The slow death of feature phones isn't putting a damper on Nokia's development plans. The Finnish company today revealed the new Nokia 207 and 208 (pictured) "candybar" devices, equipped with Internet access in a colorful package.
"For many, it will be their first phone with 3G Internet, social networks and multimedia," Nokia's Ian Delaney wrote in a blog post. "For others, it's an adaptable workhorse that can act as a second phone when it makes sense to leave your smartphone at home."
Though closely related, the two phones differ slightly: The Nokia 208 has a 1.3-megapixel camera with smart features like voice-guided self-portrait, sequential shot and Ceramic tile, and comes in dual SIM and single SIM flavors; the Nokia 207 is single SIM with no camera.
Just because they don't come with a touch screen and a virtual personal assistant, doesn't mean the new handsets are useless in this connected age. Full 3.5G HSPA Internet support provides fast online access for surfing the Web and streaming videos, as well as checking social networks and using chat services like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp — all of which come pre-installed.
"The Nokia 207 and Nokia 208 are designed for people who like a classic phone and traditional keypad but don't want to miss out on smartphone experiences, like staying connected to social media and accessing the Internet," Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president of Nokia mobile phones, said in a statement.
Both versions carry a 2.4-inch display running on a 1020mAh battery; the single SIM variant offers more than a month's standby time, while available talk time lasts up to 12 hours on a 2G connection. The devices also include Bluetooth, micro USB, and an SD card that supports up to 32GB of storage.
All three phones — Nokia 207, Nokia 208, and Nokia 208 Dual SIM — come in red, cyan, white, and black, and will begin shipping in the third quarter for 52 Euros ($68). While the company mentioned a European release for the Nokia 207, it did not reveal details about any other regions.
Trainer David Jacobson entered Wednesday’s card just three wins shy of Todd Pletcher’s record 40 victories for a Belmont spring/summer meet.
Jacobson, whose 144 starters were 44 more than his nearest competitor, could move closer to that record Friday when he runs Sure Route in the $100,000 Magnolia Jackson Stakes, which goes as race 3 on a nine-race program that begins at 3 p.m. Eastern. The Magnolia Jackson, for fillies and mares, is run at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Jacobson’s barn has been under 24-hour surveillance from the New York Racing Association and state investigators since May 24, the day after he won four races from five starters at Belmont. Pre-surveillance, Jacobson won 19 races from 62 starters at this meet. Post-surveillance, he has won 18 races from 82 starters.
“I want NYRA to keep them here,” Jacobson said Wednesday. “I want to know when and if they’re ever going to leave. I want a heads-up. I enjoy the security.”Asked why he wants continued security, Jacobson said, “It would cost me a lot of money to have the security that I have that NYRA is paying for. Instead of having one night watchman, I have three, four, or five.”
Jacobson said that breaking Pletcher’s mark – set in 2003 –would be “very rewarding. Especially the spring meet, which is not supposed to be one of my stronger times of year.”
Sure Route has accounted for two of Jacobson’s 22 second-place finishes at the meet. Jacobson claimed Sure Route for $62,500 at Aqueduct on April 20 when Sure Route finished second in a turf race. She has raced twice on the dirt, getting beat a nose by Delightful Quality going seven furlongs on May 24 and finishing second to Royal Lahaina in the off-the-turf Mariensky Stakes on June 7.
“I pick her as one of the top two choices in there. She’s really doing well,” Jacobson said. “Six-and-a-half might be a little short for her, but at Belmont you can maybe overcome that with the wide turns. She has two really good races at seven-eighths, and she couldn’t be doing any better.”
Smart Stride returns from a near 13-month layoff for new trainer Pletcher. Part-owner Eric Fein said that Smart Stride has basically been ready to run for seven months, but races he and then-trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. were looking to run in haven’t filled. A similar problem existed recently for Pletcher, who has taken over the training of Smart Stride since Dutrow has been suspended.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do Friday,” Fein said. “Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t think Todd is crazy about her right now, but I’ve never heard anybody be crazy about her in the morning before.”
Click on their website www.tilees.com for more information.
2013年7月3日星期三
2013年6月7日星期五
'We Steal Secrets' juicy look at WikiLeaks
Prolific documentary-maker Alex Gibney delivers a gripping account of the wins and losses of hard-charging idealism on the front lines of the information wars in "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks." Exhaustively researched and balanced in its view of the controversial key player, the film slips in ahead of DreamWorks' dramatic take on the exploits of Julian Assange, "The Fifth Estate," which is currently shooting.
Unfolding like an espionage thriller but with a methodical journalistic skill at organizing a mountain of facts, the film raises stimulating questions about transparency and freedom of information in a world in which governments and corporations have plenty to hide. It should be a magnet for op-ed coverage.
In addition to WikiLeaks founder Assange, Gibney devotes almost equal time to the fascinating figure of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, allegedly the source of the largest volume of classified military documents leaked by Assange. It's an awkward irony that one of WikiLeaks' first major coups was a 2007 video showing a U.S. Apache helicopter mowing down unarmed civilians in Baghdad, released under the title "Collateral Murder."
Manning in a sense was also collateral damage. A brilliant but lonely tech geek from Bible-Belt Oklahoma struggling with gender-identity issues, he enlisted to get a government-funded college education. But his homosexuality made him a target for sergeants determined to "beat the macho into him."
Despite a supervisor's recommendation that he not be deployed, Manning went to Iraq as an intelligence analyst. But his isolation and unhappiness led him to dig deeper into easily cracked classified military files. Distressed by what he found there, he reached out to WikiLeaks.
While Assange has repeatedly asserted that WikiLeaks' encryption systems ensure that its sources remain undetectable, the fact emerges that Manning took all the risks as well as the fall. He was betrayed by fellow hacktivist Adrian Lamo and held for almost a year at Quantico under conditions of extreme duress before being transferred to Fort Leavenworth, where he awaits trial in July. Hard evidence that the information spread by him has led to casualties or compromised missions remains elusive, according to Gibney's film. Humiliation of the Pentagon appears to have been the bigger issue.
Manning's story is framed by a thorough, more or less chronological account of Assange's rise and fall. The early sections dovetail with the dramatic depiction in Robert Connolly's TV movie "Underground." Operating under the codename Mendax as part of a small hacker group in Melbourne, Australia, called "The International Subversives," Assange became a dedicated proponent of information-sharing.
While no link has been verified, Gibney speculates in the opening of "We Steal Secrets" that Assange may have been behind the cheekily dubbed WANK (Worms Against Nuclear Killers), a virus that entered NASA's network in the run-up to the 1989 launch of its plutonium-powered Jupiter probe, Galileo.
The doc then traces Assange's success in exposing corrupt banking practices during Iceland's economic collapse in 2009-10, which led to heated public protests and provided the budding whistleblower with a new national base and sympathetic allies. Other early WikiLeaks efforts focused on tax evasion in Swiss banking, government corruption in Kenya and toxic-waste dumping.
Assange hooked up with like-minded German technology activist Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who became his right-hand man. When the incoming load of U.S. military and diplomatic secrets started burning a hole in Assange's pocket, WikiLeaks entered into a media alliance that included The Guardian and The New York Times to disseminate the information, much of which cast American intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan in a damning light.
However, when Manning's actions were uncovered and WikiLeaks became an international hot potato, those broadsheets both distanced themselves from Assange - notably so in a critical New York Times Magazine profile.
During this time, allegations of sexual assault surfaced against Assange in Sweden, which the WikiLeaks founder and many of his supporters have tried to paint as a fabricated smear campaign, possibly orchestrated by the CIA. A British legal rep for Assange amusingly calls it "a surreal Swedish fairy tale only missing the trolls." But the film implies with what seems like reasonable certitude that the conspiracy angle is bogus.
The unraveling of WikiLeaks was accelerated when major credit-card companies and PayPal bowed to pressure to stop processing donations to the organization, effectively setting up a financial blockade. The legal costs incurred in fighting Assange's extradition order to Sweden ate up much of WikiLeaks' remaining funds. Its founder lived in semi-isolation in England before landing at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he remains holed up.
Gibney provides no shortage of support for Assange's noble mission to keep governments and corporations in check. But the film also digs into the questionable ethics and hypocrisy of his methods, as well as the ego and paranoia that clashed with his idealism. Domscheit-Berg quit the organization when it became apparent that WikiLeaks had lost control of what information was being spread and how.
There's a suggestion here that once Assange stepped out from undercover, his judgment was impaired by the rock-star seduction of the spotlight, and self-protection gradually trumped other concerns. The strength of the film is that it leaves the audience to decide whether he remains a figure of heroism or recklessness.
Given that "We Steal Secrets" is out less than a year after Gibney's equally dense account of pedophilia in the Catholic church, "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God," it's clear the filmmaker must have a virtual army of researchers working full-time. The volume of information here is considerable, but Gibney and editor Andy Grieve keep it pacey and accessible, incorporating smart graphics and animation, and a suspenseful score by Will Bates. The film could stand to be tightened by 10 minutes or so, but this is a tremendously fascinating story told with probing insight and complexity. Read the full story at www.tilees.com!
Unfolding like an espionage thriller but with a methodical journalistic skill at organizing a mountain of facts, the film raises stimulating questions about transparency and freedom of information in a world in which governments and corporations have plenty to hide. It should be a magnet for op-ed coverage.
In addition to WikiLeaks founder Assange, Gibney devotes almost equal time to the fascinating figure of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, allegedly the source of the largest volume of classified military documents leaked by Assange. It's an awkward irony that one of WikiLeaks' first major coups was a 2007 video showing a U.S. Apache helicopter mowing down unarmed civilians in Baghdad, released under the title "Collateral Murder."
