Julie McGregor has outfoxed the Blaine County housing conundrum for more than a decade. Through the 2008 financial crisis, the exit of her longtime employer, Smith Optics, and the ongoing scourge of short-term rentals sucking up long-term housing, McGregor has weathered it all. With vacancy rates "catastrophically low" for nearly two years, according to ARCH Community Housing Trust Executive Director Michelle Griffith, McGregor's trajectory on the time-space housing continuum is still as smooth as the brightest satellite coursing a stargazer's limelight.
McGregor's property at The Fields Condominiums, a mix of market-rate and workforce housing located "only steps away from the bike path and ski shuttle," according to the Visit Sun Valley website, has been ideal for her. She secured her deed-restricted home as a Blaine County Housing Authority (BCHA) applicant.
BCHA helps allocate community housing that isn't soley managed by private companies, fire departments, Sun Valley Company, Mountain Rides and other entities that trade in the increasingly precious commodity and not just at the public level. Rental offers barely make the classifieds lately. ARCH Community Housing Trust, on the other hand, is in the business of creating affordable housing and finding funding to support its projects, which increasingly include construction of both renter and owner-occupied units. The lion's share is federal funds, Griffith said.
Much to McGregor's surprise, almost as fast as she qualified, her Fields workforce unit freed up. McGregor said somehow she had bumped to the top of the BCHA list. Her unit's first owner, Christine Davis-Jeffers, the current executive director of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, had decided to sell and became a market-rate homeowner in Hailey. McGregor said at the time many of her working friends questioned the wisdom of getting involved with deed-restricted property where appreciation is capped.
Her home is a two-bedroom, two-bath condominium with an open living concept. McGregor said that during her years in product development at Smith, she searched out market-rate opportunities, but nothing stacked up.
Of the 41 units at The Fields, 17 are deeded for community housing. McGregor said she and her market-rate neighbors appreciate the blend of affordable and full-market units that are mostly held by second-home owners.
"They like coming and seeing that there is a vibrant, year-round community," McGregor said, adding that it's also understandable that so many people are tapping into the short-term rental habit—it's part of the financial juggling act that has been less restive for her since she's in an affordable situation and isn't always brainstorming some new way to make her mortgage payment.
It could be luck, but McGregor is also a savvy businesswoman. Nailing it, in her case, means she has been able to meet her financial obligations and live as she sees fit, even with the vagaries of global economics swirling around her. She says she has BCHA to thank for her success because workforce housing at The Fields, promoted and approved in conjunction with the City of Ketchum, has helped her maintain a low-stress housing situation, the key ingredient of a comfortable lifestyle.
Such a glowing experience is far from the norm, however. McGregor acknowledges that she's unlikely to replicate what she has on the open market. It is fair to say the housing struggle has always been a part of resort-town living. Even Warren Miller camped in a parking lot here getting started as a filmmaker.
Such a tax is not in play in Idaho, where the governor recently signed a bill, effective in January 2018, that "adds to existing law to limit regulation of short-term rentals and vacation rentals …," meaning Idaho communities will be further hampered in most efforts to control the Airbnb effect that is dissolving so much long-term rental supply in Blaine County and making it harder for employers to fill jobs, according to a report sponsored by the City of Ketchum that was presented in August. If jobs-versus -rentals in the classifieds are a kind of balance sheet to economic health, the situation is totally out of whack considering the discrepancy in column inches for each side of the equation.
ARCH housing helped this two hard-working, professional Valley family relocate here.
The conundrum deepens as employers are forced to pay higher wages, which ultimately adds to the cost for developers who already must wrestle with higher land values, unless they've availed themselves of short-sale opportunities. Lately, higher wages haven't resulted in solid hires because employees aren't finding places to live. Several builders report losing employees to other cities because of the housing crunch, yet planners say they are seeing little in the way of creative solutions coming forward from developers.
Section 8 housing vouchers (from the Housing Act of 1937) provide federal rental housing assistance for low-income applicants. Currently, there are approximately 1,100 people on the voucher waiting list at the Idaho Housing and Finance (IHFA) office in Twin Falls. For those who qualify, the wait time can be up to two years. Federal low-income housing credits, created by President Reagan and Congress in the Tax Reform Act of 1986, account for some additional local public housing support. The U.S. Treasury Department is tasked with disbursing to the states $2.35 per person ($1.7 million for Idaho) in housing tax credits that qualified developers can use to negotiate with lenders for actual construction dollars. Idaho's agent for distribution of federal support is IHFA. Developers, in turn, commit to provide affordable rental space. There are 32 Ketchum units in the workforce housing category developed as a single, high-density, multi-family apartment project, Northwood Place, adjacent to the YMCA. Approval of the development was negotiated through Ketchum's Planned Unit Development and Development Agreement process, but federal housing tax credits pushed the project through.
Phelps said nationwide there is a great need for affordable housing that is barely being met. A bipartisan effort to double the housing credit, Senate Bill 548, is still with the Senate Finance Committee.
Ketchum's incentive that allows development of greater square-footage when developers contribute community housing was challenged last winter by Boise City Councilman Scot Ludwig, a developer and attorney. Ludwig's plans to develop a 16,500-square-foot property across from Perry's Restaurant at the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street in Ketchum, as the company Asset Enhancement, ran aground when Ludwig balked at the city's rules for gaining a larger building envelope. Ludwig sued the city, seeking to have community housing in-lieu fees thrown out, but the case has since been withdrawn.
