The developer behind ARES is determined to explore the cloud and mobile potential of CAD.
Despite common use of notebooks, tablets, and smartphones in the workplace, CAD is still considered by many to be a desktop-only tool. "It is a 'winter is coming' strategy" for CAD vendors, says Cédric Desbordes, marketing executive for Graebert GmbH. CAD vendors want more customers, but they keep insisting CAD is an experts-only, desktop solution, limiting growth by not appealing to a larger market.
Graebert sees itself as the valiant knight coming to the rescue in this situation. The company sells a three-part portfolio of DWG-based CAD software for desktop, mobile, and cloud. It also develops CAD software for other vendors, and it offers extended features to simplify enterprise deployment.
"We must help companies realize good alternatives exist to extend access to drawings throughout the organization, available not only for viewing but for editing and reuse," says Wilfried Graebert, company CEO and founder. "Drafting is a utility like word processing," he adds. "There are traditional CAD users and there is the larger audience for the information. The larger audience now wants access to the drawings on their mobile devices." Graebert says the market will be wide open for growth as soon as more people discover CAD can be a utility for daily use.
Graebert tailors its three products for the nature of the intended user: ARES Commander on the desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux) is a full-featured professional software application for daily use. ARES Touch (Android/iOS) can edit DWG files, but offers an interactive "see it when you need it" user interface. ARES Kudo (any computer with a browser) can also edit DWG files, and provides the technology that keeps drawings used on all three products synchronized.
Graebert publishes three versions of its DWG-compatible ARES CAD platform: Commander for desktop, Touch for mobile devices, and Kudo for browser-based use.
Berlin-based Graebert is in a unique position to view the market: It is responsible for the technology inside more copies of CAD than any vendor except Autodesk. But very few people who use Graebert technology recognize the company name. Most people using Graebert technology get it from Dassault Systemès, which is known for CATIA and SolidWorks 3D modeling software but is also the vendor of DraftSight — which is powered by Graebert technology — for DWG-based workflows. DraftSight is available in both personal (free) and professional (paid license) versions.
Dassault claims the market for DWG-based CAD is very much alive and well in manufacturing and product development. It plans to formally announce a new version of DraftSight in February, at SolidWorks World 2019, that will extend the product with new features.
Dassault will also deepen the existing integration of DraftSight into its 3D Experience Platform with new capabilities that will allow DraftSight access to the 3D Experience Marketplace for those seeking part validation and manufacturing partners. "We have a global network of industrial service providers," says Kulik. "Integration with DraftSight allows access to this marketplace." Dassault also intends to use Graebert's Kudo technology for cloud-based CAD, but is saving the specifics for the February announcement. There will also be a DraftSight application programming interface (API) that customers can use for customization, as well as a commercial network for DraftSight add-ons to be distributed in the 3D Experience Marketplace.
During its Annual Meeting, held earlier this month in Berlin, Germany, Graebert launched ARES for Enterprise, a premium version of ARES CAD software for companies needing 100 or more seats. The Enterprise version is supplemented with additional features for user administration, license management, support for single sign-on (SSO) in Microsoft Active Directory, support for Amazon Web Services, and the ability to deploy ARES Kudo from an internal server.
"ARES for Enterprise is going to be a big focus for Graebert, as we see the Trinity of CAD concept is helping us to break in some very large accounts," said Desbordes. "With mobile and cloud we took a head start in technologies that help to deploy CAD features to a much larger audience."
Graebert also announced the launch of FxARK, a new API from Graebert offering developers the capability to reuse C++ code written for AutoCAD ObjectARX "with no modification," according to the company.


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The delightful Reri Grist as Rosina leads the cast in this high-spirited performance of Rossini's sparkling comedy. George Shirley is her suitor, Count Almaviva, who, in order to win her, must employ the help of the titular barber and jack-of-all-trades, Figaro—sung with style and gusto by Nicolae Herlea. Fernando Corena as Bartolo and the great Cesare Siepi as Basilio lend gravitas and humor to the proceedings, and Silvio Varviso presides on the podium.


text:
News Sports Things To Do Lifestyle Opinion USA TODAY Obituaries E-Edition Legals
Fazzi takes over as SJP II boys basketball coach
Matt Goisman
mgoisman@capecodonline.com
Rich Fazzi brought an extensive basketball career when he took over as St. John Paul II's athletic director for the 2019-20 school year. He'd coached men's basketball at Newbury College and Pine Manor College in Brookline, as well as Dean College in Franklin, and as a player had started for three years at Becker College in Worcester and earned three varsity letters at Paul VI High School in New Jersey.
Stepping away from the court to run the Lions' athletic department wasn't easy.
"The year off, it was different not having basketball," Fazzi said. "It was weird not being part of a team."
Fazzi will get to return to his roots when the 2020-21 winter season gets underway in December. The school announced recently that Fazzi will be the Lions' next head boys basketball coach.
He takes over for Paul Soucy, who coached the team to a 4-14 record last winter before retiring. Fazzi helped out on that team while still working as AD.
"I'm pretty excited to coach again," Fazzi said. "I wanted to do it because the kids were so great, and they were eager to learn."
Fazzi has had success at all three of his coaching positions. In his second year at Newbury, Fazzi led the Nighthawks to its first-ever appearance in the New England Collegiate Conference championship game, and he went 42-31 over three seasons as Pine Manor's first-ever coach, twice leading his teams to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament.
His 2016-17 Pine Manor team was ranked in the top 10 in the nation in nine statistical categories. Fazzi was also twice named District Two Coach of the Year with Dean College, and his 2013-14 team won National Junior College Athletic Association regional and district titles before advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history.
"If you're invested into the program, the kids will be invested into the program, and then that will show on the court," Fazzi said. "Everything is planned out. Having that culture, having the plan, having the structure, that's why I was successful at multiple places."
All that experience led Fazzi to take on the role without going through the application, interview and selection process of an open search. He'll be the Lions' fourth coach in as many years following Soucy, Rich Dalrymple (2018-19) and David Harrison (2014-18).
Fazzi said he hopes to be able to successfully juggle both positions for the foreseeable future, especially given that the school fields its fewest total teams in the winter.
"Time management is a big thing," said Fazzi, who was also an assistant AD at Pine Manor for three years. "During the season, you can't procrastinate and put things off. You have to really focus on your main duties."
Fazzi follows a pattern of Lions ADs also coaching teams. Mark Santos joined JPII as a head baseball coach before taking over as AD, holding both roles for two years, and prior to Santos was John Muldoon, a dual AD and head football coach.
"It's definitely a little bit more intense and time consuming," Santos said. "The real dilemma and challenge becomes in-season. The biggest drawback is not being able to get to all the other events because your sport takes so much time."
There are plenty of other examples of local ADs simultaneously coaching a team. Bourne AD Scott Ashworth also runs his boys basketball program, while Mashpee AD Matt Triveri is the head football coach and Nantucket AD Chris Maury coaches varsity softball.
Barnstable AD Scott Thomas previously coached the Red Raiders boys soccer team, and former Dennis-Yarmouth AD Paul Funk doubled as the head football coach before moving to principal for the 2019-20 school year.
"I enjoyed the aspect of really having an influence on the entire athletic department, but you always felt like you didn't want to cheat your own particular team," Santos said. "The key is to get as much done upfront, get the scheduling out of the way and buses to games. The curveball in the spring is the weather. That's the great unknown, and I would imagine in Rich's case he's going to have to deal with the snow."
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent end of the school year means Fazzi hasn't been able to meet his potential basketball players face to face. He said he's already had a video conference with them, and he's been able to send out offseason workouts to help them train on their own.
"Our fall sports have done some on-field conditioning under the new (coronavirus) guidelines," Fazzi said. "We can't do anything inside, so hopefully the basketball team will get involved with that. But then hopefully the guidelines change, and the weight room will be opened up and the gym will be opened up."
Soucy also coached boys soccer in the fall, so his retirement still leaves Fazzi with a coaching opening to fill. Fazzi said the search process is underway for a new soccer coach.
© 2022 www.capecodtimes.com. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Always error funtion is executing in json ajax in asp.net controller Java Script:-
function themechange(themeValue) {

    $('#themeId').attr('href', '/zcv/resources/css' + '/' + 'theme-' + themeValue.toLowerCase() + '.css');
    $.ajax({
        url: '@Url.Action("ChangeTheme", "Login")',
        type: 'GET',
        dataType: 'json',
        cache: false,
        data: { 'themeValue': themeValue },
        success: function (data) {
           alert(data);
        },
        error: function () {
           alert('Error occured');
        }
   });
}

In LoginContoller.cs:-
[HttpGet]
public JsonResult ChangeTheme(string themeValue)
{
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("======ChangeTheme======");

    Session["theme"] = themeValue;
    String x= "========";
    return Json(x, JsonRequestBehavior.AllowGet);
}

All the suggestion which replied so far are not working. Please give a executable project codes links for ASP.NET MVC Application which applies simple ajax with json for just calling a controller method.

