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Home > Members > Representative Paul McHale
Representative Paul McHale (1950 - )In Congress 1993 - 1999
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
Pennsylvania 15 House: 103rd-105th (1993-1999)
Legislation Sponsored or Cosponsored by Paul McHale
House Committee : Rules
1. H.R.3502 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Independent Commission on Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1998 Sponsor: Rep. White, Rick [R-WA-1] (Introduced 03/18/1998) Cosponsors: (80) Committees: House - House Oversight, Rules Latest Action: House - 03/18/1998 Referred to House Rules (All Actions) Tracker:
2. H.R.2431 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 Sponsor: Rep. Wolf, Frank R. [R-VA-10] (Introduced 09/08/1997) Cosponsors: (131) Committees: House - International Relations, Ways and Means, Judiciary, Banking and Financial Services, Rules Committee Reports: H. Rept. 105-480,Part 1; H. Rept. 105-480,Part 2; H. Rept. 105-480,Part 3 Latest Action: 10/27/1998 Became Public Law No: 105-292. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1998-05-08 [displayText] => Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 105-480, Part III. [externalActionCode] => 5000 [description] => Introduced )
Array ( [actionDate] => 1998-05-14 [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 375 - 41, 1 Present (Roll No. 155). [externalActionCode] => 8000 [description] => Passed House )
Array ( [actionDate] => 1998-10-09 [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Yea-Nay Vote. 98-0. Record Vote No: 310. [externalActionCode] => 17000 [description] => Passed Senate )
Array ( [actionDate] => 1998-10-10 [displayText] => Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to by voice vote.(consideration: CR H10434-10447) [externalActionCode] => 19500 [description] => Resolving Differences )
3. H.R.2003 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Budget Enforcement Act of 1997 Sponsor: Rep. Barton, Joe [R-TX-6] (Introduced 06/20/1997) Cosponsors: (62) Committees: House - Budget, Rules, Ways and Means Latest Action: House - 07/23/1997 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. (All Actions) Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1997-07-23 [displayText] => Failed of passage/not agreed to in House: On passage Failed by recorded vote: 81 - 347 (Roll no. 301). [externalActionCode] => 9000 [description] => Failed House )
4. H.R.1614 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Independent Commission on Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1997 Sponsor: Rep. White, Rick [R-WA-1] (Introduced 05/14/1997) Cosponsors: (116) Committees: House - House Oversight, Rules Latest Action: House - 05/14/1997 Referred to the Committee on House Oversight, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (All Actions) Tracker:
5. H.R.957 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Ethics Reform Act of 1997 Sponsor: Rep. Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] (Introduced 03/05/1997) Cosponsors: (3) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 03/05/1997 Referred to the House Committee on Rules. (All Actions) Tracker:
6. H.R.600 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) American Political Reform Act Sponsor: Rep. Farr, Sam [D-CA-17] (Introduced 02/05/1997) Cosponsors: (106) Committees: House - House Oversight, Ways and Means, Commerce, Government Reform and Oversight, Rules Latest Action: 03/30/1998 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1703-1704) (All Actions) Tracker:
7. H.R.406 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Commission to Save Medicare Act of 1997 Sponsor: Rep. English, Phil [R-PA-21] (Introduced 01/09/1997) Cosponsors: (17) Committees: House - Ways and Means, Commerce, Rules, Budget Latest Action: House - 02/24/1997 Referred to the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House. (All Actions) Tracker:
8. H.R.335 — 105th Congress (1997-1998) Commission on the Future for America's Veterans Act Sponsor: Rep. Solomon, Gerald B. H. [R-NY-22] (Introduced 01/07/1997) Cosponsors: (19) Committees: House - Veterans' Affairs, Rules Latest Action: House - 02/24/1997 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (All Actions) Tracker:
9. H.R.2564 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 Sponsor: Rep. Canady, Charles T. [R-FL-12] (Introduced 10/31/1995) Cosponsors: (16) Committees: House - Judiciary, Government Reform and Oversight, Rules, Ways and Means Committee Reports: H. Rept. 104-339 Latest Action: House - 11/29/1995 Laid on the table. See S. 1060 for further action. (All Actions) Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1995-11-14 [displayText] => Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 104-339, Part I. [externalActionCode] => 5000 [description] => Introduced )
10. H.R.2152 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Commission to Save Medicare Act of 1995 Sponsor: Rep. English, Phil [R-PA-21] (Introduced 08/01/1995) Cosponsors: (30) Committees: House - Budget, Commerce, Rules, Ways and Means Latest Action: House - 09/05/1995 Referred to the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House. (All Actions) Tracker:
11. H.R.1576 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Revolving Door Act of 1995 Sponsor: Rep. Zimmer, Dick [R-NJ-12] (Introduced 05/03/1995) Cosponsors: (15) Committees: House - House Oversight, Judiciary, Rules Latest Action: House - 09/05/1995 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Legislative and Budget Process. (All Actions) Tracker:
12. H.R.1162 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Deficit Reduction Lock-box Act of 1995 Sponsor: Rep. Crapo, Mike [R-ID-2] (Introduced 03/08/1995) Cosponsors: (81) Committees: House - Budget, Government Reform and Oversight, Rules | Senate - Budget, Governmental Affairs Committee Reports: H. Rept. 104-205 Latest Action: Senate - 09/14/1995 Received in the Senate and read twice and referred jointly to the Committees on Budget; Governmental Affairs pursuant to the order of August 4, 1977, with instructions that if one Committee reports, the other Committee have thirty days to report or be discharged. (All Actions) Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1995-07-25 [displayText] => Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Rules. H. Rept. 104-205, Part I. [externalActionCode] => 5000 [description] => Introduced )
13. H.R.1 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Sponsor: Rep. Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] (Introduced 01/04/1995) Cosponsors: (176) Committees: House - Economic and Educational Opportunities, House Oversight, Government Reform and Oversight, Rules, Judiciary Latest Action: Senate - 01/13/1995 Message on Senate action sent to the House. (All Actions) Notes: This bill had multiple sponsors. Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1995-01-05 [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 429 - 0 (Roll no. 15). [externalActionCode] => 8000 [description] => Passed House )
14. H.Res.423 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Congressional Travel Accountability Resolution Sponsor: Rep. Ganske, Greg [R-IA-4] (Introduced 05/02/1996) Cosponsors: (27) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 05/02/1996 Referred to the House Committee on Rules. (All Actions) Tracker:
15. H.Res.333 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Providing for the consideration of H.R. 2530, a bill to provide for deficit reduction and achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 2002. Sponsor: Rep. Condit, Gary A. [D-CA-18] (Introduced 01/04/1996) Cosponsors: (29) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 01/30/1996 Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Condit. Petition No: 104-9. (All Actions) Tracker:
16. H.Res.286 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) To limit the access of lobbyists to the Hall of the House. Sponsor: Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6] (Introduced 11/29/1995) Cosponsors: (29) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 01/03/1996 Referred to the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House. (All Actions) Tracker:
17. H.Res.250 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide for gift reform. Sponsor: Rep. Waldholtz, Enid Greene [R-UT-2] (Introduced 10/30/1995) Cosponsors: (28) Committees: House - Rules Committee Reports: H. Rept. 104-337 Latest Action: House - 11/16/1995 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. (All Actions) Tracker:
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Array ( [actionDate] => 1995-11-16 [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by recorded vote: 422 - 6 (Roll no. 809). [externalActionCode] => 8000 [description] => Agreed to in House )
18. H.Res.221 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Providing that consideration in the House of Representatives and its committees and subcommittees thereof of any legislation changing existing law with respect to medicare or medicaid pursuant to the reconciliation instructions of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1996 shall be preceded by adequate time for public examination of such legislation and public hearings thereon, and expressing the sense of the House that the Senate should similarly provide for such public examination and hearings. Sponsor: Rep. Gephardt, Richard A. [D-MO-3] (Introduced 09/13/1995) Cosponsors: (200) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 01/03/1996 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Legislative and Budget Process. (All Actions) Tracker:
