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Former Democratic city council member John Cranley is kicking off his 2013 mayoral campaign by getting involved in budget talks. In a public hearing at City Hall last week, Cranley tried to provide an alternative to privatizing the city's parking assets, which City Manager Milton Dohoney has suggested to pay for $21 million of the city's $34 million deficit.
"It's not the citizen's job to balance the budget, but let me make it very easy for you," Cranley said. "You have $12 million in casino money that can be used but is currently being used on pet projects, like street sculptures. The parking meters themselves produce $7 million a year. That's $19 million. And $5 million for garbage cans. That's $24 million. You only need ($21 million) to cancel the parking privatization plan, so I got you $3 extra million to spare."
In short, Cranley's alternative to parking privatization is using $12 million from casino revenue, $7 million from keeping parking meters under city ownership and $5 million saved from not purchasing trash carts.
So how viable are Cranley's ideas? In a memo, Dohoney's
office responded. The memo points out that casino revenue is currently
estimated at $7.2 million, not $12 million, and $1.3 million is already
included in the budget for Focus 52, a neighborhood redevelopment project. That leaves casino revenues $6.1 million short of what Cranley proposed.
Regarding parking meters, Dohoney's office says revenue
from parking meters is restricted to fund "operations and maintenance in
the right-of-way." The memo says City Council could authorize using the money to plug the deficit, but it would then have to find
alternatives for funding operations and maintenance.
Even the trash cart proposal doesn't work. Not buying trash carts would only save $4.7 million, not $5 million. And the plan, which is part of the city's effort to semi-automate trash collection, is in the general capital budget, not the general fund operating budget that's being debated. The memo concludes, "If the trash carts are not purchased, the funds would not be available to close the gap because this is a capital budget expenditure and resources supporting the capital budget cannot be used in the operating budget."
In other words, Cranley's "very easy" budget plan isn't just difficult; it's a mix of inadequate and impossible. If CityBeat was PolitiFact, Cranley's suggestions would probably get him a "Pants on Fire" label.
In response to the March 28 announcement that City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. has begun implementing a plan that will lay off cops and firefighters, mayoral candidate John Cranley released his own budget plan that claims to avoid layoffs and the implementation of the city's parking plan. But critics say Cranley's budget is unworkable.
Cranley's budget uses casino revenue, parking meter revenue and various cuts to raise nearly $33.8 million — more than the $25.8 million necessary to balance the budget without a parking plan.
Cranley's critics have taken to social media to claim Cranley's revenue projections are "fantasy." They also claim the across-the-board budget cuts ignore the city's priority-driven budgeting process, and there's no certainty that such broad cuts can be carried out without laying off city employees.
Whether avoiding layoffs is possible through Cranley's proposal remains unclear, even according to Cranley's two-page budget plan, which reads, "We need to identify only roughly $26 million to cover the 2014 deficit and will reduce some of these cuts to ensure that there are no layoffs."
Cranley says there is no certainty that the cuts could be carried out without any layoffs, but he says he would do everything he can to prevent personnel cuts: "I believe that people should take pay cuts. … If I cut the office of the council members' staff, I can't force an individual council member not to lay someone off, but I would certainly encourage them to reduce salaries as opposed to layoffs."
In government budget terms, a 10-percent cut to any department is fairly large — particularly for Cincinnati's operating budget, which uses 90 percent of its funds on personnel. In comparison, the cuts from the 2013 sequester, the across-the-board federal spending cuts that President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats say will lead to furloughs and layoffs around the nation, ranged between 2 percent and 7.9 percent, depending on the department.
The cuts make up one-third of Cranley's proposal, while the rest of the money comes from casino and parking meter revenue. For his casino revenue numbers, Cranley cites Horseshoe
Casino General Manager Kevin Kline, who told City Council he
expects the casino to raise $21 million each year, but city officials
have said they only expect $10 million a year.
Cranley insists the extra $11 million will come to fruition. He says, "I would put my track record of being the chairman of the budget committee for eight years, which balanced budgets without layoffs, ahead of the people at the city that estimated the costs of the streetcar."
Just in case, Cranley says his plan purposely overshoots the $25.8 million deficit to leave some leeway in carrying out cuts. But without the extra $11 million, Cranley's plan would only raise about $22.8 million — $3 million short of filling the budget gap.
Jon Harmon, legislative director for Councilman Chris Seelbach's office, says the city and state were originally expecting a lot more revenue from the state's new casinos, but the legalization of racinos, which enabled racetrack gambling, has pushed revenue projections down.
In February, Ohio's Office of Budget Management estimated the Horseshoe Casino will raise $75 million in tax revenue for the city, state and schools, down from a 2009 estimate of $111 million, after seeing disappointing returns from Ohio's already-opened casinos. The local numbers reflect a statewide revision downward: In 2009, the state government estimated Ohio's casinos would take in $1.9 billion a year, but that projection was changed to $957.7 million a year in February.
Even if Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino does much better than the state's other casinos, the way casino revenue is collected and distributed by the state makes a $21 million windfall unlikely, according to Harmon. Before the state distributes casino revenue to cities, counties and schools based on preset proportions, the money is pooled together, which means all the casinos would have to hit original estimates for Cincinnati to get $21 million — an unlikely scenario, according to Harmon.
The other major revenue source in Cranley's budget is $5.2 million in parking meter revenue, which the city manager's office told CityBeat in February is usable for the general fund after months of insisting otherwise. Some of that money is already used in the general fund under current law, but the parking plan would remove that revenue altogether and replace it with new revenue. Cranley says his plan would forgo the parking plan and secure the $5.2 million in the general fund.
Among other cuts, Cranley's proposal would eliminate some of the money that goes to software licensing. With the way the cut is outlined in Cranley's two-paged budget proposal, it's unclear whether it would hit all software licensing or just some of it, but Cranley says his plan is only reducing $531,554 of about $2.6 million, which he says still leaves a $1 million increase over 2012's software licensing budget.
"I'm telling people what my priorities are: police, fire, parks, recreation, garbage collection, health department (and) human services," he says. "I believe that elected officials should not be paying consultants from Denver to tell people in Cincinnati what their priorities are. I believe that elected officials should tell the voters what their priorities are."
Cranley's comments are critical of the the city's priority-driven budgeting process, which ranked city programs based on feedback gathered through local surveys and meetings with Cincinnati residents.
With or without the parking plan, Cranley says the city is facing structural deficit problems. He says his plan permanently fixes those issues, while the parking plan would only eliminate the deficit for the next two fiscal years.
Cranley and Libertarian mayoral candidate Jim Berns oppose the city's parking plan, while Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, another Democratic mayoral candidate, supports it.
The parking plan, which was approved by City Council on March 6, would lease the city's parking assets to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to help balance the deficit for the next two fiscal years and fund development projects, including a downtown grocery store ("Parking Stimulus," issue of Feb. 27).
But the semi-privatization plan is being held up in court. Most recently, Hamilton County Judge Robert Winkler ordered a permanent restraining order on the plan pending a referendum effort. The extended injunction sparked criticism from city officials, who say delays will lead to fiscal and procedural problems.
CityBeat's coverage of other plans:
Tea party activists are working to gather the 380,000 signatures needed to get the Ohio Workplace Freedom Act on the ballot. They have until July 3.
The Michigan House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the first of two right-to-work bills, both of which were passed by the state Senate last week. Gov. Rick Snyder has told multiple media outlets that he could sign the bills as early as Wednesday.
Michigan would be the 24th right-to-work state in the nation and the second in the Midwest. Indiana passed a similar law earlier this year.
Members of the Ohio House Democratic Caucus wore red carnations — Ohio's state flower and a symbol of the labor movement — at the Statehouse Tuesday to show support for Michigan workers.
"Put simply, so called 'right to work' is wrong. Statistics show states with this anti-working family legislation have lower wages and higher poverty rates," Ohio state Rep. Connie Pillich, D-Montgomery, wrote in an emailed statement.
"We will continue to stand together and fight against these unfair attacks on workers in Ohio, Michigan and across the country."
Despite the effort to put a right-to-work law on the ballot next year — a similar effort was unsuccessful in 2012 — it doesn't seem like Ohio is in any rush to join Michigan and Indiana.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio Gov. John Kasich has higher priorities than passing a right-to-work law. The newspaper reports that Ohio added 127,000 jobs in the past two years and ranks fourth nationally and first in the Midwest in terms of job creation.
Kasich said the agenda for the last two years of his first term include tax cuts, an education overhaul and infrastructure improvement to keep the state competitive.
"I have an agenda that I think is going to benefit the state of Ohio," Kasich told the newspaper. "We're doing very well vis-a-vis the rest of the country now, and I think if we continue to pursue the agenda I have and the legislature has, I think we'll continue to be successful."
FUN FACT: Michigan's right-to-work bill will be signed into law in the Romney Building. George Romney, former Michigan governor and father of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was an opponent of right-to-work laws.
By now, most of you have heard there was another horrible mass shooting, this time in Newtown, Conn., that resulted in the death of 20 children and six adults. While everyone is hoping this is the last time the nation has to deal with an event of unspeakable horror, it is only a possibility if we agree to do something about it. That means remembering the heroes who risked their lives and, in some cases, died that day. That means not letting the media and public drop the issue, as has been the case in the past. That means looking at more than just gun control, including mental health services. The Washington Post analyzed what "meaningful" action on gun control would look like, and the newspaper also disproved the idea Switzerland and Israel are "gun-toting utopias." President Barack Obama also spoke on the issue at a vigil Sunday, calling for the nation to do more to protect people, particularly children, from violence. The full speech can be watched here.
City Council approved its 2013 budget plan Friday. The budget relies on the privatization of city parking assets to help plug a $34 million deficit and avoid 344 layoffs. The budget also nixed the elimination of a tax reciprocity for people who lived in Cincinnati but worked elsewhere and paid income tax in both cities, and it continued funding the police department's mounted unit. As a separate issue, City Council voted to increase the property tax by about 24 percent, reversing a move from conservatives in 2011. CityBeat wrote about budgets at all levels of government and how they affect jobs here.
Michelle Dillingham, who was an aide to former city councilman David Crowley, will seek Democratic support in a run for City Council. Dillingham promises to tackle "industry issues of mutual interest" to business and labor and "transportation funding, family-supporting wages and workforce development."
At a recent public hearing, mayoral candidate John Cranley proposed a "very easy" plan for the city budget. Only problem: His plan doesn't work. In an email, Cranley said he stands by his ideas, but he added he was working with limited information and his statements were part of a two-minute speech, which "requires brevity." He also claimed there are cost-cutting measures that can be sought out without privatizing the city's parking assets and gave modified versions of his ideas regarding casino and parking meter revenue.
Judge Robert Lyons, the Butler County judge who sealed the Miami rape flyer case, is standing by his decision.
The Greater Cincinnati area is near the top for private-sector growth.
Jedson Engineering is moving from Clermont County to downtown Cincinnati, thanks in part to an incentive package from City Council that includes a 45 percent tax credit based on employees earnings taxes over the next five years and a $300,000 grant for capital improvements. The company was a Business Courier Fast 55 finalist in 2008 and 2009 due to its high revenue growth.
Gov. John Kasich's Ohio Turnpike plan is getting some support from Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, but others are weary. They fear the plan, which leverages the turnpike through bonds for state infrastructure projects, will move turnpike revenues out of northern Ohio. But Kasich vows to keep more than 90 percent of projects in northern Ohio.
Gas prices are still falling in Ohio.
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner is making some concessions in fiscal talks. In his latest budget, he proposed raising taxes on those who make more than $1 million a year.
One beagle can diagnose diseases by sniffing stool samples.
For better or worse, Cincinnati will have to deal with another major election cycle for City Council and the mayor's office in 2013. With four-year terms for City Council recently approved by voters, the 2013 election could play one of the most pivotal, long-term roles in Cincinnati's electoral history.
But what most people know about the candidates and issues
is typically given through small fragments of information provided by
media outlets. At CityBeat, we do our best to give the full context of
every story, but just once, we decided to give the candidates a chance
to speak for themselves through a question-and-answer format. (Update: Since this article was published, CityBeat interviewed Democratic mayoral candidate Roxanne Qualls for another Q&A here.)
First up, mayoral candidate John Cranley, a former Democratic council member, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the recently announced parking plan ("City Manager Proposes Parking, Economic Development Plan," issue of Feb. 20) and the Cincinnati streetcar ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23) in his mayoral campaign against fellow Democrat Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. CityBeat talked with Cranley about these issues and how they relate to the campaign to get his full take, all in his own words. The conversation (with some edits for readability) is below.
CityBeat: I know your campaign kick-off was last night. How did that go? Did it have good turnout?
John Cranley: It was awesome. We had over 300 people there. Very diverse crowd. It was just great.
CB: How do you feel about the campaign in general? It's pretty early, but how do you feel about the local support you've been getting?
JC: It's been overwhelming. People are rallying behind my progressive vision, and trying to stop privatization of parking meters to Wall Street. And trying to get focus back on neighborhoods, balance, equity, basic services for everyone, special attention to those in need and broad opportunities for the working poor. I think people are very excited for that message, and I'm finding support in every neighborhood of town.
CB: I noticed that a theme of your campaign is helping out neighborhoods by spreading the funding not just to downtown, but neighborhoods as well. Are you hoping to build support from those areas?
JC: I'm for fairness. I think that right now you have a disproportionate amount of money — $26 million over budget on the streetcar, yet they're still proceeding with it — and the neighborhoods are forgotten about. But I want to see downtown flourish too, so it's not like I'm one or the other. I want the whole city to do better. But I think there needs to be equity and balance.
CB: You just think the playing field isn't leveled right now?
