Who is Emergency Response Solutions International?
ERSI is an organization that provides training and technical assistance to public and private sector organizations throughout North America. Instructors at ERSI have backgrounds in Fire Fighting, First Response, Rescue, Medical and more.
I don't have an account, how can I register myself?
Click here (CREATE ACCOUNT) to register yourself in the system.
You will be able to participate in online training courses, print your completion certificates, and view and register for in-person instructor led courses offered by ERSI.
Contact ERSI at (734) 392-5123 during office hours and staff can assist you. Alternately, you can contact support@ersintl.org.
How can I update my email address in my account?
I think some of my training records are missing from my account, how can I check?
We are in the process of moving records from older databases into this new platform. It may take some time, but if training records can be matched to an existing participant (member) they will be moved over. Contact ERSI at (734) 392-5123 during office hours and staff can assist you.
How can I print my certificates?
From your member home page you will see a link at the top of the page (VIEW COMPLETED COURSES) for all in-person instructor led training courses you have attended and completed. Certificates can be printed from here.
You will also see a list at the bottom of the page (COMPLETED ON-LINE COURSES) where all completed on-line training certificates can be opened and printed.
How can I print my transcripts?
From your member home page you will see a link under the (ERSI Instructor Led Courses). Click this and you will be taken to a simple layouit that lists your in-person training courses.
You will also see a link under the (Completed Online Courses). Click this and you will be taken to a simple layout that lists your on-line training courses.


This Company is the industry leader in its outdoor sports product niche. It enjoys a strong social media presence, existing distribution channels into major national retailers, and significant intellectual property. It has invested significantly in brand awareness and product technology; it is well-known for having the newest product features. 2018 sales were $4.97 Million and cash flow was $962k. 2019 sales projection of $5.84 Million with cash flow expected to exceed $1.2 Million. The business is currently undergoing an expansion and is well-positioned for long-term growth and profitability.


While at the ISGB Gathering last July I purchased 2 cabochon mandrels (among other goodies. I am having a ball making these cabs! Although I am not a silversmith, I am a seed beader. I had alot of fun with this bracelet made in freeform peyote stitch that incorporates my cab along with freshwater Keishi cup pearls (love them!)Swarovski crystals and lots and lots of seed beads.If you've never made one of these and are looking for instructions, Sherri Serafini has several online instructions, including one on Fire Mt. Gems website. My next challenge will be ovals.
This coming weekend I will be selling my wares at the Heart of California Bead and Adornment Expo in Fresno, California. The event is on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23 from 10:00 to 5:00 both days. I will have LOTS of beads including sets and focal as well as unique glass jewelry components like clasps, bead cones, head pins, slider rings, disks,glass leaves, bobbins, vintage skeleton keys with a bead on them and adorned with Swarovski crystals, Auntumn leaves, pendants and more! Here's a link to the Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/HeartOfCaliforniaBeadExpo See you there!
Today is the big reveal for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party 6! My partner Karin von Hoeren from Germany http://www.creativeideen.de/sent my bead soup which included the beautiful beaded bead focal she made.
I decided to make 2 pieces of jewelry, one with the beaded bead as a focal and a bracelet made with the cute wreath toggle clasp. I used one of my lampwork glass beads as the focal in the bracelet and some of the creamy white pearls Karin sent.this bracelet can go from Fall right into Christmas!
I had fun making the necklace. As a full time lampwork artist, I don't take the time to work with seed beads like I used to...and I realized how much I miss it when I made the spiral rope for this design. I added some of the beads from Karin, a few Swarovski crystals and one of my lampwork beads. The challenge was trying to attach the bead wire without adding a clasp. Can you tell where I crimped it together?
I attached the beading wire to the seed bead rope inside the gold bead cones. The 2 wires are crimped together at the top next to the bead cone on one side. A matching gold ball on the other side balances the crimp cover.
Be sure to check out all the other participants in the Blog Hop. Again, thank you Lori for all the work you put into hosting this event. And thank you Karin for the beautiful beads!
One of the things I love about working with glass is all the possibilties. I recently purchased 2 cabachon mandrels and am having alot of fun with them. They are easier to use than I thought too! The uses for these cabs is endless. I am currently working on a beadwork bracelet with the cab as the focal. Another idea I'm working on is glass rings. I've made a couple but need to get the proper mandrel for that too. Again...so many possibilities.
Here's a picture of my Bead Soup from Karin von Horen all the way from Germany. She made the beautiful beaded bead. Now to come up with a worthy design for the focal bead. Since I'm a seed beader also I'm thinking I should use a spiral stitch or something like that to coordinate with the bead. I already made a simple bracelet with the wreath toggle and one of my floral lampwork beads in red. August 25th is the Reveal date for these and many more designs from Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party.
So much going on this time of year, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I blogged! I had the most wonderful time at the 20th annual ISGB Gathering. Exhausting...but fun. I learned alot, met new friends and reconnected with a few. The hotel was very nice, the food was fantastic and the lectures very insightful. Had alot of fun at our Lampwork Etc. bead exchange too, and got to try Vegamite for the first time....yuk! (thanks Deb!)This is a picture of my booth at the Bead Bazaar.
Win a Set of Letter Stamps!
Jewelry and Bead Soup Blog Party guru Lori McDaniel Anderson is having a giveaway on her blog for a set of Impress Art Letter Stamps and a stamping hammer! Here's the link to her blog so you can enter to win!
I've been wanting to try my hand at some more sophisticated metalwork and I think these stamps would be so much fun and the perfect compliment to my lampwork beads.
There has been alot of discussion in the lampwork community about SRA handmade lampwork beads versus mass marketed lampwork beads.The letters stand for Self Representing Artist and is comprised of a large group of individuals who make the beads in their home studios. Being an SRA member means they are selling the beads they made and pay close attention to detail with every bead from making the bead, properly annealing the beads and cleaning them of all bead release before selling them. When shopping for lampwork beads, try to search for SRA artists. To learn more about this group or look up the members list, click on the link below.
After a year long journey to create my own website (long story) I finally have my own website! It has lots of pictures of my beads and jewelry and even a cool slide show in the gallery section.Check it out and let me know what you think.
I love it when a customer takes the time to let me know what they have made with the beads they purchased from me. This adorable bracelet made by Diane Scott combines one of my lampwork lentil focals with seed beads and assorted Czech glass beads and pearls. I love it!!
Here's another bracelet my niece, Lisa Suver made with one of my lampwork "orphan" beads. I just love it!
Be sure to check out all the participants of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party going on today!
I often include one pretty lampwork bead as a thank you gift when people purchase beads from me. I want to suggest a few design ideas using one bead. First...here's a link to my nieces adorable bracelet made with one of my lampwork beads.
She has made a cute bangle style bracelet with the bead as a focal and coordinating beads on each side.
Some other ideas include making the popular purse charms. Use a large lobster clasp and make a dangle with the bead and some coordinating crystals and metal. The same can be used for key chains, zipper pulls on clothing, diaper bags, backpacks even fan pulls and mini blind pulls.
Use in a mixed media designs for an eclectic look that's so "in" right now.
Of course, one beautiful handmade bead makes the perfect pendant, adorned simply and strung on a chain, leather cord or satin ribbon.
Well, I wasn't chosen by the randomizer for the Bead Soup Blog Party..but my niece, Lisa was! Conrats Lisa! I can't wait to see what her and her partner come up with.
I like Lori's idea too for those who weren't chosen.
Here's a link to her popular blog to find out how it works!


