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Yo-Yo Ma's memorable Elgar highlights English program from Dutoit, BSO
Yo-Yo Ma performed Elgar's Cello Concerto with Charles Dutoit and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Thursday night. Photo: Robert Torres
By 1919, Edward Elgar faced a world that he no longer recognized. World War 1 raged in Europe and brought a violent end to the old way of life. "No more music," Elgar wrote in a letter to Alice Stuart-Wortley. "Everything good and nice and clean and fresh and sweet is far away—never to return."
Elgar poured his melancholy into his most sorrowful work, the Cello Concerto, which was heard in a powerful performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra as part of an enticing all-British program Thursday night at Symphony Hall. Charles Dutoit, who celebrates his 80th birthday with this week's concerts, led the way.
The four movements of the concerto, which span just over half an hour, flow with dark lyricism, a marked contrast to the Edwardian swagger that bristles in Elgar's First Symphony and most famous orchestral work, the Enigma Variations. The concerto has remained a repertory item since its composition, and it has also been popular among connoisseurs of recordings. Jacqueline du Pré's 1965 studio recording with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra is widely considered to be the most expressive interpretation.
Ma is certainly no stranger to the work, having released his own critically acclaimed recording with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra in 1985. His playing Thursday night captured the work's mournful depths to palpable effect, an aspect that makes Elgar's concerto a particularly rich experience when heard in live performance.
With warm, singing tone, Ma played the phrases of the outer movements with freedom of expression and gentle rubato. The recitative that opens the work sounded with poignant sadness, like a cry from the depths of the earth. When it returned at the end of the piece, Ma shaped it into a phrase of stark power. The concerto's difficulty lies in its musicality rather than its technical passages. Yet the quick lines that make up the work's second movement had a nervous energy as Ma tossed off the phrases nimble touch and dexterity.
The slow movement was especially beautiful. There, Ma coaxed a color wheel of sounds from his cello. This most poignant of Elgar's music flowed through rosy low pitches and radiant, singing high notes. Throughout, Ma tapped into the operatic lyricism of the movement, shaping the phrases with a vocal arc.
A similar song-like grace also marked Dutoit's accompaniment. With gentle waving gestures, the conductor wove a soft bed of sound, sensitively shading the phrases to match Ma's tender expression. The BSO strings glowed with warmth in the concerto's moments of spare accompaniment.
The orchestra was equally superb in the concert's second half, which featured Holst's The Planets.
This most popular of the composer's few orchestral works consists of seven colorful movements, each of which depicts emotions drawn from both astrology and ancient mythology associated with the heavenly bodies.
With their searing orchestral textures, works like this one are specialties for Dutoit. On the podium, the conductor has the contagious energy of a young man, leading with broad strokes and a careful eye to the phrasing of each movement. In "Venus," he wove threads of melody into a soft web of sound, with silvery solos from concertmaster Malcolm Lowe and acting principal cellist Martha Babcock adding a glistening veneer. "Neptune," the final movement, unfolded in sheets of colorful orchestration. Dutoit crafted icy brass chords, prickly string sonorities, and golden harp strums into phrases that seemed to glow at a distance. The women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, prepared Lisa Graham, provided soft radiance from offstage.
The orchestra responded robustly to Dutoit's guide in the more energetic movements of the suite. He built the principal theme of "Saturn" into gleaming towers of sound. The impish marches of "Uranus" were fittingly mischievous, and the quicksilver lines of "Mercury" took off with graceful energy. "Mars" thundered with power. There, an orchestral crescendo swelled to piercing heights before breaking like a wave.
Dutoit also drew out the closing statements for dramatic effect. "Jupiter" sparkled, with Dutoit shaping the dance-like themes with wide, through tasteful rubato. The hymn central to the movement swelled in phrases of grandeur.
Fine playing also marked the opener, William Walton's Portsmouth Point Overture.
The six-minute piece was Walton's first orchestral work, and it possesses the same jazzy intensity that the composer would later mine in his popular Johannesburg Festival Overture and blazing cantata Belshazzar's Feast.
Dutoit navigated the tricky mixed meters and cross rhythms with aplomb, and drew playing of crisp vitality, making a strong case for a work that hasn't been performed by the BSO in Symphony Hall since 1941. Let's hope it doesn't take seventy-five years to hear it again.
The program will be repeated 1:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday and Tuesday at Symphony Hall. bso.org; 888-266-1200


KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment announced has provided $11.5 million in financing to Snavely Group for the creation of 38 affordable housing units at Forest City Square Apartments in Cleveland.
The units target households earning between 30 percent to 60 percent of area median income. In addition, it will be the most environmentally responsible affordable housing development in the City of Cleveland through high-performance design and a solar array that will offset 75 percent of its energy consumed.
The CDLI team provided the $11.5 million in the form of a $9.9 million construction loan and $1.5 million 9 percent state Historic Tax Credit bridge loan to make the historic rehabilitation possible. Additional sources for funding included 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, State and Federal Historic tax credit equity and solar and energy tax credit equity.
Kyle Kolesar of KeyBank's CDLI team organized the financing.