Manning in a sense was also collateral damage. A brilliant but lonely tech geek from Bible-Belt Oklahoma struggling with gender-identity issues, he enlisted to get a government-funded college education. But his homosexuality made him a target for sergeants determined to "beat the macho into him."
Despite a supervisor's recommendation that he not be deployed, Manning went to Iraq as an intelligence analyst. But his isolation and unhappiness led him to dig deeper into easily cracked classified military files. Distressed by what he found there, he reached out to WikiLeaks.
While Assange has repeatedly asserted that WikiLeaks' encryption systems ensure that its sources remain undetectable, the fact emerges that Manning took all the risks as well as the fall. He was betrayed by fellow hacktivist Adrian Lamo and held for almost a year at Quantico under conditions of extreme duress before being transferred to Fort Leavenworth, where he awaits trial in July. Hard evidence that the information spread by him has led to casualties or compromised missions remains elusive, according to Gibney's film. Humiliation of the Pentagon appears to have been the bigger issue.
Manning's story is framed by a thorough, more or less chronological account of Assange's rise and fall. The early sections dovetail with the dramatic depiction in Robert Connolly's TV movie "Underground." Operating under the codename Mendax as part of a small hacker group in Melbourne, Australia, called "The International Subversives," Assange became a dedicated proponent of information-sharing.
While no link has been verified, Gibney speculates in the opening of "We Steal Secrets" that Assange may have been behind the cheekily dubbed WANK (Worms Against Nuclear Killers), a virus that entered NASA's network in the run-up to the 1989 launch of its plutonium-powered Jupiter probe, Galileo.
The doc then traces Assange's success in exposing corrupt banking practices during Iceland's economic collapse in 2009-10, which led to heated public protests and provided the budding whistleblower with a new national base and sympathetic allies. Other early WikiLeaks efforts focused on tax evasion in Swiss banking, government corruption in Kenya and toxic-waste dumping.
Assange hooked up with like-minded German technology activist Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who became his right-hand man. When the incoming load of U.S. military and diplomatic secrets started burning a hole in Assange's pocket, WikiLeaks entered into a media alliance that included The Guardian and The New York Times to disseminate the information, much of which cast American intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan in a damning light.
However, when Manning's actions were uncovered and WikiLeaks became an international hot potato, those broadsheets both distanced themselves from Assange - notably so in a critical New York Times Magazine profile.
During this time, allegations of sexual assault surfaced against Assange in Sweden, which the WikiLeaks founder and many of his supporters have tried to paint as a fabricated smear campaign, possibly orchestrated by the CIA. A British legal rep for Assange amusingly calls it "a surreal Swedish fairy tale only missing the trolls." But the film implies with what seems like reasonable certitude that the conspiracy angle is bogus.
The unraveling of WikiLeaks was accelerated when major credit-card companies and PayPal bowed to pressure to stop processing donations to the organization, effectively setting up a financial blockade. The legal costs incurred in fighting Assange's extradition order to Sweden ate up much of WikiLeaks' remaining funds. Its founder lived in semi-isolation in England before landing at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he remains holed up.
Gibney provides no shortage of support for Assange's noble mission to keep governments and corporations in check. But the film also digs into the questionable ethics and hypocrisy of his methods, as well as the ego and paranoia that clashed with his idealism. Domscheit-Berg quit the organization when it became apparent that WikiLeaks had lost control of what information was being spread and how.
There's a suggestion here that once Assange stepped out from undercover, his judgment was impaired by the rock-star seduction of the spotlight, and self-protection gradually trumped other concerns. The strength of the film is that it leaves the audience to decide whether he remains a figure of heroism or recklessness.
Given that "We Steal Secrets" is out less than a year after Gibney's equally dense account of pedophilia in the Catholic church, "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God," it's clear the filmmaker must have a virtual army of researchers working full-time. The volume of information here is considerable, but Gibney and editor Andy Grieve keep it pacey and accessible, incorporating smart graphics and animation, and a suspenseful score by Will Bates. The film could stand to be tightened by 10 minutes or so, but this is a tremendously fascinating story told with probing insight and complexity. Read the full story at www.tilees.com!
2013年1月10日星期四
Texas artist due in court for defacing Picasso painting
Uriel Landeros is expected to face two felony charges of criminal mischief and felony graffiti. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Landeros, 22, a University of Houston student originally from South Texas, fled last summer after he was caught on a cellphone video by a fellow museum patron spray-painting a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "conquista" -- Spanish for "conquered" -- on Picasso's "Woman in a Red Armchair" at Houston’s Menil Collection on June 13.
Landeros crossed back into the U.S. on Tuesday via a border bridge in the city of McAllen and surrendered to a U.S. marshal, according to Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office. His case was still being processed Thursday, and he wasn't expected in Harris County court until next week, according to his attorney, Emily Detoto.
Detoto said she planned to waive extradition, speeding Landeros' return to Houston. Once he's back, Detoto said she plans to seek his release on bond, because he no longer poses a flight risk.
“He turned himself in. How clandestine of a fugitive was he if he was giving news interviews and posting on Facebook?” she said.
It’s not clear how Landeros plans to respond to the charges, especially because he left a trail of evidence on social media, including incriminating images and a video statement posted on YouTube in August.
"I did this to turn heads, to raise awareness to the world," he said in the video, appearing shirtless and in sunglasses in front of a white backdrop. "My intention was never to destroy Pablo's painting, or to insult the Menil."
His attorney said Landeros made many of the statements before his family hired her.
“Had he known he had a lawyer, I would have discouraged him from speaking to the media. He’s a young kid and I don’t think he realized anything he said could be used against him,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It doesn’t make the case impossible -- it just makes it more difficult.”
The museum's director, Josef Helfenstein, released a statement to The Times on Thursday condemning the graffiti.
"An act of vandalism against one museum is an attack on all museums and violates the trust that we hold with the public," he said. "We are pleased that the legal authorities are able to move forward in prosecuting this serious crime."
The 1929 masterpiece, oil on canvas, has since been restored at a conservation lab on site and will be displayed again soon, according to Vance Muse, a spokesman for the Menil, who called the painting priceless.
"It is in very good shape -- the prognosis is excellent," Muse told The Times.
Landeros posted photos of the defaced Picasso on his Facebook page, “I have Picasso's soul in my hand,” tweeted the graffiti phrase “la bestia se conquista” and “The revolutionary artist does not create art that can easily become a commodity; his [sic] transgresses the boundaries of political mediocrity.”
“My intention is to give a voice to all those who go unheard of, all those people who get pushed around by their goverment [sic], all those people of the OCCUPY MOVEMENT who protest the streets and the goverment ignores,” Landeros wrote on Facebook. “REMEMBER, when the people fear their goverment that is tyranny, when the goverment fears the people that is freedom. We are legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget, expect us.”
Electrolux, with more than 3,300 workers and the county’s largest employer, completed a significant expansion in 2012 which added 20,000 square feet of research and development space and testing labs to support the company’s new operation in Memphis.
Macy’s Logistics, Martinrea Fabco and Tate Ornamental have also seen physical and employment expansions, says Margot Fosnes, president and chief economic development officer for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce.
Two new industries relocated to Robertson County in the past 18 months along the I-65 corridor between Portland and Orlinda. Kyowa America, a plastic injection molding supplier for Toyota, relocated from Pennsylvania. FWE Corp., a maker of food-warming equipment for the restaurant industry, moved from Chicago. Together, they will bring nearly 300 jobs to the area, she says.
“Our population grew more than 20 percent in the last decade, among the top 10 counties in the state, and we believe that the combination of lower costs, convenience to Nashville and the appeal of our ‘small-town’ communities will attract a larger share of the region’s growth in the next decade,” Fosnes says.
“On the business side, as our population grows to hit market targets, more retailers will be looking to locate in either the Springfield-Greenbrier corridor or the White House area,” she says.
Springfield and White House have attracted new retail and restaurant business, mostly through remodeling of existing space. Jet’s Pizza, Zaxby’s, Berry D-Lite, Waffle House, Burkes Outlet, and several medical clinics have located in the Springfield and White House areas. The Springfield Kroger is looking at an expansion. Three of the county’s four car dealerships underwent significant remodeling and upgrading of showroom space in 2012, she says.
Highland Crest College Campus, a collaborative project involving the city of Springfield, Robertson County, NorthCrest Medical Center and private donors, which opened in the fall of 2011, continues to exceed enrollment expectations.
Classes from Volunteer State Community College and Austin Peay State University are being offered, bringing a college education within reach for Robertson County residents who might be unable to afford the time or cost of attending another school, Fosnes says.
Landeros, 22, a University of Houston student originally from South Texas, fled last summer after he was caught on a cellphone video by a fellow museum patron spray-painting a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "conquista" -- Spanish for "conquered" -- on Picasso's "Woman in a Red Armchair" at Houston’s Menil Collection on June 13.
Landeros crossed back into the U.S. on Tuesday via a border bridge in the city of McAllen and surrendered to a U.S. marshal, according to Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office. His case was still being processed Thursday, and he wasn't expected in Harris County court until next week, according to his attorney, Emily Detoto.
Detoto said she planned to waive extradition, speeding Landeros' return to Houston. Once he's back, Detoto said she plans to seek his release on bond, because he no longer poses a flight risk.
“He turned himself in. How clandestine of a fugitive was he if he was giving news interviews and posting on Facebook?” she said.
It’s not clear how Landeros plans to respond to the charges, especially because he left a trail of evidence on social media, including incriminating images and a video statement posted on YouTube in August.
"I did this to turn heads, to raise awareness to the world," he said in the video, appearing shirtless and in sunglasses in front of a white backdrop. "My intention was never to destroy Pablo's painting, or to insult the Menil."
