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Barnes, Burrell and a Beck Memorial Lecture: "Philippe Mercier Watteau's English Follower" ~ by Martin Eidelberg
In 1991 a restorer brought Professor James Beck of Columbia University to trial in four Italian cities on charges of aggravated criminal slander. (Beck's comments to one journalist had been carried in four regional newspapers.) Facing a possible three years jail sentence and ruinous, punitive damages – the restorer demanded 60 million lire for "material and moral damages" – Beck was exposed, vulnerable, alone. The restorer had sued Beck but not the four newspapers that had carried the allegedly damaging comments by the world's leading authority on Jacopo della Quercia, whose famous marble carving in Lucca Cathedral, The Ilaria del Carretto, had been stripped of its ancient patina in a "conservation treatment" that included being blasted with particles to remove abrasions and scratches and saturated with penetrating oil to produce a homogeneously shiny surface (see Figs. 2 and 3). Despite the awfulness of the restoration everyone expected Beck to lose. One person who knew that he was going to lose – the trial judge in Florence – told the prosecuting lawyer as they left the court building together for lunch on the first day of the trial that he would find the scholar guilty: "Eh, but I shall convict him".
Fortunately, that declared intention was overhead by an intern-lawyer and former policeman who happened to be working for Beck's own lawyer. The judge and the lawyer disputed the attributed words but not the fact that they had left the court talking to each other about the case. Despite their joint denial, eventually, the judge was replaced and Beck was acquitted. (The story of that trial is told in the book "Art Restoration ~ The Culture, the Business and the Scandal" by James Beck and Michael Daley.) By then, Beck had resolved to set up an international organisation dedicated to speak and act on behalf of art against harmful practices and abusive or exploitative treatments. ArtWatch International was founded in 1992 to be that organisation.
When Beck died in 2007 we knew that the best way to honour his courageous stance was by continuing to campaign through ArtWatch. At the same time, to commemorate his achievements as a rigorous (Rudolph Wittkower-trained) scholar and highly popular teacher, we instigated an annual memorial lecture, alternating between London and New York, to be given by scholars of high esteem. We have been honoured by talks from Professors Hellmut Wohl and Charles Hope in London in 2009 and 2011, and by Professors Mark Zucker and David Freedberg in New York in 2010 and 2012.
The fifth lecture was given in London this year on September 30th by Professor Martin Eidelberg at the Society of Antiquaries of London in Burlington House. It was a sparkling and instructive occasion as Professor Eidelberg showed (through more than fifty PowerPoint slides) a succession of visual comparisons which deftly separated the subject of his talk, Watteau's English follower, Philippe Mercier, from the many inferior works that had been attached to the artist as a kind of attributional flag of convenience, thereby exposing the intriguing conundrum of a painter of considerable quality who had remained a faithful pastichist of his chosen master, borrowing motifs at every step of his own career. An account of this elusive artistic entity will be carried in the next ArtWatch UK journal – just as the fourth lecture by Charles Hope ("The National Gallery Cleaning Controversy") is carried in the current journal. Professor Eidelberg cites on his (excellent, as Selby Whittingham describes below) website, Watteau and His Circle, an anecdote about the friend of a colleague who responded to a general archaeology exam question with:
"an incredibly detailed answer about a minor type of Roman provincial pottery. The examiners were bowled over by this man's extraordinary knowledge on such a minuscule topic, but then asked him why he had expended so much energy on a subject that only three or four people in the world knew anything about. His reply was 'I realize that, but with them I have such interesting conversations.'"
Martin Eidelberg expresses the hope that his own essays will find a readership, encourage others' research, lead to stimulating conversations on the art of Watteau and his circle. Certainly, his lecture on the 30th left the (distinguished) audience delighted and flattered to have been party to so discriminating and illuminating a conversation. Given the talk's rarified subject it seemed appropriate to ask a specialist in the field, Selby Whittingham, who is Secretary of the Watteau Society, Donor Watch and The Independent Turner Society to offer a note on the speaker and his researches.
Dr Whittingham recalls:
"It is 29 years since I first met Martin Eidelberg at the colloquium at Paris to celebrate the tercentenary of Watteau's birth, to which we both contributed, Martin on Watteau and his early master, Gillot. The speaker immediately preceding myself, Brian Allen, spoke about early imitators of Watteau in England, of whom "easily the most important" was Philip Mercier. Fifteen years earlier John Ingamells and the late Robert Raines, a founder member of the Watteau Society in 1984, held an exhibition on Mercier at York Art Gallery, followed by a catalogue of his works published fittingly by the Walpole Society (Horace Walpole having owned an actual Watteau, now at St Petersburg).
"As Martin's conclusions will appear in his excellent Watteau blog, suffice it to say that he has once again challenged accepted views and causes us to revise our ideas about Watteau and his satellites. It was a rare privilege for a London audience to hear such an erudite talk, as the subject of Watteau long bypassed London, the blame for this being laid on the embargo put by Lady Wallace on the Wallace Collection from lending any of its pictures! However the accession of Christoph Vogtherr as its Director (successor but one to Ingamells) has now shown that need not be so, and that scholarly publications are not dependent on blockbuster loan exhibitions. On the other hand it is regrettable that an exhibition, mainly of photographs, on Watteau's techniques held just after the tercentenary at Brussels never transferred, as its organisers had wished, to England, as the matter would have been of great interest to supporters of ArtWatch, some of whom will remember how a conservation mistake was shown by Martin Eidelberg at a previous meeting to have obliterated additions to a painting made by Watteau himself."
The earlier ArtWatch talk to which Selby Whittingham refers was much appreciated by James Beck. As well as providing a platform for good talks, Artwatch soon discovered that people feel freer to approach and pass on intelligence to a dedicated organisation than to individuals. One of the first to do so was Nick Tinari, a young electrical engineer and devoted student at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania. He brought news of an attempt to overturn a prohibition on loans of art works from the Barnes Foundation's fabulous collection of modern paintings. This, indeed, was alarming: tours not only constitute greatly increased risks (six-fold in the judgement of one insurer) but too often serve also as pretexts for "conservation treatments". With the Barnes collection (as with that of the Sterling and Francine Clark collection – see "Taking Renoir, Sterling and Francine Clark to the Cleaners"), the now-at-risk paintings were in the best, which is to say, least-restored conditions.
The justification for the proposed breach of a fabulously generous donor's wishes and conditions was that money could be raised through a foreign tour of key works in the collection to make "conservation" improvements to the building in which the collection was housed. Alleged conservation needs provide morally-coercive cover for many professional expansions and building projects. Tinari saw the proposal as a ruse contemptuous of Barnes' intentions and philosophy. Events proved him right – the assets of an institution were effectively hi-jacked and its educational purpose greatly subverted. The story of that heist has been well told (and see Tinari's own comments below). Less sufficiently appreciated is Tinari's own remarkable and tenacious defence of Barnes' wishes and instructions against the hot-shot lawyers of the would-be institutional transformers. Those encounters so sharpened his awareness of and appetite for the law that he turned to law school himself and now works as a patents attorney.
Artwatch has always seen itself as something of a standard bearer and supporter of other worthy autonomous campaigns on Art's behalf. James Beck had great fondness for courageous campaigning individuals and created a small prize which he named after the New York painter Frank Mason. Mason, a longstanding and popular traditionalist teacher at New York's famous Art Students League (among his student/devotees was the great American satirist and author of "The Painted Word", Tom Wolfe), was a pioneering anti-restoration figure in the US, leading marches of artists and students at the Art Students League to the Metropolitan Museum in protest at its picture restorations. In opposition to the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel ceiling he enlisted the engagement of the writer and former art critic of Time Magazine, Alexander Eliot. With the philosopher Thomas Molnar and the cultural historian Arcadi Nebolsine, Mason had founded The International Society for the Preservation of Art, which organisation was incorporated within ArtWatch International at its 1992 foundation.
At this year's James Beck Memorial Lecture we awarded the 2013 Frank Mason Prize to Nick Tinari. He, like Selby Whittingham (the recipient of the 2011 Frank Mason Prize), has joined our campaign against Glasgow City Council's attempt to have conditions of Sir William Burrell's bequest overturned by the Scottish Parliament so as to permit foreign tours of works from the collection. The submissions to the Scottish Parliament made by Donor Watch, Nick Tinari, and ourselves, can be read at this site. Evidence given to the Parliamentary Committee by ArtWatch UK and others can be seen here.
Nick Tinari's submission begins:
"I am a practicing attorney and an electrical engineer. I am also an alumnus of the education program of the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania. Like Mr. Burrell, the founder of the Barnes Foundation, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, made his gift of an extensive art collection including the stipulation in an Indenture of Trust that none of the works should be loaned. This stipulation was temporarily breached in the 1990s based on the argument that the foundation was lacking funds to maintain theMerion gallery and that a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity had opened for a tour of the artwork to Washington D.C., Paris and Tokyo, with the French and Japanese venues paying a total of $7 million for the loan. This was one of the earliest instances of outright rental of artwork for exhibition and at the time the largest sum ever paid for such a transaction. Since then, the practice has become commonplace…"
In view of this great familarity with the Barnes case and its clear relevance to present considerations of the private bill presently before the Scottish Parliament, we asked Nick Tinari if he might address that relationship when making his response to receiving the Frank Mason Prize.
Nick Tinari's response:
"I want to thank everyone at ArtWatch for awarding me the Frank Mason prize this year. I've worked alongside ArtWatch for many years and they are doing important work that no one else is addressing, namely, protecting our artistic heritage for the long haul, not just for the next exhibition or next year, but for as long as we will continue to recognize artistic genius, which hopefully is a very, very long way out.
"In addition to being a remarkable artist and teacher, Frank Mason was an early voice against imprudent "restoration" of artwork. We are in the small club of those who organized protests at museums, his in the 1970s at the Metropolitan Museum and mine in the 1990s at the Washington National Gallery and Philadelphia Museum of Art.
"I met Jim Beck many years ago when I was trying to stop the dismantling of the Barnes Foundation in Merion Pennsylvania. One aspect of the plan to break the founder's will was an international tour of 80 works from the collection. It was a story that is very similar to the current plans for the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The trustees no longer had connections to the donor or his intent and they wanted to elevate their own agendas and "put the Barnes on the map," which was, of course, ridiculous because the Barnes Foundation was world-renowned long before the arrival of new trustees.
"I asked Jim for help because the tour organizer, the Washington National Gallery of Art, wanted to remove varnish from many of the works, many of which came into the collection directly from the artists' studios and thus were in pristine condition, even if not bright enough for the kinds of shows the National Gallery puts on.
"This was in the infancy of ArtWatch and Jim wrote some letters and we did press releases together and got some attention to the matter. In the end, the works were not touched for the tour, the rumor being that the French organizers objected to altering the paintings, although some of the same institutions have certainly made their own mistakes since then.
"Between 1993 and 1995, roughly 80 Barnes paintings did travel to Washington, Paris, Tokyo, Fort Worth, Toronto, Philadelphia and Munich. Because I did not believe the National Gallery's officials' promises about the supposedly careful transit conditions—they actually claimed the works would be safer on tour than in Merion—I examined the works myself in Washington, Paris, Fort Worth, Toronto and Philadelphia. Aided by the condition reports for the paintings prepared before the tour by the National Gallery and which I obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, I documented damage to several works as they were moved from city to city.
"The most dramatic damage that I saw was in the form of stretcher creases extending the width of one of the four-meter-wide canvas sections of Matisse's la Danse [see Figs. 24 and 25], which Barnes commissioned for three lunettes in the central gallery at Merion [see Fig. 17]. Contrary to National Gallery testimony that climate-controlled trucks would be used, the large panels were shipped from Merion to Washington in open-air flat bed trucks in 40 degree Fahrenheit weather and then laid flat and rolled up to a special opening in a large window at the National Gallery [see Fig. 19]. I did not witness it, but presumably, a similar procedure was used to move the panels to the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris. We have photos of the arrival of the panels at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, again on open trucks and again laid flat before being moved into the building.
"These photos [Figs. 24 and 25] show the damage as I recorded it at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the painting was on display while the remaining works traveled to other cities. The National Gallery's incredible response was that they simply had not noted the stretcher creases on the original condition reports. This is belied by an earlier report prepared by chief conservator, Ross Merrill, prior to removal of the work from the Barnes' walls. In the report, Merrill states that the panels were in "remarkably good condition . . . taught and in plane." An independent conservator, Paul Himmelstein, testified that the stretcher creases were typical of damage caused by laying a work horizontal against its stretchers, especially during a period of change in relative humidity. That is exactly what one would expect in bringing the work from the heated gallery in Merion to an unheated ride down I95 to Washington and then to be laid flat on the ground there. Prior to this, the work had not been off the wall or out of vertical position since Matisse saw it installed in 1934.
"A second instance of National Gallery mendacity involved the large Seurat les Poseuses, which a previous conservator at the Barnes Foundation stated should not travel [see Fig. 23]. The National Gallery approved the Seurat's travel but, remarkably, changed its mind after the work had been to Washington, Paris and Tokyo. The claim was that the painting was not damaged but just should not travel any further. Of course this makes no sense. Either the painting was in the exact physical condition that it was in when it left Merion and thus fit for continued travel or it had been degraded since Merion, which was why it was no longer fit for travel. I suppose the third option is that, as the earlier conservator observed, the work was never in condition to travel and the National Gallery, having now exhibited the rare work, was willing to reverse itself, while not admitting that the decision to allow travel was wrong from the start. At least for now, the painting has this helpful footnote in its record should the urge to tour it arise again, although, as in the case of the Matisse, it is pretty clear that Alice in Wonderland rules apply to statements from the National Gallery.
"The final affront to the Matisse occurred only recently when it was moved from Merion to a new gallery in Philadelphia. As it played out, the agenda to put the Barnes Foundation "on the map" did not mean on a map of Merion, Pennsylvania but five miles away in center city Philadelphia. Anyone interested in the full saga of the complete reversal of Barnes' wishes that the collection remain in Merion as primarily a teaching collection should view the 2009 documentary The Art of the Steal or consult John Anderson's recently-updated book Art Held Hostage. As for the Matisse, the architects and the Barnes trustees responsible for dismantling Barnes' express mandate for the collection's use and display did not recreate in Philadelphia the same building details that Matisse worked to. Rather, in keeping with the Modernist design of the new Philadelphia gallery, they eliminated oak moldings above three windows that Matisse clearly used as visual pediments supporting the figures in the mural [see Figs. 17 and 18]. In place of these visual anchors, there is now a wide strip of bare wall with the figures in the work now adrift. This stripping of the Merion details is so obvious a disturbance of Matisse's harmonization of the mural to the Merion building that it displays the complete and utter ignorance of both the architects and the Barnes trustees, some of whom fancy themselves as "important" collectors, whose mediocre accretions are regularly exhibited with the connivance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on whose board they also sit.
"The Barnes matter is unfortunately being replayed nearly verbatim in Glasgow at the Burrell Collection. The present stewards of the collection want to remove Burrell's restriction against the works travelling outside of the UK. The premise is the same as it was in Merion, namely, there are insufficient funds to repair the gallery and touring the collection would raise funds, while the real motive, as with Barnes, is to use a tour of the artwork to put Glasgow "on the map." ArtWatch has joined this present battle, and rightly so, because, collections like Barnes and Burrell are special islands of calm in a noisy field where art is now seen as a commercial enticement for tourist dollars. The conditions that Barnes and Burrell attached to their generous gifts should be observed not only because of the moral imperative, but because I think it is important to have at least some small part of the cultural heritage that is not subject to commercial pressures and dangers of endless tour schedules and inevitable damage and repair, not to mention the desire to brighten up works to suit viewers jaded by digital, LCD-lit images. Because Barnes had such restrictions on his collection, the works were not hastily cleaned when most museums were doing so. I fear that the rare condition of these works is now in jeopardy as they have now become part of Philadelphia's self-declared "museum mile."
"Jim Beck used to say that the experience between the artwork, and by extension the artist, and the viewer is a fragile one, an experience that cannot bear the weight of other agendas like blockbuster tours and "civic boosterism". ArtWatch was founded to "speak for the art." As the Barnes Foundation and Burrell Collection demonstrate, there will always be a need for that voice to be heard and I am glad to be a part of that effort."
In his closing remarks Nick Tinari evoked one of James Beck's greatest fears: that Art's welfare is increasingly considered secondary to that of certain vested interests and professional groups. A key and modish contention employed by those who would overturn Burrell's prohibition on foreign loans is that they wish to increase "access" to art – when art can only ever be in one place at a time and shuttling it around necessarily means that, in addition to being exposed to greatly increased risks, it becomes inaccessible to anyone except professional art handlers for long periods of time between venues, and entirely inaccessible in its home for what can be exremely long periods. A second contention (which we examine in a forthcoming post) is that shuffling art around facilitates scholarship. Many have complained that the scholarship connected with blockbuster exhibitions is often poor and meretricious. James Beck further held in the Art Review ("Facts and Fictions of Restoration", January 1999), that the scholarly spin-off of such exhibitions constitutes a professional inducement to take risks:
"The 'new' interpretations of one artist or another which result from the blockbuster offer the art historian the opportunity to participate in the resulting symposia and international congresses. The same is true of following the restorations of well-known or important works. These too require a whole new apparatus. What art specialist would be willing to forego a role in these activities? This would mean being left out of the massive catalogues that usually accompany art spectaculars. For those who enjoy it, there also opportunities to participate in television interviews or appear on any CD-ROM merchandise. Each of these can involve substantial compensation."
Michael Daley
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October 14, 2013 | Categories: blog | Tags: Alexander Eliot, Arcadi Nebolsine, Art Held Hostage, Charles Hope, Christoph Vogtherr, Donor-Watch, Dr Albert C Barnes, Dr Lynn Catterson, Frank Mason, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life, Hellmut Wohl, Jacopo della Quercia, James Beck, Lucca Cathedral, Mark Zucker, Matisse, Michael Daley, Nicholas Tinari, Paul Himmelstein, Philippe Mercier, Prof David Freedberg, Ross Merrill, Selby Whittingham, Seurat, Sir William Burrell, The Art of the Steal, The ArtWatch UK Journal, The Barnes Collection, The Barnes Foundation, The Burrell Collection, The Illaria del Carretto, The Independent Turner Society, The Philadelphia Museum, The Society of Antiquaries, The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Wallace Collection, The watteau society, Thomas Molnar, Tom Wolfe, Watteau | Leave A Comment »
"Pick Up A Pencil"
The theme of the new ArtWatch UK members' Journal (see right) is "The Primacy of the Visual". Failures to acknowledge, address, or even recognise visual evidence are examined. The text of Charles Hope's 2011 James Beck Memorial Lecture is carried in full. Professor Hope cites failures of the National Gallery's curators and restorers to address opponents' arguments or to recognise the import of key historical documents on artistic practice. When Professor James Beck, the late founder of ArtWatch International, lent support to artist-critics of the Sistine Chapel restoration he came under vicious attacks from some scholarly peers – for all the world as if he had betrayed a priesthood of the visually ignorant. Prof Hope cites a letter of that kind. If artists do sometimes discomfort scholars, it is no presumption: knowing how art is made they are precisely the best qualified to detect its un-making. Here, the painter (and photographer) Gareth Hawker discusses both fundamental differences between painting and photography and the widespread failures to recognise these differences. His demonstration is timely. If (as we have argued elsewhere), art schools have given up the ghost with regard to teaching the traditional skills that formerly equipped artists to recognise restoration blunders, in the wider world of commercial film-making there are signs – notwithstanding giant leaps in the powers of digitalised image-making – of a renaissance in traditional art practices. We discussed this paradoxical relationship in connection with the extraordinary accomplishment of the hand-crafted animated film Frankenweenie. Another such heartening case is discussed opposite. [M. D.]
A Photograph is a Copy, not a Creation, Gareth Hawker writes:
"…we have realised that we should give more attention to photography". So wrote the Director of the National Gallery, Nicholas Penny, in his introduction to the current exhibition, Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present [1]. Several reviewers seem to agree. Tabish Khan wrote that, "…photography is a contemporary art form that can be just as inspiring and impressive as painting" [2]. But photographs do not incorporate the high-level thinking that paintings do. It would be misleading to put them in the same category.
The difference between painting and photography is frequently glossed over. For example, many people suggest that the camera is a tool just like brushes and pencils. At first sight, this may appear to make sense. The photographer decides what to include in the picture, in the same way that a painter often does. He chooses where to place the camera; in which direction to point it; how far to zoom in on a subject; and when to press the shutter. He may select models, costumes, and arrange lighting. All these factors contribute to what is called the 'scene' – the image in the viewfinder. The 'scene' may be recorded by a photographer just as well as by a painter, so the argument goes: they just use different tools in order to complete the same task. However this is to ignore what the tools are used for. The camera is used to record the scene, while the brushes and pencils are used to analyse it. The importance of this analysis is often overlooked.
Photographers who have wanted to claim equal status with painters have made various approaches, all ignoring this analytical element. At first they blurred and smudged photographs in order to make them look like paintings. Then photographers claimed that theirs was a totally separate art form, a pure record of the scene. Some argued against this, saying that if a photograph were pure, it could not be artistic. Before this issue could be resolved, some writers swept it aside. They suggested that what mattered was, "conceiving an image in the brain and finding some way of expressing it" [3]. What counted was the viewer's response – whether a work, "spoke" to the viewer [4]. This disregarded a significant factor: people do not respond to paintings in the same way as they do to photographs, especially if they can see that a painting provides evidence of thinking, in a way that a photograph does not.
Paintings look different from photographs because they are made differently. A painting is constructed from brushstrokes; each stroke the result of a decision. A painting may represent a scene, or it may represent nothing at all. A painting is an independent creation, whereas a photograph is dependant on the scene. A photograph can be made only if there is a scene to be copied.
A representational painting may be compared to the summary at the beginning of a scientific paper – the paragraph which is entitled, "Abstract". Its writer makes a personal judgment about which are the most important topics dealt with in the paper, and writes a brief account of his own. The "Abstract" is a new and independent piece of writing, just as a representational painting is a new and independent analysis of the scene. In contrast, a photograph is like a photocopy of the whole scientific paper. The photocopy shows no analysis, and no judgment.
Brushstrokes are only the most basic way in which a painter's analysis or abstraction may be seen. Another is in the simplification of the human figure – in its reconstruction in terms of geometrical solids, such as eggs and cylinders. Even a simple tracing – the lowest form of analysis – shows which lines the painter has considered to be more important than others.
To give a computing analogy: a photograph is like a bitmap image (which records only pixels – spots of colour), but a painting is like a vector image (which records instructions about where lines are to go). A tracing programme can convert a bitmap file into a vector file. The computer makes a simplification which looks similar to a paint-by-numbers drawing. This computer drawing may be thought of as the beginning of an attempt to imitate human analysis – a type of artificial intelligence – though the computer has a long way to go before it catches up with the human brain in this respect (Fig. 1). If anything may be thought of as being a tool comparable with brushes and pencils, it is a tracing programme (which helps to analyse), not a camera (which does not).
To express the difference in another way: Scene = Photograph (Scene = Photograph) × Analysis = Painting
Analysis is an essential part of what makes a representational painting interesting to look at; whereas what makes a photograph interesting to look at is the scene, not its treatment.
Analysis demands abstract thinking – whether it is done well or done badly. What distinguishes the great painter from the mediocrity is the quality of this thinking, not any manual skill. Anyone who can sign his name, already has enough manual skill to make a great drawing. (This includes drawing in its wider sense: deciding where to place marks made by the pencil or the brush, even when no outlines may be involved).
The modern digital camera provides the most effective means for recording the scene that has ever been devised. Strangely, many photographers want to use it for a different purpose, to express an interpretation – a purpose for which it is singularly unsuited. Some photographers deliberately introduce all sorts of inaccuracies which mean that the result is neither a pure substitute for the scene, nor an independent creation.
The classical case for photography's status as an equal to painting was put forward by the man who was perhaps, "the most important figure in the history of the visual arts in America" – Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) [5]. In his usage, the word 'artist' meant someone who, "got the spirit of the truth" [6]. He held that only 0.1% of painters were artists, and only 0.1% of photographers were artists. But not everyone takes such an exalted view. For example, a tax inspector wants to know whether a painter is a house-painter or an artist, not whether he has, "got the spirit of the truth". So when a painter says that he is an artist, he is simply describing his activity. He is not claiming to be either good or bad at his job: that is for others to decide. But when a photographer says that he is an artist he is claiming to be in the top 0.1% of his profession: he is pushing others to accept the valuation he has placed on his own work.
By using the word 'artist' in this way, Stieglitz moved attention away from a vital distinction; that between creating something new (a painting) and making a copy (a photograph). He persuaded many viewers to ignore analysis, and to concentrate on the selection and arrangement of a scene – on pointing and shooting.
Stieglitz's advocacy, along with that of other theorists, seems to have desensitised many viewers. They see only the subject which has been represented. They fail to notice that a painting exhibits the working of a mind – not just in the choice of subject, but in every single stroke. One consequence of this desensitisation became apparent when the Sistine ceiling was treated by restorers, and much of the best painting ever produced was wiped off. The picture of a man looks like a man, whether it is drawn well or drawn badly. Most historians were satisfied with what remained after the paint-stripping because they could still identify the subjects which had been depicted. Very few noticed how drastically the quality of the drawing had been reduced.
Many people were better informed about these issues in the days when Michelangelo painted his great work. Contemporaries who saw it for the for the first time commented at least as much on the power of its drawing, as on its subject matter [7]. The way in which influential men looked at nudes in those days may be compared with the way in which they look at motor cars now: with an appreciation of the beauty of engineering and construction – an appreciation which derives in part from an understanding of how all the parts connect together.
The paint-stripping made nonsense of some of the connections in Michelangelo's nudes. His contemporaries would have been appalled, but most of today's historians and television presenters do not even notice. They focus on the imagery and the iconography, not on the drawing. It is as if they were waiting for the work to 'speak' to them – for the artistic content to make itself felt. But, being sensitive only to subject-matter, that is all that they are able to see. Such narrowly prepared minds will respond only to the crudest visual stimulus (the colours looking brighter after the top layer of paint has been removed, for example).
Just as the critical response to painting has become limited, so the meaning of the word Art has expanded – to such a degree that almost anything seems to be embraced by it, including photography. However painting remains distinct: it is a creation which is independent, and which can embody the kind of analysis described above. This is why painting may be categorised with the higher expressions of the human mind, along with poetry and philosophy. Photography does not fit into this category because it cannot display abstract thinking.
But painting is now so little appreciated that, to many people, it seems comparable with photography. This has allowed photography to be called Art, and so to enter the National Gallery. Arguably this is the same lack of discrimination that has allowed paint-stripping to take place, not only on the Sistine ceiling, but on almost all the great works of painting in the Western World, including those in the National Gallery.
"Giving more attention to photography", seems to be one more example of this downward trend, but perhaps there is a glimmer of hope. When a great artist's paint has been removed from a picture, the decline in its artistic quality is irreversible; but a decline in critical awareness is different: it can be reversed. At present, many people are only distantly aware that, in every brushstroke, a representational painting gives evidence of analytical thinking. Perhaps the exhibition at the National Gallery will help to promote this awareness. If so, it will have served a very useful purpose.
1 The National Gallery, Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present, Yale University Press (9 Oct 2012), ISBN-10: 1857095456, ISBN-13: 978-1857095456 The exhibition runs from 31 October 2012 to 20 January 2013 2 londonist. Art-review-seduced-by-art-photography-national-gallery. Retrieved 8 November 2012 3 Gerry Badger. Collecting Photography. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2003. ISBN 1-84000-726-5 p23 4 Gerry Badger. Collecting Photography. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2003. ISBN 1-84000-726-5 p24 5 Richard Whelan, Stieglitz on Photography, Aperture, 2000, p ix 6 Alfred Stieglitz, Is Photography a Failure?, The Sun, New York, March 14, 1922 – reprinted in, Richard Whelan, Stieglitz on Photography, Aperture, 2000, p 229 7 http://artwatchuk.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/12th-november-2012/ Retrieved 12 November 2012
Gareth Hawker
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December 17, 2012 | Categories: blog | Tags: "Liberty Leading the People", "The Snowman and the Snowdog", "The Snowman", Alfred Stieglitz, Camilla Fielding, Delacroix, digital cameras, digitalised imagery, Edgar Degas, Frankenweenie, Gareth Hawker, Georgia Dehn, Georgia O'Keefe, Gerry Badger, Helen Hulson, Jacques Franck, Joanna Harrison, Julien Vallou de Villeneuve, Lupus Films, Memling, Michael Daley, Mitchell Beazley, Nicholas Penny, Painting v Photography, Pete Western, Prof David Freedberg, Prof. Charles Hope, Prof. James Beck, Raymond Briggs, Richard Whelan, The ArtWatch UK Journal, The Sistine Chapel restoration | Leave A Comment »