In a recent Wall Street Journal Law Blog Post written by Chad Bray entitled:California's Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate Wins in Ninth Circuit, Mr. Stankewitz, a Native American, has been on death row in California since 1978, when he was convicted in the kidnapping and murder of Ms. Greybeal had his capital sentence set aside.
Mr. Stankewitz was one of the first people sentenced to death after the state reinstated capital punishment in 1978. Thirteen people have been executed since. In a 2-1 decision Monday, the Ninth Circuit upheld a court order that Mr. Stankewitz's death sentence be vacated unless California officials seek to retry the capital phase of his case within 90 days or resentence him to life without parole.
The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit tracked that of a lower court, which found that a lawyer for Douglas Ray Stankewitz failed to investigate circumstances leading up to the murder of Theresa Greybeal – namely Mr. Stankewitz's abusive childhood and long history of substance abuse.
For further information, please read the entire Wall Street Journal Blog Post.


Vladimir Putin says there are no Russian soldiers in Ukraine, but the deaths of three young servicemen tell a different story.
Did Russian Troops Die In Ukraine?
The recent deaths of three Russian servicemen raise serious questions about the Kremlin's claim that its military is not operating in Ukraine.
Our team travelled to remote villages in central and southern Russia to find the freshly dug graves of three young men, each bearing a wreath from Russia's ministry of defence.
Anton Savelyev, Timur Mamayusupov and Ivan Kardapolov died on the same day - 5 May, 2015.
Social media activists connected their deaths through tributes posted online, and identified the locations of their graves.
They found references to the elite 16th Brigade Spetsnaz, but when Sky News asked at the base they denied having heard of any of the men.
We found the first grave in a small cemetery in the Tambov region of southern Russia, a few miles from where the 16th Brigade is based.
Anton Savelyev died the week before his 21st birthday. A framed photo shows him wearing Russia's paratrooper uniform, the same uniform worn by 16th Brigade.
He was pictured on social media standing in front of the 16th Brigade memorial.
On his grave there was a wreath addressed: "To the Defender of the Fatherland, from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation."
Other flowers were marked: "From comrades" and "From the command of the unit".
A lady who knows the family said Anton Savelyev "died heroically" but asked us not to give her name for fear of the consequences of speaking out.
"They were sent to Rostov and in Ukraine. In Ukraine everything is done quietly," she said.
"We don't know where exactly, but somewhere there.
"It's Ukraine's fault that he died of course. It's a shame that we die for not our motherland."
From there we flew to Ufa in central Russia, then by road to the republic of Tatarstan - the home of Timur Mamayusupov.
His grave was strikingly similar to Anton's - we found the same wreaths from the ministry of defence and the unit command, and the same date of death.
Photos uploaded to Russian social media sites show Timur posing with the Spetsnaz flag, along with a service medal for the Russian military operation in Crimea last year, which was denied by Russian authorities at the time.
Other photos show Timur with the flag of the separatists' Luhansk People's Republic, and in front of a distinctive armoured personnel carrier (APC) known to have been used by the rebels in East Ukraine.
Timur's mother told Sky News she was given a notice of death from the military that said her son had died "in the North Caucasus" - a restive region in southern Russia - but no specific location.
But there are no reports of Russian military casualties around this date in either Russian or local media, or from militant groups known to operate there, for whom the death of a Russian soldier would be a powerful propaganda tool.
Guzel Mamayusupov said she had been worried her son might be sent to Ukraine, and he had told her he would go if he was asked.
"When he was on vacation I told him that if you get sent to Ukraine, let me know," she said.
"He said, 'Mum, if they send me to Ukraine, I will go, I won't refuse, but I will warn you about it'. He didn't give me such a warning."
Russia blogger Ruslan Leviev has led the social media investigation into the deaths and his network first connected the three men.
"Many relatives of both Timur and Ivan wrote on social media websites that they died at war," he said.
"We all know that there is no war in the North Caucasus, there is no anti-terrorist operations there at the moment.
"There is only one war and that's in eastern Ukraine."
Ruslan has been getting death threats - he showed us a photograph of a funeral wreath in his name - but he is determined to continue with his work.
"We want to show the people that our government is lying even to its soldiers, that they abandon them, those who were captured and died," he said.
The third man, Ivan Kardapolov, was from another rundown rural village, close to the border with Kazakhstan.
Again, we found the same wreaths at his grave, and the same date of death.
The location is so remote that at first very little was known about Ivan, but then a local man read about the deaths on Ruslan's blog and decided to investigate the death in this region.
He said Ivan's brother told him that at the funeral there were Federal Security Service officers who had asked mourners to remove their parade uniforms.
But they had refused and paid their last respects in military dress.
It was not possible to independently verify this account.
The family said they had been told that Ivan died in the North Caucasus, but again with no more specific location.
Several of his friends from the village told us Ivan died in Ukraine.
A man who gave his name as Dmitry said: "His niece was told that he was in Ukraine, that's where he died.
"The notice of death came, the military recruitment officer brought it personally."
Another man said Ivan died "in Donbas", a region claimed by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.
He said there had been paratroopers at the funeral, but that Ivan himself "was Spetsnaz".
In each of the three locations a number of people told us the men "died heroically" - but if they did, serving their country, and not in Ukraine, why is their government silent about their deaths?
And if these men had left the army and were not on active duty at the time, why is the ministry of defence sending flowers to their funerals?
We put these cases to ministry of defence, and Federal Security Services, but have yet to receive a response.
Vladimir Putin has since signed a decree declaring the deaths of Russian servicemen in "special operations" a state secret - but no such operations have yet been announced.