JC: Absolutely not. Right now they're trying to raise parking meters in neighborhoods to build luxury apartments in downtown. If that doesn't show you their values are out of whack, I don't know what does.
CB: Speaking on that, the latest news is the city manager's parking proposal, which he calls a "public-public partnership" that will boost economic development. What are your thoughts on it?
JC: The PR campaign that they've been putting out
is very deceptive and willfully so. This is not a public plan; this is
privatization to a Wall Street company. The only elements that matter to
city control are control over rates and control over enforcement. The
city has said repeatedly, dishonestly, that the city will maintain
control over rates and enforcement, but neither one of those statements
is true.
The rates are guaranteed to go up 3 percent a year for 30
years on a compounded basis. Prior to the recent increases in parking
rates, the city hadn't raised rates in 10 or 15 years. Right now, the
elected officials — we live in a democracy, for now. Right now, City
Council decides to raise rates, lower rates, maintain rates. If there's a
recession in the future, City Council can choose to reduce parking
rates. There might be certain neighborhoods where you want to charge
different rates over others depending on economic demographics of those
areas. Right now, we have complete flexibility to change those rates.
This plan gives Wall Street the right to raise rates by 3 percent every
single year for 30 years.
Not to mention due process concerns. What happens if you
don't believe you were late back to your meter? Who do you appeal to?
You appeal to this company from Wall Street, who has a financial
incentive to make you pay.
[Editor's Note: Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, told CityBeat the rate
increase cap could be circumvented, but the decision would have to be unanimously
approved by a board with four members appointed by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority
and one selected by the city manager, then affirmed by the city manager, then get a final nod from the Port Authority. The 3-percent rate increase is
also not automatic, and the Port Authority could decide to not
take it up every year.
On that point, how is it that there are public hearings next week and they haven't released any of the contracts or documents for this transaction? They are going on a Power Point presentation, which is their talking points. Everyone is writing it as if it's fact, yet the contract and the details haven't even been released.
Roxanne is calling public hearings and expecting people to weigh in on a 30-year decision before the details are released to the public. How cynical is that?
CB: We might not know the details right now, but you think that shows a lack of transparency?
JC: Of course. I hope you guys will editorialize about that and stand up against privatizing and outsourcing the city to Wall Street.
CB: In the past, you and I talked about the next phase of the Smale Riverfront Park not having funding, which you pinned on the streetcar taking tax revenue that could be used for it. I couldn't help but notice that it's one of the things funded in the city manager's parking proposal. Do you see that as evidence to your claim?
JC: Well, of course. They don't have funding for the Riverfront Park. That's why they're selling the city's parking meters.
The bigger issue is it's just fundamentally wrong to take an asset that is a recurring revenue stream for 30 years and try to monetize it today at the expense of the future generations. It's giving Roxanne the ability to try to buy votes by playing Santa Claus before the election at the expense of the next generation.
CB: Another part of the plan is it's expanding hours. Do you think that might hurt nightlife in Downtown?
JC: Of course it's going to hurt restaurants, nightlife and the Cincinnati Reds, not to mention the neighborhoods — Hyde Park, Mount Lookout, Clifton. They're going to pay higher meters so they can pay off their friends to build luxury apartments in downtown. The equity of this is awful.
CB: Would you be willing to bring up a referendum on this deal?
JC: Absolutely. It's such a selling-out of the city on a long-term basis, but I think the people should have the final say.
CB: I want to move onto the streetcar. Even for supporters of the streetcar, the delays are unnerving. The latest news is these construction requests came way over budget and they might cause more delays. How do you feel about it?
JC: It's what we've been saying for a long time. A lot of people's reputations have been attacked for having said that this thing would be over budget. I think a lot of people, including Roxanne, need to fess up that they've been misleading the public about this deal for years.
But the real issue is it's $26 million over budget, it's the tip of the iceberg, and it's going to get worse. And Roxanne is continuing to spend money on the streetcar. She's continuing to move forward. She still says she wants to get it done by the (2015 Major League Baseball) All-Star Game. She still says that she wants to pay for future phases. So it doesn't really matter, from Roxanne's standpoint, if it's $26 million over budget. I think it's too expensive, we can't afford it, we shouldn't be raising property taxes, etc. We should stop now and we should try to get our money back.
CB: One of the issues you've told me you have with the streetcar before is a lack of transparency. Do you think that's catching up to the city in these budget surprises?
JC: Of course the lack of transparency is catching up to them. Not only is it the right thing to do what you're doing with their money and government; it's always the right way to manage money. When you hide problems, it always leads to greater expense later.
CB: We've thoroughly covered what you're against. What positive visions do you have for the city and neighborhoods?
JC: I have lots. On my website, JohnCranley.com,
I have my 10-point plan, which goes in great deal over my positive plan
for the city. We need to focus on jobs and opportunities for the
future. We need to partner with the venture capital and university
entrepreneurship efforts in the city, and I'll do everything in my power
to help that. We need to work to improve our schools; what we need to
do is get communities involved to adopt under-performing inner-city
schools to improve the standards and opportunities. Third, we need to
adopt my plan to reprogram existing federal dollars into job training
and job opportunities to put people to work in building city's
infrastructure projects now. Those are probably the three major ones.
The good thing about Cincinnati is we have momentum, which is great. But we're not getting better fast enough.
Update: This story was updated with comment from the city manager's office to clarify how the parking plan's rate cap will work and Guggenheim's role.
Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, who rose to the governorship with the help of the National Rifle Association, says gun rights and gun control can co-exist. The claim is in light of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which killed 20 children and six adults. Many have called for stricter gun control in light of the past year's bouts of gun violence, but Republicans are typically opposed to such proposals. A recent poll from The Washington Post and ABC News found 59 percent of Americans support banning high-capacity ammunition clips, much like the ones used in the Newtown shooting. Another 52 percent back the ban of semi-automatic handguns.
Still, Gov. John Kasich isn't changing his mind on the Second Amendment. He says he will sign a bill that allows guns in the Ohio Statehouse parking garage. The bill will also change the definition of an unloaded gun, allowing gun owners to carry loaded clips in their vehicles as long as they are in a separate compartment from the gun, and make concealed carry permits from other states easier to validate in Ohio.
Despite denials from city officials, mayoral candidate John Cranley and Councilman Chris Smitherman insist city government is trying to use the transit fund to fund the streetcar. But Mayor Mark Mallory in an op-ed for The Cincinnati Enquirer said it will not happen. Mallory said the dispute dates back to a lawsuit filed by Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), which runs the Metro bus system. The lawsuit demands transit funds be solely dedicated to SORTA.
Cincinnati's U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot has vowed to continue trying to kill the streetcar. Even though voters have approved of the streetcar twice, Chabot, who also represents Warren County in district boundaries that were redrawn by Republicans, says he would rather focus federal funding on other projects, like the Brent Spence Bridge.
A conservative northern Kentucky lawmaker is supporting a bill that expands prisoners' rights to DNA testing. The bill would allow a Cincinnati man to push for DNA testing that he claims will exonerate him of a 1987 rape and murder in Newport. Ky. Sen. John Schickel argued, "If DNA testing is good enough to send you to prison it should be good enough to get you out of prison."
Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank bought another $100 million in stock from Credit Suisse International. The deal is part of a larger program to buy back 100 million shares.
Cincinnati State is in line to obtain $123,000 from the state government. The funding could create 51 new or expanded co-op jobs.
The United Way of Greater Cincinnati announced $50.7 million in investments for 2013, a slight increase from 2012. The increase will help boost funding to prepare children for kindergarten by 5 percent. It will also fund 288 programs at 146 agencies, with seven becoming new United Way agency partners.
The Prince Hall Shriners, which describes itself as "the world's oldest African-American fraternal organization," is returning to Cincinnati in 2015. The convention was in Cincinnati in 2011.
Duke Energy's local management is being shaken up. Jim Henning will take over as president for Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky.
Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro is retiring.
Did you know our solar system is sort of like a phoenix? It apparently rose from the cumulative ashes of countless stars, not one supernova.
If City Council does not agree to lease Cincinnati's parking system, the city manager's office says the city will be forced to lay off 344 employees, including 80 firefighter and 189 police positions, but critics argue there are better alternatives.
In a memo dated to Feb. 26, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. wrote that the city will also have to close three community centers and six pools; eliminate Human Services Funding, which aids the city's homeless and poor; and reduce funding for local business groups, parks, nature education for Cincinnati Public Schools and environmental regulations, among other changes. In total, the cuts would add up to $25.8 million — just enough to balance the deficit that would be left in place without the parking plan.
In addition to the cuts, failing to approve the parking plan, which leases the city's parking meters for 30 years and lots and garages for 50 years to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, would displace plans to convert Tower Place Mall, construct a 30-floor tower with a grocery store downtown, accelerate the the I-71/MLK Interchange project, acquire the Wasson Line right-of-way for a bike trail and add $4 million to the next phase of Smale Riverfront Park ("Parking Stimulus," issue of Feb. 27).
Democratic Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who's running for mayor, has come out in favor of the parking plan, but John Cranley, another Democrat running for mayor, says he opposes the deal because it will hurt downtown businesses.
"It's the boy who cried wolf," Cranley says. "In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 … they threatened to lay off police and firefighters, and it never happened."
Cranley says he would rather take $10 million from projected casino revenue and $7 million from current parking revenues to help clear the deficit. For the remaining $8.8 million, he would cut non-essential programs, which would exclude police, fire, garbage collection, health, parks and recreation, street pavement and Human Services Funding, across the board by 10 to 15 percent. If that wasn't enough, he would then move to the essential programs, which he says make up about $300 million in the $368.9 million budget, with a 1-percent across-the-board cut.
He says his solution would have the upside of fixing structural deficit problems in Cincinnati's General Fund, whereas the one-time lease of the city's parking assets will only take care of the deficit for the next two years.
Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says City Council could use the casino revenue to pay for the deficit, but $4 million of it is already set for the Focus 52 program, which funds neighborhood development projects.
"Council can use whatever revenue sources they want," Olberding says. "That's why the memo … says we can either use this plan or another plan."
Cranley says he would not do away with the Focus 52 program, but he would instead find funding for it in the Capital Budget, which is separate from the General Fund.
Olberding says City Council could approve the use of about $3 million in parking meter revenue for the General Fund, but the rest of the parking money, which comes from lots and garages, is tied to an enterprise fund, which, by state law, means the city would have to sell its parking lots and garages before it could obtain money for the General Fund.
Cranley, who also opposes the streetcar project ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23), says it
would be possible to pay for the I-71/MLK Interchange and other projects
if the streetcar wasn't taking up funds. If it was up to him, he says
he would remove streetcar funding and use it on other development
projects "without batting an eye."
In the Feb. 27 City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls said the Budget and Finance Committee will likely vote on the city manager's parking plan on March 4 or March 11.
For better or worse, Cincinnati will have
to deal with
another major election cycle in 2013. With a few hot-button issues
already grabbing the public spotlight, a lot could be at stake when
voters pull the lever on Nov. 5 — making a proper understanding of the
candidates all the more important.
Most people get to know candidates through fragments of information spread out in multiple stories and media outlets, but a comprehensive question-and-answer format provides candidates with a chance to speak on their own terms. CityBeat already did a one-on-one with Democratic mayoral candidate John Cranley, which can be read here.
Next up, CityBeat sat down with Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, another Democrat who is running for mayor, to discuss her campaign and what ideas she's bringing to the table. Qualls has been a strong advocate of the streetcar ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23) and parking plan ("Parking Stimulus," issue of Feb. 27), and she says she wants to continue development in Downtown and Cincinnati's neighborhoods to create sustainable growth. We asked her about those issues and more, and the extensive conversation (with some edits for clarity and brevity) can be read below.
CityBeat: How do you feel about the campaign in general so far?
Roxanne Qualls: I'm very excited about the campaign. You know, a mayor's race is very different than a council race. A mayor's race has many more components to it: higher fundraising goals and more intensive outreach. I've been very encouraged by the folks who are volunteering and those who are stepping up and making contributions. It's still early, but I've been excited.
CB: What kind of support have you seen so far?
RQ: Support is good. A lot of neighborhood folks are coming forward, partly because of the work I've been doing with them on council to help them achieve their own visions for their communities and neighborhoods. And I'm also getting support from different groups of people who I've been working for a number of years on major projects that help move the city and also the neighborhoods forward.
CB: Before we get into parking and the streetcar, one of the resolutions passed by City Council yesterday asked Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Do you think there's anything the city could do to be more inviting to immigrants?
RQ: Even though it was a resolution and is therefore a symbolic act of the council, that symbolic act was very, very important to the members of the immigrant community in Cincinnati because many other communities are unwilling to say they even want immigrants.
My own personal and professional belief is that if we're actually going to grow as a city and really thrive in the future in a sustainable way, we have to encourage immigrants to come into the city of Cincinnati. If you look around the country at cities that have increased their population significantly, they don't do it relying on baby boomers moving back to the city and Gen Y-ers — those folks are important, but they're not sufficient. You have to have immigrants come into your community, buy up homes, buy up stores and regenerate and rejuvenate the neighborhoods.
As a city that went from over 500,000 people to now under 300,000, we have to fill that gap. When I'm mayor, I will set a goal that by 2025 we will increase our population by 100,000 people. We're only going to do that with immigrants.
CB: So what kind of programs do you think would help in that area?
