Spring is underway. Once again, it's time to test out new ideas in teaching. I learned a lot from last semester's experiments. Each semester gets me a little bit more information, and a little bit closer to narrowing in on how to teach the students. It's a slow, often aggravating process, especially when there are times that it feels like a losing battle.
But this is a time of new beginning, of new ideas and experimentation. I've made changes. I've grown. I have high hopes that these changes will help the students in their understanding.


Can My HVAC System Make Me Sick?
The sweltering Kentucky summers have certainly made us all say a quiet prayer of thanks for air conditioning on more than one occasion over the years. Inevitably, at one time or another, you've also had one of those annoying "summer colds"—commonly thought to have been brought on by the change in weather.
But have you ever considered that the cause of your cold- and flu-like symptoms could be caused by something else—like poor indoor air quality? While your HVAC system doesn't make your air dirty, it can spread dirty air throughout your home. Your family has to breathe the air inside your home every day, so it's important to take this into consideration.
Is Your HVAC System Making You Feel Sick?
So now you're probably wondering "Can my HVAC system really make me sick?" Well… yes and no. While your heating and air conditioning system isn't the culprit for your ailments, it could be contributing to the situation if you're not taking steps to improve your home's air quality. Here's what you should know about the potential side effects your HVAC system may be having on your health and what you can do to prevent them.
Failing to improve the quality of your indoor air while continuing to operate your HVAC system could potentially aggravate certain health conditions including allergies, asthma, and other respiratory issues. HVAC system operation under these conditions can also spread airborne viruses throughout your home. So, what steps can you take to better protect the health of you and your family?
One of the most important (and easiest) steps you can take to prevent potential side effects and improve the quality of your indoor air is replacing the air filters in your system regularly. It's important to choose a high-quality HVAC filter to remove the most pollutants and contaminants from the air as possible.
It's also important to schedule regular preventative maintenance for your HVAC system with a certified professional. These professional services are a great way to monitor the efficiency and performance of your HVAC system. Your HVAC contractor can also help you choose the right air purifying system enhancement for your home to help further improve your indoor air quality and prevent potential health issues.
We understand the importance of providing unsurpassed workmanship using high-quality products and state-of-the-art technology for every customer to ensure personalized services for a truly unique experience. Arronco's team of experts can handle all your residential and commercial HVAC, plumbing, and geothermal needs in Northern Kentucky.
If you have questions about the quality of your indoor air, schedule your services online or give us a call to see how we can help!


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Sales: One-Leg 'Policy' Risks Offense
When it comes to One Spouse appointments, does your company have a policy, a strategy, or a philosophy?
By Jim Cory | March 24, 2016
Is one half of a whole a whole lot of nothing? If you're a home improvement salesperson, you can certainly choose to see it that way, if the half we're talking about is 50 percent of a couple that owns a home and is interested in improving it.
What it means, to many salespeople, is either that:
1) the homeowner who's home either is not in a position to make a decision, or
2) has a ready-made objection to transacting business ("I need my wife to see this before we can sign anything") to which there is no rational response, or
3) that any contract, signed under those circumstances, will likely soon be rescinded when the other half gets home and decides that he or she doesn't like the color/product/price, etc.
So-called "one leg" appointments—a term offensive to some, who prefer "one spouse"—have long been the bane of anyone selling home improvements. Nor is that likely to change anytime soon. No matter what homeowners tell you, what Todd Warren, president of Otter Creek Awnings, an awning/sunroom/closet build-out company in the Burlington, Vt., area, says he has found, is that if two people own a home and are seriously thinking about improving it, invariably "there will be discussion. It's a decision that couples want to make together," whether both of them are sitting in front of the salesperson or not.
No Money to Be Made
Not all contractors agree with this. What they would agree on is that though many couples may want to make those decisions jointly, it isn't always convenient for both to meet with a salesperson. Or so some homeowners will claim.
Traditionally, home improvement companies have avoided sending salespeople out on one-leg appointments for the simple reason that such prospects generally don't buy, says marketing and sales consultant Vaughn McCourt. McCourt, a CPA and former executive at several large home improvement companies, says that looking at a results log at one company where he worked convinced him that one-leg calls produced no Net Good Business.
In addition, he says, they can demoralize. Salespeople, anticipating either a deferred decision or a cancelled sale, find their enthusiasm begin to deflate well before they get to the door.
"The salesperson is on commission," McCourt explains. "It doesn't make sense to send someone out when there's no chance he can make any money." The alternative, he says, is to send a sales manager, who is on salary and more likely to convert the lead to a sale.
'Our Policy' Leads to Pushback
Experts such as McCourt point out that there are two ways to manage one-leg situations: when setting the lead, and when running it.
"Since one-leg calls contain a built-in objection that [homeowners] are always going to exercise," says John DeRosa, sales manager at IKO and a frequent speaker on sales topics at venues such as the International Roofing Expo, it's smart to avoid them by being clear and upfront that the appointment needs to include all decision-makers. (See his online video called The Dreaded One-Legger.) That point, he says, should then be reiterated with a confirmation call the day or the night before, preferably with the spouse who did not actually set the appointment, a practice known as cross-confirming.
Some companies have traditionally scripted appointment setters to say that no salesperson or estimator can come out unless all parties are present. If questioned by homeowners, they respond that it's company policy. That's less and less convincing to today's homeowner.
"You have to give them a compelling reason why it's to their advantage to both be at the table at the same time," DeRosa says. If you have a hard time thinking of an explanation, he suggests, "think of any past experiences or stories you can share with the prospect, where you didn't have both people there, and what happened. That's so they understand why it's important."
And whatever you do in setting the appointment, avoid leaving homeowners feeling pressured.
Marketing consultant Jim Rafferty, who has been director of marketing and sales for one of the largest home improvement companies in Maryland, points out that contractors who dig in their heels and don't adequately explain their policy are in for a world of social media hurt. An assertion that any quick scan of review sites will affirm and where an inflexible No One-Legger policy is seen by some homeowners as a red flag for high-pressure sales tactics.
Rafferty suggests that in setting the appointment, explain to homeowners that having all decision-makers there is a way of saving them time. "Because you are busy, we would prefer to do this in one visit, rather than two."
Invariably, though, there are those homeowners who agree that all decision makers will be present, only for the salesperson to find that that's not the case when he or she arrives at the house. How such situations are handled varies. What all would agree is that it's far better to have a plan than to blunder through, which risks offense and the likelihood of walking away empty-handed. Successful companies are prepared to:
• Be flexible in appointment-setting. Warren says that if two people own a home, just about any size home improvement will take input from both. But people are busy. "If the husband says: 'My wife travels all the time,' we don't say: We won't come to see you. Instead, we find a good time that works for both. If the only way to visit is when Mr. is there by himself, we're still up for that."
At Tom's River Door & Window, in New Jersey, what co-owner Bob Mikaelian says sometimes proves persuasive is pointing out in the course of appointment-setting that there are certain decisions, such as buying a car, that are better made jointly. Once prospects agree, then the sales rep stresses that "we want to make that as convenient for you as possible," whether it's in the living room or the showroom.
• Be the good guys. Jake Jacobson, vice president of sales at Premier Window & Building, in Baltimore, notes that many companies, including some of the largest, won't schedule one-spouse sales calls or, if the rep arrives to find only one spouse there, have him or her walk away. Being pleasant, and willing, sets you apart. But, if after presenting the product and price the prospect says, "I have to talk with my wife/husband," then, Jacobson says, "you have a right to say: I thought you told me you could make your own decision?"
• Work with whatever situation they find. If a salesperson arrives at the house to find just one spouse, she might, in fact, be the sole decision-maker. How do you know? That's why Brian Brock, general manager of Chattanooga, Tenn., home improvement company Hullco, says that assuring her of your willingness to come back at another time will not get you anywhere. At Hullco, salespeople encountering a one-spouse situation are encouraged to introduce themselves, do a walk-around, look at the windows, discuss the company, and make recommendations. At that point, Brock says, "she will know either that it's her decision or that she needs her spouse there." If it's the latter, the salesperson sets that second appointment.
"If we know the husband or wife wants to consult with the other," Warren says "we work toward increasing enthusiasm for the project rather than trying to close. We say: What are the questions your wife/husband might ask about this? What will he/she think about the color?"
In that way, salespeople sell the one spouse owner on a second appointment. "In such situations," Warren says, "our close is: What happens next?"
Philadelphia-based writer Jim Cory is a senior contributing editor to Professional Remodeler who specializes in covering the remodeling and home improvement industry. Reach him at coryjim@earthlink.net.
High pressure?!
One Leggers
one legger
Permalink Submitted by Ken Perrin (not verified) on Fri, 03/25/2016 - 12:37
I meet with the wife only, all the time and we have been on jobs were we never met the husband. We did work for a client - many large projects and after 4 years the husband stopped in and we talked les than 5 miniutes and he was never to be heard of again during the next project. In high-end renovations this is very common.
Permalink Submitted by Joe Knupchek (not verified) on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 14:28
Finally seeing some of the people around here in Madison getting a bad rap online for this type of behavior. It's very disrespectful and to expect people to make 10k+ decisions after 3 hours of badgering is just silly. Looking forward to people exposing more of these snakes. Thanks for raising the awareness!
Permalink Submitted by RjD (not verified) on Mon, 06/19/2017 - 08:45
How about you discuss with your wife BEFORE calling companies out to your house?! Salespeople are there to earn your business, not visit you so you waste our time and think about a 10k job that you wanted for 2k.
Permalink Submitted by Bob Henderson (not verified) on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 15:14
Anyone who will not meet with one owner should not be in the home improvement business. They are disgraceful. Not meeting with one owner shows no respect for the homeowner and indicates that you expect to make a sale on the spot. And that means that you are a 'tin man' and maybe you should go back to selling encyclopedias.
Permalink Submitted by Denny Marquardt (not verified) on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 09:34
I had a salesman try some of these tactics on me when I was on the consumer end. I found the salesman very offensive. I was the primary decision maker but not the sole decision maker. I was also entertaining other bids and told the salesman so. It didn't help that the salesman then told me that my wife could not make an informed decision because she didn't hear the presentation. To further complicate the process the salesman tried to sell the same product as the competitor under a different name at twice the price.
Chances are that in a one-leg sales call you will still be meeting with a primary decision maker. I feel that it is still worth the sales call if you find yourself in that situation, if for no other reason than to create good will. It is too easy these days to get a bad review when you insult a couple's decision making process.
Permalink Submitted by Michael Chaney (not verified) on Mon, 03/11/2019 - 20:09
When your income depends on making a sale with a 100% commission job, it is very frustrating to hear some of you are so offended by being pressured by an in-home sales rep. With that said, sales reps still need to be very professional, patient and treat all appointments with respect. If you, the home owner, can't deal with this type of pressure, don't book the appointment until you are ready to meet with a company. What did you expect was going to happen? A nice and timid sales rep that cowers at the first site of a one legger and folds up shop on, "I need to talk this over with my other half" is not a successful sales rep!
Permalink Submitted by Alice Cooper (not verified) on Thu, 02/27/2020 - 13:31
Why would you call somebody out to your home without discussing it with your spouse.? Why would you not have your spouse there? That's disrespectful to your spouse. As a commissioned home improvement salesman I am there to make a sale I am not the free quote fairy so you and your wife can take two weeks to think about a project that you don't want to spend any money on. You're the kind of people that walk on to a Cadillac car lot with no money and bad credit and want to take a test drive. What makes you think your time is more precious than mine? It's not. And as far as being pressured in my own home? Just say no stop being a pussy. Nobody high pressures me in my own home I'm the boss.
PR-Home Improvement,PR-Sales — Home Improvement,PR-Sales