Around the country, inclusionary zoning, where communities mandate community housing with certain development, is common. When Sun Valley put such a rule on the books in 2005, requiring community housing or in-lieu fees for new development, the issue went to the state Supreme Court and the city lost. Ketchum, which was pursuing a similar program, then repealed its law, and refunded money that had been collected for that city's own attempt at inclusionary zoning.
Tying up community housing funds as legal matters are sorted out has delayed progress with community housing development, but Jonas hopes the new housing crisis will help convince community leaders to pick up where her predecessors started. In 1969, a city resolution observed, "Employment in the Ketchum area has drastically increased, to the end that a severe housing shortage exists for low-income families." That sounds familiar to all parties wrestling with the current crisis.
Ketchum planners of today recommend that the city immediately spend accumulated in-lieu fees ($1.7 million if the Auberge Resort and Residences, Sun Valley project goes forward as planned) on property to develop affordable housing. Blaine county towns still collect in-lieu fees and negotiate additions of some community housing, although the success of the matter often depends on the politics of the day. Before Jonas became mayor, fees were waived with construction of the Limelight Hotel. Sometimes it seems that there is little more than hope that developers will play along.
Another indication, despite much planning effort, that voter support of pro-housing policies is weak in Idaho, is the lack of public comment in favor of community housing, Griffith said.
ARCH has secured some $10 million in grant funding, mostly federal, for several projects. Some have recently been completed and more are on the way, but participation in the effort has been fraught with peril for some.
Green Acres homeowner Jeanne Brydges, who closed on her Hailey condominium in August 2008, has struggled with maintenance of an older building she bought through ARCH for $145,000, including a $35,000 IHFA grant. Her mortgage was based on the $110,000 balance after the grant, but she has been stuck with a 6.49 percent interest rate since she bought the property. Since property values dipped precipitously, Brydges has not been able to refinance since her assessment is based on the full purchase price, including the grant. Today, as the value of her property has rebounded, she has found a lender willing to refinance at 3.875 percent, slightly more than half the previous rate.
Brydges has voluntarily paid additional HOA dues to help cover painting, which still hasn't been organized, but she has made improvements to her own space in the building that she said she still loves and is grateful to own.
"I sold my (Toyota) Matrix and bought beautiful new windows," Brydges said.


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How Lauterbach & Associates, Architects came to be…L&A.
The company now known as Lauterbach & Associates, Architects had its start in September of 1970 when George Lauterbach, a graduate of California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo-better known as Cal Poly-partnered with Don Dziak, a civil engineer, and Bob Immel, a surveyor, to form DIaL (Dziak, Immel, and Lauterbach) Services, Inc..
From the very beginning, the essential character of the firm could be seen. Since 1970, Lauterbach & Associates has undergone many changes: from t-squares, Rapidograph pens, and drafting tables to computer screens, CAD, and DWG files. The name has changed, partners have retired, but certain fundamentals have become part of the firm's DNA and passed on to every new employee.
Practical and experienced? For the new kids on the block at the time, the team brought both a wealth of experience and hands-on knowledge: George and Don first met when they both worked at the County of Ventura Building and Safety Department, Plan Check division. "It was," George says, "an incredible learning experience-to be able to see what a good set of plans looks like, what a good project looks like. And vice versa." George had designed and built his parent's home before he graduated from Cal Poly. Bob Immel's work was, of course, quite literally in the field.
Like calls to like. Creative problem solvers with a practical bent have been the kind of people who are drawn to L&A and who tend to stay and become an intrinsic part of the firm.
The team itself is a hallmark of the L&A approach to projects. The synergy of combining people who have a diversity of expertise, methods, and points-of-view was in the original mix and has continued to this day, both in the principals and in the teams that are created for each project. Mutual respect combined with a certain tenacity of opinion makes for an interesting process and ultimately (in our tenacious opinion) for a better project.
Over time, the partnership expanded, ultimately adding four more partners. At the peak of its size in the 1980's, the firm of DIaL Services employed over sixty people and provided a full scope of services from surveying, soils testing, civil and structural engineering through architectural design.
In the early days, renovations of small shopping centers, in-fill apartment complexes, even additions to houses paid the bills. (One client wanted his garage addition to be so striking that people would stop their cars to get out and admire it.) As the company expanded the size and complexity of the projects quite logically did, too. Metal buildings segued to large tilt-ups, small complexes became larger ones, commercial centers, retail, corporate headquarters, churches, medical facilities….
At the same time that the company was providing services throughout Ventura and adjacent counties, their involvement in the community expanded as well. From service clubs to advisory boards, youth clubs, sports teams-the people of DIaL became known for their active involvement in local communities. Chamber of Commerce, churches, local civic groups-which always involved a certain amount of pro bono work-became part of the company culture. The cliché of "giving back" also became part of the L&A DNA and local schools and sports teams knew who was always good for a donation.
