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Brandon Tietz
Brandon Tietz lives in downtown Kansas City, MO – the heart of the social scene. He's been writing for eight years, always knowing that he can make his dream into a reality.
Last year, he joined the writer's workshop at The Cult to help him with his goals. He has three stories up for the running to make it into Chuck Palahniuk's anthology project. Through his hard work he got noticed. When they needed a moderator to help, he was the first choice.
He knows he's still got a ways to go:
"How's the interview coming?"
"Fine. It's pretty much done. I'll be emailing it in tonight most likely."
"Good. I stayed up too late last night writing. I think I'm just going to go to bed as soon as I get home and set my alarm for 1:00 am and write from then until I go to work."
"Well yeah…"
"Why do you do that to yourself?"
"Because there are a lot of guys like me out there. I gotta outwork them."
That was a conversation I had with Brandon earlier today. And really that about sums up what's going to make him a success. He's willing to work his ass off. He's willing to do whatever it takes. And he does it because he feels like he has to… that and he enjoys it.
So you could say that it's been a long journey for Brandon and finally he's starting to see the fruits of his labors.
Item #182: Take one thing in your life and find a way to make it better.
Out of Touch is available for pre-order this month. It's been a work in progress for four years. Originally a vanity run. He's gone over it with a fine tooth comb. Tightened it. Now, he assures us, it's ready.
Item #239: Make something from scratch and sell it.
He has another publisher interested in his short story collection titled Vanity.
Some of the stories in this one push the limits. Brandon definitely doesn't worry about his internal censor. Sometimes it seems that he's liquored that fucker up and hoped for the best. When this one comes out you guys will see what I'm talking about.
Let's just cap off all the clichés and say – When it rains, it pours.
He's one of The Cult's success stories. And a great example of how far hard work can take you. And he'll be the first to tell you that, yes, it does pay off.
Item #255: Share your story.
Peter Goutis: Hey Brandon, thanks for doing this. My first interview, so I'm sure you're going to have to bear with me on this one! (Laughs)
Brandon Tietz: I got my friend vodka here, just in case shit gets out of hand.
PG: You've had quite a busy year. You are finally getting your book Out of Touch published. You have a collection in the works looking at being published. And you're one of the contenders for Chuck's anthology.
BT: It's been kind of a fun nightmare. I don't think I've ever worked my ass off this hard or had so much shit going on at once. It's starting to pay off but some nights I just want to have a drink NOT in front of my computer and maybe catch an Anthony Bourdain marathon or something. I'm happy with how it's going though. It's been a long eight years getting to this point.
PG: To add to that list, you've also signed with an agent.
BT: We're like a young Hank Moody and Charlie Runkle, if you know that reference, but yeah…he's awesome. Very cool guy. It feels surreal knowing we'll be taking this next one to Random House and Penguin and all the big boys.
PG: Nice! Californication is one of my favorite shows… He says he can do that? That's got to be an awesome feeling.
BT: I believe all agents can do that. That's kind of the point of getting one…so you can have someone broker your deal and do all the submission/negotiation stuff. That's cool and all, but I think what I'm most happy about is that we see eye-to-eye on the work. He knows what I'm trying to do and digs it, and that's saying something considering how niche my stuff is.
PG: Is he the king of fuck mountain?
BT: I think Charlie Sheen still holds that title.
PG: So you're talking about the short story collection here then? How far along is this one?
BT: Right, Vanity. It's...well, probably about 85% done. It's hard to say because collections never really have to end. You can always add on to them unlike a novel. We'll be shopping that one in February though and I've already started some early promo stuff.
PG: What kind of promoting do we have lined up?
BT: I did a shoot based on one of the stories called Signs, which is basically about a guy whose wife has such excessive spending habits, that he starts panhandling out on the streets. It's a desperate take on the "keeping up with the Jones'" story. Anyway…I knew if I hired someone that they'd ask for a ton of money because of the whole embarrassment factor, so I drew up the signs and modeled it myself. It was fun. We got some good stuff.
PG: I would have been a little embarrassed for the homeless people that had to deal with your shit for that shoot.
BT: They were actually really cool about it. I paid them cash and cigarettes, so that probably helped. Jerry (the one in the photo) was totally into it. The other guy was a little bit creepy. He kept asking about my photographer and my girlfriend because…I don't know…I guess he was going to hit on them? I told him they were "together."
PG: This is the one with the awesome Jesus story, right? Care to give us a teaser of some of the stuff to expect?
BT: Fashion of the Christ. Oh man, um…I'm pretty sure that's the one where if the wrong person reads it, I'll have my first book burning. Religion is one of those things where you can't even slightly poke fun at it, and I've got Jesus wearing a NASCAR-type suit with Penthouse, John Deer, and Frederick's of Hollywood sponsorship patches because he's cashing in on his celebrity status instead of saving people and stopping wars. International House of Prayer is going to hunt me down, I bet.
PG: Fashion of the Christ is a genius title, but you are going to get so much shit for that story.
BT: Yeah, I thought so, and then I was like, "Fuck, that's way too good not to be taken," so I Googled it. Lo and behold, it's one of the episode titles on Weeds, a blog, and there was some YouTube video or something, too. I think I got first dibs on story, though.
I might get shit about it…some angry emails or something, at which point, I will print out the best ones and put them on my fridge.
PG: So Out of Touch, it's really been in the works for a while right? When did you start writing it? And how long would you say before it was done (the first time)?
BT: I started writing that one back in 2006, had a logic board problem with my Mac that put me on longhand-only lockdown for a while, and I finally got the thing about how I wanted it in 2008.
PG: You wrote the original first draft all in long hand… I didn't even know that was possible anymore… I guess if you finish a novel that way, you know you're dedicated enough to stay in the game.
BT: No, not the whole thing. Just certain spots. Because of how structure-conscious I am and how I edit as I go along, it just looks like a big damn mess. I hate writing in longhand.
PG: You originally did a vanity run. Did you even try to go to publishers with it once it was done? Or did you just go ahead and do it yourself?
BT: I think I sent it to one agent on a whim with a really crappy email query. That was it. I was like most writers starting out in that I had the passion for it, but knew pretty much jack shit about the industry side of things. I had that Guide to Literary Agents but no damn clue as to how a good query letter should read. It was a debate as to spending a bunch of time trying to lock down an agent or spending a bunch of money to put a book out with the intent to get it locked in with a traditional publisher. My odds were long either way. I gambled on myself. It worked.
PG: What's your one sentence pitch? I'm an agent – sell it to me…
BT: Calvin & Hobbes meets Inglorious Basterds.
PG: Since you've made some mistakes – took some gambles – what advice do you have for other writers trying to get into this game? In other words, what have you learned?
BT: This is going to sound so fucking cheesy, but writing is mostly your own personal resolve and not giving up. It's literally years of sitting down, writing, and not getting paid for it. It's a series of relationships that dissolve or never come to fruition because you put the book first, and everything else second. It's rejection and people telling you that you either won't finish or fail. It's Friday and Saturday night behind your computer instead of going out. It's hard, but so damn worth it. Sacrificing a few years for something that lasts forever is a fair trade, in my opinion.
The other thing is to learn the short format. Sell some stories and build some credentials. You look so much better on paper when you pitch your novel if you've already got some publication under your belt. This is especially important if you don't have an MFA. If you're lacking in education, at least have some experience.
And learn how to sell yourself/your work. There's no tried-and-true handbook for that. You kind of have to learn it on your own.
PG: And you've pretty much learned everything through trial and error, through experience. You tend to shy away from instruction?
BT: I dropped out of college about one year shy of graduating so that I could start a novel. Something clicked in my head that I was being taught the same formula that everyone else was learning, and I got really sick of hearing "this is the correct way to write." If I learned anything from those English courses it was how I DIDN'T want to do things.
I can appreciate that kind of writing now, but the attitude really stuck with me. Not just with the actual writing part but with the PR stuff too.
PG: I've heard about some pretty awesome promoting you did for this book.
BT: Yeah, I think that was the difference between myself and everyone else going the vanity route. I thought of it as a springboard, not an end-all, so I knew I was going to have to whore it up with the marketing part of things. What they don't tell you is that you can't do an event at a Barnes & Noble or a Borders, despite whether your stuff is available on their website or not. I had to get a little creative with it…ended up having an event at this trendy club on The Plaza…got three tables worth of bottle service and a photographer friend of mine covered it. That created some buzz, probably because I was the first person to do something like that here. I would love to be able to say it was the first idea I had, but this was all the result of some lady telling me I couldn't read at her bookstore.
PG: That sounds like an awesome way to promote. I can see the literary "Brat Pack" doing something like that (Bret Easton Ellis, Jay McInerney, Tama Janowitz, and Mark Lindquist). Any time you tell somebody you're going to an author reading or book signing - instant first impression is "Boring!" Chuck Palahniuk has tried to change that a little. But how awesome would it be for book signings and promotions to just be these awesome parties at clubs?
BT: It's honestly the element I'm most comfortable in, even if it's not the most practical. Most of my twenties were spent strapped in behind my computer, so I try to make up for it when I can. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Barnes & Noble book reading or the table signing at Borders. Every writer needs to know the basics of PR, but if I can combine a signing or a reading with some sort of happy hour, chances are, I'm going to do it because it's going to be a more relaxed setting. I'm also pretty sure most people don't like standing in single-file lines. That's what the DMV is for.
PG: So then it's four years later and you find a publisher. You came about Otherworld through Richard Thomas, right? Did you approach them or was he mentioning authors? How did that work?
BT: I interviewed Richard for his book, Transubstantiate. There was a lot of questions I was asking him both on and off the record about the press, amongst other things. He was familiar with my work through Chuck's workshop, read the book, put in a good word. I sent the publisher over a couple samples and the next thing I knew, I had a contract in my email. When you see that "takes on most authors through referrals" bit on publishers' websites—this is what they're talking about.
Otherworld is doing the thing that agents and publishers should have been doing years ago. They found these pools of talent on The Velvet and The Cult and starting drafting the up-and-comers onto one team "Avengers assemble" style. It's a good place to be. The whole crew is solid.
PG: Care to name-drop a few of the people Otherworld has signed from the Cult and Velvet here?
BT: We've got the original gangsta, Richard Thomas, who is also a workshop mod here. Nik Korpon's book Stay God is just now coming out, and I keep hearing it's hot shit so I need to check it out. Caleb J. Ross is another Kansas City author who's got a couple books coming out in 2011, so now he mentions that all the time whenever we meet up for drinks. And finally, the rock star, Michael Sonbert who's got We Are Oblivion coming out this Spring. I've read an early draft and it hits like a police baton to the teeth...fuckin' guy is hardcore.
PG: Sounds like an awesome list of up-and-comers. We have to keep our sights on them (Otherworld). They obviously have an eye for talent.
BT: Hopefully the results live up to the potential.
PG: Before you went through with the final run and print with Otherworld, you did some pretty extensive edits. You added how many pages?
BT: It's hard to say. I subtracted a lot…added a lot. The thing is slick now.
PG: So what happens to all of those words that are edited out of your books?
BT: That's a great question, Pete. They actually become the new Anne Rice novel.
PG: Were these things that have been bugging you over the years since you've done the vanity run or did you think of stuff while rereading and editing?
BT: Some of them, yeah. I think the real turn was when I started workshopping because my frame of mind changed. I began to see the problematic areas and identify my bad habits. Having those ten to fifteen extra sets of eyes on my stuff enabled me to put out a more polished first draft and subsequent drafts. Two out of the three finalist pieces that Chuck read…first drafts. The system works.
PG: What kind of bad habits are we talking about?
BT: It's technical-level stuff. I can't even think of anything specifically now. It's like when boxers keep their right hand too low—they don't know it until they've been clocked by that left cross a few times. Every author starting out wants to be told they're good, but it takes a few beatings to earn it.
PG: Besides sparkling vampires and Lindsay Lohan - were there any major changes or was it stuff to just make the book tighter, more solid?
BT: Well, I'm trying to cash in on the whole Tron Legacy hype, so my vampires glow instead of sparkle. Lindsay had to be cut because apparently you can sue people now for using first names.
PG: You learned that first hand from Chuck Palahniuk when he reviewed one of your stories that involved Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame).
BT: Nothing better than getting legal advice from ol' Chuck. If I didn't hear it from him, I was going to hear it from the publisher.
But yeah…my serious formal answer (since I can't really sell the sarcasm in text) is that there are some major changes, but all for the better, and I've never been happier with it.
PG: So first novels have a tendency to be autobiographical in nature. How autobiographical would you say this is? Are you secretly Aidin?
BT: Yeah, this seems to be an author stereotype of sorts. Honestly, I don't think Aidin could realistically exist, and he's certainly not me, but rather this exaggerated combination of people I've witnessed in that scene of socialites where paying an 800% mark-up on copious amounts of booze is considered chic. I'll concede to a point and admit that I've participated in some of the introductory aspects of that life, but never to the degree or regularity that he does.
PG: Right, but we can chalk it all up for the sake of "research."
BT: Research could be pretty much anything. It's broad that way. Kind of like the term "Art."
PG: But seriously, Aidin was based on you. You're a self-indulgent drug addict who is praying to go numb.
BT: (laughs) There's no way I could afford his drug habit. Maybe if I was addicted to Benadryl.
PG: All those assignments - Items, Sections, Rules. Did you write them all out? Did you have your own 40 page binder? While I was reading Out of Touch I couldn't help but think that there had to be a way for you to keep track of it all.
BT: I've gotten a couple emails requesting the entire list, and I'll tell you what I told them: it doesn't exist. What's in the book is all there is.
PG: I was secretly hoping you had this binder with tons of notes in it. You know that if the book takes off and becomes relatively successful, you can always write it up as a supplemental piece. Something extra if you want to dive deeper into the story. Sort of like The Whalestoe Letters and House of Leaves.
BT: I would never write something purely on the premise of cashing in on a previous book's success. You get a lot of bad movies that way: Transformers 2, Indiana Jones 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3. If the story was there and it's warranted, I'd consider it. You've read it though, so I think you know I'm certainly open to the concept.
PG: Aidin is so detached from his family. None of that is based on personal experience?
BT: My mom and I have always been really close. Dad…not so much. It's very much off and on with him. Right now it's off. So in that regard I can compare good parenting to absentee parenting, although with this particular character it's more along the lines of, "Here's a credit card and a sports car. Try not to bug us." I understand that this is the case for some people, and I've known a few of them, but I was never enabled in that way.
PG: Well there goes my spoiled brat question…
BT: Oh, believe me, I got anything I asked for on my birthdays and at Christmas, but only on those days. It's not like I could ask for $100 whenever I wanted. As soon as I turned 14, my mom made sure I had a job.
PG: Speaking of your Mom - she wrote a blurb for the book?
BT: "Your grandmother isn't going to invite you over for Christmas if she reads this. Why can't you write like James Patterson? I like him."
PG: Nice! Has she been supportive? What does she think about you going forward with this writing thing?
BT: Oh man, completely. I went six years before I made a single dime off this gig, and she was the only one that never wavered. My work isn't her particular cup of tea, but she hears about the things I'm doing and couldn't be more proud.
PG: So reading Out of Touch, you can see the influences of writers like Chuck Palahniuk and some Bret Easton Ellis. What other authors have influenced your writing style and structure?
BT: Yeah, Chuck and Bret—specifically their early stuff. Chuck stylistically marches to the beat of his own drummer. Bret is thematically stellar. Those guys know how to break the rules and make it work for them. Eugenides, in my opinion, is just flat-out perfect. Reading that guy is like getting dunked on by Lebron…he's just too damn good. Welsh plays dirty with the best of them…like a literary back alley knife-fighter. And for this book specifically—Alan Moore and Brian Michael Bendis were big. I couldn't think of Aidin like a traditional protagonist. This was more of a hero/villain complex.
PG: Now that you say that I can definitely see the comic/graphic novel influences. Not just in the obvious content, but also in some of the themes and style. I would say more here about super heroes too, but I don't want to give anything away.
BT: Oh yeah, definitely, man. I was a real comic book junkie there for a while, and there's definitely a certain mentality that they capture there that isn't often seen in literature. I was also reading a ton of medical journals and fashion mags, too.
PG: In my opinion - the worst of Aidin is Session 3. I wanted to beat the shit out of him at that point. I have a hard time crossing the line in my writing. I sometimes fear that people will look different at me. Like if you write about killing somebody, that's easy to take. Even done well, it's still fiction. But when you write about somebody treating a girl in just an assholish way or doing an excessive amount of drugs or whatever (I'm trying not to give too much away) - it's kinda like people are thinking, "Where did he get this from?" Was that chapter hard to write?
BT: I researched that particular scene for at least a year or so, and witnessing this shit go down is probably where I got the majority of my emotional bullshit out of the way. There's a disturbing quality to watching some chick faceplant at a club because she did too much shit or took something that didn't agree with her…or the first time you're in a stall taking a piss and there's some dude one over snorting blow off his car keys. It's a little bit of an eye-opener…makes the transition to literature a tad easier since you've got an experience to base it on.
I read articles about authors going through these über dark periods because they're method acting or whatever with their characters, and I've never dealt with that. So it's not hard for me to write about a guy recreationally raping or doing a ton of coke or whatever. I don't think it's a deficiency in my humanity or my morality. If I'm writing it there's a point to it that serves the story. If there was any difficulty with that one, it was figuring out what to cut from it. Even if it really happened, certain things come off like shock for shock's sake. I try to avoid that, whenever possible.
PG: So you don't take your characters "home" with you?
BT: Writers don't really take their work home with them so much as they constantly carry it around…that sort of mental briefcase filled with observations and prompts and ideas. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any author who identifies themselves as a casual observer. It's not like I'm looking for material when I'm out living my life, but I know it when I see it. The 366-Item list, although fictional, has a realistic basis taken out of its normal everyday context of groceries to buy or errands to run.
PG: Also, I don't think that that chapter (or Session) has the feel of "shock for shock's sake" at all. It just shows how emotionally numb Aidin was at the time. He's like the main character from Average American Male (by Chad Kultgen). But he's more empty. More of a shell. It crosses a line that is just scary. Like, what could this guy really do?
So you had difficulty cutting things. That reminds me of Bret Easton Ellis talking about that one scene from Imperial Bedrooms. Any examples of what didn't make it?
BT: Yeah, actually. There was this Midsummer Night's Dream party at this club called Blonde. They're closed now so I don't mind calling them out. Anyway, pretty much all the girls there turned up in lingerie, like baby dolls and corsets and shit…and then all the guys were wearing robes over boxers. There was a couple near the back of the club that had a booth. Keep in mind, the booths are typically pretty dark because they're in these alcove things. So this cocaine Barbie is bouncing on this guy's lap, y'know, like standing up and just kind of pounding her ass to the beat of the song. I was having a drink with a buddy of mine by one of the pillars near the dance floor and I think we were talking about The Prestige because we had just both seen it, but I kept looking over at that chick near the back, finally noticing her boyfriend or whatever—his head was lulled back and he started to kind of guide her ass with his hands and she was moving different. Like she wasn't dancing anymore. I squinted and walked about three paces to the right to get a better angle...he had his dick pulled through the little mouse-hole on his boxers and was banging her…right there in the open. Couldn't believe it. That's why it would never work as fiction. I didn't buy it and I was right there.
PG: Yeah - that's definitely one of those things you hear about and wish you could witness it. You pretty much always assume that it's just a story though. I did watch a girl get fingered on a dance floor before. Not quite as cool though.
BT: I kinda wish I hadn't. It was horribly sobering and I had already dropped at least $50 or so at the bar.
PG: Ok, make me look like the perv then…
BT: You're welcome?
PG: When you sit down to write, do you have a plan? Do you outline? How far ahead are you thinking?
BT: My outlining is minimal. I don't even know if you could call it outlining. It's a bunch of random lines of dialogue and notations on a legal pad that don't make any sense unless you know what the story is about. That's what I go off when I sit down to work, though.
PG: So basically you have the end in site when you sit down to write. And you know where you're starting. It's the middle area that you're "discovering."
BT: I have it Mapquested in my head, but sometimes Mapquest gives bad directions and you have to get off a couple exits later and turn around.
PG: You are one of those people that schedule your writing time. You say it's one of your keys to being successful in this. What's your schedule like?
BT: Everyday for at least six hours…and I'll crank that up to around eight or so on weekends. Lots of coffee. Lots of cigarettes.
I know it sounds like I'm simplifying it, but if you're a writer that only writes when it's convenient or when you feel like it, you're never going to get anything done. If you can't do something as simple as sitting down and focusing, you're not cut out for it. Publishers don't want to work with a lazy writer, even if they're good.
PG: So every day for at least six hours you're writing. What's the process like? Do you have a routine?
BT: I absolutely need strong coffee, cigarettes, and music with no vocals. Soundtracks and movie scores are good for that. You really can't go wrong with Clint Mansell. I should write him a thank you note.
As far as the actual writing, I edit as I go along. I'll hack up one sentence for two hours if I have to. There's a lot of reading and re-reading. It's a very slow, methodical process and I hardly ever go over two pages in a session.
Some writers do that 10K in a day bullshit…and I guess that's fine if you like being able to tell people, "Hey, I ripped out 10,000 words today," but that's when they actually read what they wrote and realize that it's either a huge pile of shit or they've got a long road of editing ahead. It's simply impossible to put out that much quantity in that short amount of time and have it be any good. Writing a novel is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
PG: Then I take it you're not a fan of NaNoWriMo?
BT: I'm in agreement with its intentions. It's the execution that I'm absolutely against. I understand Chuck's whole "shitting out the lump of coal" thing, but there's a difference between a piece of shit and a puddle of diarrhea. You can't work with diarrhea. It's messy, sloppy writing for the sake of high output.
PG: When you interviewed Joe McGinniss Jr., you said that your girlfriend is the first person to read your stuff. Stephen King has Tabitha. Is she honest? Or is she glowing with praise no matter what? I find that with my writing, everybody is glowing with praise all the time, and I know I'm not that good. (Laughs).
BT: Well, her initial reaction is always positive, and then I have to sort of dig around for the flaws that I suspect might be there. Not the technical stuff, but the actual story and whether certain things played well or not. There's this piece I did about Tinkerbell on Lexapro that I still haven't gotten quite right, but she was completely forthcoming about the ending being too abrupt.
PG: Is Dr. Croutons (your dog) getting worried that once the book is published you won't have time for her?
BT: Dr. Croutons is getting a sister this February after I get back from D.C. so she'll stop whining at my feet when I'm trying to write. I guess I should plug it here that I'll be at The Velvet Lounge on February 3rd, reading with Joe McGinniss Jr., Jillian Weise, and a slew of other great authors. During happy hour, of course, so feel free to comp us some drinks.
PG: One of you guys should just get plowed and yell at the audience like Bukowski. At least it'll be memorable.
BT: That would either be myself or Sonbert.
PG: With your next book you should be getting an advance. Can I borrow $100? I swear I'll only use it to buy drinks.
BT: I guess I could write it off as philanthropy.
PG: Oh! One last question – Which envelope would you choose? (book reference)
BT: I gotta go with the red envelope, man.
PG: Thanks, Brandon. Great talkin' to you.
BT: Likewise. Have a good one, man. I'm back to work.
Preorder Out of Touch
Find Brandon on Twitter and Facebook