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Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd....buy me a ML Penny Purse and I don't care if I never get back!!!
Well, we couldn't help ourselves...we just love how McKenna from McKenna Bleu once again makes your basic baseball T look so cute....with of course her Marley Lilly Monogrammed Penny Cross Body Wristlet Purse!!!
This is the perfect spring causal look...Happy Spring!!


On Sunday (31 Mar), the Straits Times published an article reporting on what some of the angry Hyflux investors told its reporters during the protest at Hong Lim Park, where at least 500 protesters had gathered on Sat (30 Mar). Many are looking at losing 80-97% of their life savings and retirement funds which they have invested heavily in Hyflux preference shares and perpetual securities (i.e, high-risk bonds).
"Many of us had kept quiet initially. But I felt I had to come to the protest. We must voice that we do care," she said. Indeed, many hold the same view as Mdm Chua.
After the news was reported, Temasek immediately wrote a letter to ST Forum to clarify. The letter was published yesterday ('Temasek and its unit have not had investments in Hyflux since 2006', 1 Apr).
Mr Stephen Forshaw, Head of Public Affairs from Temasek International, wrote to say that Temasek's investment in Hyflux was "part of an initiative during the early 2000s to invest in Singapore small and medium-sized enterprises". It was to "support their growth in promising sectors", such as water technology, he said.
In other words, Temasek is saying that it had already got out of Hyflux before the issuance of Hyflux preference shares in 2011 and their perpetual bonds in 2016.
Mr Forshaw went on to explain that Temasek continues to invest in Singapore SMEs via an independently managed fund, Heliconia Capital Management.
"Guided by its own board and management, Heliconia seeks to invest growth capital in Singapore-based SMEs. In addition to risk capital, Heliconia management also works with its investee companies on strategies and opportunities for regional or international growth," he said.
According to the information on its website, Heliconia Capital Management is a "wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings".
Gay Chee Cheong was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Training Award. He attended the Royal Military Academy (RMA) Sandhurst and the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham (UK). He was also previously with Singapore Technologies Pte Ltd as the General Manager/Director of a joint venture company. He appears to have risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel while he was with the SAF.
So, while "neither Temasek nor Heliconia has had any investments in Hyflux since 2006", Heliconia's board director Gay Chee Cheong continues to sit on Hyflux's board.