A: You forget to assign the themeValue which get from HTML page by $('#themeId') also there is a problem you use GET instead of POST.
Try this
function themechange(themeValue) {
    var themeValue = $('#themeId').attr('href', '/zcv/resources/css' + '/' + 'theme-' + themeValue.toLowerCase() + '.css');
    $.ajax({
         url: '@Url.Action("ChangeTheme", "Login")',
         type: 'POST',
         dataType: 'json',
         cache: false,
         data: { 'themeValue': themeValue },
         success: function (data) {
                alert(data);
         },
         error: function () {
               alert('Error occured');
         }
    });
}

[HttpPost]
public JsonResult ChangeTheme(string themeValue)
{
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("======ChangeTheme======");

    Session["theme"] = themeValue;
    String x= "========";
    return Json(x, JsonRequestBehavior.AllowGet);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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"If you look at the mistake millenials make, one out of three, when they leave their [job], cash out the 401k plan," said David Bach, founder of AE Wealth Management and a panelist on TheStreet's Investing Strategies for Millennials webinar. "If you want to destroy your retirement plan, leave your company and cash out it out."


text:
XMLSchema2ShEx: Converting XML validation to RDF validation
Submitted by Herminio Garcia... on 11/02/2017 - 08:43
Tracking #: 1759-2971
A new version of this paper is available
Herminio Garcia-Gonzalez
Jose Emilio Labra-Gayo
Responsible editor:
RDF validation is a new topic where the Semantic Web community is focusing attention while in other communities, like XML or databases, data validation and quality was considered a key part of their ecosystem. On the other hand, there is a recent trend to migrate data from different sources to semantic web formats. These transformations and mappings between different technologies come at a price. In order to facilitate this transformation, we propose a set of mappings that can be used to convert from XML Schema to Shape Expressions (ShEx)—one of the recent RDF validation languages—. We also present a prototype that implements a subset of the mappings proposed, and an example application to obtain a ShEx schema from an XML Schema one. We consider that this work and the development of other format mappings could drive to a new era of semantic-aware and interoperable data.
Full PDF Version:
swj1759.pdf
Revised Version:
Previous Version:
Decision/Status:
Minor Revision
Solicited Reviews:
Click to Expand/Collapse
Review #1
By Felix Sasaki submitted on 26/Nov/2017
Review Comment:
I am satisfied with the responses to my comments and with the rewrite of the paper, and thank the authors for their efforts.
By Emir Muñoz submitted on 09/Dec/2017
I appreciate the work done by the authors to address all comments, including my comments and the comments of the other reviewers. Because of all the effort put in this new version, the manuscript is more self contained and readable, leaving less space to misinterpretation and missing information. However, I still have several minor comments over the new version of the manuscript, which I would like the authors to comment and act on.
Most of the minor comments are still on the writing style and presentation. First, the introduction section still needs some revisions in order to motivate the work done. But the most critical issue that I see is in the related work section. This section pretty much lists other's work but still does not compare and positionate the present work with existing works. Please notice as well that your relate work is not only limited to "other approaches that convert from XML Schema to ShEx"! You should cover all schema mapping approaches from XML to Semantic Web formats. Also cover all schema languages in XML and RDF: mention their main feature, differences, limitations, etc. And you should write this as a continuous text instead of just one sentence per work without real connections among them.
Second, regarding the research focus of the manuscript, I am glad to see that the authors now state clearly their research questions. However, the first one I find it too narrow, and should be revised. Also, the authors should match the rest of the paper, mainly discussions and conclusions, with these questions to give a good closure to your work. At the end, that is your research contribution made in this work.
In the following, I give my comments per section. (Please use the same format in your response.)
### Abstract
1. "Mappings between different technologies come at a price" --> what do you mean by price here? E.g. runtime, human hours? By explaining this you could improve the motivation and need for such a tool.
2. The em dash is not needed at the end of a sentence.
### Section 1
1. "one of the key areas" --> "a key area"
2. "Reliance" --> what do you mean by reliance in this context?
3. You mention normalization as something desired, but you don't define its meaning in this context. Please add a small definition for it.
4. The quote from P.N. Fox et al. should be formatted in cursive text.
5. "than DTDs" --> remove the last comma
6. "With XML Schema, developers ..." --> "Using XML Schema developers" (no comma)
7. "Alongside the appearance of DTDs and XML Schema" --> "Besides DTD and XML Schema"
8. "Other alternatives" --> add "for XML validation"
9. "Unlike XML, RDF" --> "In the Semantic Web, unlike XML, RDF" (add context)
10. Missing a reference to OWL. What OWL stands for?
11. Missing a reference to RDFS
12. "does with XML [29]" --> "does for XML [29]"
13. Reference [26] should actually go earlier together with [25]
14. You mention SHACL without a reference. What is the role of SHACL? and What is SHACL? (considering a reader not familiar with the terminology)
15. "migration and interoperability needs are nowadays more pressing than before, many authors ..." --> "the need for migration and interoperability to more flexible data formats is nowadays more pressing than before. Many authors ..."
16. "from XML to RDF [20, 8, 1, 5], which have the goal" --> "from XML to RDF [20, 8, 1, 5] with the goal"
17. "a lacking process when converting XML to RDF is validation." --> "means for validating the output data after converting XML to RDF are missing."
18. "How to be ensure that" --> "How to ensure that"
19. In the second last paragraph of Page 1, you explain (using i.e.) a how-to question with another how-to question. Try to explain with simple words the first question.
20. "Conversions between XML and RDF and" --> "Conversions between XML and RDF, and" (add comma)
21. Rephase the following sentence: "With that in mind, providing migrations from in-use technologies to semantic technologies can enhance the migration possibilities." Please clarify and give an example. Basically, you say "providing migrations … can enhance the migration possibilities".
22. "in other cases like small companies" --> "for instance small companies"
23. "low budget projects they can make" --> "low budget projects can make"
24. "Taking TEI [10] as an example" --> What is TEI? What is its relevance in the text?
25. "There are a lot of manuscripts" --> "There are many manuscripts"
26. "underlying technology despite they can benefit" --> "underlying technology although they can benefit"
27. "Those are the cases where generic approaches can" --> "Those are the cases where generic approaches, as the one introduced here, can"
28. "a solution and, therefore, automatic conversion of schemata has its space ..." --> it is not clear how the conclusion (part after therefore) can be inferred from the previous sentence. Please clarify that, or rephrase.
29. "With that problem in mind" --> What problem? Please, be more specific and guide the reader.
30. Your first research question: "Is a mapping between XML Schema and ShEx reachable?" --> "Is there a ..." This question is too narrow and can be answered with a "yes" or a "no". Such type of questions should be avoided. Try formulating a less narrow question in the line of "What components should have a mapping from XML Schema to ShEx?" or something like that.
31. For all your research questions, it is missing a connection between them and a "follow up" to mention whether you could be able to answer them or not! This point is important, and a must to have in a journal paper.
32. It is unclear the difference between you second and third research questions. The questions do not need to be one after the other, you could add a small paragraph between them giving some example or further explanation.
33. "Therefore, a solution on how to make the conversion from XML Schema to ShEx is described in this paper." --> "In this paper, we describe a solution on how to make the conversion from XML Schema to ShEx." Avoid the use of passive voice for this type of sentences.
34. "Detailing how each element in" --> "We describe how each element in"
35. In the description of the sections, you either replace the commas by semi-colon or dots.
36. Why do you refer to a "possible set of mappings" in Section 4? Could you build up on that idea?
1. "Conversion to Semantic Web formats is a field that presents several previous works." --> Rephrase, check the English, and conversion is a task not a field.
2. In general, the related work section still needs a lot of work. The authors do not position their work comparing against the state-of-the-art works. The related work should be better organized by, for example, building a taxonomy of existing approaches. Thus far, it looks very unconnected and loose.
3. "In [1] they try to" --> "In [1], the authors"
4. "XSLT stylesheets which, by" --> "XSLT stylesheets which by" (remove comma)
5. "could retrieve, query, merge and transform data" --> What is the difference between retrieve and query?
6. "Data validation is also a key question [12]" --> A key question for who and/or what area?
7. "On one hand Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL)" --> "On the one hand Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL)"
1. "It was one of the inputs for the W3C" --> "It was one of the foundations for the W3C"
2. "Nowadays, version 2.0 was released" --> use "Recently," instead. But it would be better to say something more precise like "In November 2017,"
3. "the working group is developing" --> "the working group is currently developing"
1. "XML Schema datatypes there is a" --> "XML Schema datatypes, there is a"
2. Listing 5 is never referenced
3. "As presented in the previous examples, when" --> "As presented in the examples in Listing 6, when"
4. "Complex types can be compound of different statements" --> "Complex types can be composed of different statements"
5. "transformation of each possibility below." --> "transformation of each possibility in the following."
7. "The following example shows how the mapping is done" --> "The example in Listing 8 shows how the mapping is done"
9. "Therefore, translation is performed as shown in the following snippet:" --> "Therefore, translation is performed as shown in the snippet of Listing 9:"
10. Listing 10 is never referenced
14. In Figure 1, increase the font of the graph for readability. Also, use the proper resource labels for Integer, List, Nil
16. Try to push the line in page 8 together with the full listing in page 7
17. "Enumeration restrictions use a base type" --> "Enumeration restriction uses a base type". After you refer to Enumeration with "it".
24. In Section 4.7.8, this mapping is not universal since it is only valid under the assumption of a local scope, i.e. XPath query ".". Please comment on this.
25. "Nowadays, ShEx does not support Unique function" --> "Currently, ShEx does not support Unique function". May be add a footnote with the current version.
1. "a prototype has been developed that uses a subset" --> "a prototype has been developed. This prototype uses a subset"
2. "mappings and converts from a given XML Schema input to a ShEx output" --> "mappings and converts a given XML Schema input into a ShEx output"
3. "The example presented in Listing 24" --> "The input XML Schema document example presented in Listing 24"
4. "Therefore, complex types are converted to shapes" --> "Complex types are converted to shapes" Remove the therefore, this is not a deduction.
5. "as it is stated in the example conversion below." --> In Listing 25?
6. "Therefore, translation of a valid XML to RDF" --> "The translation of a valid XML to RDF"
7. "This is done for avoiding to create a fictional node" --> "This is done in this way to avoid the creation of a fictional node"
1. "Using an existing validator helped to demonstrate that an XML and its corresponding XML Schema are still valid when they are converted to RDF and ShEx, although some ambiguity premises must be satisfied" --> Please explain the last part of the sentence.
2. "plausible using the advanced SHACL-Sparql features." --> This is the first time that SHACL-SPARQL is mentioned. What are those features?
### References
1. References 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 are missing a source or URL
2. Reference 18, 21, 29 are missing the venue
3. Please uppercase the abbreviations such as RDF
By Simon Steyskal submitted on 14/Dec/2017
The paper has been significantly revised and together with the authors' response accompanying the resubmission most of my raised remarks/questions were addressed. However, there are still a couple of open issues that need to be taken care of and again, you can find all my (handwritten) remarks as a scan at [1].
1) phrasing: Try to abstain from pompous statements like "We consider that this work [..] could drive to a new era of semantic-aware and interoperable data." if you don't elaborate on how your work contributes to that "paradigm shift" (i.e., why does data suddenly become "semantic-aware"?). Your work isn't any less justified without having those statements in it.
2) typos: see [1]
3) missing references: while all the listings now have captions and their formatting has significantly improved, a lot of them are still not explicitly referenced from in the text. E.g. in 4.3.2 Choice: "Therefore, translation is performed as shown in the following snippet: [Listing 9]" -> could be rephrased to "Therefore, translation is performed as shown in Listing 9:"
4) consistency: Section 1-3 use xsd:, Section 4-5 use xs:, Listing 24 uses xs: in the XML Schema part but xsd: in the ShEx part, Listing 25 uses xsd:, Shaclex uses xsd: -> why not use xsd: throught the entire paper?
5a) research questions 1-3: while you do address the very first RQ with the mappings provided in Section 4, I don't see how your work addresses RQ 2-3. Please provide a recap on how each RQ is addressed by what parts of your work in the conclusion.
5b) research question 4: "What are the conditions to ensure a valid conversion?" -> despite the fact that this RQ is very vaguely phrased (what conditions? what constitutes a "valid" conversion?), I've some serious issues with the paragraph that (I guess) is supposed to address RQ4 (p. 14):
"This kind of transformations can work in most of
the cases. However, there is a premise—which is in
line with one of the defined research questions—that
must be satisfied before generating a valid conversion.
In case of XML files with ambiguous content models
where some files can be transformed in different
ways and correct validation of converted data cannot
be guaranteed. This problem comes in two dimensions:
from XML to RDF, trying to maintain the same semantics
with different models; and for schema generation,
trying to create a schema that describes all the possibilities.
>>Nevertheless, if this ambiguity problem is previously
solved or is not present, the conversion can be
validated using the proposed techniques.<<"
So basically, you're addressing RQ4 by assuming that any ambiguities have already been resolved or aren't existing at all? That's not how it works.. Using the same line of argumentation one could write a paper about P vs NP having a RQ along the lines of "What are the conditions to ensure that P==NP" where said RQ is addressed by saying:
"Every problem whose solution can be verified in polynomial time
can also be solved in polynomial time can work in most of
must be satisfied before P==NP holds.
After decades of studying NP-complete problems no one has been able
to find a polynomial-time algorithm for any of more than 3000 important known NP-complete problems.
Nevertheless, if such a polynomial-time algorithm for one of the NP-complete problem was found, we can
savely say that P==NP holds."
[1] https://github.com/simonstey/Reviews/blob/master/journal_swj/review_swj1...