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Good food and service but lots of kids!!
This is a nice place but a very family outlet. Very kids friendly as this is the Hotels main dining room. Very good variety. But for me the highlight was their pizza. So good.
There is a huge selection in this buffet restaurant catering for all tastes. I would recommend not eating for a day before visiting so you can taste everything!
Get quick answers from Market Place staff and past visitors.


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Uruguay's free-trade deal ambitions rattle South American trade bloc
© Reuters. Presidents and delegates of the member countries of the South American Mercosur bloc attend a summit, in Luque, Paraguay July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Cesar Olmedo/File Photo
By Fabian Werner
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) – South America's major Mercosur trade bloc, which includes regional powerhouses Brazil and Argentina, has been rattled by one of its smaller members, Uruguay, seeking to strike its own free-trade deals, leaders said at a summit on Tuesday.
At the meeting in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, the leaders sought to pressure their host over plans for go-it-alone trade deals with China and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
"The solution is not for each one of us just to do our own thing," said Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, chiding Uruguay.
One of the smallest economies in South America, Uruguay has been trying for years to conclude unilateral trade agreements that it considers more beneficial than Mercosur.
"Uruguay needs to and has the ambition to open up to the world. Of course, if we go in a group it is much better," said Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou. "We are going to have more negotiating power."
In July, Uruguay entered into formal negotiations on a free-trade agreement with China, a decision criticized by Mercosur members, and recently advanced in negotiations to join the TPP.
In late November, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina formally warned Uruguay that they could take "measures" against if it forged ahead with its plans.
Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez said Mercosur integration was "fundamental and strategic" but indicated flexibility on a demand Uruguay not move forward on trade deals without informing the others.
"What I heard from Lacalle satisfies me. That they can advance in a dialogue but before completing any type of process, they will share it with the bloc. That is an acceptable path," Abdo said.
The Montevideo meeting, in which Uruguay transferred the pro-tempore presidency to Argentina, ended without a joint declaration on agreements reached over the two-day talks.
Oil falls close to 2022 lows on economic worries, easing supply fears
World Bank, partners launch tracking system to clean up carbon markets