19. H.Res.212 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the provisions of S. 4 (the Line Item Veto Act), as passed by the House, should apply to all fiscal year 1996 appropriation bills and to the reconciliation bill required by H. Con. Res. 67. Sponsor: Rep. Orton, Bill [D-UT-3] (Introduced 08/04/1995) Cosponsors: (66) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 09/05/1995 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Legislative and Budget Process. (All Actions) Tracker:
20. H.Res.196 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to eliminate the discretion of the Speaker to name another Member to perform the duties of the Chair without the approval of two-thirds of the Members, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. McHale, Paul [D-PA-15] (Introduced 07/19/1995) Cosponsors: (0) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 09/05/1995 Referred to the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House. (All Actions) Tracker:
21. H.Res.195 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reduce the time for a recorded vote from 15 minutes to 2 minutes, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. McHale, Paul [D-PA-15] (Introduced 07/19/1995) Cosponsors: (0) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 09/05/1995 Referred to the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House. (All Actions) Tracker:
22. H.Res.160 — 104th Congress (1995-1996) Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 1535) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to revise the tax rules on expatriation, to modify the basis rules for nonresident aliens becoming citizens or residents, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Ward, Mike [D-KY-3] (Introduced 05/25/1995) Cosponsors: (86) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 05/25/1995 Referred to the House Committee on Rules. (All Actions) Tracker:
23. H.R.4822 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Congressional Accountability Act of 1994 Sponsor: Rep. Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] (Introduced 07/25/1994) Cosponsors: (16) Committees: House - House Administration, Education and Labor, Government Operations, Rules, Judiciary | Senate - Governmental Affairs Committee Reports: H.Rept 103-650 Part 1; H.Rept 103-650 Part 2 Latest Action: Senate - 10/03/1994 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 710. (All Actions) Tracker:
Array ( [actionDate] => 1994-10-03 [displayText] => Committee on Governmental Affairs. Reported to Senate by Senator Glenn with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. With written report No. 103-397. [externalActionCode] => 14000 [description] => Introduced )
24. H.R.4057 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Deficit Reduction Lock Box Act of 1994 Sponsor: Rep. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY-9] (Introduced 03/16/1994) Cosponsors: (154) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: House - 03/21/1994 Referred to the Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security. (All Actions) Tracker:
25. H.R.3633 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Truth in Voting Act of 1993 Sponsor: Rep. Crapo, Mike [R-ID-2] (Introduced 11/22/1993) Cosponsors: (85) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: House - 12/06/1993 Referred to the Subcommittee on Information, Justice, Transportation and Agriculture. (All Actions) Tracker:
26. H.R.2729 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Congressional Accountability Act Sponsor: Rep. Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] (Introduced 07/23/1993) Cosponsors: (6) Committees: House - House Administration, Rules Latest Action: House - 07/14/1994 Committee Hearings Held. (All Actions) Tracker:
27. H.R.2099 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Equity for Congress Act Sponsor: Rep. Klink, Ron [D-PA-4] (Introduced 05/12/1993) Cosponsors: (23) Committees: House - Education and Labor, Government Operations, House Administration, Judiciary, Public Works and Transportation, Rules Latest Action: House - 07/25/1994 See H.R.4822. (All Actions) Tracker:
28. H.R.1597 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Line Item Veto Act Sponsor: Rep. Minge, David [D-MN-2] (Introduced 04/01/1993) Cosponsors: (12) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: House - 04/29/1993 See H.R.1578. (All Actions) Tracker:
29. H.R.1578 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Expedited Rescissions Act of 1993 Sponsor: Rep. Spratt, John M., Jr. [D-SC-5] (Introduced 04/01/1993) Cosponsors: (32) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules | Senate - Budget, Governmental Affairs Latest Action: Senate - 10/05/1994 Committee on Budget. Hearings held. (All Actions) Tracker:
30. H.R.1295 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) FAIR Act Sponsor: Rep. Moran, James P. [D-VA-8] (Introduced 03/10/1993) Cosponsors: (247) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: House - 08/11/1994 See H.R.4771. (All Actions) Tracker:
31. H.R.1088 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Small Business and Private Economic Sector Impact Act Sponsor: Rep. Baker, Richard H. [R-LA-6] (Introduced 02/24/1993) Cosponsors: (16) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: House - 03/01/1993 Referred to the Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security. (All Actions) Tracker:
32. H.R.1084 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Public Service Accountability Act of 1993 Sponsor: Rep. Bacchus, Jim [D-FL-15] (Introduced 02/24/1993) Cosponsors: (3) Committees: House - Judiciary, Post Office and Civil Service, Rules Latest Action: House - 07/14/1993 Referred to the Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations. (All Actions) Tracker:
33. H.R.1013 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Expedited Consideration of Proposed Rescissions Act of 1993 Sponsor: Rep. Stenholm, Charles W. [D-TX-17] (Introduced 02/18/1993) Cosponsors: (95) Committees: House - Government Operations, Rules Latest Action: 04/29/1993 See H.R.1578. (All Actions) Tracker:
34. H.R.349 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Congressional Accountability Act Sponsor: Rep. Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] (Introduced 01/05/1993) Cosponsors: (251) Committees: House - Education and Labor, Government Operations, House Administration, Judiciary, Rules, Ways and Means Latest Action: House - 07/25/1994 See H.R.4822. (All Actions) Tracker:
35. H.Res.445 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 3266) to provide for automatic downward adjustments in the discretionary spending limits for fiscal year 1994 set forth in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 equal to the amount of rescissions contained in the Act. Sponsor: Rep. Deal, Nathan [D-GA-9] (Introduced 05/26/1994) Cosponsors: (32) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 05/26/1994 Referred to the House Committee on Rules. (All Actions) Tracker:
36. H.Res.23 — 103rd Congress (1993-1994) To establish the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. Sponsor: Rep. Schroeder, Patricia [D-CO-1] (Introduced 01/05/1993) Cosponsors: (86) Committees: House - Rules Latest Action: House - 02/04/1993 Laid on the table. (All Actions) Tracker:
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new-article 111674701220873 https://lifestyle.livemint.com story https://lifestyle.livemint.com Food /food/discover/former-mcdonald-s-reopen-in-kazakhstan-without-logo-111674701220873.html https://images.livemint.com/img/2023/01/26/68x68/FOOD-SANCTIONS-_1674701278224_1674701278467_1674701278467.jpg
Home > Food> Discover > Former McDonald's reopen in Kazakhstan without logo
Several restaurants formerly working under the McDonald's brand reopened in the capital of Kazakhstan, just weeks after the fast food giant announced its departure citing supply difficulties
/food/discover/former-mcdonald-s-reopen-in-kazakhstan-without-logo-111674701220873.html 111674701220873 story
People have lunch in a former McDonald's restaurant which recently reopened without branding, in Almaty on January 25, 2023. On January 23, 2023, some of the former McDonald's restaurants also reopened in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and economic hub. (Photo by Ruslan PRYANIKOV / AFP) (AFP)
Several restaurants that used to work under the McDonald's brand in Kazakhstan reopened on Wednesday without the chain's logo, weeks after the fast-food giant exited the country over supply problems.
Food Solutions KZ, the company that used to operate the local McDonald's franchise, said three restaurants were resuming operations in the capital Astana and information aboud their new name and menu would come soon.
The McDonald's logo no longer appeared on the reopened restaurants, with only a yellow capital M in the words "My Otkryty ("We Are Open").
The names of items on the menu have also been slightly altered.
On Monday, some of the former McDonald's restaurants also reopened in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and economic hub.
McDonald's opened its first restaurant in the vast Central Asian country in 2016.
It operated 24 restaurants across six cities in Kazakhstan, with the local franchise run by Kairat Boranbayev, a relative of Kazakhstan's first president Nursultan Nazarbayev
Boranbayev, Kazakhstan's 14th richest person in 2021 according to Forbes, was in March accused of embezzlement.
In early January, the local operator said McDonald's would close its doors in Kazakhstan due to supply restrictions.
The Kazakh agriculture ministry later said that there were issues with the supply of Russian-produced meats and other products due to McDonald's leaving Russia.
Like many Western brand giants, McDonald's left neighbouring Russia last year after the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
In Russia, McDonald's was bought by a Russian businessman and renamed "Delicious. Full Stop" ("Vkusno i Tochka" in Russian).

