FOR many Nigerians living in London, the deeper heart of England can
be like a foreign country rarely ventured into. After a two-hour drive
from the city, we lose ourselves for another hour or so in the Suffolk
countryside, looking for the home of Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, artist to
Queen Elizabeth II and a major participant in last year’s CHOGM
‘Celebrate’ exhibition.
We finally reach our destination, guided
by Roy’s assistant who helpfully waits on a quiet country lane to save
us further perambulating. It would be hard to imagine a home more
perfect for an artist than Roy’s. Set on generous grounds in a tranquil
idyll,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads
from china, the house — a former mill — looks like something out of the
Robert Redford film A River Runs Through It. It is an immediate feast
for my six-year-old’s imagination.
As we alight from the car, he
exclaims: “Wow!”, sighting chickens roaming free. The average London
child only ever sees live chickens on television. Then he swoops the
other way and lets out another round of excited ‘wows’ at the river that
passes right under the house. From her office inside, the artist can
hear the river rushing beneath and can see it gushing through right
outside her window.
Excitable six-year-olds aside, we are here
to talk, over a light lunch, about Chinwe Roy’s work and her new London
exhibition, Seeing In Colours. The new works focus on the artist’s
“passion for colours and her desire to make them sing.”
A
colourist who is also strong on drawing, Roy explains that the title of
the exhibition chose itself “because I see in colours.” Some have
described the brightness of her work as ‘the heat of Africa’, and she
would tend to agree: “I believe my Africaness always comes out in my
work.” She reasons that being away from Africa brings about an enhanced
image of the continent in her artist’s mind, allowing her to feel more
acutely because of the dislocation. The Flame of the Forest — Roy’s
favourite tree — defies her dislocation theory since its “colour can
never be more acute in the mind because it is very strong.”
Chinwe
Roy’s eighth artistic impression of the Flame of the Forest features in
the exhibition. An earlier one in the series hangs on a wall in her
homely kitchen; it is a study of one that grew in her old school in
Nigeria. The tree acquired an even greater significance when Roy’s
sister died during childbirth some years ago.
Visiting Nigeria
for six weeks for the burial, the artist had arrived during the
flowering season to see every one of her beloved tree in full flame.
Towards the end of the six-week stay, her car broke down under one Flame
of the Forest that was beginning to fade; all its reds were on the
ground. The tree came to represent Roy’s sense of loss at the death of
her sister. She says: “It has become a symbol of me, for me, of that
time.”
The artist adopted her late sister’s baby girl and
returned with the little one to England just one week before having to
paint her most famous subject — the Queen.
“Nothing ever happens
the way you expect”, says the artist, who went for her first session
with the monarch still grieving. As things were then, the Queen was just
another person to paint; and Chinwe Roy went into Buckingham Palace
thinking: “If this is anything to do with life, please take it away God
because I want my sister back.”
Once inside, it suddenly
occurred to her that she didn’t know how to curtsy. She started
practising but panicked at the thought of being observed on hidden
cameras by amused guards. And courtiers, told that Roy did not want the
Queen to sit, replied: “We can’t tell her that. You tell her.”
When
the monarch made her entrance later, she was surprisingly co-operative
and stood without a fuss. She recalled having met Roy at the unveiling
of her portrait of Chief Emeka Anyaoku and, seeing that the artist was
nervous, started telling jokes. Roy at first resisted the urge to laugh
in front of the Queen of England but in the end gave in, laughing till
tears streamed down her face.
She wept for real when the royal
asked how many children she had, her thoughts turning to her new ‘third
child’ and her late sister. Posing on another occasion, it became clear
that the Queen had not forgotten Roy’s emotional state during the first
session. She asked after the artist’s children, wanting to know if her
sons were getting on with her new daughter. “I was impressed with her”,
says Roy, whose account shows the human side of a monarch often accused
of being out of touch with the feelings of ordinary people.
Viewing
the result of the first session on canvas, the Queen had expressed her
approval. “When I walked out of Buckingham Palace, my feet didn’t touch
the ground”, recalls the artist.
Praise for the Golden Jubilee
portrait of the Queen came from across the board and has enhanced Chinwe
Roy’s portfolio. She does not feel pigeonholed by the tag ‘artist to
the Queen’, as it has helped highlight her other works without
overshadowing them. Not bad for a lady who first started drawing and
painting in her spare time.
Discussing the state of the arts in
Nigeria, Roy laments the fact that art is not seen as a profession in
the country; and that those with artistic abilities get neither the
encouragement nor the facilities. Only a handful of schools taught art
when she was growing up in Nigeria, says the artist,Posts with indoor tracking
system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel
indoors. who observes that the situation remains the same.
Keen
to stress that celebrated artists abound in the West only because they
are given the opportunity, Roy points out: “When you are in Nigeria, you
don’t have the opportunity.” She sought to address this in the CHOGM
exhibition for which all the states of Nigeria were asked to send at
least one child to Abuja. Sponsored by companies like Guinness and MTN,
and with the very best art materials supplied by UK-based Windsor &
Newton, the schools education programme lasted four days.Find detailed
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and other products. According to Roy, it was “a very uplifting
experience with some exceptionally talented children who were very
hungry to learn. It was most humbling and at the same time
rejuvenating.”
Some of the participating artists also spent time
talking to the children in the workshop. Chinwe Roy still remembers
“the looks on the kids’ faces, it was so important to meet the artists.”
When at one point the Heads of States’ Conference Room was not
in use, she took the children inside and encouraged them to sit on the
chairs, telling them: “You can do this one day. This chair is not too
big for you.”
Today, she worries that there is no framework in
place for this kind of art education programme to continue but hopes
something was ignited in the children who would have thought: “If this
tiny woman can do it, so can we.”
On the whole, Roy believes there is “still a long way to go” in Nigeria on all things concerning the arts.
Expressing
admiration for fellow CHOGM exhibitor Bruce Onobrakpeya, Roy reports
seeing artists all over England using the style of printing he
originated. She never misses the opportunity to tell them a Nigerian
started it, and sees hers and Onobrakpeya’s work as representing two
different faces of Nigeria.
Asked what her ‘face of Nigeria’ is,
Roy concedes that it is difficult to put a finger on it, but insists:
“No Englishman, European or American can pick up my pictures and claim
it. They can say it’s universal but they cannot claim it.” Her portrait
of the Queen features many places of the Commonwealth in the background,
and someone once remarked upon Nigeria’s omission from the work. “That
signature at the bottom; where does it come from?”, was Chinwe Roy’s
reply. She declares: “My work is me, what I feel about things is me,
what I am is Nigerian.”
“The peak of civilization is art”,
states Roy, who would like to see African governments creating an
environment where people can learn, understand and use art to express
themselves. “Try to find out about Nigeria five hundred years ago, all
you get is art... You get the knowledge that in those days people
appreciated art. Kings, rich, poor, even groups - commissioned art. If
they didn’t, it wouldn’t be as advanced as it was. Five hundred years
from now, what will they find?” She cites examples of Europeans who
claimed that Africa was not civilized enough to produce art only to eat
their words on seeing pieces like the Bronzes; and paraphrases one that
famously said: “I have to admit that these barbarians are more civilized
than we are.”
My son, playing nearby, suddenly takes interest
and asks Roy: “What are barbarians?” She explains gently: “That’s a word
that people who are not intelligent use about other people.”
The artist regularly finds herself fending off those who argue that Africa has no art.High quality stone mosaic
tiles. “When I see people who are carving I tell them ‘please sign it
because when you are gone, no one will know who you are’”, says Roy, who
knows that some Westerners like to dismiss the value of Africa’s
ancient works on the grounds that they are unsigned.Largest gemstone beads
and jewelry making supplies at wholesale prices. She also rebuffs
suggestions that Africans of old didn’t commission art and points
detractors to communal commissioning. “You want a masquerade and you go
to the carvers and say what you want made for a particular occasion;
what’s the difference between that and modern commissioning?”, she asks.
And when others tell her that Africans didn’t hang their paintings on
walls, she fires back: “Why do I have to look at my art the way you look
at yours to call it art?”
Roy suggests that African shrines
form the basis of some conceptual arts of Europe, observing that “they
are taking the ideas, making their work from it and calling it Modern
European Art.” In her view, all these illustrate why Africans must
promote the importance of their own artistic expressions. She says of
life Britain: “When you are in this country, you realise how much they
look down on you and you know that the only person who can hold you up
and say ‘I am something’ is you.”
2012年12月28日 星期五
Fabulous Fireplaces
My friend, Dean, who lives at the top of a Sausalito hill overlooking
the San Francisco Bay, has two focal points. One, of course, is the
spectacular view beyond his living room’s floor to ceiling windows. The
other is a fireplace in the same room. This fireplace is incorporated
into a freestanding wall that acts as a room divider with a dining room
on the other side. The wall is seven feet wide, 14 feet high, and is
surrounded by a raised hearth. While the wall’s size is impressive, the
fireplace is not. Dean’s house and furnishings are contemporary, but his
fireplace is a combination of out-dated porcelain tile and oak trim.
After years of discussing design options, Dean has finally chosen one. It’s easy and does not require any demolition — other than removing the oak molding which is a snap. We’re calling upon a mutual friend and Venetian plasterer who will apply skim coats to the tile in a pre-pigmented color of our choosing. He’ll also carry the plaster around all four sides of the wall and up to the ceiling. His final coat will be perfectly smooth in keeping with a modern look. As a final touch, instead of hanging a piece of art above the fireplace, we’ll inset a tall, oversized mirror into the plaster. This will reinforce Dean’s contemporary style and also reflect his mesmerizing view.
The second fireplace fix is set in a young neighborhood in north Napa. The house was built in a Mediterranean style. But, as in Dean’s case, the fireplace curiously did not suit this architecture. Its opening was surrounded by 12-inch non-descript (and probably overstocked) granite tile. This fix was even easier than Dean’s. We just swapped the granite with a new tile.
To acknowledge the Mediterranean architecture, my client could have chosen any of several stone tiles such as travertine, marble, or limestone, and in any size or shape. Such a choice would have been neutral enough to work with a variety of furniture styles. But she wanted more zing. She also wanted to make a selection that would define the style of the rest of her house. She’s always been a fan of Spanish courtyards with their colorful and intricately patterned tiled fountains. You’ve seen them — four-inch red clay bodies usually painted in Moorish colors like indigo blue, sunflower yellow, terracotta, and ivory. My client’s choice was brave and bold and has proven to be her favorite decorative element and centerpiece of her home.
The third fireplace fix addresses a configuration common in many homes. That is, centered (or not) on an otherwise empty wall. A popular approach that adds both function and flair is to build custom-sized cabinets on either side of the fireplace. Built-ins not only add storage space but can reinforce the architectural style of the house. For instance, a rustic ranch home might call for clear, knotty alder cabinets whereas a mid-century home might use a combination of stainless steel and glass.
A downtown Danielson business owner is looking for more police and new ordinances to help curb nuisance crime in the Main Street shopping district.Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot.
Don Dauphinias, owner of Danielson Adventure Sports and president of the Main Street Inc. business coalition, recently asked the Town Council to consider adding another resident state trooper to the four-person force, an addition he said will address a host of issues.
“It’s the loitering, the littering and the domestic arguments I want to see taken care of,” Dauphinias said. “If you take monitor and care of the little things, it stops the bigger issues from coming up. We saw a slew of incidents, like stabbings and brawling, this year that we hadn’t seen before.
Three years ago, Main Street Inc., the town and the Danielson Borough raised $30,000 to fund a special overtime account that paid for a trooper to patrol the downtown area at nontraditional times, such as Thursday and Friday nights and Saturdays. But that money is long since spent,High quality stone mosaic tiles. said Town Manager Bruce Benway, who noted the town’s last budget cycle paid the full $30,000 after contributions from the borough and Main Street Inc. never materialized.
“I would not have a problem bringing the subject of another resident state trooper to the council,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. though I would have an issue having that trooper dedicated just to the borough,” Benway said. “About 60 percent of law enforcement activity is for outside the borough.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors.”
The council five years ago proposed adding a resident state trooper to the town’s cadre, a proposal voters rejected before the final budget was approved.
Dauphinias said another big part of his downtown clean-up effort involves re-tooling existing ordinances — or creating new ones — to address aesthetics.
“That includes grass heights on laws and dealing with abandoned cars in the area,” he said. “We’ve got landlords and tenants that don’t take care of their properties and the ordinances on the books should be enforced.”
Benway said the town does not have a property maintenance code, but limits to two the number of cars allowed on a property.
“And in every other jurisdiction I’ve worked they were never adopted,” he said.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, “They’re difficult to enforce; we’d have to add extra personnel to do that. We do follow-up checks on complaints we receive.”
After years of discussing design options, Dean has finally chosen one. It’s easy and does not require any demolition — other than removing the oak molding which is a snap. We’re calling upon a mutual friend and Venetian plasterer who will apply skim coats to the tile in a pre-pigmented color of our choosing. He’ll also carry the plaster around all four sides of the wall and up to the ceiling. His final coat will be perfectly smooth in keeping with a modern look. As a final touch, instead of hanging a piece of art above the fireplace, we’ll inset a tall, oversized mirror into the plaster. This will reinforce Dean’s contemporary style and also reflect his mesmerizing view.
The second fireplace fix is set in a young neighborhood in north Napa. The house was built in a Mediterranean style. But, as in Dean’s case, the fireplace curiously did not suit this architecture. Its opening was surrounded by 12-inch non-descript (and probably overstocked) granite tile. This fix was even easier than Dean’s. We just swapped the granite with a new tile.
To acknowledge the Mediterranean architecture, my client could have chosen any of several stone tiles such as travertine, marble, or limestone, and in any size or shape. Such a choice would have been neutral enough to work with a variety of furniture styles. But she wanted more zing. She also wanted to make a selection that would define the style of the rest of her house. She’s always been a fan of Spanish courtyards with their colorful and intricately patterned tiled fountains. You’ve seen them — four-inch red clay bodies usually painted in Moorish colors like indigo blue, sunflower yellow, terracotta, and ivory. My client’s choice was brave and bold and has proven to be her favorite decorative element and centerpiece of her home.
The third fireplace fix addresses a configuration common in many homes. That is, centered (or not) on an otherwise empty wall. A popular approach that adds both function and flair is to build custom-sized cabinets on either side of the fireplace. Built-ins not only add storage space but can reinforce the architectural style of the house. For instance, a rustic ranch home might call for clear, knotty alder cabinets whereas a mid-century home might use a combination of stainless steel and glass.
A downtown Danielson business owner is looking for more police and new ordinances to help curb nuisance crime in the Main Street shopping district.Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot.
Don Dauphinias, owner of Danielson Adventure Sports and president of the Main Street Inc. business coalition, recently asked the Town Council to consider adding another resident state trooper to the four-person force, an addition he said will address a host of issues.
“It’s the loitering, the littering and the domestic arguments I want to see taken care of,” Dauphinias said. “If you take monitor and care of the little things, it stops the bigger issues from coming up. We saw a slew of incidents, like stabbings and brawling, this year that we hadn’t seen before.
Three years ago, Main Street Inc., the town and the Danielson Borough raised $30,000 to fund a special overtime account that paid for a trooper to patrol the downtown area at nontraditional times, such as Thursday and Friday nights and Saturdays. But that money is long since spent,High quality stone mosaic tiles. said Town Manager Bruce Benway, who noted the town’s last budget cycle paid the full $30,000 after contributions from the borough and Main Street Inc. never materialized.
“I would not have a problem bringing the subject of another resident state trooper to the council,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. though I would have an issue having that trooper dedicated just to the borough,” Benway said. “About 60 percent of law enforcement activity is for outside the borough.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors.”
The council five years ago proposed adding a resident state trooper to the town’s cadre, a proposal voters rejected before the final budget was approved.
Dauphinias said another big part of his downtown clean-up effort involves re-tooling existing ordinances — or creating new ones — to address aesthetics.
“That includes grass heights on laws and dealing with abandoned cars in the area,” he said. “We’ve got landlords and tenants that don’t take care of their properties and the ordinances on the books should be enforced.”
Benway said the town does not have a property maintenance code, but limits to two the number of cars allowed on a property.
“And in every other jurisdiction I’ve worked they were never adopted,” he said.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, “They’re difficult to enforce; we’d have to add extra personnel to do that. We do follow-up checks on complaints we receive.”