In 1991, several of the partners reached the point of retirement. George Lauterbach continued the firm as Lauterbach & Associates, Architects, providing only architectural services. There have been changes of course-new times and new technologies bring new demands and new opportunities. Modernization, especially of schools, has been a reoccurring enterprise as schools work to keep up with a fast changing world. Affordable housing has become a strong market. The cost of construction has made renovations and tenant improvements a growing market as well.
The growth of environmental awareness has meant new challenges and new opportunities as well. Older architects do like to point out that what is now labeled new and "green" is, in many cases what in the old days was just known as good architecture. The use of natural light, care in the orientation of the building, energy efficiency, considered use of materials equals good architecture. Now it's also green.
The old stand-by of small lot in-fills from the early days has become new again, too, with the growth of New Urbanism ideas, the desire to reduce sprawl, save fuel-so we're doing those again.
Much has changed over time. New principals have bought into the company. George is moving towards retirement.
But the essential quality of Lauterbach & Associates, Architects hasn't changed: skill, experience, a creative approach to problem solving. Teamwork.
And, always, client centered.
300 Montgomery Ave, Suite C
admin@la-arch.com
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Warning: super spoilers ahead as the new season of Game of Thrones is about to show the most epic of clashes between the Targaryens and the Lannisters.
New footage from season seven, which premiered at a Madrid GoT exhibit for HBO Spain, has shown never-before-seen clips of the battle at Casterly Rock when Danerys bangs on its gates.
While Cersei, Jamie and even Tywin Lannister have mentioned the beloved Casterly Rock time and time again, it has never been visited during the show, but here the ancestral seat is seen and Dany wants to take it.
Will Cersei or Jamie yield?
The behind-the-scenes footage shows Daenerys' Unsullied charge at the Lannister gates that lead up to the castle.
Some have suggested that Tyrion, who acts as Hand of the Queen to Daenerys has offered up the Casterly Rock secrets, including the sewage system to gain access and have the upper hand on the Lannister army.
The new footage shows an unidentified maester in the Citadel libraray, Brienne and Podrick training for battle and also the zombified Mountain.
MORE: Game Of Thrones season 7: Could Tyrion be the key to the Lannister's downfall?


Rodriguez v. 149 Street Food Corp. d/b/a Fine Fare Supermarket, and 675 Morris Ave Food Corp. d/b/a Fine Fare Supermarket, and Franklin Pimentel, individually, and Daisy Pimentel, individually, and Rigo Delgado, individually Civil Case No.: 1:18-cv-07933 - Borrelli & Associates, P.L.L.C.
Mr. Rodriguez worked for Defendants - - two corporations that operate as a single enterprise to run two Bronx supermarkets that do business under the same name, and share ownership and day-to-day managers - - from around July 15, 2016 until May 15, 2018, as a deli worker and cook. Plaintiff's primary duties included cutting deli meats and cheeses, making sandwiches and other food items, and cleaning his work area as needed. Plaintiff was subsequently given additional duties working in the kitchen as a cook, which he performed along with his duties as a deli worker. Throughout his employment, Defendants required Plaintiff to work six days per week, typically from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday, and on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Franklin and Daisy Pimentel, who are husband and wife, co-own and co-manage 675 Morris Avenue Food Corp. The Pimentels also co-own and, together with Rigo Delgado manage 149 Street Food Corp. Together, these three individuals were and are jointly responsible for all matters with respect to hiring, firing, and disciplining the supermarkets' employees, as well as determining those employees' work locations and distributing work duties.
Throughout Plaintiff's employment, Defendants willfully failed to pay Plaintiff the wages lawfully due to him under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law ("NYLL"). Even though Defendants required Plaintiff to work, and Plaintiff did in fact work beyond forty hours in a workweek but failed to compensate Plaintiff at the statutorily-required overtime rate of time and one-half his straight-time rate of pay for any hours that he worked per week in excess of forty, and instead paid Plaintiff at his regular rate of pay for all hours worked. Additionally, in violation of NYLL, Defendants failed to pay Plaintiff a spread of hours premium when his shift exceeded ten hours from beginning to end; provide Plaintiff with accurate wage statements on each payday; or provide Plaintiff with any wage notice at hire, let alone an accurate one. Further violating NYLL, from December 31, 2017 through the end of his employment, Defendants unlawfully deducted $25.00 from each week's wages paid to Plaintiff, without express written authorization and without Plaintiff's voluntary consent.
Defendants paid and treated all non-managerial workers in this same manner. Accordingly, Plaintiff brings this lawsuit against Defendants pursuant to the collective action provisions of the FLSA, on behalf of himself and on behalf of all others similarly-situated who suffered damages because of Defendants' willful violations of the law.
If any individual is or has previously been an employee of the Defendants named in the lawsuit during the time period of July 15, 2016 – present, and/or has information that may be relevant to this case, please contact Borrelli & Associates, P.L.L.C. as soon as possible through one of our websites, or by phone (516) 248–5550, (516) ABOGADO, or (212) 679–5000.


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Hoping to Avoid a Court Battle? Try Mediation (China Business Review)
F. Peter Phillips, senior vice president for Committees and International Programs, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, recently discussed the US-China Business Mediation Center with Paula M. Miller, assistant editor of the CBR.
CBR : Who founded the US-China Business Mediation Center, and what is its mission?