text:
Anthony reaches 40 again, Knicks win 11th straight
New York, NY – Carmelo Anthony recorded his third straight game of 40 or more points, and the New York Knicks earned their 11th consecutive victory by putting forth a huge second half to register a 101-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.
After racking up 50 points at Miami on Tuesday and 40 in a triumph at Atlanta the following night, Anthony put up 41 on a sizzling 17-of-28 shooting and added a game-high 14 rebounds. Eighteen of Anthony's points came during a third quarter in which the Knicks shot 79 percent from the field and outscored the Bucks by a whopping 42-21 margin.
Anthony tied a franchise record with his third straight 40-point contest, equaling the mark by Bernard King.
"It's a great class to be a part of," Anthony said. "It's a great honor."
J.R. Smith had a huge night as well for New York, which hasn't lost since a 93-80 setback at the Los Angeles Clippers on March 17. The Knicks' sixth man came through with 30 points while grabbing 10 rebounds to help his team overcome an early 10-point deficit.
The Knicks also increased their lead over Indiana for the second playoff seed in the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games after the Pacers lost to Oklahoma City on Friday.
Brandon Jennings led the slumping Bucks, losers in seven of their last nine outings, with 25 points. J.J. Redick netted 18 points in the setback, with Larry Sanders scoring nine to go along with 12 rebounds.
New York sputtered offensively early on, shooting an off-target 34.1 percent for the first half and trailing by a 45-36 count at the break.
The third quarter was an entirely different story, however.
Still down by nine early in the period, the Knicks embarked on a 25-2 run to completely change the momentum. Anthony had 10 points during the surge and Smith dropped in 12 on four successful baskets from beyond the arc, the last of which stretched New York's lead to 73-59 with 15 minutes left to play.
"Those guys were knocking down threes after threes," Jennings said of the Knicks.
Milwaukee countered with a 7-0 spurt to cut its deficit in half, and got as close as six down after Redick buried a 3-pointer with 4:39 left to make the score 87-81 in New York's favor.
Anthony then scored on each of the Knicks' next four possessions in keying an 11-0 flurry that concluded with Smith's steal and layup with 1:17 to go, with the bucket staking New York to a 98-81 advantage and ending any Milwaukee comeback hopes.
Both offenses struggled during a first period that ended in a 19-19 deadlock, but Redick drained a pair of triples during an 11-2 sequence that put the Bucks ahead 40-30 three minutes prior to intermission.
Game Notes
The Knicks played without forward Kenyon Martin, held out after injuring his knee in Wednesday's win at Atlanta ... New York won all three meetings between the teams this season, earning its first season sweep of the Bucks since 1999-2000 ... Milwaukee has now dropped five straight on the road by an average of 14.2 points ... The Knicks finished with a 50-40 rebounding advantage.