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Why are more and more VC firms turning to Platforms to support their startups?
"VC Platform" is a term that more VC firms are using to help grow startups and platform tools are beginning to emerge in the investment world. We take a look at some of the biggest themes in the VC Platform world and why this is becoming an important theme.
Over the past few years more and more VC firms have begun to use platform tools and there are even now entire networking groups (like VC platform) to help support the people that are given titles like "Head of Platform" "Director of Platform" and "Head of VC Platform" These people are tasked with creating as much value as possible for portfolio companies within the VC firm.
Founders need help - but sometimes won't ask, especially if they feel like a VC firm is judging them.
Being a founder is difficult at the best of times and can be heartbreaking at the worst of times - and it's very lonely at the top. Founders need resources to be able to reach out to each other, support each other and provide help. this is why VC platforms need to become a resource for founders to be able to share ideas, best practices and know who to connect with when they're having a business problem. We know from experience that founders are very open to helping other founders, especially within the portfolio community. 90% of founders just don't know who to reach out to or who to ask a question and will keep things inside until it's too late. Often they won't reach out to the VC firm, for fear that the firm will know too much about something bad happening in their business. This can be really tricky for a founder when they we need help but they're too afraid to reach out to the VC firm to ask for it. One way that this can can be overcome is by providing a list of all the founders, what they're building and make it as easy as possible for founder's to reach out to each other without the VC firm interfering too much.
Why enabling communication is super important in a VC Platform community.
I wanted to talk about one of the most important aspects of a community in VC, which is enabling communications between founders. What does this mean to 'create a community and why has it become more important over the last number of years? For years now VC and PE firms have talked about adding value to their portfolios, - that they don't want just to write a check and then walk away, they want to add lots of value to help their companies succeed. A great example of this is the work that Andreessen Horowitz is doing, and the evidence behind this is the huge number of people (over 500) they employ to support their companies. This is on the extreme side as most Venture Capital firms can't afford to hire huge numbers of people. However, there are lots of things that VC firms can do to guide their portfolio companies along the right path towards a successful exit, especially when it comes to communications.
Being a founder is a lonely job - make it easier on founders by giving them ways to connect with each other.
One of the easiest things that a venture capital firm can do is to ensure that the founders are able to connect with each other and give them tools to ask questions easily and quickly. This can be done fairly easily using a slack channel and we are seeing more and more VC funds using Slack as a way to help founders communicate. Founders are naturally curious and want to help each other and having a slack channel is a great way to help founders connect, ask questions, and voice concerns. They won't be as open as they would be on a private channel as they might feel like the VC firm is listening in but that's something that you can't control. Our advice is to make it as easy as possible for founders to know each other, and be able to connect.
The other way is by encouraging your founders to attend events. This is harder as people have gotten used to staying at home and working away from the office and even though events are starting to pick up again, people have gotten used to doing things virtually. As much as you might like your founders to attend lots of events, usually one or two events a year is the best that you can do. Our advice here is to do smaller more intimate events where founders can connect with each other and share best practices in smaller subgroups.
Having a private Facebook group is a quick and easy way to connect your founders together. The platform has been used by many groups to create private networks of people who want to share best practices and connect with each other. Facebook is a great platform for this and can be used successfully. Nearly everybody has a Facebook account and Facebook makes it super easy to get messages. If Founders want to connect to each other they can instant message and take it offline.
There are some tools out there that can help connect founders with each other, one of them being Mobilize which is like a mini internal Facebook group and some of the larger funds are using this to help their portfolio companies. The downside to this is that some founders just don't have the time to login to multiple platforms and check on things.
Bonding over similar issues/cases/business problems
One thing that founders have lots of questions about is vendor selection. We see a lot of questions about which tools other founders are using, and why a particular founder chose a vendor. Founders ask a lot of questions about tools, software, and services and these keep coming up again and again. There is a lot of uncertainty around choosing a tool or software vendor and sometimes just being able to speak to appear is really important for the founding member of a team. The last thing that the founder wants to do is spend thousands of dollars on software that is just not a good fit for their business. Having a deal on a piece of software is good but what's much more important is finding the right software to grow their business and if they find it's a good fit, having a deal is a cherry on top. Platforms like proven can really help with the selection process and getting access to deals is something that we know a lot about.
At the end of the day, founders need help in lots of ways. The best way to ensure founders get the information they need is to enable communication channels between each other. Just make it as simple as possible for founders to know each company is, what they do and make it simple for people to be able to reach out to each other and this will encourage lots of cross communication and pollination of ideas between founders.
Streamline vendor management and help your portfolio companies save millions.
Beyond Money: 5 Ways VC Firms Add Value
As an investor, you will be more successful if you help your underperforming investees brainstorm solutions and strategies for the problems they face instead of giving up on them.
Most popular tools in Proven in 2022
We crunched the numbers, and these are the tools that portfolio companies are demanding the most, across all of our VC partnerships
Are investment promotion agencies being left behind in software technology?
In recent years, marketing software technology and lead technology software has changed dramatically.
See more blogs
Help your portfolio companies with strategy. Leave the vendor management to us.
We'll take on the grunt work of onboarding and verifying vendors and managing benefits and deals. You help your portcos make smarter decisions.
Sounds too good to be true? See Proven in action.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Accidents are a part of life. Some accidents involve teeth, so it certainly helps to know what to do if you or a loved one suffers dental trauma.
First and foremost, severe bodily or life-threatening injuries should be addressed. If the patient is unconscious or seems confused, this may be a sign that the brain has been injured, and emergency medical services should be contacted immediately. Likewise, if there are any other signs of significant bodily injury, seek urgent medical attention.
If injuries are limited to teeth, promptly call your family dentist. If your family dentist is unavailable, endodontists and oral surgeons may also be called, because they are dental specialists who have additional training and experience in treating dental trauma.
DO NOT scrub the root of a tooth, DO NOT dry the root, DO NOT keep the tooth in water; doing so can kill the cells on the root surface.
The best thing you can do for an avulsed adult tooth is to hold it by the crown (the top white part of the tooth), briefly rinse debris off with water (less than 10 sec), and push it firmly back into the socket! If possible, hold it in position by having the patient bite on something soft like a shirt. Baby teeth should NOT be placed back in the socket to avoid damaging the adult tooth growing in the gums underneath it.
If you are uncomfortable placing an adult tooth back in the socket (or if you are unsure whether it is an adult tooth), the next best thing is to IMMEDIATELY place the tooth in a special solution sold specifically for temporarily storing avulsed teeth. Many sports teams have such solutions available in their emergency kits. These special solutions are sold as "Save-A-Tooth" and other brands. Putting the tooth in a jar of milk works almost just as well. A last resort would be to have the patient spit in a cup and keep the tooth moist in the patient's saliva (spit). DO NOT store the tooth in plain water. Do not delay. After only 30 minutes of being exposed to air, the chances for a favorable outcome drop precipitously.
Putting the tooth in a storage solution will buy you only a limited amount of time to find someone who is able to put the tooth back in its socket. Every minute a tooth spends out of its socket decreases the long term prognosis of the tooth, so act quickly!
Once the tooth has been replaced in its socket, repositioned properly, and stabilized by the dentist, the tooth will require root canal treatment in about one week. The pulp (or "nerve") inside that tooth will not survive after avulsion, and the inside of the root will need to be cleaned out before the necrotic tissue becomes another source of inflammation. Development of severe inflammation or infection from a necrotic pulp can then damage the bony socket and the root which you tried so hard to preserve.
Additional information for dental professionals about treatment of dental trauma can be found by following the links below.


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Facebook admits photo API bug, Irish privacy commission adds to its investigation
Howard Solomon
Under the microscope for a major data breach discovered in October and for allowing third party developers to access user information without sufficient consent, Facebook has found itself in hot water again.
After acknowledging on Friday that a bug in its photo API may have allowed third-party apps to access users photos for 12 days in September, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said it is investigating the incident as part of a broader inquiry into the company.
The DPC has European jurisdiction over Facebook because the company's international headquarters is in Dublin.
"The Data Protection Commission has received a number of breach notifications from Facebook since the introduction of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) on 25 May 2018," the commission said in a statement. "With reference to these data breaches, including the most recent breach received, we have this week commenced a statutory inquiry examining Facebook's compliance with the relevant provisions of the GDPR."
This broad investigation could have serious consequences: Under the GDPR, the commission could levy a hefty fine. The maxium is four percent of a company's annual reveune.
90 million Facebook users have to log back in after security incident
New Facebook data breach may include messages of 48 million users, House of Commons committee told
Canada's Privacy Commissioner escalates, launches formal investigation into Facebook
A Dec. 14 blog by Facebook engineeing director Tomer Bar said the photo API problem may have affected up to 6.8 million users and up to 1,500 apps built by 876 developers. The only apps affected by this bug were ones that Facebook approved to access the photos API and that individuals had authorized to access their photos.
"Our internal team discovered a photo API bug that may have affected people who used Facebook Login and granted permission to third-party apps to access their photos," he wrote. "We have fixed the issue but, because of this bug, some third-party apps may have had access to a broader set of photos than usual for 12 days between September 13 to September 25, 2018.
"When someone gives permission for an app to access their photos on Facebook, we usually only grant the app access to photos people share on their timeline. In this case, the bug potentially gave developers access to other photos, such as those shared on Marketplace or Facebook Stories. The bug also impacted photos that people uploaded to Facebook but chose not to post. For example, if someone uploads a photo to Facebook but doesn't finish posting it – maybe because they've lost reception or walked into a meeting – we store a copy of that photo for three days so the person has it when they come back to the app to complete their post."
This week Facebook will roll out tools for app developers to let them to determine which people using their app might be impacted by this bug, Bar said. The company will work with those developers to delete the photos from impacted users. People potentially impacted by the bug will also be notified through an alert on Facebook, which will direct them to a Help Center link where they'll be able to see if they've used any apps that were affected by the bug.
Facebook also recommends people log into any apps with which they have shared their Facebook photos to check which photos they have access to.
This is the notice that will go out to affected Facebook users
security strategies
Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times. I can be reached at hsolomon [@] soloreporter.com
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After being all-digital last year, the Consumer Electronics Show is back in Las Vegas for 2022. Find all the latest news and announcements from the showroom floor at CES 2022.
CES 2022 NEWS COVERAGE
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Fairfield Inn & Suites, 1101 North 4th Street.
Home2Suites by Hilton, 250 Delaware Street.
Hampton Inn By Hilton, 405 Choctaw Street.
Map of Downtown Leavenworth with parking information.
Leavenworth, founded in 1854, was the first city incorporated in the territory of Kansas. The city developed south of Fort Leavenworth, which was established as Cantonment Leavenworth in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth.