At Q.C. Designing Quality Cabinetry, we manufacture a complete line of quality custom cabinets and work stations suited to your dental office. Being efficient, offering durable, high-end products with competitive pricing, and creating a beautiful space for you and your patients is our priority.
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As social media may inform you, through the magic of deals, points, miles and frequent flyer status, I'm often in the pointy end of the plane. But quite often I'll need to be somewhere at a specific time and will need book a normal cash paying ticket – and when I do, it's economy or premium. Last night I flew from New York to London on British Airways Premium Economy, and even though it's not one of the most highly touted Premium Economy cabins, I couldn't believe how good it was.
In 2011, I traveled more times between New York and London in Economy than there are months of the year. It was manic. At the time, the rock bottom prices you'd find would cost about $750 round trip. That was for standard economy. I often paid over $900. We're now seeing exceedingly low economy fares, often under $500, and occasionally under $400! Economy is basically half the price it was only six/seven years ago – but unfortunately it's about half as comfortable too.
At 6'3" "size matters". Most airlines have gone in favor of 17" wide "slimline" seats which are about as comfortable as riding your lightly padded bicycle seat to London. On top of that, legroom has been diminished beyond comprehension. But for about $800, and sometimes even far less – I've been able to purchase premium economy lately. Compared to standard prices of $3000 and up for business class – it's a bargain. Would it be worth a premium of $900 or more round trip over economy? Probably not, but if it's competitively priced like the deals mentioned above – it's a no brainer. The seat is wide, the headrest is like a pillow, the TV is bigger and the recline … is like actual recline. In fact, the seat is about an inch wider, which helps – but the recline and legroom is about 7" deeper in most good premium economy seats.
I woke up over the coast of Ireland this morning absolutely gobsmacked that I slept a great few hours on the plane, without a bed (or real champagne). With a decent pillow, blanket and plenty of legroom to loft myself into recline, I not once felt the "squeeze" so often talked about in air travel today. I don't book premium for the "food". Airplane food is almost universally poor, so I make a point to eat before flying. I did however enjoy a nice glass of prosecco before settling in to some sleep. Another benefit of many premium economy cabins is that they are small. Fewer passengers, less noise and with curtains at both ends, it feels very quaint and with less movement, decent sleep is easier to attain.
Another great reason for booking Premium Economy is upgrades. Many airlines only allow upgrades of one cabin class. Therefore if you booked economy, you'd only be able to upgrade to premium. But if you book premium, you can upgrade to business. Paying $800 round trip and upgrading using points can represent savings of thousands of dollars, versus paying for business class outright.
Do you choose Premium Economy when possible? What's your favorite?
is premium economy nice?premium economy reviewpremium economy worth it?
I think the word is touted rather than toted.
On day flights, in my view it's pretty difficult to justify business class over a decent PE cabin/seat.
I'll be taking my first Premium Economy flight on JAL in a few weeks.
Due to the timing of my trip and reservation (leaving Japan right before Golden week), it actually came out cheaper than booking economy.
The difference in fare compared to past economy flights was about $100 so I thought it was a deal, but this made me wonder what I should actually be paying for an economy flight since I'm finding fare differences of $800-900 for an off season flight… I suppose that's a question for another day.
I'll be flying out of Okinawa the end of May and returning the end of June. Where are you flying out of and going to? I'm having a heck of a time finding reasonable premium economy fares!
My PE segment is BOS-NRT.
I'd value your opinion on one of their Gatwick routes or in fact in any route other than USA or Hong Kong… Consistency is one of BA's biggest issues (see earlier comments re IFE. The London to USA routes are privileged within the BA network and in effect offer the best they choose to deliver but are not representative of the experience of being ripped off by them on the majority of their routes.
Eg Try PE to West Africa – tiny screen from 20years ago attached to an IFE that probably wont work, knackered seating that often has issues with recline / headrest and let's not get started on the "food".
As above, BA can now deliver on occasion but they don't on the majority of their routes for the majority of their customers… just try it!
I've done PE on BA's Gatwick fleet a couple of times mainly 747's and I would agree the IFE is garbage a tiny screen with a grid of black lines on it which you can never quite stop seeing if as you say if it works at all.
Not had a problem with knackered seating though and the catering was the same quality I have had in BA PE on other routes which was more than acceptable and better than economy was served.
Have had one of the older rubbish PE configurations on a LHR flight once which I was very disappointed in on a 777 (I was expecting the Gatwick fleet flights not to be great) although I think this was a last minute plane switch as configuration we booked and the one we flew were not the same.
If I didn't need the extra seat width of PE, British Airways PE wouldn't be worth the extra money for the potential lottery of quality, and my other half wants to fly OneWorld to keep their Executive Club status as they fly a lot for work our long haul holiday just about keep them in Silver.
I was disappointed to find that my Iberia PE ticket from JFK to MAD (booked on AA ticket stock but operated by Iberia) apparently can't be upgraded. I'd need to DOWNGRADE to Econ or possibly move up to a higher PE fare class, neither of which sounds appealing. $800 JFK to MAD and then econ to LIS is OK but would have loved to use some AA miles to move up.
Interesting piece & comments. I flew BA Premium Econ back from NYC to LGW last May on a 777 and the IFE screen was the old tiny one with gridlines all over it. I'm pretty sure I had that in Econ flying to the states about 15 years ago!
Pays to pick the 787 flights where feasible.
You're totally correct. For a "cash paying ticket" [I like your phrase], PE seats on Air France A380 were absolutely wonderful bargain. Big ledge by window seat contributes to feeling of spaciousness. Small cabin. 2-3-2.
Poor Service. I flew in the PE "cabin" in May 2018 on AA 777-200 from the U.S. to Paris and then Rome to the U.S. I paid about double the cost of their Coach fare. The flight was delayed 3 hours due to a cabin maintenance issue. If the service had not been so bad, it may have been more worth the price. The seat room and comfort allowed me to sleep more than usual( although the pitch is not very much). The cabin was new and clean. That's it. There is no where to walk to stretch your legs but back to Coach where the aisles are too narrow to walk. The PE cabin seats are 2-4-2 across. There was no curtain separating Coach from PE. You had to go back to Coach for the lavatories. The only useful items in the amenity kit were the blanket and pillow. The same FA have to service both Coach and PE cabins. FA were consistently unhelpful, unfriendly, and even rude. It was obvious they did not want to be on the job. The drinks are free, but refills or nightcaps were not offered by the FAs. Due to the footrests, only the smallest items fit under the seat. My tote bag was smashed in the overhead bins by Coach passengers coming forward and shoving their wheeled bags on top of it (even though the sign said "PE Cabin use only"). FA encouraged this practice even though they had no trouble telling PE passengers they could not use the close-by Business lavatory! Getting an upgrade to Business cabin a benefit? Not on AA. I requested one but was put on a waitlist and upgrades are given (for $350 cash + 25,000miles each way) if seats are available at the gate. AA also allows coach passengers to upgrade to Business in the same way so there is no advantage. On my flight, the Business cabin was more than half empty when I booked, but full at the time of the flight. Any upgrades are given to AA Elites who have spent the most money on AA during the past year. I won't fly AA PE to Europe again.