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Transforming culture and leadership to improve effectiveness and efficiency
Epta is a multinational group specialising in commercial refrigeration, based in Milan and with a worldwide presence. Epta UK was created when the parent company acquired two separate UK companies, but a lack of integration between these two companies, combined with a problem with production, led to some very testing times. Resilient as ever, they resolved the immediate production situation but Epta UK's senior management team (SMT) were keen to avoid this situation being repeated; particularly as their market place was becoming more competitive with margins heavily challenged. Looking to improve efficiency and motivate their employees in order to build a stronger, more united business the SMT realised they needed to effect a transformation of their organisational culture; starting with working on themselves (as they felt they were not personifying the change they wished to see).
The Desired Outcome
The Epta UK SMT wanted to design and embed a new culture to deliver improved performance and the effective execution of their strategic plan. In doing so they envisaged a new set of behaviours and better ways of working in order to strengthen the organisation.
Increasing the motivation and engagement of their staff were also key aims for the change initiative, along with the enhancement of their own leadership capabilities in order to successfully lead this transformation.
We were asked to lead an end to end cultural insight, design and implementation project, which included:
Assessing the current culture, including identifying blockers and enablers to future performance;
Design the future Epta UK culture, with supporting visual imagery;
Development of expected behaviours and ways of based on the newly defined culture;
Create and implement a communications and engagement plan to support embedding the new culture;
Develop and implement the roadmap for embedding the new culture throughout the organisation;
Improving the leadership capabilities of the SMT.
We used our core structured methodology, underpinned with a developmental approach for the SMT, upskilling them as an integral part of the project.
We completed a Culture Consultancy Organisation Culture Assessment™ using a combination of surveys, focus groups and structured interviews. We also conducted additional insight gathering around the cultural dynamics between Epta UK and the parent company, Epta Group.
Deep analysis of the insights and performance data enabled us to identify the performance inhibitors and enablers in the existing culture. This stage concluded with an SMT workshop where we validated the conclusions, agreed on the case for change and gained full buy-in to the potential cultural change journey which would follow.
Design & Engage
Working with the SMT, we designed a future-fit culture which we articulated in the form of an Epta UK Way; one that provided clarity on the desired ways of working for all staff in the UK, whilst also aligned with the spirit and intent of the Epta Group Values, Code of Practice and Guiding Principles. As well as crafting the description of the new culture we also created visual designs to further embed the new Epta UK Way within their communications.
A behavioural competency framework was developed creating a direct alignment between the Epta UK Way and expected behaviours; providing clarity to everyone. We adopted a facilitative approach to the development of the framework by forming a working group (made up of representatives from across the whole organisation) to shape the detail. This ensured engagement with, and ownership of, the resulting outputs which would play a key role in the success of their implementation
No matter how well-designed, culture change will only become embedded across the organisation once every individual has engaged with the change journey. Engaging in an organisation-wide conversation is therefore pivotal to success. Using our 4Es Human Change Principles we developed a twelve-month engaging communication plan and supported the SMT in the development and delivery of a launch roadshow to all staff around the UK.
A launch roadshow and supporting communications alone was not going to bring about the culture change; it required a well-considered implementation roadmap, one which would prioritise gaining early traction in achieving visible impact for the staff, as well as the business. Working with the SMT, we, therefore, developed an implementation roadmap for embedding the new culture into work practices across the UK organization; wherever possible leveraging other strategic initiatives to help bring about the cultural shift.
The launch roadshow events engaged people in such a way that many people have volunteered to lead or be part of key change initiatives to improve ways of working in line with the new Epta UK Way, honing effectiveness and efficiencies, as a consequence.
The process of embedding the Epta UK Way is ongoing so the full benefits are yet to be experienced. However, there are several benefits already being seen by the company including:
A clear focus on how the SMT works together and what it needs to do. This has reduced firefighting and led to some early improvements in efficiency
Motivation across the company has improved – "The SMT see how much passion there is on the shop floor that they have never seen before".
A staff-driven programme is underway focusing upon reducing waste, ultimately aiming to improve margin and competitiveness without needing to increase customer pricing.
Expected behaviours have been hardwired into the business through a robust appraisals process, enabling better quality conversations.
The SMT meetings have improved quite dramatically, being much more focused on strategic priorities for the business.
"Through our work with Culture Consultancy, we have created a clear, highly engaging company-wide culture, focused upon achieving effectiveness and efficiency. It's been a real eye-opener as to the impact that the values-driven behaviours could have in embedding our desired culture and bringing about the much-needed improvement of working practices. We've felt supported every step of the way; initially to facilitate and guide us through a structured process for changing our culture; to more latterly, acting as an experienced soundboard or providing very targeted interventions as we grow in confidence and capability ourselves. The ability for you to build rapport quickly and appropriately ask the difficult questions have been key in unlocking some of our underlying challenges."
David Wormald, HR Director


STEVENSVILLE, MD April 16, 2018 – Following a review of vehicle maintenance shop environments across North America, experts at heavy duty vehicle lift leader Stertil-Koni, which has been in the vehicle lift business for seven decades, has determined that professional lighting is one of the keys to enhancing overall shop safety and performance.
The stakes are high and the payoffs big when it comes to worker safety, notably in reducing accidents, minimizing eyestrain, and increasing overall efficiency and productivity.
Mobile column lift lighting: Consisting of two IP-67 dust and water resistant rated fixtures, illumination is available on all mobile column (and platform) lift models manufactured by Stertil-Koni.
Fixtures for DC-powered mobile column lifts utilize LED technology whereas fixtures for AC-powered mobile column lifts use fluorescent technology.
These lights ensure that workspace around the mobile lift is well-lit.
4-po st platform lift lighting: The 4-post lift has impact-resistant LED lights, as do all models of Stertil-Koni lighting systems. In this case, they switch on and off automatically just above floor level, illuminating even the darkest undercarriages.
SKYLIFT - Platform lift lighting: Special LED lighting is available for the SKYLIFT, a true, vertical rise platform lift from Stertil-Koni. These LED lamps consist of high output light engines coupled to a solid reflector tube. The lamps are virtually unbreakable and as bright as conventional fluorescent tubes.
Also available is a moveable light fixture for use anywhere around the shop.
Palm Light: The Stertil-Koni Palm Light, provides up to 800 lumens of directed light. It is contained in a die-cast aluminum housing and is powered with a lithium-ion battery. The Palm Light is IP65 dust and water resistant, and comes with a 12.6V 0.8A charger with a magnetic charging base. The tripod that supports the light is magnetic.


Consisting of the following Townships – Blanchard, Bloomfield, Bohnsack, Elm River, Galesburg, Greenfield, Kelso, Mayville, Norman, Norway, Roseville Townships; Clifford City, Galesburg City and all west of Center Avenue in Mayville City.
Consisting of the following Townships – Belmont, Bingham, Buxton, Caledonia, Eldorado, Ervin, Herberg, Hillsboro, Stavanger, Wold; All of Buxton City and all that part of Reynolds City located in Traill County.
Consisting of the following Townships – Lindaas and Morgan; all east of Center Avenue and north of Main Street and that part of Mayville City lying east of Center Avenue and south of Main Street.
Consisting of the following Township – Garfield and Viking; all of Hatton City and Portland City.


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About Polle
Insites Consulting
In 2010/2011, I worked as a Marketing Consultant in Steven van Belleghem's team at InSites Consulting, a remarkable marketing research agency in Ghent, Rotterdam and London.
Back in 1997, the Internet was still a strange country populated only by geeks and IT-nerds. At the time, traditional research agencies thought this new medium was just a lot of hype and something their clients wouldn't be interested in.
But in Ghent, four marketing experts had a different view. Tim, Joeri, Niels & Kristof believed the Internet would soon powerfully influence the way people communicate, shop, travel, work and read. Already friends, they came together as business partners to create a little research company called InSites Consulting.
In the early years, InSites Consulting helped marketers who were not afraid to experiment with the new medium (those who had built websites, for instance). They provided research insights (hence the name) to guide them through the difficult process of developing and choosing the right online applications and then putting them on the market.
Over the past ten years, much has changed. InSites Consulting has evolved from a cutting-edge internet research company into a full-service marketing consultancy doing business with the best known brands all over the world.
Projects at InSites Consulting Gent / Rotterdam / London
In our quest to make companies more consumer connected, we worked for -amongst others- Unilever, Danone, Puratos, Transavia, KLM and Telenet. I usually worked as a marketing / conversations consultant on these projects. Furthermore, we developed some useful models and frameworks to help companies implement consumer centricity. Some examples:
KLM social strategy.
Some of the projects I worked on at Insites Consulting.
Telenet Yelo Launch.
Customer Experience and Social Media Models & Frameworks.
Inspiration sessions and workshops.
More on presentations


