2011年8月22日星期一
Robbie Myers is spotted wearing Bottega Veneta to celebrate Elle’s 25th
Elle Magazine celebrated their 25th anniversary last night at the ELLE 25 Summer Cocktail Celebration held in Wainscott, New York. Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine Robbie Myers hosted the event and was spotted carrying a classic and highly coveted Love Knot clutch by Bottega Veneta. The famous fashion editor paired her classic black Love Knot clutch by Bottega Veneta with an on-trend lace cocktail dress which was flattering and perfect for the event.
Robbie Myers carried the Bottega Veneta Love Knot clutch in black. The Love Knot clutch is one of the famous Italian design house’s most iconic handbags. Bottega Veneta offers the Love Knot clutch in several woven fabrications including satin, leather and suede. The clasp on the top of the hard box frame has a “knot” shape which is instantly recognizable and Bottega Veneta’s signature clasp.
Sunday Focus: Misconceptions persist about those with disabilities
GALESBURG —
Stone-Hayes Center for Independent Living was established in Galesburg 15 years ago. While the name is known in the community, many people still have no idea what the center is and does. Even some people now receiving those services at one point did not know what Stone-Hayes is.
Stone-Hayes serves people in Knox, Warren and Henderson counties. No fee is charged for those services. While it is best known for the work it does to help disabled individuals live independently and speak for themselves, anyone can receive help from the agency. A good example is this summer’s fan drive. Fans were donated to the center or bought by Stone-Hayes and were available to anyone who needed one.
What would the community be like if there were no Stone-Hayes?
Assistant Director Vanya Peterson said there would be a gap.
“If there was no Stone-Hayes, there would be no empowerment for disabled individuals,” Peterson said. “We are an empowering agency. People come here because they want to, not because they have to. It’s the consumer that makes it happen.”
Consumers making it happen
The members of this year’s 16-week Legislative Internship Program developed a disabilities simulator, a demonstration available to area organizations to help their members better understand people with disabilities.
“It bridges the gap between people in society who may not be familiar with disabilities,” Charles Allen of the Stone-Hayes staff explained June 22 when the members of the internship program graduated.
Despite 21 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many people still have misconceptions about people with disabilities.
Felicia Owens of Galesburg, one of the graduates of this year’s Legislative Internship Program, is in a wheelchair now, but that has not always been the case. While some Stone-Hayes consumers deal with conditions they were born with, others have had to learn to cope with disabilities later in life.
Owens worked at St. Mary’s Square for eight years, was an in-home certified nurse’s aide and also was a support worker at Bridgeway. Owens most recent job was in the billing department at Galesburg Hospitals Ambulance Service. She suffers from a form of multiple sclerosis.
“That was a wonderful place to work,” she said. “It was like a family atmosphere.”
Owens, who normally is on oxygen, was able to take breathing treatments at the ambulance service, or go home, then come back later and finish her shift.
She lost her job in 2003 when billing was shifted to an outside agency. Owens has been in a wheelchair since 2009. She is waiting for a total knee replacement once the modification of her house is completed.
“Even with a new knee, I don’t think I could walk from here to The Register-Mail,” she said of a two-block distance.
Owens and Deb Williams, another Stone-Hayes client, admitted they did not know what Stone-Hayes did until they needed the agency’s services.
2011年8月16日星期二
The move has been welcomed by environmental groups
The move has been welcomed by environmental groups, but business leaders have voiced concerns about the economic impact.
Mr Lochhead said: "Plastic bags are a scourge on the environment and a blight on our streets, our countryside and our seas - that's why we are so determined to drastically cut back on their use.
"It's hugely encouraging that so many people are now taking this issue seriously, and over the past five years we have seen a lot of progress in cutting plastic bag use, both by shops and shoppers.
"We want to phase out the use of free plastic bags in supermarkets, with the continued help of retailers."
Marks & Spencer charges 5p for plastic bags, while Aldi and Lidl also charge. But Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons do not currently charge.
Former Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle tried to introduce a 10p charge on carrier bags in 2006. But his Private Members' Bill at Holyrood, and a subsequent move to revive it, was not backed by MSPs.
The latest consultation will take place later in the year and look at options for cutting plastic bag use even further, including the prospect of legislation .
But CBI Scotland's assistant director, David Lonsdale questioned the need for the measure at a difficult time for business. "Retail businesses are already doing a lot to improve their environmental performance and have delivered very significant reductions in the use of plastic bags," he said.
"Any potential new environmental taxes such as on plastic bags could prove unnecessary and a costly administrative headache for firms, at what is a particularly challenging time for the retail sector."
A tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland introduced in 2002 cut their use by more than 90 per cent and raised millions of euros.
The Thomas Merton Center also is a partner
The Thomas Merton Center also is a partner, helping the Tote Bag Project with any financial concerns.
“It’s rewarding to me that we are able to do something that makes such a simple difference and to know that on an individual level, it could really matter for someone and allow them to get a little bit more food and not be so tired,” Kerr said. “For me, the fact that the food pantry trusted me enough and were willing to take a risk to try and do something brand new. That was good.”
A wide array of business partners, individuals and collaborators have held tote bag drives. Anyone can host a drive in their work place or organization.
“The concept of helping our neighbors who are hungry is universal and we aren’t hitting them up for a lot of cash—just tote bags,” Kerr said “I think the simplicity strikes people.”
The East End Food Co-Op started a drive in July which is now continuing. They have collected more than 250 bags so far.
Construction Junction also is a drop off center for the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project.
Kara Holsopple, member services manager of the co-op, said the project is perfect for the organization.
“The co-op has been encouraging shoppers to bring in their own re-usable bags for years, and a few years ago, we made it official by no longer offering plastic bags at our registers,” she said. “We're so pleased to be working with the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project to make that choice a reality for food pantry clients. Sustainability and community—it's a natural fit for us.”
Kerr said her next goal is to create a five-year plan and to get people thinking about the need on an ongoing basis.
“What we need to to do is get you thinking, 'Oh I need a tote bag,' so you grab an extra one, run to the co-op and drop it off. That is what we need to do. Some people are invested because of the hunger aspect while others are invested because of the environmental aspect.”
A Mebane man accused of killing a woman
A Mebane man accused of killing a woman and carrying her bones around in a backpack could be cleared of wrongdoing because her family later cremated the remains.
Michael Charles Dorman, 33, of 1411 Sundown Drive, is charged with murder and concealing or failing to report a death.
Durham police arrested Dorman in July 2010 after one of his friends told investigators that Dorman admitted to killing a prostitute and asked him to help dispose of her remains.
Dorman had been storing Lakiea Lacole Boxley’s bones in a backpack, prosecutors have said, adding that he told investigators he only found the remains and planned to use them for his sexual gratification.
Boxley, 31, had been missing since March 2008, and an autopsy determined that she might have been shot in the head.
Defense attorney Lawrence Campbell has asked that the case be dismissed because critical evidence – Boxley's remains – has been destroyed.
The state Victims Compensation Services office paid more than $2,700 for the cremation, and Campbell pointed out during a Monday court hearing that local law enforcement must determine that a victim is innocent before the state agency will pick up the tab for something like that.
Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline said the state agency has nothing to do with investigations and doesn't get permission from prosecutors to pay for cremations. Remains are routinely released to family members, and the State Medical Examiner's Office provides an autopsy report and photographs needed for court, she said.
2011年8月11日星期四
Versetta? Handbags and Cases Deliver Form and Fashion for Today's iPad? Users
Scott Creations LLC is pleased to announce the availability of Versetta handbags and cases. Versetta bags are designed specifically to make carrying and interacting with your iPad simple and intuitive—like it was supposed to be! Each bag features an incorporated frame, with a protective flap, which securely holds the iPad (version 1 or 2). Once the flap is opened, the iPad, and it's ports, can be accessed without removing it from the bag.
Peoria, IL (PRWEB) August 11, 2011
While the benefit of having your iPad bag double as a work station is obvious, it's Versetta's style and color choices that are exciting customers. Whatever one's personal preference in bags – purse, tote, satchel, hobo, attaché - there's a Versetta bag available, in colors ranging from business black and brown to turquoise, pink, sunny yellow and trendy coral.
The Prima collection is a line of women's fashion handbags in sought-after colors and styles. Women who appreciate fashion and technology will appreciate the freedom from frumpy, stuffy laptop bags, and will love Versetta handbags' quality construction, material and hardware. “No longer do women have to dig in their purse to find their tablet, nor do they have to carry a separate bag to carry their iPad safely and securely”, stated Susan Scott, founder of Scott Creations LLC.
The Affari collection is classic designs for professionals who have embraced today's technology. Lawyers, executives, realtors, road warriors and medical reps will welcome the ability to work on-the-go. All bags have an exterior compartment with a frame to hold your iPad? 1 or 2 securely. The padded protective flap keeps the iPad safe and discreet when not in use.
Versetta handbags are now available online for purchase. Scott Creations LLC, the manufacturer of Versetta handbags, will take orders through their website,. The fully functional online store will process all credit cards, issue gift certificates, and create wish lists for their clients. Retailers can also contact Scott Creations LLC directly through the web site to carry the popular handbags in their stores.
“We introduced the Versetta bags and cases at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and received rave reviews,“ said Scott. “iPad enthusiasts, particularly the ‘Techy Moms' were thrilled to find a truly fashionable solution to easily access and interact with their tablet computers. “
Versetta is the first bag of it's kind in the marketplace. Demand for the collection is expected to be great, as consumers and bloggers have been anticipating the release. Consumers and retailers are encouraged to place their orders quickly.
Scott Creations LLC was founded in Illinois in 2010 by Susan Scott of Morton, IL. Scott partnered with Janice Wong in 2011 to expand the company's vision to create high quality fashion bags for technology users.
Talbots, Guess, Nine West coming to Sands
Now that Sands casino officials have people spending millions of dollars a week on slot machines, table games and food, they're hoping patrons still have some money left over for handbags, jeans and shoes.
Talbots, Guess and Nine West are among several factory outlet stores due to open Nov. 1 at the casino in south Bethlehem, with two dozen more due to open in February.
Sands officials have remained tight-lipped about which stores will be in the new mall, but Talbots Outlet Store, Guess Factory Store and Nine West Outlet all have applied for building permits from the city's Planning Department in recent weeks.
"What I can say is that we are on target to have eight to 10 stores ready for a soft opening Nov. 1," said Sands spokeswoman Jennifer Reese. "The rest will be ready for a February grand opening."
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The Shoppes at Sands will be the Lehigh Valley's first collection of outlet shops. To this point, shoppers in search of trendy name-brand merchandise at reduced prices have had to drive to the Crossings Premium Outlet in Tannersville, Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick, VF Outlet Village in Reading or Liberty Village Premium Outlets in Flemington, N.J.
City officials have said the 30-35 stores at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem will have many of the same clothing, accessories and shoe factory stores as those other outlets. Sands has yet to announce which will be coming to the 200,000-square-foot mall.
Guess, headquartered in Los Angeles, is scheduled to have one of the anchor spaces, at nearly 6,500 square feet. Founded in 1981, Guess built a clothing empire around designer jeans. But as it was overtaken by the likes of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, the company has remade its brand and style to include not only clothing, handbags, watches and shoes for women, but also merchandise for teens and men. Though its annual report lists nearly 900 stores worldwide, its shop at Sands will be only its eighth outlet store in Pennsylvania.
Talbots, based in Hingham, Mass., is scheduled to occupy a 4,160-square-foot shop at Sands, according to its building permit filing. Established in 1947, Talbots sells upscale women's clothing, shoes and accessories. While it has hundreds of retail stores nationwide, Talbots' website lists just 29 outlets across the country, including four in Pennsylvania.
Nine West, whose parent company, the Jones Group, also owns women's apparel sellers Jones New York and Anne Klein, has applied for a 2,410-square-foot space where it can sell its handbags, shoes, jewelry, hats and sunglasses. With hundreds of retail shops nationwide, its closest outlets are in Tannersville, Monroe County; outside Doylestown, Bucks County, and at Limerick, Montgomery County.
All three of the new outlet shops will be along a corridor connecting the casino floor to the Sands Hotel, according to the building permits.
"It's just one more reason to come to the city, and hopefully those new people will venture into the community and spend some time — and money," said Joseph Kelly, city director of community and economic development, said of the outlet stores.
The building permits for each store likely will be approved by the end of the month, said Eli Skrimcovsky, the city inspector handling the Sands outlet mall. Building permit applications for the remaining five to seven outlet shops have not arrived, but Skrimcovsky said the new shops could be built quickly.
Sands opened its casino on time in May 2009, but construction of the hotel, outlet mall and events center was halted in November 2008 with the arrival of the global recession. While the economy continues to limp along, Sands' casinos in Asia are posting big revenues and its casino in Bethlehem has become the second-busiest of the 10 casinos in Pennsylvania.
2011年8月5日星期五
At issue in Rohnert Park
At issue in Rohnert Park was the proposal's hefty pricetag and drawn-out process associated with the project, proposed by the Sonoma County Wast Management Agency. Councilmembers said they were committed to environmentally-friendly practices citywide, but decided unanimously that they needed more information to OK the ban.
Mayor Gina Belforte and councilmember Pam Stafford called the proposal "inefficient and cumbersome at best."
"We all understand the problems with plastic bags," Stafford said. "That's not the issue."
"I'm not against getting plastic bags out of the environment," Belforte said.
While Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie said "the evidence is overwhelming one-use plastic bags present a huge environmental disaster," he asserted the issue may be more about economics than education.
There needs to be an economic incentive, like five cents per bag, to spur compliance, he said.
Councilmember Joe Callinan said it should be the consumer's choice whether or not to choose plastic, paper or reusable.
Belforte said she thinks Rohnert Park can reduce or eliminate using single-use carryout bags without the expensive and lengthy California Environmental Quality Act process. The council was reluctant however, to halt the ban entirely; settling on revisiting the issue in the future.
According to an agency report, the ban would cost between $135,440 to $193,240 for a CEQA analysis, legal costs and drafting the ordinance, and an additional $137,000 annually to enforce the ban.
All cities countywide must be on board with the ban in order to move forward. What do you think? Should Rohnert Park comply with the waste management agency's recommendation to forbid the use of
plastic bags? Should it be up to the government to decide, or do you think it should be a personal choice?
Mayor Gina Belforte and councilmember Pam Stafford called the proposal "inefficient and cumbersome at best."
"We all understand the problems with plastic bags," Stafford said. "That's not the issue."
"I'm not against getting plastic bags out of the environment," Belforte said.
While Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie said "the evidence is overwhelming one-use plastic bags present a huge environmental disaster," he asserted the issue may be more about economics than education.
There needs to be an economic incentive, like five cents per bag, to spur compliance, he said.
Councilmember Joe Callinan said it should be the consumer's choice whether or not to choose plastic, paper or reusable.
Belforte said she thinks Rohnert Park can reduce or eliminate using single-use carryout bags without the expensive and lengthy California Environmental Quality Act process. The council was reluctant however, to halt the ban entirely; settling on revisiting the issue in the future.
According to an agency report, the ban would cost between $135,440 to $193,240 for a CEQA analysis, legal costs and drafting the ordinance, and an additional $137,000 annually to enforce the ban.
All cities countywide must be on board with the ban in order to move forward. What do you think? Should Rohnert Park comply with the waste management agency's recommendation to forbid the use of
plastic bags? Should it be up to the government to decide, or do you think it should be a personal choice?
I have never taken the British Broadcasting Corporation
I have never taken the British Broadcasting Corporation non-seriously. If and when Lyse Doucet conducts a high profile interview, I listen to her questions and answers very seriously.
No matter even I have to develop little domestic tiffs.
Monday evening Lyse Doucet held a prime time interview with US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, whose worries should be release of salaries of many thousands US soldiers making extra effort to out match militants in Afghanistan. But to my surprise Mullen mostly spoke about Pakistan. To several straight questions what he said and I quote here ,”My biggest worry is continuing instability in Pakistan. Acolytes of Osama bin Laden are plotting operations against the United States. There are safe havens of terrorists in Pakistan. After operation against Osama security has improved. But Pakistan has not done enough against safe havens”.
He said, “ Border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan is still the most dangerous region in the world”. He termed Pakistan-Afghanistan border region an epicentre of terrorism”.