Using social media marketing is a very efficient way to promote your products or services. Go over this article for some helpful tips on social media marketing.
You probably know about Facebook and Twitter but keep in mind that there are hundreds of social networks. Find out which social networks your customers use the most and create profiles on these sites. Have your customers answer to surveys about the sites they use the most and make sure they are ready to connect to a brand they use. You will have to adapt your campaign to your audience and to the products you sell. Some target groups do not use social networks as much as others and some products are too personal to be promoted via social networks.
Add useful information to your profiles. Your profiles should contain descriptions about your products and your business, pictures of your products, your logo and some links to your main site or blog. Take the time to fill out everything in your profile and do not hesitate to update the links you share, for instance if you need to draw attention to a certain page of your site. If you decide to join more than one site, make sure the information and the pictures you share are consistent from one site to the next.
Update your social networks on a regular basis. You should share new updates once a day if possible, but try adapting your presence to your audience. If your customers are likely to check social networks several times a day, do not hesitate to share more than one update. Your updates should be useful and valuable. Share links to your own content, pictures of your products, videos featuring your products as well as outside links.
Integrate social media marketing to your other marketing techniques. You should add some links to your profiles on your main site or blog. Most blogging platforms or site-building tools will allow you to create a small box that contains links to your profiles as well as your latest updates. Add social media buttons at the bottom of your articles to encourage readers to share this content on social networks and add links to your profiles in the signature of your emails. List social networks as a way of contacting you and do not hesitate to mention social media marketing in your articles.
Keep people interested in your social media marketing by providing incentives. You could for instance share coupon codes on a regular basis or share exclusive information about your latest products and discounts. Social networks are ideal to organize contests and get customers to submit their own content. You should keep track of your progress and try creating more content similar to your most popular updates. Present your social media marketing campaign as a way of getting access to discounts, contests and exclusive information if you want more subscribers.
These five tips should help you develop a strong social media marketing campaign. Try these tips and look for new strategies as new sites and tools appear.


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NP International 952.767.7500 Contacts
Commercial, Mixed-Use & Residential
Hospitality & Hotel Management
NPI Profile
NP International is a vertically integrated real estate company that acquires, develops, constructs, and manages a diverse portfolio of mixed-use, commercial, hospitality, and multi-family residential properties in the United States and Latin America.
NP International
Watch NPI's Progress
Gables Station will feature 504 multi-family units and 105,000 square feet of ground floor retail space set around the Urban Living Room— an open, inviting public space that promotes the live, work, play themes which animate the design.
Gables Station
Paseo de la Riviera is a mixed-use project comprised of two buildings, a residential building with approximately 205 residential units and a complementing landmark hotel with approximately 247 suites.
Paseo De La Riviera
Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas is an adults-only boutique resort where you can experience the best of Costa Rican adventure and culture. The property features panoramic ocean views, minimalist contemporary design, and an incredible zero-edge infinity pool, along with a terrific sunset bar scene.
Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas
Discover Casa Chameleon Hotels here as part of Destination Costa Rica by CNN December 2017
West 38th is a 64-acre, mixed-use project located in Gainesville, Florida at the West entrance of the University of Florida.
West 38th
CELEBRATING A YEAR OF INNOVATION
As the year came to a close, we assembled the short stories summarizing NPI's 2018 accomplishments, and we noticed there was a unique thread – an underlying theme – a single word that tied all of our work together: INNOVATION.
VIEW NPI'S NEWSLETTER
Our commercial, mixed-use and residential projects range from retail centers and historic renovations to our Urban Living Room project, whose focus is to create open, inviting places in urban cores. These mixed-use projects combine the intimacy of a living room with the accessibility of a city center to facilitate natural cultural and interpersonal experiences.
HOSPITALITY AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT
Our hospitality and hotel management projects range in size from several hundred rooms to small, boutique, villa-based hotels. In each project, we deliver a unique experience while providing the highest level of quality and standard of operation possible. From the US to Latin America, our hospitality and hotel management projects create a new way for people to experience each location.
We take vertical integration from conception to operation, which means we're specialists in management as much as we are in construction. From a property management perspective, we operate and oversee the smooth function of light industrial complexes, residential complexes, and urban projects alike.
Vertical integration combined with 4 generations of experience
NP-International's success in building both projects and businesses from the ground up has been the catalyst for long term success and notable accomplishments such as becoming one of the largest privately held self-storage operators in the country and creating an recognized boutique hotel brand that has received international recognition by known venues such as CNN and numerous awards year over year since opening. By 2006 our portfolio included over 75 properties in 9 different US regions with a primary focus on urban infill, mixed-use, and hospitality projects.
We build structures to withstand the test of time, with timely scheduling, precise budgeting, creative value engineering, hands-on supervision, detailed reporting, strict quality control, on-time and on-budget delivery.
We specialize in a number of different types of development, although our expertise lies in commercial, light industrial, hospitality, mixed-use, residential, and historical restoration.
Experts in asset management, property management, and leasing. From due diligence and portfolio analysis to daily operations and accounting, to brand building and market research.
NPI produced the documentary, Graceful Voices, with the goal of capturing, preserving, and sharing the stories of the MacFarlane Homestead and Golden Gate Community which are vital to the legacy of Coral Gables. The stories, told by the women who grew up there and continue to live there today, connect us with the true spirit of the community.
million+
Square feet developed
billion+
Total contracts
+ years
Vertical integration requires experts in every step of construction and development, and NP International has the team to match. From analysis to legal to financing, our team is what allows us to mitigate risk while at the same time staying on-budget and on-track.
Charles Nolan
Chairman & Managing Partner
With over 30 years experience owning and operating a successful real estate development company, Charles Nolan has overseen the construction/development of nearly 4 million square feet of the company's diverse portfolio.
Brent Reynolds
CEO & Managing Partner
As CEO and Managing Partner of Nolan Partners International, Brent is primarily responsible for the firm's strategic growth and development activities along the East Coast of the United States and throughout Latin America.
The Burch Building
River Walk Philadelphia
Shops at 300 Needham
Minnesota office
315 Manitoba Avenue, Suite 300,
Wayzata, MN 55391
info@np-international.com
2020 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Suite #1104
Costa Rica office
Plaza del Obelisco Oeste, Local #17
San Rafael de Escazú, San José, Costa Rica
Casa Chameleon Hotels
54 Madison Partners
Garrison Investment Group
© NP International™ 2019