In the final issue of IDW's Turtles in Time series, the four turtles arrive back in Manhattan....but is it the Manhattan they know? This is the near-future...or an alternate near-future. When my editor Bobby Curnow told me the issue would be set in the 'future' my plan was to have the turtles trying to fit in and pilot a small 2 seater flying car amidst odd tech-architecture and holograms. But then I was given more info on the script and what this specific version of the future needed to resemble. To the left you can see the final cover, but below, I'll go through each step of the process and describe how this piece came to be.
My initial rough was to sum up and force in the elements that needed to be there per the script and Bobby's request: All 4 turtles looking a bit baffled, a blend of current and future architecture, mutants milling about the streets, and some kind of billboard or jumbotron of future Shredder. This was a rough sketch done at a friend's house on scrap paper as I tried to describe to the friend how I was going to fit everything in. On a tall-format cover like this, showing the vertical trust of the buildings is easy, but fitting 4 turtles across the width and still having space to show that the crowd isn't human, was the trick.
Once I knew roughly the layout, I needed I started redrawing elements from the original sketch to tighten it up to show Bobby and in turn he could show to Nickelodeon. I drew each of the turtles separately in my sketchbook as well as drawing the background on another sheet of paper. This way I could carefully position & resize each turtle, taking advantage of the negative spaces between their shoulders, pointed arms, etc. to fit in all the info needed for the 4 to be shown while still having enough room to get my foreground and background mutants in there.
As you may notice, the jumbotron Shredder ended up being a photographed model I made. Instead of any of the billboards or the main jumbotron being fixed to anything, I opted for them all to be free-floating techno-marvels. For the round one (the point of focus), I thought the perspective of not only a circular screen and tech, but also the shredder image mapped on to it would be easier to do with a model. The shredder drawing was scanned, had a grid applied, and then I rolled it up and glued a ticker-tape ring ("MUTANTS SERVE THE LEADER") to it and a spoke & hover-engine design to it.
The above digital composite was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series bristol. On top of a lightbox, I inked the image onto the surface of the Strathmore bristol using the printed image I could see through it as a guide. I didn't have the perspective correct for the background in my rough, so I made a correction before committing to ink (though the center area of the furved building to the right still has incorrect vanishing points. The inks were done with Copic Multiliners (the 0.7 & 0.3 nibs mainly).
The inks were then scanned and I started the coloring process where you establish all the various areas as flat colors with no rendering (and often times not the final colors themselves). After I flatted in the colors on the turtles themselves, I tried to keep the other elements simple, making a 3 tone variation for the buildings and the mutants. Bobby said Nickelodeon was nervous that the turtles might get overshadowed by the foreground characters, so while these were not exactly the final color choices, I did keep in mind that I wanted the turtles to be the most vibrant of the citizens and the others should be kept more muted.
Here is another look at the final cover art with the rendering and the special effects for lighting added.
It's been a fun run on TMNT. While I don't have anything else lined up with IDW currently, I do hope to come back and do some more with the TMNT sooner than later.
A new book from Archaia parent company BOOM! will be coming out soon called Wild's End by writer Dan Abnett and artist I.N.J. Culbard. The elevator pitch is "Wind in the Willows meets War of the Worlds". So when the editor pool in the Archaia/Boom! offices asked if I'd be up for doing a cover, I said "Yes, please"...because how can you go wrong with talking animals in clothes? I'll be purposefully vague on the details of this book and the story, because I'll let BOOM!'s marketing make sure they control how that info is released. (more can be found in this interview on CBR) To the left you can see the final artwork, but in today's blogpost, I'll walk through the process of making the cover art.
I was given a script of the first issue and some character control art (shown here on the right). For the first script, I decided to focus on a moment towards the end of the issue, though I combined a few things all happening at once for the sake of trying to get a lot of story info into the cover. There are four characters in that scene: A dog, a fox, a Rabbit, and a Mink. In my original thumbnail I sent to BOOM! I'd omitted the mink for the sake for trying to fit everyone, but 1) this layout had some flaws which fixing would open some space and 2) the creators and editors really wanted the Mink in there.
I sketched out each character in poses I figured would work for the scene. With a few of them, I revised the poses and details by placing my original sketches on the lightbox and tracing over them on a new sheet of paper. I was going by descriptions given in the script for the character's personalities (often comparing them to past and present actors) as to how I'd present their body language and facial reactions. In this series of sketches, I also drew up a tavern for the background. I'm finding I feel more free doing these on separate sheets of paper rather than in a sketchbook...if a drawing isn't going well, I can scrap it easier than if it was in something bound together.
I scanned all the rough sketches and assembled a digital composite layout in Photoshop. By doing this, and having each character as a separate manipulate-able layer, it's easy to scoot all the parts of the composition around like an elaborate collage. The characters are all tinted different colors to help me see them better in this process...where one character ends and the next begins...or what negative spaces are formed between them. The yellow and orange borders are guides for what is the 'trim' and 'bleed', which are terms for where the page is cut (trim), and where you want to extend the artwork to so that if the trim is a bit off, there won't be a white edge showing with no artwork (bleed).
I printed the digital composite layout and then taped that printout onto the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series Bristol. Using my lightbox, I can see through the bristol and used my printout as a guide to ink from. I occasionally will still do a bit of penciling on the bristol surface when I feel my rough is too rough and needs a bit more tightening before I commit to ink. I used Copic Multiliners (0.7 & 0.35 nibs) to ink this piece. Even though the trees, stars, and shooting star/comet were all going to be a color in the final, I had to ink in the shapes solid black so I had something to work with in the coloring stage.
The first part of coloring (after scanning the inked piece and cleaning up the white/black levels) is called flatting. It's because the purpose is not to worry about rendered colors or shading, or even proper color choices. It's goal is to block in various color areas so they are easy to re-isolate when it is time to choose proper colors or render an area. Here are my color flats on the right. I went with pretty wacky colors as I filled in my various areas. For me, each color shown here is also different layer (labeled things like 'clothes 1', 'clothes 2', 'animals 1', 'details', 'sky', etc...). I also established the color holds for the stars, comet, and trees as well as a lightening of the linework for the background ground and tavern as it goes further back.
Using the character guide and picking a few colors of my own, I finished the piece and rendered in the shadows and highlights using the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop. To the left you can take another look at the finished cover.
And I'll offer up the original inks for sale in my online store later today.
This week I'm sharing some of my recent commissions. This first batch was from C2E2.
Harry and Hagrid from Book 7: The Deathly Hallows.
The commissioner originally requested a moment after this when Hagrid has leapt off the motorbike and Voldemort is in pursuit, but as a composition I felt the moment before when Hagrid is trying to repair the bike & sidecar was more interesting.
This was rather straight forward and only took a little bit of work to modify my style of drawing owls and mice to something more like the animated feature designs. The webbing was almost entirely done by inking in the space between the web rather than going back in with white.
The commissioner hopes to get on my list a total of 3 times for a sequence of images. This being the third where the mouse and duck have discovered and collected an under water treasure.
The commissioner requested a group of these chubby cute penguins with Saxon and Kenzie in appropriate gear for a visit, with perhaps the penguins giving them a gift (the fish). Unfortunately I didn't take an process photos as I inked the piece.
I have a Mouse Guard story with a cook coming up and I needed to design her look and costume. Plus I thought it would be fun to explore the ingredients a mouse cook would have at the ready: Coriander, seeds, wild onions, acorns, berries, carrots, rosemary, peppercorns, etc.
Again I needed a character design for a Mouse Guard story, this time a rough, rugged, and battle scarred veteran hunter/warrior. He is scarred and his ears are tattered, his cloak is one of something else's hide, he wears leather and chain armor, and a weapons that can only deal death: an axe. i enjoy drawing bones and thought it was fun to have them not fill the space, but act as a gradient and get more dense near the edges.
After two character designs, I thought I should do something with no purpose and a bit of a story implied. This was just for fun because I don't know that you would ever see a tarantula in Mouse Guard (not the right region). And while I say there is a story, it's an implied story for you to imagine, I have nothing specific in mind.
It had been a while since I'd drawn the Fall 1152 villain. This piece was more about pose, and a pattern of large black shapes and large white negative spaces than it was about a typical Mouse Guard panel with detailed background or implied story.
I was asked by someone about how mouse children are/would be depicted in the books since real mouse babies are hairless, pink, and not very cute. Real mice do get cute quickly, so I think almost every child portrayal I've done so far synchs up with nature in that way...but It got me thinking how I'd handle a little baby...and then I just wanted to draw a mouse-made crib. Unfortunately, no process photos of this piece.
While at a convention and thinking of birds I have yet to draw in Mouse Guard (or for commissions), a duckling came to mind (though I have drawn a gosling). And I thought it might be fun to do an Atari Joust homage and give the mouse a lance.
I may have some more pieces like these for my remaining June shows if I have the time.
Hopefully I'll be able to open a commission list for SDCC. If I do, I'll post on Facebook and Twitter that I've opened up the list in my online store. The pieces must be picked up at the convention.
In the third issue of IDW's Turtles in Time miniseries, the four brothers find themselves on a pirate ship! When editor Bobby Curnow originally pitched me the 4 issue lineup, the third issue was in a bit of flux for the setting....WWI and the Old West were both tossed around and I had visual ideas for how to handle both,,,(bi-planes and trains!) But when the series solidified, Bobby emailed "PIRATES!". And I was off to doodle and research (even calling on my pal Jeremy Bastian for piratey-tips) for a swashbuckling ninja turtles cover. To the left you can see the finished art, but below I go into the process it took to get there.
Those pencil drawn elements were all scanned and then assembled in photoshop to come up with the layout of the cover. At this stage, I made a few adjustments where I'd drawn heads too small, replacement hands to patch in, and swords to angle correctly to avoid bad tangents. The colors were added not just to help me see the drawings better (where one character ended and the next began) but also to show my editor and Nickelodeon as to which turtle is which. This is now my secont TMNT cover where I have shown them all without bandannas or their traditional weapons (though for #2, Leo did have a katana) and I found it fun trying to show some of each turtle's personality in other ways...though their bandanna colors do play a part again later on.
The digital composite, once approved by my editors, was then printed out at roughly 10" x 15" and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 30 series bristol board. I inked with Copic Multiliners on my lightbox. Using a lightbox allows me to see through the surface of the bristol to the printout and use it as a guide instead of pencils on the surface of the bristol. This means less erasing and cleanup when I finish the inks. The stars and moon were inled in black, though I knew I was going to adjust them to be light lines in the color process. While I was inking I realized I'd never drawn pirate garb on Don in my rough, I'd only drawn him in the pose I wanted. So I had to quickly do some last minute design and penciling so I could finish the piece.
To start the color process means that I must establish color areas. It's a way of isolating parts of a drawing as each being different colors than others. This is called flatting (because you aren't rendering or shading, you are just filling in flat colors. I used a lot of high-saturation basic colors to help me see that I was establishing areas that may be next to each other as different colors. Once I got to this stage of the flatting, I desaturated (removed all color information & turned to greyscale) all the layers (other than the sky, ship and moon which I knew I'd gotten close to final colors for. Like issue #2 of this series, I had to incorporate each turtle's bandanna color into their wardrobe to help the readers quickly establish which turtle is which beyond their body language. The final colors can be seen again below.