Admiral Mullen further stated, “Probably one of the things I’ve learned is that I’m a little bit more impatient and I’d like to see things happen more quickly,” Adm Mullen said.
“Their patience level is such that sometimes we would disagree on time frames and the need to move now, but again that’s a choice they get to make with their own forces, it doesn’t mean we don’t continue to address these issues.” Adm Mullen said Pakistan had lost many of its own troops taking action against some groups.
But he said that unless they moved against terrorists like the Afghan Haqqani network, it could affect relations between Washington and Islamabad.
No matter even I have to develop little domestic tiffs.
Monday evening Lyse Doucet held a prime time interview with US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, whose worries should be release of salaries of many thousands US soldiers making extra effort to out match militants in Afghanistan. But to my surprise Mullen mostly spoke about Pakistan. To several straight questions what he said and I quote here ,”My biggest worry is continuing instability in Pakistan. Acolytes of Osama bin Laden are plotting operations against the United States. There are safe havens of terrorists in Pakistan. After operation against Osama security has improved. But Pakistan has not done enough against safe havens”.
He said, “ Border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan is still the most dangerous region in the world”. He termed Pakistan-Afghanistan border region an epicentre of terrorism”.
Admiral Mullen further stated, “Probably one of the things I’ve learned is that I’m a little bit more impatient and I’d like to see things happen more quickly,” Adm Mullen said.
“Their patience level is such that sometimes we would disagree on time frames and the need to move now, but again that’s a choice they get to make with their own forces, it doesn’t mean we don’t continue to address these issues.” Adm Mullen said Pakistan had lost many of its own troops taking action against some groups.
But he said that unless they moved against terrorists like the Afghan Haqqani network, it could affect relations between Washington and Islamabad.
2011年8月2日星期二
It's difficult to sell anything
It's difficult to sell anything if it bears a mundane classification or title. It's tough to sell a two-hundred dollar nineteen inch television.
However, if a manufacturer produces a Flat Panel Thirty-six Inch Plasma HDTV Video Display Module with Three-Thousand Watt Surround Sound Stereo, there will be seventy-eight fools each waving five thousand dollars towards the unctuous Video Department Representative at BigDealElectronicsHyperMartEmporium LLC.
Similarly, For those in the entry level market, one brand of premium automobile dealerships presents only the Marque's specially chosen, inspected-and-serviced-to-factory-standards vehicles.
I infer they escort peons inquiring about a mere used car out to the wall behind the dealership and shoot them where blood won't splatter on the Marque's prestigious Previously Owned Models.
I once bought a mechanical pencil that boasts Power-Press Lead Advance, SuperClean Eraser, Ergonomic Grip, 0.5mm Super Leads and Life-time Durability enough to be hammered through a mahogany two-by-four by an inebriated gorilla in three blows with a six pound sledge hammer.
The pencil is ten years old and still clicks lead out as I expend it or when I snap it off. I've not encountered the gorilla so I can't attest to the pencil's ultimate durability.
Recently a store I used to visit twice each year for aficionados of finer tea re-opened. It's my British heritage dribbling through.
However, if a manufacturer produces a Flat Panel Thirty-six Inch Plasma HDTV Video Display Module with Three-Thousand Watt Surround Sound Stereo, there will be seventy-eight fools each waving five thousand dollars towards the unctuous Video Department Representative at BigDealElectronicsHyperMartEmporium LLC.
Similarly, For those in the entry level market, one brand of premium automobile dealerships presents only the Marque's specially chosen, inspected-and-serviced-to-factory-standards vehicles.
I infer they escort peons inquiring about a mere used car out to the wall behind the dealership and shoot them where blood won't splatter on the Marque's prestigious Previously Owned Models.
I once bought a mechanical pencil that boasts Power-Press Lead Advance, SuperClean Eraser, Ergonomic Grip, 0.5mm Super Leads and Life-time Durability enough to be hammered through a mahogany two-by-four by an inebriated gorilla in three blows with a six pound sledge hammer.
The pencil is ten years old and still clicks lead out as I expend it or when I snap it off. I've not encountered the gorilla so I can't attest to the pencil's ultimate durability.
Recently a store I used to visit twice each year for aficionados of finer tea re-opened. It's my British heritage dribbling through.
The organisers of the original Tweed Run
The organisers of the original Tweed Run in London had seen photos of when cycling for pleasure was last big in London at the turn of the century,'' Sydney Tweed Ride, organiser Susan Goodwin, said. ''Those people were wearing the equivalent of the jeans and T-shirts of the day, which was plus fours, knee-high socks and tweed jackets. It looked so fabulous that we thought we'd got to do a ride too.''
Sydney's ride has doubled in size each year since its first outing in 2009. ''The first year we had 70 people, last year there were 150 and this year we are hoping for well over 300 people,'' Goodwin said.
Aimed at encouraging more people to ride bicycles for pleasure and as exercise, the Tweed Ride unashamedly eschews lycra in favour of more traditional attire.
''You don't need to be a super-fit person,'' Goodwin said.
''It's about being a little bit more elegant and taking a little bit more time. Because we look so fabulous we get a more positive reaction from bus drivers, car drivers and pedestrians, which is great because we want people to look at us and say 'I want to ride my bike too'. We are not against the full sports stuff, it's just a different way of encouraging people to ride bikes rather than drive their cars.''
Enrique Morris was yesterday taking part in his first Tweed Ride in a Harris tweed shooting-style jacket he had purchased for the occasion. ''It just seems like a nice way to spend a Sunday morning,'' the 24-year-old said. Yesterday's ride culminated in a picnic at Moore Park with the ''Tweed Games'' including tea and saucer races, and prizes for best dressed cyclists on the day.
Sydney's ride has doubled in size each year since its first outing in 2009. ''The first year we had 70 people, last year there were 150 and this year we are hoping for well over 300 people,'' Goodwin said.
Aimed at encouraging more people to ride bicycles for pleasure and as exercise, the Tweed Ride unashamedly eschews lycra in favour of more traditional attire.
''You don't need to be a super-fit person,'' Goodwin said.
''It's about being a little bit more elegant and taking a little bit more time. Because we look so fabulous we get a more positive reaction from bus drivers, car drivers and pedestrians, which is great because we want people to look at us and say 'I want to ride my bike too'. We are not against the full sports stuff, it's just a different way of encouraging people to ride bikes rather than drive their cars.''
Enrique Morris was yesterday taking part in his first Tweed Ride in a Harris tweed shooting-style jacket he had purchased for the occasion. ''It just seems like a nice way to spend a Sunday morning,'' the 24-year-old said. Yesterday's ride culminated in a picnic at Moore Park with the ''Tweed Games'' including tea and saucer races, and prizes for best dressed cyclists on the day.
2011年7月27日星期三
Grandparents who watch grandchildren
Grandparents who watch grandchildren should know what Ruth and Dave Halpern of Staten Island have discovered: The weekly children's programs at Holmdel Library at Town Hall are educational, entertaining, and best of all -- free.
"This librarian, she's phenomenal," said Ruth Halpern, who watches over her twin 5-year old Holmdel granddaughters, Danielle and Sandra, on weekdays. Nelson was referring to Children's Librarian Alanah Mellin, who was on the carpet nearby, cheerfully cleaning up goop from a Dr. Seuss activity that had just ended on March 7. "She has patience, and she motivates them," she said.
On weekly storytime days, families like the Halperns arrive early to browse through the picture books in the children's room. When the librarian signals the storytime will begin, the children take a seat on the carpet to hear the story read aloud and a related craft, if included. Unless noted they must stay, the adults can exit to the main library.
On this day the children listened to Mellin read Dr. Seuss' classic, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, about a boy that must save a kingdom from a gooey substance. Then the eight children actually got to make oobleck, from cornstarch, water and a few drops of green food coloring. For little people in the K-2 age demographic, this is an intensely joyful way to spend a Thursday afternoon. The adults who had not retreated to the couch to flip through People Magazine, observed through the big glass windows, grateful this was not a take-home craft.
Zhanna Vernikov of Morganville said she had tried storytime in three other libraries with her son Steven, 6, before coming to Holmdel. It was her first visit, and she said she was impressed by Mellin's gentle manner. Occasionally, the kids interrupted the story, or strayed from the craft, but they were always guided back to the lesson without drama. "She seems to be the most patient," Vernikov said.
Mellin said she had not even noticed the distractions, "Its a natural part of their development. They explore at this age, and you should be concerned if they don't," she said.
"This librarian, she's phenomenal," said Ruth Halpern, who watches over her twin 5-year old Holmdel granddaughters, Danielle and Sandra, on weekdays. Nelson was referring to Children's Librarian Alanah Mellin, who was on the carpet nearby, cheerfully cleaning up goop from a Dr. Seuss activity that had just ended on March 7. "She has patience, and she motivates them," she said.
On weekly storytime days, families like the Halperns arrive early to browse through the picture books in the children's room. When the librarian signals the storytime will begin, the children take a seat on the carpet to hear the story read aloud and a related craft, if included. Unless noted they must stay, the adults can exit to the main library.
On this day the children listened to Mellin read Dr. Seuss' classic, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, about a boy that must save a kingdom from a gooey substance. Then the eight children actually got to make oobleck, from cornstarch, water and a few drops of green food coloring. For little people in the K-2 age demographic, this is an intensely joyful way to spend a Thursday afternoon. The adults who had not retreated to the couch to flip through People Magazine, observed through the big glass windows, grateful this was not a take-home craft.
Zhanna Vernikov of Morganville said she had tried storytime in three other libraries with her son Steven, 6, before coming to Holmdel. It was her first visit, and she said she was impressed by Mellin's gentle manner. Occasionally, the kids interrupted the story, or strayed from the craft, but they were always guided back to the lesson without drama. "She seems to be the most patient," Vernikov said.
Mellin said she had not even noticed the distractions, "Its a natural part of their development. They explore at this age, and you should be concerned if they don't," she said.
Arkansas Fires Pelphrey After 4 Seasons
Pelphrey was 69-59 in four seasons with the Razorbacks, including an 18-13 record this season. Arkansas lost to Tennessee in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.
Pelphrey replaced Stan Heath as coach of the Razorbacks in 2007-08 and finished 23-12. Arkansas advanced to the NCAA tournament that season, defeating Indiana before losing to North Carolina.
The Razorbacks struggled in Pelphrey's next two seasons, winning 14 games in each. This season will mark the third straight year Arkansas will miss the NCAA tournament.
Athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that a national search would begin immediately. The school called a 6 p.m. news conference to address the program's future.
"After a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of our men's basketball program, including an assessment of the overall student-athlete experience within our program, it is clear that we have not made the progress over the last four years that is necessary to return Razorback basketball to a place of national relevance," Long said.
Arkansas saw a steady decline in attendance in Pelphrey's four seasons. The Razorbacks averaged 17,148 in his first season, 16,043 in his second and 13,182 last year. This season, the school averaged 12,022 in 18 games in the 19,200-seat Bud Walton Arena.
During its national championship season of 1993-94, Arkansas averaged 20,134 at home. This season, the school drew a season-high 14,174 for its game against Ole Miss in February.
Two weeks ago, following a home loss to Mississippi State that cost the Razorbacks second place in the SEC West and a bye in the conference tournament, an advertisement ran in the statewide Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The ad called for Razorback fans to contact university officials "on the future of Arkansas basketball before too much times passes."
Pelphrey replaced Stan Heath as coach of the Razorbacks in 2007-08 and finished 23-12. Arkansas advanced to the NCAA tournament that season, defeating Indiana before losing to North Carolina.
The Razorbacks struggled in Pelphrey's next two seasons, winning 14 games in each. This season will mark the third straight year Arkansas will miss the NCAA tournament.
Athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that a national search would begin immediately. The school called a 6 p.m. news conference to address the program's future.
"After a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of our men's basketball program, including an assessment of the overall student-athlete experience within our program, it is clear that we have not made the progress over the last four years that is necessary to return Razorback basketball to a place of national relevance," Long said.
Arkansas saw a steady decline in attendance in Pelphrey's four seasons. The Razorbacks averaged 17,148 in his first season, 16,043 in his second and 13,182 last year. This season, the school averaged 12,022 in 18 games in the 19,200-seat Bud Walton Arena.
During its national championship season of 1993-94, Arkansas averaged 20,134 at home. This season, the school drew a season-high 14,174 for its game against Ole Miss in February.
Two weeks ago, following a home loss to Mississippi State that cost the Razorbacks second place in the SEC West and a bye in the conference tournament, an advertisement ran in the statewide Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The ad called for Razorback fans to contact university officials "on the future of Arkansas basketball before too much times passes."
2011年7月21日星期四
Despite dire predictions of hellfire
Despite dire predictions of hellfire, brimstone and bumper-to-bumper traffic, the much-feared (and much-hyped) "Carmageddon" that was expected to ravage all of Los Angeles last weekend was somewhat similar to the Rapture two months before — if it happened, most people didn't notice.
That's because, in large part, people seemed to stay home, which presented real opportunities for local businesses that could take advantage of the glut of trapped customers.
CalTrans boasted to media outlets that its aggressive print, broadcast and social media campaigns kept two-thirds of drivers off of compromised roadways, making travel possible for that recalcitrant 30 percent.
In Santa Monica, locals and local businesses jumped at the chance to market Carmageddon-themed deals, like $4.05 menus at Angel's and the Daily Grill, or drinks with names like "Flat Tire" beers and "Road Rage."
Businesses that could draw people in as gathering places reported that they had done well over the weekend, said Kim Koury, owner of Spin Public Relations.
To some degree, Koury and a team of friends, all young professionals in Santa Monica, are somewhat to blame for that.
The team also produced videos, created T-shirts and merchandise and reached out to local businesses to encourage 405 specials to create a party atmosphere out of what was expected to be a car apocalypse.
Car-mageddon debuted three weeks before the actual event, complete with a calendar, maps and a countdown to the closure.
That's because, in large part, people seemed to stay home, which presented real opportunities for local businesses that could take advantage of the glut of trapped customers.
CalTrans boasted to media outlets that its aggressive print, broadcast and social media campaigns kept two-thirds of drivers off of compromised roadways, making travel possible for that recalcitrant 30 percent.
In Santa Monica, locals and local businesses jumped at the chance to market Carmageddon-themed deals, like $4.05 menus at Angel's and the Daily Grill, or drinks with names like "Flat Tire" beers and "Road Rage."
Businesses that could draw people in as gathering places reported that they had done well over the weekend, said Kim Koury, owner of Spin Public Relations.
To some degree, Koury and a team of friends, all young professionals in Santa Monica, are somewhat to blame for that.
The team also produced videos, created T-shirts and merchandise and reached out to local businesses to encourage 405 specials to create a party atmosphere out of what was expected to be a car apocalypse.
Car-mageddon debuted three weeks before the actual event, complete with a calendar, maps and a countdown to the closure.
We went around the market
We went around the market and bought some stuff: orange chocolate chip cookies, a sack of beef jerky, some tomatoes, couple of apples. All that for about $13. The container cost more than the cargo.
On our return trip, we were so engrossed in the novel we were reading on our phone that we overshot our stop and wound up at the Glen Park station again. Lord, if it is your will that we visit Glen Park on this trip, send us some sort of sign.
We got on the train taking us back to Market, where we waited for the MUNI to haul us back up the hill.
Market and 24th is what some people might call a dicey area. It's one of the few neighborhoods in this glorious town that has defied gentrification. We don't mind it. There's a lot of everything there, a collision of Asians, Latinos, blacks, hipsters, old folks, homeless people. Not a lot of rich folks. Our Ferry Building tote stood out like a Gucci in the ghetto.
We sat on a bench near the front of the bus and watched the road for a while as things turned tonier by the block.
We glanced back to find a fellow in his early 30 s peering at us over the waistband of a pair of underpants that he was holding stretched out in front of his nose. We hasten to assure you that it wasn't repulsive. The androgynous undergarment looked like the sort of underpants they might give you in the hospital, if hospitals gave out underpants: They were fresh out of the bag, scrubs-blue, looked almost like they were made of paper, and seemed to maybe be disposable. Yeah, we were looking a long time and he was giving us a big guileless grin.
We turned and watched the road some more as the bus continued to climb the steep grade.