text:
Thus Sitá spake, and he who knew
His duty, to its orders true,
Was still reluctant as the woes
Of forest life before him rose.
He sought to soothe her grief, to dry
The torrent from each brimming eye,
And then, her firm resolve to shake,
These words to pious hero spake:
'O daughter of a noble line,
Whose steps from virtue ne'er decline,
Remain, thy duties here pursue,
As my fond heart would have thee do.
Now hear me, Sitá, fair and weak,
And do the words that I shall speak.
Attend and hear while I explain
Each danger in the wood, each pain.
Thy lips have spoken: I condemn
The foolish words that fell from them.
This senseless plan, this wish of thine
To live a forest life, resign.
The names of trouble and distress
Suit well the tangled wilderness.
In the wild wood no joy I know,
A forest life is nought but woe.
The lion in his moutain cave
Answers the torrents as they rave,
And forth his voice of terror throws:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
There mighty monsters fearless play,
And in their maddened onset slay
The hapless wretch who near them goes:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
'Tis hard to ford each treacherous flood,
So thick with crocodiles and mud,
Where the wild elephants repose:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
Or far from streams the wanderer strays
Through thorns and creeper-tangled ways,
While round him many a wild-cock crows:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
On 'the cold ground upon a heap
On gathered leaves condemned to sleep,
Toil-wearied, will his eyelids close:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
Long days and nights must he content
His soul with scanty aliment,
What fruit the wind from branches blows:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
O Sitá, while his strength may last,
The ascetic in the wood must fast,
Coil on his head his matted hair,
And bark must be his only wear.
To Gods and spirits day by day
The ordered worship he must pay,
And honour with respectful care
Each wandering guest who meets him there.
The bathing rites he ne'er must shun
At dawn, at noon, at set of sun,
Obedient to the law he knows:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
To grace the altar must be brought
The gift of flowers his hands have sought--
The debt each pious hermit owes:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
The devotee must be content
To live, severely abstinent,
On what the chance of fortune shows:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
Hunger afflicts him evermore:
The nights are black, the wild winds roar;
And there are dangers worse than those:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
There creeping things in every form
Infest the earth, the serpents swarm,
And each proud eye with fury glows:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
The snakes that by the river hide
In sinuous course like rivers glide,
And line the path with deadly foes:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
Scorpions, and grasshoppers, and flies
Disturb the wanderer as he lies,
And wake him from his troubled doze:
The wood, my love, is full of woes.
Trees, thorny bushes, intertwined,
Their branched ends together bind,
And dense with grass the thicket grows:
The wood, my dear, is full of woes,
With many ills the flesh is tried,
When these and countless fears beside
Vex those who in the wood remain:
The wilds are naught but grief and pain.
Hope, anger must be cast aside,
To penance every thought applied:
No fear must be of things to fear:
Hence is the wood for ever drear.
Enough, my love: thy purpose quit:
For forest life thou art not fit.
As thus I think on all, I see
The wild wood is no place for thee.'