Williams caught 'off-guard' by Avery Johnson firing
“It caught me off-guard,” Williams said following the team’s
shootaround Friday morning ahead of Friday night’s game against the
Bobcats.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. “He was coach of the month last month.
“We did struggle the last 13 games or so, but I felt like we have a great team, we had a great coach, we had some good wins, and we just needed to get back to playing the way we were playing in November and forget about the way we played in December. We had some good things going in practice and things we were working on, and it was just a matter of putting it together.”
The Nets were unable to put it together in time to save Johnson’s job, however, having dropped 10 of their 13 games this month. Much of the blame for that has fallen at the feet of Williams, who became the official face of the franchise’s first season in Brooklyn after his decision to re-sign with the Nets this summer as part of their massive re-tooling of their roster that cost more than $330 million dollars.
But while Williams insisted that he wasn’t included in any discussions prior to Johnson’s firing – something that both King and Johnson reiterated during separate press conferences Thursday afternoon – he admitted that his play on the court, which has been below everyone’s expectations, did play a role.
“Nobody asked me what they should have done with Avery, because if they’d asked me I would have said he needs to be our coach,” said Williams, who said he texted Johnson after hearing the news. “He was a big reason why I stayed here [this summer].
“That’s how things go nowadays. As soon as something happens, someone has to take the blame, and I guess that guy is me. I can’t fight everything that’s being said, I’m not going to try. I know my teammates have my back, and like I said, I wanted to be here with Coach Avery. I’ve said it many times that he was a big reason why I came back here.”
The decision to fire Johnson came less than two weeks after Williams questioned the team’s offense following a recent practice, something the star point guard said that he personally apologized to Johnson for doing, saying he didn’t intend it to be a criticism of his now former coach.
But the offense doesn’t explain away the larger issues that have plagued Williams’ play this season, and his shooting in particular. After signing a five-year contract worth near $100 million this summer, Williams is averaging 16.6 points and 8.0 assists while shooting just 39 percent from the field overall and 29 percent from 3-point range.
“Nobody feels worse about the way I’ve been playing than me,” he said. “Every day I go home, I’ve just been trying to figure out how to get it going, play like I’m used to playing and like I used to play, and it just hasn’t clicked yet.
We were locked in some kind of science fiction time warp, where the same things kept happening over and over and nothing seemed to move forward. Was there really a 2012 or was it just a replay of 2011 and 2010? Had the Government actually changed, or was that just a Dallas-style dream sequence? Had all the pain already endured led us anywhere or was it just déjà vu all over again?
In 2012 Ireland’s patron saint was Sisyphus. The arrogant and powerful ruler of Corinth was punished by the gods in a peculiarly sadistic way, forced to push a heavy boulder up a steep hill all day and then watch as it rolled back down so that he could begin the toilsome task anew. Most Irish people know how he felt. So far €28 billion has been taken out of the economy but after all the pain the cost of servicing the State’s debts will keep spiralling upwards: from €6.2 billion in 2012 to €9.3 billion in 2013 and €9.7 billion in 2014. It’s not just that the boulder keeps rolling back down the hill, but that it’s getting heavier.
It’s not that events in 2012 lacked a certain humour. The European Central Bank began the year by “celebrating” the 10th anniversary of the euro, which was pretty funny. (The official video featured scenes of people queuing up at balloon-bedecked ATMs at midnight on January 1st,Quickparts builds injection molds using aluminum or steel to meet your program. 2002, to get hold of the new notes and wave them joyfully in the air. They had the wide-eyed look of baby seals who can’t see the club behind the hunter’s back.) In a gay sally, the Taoiseach told the world economic forum in Davos later that month that the crash happened because Irish people “went mad borrowing”, shortly after he’d told the same Irish people that the crisis “is not your fault”. He also, wittily, told an unemployed man in Mullingar in May to “get a job”.High quality stone mosaic tiles. Bertie Ahern declared himself the victim of a “grave injustice” when the Mahon tribunal found that he had been on the take. Minister for Health James Reilly showed his solidarity with the debt-ridden masses by making a personal appearance in Stubbs Gazette. You had to laugh.
In 2009 the Department of Finance, in what seemed at the time a gloomy forecast, looked forward to 2012. There would, it suggested, be growth of just 4 per cent in GNP, and investment would rise by a very modest 9 per cent. Unemployment would be falling steadily but slowly. Oh,The oreck XL professional air purifier, and net central-government debt would be 79 per cent of GDP in 2012.
This wasn’t a happy prospect, but it was the story that made sense of all the bad things that were happening back then: we were going to have a rough few years but things would then start to get better. We wouldn’t be anywhere near the pig’s back in 2012, but we’d at least be able to smell the bacon. A sober, modest kind of recovery would be the reward for all the money we were pouring into the banks and all the cuts and all the tax rises. By 2012 we’d be a chastened but hopeful lot, looking back on a hard few years but forward to a reasonably decent prospect.
By now, of course, that sober forecast looks deliriously, fantastically optimistic. In the real 2012, growth in GNP was 1 per cent, not 4 per cent. Investment didn’t rise by 9 per cent. It fell by 4 per cent.
Unemployment wasn’t falling significantly: about 350,000 workers had disappeared from the Irish economy since 2007. Government debt isn’t 79 per cent of GDP, but more like 120 per cent. It would actually be very nice if things were only as bad as they were predicted to be three years ago.
The best that could be said for 2012 is that it brought some clarity. Two big illusions were shattered. One was the idea that it was somehow possible to keep taking money out of the economy and, at the same time, to have a sustained economic recovery. This notion had some superficial plausibility because, on the face of it, this is what happened during the last great recession, in the late 1980s. Back then, the government cut spending rapidly, and somehow the economy began to grow steadily before shifting into overdrive in the mid-1990s.Klaus Multiparking is an industry leader in innovative parking system technology.
“We did struggle the last 13 games or so, but I felt like we have a great team, we had a great coach, we had some good wins, and we just needed to get back to playing the way we were playing in November and forget about the way we played in December. We had some good things going in practice and things we were working on, and it was just a matter of putting it together.”
The Nets were unable to put it together in time to save Johnson’s job, however, having dropped 10 of their 13 games this month. Much of the blame for that has fallen at the feet of Williams, who became the official face of the franchise’s first season in Brooklyn after his decision to re-sign with the Nets this summer as part of their massive re-tooling of their roster that cost more than $330 million dollars.
But while Williams insisted that he wasn’t included in any discussions prior to Johnson’s firing – something that both King and Johnson reiterated during separate press conferences Thursday afternoon – he admitted that his play on the court, which has been below everyone’s expectations, did play a role.
“Nobody asked me what they should have done with Avery, because if they’d asked me I would have said he needs to be our coach,” said Williams, who said he texted Johnson after hearing the news. “He was a big reason why I stayed here [this summer].
“That’s how things go nowadays. As soon as something happens, someone has to take the blame, and I guess that guy is me. I can’t fight everything that’s being said, I’m not going to try. I know my teammates have my back, and like I said, I wanted to be here with Coach Avery. I’ve said it many times that he was a big reason why I came back here.”
The decision to fire Johnson came less than two weeks after Williams questioned the team’s offense following a recent practice, something the star point guard said that he personally apologized to Johnson for doing, saying he didn’t intend it to be a criticism of his now former coach.
But the offense doesn’t explain away the larger issues that have plagued Williams’ play this season, and his shooting in particular. After signing a five-year contract worth near $100 million this summer, Williams is averaging 16.6 points and 8.0 assists while shooting just 39 percent from the field overall and 29 percent from 3-point range.
“Nobody feels worse about the way I’ve been playing than me,” he said. “Every day I go home, I’ve just been trying to figure out how to get it going, play like I’m used to playing and like I used to play, and it just hasn’t clicked yet.
We were locked in some kind of science fiction time warp, where the same things kept happening over and over and nothing seemed to move forward. Was there really a 2012 or was it just a replay of 2011 and 2010? Had the Government actually changed, or was that just a Dallas-style dream sequence? Had all the pain already endured led us anywhere or was it just déjà vu all over again?
In 2012 Ireland’s patron saint was Sisyphus. The arrogant and powerful ruler of Corinth was punished by the gods in a peculiarly sadistic way, forced to push a heavy boulder up a steep hill all day and then watch as it rolled back down so that he could begin the toilsome task anew. Most Irish people know how he felt. So far €28 billion has been taken out of the economy but after all the pain the cost of servicing the State’s debts will keep spiralling upwards: from €6.2 billion in 2012 to €9.3 billion in 2013 and €9.7 billion in 2014. It’s not just that the boulder keeps rolling back down the hill, but that it’s getting heavier.
It’s not that events in 2012 lacked a certain humour. The European Central Bank began the year by “celebrating” the 10th anniversary of the euro, which was pretty funny. (The official video featured scenes of people queuing up at balloon-bedecked ATMs at midnight on January 1st,Quickparts builds injection molds using aluminum or steel to meet your program. 2002, to get hold of the new notes and wave them joyfully in the air. They had the wide-eyed look of baby seals who can’t see the club behind the hunter’s back.) In a gay sally, the Taoiseach told the world economic forum in Davos later that month that the crash happened because Irish people “went mad borrowing”, shortly after he’d told the same Irish people that the crisis “is not your fault”. He also, wittily, told an unemployed man in Mullingar in May to “get a job”.High quality stone mosaic tiles. Bertie Ahern declared himself the victim of a “grave injustice” when the Mahon tribunal found that he had been on the take. Minister for Health James Reilly showed his solidarity with the debt-ridden masses by making a personal appearance in Stubbs Gazette. You had to laugh.
In 2009 the Department of Finance, in what seemed at the time a gloomy forecast, looked forward to 2012. There would, it suggested, be growth of just 4 per cent in GNP, and investment would rise by a very modest 9 per cent. Unemployment would be falling steadily but slowly. Oh,The oreck XL professional air purifier, and net central-government debt would be 79 per cent of GDP in 2012.
This wasn’t a happy prospect, but it was the story that made sense of all the bad things that were happening back then: we were going to have a rough few years but things would then start to get better. We wouldn’t be anywhere near the pig’s back in 2012, but we’d at least be able to smell the bacon. A sober, modest kind of recovery would be the reward for all the money we were pouring into the banks and all the cuts and all the tax rises. By 2012 we’d be a chastened but hopeful lot, looking back on a hard few years but forward to a reasonably decent prospect.
By now, of course, that sober forecast looks deliriously, fantastically optimistic. In the real 2012, growth in GNP was 1 per cent, not 4 per cent. Investment didn’t rise by 9 per cent. It fell by 4 per cent.
Unemployment wasn’t falling significantly: about 350,000 workers had disappeared from the Irish economy since 2007. Government debt isn’t 79 per cent of GDP, but more like 120 per cent. It would actually be very nice if things were only as bad as they were predicted to be three years ago.
The best that could be said for 2012 is that it brought some clarity. Two big illusions were shattered. One was the idea that it was somehow possible to keep taking money out of the economy and, at the same time, to have a sustained economic recovery. This notion had some superficial plausibility because, on the face of it, this is what happened during the last great recession, in the late 1980s. Back then, the government cut spending rapidly, and somehow the economy began to grow steadily before shifting into overdrive in the mid-1990s.Klaus Multiparking is an industry leader in innovative parking system technology.
2012年12月26日 星期三
Fireworks erupt at city hall
In 2004, former mayor Glen Murray's midterm resignation created
political turmoil. In 2006, the OlyWest hog-plant proposal left
protesters pounding on the council chamber's glass wall.
In 2008, the Riverside Park Management affair drew attention to Mayor Sam Katz's dual duties as politician and private businessman. And in 2010, the divisive Youth for Christ drop-in centre debate ensnared federal officials as well as city council.
But none of these events came even close to approximating the intensity of a cascading series of embarrassments that rocked city hall in 2012, when elected officials and senior administrators spent much of the year in crisis-management mode.
The pyrotechnics began in April, when officials floated a profoundly unpopular plan to erect a water park and hotel on Parcel Four, the same plot of city-owned land that served as the flashpoint in the Riverside Park affair. By the middle of May, the idea was dead, along with any semblance of unity among council's powerful executive policy committee.
The seeds of public skepticism then blossomed into a forest of cynicism in the late summer and fall, when revelations emerged about the city's fire-paramedic station replacement program as well as Katz's corporate and real-estate activities in Scottsdale, Ariz.,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. where he maintains a second home.
As the city enters 2013, two separate teams of external auditors are conducting a comprehensive review of the fire-paramedic station construction program and a broader audit of major city real estate transactions dating back at least five years. The outcomes of the audits remain to be seen.
But the reputation of the City of Winnipeg has already been affected to the point where public confidence in city hall is low, according to a majority of city councillors.
"Citizens are really telling us there needs to be more accountability and transparency at city hall. I think you've got to ensure you have people's trust and confidence," said St. James-Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding, a fiscally conservative EPC member expected to run for mayor in 2014 if Katz decides 10 years in office are enough.
Singling out the fire-paramedic station construction program, Fielding said city administrators made a lot of mistakes this year. Ensuring city hall is more accountable will be the most important priority in 2013,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. he said, adding Winnipeg must implement whatever recommendations come out of the external audits.
Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, among the first to call for external audits, said there is an unprecedented level of public concern about how city hall conducts itself.
"How do you make it all make sense?" asked the longtime council critic. "I wish I had all the answers."
After such an unusual year, a Probe Research poll conducted in late November and early December suggests 49 per cent of Winnipeg adults do not want Katz to run again for mayor, with 32 per cent supporting a run for a fourth term. The poll also suggests 40 per cent of voters believe Katz has done a poor job of separating his personal interests and public duties, compared with 24 per cent who believe he's done a good or excellent job in this area.
The mayor, however, said he doesn't believe 2012 was a difficult year to endure.
"There are tough days and there are good days. That's what happens,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. and anybody who's ever been in business, or if you work, you have your good days and you have your bad days," Katz said in a year-end interview. "You may think it was a tough one.A wide range of polished tiles for your tile flooring and walls. I may think there were ones before that were much tougher. Everything is relative."
As the top elected official in the city, Katz cannot be faulted for attempting to put on a brave face. But the notion 2012 was just like any other year seems unbelievable. To recap, here are the five most significant controversies that emerged this year at city hall.
At the behest of Mayor Sam Katz in 2008, the City of Winnipeg offered $7 million of public funds to a private developer willing to build an indoor water park. The cash was initially awarded to the Canad Inns Corp. but then withdrawn when the Winnipeg company made little progress on a Polo Park hotel expansion.
Following a second search for a private water-park partner in 2009, councillors were told of a proposal to build a hotel and water park at The Forks. A report recommending such a proposal finally came forward almost three years later, in April 2012. The proposal was to offer the $7-million grant to Alberta hotelier Canalta, who would also take possession of Parcel Four, the empty surface lot south of the Shaw Park baseball stadium and west of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
A broad coalition of private and public interests reacted negatively to the idea. Architects complained such a structure would be an inapproriate neighbour to the Antoine Predock-designed CMHR.
The Forks complained they were not consulted from a planning perspective. The real estate industry grumbled that no one else had a chance to purchase prime land at The Forks. Councillors complained about a lack of detail about the public-access part of the deal and the structure itself.
But most importantly, members of the public swamped city council with calls and emails expressing concerns ranging about the size of the proposed water park, the location and the speed at which the plan would pass through city council.
After initially reacting angrily to the suggestion he could not vote on the proposal, Katz recused himself from the debate to avoid any conflict of interest. Council then voted to delay the plan, which led to Canalta withdrawing from the table.
At executive policy committee, the divisive debate over the water park sowed the seeds of discontent that eventually blossomed into the departure of St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel in the fall, when other events at city hall elicited more skepticism.
In August, a CBC reporter went out for a walk with his dog on Grosvenor Avenue and came across a for-lease sign on the old fire-paramedic Station No. 12. As it turns out, the land had not been declared surplus by the city and the listing by Shindico Realty was premature.
This dog-walking episode sparked the biggest scandal to hit city hall since Katz's election in 2004, as it was revealed fire-paramedic chief Reid Douglas negotiated a three-for-one land swap that would have seen Shindico take possession of the old Station No. 12, the soon-to-be-decommissioned Station No. 11 on Berry Street and a vacant parcel of riverfront city land at Mulvey Avenue East.
What the city would get in return was the land below the new Station No. 12 on Taylor Avenue, built on Shindico property. Amazingly, no one on council knew anything about the deal.
At first, Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl defended the program. But continuing questions about the land swap, the construction contracts and the disclosure about the entire program to city council led Katz to ask city finance officials to review the deal.