Phillips: The Conciliation Center of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade [CCPIT], and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution [CPR, formerly the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution] established the US-China Business Mediation Center in 2004. CCPIT formerly operated the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission [CIETAC]—China's largest arbitration institution— which split off from CCPIT earlier this year. CPR is a nonprofit coalition created by a group of corporate general counsel in 1979 to develop and encourage the use of alternatives to litigation. Until recently, all of its work was conducted in North America. But now, in addition to its work with CCPIT in China, CPR works with groups of member companies in Europe and Latin America.
CCPIT's Conciliation Center approached CPR about two years ago to develop a new mediation center that would make American businesses feel more comfortable resolving businessconflicts in China. The goal was to provide US and Chinese trade partners that come from different backgrounds and different legal systems with an alternative to arbitration and litigation that would still allow effective resolution of disputes. [Mediation and arbitration are both dispute resolution processes that use a neutral third party to help settle the dispute. In arbitration, a private judge decides the issue.Mediation tends to be more flexible, is nonbinding, and seeks a consensual agreement that engages the parties more fully (see p.36).]
CBR : How does the Center work?
Phillips: CPR is based in New York and CCPIT is headquartered in Beijing. The USChina Business Mediation Center does not have one office in a specific city but co-administers projects by sending mediators wherever commercial disputes arise. Applicants can submit dispute forms by mail, by fax, or though our websites. [See www.cpradr.org or adr.ccpit.org; applications must be accompanied by a $2,000–$4,000 registration fee and a $8,000–$16,000 deposit, depending on the monetary value of the disputed claim.]
The Center asks the parties to choose a mediator. But when the Center created its rules, it knew PRC companies might want assistance from Chinese mediators and US companies might prefer assistance from American mediators.We therefore devised a method that would permit the use of two neutral mediators: one Chinese and one American. And we developed a training system and trained the neutrals together.
CBR: Does the Center specialize in certain industries or investment forms?
Phillips: The Center does not specialize in specific industries—nor is there a limit on the range of matters the Center will mediate. But the cases should involve "substantial" amounts of money—for example, an argument about a minimum of $100,000. The mediation panel is made up of heads of major US and PRC law firms, corporations, government agencies— including former members of the PRC Supreme Court—and law schools. They are well-respected people who know business, understand how to act as a neutral, are trustworthy, and will maintain privacy.
CBR : How developed is mediation in China?
Phillips : The practice of conciliation, as China refers to it, is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and the maintenance of productive relationships is far more sophisticated there. By comparison, Americans are more individualistic and tend to rely on the compulsion of law, such as contracts, to settle disputes. That said, modern business mediation is rarely practiced in China. For example, in the West, companies are accustomed to directly seeking mediation of a problem, independently of any adjudicative process. By contrast, Chinese conciliation frequently occurs in the course of litigation or arbitration— when an arbitrator or judge acts as a conciliator— and independent mediation is much less common.
CBR : When does mediation work best? When do you recommend companies try mediation instead of arbitration or litigation in China?
Phillips: Some people in the Center's coalition of members will mediate any case—after all, mediation costs little and may succeed. Other members are more selective about what they will mediate or take to court. But some cases, for example those that involve criminal fraud, embezzlement, or "bad acts," should rarely be mediated. And some industries may require a judicial outcome, for example, if there is a challenge to the validity of a
When Drafting Contracts, Mention Mediation
Since business disputes can arise in even the most carefully planned ventures, companies should include mediation as a dispute resolution option in their contracts in addition to arbitration, venue, and choice of law clauses. When drafting the contract, discuss these sample clauses with your clients and counterparts and adapt them to your needs.
"Any dispute arising under this contract shall be settled by friendly consultation, assisted by mediation through the offices of the US-China Business Mediation Center (the Center) if one of the parties chooses to do so. The assistance of the Center may be sought by any party to this contract and the procedures of the Center shall govern the nonbinding mediation. Unless the parties otherwise agree, in the event that the
dispute is not settled within 45 days of the commencement of the consultation, or within 30 days of the parties' first meeting with the facilitator from the Center (whichever comes later), then the dispute shall be submitted for final and binding arbitration to the [.......]."
Version two
"Any dispute arising under this contract that is not settled by friendly consultation, shall be submitted to nonbinding mediation to the US-China Business Mediation Center (the Center). The mediation shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures of the Center, in a location agreed upon by the parties or, in the absence of agreement, in Beijing. The parties shall be represented at the first mediation session by a representative with authority to resolve the dispute, and a party's goodfaith participation in the first mediation session shall be a condition precedent to that party's commencement of arbitration or litigation in any forum. Unless the parties otherwise agree, in the event that the dispute is not settled within 30 days of the first mediation session, or within 45 days of a party's demand for mediation (whichever comes later), then the dispute shall be submitted for final and binding arbitration to the [.......]."
—US-China Business
Sample Mediation Procedures
The US-China Mediation Business Center's mediation procedures offer an alternative to
arbitration. Some of the key procedures are listed below. For a complete list of the Center's procedures, see www.cpradr.org/ pdfs/Intl_China_Procedure04.pdf or e-mail the Center (info@cpradr.org or adr@ccpit.org).
The mediator shall have no interest in the outcome of the dispute and have no current or anticipated business or personal relationship with any party to the dispute.