Finally, the road leveled out. We looked back at the underpants guy who was now at the very least shirtless and was apparently working at liberating his more southerly apparel. We seemed to be the only person paying any attention. The rest of the passengers certainly weren't self-absorbed as many of their haughty co-citizens in the nicer parts of the city. Probably, they had plenty of problems of their own and didn't need to add a disrobing bus passenger to their list of cares.
Forgetting that it's our sworn duty in this life to collect weird and marvelous stories for our readers, we reached up and pulled the cord and rose to wait by the doors to get off the bus in the extraordinarily eventless Noe Valley.
On our return trip, we were so engrossed in the novel we were reading on our phone that we overshot our stop and wound up at the Glen Park station again. Lord, if it is your will that we visit Glen Park on this trip, send us some sort of sign.
We got on the train taking us back to Market, where we waited for the MUNI to haul us back up the hill.
Market and 24th is what some people might call a dicey area. It's one of the few neighborhoods in this glorious town that has defied gentrification. We don't mind it. There's a lot of everything there, a collision of Asians, Latinos, blacks, hipsters, old folks, homeless people. Not a lot of rich folks. Our Ferry Building tote stood out like a Gucci in the ghetto.
We sat on a bench near the front of the bus and watched the road for a while as things turned tonier by the block.
We glanced back to find a fellow in his early 30 s peering at us over the waistband of a pair of underpants that he was holding stretched out in front of his nose. We hasten to assure you that it wasn't repulsive. The androgynous undergarment looked like the sort of underpants they might give you in the hospital, if hospitals gave out underpants: They were fresh out of the bag, scrubs-blue, looked almost like they were made of paper, and seemed to maybe be disposable. Yeah, we were looking a long time and he was giving us a big guileless grin.
We turned and watched the road some more as the bus continued to climb the steep grade.
Finally, the road leveled out. We looked back at the underpants guy who was now at the very least shirtless and was apparently working at liberating his more southerly apparel. We seemed to be the only person paying any attention. The rest of the passengers certainly weren't self-absorbed as many of their haughty co-citizens in the nicer parts of the city. Probably, they had plenty of problems of their own and didn't need to add a disrobing bus passenger to their list of cares.
Forgetting that it's our sworn duty in this life to collect weird and marvelous stories for our readers, we reached up and pulled the cord and rose to wait by the doors to get off the bus in the extraordinarily eventless Noe Valley.
2011年7月18日星期一
Massive solar system installed University of Queensland
Australia's largest flat-panel photovoltaic solar power system has been installed at The University of Queensland in Brisbane.
The system generates 1.22 megawatts of power from the sun, harvested from 5004 panels on the rooftops of four of UQ's biggest buildings.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said the UQ Solar Array would provide between five and six per cent of peak electricity demand at the St Lucia campus.
The solar panel installation at the University of Queensland. Photo: Stewart Gould via Brisbane Times
The asset will be shared with the community, by giving interested people access to a website showing live and historical data about the solar power generated from the UQ array.
"The project is enhanced by its strong industry partnerships, including research agreements with a number of world-leading companies in renewable power," Professor Greenfield said.
UQ will undertake ongoing solar research projects with:
Brisbane firm Ingenero, which installed the array, and worked on its design and engineering
Separate to the rooftop panels, UQ has installed a ground-mounted, seven-metre-by-six metre 8.4 kilowatt concentrating photovoltaic array (CPV) that follows the sun each day as it moves across the sky.
Ingenero donated the SolFocus CPV array to allow UQ researchers to undertake detailed comparisons with a different type of solar technology.
Designing and installing Australia's biggest rooftop PV solar power system
drew on the combined resources and significant expertise of UQ academics and engineers, working with industry leaders.
UQ's Property & Facilities division and UQ's School of Mathematics and Physics worked closely with engineering consultants Aurecon and lead contractor Ingenero.
The 1.22 megawatt UQ Solar array is almost 25 per cent larger than any other flat-panel PV system in Australia, with the added complexity of being split between four buildings.
The system generates 1.22 megawatts of power from the sun, harvested from 5004 panels on the rooftops of four of UQ's biggest buildings.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said the UQ Solar Array would provide between five and six per cent of peak electricity demand at the St Lucia campus.
The solar panel installation at the University of Queensland. Photo: Stewart Gould via Brisbane Times
The asset will be shared with the community, by giving interested people access to a website showing live and historical data about the solar power generated from the UQ array.
"The project is enhanced by its strong industry partnerships, including research agreements with a number of world-leading companies in renewable power," Professor Greenfield said.
UQ will undertake ongoing solar research projects with:
Brisbane firm Ingenero, which installed the array, and worked on its design and engineering
Separate to the rooftop panels, UQ has installed a ground-mounted, seven-metre-by-six metre 8.4 kilowatt concentrating photovoltaic array (CPV) that follows the sun each day as it moves across the sky.
Ingenero donated the SolFocus CPV array to allow UQ researchers to undertake detailed comparisons with a different type of solar technology.
Designing and installing Australia's biggest rooftop PV solar power system
drew on the combined resources and significant expertise of UQ academics and engineers, working with industry leaders.
UQ's Property & Facilities division and UQ's School of Mathematics and Physics worked closely with engineering consultants Aurecon and lead contractor Ingenero.
The 1.22 megawatt UQ Solar array is almost 25 per cent larger than any other flat-panel PV system in Australia, with the added complexity of being split between four buildings.
Scott County supervisors cool to tax breaks for solar project
GATE CITY Scott County supervisors are waiting to hold a public hearing next month before voting on a property tax exemption for solar equipment that would benefit a local energy project.
The tax break a 100 percent exemption projected to total almost $300,000 over the next 10 years would apply to 1,800 solar panels being installed in Duffield through a partnership of the Lenowisco Planning District Commission, Scott County Economic Development Authority and Staunton, Va.-based Secure Futures, LLC.
The solar project is part of a 10-year power purchase agreement that would supply green energy to the Pioneer Business Center and Crooked Road Technology Center.
The $3 million project is funded in part through a $1.75 million research and development grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. Additional funding was obtained through state and federal sources. Secure Futures also contributed roughly $250,000 of its own capital to the project.
Representatives from Secure Futures the firm that will install and maintain the solar panels and the Scott County EDA lobbied supervisors for the exemption at the board’s July meeting.
Read the expanded version of this report in the print edition or the enhanced electronic version of the Kingsport Times-News.
The tax break a 100 percent exemption projected to total almost $300,000 over the next 10 years would apply to 1,800 solar panels being installed in Duffield through a partnership of the Lenowisco Planning District Commission, Scott County Economic Development Authority and Staunton, Va.-based Secure Futures, LLC.
The solar project is part of a 10-year power purchase agreement that would supply green energy to the Pioneer Business Center and Crooked Road Technology Center.
The $3 million project is funded in part through a $1.75 million research and development grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. Additional funding was obtained through state and federal sources. Secure Futures also contributed roughly $250,000 of its own capital to the project.
Representatives from Secure Futures the firm that will install and maintain the solar panels and the Scott County EDA lobbied supervisors for the exemption at the board’s July meeting.
Read the expanded version of this report in the print edition or the enhanced electronic version of the Kingsport Times-News.
2011年7月15日星期五
A leader in the style of music
A leader in the style of music known as nuevo flamenco, Ottmar Liebert made his wine country debut Tuesday night before a sold-out Napa Valley Opera House crowd. The show proved to be a mixed bag.
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance that originated in southern Spain in the latter part of the 18th century in which Andalusian gypsies played an important role.
Born in the United States, there’s a musical movement derived in part from flamenco, as well as other styles of Latin music and world jazz. It’s been given the name nuevo, or nouveau, flamenco.
After he settled in Santa Fe, N.M., in the late 1980s, German-born Ottmar Liebert formed a band he called Luna Negra and launched a very successful career championing nuevo flamenco. Luna Negra’s initial recording in 1990 included “Barcelona Nights,” a tune that appealed to listeners around the world and propelled Liebert and Luna Negra onto the global stage.
Liebert blazed a new musical trail, and audiences were attracted to this new style of music for a number of reasons — nimble, articulate fingerwork; charming, uncomplicated melodies; and just enough flamenco authenticity to convince pop listeners that they had discovered something exotic.
No one would dispute that Liebert’s repertoire provides graceful and pleasant listening, even though the similarity in tempos gives his recordings a slightly homogenous feel.
And that was the problem Tuesday night. The concert was divided into a pair of approximate hour-long segments. The opening segment was repetitious and ultimately boring. I noted some audience members’ heads bowed, busily texting. Some left at intermission. One local guitarist slept through most of the opening set. It took the headliner’s switch to electric guitar on “Snakecharmer” to liven things up just prior to intermission.
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance that originated in southern Spain in the latter part of the 18th century in which Andalusian gypsies played an important role.
Born in the United States, there’s a musical movement derived in part from flamenco, as well as other styles of Latin music and world jazz. It’s been given the name nuevo, or nouveau, flamenco.
After he settled in Santa Fe, N.M., in the late 1980s, German-born Ottmar Liebert formed a band he called Luna Negra and launched a very successful career championing nuevo flamenco. Luna Negra’s initial recording in 1990 included “Barcelona Nights,” a tune that appealed to listeners around the world and propelled Liebert and Luna Negra onto the global stage.
Liebert blazed a new musical trail, and audiences were attracted to this new style of music for a number of reasons — nimble, articulate fingerwork; charming, uncomplicated melodies; and just enough flamenco authenticity to convince pop listeners that they had discovered something exotic.
No one would dispute that Liebert’s repertoire provides graceful and pleasant listening, even though the similarity in tempos gives his recordings a slightly homogenous feel.
And that was the problem Tuesday night. The concert was divided into a pair of approximate hour-long segments. The opening segment was repetitious and ultimately boring. I noted some audience members’ heads bowed, busily texting. Some left at intermission. One local guitarist slept through most of the opening set. It took the headliner’s switch to electric guitar on “Snakecharmer” to liven things up just prior to intermission.
These are impressive I have to say
These are impressive I have to say, they secure the pole rigs well and are not difficult to undo at the end of the session. At the other end I have had Pulla Bungs fitted so I can easily shorten the elastic – thanks to Ryan Watson of Sutton (who is in this year's England U18 squad) and David Sandford who furbished the pole.
One extra I asked for is a short No 4 that is a useful piece of kit as it stiffens the pole even more.
The pole is very smooth but I am not totally convinced about the "suncore" finish which is supposed to keep things cool in the sun.
Although smooth, you certainly feel the joints as they go through your hands but the pole is extremely strong. I get the impression it can take more punishment than my old one.
My first outings with my new toy was to Hartleylands Farm and I told of my disasters there in last week's paper. Last Sunday I went with Wars to fish at Tylers Common's Horseshoe Lake near Brentwood, Janet and Arthur Birch run the fishery and always make me welcome.
I drew peg 25 on the far arm and decided to set up a pellet waggler, method feeder plus pole rigs.
To cut a long story short, the method feeder wasn't used and a small carp fell to the pellet waggler, thereafter it was all pole work. Maggots over ground bait gave me skimmer bream but it was cat meat that sorted out the carp. One mirror carp gave a very good account of itself and took 20 minutes to land. The pole proved it was strong with no noticeable give when gripped tightly, so apart from the cosmetics and lack of a short four, it is simply brilliant.
I fished with 38-8-0 for second on my bank behind Steve Allen of New Addington on 42lb. But we could do nothing against the top four on the opposite bank who had over 75lb.
One extra I asked for is a short No 4 that is a useful piece of kit as it stiffens the pole even more.
The pole is very smooth but I am not totally convinced about the "suncore" finish which is supposed to keep things cool in the sun.
Although smooth, you certainly feel the joints as they go through your hands but the pole is extremely strong. I get the impression it can take more punishment than my old one.
My first outings with my new toy was to Hartleylands Farm and I told of my disasters there in last week's paper. Last Sunday I went with Wars to fish at Tylers Common's Horseshoe Lake near Brentwood, Janet and Arthur Birch run the fishery and always make me welcome.
I drew peg 25 on the far arm and decided to set up a pellet waggler, method feeder plus pole rigs.
To cut a long story short, the method feeder wasn't used and a small carp fell to the pellet waggler, thereafter it was all pole work. Maggots over ground bait gave me skimmer bream but it was cat meat that sorted out the carp. One mirror carp gave a very good account of itself and took 20 minutes to land. The pole proved it was strong with no noticeable give when gripped tightly, so apart from the cosmetics and lack of a short four, it is simply brilliant.
I fished with 38-8-0 for second on my bank behind Steve Allen of New Addington on 42lb. But we could do nothing against the top four on the opposite bank who had over 75lb.
2011年7月11日星期一
Ann from Dublin was travelling
Ann from Dublin was travelling via Dublin airport last week and had a most unpleasant experience and she contacted us: “We had our usual checklist complete for trying to make things as trouble free as possible,” she writes. She had made sure to use hand luggage within the dimensions and weight allowance, had her passport, had checked in online and printed out her boarding pass. Her liquids were in 100ml or less containers and placed in the resealable plastic bag. She was even wearing flat shoes so she wouldn’t have to take them off going through security.
“All was well until we reached the security screening area: Our liquids were in the resealable bag but we were told it was too big. We had measured the bag before purchase and had used it on previous trips. We told the person that it was the right size. He informed us that it was the wrong type of bag according to a Department of Transport directive,” she writes.
The security official then went to the person operating the screen “and they opened the bag and checked each and every bottle contained within. We then went through the metal detector, no beeps. The first bag came out along with the plastic tray of phone/wallet/belt. The line then stopped for three to five minutes, which I can only assume was to teach us a lesson. Eventually the second bag came out and we went on our way,” she says.
She also highlights another occasion when she was told that decanting shampoo into 100ml bottles “was not allowed, only original bottles from the manufacturer. On that occasion we had to rub some cream onto my hand to show that is was not a weapon. We hope that the operator at the X-ray machine enjoyed his little power trip.”
“All was well until we reached the security screening area: Our liquids were in the resealable bag but we were told it was too big. We had measured the bag before purchase and had used it on previous trips. We told the person that it was the right size. He informed us that it was the wrong type of bag according to a Department of Transport directive,” she writes.
The security official then went to the person operating the screen “and they opened the bag and checked each and every bottle contained within. We then went through the metal detector, no beeps. The first bag came out along with the plastic tray of phone/wallet/belt. The line then stopped for three to five minutes, which I can only assume was to teach us a lesson. Eventually the second bag came out and we went on our way,” she says.
She also highlights another occasion when she was told that decanting shampoo into 100ml bottles “was not allowed, only original bottles from the manufacturer. On that occasion we had to rub some cream onto my hand to show that is was not a weapon. We hope that the operator at the X-ray machine enjoyed his little power trip.”
Thumbs up for handy camera bag
The warm weather has finally arrived and summer picture-taking season is in full swing.
Like many of you who have been bitten by the photography bug, I have a lot of gear. Many lenses for getting the right shot, a flash for when it gets dark and a tripod for taking landscape photos at dusk.
I have a huge camera backpack to carry it all around in, which is great, but I am always looking for the perfect, small-size, camera bag to throw a camera into so I can go take pictures without having to lug my full kit around.
Think Tank Photo, one of my favourite camera bag companies, has been making awesome bags since 2005. Just in time for summer, they have released a new bag they call Retrospective 5.
The folks at Think Tank were nice enough to send me one to review and I have been putting it through its paces over the last few weeks.
Think Tank Photo is relatively new to the camera bag scene, compared to standard names like LowePro. Because it was formed by two working photographers and two designers, Think Tank products have always been unique, yet highly functional.
This holds true for the Retrospective 5, which is designed with a micro four-thirds camera or small DSLR in mind. The shoulder bag is made from canvas and available in two colours — black or a retro-styled pinestone.
The design is minimal, so it diverts attention from the valuable camera you carry inside.
I was able to comfortably carry a larger-sized DLSR with a lens attached, as well as a longer zoom lens for getting some shots of the kids’ soccer moves.
Everything packs away quickly into the main compartment, which has movable padded inserts you can use to customize the bag to your gear.
Inside the main compartment there is also a handy organizer for sticking odds and sods: batteries, flash cards or a business card or two. An outer pocket holds a full-size, seam-sealed, rain cover, which is custom made for the bag.