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


British businesses face a constant battle to find people who have the right skills or experience to do the job, with managers blaming skills shortages for a quarter of their unfilled vacancies.
The situation is also having a significant impact on Britain's economic muscle on the world stage, a new report has concluded.
When it comes to competitiveness and productivity, the vast majority of British businesses are so hamstrung by skills shortages that they are in effect running on the spot simply to keep up with their neighbours in Europe and the U.S.
This lack of skills at all levels, from the most basic to the highest, is at the heart of Britain's historically low levels of productivity, when compared with its neighbours in Europe and the U.S, the report by the Sector Skills Development Agency has concluded.
The Sector Skills Almanac has found that, while Britain's employment rate is the fourth highest in Europe and some sectors are more productive than their EU and U.S. equivalents, the UK's overall productivity levels are 21 per cent behind the USA and eight per cent lower than Europe.
The snapshot reported that the majority of sectors performed below EU and U.S. averages.
Nine outperformed the EU sector equivalent, including agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, manufacture of machinery, electrical and optical equipment and wholesale trade.
Six outperformed their U.S. equivalents, including education, manufacture of furniture, other goods and recycling, publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media, manufacture of food, drink and tobacco and mining and quarrying.
More than a third – 38 per cent – of the workforce was aged 45 and over and in some sectors, such as education, agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, was particularly acute, with half the workforce above 45.
In the financial services, hotels and restaurants sectors older workers made up a considerably smaller proportion, said the agency.
A quarter of all vacancies in England existed because of a lack of candidates with the required skills, qualifications or experience (in other words a skills shortage vacancy).
This ranged from 46 per cent in the manufacture of basic metals and 13 per cent in electricity, gas and water supply sector, it added.
Employers in England reported six per cent of all employees were less than fully proficient or had a skills gap.
This was highest in the hotels and restaurant sector (just under 10 per cent) but lowest in the computer and related activities sector (4 per cent).
Professor Mike Campbell, director of development at the agency, said: "The almanac, which we will be an annual publication from now on, shows how vital it is that we raise skill levels in this country.
"There is a shortage of basic and employability skills, vocational and technical skills, and intermediate and higher level skills are more plentiful in the workforces of other countries.
"Similarly the UK's productivity level relative to its competitor countries is weak. The difference is stark when per hour or per worker measures of productivity are considered," he added.
"The UK is starting from a position of disadvantage and significant progress is required if we are to ensure a strong economy for the future," he concluded.