Each party must be represented at each mediation conference by a business executive authorized to negotiate a complete resolution of the entire dispute, unless excused by the mediator from a particular conference.
At least 10 business days before the first substantive mediation conference, each party will submit to the mediator a written statement summarizing the background and present status of the dispute, including any settlement efforts to date. The submission should include an analysis of the party's real interests and needs—this will help the mediator assist the parties in finding a solution that effectively addresses those interests. The parties are encouraged, but not required, to exchange the materials they submit to the mediator.
Efforts to reach a settlement shall continue until a written settlement is reached, the mediator concludes and informs the parties that further efforts would not be useful, or one of the parties or the mediator withdraws from the process.
If the parties fail to develop their own settlement terms, and if expressly requested to do so by both parties, the mediator may submit a final settlement proposal to the parties before terminating the procedure; or if qualified to do so, may give the parties an evaluation of the likely outcome of the case if it were tried to final judgment, subject to any limitations under application mediation rules, court rules, or ethical codes. Thus, a mediator cannot offer a definitive evaluative assessment of the dispute without the parties' permission and without also being qualified to do so. Often such assessments can disrupt an otherwise effective mediation process if not provided at the parties' express request based upon a shared respect for the basis and authority of the mediator's assessment.
The mediator shall not serve as an arbitrator in the same or substantially related matter, unless the parties and the mediator otherwise agree in writing.
The parties may request the Center to arrange for entry of the mediated settlement agreement as an arbitral award, or request a court of competent jurisdiction to enter the settlement agreement as a judgment.
patent. Also, some insurance companies will go to court to get a legal interpretation of what certain language means if they think the language is unclear.
These exceptions aside, mediation is appealing because it focuses on the immediate problem and how to resolve it instead of strictly focusing on legal issues. Often, in business, the quicker the solution is reached, the better the outcome. Mediation saves time, and the partners themselves decide the outcome and can keep working with each other. People increasingly recognize that lawsuits are not a way to make money.
CBR: What are some of the main problems with China's mediation sector?
Phillips: Well, mediation is clearly for "big players"—when lots of money is involved. For those familiar with mediation, the process is very user friendly. But one of the main challenges is that many participants are still unfamiliar with mediation. A lot of people think mediation means "compromise" or that something will be paid over a party's objections. But after mediation occurs, the business environment usually improves. The process adds value—it does not "split the baby."
CBR: What are some of the Center's competitors?
Phillips: Because the challenge in this field is to develop and encourage use of the process itself, entrants don't act as competitors so much as fellow educators. And I predict that will be the case for the foreseeable future— there will be many more disputes receptive to mediation than there will be good mediators to assist. There are regional mediation centers around Southeast Asia but unfortunately they have not yet made a substantial impact. These [Southeast Asian] centers are nonprofits, just as we are, and we all work to make a contribution— not to collect an application fee or increase value in our own organizations.
CBR : What laws and standards does the Center follow?
Phillips: There are many international standards for arbitration, but because mediation is not a legal process, not many laws cover it. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law has released international standards, and the United States has promulgated uniform mediation acts. The European Union has issued ethical codes and draft directives for EU states to encourage mediation. Also, CPR has promulgated standards for practitioners.
The practice of commercial mediation is growing internationally, and farsighted multinational corporations that practice mediation are well ahead of the game.
Download a PDF of this Article here
Vicki Wray
Marketing and Communications Consultant
vwray@cpradr.org
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Christian Louboutin welcomes first China brand ambassador, Karry Wang
To celebrate this appointment, Karry stars in a new campaign featuring the exclusive SUPERLOUBI capsule collection.
Christian Louboutin has just announced the appointment of Chinese actor and singer Karry Wang (real name: Wang Junkai) as its first China brand ambassador – the latest luxury brand to join Armani, Prada and Burberry in targeting the lucrative Chinese market.
Best known as the leader of boyband TF Boys in 2013, Karry shot to fame for his youthful energy and natural sense of style. Also passionate in film, the 21-year-old has previously composed soundtracks for and acted in multiple movies and TV series such as Miracles of the Namiya General Store and L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties.
Despite his young age, the millennial superstar is committed to using his influence over more than 40 million followers around the world for good. He has been a UN Environment National Goodwill Ambassador since 2018 and also established his own charity foundation, Kindle Blue Fund.
"I'm very thrilled to join the Christian Louboutin family. Christian Louboutin represents the quintessence of French elegance with a unique sense of creativity and an exceptional savoir-faire," Wang said in a statement.
Prior to the news, Karry has often been dressed in Christian Louboutin for important occasions through the years, from his first solo concert performance to major award ceremonies. He has also appeared on several magazine covers wearing pieces from the Parisian brand, embodying its four core values: playfulness, chicness, creativity and innovation.
"Being fun, curious, ambitious and committed to social responsibilities, Karry with his fresh energy undoubtedly personifies what I'd like Christian Louboutin to be for the upcoming years," Christian Louboutin commented on the appointment.
To celebrate this collaboration, Karry stars in a new campaign featuring the brand's exclusive SUPERLOUBI capsule collection. The fresh, vibrant collection combines pop culture references with the designer's iconic elements, interpreted onto a selection of footwear and bags crafted in patent leather and canvas.
Discover the collection in the gallery below.