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Brad, you've been doing a great job with the E2015 founders' vault. I am very excited. Now, can you go tell Paul to throw some stuff up in the GCIII vault? We need pics of Yor and screenshots of versions of the combat viewer that will be scrapped by Beta3.
This founder thing is addictive: GCIII, E2015, and OTC, and I'm super excited about all 3!


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How Blackpink became the biggest K-pop girl band in the world
By Taylor Glasby
From breaking streaming records to causing a storm on the front row, we examine how the four-piece became one of the biggest girl bands in pop
It's taken just four years for Blackpink to become one of the biggest girl bands in the world, with members Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa continuing to smash new records and forge new ground. They were the first K-pop girl group to play at Coachella and to reach 1bn YouTube views—now they're the most-subscribed-to music group on the platform—as well as being the first girl group from any country to feature on Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 list.
In 2019, they broke three Guinness World Records with the single Kill This Love, which has had more than 312m plays on Spotify and over 824m YouTube views—a mere fraction of the quartet's billions of streams, downloads, views and followers. That same year they also undertook the most financially successful concert tour by a Korean female group. They're front-row fixtures at runway shows and the faces of mega brands including Chanel, Puma, Louis Vuitton and Dior. And all this with just a handful of songs in their repertoire. How on earth did they do it?
Read more: How K-Pop took over the world in the 2010s
Chung Sung-Jun
New-gen girl band
As the first girl group in seven years out of YG Entertainment (home to K-pop legends BIGBANG, 2NE1 and formerly, Psy), excitement prior to Blackpink's August 2016 debut had built to fever pitch. There were big shoes to fill; the beloved, trailblazing four-member girl group 2NE1 were over and Blackpink were expected to revive the bold EDM pop sound they'd embodied. Their debut, Square One, was an overnight smash, the insistent build of Whistle and cocky chorus on Boombayah making for a short but thrilling introduction.
In November 2016, second single album Square Two featured a pop banger (Playing With Fire), an acoustic version of Whistle and Stay, a country-influenced track that allowed them to flex their vocal wings away from their 'girl crush' concept (K-pop vernacular for a fiery look and sound that's proved immensely popular with international audiences).
Though dubbed 'the new 2NE1' during their rookie days, watching some of their first appearances on Korean variety shows brings into focus not only Blackpink's chaotically entertaining presence but the determination to carve out their own identities. Vocalist Jisoo has become a face for beauty brands Kiss Me and Dior; rapper and vocalist Jennie has branched out as a soloist and a powerful influencer; New Zealand-born Rosé's distinct vocal has seen her on hits for G-Dragon, while Thailand-born rapper and dancer Lisa is the most-followed K-pop star on Instagram.
Then, and now, they recognise the need for each other to complete the group alchemy that's endeared them to millions. "I don't think a specific member should do more dancing or one member does more singing. I think Blackpink's harmony is complete because of each person's energy," Jennie told Vogue Korea earlier this year.
A post shared by VOGUE KOREA (@voguekorea)
The Blinks
Avril, a 16-year-old Blink (Blackpink's fandom name) from Peru discovered them in 2018. "Everything about them made me become a fan," she tells Vogue over Twitter. "The way they perform, their iconic songs and choreos, their friendship, even the way they dress. Blackpink were on a whole new level." Meanwhile, McElvin, a 22-year-old long-time K-pop fan in the Philippines, was on board even before their debut. "Blackpink has this engaging, charismatic feeling," he explains via Twitter. "They're the visualisation of pure talent and energy that a K-pop girl group must have. They're the whole package for me."
The longstanding vision of K-pop as a blinged-out, ultra-slick fantasy world was created by three labels—YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment. YG is renowned for maximalist visuals and a heavy, club-friendly sound devised by in-house writer/producer Teddy Park—the man behind some of K-pop's biggest, hookiest hits. On Blackpink's 2018 Ddu-du-ddu-du (DDDD for short) all these elements aligned to produce an irresistible pop package.
Nineteen-year-old Ally (not her real name), a Singaporean who runs a sizeable fan account on Twitter calls DDDD "their total breakthrough". Success lay in the catchy titular refrain, the memorable finger-gun dance and a gloriously excessive video, but also in Blackpink themselves as aspirational but emulatable, aesthetically fierce but not intimidating, killer on stage but adorable off it. The four-track EP, Square Up, would go platinum in South Korea, DDDD would reach gold in the US, becoming their first billion-view video, and Kill This Love would make them the first-ever Korean girl group to enter the UK singles chart.
Read more: 7 K-pop stars shaping fashion in 2020
Is less more?
These milestones came via a fandom that had grown rapidly since late 2016, but who had to wait eight months for 2017's single As If It's Your Last, then an entire year for its follow-up Square Up. One release per year was once standard in K-pop, when there were fewer groups fighting for a share of a small domestic market. Groups now average two or three releases (known as 'comebacks') a year in a bid to grow and maintain fandoms, but YG Entertainment—one of South Korea's oldest K-pop agencies—remained unapologetically committed to less is more.
It's not a failsafe plan—it draws constant fan criticism, petitions and boycott threats—but the old-school approach, in an era of oversaturation and instant gratification, has created heightened desire and demand. It's turned every comeback into a global event and has funnelled the fandom's streaming power into the kind of headline-making, spreadsheet-melting numbers that have seduced many a label executive.
Dominique Charriau
Fashion's FROW favourites
Like many successful musicians, Blackpink understands the power in marrying the worlds of music and fashion. Their innate understanding of style has made them hot property, with the girls now FROW fixtures at Fashion Week. In September 2019, Jisoo popped to London for Burberry, while Rosé wowed at Saint Laurent (and was also asked by Anthony Vaccarello to be brand ambassador). Meanwhile, Jennie found herself next to Cardi B at Chanel, for whom she is also a brand ambassador.
In February 2020, Lisa—currently muse for Hedi Slimane's Celine—took a trip to Milan for Prada's AW20 shows. Given their proven selling power—magazines have reported needing to print quadruple copies to supply demand, their tours sell out in seconds—the relationship between the band and fashion's leading houses will long continue to flourish.
A global plan
Blackpink signed to US-based Interscope Records in late 2018, a direct play for the American market and something no South Korean girl group had tried since Girls' Generation in 2012. Despite their skill and experience, Blackpink's awkward, lacklustre February 2019 performances on Good Morning America and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert were widely panned. But in front of a vast, mostly K-pop-unaware audience at Coachella, the universality of the group's songs bloomed, earning rave reviews. A high point was the rousing Kill This Love, the title single from their new EP.
Kill This Love would go UK top 40 and US top 50, making Blackpink and BTS the only South Korean pop groups to have impacted these hard-to-reach singles charts. There will always be those dismissive of K-pop for reasons such as the language barrier yet, for decades, non-Korean-speaking audiences have connected in meaningful ways to its songs, and Blackpink is no exception. "They have [tracks] that can make you sentimental, songs to boost your confidence, you can literally dance all your sadness away just listening to them," says McElvin, while Sansi, an 18-year-old French Blink, describes their tracks via email as "a mix between sad and joyful. Blackpink puts so much love into everything they do, their energy and positive auras are so strong."
It's rare that the members aren't busy, even when there isn't a release to promote. They often turn to Instagram to communicate with their combined 128 million followers (including the main Blackpink account), and have focused on solidifying their A-list status as fashion icons (such as Jennie's recent collaboration with luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster), industry mentors and accidental viral queens (Lisa's stint on survival show Youth With You and her performance video that became a Did it work? meme).
And finally, a year after their last record, the wait is almost over. There's the forthcoming Lady Gaga collaboration, Sour Candy, on her album Chromatica, and a June comeback from the band itself. Blinks are ecstatic. "They never disappoint," says Avril. "Their name is becoming bigger and bigger, and I couldn't be more proud. They deserve it." Undoubtedly the new material will be a success; there's nowhere for the quartet to go except up.
The question might be, what exactly does this success look like? Could they eventually be the first K-pop girl group to break the west? The opportunity is there for the taking, but that means new successes must be capitalised upon and old strategies reexamined and refined. Now is the time for Blackpink to really be the revolution.
lisa Celebrities blackpink K-Pop Jennie Jisoo Rosé
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Singapore Airlines was named "The Best Airline in the World" for 22 years.
It won the best international airline in the world by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards. It held the no. 1 spot in terms of comfort, customer service, food and value.
…but this is certainly no surprise.
Purchase an premium economy seat on SIA and you'll feel like you're on first class. The seats are 19.5 inches wide, with plenty of extra room, combined with an eight-inch recliner. It offers two USB ports, reading lamps, cocktail tables, noise-cancelling headphones and champagne—practically a premium service.
How did the brand become one of the best airlines in the world? It took great lengths to develop and personify its brand.
For starters, the Singapore Girl is the name for the airlines' female flight attendants. They wear the country's distinctive "sarong kebaya" as a uniform, created by French haute couture designer, Pierre Balmain, in 1968. Since then, these flight stewardesses have been used to represent the airline's care, graciousness, warmth and efficiency in delivering a unique in-flight experience.
Over the years, the Singapore girl has been an icon for the country. It encapsulates the brand's Asian values and commitment to quality and service. In fact, the company has won the most awards, compared to any other aline. This includes the "World's Best Cabin Crew Service" from the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards for 23 consecutive years.
What's the secret to the company's excellence in service?
Both male and female cabin and flight crew undergo a 15-week long training program, which is longer than most programs in the industry.
By going the extra mile to ensure that its employees will deliver excellent customer service, Singapore Airlines is able to maintain its status as one of the best airlines in the world.
Why do miniature videos go viral?
There's just something interesting about creating and building tiny versions of everyday items.
Singapore Airlines latched onto this trend. They partnered with Dentsu Mobius to showcase how their popular dishes are made, by creating its miniscule version.
No detail was too small, when it came to creating dishes that were 5.5 cm long. In fact, the brand released miniature of videos that included the Singaporean Signature Satay, Coorgie Murgh Karma, among many others.
In another video, SIA commissioned American designer Luca Iaconi-Stewart to showcase the rigor that comes with creating SIA's airplane seats. Not surprisingly, it garnered nine million views on Facebook.
Airlines love to create in-flight safety videos to make consumers confident about their safety mechanisms. But Singapore Airlines took these videos to a whole new level.
In the video, viewers join Elizabeth Quek, an airline hostess on a journey through Singapore including locations like Boat Quay, Haji Lane, Capitol Theatre and the Gardens by the Bay. While she goes around the city, she demonstrates safety regulations and procedures in a flight.
The video has garnered 800,000 views on Youtube. It's also a great attempt to get passengers to watch safety demonstrations.
In its campaigns titled, "The Lengths We Go To", Singapore Airlines showcases its commitment to high-quality service. The campaign features three films featuring the Singapore Girl's efforts to deliver the best in-flight experience.
In one video titled, "Understanding Your Needs", the brand boasts of seeking high-quality authentic products to create its main dishes. The Singapore Girl visits a tea plantation and teahouse in Fujian to brew authentic Jasmine tea.
In the second video titled, "Creating Around You," the Singapore girl visits Andrew Muirhed & Son, Europe's oldest tannery, to find the softest leather. This highlights the brand's dedication to its consumer's comfort.
In the last video titled, "Bring You The World" the Singapore Girl goes to the Venice Film Festival and delivers films to consumers with different ethnic backgrounds. This depicts the airline's commitment to find films for everyone.
"The scenarios in the advertisements are examples of our commitment to delivering a special experience to our customers, with the Singapore Girl symbolising the lengths to which we go to bring them the feeling of home on every flight. The essence of the Singapore Girl and her gentle, caring ways remain especially relevant today. In this ever-changing world, it is even more important for service excellence to be the key differentiator," said Singapore Airlines' Executive Vice President (Commercial), Mr Mak Swee Wah.
Through these short videos, Singapore Airlines was able to portray the lengths that they go to, to make customers feel at home.