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Danny Mulheron
Actor, Director
Danny Mulheron has come at comedy from almost every angle: as a writer, as a director, as co-creator of the politically-incorrect Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby, and from inside a hippo suit. But laughter is not the whole story. Mulheron has also acted in Close to Home and Roche, presented for car programme AA Torque Show, and directed everything from documentaries (The Third Richard) to Rage, a tele-movie on the 1981 tour.
Alun Falconer
Writer, Editor
Alun Falconer started his film career at the National Film Unit in 1946. Early in 1948 he and cameraman Roger Mirams left the NFU and founded the Pacific Film Unit. A year later he went to China where he worked as a journalist and was an eyewitness to the fall of Shanghai. He left in 1950 for London where he returned to film production and later made his name as a television script writer.
Julie Christie, DNZM, is one of New Zealand's most successful television producers. She built her company, Touchdown Productions, into the country's leading producer of entertainment television and exporter of programme formats. In 2006 she sold Touchdown to global company Eyeworks in a multi-million dollar deal; she stayed on as managing director until 2012.
Alison Maclean has brought an original vision to screen, whether it be in personal, expressionistic films: the Kiwi gothic duo of Kitchen Sink and her first feature, Crush, acclaimed junkie redemption song Jesus' Son, and her adaptation of Eleanor Catton novel The Rehearsal — or in high profile television series like Sex in the City and The Tudors.
Robin Scholes
Robin Scholes is one of New Zealand's most experienced and respected producers. Her credits range from feature films (Once Were Warriors, Mahana, Mr Pip) to iconic TV shows (Magic Kiwis) and documentaries (Colin McCahon: I Am). In 1997 she was made an OBE for services to the film and television industry.
Keith Aberdein
Writer, Actor
Keith Aberdein is probably best known for playing the small-town policeman who arouses Bruno Lawrence's ire, in Kiwi screen classic Smash Palace. But his screen work covers almost every angle: from covering the Wahine disaster as a reporter, to directing, to writing scripts for some of the most ambitious television dramas of the 1970s.
Julienne Stretton
Julienne Stretton spent three decades documenting NZ people and culture for TV, as a researcher, producer and director. Her subjects have ranged from Katherine Mansfield and Hollywood actor Nola Luxford, to a young disabled couple in the groundbreaking Miles and Shelly documentaries. She researched major documentaries on Moriori and Gallipoli, and shared a 1992 Qantas Award for 60 Minutes.
Grahame McLean
Producer, Director, Production Manager
Veteran producer and production designer Grahame McLean helped organise the shoots of a run of landmark Kiwi productions, from The Games Affair to Sleeping Dogs. Later he brought TV success Worzel Gummidge down under, and became the first — and will likely long remain one of the few — New Zealanders to direct two feature films back to back.
Diana Rowan
Casting Director, Director
If the measure of success for a casting director is the subsequent success of the actors they pluck from the crowd, then Diana Rowan has certainly done time at the top of her field. She is the casting director who helped Anna Paquin, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kerry Fox and Lucy Lawless on their way to international careers, while developing her own talents as a writer and director of short films.
John Reid made his feature debut with an acclaimed version of hit Roger Hall stage play Middle Age Spread. He went on to direct three more features ranging from raw comedy to moody arthouse pieces — plus documentaries, TV dramas and commercials. Reid has also been head tutor at the New Zealand Film and Television School in Wellington, and written the definitive book on the history of Pacific Films.