Like many of you who have been bitten by the photography bug, I have a lot of gear. Many lenses for getting the right shot, a flash for when it gets dark and a tripod for taking landscape photos at dusk.
I have a huge camera backpack to carry it all around in, which is great, but I am always looking for the perfect, small-size, camera bag to throw a camera into so I can go take pictures without having to lug my full kit around.
Think Tank Photo, one of my favourite camera bag companies, has been making awesome bags since 2005. Just in time for summer, they have released a new bag they call Retrospective 5.
The folks at Think Tank were nice enough to send me one to review and I have been putting it through its paces over the last few weeks.
Think Tank Photo is relatively new to the camera bag scene, compared to standard names like LowePro. Because it was formed by two working photographers and two designers, Think Tank products have always been unique, yet highly functional.
This holds true for the Retrospective 5, which is designed with a micro four-thirds camera or small DSLR in mind. The shoulder bag is made from canvas and available in two colours — black or a retro-styled pinestone.
The design is minimal, so it diverts attention from the valuable camera you carry inside.
I was able to comfortably carry a larger-sized DLSR with a lens attached, as well as a longer zoom lens for getting some shots of the kids’ soccer moves.
Everything packs away quickly into the main compartment, which has movable padded inserts you can use to customize the bag to your gear.
Inside the main compartment there is also a handy organizer for sticking odds and sods: batteries, flash cards or a business card or two. An outer pocket holds a full-size, seam-sealed, rain cover, which is custom made for the bag.
2011年7月7日星期四
Can a Solar Power System in a Suitcase Save Mothers' Lives?
A lot of technologies come to be because somebody out in the world has a cool idea about some new thing they could do in the world. Not so for the WE CARE Solar Suitcase, which grew out of the acute need co-founder Dr. Laura Stachel saw for lighting to aid doctors trying to save women's lives during childbirth in Nigeria.
"The lack of reliable electricity and lighting completely imapirs the ability to deliver skilled emergency obstetric care. Midwives are trying to deliver babies by kerosene lantern or by candlelight," Stachel told me when I ran into her at the Aspen Ideas Festival. "I was in a situation in a large state hospital where the lights went out during a C-section and had to be completed in flashlight. I've even heard of people using the lights from their cell phones to try and finish surgeries."
The Ideas Report
When Stachel returned from Nigeria, she talked with her husband, Hal Aronson, an environmental sociologist and long-time solar tinkerer about building a solar solution for maternity clinics. What they came up with in 2009 and have improved over the last several years is the solar suitcase. It's now been deployed in nine countries with more clinics calling or emailing every day.
Designed for maximum simplicity, the self-contained system can be set up in minutes. (I tried it and that's no exaggeration.) The panel charges a long life-span battery and comes with high-efficiency lights that are designed to last for 50,000 hours as well as a fetal doppler baby monitor. Of course, it can also be used to charge cell phones or walkie talkies. "It's an expandable, but immediately operational unit," Stachel said.
In the past, humanitarian designers and other people making stuff for the third world have criticized solar installations because if they break down, they can be difficult to fix.
Nowadays, solar panels have gotten more rugged and designers have learned their lessons from previous generations of failed products. The other components of the suitcase like the battery can be replaced with local products. I would also add that an installation at a hospital, where doctors and midwives have a vested interest in maintaining the system, is much different from a general village system or something created without a target group in mind.
"We provide capacity building trainings in these countries so people understand how to troubleshoot if people know what to do if something goes wrong, and we're working on developing supply chains, so if people need spare parts, they'll be available," Stachel said.
For WE CARE, the great thing is that they get to ride solar energy's leaps in efficiency, miniaturization and ruggedization. The Solar Suitcase wasn't possible a few years ago, let alone in the 1980s, when Aronson installed his first solar system in Santa Cruz County. The system is designed to be solar panel agnostic, actually, so what you see above is the newest iteration, complete with a new type of more rugged panel.
The organization's fiscal sponsor is Inveneo, a non-profit organization that's trying to bring IT and communications tech to the developing world. Stachel was also a PopTech fellow, like Atlantic Tech friends Heather Fleming of Catapult Design and Leila Chirayath Janah of Samasource.
"The lack of reliable electricity and lighting completely imapirs the ability to deliver skilled emergency obstetric care. Midwives are trying to deliver babies by kerosene lantern or by candlelight," Stachel told me when I ran into her at the Aspen Ideas Festival. "I was in a situation in a large state hospital where the lights went out during a C-section and had to be completed in flashlight. I've even heard of people using the lights from their cell phones to try and finish surgeries."
The Ideas Report
When Stachel returned from Nigeria, she talked with her husband, Hal Aronson, an environmental sociologist and long-time solar tinkerer about building a solar solution for maternity clinics. What they came up with in 2009 and have improved over the last several years is the solar suitcase. It's now been deployed in nine countries with more clinics calling or emailing every day.
Designed for maximum simplicity, the self-contained system can be set up in minutes. (I tried it and that's no exaggeration.) The panel charges a long life-span battery and comes with high-efficiency lights that are designed to last for 50,000 hours as well as a fetal doppler baby monitor. Of course, it can also be used to charge cell phones or walkie talkies. "It's an expandable, but immediately operational unit," Stachel said.
In the past, humanitarian designers and other people making stuff for the third world have criticized solar installations because if they break down, they can be difficult to fix.
Nowadays, solar panels have gotten more rugged and designers have learned their lessons from previous generations of failed products. The other components of the suitcase like the battery can be replaced with local products. I would also add that an installation at a hospital, where doctors and midwives have a vested interest in maintaining the system, is much different from a general village system or something created without a target group in mind.
"We provide capacity building trainings in these countries so people understand how to troubleshoot if people know what to do if something goes wrong, and we're working on developing supply chains, so if people need spare parts, they'll be available," Stachel said.
For WE CARE, the great thing is that they get to ride solar energy's leaps in efficiency, miniaturization and ruggedization. The Solar Suitcase wasn't possible a few years ago, let alone in the 1980s, when Aronson installed his first solar system in Santa Cruz County. The system is designed to be solar panel agnostic, actually, so what you see above is the newest iteration, complete with a new type of more rugged panel.
The organization's fiscal sponsor is Inveneo, a non-profit organization that's trying to bring IT and communications tech to the developing world. Stachel was also a PopTech fellow, like Atlantic Tech friends Heather Fleming of Catapult Design and Leila Chirayath Janah of Samasource.
Rosemount Police Chief Presents Revised Animal Control City Code to Council
Rosemount Police Chief Presents Revised Animal Control City Code to Council
The Rosemount City Council listened carefully Tuesday as Police Chief Gary Kalstabakken read amendments made to the animal control city code during its first reading.
It was deemed necessary to make changes to the animal control portion of the city code after the state made changes to its potentially dangerous/dangerous dog statutes.
According to Kalstabakken, the animal control city code was last updated in 2004. In the amended city code, new sections were added, which would include state and city changes.
If the council decides to approve the amended animal control city code, some of the items it will include are:
If a hearing panel upholds findings of a potentially dangerous/dangerous dog, the owner will be subject to pay up to $1,000 for the hearing cost (state law). There would be no cost if the dog was not found to be potentially dangerous or dangerous.
In addition, Kalstabakken informed council of changes that would be made to chicken coops in the animal control city code.
Currently, there are four known chicken coops in urban, residential areas of Rosemount. In the amended animal control city code, owners would no longer need a permit to have chicken coops.
Our experience in the last seven years has been that [chicken coops] are non-issues, Kalstabakken said.
Also, the ordinance would reduce the coop's setback from a principal residential structure from 75 feet to 50 feet.
"Other cities have had as little as 25 feet," Kalstabakken said. "We feel 50 feet took care of any problem regarding a chicken coop."
The amended animal control city code was shortened from 32 to 23 pages, and council will take a vote on it at either the July 19 or Aug. 2 council meeting. Mayor Bill Droste said the public is encouraged to call the City of Rosemount with questions or issues pertaining to the animal control city code.
The Rosemount City Council listened carefully Tuesday as Police Chief Gary Kalstabakken read amendments made to the animal control city code during its first reading.
It was deemed necessary to make changes to the animal control portion of the city code after the state made changes to its potentially dangerous/dangerous dog statutes.
According to Kalstabakken, the animal control city code was last updated in 2004. In the amended city code, new sections were added, which would include state and city changes.
If the council decides to approve the amended animal control city code, some of the items it will include are:
If a hearing panel upholds findings of a potentially dangerous/dangerous dog, the owner will be subject to pay up to $1,000 for the hearing cost (state law). There would be no cost if the dog was not found to be potentially dangerous or dangerous.
In addition, Kalstabakken informed council of changes that would be made to chicken coops in the animal control city code.
Currently, there are four known chicken coops in urban, residential areas of Rosemount. In the amended animal control city code, owners would no longer need a permit to have chicken coops.
Our experience in the last seven years has been that [chicken coops] are non-issues, Kalstabakken said.
Also, the ordinance would reduce the coop's setback from a principal residential structure from 75 feet to 50 feet.
"Other cities have had as little as 25 feet," Kalstabakken said. "We feel 50 feet took care of any problem regarding a chicken coop."
The amended animal control city code was shortened from 32 to 23 pages, and council will take a vote on it at either the July 19 or Aug. 2 council meeting. Mayor Bill Droste said the public is encouraged to call the City of Rosemount with questions or issues pertaining to the animal control city code.
2011年7月6日星期三
From bars to busses, NBA lockout would prove painfu
The $4 billion NBA basketball league looks to be barreling toward a lockout -- adding to the woes of the restaurants, parking attendants and city governments that count on its games for income.
Last-ditch talks with the league's owners collapsed on Thursday, according to the players' union, with the two sides far apart on issues ranging from salaries to revenue sharing. The expiration of their current agreement is just hours away.
The costs of a lockout could be enormous, particularly if the entire season were lost. In that case, the league's most valuable franchises, including the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, stand to lose more than $200 million each in revenue, according to estimates by Forbes.
Beyond owners and players, however, a lockout would be no less painful to countless restaurants, bars, and retail stores that depend on the NBA for foot traffic and sales. Many are only beginning to recover from the recession.
"Just about everyone associated with the NBA would be affected one way or another," said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now head of his own sports consulting firm.
"After players and ownership, there is certainly a trickle down impact of some magnitude for the TV networks, the advertisers, the regional sports channels, the sponsors, the arena, the people who work in the building, local restaurants," he said. "It's just a huge impact."
Even city and local governments -- many of which are already under financial strain -- would feel the sting of a work stoppage since they collect taxes on sales of tickets, food and even Nike Inc's Air Max Lebron 8 sneakers.
In Chicago, the Bulls games generate about $173,000 a game in city and county taxes from ticket sales alone, estimated Marc Ganis, president of sports consulting firm Sportscorp Ltd. Add in taxes from parking and concessions, he said, and the losses amount to $250,000 to $300,000 each game.
Then there is mass transit, since in urban areas fans often take subways or busses to the games, and the arenas that host the games.
"Arenas can't rebook those dates, because they wouldn't know games will start again and most acts have to be well in advance," said Ganis. "Plus, the anchor tenant teams get the best dates, primarily weekends, and those are lost opportunities to arenas."
For the NBA and the businesses that depend on it, labor troubles come at a time when the league should be basking in the afterglow of a season when attendance and TV ratings rose.
Last-ditch talks with the league's owners collapsed on Thursday, according to the players' union, with the two sides far apart on issues ranging from salaries to revenue sharing. The expiration of their current agreement is just hours away.
The costs of a lockout could be enormous, particularly if the entire season were lost. In that case, the league's most valuable franchises, including the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, stand to lose more than $200 million each in revenue, according to estimates by Forbes.
Beyond owners and players, however, a lockout would be no less painful to countless restaurants, bars, and retail stores that depend on the NBA for foot traffic and sales. Many are only beginning to recover from the recession.
"Just about everyone associated with the NBA would be affected one way or another," said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now head of his own sports consulting firm.
"After players and ownership, there is certainly a trickle down impact of some magnitude for the TV networks, the advertisers, the regional sports channels, the sponsors, the arena, the people who work in the building, local restaurants," he said. "It's just a huge impact."
Even city and local governments -- many of which are already under financial strain -- would feel the sting of a work stoppage since they collect taxes on sales of tickets, food and even Nike Inc's Air Max Lebron 8 sneakers.
In Chicago, the Bulls games generate about $173,000 a game in city and county taxes from ticket sales alone, estimated Marc Ganis, president of sports consulting firm Sportscorp Ltd. Add in taxes from parking and concessions, he said, and the losses amount to $250,000 to $300,000 each game.
Then there is mass transit, since in urban areas fans often take subways or busses to the games, and the arenas that host the games.
"Arenas can't rebook those dates, because they wouldn't know games will start again and most acts have to be well in advance," said Ganis. "Plus, the anchor tenant teams get the best dates, primarily weekends, and those are lost opportunities to arenas."
For the NBA and the businesses that depend on it, labor troubles come at a time when the league should be basking in the afterglow of a season when attendance and TV ratings rose.
Supermodel Kate Moss on Friday the quiet countryside
Supermodel Kate Moss on Friday the quiet countryside of England was married for "The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince.
The ceremony was attended by many celebrities, but the army of photographers were not allowed to get as close as any - 37 year-old fashion model, which is one of the most photographed women of the world, through the lens of their wedding in a surprisingly shy.
Wedding took place in the village Sotropo Cotswolds, a picturesque hilly area south-west England. On this occasion, the village was occupied, all roads were closed to him, a large police forces were on duty.
Kate Moss wore a sleeveless, sparkling stones decorated with John Galliano's ivory-colored dress was the long veil and a wreath of flowers, wore Manolo blahnik 'shoes, and J. Hinc' I was with a gray suit.
Just did not upstage the bride in London next supermodel - Naomi Campbell, the 12th-century St Peter's Church in Little Faringdone arrived just after Moss and had to hurry to bypass it, said one local resident.
Among the 15 members of the bride's escort was Moss's daughter Lila in eight years. The bride entered the church silver rolsroisu with her father Peter and photographer.
Newlyweds left the church in the field have their photo taken, they are welcomed by local people. Was responsible for the photographs of Mario Testino, who did Prince William and Catherine's engagement photos.
J. Hinc 's chief bridesmaid was Alison Mosshart of the group.
Through the speakers sonorous The Rolling Stones' music, pairing rolsroisu went to the bride's house nearby, where the box was built and a large tent where the fun should last all weekend.
Among the guests are actors Jude and Sadie Frost and designer Stella McCartney (Stella McCartney), "Topshop boss Philip Green, Mick Jones of the punk band The Clash, Kelly Osbourne, actor Rhys Ifansas.
The ceremony was attended by many celebrities, but the army of photographers were not allowed to get as close as any - 37 year-old fashion model, which is one of the most photographed women of the world, through the lens of their wedding in a surprisingly shy.
Wedding took place in the village Sotropo Cotswolds, a picturesque hilly area south-west England. On this occasion, the village was occupied, all roads were closed to him, a large police forces were on duty.
Kate Moss wore a sleeveless, sparkling stones decorated with John Galliano's ivory-colored dress was the long veil and a wreath of flowers, wore Manolo blahnik 'shoes, and J. Hinc' I was with a gray suit.
Just did not upstage the bride in London next supermodel - Naomi Campbell, the 12th-century St Peter's Church in Little Faringdone arrived just after Moss and had to hurry to bypass it, said one local resident.
Among the 15 members of the bride's escort was Moss's daughter Lila in eight years. The bride entered the church silver rolsroisu with her father Peter and photographer.
Newlyweds left the church in the field have their photo taken, they are welcomed by local people. Was responsible for the photographs of Mario Testino, who did Prince William and Catherine's engagement photos.
J. Hinc 's chief bridesmaid was Alison Mosshart of the group.
Through the speakers sonorous The Rolling Stones' music, pairing rolsroisu went to the bride's house nearby, where the box was built and a large tent where the fun should last all weekend.
Among the guests are actors Jude and Sadie Frost and designer Stella McCartney (Stella McCartney), "Topshop boss Philip Green, Mick Jones of the punk band The Clash, Kelly Osbourne, actor Rhys Ifansas.