text:
What's the Significance of Elections?
Well, you might say, it's to make a choice, decide between alternatives, and you'd beright.To elect someone, or something, is to demonstrate a preference. In politics, the significance of elections is to determine just who the majority (voting) prefers to lead government for a set period of time. "Who" in our political system, generally means which political party. Does this mean that whichever party gets the most votes wins, the other loses? Good question. Yes, usually—ignoring the Electoral College, for the moment—but with our system of government politics is not a one-off winner-take-all situation. Politics is an on-going means to democratic governmental responsiveness.
Alan Wolfe, noted liberal public intellectual and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Life at Boston College, commented in a recent article that ". . . we have a two party system. One party wins. One party loses." I'm hardly qualified to challenge Mr. Wolfe, but in this instance I believe he's at least partly wrong. In most contests there's a clear winner and a clear loser, according to the rules of that game. But politics, per se. is not a game (believe it or not). In our country it's not a one-off and the contest is over. Politics is the on-going institution through which we choose government leadership in two out of three governing branches. Elections are simply the periodic opportunity the citizenry has to either confirm or reject and replace that leadership (party) of the moment. Choice is a prerequisite of meaningful political elections.
Mr. Wolfe is right, at the lowest level of political choice, and for electing governors and, of course, the president. These offices are points of both power and influence, but they are not where our laws are made. That happens in the all-important legislative branch. In choosing legislative leadership at the state and national levels, what counts of course is the sum of all individual elections. Some voters may choose one political preference and others another. Only when the total is considered do we have a "winner," politically speaking. That winning political faction is then entitled to propose an agenda and lead in law-making for a set period of time (usually until the next election).
But that doesn't mean all of those winning individual elections in the "losing" party are sent home. It doesn't, or at least should not mean that we have one party rule. What we have is a majority-preferred-leadership and its agenda, along with usually a significant but not majority preferred alternative political representation in government, at least in the legislative branch where we make our laws. These non-majority representatives are not losers, no matter which party is for the moment in the majority. What are they? They are the legitimate representatives of the (millions of) voters who sent them to the capital. They have both the responsibility and the right to make the views of their constituents known and to lobby for such to be considered in any and all legislation being proposed in the agenda of the majority. This may take the form of individual or party positions.
Both majority and minority parties have the responsibility to consider the position and purpose of the other, though their means to similar ends may significantly differ. Both have the responsibility to work closely enough with the other in common cause such that the over-all purpose of government is fulfilled. This is how we believe government should work. Is our system performing as we believe it should? Hardly.
That the two political parties are antagonistic towards each other is both acknowledged and accepted. That the two today are almost totally unable to work together to provide good government is likewise acknowledged, but hardly accepted by the great majority of us. We continually express our opinions as to the disappointing state of government and the institutions comprising it. What's the problem? Politics! What's the solution? Short of discarding our system of government and starting completely over, it's politics! To be more specific, it's choice available in politics. Today political choice is not only effectively restricted, elections are for too many voters a least-worst option. That's a rather sad commentary on representative democracy in action.
What this effectively says is that the de facto significance of elections under present conditions is to limit choice such as to perpetuate the power struggle between just two political factions that have demonstrated they are unwilling and apparently unable to work together sufficiently such as to provide our country with what most would describe as good, acceptable government. That's hardly what most Americans want and are entitled to expect from the system.
Therefore, Americans merit more political choice when electing government leadership, given the self-seeking highly ideologically focused missions of today's two political parties. Today these cater to and represent mostly the extremes of political partisanship, and money. This means that they both appeal to and tend to be responsive to relatively small minorities of voters (other than for campaign purposes, of course). The result: by default we elect minority focused governments, no matter which of the two "wins" elections. And as the electoral laws and regulations are largely within their control, both feel comfortable that they cannot be successfully challenged.
But, you may legitimately ask, if a majority (voting) elects them, how can this not be what the majority prefers? It can be because at least a plurality of voters has expressed no desire to support these parties, at least publically for election registration purposes (we call them political Independents), and yet come Election Day, what are their conservative/liberal choices? Yep, the same old tired two! That's it. So, if you want to vote, it's their way or the highway, like it (them) or not. What about today's third-parties? Maybe for a few, but if these (usually even more ideological extremes of the major parties) were acceptable alternatives, we would see greater support for them, which we are not. As I say, come Election Day, it's a least-worst option when it comes to electing government for too many Americans today.
And what about that plurality of orphaned political Independents I mentioned—including those so-called "leaners?" Today they aren't given the electoral respect their numbers merit. This is no doubt due to the fact that they haven't, as yet, earned it—or even asked for it; but they very well might. How so? I suggest five features, or aspects, of Independents; what they represent:
Independents are evidence of dissatisfaction with the results of ideological government.
Independents are evidence of an inadequate political marketplace.
Independents are a proxy for the moderate—middle—majority of voters.
Independents represent agents for political change.
Independents themselves are a probable cause of extreme partisanship.
This is a potentially politically volatile profile. When, and just how, will this already acknowledged elephant in the room begin to make itself felt in our political arena? It's a matter of choice. That's the significance of elections.
We need a change.
Thomas Richard Harry


Lisa Hilbert, professional herbalist and founder of Tea Tonic, worked closely with Bindi to develop 'Wild By Nature' - a fresh, sweet and minty tea combining botanical flowers such as sea lavender, rose buds, monk fruit and butterfly pea. A truly magical tea drinking experience, as it will brew a naturally 'blue' tea, that will change to 'purple' with a squeeze of lemon!
Ingredients: Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea), Rose Buds (Rosa rugosa), Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis), Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Sea Lavender (Limonium perezil), Monk Fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii).
Product consists of one tin of 'Wild By Nature' Tea Tonic tea. Does not include Bindi Tea Tonic Bottle with Infuser.


text:
Q: protobuf for configuration files Related to using protobuf as a textual configuraton file I'd like to use protobuf for configuration file.
I expect that protobuf allows me to use simple parser with exact structure.
My configuration structure looks like
//my.proto
package my_config;

message MyConfigItem {
  required string type = 1;
  required string name = 2;
  repeated string inputNames = 3 [packed=true];
  repeated string outputNames = 4 [packed=true];
}

And bunch of different items in config files like
MyConfigItem {
  type = "type1";
  name = "name1";
  inputNames = {"input1", "input2"};
}

What's the best way for organizing that?