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Sneaker
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Lou Spikes Orlato
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Kypipouch
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Kate
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Lou Spikes Woman Orlato
Christian Louboutin Superloubi Happyrui Sneaker
Photos courtesy of Christian Louboutin
Tags Brand ambassador China Christian Louboutin Karry Wang
Christian Louboutin Beauty and its iconic lipsticks finally arrive in Malaysia
How Christian Louboutin's red soles paint the full picture of femininity
The Shoe List: The latest designer sneakers for Fall 2020
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8 stylish tote bags that you'll love to shop with (even for grocery runs)


Dundas Apartments are located in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town which is the area directly to the north of Princes Street. We are on the corner of Dundas Street and Fettes Row with the entrance on Dundas Street.
Car – there are a limited number of metered parking spots in the vicinity; Fettes Row, Dundas St, Cumberland St and Royal Terrace. These operate between 8.30am and 6.30 Monday to Friday. There is also several long stay car parks in the city.
Taxi - There is taxi rank opposite the apartment and regular buses heading towards Princes St.
Train – the apartment is close to both Waverley Station and also Haymarket Station. A 5-10 minute taxi ride will reach us from either.
Air – catch a tram from the airport and get off at Princes St stop. Walk on to Hanover St on the left hand side and then a 10 minute walk downhill to Dundas St. There are also very reliable taxis from the airport and it will take 20-30 minutes costing about £25.
Please see the map below our sat nav coordinates are Latitude: 55.9591512 | Longitude: -3.20055579 and our address is 106a Dundas St, Edinburgh, EH3 6RQ.


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at Berkeley
If you think supporting the union of science and policy is as important as we do, please consider contributing to help develop tomorrow's leaders bridge the gap!
Every penny counts! Donations to the Science Policy Group at Berkeley help support our organizational programming including:
professional development and training for students;
on-campus science policy engagement projects; and
student advocacy trips to meet with policymakers.
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Now we are to the point where I was no longer studying with Harold Brasch because he had "fired" me as a pupil, saying that he could no longer teach me anything. That was a laugh. He had lots left to teach me. Why, I could have learned circular breathing in time, I am sure, for he knew this technique, used it in solos, in band parts, and was easily capable of teaching it to anyone. Also, I would like to have learned to play chords. He did play chords very well, and used them in solos occasionally. There was a Navy Band euphonium player who was in that band with Harold for a while who was the best at playing chords of anyone I have ever heard. By far the best. He even was starting to write a book on the subject but died before finishing it, alas. The problem with this fellow is that when he played a solo, he was putting cadenzas in here and there all over the place so he could showcase his chords. I believe that Harold abhorred this and, consequently would not use chords very much from then on. That was too bad for Harold could play chords quite well and a chord or two here or there makes a nice effect. But I guess that Harold had had it "up to here" with chords as used ad nauseum by the other euphonium player in the Navy Band. A pity.
And that brings me to a funny incident that happened to Harold on a Navy Band tour. He never mentioned it to me, obviously, but this chord expert did. He was sitting next to Harold on one Navy Band tour. He reports that Harold, as usual, played everything flawlessly on the pages of music that came along. Most of the time he had the music memorized in no time at all, so he would look over the audience, not at the music, as the piece was being played. This one matinee concert all of a sudden out from Harold's horn bell came the most unusual number of wrong notes anyone could imagine. He probably had forgotten what piece the band was playing, wasn't paying attention, and started playing a march in a different key from the correct piece, and the clash of notes was startling.
Although his side partner was pretty shocked and shaken, Harold himself was devastated. He was irate. Furious, he was so angry with himself that he put his horn on his lap and didn't play another note the entire concert, to the great amusement of the men playing on stands around him. Oh, Harold could be quite a character. One you would never forget. And, incidentally, I heard this identical story from other Navy Band members who had been on that tour and they told the exact same story which Harold's side partner had told me. Oh, it really happened that way, as funny as it sounds.
Now, we go back to 1938. I was a college student at Penn State who was a college in the exact geographical center of the state of Pennsylvania. It is now a university. However, then I was playing duets every week with a citizen of the town. He was a Bell Telephone 'phone installer, and troubleshooter, and you'd see him driving his telephone company truck around town occasionally. He lived with his wife and children not far from my furnished room off of campus. This fellow was an excellent euphonium player and what a tongue he had. Wonderful attacks, none better. He never tried to get an audition for a big U.S. service band but I believe that they would have accepted him. Fine player. He helped me in lots of things concerning euphonium playing and in music in general.
I had started college in 1935 and by 1938 this fellow and I had seen that the U.S. Navy Band was going to play in some town not too far from State College. Williamsport, I think, is where it was. We drove over in this fellow's Ford sedan with a V‑8 engine and heard the Navy Band. There I met Harold Brasch for the first time. I hadn't known anything about him, only hearing solos by Jean Manganaro in those days. My friend and I had lunch with Harold and his roommate and it was nice meeting them. Naturally, these service band members meet so many people on tours that they don't remember them all. Harold never did remember me, but I sure did remember him. How about this! Eight years later I was taking lessons form him ‑ in the summer of 1946. Amazing! It's a small world, isn't it?