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wedges tails cut from silicon sheets. Very colorful and full of action! These will change the look and profile of your jigs to give a different look and presentation when the bite is slow. Great alternative to other tail materials out there! 25 tails per package.
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Welcome to Woods and Water Outdoors where you can find unique items for the avid air gunner and crappie fisherman. We have been in business since 2003 and have shipped thousands of items all over the world. Items listed are ready for immediate sale.
Thanks and look forward to serving you!
*$10.95 flat rate shipping on all fishing item related orders. All orders will be shipped within 24 hours of being placed (Monday-Friday)!
*(Only applies to orders shipped in continental U.S.)
Join us on Facebook!
SKU: Wedge-CHTMIN
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Setting your own hours, doing work you love, and sharing your true passion are all perks of being your own boss. While it may seem overwhelming to make the step to becoming the leader of your success, as your own boss, you now have the ability to manifest your future and create the life you've dreamed of.
Your job plays a crucial role in your health and happiness. It's what you're doing each day and should be something you enjoy! In fact, at Integrative Nutrition, career is a key area of primary food – the things that don't come on a plate that feed your soul. Other areas include physical activity, relationships, and spirituality. When you are satisfied in these pillars, you'll live a happier and healthier life.
But we get it! Becoming your own boss is an exciting, yet completely intimidating experience. Unless you've done it before, when you make the move to follow a passion and become your own boss, you likely won't know exactly what you're doing, what your next week will look like, or what you're going to earn.
Here are a few ways to say yes and be successful as your own boss.
1. Avoid self-doubt.
Know that changing your career is normal and possible! When you realize you're in a position that's no longer filling your life with joy, it's time for a change, and that's okay. Often, when people decide to make the switch, they feel anxious, scared, and maybe even lost. These feelings are normal when making big changes. Keep a positive mind-set, be proactive, and know that what you're doing is going to have an impact on the world and how you feel.
2. Have a plan.
Maybe this week you're going to work on your website or maybe you'll start creating video content for sharing. Each week may look different – some with longer hours and more effort, others feeling quiet or balanced. As your own boss, you have the opportunity to create the life you want, but it is all up to you. Create lists, calendars, and a schedule to take the steps toward building your new business.
3. Build your connections.
One of the best parts of Integrative Nutrition is the incredible community we share. Health Coaches and graduates of the school all share a deep passion for health and wellness. Be open to sharing more about your new adventure with others and be willing to take feedback. You'll never know the connections you can build unless you put yourself out there!
4. Find what makes you tick.
Once you find your passion, go with it! When you are authentic about what you love, people will resonate with it. Find your niche within the industry and use it to your advantage.
5. Follow your heart.
There's a reason you've either been thinking about changing your path or already made the decision to do it. It might not make sense to your family or friends, but trust your gut and follow your passion – the results will come.