text:
Opposition View
+ Fixtures and Results
+ Transfers
Aston Villa Women
U23 & Academy
Super 6 League
Avillafan XI
Maverick Series
Escapades on the Continent
Supporter Issues
AVFC – Avillafan.com – Aston Villa Fansite, Blog, & Forum..
Missing Villa Park more than ever
Analysing why Aston Villa are proving the Premier League's tricky customers
How Dean Smith is using lessons learned from his Walsall days…
Aston Villa retain competitive consistency amid tough fixture schedule
Do or Die – Moment of 2020
AllAway DaysOpposition ViewPlayer RatingsPreviewsReports
FA Cup Preview: Aston Villa v Liverpool
Manchester Utd 2-1 Aston Villa – Another 'dubious' decision
Man Utd v Aston Villa – The big preview
How Aston Villa are serving the wider community as charitable sponsorship…
FCG – November 2020
English football and gambling, a problematic relationship
Aston Villa on box office, donating to food banks and fans…
Home Official The Hodgson Report on Aston Villa – 11 years after the original
The Hodgson Report on Aston Villa – 11 years after the original
Howard Hodgson
Back in 2003, my father and I compiled a report, having been commissioned by Villa Fans Combined, on the running of Aston Villa PLC. It was well received and we believe it led to the eventual sale of Aston Villa in 2006. It was clear then that the club desperately needed new direction and funding and it's very clear now that we are back to those days so I have compiled another report, albeit in less detail and more to the point. It's written with the best interests of Aston Villa in mind, as always.
The main Aston Villa board members are Randolph Lerner, Paul Faulkner and Robin Russell, with General Charles Krulak as the one non-executive board member.
It's become very clear that this is a board ill-equipped to run a football club successfully. The knowledge simply isn't there regarding football in general and Aston Villa as a football club in particular. There is a very long list of expensive mistakes made – too long to list – but proof is in the pudding: we are struggling to match Doug Ellis and David O'Leary last season's (2005/6) points tally (42) for the third season running.
Off the field activities are run well, including an excellent hospitality division and good work in the community with charities like Acorns. However, Aston Villa is a football club, not a hotel.
This means the club relies solely on the football manager for leadership and direction on the football pitch – a dangerous scenario as an air of invincibility starts to surround this one individual. This was very apparent with Martin O Neill and is evident again with the current manager, Paul Lambert.
Until recently, I had a reasonable relationship with Paul Faulkner and always tried to advise from afar where possible. It was becoming more obvious to me and several others every week that despite our fairly comfortable position in the Premier League we were digressing in our playing style, which would lead to big problems not too far down the line.
I took the time out to write to Randy Lerner about my concerns and made some suggestions as to how we could improve things.
Suffice to say, the reaction I got was not expected and led to me being told I was no longer welcome in the Aston Villa directors' box/restaurant. The reasons given? I was informed in writing that I had infringed on Mr Lerner's privacy by discussing his attendance record (hardly a secret) on Twitter and was told in person by Paul Faulkner that it was for not being supportive, his exact words being:
"What were you trying to achieve in writing this letter to the owner? The manager has seen it and is not happy. We would not want you to outlast your welcome here, Howard."
I found his behaviour incredible: he was talking to me like an employee when in fact I was a customer who had spent a great deal of money over the last two years on match sponsorships and directors' memberships, not to mention being a season ticket holder for thirty-six years and from a family that has had long-standing relationships with many of the previous owners (Ellis, Bendell, Kartz).
It's very sad that constructive criticism is just not allowed at Aston Villa these days. The press also have to tread very warily for fear of being banned if they print things not to the liking of those in power at Aston Villa Football Club. How can that be right?
We have been failing for four consecutive years and yet all we are told by the board is that a long term plan is in place and they are satisfied with the progress being made. What progress? We had bad seasons under the Ellis regime but never four in a row! Even when we went down in 86/87, by 89/90 we almost won the league, as we did in 92/93. What do we have to show for Lerner's regime? Three top six finishes and a Cup final, which all seems to have happened a long time ago.
The Manager – Paul Lambert
£40 million has been spent by Paul Lambert on sixteen new players yet we remain on course for another struggle, with the same low points achieved by his predecessor and the style of football hardly having improved. That is not my idea of progress. When money is not unlimited perhaps bringing in three left backs and four big centre forwards is a tad misguided, especially when the spine of central midfield, central defence and wingers remains woefully inadequate. The fact Lambert seems so obsessed with big strikers tells you a lot about his thoughts tactically.
He is primarily a 'behind the ball' manager: get men behind the ball, soak up the pressure, let the opponents have the ball and then hit them on the counter attack. This can work away from home, as we have seen, but at home counter attacking opportunities are rare except against top sides that will dominate. Most sides sit back and say, "You have the ball Villa. You are at home. Break us down". Sadly, we don't have a clue how to do that and other teams now know this.
Our only plan is to go sideways, backwards, opt for a long ball as we don't commit men beyond the ball or run enough off the ball for the man on the ball to have options to pass to in front of him. Movement draws opponents out of position and creates space. We just don't do this for fear of – you've guessed it – being hit on the counter attack! We hold position far too much. Even our full backs haven't been getting forward this season so the man on the ball at Villa Park, literally, has nowhere to go but sideways, backwards or long. This makes it very easy for away teams to defend. Added to this, they know they don't have to create much for us to concede a goal as we nearly always have a lapse in concentration, particularly when Vlaar does not play.
Lambert is the manager and he is paid a lot of money to do far better than he is doing. I see the same turgid stuff week after week, with no attempt to change or improve. He has openly admitted he doesn't know why we play so poorly at home but surely he realises it comes down to what I have just outlined? People tell me he has made us more solid. Well, so what? It's not paying dividends with the results. It did perhaps when we were sitting on nineteen points after fourteen games but negative, long ball football always gets found out in the end, much like it did in the McLeish season, and we now have amassed just nine points from the last thirteen games, failing to score in our last three games against teams around us or out of form. It's no wonder he spends so much time chasing big strikers as our whole home strategy appears to be hitting long diagonal balls to a big man for others to feed off. It's a tactic that is out of date and in any case the big number 9 is too often isolated anyway.
I must confess to being supportive of Paul Lambert's appointment. I honestly thought a bright, young manager like him would be just what this club needed after the disastrous appointment/reign of Alex McLeish. He came with a reputation of having his teams play attractive, attacking football and first and foremost we'd try and win games regardless of the opposition. He made a point of addressing the home form himself when he first arrived, saying it was about time the Villa fans started enjoying their team's football at Villa Park again. Well, thirty-two games on and with only eight wins registered and some of the worst, most aimless football I have ever seen at Villa Park in thirty-six years of attendance, I am still waiting to enjoy myself, Paul.
I did think we were on to something positive between February and May of 2013. We played positively and even found some form at Villa Park. The QPR game (second half) and Sunderland games were big highlights, as were the first sixty minutes against Chelsea when, until Benteke was sent off, we were the better side. I went into the summer feeling we had a real chance, if we kept playing in that manner, of achieving fifty points this season. Those thoughts were strengthened by the win at The Emirates and the strong performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Sadly, since that second game we just haven't performed with the exceptions of a bright second half against Manchester City and an excellent first half against Liverpool. We have had some narrow wins against Southampton and Sunderland but, overall, it's been regression all the way. I honestly don't think we have put one consistent ninety minute performance together – a feature of Lambert's reign – and I believe we have only won two games by a two goal margin and none by three or more.
Lambert has proved to be a major disappointment. His tactics, as outlined, are one dimensional, predictable and far more negative than I ever imagined they would be. Tiote made a telling comment on Sunday after the game, claiming he never felt Villa came to win the game. That mindset has been too apparent in recent times and it's a mindset I would never have associated with a Lambert team before he came here. Also, the same mistakes are made week after week, indicating the work on the training ground simply isn't working.
He has bought some good players who have done well but also bought a lot of average players who just seem to be making up the numbers. Perhaps trusting a few more of the 'bomb squad', some of whom we are still paying fortunes to every week, or the NextGen winning squad could have allowed him to buy less quantity and more quality.
I was invited to Bodymoor Heath at the beginning of the Lambert reign and the strategy of buying young, talented players who were going to grow as a team together was explained. Henke had been appointed as head of scouting and he would ensure we were first in line to capture hidden or undiscovered gems in Europe. However, Henke was gone by January 2013.
This sounded like a good plan as long as the young players targeted were good enough to play in one of the toughest leagues in the world. Whilst some, like Benteke and Okore, are, too many are substandard, especially as we had not targeted any proven, experienced players at this level until this January window, which represented a big shift in strategy by Lambert, who had previously been quoted as saying: "This club tried the experienced footballer route and it didn't get them much success." It was therefore a surprise to hear him say he now did want experienced players at the beginning of January. Brett Holman must have had a wry smile on his face when he heard Lambert say this as he had suggested the same thing a year earlier much to the annoyance of Lambert, who made sure Holman wouldn't have a future at Villa following that comment.
It is my opinion that Aston Villa Football Club is in a bigger mess than it was in when the original Hodgson Report was written in 2003 when fans were at the end of their tethers with the previous owner, Doug Ellis. We had just finished on forty-five points under Graham Taylor, which was deemed totally unacceptable. We then had three seasons under David O'Leary with fifty-six points, forty-seven points and forty-two points being amassed with limited transfer funds. It was clear by 2006 that the club was indeed crying out for a takeover and up stepped Reform Acquisitions LLC and Randy Lerner.
Everyone was so excited. Doug Ellis and David O'Leary were finally gone and we had a bright new era ahead with Lerner and Martin O'Neill that would take us back to the top.