subset: commoncrawl


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November 16, 2017
, a startup that provides cloud-based software solutions for drone fleet management, today announced flight log compatibility with , the leading provider of professional drone solutions.
NVdrones is one of the first fleet management companies to implement GUTMA's flight-logging protocol that senseFly has helped to develop and adopt. It shows NVdrones' commitment to integrating its fleet management product with a wide variety of manufacturers.
"senseFly is an innovative company that many of our customers have asked us to support," said Kevin Mukai, CEO and co-founder of NVdrones. "We are honored to partner with senseFly in pioneering flight logging standardization throughout the industry."
senseFly pilots can now upload senseFly flight logs to NVdrones' fleet management software. The two companies are currently building a direct integration from senseFly's eMotion software to NVdrones, and are calling on pilots to test this functionality.
NVdrones and senseFly are also calling on more manufacturers to adopt the protocol in order to standardize flight logging industry-wide.
Samuel Dépraz, regulatory project manager at senseFly, said, "The standardization of flight logging is an important milestone for the drone industry to reach in the coming years as more and more authorities require pilot flight records. NVdrones has shown a willingness to commit resources to propel this standardization supported by (Global UTM Association), and our team is excited to be working with NVdrones on this effort."
Pilots from over 50 countries have logged over 80,000 flights to NVdrones, cementing NVdrones as one of the leaders in the drone fleet management sector. NVdrones is one of just two companies to offer flight log compatibility with senseFly in addition to direct syncing with DJI GO and DroneDeploy.
"It has been amazing to see the growth of our company and the excitement from pilots around the world who find immense value in our software," Mukai added. "We will continue to grow the company by providing drone operators with best-in-class tools to manage their drone fleets."
Allen Newland, owner and operator of A Shot Above of WNC, LLC, has been a staunch supporter of NVdrones since its inception.
"NVdrones has shown me that they have a deep understanding of what commercial pilots like me are looking for," Newland says. "I look forward to using their software even more as they develop new technologies."
On the heels of the senseFly announcement, NVdrones is also announcing new product pricing plans. Their plans are designed to fit the needs of all pilots from hobbyists to enterprises. Free plans come standard with unlimited flight syncing with DJI GO and DroneDeploy, with premium plans offering functionality such as project management, monthly activity reporting, and multi-user organizations.
For more information on NVdrones' pricing, you can visit their .
If you are a pilot who would like to beta test a direct integration between senseFly and NVdrones, you can contact NVdrones at .
To register an account and begin uploading senseFly flight logs to NVdrones, you can register an NVdrones account with a 14-day free trial at dashboard.nvdrones.com.
About NVdrones
NVdrones is the centralized hub for drone data and workflow. Founded in 2014, its team and advisors have decades of experience with drones, aviation, and autonomous vehicles.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact support [at] perpetualwire.com.