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Corrance Road
Program | LEISURE |
Scale | 400 sqm |
Location | Corrance Road, London, UK |
Stage | Built |
Design Year | 2011 |
Design Strategy
Site Description:
The site covers an area of 400m2 (20m x 20m) and occupies a gap between a row of terraced houses on a residential street. According to local residents two bungalows used to occupy the site.
The only piece of play equipment/ furniture the site currently contains is a small slide. There is a rubber play surface underneath the slide. The slide sits roughly in the centre of the site.
The boundaries of the side are overgrown and there is an infestation of Japanese Knott Weed along the sides and rear.
The remainder of the site is grassed but is unmown. There is a problem with people using the site as a dog toilet and there is evidence of this everywhere. The site is heavily littered with beer cans and bottles, evidence of antisocial behaviour, backed up by local residence accounts, that occurs here.
The street side of the site is fenced with railings (c. 1.5m high).
Key Design Points:
- Security needs to be improved, this was a point made almost universally by local residents.
- The play area needs to be locked after dark. Some one must be appointed to manage the park e.g. lock in the evenings and open in the mornings.
- The design must be easy to maintain and control. Residents felt that unless the park was properly maintained and controlled it would rapidly deteriorate.
- Natural play i.e. play that allows children to engage with natural materials and the living world, should be encouraged.
- The Japanese Knot Weed needs to be eradicated this requires several treatments over a period of 6 months.
- Due to the residential character of the site provision needs to be made for residents of all ages as well as the Play Pathfinder target group of 8-13yr olds.
Design Stratergy:
- The railings on the street side of the site have proven inadequate in preventing illicit access to the site and antisocial behaviour occurring.
- It is proposed that railings be removed and a new robust timber fence be erected to the height of at least 2m. This fence boards would be set out with 80mm gaps between them to allow people to see into the site while at the same time preventing access to people/ dogs/ children after the park is closed.
- Due to the budget limitation it is proposed that the sole existing piece of play equipment, the slide be kept in situ and refurbished.
- The Japanese Knot weed must be eradicated otherwise the site will eventually become engulfed by it and it will destroy any kit/ surfaces that are built there. It will also destroy the foundations of the neighbouring buildings.
- Japanese Knot Weed can only be eradicated effectively through a course of treatments. It is therefore proposed that the Knot Weed be fenced off to allow for access and treatment while keeping the public especially the children away from the treatment process.
- When the treatment of the Knot Weed is complete the fencing can simply be taken down and laid horizontally to continue the deck to the perimeter of the site as it would be constructed in the same way as the deck.
- It is proposed that natural play be stimulated by inclusion of a pile of boulders for children to climb on rather than the purchase or construction of a climbing frame. A fallen tree may be used as well.
- Many residents expressed an interest in growing vegetables and flowers it is therefore proposed that at least two raised planters be constructed for the use of residents.
- Residents with children wanted seating to be provided so that they can sit down while minding children.
- Some residents wanted to see soft landscaping where children to play free from dog mess.
- Some residents wanted fruit trees to be planted.
- It is proposed that the primary surface treatment be timber grooven decking. This would be punctured in places to give space for items like the boulders and felled tree (for the children to climn on). In other places it would be punctured to give space for the raised planters and seating. Punctures through the deck would also give spaces for fruit trees to be planted. Soft landscaping could also be incorporated within the deck.