Whilst no one can say Martin O'Neill wasn't given fantastic backing in that time, the lack of a football man on the board to control the type of players brought in, to make sure we could always sell players on for a profit and not keep buying players at the top of their value was badly missing and blew such a hole in Lerner's plan that we have since been slowly sinking like the Titanic.
Even after Martin O'Neill, Paul Faulkner, McLeish and, to a lesser degree, Houllier burnt serious millions on crazy deals for Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Hutton, Given and N'Zogbia. Hutton alone will have been paid £4 million in wages since he last played for us! You would have thought we would have learnt our lesson from another right back who hardly ever played for us but got paid £7 million in wages – a certain Habib Beye! I say Houllier was wasteful to a lesser degree as Bent was primarily a Lerner signing plus he did almost single-handedly save the club from relegation in 2010/11.
The irony is it's the Lerner family's money that has been blown but he continues to back people like Paul Faulkner religiously. Faulkner, as Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for these day-to-day business decisions like what people get paid and for how long their contracts run. As I mentioned earlier, Paul Faulkner relies far too heavily on the football manager as he simply doesn't have the knowledge that someone like Daniel Levy does to make these decisions himself. Surely that can't be right? He is Chief Executive of a big football club.
Ultimately, Aston Villa deserves far better. It is very unfortunate that Randy Lerner has lost the money he has but that comes with the territory and if you make bad decisions and don't appoint the right people these things happen in business.
Aston Villa needs to move on. Randy Lerner either has to sell the club at the earliest opportunity as Doug Ellis did when it became apparent he couldn't fund it satisfactorily or provide more finance to rebuild the club properly and return it to its rightful place as a big six player.
This meandering in the lower reaches of the Premier League has to stop. Frankly, I am extremely worried that we may not even be a Premiership club next season because our form and play is so bad.
You have to hope that, like in that final Ellis/David O'Leary season, we do survive and a clean sweep is made of the people in power at Villa in the summer and lessons are learnt if a new owner does come in, the biggest one being get Aston Villa people who understand the club, the fans and the game on the board – people who will have a burning desire to return the club to the top. That,combined with the necessary funding and appointing the right manager, will mean happier times are not far away.
If we continue with Lerner, Faulkner and Lambert indefinitely, I fear years of pain and unsatisfactory results unless they have a major rethink and change their attitudes and strategies.
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Attending Aston Villa for 36 years, I have been lucky enough to see the likes of Little and Gray play as well as seeing our beloved Villa be champions of England and Europe. These days I live in Poole. Despite the 360 mile round trip, I still attend all home games. Villa till I die! Follow me on twitter @HodgsonHoward
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Jack February 26, 2014 At 20:54
Great report which I think will resonate with the majority of the fan base. I dread to think how much each home win this season has cost me as a season ticket holder
Mark February 26, 2014 At 21:08
100% agree
COLIN GALE (@cgale_825) February 26, 2014 At 21:21
very interesting read !
But I wonder what the respnse would have been any different if you'd have challenged the Glaisers who live off ManU rather than fund the club as does Lerner ?
And 16 players for £40m that only about £2.5m /player — chicken feed compared to what a lot of fans want spending per player
And then there is the Prem which has changed a lot over the past 11 years with the advent of the big TV money
As for the teams performance is it that bad ? Certainly the current results are not as one would hope for . But is it really suprising that performances did not continue from the end of last season when the number of Lambert players doubled & being of a similar quality & age to last season they needed time to integrate into the team /squad
As for the points Villa have ,when since the old Div1 have the points separating teams been so close ? So surely it is not suprising that Villa with a young squad that is still learning how best to play together are in the lower half of the table ?
And so what that Tiote was bragging about winning a match that he should not even have finished on the pitch playing in !
there's still time for Villa to gain points & those teams around us to lose points so things may well not be as grim as some paint the picture
And what of next season ? Talk is that the summer will be when Villa start adding some class to the squad . Will it happen ? we'll have to wait & see
But what if there is change can it be any better than @ present or might it be worse ?
After all who would buy Villa if it is as bad as some claim ?
50yrs been following my beloved club. I have never seen such rubbish played at VP. PL is clueless, RL non existent , PF chief of what? When are the fans going to wake up we are heading in to oblivion! Past four yrs the odd win at VP it's not good enough.
The crap PL has bought has been nothing short of scandalous. Who the hell scouts these players? I have never felt so low about going to watch a game at VP in all my yrs in fact I have come to hate it.The West Ham game I walked out after 60mins, I have lost my love and passion, killed by these frauds that run our club. I will not be re-newing my season ticket as long as these people are in charge of Aston Villa FC.
Mark Goodwin February 26, 2014 At 21:58
I agree 100% with those comments. Excellent article, although I do feel that despite Lambert making some tactical errors I do feel he is being hung out to dry by this clueless Board. Just like they hung McLeish out to dry as well !!!
Ken February 26, 2014 At 22:00
As a 50 year old been following since 7, I may know a thing or two about Villa.
This report should form the basis of why Mr Lerner should begin the process to sell the club but with one clause, that he take Faulkner and Lambert with him.
I now hate watching the turgid, puerile, mind numbing football coordinated by a manager who says that possession is no big thing and sees no fascination with what the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich etc do when they retain possession of the ball.
And you all wonder why we buy the players we do? It is all about some idiots small minded philosophy
Thomas Wood February 26, 2014 At 22:06
I also agree with this I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head most of the fan base would agree with this. I have written a letter with my concerns about the club. I wonder if I will be told don't come and support! I haven't been to Villa park for awhile simply because, it's upsetting me seeing us so poor.
trevor fisher February 26, 2014 At 22:18
Yes Mr Hodson, you are quite right. And Mat Kendrick called for a fans collective effort in the Mail last night. The board is out of touch, doesn't have any football nous, and is hostile to sensible fan relations. So how about it? Lets call a meeting to discuss the ways forward.
I was active in the independent supporters association and then the trust but I gave up. too much apathy. But the time is right. Lets see how many fans really care. Please contact me and I will see what my friends and others are willing to support
trevor fisher
Jon February 26, 2014 At 22:21
We want leadership not an absent owner. We also need a Manager who uses the resources at his disposal without banishing players to the corner of Bodymoor Heath.
The Vine Inn February 26, 2014 At 23:36
Brilliant report. Its detailed but has to be to explain the situation we are in at the moment. Several AV fans at the Vine are over 60 and also saw the early 80's glory days as well as the Tommy Doc era. IMHO the third division and the days of Bruce Rioch nearly rival the Premier years. In some respects if there was such as thing as relegation with a guaranteed promotion the year afterwards I would go for it to make the 'clear out' good and proper. Keep up the good work!
Matt Little February 26, 2014 At 23:50
So true this report in plain English to the point.Explaining all that is going wrong at this Great football club Aston Villa. The truth must hurt the board and the manager.I have been attending Matches for the past 30 years and I take my boy of 12 years to the games and one game comes to mind is when we lost to Crystal palace the disappointment on my boys face and the shock of losing to a team propping up the table. This report explains all what went wrong in that game and many others at this time at Aston Villa.
Robert cash February 27, 2014 At 07:53
One can only agree with these comments this is worst team I have seen in fifty years of watching villa
We cannot defened our attack is very poor it's time wake up board this is not a meal ticket for yanks to have holiday when you feel like it get real this is people who have lived and breathed this club not just decide to buy a toy to play
You need to get out now and take you team with you lets have someone who knows football and put back us back where we belong fighting for wins show passion lift the supporters and make the club great again
I would say stick to you yanky sports and leave us to somebody who bring this club back to great times
Mitch Hyde February 27, 2014 At 08:02
I think the report rings true. Although I doubt it would be so harsh on Pl had Mr Hodgson not been banned. There's a personal element to it as well. I too would be personal had it been me but another payout to a manager would be more money thrown away. We are struggling this season although we have been seriously unlucky and played very well in some games such as Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and we have been abhorant at times too (Newcastle and Fulham). I think player confidence has been a massive factor. Benteke has come back from injury and forgotten how to play. He is now doing the Heskey role of flicking on to Gabby when we nearly got relegated last time we played that way. More balls to benteke's feet and we might get somewhere. The players have to take responsibility too. UTV.
Steve09 February 27, 2014 At 08:50
What a great article and summing up what most of us think.
There does need to be some sort of movement started as this 'company of fools' have totally disconnected themselves from the Villa fan-base( their customers !)As you say the current board setup is totally not fit for purpose in running a football club and my real views on the clown Faulkner are unprintable, suffice to say we should report a robbery to the local police station each time he draws a salary, utterly inept.!
The unpleasant and incomprehensible Lambert has taken this project on again stuffing his pockets with money, all have utterly betrayed the club and its fans.
Worst Villa side ever ( and I am 65)
Cant we form a action group, am happy to head up ! and maybe solicit a name to go with us Stan Colly' or even Graham Taylor,Big Ron ?? and lets go to the barricades.
I really love this club and cant allow this any longer !
The above comments are from true ASTON VILLA fans not a load of yanks who have come to play with football club
Randy and his team do not understand the way of life these fan feel for there club it seems that he thinks Paul is doing a good job he never here to see that this is not true
We are never going to great again under you Randy you just seem to keeping you team in employment and nothing else
Please call it a day and go and take you boys with you back to you land of nothing
Just like to say about players Paul has brought in they are crap we have no defence no one who can score goals we buyout of work players because it cost nothing for them
kevin February 27, 2014 At 09:48