6th International Conference and Exhibition on Biologics and Biosimilars Organizing Committee invites you to attend the largest assemblage of biologics and biosimilars researchers from around the globe during October 19-21, 2016 at Houston, TX, USA.
This biosimilars conference will look at the multiple facets of current challenges in biosimilar development. This biosimilar conference will focus on multiple aspects of biosimilar product development to successfully deliver safe, potential and efficacious biologic products to the market.
The explorations in the field of biologics have created a new avenue for the clinicians towards better disease management. The emerging biologics have already manifested fruitful outcomes in treatment of ailments like those of psoriasis, rheumatic arthritis, certain cancers, inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) etc.Emerging Biosimilar insulins are likely to enter the insulin landscape as patents for major branded insulin products start to expire in the next few years. The main theme of this track is to have sound knowledge in the emerging biosimilars like Filgrastim, Pegfilgrastim, Recombinant blood products, therapeutic proteins, vaccines, Biosimilar anti-bodies, Growth hormones, Biosimilar peptides, therapeutic proteins and other biosimilar developments.
Biosimilars are the generic version of biological. It is the new buzz word in pharmaceutical industry. Biosimilars are highly similar to licensed reference product not withstanding minor differences in clinically inactive components; also there are no clinically meaningful differences between the biologicals and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency. This track includes: Licensing of biosimilars, Biosimilars regulation, Patent issues, BLA filing for biosimilars, Biosimilars regulatory prospects of BRIC countries, a paradigm of traditional generics to biosimilars, Biowaiver approval for Biosimilars and other aspects of Biosimilar approvals. Biosimilars 2016 will provide an excellent and global opportunity to the scientists, partners and pharma leaders from Biopharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries to innovate and to explore the strategic market for Biosimilars and Biologics with a clear picture of the regulatory approach for biosimilars and biologics.
Biosimilars is a biologic medical product which is copy of an original product that is manufactured by a different company. Biosimilars are officially approved versions of original biosimilar innovator products, and can be manufactured when the original product's patent expires. This session shall be highly beneficial for the biosimilar industry researchers to update themselves on the latest research updates from around the world. This session also finds place for all the biosimilar exhibitions associated with the field of biosimilars and biologics.
Biopharmaceutics Classification System and invitro and invivo classification discusses about ADME pathways of different drugs. This also includes BCS biowaivers, In vitro diffusion cells for dissolution testing in formulation development, In vitro preclinical ADME/BCS testing. The objective of this work was to suggest the biowaivers potential of biopharmaceutical classification system which are known to increase the solubility, dissolution, oral absorption of water insoluble drugs. The Biosimilars Congress 2016 aims at addressing all such challenges of the pharma formulation sector for biobetters, biologics, biosimilars and biowaivers.
This track is concentrated towards the different reviews and forecasts regarding the scenario of Biosimilars market and follow on Biologics. The present status and future scenario of the market are best to be discussed during this session. Market researches from the first launching of biosimilar to the newest one till date prospects for a radical change in the pharmaceutical market. Market researchers, market analysts, industrialists would be the apt participants for this session at Biosimilars 2016.
This session of the Biosimilars 2016 looks into the future and FDA initiatives that have already been announced to include enhanced tracking and follow-up of post market issues, planned improvements in AERS, and pilots of new post market drug-monitoring strategies. Current challenges in pharmacovigilance, Adverse drug reactions with pharmaceutical products, Biosimilar guidelines for pharmacovigilance practice and pharmacoepidemiology are the points that shall be laid emphasis in this session.
The Biosimilars conference 2016 is owned to bring together the worldwide top pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and regulatory representatives under one roof that will provide them the best platform to update and share knowledge related to biosimilars and biologics. Hence, the International Biosimilar Conference will unfold the multiple facets of biosimilars, ranging from the evolving regulatory landscapes, biosimilar guidelines to the legal and economic aspects and the then current challenges in biosimilar development. This biosimilar conference will focus on a variety of aspects of biosimilar product development to successful delivery of safe, efficacious and potent biosimilar products to the market. By attending this biologics conference one will gain a comprehensive outlook on the key issues surrounding biosimilars. An important platform for Biosimilars stakeholders to discuss and share best practices in expediting development in the field of Biologics and Biosimilars is ought to be Biosimilars 2016.
ConferenceSeries Ltd invites all pharmaceutical researchers, professionals, faculties and students the from across the globe to attend "6th International Conference and Exhibition on Biologics and Biosimilars" during October 19-21, 2016 in Houston, USA which includes keynote presentations from highly affiliated personalities, Oral talks, Poster presentations and Exhibitions.
Biosimilars 2016 focuses upon "The Present Scenario and Future Prospects of Biologics and Biosimilars". This biologics meeting focuses on the trends which the biosimilar markets is heading on since its launch till the present date and moving on to the projections in future. It takes into its fold the critical developmental procedures, analyses, regulatory factors and also pharmacovigilance including post marketing surveillance and clinical studies. Innovation and compliance to regulatory guidelines are the most critical aspects towards biosimilars and follow on biologics development and successful launching to the market.
cost of few hundred crores.The estimated cost of developing biosimilars for global markets is $75-250 million, while developing traditional non-biologic generics costs about $2-3 million.


This wonderful coffee spoon was designed by Toyo Ito. The "Il caffé Alessi" collection is growing! A new component, indivisible from the cup: a small coffee spoon. Kaeru is ideal for completing the cups of the same range from the "Tea&Coffee" project in 2003. The aim was to let the greatest international architects create coffee and tea services. They were confronted by designing such objects for the first time. This time, the designer produces a fabulous collection! The small coffee spoons are sold in sets of 4 (price above is for 1 set of 4).


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Home Reviews The Undoing review – Gripping TV mystery that makes remarkable use of its star power
The Undoing review – Gripping TV mystery that makes remarkable use of its star power
How much are you prepared to love those around you and stay loyal to them if there is a chance they may have done despicable things? That is the question at the heart of The Undoing, HBO's new limited series based on the novel You Should Have Known by author Jean Hanff Korelitz. The five-episode psychological thriller from acclaimed TV veteran David E. Kelley stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant as a married couple whose lives are torn apart following the murder of another parent from their son Henry's (Noah Jupe) elite school.
Like all good mysteries, not all is as it seems in The Undoing's inciting crime scene. Just as you think you might finally be starting to wrap your head around what possibly happened and exactly who did what, a new secret is revealed that leads you down an entirely different rabbit hole.
The series is told from the viewpoint of Kidman's successful psychologist Grace Fraser as she is introduced to a strange newcomer in her life, the soon-to-be-murder-victim Elena Alvez (Matilda De Angelis), who engages with her in a serious of peculiar encounters. Following Elena's death, Grace's familial stability is shattered as she discovers that the connection between her family and this "stranger" is a lot closer than she had realised. What's more, somebody in her family may have committed the heinous crime. As the police continue with their investigation, Grace now needs to figure out who to believe and hopefully uncover some of the harsh truths behind the crime for herself.
Using slow-moving, cleverly crafted character-building with investigative storytelling, secrets upon twists are revealed the further into the investigation Grace goes. Everyone is a suspect, and no one can be trusted. It's a story trope that is fairly generic for this sort of mystery affair, but thankfully you never feel any form of déjà vu or repetitiveness.
This is thanks to a combination of some compelling drama as a result of creator/writer David E Kelley's fantastic writing along with some incredible acting performances from Kidman, Grant and the gets-better-with-age-if-that's-even-possible Donald Sutherland.
And it is really the acting which deserves high praise as the characters in The Undoing are all brought to life brilliantly in their incredible complexity. It's a series that relies heavily on the nuances and subtleties of its characters to make sense of certain actions and thankfully the cast is more than up to the task. You will find yourselves straining to figure out where the truth lies as they pull off every part of the story so believably and effortlessly.
The Undoing is the kind of series that will likely be up for many awards next year based on just how exceptional the acting performances are and how well put together everything is. Kelly has been making premium TV dramas for over 30 years and he definitely knows how to bring out the best from his actors.
The story itself is well told and utterly captivating. While it starts off a little slow as it tries to introduce you to different characters, once you are thrust into the middle of the mystery you are pulled in many different directions, both in trying to decide who to believe and while getting emotionally connected to Kidman's character's predicament.
Much of what makes the journey so well-crafted is that besides for Kelley writing every episode, director Susanne Bier also helms the entire show (much like she did on the brilliant The Night Manager). As a result, every episode feels completely consistent in tone and design and part of the bigger story, with the actors feeding off that consistency in their powerhouse deliveries.
That's not to say The Undoing is perfect and devoid of fault. Some characters make dumb decisions in their quest to prove their innocence and certain story paths might be explored a little too much without adding anything crucial to the overarching murder mystery. The pace is not too belaboured to make these parts difficult to watch though and serves up some misdirection to prevent you from perhaps seeing some of the truths that might have been in front of you all the time.
While the murder of Elena is the core of the story that will keep you gripped, much like the different levels of secrets in the many characters, this film is also incredibly layered. On top of unravelling a mystery, it also dives into the lives of the rich and how their privilege leads them to far different behaviours than the rest of us of plebs.
In this age of high-quality TV series, there are definitely more thought-provoking, action-oriented, or even more thrilling shows out there. There are few out right now though that will pull at both your heartstrings and your nerves so effectively as you are enraptured by this tale of murder mystery and family tragedy. And at less than half a dozen episodes it's not unnecessarily drawn out, with each hour-long segment having only scant moments of boredom and building up to some rather tense and exciting climaxes. If you've ever watched HBO's Big Little Lies (which is also created by Kelley and stars Kidman) then you have an idea of what to expect from this series, though despite some similarities, it does stand on its own in style, scope, and powerful drama.
This is no reinvention of the murder mystery genre, but with superbly-acted characters, twisting tension, and a story that keeps you hooked throughout, The Undoing is a killer example of it.
The Undoing will debut on Showmax on 30 November 2020.
A compelling, character-driven murder mystery that features some terrific performances from its talented cast while offering plenty of dramatic twists along the way.
Black Mirror creator Charlie Booker is making a 2020 mockumentary for Netflix
2020 was such a tumultuously crazy year you wouldn't be surprised if it all ended up being…
A suburban housewife is on the trail of her missing husband in the dark comedy Breaking News in Yuba County
After her husband goes missing, Sue Buttons (Allison Janney), an underappreciated suburban wife, gets a taste of being a local celebrity as she embarks on a search to find him. She quickly finds herself in over her head, dodging cops, criminals and local reporters all aiming to uncover the truth. After being overlooked for so long, Sue goes to exaggerated lengths to prolong her "15 minutes of fame" and keep the truth from coming out.
Lenovo's new Legion laptops are rocking the latest AMD and Nvidia tech in 2021
80s cult classic film Buckaroo Banzai is getting a sequel… novel
Job openings at Sucker Punch are hinting at a Ghost of Tsushima sequel
Elder Scrolls Online: Gates of Oblivion expansion delayed due to US Inauguration Day being more interesting
No More Room in Hell 2 shambles to life again with a new Steam page
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Watch Dracula and other classic monster movies for free on YouTube for a week
No WhatsApp for you after February 8 unless you give Facebook permission to harvest your data