Mayor of Milan and opera house president Guiseppe Sala said told reporters that La Scala "unanimously decided to return the money".
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy chairman of the German parliament, on Tuesday called on German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to immediately declare US Ambassador in Berlin Richard Grenell persona non grata over his repeated interference in the country's internal affairs.
The Council of the European Union is discussing the process of the UK's withdrawal from the bloc.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Home Office announced on Tuesday that it is increasing security funding for places of worship and sets up an additional 5 million pound ($6.6 million) fund in the wake of deadly New Zealand mosque shootings that killed 50 people.
GENOA (Sputnik) - Italy needs to prevent the commercial opportunities that will emerge from Rome's participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from becoming a tool of "geopolitical hegemony," Mario Borghezio, a European Parliament member from the Italian Lega party, told Sputnik.
Citizens would've remained in the dark about the test-runs were it not for a Freedom of Information request - ensuing outcry compelled Scottish forces to temporarily shelve plans for wider implementation.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) announced Tuesday that Berlin can deport asylum-seekers to other EU member states, stressing that poor living conditions in those countries aren't a reason to block deportations.
French unions such as the CGT, FO, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL, and UNL-SD are organising mass demonstrations in Paris in support of the Yellow Vests movement, which is protesting against government policies.
Snapped by a Chinese buyer, Armando, the Belgian racing bird, has fetched a record amount of €1.25 million in an online auction.
Officers taped off streets in Croydon around 9am GMT today after receiving reports that the individual was abusing locals and threatening to kill people.


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John Gutmann - Elevator Garage, Chicago, 1936
John Gutmann - Oracle, 1949
John Gutmann - Yes, Columbus Did Discover America, San Francisco, 1938
John Gutmann - October, Berlin, 1933
Silver Gelatin Print - 13 x 10.5 on 14 x 11 paper
John Gutmann - Promenade Deck. M.S. Brimanger, Pacific Ocean, 1933
Silver Gelatin Print - 8 x 10
John Gutmann - Good Bye Berlin, 1933
Silver Gelatin Print - 11x14
John Gutmann - W.P.A. San Francisco, 1937
John Gutmann - The Game. New Orleans, 1937
Silver Gelatin Print - 13 x 10.25 on 14 x 11 paper
John Gutmann - The News Photographer. San Francisco City Hall, 1935
John Gutmann - Anti-Fascists Posters. San Francisco, 1938
John Gutmann - Omen, 1934
John Gutmann - Sailors in Parade with Navy Blimp. 1934
John Gutmann - Before Pearl Harbor. ROTC at Mission High School. San Francisco, 1938
John Gutmann - Archers. Spelman College, Atlanta, 1937
John Gutmann - Montie Montana, Trick Rider in Western Parade,Calif. 1934
John Gutmann - Oympic High Diving Champion, Marjorie Gestring, 1938
John Gutmann - Helene Mayer, Two Time Olympic Fencing Champion, 1935
John Gutmann - The Swimmer, 1934
John Gutmann - The Boxing Lesson. San Francisco, 1934
John Gutmann - Barber School. Bowery, New York City, 1936
John Gutmann - Pop Advertising. San Francisco, 1939
John Gutmann - Ben's Barbershop Window. Streamlined Haircuts. 1946
John Gutmann - Eat in Car, Early Drive-In Restaurant, Hollywood, CA, 1935
John Gutmann - Ham and Eggs. San Francisco, 1938
John Gutmann - Cash for Your Car, San Francisco, 1939
John Gutmann - Cord in Harlem, N.Y.C., 1936
John Gutmann - Cup of Coffee and Cigarette, 1950
John Gutmann - Face Behind Veil, 1939
John Gutmann - Sweet Ruthie, 1935
John Gutmann - Cynics, Hollywood. 1934
John Gutmann - Jitterbug. New 0rleans, 1937
John Gutmann - Texas Women. 1937
John Gutmann - A Two Students of Spelman College, Atlanta, 1937
John Gutmann - Watching the Game. 1935
John Gutmann - The Fleet is in, San Francisco, 1934
John Gutmann - The Artist Lives Dangerously, San Francisco, 1938
John Gutmann - Datebook, 1939
John Gutmann - Betty Love Ben, 1948
John Gutmann - Love Hate Graffiti. New Orleans, 1937
John Gutmann - Apology,1938
John Gutmann - Sailor Girl Tattoo, 1945
John Gutmann - First Two Towers of Bay Bridge Under Construction, San Francisco
John Gutmann - From the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, 1947
John Gutmann - Lighthouse Keeper Anticipating Baldessai, Oregon, 1934
John Gutmann - Light House, Keeper's Roof with Chimney, 1934
John Gutmann - His Village. South-West China, 1944
John Gutmann - Death Stalks Fillmore. 1934
John Gutmann - Coca-Cola Fortress. New Orleans, 1937
John Gutmann -
- 11x14 and 8x10
John Gutmann . . . . . My Eyes Were Fresh
Forced to leave Germany in 1933, Gutmann served as an important link between early twentieth century European modernism
and the evolving artistic culture of San Francisco. From 1938 until 1973 he taught modern art and art history at
San Francisco State University and was an influential force in the lives of generations of American artists.
Berlin in the 1920's was full of bright lights, art galleries, cinemas, theatres and cabarets. This cosmopolitan city, filled with excitement and creativity, influenced John Gutmann's early career. His training there under Expressionist painter Otto Müller, an original member of Die Brücke, profoundly impacted his later work.
"Gutmann's art is essentially that of a European, fascinated by the culture he found in the New World…Trained as a painter, accredited as a teacher by an important German artist… he was predisposed to admire by temperament and aesthetic training." Sandra S. Phillips, Curator of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
For him, photography, like painting, was "another way to see the world". He had a singular gift for creating powerful and iconic images.
Said Guttman, "I want my pictures to be read and explored. I am usually pleased when the viewer finds interpretations that I had not been aware of. In this sense I am not interested in trying desperately to make Art but I am interested in relating to the marvelous extravagance of Life".
John Gutmann was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1977. His work has been widely exhibited. It is in over 40 major museum and private collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Guggenheim, The de Young Museum, LA County Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
This exhibit is organized to reflect the diversity of Gutmann's work. Through it all, he saw America with Fresh Eyes. He saw a certain optimism, while Farm Security Administration photographers recorded Depression era suffering. He saw humor in signage and graffiti. He was fascinated with America's fascination with the automobile. Gutmann had a German refugee's reservation about troops in the streets and the irony of the Nazi emblem flying in San Francisco City Hall. While much of his work was created in California, he photographed in Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana, as well as New York, recording the diversity of his new country.
Featured in this exhibition is the work of John Gutmann.
Select this link to view his complete artist page.
John Gutmann (1905-1998)
Born in Breslau, Germany, Gutmann studied to be a painter under Otto Mueller before turning to photography shortly before he emigrated to the United States, where he became known for his vivid images of popular culture. Gutmann brought a foreigner's view to the streets of California, where he saw with fresh eyes such astonishing (to him) phenomena as multiracial crowds, drive in movies and restaurants, drum majorettes, car parks and golf links, beauty contests, tattoo parlors, and movie marquees. He was fascinated by the status of the car as an American icon and photographed unusual license plates, decorated dashboards, decals, and hood ornaments. He also took a notable series of New York City in the 1940s. In Germany he worked as a photojournalist for Presse Photo before his arrival in the United States, when he worked as a photojournalist for Pix, Inc. (1936 1963). A professor at San Francisco State University from 1938 to 1973, Gutmann won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1978. His work has been published in major periodicals and is held by such collections as those of the Amon Carter in Fort Worth, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, and the Seagram Collection in New York.
Below is an excerpt of a review from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.
To read the entire review please access the AJC web site.
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BYLINE: Lisa Kurzner
TITLE: A European Eye Trained On American Depression
EXHIBITION: John Gutmann: My Eyes Were Fresh
Bottom line: This photography show takes viewers through 1930s America through the eyes of an accomplished European modernist. Not to be missed. The John Gutmann show at Lumiere gallery lets viewers tour city life of 1930s America through European eyes, bringing a modernist flair and incisive vision to a nation grappling with the Depression and readying for war. Gutmann, born in Germany and trained in Berlin in Expressionist Otto Mueller's studio, left for San Francisco in 1933 as the Nazis came to power.
Though trained as a painter, Gutmann was photographing for picture agencies before his trans-Atlantic move. One of the few European images in the show, "October Berlin" (1933), of a girl and her reflection caught in a shop window, reveals the compositional assurance of photographers such as Andre Kertesz and Man Ray in Gutmann's work. "Elevator Garage, Chicago" (1936) turns the vertical automobile garage into a column of Bauhaus might and sets it against one of the city's fabled skyscrapers.
The exhibition of almost 80 silver prints ranges broadly from images of commercial signage and graffiti to a sequence on the American car photographed around the country. In between are arresting images from New Orleans' Mardi Gras to New York's Bowery and the down and out in Mobile.
Most fascinating are the images of military presence on U.S. shores, whether in parade formation or patrolling San Francisco streets during its 1934 general strike. Having only recently left Germany, Gutmann undoubtedly was sensitive to the notion of military control in society.
Stylistically, Gutmann, like the Surrealists and modern painters of the era, was interested in anonymous folk art culture, as seen in the sign images, layered from foreground to background with hand lettering.
"Ben's Barbershop Window" (1946), a storefront display filled with haphazardly arranged signs, echoes Walker Evans' "American Photographs" work of the 1930s and exemplifies Gutmann's finely tuned pictorial sensibility. The play of light and shadow brings the signage to life, both the messages and writers behind them.
The prints were produced by Gutmann primarily in the 1980s, following his rediscovery as appreciation for photography expanded in museum culture. Although vintage work by Gutmann exists, it is rare, and this show presents collectors and enthusiasts with a significant body of work to learn about this accomplished photographer.
It's a wonderful gem of a show.