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Venture Patrol Activity Pins
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
|Venture Patrol Activity Pins has been discontinued. (See Discontinued awards.)
| This article is about the Activity Pins for Venturers.
For the Varsity Scout ultimate adventure pins see Varsity Scout Activity Pins.
The following twenty-six Venture Patrol Activity Pins and requirements correspond to the Venture Patrol high-adventure and sports program features.
Award requirements
Youth Venture patrol troop members who participate in a "ultimate activity" may earn a Venture Patrol Letter. When the patrol participates in a Venture program feature ultimate activity (preceded with a series of training sessions), then an activity pin may be awarded at a court of honor. The Assistant Scoutmaster - Venture administers this program, reports to the Scoutmaster, and assists the Venture patrol leader. The Venture patrol leader (youth leader) is assisted by the determines resources needed and recruits outside consultants.
Venture patrol activity pins correspond to Venture program pamphlets and Varsity Scout Features pamphlets for sports. Ultimate Adventures may be derived from the 36 monthly activities contained in Woods Wisdom, from the Seven Outdoor Skills Instruction manual, or Passport to High Adventure.
Activities where pins are earned are demanding and many safety requirements and the need for outside experts or qualified instructors. Boy Scouts completing ultimate activities may earn related merit badges and BSA awards.
High-adventure program features
- Backpacking
- Canoe camping
- Caving
- Cycling
- Discovering Adventure
- Fishing
- Freestyle biking
- Frontiersman
- Mechanics
- Orienteering
- Rock climbing and rappelling
- Snow camping
- Survival
- Whitewater canoeing
The Venture program pamphlets cover all 14 high-adventures. Other resources are available: Woods Wisdom contains 36 monthly activities; Seven Outdoor Skills provides information on backpacking, camping, cooking, survival, team-building and rappelling/rock climbing; Passport to High Adventure is an excellent resource for planning.
Sports program features
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross-country skiing
- Roller hockey
- Shooting sports
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Waterskiing
Varsity Scout Features pamphlets cover all 12 sports. The Seven Outdoor Skills also provides information on aquatics that can be used as a resource for planning.
Source: The Boy Scout Handbook (33105)
Award images
High-adventure program pins:
Sports program pins:
Confusion over whether the BSA quietly stopped allowing Venture patrols to earn Venture letters and activity pins persists due to a response to a letter in a 2005 Scouting magazine where the question is asked: "...can boys in a Venture patrol earn the letter available to boys who are members of a Varsity Scout team?". The editor's reply was:
Only Varsity Scouts can earn the program's Varsity letter and Denali Award, although Varsity Scouts also can work toward the Eagle Scout rank and achieve other Scout awards and recognitions.
The response, although technically accurate that Venture patrol members cannot earn a Varsity letter, is misleading in that it omits the fact that Venture patrol members can earn a Venture letter. This is confirmed by the April 17, 2007 Official Boy Scout/Varsity Scout Uniform Inspection Sheet which specifies the official placement of the Venture letter on the merit badge sash.
Sources: "Confused About Venture Patrols" Letters to Scouting Magazine, May 2005
Official Boy Scout/Varsity Scout Uniform Inspection Sheet, Official Placement of Insignia
Help with these requirements
- Venture Program pamphlets
- Varsity Team Program Features Pamphlets No. 1, 2, 3 (34837, 34838, 34839)
- Woods Wisdom (7262)
- Passport to High Adventure


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National City Family House Polo Match
The 25th Annual National City Family House Polo Match presented by National City was filled with fun for the whole family. An impressive 2,000 guests tailgated on the lawn, and eagerly awaited the match. After Number 1 Cochran's Potomac Polo Club defeated Howard Hanna Real Estate's Great Meadow Polo Club, guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, Champagne, and entertainment at the Hartwood Mansion for the exclusive post-polo mansion party and fashion show, featuring clothing by Linda Bucci. The $300,000 raised will help Family House provide accommodations for families dealing with medical crisis away from home. Photos by Megan Wylie.Read More


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The collection of Moleskine notebooks gets larger. A new photo set showcases the whole Volant line, including the new colors: grey and purple. Each edition comes in a two-tone set, with a number of different layouts: Extra Small, Pocket, Large and the new Extra Large, with plain or ruled pages, but always with the classic rounded corners and ivory paper of Moleskine.
The sets in blue, sky blue, red and pink are also available in XL format: 96 big pages 19 x 25 cm. The last 16 pages are detachable, for your loose notes.


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For anyone waiting for the draft of the quarterbacks — players included — it came Saturday in the fourth round.
A shopping spree for signal callers opened the final day of the draft with Southern California's Matt Barkley taken by Philadelphia after a trade with Jacksonville.
Yes, it was three rounds later than Barkley hoped for. Same thing for Ryan Nassib of Syracuse, Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Tyler Wilson of Arkansas, the other quarterbacks chosen in Round 4.
"We're going to take the best value on the board," coach Chip Kelly said, adding the Eagles rated Barkley in the top 50. "There's a prime example. The best value on the board by far was Matt. He's an extremely mature young man, intelligent, articulate. He has that 'it' factor."
Perhaps. But he seemed to have a lot more of it last year. Barkley was projected as a first-round selection last year, but opted to return to school. He and the Trojans slumped, Barkley injured his shoulder, and his stock plummeted.
"I try not to get stressed about things I can't control," Barkley said when asked about his drop in the draft. "I'm just glad I know where my home is and I can't wait to hit the playbook."
He will join quarterbacks Michael Vick and Nick Foles in Philadelphia.
The New York Giants, hardly in need of a quarterback with Eli Manning in his prime, still dealt with Arizona to move up for Nassib.
Nassib, from the Philadelphia suburbs, took a call from Giants coach Tom Coughlin, but wasn't sure what Coughlin told him.
"To be honest with you, I blacked out. I didn't get everything," Nassib said. "What I did get from him was that first off I had to cut my ties with the Philadelphia Eagles and switch, which won't be a problem."
Oakland, which acquired Matt Flynn from Seattle in the offseason to be its starter, followed two picks later at No. 112 overall with Wilson. Three spots after that, Pittsburgh grabbed Jones, probably hoping to groom him behind Ben Roethlisberger.
A former quarterback, Denard Robinson of Michigan, is headed to Jacksonville, which had one of the league's worst offenses the last two years. Robinson will be switched to running back or receiver by the Jaguars; he set the NCAA record for career yards rushing (4,495) by a quarterback.
"A lot of people have put me at different positions," he said. "Now it's time to go to work."
South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who would have been a high pick if healthy but is coming off a second severe knee injury, went to the 49ers 131st overall. San Francisco can afford to "redshirt" Lattimore because it has a strong stable of runners, including Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James.
National champion Alabama, which had four players chosen previously — three in the first round — had three more go on the final day: linebacker Nico Johnson to Kansas City with the pick after Barkley was taken; guard Barrett Jones, who can play all offensive line positions, to the Rams; and DT Jesse Williams to Seattle.
Here's the NFL Draft's Fourth Round Selections:
98. Philadelphia (from Jacksonville), Matt Barkley, qb, Southern Cal.
99. Kansas City, Nico Johnson, lb, Alabama.
100. Tampa Bay (from Oakland), Akeem Spence, dt, Illinois.
101. Jacksonville (from Philadelphia), Ace Sanders, wr, South Carolina.
102. New England (from Detroit through Minnesota), Josh Boyce, wr, TCU.
103. Arizona, Alex Okafor, lb, Texas.
104. Miami (from Cleveland), Jelani Jenkins, lb, Florida.
105. Buffalo, Duke Williams, db, Nevada.
106. Miami (from New York Jets through New Orleans), Dion Sims, te, Michigan State.
107. Tennessee, Brian Schwenke, c, California.
108. Carolina, Edmund Kugbila, g, Valdosta State.
109. Green Bay (from New Orleans through Miami), David Bakhtiari, ot, Colorado.
110. New York Giants (from San Diego through Arizona), Ryan Nassib, qb, Syracuse.
111. Pittsburgh (from Miami through Cleveland), Shamarko Thomas, db, Syracuse.
112. Oakland (from Tampa Bay), Tyler Wilson, qb, Arkansas.
113. St. Louis, Barrett Jones, c, Alabama.
114. Dallas, B.W. Webb, db, William & Mary.
115. Pittsburgh, Landry Jones, qb, Oklahoma.
116. Arizona (from New York Giants), Earl Watford, g, James Madison.
117. Chicago, Khaseem Greene, lb, Rutgers.
118. Cincinnati, Sean Porter, lb, Texas A&M.
119. Washington, Phillip Thomas, db, Fresno State.
120. Minnesota, Gerald Hodges, lb, Penn State.
121. Indianapolis, Khaled Holmes, c, Southern Cal.
122. Green Bay, J.C. Tretter, ot, Cornell.
123. Seattle, Chris Harper, wr, Kansas State.
124. Houston, Trevardo Williams, lb, UConn.
125. Green Bay (from Denver), Johnathan Franklin, rb, UCLA.
126. Tampa Bay (from New England), William Gholston, de, Michigan State.
127. Atlanta, Malliciah Goodwin, de, Clemson.
128. San Francisco, Quinton Patton, wr, Louisiana Tech.
129. Baltimore, John Simon, lb, Ohio State.
130. x-Baltimore, Kyle Juszczyk, rb, Harvard.
131. x-San Francisco, Marcus Lattimore, rb, South Carolina.
132. x-Detroit, Devin Taylor, de, South Carolina.
133. x-Atlanta, Levine Toilolo, te, Stanford.
NFL Draft's Fifth Round Selections:
134. Kansas City, Sanders Commings, db, Georgia.
135. Jacksonville, Denard Robinson, rb, Michigan.
136. Philadelphia, Earl Wolff, db, N.C. State.
137. Seattle (from Detroit), Jesse Williams, dt, Alabama.
138. Seattle (from Oakland), Tharold Simon, db, LSU.
139. Indianapolis (from Cleveland), Montori Hughes, dt, UT-Martin.
140. Arizona, Stepfan Taylor, rb, Stanford.
141. New York Jets, Oday Aboushi, ot, Virginia.
142. Tennessee, Lavar Edwards, de, LSU.
143. Buffalo, Jonathan Meeks, db, Clemson.
144. New Orleans, Kenny Stills, wr, Oklahoma.
145. San Diego, Steve Williams, db, California.
146. Denver (from Miami through Green Bay), Quanteras Smith, de, Western Kentucky.
147. Tampa Bay, Steven Means, de, Buffalo.
148. Carolina, A.J. Klein, lb, Iowa State.
149. St. Louis, Brandon McGee, db, Miami.
150. Pittsburgh, Terry Hawthorne, db, Illinois.
151. Dallas, Joseph Randle, rb, Oklahoma State.
152. New York Giants, Cooper Taylor, db, Richmond.
153. Atlanta (from Chicago), Stansly Maponga, de, TCU.
154. Washington, Chris Thompson, rb, Florida State.
155. Minnesota, Jeff Locke, p, UCLA.
156. Cincinnati, Tanner Hawkinson, g, Kansas.
157. San Francisco (from Indianapolis), Quinton Dial, dt, Alabama.
158. Seattle, Luke Willson, te, Rice.
159. Green Bay, Micah Hyde, db, Iowa.
160. St. Louis (from Houston), Zac Stacy, rb, Vanderbilt.
161. Denver, Tavarres King, wr, Georgia.
162. Washington (from New England), Brandon Jenkins, lb, Florida State.
163. Chicago (from Atlanta), Jordan Mills, ot, Louisiana Tech.
164. Miami (from San Francisco through Cleveland), Mike Gillislee, rb, Florida.
165. Detroit (from Baltimore through Seattle), Sam Martin, p, Appalachian State.
166. x-Miami, Caleb Sturgis, k, Florida.
167. x-Green Bay, Josh Boyd, de, Mississippi State.
168. x-Baltimore, Ricky Wagner, g, Wisconsin.