This November we held our first ever portfolio tasting at the New Bedford Art Museum in New Bedford, MA. Part educational tasting, part fundraiser, mostly party, we're pleased to say that the night turned out very well. The museum's galleries were packed with friends, family, and newbies to the Heavenly sphere, mingling, conversing, eating, and of course, tasting our French wines and spirits.
We poured over 60 of our award-winning products from our nearly 20 independent, family-owned producers, including Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, whisky, gin, wine, liqueurs, absinthe, and aperitifs.
We had lively music from Bertrand Laurence and Menége à Trois, which set the festive atmosphere. Our restaurant partners, Cork, Emma Jeans, Kyler's Catch and EJ's filled the museum space with delectable aromas and delicious small bites. Christine's spread of French cheese (45 lbs of it!), along with a selection of fresh French breads, was a sight to behold! Rory, bar manager at La Voile in Boston, was on hand with two wonderful cocktail creations, though regrettably without his customary beret. Our thanks to our friends, family, and Heavenly team members who staffed the tasting tables and were ready to answer questions and educate our guests about our French spirits. We couldn't have pulled it off without their hard work.
Our graphic design intern, Emma, who took photos and videos of the event, put together a video slideshow for us below. Thanks to everyone who came out and we can't wait to do this again next year!
This year marks the seventh year in a row that Heavenly Spirits has participated in The Inland Seafood/Quality Wine & Spirits Annual Food & Wine Experience. They have certainly figured out a winning formula, as the overall experience has not changed much in all that time. Of course, how can you go wrong by staging it in a great city like Atlanta, gathering around fifty of the finest seafood suppliers on the Atlantic coast along with a hundred or so different wine and spirits suppliers from around the world, and ask them all to bring their best samples to taste? Add some pretty good live music, invite chefs, restaurateurs, caterers, grocers, retail wine & spirits store owners from the greater Georgia area to come by, hang out and taste quality for six hours straight, and it has to be a successful good time.
As usual, we had a table packed full of our award-winning French products, including some of our super stars like the Marie Duffau line, a couple Dartigalongue Armagnacs, a Jean Fillioux Cognac, a Crème de Cassis from Jules Theuriet, and our Absinthe La Muse Verte. This year we also had the pleasure of introducing Du Peyrat Organic Cognac for the first time to Atlanta and it was a big hit.
Each year, we fly in to Atlanta the night before the event, go to the before-party held at the Quality warehouse/offices, attend the event, and then find a good place to eat in Atlanta before taking off the next morning. This year we ended up at a bar and restaurant by the name of Empire State South. It turns out they carry several of our Heavenly Spirits products and they were recommended by a half dozen attendees. The experience did not disappoint.
After a short Uber ride, we sat ourselves directly at the bar and started with cocktails; CC ordered the "Love Shack" featuring gin, ginger, and passion fruit, and I had the "Two World Hero," which featured cognac, rye, and sweet vermouth. Both were delicious and just what the Doctor ordered after a long day. We then chose a range of tapas-style vittles from the menu, including: the ESS Charcuterie tray, Baby Carrots, the "Farm Egg" recommended by all, and a Hanger Steak. To accompany our feast we both ordered a glass of Minerva, a good value red wine from the Southwest of France that we used to buy frequently as our house wine when we were living in Saint-Jean-de-Liversay, near La Rochelle. This particular one, a 1913 from Chateau d'Oupia was quite good and brought back fond memories. All in all, it was a great experience and a good way to close out another busy business road trip in Atlanta.
The beloved New Orleans favorite!
When asked to represent the U.S. market's most beloved Armagnac house, Armagnac Delord, during "The Greatest Brandy Category Is…" seminar at Tales of the Cocktail 2016 in New Orleans, I obviously accepted!
To be involved in such a seminar, presented by some of the USA's most recognized personalities in the beverage industry was, at the very least, an exciting prospect. And of course a visit to New Orleans couldn't be refused, as it would be my first.
I decided to begin my stay familiarizing myself with the local area, locating the venues, and getting started on networking. Very quickly I noticed that Tales of the Cocktail had drawn large numbers of industry professionals from all over the USA and the world. I especially noticed quite a lot of Australians, many residing in the USA and working in the industry I later found out as bartenders, mixologists and retail clerks. Continuing my walk through the French Quarter, it felt necessary to seize the opportunity to enjoy a Sazerac! I found the level of skill, knowledge, and attention to detail displayed by the bar workers throughout the French Quarter to rival that of the most well-known and respected cocktail establishments around the nation. In the French Quarter, the detail-oriented mixology was apparent in almost every bar I visited (and there were several).
By 6 pm Bourbon Street had begun to liven up – a little too lively for my sedate middle age – so I headed to a little cocktail lounge and Jazz Bar, RFs, located next to my Hotel on Dauphine Street, one block away from Bourbon, but a world apart in character. RFs or Richard Fiskes is a New Orleans classic. The evening was spent talking cocktails with the Manager, Mackenzie, and proprietor, Andrew, whilst enjoying the head-turning jazz band playing on stage, the Meghan Stewart Quartet. At some point I found myself giving an impromptu Armagnac seminar at RFs. Future trips to NOLA will see RFs as a first port of call to enjoy some Delord Armagnac-based cocktails!
The seminar was held at the Fleur-de-Lis suite at the Royal Sonesta Hotel and set up much like a political debate, a little tongue-in-cheek event moderated by Derek Brown of Drink Company and Columbia Room fame. The rules were set, cheering was encouraged, as well as clapping, stomping, whooping and chanting, and why not? Even we serious, high-browed brandy enthusiasts need a little whooping and chanting on occasion.
Each brandy category was well-defended by their spokesperson.
Cognac was represented and defended by Brandy Rand, Vice President of U.S. Marketing and Business Development at The IWSR, an international beverage alcohol research firm. Her defense of her category looked at the strict controls put in place in regard to the production of Cognac, combined with U.S. sales figures. Her most memorable tactic, however, was to attempt to tear down the other categories: Armagnac is not well known (it is known by the Best!); American Brandy lacks regulation and you don't know what you're going to get; and Brandy de Jerez is merely a byproduct of the Sherry industry. Lots of fun, a little real information, and with a "Mean Girls" attitude!
Jackson Cannon, Bar Director, Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar Owner/Bartender, The Hawthorne represented Armagnac. Jackson defended his category with quiet confidence providing detailed information into the production and aging of Armagnac, terroir, and explanations of the three Armagnac Crus.
JP Fetherston, Head Bar Manager, Drink Company defended Brandy de Jerez. He delved less into sales figures, manufacture or historical significance. His presentation was simply based on the product, how it tastes, how it can be used, and how aging improves it.
Dan Farber, Founder/Distiller, Osocalis Distillery, who defended American Brandy, offered an impassioned defense based on exciting innovations that are being explored by U.S. Brandy producers, which may not be possible elsewhere due to strict regulation. His defense of American Brandies went onward to highlight the qualities of all three other categories.
If you were not representing your category, then which brandy would you rather be representing?
Of the four defenders – one of whom who was already defending Armagnac – one declined to answer, and the other two chose… Armagnac! So of the 3 available panel votes, 2 voted for Armagnac and 1 abstained, making Armagnac the panel winner.
The crowd however voted by "Noiseometer," and by virtue of making a lot of noise, chose the patriotic favorite, American Brandy.
To each his own, but in this case I say, who wants to follow the crowd?
Vanilla might be one of the most difficult flavors to capture. An essential flavor not only in baking, but in many great cocktails, vanilla-flavored products are often too sweet or too "fake" tasting. Navan liqueur developed a dedicated following during its tenure, and its absence has been keenly felt.
Being the enthusiastic importers of Armagnac that we are, a few years ago we decided to address this desire for a naturally-flavored, sweet but not cloyingly so, vanilla brandy liqueur. Together with one of our producers, Artez, we created Artez Arvani to fill that need.
Artez Arvani is made from 100% Madagascar vanilla beans, which are macerated in blanche (white) Armagnac. The color of Artez Arvani comes entirely from this maceration. Sugar is then added to create a liqueur perfect for mixing into cocktails, or even to be served on its own.
Artez Arvani is a true artisanal liqueur. It is produced on a 30 acre estate in the Bas Armagnac region of France, in an area known as the First Cru.
The house also crafts rare single varietal Armagnacs, which utilize only one grape: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Baco; the renowned La Muse Verte Absinthe and Pastis, made according to traditional family recipes; and a lovely pear eau de vie.
As most of you know, we take our product sourcing very seriously. In the case of Rhum, we have been actively seeking to discover the best quality Agricole Rhum available to add to our portfolio for U.S. representation. With that goal in mind we traveled to the French island of Martinique for a week of research and development. We had an amazing time! It was the beginning of harvest season and we were able to visit five of the seven distilleries on the island, as well as several historic museums. We spent four full hours at one of these amazing distilleries and it was the highlight of our week, as we learned a great deal about the Martinique Rhum industry and tasted many fine spirits.
While I can't name names at this time, we are very excited about the possibilities of working with some very fine producers in the not-too-distant future.
For those of you who are not familiar with Martinique agricole rhum, let me provide you a brief description: Rhum agricole (French pronunciation: [ʁɔm aɡʁikɔl]) is the French term for cane juice rhum, a style of rhum originally distilled in the French Caribbean islands from freshly-squeezed sugar cane juice rather than molasses. When France colonized some of the Caribbean islands, like Guadeloupe, Haiti and Martinique, they divided rum into two subcategories, rum industriel (rums made from molasses) and rhum agricole (rums made from pressed sugarcane juice) which accounts for only around 1 - 2% of all rums produced in the world. Rhum made from sugarcane juice has a different flavor and aroma profile from other rums, for real connoisseurs it is that unique and individual sense of terrior that makes rhum stand apart from ordinary rum. The rhum agricoles produced on the island of Martinique have achieved French A.O.C. status — the only rums in the world to do so.
and second, Martinique rhums became a rare commodity and the distilleries were only interested in selling their rhum under their own labels.
Many American rum drinkers are still somewhat unfamiliar with this superb quality style of rhum, made from pure fresh pressed sugar cane. To those who have only tasted molasses based rum from the big industrial producers, rhum agricole can be an acquired taste. But once you develop an appreciation for the fresh sweet grassy notes in the unaged versions, as well as the fine layered complexity of the older ones, it is easy to become a dedicated fan. Some of the master blenders that we spoke with are true artists dedicated to their craft in much the same way as the Master Blenders of fine cognac, whisky and armagnac.
In addition to our work on Martinique, we enjoyed perfect 85 degree weather, gorgeous beaches, and wonderful seafood meals during our week long stay. We also drove up and down the many hills and along the never-ending shoreline as we attempted to see as much of the island as possible. All in all our visit to Martinique was a fantastic experience. We left the island with very high hopes that we will be returning again and that we will soon be sharing some of these exceptional Martinique masterpieces with our U.S. distribution networks and you.