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How your job (and your pay) predicts your vote
Public administration field leans Republican, largely due to military and national security workers.
You know the stereotypes. The liberal starving artist. The conservative fat cat. But according to a new study from PayScale, the private salary survey company, there are stats to back up the cliches.
Industries that skew male -- including "hands-on" sectors like construction, mining, and utilities -- were among the most heavily Republican, while Democrats were more likely to work in education and the arts above all others.
The public administration field also leaned Republican, which may be surprising because Republicans tend to prefer smaller government and few public jobs, besides the military. But it's precisely the military that moves this industry into the red column. "Military and national security jobs are included in that industry," said PayScale's Katie Bardaro. "Other public admin jobs like local legislature were split 50/50, while public defenders and local courts leaned Democratic."
For charts and more on what your job says about how you're likely to vote, visit The Atlantic.


text:
Learn what those dental words mean.
Get dental news feeds delivered directly to your desktop! more...
Wisdom teeth are the third molars. Normally people have three permanent molars that develop in each quadrant of the mouth; upper, lower, right and left. The first molars usually grow into the mouth at around six years of age. The second molars grow in at around age 12. The third molars usually will try to grow in at around age 17 to 21 years. Since that is considered to be the age when people become wiser, third molars gained the nickname, "wisdom teeth." Actually, they are no different than any other tooth except that they are the last teeth to erupt, or grow into the mouth. They are just as useful as any other tooth if they grow in properly, have a proper bite relationship and have healthy gum tissue around them. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.
Reviewed: January 2012


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SOLARINSTALL-Solar PV System Installation Training
Conducted by
IIT Faculty & Solar Industry Experts
Date: 9th to 15th September 2017
Venue: IIT BOMBAY, Powai, Mumbai.
SOLARINSTALL course majorly focuses on hands-on training for component installation, commissioning of 1 kWp Off-Grid and 3 kWp On-Grid Solar PV Power Plant. It will also focus on Operations and Maintenance practices pertaining to solar PV systems. The participants will also be given training on marketing & entrepreneurship skill so that they will become the campaigners of solar energy.
Who is it for?
- Engineers
- Electricians
- Technicians and other solar aspirants
What do you get from this Training Program?
PV system hands on practice
- There will be a 1 kWp Off-Grid & 3 kWp On-Grid Solar PV system plant for hands on practice of installation and commissioning
Certification & Job Opportunities
- Certificates will be issued by Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), Skill India and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Govt. of India through kWatt Solutions Private Limited, SINE, IIT Bombay to the Students/faculties who would attend and successfully complete the training program
- Government has set a target of 100GW solar installation by the year 2022 which will create job opportunities for more than 1.6 million skilled technicians in solar installation
Highly useful to Prospective Solar EPCs!
Training Program Agenda
S.No | Underpinning Knowledge (Theory) | Practical Competencies | Duration(Days) |
1 | a. Electricity Basics b. Introduction to Conventional & Non-conventional source of Energy c. Basics of Solar energy |
Introduction of Institute, Solar Training Yard visit a. Tools Introduction & type of tools:- 1. Safety tools 2. Marking tools 3. Measuring tools 4. Testing tools 5. Working tools b. Basic knowledge of Irradiance sensor, Temperature sensors, Clamp on-meter, Earth tester, Insulation Resistance tester c. Demonstration of PV components:- 1. Module 2. Inverter 3. Battery 4. Structure 5. BoS d. Site selection, suitability & Planning |
1 |
2 | a. Study of solar photovoltaic cell & module, type and its application b. Handling, storing, packing/unpacking of modules, inverters, other components and tools c. Solar Photovoltaic system (Module, Battery, Inverter and BoS) d. Types of solar photovoltaic system 1. Grid connected solar PV system 2. Off-Grid/Standalone connected solar PV system |
a. Solar Photovoltaic system (Module, Battery, Inverter and BoS) b. Types of solar photovoltaic system 1. Grid connected solar PV system 2. Off-Grid/Standalone connected solar PV system c. Series and Parallel connections of battery and Modules d. Reading and observations of output from PV module (under various conditions) |
1 |
3 | a. Understanding the parameters of site survey – Site survey form filling, Analyzing the shading objects b. Execution Strategy and Steps – 1 MWp Solar PV Plant visit and activity c. Understanding the civil foundation design d. Structure erection, types of structures |
a. Civil Foundations implementation b. Module mounting structure (MMS) and erection of the same c. Proper alignment and tightening of MMS |
1 |
4 | a. Reading of Single Line Diagram (SLD) b. Performance analysis and troubleshooting monitoring of generation per string incoming & outgoing power at junction box & Inverter level c. Types of Cables d. Cable Protection, Cable routing, Cable laying e. Plant Protection System |
a. Module Mounting b. Inverter Installation c. Installation of balance equipment and end termination of Power cable d. Module Earthing e. Module Interconnections f. String testing, DC combiner box, Cable routing g. Installation of Battery (For 1 kW Off-Grid PV System) |
1 |
5 | a. Plant commissioning procedure b. Power Evacuation c. Understanding plant interconnections d. Understanding the concept of grid synchronization, grid fundamental AC/DC |
a. Purpose for Inspection & testing b. Inspection, Testing & commissioning of PV plant c. String testing – Pre checks d. Inverter Testing e. Dismantling of System |
1 |
6 | Batch-1 & Batch-2 Interchanging
a. Proper Alignment and tightening b. Fixing of Structure and its connection c. Module Mounting d. Inverter Installation and Connection e. Battery Installation (Off Grid System) f. Installation of Balance equipment and End termination of Power cable |
1 |
7 | a. Vote of Thanks | a. Installation of Junction Box b. String testing c. Cable tray, types of cables & cable laying d. Inspection, Testing & Commissioning of PV plant e. Grid Synchronization f. String Testing – Pre checks g. Short circuit test – work method h. Inverter testing – work method |
1 |
Complete hands-on solar PV system design and installation training | Theory + Practical | 7 Days
Dr. Chetan Singh Solanki
Chairman (kWatt Solutions Pvt. Ltd.)
- Professor, Energy Science & Engineering , IIT Bombay (Ph.D, IMEC Belgium) with 11+ Patents, 40+ International Publication, & 4 Books
- Principal Investigator – National Center for Photovoltaic Research & Education (NCPRE), IIT Bombay
- Young Scientist Award by EMRS (European Material Research Society) in 2003. Young Scientist Award by IIT Bombay in 2009 .
- He has delivered several invited talks and special lecture series on solar PV at both international and national level
- Founder member and Chairman of Education Park(Is An Effort for Providing High Quality,Affordable Education & Training in Rural India.
- Founder member and Chairman of New Energy Foundation (www.nenf.org).This organization is working for promoting renewable energy in rural India.
Bikash Kumar
Senior Advisor (kWatt Solutions Pvt. Ltd.)
- Bikash Kumar has over 20 years of experience in the PV Industry, spanning across major PV Company of India.
- He is currently engaged as Director Technical with V S Saurya EnerTech Pvt. Ltd under partnership arrangement and is building business portfolio in solar manufacturing & PV power plant services.
- He is also a member of Advisory Board of a startup company kWatt Solutions Pvt Ltd (kSPL) Incubated in SINE at IIT Mumbai
- He was last employed with Lanco Solar where he worked as VP Technology. Previous to Lanco he has worked at Tata BP Solar (now Tata Power Solar), Reliance Industries and Moserbaer.
Mr. Vaman Kuber
- Master in Information Science from UNSW Australia in 1992 – 1994 Mr. Vaman Kuber is an Advisor for kWatt Solutions in developing rooftop and utility scale SPV power projects.
- September 2010 – Present
- Lead, Develop and Manage delivery of training programs in Solar PV power components and systems.
Conducted Solar PV power plant studies and develop design project reports for project implementation.
Pranav Maheshwari
Head – Quality Assurance-kWatt Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
- Master in Technology in Department of Energy Science and Engineering (DESE) at IIT Bombay
- Performed feasibility analysis of wind-solar hybrid electricity generation for a remote village of 100 kW peak demand in Maharashtra
- Awarded 7th position worldwide, in the area of autonomous ground vehicles at Michigan, USA
- Previously worked in Tata Power, collaborating with India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) toward analysis of Electric Vehicle in India
- Performed Energy Audits for Eicher Engineering, Mumbai.
Mr. Pawan Kumar Venkata
- Master in Technology in Power Electronics at NIT Surat
- 5+ years of Experience in Solar Energy Field
- Experience in developing and guiding more than 100 Solar projects for Engineering students
- Trained more than 1000 students in Solar across India
- Developed various commercial solar products such as Battery Solarizer, Solar Home Lighting System, Solar Multitask power bank etc
- Developed 1st of its kind lab Instrument " Solar Spectral response Meter " supplied in various R&D institutes and centers across India
Mr. Mukesh Katare
- Bachelor in Technology in Power Electronics at UPES, Dehradun
- 5+ years of Experience in Solar Energy Field
- Experience in EPC for more than 500kWp Solar PV System
- Trained more than 1000 students in Solar across India
- Developed 1st of its kind lab Instruments " Solar Laboratory Setups" supplied in various R&D institutes and centers across India


text:
Two positive economic indicators:
-- "Sales of existing homes increased in October, even with some regional impact from Hurricane Sandy, while home prices continued to rise due to lower levels of inventory supply," the National Association of Realtors reports.
Its says homes sold at a 4.79 million annual rate last month, up from 4.69 million in September. Meanwhile, the "national median existing-home price for all housing types was $178,600 in October, which is 11.1 percent above a year ago. This marks eight consecutive monthly year-over-year increases, which last occurred from October 2005 to May 2006."
-- " Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes posted a solid, five-point gain to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for November, released today. This marks the seventh consecutive monthly gain in the confidence gauge and brings it to its highest point since May of 2006."
Bloomberg News looks at the reports (here and here) and concludes they're additional signs that the housing sector is on the mend. And a healthy housing sector is critical to the economy — not just for the construction jobs it supports, but for the job growth it triggers in other sectors as new homeowners furnish and fix up their houses.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: Pharma Nord ApS - a Scandinavian manufacturer with focus on medicine for cardiovascular diseases based on a Coenzyme Q10 API. Pharma Nord actively supports science in its efforts to find new treatments or adjunctive therapies with a low risk factor. More than 100 scientific studies have been carried out using Pharma Nord's two CoQ10 preparations, Myoqinon and Bio-Quinone. Myoqinon is registered as a medical drug in several EU countries. The products have been used in numerous studies, including in the groundbreaking Q-Symbio study that is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The products have been assigned an IND.