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Now that we know that some of the people who prosecute the cheaters in college sports are cheaters themselves, maybe it's time to reexamine the entire enterprise. In light of NCAA president Mark Emmert's admission on Wednesday that the organization essentially hired an attorney for convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro to hijack a deposition in a federal bankruptcy case with questions designed to aid the NCAA's investigation into the University of Miami athletic department, perhaps it's better to stop trying to apply a Band-Aid to an ax wound. Maybe the schools that run the NCAA should look hard at exactly what the NCAA is trying to protect with its aggressive prosecution of transgressions involving dollar amounts that are laughably small in comparison to the take at most major football schools.
The NCAA, working in tandem with quite a few members of my profession, has done an excellent job throughout the years of making you believe people who break the NCAA's rules are evil. Don't believe me? Let's play a name association game.
If you've followed college sports for the past few years and you aren't a fan of the schools associated with these particular individuals, here are the phrases that probably popped immediately into your head.
The NCAA is amazing at selling the narrative that the NCAA is all that stands between the purity of college sports and absolute lawlessness. It does this to protect its member schools, which with their left hands swear by the notion of amateurism so they don't have to pay taxes on the multibillion-dollar television rights deals they're signing with their right hands. But if the NCAA has to break its own rules to do that, maybe the schools that run the organization need to decide whether an ideal that doesn't really exist anymore is worth protecting.
All the NCAA's ban on players making more than tuition, room and board does is create a black market in which shady handlers cash in and players risk eligibility for relative pennies. The college students didn't decide to turn college football and men's college basketball into lucrative businesses. The grown-ups did. (In fact, they sued the NCAA to make the largesse possible.) Now it's time for those grown-ups to admit they broke the model of amateurism and try to find a workable solution instead of cheating while trying to tar college students for realizing a bit of their market value.
The best solution remains something similar to what has long been advocated by ESPN basketball analyst -- and attorney and former student-athlete -- Jay Bilas. Embrace the same model as the Olympics. In 2011, I offered a truncated rewrite of the NCAA rulebook that would incorporate the Olympic model. Don't allow schools to pay more -- this takes care of the tax and Title IX issues -- but allow anyone else to pay any athlete they choose. Yahoo! columnist Dan Wetzel proposed a similar system on Wednesday. This would provide a more just system with far fewer headaches, but the public and people who run college athletics have been beaten about the head for so long with the notion that any remuneration beyond a scholarship is immoral that they can't abide common sense. Every time a major conference signs a new television rights deal, the dollar figures grow, yet the people in charge cling to rules written for a time when revenue was scarce and costs had to be carefully controlled. At some point, probably when members of a younger generation have taken charge, this notion of immorality will disappear. Just as people in the 1800s thought women would never be allowed to vote and people now can't imagine a time when women couldn't vote, opinions will shift.
Besides, there are few sensible arguments against such reforms. The chief knock on the Olympic model is that the boosters at the wealthiest schools will pay so much that the top recruits will choose only those schools. Perhaps the defenders of the status quo don't read Rivals.com very often. According to the site, the top seven recruiting classes in 2013 as of Thursday morning are as follows:
1. Florida 2. Notre Dame 3. Alabama 4. Ohio State 5. LSU 6. Michigan 7. USC
Now let's take a look at top seven football-revenue producing schools for the 2011-12 school year, according to data submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
1. Texas 2. Michigan 3. Alabama 4. Auburn 5. Georgia 6. Florida 7. Notre Dame
Those lists look awfully similar. In fact, 13 of the top 20 revenue producers are ranked in the top 20 of Rivals.com's class of 2013 team rankings. The wealthiest schools already get the top recruits. Allowing boosters or companies to pay players wouldn't change anything with regard to competitive equity. The playing field would remain as tilted as ever, because some fan bases will always care more about football than other fan bases.
But a loosening of the rules would change the way the NCAA treats the most valuable employees in this increasingly lucrative business. The NCAA has always excelled at selling the narrative that any player or coach who runs afoul of its rules is a hopeless cheater. We in the media and plenty of fans happily slurp up this notion. Those dirty, rotten cheaters need to be punished. When a player gets dragged into the NCAA's court, he is forever smeared. For starters, he is guilty until proven innocent. While going through the NCAA's disciplinary process, he'll probably receive more negative media attention than a non-famous person convicted of rape or murder. For the remainder of his life, the player or coach will be branded a cheater.
So how do we reconcile these smear campaigns with the fact that the NCAA is willing to break its own rules to catch these scofflaws? Will Jerry Tarkanian or O.J. Mayo or John Blake receive an apology if an investigator broke the rules in their cases? When the NCAA catches a coach running afoul of its rules, the prevailing sentiment is that it wasn't the first time the coach broke the rule. It was the first time he got caught. The same standard applies here. How many other times have members of the NCAA enforcement staff cheated to win a conviction? (Why they would bother cheating is another question; the NCAA's burden of proof in its version of a court has always been absurdly low.) If a California judge unseals the evidence in former USC football assistant McNair's defamation suit against the NCAA, we'll probably find another example. The "evidence" against McNair was cooked because the NCAA needed a skin to put on the wall in the Reggie Bush case.
How are we supposed to believe any of these cases were handled properly? And what exactly did the NCAA win in each one? The NCAA worked so hard to make you believe that McNair, Green and Pryor were substandard human beings for the following reasons:
? According to the NCAA, McNair received a phone call from one of the guys paying Bush.
? According to the NCAA, Green sold a jersey for $1,000 to an agent's runner.
? According the NCAA, Pryor sold Ohio State commemorative items for $2,500 worth of tattoos and cash.
Who is the real villain here? Is it the player who trades a tiny gold pants charm for cash? Or is it the organization that paints him as a scoundrel for realizing some of his market value during a school year in which his university reported $63.8 million in football revenue? Even if every rumor about Pryor were true, we'd be talking about a haul in the very low six figures for the second-most-famous person in a multimillion-dollar enterprise. There actually is no villain here. A player taking a little more doesn't hurt anyone, and NCAA investigators are just trying to do their jobs. Even if the rules are arbitrary and dumb, they do get paid to enforce them.
Maybe it's time to blow up the model. The NCAA is under attack from all sides -- and not only by whiny sportswriters. Either the organization will pay McNair or the enforcement department will be further undermined when the evidence gets unsealed. Also, the case originally filed by former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon continues to steam along. O'Bannon and others have sued because the NCAA continues to profit off their likenesses in video games without compensating them. The NCAA is clearly in the wrong. It will settle, or it will go to court and lose. Either way, it will have to change how it handles the use of athletes' likenesses after their eligibility expires. Meanwhile, the state of Pennsylvania will mount a legal challenge to Emmert's decision to punish Penn State's football program because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. At least Emmert doesn't have to worry about anyone finding evidence an NCAA employee cheated in the Penn State investigation. Emmert circumvented his own organization's judicial process and punished Penn State's football players without an investigation and without a finding that any actual NCAA rules were broken. Emmert did not, however, punish crony Graham Spanier, the former Penn State president who is facing a perjury charge because state officials believe Spanier helped cover up the rape of children.
With so much in flux, now is the perfect time to make sweeping changes. Emmert actually has tried to be a reformer and a deregulator during his time in office, but his blunders have drawn far more attention. If he wants to be remembered for something more than a unilateral punishment of Penn State and a scandal that destroyed the credibility of his enforcement department, Emmert should gather school presidents and convince them that the best way to fix the NCAA is to admit that, in the revenue sports, their schools abandoned the amateur ideal a long time ago. Only then can the NCAA begin building an organization that can effectively govern the booming business of major college sports.


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Mr. Moogie is the yellow bunny squeaky toy belonging to Artie Springer on Dog City. Artie is seldom without Mr. Moogie, with whom he often converses. Mr. Moogie assumes an importance akin to Ernie's Rubber Duckie or Radar, Big Bird's teddy bear.
Mr. Moogie is normally seen as a prop toy, but first appears in animated form chasing Ace Hart and Eliot Shag in the first season episode "In Your Dreams." In the third season, Mr. Moogie starred in several animated supporting segments of his own.


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Lovely gifts and accessories.
Based in sunny Norwich, Lisa Angel offers a gorgeous selection of high-quality jewellery, scarves, accessories and homeware, designed, made or specially selected by our dedicated teams here at the Lisa Angel studios just for you.
Our fabulous ladies' fashion jewellery covers all bases, with beautiful luxury solid gold pieces all the way to bright and bold costume jewellery. From delicate sterling silver necklaces to sparkling semi-precious stone earrings, Lisa Angel has everything you could possible want in the wonderful world of women's jewellery!
Looking for something extra special? We personalise hundreds of our products to create the perfect presents for loved ones! Our personalisation styles include hand-stamped dates, engraved messages, vinyl initials and embroidered names, all skilfully done by our talented personalisation and jewellery making teams.
Lisa Angel isn't just for the ladies… we offer a huge selection of men's jewellery and accessories that are sure to have him smiling. Tough leather bracelets, personalised accessory stands and luxury watches; our men's ranges are so full of sleek and stylish pieces for him you'll be spoilt for choice.
Our biggest priority is you, and keeping our lovely customers looking and feeling great with the highest quality products is more important to us than anything else. If, however, you have any problems at all then we are happy to offer a no quibble 28 day free return on all purchases.
We are a multi-award winning British brand.
Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant for 4 years in a row
Winner - Best Customer Service at the Intu Chapelfield Retailer Awards 2016
Winner - Best for Jewellery and Accessories at the Intu Chapelfield Retailer Awards 2016
Finalist - Female Icon Category at the Barclays Entrepreneurs Awards 2016
Finalist - Future 50 One to Watch Award at the EDP Business Awards 2016
Winner - Investing in Future Growth Award at the EDP Business Awards 2016
Part of the Future 50 group of Businesses 2015
Finalist - Business of the Year Award at the EDP Business Awards 2015
Finalist - Business Development Award at the EDP Business Awards 2015
Winner of Best Customer Service at NOTHS Make Awards 2014
Lisa Angel uses Royal Mail 48 to post standard items.
For next day orders we use Interlink & DPD.
We post items seven days a week and if you need an item quickly just send us a message.
Please see notonthehighstreet.com's delivery policy.
Please see notonthehighstreet.com's returns policy.
Lisa Angel Limited, 17 Wendover Road, Rackheath, NORWICH, NR13 6LH, GB
Please see notonthehighstreet.com's terms & conditions.