good report I fear for our once great club I think villa park will be empty next season nobody is going to pay to watch this dross regardless of relegation a very sad season ticket holder not for long.
Barry'sboots February 27, 2014 At 11:13
Great article Howard. I have to agree with the vast bulk of what you have written. Lerner is a wealthy man and his heart is in the right place which, in theory, should make him a good owner. However, he is too trusting of people with little or no knowledge/experience and too scared of challenge/original thought. His board is made up of people he has had a long association with – all of them coming from his previous business – and no-one that is going to challenge him on decisions, strategy etc.. This is evidenced by your experience when you tried to write a letter containing constructive criticism … they are just not interested in it and find it offensive.
I think, with most clubs, leadership comes from the Manager. Certainly in this country. But I am sick of dour Scots talking monotonously and spouting BS. Give me a 'Arry anytime – someone with a bit of character. we haven't had this since the days of Gregory and Big Ron before this. I seriously wonder how people like Lamberk or McLeish (sorry to utter that latter name) can motiviate players when they send me to sleep every time they open their mouth! I want a spark from both the manager and the style of play that he adopts.
I was broadly happy with Lamberk's first season – I like a lot of players that he had bought (Westy, Tekkers, Guzan, Lowts), I liked the fact that he was the first manager to use Delph correctly i.e. as a sitting box to box CM'er and I enjoyed the run at the back end of the season. However, he had some glaring holes in his squad that I was hoping he would address in the summer – a chronic lack of experience in the most difficult position to play in the EPL i.e. centre half, where he only has one CB over 25 with any experience in Vlaar (better than last season when he had none! and I felt really sorry for Ron having to get his game up to speed in the EPL whilst also nursing a completely new and inexperienced back 7 – no wonder he looked shaky at times!); no linking CM'er (or as he calls it a "no. 10" – however did he come up with that name!!?) which most Villa fans have been screaming about for ages with no cover for Gabby and Andi whilst he continues to collect no. 9s! This is still not addressed and shows his naivety I believe. Equally, he is still trying to turn Andi into a wide player – it ain't happening as he doesn't have a trick or the pace to play out there. As the Liverpool away game demonstrated, he is far more effective when in a central position and I believe he could become our new, albeit slightly more advanced (i.e. further up the pitch) Milner – both have fantastic engines and energy – and for the first time we had a midfield that was joined up to the strikers.
What I can't understand is how our club can't compete with the other established PL clubs such as Newcastle, Sunderland and especially Everton when it comes to players in etc.. We are a similar sized commercial organisation (i.e. turnover) and, therefore, you would think could afford similar wages etc.. I know we went too far in one direction for RL but we must surely be back to a low base now and should be able to afford wages for the right quality players. I am hoping that this is the case in the summer where I think we need a new LB (Bertrand or other), an experienced CB for cover (Clint Hill of QPR, Heitinga from Fulham or someone of that ilk), a strong DCM to rotate with Westy, an attacking CM'er to mentor Carruthers and an option for replacing Gabby or Andi for injury/rotation (Jason Puncheon or similar) i.e. a flexible striker who can play across the front line.
pard February 27, 2014 At 13:28
while i agree with most the sentiments in this piece, it could hardly be called a 'report'. it reads like any other opinion piece, albeit longer, that you read on fan forums. no especial insight or evidence not already known by the average fan. i had never heard of the original 'hodgson report' but if it's anything like this one, how could you conclude that the takeover 3 years later was in any way due to it.
Denis_B February 27, 2014 At 17:38
A small point is I saw Faulkner completely lose the plot during the last Rapid Vienna game. They wanted to sell expensive 'corporate' tickets to these people but didn't realise that they attend matches in full kit, scarves etc etc…..he wanted them refused entry. They got in 🙂 but at the ensd of the game completely lost the plot when they were having a sing-song in the 1874. Nothing OTT jusy celebrating a win.
Point is he knows nothing about football or football fans. He wanted the money but didn't know what to expect
andy wood February 27, 2014 At 18:14
sounds true about the press having to tread carefully, mat kendrick used to ask challenging Qs but since the incident at millwall doesn't seem to do that anymore which is a shame
colin b February 27, 2014 At 18:20
I guess that the vast majority of ST holders would recognise the description of our playing performances and the path that has led us there. For this reason the 'powers that be' should read this very carefully because many of us have been watching for decades;we do understand our football and we have seen enough in a lifetime to be able to read the tea-leaves. We can't all be wrong and at some point we are going to vote with our feet-as many of us did in the final days of DOL. I have been watching since 1957 and I have twice seen it as bad as this with a run of poor managers, poor coaching and sub-standard players bought on the cheap [and the supporters as upset] and on both occasions we ended up relegated with massive dips in attendance.
One area I would take issue with is the need to get 'Villa men' in to occupy key positions. If we had 'Villa men' with the right experience and skill sets all well and good, but 'Villa men' for the sake of it-no. We mustn't end up like Newcastle fans who only trust Geordies to manage or own their club or WHU fabns who only trust cockneys. Should the time come, we must be open-minded and make qualifications more important than whether someone has played for us.
Andrew Malloch February 27, 2014 At 20:04
I agree implicitly with the content of this article – I've been to Villa park every season since my Dad took me as a 7 year old in 1971. I too now live in Poole and still get up to Villa park and to a number of away games every year with my 12 year old son. I'm always optimistic with the Villa despite many disappointments over the years. McLeish was as badly treated as any manager in recent years but Lambert has been backed by supporters over and beyond. The tactics have been appalling especially at home – its a wonder the crowds have been maintained. Without Benteke last year we would have more than likely been relegated and this year we've been worse! Lambert may not have the financial backing of the top 6 clubs (excl Everton who've had less over the last decade) but the tactics are outdated, naive and worst of all lacking in any entertainment value. The 'work in progress' argument has run it's course and we have not made progress over the last few years. I desperately wanted stability and the feel good factor but Lambert is not taking us in the right direction. Lerner was great initially the progress with the ground,the Holte pub and Bodymoor Heath was commendable but we haven't developed the ground on the lines of Newcastle, Sunderland or Arsenal and these are clubs who had lower crowds than us in the past (even when we were in Div 2 and 3). We should have been marketed far better in the community and on a corporate level to have any chance of competing at the top of the Premier but ultimately if the team struggles, we win nothing or worse still we get relegated the future is bleak. I can't see Lambert taking us above 14th but eitherway we have to wake up and change soon otherwise the Championship will become a reality! Villa til i die Mal
Liam February 27, 2014 At 21:28
Wow, well said. It's a said thing to see at the min. Been a supporter all my life and so has most of my family for many years and it's just shocking there's no believe and desire to win, to want to be better and to be the best.
Thomas February 27, 2014 At 21:30
The key to Villa's future and any potential success is having a strong head (owner and manager) and a stable body (team with a reliable spine) with a plan to meet its customers expectations (play football that is entertaining, pleasing on the eye, shows commitment, drive, passion and enthusiasm and with a bit of luck winning football)
Mr Lerner should have learnt from his grid iron owning days that not everyone can be the ultimate winning team but as long as the team represents its area with pride then the fans will always back whoever pulls on the jersey.
Mr Lambert was never my choice and the longer he is at the club, the worse the club degenerates into nothingness. He is the wrong choice for the club, no ifs or buts, he is NOT GOOD ENOUGH! And he never will be.
And sad truth is that there are several GOOD managers out there who would jump at the chance to manage the club given the right environment, to build, play and enthuse
Jk February 28, 2014 At 10:31
Refreshing analysis, i don't mean to be pointed but every year its the same thing in the comments my heart and head go out yo people who have been going 50 years "and this the worst of seen" for last forur i keep reading this people like yourselves are the life blood the beating heart that is Aston Villa, we see our solves as a proud big club, we are but lets act like it, we ask for leadership on the pitch and boardroom and yet as fans we show no leadership so many of are shot and demoralised we don't know where to turn. Lets look at the successes of barca, dortmund, and bayern over time why don't we look to take the club back, at thr minimum demand a culture where with a flexible possession based approach from the first term to the under 11 futsal team. As villans we have been a chance to do something but we have to do it for ourselves.
So JK if I'm reading that right your suggesting that fans should mass together & buy the club ? Or could there be some other idea ?
But I seem to recollect that there was a scheme to buy the club before DD sold to Lerner ? But what ever happened to the money that was put into it ?
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Direct an enterprise to take such steps as are necessary and reasonable in the circumstances.
TTFTC and the Court
The TTFTC can pursuant to the Fair Trading Act take to court any business or individual who has been found to have been carrying on anti-competitive practices and has failed to take corrective measures. The courts can then:
Prohibit the offending conduct.
Prohibit an agreement from being made or carried out.
Order that an agreement be modified or terminated.
Prohibit any specific conditions being attached to transactions.
Prohibit the acquisition of another company or impose appropriate conditions.
Impose fines (limited to 10% of annual turnover).
Some Special Advice from the TTFTC
The TTFTC has a responsibility to do as much as possible to ensure that its policies are coherent and properly communicated. As such, it offers the following suggestions:
Do not discuss prices with competitors.
Do not agree with competitors to restrict or increase levels of production.
Do not divide customers, markets or territories with competitors.
Do not require a customer to buy products only from you, unless you get the appropriate legal advice.
Do not agree with competitors to boycott suppliers or customers.
Ensure that your practices are in accordance with the Fair Trading Act.
© 2017, Fair Trading Commission.
Fair Trading Commission
Level 12, Nicholas Tower
63-65 Independence Square, Port of Spain,
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Tel: (868) 623-2931 ext. 2202/2209/2212/2213/2226
Fax: (868) 623-5445 Email: info@tandtftc.org
SIMILAR AGENCIES
Regulated Industries Commission
Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission
Fair Trading Commission, Barbados
Jamaica Fair Trading Commission
Caricom Competition Commission
Federal Trade Commission (U.S.A.)
Canada Competition Bureau