His attorney said Landeros made many of the statements before his family hired her.
“Had he known he had a lawyer, I would have discouraged him from speaking to the media. He’s a young kid and I don’t think he realized anything he said could be used against him,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It doesn’t make the case impossible -- it just makes it more difficult.”
The museum's director, Josef Helfenstein, released a statement to The Times on Thursday condemning the graffiti.
"An act of vandalism against one museum is an attack on all museums and violates the trust that we hold with the public," he said. "We are pleased that the legal authorities are able to move forward in prosecuting this serious crime."
The 1929 masterpiece, oil on canvas, has since been restored at a conservation lab on site and will be displayed again soon, according to Vance Muse, a spokesman for the Menil, who called the painting priceless.
"It is in very good shape -- the prognosis is excellent," Muse told The Times.
Landeros posted photos of the defaced Picasso on his Facebook page, “I have Picasso's soul in my hand,” tweeted the graffiti phrase “la bestia se conquista” and “The revolutionary artist does not create art that can easily become a commodity; his [sic] transgresses the boundaries of political mediocrity.”
“My intention is to give a voice to all those who go unheard of, all those people who get pushed around by their goverment [sic], all those people of the OCCUPY MOVEMENT who protest the streets and the goverment ignores,” Landeros wrote on Facebook. “REMEMBER, when the people fear their goverment that is tyranny, when the goverment fears the people that is freedom. We are legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget, expect us.”
Electrolux, with more than 3,300 workers and the county’s largest employer, completed a significant expansion in 2012 which added 20,000 square feet of research and development space and testing labs to support the company’s new operation in Memphis.
Macy’s Logistics, Martinrea Fabco and Tate Ornamental have also seen physical and employment expansions, says Margot Fosnes, president and chief economic development officer for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce.
Two new industries relocated to Robertson County in the past 18 months along the I-65 corridor between Portland and Orlinda. Kyowa America, a plastic injection molding supplier for Toyota, relocated from Pennsylvania. FWE Corp., a maker of food-warming equipment for the restaurant industry, moved from Chicago. Together, they will bring nearly 300 jobs to the area, she says.
“Our population grew more than 20 percent in the last decade, among the top 10 counties in the state, and we believe that the combination of lower costs, convenience to Nashville and the appeal of our ‘small-town’ communities will attract a larger share of the region’s growth in the next decade,” Fosnes says.
“On the business side, as our population grows to hit market targets, more retailers will be looking to locate in either the Springfield-Greenbrier corridor or the White House area,” she says.
Springfield and White House have attracted new retail and restaurant business, mostly through remodeling of existing space. Jet’s Pizza, Zaxby’s, Berry D-Lite, Waffle House, Burkes Outlet, and several medical clinics have located in the Springfield and White House areas. The Springfield Kroger is looking at an expansion. Three of the county’s four car dealerships underwent significant remodeling and upgrading of showroom space in 2012, she says.
Highland Crest College Campus, a collaborative project involving the city of Springfield, Robertson County, NorthCrest Medical Center and private donors, which opened in the fall of 2011, continues to exceed enrollment expectations.
Classes from Volunteer State Community College and Austin Peay State University are being offered, bringing a college education within reach for Robertson County residents who might be unable to afford the time or cost of attending another school, Fosnes says.
2012年10月16日星期二
“Embarrassing” city property sits ignored
Ugly and an embarrassment — even in the opinion of its managers — the municipally owned Park & Pelissier parking garage boasts a largely vacant ground floor that stretches nearly half a downtown block.
After sharing in the multimillion-dollar cost of the recently completed Pelissier Street restoration, a growing number of commercial neighbours along the street are wondering why the city won’t do the same as what it expects of private landlords.
“How can you expect merchants to upgrade their storefronts and then you have this?” said Larry Horwitz, chairman of the Downtown Windsor BIA. He said the ground floor commercial space has been allowed to remain unoccupied at least five years.
“Look across the street and it’s an empty, dirty building … it’s a shame,” said Judy Morrison, pointing at a long wall of blank, dirt-stained windows and locked doors.
“They should be making an effort — we’d love to see some people in there,” said Morrison, assistant to the owner of Sterling Mutuals Inc., a financial planning and insurance business at 445 Pelissier St. The business recently invested about $300,000 to have its building redone, including an exterior makeover that complements the investment made to upgrade the streetscaping.
For anyone parking at the city-owned garage for a visit to the downtown, it’s a bad first impression, with dim lighting, graffiti-covered walls with peeling paint and rust stains, the stench of urine and broken floor tiles in the stairway.
“It is pretty embarrassing, driving by,” said Tony Sabelli, the city’s asset/lease administrator. That’s a harsh assessment coming from the city employee tasked with marketing the building and finding tenants.
To critics like Horwitz who wonder why there aren’t even signs on the windows advertising leasing contact information, Sabelli said it’s because the building is not being marketed due to the many “issues” confronting the owner, including the presence of mould inside the walls.
A staff report is now being prepared, but there appears to be a battle brewing within city departments over which preferred option to recommend to city council.
City planning staff, citing long-standing official plans for the downtown, want to see retail or other commercial presence fronting the streetscape, something the local business community favours. But the traffic department, which runs the parking garage and whose budget covers its operating costs, appears to favour ripping out the ground-floor walls and windows and converting that space into parking stalls, which is how the garage was built in the mid-1970s.
It would require “a major overhaul” to fix it up to allow for commercial tenants, said Mike Palanacki, the city’s executive director of operations. Sabelli said a preliminary estimate pegs that restoration at about $1.5 million.
“The city needs to make a decision,” said Sabelli.
Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis, who represents the downtown, said he sees both sides of the issue.
“The downtown business community wants street-level activity, but that comes at a cost,” he said, while the city’s traffic engineering department has indicated “there’s not the money there to spend.”
But what’s there now sends out a negative message to visitors, and it’s “not acceptable,” said Valentinis. He wants council to tackle the issue “head-on” in the next round of capital budget talks by agreeing to set aside the necessary funds to foster a street-level commercial presence.
“They haven’t made any effort – it doesn’t look good on our business,” said Youssef Gereige, owner of Youssef’s Hair Boutique at 436 Pelissier St. His business has been leasing space in the parking garage building for about 12 years, but his neighbors are vacant storefronts.
Sabelli estimates about half the 14,400 square feet of available commercial space is currently unused.
After sharing in the multimillion-dollar cost of the recently completed Pelissier Street restoration, a growing number of commercial neighbours along the street are wondering why the city won’t do the same as what it expects of private landlords.
“How can you expect merchants to upgrade their storefronts and then you have this?” said Larry Horwitz, chairman of the Downtown Windsor BIA. He said the ground floor commercial space has been allowed to remain unoccupied at least five years.
“Look across the street and it’s an empty, dirty building … it’s a shame,” said Judy Morrison, pointing at a long wall of blank, dirt-stained windows and locked doors.
“They should be making an effort — we’d love to see some people in there,” said Morrison, assistant to the owner of Sterling Mutuals Inc., a financial planning and insurance business at 445 Pelissier St. The business recently invested about $300,000 to have its building redone, including an exterior makeover that complements the investment made to upgrade the streetscaping.
For anyone parking at the city-owned garage for a visit to the downtown, it’s a bad first impression, with dim lighting, graffiti-covered walls with peeling paint and rust stains, the stench of urine and broken floor tiles in the stairway.
“It is pretty embarrassing, driving by,” said Tony Sabelli, the city’s asset/lease administrator. That’s a harsh assessment coming from the city employee tasked with marketing the building and finding tenants.
To critics like Horwitz who wonder why there aren’t even signs on the windows advertising leasing contact information, Sabelli said it’s because the building is not being marketed due to the many “issues” confronting the owner, including the presence of mould inside the walls.
A staff report is now being prepared, but there appears to be a battle brewing within city departments over which preferred option to recommend to city council.
City planning staff, citing long-standing official plans for the downtown, want to see retail or other commercial presence fronting the streetscape, something the local business community favours. But the traffic department, which runs the parking garage and whose budget covers its operating costs, appears to favour ripping out the ground-floor walls and windows and converting that space into parking stalls, which is how the garage was built in the mid-1970s.
It would require “a major overhaul” to fix it up to allow for commercial tenants, said Mike Palanacki, the city’s executive director of operations. Sabelli said a preliminary estimate pegs that restoration at about $1.5 million.
“The city needs to make a decision,” said Sabelli.
Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis, who represents the downtown, said he sees both sides of the issue.
“The downtown business community wants street-level activity, but that comes at a cost,” he said, while the city’s traffic engineering department has indicated “there’s not the money there to spend.”
But what’s there now sends out a negative message to visitors, and it’s “not acceptable,” said Valentinis. He wants council to tackle the issue “head-on” in the next round of capital budget talks by agreeing to set aside the necessary funds to foster a street-level commercial presence.
“They haven’t made any effort – it doesn’t look good on our business,” said Youssef Gereige, owner of Youssef’s Hair Boutique at 436 Pelissier St. His business has been leasing space in the parking garage building for about 12 years, but his neighbors are vacant storefronts.
Sabelli estimates about half the 14,400 square feet of available commercial space is currently unused.
2012年10月10日星期三
The latest in decorative fashion at Woven Treasures
And so does Parviz Yathrebi, the owner of Woven Treasures, 2221 South Street. Open since 1986, Woven Treasures has provided its clientele with a wide-variety of Turkish and Persian rugs. In recent years, Woven Treasures, has expanded its operation to include a Turkish and Persian tile gallery on its ground floor as well as museum quality repairs, appraisals, cleaning and hand-washing services for its rugs.