But this process only yielded new questions about cost overruns at the new Station No. 11,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. under construction inside a cloverleaf at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Route 90. There were simply too many question marks to satisfy city auditors.
By the end of September, council voted to approve both an external review of the entire fire-paramedic station replacement program and a broader audit of major city real estate transactions. The fate of Sheegl, Douglas and possibly other city officials may be determined by the results of the review, expected some time next year.
In 2008, the Riverside Park Management affair drew attention to Mayor Sam Katz's dual duties as politician and private businessman. And in 2010, the divisive Youth for Christ drop-in centre debate ensnared federal officials as well as city council.
But none of these events came even close to approximating the intensity of a cascading series of embarrassments that rocked city hall in 2012, when elected officials and senior administrators spent much of the year in crisis-management mode.
The pyrotechnics began in April, when officials floated a profoundly unpopular plan to erect a water park and hotel on Parcel Four, the same plot of city-owned land that served as the flashpoint in the Riverside Park affair. By the middle of May, the idea was dead, along with any semblance of unity among council's powerful executive policy committee.
The seeds of public skepticism then blossomed into a forest of cynicism in the late summer and fall, when revelations emerged about the city's fire-paramedic station replacement program as well as Katz's corporate and real-estate activities in Scottsdale, Ariz.,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. where he maintains a second home.
As the city enters 2013, two separate teams of external auditors are conducting a comprehensive review of the fire-paramedic station construction program and a broader audit of major city real estate transactions dating back at least five years. The outcomes of the audits remain to be seen.
But the reputation of the City of Winnipeg has already been affected to the point where public confidence in city hall is low, according to a majority of city councillors.
"Citizens are really telling us there needs to be more accountability and transparency at city hall. I think you've got to ensure you have people's trust and confidence," said St. James-Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding, a fiscally conservative EPC member expected to run for mayor in 2014 if Katz decides 10 years in office are enough.
Singling out the fire-paramedic station construction program, Fielding said city administrators made a lot of mistakes this year. Ensuring city hall is more accountable will be the most important priority in 2013,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. he said, adding Winnipeg must implement whatever recommendations come out of the external audits.
Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, among the first to call for external audits, said there is an unprecedented level of public concern about how city hall conducts itself.
"How do you make it all make sense?" asked the longtime council critic. "I wish I had all the answers."
After such an unusual year, a Probe Research poll conducted in late November and early December suggests 49 per cent of Winnipeg adults do not want Katz to run again for mayor, with 32 per cent supporting a run for a fourth term. The poll also suggests 40 per cent of voters believe Katz has done a poor job of separating his personal interests and public duties, compared with 24 per cent who believe he's done a good or excellent job in this area.
The mayor, however, said he doesn't believe 2012 was a difficult year to endure.
"There are tough days and there are good days. That's what happens,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. and anybody who's ever been in business, or if you work, you have your good days and you have your bad days," Katz said in a year-end interview. "You may think it was a tough one.A wide range of polished tiles for your tile flooring and walls. I may think there were ones before that were much tougher. Everything is relative."
As the top elected official in the city, Katz cannot be faulted for attempting to put on a brave face. But the notion 2012 was just like any other year seems unbelievable. To recap, here are the five most significant controversies that emerged this year at city hall.
At the behest of Mayor Sam Katz in 2008, the City of Winnipeg offered $7 million of public funds to a private developer willing to build an indoor water park. The cash was initially awarded to the Canad Inns Corp. but then withdrawn when the Winnipeg company made little progress on a Polo Park hotel expansion.
Following a second search for a private water-park partner in 2009, councillors were told of a proposal to build a hotel and water park at The Forks. A report recommending such a proposal finally came forward almost three years later, in April 2012. The proposal was to offer the $7-million grant to Alberta hotelier Canalta, who would also take possession of Parcel Four, the empty surface lot south of the Shaw Park baseball stadium and west of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
A broad coalition of private and public interests reacted negatively to the idea. Architects complained such a structure would be an inapproriate neighbour to the Antoine Predock-designed CMHR.
The Forks complained they were not consulted from a planning perspective. The real estate industry grumbled that no one else had a chance to purchase prime land at The Forks. Councillors complained about a lack of detail about the public-access part of the deal and the structure itself.
But most importantly, members of the public swamped city council with calls and emails expressing concerns ranging about the size of the proposed water park, the location and the speed at which the plan would pass through city council.
After initially reacting angrily to the suggestion he could not vote on the proposal, Katz recused himself from the debate to avoid any conflict of interest. Council then voted to delay the plan, which led to Canalta withdrawing from the table.
At executive policy committee, the divisive debate over the water park sowed the seeds of discontent that eventually blossomed into the departure of St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel in the fall, when other events at city hall elicited more skepticism.
In August, a CBC reporter went out for a walk with his dog on Grosvenor Avenue and came across a for-lease sign on the old fire-paramedic Station No. 12. As it turns out, the land had not been declared surplus by the city and the listing by Shindico Realty was premature.
This dog-walking episode sparked the biggest scandal to hit city hall since Katz's election in 2004, as it was revealed fire-paramedic chief Reid Douglas negotiated a three-for-one land swap that would have seen Shindico take possession of the old Station No. 12, the soon-to-be-decommissioned Station No. 11 on Berry Street and a vacant parcel of riverfront city land at Mulvey Avenue East.
What the city would get in return was the land below the new Station No. 12 on Taylor Avenue, built on Shindico property. Amazingly, no one on council knew anything about the deal.
At first, Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl defended the program. But continuing questions about the land swap, the construction contracts and the disclosure about the entire program to city council led Katz to ask city finance officials to review the deal.
But this process only yielded new questions about cost overruns at the new Station No. 11,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. under construction inside a cloverleaf at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Route 90. There were simply too many question marks to satisfy city auditors.
By the end of September, council voted to approve both an external review of the entire fire-paramedic station replacement program and a broader audit of major city real estate transactions. The fate of Sheegl, Douglas and possibly other city officials may be determined by the results of the review, expected some time next year.
Atching Lillian’s diary of Christmas dishes
Atching Lillian Borromeo is known to the culinary world as the expert
on traditional Kapampangan cuisine. To her I owe much, for she is the
woman who so unselfishly allows me the privilege of reliving the glory
of the past through her stories and cooking techniques and the
uniqueness of her cuisine.
During our recent conversation, I gathered that Atching Lillian’s grandmother, the late Maura Hizon Lorenzo,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. was instrumental in making her most joyful and vivid memories of Christmas.
Aside from making everyone in her family wear nothing but new clothes for Midnight Mass and partake of the noche buena spread wearing them, regardless of how uncomfortable her whole brood must have been, Maura was the captain of the kitchen who saw to it that everyone was doing their fair share to ensure that every detail and every dish for their family’s noche buena feast was prepared to perfection.
Lola Maura’s spread lives on through Atching Lillian, who prepares it just as her lola and her mother Paquita Mercado taught her. Being the cook that she is, the Borromeos’ Christmas table narrative was told to me in cookbook form:
“When our harvest was plentiful, we had roast turkey stuffed with casta?as and served with potatoes, but when my mother did not earn and our harvest fell short, we settled for asadong capon. She prepared it by rubbing the bird with two tablespoons of pounded garlic, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and 1/3 cup soy sauce; then she squeezed the juice of 10 dayap. The capon was then marinated for a couple of hours, since we had no electricity then.
“After marinating, a huge cooking vessel was filled with lard, and the capon cooked on all sides to brown. The excess oil was removed, leaving just a little bit of it. One cup chopped tomatoes, two pieces chopped onions, two bay leaves, and freshly cracked peppers were added with the marinade and another ? cup of soy sauce.
“We put enough water to cover the capon. We cooked this over low fire, turning it every so often to cook evenly.An indoor positioning system (IPS) is a term used for a network of devices used to wirelessly locate objects or people inside a building.This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. Once the capon was soft and the liquid reduced, mama added three to four pieces of chicken liver, and when it was cooked, she mashed it to thicken the sauce. Then it was seasoned to taste. If it lacked sourness, a little vinegar was added. Just before mama turned the heat off, she would put a pinch of panucha and a splash of Perrins.
“We also had ham, hamon de punda; the Chinese hams of old were called hamon de punda because they looked like pillowcases. To cook it was a long process. Impo (grandmother) soaked it in water the night before Christmas Eve, and in the morning brushed the ham to remove the mold. She then boiled it in a combination of liquids—a bottle of cerveza negra, one cup anisado, one liter pineapple juice, and just enough water to cover the ham. It was boiled for a long time over low heat until soft.
“Once soft, the ham was skinned and cooled on a tray. It was then sprinkled with brown sugar, and with the back of a heated metal sianse, the sugar got caramelized until it melted.
“Today, the torch makes this process much easier. For the sauce, the pineapple juice that was used to soften the ham was reduced, then sweetened with sugar. It was cooked until it was the consistency of a light syrup and served alongside the ham. I recall our ham to be so big, it was served on a big bandejado; only a little of it was sliced. As a child, I remember the ham looked as big as a lechon de leche.
“At this time, my mother saw to it that something made of malagkit was served, to keep us together. I recall how they used to make suman tili in a kawa, where 2.2 kilos of malagkit rice were cooked with milk from eight coconuts (ratio: one niyog + ? cup water extract) over low heat, stirring constantly.
“If the mixture dried out and the rice was uncooked, you could add more coconut milk. Sugar, about ? kg, was added toward the end, once the rice had bloomed and lost its ‘eye.’
“The mixture was left to cool, then rolled to the size and width of your middle finger. The process of rolling or shaping the rice is called tili in Kapampangan, hence the suman’s name. It was then wrapped in yellow banana leaves, the ones that are very young and have not quite opened into full leaves yet.
“No noche buena was without soup—Nilagang Pasko—made by bringing a huge pot filled with water to a boil. We added onions, peppercorns and half a kilo of beef cut into chunks. We cooked the beef until it was tender, then added half a kilo of pork meat, also cut into chunks.
“Once the meat was soft, we added a couple of whole chickens and chorizo de Bilbao. We finished the soup by adding garbanzos, pechay, repolyo, Baguio pechay, or whatever greens were growing in our garden. Finally, the nilaga was seasoned with salt, and again a pinch of panucha. Panucha then was like vetsin to them; it was a flavor enhancer.
“Another Christmas dish was the Apahap, steamed, slathered with homemade mayonnaise, then sprinkled with grated queso de bola. Mom baked it in her portable oven until the queso turned brown and melted. She then garnished it with canned asparagus and tomatoes.”
About a year and a half ago, Manzo was an adjunct professor of architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. Out with some students one night, they needed a bottle opener to open a beer, but nobody had one. “Everyone had a smartphone, but no tools for the good stuff,” Manzo said.
When he was working on the first prototype and approaching investors for funding, Manzo admitted to being pretty shocked when venture capitalists thought he had a cool concept but quickly dismissed the idea itself. It seems they just wanted to know how Manzo’s company would make money for them.
“When you’re launching a product, you’re launching a business,” he said. “As an architect, ‘business’ was never the conversation.Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile,”
He worked for architectural firms in St. Louis and had his own professional practice for the last 12 years but—as most solo practitioners know—there’s a lot to learn about the business side of being an entrepreneur. Fortunately, Manzo is a quick study.
A few months ago he was walking in downtown Lexington and saw a sign for Awesome Inc. “I went in and introduced myself to those guys and they said I should talk to Warren next door,” he said.
Manzo stepped over to the Commerce Lexington building on Main Street and found Nash, director of the Lexington Innovation & Commercialization Center. Manzo credits Nash and ICC with helping him get his new business, Skipping Stone Technologies, off the ground. Nash helped Manzo schedule a pitch for the Bluegrass Angles, which happens in February. If he is able to launch Kit in the spring and get some sales rolling in, Manzo would really like to consider the television show “Shark Tank” as another venture capital avenue. “That would be really fun to do,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.” he said.
Manzo gave his business and product two different names on purpose. “I think we’re going to do more things than the one product,” he said. Designating the product as “Kit” was as short and pointedly descriptive as could be for the smartphone case. “It’s so fundamental,” he said. “When you have your kit together you have everything you need to get on with your day.”
During our recent conversation, I gathered that Atching Lillian’s grandmother, the late Maura Hizon Lorenzo,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. was instrumental in making her most joyful and vivid memories of Christmas.
Aside from making everyone in her family wear nothing but new clothes for Midnight Mass and partake of the noche buena spread wearing them, regardless of how uncomfortable her whole brood must have been, Maura was the captain of the kitchen who saw to it that everyone was doing their fair share to ensure that every detail and every dish for their family’s noche buena feast was prepared to perfection.
Lola Maura’s spread lives on through Atching Lillian, who prepares it just as her lola and her mother Paquita Mercado taught her. Being the cook that she is, the Borromeos’ Christmas table narrative was told to me in cookbook form:
“When our harvest was plentiful, we had roast turkey stuffed with casta?as and served with potatoes, but when my mother did not earn and our harvest fell short, we settled for asadong capon. She prepared it by rubbing the bird with two tablespoons of pounded garlic, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and 1/3 cup soy sauce; then she squeezed the juice of 10 dayap. The capon was then marinated for a couple of hours, since we had no electricity then.
“After marinating, a huge cooking vessel was filled with lard, and the capon cooked on all sides to brown. The excess oil was removed, leaving just a little bit of it. One cup chopped tomatoes, two pieces chopped onions, two bay leaves, and freshly cracked peppers were added with the marinade and another ? cup of soy sauce.
“We put enough water to cover the capon. We cooked this over low fire, turning it every so often to cook evenly.An indoor positioning system (IPS) is a term used for a network of devices used to wirelessly locate objects or people inside a building.This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. Once the capon was soft and the liquid reduced, mama added three to four pieces of chicken liver, and when it was cooked, she mashed it to thicken the sauce. Then it was seasoned to taste. If it lacked sourness, a little vinegar was added. Just before mama turned the heat off, she would put a pinch of panucha and a splash of Perrins.
“We also had ham, hamon de punda; the Chinese hams of old were called hamon de punda because they looked like pillowcases. To cook it was a long process. Impo (grandmother) soaked it in water the night before Christmas Eve, and in the morning brushed the ham to remove the mold. She then boiled it in a combination of liquids—a bottle of cerveza negra, one cup anisado, one liter pineapple juice, and just enough water to cover the ham. It was boiled for a long time over low heat until soft.
“Once soft, the ham was skinned and cooled on a tray. It was then sprinkled with brown sugar, and with the back of a heated metal sianse, the sugar got caramelized until it melted.
“Today, the torch makes this process much easier. For the sauce, the pineapple juice that was used to soften the ham was reduced, then sweetened with sugar. It was cooked until it was the consistency of a light syrup and served alongside the ham. I recall our ham to be so big, it was served on a big bandejado; only a little of it was sliced. As a child, I remember the ham looked as big as a lechon de leche.
“At this time, my mother saw to it that something made of malagkit was served, to keep us together. I recall how they used to make suman tili in a kawa, where 2.2 kilos of malagkit rice were cooked with milk from eight coconuts (ratio: one niyog + ? cup water extract) over low heat, stirring constantly.
“If the mixture dried out and the rice was uncooked, you could add more coconut milk. Sugar, about ? kg, was added toward the end, once the rice had bloomed and lost its ‘eye.’
“The mixture was left to cool, then rolled to the size and width of your middle finger. The process of rolling or shaping the rice is called tili in Kapampangan, hence the suman’s name. It was then wrapped in yellow banana leaves, the ones that are very young and have not quite opened into full leaves yet.
“No noche buena was without soup—Nilagang Pasko—made by bringing a huge pot filled with water to a boil. We added onions, peppercorns and half a kilo of beef cut into chunks. We cooked the beef until it was tender, then added half a kilo of pork meat, also cut into chunks.
“Once the meat was soft, we added a couple of whole chickens and chorizo de Bilbao. We finished the soup by adding garbanzos, pechay, repolyo, Baguio pechay, or whatever greens were growing in our garden. Finally, the nilaga was seasoned with salt, and again a pinch of panucha. Panucha then was like vetsin to them; it was a flavor enhancer.
“Another Christmas dish was the Apahap, steamed, slathered with homemade mayonnaise, then sprinkled with grated queso de bola. Mom baked it in her portable oven until the queso turned brown and melted. She then garnished it with canned asparagus and tomatoes.”