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Kathleen Madigan
Katya Zamolodchikova
Trixie Mattel
DAR Constitution Hall
EagleBank Arena
Echostage
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Kennedy Center Opera House
Lincoln Theatre DC
Wolf Trap Farm
Warner Theatre - Washington D.C. Tickets
Gary Gulman2022-01-22T20:00:002022-01-22T23:59:00See Gary Gulman at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on January 22, 2022 8:00 PM.
Warner Theatre - Washington DC - Washington DC, DC
Claudia Oshry2022-01-27T19:00:002022-01-27T23:59:00See Claudia Oshry at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on January 27, 2022 7:00 PM.
Tig Notaro2022-01-28T19:00:002022-01-28T23:59:00See Tig Notaro at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on January 28, 2022 7:00 PM.
Tedeschi Trucks Band2022-02-03T20:00:002022-02-03T23:59:00See Tedeschi Trucks Band at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 3, 2022 8:00 PM.
SatFeb 0520228:00 PM
Bruce Dickinson2022-02-08T19:30:002022-02-08T23:59:00See Bruce Dickinson at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 8, 2022 7:30 PM.
Chris Distefano2022-02-11T19:00:002022-02-11T23:59:00See Chris Distefano at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 11, 2022 7:00 PM.
Girls Gotta Eat (18+ Event)2022-02-12T19:00:002022-02-12T23:59:00See Girls Gotta Eat at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 12, 2022 7:00 PM.
Girls Gotta Eat2022-02-12T21:30:002022-02-12T23:59:00See Girls Gotta Eat at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 12, 2022 9:30 PM.
Tedeschi Trucks Band2022-02-17T20:00:002022-02-17T23:59:00See Tedeschi Trucks Band at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 17, 2022 8:00 PM.
Masters Of Illusion2022-02-23T20:00:002022-02-23T23:59:00See Masters Of Illusion at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 23, 2022 8:00 PM.
Beth Hart (Rescheduled from 5/5/2020, 2/25/2021)2022-02-24T20:00:002022-02-24T23:59:00See Beth Hart at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 24, 2022 8:00 PM.
JeCaryous Johnson presents New Jack City2022-02-25T20:00:002022-02-25T23:59:00See JeCaryous Johnson presents New Jack City at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on February 25, 2022 8:00 PM.
Jeff Dunham2022-03-04T19:00:002022-03-04T23:59:00See Jeff Dunham at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 4, 2022 7:00 PM.
Dream Theater (Rescheduled from 11/21/2021)2022-03-06T20:00:002022-03-06T23:59:00See Dream Theater at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 6, 2022 8:00 PM.
Ronny Chieng2022-03-11T19:30:002022-03-11T23:59:00See Ronny Chieng at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 11, 2022 7:30 PM.
Jesse and Joy2022-03-16T19:30:002022-03-16T23:59:00See Jesse and Joy at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 16, 2022 7:30 PM.
Styx (Rescheduled from 3/17/2020)2022-03-17T20:00:002022-03-17T23:59:00See Styx at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 17, 2022 8:00 PM.
Brit Floyd - Pink Floyd Tribute2022-03-23T20:00:002022-03-23T23:59:00See Brit Floyd - Pink Floyd Tribute at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 23, 2022 8:00 PM.
LOL Surprise Live2022-03-31T18:00:002022-03-31T23:59:00See LOL Surprise Live at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on March 31, 2022 6:00 PM.
Trixie and Katya2022-04-01T20:00:002022-04-01T23:59:00See Trixie and Katya at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 1, 2022 8:00 PM.
A Bandhouse Gig2022-04-02T20:00:002022-04-02T23:59:00See A Bandhouse Gig at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 2, 2022 8:00 PM.
The Bachelor Live On Stage2022-04-03T20:00:002022-04-03T23:59:00See The Bachelor Live On Stage at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 3, 2022 8:00 PM.
Brian Culbertson (Rescheduled from 4/18/2020, 4/10/2021, 4/13/2021)2022-04-07T20:00:002022-04-07T23:59:00See Brian Culbertson at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 7, 2022 8:00 PM.
Kathleen Madigan2022-04-08T19:30:002022-04-08T23:59:00See Kathleen Madigan at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 8, 2022 7:30 PM.
Marisela2022-04-09T20:00:002022-04-09T23:59:00See Marisela at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 9, 2022 8:00 PM.
Steve Hackett2022-04-13T20:00:002022-04-13T23:59:00See Steve Hackett at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 13, 2022 8:00 PM.
Whose Live Anyway2022-04-20T19:30:002022-04-20T23:59:00See Whose Live Anyway at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 20, 2022 7:30 PM.
The Fab Four - The Ultimate Beatles Tribute (Rescheduled from 6/26/2020, 6/24/2021, 9/23/2021)2022-04-21T20:00:002022-04-21T23:59:00See The Fab Four - The Ultimate Beatles Tribute at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 21, 2022 8:00 PM.
Professor Brian Cox2022-04-22T20:00:002022-04-22T23:59:00See Professor Brian Cox at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 22, 2022 8:00 PM.
Todrick Hall2022-04-24T19:30:002022-04-24T23:59:00See Todrick Hall at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on April 24, 2022 7:30 PM.
Diana Krall2022-05-03T20:00:002022-05-03T23:59:00See Diana Krall at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 3, 2022 8:00 PM.
Lewis Black (18+ Event)2022-05-06T20:00:002022-05-06T23:59:00See Lewis Black at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 6, 2022 8:00 PM.
SunMay 0820228:00 PM
Bunbury2022-05-08T20:00:002022-05-08T23:59:00See Bunbury at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 8, 2022 8:00 PM.
Dionne Warwick2022-05-13T20:00:002022-05-13T23:59:00See Dionne Warwick at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 13, 2022 8:00 PM.
Jessie James Decker2022-05-15T19:30:002022-05-15T23:59:00See Jessie James Decker at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 15, 2022 7:30 PM.
SatMay 2120221:00 PM
Wild Kratts Live (Rescheduled from 4/26/2020, 11/15/2020, 5/16/2021)2022-05-21T13:00:002022-05-21T23:59:00See Wild Kratts Live at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 21, 2022 1:00 PM.
Primus2022-05-24T20:00:002022-05-24T23:59:00See Primus at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on May 24, 2022 8:00 PM.
FriJun 0320227:00 PM
Chelsea Handler2022-06-03T19:00:002022-06-03T23:59:00See Chelsea Handler at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on June 3, 2022 7:00 PM.
SatJun 0420228:00 PM
Celebrating Billy Joel2022-06-04T20:00:002022-06-04T23:59:00See Celebrating Billy Joel at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on June 4, 2022 8:00 PM.
My Dad Wrote A Porno2022-06-17T20:00:002022-06-17T23:59:00See My Dad Wrote A Porno at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on June 17, 2022 8:00 PM.
ThuOct 0620228:00 PM
Pavement2022-10-06T20:00:002022-10-06T23:59:00See Pavement at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on October 6, 2022 8:00 PM.
Wardruna (Rescheduled from 9/25/2020, 9/24/2021)2022-10-14T20:30:002022-10-14T23:59:00See Wardruna at Warner Theatre - Washington DC in Washington DC on October 14, 2022 8:30 PM.
Warner Theatre - Washington DC Seating Chart
View Warner Theatre - Washington DC Seating Chart
Top Events at Warner Theatre - Washington D.C.
The NutcrackerRonny ChiengTedeschi Trucks BandLa Oreja de Van GoghAli WongJeff DunhamMaks and ValTodrick HallWardrunaJecaryous Johnson
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Warner Theatre - Washington DC 2022 Schedule
Warner Theatre - Washington DC currently has 52 events with tickets available to purchase. Browse the full list of events here to find the date you need, and then select the right seats from our large ticket inventory. Warner Theatre - Washington DC ranks among the most popular venues in Washington DC, DC and has events scheduled through 2022.
Tickets are on-sale now for Gary Gulman at Warner Theatre - Washington DC on 01/22/2022. This upcoming event is only 5 days away and there are currently 202 tickets available to purchase. The cheapest tickets start at $53 per ticket. Gary Gulman is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM local time. Tickets for events at Warner Theatre - Washington DC can be purchased at TicketCity. Buy Tickets to Next event
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You can find more Bennington Bennington, VT alumni who participated in activities at Classmates.com®. Click here to join Classmates.com® for free and to view BHS profiles.
Choose an activity that students at Bennington could particpate during their time in high school in Bennington to view the names of the students who participated in that sport or activity. You can also add yourself to the list.	The main activities at Bennington Bennington, VT that have members on this site were Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Drama, Football, Golf and Track.