Life, Death (and the Rest) is a four day event of talks, walks, theatre and film that culminates in this Sunday showcase with stalls and talks offering practical advice in dealing with death, dying and end-of-life choices.
We aim to support a growing social movement of talking about death, and how we remember our loved ones.
There is limited parking here at Arnos Vale so we encourage you to use public transport or walk whenever possible.
And Vinyly – when the album that is life finally reaches the end wouldn't it be nice to keep that record spinning for eternity?
Tree of Opals – cremation ash jewellery made from a loved one's remains cast into beautiful pieces in solid sterling silver or 9ct gold.
Elysium Memorials – personal, bespoke memorials which are beautiful, unique pieces of artwork in their own right, yet the origin of their creation honours the life of a loved one.
Brahms Electric Vehicles ltd – The Brahms electric hearse is elegant and restrained; a symbol of a considerate life that is not ostentatious or wasteful of natural resources.
Bellacouche – making fully biodegradable 'soft' eco coffins with integral shroud and wood frame, designed for an environmentally friendly natural burial.
Steampunk exhibition – Victorian Spiritualism Through a Steampunk Lens.
Somerset Willow – each one of our wicker willow coffins has been beautifully and caringly hand woven by one of our skilled basked makers in our workshops in Somerset, making each coffin unique, special and a personal tribute to a loved one.
The Classic Hearse Register members will also be bringing along some of their beautifully restored hearses which will be parked outside the chapels on the day.


In the May 19th issue of The Irish Post, a British-Irish paper, the front page is obviously against Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien's brave and Catholic stand against so-called "gay marriage". I would hope that Catholics in Ireland and abroad would support this good and great leader for being so courageous at this time. the Cardinal is the senior prelate in the Catholic Church in Scotland.
There is a fight in the Government over gay marriage, and there is a split in the parties concerning the possible legal acceptance of such.
Tory ministers attacked the Government's plan to push for this legalization of sin.
Now, I know from discussions this past winter that even some trad Irish and British Catholics vote in the bozos who support gay marriage, as, like Catholic Dems in the States, they either vote with their pocket book, or are liberalized to the point where they disagree with the Church's teaching. The Tory's have a split with David Cameron on this stand.
The article quoted the Cardinal at length, "An aberration is a state of condition markedly different from the norm....Gay marriage is a grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right," that is marriage.
He praised the inter-faith coalition against this liberalization of the idea of marriage.
He is also quoted as coming out against the British Government's insistence on forcing Catholic schools to present pro-homosexual literature in the classroom.
I have need for my dear readers to pray for four special intentions for me. All are serious petitions, two which need immediate answers to prayer, and Divine Intervention, God Willing.
Egypt is getting scarier and scarier. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in that country today, please. Photo from ACN.


It's normal to feel comfortable traveling Indiana highways. The rules of the road are well known and heavily policed. Yes, accidents happen, but drivers are educated, tested and held accountable for their ability to drive safely. When those same drivers are operating watercrafts on Indiana lakes, it's often a totally different scenario.
Unlike roadways with clearly marked traffic lanes, the lakes are frequently a free-for-all with water traffic traveling in several directions. A driver who is alert and knows what to expect on the highway is not necessarily prepared for the chaos of the lake. Add to this formula high-speed boats and personally rigged towing devices and an otherwise fun day turns into a nightmare.
When facing a serious personal injury case, the experienced attorneys at Vanderpool Law know how to help you determine losses and present them in a no- nonsense format, whether to an insurance company or a jury. We are here to help you recover your losses and navigate the insurance and court system.
You could be entitled to collect compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. In order to fully evaluate your claim and what compensation you could be entitled to give us a call.


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HomeNovel
Persuasion book summary and review
Palash kumar August 01, 2022 0 Comments
Check out my Persuasion book summary and review that I created to help you understand the basics of this great book.Persuasion (original title Persuasion) is a drama film directed by Carrie Cracknell and was released as a Netflix Original in 2022. It is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name.
Persuasion book summary
Anne Elliot lives on the brink of bankruptcy with her snooty family. In order to save money, the family is supposed to go to Bath and rent out the house. Sister Mary Musgrove, who has already moved out, feels ill.
Anne doesn't come to Bath to look after Mary, who lives next door. She meets the tenant of the house, Admiral Croft. This announces that Captain Frederick Wentworth is coming to visit. Seven years ago, Anne and Wentworth were in love. On the advice of Lady Russell, Anne declined to marry because Wentworth was then destitute. Now he has a career in the Navy and is rich. Anne still mourns her lost love.
Anne is friendly and polite to Mary, although she sees through Mary's actions. Mary is aware that she is faking her ailments to gain attention. Anne finds humor in her sister's behavior and gets along well with the rest of the Musgrove family.
When the Crofts and the Musgroves have dinner together, Anne avoids Wentworth. It comes to that Louisa is sitting next to Wentworth. The two get along very well. Embarrassed, Anne says out loud that Mary's husband originally wanted to marry her,
which she declined. Louisa and Wentworth meet on a trip to Lyme. Louisa wants to fall down a flight of stairs so Wentworth can catch her. He tells her not to do that. Louisa falls and injures herself badly. Anne leaves because Mary insists on taking care of Louisa to make her feel useful.
Anne learns that Louisa is engaged and assumes it must be Wentworth. Meanwhile, cousin William Elliot joins the Elliot family. He should inherit the fortune. To keep it that way, he wants to ensure that Anne's father, Sir Walter Elliot, does not enter into a new romantic relationship and still has a son.
He openly admits this to Anne. According to his plan, he courts Mrs. Clay, who wants to marry Sir Walter. At the same time, however, he gets along very well with Anne, who enjoys his company as a distraction.
Wentworth comes to Bath. At a social event, Anne explains how lasting a woman's feelings are. Wentworth hears this and immediately writes Anne a letter professing his love for Anne. It turns out that Louisa has become engaged to a colleague of Wentworth's. Anne and Wentworth find each other and now want to get married.
Tags Novel