About a year and a half ago, Manzo was an adjunct professor of architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. Out with some students one night, they needed a bottle opener to open a beer, but nobody had one. “Everyone had a smartphone, but no tools for the good stuff,” Manzo said.
When he was working on the first prototype and approaching investors for funding, Manzo admitted to being pretty shocked when venture capitalists thought he had a cool concept but quickly dismissed the idea itself. It seems they just wanted to know how Manzo’s company would make money for them.
“When you’re launching a product, you’re launching a business,” he said. “As an architect, ‘business’ was never the conversation.Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile,”
He worked for architectural firms in St. Louis and had his own professional practice for the last 12 years but—as most solo practitioners know—there’s a lot to learn about the business side of being an entrepreneur. Fortunately, Manzo is a quick study.
A few months ago he was walking in downtown Lexington and saw a sign for Awesome Inc. “I went in and introduced myself to those guys and they said I should talk to Warren next door,” he said.
Manzo stepped over to the Commerce Lexington building on Main Street and found Nash, director of the Lexington Innovation & Commercialization Center. Manzo credits Nash and ICC with helping him get his new business, Skipping Stone Technologies, off the ground. Nash helped Manzo schedule a pitch for the Bluegrass Angles, which happens in February. If he is able to launch Kit in the spring and get some sales rolling in, Manzo would really like to consider the television show “Shark Tank” as another venture capital avenue. “That would be really fun to do,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.” he said.
Manzo gave his business and product two different names on purpose. “I think we’re going to do more things than the one product,” he said. Designating the product as “Kit” was as short and pointedly descriptive as could be for the smartphone case. “It’s so fundamental,” he said. “When you have your kit together you have everything you need to get on with your day.”
Front Royal town office move slated next month
Moving day should come next month for dozens of Front Royal town staff members.
Plans call for most of the Front Royal departments to relocate from Town Hall less than 500 feet away to the former BB&T bank building at 104 E. Main St.
Town Manager Steven Burke said last week he anticipates departments should move into their new spaces next month.
Contractors continued to install communications system wiring and related equipment, along with new carpeting throughout the building.
The new administration building will house the town manager and attorney, the clerk of town council, finance, risk management, purchasing, information technology, planning and zoning, human resources and the council chambers. Finance operates across the street out of a building that the town shares with Comcast. The town will seek to lease the space once the department moves, according to Burke.
Cindy Hartman, purchasing agent for Front Royal, noted, "You figure we're taking everybody over in Town Hall plus everybody that's in the finance department and putting them both in this building."
Information technology already moved into its new office space ahead of other departments. Todd Jones, information technology manager, said they have servers and phone systems that they are putting in.
"It was just too cumbersome to do from over in Town Hall," he said. "We kept running back and forth so we were like 'let's just go.'"
Even though the renovations include upgrades and the creation of new spaces for various departments, town customers who also frequented the bank may find some areas familiar.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. Customers will make payments to the town in the area of the former bank lobby and teller windows, according to Hartman. The department also plans to take advantage of the bank's drive-through window and make it available to customers.
Hartman noted that the town retained much of the bank's furniture for their offices. In other efforts to save money, staff completed some of the renovations in-house,High quality stone mosaic tiles. Hartman said.
The town departments plan to use two of the bank's three vaults for storage space, according to Hartman. She said she didn't know whether the town plans to use the bank's original vault in the building's basement.
Efforts to renovate the building hit a snag several months ago when a severe storm sent rain through a hole in part of the roof under repair. The water caused nearly $60,000 in damage to parts of the inside of the building. Insurance is expected to cover most if not the entire cost, according to Burke.
The building became available in the fall of 2011 when BB&T announced it planned to relocate the branch office to another site. The move left a vacancy downtown, but the town quickly took the opportunity to acquire the property to meet office space needs. The town borrowed $1.5 million from its Department of Energy Services to fund the project. The amount included approximately $1.1 million needed to buy the property and $388,140 for the renovations.Largest gemstone beads and jewelry making supplies at wholesale prices.
The project included the construction of an elevator that cost more than $97,000. The town did not need to install the elevator to meet rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act because the building had been grandfathered in under the older guidelines. Officials decided to install an elevator in the building as a courtesy.
Other high-dollar renovation costs include network improvements at more than $84,000, roof work at $60,000 and flooring, walls and painting at $53,000. The project also included $26,000 to improve the building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
A recently updated list of project costs showed estimates for remaining work that included installation of ADA-compliant doors, security systems and locks, and a finance department enclosure. The cost to move the offices from their current location to the new building is estimated at $13,000.
Town administration asked for an additional $25,000 to help complete the project.
Asked what Front Royal would do with Town Hall once offices move, Burke stated the property would be included in a list of possible locations for the police department, which has been looking for larger space.
DeGeeter said the city would save money in the long run by moving these departments into city-owned buildings.
DeGeeter said the economic development department would fit nicely in the Boyko Building, which is in Ukrainian Village, a focus of the city’s economic-development efforts.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing,
The department would have a higher profile in the Boyko Building, DeGeeter said. Now, the department is hidden in a multi-tenant office building.
Last week, City Council approved an ordinance that will allow the city to keep leasing space in that multi-tenant building on Broadview until it decides where to move the economic development department.
The economic development department is headed by Erik Tollerup. It includes Shelley Cullins, economic development officer and grant writer.
Tollerup said the department has leased space at 5592 Broadview, about 2,000 feet north of Snow Road,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. for about five years.
Before that, the department was in a former Parma City School District building on Schaaf Road, Tollerup said. He said there is not enough room for the department in City Hall.
Plans call for most of the Front Royal departments to relocate from Town Hall less than 500 feet away to the former BB&T bank building at 104 E. Main St.
Town Manager Steven Burke said last week he anticipates departments should move into their new spaces next month.
Contractors continued to install communications system wiring and related equipment, along with new carpeting throughout the building.
The new administration building will house the town manager and attorney, the clerk of town council, finance, risk management, purchasing, information technology, planning and zoning, human resources and the council chambers. Finance operates across the street out of a building that the town shares with Comcast. The town will seek to lease the space once the department moves, according to Burke.
Cindy Hartman, purchasing agent for Front Royal, noted, "You figure we're taking everybody over in Town Hall plus everybody that's in the finance department and putting them both in this building."
Information technology already moved into its new office space ahead of other departments. Todd Jones, information technology manager, said they have servers and phone systems that they are putting in.
"It was just too cumbersome to do from over in Town Hall," he said. "We kept running back and forth so we were like 'let's just go.'"
Even though the renovations include upgrades and the creation of new spaces for various departments, town customers who also frequented the bank may find some areas familiar.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. Customers will make payments to the town in the area of the former bank lobby and teller windows, according to Hartman. The department also plans to take advantage of the bank's drive-through window and make it available to customers.
Hartman noted that the town retained much of the bank's furniture for their offices. In other efforts to save money, staff completed some of the renovations in-house,High quality stone mosaic tiles. Hartman said.
The town departments plan to use two of the bank's three vaults for storage space, according to Hartman. She said she didn't know whether the town plans to use the bank's original vault in the building's basement.
Efforts to renovate the building hit a snag several months ago when a severe storm sent rain through a hole in part of the roof under repair. The water caused nearly $60,000 in damage to parts of the inside of the building. Insurance is expected to cover most if not the entire cost, according to Burke.
The building became available in the fall of 2011 when BB&T announced it planned to relocate the branch office to another site. The move left a vacancy downtown, but the town quickly took the opportunity to acquire the property to meet office space needs. The town borrowed $1.5 million from its Department of Energy Services to fund the project. The amount included approximately $1.1 million needed to buy the property and $388,140 for the renovations.Largest gemstone beads and jewelry making supplies at wholesale prices.
The project included the construction of an elevator that cost more than $97,000. The town did not need to install the elevator to meet rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act because the building had been grandfathered in under the older guidelines. Officials decided to install an elevator in the building as a courtesy.
Other high-dollar renovation costs include network improvements at more than $84,000, roof work at $60,000 and flooring, walls and painting at $53,000. The project also included $26,000 to improve the building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
A recently updated list of project costs showed estimates for remaining work that included installation of ADA-compliant doors, security systems and locks, and a finance department enclosure. The cost to move the offices from their current location to the new building is estimated at $13,000.
Town administration asked for an additional $25,000 to help complete the project.
Asked what Front Royal would do with Town Hall once offices move, Burke stated the property would be included in a list of possible locations for the police department, which has been looking for larger space.
DeGeeter said the city would save money in the long run by moving these departments into city-owned buildings.
DeGeeter said the economic development department would fit nicely in the Boyko Building, which is in Ukrainian Village, a focus of the city’s economic-development efforts.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing,
The department would have a higher profile in the Boyko Building, DeGeeter said. Now, the department is hidden in a multi-tenant office building.
Last week, City Council approved an ordinance that will allow the city to keep leasing space in that multi-tenant building on Broadview until it decides where to move the economic development department.
The economic development department is headed by Erik Tollerup. It includes Shelley Cullins, economic development officer and grant writer.
Tollerup said the department has leased space at 5592 Broadview, about 2,000 feet north of Snow Road,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. for about five years.
Before that, the department was in a former Parma City School District building on Schaaf Road, Tollerup said. He said there is not enough room for the department in City Hall.
2012年12月24日 星期一
Urca Dismisses Btc's $1.5m Foreign Fees Loss
Unveiling its decision on BTC’s
call termination charges, the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority
refuted the newly-privatised carrier’s contention that reducing its mobile
interconnection levy would only benefit foreign communications operators.
Under the Bahamas’ Receiving Party Pays regime for the cellular market, in which BTC has a monopoly until effectively,termination rates are levied only on incoming international calls that conclude on the company’s network.
As a result, BTC argued that the cellular call termination fee has no impact on the domestic Bahamian market, and lowering the rate would only benefit foreign carriers.
The newly-privatised carrier said a reduction would cost it $1-$1.5 million a year in wholesale revenues from these foreign carriers and, given that it had to pay them for outgoing calls, BTC would be placed at a “competitive disadvantage”.
URCA, though,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. disagreed with BTC’s notion that a reduction in wholesale cellular interconnection fees would only benefit foreign carriers. This was because “alternative operators in the Bahamas may wish to compete with BTC on bringing international calls into the Bahamas”.
To do so,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, these calls would need to “transit... from the international gateway” and terminate on BTC’s cellular network in the Bahamas. This would incur a cellular termination rate, and “to enable alternative operators to compete fairly”, BTC needed to set ‘cost-oriented’ cellular interconnection charges and offer them “on a non-discriminatory basis”.
Noting that the latter “facilitates competition”, URCA added: “Absent cost-oriented termination charges, alternative local operators may not be able to replicate BTC’s pricing offer for the full service. This is because of BTC being able to reflect any difference in the mobile termination rate and its actual cost of terminating the call in its price to the foreign operator.
“However,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. the alternative local operator will not be able to do so, as the termination charge forms a fixed input to its pricing decisions. As such, in order to match BTC’s offering, the alternative local operator would have to be able to provide the transit element at lower cost than BTC in order to compete on price with BTC. In URCA’s view, this unfairly distorts competition for these services.”
BTC’s traffic volumes and economies of scale, URCA added, meant it was unlikely rivals could compete with it on transit prices.
Elsewhere, URCA also knocked aside concerns expressed by Internet Protocol Solutions International over the fact rival operators had to pay BTC both a call termination/interconnection fee and transit fee.
The regulator said the two charges reflected different services, with interconection dealing with call termination. Transit, on the other hand, referred to BTC transporting calls between two different interconnection points, and URCA said: “As such, these charges cover different conveyance services offered by BTC and thus, may attract separate charges.”
Explaining further why it had decided to switch to a ‘benchmarking’ approach for determining BTC’s interconnection fees, as opposed to its preferred ‘actual costs’ route, URCA said the carrier’s 2011 accounting separation data - the third set to become available - were still “not sufficiently reliable” enough to provide accurate costs for each service provided.
“There remain concerns about some of the key input data, in particular traffic volumes. Further, the unit cost results of several key services continue to fluctuate significantly, relative to those contained in previous submissions,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from.” URCA added.
Unlike Mr Premkumar Dhumal, the defeated Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh who greeted his opponent, not one leader of the Congress had the decency to congratulate Mr Narendra Modi, who rode back to power for the third time in Gujarat. Instead, several of them advanced the most convoluted arguments to run down the winner and to deny him victory. The biggest joke on results- day was of course the statement of Union Minister for Finance P Chidambaram. He proclaimed with glee that since the Congress had improved its tally (by two seats) and since the BJP had not crossed 117 — the number of seats it held in the outgoing Assembly — the Congress was
“a clear winner in Gujarat”. The results, according to him, showed how exaggerated the claims of the BJP were. Also, by some strange reasoning which he alone seems to possess and understand, Mr Chidambaram claimed that while the BJP had won the State, large sections of the population in Gujarat “felt left out”. The Congress argues that when the BJP is in power, the religious minorities get a raw deal. On December 20, the Finance Minister claimed that many more communities felt disenfranchised — “Saurashtra feels felt behind; the tribals feel left behind”. From where did he get this gyan? How on earth can any party bag 115 seats (constituting 62 per cent) in the 182-member Assembly after excluding Saurashtra,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. the tribals and the minorities in a State like Gujarat? The hollowness of this argument is borne out by the fact that, while Saurashtra accounts for 54 seats, as many as 26 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes in this State, and there are over 30 seats in which the Muslim vote counts for more than 20 per cent.
But, Mr Chidambaram was not alone. There were several others who were on this delusory trip and in denial. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal declared most ungraciously that, though Mr Modi ran a 3D campaign, he had secured only a 2D victory. These remarks stem from the Congress’s skewed sense of victory and defeat in Gujarat. It believes that since the BJP did not cross 117, it was “defeated”, although one needs just 92 seats for a clear majority in the Gujarat Assembly. Also, by the same token, since the Congress had 59 in the previous House, any increment would constitute a “victory”. The persistence with which so many Union Ministers kept using this strange yardstick to assess the electoral outcome in that State is indicative of the growing trepidation in the Congress about having ‘NaMo’ (the acronym that Mr Modi’s fans have given him) as its main opponent in 2014. They are already conceding that he is a formidable rival. Contrary to Mr Chidam- baram’s claims, the BJP did well in every region of the State and secured support from every social segment. Despite the Keshubhai Patel factor, it was way ahead of the Congress in Saurashtra. Yet, Mr Chidambaram says Saurashtra feels left out!
Under the Bahamas’ Receiving Party Pays regime for the cellular market, in which BTC has a monopoly until effectively,termination rates are levied only on incoming international calls that conclude on the company’s network.
As a result, BTC argued that the cellular call termination fee has no impact on the domestic Bahamian market, and lowering the rate would only benefit foreign carriers.
The newly-privatised carrier said a reduction would cost it $1-$1.5 million a year in wholesale revenues from these foreign carriers and, given that it had to pay them for outgoing calls, BTC would be placed at a “competitive disadvantage”.
URCA, though,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. disagreed with BTC’s notion that a reduction in wholesale cellular interconnection fees would only benefit foreign carriers. This was because “alternative operators in the Bahamas may wish to compete with BTC on bringing international calls into the Bahamas”.
To do so,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, these calls would need to “transit... from the international gateway” and terminate on BTC’s cellular network in the Bahamas. This would incur a cellular termination rate, and “to enable alternative operators to compete fairly”, BTC needed to set ‘cost-oriented’ cellular interconnection charges and offer them “on a non-discriminatory basis”.
Noting that the latter “facilitates competition”, URCA added: “Absent cost-oriented termination charges, alternative local operators may not be able to replicate BTC’s pricing offer for the full service. This is because of BTC being able to reflect any difference in the mobile termination rate and its actual cost of terminating the call in its price to the foreign operator.
“However,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. the alternative local operator will not be able to do so, as the termination charge forms a fixed input to its pricing decisions. As such, in order to match BTC’s offering, the alternative local operator would have to be able to provide the transit element at lower cost than BTC in order to compete on price with BTC. In URCA’s view, this unfairly distorts competition for these services.”
BTC’s traffic volumes and economies of scale, URCA added, meant it was unlikely rivals could compete with it on transit prices.
Elsewhere, URCA also knocked aside concerns expressed by Internet Protocol Solutions International over the fact rival operators had to pay BTC both a call termination/interconnection fee and transit fee.
The regulator said the two charges reflected different services, with interconection dealing with call termination. Transit, on the other hand, referred to BTC transporting calls between two different interconnection points, and URCA said: “As such, these charges cover different conveyance services offered by BTC and thus, may attract separate charges.”