I mentioned Harold and his "fat lip" solo in a recent article, but it must be mentioned here just in passing. This happened after I had been taking lessons from Harold for several years. I had gone over to his house for my lesson this particular evening and he didn't let on that anything was amiss. However, as we got into the lesson, I couldn't help by notice that he had a big ugly bruise and small cut on his lower lip. "what in the world is that?" I wanted to know. He smiled and replied that he had been chopping wood and a piece had flown up and smacked him in the mouth, bruising his lip. I made a remark that it was too bad that he couldn't play his solo two nights hence. The Navy Band was playing somewhere ‑ I think it must have been at the old Watergate barge ‑ and he was on for Mantia's "All Those Endearing Young Charms". I had been looking forward to hearing his usual marvelous solo performance on my favorite euphonium solo. Now, I expected to miss hearing it. However, Harold assured me that he was going to perform the solo because, as he said, "I want to get it over with." well, I would have got it over with by claiming that I was too inured to play and the Marine Band would have excused me from the entire concert. Harold was made of sterner stuff, however, and he wasn't going to back out of anything for any reason. He did perform the solo, all right, but, although it was perfectly passable, it certainly wasn't up to the usual Harold Brasch standard. And how could anyone blame him? It was amazing that he could play euphonium at all, let alone perform a very difficult solo reasonably well. Simply astounding. But, if you knew Harold, you realized that he was very determined. If he decided to perform a solo on a badly bruised and cut lip, he would actually do that impossible job. Impossible for anyone else, that is. Not impossible for Harold.
Harold was a fine tradesman. In the construction trades, that is. He could do beautiful brick and concrete block work. He could do fine carpentry work. He could connect up electrical systems. Anything concerning the construction area was "duck soup" to Harold. And proving this was the fact that one year he decided that his house on S. June Street, Arlington was becoming too small. He made a decision to enlarge it. He did in fact do exactly that and every bit of work he did with his own two hands. His brickwork was beautiful, for instance, as was everything else about that addition. It was one of two stories, adding a den on the first floor and a bedroom on the second floor. He did really need that extra room and it was room that was used constantly. He changed the location for lessons from the basement, in amongst his vast record collection and sound equipment in the basement, to the new room on the first floor, which was the new den. In my view that was a big improvement as the den was roomier and brighter than the basement ever was. But he did the work and reaped the benefits of the added space, didn't he? He, his family, and his pupils did.
There is one funny story about Harold which every Navy Band member 'way back in the 1950's knows all about. I did mention earlier about how Harold would have the music memorized pretty early on a tour and then he was usually playing it all from memory which sometimes created a problem. However, this was another problem from that one mentioned above. And it all stems from the normal desire by U.S. service band leaders back then to do it the easy way. That is, use the same music on this tour that was used on the last tour. In that way the leader wouldn't need to learn anything new and it was be easier all around. Easier, yes. More boring, however. Especially for the band members. And Harold Brasch protested in the only way he knew to protest. He just wouldn't put up a music stand and therefore he wasn't using his folio of music. This was for the first rehearsals of the music for a new tour. New tour, same old music. Boring! This was noticed soon by the Navy Band leader who complained that it didn't look good for an audience to see him without a music stand or music, and playing from memory. He ordered Brasch to put up his music stand and put the music folio on it. Harold did. However, he left the folio closed and still played from memory. Upon seeing this, the leader ordered him to not only put up the music stand and place the folio on it but also to open it up and to, at least, look as though he were playing as he read the music. Harold did this but reluctantly complained all along about playing the same music on several tours, it being very boring, and so on. The leader was not fazed. He just ordered brash to do what he said he should do and let it go at that, rather than punish him for insubordination. Harold knew, obviously, just how far he could push the Commander and he did as ordered but with some grumbling. All of this was immensely amusing for the rest of the Navy Band; not for the leader, however.
Let us move ahead now, to after Harold was retired. In 1972 or 1973 a new band was formed at the suggestion and urging of two Navy Band members who were retired. These two men contacted several other retired Navy Band members and then, in turn, contacted other service band members who were recently retired and asked what they thought of the idea. Would it be something that would fly? Starting a brand new band? I was one of those contacted. We had our first meeting at the home of a retired Navy Band oboe player. After a couple of meetings, it was decided to start the band as proposed. The band's name would be "the National Concert Band."
The new project of starting a band did get off of the ground and in a few months, with several rehearsals and one of the men appointed as conductor ‑ it was the oboe player, Eddie de Mattia ‑ we started to play concerts here and there during that first summer. I believe that we fell out with a total of thirty‑five players for the first concert. Soon we were fielding a fifty-piece band for most concerts. And we had quite a few soloists in this new band. I was one. Harold Brasch had been contacted but he wanted to wait a while, as he told me on the telephone when I called him to ask him to join us, "to see how things work out", as he said. Things worked out just fine, fortunately.
Soon, Harold was playing with us but although all of us wanted him on first chair, he claimed not to be playing much, so he wound up playing back in the section. A recently retired principal euphonium player of the Marine Band was appointed our first-chair man ‑ Karl Humble. However, several of our euphonium players were soon playing solos. Eventually, we persuaded Harold to solo with us and he, as usual, was outstanding. He remained a member of this band for the next 10‑12 years, until his death in 1984. He played lots of his old Navy Band solos with us and he always did a great job on these.