RQ: A couple things, but there are things already happening that many people are unaware of. For example, if you were to go to Roberts Paideia at Price Hill, you would find 30 percent of the children there were not speaking English in their households before attending school. So a very strong Spanish-speaking community is growing up in Price Hill. First and foremost, having an educational system that recognizes and responds is very important.
The other thing is to be a very welcoming community, particularly when it comes to issues of safety and security. We're very fortunate that District 3 has become very responsive, as is District 4, to immigrants. The entire police department is sensitive, but we have a very high concentration of folks who are Latinos in District 3 — that's why I focused on District 3 as very critical in terms of the response.
The third thing that we need to do is work with organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chinese Chamber of Commerce to really strengthen business relations and the support that's necessary for many of the small businesses that provide opportunities and employment within those communities. As the city develops its small business program, we need to pay attention to the fact that very small businesses — under $100,000, let's say, in terms of annual volume — are those businesses that really are neighborhood-serving. They're businesses we should be encouraging within the immigrant community.
CB: One of the surprising statistics with public safety is that a very small amount of the police force — 2 out of 981 — speaks Spanish. Do you think there's anything we could do to encourage more Spanish speakers?
RQ: There's an increasing recognition that it's important for people who provide services to speak more than one language, so the police department can encourage its members to speak more than English.
But there are other things we can do in general, not just that would impact the police. I've been trying to do something as simple as multilingual signage.
The city could also aggressively promote simultaneous translation via its own website and the information it puts out. On my own personal website, one of the things that we use is the Google Translator. So anyone who wants to read anything on the website, all they have to do is press the Google Translator and have it translate to any language.
CB: The other thing that was covered in City Council yesterday was the parking plan. You supported it. What do you think it will do for the city?
RQ: There are a couple things it's going to do. Simply on the level of parking, it's going to provide the resources to modernize the system. For the garages, that means all the capital improvements that are necessary. For the meters, that's everything everybody has heard about in terms of putting in electronic meters, allowing the use of smartphone apps, making it much more convenient for people and giving us the ability as technology evolves over time to adapt. For example, we shouldn't assume that 30 years from now there will be such things as meters in existence. We need to be able to adapt in that environment. Already in other countries, you don't have meters, but you do have sensors and you do have means of paying, but it doesn't involve a physical object to do it with. It's all oriented toward customer service and staying up with the times.
The second thing is it gives us the resources to invest in things like the MLK/I-71 Interchange, which everybody, I believe, at this point agrees is a major economic development investment and will pay off in significant job growth in the medical-university area of uptown.
It also allows us to invest in some critical pieces of downtown development that involve garages and residential development that will help us capture the market. I think if you read all the papers, everybody should realize that there's no available product to meet the demand for downtown housing. Any time something comes into the market, it is either rented out or sold out. So we need to bring residential online at a much faster pace in Downtown.
And we get to increase our reserves, so that the rating agencies will be encouraged that we're taking steps to ensure that we can responsibly manage our budget. And for the moment, for fiscal year 2014, it will help us reduce the deficit.
So there's, one, modernization itself and, two, the ability to invest in opportunities over the long term that will grow our revenues and help us become more sustainable as a city.
CB: With the modernization part, do you think it's necessary to make this deal because the city can't otherwise afford to make improvements?
RQ: If you look at the money that comes into the current parking system and look at the needs of the parking system, the current parking system can't support the level of investment required for modernization. By doing this lease agreement, those upgrades can occur.
CB: On the deficit-reduction side, how do you think the city will solve its structural deficit once the one-time money does run out?
RQ: In fiscal year 2014, obviously a portion of the money is there to help balance the budget. Other members of council and I feel very strongly that this, starting now, is the opportunity to bring the structural deficit under control. Between June 2013 and July 2014, we need to put in place a deficit reduction plan.
Now, the city manager has begun to talk about some of that, but that needs to be accelerated. Among the things that we need to do to make it a realistic possibility is we need to bring certain players to the table: the folks who represent our collective bargaining units, fire, police and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). They have as much of an interest in figuring out how to deal with this issue as I do as an elected official, as the city manager does, as anybody does. So they really need to be at the table, talking — not in negotiations, but just talking — about how we're going to begin to approach this in a way that ensures what we all want, which is a safe community that provides good quality jobs, great quality service and great quality of life.
The other people that can come to the table is the business community because they can bring their expertise, help and resources, but also the civic community and neighborhoods who are the ones who live and breathe the effects of anything that we do.
The other thing is that we already can begin to identify certain areas that we should be exploring. Something very simple, for example, is one of the major expense items is gas. We are buying new vehicles for the police department that are better for gas mileage, but we're not doing that fast enough.
CB: Do you think any of the deficit reduction could involve attrition?
RQ: The bottom line for either police and fire is there are minimal service levels. For police, how many of the officers are actually available for the street? For the fire department, how do you make sure that the response time is within acceptable parameters and that the consequence of falling below a certain level isn't such extensive brownouts that you end up endangering people's lives?
My own personal feeling is there's a lot of professional judgment that needs to be involved in this discussion and decision. I would be incredibly hesitant to fall below the minimum staffing levels without the support of Police Chief James Craig or Fire Chief Richard Braun.
CB: How do you feel about the controversy surrounding the emergency clause?
RQ: I think it's nothing but a political controversy that's generated for political gain and for political purposes. Council passes many of its ordinances with emergency clauses. In fact, the other candidate for mayor himself consistently voted for emergency clauses.
The emergency clause is necessary so that we can proceed to construct the budget for fiscal year 2014 by July.
CB: So you don't think the referendum part of the emergency clause could be separated from the part that expedites the process?
RQ: No, because it is going to take until at least June to get everything in place. We would like to move as quickly as possible, so before we actually approve the budget by July 1, we actually have the money to balance it. If that doesn't happen, the city manager will have to start sending out layoff notices. By law, we would be required to do that because we would not have that money in place.
CB: So not having the money would force Plan B or something like it?
RQ: Yes, a referendum would result in Plan B or something similar. Regardless of whether you want to call it Plan B or Plan Z, people should not be foolish enough to think that there would not be layoffs. You cannot balance a budget deficit of $25 million without personnel reductions.
CB: The other big item in the mayor's race is the streetcar. I've talked to you about this in the past, and you said you will push through the next phase during your mayor's term. How exactly do you envision that?
RQ: Currently, there are studies that are being undertaken that are looking for alternatives in streetcar circulation in the uptown area.
If we can connect the streetcar into uptown and have it circulate up there, you have it benefiting these institutions and immediately adjoining neighborhoods. One of the greatest pressures in very dense neighborhoods is that we want to take the pressure off of both the streets in terms of the volume of traffic and parking because parking garages are very expensive and consume a lot of land. We can create an environment in the uptown area that would have a great synergy that would result in the redevelopment of these neighborhoods. Once people get that as the vision, I think the streetcar, even for folks who will never use it, becomes more understandable.
CB: One of the recurring problems with the streetcar project has been delays. What would you do as mayor to have the streetcar ready in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which you previously said you would like?
RQ: I have said I want it ready in time for the 2015 All-Star Game, but that was before the three construction bids came in much higher than expected. The big issue immediately is how to get those costs under control. We have yet to hear from the administration; they're still reviewing the bids and approaches to handling the cost issues.
As mayor, my approach to it would be to insist that the administration value engineer this project to ensure that for what is being invested, we are actually getting results that we want.
I am a firm supporter of the streetcar, but I also want people to be very clear that this is not an open checkbook. I don't think anyone — supporter or opponent — has ever believed it's an open checkbook. Within the budget that we have given, we should be able to build this system.
CB: What do you mean by value engineering?
RQ: Look at what the actual proposed design is. This is kind of standard in all major projects. You have all the designers and engineers who have put together the original designs for the system. Then what you do is have other eyes who are also experts sit down and start looking at it to ask if there are other things we can do to start saving money.
CB: Do you think the framework of the original bid process was off?
RQ: I think very strongly that it was probably off. We saw that reflected when over 80 contractors downloaded the bid documents and only three bids were received. That says something about those bid documents.
CB: A lot of the mayor's race has focused on the streetcar and parking deal, but can you give a rundown of some other ideas you have for the city?
RQ: Absolutely. Well, we already talked about one (increasing the population of the city by 100,000). There are a variety of ways to do it — one of which is to be an opening, welcoming city to everybody, but particularly opening and welcoming to immigrants.
The second thing we need to do is look at the tax structure. Currently, there is a commission, which I helped establish, called Investing in the Future Commission, which is examining that and will be making recommendations on specific things that we can do to reward people for making the choice to live and work in the city. That's very critical.
When looking at job creation, we know that we are very fortunate to have Children's Hospital, the University of Cincinnati and all of the research coming out of the uptown area. We are very competitive as a region when it comes to patents, but we are laggards when it comes to commercialization of research. Given the institutions we're blessed to have within city limits, we need to financially support the environments where commercialization can actually occur to make sure we are retaining startup businesses so that they don't just start here, they stay here. Again, looking at the tax structure would encourage those startups to stay in a way we're not doing right now.
When you're looking at neighborhoods, redevelopment of neighborhoods is a critical piece of anybody's agenda. The good news is we have a lot of good things happening, but neighborhoods need financial support. Part of the $92 million from the parking deal is to provide financial support to some neighborhoods. More importantly, there's using the casino revenue to actually support transformative developments in neighborhoods. We've started to do that, but we have to expand.
Another area is a stronger partnership with the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) system. There are many people who like to criticize CPS, but the reality is they have some great-performing schools. We need to make sure that we capitalize on that relationship by working in partnership with CPS to ensure that community learning centers are in enough schools so that any young family with kids has access. Right now, there are about 600 families on the waiting list because there's not enough room. That's a specific thing we could be doing right now that would really encourage young families with children to stay in the city.
CB: That covers everything I had to ask. Is there anything you would like to add?
RQ: This election for mayor is about vision, leadership and results. It's also about looking to the future and saying yes to the future. Lots of decisions will have to be made by the next mayor that will be tough decisions, will require resources and will require investment. Cincinnati needs a mayor that is willing to say yes and work with people and organizations to move the community forward.
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls will be formally announcing her run for the top spot in Cincinnati on Thursday.
Qualls' campaign site has been up for some time already, and the vice mayor's team had a meeting with political writers and bloggers on Nov. 26.
The vice mayor will be joined by current term-limited Mayor Mark Mallory, implying his support for her mayoral run. The event is taking place at 10 a.m. at Core Clay, Inc., a small women-owned business in Walnut Hills.
Qualls, who is endorsed by both the Democratic Party and Charter Committee, previously served as mayor from 1993-1999 after serving in Cincinnati City Council from 1991-1993. She returned to council in 2007.
Former city councilman John Cranley, also a Democrat, is also running for mayor. Cranley served on council between 2001 and 2007. His campaign will officially launch in January and former mayor Charlie Luken will serve as the honorary chair.
Republican Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners President Greg Hartmann is also considering a run for mayor, but hasn't made a formal announcement.
Cincinnati has an open mayoral primary, which means that the top two vote-getters will run against each other in the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
The latest batch of bad streetcar news provoked a harsh memo to the city manager's office from Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, a Democrat who has long supported the $125 million transit project. In the memo, Qualls wrote about "serious concerns" regarding the project's costs and timetable.
"Whether people support or oppose the streetcar project, everyone has a vested interest in getting the most for our public dollars and in having the highest confidence in the management of the project," Qualls wrote. "While a council majority has continued to support the project, council has not given the administration a 'blank check.'"
The memo suggested putting the streetcar project through "intensive value engineering" to bring the project's budget and timetable back in line — preferably in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The memo is in response to streetcar construction bids coming in $26 million to $43 million over
budget. Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says the bids leave the city with
two options: The city could take up the current bids, which could have their costs brought down upon further review, or the city could reject the
bids and rebid the project, which would cause delays. But Olberding also cautions that the administration is still working on fully reviewing the bids — a process that could take weeks or longer.
Qualls is running for mayor against John Cranley, a former Democratic council member. Cranley has been a vocal opponent of the streetcar project — creating a strong contrast between the two candidates that has placed the streetcar in the center of the 2013 mayoral race.
Earlier today, Cranley held a press conference asking the city to halt the streetcar project. In a statement, he argued it is "irresponsible" to continue work on the streetcar in light of the higher costs.
CityBeat previously covered the streetcar and how it relates to the race between Qualls and Cranley ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23).