text:
A weekend series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies has been canceled after two Phillies staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to MLB.com and USA Today.
The Phillies confirmed Thursday that a member of the team's coaching staff and a member of the clubhouse staff both tested positive for the virus.
The Blue Jays — who are currently unable to play in Canada because the country's government won't allow players to travel back-and-forth from the United States — are currently "hosting" a series against the Nationals in Washington. They were scheduled to travel to Philadelphia to play a series of games as the "home" team there beginning Friday.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 30, 2020
Instead, the Blue Jays will ask the Nationals for permission to stay the weekend in D.C. or seek to travel to another city in which they will shelter in place.
The Phillies have not played since Sunday when they faced the Miami Marlins. Prior to that game, four Marlins players tested positive for COVID-19, but the game went on as scheduled. As of Thursday, more than a dozen Marlins players and staffers have tested positive for the virus. Their season is currently "on hold."
No Phillies players have since tested positive for COVID-19.
Baseball is currently the only sport attempting to resume play while allowing teams to travel between cities for games. The NBA, the NHL and MLS have chosen to conduct all their games in one or two locations, and are requiring athletes to shelter-in-place on site while competing.


text:
Hooray! 🙂 After months of work, my new book is finally available on Amazon. This book, which I wrote together with Santos Martinez and Brett Bennett is about the new version of Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and will cover all of the new features.
Invaluable coverage on all aspects of System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Completely updated for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, this comprehensive book provides intermediate and advanced coverage of all aspects of the product, including planning and installation, migrating from previous versions of Configuration Manager, deploying software and operating systems, security, monitoring and troubleshooting, and automating and customizing.
- Provides numerous real-world scenarios to show you how to use the tool in various contexts
- Explores planning and installation and migrating from SCCM 2007
- Walks you through deploying software and operating systems, security, monitoring, and troubleshooting
- Demonstrates automating and customizing Configuration Manager 2012 R2 with scripts
This essential book provides you with all the information you need to get savvy with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.
You can find the table of Contents here.
Order the book here at Amazon and learn all about System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager! On Amazon you are also able to find a preview of the book!


text:
Date:Saturday June 10, 2017
11:00amCT/12:00pm ET
Location: Blackboard Collaborate
We are thrilled to have Nikki D Robertson, Teacher Librarian extraordinaire, joining us as our Featured Teacher on Sat. June 10, 2017 at 12pm EDT. Nikki has been a pioneer and game-changer affecting the lives of thousands of teachers and students around the world with her creative uses of technology, and we can't wait to be inspired by and to hear her stories!
Webinar Description:
5 Tips for New School Librarians (and those who aren't so new)
Whether you are a new school librarian getting a jump start on your new adventure or have been a school librarian for a few years (or more) and need a boost to restore that "new librarian smell" this is the webinar for you! Join Nikki D Robertson as she shares 5 Tips for New School Librarians (and those who aren't so new) based on her personal insight developed through 25 years as an educator and school librarian. Additionally, Nikki will share her very personal story of struggling with burnout and how she reignited her passion and found her purpose in the school library.
Nikki is a veteran educator, librarian, Instructional Technology Facilitator and ISTE Librarians Network President Elect. Nikki is passionate about 1:1 Digital Initiatives, collaboration with other education professionals, and assisting students in becoming well informed, critically thinking digital citizens.
Nikki is the co founder of the first EdCamp Atlanta, a free "un-conference" committed to reaching educators in public, private, charter, and higher ed environments to share innovative instructional strategies and pioneering technologies that transform education for all students.
Nikki has also collaborated in the creation of and moderation of free national and global professional development designed specifically for the unique needs of school librarians, including #TLChat LIVE! Twitter Chat Sessions, and TL News Night, a LIVE Internet show presented in news show format featuring a Wrap up of "This Month in School Libraries" and deeper discussion of topical school library issues with special guest experts.
Blackboard Collaborate( full recording):
Tiny URL for Full Recording:
Recording Chat: http://wiki.classroom20.com/June10_2017
Audio Recording (mp3):
Follow-up Reading/Viewing Suggestions: (links shared by participants during the session have been added to this list and also to the Livebinder)
Livebinder Link: https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=2208646
(Note: Click on tab for "Nikki D. Robertson-Featured Teacher" in the Livebinder).
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/178h_C98ZQdeFAK3V03oHcj22bG_lKbtoCv4RaBymM2c/edit?usp=sharing (Nikki's Presentation Slides)
http://www.enikkidrobertson.com/ (Nikki's digital portfolio)
http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/ (Nikki's blog)
http://www.enikkidrobertson.com/about-me.html (About Nikki D Robertson)
https://twitter.com/NikkiDRobertson (Follow Nikki D Robertson on Twitter)
Links from Nikki's slides:
Cybrary Man's Educational Hashtags
• #TLChat
• #ISTELib
• #FutureReadyLibs
Education Chats on Twitter
Facebook Groups:
• Future Ready Librarians
• The School Librarian's Workshop
• MakerSpaces and the Participatory Library
Professional Development
• TL Virtual Cafe Webinars
• Future Ready Librarians Webinars
• Library 2.0 Webinar Series
• ISTE Librarians Network Professional Development
Judy Freeman (Writer, speaker, storyteller)
Jennifer LaGarde
http://www.librarygirl.net/ (Jennifer LaGarde's blog)
https://twitter.com/jenniferlagarde (Jennifer LaGarde on Twitter)
Andy Plemmons
https://expectmiraculous.com/ (Andy Plemmons' Blog)
https://twitter.com/plemmonsa (Andy Plemmons on Twitter)
A Nation Without School Librarians Google Map
This map developed in March 2010, illustrates the number of school districts within the U.S. that have eliminated their certified school librarian positions. Despite documented research that indicates the value of a certified school librarian to the academic achievement of students at all levels, the insanity continues in 2013.
Daniel Whitt-Digital Portfolios
Video: Digital Portfolios: The Whole Child, The Whole Story
Shannon Miller: Library Celebrations & Reading Promotions Throughout The Year
Other resources for new librarians:
Hilda K. Weisburg: New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialist's Guide to Success
Ten Tips For New Librarians https://elementarylibrarian.com/tips-for-new-librarians/
Stony Evans: So You Are a New School Librarian... Now What?
Advice to New Librarians http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/advice-new-librarians/
Five Tips for New School Librarians-A Guest Post by Cathy Potter
New School Librarian? 10 Things You Should Do First
What Every New Media Specialist Needs To Know
https://youtu.be/VlMPTpVzpck (Video: METC eNews talks with innovative librarian Nikki Richardson)
https://www.pinterest.com/LibraryByNikki/ (Pinterest: Library by Nikki)
http://www.slj.com/2017/02/teens-ya/nikki-robertson-shares-tips-for-yalsas-teen-tech-week/#_ (Nikki Robertson Shares Tips for YALSAS Teen Tech Week)
https://www.pinterest.com/sljournal/teen-tech-week/ (Pinterest: Teen Tech Week)
https://youtu.be/8D0drrMYmUQ (Panel roundtable discussion hosted by Wes Fryer "The 2015 EdTech Year in Review" with Nikki Robertson, Jason Neiffer, Erik Langhorst)
http://pattonvilletoday.com/robertson-expands-the-library-walls-by-using-technology/ (Robertson Expands the Library Walls by Using Technology
http://paper.li/nikkidrobertson?edition_id=76f44450-415a-11e5-830b-0cc47a0d1609#/ (The Nikki D. Robertson Daily)
https://tackk.com/8fdsdy (TACKK by Kristi Combs: James Clemens Instructional News)
https://www.iste.org/resources/product?id=4006&format=Book&name=Connected+Librarians (Coming Oct. 2017: Connected Librarians: Tap Social Media to Enhance Professional Development and Student Learning by Nikki Robertson)
Closing Slides:
http://learningrevolution.com (The Learning Revolution Network created by Steve Hargadon. We now have Host Your Own Webinars again! If you would like to schedule a free public webinar on Blackboard Collaborate sign up on this site.)
http://learningrevolution.com/page/host-your-own-webinar (Host Your Own Webinar
http://bit.ly/cr20liveitunesu (This link will open iTunes so you can subscribe to our video podcasts.)
http://tinyurl.com/CR20LIVEFeaturedTeacherNominat (Nominate a Featured Teacher for our shows--you can nominate yourself too if you'd like to present for us)
http://tinyurl.com/cr20livesurvey (Classroom 2.0 LIVE survey link to request PD certificates for live or recorded webinars)
Links added during chat have been added to the Livebinder:
https://plus.google.com/communities/102762507417207490264 (Peggy George:
If you can't go to ISTE this year be sure to join us on the #notatiste17 hashtag and in the community!)
http://bit.ly/2rhdWXY (@plnaugle (Paula): Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom: Why Twitter Chats Matter)
http://live.classroom20.com/archive-and-resources/category/participate (Susie Highley: And Classroom 2.0 has had Participate on twice. You can watch those in the archives, like this one)
https://bermudabookgirl.wordpress.com/ (Sara Westhead: My Blog)
https://info.flipgrid.com/ (Flipgrid)
https://twitter.com/WhittMister (Susie Highley: Daniel Whitt on Twitter)
http://anne.teachesme.com/2007/01/17/rationale-for-educational-blogging/ (Patti Ruffing: rationale for student blogging)
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/12-reasons-to-blog-with-your-students/ (Patti Ruffing: blog post from Vicki Davis)
http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/ (Tiffany Whitehead's blog)
http://bit.ly/2rhx8Vs (@plnaugle (Paula): Obvious to you. Amazing to others. - by Derek Sivers - YouTube)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15jiBsCIBVCyo_ulbHCJidXXQfi2mF0yQnY-duzaL6wY/edit?usp=sharing (@plnaugle (Paula): here is an example of a GoogleDoc that I shared with parents via Remind and I also put it in Edmodo for the students to have access to)