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Browser does not support script.
The Centre is the only one of its kind in the UK to bring together cognitive neuroscientific, computational and cognitive robotic expertise, aimed at translational neuroscience and advances in robotics.
Our research projects involve collaborations between the Schools of Psychology, Computer Science, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Mechanical, Chemical, and Manufacturing Engineering, Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Medicine and Biosciences. Our links with medical neuroscience in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital near to the University mean that the CNCR Centre is in an advantageous position to generate a uniquely integrated approach to brain rehabilitation. We aim to integrate several interdisciplinary teams to develop a greater understanding of brain function and human and artificial learning. This will have the dual advantage of innovating treatment for patients, but also exploit the knowledge to advance robotic development.
Access to state-of-the-art facilities is critical for this rapidly developing field and we have been successful in acquiring high resolution facilities both for measuring (fMRI, EEG) and intervening in brain activity (tDCS, tACS, TMS), eye movement, kinematic motion analysis, haptic interfaces, virtual reality (VR), and multisensory stimulation. We also have advanced platforms for robotics including multi-fingered, lightweight robot hands, robot arms, humanoid robots, and small mobile robots to support a wide range of investigations.
Funding for the Centre totals around £7 million and comes from a wide range of sources: all relevant UK Research Councils (BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC), UK charities (the Stroke Association, the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society), international bodies (the EU, ERC, Marie Curie, the Human Science Frontier Program, DAAD).
Humans & Robotics


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Prints – Framed – Canvas – Acrylic – Large Format
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Super Bowl 2017
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Havelock is moving forward with one building project, while another has been delayed.
Havelock is moving forward with one building project, while another has been delayed.
City commissioners delayed any action on plans for expansion of the animal shelter during their meeting Monday night, but did receive what they said was good news in terms of construction of a new city hall building.
A representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development notified the city that American Recovery and Reinvestment Act waivers releasing the city from a strict timeline for construction of the new city hall had been approved.
Mayor Jimmy Sanders said U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., 1st Dist., and Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., 3rd Dist., contacted the Office of Management and Budget in support of the city�s waiver request.
"If they had not gotten involved, this project was dead on arrival," Sanders said.
Sanders wrote letters of thanks to both legislators.
"Havelock can now proceed with the project knowing that it can do so carefully and in a reasonable time frame to ensure the project is done right," he said in the letter.
Havelock had earlier been approved for a $1.8 million loan/grant package from USDA Rural Development to build a new city hall. When initial plans for the building came in above budgeted costs, commissioners fired the architect and hired a new one. Architect Oakley and Collier is currently working on plans for the building.
While that project is moving forward, the brakes were put on a planned expansion of the animal shelter. Planned discussion of the project during Monday�s meeting was taken off the agenda prior to the start of the meeting.
The city had budgeted $42,600 for the project, but during a second round of bidding for the project, all came in well above the budgeted amount. Diane Miller, city spokeswoman, said staff with city public services is working on a potential contract with a bidder, but that the details of that contract were not yet ready to be presented to commissioners.
The city plans an expansion of the shelter that would allow for more dogs and cats to be kept at the building.
In other business Monday night, the board:
-- approved the city�s share of an Assistance to Firefighters grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to train city firefighters as certified driver/operators of the city�s ladder firetruck. The federal share of the grant is $78,615, while the city will put in $4,137.
-- approved a McCotter Canal Connection contract through the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources 2012 Recreation Trails Program. The project cost is $74,000, and the city�s match is $16,000. The project will include construction of a roughly two-mile trail from the city recreation complex on N.C. 101, along the McCotter Canal on the east end of the city to the vicinity of the Cinema 6 theaters. The plan calls for a small footbridge to be built across the canal, along with solar lighting, benches and trash cans along the path.
-- heard from city Parks and Recreation Director Dave Smith that the state had agreed to disregard a low appraisal for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund application involving the city�s plans to build a recreation facility on a 47-acre tract at the end of Lewis Farm Road in the future. The move to user a higher appraisal cost allows the city to use the value of the land as a match for trust fund money to help build the facility.
-- heard from Information Technology Director Chad Ives that the state would allow the city to use about $98,000 in 911 funds to replace computer-aided dispatch servers and related equipment at the police department. The city will have to pay about $30,000 to replace the older equipment.
-- appointed Jackie Attaway to a term on the Havelock Planning Board, and appointed Mary Eastman, Agnes Curran-Tonkin, Marlene Lynch, Sherry Hunt and Amber Lewis to terms on the Havelock Appearance Commission.
-- welcomed Ashley Wimberly as the new assistant public services director for the city.


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This is my 7th year teaching for River Springs Charter School in Murrieta, California. I am a lower elementary Montessori teacher and couldn't ask for a better job. I am very passionate about my job and love any opportunity life presents me to be creative. I love creating materials, being artistic, reading, bike riding by the beach, and a nice glass of red wine after a long day in the classroom. :)
The Montessori classroom is a very hands-on environment. That being said most of my materials are hands on types of materials. There are not very many worksheets which I enjoy immensely!
BTSA Support Provider, Personal Learning Mentor
California State University Long Beach: B.A. in Liberal Studies & Multiple Subject Teaching Credential North American Montessori Center: Lower Elementary Teaching Certificate
Please check out my website: www.montessorisaver.com At least one of my TpT products will be available FREE on my website each week, so please follow it!!!
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, Homeschool
English Language Arts, Creative Writing, Reading, Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Specialty, Math, Algebra, Arithmetic, Basic Operations, Fractions, Geometry, Graphing, Measurement, Numbers, Science, Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Social Studies - History, Arts & Music, Visual Arts, EFL - ESL - ELD, ELA Test Prep, Math Test Prep, Other (ELA), Life Skills, Critical Thinking, Literature, Writing, Reading Strategies, Holidays/Seasonal, Mental Math, Place Value


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What Agile Metrics Should We Report?
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What metrics should be reported to management in an Agile software development environment?
On the Scrum Development mailing list, Charles Bradley asks:
A department has 3 dev teams that all report to one Senior Manager. That Senior Manager reports along with a few others to a VP.
What metrics, if any, would you suggest to report from the team to the Sr. Mgr?
What metrics, if any, would you suggest to report from the Sr. Mgr up to the VP?
George Dinwiddie proposes a straightforward solution: ask management what metrics they would find valuable. In the case of this example, however, management doesn't know what kinds of metrics they want yet. They are wary of asking for metrics that break the principles and spirit of Scrum, and they are asking Bradley for advice.
Are there any kinds of metrics that should definitely not be reported to management in an Agile development environment? George Dinwiddie writes:
In general, don't report raw numbers. Those removed from the work often won't have the context to interpret them reasonably. And, upper managers don't have the time to do the analysis for themselves.
Specifically, according to Dinwiddie, team velocity is one number that should not be reported to management. Estimates about the future should be sent up rather than the velocity number itself.
Ron Jeffries writes that any metric whose intent is to compare productivity between teams is a bad idea:
Whatever you measure here, even if it were revenue dollars received cannot (I do not mean should not) be used to assess the teams' comparative "productivity". It will not work. It cannot work. I mean cannot in the sense that a rock cannot hang in the air unsupported. I mean cannot in the sense that a cat cannot build a bridge.
A car salesman sells 30 cars a month. A realtor sells three houses a month. Which is more productive, and what should the other one do to become as productive as the one?
So what kinds of metrics should be sent up through the management chain? One approach, suggested by "karatasfamily", is to consider the questions that management will have about any software development project, Agile or not, then provide metrics that give insight into those questions. Some sample questions might be
- What are you doing?
- When are you doing?
- Are you on schedule?
- Are you on budget?
With this philosophy, the fact that a project is an Agile project is mostly encapsulated from management. The metrics reporting structure for Agile projects is designed to conform to management's current reporting formats, rather than management having to learn a whole new way of doing business. This attitude towards metrics is similar to the one described in Ken Schwaber's book Agile Project Management with Scrum.
The least-wasteful metric, though, is the one that never has to be created in the first place. In his book How to Measure Anything, Douglas W. Hubbard says,
If a measurement happens at all, it is because it must have some conceivable effect on decision and behavior. If we can't identify what decisions could be affected by a proposed measurement and how that measurement could change them, then the measurement simply has no value.
By this standard, every metric proposed—Agile or not—should be challenged with the question, "What is the decision this metric is supposed to support?" If no decisions would be affected by the metric, then the metric is useless and should not be reported.
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Two Guidelines
Karl Scotland
1. Is it and outcome or an activity metric? Outcome metrics should be preferred.
2. What can I learn from the metric to help me improve? A good metric is one which generates knowledge for improvement.
John Seddon's Freedom from Command and Control is a good source for further info on these guidelines.
You shouldn't report progress metrics
Eirik Maus
Request for metrics to keep an eye on the progress of an iteration is a clear sign that the iteration length is too long.
Send a snapshot of the tasklist board taken with your phone every morning that manager doesn't show at the stand up meeting. That would be sufficient.
Dont forget code quality metrics.
Rex Hoffman
Though I loath to call these "agile" metrics, they are quality metrics. However, try adding features to a highly coupled code base (or have a member of your team do it) and tell me that coupling and cohesion aren't the true measure of your codebase, and hence your teams, agility. Test code coverage and the like are all useful, but not directly indicative of the software's quality (ease of maintenance, ability to change code in a library without breaking other code through unintended consequence due to coupling, readability, robustness). I'd recommend javacss for readability, and jester for robustness.
In short, I think a lot of the metrics people focus on now are missing the point. Most management doesn't understand what it means to have quality code, and that your team is constrained by the quality of code it works on.
This increasing code quality is what will allow your team become more effective over time, beyond merely becoming more acquainted with a code base. Not just during a project, but month-by-month, year-by-year in a way that will help to keep an organization efficient (relative to competitive organizations).
Queue criticism of being to close to the code base.... Just trying to put some of that good old-fashioned computer science back into software development.
Re: Dont forget code quality metrics.
Pat Leamon
Two types of metrics
Rodrigo Coutinho
The first type are internal metrics, like burndown charts, number of tests failing, quality index, etc. These are shared with senior management, and the goal of these numbers is to monitor, evaluate and improve the R&D processes.
We then have external metrics, where we do surveys to our customers asking them what they think about parts of the product, and the product as a whole. We ask questions about usability, quality, usefulness, etc, and we share the results of these surveys with upper management. This is a great way to measure what really matters: What the customer thinks about your product.
Start with goals/questions
Anton Litvinenko
George Dinwiddie proposes a straightforward solution: ask management what metrics they would find valuable.
George almost got it right, but instead of asking what metrics management would like to see one should start with goals: i.e. why management wants to see metrics at all, what management would like to do with that data (e.g. track product quality, improve processes, ...). When goals are defined, the next step would be to compile list of questions, so that answering them would enable to track achievement of the goals. And only then start thinking about metrics.
This is a general outline of the metrics framework known as Goals-Questions-Metrics (GQM).
Another very useful "start-up" guide is Linda Westfalen's "12 steps to useful software metrics"
The one-liner to take out here: one should first decide why she needs to see some metrics and only then decide which particular metrics would satisfy those needs.
Re: Start with goals/questions
Anton Litvinenko