In many respects, a visit to Woven Treasures, approximates a visit to a museum showcasing artifacts from Middle Eastern and European cultures. But just because the beautiful tiles, artifacts, gift items, jewelry and rugs found at Woven Treasures honors cultural traditions of the past, does not mean that Parviz isn’t interested in finding the latest fashions of the present. And, Woven Treasures recently won "Best in Philly"! So with that in mind, Parviz travels to the European Continent at least one or twice each year. Last summer, Parviz journeyed from France to Turkey. There, he found the Kilm patchwork rug in Paris and in Turkey both the Arabian Rugs, made by Iraqi Marsh people as well as the Suzani needlework made in Uzbekistan.
Some of what Parviz found, like the Kilm patchwork rugs, represent entirely new designs. Whereas other finds, like the Suzani, represent an updated version of an ancient custom.
Take for instance the recent rage in Paris: the Kilm patchwork rugs. It’s the latest in floor covering," Parviz said. "Its designers," Parviz explained, "take old rugs, sheer them down, dye and recycle them, sewing the old rugs together in a patchwork design." According to Parviz, "they’re multi-colored and much less expansive than the traditional rug." For example, at Woven Treasures, patchwork rugs cost $25 per square foot. Thus far, patchwork rugs have proved so popular throughout Europe that one of Parviz’s colleagues sold all 8,000 of his at a recent show in Paris.
Like the patchwork rugs, the Arabian rugs Parviz found in a Turkish village, are also multi-colored but extremely bright. Parviz refers to the design and coloring of the Arabian rugs as reminiscent of a "childhood painting." Notably, while Parviz discovered the rugs in Turkey, they originate from the Marsh people in Iraq. Known as fishing people, who uphold ancient customs, Saddam Hussein, tried but didn’t succeed in draining water from the Marsh people’s lands in an attempt to modernize and control its populations, explained Parviz.
Traveling then to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Parviz discovered the latest renderings of the Suzani pieces. Suzani, which means "needlepoint" in Turkish are designed in a variety of fashions including pillowcases, bedspreads, table clothes, table dividers, wall hangings as well as handbags. Suzanis, hand-stitched on either velvet or silk materials, "are very creative," Parviz remarked. Also more affordable than traditional rugs, Suzani handbags, cost $60 each at Woven Treasures. And like Arabian rugs that come from Iraq but purchased from Turkey, the Suzani’s originate in Uzbekistan.
"We’re very stocked up on every item we need," Parviz said of his store’s collection, also pointing to his trivets. Styled after ceramic tiles, the trivets found at Woven Treasures cost only $12 a piece. "They’re great for plates or wall hangings," Parviz explained.
In many respects, a visit to Woven Treasures, approximates a visit to a museum showcasing artifacts from Middle Eastern and European cultures. But just because the beautiful tiles, artifacts, gift items, jewelry and rugs found at Woven Treasures honors cultural traditions of the past, does not mean that Parviz isn’t interested in finding the latest fashions of the present. And, Woven Treasures recently won "Best in Philly"! So with that in mind, Parviz travels to the European Continent at least one or twice each year. Last summer, Parviz journeyed from France to Turkey. There, he found the Kilm patchwork rug in Paris and in Turkey both the Arabian Rugs, made by Iraqi Marsh people as well as the Suzani needlework made in Uzbekistan.
Some of what Parviz found, like the Kilm patchwork rugs, represent entirely new designs. Whereas other finds, like the Suzani, represent an updated version of an ancient custom.
Take for instance the recent rage in Paris: the Kilm patchwork rugs. It’s the latest in floor covering," Parviz said. "Its designers," Parviz explained, "take old rugs, sheer them down, dye and recycle them, sewing the old rugs together in a patchwork design." According to Parviz, "they’re multi-colored and much less expansive than the traditional rug." For example, at Woven Treasures, patchwork rugs cost $25 per square foot. Thus far, patchwork rugs have proved so popular throughout Europe that one of Parviz’s colleagues sold all 8,000 of his at a recent show in Paris.
Like the patchwork rugs, the Arabian rugs Parviz found in a Turkish village, are also multi-colored but extremely bright. Parviz refers to the design and coloring of the Arabian rugs as reminiscent of a "childhood painting." Notably, while Parviz discovered the rugs in Turkey, they originate from the Marsh people in Iraq. Known as fishing people, who uphold ancient customs, Saddam Hussein, tried but didn’t succeed in draining water from the Marsh people’s lands in an attempt to modernize and control its populations, explained Parviz.
Traveling then to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Parviz discovered the latest renderings of the Suzani pieces. Suzani, which means "needlepoint" in Turkish are designed in a variety of fashions including pillowcases, bedspreads, table clothes, table dividers, wall hangings as well as handbags. Suzanis, hand-stitched on either velvet or silk materials, "are very creative," Parviz remarked. Also more affordable than traditional rugs, Suzani handbags, cost $60 each at Woven Treasures. And like Arabian rugs that come from Iraq but purchased from Turkey, the Suzani’s originate in Uzbekistan.
"We’re very stocked up on every item we need," Parviz said of his store’s collection, also pointing to his trivets. Styled after ceramic tiles, the trivets found at Woven Treasures cost only $12 a piece. "They’re great for plates or wall hangings," Parviz explained.
2012年9月28日星期五
Custom touches accent Wauwatosa home
In a neighborhood full of lovely houses, the uncommon French styling of Cheri and Charlie Runge's home gives it a presence all its own.
There's the curved chimney that towers over tall, whitewashed brick walls, and small triangular sections of slate that pop ever-so-slightly from the roof over the second-floor windows like eyebrows raised in surprise, creating the tiniest of dormers. Placed on a lot that backs up against a quaint Hansel and Gretel woods, the home's exterior is enchanting.
A massive, carved wooden door with a great iron knocker embedded in the center opens to a foyer warmed by terra cotta-colored tiles and dominated by a sweeping curved staircase with an iron banister.
The home and five neighboring houses - all varied in style and built between 1941 and 1952 - are tucked away in a discreet Wauwatosa neighborhood. They will be open for visitors on Oct. 6 as part of the Wauwatosa Historical Society's "In the Shadow of Hawthorne" tour of homes.
Construction of the Runges' custom home began in 1941 but was halted by the start of World War II. Completed after the war, it had amenities unusual for its time, including an in-ground sprinkler system, a formal garden with a fountain and pond, and a sizable air conditioning unit in the basement that foreshadowed modern central air.
When the couple moved in with their two young sons, they had only a few decorating changes in mind. Thirteen years later, the couple are empty nesters. Wallpaper has given way to painted walls in buttery hues, floors have been refinished and the kitchen and patio have been redone. A dusty screen porch has been converted into a dining room and sunroom combination, with windows on three sides and a stone floor with radiant heat to make it a true four-season room.
An unexpected ceiling collapse in the former dining room/library had a happy result: the creation of a large yet surprisingly cozy family room. The dark wood shelving, trim and paneling were painted a sage green to add lightness to the room, which looks out on the woods, and a lovely box beam ceiling was created to replace the dated popcorn-stucco ceiling that Cheri is certain was applied by a sprayer.
The Runges were initially drawn to the home by its convenient but private location, the wooded lot and extra bathrooms. But their true appreciation for the house has grown as they've come to see it through the eyes of the craftsmen and decorators they've worked with over the years.
We redid the kitchen first, repainted every room in the house, reworked all the windows and resurfaced the floors. We changed the screened porch to a sunroom, landscaped the patio and the front yard.
The dining room/library was changed to a family room. Two bathrooms are above it, and the old shower pan cracked, and the whole ceiling fell down. It happened at the same time we were turning the screen porch into a sunroom, so we decided to add stereo throughout the first floor. You don't usually get to do that sort of thing in these old houses because you need ceiling access.
The floor was ceramic tile set in cement with this beautiful medallion in the center. It was the most permanent thing you ever saw, and we tried to save it, but we couldn't. It had to be jack-hammered out. What a mess! We put in a new subfloor and a wood floor.
There's the curved chimney that towers over tall, whitewashed brick walls, and small triangular sections of slate that pop ever-so-slightly from the roof over the second-floor windows like eyebrows raised in surprise, creating the tiniest of dormers. Placed on a lot that backs up against a quaint Hansel and Gretel woods, the home's exterior is enchanting.
A massive, carved wooden door with a great iron knocker embedded in the center opens to a foyer warmed by terra cotta-colored tiles and dominated by a sweeping curved staircase with an iron banister.
The home and five neighboring houses - all varied in style and built between 1941 and 1952 - are tucked away in a discreet Wauwatosa neighborhood. They will be open for visitors on Oct. 6 as part of the Wauwatosa Historical Society's "In the Shadow of Hawthorne" tour of homes.
Construction of the Runges' custom home began in 1941 but was halted by the start of World War II. Completed after the war, it had amenities unusual for its time, including an in-ground sprinkler system, a formal garden with a fountain and pond, and a sizable air conditioning unit in the basement that foreshadowed modern central air.
When the couple moved in with their two young sons, they had only a few decorating changes in mind. Thirteen years later, the couple are empty nesters. Wallpaper has given way to painted walls in buttery hues, floors have been refinished and the kitchen and patio have been redone. A dusty screen porch has been converted into a dining room and sunroom combination, with windows on three sides and a stone floor with radiant heat to make it a true four-season room.
An unexpected ceiling collapse in the former dining room/library had a happy result: the creation of a large yet surprisingly cozy family room. The dark wood shelving, trim and paneling were painted a sage green to add lightness to the room, which looks out on the woods, and a lovely box beam ceiling was created to replace the dated popcorn-stucco ceiling that Cheri is certain was applied by a sprayer.