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Sports > Schools
12-5A GIRLS SOCCER: Horn doubles up Longview to maintain hold on first place
By DEVIN HASSON,
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 2:16 AM CST
It was just a few days ago that Horn overtook Longview for sole possession of first place in 12-5A.
But the Jaguars had to turn around on Tuesday and face an angry Lobo team that was determined to get their spot back.
As they have done all season, Horn accepted the challenge and rose to it, doubling up Longview for a 4-2 victory.
The Jaguars (4-0-1-0, 14 points) remain alone in first place and improve to 14-1-1 overall as they hand the Lobos their second consecutive defeat.
As it has done in several matches, Horn jumped ahead early as Brooke Hill fed Haley Hicks for a goal and a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.
The Jaguars got back on the scoreboard in the 20th minute, as Liz Campos set up a goal by Hill for their second score.
Horn needed more scoring in the second half and they got it early on when Hicks assisted on a score by Arianna Duckworth. The Jaguars got some insurance in the 65th minute when Hicks' second assist led to a score by Jordan Kondikoff.
North Mesquite had a good chance to add some needed points but picked up only one in a 4-3 shootout loss to Tyler Lee, which was winless prior to Tuesday.
The Stallions got a pair of regulation goals from Aileen Lara and another from Brenda Aguilar, but could not do enough in the penalty kicks.
North Mesquite (2-2-0-2, eight points) remained in sole possession of fourth place, but that is a precarious spot with a match against streaking Horn on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at E.H. Hanby Stadium. The Stallions also play Rockwall on Tuesday.
That tough road could open a door for Mesquite (2-3-0-0, six points), who has games against Rockwall-Heath on Friday at Berry Middle School and against Longview on Tuesday.
Follow Devin Hasson on Twitter: @DevinHasson
Horn 4-0-1-0 14 14-1-1
Rockwall 2-0-1-1 9 5-3-3
Longview 3-3-0-0 9 14-5-0
North Mesquite 2-2-0-1 8 9-3-5
Mesquite 2-3-0-0 6 2-5-0
Rockwall-Heath 1-3-0-0 3 5-9-0
Tyler Lee 0-4-1-0 2 8-9-0
Tuesday's Results
Horn 4, Longview 2
Tyler Lee 4, North Mesquite 3 (SHO)
Rockwall-Heath vs. Rockwall
Mesquite, bye
Friday's Results
Horn 4, Mesquite 1
North Mesquite 3, Rockwall-Heath 1
Rockwall 2, Longview 1
Tyler Lee, bye
Friday's Matches
North Mesquite vs. Horn
5:30 p.m. at E.H. Hanby Stadium
Rockwall-Heath at Mesquite
7:15 p.m. at Berry Middle School
Tyler Lee at Rockwall
Longview, bye
Tuesday's Matches
Mesquite at Longview
North Mesquite at Rockwall
Tyler Lee vs. Rockwall-Heath
Horn, bye
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News