At about the age of 4 years old children start to develop an understanding that words can be split into sound parts (syllables) and that these parts give the word its rhythm. A syllable is the largest phonological unit (one or a group of sounds) of a word and is like the rhythmic beat of the word.
Children love to clap out the number of syllables in a word. It is important to say the word at a normal speed rather than really slowly as this can distort the word and make it difficult to hear the syllables. To start with a child just needs to be able to recognize them by clapping, stamping or jumping for each syllable of a word; they don't need to be able to count them. It is thought that only about 50% of children can count out the syllables by the age of 4, so you can do the counting for them.
Most children will find it easier to identify syllables in compound words to start with. A compound word is formed by two words (root words) put together such as: sunset, hotdog, snowman and postman. They find it easier because the jaw tends to drop quite distinctly as we say the vowel sound in each of the root words and because we tend to say these words slowly.


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ExploreNorth AmericaUnited StatesLos AngelesTroubadour
By Marina Chetner - Writer
Troubadour is an institution that has hosted many LA "debuts": in 1968, for Joni Mitchell; in 1969, Neil Diamond; in 1970, Elton John made his Stateside debut; and so it goes on with the Pointer Sisters, Metallica, the legendary Manu Chao, Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand. Since the intimate venue opened its doors in 1957, not only has it helped launch careers of top artists but it's where albums have been released: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom; The Killers – Sam's Town; Rod Stewart – Time; and Coldplay performed a secret show here, debuting five songs from their third album, X&Y. In addition, you can catch great live shows performed by global up-and-coming artists. In 2013, Rolling Stone magazine named Troubadour the second best rock club in America; in 2014, Billboard named it one of the top 5 "must play" venues in the US. It's a must visit.
West Hollywood is one of the most colourful neighbourhoods in Los Angeles. Famous for the high-end boutiques along Melrose Avenue and popular Sunset Boulevard, it has been the backdrop for many TV shows and movies.
9081 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood
Hotel Review – Petit Ermitage
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills – Hotel Review
The Garland – Hotel Review
Arts District Firehouse Hotel – Review


Edie's World Famous Advice Column.... IS BACK!!! OMG!
Any questions, advice, or dance tips you'd like the entire WORLD to know about?
Your questions will be left anonymous, unless you tell me otherwise.
Leave your Comments after articles you read!!!
People would love to hear your opinions!!
After years of ... well you know, the usual.. travel, travel, travel... I have finally decided to resurrect my "Dear Edie..." page for my students to enjoy.
In the early 90's, the "Dear Edie..." page online was the "Salsa Rage" page "BOOM" that accompanied the Salsa "Boom" along with the Explosion of the Internet.
Both "Booms" happened simultaneously - and many have told me that the "Dear Edie..." column helped the Salsa Boom spark an even BIGGER BOOM because now EVERYONE on the PLANET realized we were ALL GOING THROUGH THE EXACT SAME THING!!! THE SALSA ADDICTION!!! AAAAAAAaaaahhhhh!!!!!
WELL, now the good 'ole "Dear Edie..." column has BOOMERANGED back into our lives again - with a new touch... WORDS OF SEASONED WISDOM. omg.
Now that I am semi-retired from touring, and very happily married, I can give precious "Words of Wisdom" to the naive Budding Salsero and SEASONED Salsa-Holic.
I hope this information is useful to everyone out there who has personal questions, but was always afraid to ask! I'll discuss anything I feel relevant, because chances are, others may have the same questions!
So grab some coffee (drug of choice for a Salsa-Holic), kick back, relax and enjoy!


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N.Y. AG Says Producer Comp. Reg. Necessary; Complies With Law
A proposed New York producer compensation regulation complies with the law and is necessary to inform consumers about possible conflicts of interest, the state's attorney general said in a court filing.
By Phil Gusman | August 04, 2010 at 08:00 PM
NU Online News Service, Aug. 5, 3:43 p.m. EDT
A proposed New York producer compensation regulation complies with the law and is necessary to inform consumers about possible conflicts of interest, the state's attorney general said in a court filing.
Calif. DOI, FAIR Plan Association dispute role in homeowners market
Denny Jacob | January 16, 2020
In response to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's order, the FAIR Plan sued the department last month.
InsurTechNY aims to attract insurance startup talent, investors
Elana Ashanti Jefferson | January 17, 2020
The organization recently announced its 2020 InsurTech Startup Competition, which will award $300,000 in prizes to six winning teams.
America's Claims Executive (ACE) 2020Event
ACE Leadership Forum & Expo is the annual conference for Senior Claims Managers in Insurance organizations.
Banking Litigation & Regulation Forum 2020Event
Delivers the key insights and practical solutions to acutely address the complex minefield of UK banking litigation & regulation.


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Italy's economy minister said on Tuesday that measures to stop Swiss banks from selling financial products to Italian retail clients have been in place for some time and are in response to tax evasion rather the Alpine country's stance on immigration.
Swiss voters this month backed proposals to curtail the relatively free movement of citizens to and from the European Union, drawing sharp criticism from the European Commission in Brussels and prompting France to say it would review its diplomatic relationship with Berne.
Swiss Diplomat Jacques de Watteville said on Monday that Italian officials had made it clear to their Swiss counterparts that they would block Swiss banks from selling retail products to Italians unless Berne ensures the free movement of people between the two countries.
However, outgoing Italian Economy Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni said on Tuesday that Swiss banks were already barred from selling such products in Italy, indicating that the measures are more of a bargaining tool in tense talks aimed at helping Rome to obtain information about wealth hidden in Switzerland by Italian taxpayers.
"To say that this (Italian stance) is the result of the (immigration) referendum seems to me excessive," Saccomanni told reporters in Brussels, adding that negotiations between the countries are focused on the exchange of tax information.
"But the referendum is something that will be taken into account as negotiations continue," Saccomanni added.
Swiss banks offer wealth management and investment banking services in Italy but do not have commercial banking operations in the country because Rome has placed the Alpine state on what Saccomanni described as a "blacklist" of countries that do not fully cooperate on tax matters.


Partying or pampering? Whatever you're into, it's all about incredible fun with friends. We've got plenty of stag and hen do destination and activity ideas to make it special.
Here at Infinity Weekends we specialise in celebrations; weekends away, nights on the town, trips around the world, overall helping people plan their perfect parties, events, nights out and quality, adult fun with their best boys and girls. As a result, it's more than understandable that we've gained ourselves the reputation of putting on the best stag and hen dos across this country, or any other for that matter, bar none. We have the experience, the representatives, the love and the determination to make sure that you can enjoy the very best of your marriage's celebration without the mess of you or your best man/maid of honour setting up the occasion. But why, why bring up our reputation of stag and hen dos? Well, because we feel it's important to remember that Infinity Weekends offers more than simply sun, sea and alcohol, going above and beyond Magaluf and Ibiza. I mean, of course these are some of our most highly requested locations and intentions for the weekends away, to get black out drunk, lounge on the beach and come home red raw from sunburn, but what else is on offer? That's what we're looking at today, where else can you go? What else can you do? Who else do you have to be to warrant calling up Infinity Weekends to get your journey started? It's not all alcohol all the time, we also cater to some of the more chill customers and purposes, from Amsterdam to Berlin, spa days to gorgeous restaurants, corporate meetings to reunions of old friends. If you think it deserves an event, a nice weekend away abroad, or maybe just a pleasant night-out, Infinity Weekends can get it sorted, high quality, no fuss.
Before we get into the deeper layers of Infinity Weekends, let's clear the air first. Yes, we are the absolute best and brightest in our sector for all party planning and weekend getaways. With over 150,000 happy customers, long-term, loyal party reps who have experience in travelling Europe and uncovering the best spots, as well as all the technical bells and whistles such as millions of pounds worth of insurance per person, full-journey planning and booking, and, it's availability starts with a free phone call or filling in a form via our website. Simple to start, simple to plan, and incredibly satisfying to enjoy your stag or hen do away knowing that you devised the ideas, leaving you happy and us pleased to see it fall into motion. That's the simple concept and the beauty, an ability to quickly and easily plan a holiday to all the exotic places around the world, Spain, Portugal, Romania, for bar crawls, VIP clubs, beach parties and boating trips.
The above assumptions are fine, we don't mind being referred to as the top of the touring industry, but we have to admit there's a lot more to Infinity Weekends than simply stag dos, dwarves and VIP club access. Instead, we open our doors to everyone, not just those celebrating new marriage; perhaps an anniversary, or even the celebration of a divorce? It sounds bizarre at first, but why wouldn't you (and perhaps the new partner) want to get away and enjoy the satisfying end to an old chapter in your lives. The paperwork is done, the technicalities are complete, and now you and your new family can relax – ice skating and exploring in Budapest, or maybe even a simple spa day and luxury restaurant here in England. In the same vein as paperwork, we look at another lesser-thought-of but still important event of a corporate outing; a quick lunch date with the board instead of a stuffy conference room, drinking with your workmates at the end of a crunch-time month, or perhaps a more thought out meal, golfing trip and drinks to secure a big deal for your company. We understand how easy it is to assume Infinity Weekends means alcohol and partying, but let's be honest, there's really so much more you can do with the open concept of a weekend away, or a night out. It's important to bear this stuff in mind because you don't need twelve mates, a dwarf and wedding that's been planned for three years to enjoy our expertise and excellent service, in fact, quite the opposite. All it takes is a quick call and you're away, you'll have a representative with you to brainstorm ideas and get the ball rolling for anything from an evening meal in London to a weekend away in Magaluf.
So, let's move away from the alcohol fueled and the party motivated usual that we're so used to when talking about Infinity Weekends, and instead, look towards the more interesting. The exotic, the enlightening, the fun, the friendly, and maybe even a bit freaky. Forget the locations for the moment, and think about all the possibilities for some of the following activities: singing and behind-the-bar experiences, free-running, electric football, school sports day, go-karting, ghost night and pizza making. Already we've got some pretty weird sounding events for your group, and only one of them involves alcohol. Understandably if you're having a reunion of friends who haven't seen one another in ten years, you might want to wet your beak before you get in the swing of things, but if not, these are already some great examples of less alcohol-based and more interesting activities. What's more, is that those were just some of the few activities available in England alone, the next lot are suited more towards foreign lands overseas.
Private boat cruise, brewery tours, paint-balling, bowling, escape rooms, which can then transition into something a bit more lively, there's more action-based activities such as the Dirty Harry Experience, AK-47 shooting and tank driving. However, I know what you're thinking, "sure, these don't involve much alcohol, but how am I supposed to take work colleagues to any of these?" Well, think about it, a private boat cruise is the perfect example of a viable activity for a business partner or potential associate, it's unique, private and somewhat captivating, keeping your client intrigued, but also impressed at your ability to plan ahead for such a nice meeting. Alright, a boat cruise isn't your thing, well how about the Amsterdam Lookout Tower to help keep someone interested, perhaps spend an anniversary up there; followed by a tour of the country's most famous dungeon, the Heineken brewery, or even a tour of the Ajax Stadium.
Ultimately, we find that alcohol really doesn't need to be consumed to enjoy the Infinity Weekends experience. It will absolutely help during a celebration, whether for your anniversary, reunion or closing a deal, but there are plenty of activities to keep you occupied that don't revolve around booze. It doesn't have to be all pranks, nightclubs and blackouts, the pace can be slowed or sped up to match the company who will be joining you, and that's just another beauty of Infinity Weekends.
To give a general sense of the places that are on offer, the above activities were taken from listings in: Prague, the Czech Republic, Berlin, Germany, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as Cambridge, Brighton and London, England. So whether you're wanting to keep it local for your business meeting, or take it to an entirely new country, or even continent, there's something for every person and intention. Even more so is that these examples are simply ideas, they're concepts that have been used or suggested by previous patrons of Infinity Weekends. The fun part of the service is that you can request anything, that can happen anywhere, and Infinity Weekends will do our utmost to make sure it comes true, at a fair price point, in a great timescale, no matter what or where it is.
After talking about what's assumed of Infinity Weekends, followed by the in-depth and layered reality of our services, being more than a provider of just stag and hen dos, we hope we've shown our ability to be a much richer company than first expected. In the end, the beauty comes from adaptability, a passion, a care, and a guaranteed interest in your planned event's success, be it a stag do, an anniversary, corporate meeting or reunion of old friends. As aforementioned, the process really couldn't be any simpler, a phone call or a form sheet filled out results in the beginning of your journey, you'll be given an experienced Infinity Weekends rep who can help with everything; suggestions, locations, activities, planning, payment and travel. Infinity Weekends takes the stress, the mess and the fuss of planning a weekend away and gives back to you the pleasure, satisfaction and enjoyment.