The Runges were initially drawn to the home by its convenient but private location, the wooded lot and extra bathrooms. But their true appreciation for the house has grown as they've come to see it through the eyes of the craftsmen and decorators they've worked with over the years.
We redid the kitchen first, repainted every room in the house, reworked all the windows and resurfaced the floors. We changed the screened porch to a sunroom, landscaped the patio and the front yard.
The dining room/library was changed to a family room. Two bathrooms are above it, and the old shower pan cracked, and the whole ceiling fell down. It happened at the same time we were turning the screen porch into a sunroom, so we decided to add stereo throughout the first floor. You don't usually get to do that sort of thing in these old houses because you need ceiling access.
The floor was ceramic tile set in cement with this beautiful medallion in the center. It was the most permanent thing you ever saw, and we tried to save it, but we couldn't. It had to be jack-hammered out. What a mess! We put in a new subfloor and a wood floor.
2012年6月24日星期日
Retail options diverse
Whether you biking to Petal, city-limits Hattiesburg or to west Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt is alive with arcade options.
The city-limits arcade mural has afflicted with new businesses including {click} boutique, Twelve Oaks Accessory Garden and Southern Fried Comics that emphasis mainstays such as Go Young Fashions, Sacks Outdoors, AGallery and Plums and McKenzie's on Main.
"With city-limits efforts, we've apparent baby businesses be actual adjustable to authoritative changes that are absolute and creates new customers," said Betsy Rowell, controlling administrator of the Historic Hattiesburg City-limits Association.
"I accept consistently anticipation and abide to anticipate one affair we accept that is appropriate is chump service. The businesses apperceive barter by aboriginal name."
Across the river in Petal, there are abounding arcade opportunities - alignment from accoutrement to gently-used assignment items.
Deborah Reynolds, controlling administrator with the Petal Chamber of Commerce, said the city-limits has several retail and restaurant offerings.
"We accept a advanced array of retail giving you appealing abundant aggregate you wish in Petal," she said.
The city-limits has altered boutiques, assignment shops and restaurants. Reynolds said association accept agilely accessible the aperture of Yamato Japanese Steakhouse.
"That's altered and something we've never had that will be different," she said
Travel to west Hattiesburg and acquisition a admixture of bounded and alternation retail shops and restaurants.
Turtle Creek Capital is in the bosom of above renovations.
The aliment cloister will yield on a agreeable theme, with the tables featuring agreeable apparatus cartoon and added elements. The aloft basement will be removed from the aliment cloister to actualize an accessible breadth and acquiesce free-flowing traffic. Restrooms will be adapted with new accessories and finishes.
New ceramics asphalt akin copse attic will beautify the absolute capital forth with carpeting accents. Accepted metal benches will be replaced with added comfortable, abreast seating. New, warmer acrylic colors will alter the mall's accepted bluish-gray colors.
"We wish to allure higher-end retail that we may not accept been able to get recently," Capital Manager Ted Martin said.
"There will aswell be cartoon anon accompanying to Hattiesburg. It (will) accord it added of that hometown feel and accord humans of Hattiesburg that faculty of pride for the community."
Development about Turtle Creek Capital aswell is traveling strong.
Construction crews are alive on The Ridge at Turtle Creek, adjoining to Turtle Creek Crossing.
The Ridge, a 13.4-acre site, is anchored by a 76,000-square-foot Academy Sports Supercenter, which opened endure November. Eight-thousand aboveboard anxiety of retail amplitude will be accessible in a architecture next to Academy Sports.
Cheddar's Casual Cafe opened in April and an broadcast annex of Heritage Bank will be amid at the site.
Beyond the Ridge are varieties of arcade centers including Newpointe Arcade Center and The Market at Woodstone forth U.S. 98 that action all-embracing food and restaurants.
The city-limits arcade mural has afflicted with new businesses including {click} boutique, Twelve Oaks Accessory Garden and Southern Fried Comics that emphasis mainstays such as Go Young Fashions, Sacks Outdoors, AGallery and Plums and McKenzie's on Main.
"With city-limits efforts, we've apparent baby businesses be actual adjustable to authoritative changes that are absolute and creates new customers," said Betsy Rowell, controlling administrator of the Historic Hattiesburg City-limits Association.
"I accept consistently anticipation and abide to anticipate one affair we accept that is appropriate is chump service. The businesses apperceive barter by aboriginal name."
Across the river in Petal, there are abounding arcade opportunities - alignment from accoutrement to gently-used assignment items.
Deborah Reynolds, controlling administrator with the Petal Chamber of Commerce, said the city-limits has several retail and restaurant offerings.
"We accept a advanced array of retail giving you appealing abundant aggregate you wish in Petal," she said.
The city-limits has altered boutiques, assignment shops and restaurants. Reynolds said association accept agilely accessible the aperture of Yamato Japanese Steakhouse.
"That's altered and something we've never had that will be different," she said
Travel to west Hattiesburg and acquisition a admixture of bounded and alternation retail shops and restaurants.
Turtle Creek Capital is in the bosom of above renovations.
The aliment cloister will yield on a agreeable theme, with the tables featuring agreeable apparatus cartoon and added elements. The aloft basement will be removed from the aliment cloister to actualize an accessible breadth and acquiesce free-flowing traffic. Restrooms will be adapted with new accessories and finishes.
New ceramics asphalt akin copse attic will beautify the absolute capital forth with carpeting accents. Accepted metal benches will be replaced with added comfortable, abreast seating. New, warmer acrylic colors will alter the mall's accepted bluish-gray colors.
"We wish to allure higher-end retail that we may not accept been able to get recently," Capital Manager Ted Martin said.
"There will aswell be cartoon anon accompanying to Hattiesburg. It (will) accord it added of that hometown feel and accord humans of Hattiesburg that faculty of pride for the community."
Development about Turtle Creek Capital aswell is traveling strong.
Construction crews are alive on The Ridge at Turtle Creek, adjoining to Turtle Creek Crossing.
The Ridge, a 13.4-acre site, is anchored by a 76,000-square-foot Academy Sports Supercenter, which opened endure November. Eight-thousand aboveboard anxiety of retail amplitude will be accessible in a architecture next to Academy Sports.
Cheddar's Casual Cafe opened in April and an broadcast annex of Heritage Bank will be amid at the site.
Beyond the Ridge are varieties of arcade centers including Newpointe Arcade Center and The Market at Woodstone forth U.S. 98 that action all-embracing food and restaurants.
2012年6月19日星期二
Republicans want food stamps cut in big farm bill
The 1,000-page "farm bill" being debated in the Senate is somewhat of a misnomer. Four of every five dollars in it - roughly $80 billion a year - goes for grocery bills for one of every seven Americans through food stamps.
Republicans say Congress could cut the cost $2 billion a year by just closing a pair of loopholes that some states use to award benefits to people who otherwise might not qualify.
"This is more than just a financial issue. It is a moral issue," says Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., one of several Republicans pushing for cuts in spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.
The program has swelled from 28 million to 46 million participants and its costs have doubled in the past four years. The recession and slow recovery have increased the number of people unemployed over the same period from 8 million to 12 million.
The Agriculture Department credits the program with keeping about 5 million Americans out of poverty every year. Before 2004, people received paper stamps or coupons worth $1, $5 or $10. Since then, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Island and Guam have moved to debit-type cards that allow recipients to authorize transferring their benefits from a federal account to retailer accounts.
Democrats led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are resisting a proposal by Agriculture Committee leaders in both parties to trim a modest $250 million from the program each year by cracking down on abuses.
They say that would deprive about half a million households losing an average $90 a month in food aid.
The Republican-controlled House, which has yet to write its own farm bill, is certain to demand greater food stamp cuts, too. Finding common ground with the Democratic-led Senate could be key to whether Congress can pass a 1,000-page bill that also makes fundamental changes in farm subsidies before the current legislation bill expires at the end of September.
Sessions points out that the federal government now spends twice as much on food stamps as it does on fixing the nation's roads and bridges, and that SNAP is now the government's second-largest federal welfare program, following Medicaid.
To qualify, households, except those with elderly or disabled members, must have gross incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line. The Agriculture Department, which runs the program, says the average monthly benefit per person as of last November was $134.15. As for helping the economy, it calculates that each dollar in benefits generates $1.72 in economic activity, including 16 cents for farmers who grow the food.
Republicans say Congress could cut the cost $2 billion a year by just closing a pair of loopholes that some states use to award benefits to people who otherwise might not qualify.
"This is more than just a financial issue. It is a moral issue," says Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., one of several Republicans pushing for cuts in spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.
The program has swelled from 28 million to 46 million participants and its costs have doubled in the past four years. The recession and slow recovery have increased the number of people unemployed over the same period from 8 million to 12 million.
The Agriculture Department credits the program with keeping about 5 million Americans out of poverty every year. Before 2004, people received paper stamps or coupons worth $1, $5 or $10. Since then, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Island and Guam have moved to debit-type cards that allow recipients to authorize transferring their benefits from a federal account to retailer accounts.
Democrats led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are resisting a proposal by Agriculture Committee leaders in both parties to trim a modest $250 million from the program each year by cracking down on abuses.
They say that would deprive about half a million households losing an average $90 a month in food aid.
The Republican-controlled House, which has yet to write its own farm bill, is certain to demand greater food stamp cuts, too. Finding common ground with the Democratic-led Senate could be key to whether Congress can pass a 1,000-page bill that also makes fundamental changes in farm subsidies before the current legislation bill expires at the end of September.
Sessions points out that the federal government now spends twice as much on food stamps as it does on fixing the nation's roads and bridges, and that SNAP is now the government's second-largest federal welfare program, following Medicaid.