text:
Miniature masterpieces: A masterclass on seafood small plates with Tom Brown
09 March 2019 by Michael Raffael
Tom Brown's small plates menu at Cornerstone in east London is a hymn to the fruits of the sea, offering beautifully presented dishes that are designed for sharing. Michael Raffael reports
Tapas? Pintxos? They've both entered the everyday repertoire of restaurant-speak. "Platos para compartir", or "sharing plates", isn't such a familiar expression, but it is to any Spaniard eating out. At its most basic, it may be a plate of patatas bravas with a bottle of San Miguel. In San Sebastián, Barcelona or Madrid bars, it's often a succession of single plates, served informally, that add up to a meal.
Tom Brown, head chef at Cornerstone in London's Hackney Wick, first came across tapas when he worked for Rick Stein's chef, Paul Ripley, at the short-lived Seafood Bar in Falmouth. The food was great, but the ambience, above a busy fish and chip restaurant, didn't cut it.
"You can't have a small plates menu without a buzzy restaurant," Brown argues. Unlike a tasting menu that has a built-in formality with its focus on the cuisine, he wants his honed cooking to be a social occasion where the couple at table two or the group at table six have a great time.
A nouvelle cuisine 30cm plate with a few delicately arranged morsels may verge on pretentious, but a traditional main course, Brown believes, can be just as off-putting: "When you start eating it, it may be amazing, but by the end, every mouthful is the same," he says.
He wants his small, cazuela-style plates to sustain and enhance his customers' enjoyment without dominating it. The keys to this are setting the portion size and style of presentation that allows diners to 'dip in'.
Open Tuesday evening to Saturday, the menu at Cornerstone - as one would expect from a Nathan Outlaw protegé who was executive chef at the Capital hotel in Knightsbridge for three years - revolves around fish. It features eight to 10 sharing plates - two of which are cold - bread and an oyster dish. Waiters recommend that a table of two order eight dishes.
The kitchen is designed as an island in the centre of the restaurant so that all dishes are finished in view of the customers' tables.
Cornerstone prices menu items separately, ranging from £4 for olives and £5 for a pickled oyster to £17 for roast Cornish hake. Desserts are £10.
In the evenings there's the option of a £48 eight-plate menu. That price reflects the average food spend.
Brown budgets for a 70% gross profit that takes into account the significant cost of perishable fish with its inevitable risk of wastage.
Soy-cured gurnard
There are three main species of gurnard: red, grey and tub. Cornerstone uses the large and meaty tub gurnards, finely sliced like sashimi.
Cornerstone makes batches in multiples of 12 portions. A kilo (roughly) of skinned gurnard fillets are cured for four hours in a cold Kikkoman and honey reduction (at a ratio of 2 soy: 1 honey, reduced by half).
The gurnard are laid head to tail on a sheet of film, rolled up to form a sausage and then frozen. The fish is then sliced on the machine to prosciutto thickness and coated with a sake vinegar-oil dressing and grated lime zest. The dish is finished with strained Greek yogurt and a cucumber-lime juice brunoise.
Mackerel pÁ¢té
This is more like a parfait in texture than a traditional coarse fish pÁ¢té. Cornerstone works with a batch size of 14-15 filleted, medium-sized (300g) fish. Cure the fillets in a 50/50 solution of sugar and still Breton cider for 20 minutes. Reserve four fillets for finishing. Grill the rest skin-side down until the skin starts to smoke. Blend until completely smooth and season with lemon juice, horseradish and salt.
Make a dry seasoning of roughly blended dulse, nori, kombu and lettuce.
Make a light jelly of cider and sugar, with two softened gelatine leaves per litre.
To finish the dish, spread the paté over the base of cazuela-style dish and chill. Spoon a light coating of the jelly on top just before it sets. Sprinkle with seaweed seasoning. Add slices of cured mackerel fillet cut across the grain and drops of seaweed oil.
Barkham Blue cheese
The cheese course is one of four desserts and the portion is large enough to share, but Cornerstone would normally recommend it as a stand-alone dish.
Barkham Blue was Supreme Champion at the 2015 British Cheese Awards. It's served with a quince poached in muscat wine compote, a miniature Eccles cake and ruby port syrup.
Treacle bread 250g Shipton Mill's Malthouse flour
50g oats
2tbs dark treacle
1tsp salt
To accompany the mackerel pÁ¢té. Make a lightly mixed dough. Spoon into muffin hoops on a baking sheet and bake at 170°C forced convection.
Baked scallops in the shell, coral butter
Brown only buys diver scallops for Cornerstone, working with batches of 30-50. Their size can vary so he will serve either two halved or three whole scallops per portion.
To prepare the scallops: open them in the usual way. Insert a sharp knife (a stiff-bladed butcher's knife is ideal) against the flat shell and free the scallop (1). Discard the flat shell. Scoop out the whole scallop with its coral and mantle attached (2). Clean the rounded shell.
Pull off the mantle and coral together (3). Reserve the coral and dry overnight on the hot plate or similar (4). Grind to a coarse powder.
Make a coral butter for 12 portions (scale as necessary). Blend 250g unsalted butter with the zest of two limes, one finely diced shallot, one finely diced garlic clove, three dessertspoons of the ground coral powder and Maldon salt (5). Roll into a sausage on a sheet of film and chill (6).
For each order, stand the rounded shell on a hoop set on a stainless steel flat (7). Put the scallops in the shell. Add a scant tablespoon of dry white wine and a 10g-15g slice of coral butter (8). Bake in a hot oven till the butter has melted. Take out of the oven and baste thoroughly (9).
Return to the oven to finish cooking. Serve each shell on a bed of salt. Accompany with a wedge of lime (10) .
At the table, waiting staff encourage customers to squeeze lime juice on the scallops to enhance the flavour.
"I don't like stuffy restaurants where you feel uncomfortable, so I wanted to create an environment where anyone can come in, feel at ease, read a menu they understand and that they relate to, and have a good time," explains Tom Brown.
On paper it reads like a mission statement with which most chefs-patrons could agree. In Brown's case, it's based on his personal experience as a customer. "When I was quite young, me and my girlfriend at the time went to a restaurant. The waiter wouldn't give us the time of day, but the obviously wealthy couple at the next table were getting the full works. And I thought: this isn't right; we're paying the same money and eating the same food."
At the time he was a junior chef working for Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac, Cornwall, en route to becoming his head chef at the Capital. The ties to his mentor have remained strong. He turned to Outlaw for advice when planning a business model for Cornerstone and many of the recipes he uses have evolved from his time working under him.
The concept of his Hackney Wick restaurant in east London is very much his own: "I wanted to put all the things I like about eating out into it and get rid of everything I don't."
His dos and don'ts list is wide-ranging. He doesn't, he says, want the chef's big ego to be looking up at the customer from the plate. He doesn't want a pecking order of tables in the dining area, which privileges some at the expense of others. He wants the meal experience to matter as much as the cuisine.
His island-designed kitchen, just large enough for his brigade of four, maintains the equilibrium between those who cook and those who serve. It also, he insists, reflects his temperament: "I'm a worrier and like to know what's going down and that everything is perfect. When I worked in closed kitchens I was always asking: how is table X or Y? Now I've taken that stress away, I can adjust the service to individual tables because I can see and read the people sitting at them."
The format, like everything at Cornerstone, is an extension of his personality. A kneehole desk and antique long case clock came from his grandmother's house, and the sale of the house, along with support from his family, helped finance him. Having invested so much of himself in the business, he's shrewd enough to realise that opening a Mk II lookalike wouldn't work: "If I treated it as a concept and shoved it into Shoreditch or Brixton, it wouldn't be the same. You couldn't bottle the magic of this place."
Flying solo: Tom Brown brings a taste of Cornwall to Hackney with Cornerstone >>
On a roll: Gary Usher's masterclass for a roast stuffed pork belly >>
Tags Chef, Recipes, Restaurants, Chef Masterclass, Tom Brown and Cornerstone