subset: commoncrawl


text:
z 5
(počet posudkov: 406)
(priemerné hodnotenie v okolí:
Hodnotenie hostí zo stránky Hotels.com
Hodnotenie hostí zo stránky Hotels.com
Hodnotenie cestovateľov zo stránky TripAdvisor
This is a great example of how good a 2-star hotel can be. No, it's not glitzy, but my room was spacious and impeccably clean, and my bed was very... comfortable. The girl at the front desk who checked me in was very sweet and helpful. Free wi-fi was fast and easy to connect to. The breakfast was above average for a continental breakfast (had a waffle-maker, etc). The area wasn't especially nice (a big row of hotels in an otherwise industrial-ish neighborhood, but it was super convenient to the freeway and lots of other things (restaurants, starbucks, walmart). It was definitely worth what I paid for it and I'd stay here again for sure. podľa Craig, (Los Angeles), dňa 05/05/2013


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Keep an eye—and—ear your little one with the Sony video baby monitor.
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Seattle Mariners MLB Cooperstown 59FIFTY
Made of 100% Wool, Woven
This 59FIFTY® fitted cap features an embroidered (raised) Seattle Mariners team logo on the front, stitched New Era® flag at wearer's left side, and embroidered MLB® logo on the rear. Interior includes branded taping and a moisture absorbing sweatband.
- 20105496
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Price: $34.99
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no sizes available


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$ 98.50
Stretch Golf Shorts, crafted from a cotton and spandex blend for ease of movement. Zipper front closure. Slant front pockets and welt back pockets. Patch pocket on side of left leg. Inseam 12". Machine wash. Imported.
Light Purple
Unfortunately, we are unable to fulfill your requested quantity at this time. The remaining items will be shipped as soon as they are available.


text:
I used to get sick monthly, not always major.. But icks cruds colds etc...
In 2 years I haven't gotten a sniffle excepting crud feeling from gluten/excess fructose that I can tie directly back to a poor meal choice
Is your immune system on overdrive yet?
Edit: I just got sick, wicked sinus infection. However, it was immediately the day after an inadvertent gluten exposure(mental note: be sure when you trust someone that brings you something gluten free that you still ask all the ingredients).
Still convinced in the absence of this inadvertent exposure, I'd still be fine.


text:
The Photographer
Drama, Comedy
One year after becoming the toast of New York''s art scene, hotshot photographer Max Martin finds himself incapable of taking a decent photo. On the night before his make-or-break gallery opening, a despondent Max heads for a bar where a mysterious stranger he befriends hands him an envelope containing 10 highly impressionistic, chiaroscuro photographs. Before Max can decide whether or not to pass off these indelible images as his own, he helps a mugging victim, only to lose all but one of the photos. This unfortunate incident triggers a fantastical midnight pilgrimage through the streets of Lower Manhattan -- and encounters with several urban misfits -- to track down the photos.
Cast: Reg Rogers, Mary Alice, Marisa Berenson, Christopher Bauer, Rob Campbell
Produced by:
Directed by: Jeremy Stein
Written by: Jeremy Stein
Running time:
Opens: Jan 01, 2000
Theaters for 04/02/13 |


text:
An easy-to-use program that allows you to convert any web page content to PDF.
It is a PC-based tool for creating themes for compatible Series 40 devices.
The program allows you to download entire albums and audiobooks.
Sun Download Manager is a download managing application for Internet files.
Video Download Capture is a video downloader and screen video capture.
BBC iPlayer Download Manager 1.7.2449
This program allows you manage and transfer GPS maps to mobile phone.
A complete software tool to manage data and settings of your Nokia.
Download accelerator allows you to download web files Faster.
It is a program that helps you download Internet videos.
The Application Verifier tool assesses the stability of an application.
It is a PC application to control the settings for Nokia devices.
With this program you can convert multimedia files to 3GPP or AMR/AWB formats.
Videora Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Converter is a free video converter.
Download Toolbar : The most convenient download manager available.


text:
Water Polo: Zipf plays big for Haverford School
John Zipf led Haverford School with five goals, three assists and three steals, and Harry Rosenberg had nine saves in the 20-6 victory over Germantown Academy.
Reader Comments
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Second Wind
Jeff Wolfe has been an avid runner for years, including running cross country in high school and college, though he's not as fast now as he once was. This blog is designed for high school runners, and their coaches and parents in Delaware County.
Top Sports Stories
- Phillies' Manuel doesn't plan to back down from Nationals
- Next for Eagles: Tomlin optimistic Harrison, Polamalu are ready
- McCaffery: Jury's still out on result of Sixers' big moves
- Punch Shots: Jonesing for real news in the sports world
- Eagles' Babin has big plans for Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger (With Video)
- In loss to Nationals, Phillies get Ruf idea of outfield's future
- Union's workhorse Okugo already looking ahead


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Contact: 01858 468192
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- Expander Wheel Kit Includes 1 Band Of Each Grit
Expander Wheel works with your buff motor to sand larger metal workpieces...kit includes abrasive sanding bands
Replace one of your buff motor's wheels with this natural rubber Expander Wheel, add an abrasive band, and you'll be able to sand contoured metal pieces to a smooth, uniform finish.
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About Expander Wheel Kit Includes 1 Band Of Each Grit
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Expander Wheel
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13139 Scotch-Brite Finishing Bands (3)
13139 Scotch-Brite Finishing Bands (3)
Includes adapters to accommodate 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1" diameter shaft sizes.