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Christian THINK: How Did We Learn About What Kills Us?
It's curious to me how often most Christians just do not think about some things. Has it ever occurred to you how human beings first learned what killed us? Take lead poisoning for instance. Do you know that people had to die before we could figure it out? Then think about all of the poisonous plants and venomous creatures. People had to die from eating certain plants and being bitten by certain creatures before we knew what not to do. Take polluted water. Same thing. Read the book, The Ghost Map and see for yourself. You see, there was no other way. None. And if a good God existed and put us in this environment he didn't do us any good. At best a good God would've told us in advance to avoid the kinds of things that will kill our daughters, fathers, husbands and wives. But he didn't. So he knew in advance people would have to die tragic and sudden deaths before we could figure it out.


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Blues place T.J. Oshie on injured reserve, recall goalie Jake Allen
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues placed forward T.J. Oshie on injured reserve with a lower body injury and recalled rookie goalie Jake Allen under emergency conditions after one day at Peoria, Ill., of the AHL.
Allen replaces Jaroslav Halak, who injured his groin in a 4-1 victory at Minnesota on Monday night. Forward Adam Cracknell was recalled to replace Oshie, who was hurt in the first period Monday.
Oshie has seven goals and 13 assists in 30 games. The 22-year-old Allen is 8-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with two shutouts.
Cracknell has two assists and two penalty minutes with St. Louis.


text: John Elder Robison is the NY Times bestselling author of RAISING CUBBY, LOOK ME IN THE EYE, BE DIFFERENT and the forthcoming SWITCHED ON. He's neurodiversity Scholar in Residence at the College of William & Mary, and he advises schools and industry on autism and diversity. He's a popular speaker and workshop leader.


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Apogee One: USB Music Interface and Microphone for the Mac
ONE is a pocket-sized music interface featuring the award winning sound quality that made Apogee Electronics famous. Designed to work easily with Apple's GarageBand, Logic, Final Cut, or any Core Audio compliant application, ONE lets you create professional recordings anywhere.
With Apogee ONE, you can record a single channel of audio using the specially tuned enclosure microphone, an instrument input for guitar, bass, or keyboard, or a world-class microphone preamp input. Listening with ONE is an entirely new experience as well. Hear your recordings and your iTunes library with incredible dimension and clarity through ONE's studio-quality stereo output.
It's an Apogee: Legendary Sound Quality at an Incredible Price
If you've been in a commercial recording studio, you've probably seen Apogee gear. If you haven't, you've heard it. Apogee products are preferred by recording pros around the world and have set the industry standard in professional recording for over two decades. ONE makes the legendary quality of Apogee available in a portable form factor and at the lowest price ever for a premium computer recording interface.
Take ONE Anywhere
ONE is powered by a USB connection to your Mac and offers 24 bit audio at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz for pristine sound quality. With a footprint slightly larger than an iPhone, ONE's compact size is travel friendly, allowing you to record and perform professionally any place your music takes you.
There's a Mic Inside: Tuned Aperture Microphone™ Technology
Unlike any interface in its class, ONE features an internal reference condenser microphone that has been fine-tuned by professional recording engineers to create Apogee's Tuned Aperture Microphone™ technology. ONE with its tuned aperture microphone and fitted with the optional custom mic mount is the ultimate portable recording solution for quickly capturing musical ideas, recording high quality demos, rehearsals, podcasts, lectures, interviews, voice-overs and more.
Choose your Mic: World-Class Mic Pre input
For those who prefer the sound of their favorite microphone, ONE features a worldclass microphone preamp with phantom power and a gain range of +10 to 63 dB. Based on the award winning mic preamps in Apogee's Ensemble and Duet, ONE's preamp is digitally controlled by the encoder knob. Level can also be set from within Apogee's Maestro, or your Mac's Sound and Audio MIDI Setup control panels.
Guitar, Bass and Keyboards: Instrument Inputs
Plug-in and play is made easy with ONE's instrument input. Perfect for guitar, bass, and keyboard, ONE's instrument input has extremely low noise and a transparent signal path making it the ideal solution for recording or performing live with your Mac.
Headphones or Speakers: Studio Quality Stereo Output
Hear your recordings in their truest form and rediscover your iTunes library with ONE's studio quality stereo output. Controlled by the encoder knob, the output of ONE is supplied by the 1/8" jack on the front allowing connection to either headphones or powered speakers.
ONE Touch Control: The multifunction encoder knob
All of ONE's features are selectable and adjustable with just a click and a turn. ONE's single encoder knob provides direct access to the tuned enclosure microphone, external microphone, instrument and output functions for input level and volume adjustment.
Connect easily: Instrument and microphone breakout cable
ONE uses an instrument and microphone breakout cable, designed to minimize its footprint in your creative space and maximize ease of use and aesthetic appeal. The breakout cable provides clearly labeled high-quality connections for an instrument or microphone, as well as a natural strain relief between ONE and any connected items.
Making music on your Mac
Like Apogee's Duet and Ensemble, ONE is incredibly easy to use with Apple's GarageBand, Logic and Final Cut software. This makes getting started easy and adjusting ONE's levels and settings simple. The combination of ONE, Mac hardware and Apple's music creation software offers the most powerful and simple audio workstation available.
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snafuspyramid wrote:Returning to softshells, do you think it makes sense to purchase the hard shell with the hood? And does anyone have any thoughts on the Macpac 6S Sabre softshell? How might this compare with the Marmot?
I've a couple of thoughts to offer.
Despite some searching I've found little mention of the Sabre online.
I looked, as being a Macpac fan from way back, the Sabre was the first jacket I looked at.
There is reams of positive feedback however on the Granity.
Coupled with RonKs first hand knowledge and recommendation I found it an easy decision as I too tend to agonise for extended periods of time over purchase decisions.
Whist I'm confident the Sabre is a good product there was just too much evidence of the Marmot being a great one to ignore.
Moments ago I found and bought:
http://www.backcountry.com/marmot-gravi ... GphY2tldHM
Hope this is helpful


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Mobile & Wireless Slideshow: What Are Your Mobile Workers Really Doing?
By Don Reisinger | Posted 03-03-2011
A recent report from Forrester Research, "The Rise of Wannabe And Maverick Mobile Workers," explores the changing mobility profile of today's workforce. We highlighted Forrester's profiles of two types of workers - Mobile Mavericks and Wannabes - in our report "Mobile Mavericks and Wannabes: A Workplace Invasion?" This time around, we're going to explore Forrester's findings about what these employees are actually doing when they go mobile. Forrester defines "mobile mavericks" as those who purchase and use smartphones on their own for work purposes. "Mobile wannabes" are defined as those workers who are often at their desks and, therefore, are not considered by IT to be among the company's mobile workers.
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Yellow Medicine County has narrowed its list of candidates for YMC Administrator to five candidates, two of which are current county employees.
YMC hired St. Paul located public sector advisor, Springsted, to facilitate the search and hire of a new county administrator following for mer administrator Ryan Krosch's departure to Nicolett County at the end of 2012.
Yellow Medicine County has narrowed its list of candidates for YMC Administrator to five candidates, two of which are current county employees.
YMC hired St. Paul located public sector advisor, Springsted, to facilitate the search and hire of a new county administrator following for mer administrator Ryan Krosch's departure to Nicolett County at the end of 2012.
The five candidates have been invited to a meet and greet that will be held at the Granite Run Golf Course on Tuesday, April 2 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The occasion will provide an opportunity for commissioners and YMC Human Resource Coordinator Tegan Laleman to mingle with candidates before a formal interview process that will be held the following day.
Commissioners will then be tasked with choosing an ideal candidate to offer the job.
Below are the names of candidates, their recent work experience and education background as provided by Springsted in a media profile.
•Heather Aagesen-Huebner
Huebner has been employed with Dakota County in Hastings as Administrative Services Manager, Community Services Division from February 2012 to the present and as a Management Analyst for the Office of Planning Analysis from June 2008 to February 2012. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Humphrey H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs as well as Political Science and Economics degrees from the University of Minnesota.
•Patrick Bruflat
Bruflat holds degree in Social Work from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and has served as Human Services Director II for the Redwood County Human Services Department from 1993 to 2012.
•Peggy Heglund
Heglund has been with Yellow Medicine County Family Services since 1979, serving in the capacity of YMC Family Services Director since 2003. She holds a degree in Psychology from Moorhead State University.
•Michelle May
May has been with Yellow Medicine County since October of 2011 where she has held the position of Finance Director. Prior to her hiring with the county she worked for Schwan's as an Accountant for the majority of 2010 and as a Financial Analyst for most of 2011. She is currently working toward her Master of Business Adminstration from Southwest Minnesota State University and holds Business, Accounting and Finance degrees from the University of Minnesota.
•Zachary Robideau
Robideau has served as the Renville County Human Resource Coordinator since 2006. He holds a Business Administration degree from Ridgewater and Business Finance degree from St. Cloud State University.
In other news:
•Commissioners looked ready to approve a "Hold Harmless Agreement" brought before the Yellow Medicine County Family Service Director Peg Heglund, but stopped short when County Attorney Keith Helgeson suggested that the agreement be run by the county's insurance provider. Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT), first.
The document was deemed necessary in order to implement a program that encourages mentor services between a family and an individual who the family, themselves, has chosen as a mentor for their child. This is accomplished by providing restaurant, entertainment and other types of gift certificates that the county would give to the family, which in turn would give it to the mentor, to help facilitate the interaction.
The "Hold Harmless Agreement" would serve to make it so that the county would not be held liable for supervision or review of mentors, nor any interactions that said mentor and child may have.
•In a 3-2 vote, commissioners voted against buying back into tourism outfit, Southwest Minnesota Prairie Waters, at least for 2013.
Yellow Medicine County left the organization a few years ago based on the perception that the organization was not adequately using resources for advertising the area.
Commissioner John Berends, owner of Bootlegger's Supper Club, motioned for Yellow Medicine to buy back in at a cost of approximately $12,800 for 2013. He commented that from the standpoint of a business owner, "There is no one way to get a hundred customers in the door, but there are a hundred ways to get one."
Commissioner Ron Antony noted that such an expenditure was not budgeted for 2013, and the vote was split with board member Berends and Gary Johnson voting in favor while Antony, Greg Renneke and Louis Sherlin voted against.
Commissioner Renneke added that just because the county would not fund the organization in 2012 did not mean they would not do so in 2014.