There's going to be a handsome discount exclusive to Kim Graham Photography clients, so be sure to make it to the bottom of the page before moving on along!
Oh hi. My name is Jebb Graff. You may recognize me from the various roles I've played on several made-for-TV and direct-to-DVD movies including but not limited to "Dog Catcher #2", "Portly Street Sweeper" and my most famous role to date "Ridiculously Good Looking Photobooth Guy". Well, the actual credit reads as "Photobooth Photographer", but my mom tells me otherwise and my cat thinks I'm his pajamas. Actually he just likes to sleep on my head, but that's another story.
My esteemed colleague Kim Graham, asked me (read: accepted bribe) to write up a little piece about myself and the latest addition to my photography & design business for her blog. I thought to myself while polishing my mirror, "well I love talking about myself, and everyone loves what I have to say, so yeah…I guess I'll do it" (read: I hate talking about myself and Kim may be crazy for allowing this).
Alright alright…enough shenanigans for a few words. Kim and I have known each other and worked together on various projects for quite some time now. She even photographed my wedding! We're both photographers, and we like to work together to provide fantastic photos more than we like to duke it out as competitors. I'm writing this post today to share my wedding & event photobooth with you.
Though I do occasionally second-shoot (an industry term meaning "shoot second", or "also photograph") weddings with colleagues, I stopped photographing them solo so I could hone in on children portraiture for my own photographic art. I love the one-on-one experience and planning that goes into portraiture as well as the honest/experiential world that children live in. For the most part, kids don't have the same fears of being in front of a camera as adults do. They're not worried about their weight, wrinkles or hair and can really be themselves in front of the camera. You may be asking what this has to do with a photobooth. My answer to that? Everything!
As a wedding photographer, I've had my fair share of "don't take my picture" or the classic hand in front of face pose from guests over the years. Without being too NOVA-esque and delving deep into that psychology, I'll make my own personal observation about those circumstances. People don't like to be bothered. Pretty simple right? Well what do people like if they don't like to be bothered? Duh…people like to have fun! If a kid doesn't look happy when you ask him to look at the camera and smile, do you think the average adult will? No way Jose'! Ever notice how great the dancing photos are from wedding receptions? It's not because the photographer instructed Fred & Ginger to laugh and throw their hands up in the air! It simply comes down to the fact that awesomely fun photos come from people having an awesomely fun time! That's where the photobooth comes in.
Our photobooth isn't the tiny box kind you find at the mall foodcourt. Think prom pictures sans the perm, braces and awkward teenage hormones. We have a big backdrop, big studio lighting – set up in a fashion style to make everyone look stunning, an instant preview of the pictures on a huge screen and best of all…no order forms! Your guests get a little card with instructions that take them to a page for a free download of their photo that's already sized for Facebook. Easy, breezy, beautiful…[don't want a lawsuit, but you know the phrase]. So what's fun about that? I may lose my serious photographer cred for saying it, but the photobooth has very little to do with photos. It has everything to do with having a good time. The actual photos are basically the icing on the cake when it comes down to it. We have all kinds of props to make the booth a fun time. It gives wall-flowers a fun option during fast songs and rug-cutters something fun to do during the slow songs. Win-win!
Using the sophisticated hardware and software of the GraffBookPro, I've come up with this intensely powerful statistical data where a+b=c.
a) Approach group of people snacking on their delicious hors d'oeuvres served by one of Charleston's finest caterers.
b) Ask them for a photograph.
c) Photo of guests annoyed due to interrupted conversation and self conscious smiles due to fear of asparagus appetizer being emulsified to teeth.
a) Book Graff Creative Photobooth for your wedding.
b) Guests see shiny lights and other friends having fun at star-studded photobooth.
c) An actual line forms for pictures, and you have real deal, smiling, happy, honest to goodness, true blue photographic proof that your guests had a blast at your wedding.
Finally, if my verbosity hasn't convinced you that the photobooth is a great addition to your wedding or event; I'll let this photo do its thousand words thing.
Those are real-life teenagers having fun and smiling getting their photo taken, and that's just one of the mild ones I have permission to post! Just imagine what the photobooth pictures from your wedding will look like when your friends and family get to posing. Especially that one…you know the one…that person that you're a little worried about. Here is where he/she can shine. Can you say over the top?! Or if you don't spreken ze English: over ze top!
So you may notice a shortage of photos on my website. That's why I'm here. I am running an extension of my special offer for brides & grooms that book a wedding with Kim Graham Photography. It's simple. Book Kim as your wedding photographer, get our photobooth for 50% Off and No Travel Fee for weddings in the Charleston area. That offer is extended for the first 5 people to book Kim and yours truly together.
Thanks be to Kim for letting me ramble on your beautiful blog, and to those who made it all the way through to the end of this post! See you soon!
LOL….I love your writing style Jebb, you always make me smile!


text:
Q: Database migration in django 1.0.4 I work on a very old version of django - 1.0.4. Yes, it is to be changed.
My problem is migration in the database, after adding the field: is_member
An error occurs:
no such column: scopes_scope.is_member
I've been trying to get a command:
python manage.py syncdb
That didn't help.
Can somebody help me?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Residence Life assistant director Michelle Vinson named the UIS Employee of the Month for April
Michelle Vinson has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for April. She serves as the assistant director – administration for the Department of Residence Life.
In her role, Vinson is responsible for the daily operations of the Department of Residence Life office. She has oversight of the housing assignment processes for all residential students. In addition, she manages, monitors, and implements the policies and procedures of student housing.
Vinson's nominator says she always has a smile on her face and is "professional, kind and dependable."
"Michelle is always available when needed and responds promptly to request," said her nominator. "Kindness matters and Michelle shows compassion and caring when working with students and other professionals on campus."
Her supervisor calls her a "vital part of the Residence Life team" adding that she works to personally connect with each member of the Residence Life team and to connect with students to be able to understand their needs.
"Michelle is dedicated and reliable in all she does at UIS," said her supervisor. "She is able to keep the days positive, focused and productive. She also is an excellent mentor to our new professional staff in the Department of Residence Life."
Asked about her dependability and productivity on the job, her supervisor says she is "always timely" and "often completes tasks before asked." She often takes on additional tasks to make sure the needs of the Department of Residence Life are met.
"Michelle is one of the most positive, honest, genuine and transparent UIS community members with whom I get to work," said her supervisor. "She builds stable, responsible relationships with colleagues and is always student-focused in her daily work."
Residence Life assistant director Michelle Vinson ...


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University of NottinghamNewsPress releases2010DecemberElection 2010 blog scoops national social media award
Election 2010 blog scoops national social media award
Sir Colin Campbell
Press releases archive
Expertise for the media
David Holdstock, Matthew Goodwin, Philip Cowley, Paul Heywood
20 Dec 2010 00:00:00.000
PA 357/10
An influential blog created by experts from the School of Politics & International Relations and the University's Communications Team to track the 2010 General Election has won a national award.
Professors Philip Cowley and Paul Heywood, and Dr Matthew Goodwin accepted the Some Comms Award for Best Low Budget Campaign at the Deansgate Hilton in Manchester last Thursday night.
This social media campaign featured original expert opinion and analysis written by School of Politics academics and published online by Communications and Marketing at the University. For a cost of little more than £1,400, it reached an estimated audience of 46m people worldwide — coverage valued at over £4m — raising the profile of Politics at The University of Nottingham.
Click here for full story
"We're delighted to have won this award," said Professor Philip Cowley, Professor of Parliamentary Government, who edited the blog, "both because of the combined effort so many academics in the School put in to making this work, as well as Andrew Burden's technical know-how, and because it shows that it is possible to make politics and political science accessible to the wider public."
This communications campaign was designed to harness interest in the UK Election to promote the School of Politics and International Relations and its Centre for British Politics as a definitive source of expertise. The project tested a new approach combining traditional and online PR, focusing on social media and online 'chatter' to attract followers.
The concept was created in conversation with academics. Content was written, chosen and edited by Philip Cowley, Steven Fielding and other colleagues, and the project was run by Andrew Burden in Communications. Original research, such as Professor Fielding's 'Lambrini Ladies' blog piece on voting behaviour and engagement among young women, helped capture readers' imagination in new ways.
Nottingham's blog was soon noticed by Guardian and ConservativeHome blogs as well as by John Rentoul (Chief Political Commentator for the Independent on Sunday). As a result, there was high quality take-up including interviews with the BBC and Jeff Randall on Sky, articles in the Guardian and London Evening Standard, and international coverage in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Articles swiftly moved from online into print and back again, multiplying as election fever escalated and opening the doors for the roll-out of opinion, commentary and thought-leadership pieces. Many of these, especially online, linked back to earlier pieces written by each author and helped position Nottingham's academics as definitive sources of expertise on election politics.
The British Library felt the blog had a major social impact and has inducted it into their UK Web Archive for future research — an academic outcome that demonstrates clear influence alongside mainstream media coverage.
Using a blog approach worked well, alongside Twitter and some traditional placement activity. The often-amusing expert voices of Nottingham academics attracted the media and lay readers alike, prompting interaction and featuring regularly in the Top Five Google searches for the relevant term.
As of May 23rd it was — and still is — the number one Google search result for the phrase "election 2010 blog". During the General Election, the term generated 106,000,000 results in 0.20 seconds.
"The strategy was clear and simple," said Emma Leech, Director of Communications and Marketing at The University of Nottingham. "This project tested a new approach combining traditional and online PR, focusing on social media and online chatter to drive reach and pick-up.
"We set out to map media and influencers, and then developed an issues-led politics blog offering interesting, provocative, cutting-edge commentary as the 2010 Election campaign developed. The site provided material, anchor points and 'experts' for traditional media, plus exposure through coverage of the blog. Activity generated new readers, commentary and material, re-inventing itself daily."
Pat Freeland-Small, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Director (Marketing & Communications) at The University of Melbourne in Australia, emulated Nottingham's Election 2010 campaign for the Australian General Election during the summer.
Professor Cowley, Professor Heywood and Dr Goodwin received the award from David Holdstock representing category sponsor LGcommunications.
The blog was also 'highly commended' in the category 'Most Innovative Use of New Media' at the How-Do Public Services Communications Awards at the beginning of November. It was shortlisted in not one but two categories: Most Innovative use of New Media and Best Low Budget Campaign. Separately, it was shortlisted for Best Use of Digital PR in the CIPR PRide Awards (Midlands) 2010.
See the Election 2010 blog at: http://electionblog2010.blogspot.com/. For more information on the Some Comms Awards, visit the event website at: http://tiny.cc/wt5lm
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as "the nearest Britain has to a truly global university", has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top Ten and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research helping the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University's vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news
Facts and figures at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/facts/factsandfigures.aspx
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Philip Cowley at philip.cowley@nottingham.ac.uk; Professor Steven Fielding at steven.fielding@nottingham.ac.uk; or Andrew Burden from Communications and Marketing at andrew.burden@nottingham.ac.uk, +44(0)115 846 8313.
Simon Butt - Stakeholder Relations and Campaign Manager
Email: simon.butt@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 84 67156 Location: University Park
No additional resources for this article
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Wednesday 29th September 2010
Media Relations - External Relations
The University of Nottingham
C Floor, Pope Building (Room C4)
email: pressoffice@nottingham.ac.uk