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Posts Tagged 'Public Relations Indianapolis'
Can you capitalize? Prove it. BuzzWise May 2013
Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Sure, you knew that, right?
But what about capitalizing titles that appear before names, but not after? You'll learn that and much more in one of the articles in our most recent BuzzWise newsletter!
We'll also give you an inside look at one of the increasingly popular tools keeping our Coles creative team busy … VIDEO!
And what's being dubbed content marketing's quiet giant? It's SlideShare! Find out more!
Take a look at our May BuzzWise newsletter … and sign up to join our mailing list today!
#HowToHashtag #Twitterific BuzzWise April 2013
#whatisahashtag? They are everywhere and are an essential element to the Twitter experience!
If you haven't already found a way to connect people through hashtags by directing them back to your website where you can control the conversation, then it's only a matter of time.
Best to get a-Tweetin' sooner than later. That's just one of the articles in our most recent BuzzWise newsletter!
Plus, how do you keep your digital sanity in a world where people may not get back to you soon … or even at all? We'll give you an inside look.
And it's time to get your computer and social media channels spiffy in a jiffy! Get some spring cleaning tips to clean out the clutter.
Check out our April BuzzWise newsletter … and sign up to join our mailing list today! #BuzzWise #ColesMarketing
Helping Celebrate 100 Years of Fighting
Coles Marketing Communications is proud to be a sponsor of the 2013 Discovery Ball benefitting the American Cancer Society (ACS) . In 2012, the gala event in Indianapolis raised over $315,000 in the fight against cancer. This year, the event will help celebrate ACS's 100th year. For more information on how you can volunteer or donate to the event, click here: www.indydiscoveryball.org
Teeing it up for Christel House
Coles Marketing Communications is pleased to announce it will be a hole sponsor for our client's yearly event: the Christel House Open. Be sure to check out the 2013 event: www.chopen.org
I will not check my email as soon as I get out of bed. (whoops, I did)
I will not look at my phone for the next 10 minutes. (uh oh, it was 5 minutes)
I will not post anything to Facebook today via my smartphone. (um, yeah right)
Well, I tried, right? Actually, smartphone owners ages 18 to 44 spend more than two hours a day communicating and using social media on their devices, according to a new IDC Research report. Eighty percent check their smartphones within 15 minutes of waking up.
Sound familiar? Take a look at this article from PR Daily, which states "despite the hours we dedicate to our phones each day, the smartphone users surveyed don't associate their devices with feeling stressed out or lonely as much as they do with feelings of 'connectedness' and 'productivity.'"
Here are some other revealing numbers from the report, which Facebook sponsored:
- 49 percent of the entire U.S. population uses a smartphone, according to previous research from IDC. By 2017, the percent of smartphone users is expected to reach 68 percent.
- 132 minutes is the average amount of time each day that smartphone users spend communicating and using social media on their phones. Over the weekend, Friday through Sunday, that number increases to 163 minutes. Monday through Thursday, it drops to 87 minutes.
- 70 percent of smartphone users check Facebook on their phones; 61 percent check it every day. The average number of times respondents check Facebook on their phones is 14.
- 50 percent of smartphone users check Facebook at the movies.
- Four out of five smartphone users check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Among them, 80 percent say it's the first thing they do in the morning.
- 79 percent of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day—63 percent keep it with them for all but one hour. One-fourth couldn't recall a time of the day when their phone wasn't in the same room as them.
Yep, I'm in that "one-fourth" who couldn't recall a time of the day when their phone wasn't in the same room as them. Well, unless you count when I was in the living room and my phone was in the kitchen … but that's a moo point.
Brand Pranks on April Fools' Day
I dread the day every year … April Fools' Day. Well, maybe not "dread," but I don't look forward to it. I get worried about what pranks people will play on me … hopefully more fun and less humiliation or embarrassment.
And April Fools' Day isn't just for person-to-person jokes. Even brands got in on the fun with some very creative pranks this week.
Google unveils a suite of pranks. The search giant put out a video saying YouTube was shutting down. It also debuted Google Nose, the new scentsation in search.
Twitter launches consonants only site, Twttr. The original Twitter (or what it calls "premium") — with consonants and vowels — will cost users $5 a month.
Sharpie tries out food-themed colors. Look out for the limited-edition "Catsup Red, Cheddar Orange, Buns Beige, Beefy Brown and Pickle Green" markers!
Sony rolls out headphones for cats. The target was "pet owners who want to provide unique entertainment experiences for their furry, four-legged family members." MEOW!
Try American Eagle's skinny skinny jeans. Are skinny jeans skinny enough? You be the judge.
Check out some of the other examples of how many notable brands became practical jokesters for a day!
Get the Lowdown on LinkedIn
I was recently working on a client's new LinkedIn Company Page, and it made me wonder what the difference was between Company Pages and Groups. There seem to be so many outlets for promoting people as well as brands that it often gets confusing as to the real purpose of each. Are you using them correctly and in a way that will be most beneficial to you and your company?
Thankfully, there is a ton of information out there detailing the differences and best uses for Pages and Groups on LinkedIn. This article by Juliette Kopecky was most helpful. According to Kopecky, LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter. WOW! If that isn't reason enough to get your company or organization going on LinkedIn, I don't know what is!
Company Pages: Your company page is the headquarters for all your products, reviews and basic organizational information. Because it is focused on your specific offerings, company pages tend to be further down the funnel in terms of content and information. You have a bit more freedom to talk about yourself. However, company pages typically have fewer views than groups, and so your posts won't have the same reach.
Best content: Product releases, promotions, requests for feedback.
Groups: When you're just getting started, spend the bulk of your time sharing content to groups. While groups don't specifically focus on your company, and don't take well to promotional materials, they do tend to have a larger reach than company pages. People join groups because they are interested in a topic, not a company. Make sure your posts are educational in nature or are discussion-prompts. Being too promotional in a group is not only ineffective; it can get you kicked-out.
Best content: Targeted questions, new interesting data, infographics, etc.
Here are some tips about getting the most out of your Company Page or Group:
Company Page
- Set a cover photo.
- Search-optimize your page.
- Post an updae to your followers (and target them!).
- List your products or services (and target them!).
- Join before managing.
- Join complementary groups.
- Use a social media scheduler to scale your efforts.
Take some time to create and add to your Company Page, including all the information someone might be looking for about your company. Then, work on finding and engaging in good groups for your company. It's a work in progress, but it's worth the effort!
Are Facebook Changes Making Any Change?
Now, in my humble opinion, the Facebook changes are getting out of hand. If it seemed difficult to keep up with them before, trying to follow change after change these days is nearly impossible!
Here's one of the latest changes: Previously, brands could place ads on the right-hand side of Facebook pages viewed on desktop computers. ** And by the time you read this, that may even have changed! But the social network recently unveiled Facebook Exchange (FBX)-targeted ads. This will allow advertisers to "run Page post link ads on the right-hand side of Facebook and in News Feed on desktop. These ads will point back to specific landing pages to help direct-response advertisers drive conversions."
In his article, Michael Sebastian said, according to Facebook, "Allowing advertisers to reach people in News Feed is important because people spend more time in News Feed than any other part of Facebook."
Now, the targeted ads are in alpha testing, meaning they're available to only a limited number of companies and only a select amount of users are seeing the posts. But Facebook plans to roll out the product to more companies in the coming weeks.
But are all these changes really helping Facebook change for the better?
Sebastian also highlighted some stats about Facebook, showing that although the growth of the social media giant in the U.S. has slowed, it still remains a heavyweight in the social media space.
- There are 955 million monthly active users as of June 2012.
- And 552 million daily active users on average in June 2012.
- According to one estimate, the average value of one Facebook account is $115.43.
- The price of a share of Facebook upon its initial public offering was $38.
- The price per share of Facebook at one point in August 2012 was $19.05.
- 81 percent of Facebook's monthly active users live outside the U.S. and Canada.
- The average number of friends per user is 229, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. (Another study put it at 245 friends.)
- 46 percent of Facebook users are older than 45.
- The average age of Facebook's board of directors is 49.
- 1 woman sits on Facebook's board of directors.
- 57 percent of Facebook users are women.
- The total annual carbon footprint per monthly active Facebook user is 269 grams, the equivalent of making and consuming a couple glasses of wine, three bananas, or one medium latte.
- 694,980 status updates occur every minute.
- 7 percent of online purchases are influenced by Facebook.
More than half of Facebook users are women, but there's only ONE woman on the Facebook board of directors?! REALLY?! THAT needs to be the next Facebook change!
Email Making You Sick? BuzzWise March 2013
Yes, the groundhog lied … at least if you're living in Indiana.
Winter has kept its icy hold all the way up to April! People have had the winter blues, accompanied by all the symptoms of the flu, cold and allergies to go along with it. But is it really a bacteria or virus that's making you sick? Or is it your email?
That's just one of the articles in our most recent BuzzWise newsletter!
We also have some interesting information on how to manage your online reputation and offer some tools and sites to help make your brand the best it can be.
And ever wondered about banner advertising and how to make the most of it? You'll find out.
Check out our March BuzzWise newsletter … and sign up to join our mailing list today!
It's info you need to know!