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Message Board
Genie Chipps Henderson Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Henderson has written!
Author Henderson's Book Reviews
A Woman of the World
Berkley, Nov 2004, 6.99, 384 pp. ISBN: 0425199134 Kate Goodfellow dreamed of becoming a photographer and with a steely determination she has made her aspirations come true even though it cost her marriage. In 1935 in New York Kate meets writer Hopper Delaney and soon they marry and collaborate on books together. Kate is on top of the world, but will not allow family or love to stand in the way of her globetrotting to take pictures at hot spots....


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Karl and Choupette Ikonik new rubber
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text: The first-person shooter game Halo: Combat Evolved was one of the first titles for Microsoft's Xbox. Halo featured Master Chief, a Space Marine fighting the Covenant on a ring planet. The series spawned comic books, graphic novels, and a number of highly successful sequels. The release of Halo 3 was, at the time, the largest single-day release of any entertainment product.


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Inspiration: Two Mexican Hotels by Joseph Dirand
Parisian architect/designer Joseph Dirand has a knack for updating classic color palettes and mid-century furnishings for the 21st century. You can see his signature black-and-white aesthetic in two very chic Mexican hotels: Distrito Capital in Mexico City and Habita Monterrey in the Sierra Madre mountains. Minimal and modern, these hotels both offer some lessons in using clean-lined furniture and neutral palettes...
Although the range of color is very limited, there's a lot of diverse texture in these rooms. Marble, wood, leather, steel, black onyx, and Indian mirror mosaics all exist happily side by side. Space plans are well thought-out, with headboards that double as countertop desks and dining areas that provide a range of seating from large communal tables to banquettes. Both hotels are owned and operated by Grupo Habita, the luxury hotelier behind many of Mexico's best design hotels.
For more information on Joseph Dirand and his work, visit his site.
• FIRST ROW: Hotel Distrito Capital
• SECOND ROW: Habita Monterrey
(Photos: Adrien Dirand photographs for Joseph Dirand, Hotel Distrito Capital, Hotel Habita Monterrey, Design Hotels)


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Man Ray (American, Philadelphia 1890 - 1976 Paris)
Bird from Nowhere (Oiseau de nullepart), 1934
Signed bottom right, in grey pencil: Man Ray 1934 1
Oil on canvas (mounted on aluminum plate)
15 1/8 x 18 1/8 in. (38.4 x 46 cm)
Gift of Katharine Kuh, 1963
Although best known for his experimental photographs, Man Ray also created both abstract and figurative paintings. In Bird from Nowhere, the craggy shape and encrusted surface of a strange bird fills much of the picture field, its enormous beak about to capture some prey.
In the mid to late 1930s, Man Ray's financial success in fashion photography and portraiture gave him the time and leisure to produce a large number of paintings. In 1963 the artist described this phase of his career:2
"By the middle of the Thirties I had re-established myself as a photographer, moving about more in social circles and being solicited by advertising agencies and fashion Magazines. It was more irregular work, but better paying than portraits, leaving me more time for painting. I found a large studio with an apartment, which I fixed up again according to my ideas. Here I could live and work. I gave up the other places, reducing my double life into a single one, still remaining single as far as amorous adventures were concerned. The studio was full of photographic paraphernalia, to impress my clients, but the walls were covered with paintings and a couple of easels stood among the lights. None except the Surrealists and some friends noticed the paintings. I was casual with my more commercial clients, getting all I could out of them."
Bird from Nowhere was painted during this period.
The pigment-encrusted surface and jagged brushwork patterns of Bird from Nowhere are common to many of Man Ray's paintings, such as Modern Mythology, 1955, or Vegetal Landscape, 1958.3 Thematically and formally, however, the work is somewhat difficult to place within the artist's oeuvre. Most of the artist's paintings from this period show precisely drawn, ordinary objects in incongruous settings or relationships, as in The Fortune of 1938,4 in which a billiards table is slickly rendered in one-point perspective, floating in mid air among clouds and mountains; or the well-known Oberservation Time - The Lovers of 1932-34,5, in which an enormous pair of sharply defined, red, and presumbably female, lips expand across an evening sky and hover above a landscape with an observatory.
Man Ray offered Bird from Nowhere as a gift to his longtime friend and sometime collaborator Marcel Duchamp.6
A. Kurlander
Born Emmanuel Radnizky, the artist adopted the pseudonym Man Ray as early as 1910. He attended drawing classes given by Robert Henri and George Bellows in New York in the 1910-15, but was already involved with more avant-garde activities by that time. He was a frequent visitor to Alfred Stieglitz's influential 291 Gallery, and in 1915 began a lifelong friendship with Marcel Duchamp. With Duchamp and Francis Picabia, Man Ray founded the New York Dada movement; and with Duchamp and patron Katherine Dreier, was a founder-member of the Société Anonyme, one of the first organizations to promote and collect avant-garde art in this country. In 1921 Man Ray collaborated with Duchamp on the periodical New York Dada; later that year he moved to Paris, where he became an influential figure in the international circle of Dada and Surrealist artists and writers.
Although he was also active as a painter, draftsman, and sculptor, Man Ray's greatest impact on twentieth-century art was as a photographer. In 1922 he began creating "rayographs," a personal variant of the photogram, in which images were produced by placing objects directly on photosensitive paper; rayographs transformed ordinary objects into mysterious, allusive entities. From the late 1920s Man Ray also experimented with solarized photographic images, and made important contributions to the avant-garde film genre. Commercial photography earned the artist a steady source of income, both portraits and fashion photography for magazines such as Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.
Man Ray left Paris in 1940 to escape the Nazi occupation. He settled in Hollywood, California, but returned to Paris in 1951, where he resided for the remainder of his life.
M. E. Wieseman
General References
Foresta, Merry, et al. Perpetual Motif: The Art of Man Ray. Exh. cat., National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C., and New York, 1988.
Foresta, Merry. In The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 20. Edited by Jane Turner. London and New York, pp. 287-88.
Gift from the artist to Marcel Duchamp and Mary Reynolds, Paris
Collection Mrs. Katharine Kuh, New York (bis 1957-58), by whom given in 1963
New York, The Archives of American Art, New York Regional Center Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1994-95. Katharine Kuh: Interpreting the New. 13 December - 13 March (also shown at the Gibson Gallery, State University of New York, Potsdam). Cat. p. 22.
Stechow, Wolfgang. European and American Paintings and Sculptures in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College. Oberlin, 1967, p. 125, fig.
Katharine Kuh: Interpreting the New. Exh. cat., The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, New York Regional Center Gallery, New York, 1994-95, p. 22.
Technical Data
The oil paint (which may have been mixed with watercolor) is thick and impasted throughout. There are scattered old losses, particularly in the green pigment, which have not been inpainted or restored. Because of a history of instability and cleavage between paint layers, the painting was lined onto a linen fabric and mounted on an aluminum plate in 1964. The wax/resin adhesive used in the lining process may have caused the pigments to darken slightly. The surface of the painting is unvarnished.
1. Inscribed on the top member of the original stretcher, in graphite, left: PPL2130; Man Ray, Paris Ve / 8, rue du Val-de-Croce/Teleph. Danton 92-95; on the right member of the original stretcher is a circular stamp: DOUANES/EXPOSITIONS/PARIS.
2. Man Ray, Self-Portrait (Boston, 1963), pp. 292-93; cited in Jean-Hubert Marlin, Man Ray: Photographs (London, 1982), p. 184
3. Oil on canvas, 146.1 x 114.3 cm, collection Mr. and Mrs. Man Ray, Paris, reproduced in Jules Langsner, ed., Man Ray (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966); and oil on cardboard, 13 x 17.5 cm, collection Vera and Arturo Schwarz, Milan, reproduced in Arturo Schwarz, Man Ray (New York, 1977), p. 115, pl. 201.
4. Oil on canvas, 58.4 x 71.1 cm, private collection; reproduced in Jules Langsner, ed., Man Ray (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966), p. 86.
5. Oil on canvas, 100 x 250.2 cm, private collection; reproduced in Jules Langsner, ed., Man Ray (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966), frontispiece.
6. Note by Katharine Kuh, October 1962, in the museum files.