At Waypoint Church we believe in building strong relationships and a welcoming community. No matter where you have come from we believe we can all journey together with Jesus into the amazing things He has planned for us.
Whether you've never stepped foot in a church, or being part of church was something you used to do, come and check us out.
If you would consider Waypoint Church to be your church, there are 4 things that we would encourage you to do. Click on the images below to find out more.


Most of our crafts are listed in chronological order, but not the ones here. These are projects based on a particular world culture, and not necessarily an historical time period.
Browse below for crafts on world cultures in general, and then Africa, China, India, Israel, and Japan.
Learning About Cultures by Teaching & Learning.
The World is Our Neighborhood by Evan-Moor.
World Civilizations and Cultures by Mark Twain Media.
Design your own African mask! Or print and color these pre-drawn masks.
Click here for Paper Lantern instructions.
This Chinese dragon is slightly complex, and looks great! For a much simpler Chinese Dragon for younger elementary ages, try this one made from a paper chain!
Make and fly a Dragon kite.
Print this Dragon boat to cut and color!
Use the instructions for a Chinese fan taken from this card designed by Canon!
Disney's Family Fun gives us lots of very nice resources to celebrate the Chinese New Year! Check out their attractive Chinese crafts, Chinese food, and Chinese printables for kids!
For a simple project on China, cut ivory paper in half lengthwise. Have child glue a popsicle stick to the top & bottom of the strip to create a long scroll. Use guides for Writing Chinese Numbers to walk the child(ren) through each number. Have them use a brush and black paint, and draw their characters from top to bottom, then right to left.
This site has a variety of crafts on India in general, including a Diwali lamp, Rangoli, the Indian elephant, and an Indian slipper.
Find some great ideas here for making Rangoli with kids using a variety of materials and some kid-friendly designs.
The peacock is India's national bird! Learn to draw a peacock here, or create one with colored paper here!
Weave a Star of David with yarn. Or try this version of the craft for younger kids.
This site shows how to make a Star of David out of Pipe Cleaners. You need to scroll down the page to see these, since it is part of a longer list of holiday decor items.
This Star of David is made from strips of colorful paper. Nice & easy! Or you could go with the traditional Craft Sticks version!
Download this Star of David template and use String Art Techniques to make it! If you're not familiar with String Art, clidk here for basic how-to instructions for String Art and adapt it to make a Star.
Create one of these origami spinning tops from Canon Papercraft. For older students, try the Kumamoto Castle or the Shuri Castle.
Celebrate the Seasons within the Japanese culture from these papercraft models from Yamaha.
Make Japanese paper dolls out of posterboard and construction paper. These are really nice!
At this page from the San Diego Museum of Art, scroll down and click on the Kimono-Inspired Landscape Collage. This is for older elementary students up to junior high & high school.
Visit the Globe in 8 Books!
Save $50+ on the set!


ICSOC 2011 will be held in Paphos, Cyprus from December 5 to December 8, 2011. Proposals for workshops are invited for consideration of sponsorship and affiliation with ICSOC 2011.
We particularly encourage workshops which aim to take into account multidisciplinary between different academic disciplines and collaboration between academia, industry and communities of users. We also seek for workshops which are focused to particular domains, such as healthcare, government, military, etc. and which report real-world experiences in production settings.
A workshop proposal should be no more than 5 pages and should include the workshop title, technical description of the topic and issues, the relevance of the workshop to the conference theme, the motivation of why the workshop is of interest at this time, the strategy for recruiting papers, brief bios of the organizers, potential program committee members, duration and history (if any) of the workshop. Proposals should be submitted electronically to wc@icsoc.org.


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jsartell@consumerlawfirm.com
Jordan M. Sartell joined the class action practice of Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 2017 and litigates on behalf of consumers harmed by unlawful credit reporting, tenant screening, background checks, debt collection, and other deceptive and unfair business practices.
A summa cum laude graduate of the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and member of the DePaul Law Review, Jordan began his legal career protecting vulnerable senior citizens from financial exploitation with Prairie State Legal Services. Licensed in Illinois, Jordan practices in federal district and appellate courts throughout the United States.
Jordan lives in suburban Chicagoland with his wife and two children where he is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association ("DCBA"). Jordan has served on the Editorial Board of the DCBA's legal journal, The Brief, since 2014, including as its Editor in Chief ('21 to '22) and Associate Editor ('20 to '21). Jordan is also a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and regularly provides pro bono advice and counsel concerning a variety of consumer issues.
Class Counsel Certifications
Rivera v. Equifax Info. Servs., LLC, No. 1:18-CV-4639-AT,
2022 WL 986443 (N.D. Ga. Mar. 30, 2022)
Kang v. Credit Bureau Connection, Inc., No. 1:18-CV-01359-AWI-SKO,
2022 WL 658105 (E.D. Cal. Mar. 4, 2022)
McIntyre v. RealPage, Inc., d/b/a On-Site, 336 F.R.D. 422 (E.D. Pa. 2020)
Norman v. Trans Union, LLC, 479 F. Supp. 3d 98 (E.D. Pa. 2020)
Wills v. Starbucks Corporation, No. 1:16-cv-3654-CAP-CMS, ECF 59 (N.D. Ga. July 16, 2020)
Robinson v. National Student Clearinghouse, No. 1:19-CV-10749,
2020 WL 4873728 (D. Mass. July 8, 2020) aff'd 14 F.4th 56 (1st Cir. 2021)
Shekar v. Accurate Background, Inc., No. 17-CV-0585,
2020 WL 2563437 (E.D. Wis. May 14, 2020)