To qualify, households, except those with elderly or disabled members, must have gross incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line. The Agriculture Department, which runs the program, says the average monthly benefit per person as of last November was $134.15. As for helping the economy, it calculates that each dollar in benefits generates $1.72 in economic activity, including 16 cents for farmers who grow the food.
2012年6月4日星期一
Woods quiets doubters with a flick of his wrists
For those who thought Tiger Woods' run as the world's best golfer was over, the 747-sized roar that emanated from the 16th green at Muirfield Village likely shocked them to their senses.
With one flick of his wrists, Woods reminded everyone of who he was and what he has done.
Woods slid a 60-degree sand wedge under a ball hidden by tall grass behind the 16th green, popped the ball straight up into the air where it seemed to hang for an instant, and then watched as it rolled ever so slowly toward the cup before dropping in for a 50-foot birdie that tied him for the lead at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
If that birdie served notice, then another on a sneaky-fast 10-foot downhill putt at the 18th assured him of his fifth victory at the tournament that Jack Nicklaus built.
So, Tiger was asked, do you think you're back?
"I won," he joked with a wide smile. "I'm sure by Tuesday I'll be retired and done, and then by the time I tee it up at the U.S. Open (at Olympic Club in San Francisco in 11 days) it might be something different. But I'll let you guys figure that out."
Adding to the weight of the moment, the win tied Woods with Nicklaus - the tournament founder and host who handed him the crystal trophy on the 18th green - with 73 tour wins for second behind Sam Snead's record 82.
Woods said it was "awfully special" to tie Nicklaus at the Golden Bear's own tournament.
"Well, he had to rub it in my face right here, didn't he?" Nicklaus cracked.
Then he added, "The last time he won here three years ago, he came here struggling a little bit and just absolutely blitzed it. And he did it again this week."
Woods, four shots back and in fourth place at the start of the final round, closed with a 67 to match the best round of the day. He also saved his best for last, birdieing three of the final four holes under pressure conditions to make up a two-shot deficit as he teed off on the 15th hole.
After a big drive, he hit a 3-iron second shot on the par-5 15th to 40 feet past the flag. He two-putted for birdie. At the 16th, he hit an 8-iron that rode the wind and bounced off the green and about 15 feet into deep grass. A little too soft a shot and he would be left with a treacherous, twisting putt for par. Catch it a little thin and the ball could easily run all the way through the green and into a pond.
The sonic boom that erupted when the ball fell shook the whole course. The rest of the field, those who didn't already know anyway, were reminded that Woods still can summon the thunder.
"Well, obviously, I knew something was going on up in front," said Rory Sabbatini, who held a one-shot lead until Woods' chip-in.
With one flick of his wrists, Woods reminded everyone of who he was and what he has done.
Woods slid a 60-degree sand wedge under a ball hidden by tall grass behind the 16th green, popped the ball straight up into the air where it seemed to hang for an instant, and then watched as it rolled ever so slowly toward the cup before dropping in for a 50-foot birdie that tied him for the lead at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
If that birdie served notice, then another on a sneaky-fast 10-foot downhill putt at the 18th assured him of his fifth victory at the tournament that Jack Nicklaus built.
So, Tiger was asked, do you think you're back?
"I won," he joked with a wide smile. "I'm sure by Tuesday I'll be retired and done, and then by the time I tee it up at the U.S. Open (at Olympic Club in San Francisco in 11 days) it might be something different. But I'll let you guys figure that out."
Adding to the weight of the moment, the win tied Woods with Nicklaus - the tournament founder and host who handed him the crystal trophy on the 18th green - with 73 tour wins for second behind Sam Snead's record 82.
Woods said it was "awfully special" to tie Nicklaus at the Golden Bear's own tournament.
"Well, he had to rub it in my face right here, didn't he?" Nicklaus cracked.
Then he added, "The last time he won here three years ago, he came here struggling a little bit and just absolutely blitzed it. And he did it again this week."
Woods, four shots back and in fourth place at the start of the final round, closed with a 67 to match the best round of the day. He also saved his best for last, birdieing three of the final four holes under pressure conditions to make up a two-shot deficit as he teed off on the 15th hole.
After a big drive, he hit a 3-iron second shot on the par-5 15th to 40 feet past the flag. He two-putted for birdie. At the 16th, he hit an 8-iron that rode the wind and bounced off the green and about 15 feet into deep grass. A little too soft a shot and he would be left with a treacherous, twisting putt for par. Catch it a little thin and the ball could easily run all the way through the green and into a pond.
The sonic boom that erupted when the ball fell shook the whole course. The rest of the field, those who didn't already know anyway, were reminded that Woods still can summon the thunder.
"Well, obviously, I knew something was going on up in front," said Rory Sabbatini, who held a one-shot lead until Woods' chip-in.
2012年5月14日星期一
Reincarnating old wood into something chic
The next time you turn up your nose at the sight of a black lacquer dresser from 1984 gleaming in the sun on your neighbor’s lawn, don’t be such a hater. There’s art in them thar drawers. And don’t you dare sneer at that collapsed barn on that overgrown, abandoned plot along your commute. Any day now it may be a focal point of a celebrity’s posh-as-hell kitchen.
Ron Sauer, owner of Excelsior Wood Products on Sawkill Road in Kingston, has been getting splinters for over 10 years from salvaging timbers from buildings, barns, swamps, piers, textile mills and river bottoms to rework, refinish and refine into functional and decorative wood products. Working antique woods means Sauer lays hands on not-oft-seen timbers, such as antique heart pine or redwood oak. It also means that he gets to work on not-oft-experienced projects, like Chef David Bouley’s restaurant, or Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s house.
A multitude of middlemen drop off timbers to Excelsior from demolition sites — one such site being the former Sheffield Dairy at Columbia University which used to distribute milk in glass jars to much of the New York City area in horse-drawn carts. Excelsior puts the timbers through a cleaning, drying and refinishing process in the saw mill that repurposes the aged lumber into everything from wood paneling to counter tops to floor tiles.
Reclaimed timbers have made such a swift impact that Excelsior has been doing work in famous homes of notables like Whoopi Goldberg and Richard Gere. Sauer’s timbers can even be spotted on the pages of a recent Architectural Digest spread on Brooke Shields’ home as floors, moldings, shutters, stair treads and even a front door, as well as last year’s “Extreme Home Makeover” TV show.
“People are looking for more green products, and are inspired to reuse things,” said Sauer’s sister, Christina Sauer, an administrator at the 21,000-square-foot facility. “[Customers are choosing reclaimed barn timbers and woods because] the look is in, and it’s beautiful. People want to see something historical with a story and something that no one else has.” Christina said customers love the unique and distinct stories behind the timbers, which most typically include rare or no-longer-extant oaks.
The showroom houses tiled samples of every stain configuration from pickled light grey to dark ebony, and samples cut into subway tiles, bricks, checkering and more; some with obvious wood grains and others completely smoothed out. “The woods develop a natural patina that you cannot recreate,” said Christina.
Once the wood has been brushed, kiln-dried and disinfected, cut, planed and sent into the finishing process, Excelsior carries through their business model of “green” by sending out their sawdust to be compressed into “Bio-Bricks” for home-heating.
Mushroom wood is wood taken from the boards used in mushroom factories to grow the fungi. The crude, dark-stained timber is now entering the architectural aesthetics world as paneling that offers an unrefined and textured character to walls of homes or restaurants. “It’s about as rustic a look as you get,” said Christina, who added that her brother was one of the pioneers of removing the rough, untreated Hemlock boards from mushroom factories and reworking them into paneling, flooring and cabinet components.
Ron Sauer, owner of Excelsior Wood Products on Sawkill Road in Kingston, has been getting splinters for over 10 years from salvaging timbers from buildings, barns, swamps, piers, textile mills and river bottoms to rework, refinish and refine into functional and decorative wood products. Working antique woods means Sauer lays hands on not-oft-seen timbers, such as antique heart pine or redwood oak. It also means that he gets to work on not-oft-experienced projects, like Chef David Bouley’s restaurant, or Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s house.
A multitude of middlemen drop off timbers to Excelsior from demolition sites — one such site being the former Sheffield Dairy at Columbia University which used to distribute milk in glass jars to much of the New York City area in horse-drawn carts. Excelsior puts the timbers through a cleaning, drying and refinishing process in the saw mill that repurposes the aged lumber into everything from wood paneling to counter tops to floor tiles.
Reclaimed timbers have made such a swift impact that Excelsior has been doing work in famous homes of notables like Whoopi Goldberg and Richard Gere. Sauer’s timbers can even be spotted on the pages of a recent Architectural Digest spread on Brooke Shields’ home as floors, moldings, shutters, stair treads and even a front door, as well as last year’s “Extreme Home Makeover” TV show.
“People are looking for more green products, and are inspired to reuse things,” said Sauer’s sister, Christina Sauer, an administrator at the 21,000-square-foot facility. “[Customers are choosing reclaimed barn timbers and woods because] the look is in, and it’s beautiful. People want to see something historical with a story and something that no one else has.” Christina said customers love the unique and distinct stories behind the timbers, which most typically include rare or no-longer-extant oaks.
The showroom houses tiled samples of every stain configuration from pickled light grey to dark ebony, and samples cut into subway tiles, bricks, checkering and more; some with obvious wood grains and others completely smoothed out. “The woods develop a natural patina that you cannot recreate,” said Christina.
Once the wood has been brushed, kiln-dried and disinfected, cut, planed and sent into the finishing process, Excelsior carries through their business model of “green” by sending out their sawdust to be compressed into “Bio-Bricks” for home-heating.