Explaining further why it had decided to switch to a ‘benchmarking’ approach for determining BTC’s interconnection fees, as opposed to its preferred ‘actual costs’ route, URCA said the carrier’s 2011 accounting separation data - the third set to become available - were still “not sufficiently reliable” enough to provide accurate costs for each service provided.
“There remain concerns about some of the key input data, in particular traffic volumes. Further, the unit cost results of several key services continue to fluctuate significantly, relative to those contained in previous submissions,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from.” URCA added.
Unlike Mr Premkumar Dhumal, the defeated Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh who greeted his opponent, not one leader of the Congress had the decency to congratulate Mr Narendra Modi, who rode back to power for the third time in Gujarat. Instead, several of them advanced the most convoluted arguments to run down the winner and to deny him victory. The biggest joke on results- day was of course the statement of Union Minister for Finance P Chidambaram. He proclaimed with glee that since the Congress had improved its tally (by two seats) and since the BJP had not crossed 117 — the number of seats it held in the outgoing Assembly — the Congress was
“a clear winner in Gujarat”. The results, according to him, showed how exaggerated the claims of the BJP were. Also, by some strange reasoning which he alone seems to possess and understand, Mr Chidambaram claimed that while the BJP had won the State, large sections of the population in Gujarat “felt left out”. The Congress argues that when the BJP is in power, the religious minorities get a raw deal. On December 20, the Finance Minister claimed that many more communities felt disenfranchised — “Saurashtra feels felt behind; the tribals feel left behind”. From where did he get this gyan? How on earth can any party bag 115 seats (constituting 62 per cent) in the 182-member Assembly after excluding Saurashtra,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. the tribals and the minorities in a State like Gujarat? The hollowness of this argument is borne out by the fact that, while Saurashtra accounts for 54 seats, as many as 26 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes in this State, and there are over 30 seats in which the Muslim vote counts for more than 20 per cent.
But, Mr Chidambaram was not alone. There were several others who were on this delusory trip and in denial. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal declared most ungraciously that, though Mr Modi ran a 3D campaign, he had secured only a 2D victory. These remarks stem from the Congress’s skewed sense of victory and defeat in Gujarat. It believes that since the BJP did not cross 117, it was “defeated”, although one needs just 92 seats for a clear majority in the Gujarat Assembly. Also, by the same token, since the Congress had 59 in the previous House, any increment would constitute a “victory”. The persistence with which so many Union Ministers kept using this strange yardstick to assess the electoral outcome in that State is indicative of the growing trepidation in the Congress about having ‘NaMo’ (the acronym that Mr Modi’s fans have given him) as its main opponent in 2014. They are already conceding that he is a formidable rival. Contrary to Mr Chidam- baram’s claims, the BJP did well in every region of the State and secured support from every social segment. Despite the Keshubhai Patel factor, it was way ahead of the Congress in Saurashtra. Yet, Mr Chidambaram says Saurashtra feels left out!
2012年12月19日 星期三
Unlocking opportunities in big data
Big
data is set to revolutionise a number of industry verticals in years to
come. New technologies are enabling value to be extracted from vast
volumes of data, which are being created at an increasing pace and
through a widening array of formats, both structured and unstructured.
For their part,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, operators have a wealth of information assets available to them that can be repurposed in various ways, from improved business intelligence that can produce better decision-making internally to rich customer data that can enrich smart connectivity solutions across a range of industries.
Despite advantages created through the historic accumulation of data, operators find themselves also facing a number of challenges. Many of the disruptive actors that have shaped new growth areas in mobile data, for example, are also more adept at analysing and repurposing data to overhaul the customer experience and create new revenue streams.
For telcos, the storage, management and re-use of data are far from straightforward. Different types of data — concerning products, customers and assets — are held in a variety of legacy systems. Departmentalised storage means that existing data sets are fragmented, which places an additional burdens on operators looking to harness the benefits of big data, both for their own businesses and those of their enterprise customers.
Predictive analytics has an important role to play for operators transforming their business intelligence capabilities. Using historical and real-time data, telcos can achieve gains on a number of fronts, from reducing churn levels to maximising the return on investment of their marketing activities.
The ability to identify new opportunities and threats to their business does not stop there. Network capacity planning has much to gain from the use of cutting-edge analytics tools while simpler customer interactions with service departments is another area where higher-quality insights can drive new efficiencies and greater satisfaction levels.
While incumbents in developed markets have already been building their capabilities over the last five years or so, players in emerging markets are now also starting to realise the transformational power of new analytics tools. Yet, for the latest analytics products to deliver optimal benefits, all players need to consider how best to cleanse and normalise their legacy data sets to make the most of new analytics capabilities.
As a sector, telecommunications lags the retail industry, where use of predictive analytics is already in a more mature phase. Long-standing obstacles need to be surmounted if operators are to become leading adopters in this field. For one, technical skills in big data are in short supply. In the first instance, hiring highly-trained specialists in areas such as data mining is vital; in the longer-term, analytics tools need to be made more accessible to non-specialists.
At the same time, vendors are under growing pressure to meet operators’ fast-changing needs. Offering advanced analytics tools is one thing, but integrating them with their core business intelligence platforms can help lower overall costs.Installers and distributors of solar panel,
Furthermore, operators are keen on solutions tailored to the needs of their business, with a focus on user-friendly self-service and mobile interfaces that can both cater for non-specialist users while also speeding the delivery of insights.
Looking ahead, cloud-based analytics solutions offer the potential to sidestep the costs associated with on-premises solutions and provide greater flexibility as telco business models adapt to new industry ecosystems.
Meanwhile, operators’ historic focus on cost is broadening to include value creation through achieving a single view of the customer. In this light, vendor approaches need to cater for an environment where they act as partners, not just suppliers,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china, and where decision-making is no longer the preserve of the IT department.
As operators place greater emphasis on analytics tools to improve internal processes, there is also the need to consider how data can be repurposed as part of new service propositions for customers. Plenty of pioneering examples of data re-use already exist, such as the targeted advertising services offered by web giants through social media.
Going forward, there is an array of service opportunities for operators, ranging from customer relationship management to market insights and pattern detection services that are tailored to the specific needs of enterprise clients.
Many operators are now providing machine-to-machine services, focusing on opportunities the automotive and utilities sectors, for example. Throughput demands are generally low for such initiatives, while ARPU per megabyte is high and M2M data is unlikely to impact peak-hour network loads negatively.
Analytics-assisted M2M can create new forms of value for clients, by linking data sets so that situations are managed in real time, preventative actions can be taken and predictions made about future processes. This is important as operators look to add value for clients beyond pure connectivity itself.
Elsewhere, location-based services that provide insights on customer movements by aggregating anonymised network data are another area of focus for operators. While there are already specialists who provide footfall-related insights to retailers, operators hope that they too can play a role in adding value through this kind of granular data.
Managed services leveraging data analytics represent an attractive new revenue stream for operators, yet business models remain fluid. In the future, partnering with other entities such as specialist manufacturers, systems integrators and software developers will underpin more sophisticated M2M solutions. For cross-border services for multinational clients, operators will need to strike new types of alliances between themselves as interoperability issues come to the fore.
Given that many analytics-assisted services are still in an early phase, educating customers about the benefits of big data-related services is vital. A more consultative approach to sales can foster the right conditions for long-term contracts that develop over time — important as use cases in analytic-assisted M2M continue to expand, for example.
At the same time, organisational structures need to be refined so that operators can position themselves for new opportunities. Already, many incumbents have created new business units to target emerging market segments in digital media for both consumers and businesses. Looking ahead, such divisions have the potential to spearhead operator partnerships across the value chain in new areas such as big data, cloud computing and M2M.Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.
Despite a positive industry outlook, privacy and security anxieties around the re-use of customer data need to be carefully managed. Current initiatives using location-based data stress that customer information is anonymous,High quality stone mosaic tiles. while M2M devices are already available to customers on an opt-in basis for services relating to car insurance, for example.
Nevertheless, customers remain cautious when it comes to sharing personal data. Earlier this year, an Ernst & Young study (The Mobile Maze, published in October 2012) of 6,000 mobile users worldwide found that more than four in 10 potential users of mobile payments would try such services sooner if they had greater information on privacy and security measures.
For their part,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, operators have a wealth of information assets available to them that can be repurposed in various ways, from improved business intelligence that can produce better decision-making internally to rich customer data that can enrich smart connectivity solutions across a range of industries.
Despite advantages created through the historic accumulation of data, operators find themselves also facing a number of challenges. Many of the disruptive actors that have shaped new growth areas in mobile data, for example, are also more adept at analysing and repurposing data to overhaul the customer experience and create new revenue streams.
For telcos, the storage, management and re-use of data are far from straightforward. Different types of data — concerning products, customers and assets — are held in a variety of legacy systems. Departmentalised storage means that existing data sets are fragmented, which places an additional burdens on operators looking to harness the benefits of big data, both for their own businesses and those of their enterprise customers.
Predictive analytics has an important role to play for operators transforming their business intelligence capabilities. Using historical and real-time data, telcos can achieve gains on a number of fronts, from reducing churn levels to maximising the return on investment of their marketing activities.
The ability to identify new opportunities and threats to their business does not stop there. Network capacity planning has much to gain from the use of cutting-edge analytics tools while simpler customer interactions with service departments is another area where higher-quality insights can drive new efficiencies and greater satisfaction levels.
While incumbents in developed markets have already been building their capabilities over the last five years or so, players in emerging markets are now also starting to realise the transformational power of new analytics tools. Yet, for the latest analytics products to deliver optimal benefits, all players need to consider how best to cleanse and normalise their legacy data sets to make the most of new analytics capabilities.
As a sector, telecommunications lags the retail industry, where use of predictive analytics is already in a more mature phase. Long-standing obstacles need to be surmounted if operators are to become leading adopters in this field. For one, technical skills in big data are in short supply. In the first instance, hiring highly-trained specialists in areas such as data mining is vital; in the longer-term, analytics tools need to be made more accessible to non-specialists.
At the same time, vendors are under growing pressure to meet operators’ fast-changing needs. Offering advanced analytics tools is one thing, but integrating them with their core business intelligence platforms can help lower overall costs.Installers and distributors of solar panel,
Furthermore, operators are keen on solutions tailored to the needs of their business, with a focus on user-friendly self-service and mobile interfaces that can both cater for non-specialist users while also speeding the delivery of insights.
Looking ahead, cloud-based analytics solutions offer the potential to sidestep the costs associated with on-premises solutions and provide greater flexibility as telco business models adapt to new industry ecosystems.
Meanwhile, operators’ historic focus on cost is broadening to include value creation through achieving a single view of the customer. In this light, vendor approaches need to cater for an environment where they act as partners, not just suppliers,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china, and where decision-making is no longer the preserve of the IT department.
As operators place greater emphasis on analytics tools to improve internal processes, there is also the need to consider how data can be repurposed as part of new service propositions for customers. Plenty of pioneering examples of data re-use already exist, such as the targeted advertising services offered by web giants through social media.
Going forward, there is an array of service opportunities for operators, ranging from customer relationship management to market insights and pattern detection services that are tailored to the specific needs of enterprise clients.
Many operators are now providing machine-to-machine services, focusing on opportunities the automotive and utilities sectors, for example. Throughput demands are generally low for such initiatives, while ARPU per megabyte is high and M2M data is unlikely to impact peak-hour network loads negatively.
Analytics-assisted M2M can create new forms of value for clients, by linking data sets so that situations are managed in real time, preventative actions can be taken and predictions made about future processes. This is important as operators look to add value for clients beyond pure connectivity itself.
Elsewhere, location-based services that provide insights on customer movements by aggregating anonymised network data are another area of focus for operators. While there are already specialists who provide footfall-related insights to retailers, operators hope that they too can play a role in adding value through this kind of granular data.
Managed services leveraging data analytics represent an attractive new revenue stream for operators, yet business models remain fluid. In the future, partnering with other entities such as specialist manufacturers, systems integrators and software developers will underpin more sophisticated M2M solutions. For cross-border services for multinational clients, operators will need to strike new types of alliances between themselves as interoperability issues come to the fore.
Given that many analytics-assisted services are still in an early phase, educating customers about the benefits of big data-related services is vital. A more consultative approach to sales can foster the right conditions for long-term contracts that develop over time — important as use cases in analytic-assisted M2M continue to expand, for example.
At the same time, organisational structures need to be refined so that operators can position themselves for new opportunities. Already, many incumbents have created new business units to target emerging market segments in digital media for both consumers and businesses. Looking ahead, such divisions have the potential to spearhead operator partnerships across the value chain in new areas such as big data, cloud computing and M2M.Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.
Despite a positive industry outlook, privacy and security anxieties around the re-use of customer data need to be carefully managed. Current initiatives using location-based data stress that customer information is anonymous,High quality stone mosaic tiles. while M2M devices are already available to customers on an opt-in basis for services relating to car insurance, for example.
Nevertheless, customers remain cautious when it comes to sharing personal data. Earlier this year, an Ernst & Young study (The Mobile Maze, published in October 2012) of 6,000 mobile users worldwide found that more than four in 10 potential users of mobile payments would try such services sooner if they had greater information on privacy and security measures.
Beloit locations now getting state certification
Wisconsin
economic development officials are expected in Rock County today to do
what local economic development officials did more than two years ago.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. are scheduled to announce today that the Highway 11 Business Park in Janesville and the Gateway Business Park in Beloit are "Certified In Wisconsin" development-ready certified sites.
While inclusion in the state program will give the two Rock County sites greater exposure through a state website, it also added costs because the two were certified as shovel-ready by a different organization more than two years ago.
According to the state, a certified site is a development-ready parcel that's been reviewed and approved by the state and its consulting contractor. The idea is to eliminate any barriers that might dissuade a company from locating in the two sites.
Rock County 5.0,Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers a public-private economic development initiative, in 2010 took on the initiative and the cost to certify the 224-acre site in Janesville and the 230-acre site in Beloit.
In July, the 42-acre Edgerton Business Park joined those in Janesville and Beloit as the only industrial/distribution sites in the state certified by a third party as being shovel ready.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?
Ady International and Austin Consulting certified all three Rock County sites.
Ady-Austin reviewed more than 200 variables at each site and compiled a "shovel-ready report" that addresses ownership, property, transportation, utility, environmental and community issues.
Because Rock County 5.0 did the certification work, prospects can start construction in as few as 30 days and avoid a six- to eight-month delay while they pay someone else to certify the property.
"Rock County is definitely unique," said Vic Grassman, Janesville's economic development director. "We were ahead of the game with shovel-ready certification, and now we are even more ahead of the game.
"Instead of being certified once, we've been certified twice."
As part of its "Locate in Wisconsin" program, the state is using Deloitte Consulting to evaluate sites. The state expects to certify approximately 30 development-ready sites within three years.
Deloitte reviewed several elements of the sites, including size, availability of utility and transportation infrastructure, physical and technical condition, environmental assessments, quality of labor force and support by local communities.
Last week, the state announced certifications for sites in Fitchburg, DeForest, Beaver Dam, West Bend and the village of Howard near Green Bay.High quality stone mosaic tiles.
Typically, the Deloitte certification costs between $18,000 and $30,000, which is split between the community and the state.
Tom Thieding, a spokesman for the state economic development agency, said the cost for the latest certifications in Janesville and Beloit was $6,000 per community. The state paid those fees in a gesture of partnership because so much work already had been done in the Ady-Austin certification, he said.
Beyond the fees the state paid to Deloitte, Janesville and Beloit must pay other costs.
Grassman said Janesville is looking at bills that likely will total between $6,000 and $8,000 for new field investigations, easement work and archeological and architectural studies—work not included in the original Ady-Austin certification that Deloitte requires.
"It was definitely not a freebie," Grassman said. "We had to do it if we wanted to be on the state's website and take advantage of the marketing that it brings us.
"It will just give us another leg up on the competition."
Beloit will have two 50-acre sites in the Gateway Park certified under the state program. It has spent more than $10,000 on additional work required by the Deloitte certification, said Andrew Janke, executive director of the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corp.
In hindsight, Janke said, the additional work and cost should have been undertaken in the first certification process.
"Even considering what we paid initially for this certification, the costs are minimal in terms of the tremendous marketing tool this provides," Beloit City Manager Larry Arft said. "This saves companies time and money, and it's a huge help, a very important piece of the economic development puzzle."