For additional information on the SETUPS: Voting Behavior: The 2016 Election, please visit the Voting Behavior: The 2016 Election Web site.
Voting Behavior, The 2016 Election is an instructional module designed to offer students the opportunity to analyze a dataset drawn from the American National Election (ANES) 2016 Time Series Study [ICPSR 36824]. This instructional module is part of the SETUPS (Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science) series and differs from previous modules in that it is completely online, including the data analysis system components.
The SETUPS: Voting Behavior: The 2016 Election is a new module that was developed to provide students the opportunity to analyze data from the most recent presidential election.
The data for this instructional package are drawn from the American National Election (ANES) 2016 Time Series Study. The study designers were interested in how people respond to different kinds of surveys, so they designed the ANES 2016 Time Series Study to be conducted both through face-to-face interviews and through the Internet. Approximately 27 percent of the respondents were interviewed face-to-face, while the other 73 percent participated in a Web-based interview. Only a portion of all the information collected by the study is contained in this dataset, and the selected data have been prepared for instructional purposes.
A stratified cluster probability sampling method was utilized. For additional information, please refer to the Survey Research Methods section of ICPSR's Voting Behavior in the 2016 Election's Web page.
The response rate for the face-to-face 2016 ANES sample is 50 percent, while the response rate for the Internet survey was 44 percent. The dataset for this instructional package includes only respondents who were interviewed both before and after the election.
The data are not weighted. However, the weight variable WEIGHT has been included and must be used in any analysis. Users must note that the frequencies found in the Codebook reflect the weighted data values.