2011年7月1日星期五
One of the Indians' offensive leaders
One of the Indians' offensive leaders in the game, Orlando Cabrera, offered this tribute to Carrasco: "Carlos has been incredible in his last five or six starts, when we've needed him."
The Diamondbacks were unable to mount anything approaching a sustained threat against Carrasco, who gave up a home run to Justin Upton with one out in the fourth and a leadoff homer to Stephen Drew leading off the sixth.
Carrasco had the luxury of a few runs to work with early, which hasn't happened routinely on this trip. First-inning singles by Orlando Cabrera, Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana produced a run in the first, and singles by Lou Marson, Michael Brantley, Orlando Cabrera and Asdrubal Cabrera added up to two more runs in the second.
"It was a good offensive day, but we did leave some guys on base," Acta said.
Orlando Cabrera singled three times, doubled, drove in a run and scored two; Asdrubal Cabrera doubled, singled twice and had an RBI, as the middle infielders led the attack.
But to call the offense inefficient would be an understatement. The Indians stranded 15 runners, eight in scoring position. The saving grace was a .286 average (6-for-21) with runners in scoring position.
In his past four games, Orlando Cabrera is 8-for-14 with four runs scored and two RBI, including a game-winning home run Monday night against the Diamondbacks.
"Not really, nothing is different for me," he said. "I'm just going out and trying to do what I've done my whole career. Right now, I really need to step up. We are looking for anybody to do something."
That was a reference to the team's banged up and downtrodden attack. But for one day, Cabrera and his lodge brothers could breathe easy, even if the temperature in Phoneix was 110.
The Diamondbacks were unable to mount anything approaching a sustained threat against Carrasco, who gave up a home run to Justin Upton with one out in the fourth and a leadoff homer to Stephen Drew leading off the sixth.
Carrasco had the luxury of a few runs to work with early, which hasn't happened routinely on this trip. First-inning singles by Orlando Cabrera, Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana produced a run in the first, and singles by Lou Marson, Michael Brantley, Orlando Cabrera and Asdrubal Cabrera added up to two more runs in the second.
"It was a good offensive day, but we did leave some guys on base," Acta said.
Orlando Cabrera singled three times, doubled, drove in a run and scored two; Asdrubal Cabrera doubled, singled twice and had an RBI, as the middle infielders led the attack.
But to call the offense inefficient would be an understatement. The Indians stranded 15 runners, eight in scoring position. The saving grace was a .286 average (6-for-21) with runners in scoring position.
In his past four games, Orlando Cabrera is 8-for-14 with four runs scored and two RBI, including a game-winning home run Monday night against the Diamondbacks.
"Not really, nothing is different for me," he said. "I'm just going out and trying to do what I've done my whole career. Right now, I really need to step up. We are looking for anybody to do something."
That was a reference to the team's banged up and downtrodden attack. But for one day, Cabrera and his lodge brothers could breathe easy, even if the temperature in Phoneix was 110.
Whistler grocers are welcoming a move
Whistler grocers are welcoming a move by the Resort Municipality to monitor plastic bag use within the community.
"It's good to have a watchdog out there," said Bruce Stewart, store manager of Nesters Market and spokesman for an informal alliance of grocery stores and pharmacies that's looking to reduce plastic bag use, adding that he's encouraged by the move to take stock of their use over six months.
"We feel quite confident in what we have done in the past, and what we continue to do to reduce bags."
At a council meeting on June 21, Whistler council voted for a six-month review of plastic bag use within the resort municipality, directing staff to establish a baseline of current plastic bag consumption and measure the effectiveness of a voluntary ban and continued education and outreach.
The precise details of the review are still being drawn up, said a municipal spokesperson, but potential data to be collected in the review includes the amount of money businesses spend on providing customers with plastic bags; the number of plastic bags used; the number of people using their own reusable bag; and the number of bags that end up being wasted.
The municipality will depend heavily on the data provided to them by grocery stores and pharmacies.
Stewart also spoke on behalf of the alliance at the June 21 council meeting and described members' efforts to reduce plastic bag use.
"The stores will conduct programs within their individual stores to encourage customers to use a recyclable alternative," he told council. "We plan to develop a simple messaging campaign that can be used by alliance members and perhaps coordinate with other initiatives in the community.
"Most stores have had a reusable shopping bag program in place for the past 15 years. Several options are under consideration for rewarding customers for bringing their own bag, including the possibility of making a donation to a charity."
"It's good to have a watchdog out there," said Bruce Stewart, store manager of Nesters Market and spokesman for an informal alliance of grocery stores and pharmacies that's looking to reduce plastic bag use, adding that he's encouraged by the move to take stock of their use over six months.
"We feel quite confident in what we have done in the past, and what we continue to do to reduce bags."
At a council meeting on June 21, Whistler council voted for a six-month review of plastic bag use within the resort municipality, directing staff to establish a baseline of current plastic bag consumption and measure the effectiveness of a voluntary ban and continued education and outreach.
The precise details of the review are still being drawn up, said a municipal spokesperson, but potential data to be collected in the review includes the amount of money businesses spend on providing customers with plastic bags; the number of plastic bags used; the number of people using their own reusable bag; and the number of bags that end up being wasted.
The municipality will depend heavily on the data provided to them by grocery stores and pharmacies.
Stewart also spoke on behalf of the alliance at the June 21 council meeting and described members' efforts to reduce plastic bag use.
"The stores will conduct programs within their individual stores to encourage customers to use a recyclable alternative," he told council. "We plan to develop a simple messaging campaign that can be used by alliance members and perhaps coordinate with other initiatives in the community.
"Most stores have had a reusable shopping bag program in place for the past 15 years. Several options are under consideration for rewarding customers for bringing their own bag, including the possibility of making a donation to a charity."
2011年6月28日星期二
Old bag tags get extension
City officials have decided to grant a grace period to local residents hoping to continue to use the $2 tags past the July 1 deadline.
City staff have opted to allow people to use the old tags two weeks after the deadline. City hall is also no longer the only place where people can exchange their old bag tags for the newly priced ones.
City council approved increasing the garbage bag tags by half a dollar during this year's budget deliberations.
Following numerous calls from Belleville residents, the city has now established three locations where the public can exchange the old bag tags for the new $2.50 ones, said Brad Wilson, the city's director of environmental and operational services.
The locations include city hall, the Belleville water building at 195 College Street and the recreation complex on Cannifton Road.
Wilson said that all 30 vendors that sell bag tags have been informed of the increase and are prepared for the price change. Retailers will not be exchanging the $2 tags.
"All 30 vendors now have the new bag tags," he said.
The city contractor collecting the garbage has been advised to collect all garbage with old tags during the two week grace period. Wilson is urging residents to make the transition to the new tags before or within that timeframe.
City staff have opted to allow people to use the old tags two weeks after the deadline. City hall is also no longer the only place where people can exchange their old bag tags for the newly priced ones.
City council approved increasing the garbage bag tags by half a dollar during this year's budget deliberations.
Following numerous calls from Belleville residents, the city has now established three locations where the public can exchange the old bag tags for the new $2.50 ones, said Brad Wilson, the city's director of environmental and operational services.
The locations include city hall, the Belleville water building at 195 College Street and the recreation complex on Cannifton Road.
Wilson said that all 30 vendors that sell bag tags have been informed of the increase and are prepared for the price change. Retailers will not be exchanging the $2 tags.
"All 30 vendors now have the new bag tags," he said.
The city contractor collecting the garbage has been advised to collect all garbage with old tags during the two week grace period. Wilson is urging residents to make the transition to the new tags before or within that timeframe.
From simple bags to prom dresses
Under the watchful eye of Cathy Andrews, sewing students start off with the most simple of tasks.
First they learn to pin a seam, how to thread the needle on the sewing machine, and then sew a straight line.
Next they sew a square that is turned into their first finished work — a sewing bag.
But from those small beginnings can come great things, including older girls who use their skills to sew their own prom dresses.
"They start out very basic," she said of the program, dubbed the Waverley Sewing Den. "But as they progress over the years, they finish — even the little ones do a simple one — a dress at the end of each school year."
Andrews has been teaching the finer points of sewing to children from ages six to 17 in her Waverley home for 20 years. Earlier this month, she hosted the season-ending fashion show with the girls modelling their finished dresses.
"I just do it right out in my yard. (Parents and friends) bring their lawn chairs and we set up tables with cake and ice cream. It’s always a big success," she said.
The kids, mostly girls, although it’s open to anyone, attend the two-hour sewing sessions after school or in the evenings, from September to June.
Andrews, who learned to sew before she was married and has upgraded her skills over the years, said she started the program when looking for an in-home business to run while her daughter was young.
"I liked being able to stay home . . . and then just continued on with it," she said. "I love it. They keep me young."
Since then, Andrews has taught an average 30 to 40 kids a year how to sew. Kids are with her for varying lengths of time, but some keep going all through their school years.
Andrews said she often bumps into former sewing students.
She said it can be a challenge to teach children of varying ages and skill levels in the same sessions, but she said the older girls are good at helping out.
Every year most of the older students choose to make their own prom dresses, which can be an interesting experience for the young sewers.
First they learn to pin a seam, how to thread the needle on the sewing machine, and then sew a straight line.
Next they sew a square that is turned into their first finished work — a sewing bag.
But from those small beginnings can come great things, including older girls who use their skills to sew their own prom dresses.
"They start out very basic," she said of the program, dubbed the Waverley Sewing Den. "But as they progress over the years, they finish — even the little ones do a simple one — a dress at the end of each school year."
Andrews has been teaching the finer points of sewing to children from ages six to 17 in her Waverley home for 20 years. Earlier this month, she hosted the season-ending fashion show with the girls modelling their finished dresses.
"I just do it right out in my yard. (Parents and friends) bring their lawn chairs and we set up tables with cake and ice cream. It’s always a big success," she said.
The kids, mostly girls, although it’s open to anyone, attend the two-hour sewing sessions after school or in the evenings, from September to June.
Andrews, who learned to sew before she was married and has upgraded her skills over the years, said she started the program when looking for an in-home business to run while her daughter was young.
"I liked being able to stay home . . . and then just continued on with it," she said. "I love it. They keep me young."
Since then, Andrews has taught an average 30 to 40 kids a year how to sew. Kids are with her for varying lengths of time, but some keep going all through their school years.
Andrews said she often bumps into former sewing students.
She said it can be a challenge to teach children of varying ages and skill levels in the same sessions, but she said the older girls are good at helping out.
Every year most of the older students choose to make their own prom dresses, which can be an interesting experience for the young sewers.
2011年6月23日星期四
Last September I drove dad to the golf course
Last September I drove dad to the golf course that we had played for years. Pop could hardly walk and couldn't communicate anymore. I helped him in the cart. "We" played three holes. I would hit shots and ask my dad what I should hit next. I'd ask him if he thought an 8 iron would be the right club and he'd smile and shake his head yes. I'd ask him if he wanted to hit a shot and he'd smile and shake his head no. We were on the course for thirty minutes. It was our "final round" and our best one.
Runner-Up was Craig Britter from Utah. Below is an excerpt from his entry:
I was four years old. We walked our 9 hole course and dad carried both his and my bag the whole way. We shared a bag of chocolate licorice, which i thought was a great treat. When I duffed a shot he would say "that's OK have another piece of licorice." I do remember hitting one solid shot that day on the 8th hole from the fairway right in front of the green. My dad was so excited for me that he gave me a high five and a hug. It was a special day and I like to recall that feeling in that moment every time I walk up that hole.
Rounding out the top five entries were James Carrochhi from North Carolina, Jordan Ruberti from Vermont and Paige-Lee Garris from Florida. For the grand prize winning entry, Mr. Neureuther received the Revolver Pro cart bag and T-700 travel covers. Runner-up Mr. Britter received the new Quad four-wheeled push cart by Bag Boy. The other top-five winners received Revolver Pro cart bag, T-700 travel cover and shoe bag.
A total of 25 winners were selected to receive Bag Boy prizes along with their fathers.
“The number of entries we received for the contest was overwhelming,” said Craig Ramsbottom, president Dynamic Brands. “Our panel of judges read every entry, some brought laughter and some tears. But one thing they all had in common was that golf created a true bond between them. The memories submitted are clearly ones that each son or daughter will hold onto for the rest of their life.
Runner-Up was Craig Britter from Utah. Below is an excerpt from his entry:
I was four years old. We walked our 9 hole course and dad carried both his and my bag the whole way. We shared a bag of chocolate licorice, which i thought was a great treat. When I duffed a shot he would say "that's OK have another piece of licorice." I do remember hitting one solid shot that day on the 8th hole from the fairway right in front of the green. My dad was so excited for me that he gave me a high five and a hug. It was a special day and I like to recall that feeling in that moment every time I walk up that hole.
Rounding out the top five entries were James Carrochhi from North Carolina, Jordan Ruberti from Vermont and Paige-Lee Garris from Florida. For the grand prize winning entry, Mr. Neureuther received the Revolver Pro cart bag and T-700 travel covers. Runner-up Mr. Britter received the new Quad four-wheeled push cart by Bag Boy. The other top-five winners received Revolver Pro cart bag, T-700 travel cover and shoe bag.
A total of 25 winners were selected to receive Bag Boy prizes along with their fathers.
“The number of entries we received for the contest was overwhelming,” said Craig Ramsbottom, president Dynamic Brands. “Our panel of judges read every entry, some brought laughter and some tears. But one thing they all had in common was that golf created a true bond between them. The memories submitted are clearly ones that each son or daughter will hold onto for the rest of their life.
Buffeted by complaints from merchants
Buffeted by complaints from merchants who claim last month's installment of parking meters is driving them out of business, a majority of city commissioners now say they are poised to literally bag the controversial meters.
"It may well have been a giant waste of our money," Sarasota Vice Mayor Terry Turner said of the meters, which were sold to taxpayers as a way to avoid a tax increase to cover a shortfall in the parking enforcement budget.
"We didn't have a parking problem," he added. "I never had trouble finding parking downtown."
Commissioners say they are willing to look at several options to lessen the sting of paid parking, including lowering the $1 per hour rate or decommissioning meters on low-traffic side streets.
But whether the meters are axed — or if they are only scaled back to Main Street, for instance — depends on if city staff can prove paid parking is not hurting fragile businesses still weathering the Great Recession's blows.
That is next to impossible, officials say.
"It's difficult to make a judgment in such a short period," said City Manager Bob Bartolotta, whom the commission charged with presenting data at the next City Commission meeting on July 5.
"I think we need better data to make good decisions," Bartolotta said, adding it will take at least six months to do that. "We've invested a tremendous amount of money and resources."
"It may well have been a giant waste of our money," Sarasota Vice Mayor Terry Turner said of the meters, which were sold to taxpayers as a way to avoid a tax increase to cover a shortfall in the parking enforcement budget.
"We didn't have a parking problem," he added. "I never had trouble finding parking downtown."
Commissioners say they are willing to look at several options to lessen the sting of paid parking, including lowering the $1 per hour rate or decommissioning meters on low-traffic side streets.
But whether the meters are axed — or if they are only scaled back to Main Street, for instance — depends on if city staff can prove paid parking is not hurting fragile businesses still weathering the Great Recession's blows.
That is next to impossible, officials say.
"It's difficult to make a judgment in such a short period," said City Manager Bob Bartolotta, whom the commission charged with presenting data at the next City Commission meeting on July 5.
"I think we need better data to make good decisions," Bartolotta said, adding it will take at least six months to do that. "We've invested a tremendous amount of money and resources."
2011年6月20日星期一
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Those watches do not just imitate the couturier you prefer, they are valuable replicas of the watches that have won popularity and recognition all around the globe. The rhodium of each and every Replica Watch is finished with stable silver sputtering that prevents the surface from tarnishing and by the look of it no one can tell you are wearing a reproduction of an authentic thing. Each of the Swiss Replica Watches is a piece of art in itself, as only a truly talented workman can manufacture such close copies of luxurious watches by Cartier, Rolex, Chopard, Patek Philippie, Tag Heuer, Vacheron, Chanel and Audemars Pigeut you name a couturier and we will offer you our best item. It is time for you to shine your own copy of glamorous Replica Watch that will cost you a trifle yet give you the air of an aristocrat. Time to choose the immaculate style we at watchsellers.com can offer you!