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SoNo Collection public hearing continues Wednesday at Zoning Commission
5 : 07 am EDT May 3 2016
NORWALK, Conn. – Putting together a project as complex as The SoNo Collection mall on West Avenue takes a lot of time and deliberation, as it has many moving parts.
Many of those parts can be seen moving in the above animation video released Monday to NancyOnNorwalk by mall developer General Growth Properties (GGP).
GGP will continue its presentation to the Zoning Commission at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, in the Community Room at City Hall. This is a continuation of the April 27 public hearing, at which the presentation ran over 3 hours and covered the evolution of the project, text amendment and map change, building operations and parking, traffic, landscape architecture and a brief introduction to architecture and design.
GGP Senior Developer Doug Adams said Monday in an emailed reminder, "We expect to complete our presentation, including utilities and civil engineering, environmental, and the remainder of architecture and design. Our goal is to conclude the presentation within an hour, with the hope that public comment would begin at approximately 8 p.m."
GGP is planning to break ground – pending approvals – this fall and is targeting a spring 2018 opening for the upscale shopping destination.
EveT May 3, 2016 at 8:52 am
Is this the same public hearing that had to be stopped last week because GGP — for lack of a better word, filibustered — for 3 hours and people didn't get a chance to speak?
Nancy Chapman May 3, 2016 at 3:36 pm
Yes, it's a continuation of the public hearing.
33 N Water St Condo Owner May 4, 2016 at 11:25 am
Did they get the same tax zone treatment as the previous designs? That would be disappointing because they have less skin in game and not same concept, which will actually cost taxpayers money unless the mall is a huge success…is there any reporting on that aspect?
Mark Chapman May 4, 2016 at 12:24 pm
@ 33N Water:
Here is the last thing we did on the tax deal…
Paul A. on Norwalk officials: Milligan demolitions illegal, unsafe
MarjorieM on State finds Norwalk Public Schools has violated SpEd laws; NPS says violations 'not substantive'
Bryan Meek on Planning Commitee votes to send POKO restart plan to full Council


Mar 2013: Dawn's "Just Cards" Buffet TO GO class is Now Available!
I've received several Twist Fold Fun Cards in swaps lately and I finally got around to making one. Boy - that was a mistake. Why?
Because they are so much fun to make.
Once you make one, you'll want to make more!
With the FREE Sale-a-Bration Sycamore Street (free with $50 order), you can make as many as you want!
So, get out your Stampin' Trimmer and watch the Twist Fold FUN Card video below!
Whisper White 4-1/4" x 11"
Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (127540) 4" x 10-1/2"