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Newsfeed Now: Pres. Biden defends Afghanistan exit plan; dad inspires son to start hair care line
Posted: Sep 1, 2021 / 09:36 AM CDT
Updated: Sep 1, 2021 / 12:00 PM CDT
(NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden is defending his decision to end the war in Afghanistan. Tuesday was the deadline to bring U.S. Troops home and the President says he kept that promise, but Republicans on Capitol Hill want an investigation into the evacuation and are demanding that President Biden resign.
See more about this story on NewsNation
After keeping her kids home during most of the pandemic, an Austin-area mom said it was time to get them back around friends and a learning setting. The family made the shift and enrolled their two kids under five back in child care.
See the full story on KXAN News
There's a lot to be excited about for the upcoming football season at Turner High School in Kansas City, Kansas. The Golden Bears will open the season at home in a gleaming new stadium. There's just one tiny hitch: Not enough helmets to go around.
See the full story on FOX 4 Kansas City
Kyle Bishop-Winfield Jr. has always had a lot of hair. It's something his father who passed away in 2017 was extremely proud of. His mom Christina owns a hair salon and says the idea for a boy's line of hair care products started with the desire to honor his dad.
See the full story on WIVB


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Changing hospital standards and growing needs prompted the expansion and renovation of MidMichigan Medical Center–Midland. The official opening in December 2011 began a new chapter in the history of the Medical Center and its service to the community and the region.
The project was announced in May 2007 and, despite a declining economy, construction began in fall 2008 and continued at a pace that put the project ahead of schedule and under budget at the end of 2010. At that time, six new operating rooms and surgical patient preoperative and recovery areas were the first sections to open.
Clinical needs from the expanding heart and vascular services program prompted these six new operating rooms and accompanying care spaces as a first priority. In addition, the Medical Center's 265 patient rooms were reconfigured to eliminate semi-private rooms and make all patient rooms at the Medical Center private rooms. MidMichigan Medical Center–Midland now has the most clinically advanced and unique private patient rooms in the region, representing a new standard of care.
The $115-million project, the largest investment made in any MidMichigan Health facility, consists of new and remodeled areas totaling 280,000 gross square feet. MidMichigan contracted with the internationally recognized health care design firm, HDR Architecture, Inc., of Chicago, and engaged Skanska USA Building, Inc., of Portage, Mich., to manage the construction. At the project's peak, as many as 250 contractor employees worked on the expansion and renovation.


Just when you thought the momentum shifted, Grand Island managed to find a way and win Friday night.
The Class A No. 9 Islanders improved their stock by upending No. 8 Lincoln High 42-27 before an estimated crowd of 1,700 at the Beechner Athletic Complex.
Grand Island (2-0), off to one of their best starts in recent memory, managed to break a 14-all tie on the second play of the third quarter, when quarterback Cole Evans threw one of his three touchdown passes on the night with a 69-yard strike to Ben Reilly and a 21-14 advantage.
Lincoln High (0-2) countered with a fumble recovery from 6-yards out and returned for a touchdown by Jadus Ellis. On the next Links possession, they drove 59 yards and capped it wiht a 1-yard run from running back Isaiah Alford to take a 27-21 lead.
The Islanders relied on Caleb Francl with a minute remaining in the third quarter. He scored from 16-yards out for a 28-27 Grand Island lead. Francl also scored with 2:35 left in the game on a 3-yard run. With 52 seconds left, Evans connected with Timo Sikes from 26-yards to cap a scoring drive.
Despite four fumbles for a loss and several penalties, Grand Island's defense limited Lincoln High quarterback and North Dakota commit Cedric Case to just 136 yards passing, a week after throwing for 454 yards.
By contrast, Evans had 251 yards passing on 14 of 20 completions.
Lincoln High running back Isaiah Alford ran 22 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns.


ISSA 2019 Slurry Systems Workshop Overview - Bergkamp Inc.
As a first-time attendee in the Slurry Systems Workshop (SSWS) this year, I would like to thank everyone that made the SSWS a success. I have planned the booth for the last two years, but this is the first time I have met everyone that makes the show great in person. The Texas Station staff are so helpful, and Kristi's Team from CM Services did a wonderful job organizing the event! I met many of our customers, some industry professionals, and a few friendly competitors. ISSA is truly a fantastic organization and I'm so proud to have the opportunity to work for Bergkamp and be a part of it all.
One of the things that make SSWS different from other tradeshows Bergkamp attends every year is the amount of Bergkamp customers that attend the show and are members of ISSA. Tyler Kee, Territory Manager, described presenting this year as "an honor and a bit terrifying." There were almost 500 attendees and all with so much experience in the industry that he hoped he presented enough information that could help them complete a project safer, faster, and with higher profitability. No other show gives us the same opportunities to meet with that many of our customers.
The SSWS also allows Bergkamp Inc. new employees to learn about micro surfacing. Brett Marks, Current Product Engineer, expected to learn about quality control of the product and specific road conditions that are best suited for the application, but stated, "the group sessions and information on hand mixing tests were all new information to me." Brett particularly found all the discussion and demonstrations of the good and poor practices that affect the outcome of the applications useful. The SSWS is a great opportunity to see how the materials react and see the equipment used each day.
The SSWS is not all work. There are opportunities to network and Bergkamp Inc. holds their annual Paver School the Monday before it all begins. This year it was held at Pole Position and our customers joined us for some go-cart racing after the class. The presentations during the SSWS are informative and humorous. David Marez, Bi-Lingual Technical Representative, really enjoyed Pavement Preservation Presentation by Gary Houston of Valero and learned a lot about best practices. By keeping it fun and interesting, ISSA has increased their attendance year after year.
For more information on how to become a member of ISSA, visit their website at www.slurry.org.
Author – Crystal Lance, Marketing Communications Specialist at Bergkamp Inc.


text:
import program from 'commander'
import DeployCommand from '../lib/deploy_command'
import DeploymentsCommand from '../lib/deployments_command'
import GenerateCommand from '../lib/generate_command'
import NewCommand from '../lib/new_command'
import OpenCommand from '../lib/open_command'
import RoutesCommand from '../lib/routes_command'
import ServerCommand from '../lib/server_command'

program
  .command('d')
  .alias('deploy')
  .description('Deploy actions to AWS')
  .action((command) => {
    new DeployCommand().run();
  });

program
  .command('l')
  .alias('deployments')
  .description('List recent deployments')
  .action((command) => {
    new DeploymentsCommand().run();
  });

program
  .command('g')
  .alias('generate')
  .arguments('<name>')
  .description('Generate a new resource from <generator> (e.g. "action")')
  .action((name, command) => {
    new GenerateCommand({ name: name }).run()
  });

program
  .command('n')
  .alias('new')
  .arguments('<name>')
  .description('Generate a new application')
  .action((name, command) => {
    new NewCommand({ name: name }).run()
  });

program
  .command('o')
  .alias('open')
  .description('Open the production root URL in your browser')
  .action((command) => {
    new OpenCommand().run();
  });

program
  .command('r')
  .alias('routes')
  .description('List all routes')
  .action((command) => {
    new RoutesCommand().run();
  });

program
  .command('s')
  .alias('server')
  .description('Launch a web server')
  .option('-p, --port <number>', 'Run server on the specified port (default: 3000)')
  .action((command) => {
    new ServerCommand({ port: command.port }).run();
  });