text:
University of Northampton's Research Explorer Home
Marxism and Postmodernism
Glyn Daly
Economics, Intl Relations & Development
Research output: Contribution to Book/Report › Chapter › peer-review
In certain respects the so-called 'postmodern' condition is easy to characterise. Essentially it refers to the break-up of the Cold War landscapes and to the gradual dissolution of those globalising ideol- ogies which underpinned them. Now what is tending to replace these ideologies is not the affirmation of some new universalistic idea but rather an increasing diversification of particularistic identities and political demands constituted around new sites of antagonism: gender, sexual, environmental, ethnic, cultural and so on. Thus, according to Lyotard, the new spirit of the age is marked by a deep suspicion of 'metanarrativity': that is to say, a suspicion of all those attempts to establish a unified language of truth to which we could refer the diversity and richness of human culture and historical potential. In paradoxical terms we might say that what current developments are tending to bring about is an end of 'endisms' - i.e. all those grand narratives proclaiming some sort of end (such as Bell's 'end of ideology' and Fukuyama's 'end of history') - and increasingly the historical and provisional character of all social order and identity.
Marxism and Social Science
Andrerw Gamble
Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Marxism, Postmodernity, Postmarxism, Deconstruction, Hegemony, Gramsci, Laclau and Mouffe
https://b-ok.cc/book/2676183/3179b1Licence: Unspecified
Dive into the research topics of 'Marxism and Postmodernism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Postmodernism Arts & Humanities 100%
Marxism Arts & Humanities 99%
Ideology Arts & Humanities 69%
Suspicion Arts & Humanities 43%
Post-modern Condition Arts & Humanities 31%
End of History Arts & Humanities 28%
Dissolution Arts & Humanities 27%
Grand Narrative Arts & Humanities 27%
Daly, G. (1999). Marxism and Postmodernism. In A. Gamble (Ed.), Marxism and Social Science (pp. 61-84). Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.. https://b-ok.cc/book/2676183/3179b1
Daly, Glyn. / Marxism and Postmodernism. Marxism and Social Science. editor / Andrerw Gamble. London : Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., 1999. pp. 61-84
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AB - In certain respects the so-called 'postmodern' condition is easy to characterise. Essentially it refers to the break-up of the Cold War landscapes and to the gradual dissolution of those globalising ideol- ogies which underpinned them. Now what is tending to replace these ideologies is not the affirmation of some new universalistic idea but rather an increasing diversification of particularistic identities and political demands constituted around new sites of antagonism: gender, sexual, environmental, ethnic, cultural and so on. Thus, according to Lyotard, the new spirit of the age is marked by a deep suspicion of 'metanarrativity': that is to say, a suspicion of all those attempts to establish a unified language of truth to which we could refer the diversity and richness of human culture and historical potential. In paradoxical terms we might say that what current developments are tending to bring about is an end of 'endisms' - i.e. all those grand narratives proclaiming some sort of end (such as Bell's 'end of ideology' and Fukuyama's 'end of history') - and increasingly the historical and provisional character of all social order and identity.
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University of Northampton's Research Explorer data protection policy


i just sent in a bug report, but i figured i should create a post as well. i just played taric in urf, and then tested this bug out in training mode to be sure it wasn't some fluke. basically taric does his short cast for his ult then it just fizzles, and you never become invulnerable. TL;DR taric ult doesnt work he has ultimate dysfunction.


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Greater Louisville Inc. named Chamber of the Year finalist
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 14, 2018) — Greater Louisville Inc. is a finalist for the 2018 Chamber of the Year award, to be presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).
The award, which recognizes the dual role chambers have in leading businesses and communities, honors excellence in operations, member services and community leadership. To achieve finalist status is an accomplishment in itself, as each year the ACCE invites only a limited number of its more than 1,300 members to apply for the award.
It is the only award that annually recognizes the nation's top chamber. GLI was previously named ACCE's Chamber of the Year in 2007.
The comprehensive application process includes an ACCE review panel that considers the chambers' overall organizational structures, fiscal responsibility, strategic planning and member engagement. It is the only award that annually recognizes the nation's top chamber.
GLI's application included an overview of Greater Louisville 2020 – GLI's strategic plan that focuses on economic growth and capacity building and is supported by a $7.5 million capital campaign.
The application also included synopses on:
• Live in Lou – the cornerstone of GLI's talent attraction and retention efforts, with 2020 goals of increasing the working age population by 38,000 and the number of degreed adults by 18,000.
• Million Dollar Babies – a GLI initiative that assists qualified founders of early-stage, tech-enabled companies to increase their potential for reaching $1 million in revenue or in money raised in a single equity round.
"Being a Chamber of the Year finalist puts GLI in very exclusive company," said Kent Oyler, GLI's president and CEO. "While we hope to become the ultimate winner, this alone is a major accomplishment worth celebrating for our team members, our board and the entire community."
Chamber of the Year is given annually to chambers in four size categories. Categories are based on a handful of criteria, such as population, number of businesses, total revenue and current number of members. GLI is classified under category four – the largest. The other finalists in this category are Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and Tulsa Regional Chamber.
"Greater Louisville Inc. is a driver of economic growth in our community, and to be a finalist is an indication of our success," said Jim Allen, chair of GLI's Board of Directors. "It's an honor for GLI to be recognized for its commitment to entrepreneurship, business leadership, talent attraction, global outreach, and much more."
The Chamber of the Year winner will be announced on July 18 during the ACCE Annual Convention in Des Moines, Iowa. It will be awarded to a chamber based on its 2017 body of work.
"The GLI staff, its board and its investors accomplished a lot during 2017," said Evelyn Strange, who was board chair of GLI in 2017. "It's rewarding to be recognized as a finalist by ACCE. Equally rewarding is watching how GLI has excelled further during the first half of 2018. This organization is truly on a great course."
TagsGreater Louisville Inc.
Kentucky awarded nearly $1.1 million grant for apprenticeships
Kentucky Eagle Inc. celebrates 70 years


Can I just say I love that cushion products are enjoying a rather extended time in the spotlight?! As we all know, beauty trends can come and go pretty quickly, but it seems like the cushion is here to stay. There's the obvious foundation, but there is literally a cushion for everything- blush, eyeliner, bronzer... Anyway, today is about the more traditional cushion offering, foundation. Actually, that's a lie, as THEFACESHOP CC Intense Cover Cushion is a CC cream. Regardless of what you call it, it's cushiony and oh-so good!
Before we get to the CC at hand, let's take a moment and discuss the fact that THEFACESHOP knows we're not all alike. They get it, and as such offer four formulas of cushion foundation to suit varying skin types. As you can see in the handy guide above, the formulas offer varying levels of moisture and coverage with individual benefits to suit just about everyone.
Normally, I would have been all over the CC Moist Cushion, as my skin tends to be dry, but I swayed by the fact that the CC Intense Cover offers just as much moisture, but with higher coverage. Yes, please!
The CC is a very liquid texture, with a light feel on skin. It applies nicely on skin, blends well, and as it dries, retains a hydrating feel and doesn't catch of emphasize dry spots, imperfections, or pores. While it doesn't say completely liquid once on, it also doesn't completely dry down, which leaves skin with a really natural finish.
The Intense Cover name does imply, well, an intense coverage. That's not exactly what you get, but I'm okay with that. You get a light-medium coverage with this depending on your application. The formula is very easy to build up for more coverage, but with one layer isn't full. That said, the coverage is higher than other cushion foundations I've used and doesn't suffer the typical pitfalls of fuller-coverage bases.
Overall, this is a great choice if you're looking to try a cushion base (BB, CC, foundation) or add another to you lineup. I love that this does offer a bit more coverage than your average, but it still nicely hydrating (and a great match for drier skin) without looking cakey, overdone, or dry. What do you think? Have you tried any cushion products?


text:
For health care policy wonks, for decades, perhaps there was no more recognizable name than "Uwe" — the Princeton professor who could explain health care's broken economics in a snappy soundbite.
Uwe Reinhardt passed away in November 2017 but his new book is out this week. His wife and collaborator, Tsung-Mei (May) Cheng, sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss Reinhardt's life, work and lasting lessons.
"Priced Out," Reinhardt's final book, was published this week.
Reinhardt appeared on NPR's "Fresh Air" in 2009 to discuss the push for the Affordable Care Act.
POLITICO Pulse Check's November 2017 reflections on Reinhardt. (Starts at the 45:38 mark.)
"It's the prices, stupid," Reinhardt and colleagues declared in a 2003 Health Affairs paper on the United States' problem with high health costs.
At Stat News, Gerard Anderson — a Johns Hopkins professor and co-author on the "prices, stupid" paper — reflects on Reinhardt's life and work.
POLITICO's Pulse Check
On Uwe Reinhardt's new book and lasting legacy