2011年6月16日星期四
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Tour
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Tour
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Tour is pleased to announce that Bag Boy is once again the presenting sponsor of the Texas Boys & Girls PGA Championship. The Texas Boys & Girls PGA Championship is the state championship event for junior golfers 12 years of age and younger and will be conducted on Monday, July 11 - Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. "Bag Boy is happy to be part the championship and we look forward to watching the future stars of the game," said Craig Ramsbottom, president of Dynamic Brands. "Giving juniors an opportunity to compete at this level helps them build confidence and attain their personal goals. Plus, this event provides two-days of great golf and camaraderie for the kids."Bag Boy is also a sponsor of four events on the Ewing Automotive All American Tour conducted by the Northern Texas PGA Section.
As part of its sponsorship, Bag Boy provides the first 12 juniors a push cart to use during the round, they can chose from the Quad, Express Automatic and the Automatic carts."We have found that juniors really like using carts because it relieves a lot of neck and shoulder pain they get from carrying a golf bag," said Ramsbottom. "More and more players are using push carts for this reason."Bag Boy recently introduced the new four-wheel Quad push cart.
The Quad's stable platform makes it easy to roll through all types of terrain because of its large front wheels and wide rear wheel base. Plus, a handle mounted parking brake keeps the cart in place on steep hills and embankments. The Quad is easy to use and folds up in seconds with two simple steps to make storage convenient.
The Northern Texas PGA Junior Tour is pleased to announce that Bag Boy is once again the presenting sponsor of the Texas Boys & Girls PGA Championship. The Texas Boys & Girls PGA Championship is the state championship event for junior golfers 12 years of age and younger and will be conducted on Monday, July 11 - Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. "Bag Boy is happy to be part the championship and we look forward to watching the future stars of the game," said Craig Ramsbottom, president of Dynamic Brands. "Giving juniors an opportunity to compete at this level helps them build confidence and attain their personal goals. Plus, this event provides two-days of great golf and camaraderie for the kids."Bag Boy is also a sponsor of four events on the Ewing Automotive All American Tour conducted by the Northern Texas PGA Section.
As part of its sponsorship, Bag Boy provides the first 12 juniors a push cart to use during the round, they can chose from the Quad, Express Automatic and the Automatic carts."We have found that juniors really like using carts because it relieves a lot of neck and shoulder pain they get from carrying a golf bag," said Ramsbottom. "More and more players are using push carts for this reason."Bag Boy recently introduced the new four-wheel Quad push cart.
The Quad's stable platform makes it easy to roll through all types of terrain because of its large front wheels and wide rear wheel base. Plus, a handle mounted parking brake keeps the cart in place on steep hills and embankments. The Quad is easy to use and folds up in seconds with two simple steps to make storage convenient.
Delta No. 2 in bag fees per passenger
Delta No. 2 in bag fees per passenger
Among major carriers, only US Airways brought in baggage fee revenue at a higher rate at $9.91 per passenger.
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this week that Delta brought in $952 million in baggage fee revenue in 2010, the highest amount among all U.S. airlines. The AJC analyzed the numbers to scale baggage fee revenue based on the airline size as measured by number of passengers.
Delta carried the most passengers last year among U.S. airlines, with about 110.9 million boarding planes, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Atlanta-based Delta has increased its baggage fees over time and currently charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag on domestic flights.
Southwest Airlines brought in an average of just 28 cents in baggage fee revenue per passenger. Dallas-based Southwest does not charge fees for the first two checked bags but does charge for additional bags beyond two.
Southwest held the No. 14 spot for baggage fee revenue with $29.8 million. But it came in second in passenger counts with 106.2 million passengers.
Southwest acquired AirTran Airways earlier this year and plans to eventually bring Southwest planes to Atlanta, along with its no bag fees policy. AirTran, which does charge fees for checked baggage, brought in an average of $6.20 in baggage fee revenue per passenger.
AirTran charges $20 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag.
United Airlines had an average of $5.79 in baggage fee revenue per passenger, while Continental Airlines' rate was $7.86. United merged with Continental last year to create the world's largest airline, but their combined baggage fee revenue was less than Delta's.
Airlines have increasingly turned to fees to boost revenue, amid stiff competition that makes it more difficult to raise fares. Air fares have declined 21 percent from 2000 to 2010 on an inflation-adjusted basis, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In 2000, fares made up 84 percent of airline revenue, a rate that dropped to 71 percent in 2010.
Among major carriers, only US Airways brought in baggage fee revenue at a higher rate at $9.91 per passenger.
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this week that Delta brought in $952 million in baggage fee revenue in 2010, the highest amount among all U.S. airlines. The AJC analyzed the numbers to scale baggage fee revenue based on the airline size as measured by number of passengers.
Delta carried the most passengers last year among U.S. airlines, with about 110.9 million boarding planes, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Atlanta-based Delta has increased its baggage fees over time and currently charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag on domestic flights.
Southwest Airlines brought in an average of just 28 cents in baggage fee revenue per passenger. Dallas-based Southwest does not charge fees for the first two checked bags but does charge for additional bags beyond two.
Southwest held the No. 14 spot for baggage fee revenue with $29.8 million. But it came in second in passenger counts with 106.2 million passengers.
Southwest acquired AirTran Airways earlier this year and plans to eventually bring Southwest planes to Atlanta, along with its no bag fees policy. AirTran, which does charge fees for checked baggage, brought in an average of $6.20 in baggage fee revenue per passenger.
AirTran charges $20 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag.
United Airlines had an average of $5.79 in baggage fee revenue per passenger, while Continental Airlines' rate was $7.86. United merged with Continental last year to create the world's largest airline, but their combined baggage fee revenue was less than Delta's.
Airlines have increasingly turned to fees to boost revenue, amid stiff competition that makes it more difficult to raise fares. Air fares have declined 21 percent from 2000 to 2010 on an inflation-adjusted basis, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In 2000, fares made up 84 percent of airline revenue, a rate that dropped to 71 percent in 2010.
2011年6月13日星期一
City left holding the bag
But on Friday, the bottom ripped out of efforts in Salem to either ban plastic bags outright or set an ambitious plastic recycling benchmark backed by a prohibition. The six lawmakers who tried to lead the Legislature toward restrictions on plastic bags conceded in a written statement: "It appears the time for a statewide solution to this issue has not yet arrived. But this issue is not going away. We are not going away. And these bags aren't going away. They will be around for a thousand years."
Well, it'd be nice to come up with an Oregon solution between now and then. We're not excited about what comes next, a grab-bag of local plastics laws, with Portland first out of the gate. Mayor Sam Adams promised he'd respond to a failure in Salem with a citywide ban on plastic bags starting next January. After Friday's announcement that the bag bill was a dead letter in the Legislature, Adams indicated that the city would go forward with its ban.
That's a discouraging turn of events. For a time it looked like Oregon might be the first place to make a serious run at recycling of plastics, not just bags, but all kinds of plastic litter and waste now tossed into ditches and landfills. But then it all fell apart. The plastic-bag industry had no intention of backing up its rhetoric about helping lead a recycling effort in Oregon. And not enough lawmakers stepped up to support a more creative alternative to a statewide ban.
So instead of leading, Oregon will follow places such as San Francisco with isolated city prohibitions that make trouble for retailers dealing with different regulations, confuse consumers and offer token environmental gains.
Well, it'd be nice to come up with an Oregon solution between now and then. We're not excited about what comes next, a grab-bag of local plastics laws, with Portland first out of the gate. Mayor Sam Adams promised he'd respond to a failure in Salem with a citywide ban on plastic bags starting next January. After Friday's announcement that the bag bill was a dead letter in the Legislature, Adams indicated that the city would go forward with its ban.
That's a discouraging turn of events. For a time it looked like Oregon might be the first place to make a serious run at recycling of plastics, not just bags, but all kinds of plastic litter and waste now tossed into ditches and landfills. But then it all fell apart. The plastic-bag industry had no intention of backing up its rhetoric about helping lead a recycling effort in Oregon. And not enough lawmakers stepped up to support a more creative alternative to a statewide ban.
So instead of leading, Oregon will follow places such as San Francisco with isolated city prohibitions that make trouble for retailers dealing with different regulations, confuse consumers and offer token environmental gains.
It’s deadline time for women golfers
It’s deadline time for women golfers who are planning on playing in the annual Moore County Women’s Amateur Championship at National Golf Club June 27-28.
While the tournament is for golfers of all levels, with players pre-flighted by handicap, the championship flight has provided some top-flight competition and intriguing story-lines over the past several years and included winners with ages varying from teenagers to 60.
But if you’re planning on entering, you’d better do it now. The deadline is Wednesday
Patty Moore, the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame member who has won the event six times, has battled two-time former champion Diane Yelovich to the wire several times while youngsters Amanda D’Ostroph and Lisa Chandler have also won.
Another threat in recent years has been Katja Damman, a Pinehurst resident who plays on the Pembroke State University golf team
D’Ostroph, a rising junior at Charleston Southern University, won the title at the Country Club of Whispering Pines last year.
The championship is 36 holes of gross medal play with a 9 a.m. shotgun start both days.
Entrants must be 18 or older and have an established USGA handicap index. They must also be residents of Moore County or a member of a golf club in the county.
The entry fee is $95 and includes carts, range balls and an awards luncheon following the final round. Practice rounds are available June 21-24 for $30.
Prizes will be awarded to the overall champion and the first and second-place finishers in each flight.
Applications are available at area golf clubs and at Robert’s Golf Shop. For information call Ginny Siedler at (910) 673-3240.
N.C. Amateur: Nearly 30 years after it was last played there, the North Carolina Amateur Championship is returning to Greensboro Country Club’s Farm Course Thursday through Sunday.
The 72-hole, stroke play competition was played on the Farm Course and at The Cardinal Golf Club in 1981 and 1982. Ray Freeman, of Greensboro, won the1981 event, while Mike West, of Burlington, took the 1982 title.
While the tournament is for golfers of all levels, with players pre-flighted by handicap, the championship flight has provided some top-flight competition and intriguing story-lines over the past several years and included winners with ages varying from teenagers to 60.
But if you’re planning on entering, you’d better do it now. The deadline is Wednesday
Patty Moore, the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame member who has won the event six times, has battled two-time former champion Diane Yelovich to the wire several times while youngsters Amanda D’Ostroph and Lisa Chandler have also won.
Another threat in recent years has been Katja Damman, a Pinehurst resident who plays on the Pembroke State University golf team
D’Ostroph, a rising junior at Charleston Southern University, won the title at the Country Club of Whispering Pines last year.
The championship is 36 holes of gross medal play with a 9 a.m. shotgun start both days.
Entrants must be 18 or older and have an established USGA handicap index. They must also be residents of Moore County or a member of a golf club in the county.
The entry fee is $95 and includes carts, range balls and an awards luncheon following the final round. Practice rounds are available June 21-24 for $30.
Prizes will be awarded to the overall champion and the first and second-place finishers in each flight.
Applications are available at area golf clubs and at Robert’s Golf Shop. For information call Ginny Siedler at (910) 673-3240.
N.C. Amateur: Nearly 30 years after it was last played there, the North Carolina Amateur Championship is returning to Greensboro Country Club’s Farm Course Thursday through Sunday.
The 72-hole, stroke play competition was played on the Farm Course and at The Cardinal Golf Club in 1981 and 1982. Ray Freeman, of Greensboro, won the1981 event, while Mike West, of Burlington, took the 1982 title.
2011年6月9日星期四
Inside Valentina's Intimate Apparel, three women owners offer customers a variety of goods and services
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - DONGAN HILLS - Count a few more reasons to check out Valentina's Intimate Apparel on Hylan Boulevard: Two enterprising women have joined owner Carmela Vasaturo with the launch their own businesses inside the shop, and celebrate with a grand-opening party tonight, starting at 6 p.m.
Donna Rea, Ms. Vasaturo's younger sister, transformed the large downstairs space into an inviting vintage clothing and accessories boutique, offering over 1,500 well-organized items of designer clothing and accessories on consignment, from Armani and Emanuel Ungaro to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan. The clothing includes an impressive selection of dazzling floor-length evening gowns – brand new or gently worn – in a range of styles, with prices starting at $40.
Dongan Hills resident Lisa Ruggiero, a professional makeup artist and certified sunless tanning technician, is also on board with her new venture, Sunless in the City. She converted the rear of the downstairs space into an intimate "mini-spa" for spray tanning, and works upstairs on makeup consultations by appointment and walk-in.
Donna Rea, Ms. Vasaturo's younger sister, transformed the large downstairs space into an inviting vintage clothing and accessories boutique, offering over 1,500 well-organized items of designer clothing and accessories on consignment, from Armani and Emanuel Ungaro to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan. The clothing includes an impressive selection of dazzling floor-length evening gowns – brand new or gently worn – in a range of styles, with prices starting at $40.
Dongan Hills resident Lisa Ruggiero, a professional makeup artist and certified sunless tanning technician, is also on board with her new venture, Sunless in the City. She converted the rear of the downstairs space into an intimate "mini-spa" for spray tanning, and works upstairs on makeup consultations by appointment and walk-in.
Retro Alley' dresses up downtown Grass Valley - VIDEO
The opening later this month of Menagerie, a shop with new and vintage items on Neal Street, could be a sign that retro chic is the latest thing to hit downtown Grass Valley.
A la Mode Vintage has set the standard for seven years. At 127-B Neal St., owner Joan Kremmer offers embroidered aprons from the 1940s, bark-cloth tablecloths from the 1950s, dresses reminiscent of Twiggy from the 1960s and Gunne Sax gowns from the 1970s.
Items spanning the decades represent the best she gleans at auctions, with an eye honed by 30 years in the business and a Berkeley childhood.
The recent wedding of English royals stirred a yearning for hats, and the television show “Mad Men,” styled in the late '50s to early '60s, has sparked an interest in clothes from that era, Kremmer said. A high school girl headed for the prom recently snagged a silver-lame gown.
"It looked like Marilyn Monroe," Kremmer said.
Period jewelry is also growing in popularity, she added.
With vintage garments growing harder to find, Kremmer looks for items in good condition, with quality workmanship, styling and materials.
A la Mode Vintage has set the standard for seven years. At 127-B Neal St., owner Joan Kremmer offers embroidered aprons from the 1940s, bark-cloth tablecloths from the 1950s, dresses reminiscent of Twiggy from the 1960s and Gunne Sax gowns from the 1970s.
Items spanning the decades represent the best she gleans at auctions, with an eye honed by 30 years in the business and a Berkeley childhood.
The recent wedding of English royals stirred a yearning for hats, and the television show “Mad Men,” styled in the late '50s to early '60s, has sparked an interest in clothes from that era, Kremmer said. A high school girl headed for the prom recently snagged a silver-lame gown.
"It looked like Marilyn Monroe," Kremmer said.
Period jewelry is also growing in popularity, she added.
With vintage garments growing harder to find, Kremmer looks for items in good condition, with quality workmanship, styling and materials.
City consults with disabled to make facilities more accessible
Citizens in Greater Sudbury are invited to attend a public consultation session June 16 to provide input into the city's 2011-2012 Accessibility Plan.
Under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001, the city is “required to prepare an annual accessibility plan to make it available to the public,” according to a press release.
The purpose of the plan is to “improve opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in the life of the city through identification, removal and prevention of barriers.”
Through the public consultation session, the city hopes to hear from “citizens with disabilities about their experiences with accessing municipal buildings, participating in programs or seeking municipal services from paying tax bills to visiting arenas.”
The city is hoping to “identify barriers to access municipal facilities...to remove barriers and to provide feedback on municipal services for persons with disabilities.”
The public consultation session is being held June 16 at 4 p.m. at Tom Davies Square in Committee Room C-11.
Citizens can download a copy of the 2010-2011 Accessibility Plan at www.greatersudbury.ca. Printed copies can be obtained by phoning Linda Purvis at 705-674-4455 ext. 4226. Additional information is also available by phoning 311 or (TTY) 705-688-3919.
Members of the Accessibility Advisory Panel include Ward 3 Coun. Claude Berthiaume, Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, chair Linda Whiteside, vice-chair Lionel Courtemanche, Vice-Chair E.J. Craig Ticalo and members Bob Bannister, Earl Black, Norma Fitzgerald, Linda Mende and Andrew Oliver.