Since the Janesville and Beloit sites were first certified in 2010, no businesses have located in either.
Arft and Grassman said that's more a function of a depressed economy than a lack of companies' interest in getting to market more quickly.
"So far, the response hasn't been there," Grassman said, "but it will come."
The odd site out—at least for now—is the Ady-Austin certified parcel in Edgerton. It is not included in the first wave of sites added to the state program.The MaxSonar ultrasonic sensor offers very short to long-range detection and ranging.
Online payment system POLi Payments has found itself in hot water after allegations that it has been duplicating the sites of Australian and New Zealand banks, and prompting customers to enter their banking details.
ASB Bank New Zealand raised the alarm, stating that through its security and fraud-monitoring measures,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, it "identified the POLi payment service is 'spoofing/mirroring' the ASB and Bank Direct secure internet banking sites so that they look identical to our genuine sites, and capture customer information."
One of POLi Payments' offerings is to partner with businesses, so that their customers can use POLi to make payments from their bank accounts, eliminating or reducing merchant fees. When checking out with a POLi-enabled business, customers are prompted to log in to their bank account, where POLi handles making the transaction on the user's behalf.
Participating businesses include Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, and Dodo.
However, ASB's claims are that users are actually presented with a duplicate of the site, not unlike how scammers attempt to phish for banking details, and informed that this is actually the legitimate banking website. Customer details are then sent via POLi to the bank's servers to log in and complete transactions.
POLi does not appear to have been using banking information in a malicious way, but it does not inform customers that their details may be entered on a server other than the bank's.
ASB Bank warned users that "these are not our secure websites, and we are unable to audit the security of the POLi service. Your information is then used by POLi to log on to our genuine sites in your name."
ASB Bank has since asked POLi to remove the duplicate sites, and recommends that customers do not use POLi.
POLi has refuted the claims, stating that "at no point does POLi capture or store customer information," and that it is merely "providing a pass-through service whereby the bank sites are accessed via our secure servers."
Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. are scheduled to announce today that the Highway 11 Business Park in Janesville and the Gateway Business Park in Beloit are "Certified In Wisconsin" development-ready certified sites.
While inclusion in the state program will give the two Rock County sites greater exposure through a state website, it also added costs because the two were certified as shovel-ready by a different organization more than two years ago.
According to the state, a certified site is a development-ready parcel that's been reviewed and approved by the state and its consulting contractor. The idea is to eliminate any barriers that might dissuade a company from locating in the two sites.
Rock County 5.0,Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers a public-private economic development initiative, in 2010 took on the initiative and the cost to certify the 224-acre site in Janesville and the 230-acre site in Beloit.
In July, the 42-acre Edgerton Business Park joined those in Janesville and Beloit as the only industrial/distribution sites in the state certified by a third party as being shovel ready.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?
Ady International and Austin Consulting certified all three Rock County sites.
Ady-Austin reviewed more than 200 variables at each site and compiled a "shovel-ready report" that addresses ownership, property, transportation, utility, environmental and community issues.
Because Rock County 5.0 did the certification work, prospects can start construction in as few as 30 days and avoid a six- to eight-month delay while they pay someone else to certify the property.
"Rock County is definitely unique," said Vic Grassman, Janesville's economic development director. "We were ahead of the game with shovel-ready certification, and now we are even more ahead of the game.
"Instead of being certified once, we've been certified twice."
As part of its "Locate in Wisconsin" program, the state is using Deloitte Consulting to evaluate sites. The state expects to certify approximately 30 development-ready sites within three years.
Deloitte reviewed several elements of the sites, including size, availability of utility and transportation infrastructure, physical and technical condition, environmental assessments, quality of labor force and support by local communities.
Last week, the state announced certifications for sites in Fitchburg, DeForest, Beaver Dam, West Bend and the village of Howard near Green Bay.High quality stone mosaic tiles.
Typically, the Deloitte certification costs between $18,000 and $30,000, which is split between the community and the state.
Tom Thieding, a spokesman for the state economic development agency, said the cost for the latest certifications in Janesville and Beloit was $6,000 per community. The state paid those fees in a gesture of partnership because so much work already had been done in the Ady-Austin certification, he said.
Beyond the fees the state paid to Deloitte, Janesville and Beloit must pay other costs.
Grassman said Janesville is looking at bills that likely will total between $6,000 and $8,000 for new field investigations, easement work and archeological and architectural studies—work not included in the original Ady-Austin certification that Deloitte requires.
"It was definitely not a freebie," Grassman said. "We had to do it if we wanted to be on the state's website and take advantage of the marketing that it brings us.
"It will just give us another leg up on the competition."
Beloit will have two 50-acre sites in the Gateway Park certified under the state program. It has spent more than $10,000 on additional work required by the Deloitte certification, said Andrew Janke, executive director of the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corp.
In hindsight, Janke said, the additional work and cost should have been undertaken in the first certification process.
"Even considering what we paid initially for this certification, the costs are minimal in terms of the tremendous marketing tool this provides," Beloit City Manager Larry Arft said. "This saves companies time and money, and it's a huge help, a very important piece of the economic development puzzle."
Since the Janesville and Beloit sites were first certified in 2010, no businesses have located in either.
Arft and Grassman said that's more a function of a depressed economy than a lack of companies' interest in getting to market more quickly.
"So far, the response hasn't been there," Grassman said, "but it will come."
The odd site out—at least for now—is the Ady-Austin certified parcel in Edgerton. It is not included in the first wave of sites added to the state program.The MaxSonar ultrasonic sensor offers very short to long-range detection and ranging.
Online payment system POLi Payments has found itself in hot water after allegations that it has been duplicating the sites of Australian and New Zealand banks, and prompting customers to enter their banking details.
ASB Bank New Zealand raised the alarm, stating that through its security and fraud-monitoring measures,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, it "identified the POLi payment service is 'spoofing/mirroring' the ASB and Bank Direct secure internet banking sites so that they look identical to our genuine sites, and capture customer information."
One of POLi Payments' offerings is to partner with businesses, so that their customers can use POLi to make payments from their bank accounts, eliminating or reducing merchant fees. When checking out with a POLi-enabled business, customers are prompted to log in to their bank account, where POLi handles making the transaction on the user's behalf.
Participating businesses include Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, and Dodo.
However, ASB's claims are that users are actually presented with a duplicate of the site, not unlike how scammers attempt to phish for banking details, and informed that this is actually the legitimate banking website. Customer details are then sent via POLi to the bank's servers to log in and complete transactions.
POLi does not appear to have been using banking information in a malicious way, but it does not inform customers that their details may be entered on a server other than the bank's.
ASB Bank warned users that "these are not our secure websites, and we are unable to audit the security of the POLi service. Your information is then used by POLi to log on to our genuine sites in your name."
ASB Bank has since asked POLi to remove the duplicate sites, and recommends that customers do not use POLi.
POLi has refuted the claims, stating that "at no point does POLi capture or store customer information," and that it is merely "providing a pass-through service whereby the bank sites are accessed via our secure servers."
Lake Tahoe and climate change
As
the year winds down, it's an appropriate time to review the current
health and physical state of Lake Tahoe and its regional environment. On
Dec. 13, Dr. Geoffrey Schladow gave a presentation on the 2012 State of
the Lake Report at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.
Dr. Schladow is Director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, based at the University of California-Davis. Since 2007 TERC has released this annual report, which provides a snapshot of important environmental aspects of the Tahoe Basin, including clarity, erosion and sedimentation, air quality, climate change and more.
Similar to a struggling student, this environmental report card indicates the strengths and weaknesses of “better management practices” that have been designed to protect Big Blue from stress factors associated with development and human activity. Metrics regarding water quality, clarity, and the battle against invasive species offer some bright spots, but included in the report are issues related to climate change that depict troubling trends that may be beyond the scope of mitigation efforts.
Tahoe is one of the worlds' most studied lakes and holds a unique position among large lakes. In fact, when NASA began gathering temperature information on 167 large lakes worldwide, Tahoe's in-lake measurements were used to calibrate the satellite data for this global assessment. Dr. Schladow indicated that Tahoe's singular characteristics make it an ideal study site.
“Because Lake Tahoe is still very clean and relatively pristine, it has a high signal to noise ratio,” he said. “We can often see things at Tahoe that are happening in other lakes but are just harder to tease out there.High quality stone mosaic tiles.”
For 25 years Tahoe researchers have watched the lake's water temperature warm more rapidly than surrounding air temperatures due to climate change. NASA has confirmed the same trend in play on virtually all observed lakes around the world. Warming water temperatures impact lakes in a variety of ways, including biological productivity and creating a more hospitable environment for invasive species. Have you ever noticed that some summers Big Blue is warmer than others?
The most obvious answer kicked around by locals is that after a big winter the snowpack melts later and dumps cold water into the lake well into spring. The main culprit, however, is the mixing of Tahoe's waters at great depth. Consider that in July 2011, Tahoe's surface water was the coldest in a decade. Makes sense right? Winter 2011 was epic with skiing into July. According to measurements taken at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (CSSL), more snow fell during the winter of 2006 than 2011, but Tahoe's surface temperature in July 2006 was significantly warmer than 2011, and one of the balmiest since 1968.
Like most lakes located in temperate latitudes, water in Tahoe occasionally mixes, bringing oxygen-starved water up from depth while infusing the deeper zones with oxygenated surface water. The extent of the mixing varies between relatively shallow zones or a complete turnover of water — top to bottom.
In 2011 Tahoe's liquid volume mixed to the bottom (1,645 feet — 11th deepest in world), which pushed cold water up from the depths to make for invigorating water sports that summer. There was only a shallow mixing in 2006.
Dr. Schladow has written: “Past studies suggest that climate change will reduce the extent of lake mixing, and in particular the mixing of oxygen, down to deep water. How true this really is remains an open question at Tahoe and lakes world-wide.”
Lake Tahoe mixes when the water column reaches the same temperature and density. Surface winds trigger the turn-over. The worry for the future is what happens if a buoyant surface cap of warm water prevents this hydrological flip and what would the impact be on Lake Tahoe? One concern is that oxygen depletion at depth will release phosphorus and nitrogen from bottom sediments, nutrients that are known drivers for algae production. Algae are a major cause of diminishing water clarity.
Next year TERC researchers are installing equipment to measure these mixing events in real-time so that they will be able to monitor the evolution of the process as it happens and learn more about it.
Other climate trends reveal that since 1961, the lake level snowpack is melting about two weeks earlier in spring. However, at the CSSL at 6,900 feet elevation, there has been no meaningful change in spring melt timing since measurements began in 1946. It's important to remember that although scientists are quantifying climate change, the impacts vary depending on location.
Due to space constraints,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, this article provides only a cursory glance at two components in this year's TERC report,High quality stone mosaic tiles. but the entire document can be viewed online at terc.ucdavis.edu/stateofthelake/. I've cherry-picked select topics from the report and plan on discussing other climate and meteorological aspects of this important study in a future column. Stay tuned.
This is a clear warning for lean manufacturing "wannabes" to avoid cherry picking lean initiatives such as simply setting up kanban replenishment or reducing set-up times. The IT sector is in fact responding to the market's current needs, seen in the recent boom of locally available Lean Application Solutions. These can be found in the form of e-kanbans, lean loop-replenishment sizing applications, Web EDI, and most recently real-time asset management solutions.
Whether tracking containers through a port, optimising assembly lines or managing support equipment at a warehouse, today's automated IT solutions provide complete visibility and greater velocity to deliver measurable business improvement. In fact, modern enterprise solutions can provide an integrated infrastructure for real-time location, digital messaging,Quickparts builds injection molds using aluminum or steel to meet your program. and wireless networking applications. Together these can give local SME manufacturers the power to continuously manage the physical status of their business's equipment and their people.
This is the case no matter how prone one's production and supply chains are to the challenges of demand variability and the realities of material availability.
Underpinning all of this is the removal of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' of lean SME manufacturing; the goal of course being to eliminate non value-added processing from the customers' perspective by enabling less inventory, less space, less resources, and less time to produce more - all highly responsive to customer demand.
“Transportation disruption is a huge trend right now,” said cofoudner and CEO Aashish Dalal in an interview with VentureBeat. “There are a variety of companies shaking up hailing taxis, finding overnight accommodations, sharing cars, booking private jets, and even bicycle ownership. ParkWhiz enables an existing consumer behavior within what is traditionally a very offline consumer experience. By aggregating real-time data about parking availability and pricing, we have pioneered a new way for parking owners and consumers to find each other.”
Not only can users see what spots are available and claim them in advance, but they can also compare price, location, and amenities. Once the transaction is complete, drivers receive a ParkWhiz digital parking pass and directions to their spot. It is prepaid,High quality mold making Videos teaches anyone how to make molds. which eliminates concerns about losing pay stubs or not having the right amount of cash.
Last week, another Chicago-based startup SpotHero announced a $2.5 million round led by Battery Ventures. SpotHero was accelerated in Excelerate Labs and focuses on the pain point of finding parking on the go. Its mobile app shows available spaces in parking garages nearby and is mainly active in Chicago. Other competitors include KurbKarma, which adds a social network layer atop the parking search capability, and ParqPlace, a startup incubated by Lemons Labs that takes more of a shared economy approach by combining mobile technology and hardware to capitalize on spaces owned by schools, churches, businesses, and residents.
Dr. Schladow is Director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, based at the University of California-Davis. Since 2007 TERC has released this annual report, which provides a snapshot of important environmental aspects of the Tahoe Basin, including clarity, erosion and sedimentation, air quality, climate change and more.
Similar to a struggling student, this environmental report card indicates the strengths and weaknesses of “better management practices” that have been designed to protect Big Blue from stress factors associated with development and human activity. Metrics regarding water quality, clarity, and the battle against invasive species offer some bright spots, but included in the report are issues related to climate change that depict troubling trends that may be beyond the scope of mitigation efforts.
Tahoe is one of the worlds' most studied lakes and holds a unique position among large lakes. In fact, when NASA began gathering temperature information on 167 large lakes worldwide, Tahoe's in-lake measurements were used to calibrate the satellite data for this global assessment. Dr. Schladow indicated that Tahoe's singular characteristics make it an ideal study site.
“Because Lake Tahoe is still very clean and relatively pristine, it has a high signal to noise ratio,” he said. “We can often see things at Tahoe that are happening in other lakes but are just harder to tease out there.High quality stone mosaic tiles.”
For 25 years Tahoe researchers have watched the lake's water temperature warm more rapidly than surrounding air temperatures due to climate change. NASA has confirmed the same trend in play on virtually all observed lakes around the world. Warming water temperatures impact lakes in a variety of ways, including biological productivity and creating a more hospitable environment for invasive species. Have you ever noticed that some summers Big Blue is warmer than others?
The most obvious answer kicked around by locals is that after a big winter the snowpack melts later and dumps cold water into the lake well into spring. The main culprit, however, is the mixing of Tahoe's waters at great depth. Consider that in July 2011, Tahoe's surface water was the coldest in a decade. Makes sense right? Winter 2011 was epic with skiing into July. According to measurements taken at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (CSSL), more snow fell during the winter of 2006 than 2011, but Tahoe's surface temperature in July 2006 was significantly warmer than 2011, and one of the balmiest since 1968.
Like most lakes located in temperate latitudes, water in Tahoe occasionally mixes, bringing oxygen-starved water up from depth while infusing the deeper zones with oxygenated surface water. The extent of the mixing varies between relatively shallow zones or a complete turnover of water — top to bottom.
In 2011 Tahoe's liquid volume mixed to the bottom (1,645 feet — 11th deepest in world), which pushed cold water up from the depths to make for invigorating water sports that summer. There was only a shallow mixing in 2006.
Dr. Schladow has written: “Past studies suggest that climate change will reduce the extent of lake mixing, and in particular the mixing of oxygen, down to deep water. How true this really is remains an open question at Tahoe and lakes world-wide.”
Lake Tahoe mixes when the water column reaches the same temperature and density. Surface winds trigger the turn-over. The worry for the future is what happens if a buoyant surface cap of warm water prevents this hydrological flip and what would the impact be on Lake Tahoe? One concern is that oxygen depletion at depth will release phosphorus and nitrogen from bottom sediments, nutrients that are known drivers for algae production. Algae are a major cause of diminishing water clarity.
Next year TERC researchers are installing equipment to measure these mixing events in real-time so that they will be able to monitor the evolution of the process as it happens and learn more about it.