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AdventureHiking
The Crew Building the Next Great American Thru-Hike
The Great Eastern Trail spans nine states and 1,600 miles just west of the Appalachian Trail, but private landowners, meager funding, and sluggish construction are holding up the completion of America's next big wilderness route
Building a new trail is a physically and politically tough endeavor. (Photo: Vince Boothe/Flickr)
Jonathan Olivier
In early May, I hiked with Peter Berntsen through eastern Tennessee, where the 70-year-old trail builder is laying segments of the Cumberland Trail. The path will wend more than 300 miles through deep hollows, spiraling waterfalls, and diverse flora in the heart of Appalachia, at the mountainous edge of the Cumberland Plateau. I followed as Berntsen lugged an axe and mattock up a rocky and root-riddled stretch meandering through untouched forest. He and his two-man crew were slowly chipping away at the final 100 miles.
The Cumberland is on track to be all but complete in 2019 and will function as a leg of the country's next great wilderness trail: the Great Eastern Trail, which will span 1,600 miles from Alabama to New York and be composed of already existing trails. It may also serve an important purpose: to siphon foot traffic away from the nearby Appalachian Trail. "The Great Eastern Trail is going to ease the pressure off the Appalachian Trail," Berntsen says. "If we can relieve just a bit from the big bubble of hikers that starts in Georgia every year, it'll be beneficial for everyone."
Last year, nearly 4,200 thru-hikers set off to walk the AT—more than three times the number of people who attempted in 2007. Overcrowding has exacerbated issues like norovirus and trailside litter, prompting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to push for alternate start dates and travel routes for thru-hikers. The hope is that the Great Eastern will siphon some of the crowds, thus lessening the environmental burden on America's favorite wilderness footpath.
The Great Eastern, however, is only around 70 percent complete. Without any setbacks, it could be finished within ten years. But first, trail advocates will have to overcome a number of hurdles between hikers and a new glorious trail.
A quick overview of hang-ups that could hamper the Great Eastern: most notably, the coal and timber companies in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia that have been unwilling to allow a path through, indefinitely halting construction in those regions. In northern Georgia, much of the path follows paved roads, and progress has been slow due to negotiations between dozens of landowners and government entities. Almost 200 miles of the originally proposed route in southern Alabama, which would have connected to the Florida Trail, was put on the back burner due to lack of a viable route.
Since construction and land acquisition is left to regional trail-building clubs with limited budgets and bargaining power, as well as bare-bones staff, blazing new tread has generally been slow. Trail organizers estimate the obstacles could delay a complete path until as late as 2040. So for now, hikers must navigate the absent chunks by walking on paved roads for around 400 miles.
"Every hiking trail once started on a shoestring budget," says Tom Johnson, president of the Great Eastern Trail Association (GETA), the nonprofit group that loosely oversees almost two dozen regional trail clubs building the Great Eastern. "The Appalachian Trail went through the same process. It was finished in 1937, in the sense that there was a connectivity from Maine to Georgia, but a lot of it was on roads, and 43 percent was on private land." It wasn't until roughly 2010 that most of the road walks were eliminated and privately owned land was acquired and protected.
Much like the Great Eastern, the Appalachian Trail started out as a collection of footpaths scattered throughout the east that were eventually strung together. When public land wasn't available, builders sought access from private property owners—some obliged, while others refused. It wasn't until the National Trails System Act was passed in 1968 that builders made any headway. The act named the footpath a National Scenic Trail, which gave it federal funding and permanent protection, as well as powerful allies like the National Park Service. The biggest advantage was the power of eminent domain. In some cases, private land acquisition was met with fierce opposition from locals, but without that authority, it's possible the AT as we know it would be much different.
"We would have probably ended up with more road walking and inferior locations," says David Startzell, who was the executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy from 1986 to 2012. "It's possible some sections might not have even survived simply because a landowner could have closed off a given section without any decent rerouting alternatives."
Federal backing is a luxury that Great Eastern organizers neither have nor want. While it's an attractive option to mend budgeting woes and speed up the process, those on the GETA board fear that landowners could perceive such a designation of the Great Eastern as a bureaucratic intrusion by the federal government, disrupting agreements already in place. The relationships between regional trail clubs and locals have gotten them this far, and that's the model they're sticking with.
Startzell says it took 30 years to considerably reduce road walks and establish a protected corridor on the Appalachian Trail after the federal designation and with strong central organization. The Great Eastern, without those advantages, faces an uphill battle. "I won't say it's not possible," Startzell says, "but it's going to be a very big challenge."
The concept for the Great Eastern was first proposed by Earl Shaffer, who in 1948 was the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. He recognized that trails already existed in the region, and in a 1952 letter to his brother John, Shaffer suggested the trails be linked together. For years, the idea, known then as the Western Appalachian Alternative, floated around in small hiking circles. But the concept didn't pick up steam until the popularity of the Appalachian Trail skyrocketed in the early aughts.
In 2003, the plan was set in motion by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and the Great Eastern Trail Association was formed in 2007. Regional trail-building clubs began working to lay down new tread to connect the extensive network of footpaths from Flagg Mountain in central Alabama all the way up to the North Country Trail in New York. The Great Eastern traces along the Mid State Trail in Pennsylvania, Allegheny Trail in West Virginia, Cumberland Trail in Tennessee, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Tuscarora Trail in Maryland, and even the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, among others.
While the natural beauty of the Appalachian Trail is unmatched in the East, it was clear to the organizers that the Great Eastern offers what the AT cannot: solitude. "What I really enjoyed about the Great Eastern Trail was that it is young and we didn't see lot of people out there," says Jo Swanson, who in 2013, along with Bart Houck, was the first to thru-hike the Great Eastern (one other person thru-hiked in 2016). Swanson thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2009 and says that while the social component made the journey special, on the Great Eastern she felt secluded and challenged.
Swanson had to prepare for six months before taking on the Great Eastern, compiling several guidebooks and mapping out exactly where the trail would take them. "There are sections that are marked so well, and others that are not," she says. "It's a trail you still need a map for. On the AT, you just follow the white blazes. On the Great Eastern Trail, you're following a whole collection of different colored blazes, or shapes, or there are no blazes at all."
The mixture of trail markers is a result of the Great Eastern passing through federal, private, and state-owned property—some with specific regulations on signs, trail width, and the blazes that are allowed. When route planning, builders first seek out public land. While state-owned land out east abounds, it's often smaller and more fragmented compared to the large swath of federal land available for western trail systems. (In the western states, 47 percent of land is federally owned, while only 4 percent of land is in federal hands east of the Mississippi.)
The expanse of public land offers several key advantages, says Matthew Nelson, the executive director of the Arizona Trail Association. Government agencies that manage land typically have a mission to provide public access and recreational opportunities, and long-distance hiking trails fit into that mold, which improves the chances of getting a green light for construction. The 800-mile Arizona Trail lies mostly on U.S. Forest Service property—intersecting with only one private landowner. Nelson says the small number of stakeholders reduced negotiations and sped up the construction process. Out east, that's not the case, as there are often hundreds of individuals and government bodies tossed into the mix. And due to environmental impact studies, it can still take months, even years, before the first inch of trail is constructed.
When Appalachian Trail builders were faced with crossing private property, they were able to purchase it. But trail clubs building the Great Eastern don't have the capital to acquire every inch of woodlands the trail will trace through. "Getting private landowners to grant easements or rights-of-way is a delicate art, and some individuals have no interest in public access across their land," Nelson says. "Trying to convince someone to agree to a recreation trail through their property is a tough sell." In some cases, landowners refuse any access. A collection of almost a dozen coal and timber companies in West Virginia have halted progress on parts of trail due to liability concerns, says Doug Wood with the West Virginia Scenic Trails Coalition. "They don't want anybody on their property unless there's a multimillion-dollar insurance policy to cover damages," he says. "You're talking about some real expense on the part of a nonprofit to try to get an insurance policy." At the moment, planners have no solution to move forward.
When a trail is blocked by private land with nowhere else to go, it's typically directed to a nearby paved road, which not only takes away from the wilderness experience, but also can add a level of risk. "The Great Eastern Trail turns into eastern Kentucky with about 40 miles of road walking," Johnson says. "The roads are narrow and dangerous, with no road shoulders and a drop-off to a ditch. It's really difficult for hikers to get through that area safely." (In 1978, 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail were either in private hands or along paved roads. But trekking along blacktop didn't stop people from thru-hiking—and those on the GETA board are hoping that's the case with their trail.)
Despite the similarities, Great Eastern organizers aren't trying to replicate the Appalachian Trail. Rather, they're attempting to preserve it, while at the same time showcasing another unique segment of the region. Even with the setbacks, organizers are confident and determined to push forward. For now, that's all they can do. "I think so much work has been put into it, we will continue it, even with the problem in southern West Virginia," Johnson says. "Eventually that will get solved, too. We just have to work on it."
Out on the trail, the politics of constructing a hiking path are far less apparent. In early May, the Cumberland was quiet, save for the birds, rustling leaves, and the low clink of Berntsen's mattock as he chipped away at a root. His job is straightforward: push forward, construct trail, repeat. The only thing on his mind, he told me, are the miles of trail he needs to finish.
A couple day hikers made their way down to the trail's dead end, and neither had knowledge of the Great Eastern. As they trotted off, Berntsen said, "A lot of people have no idea this trail is here."
Swanson hopes that as awareness of the trail grows, so will support for it. According to the American Hiking Society, trail recreation activities contribute $196 billion to the U.S. economy. If locals start to see the benefits of thru-hikers, Swanson thinks sentiments could change. But first there must be willing hikers.
"I think a lot of hikers are afraid to hike an incomplete trail because they think they won't have fun," Swanson says. "I found that I had a ton of fun trying to figure out where to go. It was like putting together a puzzle. It felt like the Appalachian Trail probably did 40 years ago. It still feels wild."
Filed To: Appalachian TrailThru-HikingHiking and BackpackingTennessee
Lead Photo: Vince Boothe/Flickr
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