Under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001, the city is “required to prepare an annual accessibility plan to make it available to the public,” according to a press release.
The purpose of the plan is to “improve opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in the life of the city through identification, removal and prevention of barriers.”
Through the public consultation session, the city hopes to hear from “citizens with disabilities about their experiences with accessing municipal buildings, participating in programs or seeking municipal services from paying tax bills to visiting arenas.”
The city is hoping to “identify barriers to access municipal facilities...to remove barriers and to provide feedback on municipal services for persons with disabilities.”
The public consultation session is being held June 16 at 4 p.m. at Tom Davies Square in Committee Room C-11.
Citizens can download a copy of the 2010-2011 Accessibility Plan at www.greatersudbury.ca. Printed copies can be obtained by phoning Linda Purvis at 705-674-4455 ext. 4226. Additional information is also available by phoning 311 or (TTY) 705-688-3919.
Members of the Accessibility Advisory Panel include Ward 3 Coun. Claude Berthiaume, Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, chair Linda Whiteside, vice-chair Lionel Courtemanche, Vice-Chair E.J. Craig Ticalo and members Bob Bannister, Earl Black, Norma Fitzgerald, Linda Mende and Andrew Oliver.
Designers reinvent themselves
Today, Kroell works with plain leather and woollen yarn. With no stores of her own, she is designer, saleswoman and her own gal Friday. After quitting her own label in a dispute with investors, she is laboring from her living room to start a new brand, Dax Gabler. The goods are made in China, not Italy.
"I've done so much growing up in so little time," she says.
It's the fear of every high-achieving professional: excelling, reaching the pinnacle of your field - and, the next day, having to start over.
In both the fashion industry and the larger economy, reinvention has become a necessary skill. Once-hot designer Patrick Robinson was just fired from his job at mega-brand Gap. Paris haute couturier Christian Lacroix is remaking himself as a furniture designer after his label's high-profile bankruptcy. Hedi Slimane, a star menswear designer who left Christian Dior, is working as a photographer in Los Angeles and Paris.
For many fashion designers, the falls take place publicly, but the reinvention afterward happens, slowly and out of the limelight.
After he was dismissed from Nina Ricci in 2009, Olivier Theyskens disappeared from public view for about two years - even ignoring Paris fashion weeks. He resurfaced with his own line, Theykens' Theory. Hervé Léger lost control of his name and left the company - which continues to sell his popular bandage dress - more than a decade ago. He now designs under the name Hervé L. Leroux (a reference to his red hair), with a boutique in Paris.
Hussein Chalayan, London-based darling of the avant-garde, canceled his runway shows after losing his financial backers and now sells his clothes from a rented Paris showroom. This week, he announced he is changing the brand name to just Chalayan and launching three lines of clothing at various price levels, including one that will sell blouses for as little as $150. (Dresses from his runway collections can cost more than $1000.)
The second act of an accomplished designer often shows characteristic élan. Lacroix returned to the limelight with his first line of furniture, which he showed at the Milan furniture fair in April. He also penned a children's book, "Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty—A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir." Though it might seem a leap from ball gowns, the furniture—a collaboration with the Italian company Sicis Srl—is unmistakably Lacroix: intricately colorful with an element of wink-wink humor.
Graeme Black spun in a matter of weeks from dressing the likes of Sarah Brown, wife of the former British prime minister, to taking long walks in London's Battersea Park with his dog, Harris. He had to close shop two years ago after several retailers reneged on paying for his collections, he says.
"There was a huge sense of loss and a huge sense of disappointment that the company I'd worked so hard to create had just sort of fizzled out," says Mr. Black, who had designed Armani Black and Ferragamo ready-to-wear before launching his own brand. "It kind of almost dazed me for a while."
Mr. Black freelanced as a creative consultant with Hugo Boss while searching for a more permanent gig from his London home. He is hoping to land a creative director job at an Italian luxury brand. "You have to just weather the storm," he says.
Many designers say the key to their reinvention came from using skills, interests and contacts from their earlier lives—without stopping for regrets. "Nothing's a bad experience and nothing is a waste of time," says Mr. Black of his previous life, including the loss of his company.
Mr. Lacroix notes that he has been interested in furniture design since childhood. Mr. Slimane, too, said through a spokesman that he has loved photography since he was 11, adding that he was "never committed" to one creative medium.
"I've done so much growing up in so little time," she says.
It's the fear of every high-achieving professional: excelling, reaching the pinnacle of your field - and, the next day, having to start over.
In both the fashion industry and the larger economy, reinvention has become a necessary skill. Once-hot designer Patrick Robinson was just fired from his job at mega-brand Gap. Paris haute couturier Christian Lacroix is remaking himself as a furniture designer after his label's high-profile bankruptcy. Hedi Slimane, a star menswear designer who left Christian Dior, is working as a photographer in Los Angeles and Paris.
For many fashion designers, the falls take place publicly, but the reinvention afterward happens, slowly and out of the limelight.
After he was dismissed from Nina Ricci in 2009, Olivier Theyskens disappeared from public view for about two years - even ignoring Paris fashion weeks. He resurfaced with his own line, Theykens' Theory. Hervé Léger lost control of his name and left the company - which continues to sell his popular bandage dress - more than a decade ago. He now designs under the name Hervé L. Leroux (a reference to his red hair), with a boutique in Paris.
Hussein Chalayan, London-based darling of the avant-garde, canceled his runway shows after losing his financial backers and now sells his clothes from a rented Paris showroom. This week, he announced he is changing the brand name to just Chalayan and launching three lines of clothing at various price levels, including one that will sell blouses for as little as $150. (Dresses from his runway collections can cost more than $1000.)
The second act of an accomplished designer often shows characteristic élan. Lacroix returned to the limelight with his first line of furniture, which he showed at the Milan furniture fair in April. He also penned a children's book, "Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty—A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir." Though it might seem a leap from ball gowns, the furniture—a collaboration with the Italian company Sicis Srl—is unmistakably Lacroix: intricately colorful with an element of wink-wink humor.
Graeme Black spun in a matter of weeks from dressing the likes of Sarah Brown, wife of the former British prime minister, to taking long walks in London's Battersea Park with his dog, Harris. He had to close shop two years ago after several retailers reneged on paying for his collections, he says.
"There was a huge sense of loss and a huge sense of disappointment that the company I'd worked so hard to create had just sort of fizzled out," says Mr. Black, who had designed Armani Black and Ferragamo ready-to-wear before launching his own brand. "It kind of almost dazed me for a while."
Mr. Black freelanced as a creative consultant with Hugo Boss while searching for a more permanent gig from his London home. He is hoping to land a creative director job at an Italian luxury brand. "You have to just weather the storm," he says.
Many designers say the key to their reinvention came from using skills, interests and contacts from their earlier lives—without stopping for regrets. "Nothing's a bad experience and nothing is a waste of time," says Mr. Black of his previous life, including the loss of his company.
Mr. Lacroix notes that he has been interested in furniture design since childhood. Mr. Slimane, too, said through a spokesman that he has loved photography since he was 11, adding that he was "never committed" to one creative medium.
2011年6月7日星期二
That Bag Shop Preparing Opening a Brother Leather Goods Factory
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That Bag Shop Preparing Opening a Brother Leather Goods Factory
Contact Information
crystal
thatbagshop
cloud west a street
Guangzhou guangdong, 510000
020-12345678
http://www.thatbagshop.com
China TOP 10 leather handbags wholesaler www.thatbagshop.com is planning to open a brother leather goods factory, mainly manufacturing men leather bags, leather wallets and other leather goods. The subsidiary leather goods factory will endeavor to provide competitive cheap but good quality leather goods for worldwide customers, same as That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory.
Online PR News – 06-June-2011 –As business expanding, China TOP 10 leather handbags wholesale factory www.thatbagshop.com is planning to open a subsidiary leather goods factory, mainly producing men’s leather bags, leather wallets, and other fashion leather accessories.
The existing That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory is professional in manufacturing cheap and fashion women leather handbags for almost 11 years. With time going by, the business is expanding as customers have different inquiries of other leather goods, such as men’s leather bags, suitcases and leather gifts, etc. In order to keep the professional standard in producing leather handbags, as well as help customers making other leather goods, That Bag Shop decides to start a brother factory to handle the production of other leather goods other than leather handbags.
“This is a milestone of our business.” said David Wang, General Manager of That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory, “We do and only do one thing: leather handbags. This is the business principle we adhere to, since this is where our professionalism lies. The opening of another factory making other leather goods doesn’t mean we are giving up professionalism. On the contrary, this is our way of being professional.”
Manufacturing women leather handbags is different from making wallets and other leather goods. The opening of a brother factory will help separate handbags production from other leather goods manufacturing. The subsidiary leather goods factory will be equipped with professional machinery and experienced workers, to assure other leather items well-crafted at competitive cheap cost.
Wholesale customers of web-shop www.thatbagshop.com will be the biggest beneficiaries, since on the one hand, new manufacturers of leather goods are no need of sourcing and testing, and on the other hand, cheap but high quality leather goods are guaranteed. That Bag Shop is able to handle both cheap yet fashion leather handbags and other leather goods now.
About That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory:
That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory is by no means a new manufacturer in the industry of real leather handbags wholesale. That Bag Shop supplies cheap but trendy ladies leather handbags by top quality real leather and first class hardware, through its online factory showroom www.thatbagshop.com. All wholesale orders of leather handbags and leather goods are wholesale at cheap factory price and offered with FREE OF CHARGE custom logo design and embossing service.
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That Bag Shop Preparing Opening a Brother Leather Goods Factory
Contact Information
crystal
thatbagshop
cloud west a street
Guangzhou guangdong, 510000
020-12345678
http://www.thatbagshop.com
China TOP 10 leather handbags wholesaler www.thatbagshop.com is planning to open a brother leather goods factory, mainly manufacturing men leather bags, leather wallets and other leather goods. The subsidiary leather goods factory will endeavor to provide competitive cheap but good quality leather goods for worldwide customers, same as That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory.
Online PR News – 06-June-2011 –As business expanding, China TOP 10 leather handbags wholesale factory www.thatbagshop.com is planning to open a subsidiary leather goods factory, mainly producing men’s leather bags, leather wallets, and other fashion leather accessories.
The existing That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory is professional in manufacturing cheap and fashion women leather handbags for almost 11 years. With time going by, the business is expanding as customers have different inquiries of other leather goods, such as men’s leather bags, suitcases and leather gifts, etc. In order to keep the professional standard in producing leather handbags, as well as help customers making other leather goods, That Bag Shop decides to start a brother factory to handle the production of other leather goods other than leather handbags.
“This is a milestone of our business.” said David Wang, General Manager of That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory, “We do and only do one thing: leather handbags. This is the business principle we adhere to, since this is where our professionalism lies. The opening of another factory making other leather goods doesn’t mean we are giving up professionalism. On the contrary, this is our way of being professional.”
Manufacturing women leather handbags is different from making wallets and other leather goods. The opening of a brother factory will help separate handbags production from other leather goods manufacturing. The subsidiary leather goods factory will be equipped with professional machinery and experienced workers, to assure other leather items well-crafted at competitive cheap cost.
Wholesale customers of web-shop www.thatbagshop.com will be the biggest beneficiaries, since on the one hand, new manufacturers of leather goods are no need of sourcing and testing, and on the other hand, cheap but high quality leather goods are guaranteed. That Bag Shop is able to handle both cheap yet fashion leather handbags and other leather goods now.
About That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory:
That Bag Shop Leather Handbags Factory is by no means a new manufacturer in the industry of real leather handbags wholesale. That Bag Shop supplies cheap but trendy ladies leather handbags by top quality real leather and first class hardware, through its online factory showroom www.thatbagshop.com. All wholesale orders of leather handbags and leather goods are wholesale at cheap factory price and offered with FREE OF CHARGE custom logo design and embossing service.
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Four women arrested for theft
Thane, Jun 7 (PTI) Four women who robbed citizens in crowded localities were arrested and valuables worth Rs 5 lakh were recovered from them, police said today. The accused---Rajni Ramchandra (54), Sangeeta Kate (36) Swata Pramod (23) and Deepali (32)---were held by Thane Nagar police, which also recovered Rs 20,500 cash from them. About 11 tolas of gold ornaments, silver goods weighing around 450 gms, 38 mobiles, 6 ladies wrist watches, and a record 115 laides purses and handbags were seized from the women, police said. Their modus operandi was to mingle with the crowd at places like railway stations and shopping centres and flee with valuables after diverting their attention, police said. The women stole valuables from shops too with the help of four others, they said. The accused, who have been operating in Thane for a year now are residents of Bhandup, Diva and Kisan Nagar localities.
'Fashion gang' on the prowl in shopping malls
A gang of six GCC nationals has been accused of stealing designer wear from high-end retailers at some shopping malls in the emirate.
The gang comrpising five women and a man form smaller groups and walk into a target shop at the same time. While one group kept the attendants busy the others grab expensive items and hide it under their abayas and quietly walk out, according to a report in 'Gulf News'.
Aged between 20 and 25, the 'fashion gang' were at Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall looking for designer shoes, handbags, accessories and would always ask for the latest collections, Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Head, Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department, was quoted as saying.
After the police received about 10 complaints, the suspects were nabbed in an undercover operation.
The gang comrpising five women and a man form smaller groups and walk into a target shop at the same time. While one group kept the attendants busy the others grab expensive items and hide it under their abayas and quietly walk out, according to a report in 'Gulf News'.
Aged between 20 and 25, the 'fashion gang' were at Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall looking for designer shoes, handbags, accessories and would always ask for the latest collections, Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Head, Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department, was quoted as saying.
After the police received about 10 complaints, the suspects were nabbed in an undercover operation.
Willy Street's Hatch Art House A Gallery-Gift Shop Hybrid
When I stroll into Hatch Art House on Willy Street I instantly feel at home. Perhaps it’s the Tiffany-blue walls and soft yellow ceiling, juxtaposed against the polished concrete floor, reclaimed furnishings and the smattering of local, handmade jewelry, paintings and quirky décor pieces throughout.
It’s an art gallery, glam-ified—thanks to owner, artist and Portland transplant Tammy Schreiter.
“I knew I wanted to be here because it reminds me most of Portland—it’s up and coming; it has a good vibe,” says Schreiter.
Currently the six-month-old shop carries thirty-five local artists who make jewelry, accessories, handbags, photography, paintings and little decorative items. Many of the pieces use “upcycled” or reused elements, such as handbags fashioned from hardcover books, jewelry made with vintage elements and a chair découpaged with comic book strips. It’s not a new concept, but the stuff here are definitely items you haven’t seen before.
Schreiter sells her own paintings and jewelry too, and the name of the space references showcasing up-and-comers. She found many of her artists through visiting last summer’s Art Fair Off the Square.
“When you buy from us, you know where it’s from—the artist could be from two blocks away!” says Schreiter. “Madison’s on the right track for buying local—and that’s what we’re all about.”
Clockwise from top left:
HANDBAG HEAVEN Lisa Penning’s handbags and wristlets are made out of remnants, vintage fabrics and buttons and lined on the inside with a contrasting fabric. $36
SLEEK BEAUTY “Nathan Gieseke, a local glass blower, has pieces that are so affordable. You can buy a vase for $60, which is nice,” says Schreiter. Gieseke also uses recycled metalwork like gears in his work, too. $60–$220
ANYTHING BUT WATER Schreiter features one artist per month—but among her favorites from a few months ago were Tahlia Day’s watercolors and abstracts. $12–$800
It’s an art gallery, glam-ified—thanks to owner, artist and Portland transplant Tammy Schreiter.
“I knew I wanted to be here because it reminds me most of Portland—it’s up and coming; it has a good vibe,” says Schreiter.
Currently the six-month-old shop carries thirty-five local artists who make jewelry, accessories, handbags, photography, paintings and little decorative items. Many of the pieces use “upcycled” or reused elements, such as handbags fashioned from hardcover books, jewelry made with vintage elements and a chair découpaged with comic book strips. It’s not a new concept, but the stuff here are definitely items you haven’t seen before.