Mushroom wood is wood taken from the boards used in mushroom factories to grow the fungi. The crude, dark-stained timber is now entering the architectural aesthetics world as paneling that offers an unrefined and textured character to walls of homes or restaurants. “It’s about as rustic a look as you get,” said Christina, who added that her brother was one of the pioneers of removing the rough, untreated Hemlock boards from mushroom factories and reworking them into paneling, flooring and cabinet components.
2012年5月13日星期日
Grizzlies beat Clippers 90-88 to force seventh game
Marc Gasol scored 23 points, Zach Randolph had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzles rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 90-88 Friday night, forcing a decisive seventh game in the series.
Rudy Gay and Mike Conley added 13 points each to help the Grizzlies win for the first time in the Western Conference series at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin scored 17 points despite a sprained left knee that limited his jumping ability, and Eric Bledoe added 14 off the bench to lead the Clippers, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth along with a second consecutive chance to close out what would have been a landmark playoff victory for the beleaguered franchise.
Chris Paul scored 11 points playing with a strained right hip flexor and a jammed right middle finger.
The Clippers are seeking just the third playoff series win in franchise history. Game 7 will be Sunday in Memphis.
Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. Top-seeded San Antonio awaits the winner in the conference semifinals.
Tied 66-all starting the fourth, the Clippers scored 10 straight to take their first lead since the game's opening minutes. Bledsoe scored six points.
But the Grizzlies weren't done.
They went on a 17-4 run, including 10 straight points, to take an 85-80 lead. Gay scored five in a row as the Clippers missed and Randolph came up with a big block. Conley hit a 3-pointer and Randolph tipped in the ball to close out the spurt.
Griffin made two free throws before Randolph scored for an 87-82 lead. Conley fouled Paul, and he missed the first and made the second to leave Los Angeles trailing 87-83 with 56 seconds left.
The Clippers were forced to keep fouling, and the Grizzlies made 3 of 8 to stay alive. The Clippers' Caron Butler missed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go as red-clad fans headed for the exits before Randy Foye hit a 3 with 3 seconds left.
Memphis opened the second half on a 12-8 run to extend its lead to 54-46, with Randolph having six points and Gasol four. Los Angeles answered right back, with Paul bookending a 14-6 spurt that tied the game at 60. Griffin and DeAndre Jordan got in two huge dunks before Paul's jumper from the right corner brought the Clippers all the way back from an eight-point deficit earlier in the quarter.
Butler's 3-pointer gave the Clippers their first lead, 63-62, since the game's opening minutes. Griffin took the ball away from Gasol and fed Bledsoe for a layup that tied the game at 66 going into the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies led by nine points in the first half, when they outrebounded the Clippers. Paul twice drew the Clippers within one in the second quarter before Gasol's three-point play extended Memphis' lead to 42-38 at the break. Paul and Griffin combined for 12 points and six rebounds in the half, with Paul playing 18 minutes and Griffin 15. The Grizzlies had 13 turnovers in the half, when neither team shot well.
Rudy Gay and Mike Conley added 13 points each to help the Grizzlies win for the first time in the Western Conference series at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin scored 17 points despite a sprained left knee that limited his jumping ability, and Eric Bledoe added 14 off the bench to lead the Clippers, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth along with a second consecutive chance to close out what would have been a landmark playoff victory for the beleaguered franchise.
Chris Paul scored 11 points playing with a strained right hip flexor and a jammed right middle finger.
The Clippers are seeking just the third playoff series win in franchise history. Game 7 will be Sunday in Memphis.
Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. Top-seeded San Antonio awaits the winner in the conference semifinals.
Tied 66-all starting the fourth, the Clippers scored 10 straight to take their first lead since the game's opening minutes. Bledsoe scored six points.
But the Grizzlies weren't done.
They went on a 17-4 run, including 10 straight points, to take an 85-80 lead. Gay scored five in a row as the Clippers missed and Randolph came up with a big block. Conley hit a 3-pointer and Randolph tipped in the ball to close out the spurt.
Griffin made two free throws before Randolph scored for an 87-82 lead. Conley fouled Paul, and he missed the first and made the second to leave Los Angeles trailing 87-83 with 56 seconds left.
The Clippers were forced to keep fouling, and the Grizzlies made 3 of 8 to stay alive. The Clippers' Caron Butler missed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go as red-clad fans headed for the exits before Randy Foye hit a 3 with 3 seconds left.
Memphis opened the second half on a 12-8 run to extend its lead to 54-46, with Randolph having six points and Gasol four. Los Angeles answered right back, with Paul bookending a 14-6 spurt that tied the game at 60. Griffin and DeAndre Jordan got in two huge dunks before Paul's jumper from the right corner brought the Clippers all the way back from an eight-point deficit earlier in the quarter.
Butler's 3-pointer gave the Clippers their first lead, 63-62, since the game's opening minutes. Griffin took the ball away from Gasol and fed Bledsoe for a layup that tied the game at 66 going into the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies led by nine points in the first half, when they outrebounded the Clippers. Paul twice drew the Clippers within one in the second quarter before Gasol's three-point play extended Memphis' lead to 42-38 at the break. Paul and Griffin combined for 12 points and six rebounds in the half, with Paul playing 18 minutes and Griffin 15. The Grizzlies had 13 turnovers in the half, when neither team shot well.
2012年4月27日星期五
Make the Rounds of Twin Falls Businesses to Help Judge this Year’s Art &Soul Contest
A 9-foot-tall praying mantis watched passers-by at the corner of Fillmore Street and Cheney Drive West.
People didn’t fear the large insect. After all, it wouldn’t bite them.
“Violin Praying Mantis” is a metal sculpture created by Gooding resident Jacob Novinger as an entry in this year’s Art & Soul of the Magic Valley contest. The citywide art contest kicks off today and runs through May 5, and anyone who strolls the streets of Twin Falls to puruse the art can help decide the winners.
It is the second year the Art Guild of Magic Valley and the Magic Valley Arts Council have sponsored the event. And, director Art Hoag said, it’s bigger and better than last year.
This spring, 178 artists entered their work, compared with last year’s 94, and $30,000 will be given away in prizes this time, compared with $10,000 in the contest’s first year. Artists came from around Idaho and even from neighboring states.
Money comes from artist fees — $50 each — and sponsor and venue fees — $100 each — plus donations from area residents and businesses, Hoag said.
The contest is not only a way to get artists and their work recognized, but to promote area businesses.
“I think that people are getting a better idea about what the contest is about,” Hoag said. “It’s about getting community involvement in a collaborative effort.”
The artists’ work is scattered throughout Twin Falls in 45 businesses, he said. Don’t just view the art; let the businesses know you appreciate them.
When stopping by to see the praying mantis, check out sponsor Lori Ward’s store, Flutter, where she’s also sponsoring four other pieces of art. The mantis sculpture, she said, is “awesome. I like that it’s imaginative and well-executed.”
Head next door for art and a frozen yogurt at Kiwi Loco, then over to Cycle Therapy. Inside the bike shop, notice the colorful painting by Twin Falls artist JasonUrry. Titled “Morning Light,”it shows a barn with sunlight streaming onto its roof.
The painting is meant to “bring feelings of the quiet serenity of mornings in a small town where the glorious sunrise is not obstructed by tall buildings,” Urry said.
Cycle Therapy owner RobinSeastrom said she’s excited to meet new customers as they come in to see the art.
“Come and have a yogurt” at Kiwi Loco, she said, “and ride a bike.”
Head downtown to see another sculpture, this one of a blue heron perched on the corner of Shoshone Street and Main Avenue. The 8-foot bird sculpted by Maylen Pierson of Lewiston, Utah, sits amidst the tables and chairs outside O’Dunkens Draught House.
Got a craving for something sweet? Head next door to The Cookie Basket to see the large ceramic-tile painting by Scott Moon of Hansen, depicting a hardened cowboy on a bucking horse.
Shop owner Jayne Fischer said she’s sponsoring four other pieces of art, including “Sepia Significance,” a lifelike oil painting by Kathy Lilyford of Buhl. It’s of an attractive woman dressed Western style.
Once she agreed to sponsor the ceramic tile, Fischer said, the western theme was set.
She’s excited to see the other art in the contest and meet new people as they come into her store.
People didn’t fear the large insect. After all, it wouldn’t bite them.
“Violin Praying Mantis” is a metal sculpture created by Gooding resident Jacob Novinger as an entry in this year’s Art & Soul of the Magic Valley contest. The citywide art contest kicks off today and runs through May 5, and anyone who strolls the streets of Twin Falls to puruse the art can help decide the winners.
It is the second year the Art Guild of Magic Valley and the Magic Valley Arts Council have sponsored the event. And, director Art Hoag said, it’s bigger and better than last year.
This spring, 178 artists entered their work, compared with last year’s 94, and $30,000 will be given away in prizes this time, compared with $10,000 in the contest’s first year. Artists came from around Idaho and even from neighboring states.
Money comes from artist fees — $50 each — and sponsor and venue fees — $100 each — plus donations from area residents and businesses, Hoag said.
The contest is not only a way to get artists and their work recognized, but to promote area businesses.
“I think that people are getting a better idea about what the contest is about,” Hoag said. “It’s about getting community involvement in a collaborative effort.”
The artists’ work is scattered throughout Twin Falls in 45 businesses, he said. Don’t just view the art; let the businesses know you appreciate them.
When stopping by to see the praying mantis, check out sponsor Lori Ward’s store, Flutter, where she’s also sponsoring four other pieces of art. The mantis sculpture, she said, is “awesome. I like that it’s imaginative and well-executed.”