Other climate trends reveal that since 1961, the lake level snowpack is melting about two weeks earlier in spring. However, at the CSSL at 6,900 feet elevation, there has been no meaningful change in spring melt timing since measurements began in 1946. It's important to remember that although scientists are quantifying climate change, the impacts vary depending on location.
Due to space constraints,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, this article provides only a cursory glance at two components in this year's TERC report,High quality stone mosaic tiles. but the entire document can be viewed online at terc.ucdavis.edu/stateofthelake/. I've cherry-picked select topics from the report and plan on discussing other climate and meteorological aspects of this important study in a future column. Stay tuned.
This is a clear warning for lean manufacturing "wannabes" to avoid cherry picking lean initiatives such as simply setting up kanban replenishment or reducing set-up times. The IT sector is in fact responding to the market's current needs, seen in the recent boom of locally available Lean Application Solutions. These can be found in the form of e-kanbans, lean loop-replenishment sizing applications, Web EDI, and most recently real-time asset management solutions.
Whether tracking containers through a port, optimising assembly lines or managing support equipment at a warehouse, today's automated IT solutions provide complete visibility and greater velocity to deliver measurable business improvement. In fact, modern enterprise solutions can provide an integrated infrastructure for real-time location, digital messaging,Quickparts builds injection molds using aluminum or steel to meet your program. and wireless networking applications. Together these can give local SME manufacturers the power to continuously manage the physical status of their business's equipment and their people.
This is the case no matter how prone one's production and supply chains are to the challenges of demand variability and the realities of material availability.
Underpinning all of this is the removal of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' of lean SME manufacturing; the goal of course being to eliminate non value-added processing from the customers' perspective by enabling less inventory, less space, less resources, and less time to produce more - all highly responsive to customer demand.
“Transportation disruption is a huge trend right now,” said cofoudner and CEO Aashish Dalal in an interview with VentureBeat. “There are a variety of companies shaking up hailing taxis, finding overnight accommodations, sharing cars, booking private jets, and even bicycle ownership. ParkWhiz enables an existing consumer behavior within what is traditionally a very offline consumer experience. By aggregating real-time data about parking availability and pricing, we have pioneered a new way for parking owners and consumers to find each other.”
Not only can users see what spots are available and claim them in advance, but they can also compare price, location, and amenities. Once the transaction is complete, drivers receive a ParkWhiz digital parking pass and directions to their spot. It is prepaid,High quality mold making Videos teaches anyone how to make molds. which eliminates concerns about losing pay stubs or not having the right amount of cash.
Last week, another Chicago-based startup SpotHero announced a $2.5 million round led by Battery Ventures. SpotHero was accelerated in Excelerate Labs and focuses on the pain point of finding parking on the go. Its mobile app shows available spaces in parking garages nearby and is mainly active in Chicago. Other competitors include KurbKarma, which adds a social network layer atop the parking search capability, and ParqPlace, a startup incubated by Lemons Labs that takes more of a shared economy approach by combining mobile technology and hardware to capitalize on spaces owned by schools, churches, businesses, and residents.
2012年12月17日 星期一
U.S. moves ahead on new downtown L.A. courthouse
Downtown Los Angeles is finally getting its new federal courthouse,
and it's going to stand out amid the aging government buildings in the
Civic Center.
A 550,000-square-foot courthouse — planned for the southwest corner of Broadway and 1st Street, across from the old county law library and the Los Angeles Times building — will feature a bright, serrated facade and a structural design that allow the structure to appear to float over its stone base, officials said.
It will have a public plaza along 1st Street near recently opened Grand Park. Officials say the building's design has received a "platinum" rating for energy efficiency from the U.S.Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers Green Building Council.
The U.S. General Services Administration is moving forward on the project despite last-minute opposition from some Republicans in Congress, who question the viability of the agency's plans to sell the federal courthouse on North Spring Street to private developers. The lawmakers also questioned whether the extra courtrooms were actually necessary.
The GSA awarded a $318-million contract last week to the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Clark Construction Group, and released several renderings of the proposed design. The building will rise on a 3.6-acre lot on Broadway that city officials have long wanted to develop.
"We are moving toward the groundbreaking of a critically needed facility that will resolve long-standing security and space issues," Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) said in a statement. "At a time when we need to keep investing in our recovering economy, we expect the courthouse to create thousands of new jobs in the construction industry and related businesses."
Peter Zellner, faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. noted that the courthouse design in some ways is reminiscent of Mid-Century architectural styles of other Los Angeles government centers, particularly the Wilshire Federal Building. Zellner also suggested the architects consider the courthouse plaza as part of a chain of public spaces spilling down from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The courthouse will include 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. Along with the judges of the U.S. District Court, the building will be used by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. attorneys' office and the Federal Public Defender.
Federal judges have been pushing for new space downtown since the late 1990s. In addition to the Spring Street courthouse, federal judges occupy space elsewhere in downtown, but they have complained about overcrowding and security issues.High quality stone mosaic tiles.
Construction on the courthouse is expected to begin sometime next year, with completion set for 2016, the GSA said.
The agency also announced that it had released a formal "request for information" to solicit ideas for adaptive reuse of one of the old federal courthouses, on North Spring Street. Under the agency's plan, the 72-year-old building would be sold to a private developer, with the proceeds to help finance construction of a second federal office building next to the new courthouse.
Some real estate experts have questioned whether the exchange proposal would be feasible, saying it could be difficult for a private owner to adapt the old courthouse because of its structural issues, location and historic status. And the Republican critics of the courthouse plan expressed concern that if the GSA could not manage to sell the old courthouse, it would be stuck with a vacant building and higher costs to taxpayers.
Younity is a bit different, in that it creates a personal cloud. When you look at cloud solutions out there, the public cloud is very different from a personal cloud. With public, share storage, you are using public, shared storage where you're putting everything with everyone else's stuff, which makes your stuff available from that location and where you can access it from a device. What's different with Younity, is instead of creating another cloud and walled garden,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele , we're actually incorporating the resources you already have, such as the storage on your devices, and over time, your other online services, photos, and documents. The goal is not to create one more, isolated solution, but to conform to the interest and services around each individual user.
Enterprises like to use things like Amazon Web Services. We use AWS too, and those companies are able to use resources created for cloud storage and processing.High quality stone mosaic tiles. Younity is not all that different, but we build it from your own devices. If you have a Windows laptop, a Mac, we can actually connect those devices, so that that they're inherently aware of each other. You can share those resources between both computers. So, for example, if you find you don't have enough storage on your laptop, we'll have your desktop do the heavy lifting. Ultimately, Younity takes all of the documents, photos, video, and music you have and unifies it across devices, connecting them in real time ways to each other, and sharing that continuously.
I've been designing software for 16 years, and am attracted to difficult problems. I was consumerizing enterprise applications, but what I really wanted to do was commercialize consumer software. The idea is that we're context-based users now. I use my phone on the street, my tablet on the couch or in bed, and my laptop when traveling. I use my desktop when I need the screen real estate or processing power. I would be working on my iMac, and head out to a customer site, but I'd forget to sync things or put those files in Dropbox. I was looking for a solution to that. It's not about changing how devices work, because no one cares about devices. What we really care about is data. We don't want to worry about synchronizing things, we just want to use our devices or whatever screen is convenient.
A 550,000-square-foot courthouse — planned for the southwest corner of Broadway and 1st Street, across from the old county law library and the Los Angeles Times building — will feature a bright, serrated facade and a structural design that allow the structure to appear to float over its stone base, officials said.
It will have a public plaza along 1st Street near recently opened Grand Park. Officials say the building's design has received a "platinum" rating for energy efficiency from the U.S.Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers Green Building Council.
The U.S. General Services Administration is moving forward on the project despite last-minute opposition from some Republicans in Congress, who question the viability of the agency's plans to sell the federal courthouse on North Spring Street to private developers. The lawmakers also questioned whether the extra courtrooms were actually necessary.
The GSA awarded a $318-million contract last week to the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Clark Construction Group, and released several renderings of the proposed design. The building will rise on a 3.6-acre lot on Broadway that city officials have long wanted to develop.
"We are moving toward the groundbreaking of a critically needed facility that will resolve long-standing security and space issues," Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) said in a statement. "At a time when we need to keep investing in our recovering economy, we expect the courthouse to create thousands of new jobs in the construction industry and related businesses."
Peter Zellner, faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. noted that the courthouse design in some ways is reminiscent of Mid-Century architectural styles of other Los Angeles government centers, particularly the Wilshire Federal Building. Zellner also suggested the architects consider the courthouse plaza as part of a chain of public spaces spilling down from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The courthouse will include 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. Along with the judges of the U.S. District Court, the building will be used by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. attorneys' office and the Federal Public Defender.
Federal judges have been pushing for new space downtown since the late 1990s. In addition to the Spring Street courthouse, federal judges occupy space elsewhere in downtown, but they have complained about overcrowding and security issues.High quality stone mosaic tiles.
Construction on the courthouse is expected to begin sometime next year, with completion set for 2016, the GSA said.
The agency also announced that it had released a formal "request for information" to solicit ideas for adaptive reuse of one of the old federal courthouses, on North Spring Street. Under the agency's plan, the 72-year-old building would be sold to a private developer, with the proceeds to help finance construction of a second federal office building next to the new courthouse.
Some real estate experts have questioned whether the exchange proposal would be feasible, saying it could be difficult for a private owner to adapt the old courthouse because of its structural issues, location and historic status. And the Republican critics of the courthouse plan expressed concern that if the GSA could not manage to sell the old courthouse, it would be stuck with a vacant building and higher costs to taxpayers.
Younity is a bit different, in that it creates a personal cloud. When you look at cloud solutions out there, the public cloud is very different from a personal cloud. With public, share storage, you are using public, shared storage where you're putting everything with everyone else's stuff, which makes your stuff available from that location and where you can access it from a device. What's different with Younity, is instead of creating another cloud and walled garden,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele , we're actually incorporating the resources you already have, such as the storage on your devices, and over time, your other online services, photos, and documents. The goal is not to create one more, isolated solution, but to conform to the interest and services around each individual user.
Enterprises like to use things like Amazon Web Services. We use AWS too, and those companies are able to use resources created for cloud storage and processing.High quality stone mosaic tiles. Younity is not all that different, but we build it from your own devices. If you have a Windows laptop, a Mac, we can actually connect those devices, so that that they're inherently aware of each other. You can share those resources between both computers. So, for example, if you find you don't have enough storage on your laptop, we'll have your desktop do the heavy lifting. Ultimately, Younity takes all of the documents, photos, video, and music you have and unifies it across devices, connecting them in real time ways to each other, and sharing that continuously.
I've been designing software for 16 years, and am attracted to difficult problems. I was consumerizing enterprise applications, but what I really wanted to do was commercialize consumer software. The idea is that we're context-based users now. I use my phone on the street, my tablet on the couch or in bed, and my laptop when traveling. I use my desktop when I need the screen real estate or processing power. I would be working on my iMac, and head out to a customer site, but I'd forget to sync things or put those files in Dropbox. I was looking for a solution to that. It's not about changing how devices work, because no one cares about devices. What we really care about is data. We don't want to worry about synchronizing things, we just want to use our devices or whatever screen is convenient.
The Shining
Put on your ear protectors and eye goggles. The crashing noise coming
your way is the sound of me acquiring social acceptability. I am
changing my floors. Bring on the jackhammer and chisel. It’s either that
or start serving martinis and hiding the broom and mop whenever friends
and relatives visit.
They hate my floors. What I call rustic, they call ugly. The builder asked why I wanted “dutty-looking’’ tiles in my nice new abode.
I originally longed for giant clay tiles but the builder began wiping his brow and looked as if he were going to burst into tears. So I selected an irregular-edged design that looked like paving stones, to create a sort of chic natural eco-look. No one was impressed.
People always want to get down on their hands and knees and scrub it because they think that sandy tinge is the result of poor housekeeping.
Everyone would have been so much happier if I had chosen something bright and shiny. People adore shiny ceramic tiles,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. shiny fake fruit bowl ornaments, shiny plastic shoes, shiny polyester and Spandex clothes, shiny eye make-up. The only shiny thing people seem to object to is shiny necks, which might be why so many women have an adherence to dusting themselves in white powder
from chin to navel, as if flouring themselves like fish for frying.
This is Carnival country, after all, so a healthy appreciation of glitz is to be expected. But there is an awful lot of shining all year round, and it’s only getting worse during the Christmas season when the satin and sequinned cocktail dresses come out to party.
For some years now, I have suspected I am really an alien from another galaxy transplanted here as a foetus to escape an exploding home planet. How else do you explain stores which are jam-packed one week with garish shiny ready-made curtain panels and sold out the next? How else do you explain the proliferation of jewelry stores in downtown Port-of-Spain alone, which can barely keep up with the demand for ten-carat earrings that look like spray-painted aluminium foil? Hordes of people must be buying the stuff—except me.
The only explanation is that I am not from here. Now I can see some of you shaking your heads and pulling my purple crush velvet bell-bottoms of yesteryear out of the closet as Exhibit A to prove me a liar.
But there is a difference between rich, bright wardrobe colours to celebrate an effervescent personality and taking up permanent residence at the crossroads of Gaudy and Tacky.
Look, shiny floors should be reserved for car showrooms and disco halls. The exception is hardwood which you have waxed and polished to a natural gleam, preferably with $100 bills to remind you not to walk on them in high heels.
Twelve hundred square feet of glossy ceramic is cheap-looking and stomach-tightening—but an Elvis Presley jacket with some studs on the collar and cuffs is an entirely more logical venture. You put it on, take it off, admire it on the hanger. Floors, usually, are for life.
So to blend in more before my secret alien identity is discovered,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. I am separating myself from my misunderstood stone tiles and installing something less controversial—some nice plain bamboo flooring, in a subdued blond shade. No, it’s not shiny but it’s trendy and cosy and largely inoffensive to inhabitants of my adopted planet. No one should be able to argue with blond bamboo.
The Howard residence in the Mayacama Timbers Resort community in the Shiloh Hills is a magnificent single-family home built on a two-acre lot that has been sited to maximize valley vistas of Windsor and Santa Rosa.
This premier custom home, located along Cottage Ridge Road, is modeled after a weathered Tuscan stone barn that has been added onto over the years.
The structure is an elegant blend of wood and stucco with various earthtone finishes wrapped in native stonework.
Paul Balatti, of NorCal Development Company, served as the owner’s representative.The oreck XL professional air purifier, He formed a team of professionals, including contractors and an interior design firm, to develop the project.
Petersen Design Associates, LLC, of Novato was chosen to select interior styles and finishes. Constance Petersen, principal, and Karen Douglass, senior designer, worked closely with the homeowner, architect and contractor to achieve the owner’s vision.
In addition to the main indoor kitchen, there is a kitchenette in the lower floor granny unit,Interlocking security cable ties with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. another on the patio outside the main floor kitchen and dining area, and yet another in the pool house area used for barbecues and al fresco dining.
“Kitchen cabinets are a contemporary blend of walnut and dark grey anodized aluminum crafted by Bulthaup of Germany, and kitchen and hallway floors are a modern form of exposed concrete,” said Ms. Petersen. “Countertop surfaces are made from unique composition of finely ground quartz.”
Floors in other parts of the house are made of reclaimed white oak. Centuries old French bricks have been laid in a herringbone pattern in the sunroom, laundry and loggias.
Reclaimed white oak beams are also used as lintels over doors and windows.
An antique 18th century walnut double door, provided by Portalais, Inc., and restored by Boiseries et Decorations, serves as the entrance portal.
Ironware International, Holly Hunt and Boyd provided custom lighting fixtures.
The fireplace is a replica of a limestone original once owned by Maurice Chevalier, crafted by Francois & Co.
Pool house cabinets were created from reclaimed barn wood.
The master bath is a complementary mix of new and old world styles. White Thassos marble was deployed on shower walls and countertops, and silver cream travertine was used on the floor.
Duravit plumbing fixtures, exposed rain showerheads and faucets, along with retro 1920’s-era Waterworks polished nickel lever handled faucets, complete the lavatory.
Austrian-made walnut windows by Silber, that can both tilt and swing open, were installed throughout the house.
A custom iron-framed, floor-to-ceiling arched window with beveled glass panels forms the centerpiece of the dining room.
Downstairs, the wine room features unique wooden racks positioned over a brick floor illuminated by a “Birdsnest” chandelier by Jean de Merry.
The entire concept of this 3,800-square-foot, three-bedroom home with separate guest quarters and a granny unit has been developed to showcase both past and present.