A: You may write config file like:
  type : "type1"
  name : "name1"
  inputNames : {"input1", "input2"}

So I think that you must use ':' instead of '=', and "do not" write the items wrapped in the brackets.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Message: It is about now that it begins to happen. The honeymoon period is over. Second quarter is in full swing, and Satan is at work, trying to disrupt your classroom in any way possible. Like a snake, he slithers into your classroom telling lies and sucking your energy away like a vacuum. If not fully protected, the Christian teacher will begin to show signs of weakness. We lose patience. Negativity begins to spread. The students see it, and they begin to act up. Before you know it, Satan has control.
No more. This does not have to happen.
The belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14): Your belt holds everything together. I literally forgot my belt one day a few weeks ago and felt like a fool. God's truth, His precious Word, is our belt. Meditate on scripture throughout the day. Use a Bible verse for your computer pass code. Have a favorite scripture posted near your desk. Without your belt, it all falls apart.
Shoes (Ephesians 6:15): When I think of the gospel of peace in our shoes, I think about the ways I walk. Walk toward students in need. Walk toward a colleague that needs support. Let your words soothe and encourage them. Give them the same peace that Jesus gives simply by caring. When you care for others, that empathy will frighten the devil to even set foot around you.
The Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16): The flaming arrows of the devil surround us all, yet our faith is our defense. His arrows bring anxiety. Worry. Anger. Frustration. Negativity. These arrows fall harmlessly to the ground if we block them out with faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."Guess what? God will get us through! Keep the faith.
We will let these thoughts marinate for now. And do not fret. I realize I still have two items to discuss for next week. The helmet of salvation and our lone offensive weapon, the sword of the spirit, are soon to come. In the meantime, continue to stand firm. There will be no chinks in our armor this week. And as Paul reminded Timothy, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12).
Challenge: Read through Ephesians 6:10-20 on your own. Reflect on your OWN interpretations of God's Word here. If you have any new ideas or interpretations, don't be shy. Reply below and share out.
Prayer: Father, I pray we can defend ourselves against the devil, standing firm in Your truth. Amen.


text:
Costa turns back clock with Dauphiné win
Lampre-Merida rider moves to second overall
Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) takes the stage 6 win. (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Rui Costa raises his arms as he crosses the line (Image credit: Getty Images)
Rui Costa atop the podium (Image credit: Getty Images)
Rui Costa at the front of the late breakaway. (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) turned back the clock on Friday afternoon with his first victory of the year on stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné to Villard-de-Lans – Vercors. Before thumping his chest as he crossed the line, Costa pointed his left sleeve and the rainbow stripes that show him as a former World Champion.
Costa hoping for a second rainbow jersey in Ponferrada
Lampre-Merida bet on Rui Costa for a breakaway win at Amstel Gold
Critérium du Dauphiné: Costa wins stage 6
"What a great victory, it's nice to get the first win of the season at this stage and with a fight between the some of the best riders in the world such as (Vincenzo) Nibali, (Alejandro) Valverde, (Tony) Gallopin and (Tony) Martin," Costa said following his victory. "I am very happy. I share my joy with the team, the sponsors and all my supporters."
It was almost like a flashback to the finale of the 2013 World Championships in Florence, where Costa earned those stripes in much the same company. As the rain fell hard on the peloton, Costa forged away from the group with Nibali and Valverde for company. Gallopin was the fourth rider in the closing kilometres this time rather than Joaquim Rodríguez, who was in the chasing group with Chris Froome (Sky) and race leader Tejay van Garderen (BMC).
The final played out differently than it did on that Sunday in Florence, but the result was the same. Costa wasn't able to follow the initial move by Nibali but he bided his time and tracked down the Italian. When it looked like Nibali was about to do the double and take the stage win to move into the yellow leader's jersey, Costa had him in his sights. With 300 metres remaining of the final ascent, the Portuguese rider caught the Astana rider before sailing past him to the line.
Costa's celebration was almost as if to show Nibali that the first time he'd got one over on him was no fluke.
"In the final I was patient, I knew that a steady pace would allow me to be very effective in the last kilometre, and in the finish I reaped the rewards of this," Costa said. "In yesterday's stage I tried to assess my sensations. I knew it was the first test uphill after so many weeks of training, so I was quiet in view of today and thought about quickly recovering my energy.
"Today's stage was combative right from the start. The average speed was very high and was able to follow many attacks. I joined two escapes and the second was good, with some very good riders."
The result has moved Costa up 20 places in the overall classification to second at just 29 seconds behind Nibali.


I've updated my artist one-sheet, and placed images below, with an option to download the PDF linked at bottom.
Page 1 of my 2018 Artist's Profile. Download a printable PDF at the link below.
Page 2 of my current Artist's Profile Sheet.
Click here to download a PDF of my Artist's Profile Sheet.