program.parse(process.argv);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Bill Baumel brings Silicon Valley cred to Ohio universities' VC drive
Katy Smith Editor, Columbus CEO @ceo_editor
The managing director of the Ohio Innovation Fund has just the background to lead the $40 million venture capital fund, where he also has built what he calls the top venture entrepreneurship training for students in the country.
When Bill Baumel was in business school at the University of Michigan, all his friends wanted to go into investment banking on Wall Street. It was the early 1990s and they were dying to get interviews with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Boston Consulting, Andersen Consulting and the like. Not Bill Baumel.
With a bachelor's degree in accounting from Ohio State University, the Cincinnati native had spent two years following college at Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco, where he earned his CPA. There, he found himself doing due diligence for private equity firms. The experience was enough to draw him into the field of venture capital when he went to the University of Michigan for his MBA.
"Everyone was interested in working for Ford, and Procter and Gamble, and Microsoft, and General Electric in a leadership development program and what have you," Baumel says. "And that gave me a real opportunity because I was probably the only one knocking on Professor Brophy's door and saying, 'Hey, I'm interested in startups and venture capitalists—I'll be your TA.' " David Brophy, who did his doctoral work at Ohio State University, was a pioneer in the study of venture capitalism, founding what is today the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance at University of Michigan. His network of contacts in California VC was vast, and it helped Baumel land a venture associate job in Chicago with Brinson Partners when he was finished with his MBA. The firm had about $45 billion under management, with a small part of that invested in VC.
It must have seemed odd to some of his classmates that Baumel would forgo the fat paychecks, bonuses and pensions offered by America's largest corporations for the chaotic life of a venture capitalist. "I was a lone wolf," he says.
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For a startup, the price of short-term failure is going out of business instead of a missed quarterly revenue target. "I love that pressure," Baumel says. "It's a constant need to perform and get things done. And because of that, there can be no bureaucracy. You try and find problems. Every day. We don't have time to just have meetings to talk about forming committees and then talk about forming a task force to talk about restructuring a committee. We just need to get stuff done and make it happen."
And Baumel loved the chance to work on ground-breaking technologies that held the potential to change people's lives and sometimes, the course of history. "Large companies have different issues," he says. "It's about maintaining market share, restructuring, optimizing margins. At Procter and Gamble, you're focused on laundry detergent, or peanut butter, or health and beauty. Invest in a startup, you are completely focused on creating new industries. How do we disrupt an existing industry?"
That pioneering spirit led Baumel to spend more than two decades in venture capital, most of those years with Los Gatos, California-based RWI Ventures. He built a track record there that included investments in Big Data, cybersecurity, software-as-a-service and medical technology, with portfolio companies going public, being acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars, and one $1.2 billion valuation. By these measures, his career was a resounding success, and it's clear he had fun doing it.
It shouldn't be surprising that a person who built a career on defying the status quo did just that, once again: He moved home to Ohio.
Midwest calling
Recruited on behalf of the leadership teams at Ohio State and Ohio University, Baumel moved to Columbus in 2016 to run the newly created $40 million Ohio Innovation Fund. The universities' goal was to diversify their investments, create a pathway to commercialization for the work being done in their labs and give students a real-world taste of entrepreneurship.
"We felt there was a gap, [there wasn't] a local fund [to] give some preference to technologies that came out of universities that participated in the fund," says Mike Papadakis, CFO at Ohio State. The university invested $20 million, and Ohio University put in $15 million. They later were joined by Kent State University, which came in with $6 million, says Duane Nellis, president of Ohio University.
Talk of getting into venture capital had been going on at Ohio State since 2011, Papadakis says, and the university in 2013 set aside $100 million to invest over 10 years, kicking off its major venture involvement that year with a $50 million investment in the nascent Drive Capital. It's spent $90 million so far, including the Ohio Innovation Fund investment and some pre-2013 funding "alongside" the former Tech Columbus (now Rev1 Ventures), Papadakis says.
For Baumel, the decision to take the job came with excitement, to be sure, and also a certain level of trepidation. He had visited friends and family here in the summers and being the investor he is, he'd put some money into an angel fund here. The companies did not impress him. "I remember there was a particular company... and I looked at this company and thought wow, I know 15 companies in Silicon Valley that are already doing that better and some are already doing $50 million in revenue.
"My heart brought me back to visit to convince my mind," Baumel says. "It was purely a heart thing to come back and visit [while weighing whether to take the position] because I was like, please, please don't be as bad as it was before."
It wasn't—Baumel is thriving in Columbus, enjoying success with the 15 companies (four in Columbus) he's identified for Ohio Innovation Fund support. As a group, they've won culture awards, been identified as top startups by industry organizations and formed partnerships with top global corporations. They include:
Aware, formerly known as Wiretap. Founded in Columbus in 2017, it makes security software for large global enterprises using major chat platforms including Facebook at Work, Microsoft Yammer and Slack. For as long as such communication platforms have existed, they've presented legal and safety concerns to employers who couldn't control them or even monitor employee activity on them, presenting the risk that intellectual property and security could be compromised. Athens-based Stirling Ultracold, a maker of energy-efficient deep freezers Baumel says is a $50 million company with a following among the bioscience community that has potential to be four times that size. Enable Injections of Cincinnati, a drug delivery platform patients can wear that's doing business with pharmaceutical and biotech giants Sanofi and Genentech. Complion of Cleveland, with a cloud-based workflow and document management software for clinical trials that's compliant with U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules.
One of Ohio Innovation Fund's unique characteristics is that students from the participating universities can do internships at the fund and also at the companies it invests in. This education component suits Baumel, who is a natural at explaining complex business concepts.
"I honestly believe our program is the top venture entrepreneurship training for students in the country," Baumel says. "They spend 10 weeks in the summer learning about term sheets and due diligence and all that, and then you go live, you're actually going to board meetings, working with our executives." Each year, 50 students from Ohio schools come through the program, and another 50 are placed in internships at partner startups. Several of the students who work in the fund's office have gone on to hold jobs there, including venture associate Faith Voinovich; marketing director Katie Coulter; and Matt Benson, former venture associate who launched an online hub for esports and video games professionals, eFuse, that in November announced it had secured a $1.4 million investment from Ohio Innovation Fund.
Such an outcome is exactly what the universities that funded the Ohio Innovation Fund envisioned. They're also looking forward to the potential for typical rates of return offered by VC, which can be in the realm of 15 percent to 20 percent, well above average returns from the stock market.
"I think it's going about as well as we could have hoped," Papadakis says. "Over the course of the next couple of years, we obviously would hope to start to see some opportunities to get some return back to the university as well." VC is a commitment for OSU, he says. "It's not something that we're just going to do one set of funds and then move on. I think the startup ecosystem is really built around having a strong long-term strategy and executing it every year for a long period of time."
Baumel says the plan is to raise a second fund at the end of the first five years, which comes in 2021. He sees a second fund, like the first, being no larger than $100 million. "If you get too large, you start making compromises on deal quality," he says. He expects exits in the range of $200 million to $500 million.
Culture combo
One of the things OSU and OU looked for when they sought a leader for the new fund was someone who had ties to Ohio. It was a good strategy, Nellis says.
"Bill's done an amazing job," Nellis says. "His wealth of experience that he brings to us from Silicon Valley, but also the fact that he knows Ohio. He's from Ohio. He understands the Midwestern culture and dynamics, and he also understands how to leverage the resources we have through the fund in ways that elevate companies."
Many of the companies Baumel has encountered here need his support with strategy, messaging, customer awareness and staffing decisions. "I think pretty early on and contrasting his experience on the West Coast, a lot of the startup leaders [in Ohio] didn't necessarily have experience in a startup environment," Papadakis says. "So they needed a lot more coaching and a lot more hands-on attention than what he was initially anticipating. And so Bill has been a very collaborative leader. He spends a lot of time with his executive teams really trying to push them to achieve results."
For Aware, that translates to "somewhere between 10 to 20 emails and maybe 20 to 30 texts and five phone conversations per week," Baumel says. "Bill is one of the first calls I make on large decisions or complex issues," says Aware co-founder Jeff Schumann. "We wouldn't be where we are without his mentorship. Bill is very transparent—that's one of the things I love so much about him. He tells me how it is, and sometimes that works in my favor, and sometimes that works against me. But I know that's Bill and appreciate that because there's no politics there."
Schumann knows all about politics, having worked for large corporations early in his career. And after knocking on many doors looking for funding and failing to secure it, he's been buoyed by Baumel's brand of California optimism in addition to his what-you-see-is-what-you-get nature. "Midwestern investors, they have a tendency, everyone wants to hug each other when you're leaving a room and you don't want to say things that might hurt somebody's feelings," Schumann says. "But there's a way to provide constructive feedback that can yield a positive outcome. And I think what the Silicon Valley-based VCs and even East Coast-based VCs are so good at is understanding that if we don't make these sorts of hard decisions [such as firing someone who's not a fit or upending the business model entirely], and we don't come into this with humility, we are going to fail.
"Midwestern VCs are much more like, 'I don't want to say something that might upset somebody,' like this is their baby—we should just keep our opinion to ourselves until they figure it out themselves. By then, it's too late."
It is frustrating, Baumel says, to watch Midwestern companies with great ideas fail to realize their vast potential because they're discouraged by people in a position to provide funding and business advice. The culture here is very much one that eschews risk-taking, which is a necessary component in building giant companies quickly—spending large sums of money upfront on as-yet unproven ideas. "If [the founders] try to think big, they're told don't think big, get back in your hole and you just grow slow and steady forever," he says. "But we are dealing with fast-changing markets and technology and all that new opportunity that's out there. If we don't chase that opportunity, someone else in Silicon Valley, Austin, Seattle, Boston, China, India, Israel, England, Europe is going to do that."
Bill Baumel shares his thoughts on the startup environment—what it's like and who it's right for.
The characteristics that make someone successful as an entrepreneur or a venture capitalist may not make them a good fit in a 9-to-5, suit-and-tie environment where things move very slowly.
"I don't know if I could thrive or survive, either one, in a larger entity. I just wouldn't want it. I think I'd be too blunt. I think I would be too rash in my decision-making. In Silicon Valley, it's a lot easier to find those people because everyone either has someone in their family or someone they know that's in a startup. So they understand that culture."
Speaking of being blunt, it's all for good:
"If a person at a large company would hear the conversations I have with our CEOs and management teams, those conversations would be considered the most perhaps brutal, leading-toward-termination conversations. So for a lot of startup CEOs and entrepreneurs in Ohio, they just need to realize hey, we're all in this together. We're not looking to blame anybody. We're looking to grow this together."
Being honest and transparent at all times is critical:
"You can't be looking in the mirror each day and trying to fool yourself saying, 'Oh, my gosh, look how much hair I have.' [Startups have a] fast-paced and iterative nature and [need] radical transparency and openness. I need to admit mistakes immediately and change course immediately. I can't let things linger for a week, a month or a quarter."
Millennials have a natural affinity for the startup environment:
"I would describe the younger generation as inexperienced, they don't understand entrepreneurship to a large extent. On the other hand, they're eager to learn. They want to be innovative. They want to be impactful. They want to make things happen. And they take the startups phenomenally well. They love the culture. For those that had been through corporate America for a decent period of time, it's a tough cultural adjustment. They're used to things in a certain way. It's almost uncomfortable."
Bill Baumel knew when he was in college that the startup life was for him. He explains why:
"I don't know if I could thrive or survive, either one, in a larger entity. I think I'd be too blunt."
Katy Smith is the editor of Columbus CEO.