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Angels Giving Tree Helping Kids at Christmas
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012As we approach Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday season it is easy to forget that not everyone has it as good as you do. In today's economy those that are unable to afford even a Christmas tree, much less something under it, is higher than ever. This also effects the amount of donations received by charities set up to help the underprivileged. Luckily, for a relatively few families, Angels Giving Tree is there to help.
Established in 2011 and run by a couple adult industry veterans, Angels Giving Tree has the goal of helping as many families with children at the holidays as possible. Last year they raised $10,000 and helped give a better Christmas to about 200 children. Angels Giving Tree is a registered Not For Profit organization in Florida and they have applied for their 501(c)3 with the IRS.
The concept was started several years ago when Pattyecake and Todd "SexToyKing" Oster held their annual toy drive. In 2011 Todd died and Forest of Silver Cloud Design decided to take the ball and run with it. Local charitable organizations provide suggestions of families with children that need help and Angels Giving Tree uses the donations they receive to find and deliver the gifts to those that will truly appreciate it. (more…)


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It seems now that recent speculation that the new main System on a Chip (SoC) for the Next Xbox (or Xbox 720, if you like) began production is apparently accurate; the SoC did indeed start production in late December of 2011. Sources tell us that the code name for the chip is Oban, and it is being produced by both IBM and Global Foundries for Microsoft.
If speculation is correct, which our sources believe it is, the power behind the next Xbox will be a PowerPC CPU that is married to an ATI Southern Islands GPU, or modified 7000 series. Continued rumors of an x86 compatible CPU seem to be bunk, just based on where the chip is being fab'd.
This first run of these 32nm Oban chips will be destined for developer consoles, so any hope for a holiday console release in 2012 seems unrealistic, according to our sources, but an announcement perhaps before the end of the year might be possible. It would seem Microsoft's strategy of getting it in 2013 is all but assured. We do think that the chips will be in production by the end of the year for consoles destined to be sold in 2013, which seems to agree with what others are saying.
There are still many unknowns, but those in the development community seem to be clued in at least a high level. From the shadows we hear whispers of expecting development kits as early as March, but more than likely April, if all goes well.
While we expect these development kits to shed some light on what Microsoft will be doing with the Next Xbox/720, it is very likely that we will see at least couple of revisions before everything is settled as they get closer to an actual production unit.
Charlie seems to be hearing close to the same thing right here.


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It would be very simplistic to place the blame for the global financial crisis at the door of one financial sector, or at the feet of any organization operating within that sector.
The reason why the finances of so many major countries are now unstable cannot be pinned down to one thing, but part of it is certainly attributable to unwise lending by banks and other financial institutions.
While it could not securely be argued that this was what caused the financial crashes we have seen, there is no doubt that it hasn't helped.
Quite apart from anything else, there is a sense that risky lending looked like a good idea for the banks and risky borrowing looked like a great idea for the customers up until very recently.
For the banks, the idea was that the risks would bear greater rewards as money made more money and for the customers it seemed to be a case of all their Christmases coming at once.
As it turned out, there were big warning signs that everyone ignored – leading to the banks having tons of bad debt on their books and the customers being hamstrung in a place where they suddenly had greatly reduced means and a raft of payments to meet.
There are other reasons for this crash, of course, and no-one would try to deny this. But the upshot for most of us is that banks will not be so free with their money, so borrowing from now on has to be extra diligent.


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On June 29 2006 EFF filed to block an Oklahoma school superintendent's attempt to unmask the identities of a local website's operator and all registered users. On July 17 2006 three days before a court hearing on EFF's motion to quash Plaintiff dismissed his case.
The superintendent has sued Internet users who criticized him on the website's message board. In its motion to quash EFF argues that the plaintiff's overbroad subpoena seeking to identify the site's operator and users violates First Amendment protections for anonymous speech and association.
"Anonymity is critical to public discourse and fundamental to a free society allowing speakers to offer diverse views without fear of undue reprisal " said EFF Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry. "There is now clear judicial consensus that subpoenas to identify anonymous speakers must be carefully scrutinized."
In recent months EFF lawyers have represented or provided amicus support in anonymity cases in California Colorado and Delaware. In the latter case Doe v. Cahill EFF helped successfully defend a Delaware blogger who had criticized a member of the town council. The case resulted in the first state supreme court decision confirming the First Amendment right to remain anonymous until a litigant can demonstrate a legitimate claim.
"Litigants must not be permitted to abuse the judicial process to identity anonymous individuals who have simply created a forum for critical comments or made statements a plaintiff dislikes " said EFF Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "Speech critical of public officials—made anonymously or not—enjoys an extremely high level of legal protection."
Outcome: Case dismissed and anonymity of speaker protected.


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I'm seeking a Mac app for creating basic flowcharts and similar diagrams.
Google has been no help; I've followed dozens of links to apps that either don't exist anymore, I can't find any real reviews of, or that won't run on OS X 10.6.6.
What I'd really like:
A simple and clean interface
Basic shapes
Automated connectors that stay linked as you move shapes around
Inexpensive, preferably under $30 but definitely under $50
What I'm not looking for:
Hundreds of shapes
Default styles that have shadows and textures and such that I have to keep removing
Dozens of amazing features that allow you to automatically map databases and draw UML diagrams from code and such (I'm looking at you, Visio) that I have to constantly navigate around to make a few basic diagrams
A mind-mapping app with all the features such a thing entails, one that happens to also let you make basic diagrams
A full-fledged drawing app where, once again, I have to maneuver around a whole bunch of features and options to get to the basic functions I need. (I have Illustrator, I love Illustrator, but it's crap for basic flowcharts and other simple diagrams.)
I wouldn't actually use it for flowcharts, but rather basic similar diagrams to show data flow between apps, information flow in a company or other places, that kind of thing.
I recently found out that the drawing portion of Google Docs actually does a pretty good job with the types of diagrams I need to create, but the UI is pretty poor and it obviously requires a constant net connection.


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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Normally, preparing a dish for Frugal Friday is a straightforward, no frills affair. The only rules to speak of are quite simple. Any dish that is inexpensive to make and delicious to eat is a candidate to be the day's feature. Today, the process was a bit more contradictory and I found myself elbow deep in the creation of a very pricey pie, while still working on an omelet whose cost could kindly be characterized as dirt cheap. The two dishes are, in a way, related. This weekend, local merchants and media outlets are conducting a food drive to highlight and help fight childhood hunger in the county. The pie is related to the effort and is one of many that will be auctioned to raise funds to help stock local food pantries. The omelet is more mundane, but it is a great entree for folks whose food budgets are very limited. The pie and the omelet are both delicious and I'll share the pie with you on Sunday. Tonight, however, I want to talk a bit about the potato omelet. It is substantial enough to be a meal and, if you have ever had and enjoyed rösti, I know you will love this simple dish. I originally found the recipe in Saveur magazine. They used grated raw potatoes to make the omelet, but I found the potatoes did not cook in the allotted time. I decided to parboil the potato and gave the recipe another try. It was a "Bingo" moment. I save "Eureka" for more difficult executions. At any rate, the omelet comes together in minutes if you have a chilled potato that is ready to grate. The execution is a bit more difficult and there are two ways to approach it. The first, uses two frying pans to execute the turn. The omelet cooks in one pan until it has a brown bottom, then a second frying pan is placed over it and the bottom pan is inverted, dumping the omelet into it. The second method, and the one I prefer to use, cooks the omelet until the top is nearly dry, then slides it out and turns it on itself in halfmoon fashion. Neither method is completely foolproof, but let me assure you, that the finished omelet, whatever its state of disrepair, will be delicious. The recipe below is meant for one person. It makes a healthy, guy-size, portion. When I make this for Bob and myself, I use two skillets so we get to sit at the table together. This is a great dish, even if you are not on a food budget. I hope you will give it a try. Here's how the omelet is made.
Potato and Cheese Omelet...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by an adapted recipe that originally appeared in Saveur magazine
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (8-oz.) potato
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan or Gruyere
2 tablespoons butter
1) Place potato in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potato and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Peel potato, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Grate potato using large holes on a cheese grater. You should have about 1-1/4 cups shredded potatoes.
2) Combine eggs, grated potato, salt and pepper, onion, garlic and cheese. Melt butter in a medium sized omelet pan (10-inch), pour in egg mixture and cook until top is nearly dry, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn out of pan, folding omelet over itself as you transfer it to a serving plate. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 serving.
One Year Ago Today: Sweet and Sour Pork
Two Years Ago Today: Cumin Crusted Pork Chops
Three Years Ago Today: Red Pesto Sauce + Home-Style Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Four Years Ago Today: Scallion Pancakes