Publisher of this ed. New York: J.W. Pratt & Co.
Abstract A book of history and theology composed in America, in which Gulpaygani gives a defense and exposition of the Faith from a Christian point of view. For many years, until Esslemont's Baha'u'llah and the New Era, it was a standard Baha'i textbook.
Notes This book is online in a variety of formats at archive.org. The PDF copy below has been stripped of blank pages. The text copy below is taken from a 1983 reprint of the 1929 edition of the book, which first published in 1902; it has been proofread but not formatted.
Last edited 2019-03-08 09:27 EDT. See previous versions [archive.org].


As we say goodbye to the final rest day of The Tour at Carcassonne and head off on stage 16, let's take a look back at the last few day's events, reaching a climax at the end of stage 15.
The race leader goes unchanged still, as Italian Vincenzo leads the way with a whopping lead time of 4 minutes and 37 seconds. This lead is sizeable to say the least, and is leaving the cycling world in shock, awe and admiration.
We then got the news that Simon Yates had been withdrawn after 15 stages of the Tour de France. This means that all but one British rider have been outed of the event, leaving only Sky's Geraint Thomas left in the race.


Stephen Rea (The Honourable Woman, V for Vendetta), Richard Schiff (The Affair, Ballers) and Sarah Bolger (Agent Carter, Once Upon a Time) have joined Counterpart, Starz's upcoming spy thriller, in recurring roles.
From MRC, Anonymous Content and Gilbert Films, Counterpart is the story of Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons), a lowly cog in a bureaucratic agency, who discovers that the agency he works for is really guarding a crossing into a parallel dimension. Through Howard and his "Counterpart" on the other side, the show will navigate themes of identity, what ifs, and lost love.
Schiff will play Director of Diplomacy Roland Fancher, an expert litigator and feared power negotiator between both dimensions in the series – an espionage thriller with a metaphysical twist. 'Fancher' is the head of the Office of Interchange's diplomacy department, responsible for negotiating the exchange of prisoners between worlds. Rea will play Alexander Pope, a charming old-world Englishman and an old friend of Prime, he's an éminence grise who pulls strings from behind the scenes and knows where all the bodies are buried — sometimes quite literally — in the complex and covert machinations on the "other side." Bolger is Anna, a mysterious young woman whose appearance on the "other side" threatens to disrupt the tenuous truce between Howard and his counterpart.
Counterpart also stars Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi, Nicholas Pinnock, Sara Serraiocco and Ulrich Thomsen.
Schiff is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency and Leverage Management. Rea is repped by ICM Partners and Manager Sue Leibman-Barking Dog Entertainment. Bolger is repped by CAA, Troika and Mosaic.
Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) directed the first episode. Created and written by Justin Marks, Counterpart is executive produced by Tyldum and Marks with Amy Berg, Gary Gilbert with Gilbert Films, Jordan Horowitz, Keith Redmon and Bard Dorros with Anonymous Content. Simmons also serves as a producer.


text:
Hero among us
QU grad student honored by Hamden Fire Department
Chatwan Mongkol, Staff Writer
A Quinnipiac graduate student was honored on Monday, Feb.10, by the Town of Hamden and its fire department after she performed life-saving CPR.
Courtney Vander May is a second-year doctoral student in the physical therapy program. Besides being a full-time student, she works as a waitress at Side Street Bar & Grille located on Dickerman Street in Hamden.
Vander May has been CPR-certified for almost two years, but she never expected to use the skill for the first time at the bar she works at.
Courtney Vander May
Courtney Vander May was presented with a certificate at a ceremony on Feb 10.
The incident happened on Sunday, Jan. 19, according to Lt. Rob Madigosky, one of the first responders.
While Vander May was having a conversation with one of her regular consumers, he started to slur his words, fell down and stopped breathing. At first, she thought that he was acting out to try to tell her a story.
"He was telling me a story, and so I thought he was just acting funny, like for the story purposes," Vander May said. "(He was) saying something about the sidewalks not being shoveled cause it had just snowed. I thought he was acting out, falling or slipping or something in the snow."
After he fell down and started turning purple, Vander May realized that wasn't a joke. She then started performing the skill she was trained in.
Vander May looked back to the incident and said that she was terrified, though she felt at the moment that she had to help him.
"I was talking to him like 'come on and keep going.' Like 'keep breathing, you're doing so great,'" Vander May said.
Madigosky, Firefighter Larry Bowden and Firefighter Jaime Bonet, the first responders from Hamden Fire Station 5, which responds to the calls from Whitney Avenue and the northside of the town, came two and a half minutes after the man fell down from just across the street. They took over the scene.
Madigosky said that without Vander May's help, the man wouldn't have survived.
"Once he went down, it took us two minutes to get there," Madigosky said. "And immediate CPR is always, always a benefit to the outcome of the patient."
The man was helped right away. They kept performing CPR, gave him medications and shocked him with an AED.
Vander May appreciated the credit that was given to her, though she felt like it wasn't only her that had helped.
"Yes, I helped. I definitely helped," Vander May said. "But I think (the first responders) did way more than they're giving themselves credit for."
Three weeks after the incident, the fire department held a ceremony on Monday, Feb. 10, to swear in new firefighters, as well as to honor Vander May after she saved the man's life.
Madigosky said that the fire department decided to honor her because it wasn't something that happens a lot in the community.
"It was just something great that we need to get out there and let people know more about it," Madigosky said.
Vander May didn't expect to be recognized at the ceremony. She knew that the fire department was swearing in new firefighters but had no idea her story was going to be told as an example of what the fire department should want and what firefighters should be.
"I was really honored to have that," Vander May said. "It was kind of surreal for a little bit. The news came and so many people, like it was videotaped."
Megan Crane, Vander May's friend and a second-year doctoral student in the physical therapy program, said that she was excited that the town brought attention to what her friend had done.
"I'm so proud of how brave (Vander May) was and I think it's so important for everyone to hear her story," Crane said. "If god forbids something like this ever happened to someone I loved, I can only hope that there is a Courtney somewhere nearby."
As another CPR-certified person, Crane was glad that Vander May was able to prove that being CPR-certified isn't something only health care providers should do. That's what Vander May hoped to the public to take from her story.
"I definitely appreciate the recognition, but I just want it to reach people to inspire someone to get certified," Vander May said.
Vander May explained that it would take only $86 to get certified. She said it would be silly if people choose not to spend that.
"There was never a moment where that I would expect to have to use it in a hospital with medically unstable patients," Vander May said. "I ended up having to use it in the bar I work (at)."
It was the first time Vander May did CPR, and hoped it was the last time she had to do such a thing.
hamden fire department
Chatwan Mongkol, Digital News Editor
Hamden and QU communities give back to the elderly before the holidays
QU medical school allows people to donate bodies after death
Reproductive health lawyer, medical students reflect on health care in post-Roe v. Wade U.S.
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at QU during LGBTQ History Month
First woman exonerated from death row shares her story at QU
From QU to the big screen
Quinnipiac ranked third among 311 universities for military students
On the Rocks Pub rebrands under new student management
Quinnipiac 'actively monitoring' monkeypox virus, university says
All The Quinnipiac Chronicle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest


text:
Blues For Easy Livers
Jimmy Witherspoon
Although titled Blues for Easy Livers, this mid-Sixties set of a dozen songs contains only two true blues: "How Long Will It Take to be a Man?" (a biting social commentary in perfect sync with the civil rights movement of the period) and the classic "Trouble in Mind." The rest are time-honored pop tunes, yet Jimmy Witherspoon informs each with an aching blues quality, using his warmly resonant baritone voice and distinctively delayed phrasing to cut to the emotional core of the lyrics. Baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, trombonist Bill Watrous, and pianist Roger Kellaway are among the jazz heavyweights lending support to the versatile vocalist.
with Bill Watrous, Pepper Adams, Roger Kellaway, Richard Davis, Mel Lewis
Other Releases by Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon -
Jazz Me Blues: The Best Of Jimmy Witherspoon
The Concerts
Rockin' L.A.
Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues
Baby, Baby, Baby
Evenin' Blues
Blue Spoon / Spoon In London
Blues Around The Clock


text:
Employers sweeping in to offer jobs to Taylor…
Employers sweeping in to offer jobs to Taylor Primanti Bros. employees; eatery offers no comment
Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar
One business's loss appears to be another business's gain.
Employees tasked to help clear out Primanti Bros. Restaurant & Bar after its permanent closure or risk forfeiting severance pay are angry about the way they lost their jobs and how the company handled it, according to one employee.
The restaurant, 23000 Eureka Road, inside Southland Center, suddenly shut down on Tuesday.
Employees, customers stunned; Primanti Bros. abruptly closes restaurant in Taylor
There was only one other Primanti Bros. restaurant in the state — in Novi — and it closed in a similar fashion.
An employee there said they did not get word of the shutdown until showing up for work on Tuesday morning — the same as employees at the Taylor eatery.
Primanti Bros. Restaurant & Bar opened in 2016 and abruptly closed its doors Tuesday morning. (Dave Herndon — The News-Herald)
DCC gets $1.6M grant; expands economic development, small business services
Employees left without a job have voiced their frustration not only about the lack of notice, but also the silence from the corporation.
Since the closure, calls and emails from The News-Herald for comment on why the business closed its Michigan restaurants and what is being done for employees have gone unanswered.
There also is no official word on what customers who have gift cards can do.
After speaking with the company's CEO, a customer representative for Primanti Bros. said a press release would be forthcoming.
As of Friday afternoon, four days after the strategically planned closure and loss of numerous jobs, the representative said no comment has been offered from the company that vowed to "treat customers as a member of its family."
The Taylor and Novi restaurants have been wiped off the corporate map and from its list of restaurants in the country.
As the news of the Taylor restaurant's shutter began to spread throughout the Downriver area, word of other available opportunities for work at other establishments started to flood social media sites.
Primanti Bros. Restaurant & Bar were well known Downriver for its "Almost Famous" sandwich. The Taylor restaurant is now permanently closed.(Photo courtesy of Primanti Bros.)
The general manager of one sandwich business posted that he has three eateries and is hiring at all locations.
Employees happy with their jobs put in a word for their own workplace.
Jacob Hasson said he, too, was recently laid off, but was able to find work.
He said there is plenty of work out there; people just have to look.
"Luckily, there's a ton of restaurants hiring Downriver, pretty much all of them," Andrea Morris posted on social media.
Looking at the situation from a different perspective, she called the lack of notice for employees a "necessary evil" for businesses, noting that workers might quit or approach their jobs differently knowing their employment is coming to an end.
Joe Romero offered words of comfort, and caution, for all the employees impacted by the closure.
"Extremely sorry this happened to you all," his social media post said. "Just keep in mind no matter how tight you may think you are with a company, you will always remain a number. Someone there knew this would happen. Life lesson: never give your two-weeks anywhere from here on out."


Could Governor Rauner's recent ban on Syrian refugees be expanded to include other refugee groups? Sources with friends in Springfield say yes.
"Once you accept that a governor can decide who can and cannot resettle in their state, the sky's the limit!" Said one source.
Anther source listed other possible redefined groups he could define as refugees.
Don, a Wisconsin resident currently visiting Illinois, is outraged at Rauner's possible new refugee bans.
Randal, who lives on the West side of Chicago, is also concerned about Rauner's possible plans.
A spokesperson for Rauner denied that there are plans to change the definition of "refugee" in Illinois. She also clarified his position on Syrian refugees.