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Audition Workshops
Take a look back at the productions from our 75th season. There were 16 total productions offered between June 2003 and June 2004 including three special events. To view production details simply click on the show logo.
The bickering, hysterically dysfunctional Nunzio and Vitale families are brought together once again as Tony and Tina exchange their wedding vows.
September 19 - October 4
Celebrate the life, and music of a rock n roll legend as we open our 75th season with Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story. From his humble beginnings in Lubbock, Texas to his final concert in Clear Lake, Iowa Buddy s life, and spectacular career are recreated
All the rules are about to be broken as Randall P. McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel swaggers into the ward of a mental hospital and takes over. The life-loving McMurphy rallies the other mental ward patients around him
Children of all ages will want to join Alice as she takes a tumble down an enchanted rabbit hole and lands in an upside down world where excitement and fun go hand-in-hand with adventure and friendship.
Just think lovely, wonderful thoughts and before you know it, you too will be flying over the moon with Peter, Wendy, Michael and John. This timeless tale of the boy who won't grow up has enchanted children of all ages for nearly 100 years.
November 21 - December 6
One of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, this classic work focuses on the wild and headstrong Katherine, who must have a husband before her father Baptista will allow her younger sister Bianca to wed.
You won't want to miss any of the fun as Jim Bob Carver and Bubba Ben Zylman reunite for a return visit to Tuna, Texas, the third smallest city in the Lone Star state. Together, these two actors will portray 20 of the fine,
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd-this macabre musical thriller is based on the legend of a half-mad 19th century English barber. Driven to crime and unjustly imprisoned when his wife and child are taken from him, Sweeney Todd eventually escapes and vows to bring justice
This brilliantly witty farce follows the on and off stage antics of a touring theatrical company as they fumble from dress rehearsal to the disastrous final performance of a sex comedy called Nothing On.
Set in Chicago's South Side during the 1950s, this powerful drama focuses on the dreams and conflicts found within three generations of the Younger family. Mama dreams of moving to a decent home,
Wait an Oompa Loompa minute...what's going on here? Willy Wonka's up to something wickedly delicious, that's what. Join Charlie and the other Golden Ticket holders on a most off-the-wall tour of the world's greatest chocolate factory.
You'll be 'whistling a happy tune' as we present one of the best-loved Broadway musicals of all time. Set against a dazzling and exotic backdrop, this majestic, richly textured and ultimately uplifting tale
Many aspiring actors and actresses have graced the Civic stage on their way to national recognition. Civic alumnae have gone on to work in opera, television and films as well as on national tours and Broadway. In celebration of our 75th Anniversary, some of your favorite performers
George Gershwin lives! We are very pleased to present, in collaboration with the 2004 Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the sensational Broadway production of George Gershwin� Alone. Direct from his record-breaking appearances
What defines a family? That is the underlying question in the life of Pony Boy Curtis. When his parents die in a car accident, he comes to depend on the love, friendship and support of his two older brothers and a gang of friends
May 14 - June 5
The world's greatest love story takes to the streets in this exhilarating, landmark musical. New York City provides the backdrop for this updated telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves torn apart by warring street gangs.


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Original gelatin prints, measuring 13.8 × 9.2 cm. Very good.
A rare group of forty photographs by an unknown photographer, providing a visual history of the artistic and quasi-political group performance art movement Pomarańczowa Alternatywa [Orange Alternative], which arose in the early 1980s. The carnivalesque group reached its peak of activity in 1985–1989. In later interviews Fydrych explained that in organizing the happenings of the Orange Alternative, his ambition was "to treat the political system of Poland as a work of art." The group divides into four sets reflecting distinct events that rank among the group's most visible happenings of the period 1987-1989, when a veritable "orange" wave swept the country: 1) a happening in Wrocław in 1988; 2) a carnival strike on Świdnicka street in Wrocław that took place on February 7, 1989; 3) the anniversary of the October Revolution on November 7, 1988; and 4) another happening on Świdnicka street in Wrocław on December 21, 1988. Thousands of pedestrians joined these open-form meetings, which made no overt ideological or political demands, but celebrated an alternative way of being a citizen and a subject in late socialist Poland.
A similar photograph of the carneval happening was included in a monograph on the movement (Wszyscy proletariusze bądźcie piękni! Pomarańczowa Alternatywa w dokumentach aparatu represji PRL (1987-1989), 2011). Many shots capture the leader of the movement, Major Waldemar Fydrych (born 1953). They also capture the ludic qualities of the movement, with many participants dressed up as Lenin, Fidel Castro, or Native Americans wearing masks, playing musical instruments, dancing, and holding banners with statements such as "Lets bring Africa into the USSR," "Dwarves of all nations unite,"and "Only two things in the world stink of herring."
As of September 2021, KVK and OCLC show no comparable institutional holdings, excepting a VHS recording of a strike held by IISG Amsterdam.


Over the past two years, we've assembled a group of ten chefs ready to launch new restaurants while transforming the old Anderson Body Shop into a 350-seat food hall with roll-up garage doors, booth & bierhall tables, and an incredible neighborhood bar at the center of it all. This is your living room, your kitchen, your office, your new hangout spot, your Baltimore stoop, your happy place. It's R. House.