540 Lee
Revisor No.: 18-7236
Topic: Elections
Short Description: Campaign finance provisions modifications; express advocacy definition modification; campaign advertisements disclosures and electioneering communication disclosures requirement