Shaun Faber, principal with Farrell Faber Architects, was the conceptual designer of the residence. The general contractor was Nordby Signature Homes under the direction of Project Manager David Schroeder.
The landscape in the front is very Old World, while plantings in back of the house are very new world. All plants are drought tolerant and 95 percent are indigenous to a Mediterranean climate.
“Overall,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. this residence is a testament to having the right team of designers, consultants and contractors – and we had them all on this project,” said Michael Cook, principal, with Firma Design Group, the site planners and landscape architects.
The owners were committed to sustainability, preserving the site, maintaining renewable resources and keeping the land in its natural state.
The house was positioned to fit between most of the existing trees. However, three large Oregon white oaks were relocated from the building site to the perimeter of the lot to provide a privacy shield.
Stately olive trees were planted in the courtyard along with ornamental pears and citrus to enhance the Italian village motif. Hanging plants provide a verdant accent to patio areas.
Italian planter pots — hand selected by the owners — were crafted using 18th century designs.
A smart irrigation system was installed that saves 40 to 50 percent of the water typically needed to support the landscape.
They hate my floors. What I call rustic, they call ugly. The builder asked why I wanted “dutty-looking’’ tiles in my nice new abode.
I originally longed for giant clay tiles but the builder began wiping his brow and looked as if he were going to burst into tears. So I selected an irregular-edged design that looked like paving stones, to create a sort of chic natural eco-look. No one was impressed.
People always want to get down on their hands and knees and scrub it because they think that sandy tinge is the result of poor housekeeping.
Everyone would have been so much happier if I had chosen something bright and shiny. People adore shiny ceramic tiles,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. shiny fake fruit bowl ornaments, shiny plastic shoes, shiny polyester and Spandex clothes, shiny eye make-up. The only shiny thing people seem to object to is shiny necks, which might be why so many women have an adherence to dusting themselves in white powder
from chin to navel, as if flouring themselves like fish for frying.
This is Carnival country, after all, so a healthy appreciation of glitz is to be expected. But there is an awful lot of shining all year round, and it’s only getting worse during the Christmas season when the satin and sequinned cocktail dresses come out to party.
For some years now, I have suspected I am really an alien from another galaxy transplanted here as a foetus to escape an exploding home planet. How else do you explain stores which are jam-packed one week with garish shiny ready-made curtain panels and sold out the next? How else do you explain the proliferation of jewelry stores in downtown Port-of-Spain alone, which can barely keep up with the demand for ten-carat earrings that look like spray-painted aluminium foil? Hordes of people must be buying the stuff—except me.
The only explanation is that I am not from here. Now I can see some of you shaking your heads and pulling my purple crush velvet bell-bottoms of yesteryear out of the closet as Exhibit A to prove me a liar.
But there is a difference between rich, bright wardrobe colours to celebrate an effervescent personality and taking up permanent residence at the crossroads of Gaudy and Tacky.
Look, shiny floors should be reserved for car showrooms and disco halls. The exception is hardwood which you have waxed and polished to a natural gleam, preferably with $100 bills to remind you not to walk on them in high heels.
Twelve hundred square feet of glossy ceramic is cheap-looking and stomach-tightening—but an Elvis Presley jacket with some studs on the collar and cuffs is an entirely more logical venture. You put it on, take it off, admire it on the hanger. Floors, usually, are for life.
So to blend in more before my secret alien identity is discovered,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. I am separating myself from my misunderstood stone tiles and installing something less controversial—some nice plain bamboo flooring, in a subdued blond shade. No, it’s not shiny but it’s trendy and cosy and largely inoffensive to inhabitants of my adopted planet. No one should be able to argue with blond bamboo.
The Howard residence in the Mayacama Timbers Resort community in the Shiloh Hills is a magnificent single-family home built on a two-acre lot that has been sited to maximize valley vistas of Windsor and Santa Rosa.
This premier custom home, located along Cottage Ridge Road, is modeled after a weathered Tuscan stone barn that has been added onto over the years.
The structure is an elegant blend of wood and stucco with various earthtone finishes wrapped in native stonework.
Paul Balatti, of NorCal Development Company, served as the owner’s representative.The oreck XL professional air purifier, He formed a team of professionals, including contractors and an interior design firm, to develop the project.
Petersen Design Associates, LLC, of Novato was chosen to select interior styles and finishes. Constance Petersen, principal, and Karen Douglass, senior designer, worked closely with the homeowner, architect and contractor to achieve the owner’s vision.
In addition to the main indoor kitchen, there is a kitchenette in the lower floor granny unit,Interlocking security cable ties with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals. another on the patio outside the main floor kitchen and dining area, and yet another in the pool house area used for barbecues and al fresco dining.
“Kitchen cabinets are a contemporary blend of walnut and dark grey anodized aluminum crafted by Bulthaup of Germany, and kitchen and hallway floors are a modern form of exposed concrete,” said Ms. Petersen. “Countertop surfaces are made from unique composition of finely ground quartz.”
Floors in other parts of the house are made of reclaimed white oak. Centuries old French bricks have been laid in a herringbone pattern in the sunroom, laundry and loggias.
Reclaimed white oak beams are also used as lintels over doors and windows.
An antique 18th century walnut double door, provided by Portalais, Inc., and restored by Boiseries et Decorations, serves as the entrance portal.
Ironware International, Holly Hunt and Boyd provided custom lighting fixtures.
The fireplace is a replica of a limestone original once owned by Maurice Chevalier, crafted by Francois & Co.
Pool house cabinets were created from reclaimed barn wood.
The master bath is a complementary mix of new and old world styles. White Thassos marble was deployed on shower walls and countertops, and silver cream travertine was used on the floor.
Duravit plumbing fixtures, exposed rain showerheads and faucets, along with retro 1920’s-era Waterworks polished nickel lever handled faucets, complete the lavatory.
Austrian-made walnut windows by Silber, that can both tilt and swing open, were installed throughout the house.
A custom iron-framed, floor-to-ceiling arched window with beveled glass panels forms the centerpiece of the dining room.
Downstairs, the wine room features unique wooden racks positioned over a brick floor illuminated by a “Birdsnest” chandelier by Jean de Merry.
The entire concept of this 3,800-square-foot, three-bedroom home with separate guest quarters and a granny unit has been developed to showcase both past and present.
Shaun Faber, principal with Farrell Faber Architects, was the conceptual designer of the residence. The general contractor was Nordby Signature Homes under the direction of Project Manager David Schroeder.
The landscape in the front is very Old World, while plantings in back of the house are very new world. All plants are drought tolerant and 95 percent are indigenous to a Mediterranean climate.
“Overall,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. this residence is a testament to having the right team of designers, consultants and contractors – and we had them all on this project,” said Michael Cook, principal, with Firma Design Group, the site planners and landscape architects.
The owners were committed to sustainability, preserving the site, maintaining renewable resources and keeping the land in its natural state.
The house was positioned to fit between most of the existing trees. However, three large Oregon white oaks were relocated from the building site to the perimeter of the lot to provide a privacy shield.
Stately olive trees were planted in the courtyard along with ornamental pears and citrus to enhance the Italian village motif. Hanging plants provide a verdant accent to patio areas.
Italian planter pots — hand selected by the owners — were crafted using 18th century designs.
A smart irrigation system was installed that saves 40 to 50 percent of the water typically needed to support the landscape.
A Q&A With the Hammer Museum's Allison Agsten
Allison Agsten, the dynamic and intrepid curator of Public Engagement
at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, has built her department from
scratch. After three years spent designing and refining the Public
Engagement department’s infrastructure and mission, she is now poised to
make a real impact in a field that is still new and innovative in the
museum world. Agsten talks with ARTINFO’s Yasmine Mohseni about her
unorthodox career path, her passion for gaming, and which L.A. artist
she’s dying to work with.
I interned at CNN during college and they offered me a job – it was a different time when you could actually have a job lined up after college – and I worked my way to being a producer. Most people were covering movies and television, but I was especially interested in the arts, so I was able to carve out a little niche for myself. I got to do some really great stories on museums, the symphony and the theatre, and I spent a week doing a big production at LACMA in 2005 when their King Tut show was on.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. Then LACMA had a job opening as Communications Manager, and they knew me, they knew my work ethic, and it’s not terribly uncommon for journalists to make the switch from journalism to PR. I’d always longed to be even more immersed in the arts than I already was. Michael Govan came on board shortly after I was hired — he’s such an incredible visionary and force,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. and under his leadership, I was able to explore and to do some things museums weren’t really doing yet, especially digitally. Things that, five years ago, felt very provocative. I initiated Twitter at the museum and the first Spanish language Twitter account for a museum. So we had the first bilingual Twitter account,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, in English and Spanish.
In 2009, when we got the Irvine Foundation Grant [which led to the founding of the Public Engagement department], it was to create a new kind of visitor experience that included not just artists’ projects, but starting a visitor’s services department. I think this is another reason why I probably ultimately got the job — the person needed to not just have curatorial skills but to have a level of administrative savvy and understanding to create this department from scratch. [At the beginning, my job] was hiring a staff, creating a manual, figuring out what credit card machines would synch with our bank, money handling procedure — I mean, everything! So, when we originally were thinking about working with artists, the idea was to bring artists in to help us think through important decisions. We found with our first artist residency, “Machine Project,” that as much as we thought artists wanted to help us solve our problems, they actually wanted to complicate the problems or examine other problems entirely. I think that we had maybe overprescribed what we thought the boundaries of their work would be. Over time, it has evolved. I would say that now all of the public engagement we present values exchange between the visitor and the museum and the visitor and the artist.
And for so much of the work there is no precedent. There’s nobody I can call to say, “I’m working with this artist [Lisa Anne Auerbach, “United We Stand,” 2012], who wants to put sequins on the backs of the blazers of our security guards. Do you have any idea who can do the sequins? What do your guards think when you want to sequin their blazers?” There’s not a lot of reference for this exact kind of work within museums. There are artists who have been doing incredible work in the realm of social practice for a long time, but many museums haven’t exercised this muscle a lot, including ours.
The last of the state's great mines closed because mining gold proved unprofitable after World War II. But with the price of the metal near historic highs, hovering around $1,700 an ounce, the first large-scale hard rock gold mining operation in a half-century is coming back to life.
Miners are digging again where their forebears once unearthed riches from eight historic mines that honeycomb Sutter Gold Mining Co.'s holdings about 50 miles southeast of Sacramento. Last week, mill superintendent Paul Skinner poured the first thin stream of glowing molten gold into a mold.
"Nothing quite like it," murmured Skinner, who has been mining for 65 years.
It was just four ounces, culled from more than eight tons of ore, but it signaled the end of $20 million worth of construction and the pending start of production. The company announced the ceremonial first pour before financial markets opened Monday, marking the mine's official reincarnation.
By spring, the company's 110 employees expect to be removing 150 tons of ore a day from a site immediately north of the old Lincoln Mine, enough to produce nearly 2,000 ounces of gold each month.
The company projects reserves of more than 682,000 ounces of gold worth more than $1 billion at today's prices. Company officials say they are confident there is far more in their historically rich section of the 120-mile-long Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
It took three decades for the mine's operators to obtain more than 40 environmental permits. By contrast, the old Wild West miners wreaked such devastation that they prompted some of the nation's first conservation efforts nearly 130 years ago.
"We've gone from no regulation to probably the other extreme," said Bob Hutmacher, the company's chief financial officer.
In recent decades,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china, most of California's gold has come from the state's desert regions. However, high gold prices recently spurred what authorities say was a rogue surface gold mine in El Dorado County, east of Sacramento. The owners now face criminal charges.
Farther north, several mines have started the process to reopen. Most of these kinds of hard rock mines have recently been known more as tourist destinations, including the Empire Mine, which was once the state's largest hard rock mine. It became a state historic site after it closed in 1956.
Sutter Gold's mine also hosted underground tours featuring gold mining history until about a year ago.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. A half-million people took the tours before they were halted for insurance reasons as the company scrambled to begin production.
Miners have now burrowed more than a half-mile underground and are digging another half-mile network of tunnels to reach the milky white quartz deposits that contain the gold.
I interned at CNN during college and they offered me a job – it was a different time when you could actually have a job lined up after college – and I worked my way to being a producer. Most people were covering movies and television, but I was especially interested in the arts, so I was able to carve out a little niche for myself. I got to do some really great stories on museums, the symphony and the theatre, and I spent a week doing a big production at LACMA in 2005 when their King Tut show was on.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. Then LACMA had a job opening as Communications Manager, and they knew me, they knew my work ethic, and it’s not terribly uncommon for journalists to make the switch from journalism to PR. I’d always longed to be even more immersed in the arts than I already was. Michael Govan came on board shortly after I was hired — he’s such an incredible visionary and force,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. and under his leadership, I was able to explore and to do some things museums weren’t really doing yet, especially digitally. Things that, five years ago, felt very provocative. I initiated Twitter at the museum and the first Spanish language Twitter account for a museum. So we had the first bilingual Twitter account,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, in English and Spanish.
In 2009, when we got the Irvine Foundation Grant [which led to the founding of the Public Engagement department], it was to create a new kind of visitor experience that included not just artists’ projects, but starting a visitor’s services department. I think this is another reason why I probably ultimately got the job — the person needed to not just have curatorial skills but to have a level of administrative savvy and understanding to create this department from scratch. [At the beginning, my job] was hiring a staff, creating a manual, figuring out what credit card machines would synch with our bank, money handling procedure — I mean, everything! So, when we originally were thinking about working with artists, the idea was to bring artists in to help us think through important decisions. We found with our first artist residency, “Machine Project,” that as much as we thought artists wanted to help us solve our problems, they actually wanted to complicate the problems or examine other problems entirely. I think that we had maybe overprescribed what we thought the boundaries of their work would be. Over time, it has evolved. I would say that now all of the public engagement we present values exchange between the visitor and the museum and the visitor and the artist.
And for so much of the work there is no precedent. There’s nobody I can call to say, “I’m working with this artist [Lisa Anne Auerbach, “United We Stand,” 2012], who wants to put sequins on the backs of the blazers of our security guards. Do you have any idea who can do the sequins? What do your guards think when you want to sequin their blazers?” There’s not a lot of reference for this exact kind of work within museums. There are artists who have been doing incredible work in the realm of social practice for a long time, but many museums haven’t exercised this muscle a lot, including ours.
The last of the state's great mines closed because mining gold proved unprofitable after World War II. But with the price of the metal near historic highs, hovering around $1,700 an ounce, the first large-scale hard rock gold mining operation in a half-century is coming back to life.
Miners are digging again where their forebears once unearthed riches from eight historic mines that honeycomb Sutter Gold Mining Co.'s holdings about 50 miles southeast of Sacramento. Last week, mill superintendent Paul Skinner poured the first thin stream of glowing molten gold into a mold.
"Nothing quite like it," murmured Skinner, who has been mining for 65 years.
It was just four ounces, culled from more than eight tons of ore, but it signaled the end of $20 million worth of construction and the pending start of production. The company announced the ceremonial first pour before financial markets opened Monday, marking the mine's official reincarnation.
By spring, the company's 110 employees expect to be removing 150 tons of ore a day from a site immediately north of the old Lincoln Mine, enough to produce nearly 2,000 ounces of gold each month.
The company projects reserves of more than 682,000 ounces of gold worth more than $1 billion at today's prices. Company officials say they are confident there is far more in their historically rich section of the 120-mile-long Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
It took three decades for the mine's operators to obtain more than 40 environmental permits. By contrast, the old Wild West miners wreaked such devastation that they prompted some of the nation's first conservation efforts nearly 130 years ago.
"We've gone from no regulation to probably the other extreme," said Bob Hutmacher, the company's chief financial officer.
In recent decades,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china, most of California's gold has come from the state's desert regions. However, high gold prices recently spurred what authorities say was a rogue surface gold mine in El Dorado County, east of Sacramento. The owners now face criminal charges.
Farther north, several mines have started the process to reopen. Most of these kinds of hard rock mines have recently been known more as tourist destinations, including the Empire Mine, which was once the state's largest hard rock mine. It became a state historic site after it closed in 1956.
Sutter Gold's mine also hosted underground tours featuring gold mining history until about a year ago.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. A half-million people took the tours before they were halted for insurance reasons as the company scrambled to begin production.
Miners have now burrowed more than a half-mile underground and are digging another half-mile network of tunnels to reach the milky white quartz deposits that contain the gold.
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