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We don't usually highlight HDTV commercials, but HDTV commercials don't usually feature George Takei in a lab coat. It's for Sharp's new Quattron screens, which aren't only very thin, but have an additional color. Sharp claims that the addition of yellow to the standard RGB in TVs gives it a wider range of color. Of course, that's really the sort of thing we take with a few grains of salt until we can test it for ourselves.
Hype or not, it doesn't take away from the great faces George Takei makes in this commercial. Since when did "Oh, my!" become the man's catch phrase, anyway?
— Will Greenwald
Copyright © 2013 Bonnier Corp. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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The Large RAM Plastic Side Clamping Cradle is designed to hold a large amount of different kinds of cell phones and electronic devices, including the Blackberry range of Phones
If you require a different sized side clamping cradle there are three other options available. • Small Plastic Side Clamping Cradle (RAM-HOL-UN1) • Medium Plastic Side Clamping Cradle (RAM-HOL-UN2) • Large Deluxe Aluminum Side Clamping Cradle (RAM-B-120B)
The cradle does not ship with a RAM ball. To add a 1" ball to this cradle you need to purchase either the Aluminum Diamond Plate with 1" ball (RAM-B-238) or Plastic Diamond Plate with 1" ball (RAP-B-238). If you need to mount this cradle on a 1.5" ball system, you will require the Aluminum 2.5" diameter Round Plate (RAM-202) as RAM does not make a Diamond plate in the 1.5" ball size.


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*I'm looking for an assistant, please pm me at facebook. You may also email me your resume at firstname.lastname@example.com
Vic Fabe
If you're eyes aren't committed, you picture fails
For Model Setcard Folio Services, just pm me at my facebook or at my email.
Unlimited shots, 8 best shots. with CD
Connect with me
Vic Fabe Facebook
Vic Fabe Twitter
Vic Fabe Instagram
Vic Fabe
0916.654.5707 -
Please text me, I don't reply to calls if you're not on my phonebook.
Are you an aspiring model?
Come and be part of the FABE Magazine Summer Issue coming out this SEPTEMBER 2013. Be part of the editorial campaigns of the magazine and at the same time be featured as one of the models of the print magazine. FABE Magazine can be bought at all branches of National Bookstore, Fully Booked and Powerbooks.
It's a good way of promoting yourself as a model and reaching out to potential business clients. They might need you to be their image model for their products.


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I liked this hostel. a very cheap and nice place to stay and so close to ipanema and copocabana. so if you want to enjoy ur trip and save some money u should probably go there u'll be welcome. and remember.. this place is all about pirata style and you may probably feel not so comfortable taking a shower or... More
- Also Known As:
- Piratas De Ipanema Hotel Rio De Janeiro
- Piratas De Ipanema Hotel
- Piratas De Ipanema Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with HostelWorld and HostelBookers so you can book your Piratas de Ipanema reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


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Save 10% with Auto Delivery on this and all future order of this item with out Simplify Life automatic delivery program! Click here for details.
Bach Rescue Remedy can be used for an immediate calming effect in any stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behavioral problems.
Appropriate usage times include
Why Rescue Remedy Pet?
Recent research shows that upwards of 10.7 million pets in the United States suffer from separation anxiety, resulting in inappropriate, unwanted behaviors. While the trend toward the use of pharmaceutical drugs to deal with animals' separation anxiety and other complex stress-related emotions is on the rise, many pet owners are turning to all-natural alternative solutions, including Rescue Remedy Pet. This new variation of the original stress relieving remedy available for more than 70 years contains a blend of the same five flower remedies found in Pet Rescue Remedy in an alcohol free formula, ideal for sensitive pets.
The five remedies in Rescue Remedy are
Available in 3 Remedy Styles
Bach Rescue RemedyRescue Remedy is the original. It is available in both 10ml and 20ml sizes. To use dilute four drops of Rescue Remedy in a glass of water and sip at intervals. Replenish as necessary.
Rescue Remedy SprayRescue Remedy Spray recreates the same calming effects as 4 drops of the liquid in 2 quick sprays. Rescue Remedy Spray is discreet and small enough for a purse or a pocket. For people on the go, Rescue Remedy Spray is a fast-acting and accurate way to deliver the remedy. Rescue Remedy Spray is available in both 20ml and 7ml sizes.
Rescue Remedy PetRescue Remedy Pet is a new formula specifically for pets and is recommended by veterinarians and pet owners alike. It can be used for an immediate calming effect in any stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behaviorial problems. Rescue Remedy Pet is available in dropper format, allowing pet owners to easily administer it to their pets. Alcohol-free, it is suitable for use on pets of all shapes and sizes.
Review Rating: 4
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer: Bach Flower Essences
Rescue Remedy Drops & Spray
Active Ingredients - HPUS 5x dilution of Helianthemum nummularium, Clematis vitalba, Impatiens glandulifera, Prunus cerasifera, and Ornithogalum umbellatum.
Inactive Ingredients - Alcohol
Rescue Remedy for Pets
Inactive Ingredients - 80% Glycerine, 20% Water.
Suggested Use
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We're giving away $50 each month to one new subscriber. Sign up today and be automatically entered to win.


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Record up to 30, ten second messages or prompts on the Chatter-Box. Great for audio prompts in stages, speaking and listening exercises and recording memory joggers.
The Chatter-Box is lightweight with a simple to use recording pad and built-in speakers. Each black button has the number printed in clear yellow text from 1 to 30.
Product instructions (Word, 106.00KB)
£28.74 inc VAT
£23.95 ex VAT
All customers pay the inc VAT price for this product
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choose your movie
1875 S. Bascom Avenue
Pruneyard Shopping Center
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 559-6900
Pruneyard Shopping Center
Showtimes available for purchase (clickable) are blue
example: 7:45pm
Showtimes not available for online purchase are grey
example: 11:30am
Child Tickets: 11 years and under.
Senior Tickets: 65 years and older.
Not all ticket types are available for all performances.
BUY TICKETS - 1:55pm, 4:30pm, 6:55pm, 9:20pm
BUY TICKETS - 11:10am, 1:45pm, 4:20pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
BUY TICKETS - 2:00pm, 3:45pm, 8:00pm, 9:45pm
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BUY TICKETS - 11:00am, 12:45pm, 5:00pm, 6:45pm
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BUY TICKETS - 11:45am, 2:10pm, 4:35pm, 7:05pm, 9:30pm
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Diffuser Oil Refill (# TH30557)
Replenish your Classic Reed Diffuser with this fresh oil refill. Available in a variety of our signature scents, it provides continuous enjoyment of the fragrances of paradise.
- 4.06 fl. oz.
- Imported
Shipping restrictions apply [details]
Diffuser Oil Refill
LOVE this scent!
Absolutely love this scent!! Was given a diffuser two years ago and just bought this refill. I put some into a small bottle in my office and everyone who walks in comments on how great it smells. Makes me feel like I am on vacation all year round.
December 7, 2011
This is a great product
I have allergies and this diffuser works for me! The smell is warm and inviting and fills the room with tropical memories whenever I go into the room.
April 13, 2013
Non Recognizable
I purchased the refill oil and was happy that I could continue to use my difuser and reeds. Sadly, it was a waste of money. I could have added soapy water to the difuser and had the same result. My scented oil apparently had no scent. I won't be buying a new difuser set every time the oil is gone. Last time for me....
April 13, 2013
this product is great
This diffuser oil is the most amazing product. It scent fills the area immediately, and is delicious! It takes you away to a wonderful place, where you feel warm and fuzzy, like being on a tropical island, where there is only perfection...the right temperature, the right breeze, the right person is with you, you are wearing the right clothing, your hair is perfect.The only thing that matters is the moment. FYI...this product lasts forever.......
April 12, 2013
It has such a refreshing scent
I have used this for the past 3 years. I so enjoy the scent as I walk into the room. It always makes me think of our last trip to Hawaii where I purchased this for the first time.
April 10, 2013
You Won't Find a Better Reed Diffuser
Been having Tommy Bahama "Coconut Mango" diffuser for some time now. Loved it, but the scent was always a little weak.
Just bought "Pineapple Cilantro". And man, was I in for a treat. The scent has a delightful mix of sweet, with just enough citrus in it. I felt so relaxed and uplifted whenever I take a deep whiff of this scent. And man, this scent is STRONG. It fills your entire room quickly.
I had my boyfriend come over the day when I got this scent. And yep, he was uplifted all right! I am going to have so many pleasant memories, thanks to this scent.
March 21, 2013
If you like Hawaiin scents, this is for you.
I used to buy the coconut mango candles, but now I just use this oil with the diffusers. My entire room smells wonderful, all the time.
February 22, 2013
No scent whatsoever
I ordered 2 refills and none is working. I don't know if I received a bad batch or what, but I am totally disappointed! Unfortunately, I've already pour them into the diffuser bottle glass otherwise I would have returned it... I'm stunned to say the least... Looks like I just threw my money down the drain on this one... SMH
February 16, 2013


text: Sweet, handsome, senior gentleman seeks loving new family. For car rides to the grocery store. Leisurely strolls downtown or around the park. Cosy afternoons by the fire. And most of all … For the love and respect he deserves. Are you the right family for Max? If you are please come and get him as soon as you can! He is at the Placer SPCA.


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Whole Foods Market is a transparent company. We take pride in informing our customers about where our products come from so they can make conscious buying choices. The reality nowadays is that sourcing high quality organic products has gone global. Many companies play the game of sourcing ingredients from one country and packaging them elsewhere so they can be labeled from the country they were packaged in. Not at Whole Foods Market. For example, our Private Label team sources a few high quality organic products from China and we let our shoppers know that up front. We go to great lengths to ensure that the quality and organic integrity is there every step of the way, whether we are sourcing our products from around the corner or around the globe. We are proud of the processes, safeguards and protocols we have in place and we want our customers to know exactly what we do when it comes to sourcing.If you want to know more about our organic sourcing, check out "Sources You Can Trust" – new info just posted to our website. We plan to have more on this topic this Friday. Got a specific question about organic sourcing? Let me know and I'll try to make sure it is answered with the info posting Friday.
Welcome to Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market. Don't know us? In a nutshell, we are the world's leading natural and organic grocer and we're passionate about healthy food and a healthy planet. Learn more about us.
We're lucky to have a whole bunch of smart, passionate people doing incredible things in areas like organics, supporting local growers, green practices, fair trade, micro-lending and all kinds of food related stuff. We'll use this blog to share some of the cool things going on around here.
Of course what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!