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Notice Number: NOT-GM-13-120
Key Dates
Release Date: May 22, 2013
Issued by
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
This is to clarify the rules for PAR-12-187 "NIGMS National Centers for Systems Biology" that are "sunsetting". The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) specifies that the initial project period can be up to 5 years and only one renewal is allowed for each award, making the total length of support for any P50 center under this program limited to a maximum of ten years. The Program Directors/Principal Investigators who went through this program once in a role of a Program Director/Principal Investigator are allowed to submit a new application for a new center. However, such new applications must be substantially different from previous centers run by the applicants in content and scope, including different research problems, approaches, personnel, training and outreach target groups and strategies, with more significant differences than are normally encountered in a renewal application. Applicants may consult the NIH policy for this matter at http://public.csr.nih.gov/ApplicantResources/ReceiptReferal/Pages/Evaluation-of-Unallowable-Resubmission-and-Overlapping-Applications.aspx. Applications seeking renewal of grants beyond the ten year limit which have the same content and scope but different Program Directors/Principal Investigators will be deemed ineligible and will not proceed to peer review.
Please direct all inquiries to:
Peter M. Lyster, Ph.D.
Division of Biomedical Technology, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Telephone: (301) 451-6446
Email: email@example.com
Paul Brazhnik, Ph.D.
Division of Biomedical Technology, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Telephone: (301) 451-6446
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Shenzhen, China – May 26, 2023 – Shenzhen Century Joint Innovation Technology Company Ltd. (INNOCN) has established itself as a dominant leader in the monitor industry, consistently delivering gaming monitors that outperform top competitors worldwide. INNOCN has gained recognition for its proficiency in manufacturing monitors that not only boost productivity in work settings but also provide a lifelike gaming experience, while elevating creative pursuits.
One of INNOCN's latest additions to its impressive lineup is the INNOCN 15.6-inch OLED Portable Gaming Monitor 15A1F. Particularly suited for gaming, this monitor proves to be a versatile solution that adapts well to a range of different situations. INNOCN fans have raved about the 15A1F portable monitor, declaring it the perfect companion for the Asus ROG Ally gaming PC handheld. The Asus ROG Ally, honored as the "Editor's Choice" on Laptop Mag, offers an immersive at-home entertainment experience when paired with the 15A1F monitor and multiple controllers.
Powered by a high-performance AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, the Asus ROG Ally ensures uninterrupted gameplay. By combining the Asus ROG Ally with the 15A1F OLED portable monitor, users can enjoy a heightened gaming experience, benefiting from features like the zero gravity thermal system with dual fans, RDNA 3 graphics, and 8 cores and 16 threads.
Customers interested in the INNOCN 15A1F monitor can conveniently purchase it on Amazon. The regular price for Amazon US customers is $349.99, while Amazon EU customers (DE, FR, IT, ES) can also acquire the monitor at an affordable price.
Moreover, the 15A1F monitor proves to be a valuable asset for traveling workers, college students, and online gym clients and professionals alike. Its impressive image and color quality are a result of the 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 100000:1 contrast ratio, 400nits of brightness, and OLED backlighting. With its ultra-slim design measuring only 0.27 inches, the 15A1F monitor offers unparalleled portability, making it the ultimate choice for users on the go.
Media Contact:
Manufacturer's Name: Shenzhen Century Joint Innovation Technology Company Limited
Manufacturer's Official Website: https://www.innocn.com
Manufacturer's Email Address: [email protected]
Media ContactCompany Name: Shenzhen Century Joint Innovation Technology Company LimitedContact Person: Media RelationsEmail: Send EmailCountry: ChinaWebsite: https://www.innocn.com


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- Posted by Mary Anne on January 10, 2017
What time is it? Time for the Overleaf Campus Challenge 2017!!!
Want to win great Overleaf prizes for your whole institution? Check out our Campus Challenge 2017! It's fun and free – all you have to do is use Overleaf and encourage your friends and classmates to do so too!
Everyone who signs up from your institution – including students, faculty and staff – will earn 'ducks' for working on Overleaf. Each duck adds to your institution's total score and at the end of the challenge, March 31, 2017, the institution with the most ducks wins free Overleaf Pro accounts for everyone at that institution, or one of our special prizes if your institution already has a site license!
There are lots of different ways to win, and all you have to do is make sure that you link your institutional email to your Overleaf account, if it's not already. You can do that in the 'My Profile' section of your Overleaf account, or directly on the Campus Challenge page. We will then automatically track your progress towards your institution's account, and you can view all institutional progress on the global leaderboard on Overleaf.
If you want to help boost your institutional progress, you can download and print the Campus Challenge posters and flyers – feel free to distribute those all around your campus. And don't forget to share the Challenge link and information with your friends and colleagues! The more people from your institution who join and use Overleaf - the better your chance of winning the coveted title - Overleaf Campus Challenge Winner, 2017!!! And, of course, winning free Overleaf Pro accounts for everyone at your institution! ;-)
So let the challenge begin! Have fun and get your challenge on – and start collecting your ducks!


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Luke Bryan Loves the Spontaneous Moments of 'CMA Fest' TV Special
When you tune into the CMA Fest: The Music Event of Summer TV special on Aug. 4, Luke Bryan will be tuning in, too. The country star says he watches the show each year, hoping that his latest single will be featured. Still, he admits that some of the best TV comes from the festival's little surprises and impromptu moments.
"One of my favorite TV moments I've ever had was when Keith [Urban] came out and did a cameo in "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day" [in 2016]. We'd rehearsed it, but we embellished it even more onstage that night," Bryan recalled backstage at Nissan Stadium. "I had wondered, would [executive producer] Robert [Deaton], for the purpose of TV, edit some of it and chop it up? But he used the whole thing.
"I remember when I watched that moment go down ... I thought, 'This may be the best thing I've ever been a part of on TV,'" he adds with a laugh.
Bryan knows firsthand how tricky it is to create great television. A seasoned performer who also serves as a judge on American Idol, he is keenly aware of what a broad range of people he can reach through the screen, and he works hard to earn his viewers' attention.
"You gotta give 'em something to make 'em stay tuned in. That's always been my approach when I get TV moments, is just to never mail those in," the singer explains. "They're very, very important for country music, and they're obviously important for my brand. When people watch me on TV, [if they like the performance, they'll be like], 'Ooh, I'm gonna go buy a ticket, because I wanna see two hours of that.'"
10 Can't Miss CMA Fest Performances
In the case of this particular special, grabbing the audiences' attention was particularly important. Getting people interested in the 2019 iteration of CMA Fest means potentially selling more tickets in 2020, thereby increasing the donations the festival can provide to benefit music education programs across the country. The artists who participate at the annual festival do so each year for free, in order to raise money for the CMA Foundation.
"I think when you look at what the CMA has been able to do, with giving back to the schools and putting instruments in kids' [hands], it's been amazing. I always think about just the growth of this week," Bryan goes on to say, recalling the early years of his career when he first participated in the event: "From when I moved to town in 2001 ... I remember my first opportunity, and they were happy to have the lower level sold out. And now? ... I don't exactly what the attendance has been this year, but I imagine they're up in the upper deck and upper levels."
Plus, he adds with a grin, anytime a festival takes place at home in Nashville, there's the convenience factor to take into account. "That's the thing: I was at my house half an hour ago!" Bryan jokes. "I drove in, got all snazzied up, and now [I get to] help the CMA and get to help a lot of other people because of it."
CMA Fest: The Music Event of Summer will air on Sunday night (Aug. 4) on ABC at 8PM ET. The three-hour even will be hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett.
How Well Do You REALLY Know Luke Bryan?


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Thinking of upgrading to a tankless water heater? 🌊
Well, you're not alone! Those are very popular among homebuyers and homeowners right now.
While tankless water heaters are more expensive than a storage water heater or a heat pump, they are also more energy-efficient and can save you money down the road.
Not to mention that homebuyers like to see tankless water heaters in the properties they're considering buying.
But is it worth it?
The main pros are lower energy bills, a smaller footprint on the environment, immediate hot water supply, remote control through "smart" apps, and longevity (tankless water heaters can last 20+ years!).
The cons are the initial price tag ($800 to $1,500 is pretty typical), installation cost (which registers at about $2,000), and how long it takes to pay you back (it takes 21 to 26 years to recoup your initial costs!).
So if you're planning to live in your current home for a long time, then it might not be such a bad idea to invest in a tankless water heater. It might not pay you back for a few decades, but the benefits of an instant hot water supply are immediate, which is nice.
However, if the plan is to move within the next year or so, then it's probably not a great idea. When buying next time, just try to buy a home with a tankless water heater!
And if you want to sell your house fast, as-is, and for a fair cash price — without all of the typical hassle of the home selling process — then give us a call at 941-300-6090. We can help!


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Global marketing and technology agency LBi last week named Anthony Lye as president of its new Digital Platforms and Channel division.
Prior to this appointment, Lye served as senior vice president of cloud applications at Oracle, where he was in charge of corporate strategy and communications for Oracle Cloud, Oracle Applications, and Oracle Customer Experience. While at Oracle, he also led CRM strategy and development for on-premises and cloud applications, was the driving force behind Oracle's customer experience strategy, and led the acquisitions of ATG, RightNow, InQuira, and Fatwire. He joined Oracle from Siebel Systems, which was acquired by Oracle in late 2005.
"Oracle is a great company and I really enjoyed my time running the CRM organization," Lye said in an email.
But now he is really excited to be joining LBi. In the newly created role, Lye will devise and implement a product development strategy for LBi's marketing cloud, including its Audience Engagement Platform and its IP toolkit. Additionaly, Lye will be charged with defining LBi's global channel partnership strategy.
Luke Taylor, LBi's CEO, called Lye's appointment "a major coup for LBi."
"His experience in delivering go-to-market strategies for technology products and services is unparalleled, and his decision to join LBi highlights the increasing emphasis brand-owners are placing on proprietary technology that enables the management, workflow, distribution, measurement, and optimization of content in virtually any form, across multiple content platforms, globally," he said in a statement
Lye agrees. "Over the last two years I, like many people, saw the customer transformation picking up momentum: It's a technical transformation driven by mobile, social, and the cloud," Lye said in the email. "I believe that cloud development, coupled with skilled people, can create new value for customers unlike other agencies or consulting companies."


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Material for preparation meetings in your school
Notes for teachers and leaders (doc ~70 kB)
Meeting 1: Friends and Relationships (pdf ~110 kB) (or .doc)
Meeting 2: Silence and Prayer (pdf ~200 kB) (or .doc)
Download video file from Vimeo
In the short film below, in order to help school and college students prepare for a week at Taizé, Archbishop Rowan Williams thinks back to his first visit when he was a teenager. He remembers how easy it was to make friends, the silence during the community prayer ... and the adventure of putting up a tent. Over 40 years later, young people visiting Taizé today find their attention drawn to exactly the same things...