Head next door for art and a frozen yogurt at Kiwi Loco, then over to Cycle Therapy. Inside the bike shop, notice the colorful painting by Twin Falls artist JasonUrry. Titled “Morning Light,”it shows a barn with sunlight streaming onto its roof.
The painting is meant to “bring feelings of the quiet serenity of mornings in a small town where the glorious sunrise is not obstructed by tall buildings,” Urry said.
Cycle Therapy owner RobinSeastrom said she’s excited to meet new customers as they come in to see the art.
“Come and have a yogurt” at Kiwi Loco, she said, “and ride a bike.”
Head downtown to see another sculpture, this one of a blue heron perched on the corner of Shoshone Street and Main Avenue. The 8-foot bird sculpted by Maylen Pierson of Lewiston, Utah, sits amidst the tables and chairs outside O’Dunkens Draught House.
Got a craving for something sweet? Head next door to The Cookie Basket to see the large ceramic-tile painting by Scott Moon of Hansen, depicting a hardened cowboy on a bucking horse.
Shop owner Jayne Fischer said she’s sponsoring four other pieces of art, including “Sepia Significance,” a lifelike oil painting by Kathy Lilyford of Buhl. It’s of an attractive woman dressed Western style.
Once she agreed to sponsor the ceramic tile, Fischer said, the western theme was set.
She’s excited to see the other art in the contest and meet new people as they come into her store.
2012年4月25日星期三
UK recession case studies - how three firms are weathering the storm
Despite today's return to recession, it's not all doom and gloom for British industry. Amtico is a manufacturing business that continues to benefit from retailers, despite the sector's ongoing UK woes. The Coventry-based flooring manufacturer counts shops from Germany to the US among its biggest clients and its home market remains strong. "It is looking fine," says Jonathan Duck, Amtico's chief executive. While construction has suffered in the UK over the past three months, Amtico has benefited from refurbishment orders from retailers, offices and hospitals. "Most of it is remodelling and refurbishment. If you are largely in the new-build sector things might look a little different, because that has been depressed."
Amtico's floor tiles can last 25 years in a well-trodden environment, underlining the company's appeal at a time when capital expenditure has to endure and the path to recovery grows ever longer. It posted double-digit revenue growth in the first quarter and expects the same for the whole financial year, which ended in March. It has also repatriated some manufacturing from China after whittling down costs.
Duck says there are many more companies that have outperformed the wider economy. "There are lots of people like us out there who are succeeding.But the issue is that when you have government spending accounting for 50% of the economy, and that is being reduced, you are going to hear squeals."
He admits, however, that doom and gloom will have an impact. "It is a confidence game. Looking at the eurozone will affect people's investment plans."
Amtico's spending proposals are safe after it was taken over by a US business in March, although Duck would like to see UK businesses unlock a corporate cash pile that stands at 754bn, according to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club.
The UK is not investing enough, he says, due to a mix of low confidence at home and abroad, an uncompetitive tax regime and a lack of bank funding. "I would love to find a way of unlocking this corporate cash that has built up," he says.
Hard times mean difficult meetings for Jill Thomas, whose wealth management firm on the edge of Sheffield is getting more and more clients from both ends of business – success and failure.
"It can get quite emotional for all of us," she says of sessions with former riders of the 'noughties' boom whose investments on borrowings have crunched and, judging by today's GDP figures, are not in sight of revival any time soon.
"It has to be a Betty Ford moment," she says, comparing the plight of those caught by hard times with the United States' First Lady who had the courage to confront her alcoholism. "It may be a matter of accepting losses and dealing with them before things get worse, but facing up to reality is the essential first step."
The offices of Future Life are in a converted stables at Renishaw Hall but a dose of Yorkshire pragmatism isn't always enough to solve problems for her clients.
Her team of accountants and lawyers comb regulations and financial options, both to rescue clients landed with debts – unsaleable and unlettable foreign property is a commonplace – and others who might have, for example, a flourishing engineering firm but need skilful handling of expansion in a turbulent market.
"Part of the time, we're looking at options which are available now," she says, citing a way in which currently low-valued commercial premises can be bought through a self-invested personal pension scheme, thus helping a business through hard times. "Sometimes it's keeping a more strategic eye: we've had two meetings this week where quantitative easing has come up, and its possible effect on final salary pension funds. Take that with the gender equality retirement measures and the time we're taking to get out of recession, and you've the makings of a perfect storm."
Thomas talks with the brio of a well-experienced sailor heading into rough seas, but she's also sustained by a conviction that the trials of double-dip mask a different challenge: the UK's unreadiness for success.
She says: "One of the commonest cries of successful manufacturing clients is: where are the skills? They've won back orders from China because their standards are so much higher, but they need new staff to come in and keep that up."
Amtico's floor tiles can last 25 years in a well-trodden environment, underlining the company's appeal at a time when capital expenditure has to endure and the path to recovery grows ever longer. It posted double-digit revenue growth in the first quarter and expects the same for the whole financial year, which ended in March. It has also repatriated some manufacturing from China after whittling down costs.
Duck says there are many more companies that have outperformed the wider economy. "There are lots of people like us out there who are succeeding.But the issue is that when you have government spending accounting for 50% of the economy, and that is being reduced, you are going to hear squeals."
He admits, however, that doom and gloom will have an impact. "It is a confidence game. Looking at the eurozone will affect people's investment plans."
Amtico's spending proposals are safe after it was taken over by a US business in March, although Duck would like to see UK businesses unlock a corporate cash pile that stands at 754bn, according to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club.
The UK is not investing enough, he says, due to a mix of low confidence at home and abroad, an uncompetitive tax regime and a lack of bank funding. "I would love to find a way of unlocking this corporate cash that has built up," he says.
Hard times mean difficult meetings for Jill Thomas, whose wealth management firm on the edge of Sheffield is getting more and more clients from both ends of business – success and failure.
"It can get quite emotional for all of us," she says of sessions with former riders of the 'noughties' boom whose investments on borrowings have crunched and, judging by today's GDP figures, are not in sight of revival any time soon.
"It has to be a Betty Ford moment," she says, comparing the plight of those caught by hard times with the United States' First Lady who had the courage to confront her alcoholism. "It may be a matter of accepting losses and dealing with them before things get worse, but facing up to reality is the essential first step."
The offices of Future Life are in a converted stables at Renishaw Hall but a dose of Yorkshire pragmatism isn't always enough to solve problems for her clients.
Her team of accountants and lawyers comb regulations and financial options, both to rescue clients landed with debts – unsaleable and unlettable foreign property is a commonplace – and others who might have, for example, a flourishing engineering firm but need skilful handling of expansion in a turbulent market.
"Part of the time, we're looking at options which are available now," she says, citing a way in which currently low-valued commercial premises can be bought through a self-invested personal pension scheme, thus helping a business through hard times. "Sometimes it's keeping a more strategic eye: we've had two meetings this week where quantitative easing has come up, and its possible effect on final salary pension funds. Take that with the gender equality retirement measures and the time we're taking to get out of recession, and you've the makings of a perfect storm."
Thomas talks with the brio of a well-experienced sailor heading into rough seas, but she's also sustained by a conviction that the trials of double-dip mask a different challenge: the UK's unreadiness for success.
She says: "One of the commonest cries of successful manufacturing clients is: where are the skills? They've won back orders from China because their standards are so much higher, but they need new staff to come in and keep that up."
2011年5月2日星期一
Tingling emotion as newlyweds change face of monarchy
A JOYOUS Prince William has a wife - and Britain a new princess - after a spectacular service that entwined the most imposing ceremonial traditions of the 1000-year-old English monarchy with the quicksilver immediacy of the digital age.
Westminster Abbey, Gothic and ever mysterious, played witness to the young couple who took their vows before 1900 guests - among them kings, prelates and prime ministers. About 1 million well-wishers listened in silence and later cheered on the streets and parks of London while another 2 billion the world over watched the first royal wedding to be streamed live on YouTube.
The Abbey was full of guests 90 minutes before the wedding began, the women's hats and fascinators competing with the lush green-and-white floral display.
The bride, on the arm of her father Michael Middleton, arrived at the Great West Door on schedule at 11am. She wore a diamond-studded Cartier tiara lent to her by the Queen, and was sheathed in an ivory satin Sarah Burton full-length gown with a comparatively modest three-metre train.
Ms Middleton was accompanied down the aisle by the choral masterpiece composed for the coronation of King Edward VII, Prince William's great-great-great-grandfather.
As the choir's voices soared into the arches of the ancient abbey - the resting place of no fewer than 17 monarchs - spines tingled with the theatre of the moment. The collision of youth with lineage, continuity and tradition seemed briefly to reduce the distance between ancient histories and the here and now.
Westminster Abbey, Gothic and ever mysterious, played witness to the young couple who took their vows before 1900 guests - among them kings, prelates and prime ministers. About 1 million well-wishers listened in silence and later cheered on the streets and parks of London while another 2 billion the world over watched the first royal wedding to be streamed live on YouTube.
The Abbey was full of guests 90 minutes before the wedding began, the women's hats and fascinators competing with the lush green-and-white floral display.
The bride, on the arm of her father Michael Middleton, arrived at the Great West Door on schedule at 11am. She wore a diamond-studded Cartier tiara lent to her by the Queen, and was sheathed in an ivory satin Sarah Burton full-length gown with a comparatively modest three-metre train.
Ms Middleton was accompanied down the aisle by the choral masterpiece composed for the coronation of King Edward VII, Prince William's great-great-great-grandfather.
As the choir's voices soared into the arches of the ancient abbey - the resting place of no fewer than 17 monarchs - spines tingled with the theatre of the moment. The collision of youth with lineage, continuity and tradition seemed briefly to reduce the distance between ancient histories and the here and now.
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