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This week's article is inspired by perhaps one of the most important concepts of creating an effective campaign: know your audience. Now this sounds like I am talking about market research, demographics, etc. What I am really getting at is that there is so much more behind this statement. Knowing your audience also has to do with how best to relate to your audience. If you know how to relate to and engage your audience, then you are creating a successful brand with lifetime brand ambassadors. Two articles that captivated my attention this week were one that talked about the importance of utilizing employees to help spread the message, "Employees No Longer Baggage, but Blessing" by Beth Snyder Bulik http://bit.ly/bgeIJM and another that focused strictly on consumer involvement "Toyota Turns to Consumers for 'Ideas'" by Stuart Elliot http://nyti.ms/9GHNDD. Granted the latter probably chose this approach because it happens to be Toyota and they happen to be repairing their image (which means customer approval is priority #1, and thus so is their involvement in the brand's resurgence). My point is that rather than advocating one over the other, I am instead arguing that both are very important.
First you have employees, the insiders and perhaps the front line when it comes to being the connector between the company or brand and the consumer public. Second you have the consumers themselves, a diverse group composed of those who can sway others with their approval or disapproval of your brand. One is more of an indirect connection, but, at the same time, more of a direct connection because consumers trust people who are more like themselves. Case in point, recently I did a coffee maker demo as part of one of my part-time jobs. Do you think people would have connected more if a representative was doing it, or someone that works at the store who makes it look easy and has never used a coffee machine beforehand? Lends a different perspective don't you think? Employees are important because they are consumers, if you sell them on it they can sell others on it (people can relate and connect easier), when they are front and center delivering the message it is even more crucial that they are involved and on the same page and they have ideas and a fresh perspective that can be beneficial. Consumers need to buy your brand for it to be successful, which makes them important too. Get the right people engaged and other people will join in too. Bottom line, when people can relate to the proponents of the brand, be they employees or other consumers, a strong and successful campaign and brand are born.


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MotionCOMMAND FRAME 19" instantly turns any LCD or TV into a multi-touch (2 touch points at once) touchscreen. Easy to install and works with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Mac OS X. (please note currently Mac OS X is only supported by single touch) (16:9 aspect ratio)
Check out the video for the MotionCOMMAND FRAME here: http://youtu.be/ujTnub2WkO8?hd=1
Visit our main website with additional touch screen products: http://www.musiccomputing.com/


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This blog focuses on making complex and difficult topics in estate and business planning understandable and applicable to the reader.
Andy is an Agribusiness Consultant for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Fargo ND, a farmer owned cooperative and part of the Farm Credit System serving eastern North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota.
This time of year, farmers are juggling so many things. The need for strategic business planning often falls on the list of priorities, continually put off for other "immediate" priorities. It's not a big issue, until things DON'T go the way you planned. Do not learn the hard way on the importance of strategic business planning.
Buy-sell agreements are very important in any business, but especially in farming. These documents are built specifically for each operation, finely tuned by your professionals to meet your goals. It is absolutely crucial from a business standpoint to work on this. If this is something you have not done, I strongly suggest you sit down with your professionals and build a plan specifically tailored to your unique situation. It will be well worth the time and effort.
When a farmer passes away their estate may include property that is income to that person, but was never taxed during the person's life. This is known as "income in respect of decedent" (IRD.) IRD is subject to both income tax and estate tax (if the net worth is large enough.) One example of IRD includes property sold on a contract, but the completion of the contract occurs after death.


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Earlier this month Josh Groban's "All That Echoes" knocked Justin Bieber's new album out of the top spot on the Billboard 200, and that's not the crooner's only incursion into territory normally reserved for pop stars.
The crossover artist's latest release features material by Stevie Wonder and Jimmy Webb, while a deluxe edition available at Target adds Groban's take on the Dave Matthews Band's frat-house staple "Satellite." The album's producer? Rob Cavallo of Green Day and Adam Lambert fame.
"Rob told me, 'Make your wheelhouse bigger. You have more in you than you think you do,'" Groban, 31, said recently over coffee in West Hollywood.
Bookishly stylish in a wool cardigan and slim-fit jeans, the singer — an L.A. native who ascended the music industry's ranks in the early 2000s with a series of records long on sweeping semi-operatic fare — measured his thoughts as he spoke, though he also kept an eye on a big-screen television showing an NFL playoff game. "He really kind of mentally slapped me around and said, 'Look, we'll know when it's too far.'"
Groban's outreach to pop and rock reflects a larger trend in the classical-crossover scene that encompasses platinum-selling artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church: Where these singers once strove to make classical repertoire safe for pop audiences, they now seem more interested in remaking pop as the stuff of everyday sophistication.
On Bocelli's "Passione" — which bowed at No. 2 on the album chart after its release in January — the blind Italian tenor familiar from seemingly countless PBS specials shares lush duets with Jennifer Lopez and Nelly Furtado and applies a coat of Mediterranean lacquer to Neil Diamond's "September Morn." (Next month PBS is to premiere a Bocelli program, "Love in Portofino," in which he "puts classical music aside for an evening of international favorites," according to a press release. He'll also play the Hollywood Bowl on June 8 and Anaheim's Honda Center on June 9.)
The Tenors, from Canada, used their recent "Lead With Your Heart" to mingle "Nessun Dorma" with Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." The Croatian duo 2Cellos performs songs by Rihanna, Muse and the Police on its new "In2ition," which features guest vocals from singers including John and the electro-pop starlet Sky Ferreira. And on an album due in the U.S. in April, Brightman is set to take on a tune by the Icelandic art-rock band Sigur Rós.
The classical-crossover genre "has definitely grown," said David Foster, the producer and songwriter (and current Verve Music Group chairman) who helped develop the style with his work on Bocelli's and Groban's early records. A longtime music-industry fixture responsible for huge hits in the early and mid-'90s by singers such as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, Foster said he turned to more traditional material after Britney Spears and 'N Sync ushered in the teen-pop sound in the late '90s.
"Being 50 years old at the time, I was left behind," Foster said with a laugh. "But by then I'd learned some important advice, which is to retreat and attack in another direction." The impetus was commercial, he admitted: "I wanted to keep selling CDs." But success secured more artistic freedom. "If there's one thing I've done since that turn in my own career, it's that I've tried not to set any rules in this genre." It's an openness that Foster said attracts a star like Lopez to a project like "Passione," which he produced.
"I said to her manager, 'From where I sit, this doesn't alienate one person in her fan base,'" Foster recalled. "'It can only get her new fans.'"
Groban, scheduled to headline the Hollywood Bowl's July 4th Fireworks Spectacular, isn't immune to such concerns about his audience. Three years after having the No. 1-selling album of 2007, the holiday disc "Noel," he initiated his move toward pop with "Illuminations." Co-written under the supervision of rock/hip-hop producer Rick Rubin, the album was satisfying creatively, says Groban, but it didn't sell nearly as well as its predecessors. It was an experience that left the singer feeling "a little gun-shy" about further experimentation. "The music-business side of me for a minute was like, I read the Amazon reviews of 'Illuminations,'" Groban said. "What do the fans want to hear?"
Whatever the answer, he decided against a return to his initial style. Indeed, with its electric guitar and muscular rock drumming, "All That Echoes," feels in some ways bolder — less classical, more crossover — than the quieter "Illuminations." Groban delivers sharp melodic hooks with arena-ready gusto in "Brave" and "False Alarms," which he co-wrote. And he closes the album with a stirring rendition of Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" that climaxes with R&B vocal runs better suited to the church than to the cathedral.
"This is an evolution record for Josh," said Cavallo, who also heads Groban's label, Warner Bros. Records. "He's classical, but he's also rock; he's traditional but also modern. I think we're just starting to see what he's all about."
Groban said that push toward self-definition needn't equate to a journey out of the pop-classical scene. Referring to acts such as the Tenors and Bocelli — the latter of whom Groban famously stood in for during a 1999 Grammy Awards rehearsal — the singer insisted, "I'm proud to be [associated] with artists of that caliber." But like many of those peers, he sees room within the genre for change. At this point, he said, "the formula bores the hell out of me."


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Nicklaus Kennedy
Height: | 6-1 |
Year: | Fr. |
Hometown: | London, Ontario |
High School: | Saunders Secondary School |
Major: | Sports Management |
High School: Kennedy was the runner-up at the 2012 Beth Daniels Aalea Championship, was the 2012 Highland Jr. Club Champion and was the 2012 PGA of Ontario Junior Champion. He was selected to represent Canada at teh 2012 Optimist Golf World Cup, was the 2012 MJT Prodigy Championship and he won the 2011 Mid-Western Ontario Optimist.
Personal: Son of Patricia and Bill Kennedy.


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Lloyds of Indiana offers document folders. Save time by machine folding your invoices, letters and other documents. Tabletop paper folding machines fold thousands of sheets per hour saving you time and money. Choose a high volume floor model folder and fold documents for other companies for profit. Our paper folders are all high quality and include warranties. Order your folding machine today! View all of our mailing equipment including envelope openers, document inserters, and folder sealers.
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