Schreiter sells her own paintings and jewelry too, and the name of the space references showcasing up-and-comers. She found many of her artists through visiting last summer’s Art Fair Off the Square.
“When you buy from us, you know where it’s from—the artist could be from two blocks away!” says Schreiter. “Madison’s on the right track for buying local—and that’s what we’re all about.”
Clockwise from top left:
HANDBAG HEAVEN Lisa Penning’s handbags and wristlets are made out of remnants, vintage fabrics and buttons and lined on the inside with a contrasting fabric. $36
SLEEK BEAUTY “Nathan Gieseke, a local glass blower, has pieces that are so affordable. You can buy a vase for $60, which is nice,” says Schreiter. Gieseke also uses recycled metalwork like gears in his work, too. $60–$220
ANYTHING BUT WATER Schreiter features one artist per month—but among her favorites from a few months ago were Tahlia Day’s watercolors and abstracts. $12–$800
2011年6月2日星期四
We speak of the ad promoting Orville Redenbacher’s Pop
We speak of the ad promoting Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl popcorn innovation. It’s the unusual marriage of a Midwestern-based snack manufacturer and a Strip illusionist who also happens to star in his own TV show.
He would be Criss Angel, saw-blade wielder, strait-jacket inhabitant and occasional TV commercial foil.
In the new TV ad, the man whose image graces billboard and print ads and who stars on A&E’s “Mindfreak” appears through glass sliding doors of a residence you’d find in any American suburb. Summerlin, even. The magician produces a flattened package, shoves it into a microwave oven and -- voila! -- a quickie snack.
Angel doesn’t actually say “voila!” But that is the effect, as the couple comes away wowed at the self-contained foodstuff.
The heating-of-popcorn-as-illusion concept is Angel’s way of showing he can joke about himself and his art. Oh, and popcorn, too.
“It was very cool,” Angel, speaking of the idea in general and not the temperature of the heated popcorn, said in a phone conversation this afternoon. “We came in with a very, very loose concept, and they gave me the freedom to put it together and lay it out and create it. We were able to have my shop build the stuff, and it turned out great.”
The commercial, filmed in January and reported by my colleague Robin Leach in March, began airing in late April and has been providing the Luxor headliner national TV and YouTube exposure beyond his “Mindfreak” and talk show appearances. It’s Angel’s latest move in a concerted effort to show that he can do the funny along with the 40-some illusions featured in his live show.
“I kind of poke fun at myself,” he said. “I wanted to show I don’t take myself too seriously.”
He would be Criss Angel, saw-blade wielder, strait-jacket inhabitant and occasional TV commercial foil.
In the new TV ad, the man whose image graces billboard and print ads and who stars on A&E’s “Mindfreak” appears through glass sliding doors of a residence you’d find in any American suburb. Summerlin, even. The magician produces a flattened package, shoves it into a microwave oven and -- voila! -- a quickie snack.
Angel doesn’t actually say “voila!” But that is the effect, as the couple comes away wowed at the self-contained foodstuff.
The heating-of-popcorn-as-illusion concept is Angel’s way of showing he can joke about himself and his art. Oh, and popcorn, too.
“It was very cool,” Angel, speaking of the idea in general and not the temperature of the heated popcorn, said in a phone conversation this afternoon. “We came in with a very, very loose concept, and they gave me the freedom to put it together and lay it out and create it. We were able to have my shop build the stuff, and it turned out great.”
The commercial, filmed in January and reported by my colleague Robin Leach in March, began airing in late April and has been providing the Luxor headliner national TV and YouTube exposure beyond his “Mindfreak” and talk show appearances. It’s Angel’s latest move in a concerted effort to show that he can do the funny along with the 40-some illusions featured in his live show.
“I kind of poke fun at myself,” he said. “I wanted to show I don’t take myself too seriously.”
Mr Carroll said if all goes according to plan
Mr Carroll said if all goes according to plan, BTC employees will be briefed by company officials on the severance packages next Monday.
He added that he did not know how many of his members will accept the offers.
"It depends on each one's situation, it wouldn't suit everybody, we'll have some takers."
Although Mr Carroll was "shocked" by the terms of the packages - which were revealed exclusively by The Tribune last week - he said most of his members are happy with the union's negotiating tactics.
"My members when I spoke to them, the majority of them who talked to me say they are pleased with what we did and how hard we fought. That's all that matters, what my members think about it," he said.
For those who are confused about the details of the packages, help will be offered to sort out the particulars.
"There will be a forum for them to meet and people who need help will be afforded the help because some will not understand."
Cable and Wireless Communications, which purchased 51 per cent of BTC from the government in April, has concluded its negotiations with BCPMU and the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union, which represents line staff.
All employees at BTC under the age of 45 will be offered the chance to leave the company with a minimum of five weeks pay for every year on the job up to 104 weeks in total.
Employees 45 and under 50 will be offered the same five weeks per year up to a cap of 110 weeks, and people aged 50 but under 55 will be offered five weeks salary for every year of employment up to a cap of 75 weeks.
Those in the range from 55 years to 58.5 will receive the same offer up to a cap of 68 weeks, with persons ranging from 58.5 and under 60 will be pro-rated from 68 weeks based on the number of months remaining to the age of 60.
These packages, it was said by sources close to the matter, are expected to be offered to all employees with the expectation that BTC's current staff levels could be reduced by at least 400 people.
According to a presentation prepared for the company's executives, the report suggests no person in the age group 45 to 50 will receive less than six months incentive payment. In addition, the company appears to be willing to continue the cost of medical coverage payment for all age groups for one year, with outplacement/training services to be provided.
He added that he did not know how many of his members will accept the offers.
"It depends on each one's situation, it wouldn't suit everybody, we'll have some takers."
Although Mr Carroll was "shocked" by the terms of the packages - which were revealed exclusively by The Tribune last week - he said most of his members are happy with the union's negotiating tactics.
"My members when I spoke to them, the majority of them who talked to me say they are pleased with what we did and how hard we fought. That's all that matters, what my members think about it," he said.
For those who are confused about the details of the packages, help will be offered to sort out the particulars.
"There will be a forum for them to meet and people who need help will be afforded the help because some will not understand."
Cable and Wireless Communications, which purchased 51 per cent of BTC from the government in April, has concluded its negotiations with BCPMU and the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union, which represents line staff.
All employees at BTC under the age of 45 will be offered the chance to leave the company with a minimum of five weeks pay for every year on the job up to 104 weeks in total.
Employees 45 and under 50 will be offered the same five weeks per year up to a cap of 110 weeks, and people aged 50 but under 55 will be offered five weeks salary for every year of employment up to a cap of 75 weeks.
Those in the range from 55 years to 58.5 will receive the same offer up to a cap of 68 weeks, with persons ranging from 58.5 and under 60 will be pro-rated from 68 weeks based on the number of months remaining to the age of 60.
These packages, it was said by sources close to the matter, are expected to be offered to all employees with the expectation that BTC's current staff levels could be reduced by at least 400 people.
According to a presentation prepared for the company's executives, the report suggests no person in the age group 45 to 50 will receive less than six months incentive payment. In addition, the company appears to be willing to continue the cost of medical coverage payment for all age groups for one year, with outplacement/training services to be provided.
2011年5月31日星期二
Fort Pierre braced for flooding
Todd Bernhard lives in a $500,000 dream home. Tacy Kennison built her home herself with volunteers as part of the Habitat for Humanity program. Cora Jeffries’ house has stood where it is since 1963.
All three Fort Pierre homes are under assault by the rising Missouri River below the Oahe Dam.
“I’m absolutely devastated,” Kennison said.
She moved into her house only six months ago -- able, through the Habitat for Humanity program, to finally own her own home after years of living with her parents.
Now, Kennison is back with her parents, evacuated from her new house to escape floodwaters expected to engulf up to half of the Missouri River town.
“We just threw everything in storage. We didn’t even pack an overnight bag,” Kennison said.
For Jeffries, who is 79, being driven from her longtime home by floodwaters has a tinge of irony. In 1963, rising waters upstream from the Big Bend Dam forced Jeffries and her husband to relocate their house from its original Pierre location to the mouth of the Bad River in Fort Pierre.
Now, both that house and the newer structure where she now lives are in danger of being inundated.
“The dam was supposed to prevent flooding. We already had to give up one place for the dam,” Jeffries said. “Here we are, the second time around.”
Jeffries, whose son Ron is the manager of the Central States Fair in Rapid City, reluctantly left her home -- and the efforts to protect it -- in the hands of relatives to attend a graduation in Rapid City.
“It makes me nervous, but the kids just said: ‘Get out of here, Mom. You can’t do anything,’” Cora Jeffries said. “It’s stressful being away, and it’s stressful being there.”
Kennison surrounded her house with a three-foot wall of sandbags and moved all of her belongings she could fit into a storage unit. Kennison was lucky in that respect: She was already renting a storage unit. Trying to find storage in the Pierre area now is impossible, she said.
“There are no storage units in this town at all,” she said. “I talked to a couple people, and they’re hauling their stuff clear to Aberdeen to get storage.”
All three Fort Pierre homes are under assault by the rising Missouri River below the Oahe Dam.
“I’m absolutely devastated,” Kennison said.
She moved into her house only six months ago -- able, through the Habitat for Humanity program, to finally own her own home after years of living with her parents.
Now, Kennison is back with her parents, evacuated from her new house to escape floodwaters expected to engulf up to half of the Missouri River town.
“We just threw everything in storage. We didn’t even pack an overnight bag,” Kennison said.
For Jeffries, who is 79, being driven from her longtime home by floodwaters has a tinge of irony. In 1963, rising waters upstream from the Big Bend Dam forced Jeffries and her husband to relocate their house from its original Pierre location to the mouth of the Bad River in Fort Pierre.
Now, both that house and the newer structure where she now lives are in danger of being inundated.
“The dam was supposed to prevent flooding. We already had to give up one place for the dam,” Jeffries said. “Here we are, the second time around.”
Jeffries, whose son Ron is the manager of the Central States Fair in Rapid City, reluctantly left her home -- and the efforts to protect it -- in the hands of relatives to attend a graduation in Rapid City.
“It makes me nervous, but the kids just said: ‘Get out of here, Mom. You can’t do anything,’” Cora Jeffries said. “It’s stressful being away, and it’s stressful being there.”
Kennison surrounded her house with a three-foot wall of sandbags and moved all of her belongings she could fit into a storage unit. Kennison was lucky in that respect: She was already renting a storage unit. Trying to find storage in the Pierre area now is impossible, she said.
“There are no storage units in this town at all,” she said. “I talked to a couple people, and they’re hauling their stuff clear to Aberdeen to get storage.”
The eighth annual event was co-chaired
The eighth annual event was co-chaired by The First Tee Board of Director members Steve Coman and Dick Schwob. Past events have been held at Pinehurst Resort, the Country Club of North Carolina, Pine Needles and Forest Creek.
“This event has raised much-needed funds for our volunteer coaches to offer 300-plus classes, clinics and tournaments each year,” said First Tee Executive Director Bill Baker. “It was a success due to the support of more than 20 corporate sponsors, including four teams from T.E. Connectivity and five from the Tin Whistles network of supportive Pinehurst residents.”
Dormie Shootout: The Dormie Club is holding a shootout tournament on Wednesdays that offers golfers a chance to play the heralded new Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw layout at a bargain rate. The tournaments, using a four-person Stableford scoring format, are limited to 72 players, and prizes are awarded to teams and individuals.
The entry fee is $75, including carts and prizes. Caddies and forecaddies are available. For information, contact Randy Cavanaugh or Mike Phillips at (910) 947-3240 or (678) 982-0511.
N.C. Amateur: Brooks Honeycutt and Patrick Barrett, of Pinehurst, were among 15 players to earn berths in the North Carolina Amateur Championship in a qualifying tournament held Echo Farms Golf and Country Club in Wilmington.
Honeycutt tied for sixth with 74, while Barrett tied for ninth with 75.
Patrick Sawrey, of Smithfield, shot even-par 72 to earn medalist honors.
Christian McDonald, of Pinehurst, missed the cut with 79, as did Lincoln Jackson, of Southern Pines, with 82.
Third Ace: Dick Mitchell, a resident of Pinewild and the executive director of the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association, scored his third hole-in-one last week. Mitchell aced the 147-yard 17th hole on Pinewild’s Holly Course with a 5-wood.
“This event has raised much-needed funds for our volunteer coaches to offer 300-plus classes, clinics and tournaments each year,” said First Tee Executive Director Bill Baker. “It was a success due to the support of more than 20 corporate sponsors, including four teams from T.E. Connectivity and five from the Tin Whistles network of supportive Pinehurst residents.”
Dormie Shootout: The Dormie Club is holding a shootout tournament on Wednesdays that offers golfers a chance to play the heralded new Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw layout at a bargain rate. The tournaments, using a four-person Stableford scoring format, are limited to 72 players, and prizes are awarded to teams and individuals.
The entry fee is $75, including carts and prizes. Caddies and forecaddies are available. For information, contact Randy Cavanaugh or Mike Phillips at (910) 947-3240 or (678) 982-0511.
N.C. Amateur: Brooks Honeycutt and Patrick Barrett, of Pinehurst, were among 15 players to earn berths in the North Carolina Amateur Championship in a qualifying tournament held Echo Farms Golf and Country Club in Wilmington.
Honeycutt tied for sixth with 74, while Barrett tied for ninth with 75.
Patrick Sawrey, of Smithfield, shot even-par 72 to earn medalist honors.
Christian McDonald, of Pinehurst, missed the cut with 79, as did Lincoln Jackson, of Southern Pines, with 82.
Third Ace: Dick Mitchell, a resident of Pinewild and the executive director of the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association, scored his third hole-in-one last week. Mitchell aced the 147-yard 17th hole on Pinewild’s Holly Course with a 5-wood.
2011年5月26日星期四
Comedy dancing has been around a long time
Comedy dancing has been around a long time. We’ve probably all seen magnificent displays from the likes of the Monty Python team, Ricky Gervais and even Alan Partridge, with his genuinely arousing striptease. But there’s definitely something quite unique about the comedy dance duo New Art Club.
Most notably, they're both trained and highly experienced dancers, which means they can do a lot more than your average overweight comedian, prancing about like a mal-coordinated baboon. Furthermore, their entire act is built around inventive comic routines that exploit those dancing talents, making this the first comedy show I’ve seen completely devoted to the medium of dance. Whereas many comedians incorporate dancing to look as ridiculous as possible, New Art Club have a deadpan seriousness about much of their performance (though they are also perfectly capable of extreme silliness at times as well).
In this respect, they remind me most of Laurel and Hardy, dancing the brilliantly choreographed and beautifully executed routine outside the saloon doors in Way out West, the charm of which is that they play it straight. There are no particularly silly faces or movements as such; just a real sense of joy about what they’re doing.
This links into another quality New Art Club have: great chemistry. Pete Shenton plays the more intellectual, serious member of the team whilst Tom Roden is the more passionate and silly. Yet, as with many double acts, the two characters are actually very similar, as we see when their facades start to slip and they lose control of their actions. Also crucial (and another feature of most top double acts) is the sense of mutual affection between them, no matter how much they slag each other off behind the other’s back.
Most notably, they're both trained and highly experienced dancers, which means they can do a lot more than your average overweight comedian, prancing about like a mal-coordinated baboon. Furthermore, their entire act is built around inventive comic routines that exploit those dancing talents, making this the first comedy show I’ve seen completely devoted to the medium of dance. Whereas many comedians incorporate dancing to look as ridiculous as possible, New Art Club have a deadpan seriousness about much of their performance (though they are also perfectly capable of extreme silliness at times as well).
In this respect, they remind me most of Laurel and Hardy, dancing the brilliantly choreographed and beautifully executed routine outside the saloon doors in Way out West, the charm of which is that they play it straight. There are no particularly silly faces or movements as such; just a real sense of joy about what they’re doing.
This links into another quality New Art Club have: great chemistry. Pete Shenton plays the more intellectual, serious member of the team whilst Tom Roden is the more passionate and silly. Yet, as with many double acts, the two characters are actually very similar, as we see when their facades start to slip and they lose control of their actions. Also crucial (and another feature of most top double acts) is the sense of mutual affection between them, no matter how much they slag each other off behind the other’s back.
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