text:
We Don't Need Another Conservative!
by Jake MacAulay / on June 9, 2015 at 8:14 pm /
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How many of you would be frightened at another Clinton presidency? Or perhaps another Bush Administration would cause you to throw your hands up and say, "I have had enough. It's pointless to try." In my travels around the United States I meet many people looking for a "conservative candidate". I may shock you with the following statement but I believe it to be truth. We do not want a conservative candidate!
When any elected official takes his oath of office, he invokes the wrath of God against himself if he is unfaithful to that oath. To substantiate this, George Washington started the presidential tradition of swearing his oath of office with his left hand on the Bible and then kissing the Holy Writ after his oath was complete. You also may find it fascinating that three days before George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States, Congress passed the following resolution: Resolved, That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he, attended by the Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, shall proceed to St. Paul's Chapel, to hear divine service. Accordingly, Rev. Samuel Provoost, newly appointed chaplain of the United States Senate and first Episcopal bishop of New York, performed "divine service" at St. Paul's Chapel on April 30, 1789, immediately following Washington's inauguration. The first act of Congress was to direct the new president to go to church and hear the Word of God - something they felt was intimately connected to the fulfillment of their oaths to God and the people.
An oath is a serious thing. A specific standard is pronounced and declared. The oath taken by all government representatives and armed forces declares a specific allegiance to the United States Constitution.
The oath does not say, "I hereby solemnly promise to be conservative". It does not say, "I hereby swear to follow what are presently considered to be conservative principles". As you know, these things called "conservative principles" vary not only from person to person, but from time to time – and that's the trap.
You see, wishy-washy words like conservative or liberal really have come to mean nothing. In fact, it almost goes without saying that political positions thought to be ultra-liberal 30 years ago, or maybe 30 minutes ago, are now seen as the accepted conservative position. At least for the moment.
So what's the alternative? Well, we seem to need a fixed standard, don't we? One that isn't slick or squishy. One we can depend on. Happily it does exist, and it's called the Constitution. It was intended to be a fixed standard and ought to be seen and taught that way.
As Americans we shouldn't seek out and support another conservative of yesterday's godless liberal (or otherwise) agenda because we will only get more unrestrained central power in DC. Juxtapose that option with a Constitutionist and it will be clear to see what we have been missing.
This is JM with IOTC bringing you the Constitutional American View.
Learn more about your Constitution with Jake MacAulay and the Institute on the Constitution and receive your free gift.
This article is printed with the permission of the author(s). Opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of American Clarion or Dakota Voice LLC.
Comment Rules: Please confine comments to salient ones that add to the topic; Profanity is not allowed and will be deleted; Spam, copied statements and other material not comprised of the reader's own opinion will be deleted.
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Jake MacAulay serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Institute on the Constitution (IOTC), an educational outreach that presents the founders' "American View" of law and government. The former co-host of the syndicated talk show, The Sons of Liberty, he is an ordained minister and has spoken to audiences nation-wide, and has established the American Club, a constitutional study group in public and private schools.
Jake MacAulay
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DCM7
I like the graphic: "This isn't because I'm Conservative. It's because I'm an adult."
…like there's really a meaningful difference between the two!
http://www.americanclarion.com/ Bob Ellis
Thanks. I debated about whether to publish this submission, lest someone be misled and miss its ultimate message, but in the end made the daring decision to assume that most people would be able to make the connection (reckless, I know, but some days, you just feel the urge to live recklessly).
Because the evidence is overwhelming that a genuine conservative IS a constitutionalist.
The only part that's confusing for some is the fact that a lot of liberals (especially in the "Republican" Party) like to call themselves "conservatives" when their stances and record clearly indicates they are NOT.
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Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. hasn't had time to hear his critics because he's been too busy becoming amazing
Vinicius Junior's sparkling 24-karat goals at Levante in LaLiga on Sunday were so stunning it was easy to be distracted from their beauty.
It would be easy to focus on the clinical wins, but it would be foolish to ignore the dramatic performance of Vinicius, who came to the rescue of his sinking team and scored two career-best goals in just 26 minutes. (Stream the replay on ESPN+ U.S.).
It would also be normal to mention that if any of the modern, great, elegant strikers -- Didier Drogba to Thierry Henry, through Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazario -- had produced identical results, we would have raved about them, about how devastating footballers they were, without provisos, with no "but ..." hovering above the air." This is Vinicius.
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It doesn't take a Spaniard to see the smug, dull-minded campaign against him waged by certain parts of Spain's soccer media. He's silly; that he doesn't have a clue when it comes down to the "killer moment". He's all piston-legs with no winning psychology. The Brazilian kid, just 21 years old, has been repeatedly portrayed as a one trick pony. His trick isn't that great anyway. He has been discredited, undervalued, and treated as though his feelings, ambition, work ethic, and Teflon-tough mentality are mere flotsam.
His notable character traits were irrelevant in comparison to the fancy, snide adjectives, which could be conjured up with faint praise when he contributed successfully, or unleashed mercilessly whenever (or if?) he overran a potential assist or micro-missed making the right decision as to whether he was facing an assist or passing chance.
This is a drum that I have no regrets beating for several years. But don't let your eyes, constructive or critical, get distracted by the incredible quality of those goals at a hot and heated Levante on Sunday. The most remarkable thing about this young Brazilian isn't his ability to draw defenders at high speed and cut the ball past an approaching goalkeeper without any favorable angle. He can also use his boots' laces to lift a delicate ball into the corner for a point-saving brace.
It is truly amazing that so many people have taken such a long time to realize that Vinicius doesn't just have extraordinary talent, but he's also improving. His statistics are astounding, and he's really working hard at them.
Take this example as an example: Vinicius, aged 21, has assist- and goal-per-minute ratios for senior club football that are equal or better than those of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Take a moment to reflect on this. At 21 years old, Messi had scored 42 goals and provided 24 assists. It took him 7,369 minutes to complete this feat in Barcelona colours. Ronaldo, at the same time, had scored 27 goals and provided 27 assists in 9,552 minutes while playing for Sporting Lisbon.
At that point in their careers, those two were being discussed in quiet terms. They were phenomenon in the making. Messi was not subject to any criticism, and Ronaldo was criticized for his love of a step-over as much as a cross or goal. His manager at United Sir Alex Ferguson was already saying that he had never seen anyone more brave in drawing and taking tackles than George Best.
Vinicius has a lot of fun and proves his critics wrong every time he has a chance to play for Real Madrid. He should be an automatic starter at this point. Eric Alonso/Getty Images
Vinicius is a subject that requires reverence and patience you can't even smell. It's surprising that he hasn't taken a stand against his knee-jerk critics, considering his achievements at this age. He is the much-criticized man who wears Madrid's No. 20 shirt has scored 31 goals for Flamengo (Messi 42), while he has assisted 28 more (Messi 24 Cristiano 27). He took him 9.007 minutes to complete the task in Brazil and Spain (Messi 7.369, Cristiano 9.552).
The Brazilian's situation is even more complicated, and I think this is an important context. He's made that return across two continents, which is not something Messi and Ronaldo can claim. He's had seven managers to prove him to them, including Julen Lopetegui who didn't trust him in a single match. In his early years of seniority, Ronaldo only worked with Ferguson and Laszlo Boloni, while Messi was only able to coach the first team under Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona.
Vinicius, who is young and creative, has had to endure seven coaches from six different countries (Argentine, Colombian and French), and has learned the hard way that trust, continuity and development, advice, tactical, and strategic equilibrium are all more important than Messi and Ronaldo.
Remember that some of his goals or assists came in empty stadia during the pandemic -- something they, as both men, considered all-time greats, had to endure while playing in foreign countries like Vinicius.
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Vinicius vented some of his frustrations with the club in March. Vinicius recalled how Pele said that winning was more like a relief than it was a true joy.
Vinicius said to El Pais, "That's because we're under pressure." "That's worse than anywhere else here, the greatest club of all time." It doesn't matter if you're Sergio Ramos, a veteran here, or Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy or Rodrygo who are newer arrivals. Madrid is the only team that matters.
"When I arrived, they had won four of five Champions Leagues -- just like Cristiano, the greatest legend of the club's history was leaving. It was all complicated but I can manage the pressure.
Scoring a goal is more joy than relief. It's the result of all the hard work that we put in as a team. Goals give us confidence to take on more risk, to play better and to have fun. I find it easier to dribble one against one than to score -- I know my rivals will always be thinking about what I'm doing and where I'm taking him.
It is not necessary to draw quick conclusions about the statistical comparison between Messi and Ronaldo. Although the data will shock some of his intemperate critics it is not unreasonable to suggest that the Brazilian might follow in the footsteps of his peers from Argentina or Portugal, who have gone on the ripe old history books. These two were beyond extraordinary in their skill sets and turned out to be elite in their remorseless desire to improve, win, and in each case there was an "Eureka" moment where seasonal goal tallies between 15-25 suddenly shot up to new heights (peaking for Messi at 91 in one calendar year).
Vinicius and Benzema have a good relationship and demonstrated against Levante that Real Madrid has something special in the works. Eric Alonso/Getty Images
It would be unfair to expect that Vinicius will fulfill this kind of expectation. It's statistically impossible that another true scoring phenomenon such as those two will just happen while Messi or Ronaldo are still playing. Memo to self: Be on the lookout for Erling Haaland. We don't know yet what Vinicius will become. Is there no injury? Are you a ruthlessly ambitious player? You have been blessed with being a part of a dominant team for almost a decade. We don't know.
Let me tell you something shocking, in light his three goals in 55 LaLiga games this season (a significant improvement on his goal rate of one every 290 minutes throughout his career), Karim Benzema, Madrid's 2-0 defeat at half-time, was filmed on camera walking back onto Borussia Monchengladbach pitch and telling Mendy: "Don't pass to this guy Vinicius." It's almost as if he is playing for the opposition!
It was an amazing moment. Treacherous, dangerous, mean-spirited. Vinicius, like us all, heard about it when the comments went viral. He was just 20 years old, struggling to find confidence, and only a few months into his rehabilitation from a severe ankle injury. He let the pain bounce off of him, which is amazing. There were no complaints, no physical retribution (the old school way of settling grudges from training grounds), and no change in form. He was not letting it get under him.
Vinicius, when asked about the incident a few months later after Benzema was assassinated, would respond in El Pais that "Karim" is amazing. Since I was a child in Brazil, I have been a huge fan of his. He is the best striker currently in the world. It's easy to play alongside Karim, it's almost like playing with an idol. He will constantly tell me what I should do and I know he enjoys having me as his teammate. I also listen because I know he is doing it to help me and to make me better.
Side note: I'm sure you knew this was coming: After Casemiro's stellar assist for Vinicius goal at Levante, who was it to set Vinicius up for his second goal with a nice, generous flick? It was one that showed Vinicius could produce something extraordinary. That's Monsieur Karim Benzema. He knows. I know it. It's not a secret.
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